To win at the Beach take more than a perfect car. The lawn is full of perfect cars. What it takes is a special car that stands out for the right reasons. Things like custom bodies or pure rarity. But the one thing that can play an even bigger roll is the story or history of the car. I have seen cars that really did not appear special but that story or history can make them a superstar. Be it how they were conceived and built to how destroyed they were and smuggled out of a closed country. Racing history, accidents, historic owners etc all play a role. To win not only do you have to present a perfect car but you have to present a cars heritage in a way that it makes it special and stands out. Some very great cars have never won because of the way their story was not told. I would love the opportunity to try this some day. In some cases in classes some non perfect cars can win due to originality that plays a part of the story. ... View more

So very sad! ... View more

Unless you can focus in on a unique detail or car it could be anywhere.   Many of these track were fairground built on the same or similar plans.  I have a fairgrounds in Canfield Ohio that looks much like this today. It still has the banked dirt race track around it. The very track NASCAR used in the early 50’s. One race was won by Lee Petty.   Another race was the only race a 1948 Tucker ran in.    ... View more

I will have to go with the 68 SS Chevelle. I owned one that was one of the very first built with rare SS side marker lights. It had three options.  Posi, tinted glass and AM radio. The car was purchased to street race the original owner told me.  What I found interesting was it came from the same dealer my Fathers now Rare   Chevelle Concourse. My fathers car was sold 3 days before my car was and it was in the show room when my dads car was delivered. I was only 6 years old but I actually saw the SS I would later own years before I would own it.  Small world. ... View more

This would be a dream till taxes.  I have a 24 x30 and a 24x 36 that is my man cave. It is fixed up with collectibles like a full Corvette billboard and a nose from a SCCA Trans Am Jaguar but I can still putt the wrenches out and pull an engine or other mechanical project.  I have heat, water and a flat screen on the wall. Porsche seating for visitors and a sound system that can piss off the neighbors.  This was my second shop I have built. What I have learned is no matter how big you build you are always 4 feet too short.  ... View more

I use sealants in some cases but wax most of the time. I tend to wax even my daily drivers often and when I was I use a air dryer not towels. I go for deep luster over durability. Keep in mind I also like to polish like some like to golf. It is good stress relief. ... View more

I am tired of all this crap. The experts are still arguing over everything and keep changing the rules.  Most people are getting COVID from family gatherings, bars and close contact restaurants.  Generally you wear a mask wash your hands and you will be fine.  With the election over I fear more shut downs and more economic issues.    ... View more

BMW dug themselves a hole with building cars the same for so many years. This prevents them from really making much of a change.   The Bangle era cars were even worse with the Bangle Butt and the dame Edna nose.  ... View more

You build cars like this for the love not the money. If you want to make money just build a simple reproduction hot rod coupe and don’t get carried away. ... View more

The last true super car with out all the electronic crap was the F40. The best with electronics McLaren F1. The rest are just a little over the top. Cool cars but just a bit much! ... View more

Never had interest in any of these movies after seeing the first one. These movies to a real car buy are like Top Gun to a real Navy Pilot.  ... View more

I know there are multiple good products out there. I use the multi grade of polishes and seal with a wax. The wax I found that really works and is very easy is Chemical Guys Pete’s Black Pearl. I show a black car and found that it takes the polish level and not only seals but enhances. It is a wipe on wipe off with ease. No powder etc. Half my car is 35 year old GM paint and I took best paint at a Pontiac show last year. This was vs people who had paint that cost more than my car. Showing a black car is difficult but this new combination is a vast improvement. I still use some of Meguires Professional polishes like Diamond It but I often use 3M micro for dark paint and Chemical Guys Black Light. ... View more

