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EXOTIC CARS

  BY RICHARD BUTNER   

Whether you're an owner, a would-be buyer, or just a dreamer, the Web has plenty of information on exotic, luxury, and sports cars. Owners of rare automobiles tend to stick together, and this spirit is mirrored in the information-sharing happening at these sites. While some automobile manufacturers have Internet presences, the best information can be found in the FAQ files and opinions on the unofficial sites. Because exotic car enthusiasts are located all over the world, access to some sites may be slow.


FerrariNet is the original and best Ferrari site. This site is exhaustive and potentially addictive. About the only thing missing is a graphical tour of the Ferrari factory. You'll see tons of pictures, including a Ferrari Fine Art section, where you can view images like the Ferrari Daytona that won the first Cannonball Run. Learn the history behind the prancing horse logo. Click on a U.S. map to find dealers, mechanics, or parts in your area. Read or contribute a technical tip, check out the excerpts from the Ferrari Market Letter (the Ferrari classifieds/price guide newsletter), and get information on market prices, events, and racing. Access was slow when we looked in, but there are plans in the works for a bigger, faster home for FerrariNet.

Some might turn up their noses at America's original pony car, but the Mustang speaks for itself in popularity and longevity. Click on an image map at the Classic Mustang Page to find a club in your area. Learn how to decode the ID plate on your Mustang, check out pictures, sounds, and video of various classic models. There's even a specialized newsgroup (dwx.talk.mustang) you can access from this page. Other cool features include general Mustang trivia, a basic (non-interactive) listing of parts sources, and an entry form you can use to get a picture of your car onto the Mustangs of the Internet page. This site is a must-see for anyone buying or restoring a classic Mustang.


Slow yet comprehensive, this site contains everything the DeLorean owner should know. Get the FAQ file on DeLoreans, learn the history of John DeLorean and the car he created, find out about DeLorean owners' groups all over the world. You can post questions on a public message board, get a list of DeLorean owners and their e-mail addresses, and even link to the movie that made DeLoreans famous, Back to the Future. If only the site were as fast as the car.

The Alfa Romeo page was undergoing major reconstruction when we reviewed it, but it still showed plenty of information for Alfa fans. Much of it comes from the Alfa Romeo mailing list, alfa-digest. You'll find lots of pictures of various models and links to other Alfa and Italian car sites, numerous tellings of how Alfa Romeo developed its famous serpent and cross logo, and even a listing of movies that Alfa autos have appeared in. There's no FAQ file yet, but there are several pages of discussion on various technical topics, from how to clean your engine to how to store your Alfa.

SVT Cobra Mustangs covers the limited-edition Cobra Mustangs made by the Ford Special Vehicles Team starting in 1993. Every week a new Cobra picture rotates into the opening spot on this Web page. There are lots and lots of pictures (of cars, windows stickers, brochures, emblems, and even auto parts!), but this isn't just a graphics site; there's some hard technical data, too. This site features a white paper that explains the SVT Cobra philosophy in addition to charts of features for all models and classified ads. The only thing missing is in-depth information on repairing and tuning your late-model Cobra.

BMW Information is not a company-sanctioned site, although some information here was provided by BMW of North America. It lists activities of BMW Club chapters across the countries, including driving schools. The information on current models is simply a link to DealerNet (where you can learn about the fantastic 8-Series of sports coupes). Lots of FAQ files and information on BMW clubs and events. 2.5

BMW, the official company site, can be viewed in German or English. While the design is impeccable, the content is not as meaty as on the enthusiast sites. There is more to do than just download pictures of the new models, though: Read about how the BMW navigation system uses GPS (the Global Positioning System), and hear for yourself (by downloading sound files) how BMW's sound engineering is reducing noise pollution.

Michael Sherman's Web page of Porsche automobiles site is primarily dedicated to the new 911 Carrera, but there is plenty of other good information on Porsche models past and present, including a multimedia archive of pictures and MPEG movies. The most extensive information is on the latest Porsches, but there are also useful FAQ files for owners and potential buyers of older models, and a good set of hot links to other Porsche pages.

Lotus information seems to be spread wide and thin across the Internet. As is the case with many somewhat obscure areas of interest, much of the Lotus activity occurs on a mailing list (subscribe at lotus-cars-request@netcom.com). Sikes Lotus Page features assorted pictures and links to other Lotus sites specializing in certain models.

The information's pretty shallow at the official Mercedes Benz site, Mercedes Benz SL-class Passenger Cars. You'll see an on-line form to send feedback to the company. One suggestion might be: Put bigger, nicer pictures of the SL-class cars on your Web site!

The Maserati Pages, still under heavy construction, hold more information about spdracer, the author and Maserati fan, than about the cars. Mildly interesting if you have a BiTurbo; otherwise, not much point.

Exotic Cars is a jumbled list of "Super cars of the world," with pictures and specifications. It's more like a virtual coffee table book than a real source of information.

Lamborghini Web comprises unofficial Lamborghini pages that are mostly undone. There's just not a lot to see here yet.

BMW Cars and Bikes is slow and provides only very basic specifications and pictures of a number of BMW automobiles and motorcycles.

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FerrariNet

Classic Mustang Page

DeLorean

Alfa Romeo

SVT Cobra Mustangs

BMW Information

BMW

Michael Sherman's Web page of Porsche automobiles

Sikes Lotus Page

Mercedes Benz SL-class Passenger Cars

The Maserati Pages

Exotic Cars

Lamborghini Web

BMW Cars and Bikes