Car Guy Speaks

One of the most validating (and embarrasing) moments in my life was when I learned my "Cobratech" project was going to be featured in a magazine. I knew using a non-traditional power plant was risky... it cost double what using a 289 or 427 might have cost and, once complete, would be worth much less than a traditional replica.  Despite this, I thought the new SVT Mod-Motor was the future of muscle cars and insisted it was the right choice. I have no idea why I couldn't be convinced a simple 289 Cobra replica was cool enough.  In the end, I'm glad I wasn't.  I learned a lot from the project and that knowledge combined with the people I met along the way has more than made up for any value disparity.  With a magazine article as the final exclamation point, I could enjoy some recognition and fame, and after such a tremendous undertaking, that was truly priceless to me. I located my donor-motor a couple of years before Ford introduced the crate...

I've never owned a new car. Well, I guess the leftover 95 Nissan truck I bought in 96 might count. But come on, Nissans look 2 years old the day you buy them, so I'm claiming never on this issue. There are two reasons I've never bought new: first, they are expensive. Second… I forget the second. Boy, you really do pay a lot for new cars. I have often dreamt of the glory associated with a car that is perfect and has no flaws hidden by sellers. But buying new really blows the budget. I seek out used cars in really good shape with some success but, invariably, I later find the hidden flaws and they become even more depressing. My solution: win a new supercar in a raffle and fix all that. The latest issue of Porsche Panorama arrived in the mail this week. On page 15, the answer: PCA's 2010 Member-Only Raffle. The winner will be provided with a $104K Carrera GTS coupe and $25K cash to cover most of the expenses associated with winning it. The GTS is one step above the Car...

Yesterday was my 40 th Birthday. It is a time of reflection on what's really important in life. So I'm going to review my cars and motorcycles from the very beginning. The beginning, being when my license was issued of course. For the record:  No Sunbird EVER looked as cool as the one in this add.  Mine was light blue, steel wheels, an automatic and didn't have any spoiler.   Also, the sunlight had dissintegrated the plastic interior bits to dust.  Oh, and a Ritalin induced spontaneous painting project turned the front end gloss white. For my 16 th Birthday I inherited mom's light blue Pontiac Sunbird. Don't laugh, it had the 6 cylinder. The pizza deliver profession enabled me to spend quality time with that car. At around 17 or 18 my grandfather got in an argument with the Nissan dealer about the value of his trade, so I received a 1986 Nissan Pickup. Some stripes, Alpine, CB radio and a tonneau cover and I was off and running.  Actually,...

The last two land speed record holders for production cars were the Bugatti Veyron and the SSC Ultimate Aero TT.  Both provide the wealthy owner with over 1000hp and both can exceed 250 mph. Very impressive machines. Would they really be that fun to drive every single Sunday? I guess that depends on where you live and how honest you are about how you drive.  Are either of these the kind of car you want for your last sports car? I know, I shouted “hell yes” initially too, but I hear they are both a bitch to parallel park. No Bugatti pictured here.  Sorry.  Jerod Shelby is an acquaintance of mine.  The Ultimate Aero is clearly an American icon that will come to be worshiped. It takes an “old school” approach to electronic intervention. Without ABS or traction control, I’m told this car can spin the tires at 200mph if you're not careful. That translates into a raw experience of power and responsibility that could certainl...

I think it was some time in 2004 or 5, I don’t really recall. Some relatives of mine came into some money.  Afraid of  the housing market, they came to me with a partially serious question. Should they invest in a Ford GT? I say partially serious because they really were looking for me to convince them. They liked the idea, but wanted a passionate push. I certainly was a fan of the Ford GT. It was Fords hi-tech tribute to the 60’s era GT40. I’m too young to remember, but history tells us it was used to decimate Ferrari at Lemans . This avenged Ford after the disgrace of Enzo Ferrari’s decision not sell his company to them. Sorry, I digress. You can look it up on Wikipedia. I’d long hoped that I could achieve financial independence swapping cars over time. So, have spent a good number of hours working on the probability of success in auto investing. Sadly, have never really come up with a plan that paid off for the modest investor like myself. The conclusion was once yo...

My M3's backup sensor is really cool. Or, at least it was, until last month when a droning beep showed up where the back-up sensing once was. Also cool were the tire pressure sensors. Pretty cool, until the constant flashing began, which is their way of telling me that they need service too. I'm too cheap to fix these optional features, but I cannot turn them off to ignore them either. Beep, beep, beep!  These inconvenient conveniences quickly loose there luster after that manufacturer's warranty expires. I personally think that these "nannies" will be the death of restoring vehicles, since not unlike your cell phone, they are upgraded and redesigned way too frequently. This recent frenzy of techno goodies leaves no time or interest to perfect or even repair them. We've all got a target timeframe for when cars were truly ideal, before they got too complicated. Your father might say fuel injection marked the end of automotive simplicity. It's true, you...

This week I was going to write about serviceability of your sports car, but after an interesting morning, I've changed my mind.  For the last several weeks, I've been shopping for a motorcycle and had made arrangements to view a classic BMW on Orcas Island.  Now, this involves a 2 hour drive with 2 ferry boat rides. In other words, a long trip to buy a motorcycle! After making reservations for the 6:30am ferry, I emailed the seller to confirm. He replied with a curt email stating that I better not be planning any negotiations and that I better have cash. I was prepared to pay asking price, but of course, I intended to negotiate for my travel and registration fees, if possible. Bottom line, I cancelled the purchase because I couldn't see myself enjoying it, knowing that I'd be buying it from this grumpy fellow. So, back to cars now... It was 1 week before our big road trip to Utah and I'd decided that this year I wasn't going to get caught in the rain with m...