Lime Rock Show Day Pics

Great day at the Lime Rock show. So, what we have from top to bottom:
A Lola T-70
A 1923 Amilcar. Check out that rear seat suspended out over the back in the boattail.
1949 Tatra. Porsche-like with its rear engine. A V8 though. Very stylish.
1967 911S. Daily driver, found in NYC in a garage. Rough but runs every day.
Rad 1972 Monaco vintage decal on a 1968 911 Targa. I want one of these stickers.
Boxsters all lined up.
1973 Turbo RSR Prototype. 1 of 1.
Two 1951 Porsche 356A. Both gorgeous. The dark blue one prepped for track work.

Keep it Steady

One of the great things about Lime Rock is just driving the roads to get to the track. So I could not do that in a run of the mill Focus or Dodge Caliber rental. I needed something a bit special. And something that could haul my photography gear. And the people at Hertz obliged with an FX35. Never driven one of these before but it hussles along quite well on the country back roads. It feels smaller than it is. And with the windows down you get a great rumbly exhaust sounds. It is no replacement for my Porsches on these roads, but it is making the commute from B&B to the track better. I just have to keep it steady after watching racing all day and not speed.

Boxsters and its Inspiration in Action

I am at the Rolex Vintage Fall Festival this weekend. And on my first day I grabbed a few shots of the Boxsters in the PCA car corral after watching the 550A in action on the track. Although separated by 50 years, the similarity in shape is undeniable.

$30k Collection The Attention Getters

Maybe you wear a monocle. Or perhaps two brightly colored but mismatched socks. Your drink of choice probably requires no less than 7 spirits to create. And you always, always, ask for a special request when ordering food at a restaurant. Even it it's Pancake house. That is because you are a person who likes to get noticed. Attract a bit of attention. You would no sooner buy a Camry or Taurus or even Porsche than buy a house in a subdivision with covenants that restrict paint color to shades of tan. And lo and behold the auto manufacturers know that people like you exist, hell the entire aftermarket industry seems tailored made to people who attract attention, so they created some products that stand out like a Dandelion on the first fairway at Augusta. And, here they are...

1996 Aprilia Moto 6.5. Lots of time to import one but only about $5k total. Even with the sucky dollar. What you get is a piece of Philipe Starck designed motoring uniqueness. While everyone else is making do with a Juicy Salif as their only bit of Starck designed paraphernalia you can actually ride your Starck. Which sounds odd but fulfilling. And to attract more attention you would need to peddle down the street on a six foot unicycle. And no unicycle I know of has a stout 45HP single with lots of low down torque. A super narrow profile for zipping thru urban traffic. Lightweight so you can teach your lady friend the joys of riding. And finally, that touch of creamsicle orange that puts a smile on your face every time to you look at. But do refrain from licking.

1992 Subaru SVX. Kick out $5k for one that runs well. A Guigiaro designed Subaru? Yes. Really. Yes. Lets start with the glass. A titanium dioxide coating on the windshield as nice but messed with radar detectors. Maybe the first Subie that needed a detector too with a 154MPH top speed from a 3.3L Boxer making 230HP. And the side windows. Sure they might only attract attention at the toll booth, but boy will those dirty-fingered money changers of the highways talk about you. The one reason this car is still cheap is that it was only available with an automatic transmission. With a 5-speed it would have chopped second off the 0-60 and been in proper sports car territory around 6.5 seconds. And with only about 25,000 of them in the US, you won't see yourself coming and going and I know how you hate that.

1991 DMC-12 Delorean. This will take your remaining $20k and get you a decent driver. Gullwing doors. Really I don't need to say more but I will. Guigiaro designed this car as well. Chap was on a rather fussy kick. Must have just bought the VHS of 2001 Space Odessy and watched it too many times. But then again, you love how Giorgetto gets you noticed. Work on your witty comebacks to disarm all those Back to the Future haters and you will enjoy your time. Most people hope for 15 minutes of fame. With a Delorean, you can turn your 15 minute commute into a daily dose of lustful eyeballs.  

Boxster Design Edition 2 - The Miami Edition?

Oh dear God!. I really like the Boxster. A lot. I like the Boxster S more. I dislike this Design debacle as much as I like dragging a pumice stone across my nether regions.

