Wayne Carini is a man famous for his Chasing Classic Cars show and his extensive knowledge of automobile restoration. His shop, F40 Motorsports in Portland, Connecticut, is a 2.5-acre compound dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and storage of some of the world’s rarest and most coveted classic cars.
Dennis Collins, the Dallas, Texas-based entrepreneur, and friend of Richard Rawlings of 'Fast and Loud' fame is on the move and looking to scoop up a rare Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren convertible from Carini’s shop. Collins flies to Connecticut to make the deal and spends some extra time wandering through the F40 Motorsports facility.
It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it, and Collins has a lot of fun walking, talking, and laying eyes on some iconic vehicles.
What Makes This Mercedes SLR McLaren Convertible Special
The video starts with Dennis Collins heading to the airport. He’s on a mission to buy a rare SLR convertible for his brother. There are only 2,157 SLRs in total, with about 500 being convertibles. The silver beast has an AMG-built 5.4-liter supercharged V8 that pumps out 617 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque. That might not sound like much in a world where 707-horsepower Hellcats exist, but it’s good enough to get the long and lean supercar from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 208 mph.
The convertible loses out on the butterfly doors but gains a drop-top that allows more of that epic V8 noise into the cabin. Burdened with extra weight, due to the heaviness of the top and the strengthening elements required, the convertible is marginally slower and less sharp in the handling department than the coupe.
The car Dennis buys from Carini has spent the majority of its life as a show car, and only has 2,000 miles on the odometer. We hope his brother drives it more than the previous owner.
F40 Motorsports Is A Treasure Trove Of Rare And Unique Cars
The tour of the expansive shop starts in the showroom. A number of special cars are on view but the dominant vehicle is the red GT40 race car. This is the real deal and built for the 1967 Can-Am racing season. Legendary racers Peter Revson, George Follmer, and Jack Brabham all drove this car. Powered by the iconic Ford 427 V8, this brute would make the ultimate track-day car.
Collins and Carini stop to admire a rare Studebaker then spend some time inspecting a 1972 Porsche 911 Coupe. Surrounding the 911 are a few rare Ferraris including a 275 GTB and a 330 GTC.
Moving into the next building, the vehicle selection starts to get interesting. Sitting in the corner is a 1949 Buick Convertible. This is the car driven by Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in the movie ‘Rain Man.’ The current owner is none other than movie director Barry Levinson.
In the middle of the building is a gorgeous, all-original 1961 Cadillac. There is also another car, sitting on a storage lift on the back wall of the warehouse that deserves a little extra attention. It’s one of the greatest sleeper cars ever built and owes its existence to legend of screen and race track Paul Newman.
The Volvo 960 wagon, sitting anonymously on the lift, is one of three cars built by Newman, who loved a good sleeper. The original Volvo engine is long gone, and a 5.0-liter Ford V8 with a Kenne Bell supercharger is now providing the motivation. Making 380-400 horsepower, the V8 mates to a five-speed manual transmission. Newman famously built one of these for David Letterman, and it appears in Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee show.
Collins’ video is lengthy but filled with detail. Some cars get a brief mention while others get a much more detailed explanation. It’s obvious to viewers that both Collins and Carinin are passionate about what they do.
We’d love to spend a day roaming around F40 Motorsports, but until that day comes, we’ll be happy to live vicariously through Collins’s "Coffee Walk" video.