by Peter Ciani for RPM News Weekly
Although the New England Motor Press Association Ragtop Ramble starts off as a showcase of some of the latest and greatest new cars in today’s automotive marketplace, it isn’t exactly a car show – at least not in the traditional sense. Nor is it a bevy of convertibles parading in the summer sun with their tops down. Actually, the annual event is a private road tour that kicks off from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline Massachusetts and makes its way north to the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, Maine where a lobster picnic dinner awaits.
On the way, the Ramble creates an opportunity for the automotive journalists who make up the New England Motor Press to sample (i.e. test drive) some of the newer and sometimes more exciting cars on the market. This is helpful because higher-end and specialty cars often are not available for typical weeks-long evaluations.
(except as noted)
There used to be lots more convertibles – a.k.a.“ragtops” – in the marketplace back when this event originated. Many would take part in the drive. In that spirit the name lives on.
Gathering at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum
The day begins with breakfast on the lawn at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum. Once again, Subaru served up tasty Suburritos from a Burritomobile, assuring that no one would be driving on an empty stomach. Then, to be certain that everyone knew where the day was headed, T-shirts emblazoned with the image of a lobster were available for everyone along with a detailed roadmap.
If you’re a fan of automobiles in New England, then you probably are familiar with the Larz Anderson Museum. It’s home to what is recognized as the oldest car collection in America, but what distinguishes the museum from just a random assortment of old cars is that it features themed exhibits. For example, their current displays are ‘Hidden Treasures’ showcasing cars that are normally locked away in private collections, and ‘Born of Necessity’ charting the evolution of the pickup truck from makeshift, homebrew DIY farm trucks to mass production and adoption.
The Larz Anderson is also known for its monthly Cars and Coffee gatherings and themed lawn events, which include the upcoming Porsche Day, VW Transporterfest, Japanese Car Day and Extinct Car Day, just to name a few. The most recent events were Swedish Car Day and Alternative Motor Day where according to the museum website “All forms of mobility using alternative fuels are welcome!”.
Pick a Car, Any Car!
At around 8 a.m, automotive writers from around New England begin to converge on the front lawn of the museum where the cars are lined up and readied for the ride. This part of the event is sort of like a traditional car show, although it’s not advertised to the public. Nevertheless, people walking by or visiting the museum can (and do) stop and check out the cars.
For the first leg of the tour, journalists don’t get to choose the car they’ll be driving. Instead, keys are put into a so-called hat, in this case, a Cheez-Its box, and are blindly picked at random. Some of the cars up for grabs were a 70th anniversary C8 Corvette Convertible, Lexus LC Hybrid, and a Charger SRT Hellcat.
My Rides of the Day, or Should I Say, “My #SaveTheManuals Day?“
#1 – 2022 Hyundai Elantra N
I started my morning by driving to the event in the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N. Sure, it’s no modified Mustang or Hemi ‘Cuda, but the way I see it, even classic car enthusiasts need a winter ride and this car fits the bill.
Yes, it comes with some great safety and infotainment tech, but for Hyundai, the Elantra N is quite the bold offering actually. Performance equipment that one normally wouldn’t see in a budget-friendly compact sedan, such as a 276-horsepower turbocharged 2-liter engine and a crazy, manually controlled shifting device with 6 numbers on and an extra pedal on the floor – that’s what this little gem is all about.
The Elantra N also features performance brakes, chassis braces, a limited-slip differential, and an electronically controlled suspension. Not too shabby for an efficient car with a 10-year powertrain warranty and a $32,000 starting price.
#2 – 2022 Subaru WRX
When it comes to modern performance cars, the Subaru WRX needs no introduction. That said, here is my personal introduction to the 2022 Subaru WRX Premium in the gorgeous WR Blue Pearl color…
This was my blind pick of the day, and I’ll admit when I first saw the Subaru logo on the key I was hoping that it belonged to the new BRZ that my partner at RPMNewsWeekly.com, Rich Taber, drove to the event. Not that I consider the WRX a second-place prize, but it would have been nice to experience the next generation BRZ, too.
Photo by Rich Taber
The WRX is all new for 2022 and features a more rigid chassis, more technology features, and increased power. The styling of the new WRX is a bit of a controversy for fans, but I’m more concerned about the performance, and even though my time in the WRX was fairly brief, I’d say that it didn’t disappoint.
The suspension felt a little stiff while I was driving out of the Boston area, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a deal breaker. Hey, it’s a WRX. Considering that I was driving mostly on some surly stretches of Massachusetts’ roads in this part of the journey, I’d say it was still pretty comfortable.
It’s kind of sad to think that in many ways this generation of the WRX is an end-of-an-era car before they introduce some kind of electrification to the model. Don’t get me wrong, electrification is great when used properly, but it just won’t be the same.
I was surprised a bit by the price of the WRX. For some reason I was thinking it was more expensive than it is. The Premium model that I drove was on par price-wise with the Elantra N, while the base WRX sells for just under $30k. Oh, and you may have heard, that there is no STI – not yet anyway.
Thankfully, the WRX still offers a 6-speed manual. There are very few manual-transmission-equipped performance sedans, especially with AWD. If you live in New England, or anywhere else in the world that has bouts of bad weather and would like a year-round performance car, this should put the WRX at the top of your list.
#3 – 2023 Acura Integra A-Spec
Getting to swap out of the WRX at a New Hampshire rest stop and into the new Integra A-Spec was a pleasant surprise and I’ll admit, at first glance, I didn’t even realize that it was on hand. Unlike the Elantra N with its boy-racer looks and red exterior trim, or the bright blue WRX, the Integra with its somewhat understated gray exterior color known as Liquid Carbon Metallic just seemed to be hiding quietly in the background.
It’s no surprise that the new Integra shares a powertrain and platform with the Civic Si, but unlike the Civic Si, the Integra’s turbocharged 1.5-liter engine can be paired with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). Nice for volume sales and all, but I’ve been talking about manual transmissions here, so fortunately, I can tell you from my test ride that the Integra has one of the smoothest shifting manuals that I’ve driven recently.
The clutch pedal itself is super light and although the 1.5-liter puts out only 200 horsepower, it certainly feels like more. Sorry, you might not be able to live your life “one quarter-mile at a time” without some mods, but at the same time the Integra sure was a blast on the curvy back roads of Maine.
The manual-equipped Integra also includes standard down-shift rev-matching. You’ll have to opt for the A-Spec with Technology package if you plan to do your own shifting, and that’s $5,000 over the base price. So, I guess you really have to be dedicated to the #savethemanuals cause.
Even though there were a few muscle cars on hand for the Ragtop Ramble, I’m glad that I got to drive other performance cars instead that represent a segment that many people including myself might not normally consider.
Here’s a look at some of the other cars that participated. Special thanks to the New England Motor Press Association, the staff at Automotion, the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, and the various manufacturers and their reps who were on hand for the day.
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