Platespotting

If there is one thing people in Pensacola love to do, it's show off their individuality. It never ceases to amaze me the quantity, variety and creativity of custom plates. They tell you about the driver. the car or sometimes only speak to those who are in on the joke. Here's to freedom of expression.

No Boring Cars

Pensacola has a different car culture than I witnessed in South Florida. It's more centered on groups of enthusiasts and less on rented Lamborghini's and valet parking. We get our share of exotics, but these are simply pulled up and parked by the door. (props to Jackson's Steakhouse for a steady stream of hot exotics. Observe today's Ferrari 599XX and Tesla's electric hot rod.) But to truly experience the depth of car culture here, you need go no further than the local Farmer's Market on the right Saturday. Custom built or original daily driver, they come out to visit on sunny weekend mornings. Here's some from the past few days. Of special note is a rare Pontiac Solstice Coupe. This was a model that had just gone into production right before Pontiac was dissolved. Lucky buyer.

Pensacola Performance League

Here's the latest in Pensacola Performance. The broadsword versus the scalpel. Aston Martin's luxurious V12 powered DB9 and an American counterpoint, the ferocious 8 liter Dodge Viper RT10. Splitting the difference is possibly the fastest American coupe ever built, the Cadillac CTS-V with 556 supercharged horsepower. Rounding out the collection today are three screaming-fast rice burners, the Honda S2000, Subaru WRX and Nissan 370ZX.