Breaking Up 42 Years of Togetherness

The 912 short block I bought from a guy on Craigslist was my target project for Friday.  It's a short block.  For all you non-Charlie Browns out there,  this is an engine minus the heads (valve train and usually pistons and cylinders). My block has the pistons hanging out of it, the clutch and some other small niceties that would be added expense to replace.   

I stripped the engine of everything I could and began trying to split the case.  The first few times I tried, I realized I missed a couple bolts locking the thing together.  So twice, I got false hope that "ooooh removing this bolt will finally do the trick." Nothing.  I smacked the crap out of this thing and can't get it to budge.

I'm at a loss how to break these two apart.  After 42 years, you would think they would be looking for a a new spark, a vacation, some time to explore their own feelings.  Look...  I'm going to bring you guys back together, I swear! 

Christine Lives Inside My 912

I'm never one to name my or even talk to my cars.  But you can't help to think about them in a conversational manner when you are with them, can you?

"Damn you mother piece of pearl, I need that bolt to break loose now!"

"Come on baby, hang on through this corner... a little further... tight... nice."

"Maybe it's time to sell."

That's where I was Monday morning, thinking it's time to sell.   By Monday afternoon, I was convinced the car decided to stay in my collection.  Collection of one that is.  That morning the car got a much needed cleaning after being out overnight in the dew and under a tree that had little tiny flowers drop all over it.  And not in a, I'm naked let the rose petals dribble on my body way.  These flowers got everywhere, in the engine, the vents, the carpet.

So while cleaning, I thought this car is looking goooood, all the gauges are like new and back in the dash.  Maybe it's time to see what the market thinks.  Then I went for a test drive, revved it a little too high and if you've been following this blog, blew the ring out on the No. 4 cylinder.  I'm only running on 3 out of 4 now. 

After limping the car home, I thought -- well now I'm going to have to rebuild the engine (which was in the plans already).  But if I rebuild it, you can bet I'm not going to sell it. 

Ah ha! Darn you Christine, you were picking up my thoughts once again.  I'll keep you in the mix... for now.

The Crutch We Often Forget We Have

Went to the DMV today to renew my license.  Easy enough process, I made an appointment and went down ten minutes early.  Seems as though I can't wait to do anything car related.  The woman looked for my appointment and reluctantly gave me a number or so it seemed.  She was shuffling sporadically through her appointment sheets and never seemed to confirm my name.  Whatever, I was in.

About 20 minutes later I waited for number F 021.  They skipped right over it to F 022.  Coincidence?  Eh, I was ten minutes early. She gave me F 024.  However, I did lose my prime end cap seat in the scuffle and re-parked myself next to an older distinguished lady. 

"What are you in for?"  I asked.

"Oh, I'm here for a friend who is taking a driving test to get her license renewed.  She can't see that well anymore and failed the eye exam."  

Apparently, if you fail the eye charts you can still prove your worth on the road.  Funny, the lady went on to say she didn't think her friend should get her license.  She can hardly see she explained. 

"I drove her down here in her car so she could take the test in comfort.  But I always drive when we are together.  If you asked me, they shouldn't even renew her license."

Refreshing to hear that one of their own kind was close to throwing her friend under the bus.  But could it be that the DMV was pulling their weight correctly as well?  Having just witnessed on the drive down an old lady driving in the bike lane until the lane ended, I was cautiously optimistic.

"Number F-0-2-4." 

Crap, that was my new number.  I wished her luck with her friend and got my license and picture.  I was clean shaved and smiled big for the camera.  I mean really, how can you not be happy you get to drive after that story?

The kicker though was in the parking lot, when I left.  I saw, you guessed it, a white Buick Regal pulled up in the handicap.  The instructor was already out and standing right next to me as I sashayed. 

"Did she pass?" I whispered.

I guess I didn't need to see the instructor's head shake to know.  The 87 year old lady was getting out of the car visible flustered and disappointed.  It was going to be a whole new world for her.  A little bummed for her, I tip my hat to the DMV.

 

Automobile Driving Museum

I finally had a chance to shine up the 911 and go for a drive with the Porsche Club. The organizers set up a morning to visit the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo CA.

The museum is nothing more than a warehouse, but it's unique in that they actually drive some of the cars that are in the showroom. On the weekends they'll pick out a couple Packard’s and just give rides to those that come to visit. Pretty good way to get the real sense of how things were back when your grandparents owned cars.