Watch the weblink here to a whole webisode. The shots of Santorini and windmills are pure German 80's advertising. As are the seagull sound effects and trance music. And the 80's is what makes this car reek. The white wheels. And I've seen tigers with less stripes. The interior is just as Don Johnson fresh with a white center console. Egad. The profits at Porsche have made them looney. 

Porsche tells us they are limited to 500 editions. I think they will be lucky to sell that many at full price. 

Horsepower Ranch

My friend recently bought a piece of property down in Larkspur, CO that has great views(and where he can keep his like 8 Muscle cars). Thought I would share some snaps of the sunset drive back home.

$30k Collection The Chapman. Colin Chapman.

Colin Chapman. The engineer/constructor who gave the world such gems as, "Simplify and add lightness." "Any car that holds together for an entire race is too heavy." And one all his pilots must have appreciated, "You won't catch me racing a car that I built." Colin is a man who also put out some dubious products and some gems that could fill out your $30K collection quite nicely. This is one of those collections that will have your neighbors wondering how you could pull off such a distinguished collection. It will also improve your mechanical skills as much or more than a course at APEX technical school. But like the latter, after a year or two of ownership you to will have a toolbox full of your own tools.

I have a couple of notes on Lotus cars. Elans are nice but the unlabeled switch gear on the dash are comical. The Esprit was a pure design. Than it got all eighties out with the James Bond effect. My favorite celluloid jaunt of the Esprit is in Basic Instinct. It didn't(and doesn't) get hotter than two chicks who kiss each other and drive matching black and white Esprits. Finally, the least honest of all Lotus is the Elan convertibles of the early '90s. They are front wheel drive. Colin Chapman would not have liked torque steer. And neither do I. On to the carriage house...

1987 Isuzu Impulse Turbo. $4,000 and lots of time hunting will get you the one you want. Very few made. Wait you say. Is this a Lotus or an Isuzu. It is an Isuzu that handles like a lotus. It even has a badge that shows it has "handling by lotus". And it did, it out handled my beloved Porsche 944 and outran the NA version as icing on that ass-kicking cake. Not a bad looking car either, very small and sporty. A four-wheeled highway gnat. Just try to swat it out of the way. 140-160HP thru a 5-speed box and an LSD. Nice package. This was a tuner car before there were tuner cars. The biggest downside is the costco cheap interior and stupid self retracting seat belts.

1974-82 Lotus Eclat. OK. A lotus powered Lotus for a trim $7,000. Stay away from the many junk Eclats you see at the $4k range. Hold out for one of the best. They made enough of them. Or more remarkably, sold enough of them because it was more expensive than an XKE when it was introduced. But a sweet type 907 or 912 engine gave a true 160HP. Built on the backbone chassis it is a true exotic in looks and performance. I like the looks, many don't. Don't fear the body roll. Embrace it like a fat woman embraces a box of chocolates. With a smile and a steady hand.

Series I Esprit. Your remaining $19,000 thank you. Let's start with the Wolfrace alloy wheels. Move your eyes over the gleaming, fractured paintwork. Take in the lack of fussy spoilers and vents. Notice it barely comes up to your waist if you are anything but Lilliputian in stature. Get a hint of the original plaid interior seats that look very much like something from Pierre Paulin's atelier. This car literally had automotive reporters rushing the stage like tight-sweatered Beatles fans at its debut. And whenever I wear a tight sweater and see a SI Esprit I rush to as well. The handling is the wiki of Lotus handling. The small wheels transmit the bumps in the pavement with the dexterity and expertise of Helen Keller working some brail. And that twist off fuel filler in the buttress is that one bit of jewelry on an otherwise naked, angular highlands beauty.

Eclat Picture Wikimedia. Isuzu pic isuzuperformance.com

$30k Collection The Mr T-Top

'Take off the top' replaces 'put the top down' as the call to arms to let the wind flow thru your lady's locks and the sun to beat down on your bald spot. The T-Top which today has acquired a rather declasse reputation was in fact designed by the guy who designed some of the most beautiful American cars, Cords. So, take that T-Top mockers. Think of it as an early Cezanne or late Kubrick film. Sure, a master worked on it, but it wasn't their best.

