Greenwich Cars

The fancies came out in Greenwich. My picks were the very early 356. The Phoney & Flashy roadster and the classy Bentley tourer.

Wings & Wheels Concours Photo Essay

I don't know my biplanes from my bombers or my trainers, but add a squadron of planes to a grouping of classics and you have a beautiful display.

This was held at Centennial Airport and was an event to benefit childhood brain cancers, an worthy cause for sure.

Enjoy the photos with prototype MGs, Vignale Cadillacs, Nashs, Gullwings and McLarens and more.

How to Save $5 but Waste 4 Hours Making a Racecar Safe

Most racing sanctioning bodies require that the cars on track have the fire extinguisher and the tow hooks clearly labeled.

I could simply have ordered some decals up to add to the car, but since it was a long weekend I thought I would paint them on. Painted lettering on a racecar always classes it up a bit.

So, I made the decals in photoshop, the less scrupulous could simply print them out, and then cut out the stencils.

For the E, it was a simple one-piece stencil.

For the tow arrows I made a background stencil in the shape of the arrow(black part), then a stencil for the word 'tow'.

Simple. I used paint I had on hand or this would have been foolish to purchase paint for this.

For a tacky glue, I used Elmer's spray adhesive as it is easily cleaned off but did a good enough job to stick down the paper.

A couple of the lettering edges are not perfectly straight, but, that is what makes the proper.

A Murder of Crows for Cars. Naming Car Congregations..

First, thanks to rodcollins.com for the pic. Spooky.

Now, I always thought those animal congregation names are so evocative. I mean, murder of crows, it is perfect. But how about a Troop of Apes, a Charm of Finches, a Kettle of Hawks, Cackle of Hyenas or Bloat of Hippopotami? All are great. Many more here.

But no car equivalent exists. Until now.

So, for future reference to gatherings of three or more of a single marque I suggest:

A Fetch of Ferraris

I mean, Ferraris are fetching. And they fetch quite a bit of cash. So, perfect. Start using it.

A Miasma of Lotuses

Lotuses are light. Airy. Their design is fleeting and so is their durability.

A Yoke of Porsches

Porsches are the hardest working exotics. Period. They are also rather brutal cars, especially the turbo variants.

A Club of Bentleys

Obvious. Clubby British car. Clubby owners. Just plain Clubby.

A Bonfire of Corvettes

Polarizing. Just like Corvettes. Some would like to see them burn in a bonfire. Others would like to use theirs to turn their tires into bonfires.

A Jury of Jaguars

The whole JCNA 100 point scale and condescension of many owners has this one going down a more serious, as opposed athletic, path. Remember, I own a MK2 so I mock myself.

An Obstacle of Rovers

They can go over most obstacles. As well as most turn into an obstacle in the owner's driveway with their repetitive breakdowns.

More to come. Please send me your suggestions.

Sanding. Sanding. Sanding for...

A 944 doesn't look too big until you start to sand it.

I am sanding down the 944 in preparation for a new coat of paint. Scheme is a secret, but I think all my readers will be pleased. I am only going to tell that it will not be a respray in Sable Brown Metallic.

Lots of excellent inspiration out in the world, that is for sure. So, this is exciting. And arm-numbing preparing the car.

911 Sold Like the Latest $60 T-Shirt

I've always felt that you don't just drive a vintage car, but you also, in a sense, wear it. You may not think like this, but people looking at you do judge you by your vintage car just as surely as they do about your cheap sneakers or pleated pants.

So, it was not that much of a surprise when the fashion site Gilt.com announced this sale. They choose a reputable partner in Dawydiak to get a car. It should be interesting to see if this car sells. The way Gilt works is they offer top notch fashion at a steep discount. Think Paul Smith shoes for $100 instead of $450.

Has this meant vintage 911s have jumped into the mainstream?

More Race Wheels. One of These Not Like the Other.

My budget has taken precedence over my vanity recently. Currently my 944 SPEC race car has a very nice set of Fuchs with it. I use them for my tow rims as the rules only allow you to run Phone Dials or Cookie Cutters.

So, I made the decision to hunt up another cheap set of rims I could use for my tow wheels. And boy, did I come up with a cheap set. $90 for all 4. I bought 4 rims, one dented beyond repair for $40. I then bought one more 'good' rim from another SPEC racer. Thanks a lot for the sweet brush-painted silver rim, Chuck.

I will give them all a quick clean and respray, my vanity has not disappeared. Just been re prioritized.

So, look soon for a set of Fuchs for sale. I should be able to fund my new race tire purchase when I sell the stock 15x7 and 15x8 rims.