They have cars on display from the 1800's up to about the mid-eighties. The majority are from the 50's and 60's, like Packard’s, Cadillac’s and Lincolns. They are in great shape, most have been brought back to original condition, it was amazing to see the amount of effort that went into the cars designs and build back in the day. The builders seem to spend as much effort on the hood ornament as they did on the rest of the car, the attention to detail is so underappreciated today.

A 100 point concourse 1936 Packard was behind glass, as well as 1930 Shutz Monte Carlo that was designed with a wood frame covered in what looks to be vinyl - image the typical vinyl top but it covers the whole car, including the engine...unbelievable.

Here is something interesting... Pininfarina actually design a 1952 Packard. I borrowed the front picture from Automotive History Online, but there is was, stuck in a little museum in California, only a few people around to appreciate it. The interior was beautiful and the just look at the rear fins, you can't make stuff like that today.

It was worth the drive and the time spent...if you go, take advantage of the a museum docent - they will tell you all about the cars and the history of the museum.

Enjoy the pictures...their web site is also pretty good.

Lamborghini, ‘J’ Is For Jota

The most spectacular Lamborghini Miura was undeniably the Jota; it was the most ambitious project Bob Wallace ever built. In Italian the letter 'J' is pronounced 'Jota', here it refers to appendix 'J' in the International Auto Racing rules, this car was built to go racing. Unfortunately it was never entered in a race, it was one Bob's toys, a car he had designed and built in his spare time, during evenings and week-ends, when he could use all the Lamborghini tools he needed, Ferruccio didn't mind all this as long as it didn't interfere with Bob's normal work.

The Jota only looked like a Miura, almost everything was redesigned, most of the body was now finished in Avional, a light composite alloy used in the aircraft industry, also the floor of the basic steel chassis was made of this lightweight material. The body styling looked very aggressive back then.

Bob would be pleased with the new level of “super car” design language being applied to the new Jota concept being run through it’s paces. It is rumored in certain groups to be the replacement of the current Lamborghini Murcielago.

Multa Bella!

We Don't Need No... Stink'n Badges!

Shelby American wasted no time coming up with its own take on the new 2011 Ford Mustang. Officially dubbed a concept, the 2011 Shelby GT350 will go into production later this year with few changes.

This is essentially an aftermarket package that you purchase after you plunk down the $30K for a Mustang GT. It includes a supercharger that pushes the new 5.0 V8 to around 500 horsepower, a set of Baer brakes, 19-inch Cragar wheels and "super sticky" Goodyear tires Shelby says. The suspension also gets new springs, struts and sway bars from Ford Racing along with adjustable camber/caster plates.

Shelby says all GT350s will be white with blue stripes. Not sure if that means you have to start out with a white car or not but it probably helps. Shelby also adds a new front fascia, revised taillight treatment and a center-exit exhaust. All this for only $34K -- that's on top of the original car, not total. So you're looking at a minimum of $64,000 for a Shelby GT350. Hope you like white.

Take what I would like to call the “Shelby Challenge”. Count how many times the Shelby name appears on this new product.

Exterior-Side profile: (6 per side... 12 total) rear side window vent cover, rear wheel center cap, rear brake caliper, front wheel center cap, front caliper and fender badge

Front profile: (1) an asymmetrical grill badge

Rear profile: (2) rear fascia (bumper) and fake gas filler cap (between taillights)

Interior- Cabin: (14) embroidered seat front/rear, carpeted floor mats front …possibly in rear, driver’s side A-pillar, three-gauge cluster, center console badge (under center stack), cup holder lid badge and armrest cover

Under the hood: (10) top, right and left side of the supercharger, valve covers, left and right side, aluminum filler caps, three in total, cold air intake cover… and lastly, metal serial numbered badge

Hmmm, I come up with 39 locales that Shelby has his name plastered on…that should just about ensure that even a blind person can determine via touch that this vehicle was in some part doctored up by Shelby America. This is without the old man’s signature on the passenger side dashboard…which everyone and their brother seems to be having him sign before his ultimate retirement for a collectible up-tick in value.

Vegas Baby!

My lovely wife who planned an awesome Vegas 40th celebration for my closest friends and myself this last weekend. She had this planned out for six months to stay at the Palazzo Hotel. Appetizers, drinks and dinner at Dal Toro http://www.daltoro.com/ at the hotel with a private table among the exotic vehicles and private tour and party to follow. I was treated to a screaming late night drive around the city in one of their Ferrari F-430s. Nothing says love like going 110 MPH down the Vegas strip and back roads.

