Porsche 918 Configurator LIVE!

The most expensive car whose price is shown in an online configurator is...the Porsche 918 Spyder! And to add further insult, all 918 examples have been pre-ordered.

Here's to hoping I'll have a chance to drive one of these bad boys!

San Francisco

Immediately after my internship, I flew to San Francisco for a short one-week vacation to chillax while I still had the chance.

Jet lag produces excellent morning photos

I made a day trip to south bay to visit Apple. I had lunch with my mentor and then went for coffee with a few others on the iOS team.

The reason I chose to go to south bay on this day is that Apple organized a small auto show at one of the campuses. I got to see a number of supercars and classics.

AC Cobra

McLaren MP4-12C air vent

Wings of freedom

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera mirror cap

AC Cobra Coupe

Salute

McLaren MP4-12C mirror cap

McLaren MP4-12C engine

McLaren MP4-12C door opened

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG front emblem

The most intriguing supercars were the McLaren MP4-12C and the Mercedes SLS. I may just have a thing for door mechanisms, but I gotta say, scissor doors are the coolest. I think they intrigue me because I don't have a clear picture of where the hinge mechanism is mounted -- there's no obvious flat edge on which the door pivots like in traditional doors (leftmost edge) or gullwings (topmost edge).

I'm not too versed on classic cars, but I did recognize the BMW 2002! Oh, the things I learn from playing Forza 4. There were also a bunch of Cobras and a Porsche 356 Speedster in British racing green.

Automobiles aside, staying in San Francisco, specifically SoMa (South of Market for non-natives), was quite pleasant. Compared to the Tenderloin, where I stayed for an on-site interview. The surrounding area was decently clean (I would say not as clean as the loop in Chicago) and had plenty of attractions. Namely, the Apple store was only five minutes away by foot. :) Plenty of restaurants were close by, including Chinatown. (Aside/funny story: we went to a dim sum place for lunch, and I was awed when our waiter computed our bill (including tax!) in his head. I joked that I would never be able to work there.) We also walked along the piers and went to Ghiradelli Park one afternoon.

That said, rent in San Francisco is laughably expensive, to say the least. It turns out that rent for a one bedroom corner unit in a relatively nice location is $4k/month. To put this in perspective, a two bedroom/two bathroom unit in the penthouse tower in Chicago is $3.2k/month. One would think that high rent and high income taxes would be sufficiently large deterrents.

But inexplicably, I think that I will be sucked into this vortex known as the Bay Area.

Automobile Shortlist

If you had unlimited funds to obtain the 10 cars of choice, what would you have?

1. Porsche Boxster (981), daily driver.
2. Lotus Elise (S2), in which general awesomeness can be had anywhere and everywhere (except in snow and rain).
3. Jaguar C-X75, for its epic twincharged 4-cyl hybrid powertrain and its wonderful sports bike-like exhaust note.
4. McLaren MP4-12C, high-speed beast, also nondescript enough for a viable occasional driver
5. Lexus LF-A, for its lovely F1 exhaust note.
6. Mercedes-Benz S600 (W222), because Magic Body Control and I need a limo.
7. Tesla Model X, for all things that require a SUV and the exotic falcon wing doors.
8. Mercedes-Benz 300SL, because every stable should have a classic, and who can deny gullwings?
9. Koenigsegg Agera, for the exotic Koenigsegg doors and their no-compromise philosophy reflects what I want to achieve.
10. Porsche 911 Carrera (991; in Guards Red, of course, and perhaps a GT3), because I've always wanted one as a kid.

Standards

Never apologize for having high standards. People who really want to be in your life will rise up to meet them.