Shamed by a 912 Driver

I have nothing against 912s at all. I love them. A 67 912 was my first Porsche and like all aging men I am sure some day I will track down another 912 just like it to relive some memories.

The snow was melting today in Denver but the roads still a bit mushy and soggy and snowy on the side roads so I decided to take my Jeep to work. Well, on the way home I spotted this well-worn SWB 912(you can tell it is a SWB by the position of the torsion bar cover) on I-25. Damn him.

I will drive my 911 tomorrow.

The car seemed to be riding a bit high, and the burble from the exhaust was blowing something fierce but he was still in the fast lane enjoy the drive.

Track Day Vid - How Many Effects Can You Spot

Nothing against my neighbor who shot this video while riding shotgun, I commend him for not getting motion sick, it was a rather boring day just lapping. Nothing like the usual 944 SPEC scene.

So, on a snowy day I spent some time hacking it together and putting more effects on this than a James Cameron movie.

Hope you enjoy the vid and 'The Horror. The Horror.' Soundtrack.

Stylish Bullitt Gear

Steve McQueen has certainly gotten his fair share of coverage in the automotive press recently. Too much, some might say. And Bullitt is certainly a movie that has spawned a bunch of replicas, including a very lame Mustang. 

So now to the above pictured item. I do love a clever graphic T-shirt. Heck, working in an ad agency, I am surrounded by dudes wearing them.

So, when I saw this rollneck that was a new item on grandprixlegends.com I just had to share. It is just so clever. A cotton shirt screen printed front and back with a holster. More costume than casual wear to be sure, but it would be fun to wear into a meeting with a blazer over it and just let the graphic peek out. (grandprixlegends also offers a Bullitt replica blazer).

I just wouldn't wear it through the airport anytime soon...

Out Flat at Last Race of the Year

No, I didn't suffer a twinge of dyslexia in my post headline. Yesterday was going great. My first time at Pueblo a very fast 2.2 mile track until the main race at the end of the day.

Five minutes before grid did one last tire pressure check and WHAT. I had a flat. Scrambling, another SPEC racer lent me his 4 year old near dead RA-1. The results were not good. No idea what the pressure in that tire was. I was just happy to get it on and get in the race. But at the beginning of the third lap, when the tires were at full temp, I realized just how important a set of equally conditioned and pressured tires were. I was suffering massive push. And trying to keep up with the 944 SPEC national champ had me off the track. Twice. So I called it a day.

But I still had a great time at Pueblo. I was able to qualify sixth then finish the qualifying race in fifth out of fourteen. Oh well, that is racing. Better a flat than something more pricey to fix. So, now I will either do one lapping day to end the year on a high note, or just pack it up.

In the pics you can see how Pueblo's front straight uses the drag strip portion of the park. You come out on it flat out of turn 10 at about 80MPH and hit what I suspect is about 115 at the end of the straight.

Then there is a pic of Graham suggesting I add some coolant to the car. Good fun that my wife and son were able to see me in the qualifying race and had left by the time of the main where I flatted.

One note, my motor seems to be breaking in nicely. Revving a bit quicker and offering what seems a bit more mid range torque. Especially when I wrapped cardboard around my oil cooler to raise the temps. I couldn't get the oil above 160 degrees in the am. So for the qual race I wrapped it and saw my temps a better 200 degrees. Warm oil is fast oil, to a point. You don't want to go above 240.

Cars & Coffee Boulder Pics

Today was designed to drive your classic car in Colorado. Sunny. High 70s. Just remarkable.

And it coincided with the monthly Cars & Coffee in Boulder/Lafayette. It is held at the Brewing Market in Lafayette. Which, by the way, brews a very nice Americano. But I would pass on the Breggo Sandwich, it is just an overpriced Hot Pocket. The scone however, was crumbly perfection.

The MKII ran very well. With my Wife upfront and Graham strapped into his Recaro in the back seat, we were all well cosseted on the forty minute drive from home. It was my first opportunity to use the overdrive on the car and it was great. Just like shifting into fifth, minus depressing the heavy clutch.

So, let me describe the pics in descending order from the top:

1. Yes, that is a 914 towing half a 914. I can't comment further. 

2. Flared and checkered Fiat Abarth.

3. Late Carrera and early Countach, both with gold wheels.

4. Ferrari 330 motor. Achingly pretty.

5. My MKII next to one of the few cars in the world that could make it look ugly, a Ferrari Dino. Owned by the same gentleman for 30 years. Some people know when they have some good and don't let it go.