Rattly. Leaky. Drafty. Ugly. All reasons thrown out as calls to avoid a car that sports a top that looks like the back of weightlifters tank-top. A reason to buy one is not, as the original designers thought, safety. A thong's worth of metal is not going to keep you safe in a roll over. No way. No how. About the only reason I think to buy a car with a T-Top is to be able to use the windscreen and back portion as a point to leap into your car with the doors shut. Or, if you are a confident chap, use the T-Tops as a means to show the world your complete 80's style. 

Bonus points to bronzed glass versions.

1978 Camaro. This is T-Top execution at its best. Figure $15,000 for a decent Z28. Some would say that the Corvette, the first production car to use T-Tops, is the right ride for these removable panels. I disagree. The Camaro which got the option of T-Tops in 1978 brought the removable roof to the masses. In 78, granted it was and is cool. Just look how much fun those people in the above ad are having. It is impossible to have that much fun in a car with a full complement of sheet metal. Best to save for a manual transmission Z car as the base 305 and straight 6 are dogs. And damn the originality, just make sure the seals in the Top have been renewed.

1984 Monte Carlo SS. Set aside $10k and you will get a top of the line Monte Carlo SS. And I really do think all original versions will creep up in value. Especially the black versions with blacked out T-Tops. They still look tough. Unfortunately, the L69 HO 305 is not that tough. What with its tire chirping 180HP and 225ft/lbs of torque. The T-Tops did add a bit of the boulevardier to the car but when you were 26 and just got back from a trip to Sandals and were going to be promoted to shift supervisor this car was it. But as a car with genuine a NASCAR link and a bad boy image, the Monte SS is a car with presence. A hard think to find at this price point.

1986 Nissan 300ZX. Use your remaining $5k and try to figure out why people love these things so much. The 240Z and 280Z are pretty cars. As a rule though, Japanese performance cars from the '80s are hideous. What Porsche got so right with the 944, the Japanese go so wrong with the Z. At least with turbo power it could get out of its own way thanks to 205HP. But if tuning is your game, the Z is the car to get as the power that is possible on this platform is amazing. Think 400HP and more. But for $5k go for a drive at night, pop out the Tops. Set the shocks to firm and sing your favorite Eddie Murphy hit. Mine is Party all the Time. Party all the Time. Party all the Time...

Images(motortopia, zhome.com)

Minty. Nutty.

I love pesto. And come the end of summer I make a bunch with the basil we grow before it freezes. And in turn, we freeze it in ice cube size bits and it lasts all winter. A super quick way to make a weeknight pasta a bit brighter. 

But, with an annual gift to my wife from one of her clients of several pounds of macadamia nuts(these people have a grove in Hawaii, must be nice) and a mint bush that thrives like bears in a garbage dump I have made a very nice version of pesto.

To make:

Smash in a pestle a half cup of macadamia nuts.

Julienne 1-cup loosely packed mint leaves and mash in pestle with nuts.

Grate in some hard italian cheese(maybe a quarter cup, more as melty binder in this case than a key flavor component as in traditional pesto)

Drizzle with as much olive oil as you like(the nuts have a lot of oil, so maybe 2 tablespoons) and coarse salt. Stir.

Uses:

Over anything that swims.

Also makes a nice side to a cheese plate. Especially a brie.

Or, top a salty ham sandwich with it.

Boxster and SC Comparing Backsides

I hadn't taken a picture of my two cars together for sometime. In fact I didn't have one of the Boxster and SC together like I did of my 951(sold) and SC(sold only if I am in dire straits). Now when I look at the two back to back I would say that the Boxster really exudes that special Porscheness. It seems to be a member of the family for sure. The 951 next to the SC looked like some sort of Asian import. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. But the 951 was not very Porschey. The Boxster design though is. At least the first generation Boxster. The 987 I fear has a few too many vents and sharp lines for my taste, a bit Lotus like. Lots of people say the 986, first gen Boxster, was a feminine design. But just look at the SC next to it. It has the same purity and soft flowing curves and no one ever called the SC a feminine design. Porsches for courses I guess. But I am really liking the Boxster as a daily driver. And I admit, I do feel guilty as I type this during a torrential, yet rare, Denver rain storm. The SC is all snug in the garage. The Boxster, it makes do on the drive.