I Dream of Speed has Moved!

It's official: I Dream of Speed has been moved to its very own website!

Blogger has been very good to me over the past year that I've been here, but it's time to move on to something more professional.  I have been working vigorously on a stand alone web page with a very talented web designer, and it's finally ready.  Head over to idreamofspeed.com to see my blog's new home!

I have yet to determine if I will keep this version up to preserve my previous entries or if I'm going to migrate them over to the new site, but all future posts will be on there from this point forward.  Thank you so very much to all the people who have taken the time to read my blog and leave comments, that means so much to me. I hope you'll stick around and enjoy the new and improved edition of I Dream of Speed :)

If you have any questions or concerns with the new site, shoot me an email. I would love to hear feedback.

See ya around!
-Etoria ❤

Spotted - Twin GT-Rs

Riverside may be out in the middle of nowhere, but it's been a bit of a hotspot for supercars lately. Last week I saw two Aston Martins which unfortunately escaped me but my discovery monday morning more than made up for it: a set of GT-R's posted up in the far lot on campus.

CNC Motors Open House

Being in Riverside most of the time, I don't get to experience exotics or supercars as frequently as some of my fellow enthusiasts out near LA. Fortunately last week I discovered CNC Motors, a luxury/exotic dealership out in Ontario and heard they were having an Open House event. After perusing their inventory online, I knew this was an event not to be missed.

Spotted - 2013 Nissan GT-R R35

On Thursday nights Bernie & I tend to hang out at a meet or two, but tonight we were late to the party & missed out. Just as we decided to call it a night & we headed back to my apartment so we could drop me off, we spotted this GT-R in the parking lot. Thrilled, we headed over to check it out and so I could grab some photos. I feared not having a tripod would produce useless images, but I was happy to find most of them came out. But they still don't do the car justice.

"Gotta Catch Em All!" My New Love of Car Spotting

As I mentioned on my Facebook page about a month ago, I've finally acquired my first DSLR, a Nikon D50 with an 18-55mm lens.  Words can't describe how excited I was to finally have a real camera to improve the quality of my photographs and my skills as a budding automotive photographer.  I look for every opportunity to use it. So lately, I've been compelled to carry my camera with me everywhere I go in hopes of catching some good cars in the wild.  I've now taken up an interest in car spotting.

Folllow Up: Josh's Scion FR-S

My feature of my friend Josh's FR-S was pretty popular, so I decided to write a follow up highlighting the modifications he's done since I wrote it. He's been slowly acquiring new parts and doing all his own work, so it's been awesome as a friend to watch the process unfold. Here's what's new...

L.A. Auto Show 2012

My coverage of the L.A. Auto Show is coming one week later than it did last year (due to time conflicts) so I'm a little bummed the internet is already flooded with photos from the event, but these are the ones taken through my lens (lowly as it may be in comparison to godly DSLR's).  L.A. really impressed me this year, and I hope you'll be impressed too.  Without further ado, the 2012 Los Angeles International Auto Show!

S.F. Auto Show 2012

The 55th annual San Francisco International Auto Show has come & gone, but I can easily say that it has been the finest year yet. The expansion included cooler attractions and better cars that I've ever seen there. Hopefully this is a sign the S.F. Auto Show is on its way to becoming a major show like L.A.

The Boys Finally Meet

Usually when I do car things, I go with my friend Bernie (a.k.a my twin) to meets or the track, and my boyfriend Curtis takes me to all the official events. Bernie rocks his gorgeous '12 Infiniti G37S, and Curtis keeps it chill with his low-key '05 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT. I had always been bummed that we could never do something all together (and therefore get the cars together) but that finally changed last night.

Featured - Sara's Honda S2K

It's time for a new feature! This installment puts the spotlight on a car I found on Import Sweethearts, an online community for female enthusiasts to support each other and portray a positive image of us ladies on the car scene. This lovely S2K belongs to an awesome gal named Sara from Albuquerque & I'm so glad she let me post it up. Read on to hear more about her car.

Spotted - Cars in Vegas

This weekend I went to Vegas for the very first time to celebrate a friend's 21st birthday. Even though I was supposed to be there to party (which I don't really do much of), you know I couldn't help but be on the look out for good cars. I saw many photo-worthy vehicles (three Gallardos, two Rolls Royces, a Bentley, a Ferrari & three GT-R's), but I was only able to get photos of a select few. Worse yet, they came out ugly, but I still wanted to share them.

Spotted - Matte Pink BMW 335i

I've been living in my new apartment for a week now and recently noticed a conspicuous car hiding under a cover across the way.  Peeking out from underneath the gray shroud was a matte pink BMW E90 335i. As I've stated before, pink cars generally disgust me, but for some reason, I adore this one.

Danville Conours d'Elegance

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend my first Concours d'Elegance last sunday, and it was an experience like no other. Unfortunately due to timing, I was not able to upload the photos until now because I was travelling back to SoCal and moving into my new apartment. But patience is a virtue, and I do believe what I have to share was well worth the wait.

I Officially Have a Girl Crush on Tia Norfleet

As a female enthusiast, I cannot help but get excited when I learn of the achievements women are making in the automotive world. It just reinforces what I (and you should also) already know to be true: women can hold their own with men in the industry.   I won't spend too much time blathering on with girl power nonsense, I'll just cut to the chase: I officially have a girl crush on Tia Norfleet.

American Iron Car Show

It may be blazing hot outside in some regions during summer, but it never seems to stop car enthusiasts from braving the heat to put on a good classic car show. With the temperature spiking to nearly 100 over the weekend, I ventured out to the American Iron Car Show in Pleasant Hill, CA.

The Blackhawk Museum

Over the weekend I visited the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, CA. Thus far I've only visited two auto museums, but it's a start. Blackhawk is located at the Blackhawk Plaza Shopping Center, cleverly tucked away near the back half of the plaza. It takes some doing to find it if you're not familiar with the area, but once you do, you're in for some very special treats.

Featured - Josh's Scion FR-S

This post marks the beginning of a new series: featured rides. Every so often I'm going to have someone send photos of their car and answer a list of questions about their experience owning it. The point is to offer some insight into what it's like to live with a car the automotive community may have strong opinions about. So let's start things off with my buddy Joshua's Scion FR-S named Xenogear in Florida. I'll let him take over from here.

Spotted - Twin Murcielagos

Last weekend I was lucky enough to see a Tesla Roadster in my neighborhood, but this evening I must've been extra lucky, because I saw not one, but TWO Lamborghini Murcielagos! I was out in Walnut Creek having dinner with a friend to celebrate her birthday when the two bulls rolled up to the valet across the street from our restaurant.  Considering Lamborghinis tend to be pretty rare, I knew I had to get a better look.

Cruisin' In The Sun Classic Car Show

If you're a classic car lover like myself, you know that summer belongs to the automobiles of yesteryear. The Cruisin' In The Sun Classic Car Show hosted at Fernandez Park in Pinole, CA was the first of many classic shows I hope to attend during my 3 month stay in the SF Bay Area while school is out.

Spotted - Tesla Roadster

I'm back home in the Bay for summer, and I'm starting to remember what an amazing place it is for cars. Sure we have our fair share of automotive events, but even daily outings here can be incredibly rewarding. Yesterday afternoon I stumbled upon this silver Tesla Roadster in Montclair Village.