6. One of the rows. Alfa GTV looking prettier for parking next to a Z3.

Meals and Wheels Another Porsche and Food blog...

The above photo is from a German blog titled Mealsandwheels.com

It is the work of a female 911 driver and racer who is also a food nut like myself. Most of the posts are in English so you can read about her and her hot schnitzel photography.

Worth checking out.

When Toyo RA-1 Start Getting Fast

Just raced on July 3rd at PPIR. We raced it backwards so we were all rookies on this track.

I don't know if it was confidence in the car, the even playing field or what, but I did very well. Was in the top 4 of the RM SPEC 944 group all day. Was nice to be up front and competing for FTOD and the win. 

But what I do know, is that my tires are just coming into their sweet spot. No one ever showed me what RA-1s should look like when they start being fast. But the above pic shows them just getting there. I am about 18 heat cycles in. All the tread blocks are just worn down. What a difference. They are now so much stickier and more progressive. I think they will be great for me for the last two races on my calendar.

Memorial Day Race Weekend Recap

Sorry, this took so long, but I was waiting for pictures. Am still waiting. I will add them when one of the photogs from the race posts them up. 

Now, on to the recap. First, on Saturday during the warm-up I ran a 2:21 lap. Not bad, and not pushing too hard. So I decide on a goal of 2:17 for the weekend.

In the qualifying race. I ran a 2:19 and this put me in 9th out of 18 cars. I finished the main race in the same place with a time of 2:17.

Goal reached. So set new goal. A 2:16.

Hit that on Sunday qualifying and the ran a 2:15:02 in the main race. Sweet. This was the fifth fastest lap time even though I finished the race 8th. 

It was great to be really in the mix. Lots of banging. Three of the four corners of the car got some other color paint on them. That is how close this racing is. It is incredible. Sure there are faster cars, but none that run as close as us.

Finally, on Monday in the enduro, my co-driver Chris Mosera of Garage Films and I managed to finish 9th out of 21 cars. And third out of the six or seven 944s. What a weekend. 

The only carnage was a set of wheel bearings from having a grease seal fail. But after a total of 5 and a half hours of hard racing to only need $40 in repairs was great. Engine was solid, brakes, suspension all doing well.

And for the next race, my RA-1s are just coming into the sweet spot, so they should be fast when we head to PPIR over July 4th.

Death Creates Life

To bring a new classic into the house, I had to sell one.

And what I sold was the Porsche I owned the longest. My 83SC with only 63k miles. Totally original and well-preserved. I looked after it for 6 years. I felt as if I was its caretaker the car was so nice.

Pictured is the new owner. From a Porsche loving family in SoCal. I am sure the car will be loved. He drove it from Denver to SoCal over a blazing hot weekend. The car ran fine. He said he ran a bit hot though.

I miss you White Chocolate.

But, now I have the funds to buy something older, and gasp, not a Porsche. Stay tuned. The Hunt is on....

V8 influenced Wheels on the SC

As the son of a Hot Rodder, I was around a lot of classic Fords during my formative years. As such, I have a love of the Ford Engine Blue color. Just something about it. Just a bit softer than Gulf blue, more grayish.

It brings me back to the 1970 F250 I owned for a couple years as we restored our home. With a 390 V8 and only two wheel drive, it was the best vehicle I ever owned for laying strips. And under the hood was always pleasant to look at because of that blue color.

So, I painted my very tired Fuchs with it. I used the 500 degree engine paint, primer and clear. The 2000 degree stuff requires a heating period so it is not good for wheels. I have painted other wheels with this engine paint and it was durable.

For Sale July 1963 356C Porsche Tourist Package + Owners Manuals

I am putting up for sale a very unique piece of Porsche literature. A complete, immaculate July 1963 printed owners manual. Included also is the options booklet, repair facility booklet and what makes this super rare, the original owner's European Driver's license. It comes in the original clear plastic cover.

A neighbor who bought an old service station to work on his hotrods in(he races a vintage flathead dragster) knows I like Porsches so gave this to me. I've pretty much given up on getting a 356. At least for the next decade, so am putting it up for sale. Perfect for a concours person or just someone fascinated with Porsche literature. 

$500 or near offers.

The owner's manual is unmarred. The spiral binder is perfect. printed in Germany, July 1963

The options booklet has a date of November 1962 printed on it and a few pen check marks inside next to options selected.

The repair facility booklet has a Marz 1963 printed in Germany date. 

And the French Issued, European Driver's license is in the name of, Michael Stedham from Chehalis, Washington was issued on February 28th, 1963.