Here is the tricks of the show. #1 Choosing the show that best fits your car. Some shows are open to about anything and are generally local affairs. They are often done to raise money. They are fine but do not expect pro judging. Often the judging can be participant and can lead to a popularity contest not condition contest. #2 you can get to a level to go to a specific type of brand of car show. These can be more challenging as you are often going against cars restored by enthusiast that know a brand or type of car. They can take things to a high level. Most are clean and detail others can be focused on originality too. #3 Concourse shows. These can be anything. Cars are often restored by professionals to a high degree. Or they can be survivors in original but not perfect condition. In many cases the story of the car is what gets you in and at times to the trophy. When judges they will check everything. Lights, radio, wipers, windows. Everything has to work. As for who has a shot you never know. I showed a Fiero with a number of prototype parts against a number of exotics in class. I beat a Lamborgini. His headlights would not open mine did. Awards are often more expensive items. I collected a silver plate. I started out at local shows. They got yo be easy to place at so I try to focus on Pontiac only shows where it is tough to win. I love the challenge and do about 3 a year. I also judged and have run judging at large shows. I see many people do the obvious things like cleaning the paint, valve covers etc. Goo often they miss core supports, control arms, fire walls, they also hide things that often are damaged. Scratched glass is rolled down seat backs are nicked up etc. they will spend thousands of dollars but will not replaced damage glass. The small details make a difference. I have cleaned my car to where I polish the floor pan. I put a blanket down so the judge will look. Paint needs not just to be polished it needs to be perfect. No swirls, not wax in cracks, no bugs. I take a panel and use a series of polishes to correct the paint to where it is spotless. Note it is a black car and half the paint is still factory Pontiac paint from 1985. I got best paint at my last show where GTO’ had more money in the paint than I had in my car. When it comes to clean and detail you can win with about anything if you learn how to perfect your car for presentation and learn what classes or shows fit you best. If I can win best of show at a large event with a Fiero you can win with about anything too. Obsess over the details. Note too some shows are poorly run and judged. You will learn them the hard way. Just do not go back if they are not run properly. When you find a well run and judge show keep going back. Ask when starting out if you can get a blank judge score sheet. This will tell you what they look at and the points. Use it as a punch list to working on the car. Also don’t be afraid yo be different. This helps you to stand out. I love 65 GTO’s but I have been at shows where there may be 10 65 GTO’s. They all are great and often none stand out. Not too keep up on the car and you can still drive it. I have no trailer but my practices help me keep the car in good shape and still driving it. One some events I will drive 500 miles to them. I cover the nose to protect the paint and even watch radar to drive around rain. I have learned how to dry clean the car with detailed and micro towels. I also carry my cleaning kit that is ready for about any issue. There is much more here that could be covered. I really don’t do this for the trophy or attention. I do it for the challenge. Once I win on one level I try for the next level just yo see if I could do it. My dream is to prep a car someday for Pebble Beach. Not sure I will ever get there but you can always set a goal. I have friends that have done it so anything is possible. So shoot for your dreams. ... View more

Flip flops!  Working from home and my daily driver is on a battery tender.  ... View more

As an owner of a GMC Canyon I expected the Ranger to pass up my older truck but Ford dropped the ball. The FX4 is a disappointment. Not only is it more expensive than my Denali but it has a much worse ride. The interior is of no better materials and the back seat will not fold flat for cargo. It really is of little value for cargo. If you want off road GM really did it right with the ZR2. It is built to tackle trails with easy yet deliver a great on road experience. These truck price point for customer drops fast once past $40K. They see much less sales and with most incentives even a V6 crew ZR can be found for $39K. The Ford engine is the future for all these trucks as I expect the V6 to go away soon. The Toyota is just so outdated anymore and the seating is horrible as is the head room. My GMC rides, handles and stops best in class and has been great. What many mistake in this class is that they think we shop for price. Most buyers in this class buy for size. Many garages are not large enough for a full size. Also many people just don't need the larger truck. The real thing here is for companies it is difficult to price a truck in this segment. To do all they like adds to the price and then it drives it up over the price of a full size. Even those buying for size like my self start to question the value of the full size that is nearly the same price. You make these trucks too cheap then they fall apart or fail to live up to expectations. The years of the $9,999 Rangers, Taco's and S10's are gone. GM has a new truck just about a year out if not delayed by the virus. I expect the new 2.7 Turbo and many new features to are added and I expect it to take the segment like the present truck. Ford delayed the Ranger here as they were spending a ton of money on the Aluminum F150. It has not paid off as aluminum cost has gone up. Profits are not what was expected. The Ranger is being kept on Steel to keep the price down and profits up. The Ranger was always engineered for this country and the success of the mid size segment is now enough to have changed Fords plans. Ford has a new truck coming also so it will be interesting to see if they address some of these issues as this truck is really old like the Taco if you count the years overseas. Compitition does driver for better products and I hope that is what we see. ... View more

The most interesting scoop that ever came from Detroit was the Fiero Ram Air scoop. It was designed by Pontiac for the IMSA race car but never was used. It later was used on some show cars and rally cars. They were offered by DGP the maker of the IMSA body kits for Pontiac. They also were sold by some dealers as a dealer installed part It was on the deck lid and too air from over the roof for the mid engine. Most people saw them on the Indy Pace cars. ... View more

I did not live on a farm but spent much time on the many farms in our family. I always had a love of tractors. Even my mother learned to drive a 40’s Farmall before she was 14 years old.  Every Saturday working in the garage I see the Mecum auction on RuralTV. Then I watch Classic Tractor Fever.  I enjoy learning about many of the tractors or seeing those I have been involved with.  I recall sitting on the fender of a 1850 Oliver bailing hay. I used my death grip holding onto the fender handle. I see that handle on other Oliver’s and recall those times.  ... View more

