The six most autopionic cars in my new book “Waiting for the Sun”

It’s a magical feeling when sunlight hits paint at just the right angle and everything that hasn’t been touched by the sun turns black. It creates a strong natural contrast, and the sharp shadows add a minimalist element to the composition. The hidden and covered parts of the photo put more emphasis on the elements that are spot-lit by the sun.

(Editor’s note: “Waiting for the Sun to Come Down is a celebration of cars photographed in dramatic natural light by our great friend Kevin McCauley. It’s a collection of over 75 cars and over 100 images that share a common theme: automotive scenes with hard, mysterious shadows. Order it now.)

I really try to approach each of these photos as a scene – light and shadow are just as important as the car. But the cars are really special too, and I’m thrilled to be able to include some very interesting cars in the book.

I have selected six of the most popular Autopian cars Waiting for the sun to setand a little about cars and my experiences with photographing them. The book doesn’t contain any driving impressions – that’s not what it’s about – so this is also an opportunity to throw in some of that.

Lancia Fulvia Coupe 3

Fulvia embodies “more than the sum of its parts.” The 1.3-liter V4 engine produces just 89 horsepower, but its delivery is felt at its strongest when you use the 5-speed transmission. Front wheel drive? It really doesn’t matter when it sounds, looks and drives this good. After a few minutes behind the wheel, you wonder why anyone would need anything more.

I photographed this car for a friend who suffers from Car Attention Deficit Disorder and decided to sell it. I was on my way home when I noticed a bit of morning light seeping through between the buildings in the city center, and I stopped on the road to take a few dozen photos. I missed this photo on my first playthrough – I discovered it this year while compiling photos for “Waiting” and I like it better than the selections I chose for 2021.

Maserati Khamsin

Maserati’s tumultuous (tragic?) ownership history has led to many strange product decisions. One of them was to equip the Ghibli’s successor, the Khamsin, with high-pressure hydraulic systems from the parent company Citroën.

It has speed-sensitive variable assist and hydraulically actuated and assisted clutch and brake control. So running this is… weird. The pressure-sensitive brake pedal does not move and the clutch has an extremely short throw. The steering works very tight from lock to lock and automatically unwinds. Before you can start the car (something you often do during a comprehensive photo shoot), you have to wait for the hydraulic system to build pressure and then buzz loudly to clear things up. When it comes to an unforgettable driving experience, it ranks very high.

Typically, brown doesn’t “pop” against deep shadows, but I found a view where the brown highlights enough that we can see the outline of the wedge shape of the Bertone-designed front engine. The high perspective and narrow frame undoubtedly hide a lot of ugly things just outside the frame.

Fiat Panda 4×4

I loved riding and throwing around that little box written by Giugiaro. I then said, “it looks like a can with virtually no creature comforts, but everything in there was designed and purposeful.”

I photographed this for the 2021 exhibit. Most cars are best served with a dramatic three-quarter front shot, but I think the perfectly straight rear view is one of the best shots of the Panda. We get the silhouette, the narrowness, the perpendicularity, and the fantastic, cursive Helvetica logo embossed on the tailgate.

Ferrari GTB Turbo

As a child, I was obsessed with the shape of the Ferrari 308/328 twins. Later, as a teenage car buff, I learned about tax-dodging turbo versions available on the Italian market and dismissed them as less powerful versions. Now, as a hopeless idiot of a certain age, I think a 2.0-liter turbocharged Ferrari V8 is simply the coolest thing in the world.

Driving this car – sure, it’s fantastic. The tiny V8 engine revs to almost 8,000 rpm and has more than a bit of chaotic, Porsche 930-like power delivery. But telling people about this car? This gives me indescribable joy.

If you wanted a Ferrari with a factory boost gauge, up until 2010, your only options were the F40, 288 GTO, and this. These supercars are legendary, but when would you get a chance to explain it to someone?

This photo was taken from the top of one of my favorite parking lots. (Houston consists entirely of expanding concrete, so we classify our concrete structures). I love high-angle photos to show a less visible view, and in the case of the GTB, this angle shows the Berlinetta’s roof (as opposed to the Spider-based GTS Turbo) and the intercooler bulge on the engine cover.

Autech Zagato Stelvio AZ1

In 2019, I went to Ohio to photograph the Stelvio Zagato AZ1 for a story. Myron Vernis found us a neat, hidden, industrial spot to shoot his new JDM coupe, and I immediately found a strange, decommissioned railroad bridge to stand on. I looked down from the bridge as the clouds parted, allowing for the only 5 minutes of sun we saw all day.

I like how the sunlight highlighted the metallic flake on the dark blue paint, and how the perspective makes the fender-bender mirrors look even weirder.

Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda

It occurred to me that I had highlighted five foreign-built cars, most of which were never sold in the US market. So I wanted to include something quintessentially American: specifically, All American Racer.

The Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda was only produced for the 1970 model year, and like some of the absolute coolest cars ever, it was built to be homologated for racing. More specifically, to get the 340 cubic inch V8 engine approved for SCCA Trans Am use.

This one was an automatic with a white vinyl interior, so it was a bit of a departure from its Trans Am roots, but all the cool stuff was there: hood pins, graphics, and look how purple it is! I’ve mostly idled this car around the owner’s property and parked it twenty times, but when you get behind the wheel of any homologated car, it always feels like you’re driving a link to motorsports history.

Why am I doing this?

I’ve accepted that I’ll never have an extensive car collection. A huge garage filled with obscure exotics and oddball imports is probably out of the question, and that’s okay.

When I photograph a car, sometimes I feel like I’m taking a small part of it with me. I’m not saying that when I photograph a car it’s some divine, transcendent experience, but it is an experience: a moment, a feeling, or a scene that I will always remember. I think every photographer feels the same on some level.

If I can take a photo that excites me and where I feel like I’ve put my mark or my own style on it, it’s like I’ve been given a tangible object, something real that I can keep. This book is a collection of memorabilia from my experiences with these cars.

The book is now available for pre-order at Carrara Books, so go ahead and buy it. All photos by the author, reprinted with permission.