But the party didn’t stop there...the next early morning my wingman and I went to the Vegas Speedway to drive a 2009 Ferrari 430 and Lamborghini Gallardo.http://www.exoticsracing.com/ After we finished drifting our way around doing five laps in each vehicle on the inner track we decided we and the cars needed some much rest after doing 160 MPH down the straight away. HOLLY CRAP that was awesome! But soon as I turned my back my friend treated he and I to another two laps with “Crazy Rudy” who took us out for a pucker factor drive in a 2009 Corvette ZO6. I’m certain that the tires and the right-side inner door handle need to be replaced after this hellish “drive it like you stole it run”. The rest of the time we just played the tables, ate great and relaxed while watching the play-off games. We needed to rest do to our adrenaline levels were off the charts after the previous two events.

WOW!

Breakfast with Carlos Ghosn

I had the opportunity this morning to attend a Churchill Club Business and Technology breakfast with the guest speaker being Carlos Ghosn Chairman & CEO, Renault-Nissan Alliance. Ray Lane Managing Partner Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was the moderator. The topic of discussion was “The Future of Clean Transportation”.

In Ghosn’s forecast and or prediction he believes that we are currently in the middle of a transformation of the automotive industry to Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (PZEV) and ideally to Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV). As most of us know who follow the industry…Ghosn just unveiled the Nissan Leaf, an “all electric city car” as he referred to it back in the November at this years LA auto show. The Jones and the Smiths of North America have ordered already 45,000 retail units. This has proven to be a jump-off point for his companies to work with the United States, France, Middle East and Japan’s governments in the support of this pent up demand.

Renault-Nissan Alliance has become a manufacture of its own lithium/magnesium batteries and components in such countries as Japan, Israel and France. The amazing opportunity now is that they have positioned themselves with national and local governments to build new infrastructures around this new technology for the environment all the while getting tax incentives to sell their technologies to other manufactures, for vehicle, home and other reusable applications. It was stated today by Carlos that 26 percent of vehicles on the road would be all electric powered before 2020. Keep in mind when this technology was first introduced it cost 35K to install a charging station at a residence or a specific destination. Now it is more like 3K and Ghosn hopes that it will cost as little as 1K… later this year to charge ones Nissan Leaf at home. Provided the government throws some money at it with federal and state level participation. The norm currently being offered around the world is $7,500 tax deduction for this investment per consumer.

Renault-Nissan Alliance has already committed to manufacture a “city car” A/B segment with a C segment family sedan and lastly a light utility vehicle with commercial applications coming in 2010-2012. Hmmm sounds much like a domestic manufactures plan… Ford Focus, Fusion and Transit electric vehicles coming in 2011. The next steps for the industry in his forecasting and analysis will be Hydrogen technology ramping up to help support the mix of Clean Diesel, Hybrids and Electric vehicles.

This will be based upon three key variables being:

· Technology

· Environment

· Oil price and consumption levels

I truly enjoyed Carlos Ghosn’s view on what is currently needed to be achieved right now; and the direction of what the next steps should be for the automotive industry in its evolution. Now ask yourself, would you have ever in your wildest dreams thought the largest share holder of once the world’s biggest vehicle manufacture would be the United States government or translation, “you and I the tax payers”. Being a person who loves new technology… I truly believe in one form or another I will own a vehicle with one of these mentioned technological advancements… perhaps a Fisker Karma, Tesla S-sedan or even something that I haven’t seen yet in the pipeline. For now I enjoy my gas burning Porsche 996 Turbo too much to part company with.

Like my good friend Groosh always says, “a rear-wheel drive or in this case all-wheel drive with a stick is still where it’s at”.

Slow to Respond, 160 Posts to Date

Hi everyone.  It has probably become apparent that I'm posting less and less these days.  My free time isn't what it used to be.  Thank you for all the support and readership over the last half year.  It's hard to believe that this all started on June 1, 2009, and over 160 posts ago.  I'll continue to post along but most likely on a weekly basis.  Daily is simply too ambitious.  Thanks and welcome 2010! 

The Kick Myself Car

Browsing some of my old bookmarks, I came across this car as one of the recent purchases of Wholesale California. 

"We found this car right around the corner from Mike’s house sitting on a side year for the last 15 years. At first it was just a tired 912 that needed to be restored but upon closer inspection this car has a 5 digit vin number 13415. Not a 912 vin number, also the plate and number are placed farther up the trunk, aluminum door hinges, aluminum window frames, and few other very different items. The information so far from Porsche is the car is built as a 356 with an SC motor (that matches the number on the motor that is in the car) no completion date, no transmission number and to be delivered to Frankfurt hand written on the card. More information as it becomes available."

I looked at this car probably from a Craiglist posting.  I need to get more in tune with the VIN numbers.  Crap what a find.