I find it odd how many vilify and decry people of wealth. If it was earned legally then more power to em! To be honest when someone has gone from nothing to much they often have things we can learn from them and habits that can prove success is with in reach. But having wealth is not always easy street either. They have their own temptations and fears just as anyone else. Many die from drug abuse, some fear things they have no control over like their health. I have seen some held prisoner to it. Envy is just as bad as anything they are doing. As for the cars I enjoy seeing them and reading about them. I will never likely own an exotic but never begrudge anyone that does own one. If not for even some folks who buy them for the wrong reasons they create a market do the cars exist and we can see what really can be built.     ... View more

The Nelson Ledges race is local to me. This was the golden era of factory road racing in America. GM and Porsche were squaring off here. It first was the 944 turbo vs Corvette. Chevy won regular. The SCCA banned the Vette so Chevy went to the Camaro. They used the loop hole where a car could be raced before it was released. So Chevy and Porsche did not really race very production cars. Chevy one year I recall drove the car to the track. Raced and won. Changed tires and brake pads then drove the car home to run it in on Porsche. GM really had a treasure with John Heinricy. ... View more

Many miss the Crawford Museum and Museum annex in Cleveland. Really an amazing collection. They have a number of rare cars in clouding Stainless Fords, and even the oldest Lincoln. ... View more

What I find funny is companies like Auto Zone and other national chains will buy parts from web parts companies and resell them to walk in customers at a mark up.  Shop carefully. They may just be ordering you a web part for you.  ... View more

Jonesboro is an interesting place.  The building the Bandit and Snowman pick up the beer in that is supposed to Texas is Jonesboro.  And if you look at the cover of the Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd the cover photo was done only a few doors up the street.  The Bandit and Skynyrd in one block is like southern holy ground.  You can also go to McDonough Ga as that was the site of many other Bandit scenes. The town square where he parked behind the building as broke the 4th wall is there. The building is gone but the square is still there. It was in a commercial not long ago.  GA is the hot spot for film today. Stranger Things, Walking Dead, Cobra Kai and others are filmed there.  A former coworkers daughter was discovered there and is now in Hollywood doing a number of films. He left his job to let her chase her opportunity.  ... View more

The worst part is the electronics but now there are stand alone harness and computer set ups that make it clean and easier to set up.    Exhaust most do it their own way in many cases. Everyone likes something different.    Cooling at least a 3 core radiator.    Not sure if you have flushed the coolant yet. But to fill it get the rear up in the air and the nose down. Fill from the rear till the radiator is full. Cap it and then back fill to the back. Keeping the back up higher lets the air go to the back at the high point. It is a trick an old Exotic car mechanic taught me.  ... View more

I have not done a swap but I know many that have.  The LS is the best swap right now. Not expensive, many parts for the engine and light weight with an all aluminum engine. The old V8 swaps sucked with cast iron blocks and heads.  The one mistake many do is have people do a Fiero swap that have no experience. Often the swaps can get extended and too much for some. It also can affect durability too. I have seen a number of cars go to a swap and never get finished.  Not judging your people as I don’t know them. A well experienced shop can do this but they need skills and knowledge as there is not a lot of guides on this.  You may want to get on the Pennocks Fiero Forum. There is a number of guys with swaps there. Also some on Facebook but I am not on FaceBook so I can’t recommend.  The king of the swaps was V8 Archie. He used to do the best swap kits. He is semi retired but will do a job once in a while from what I have heard.  A Zimmerman might bring him out?  If not he may be able to give guidance and suggestions on what to use and who to use for help.  http://www.v8archie.us/v8-kits.html ... View more

So many people lack standards and ethics as they have no real examples around them.  The lack of a core family really hurts many. It helps to have a father mother involved but even one good parent in control can do it as my grand mother did it alone. But so many kids lack even that. There is just no one to teach right or wrong and give the needed wisdom to get ahead in life.  To get my mind off things I polish. I really have some well corrected paint! Lol! ... View more

Religion is a choice and some folks choose poorly. Often it is because they simple fail to read their bible or doctrine depending on the religion.  Many put a man in place of God and that is wrong.  Sadly there are a number of religions that suck people in. But that still should not be used against those who get it right.  If your religion has a smiling guy who will sell you inspiration in an electric cube, you may want to look around and get back to the basics.  The greatest trouble today is people have gotten away from the basics. They put many things in the world first and end up still feeling empty. Then a man  comes along and sells his version of things not Gods version. This sucks in the people really looking for help.  I have been lucky to have been under some wise pastors. They are the first to tell you they should be held accountable to teach gods vision not theirs.  They will be the first to tell you that our church is not the only one.  They have killed no one and often turned around a life and saved it. My grandfather was one of the most wicked people around. He was considered wicked back when things were much harsher than today.  He went from beating the wife and kids, dinking up all the money and cheating on my grandmother to being a kind loving man. He ended up consoling at risk intercity kids. This from a man who at one point wore a sheet for meetings back in the 40’s.  There are billions who have had changed lives for the better. This is a sinful world and yes some good things get abused but we do toss them out because of the few. Cars, Guns and other things are vilified for the harm they do. But we get much more good from them than harm. The difference is in the heart of who controls them.  ... View more

Accept for the NSX most of these cars are difficult to find in any condition. Even more difficult to restore as companies are reluctant to invest in resto parts for such a small market. ... View more

Looks Good! They were a rare sight back in the day and more so today. Most I have seen are trashed or in really good shape no in between.   I got into Fieros back in 1980 with a magazine article I still have. I went to buy a new TA but the insurance due to my age was too much. So I bought the Fiero. It was a daily driver for 3 years.   I then was in a hard accident but the car held up well and I kept it. I got a truck and started to fix it up with many of the parts available back in the day.  Started showing and doing well.  I have collected a ton of Fiero history and went on to be the President of the Cleveland Fieros years ago.  Over the years I got to meet and know many of the Fiero program people.  I have collected many rare things too. I have a full set of the fitted luggage. Some of the rare body parts. The Herb Adams VSE suspension kit.  The best thing I have is 13 1990 Fiero emblems. They are prototypes  that GM made about 120 of but only 25 are know to be left. They are raised up emblems that are a little different than the original.  GM even gave me the engineering drawing for it.  Most of my former club went on to Corvettes. I hope to buy one soon but I will keep the Fiero. It was my first car and with the modifications I made it my own.  It is not the fastest car but it is fun to drive and when I go to shows there is nothing else there like it.  Also it was my first new car. I would kick myself for not keeping it.  I did entertain selling it once. Right after I got it I was offered a Ferrari Dino. The guy wanted $15,000. I considered it but thought it would rust and where would I get parts. About 5 years later the prices skyrocketed on these. So I can say I turned down a Dino for a Fiero ...lol!   I have experienced everything a Fiero owner can experience. I was the local celebrity when I bought it. People would follow you and stop you to see the car.  Then with the bad PR you were scorned for your choice.  Today it is once again cool as so many come by and say I had one or with I had one of those.  The funniest compliment I have gotten more than once was. “I don’t like Fieros but I like yours”   I only have a Fiero badge on the nose. Many people have no clue what the car is.  One event they parked me in with the exotic cars at the show not the Pontiac’s. It was even more funny that it drew a crowed even parked next to a 275 Ferrari coupe.  You just can’t get away with things like that in a Chevelle.  GM has used it for display at one of its events. I have had it on the turn table at Summit Racing’s retail store in Akron. I drove it though an office buildings hallways to put it on display one place.  The best is when I got to Indy and on the track for triple digit laps. Then into victory lane with the original 84 Fiero Pace car. Even my wife got a few laps in over 100 mph.  Being different has its benefits. I may not get rich off it but the experiences have been grand.  ... View more

And atheist have killed billions too.  The act of killing was do to man not religion.  Think of religion as a vehicle. Most are used to do many more things to benefit life as a whole. But in the hands of the wrong person it can do a lot of damage.  Much like this thread often the racing in the wrong hands can be deadly. But in the right hands and in the right place can be fun, entertaining and safe.  You don’t condemn the vehicle you condemn the driver. Cars on their own have never killed anyone on their own outside a Stephen King movie.  Most  things in life can and have killed but also have been more of a benefit in the right hands.  ... View more

GM gets it about the green hell. The media craves lap times but the engineers crave dynamics. GM built many of the best features in Michigan to test the dynamics. The Corvette has got it right. The cars drives great, cost is more than reasonable. The styling has taken a step on but still if the emblems were removed you would still know it is a Corvette. Styling a mid engine is not easy and too often most end up looking like the others. ... View more

  There is nothing wrong with religion itself. It is merely a vehicle. It is only operated as well as the people in control.  Like a car is only as good as the driver. Too many religions are corrupted by unworthy people in control. They put man will before Gods will. The sad part is too many fail to see the, for who they really are. But much in the world today is corrupted. Politics, businesses, News, etc. Sin has taken control and most are unwilling to let it go. But the Bible speaks of this and I expect it to only get worse.  ... View more

Actually I lived only a few mins away from a Quicksilver dealer.  It as Holland Pontiac in Massillon Ohio. They also were a major Fiero convertible dealer.  ... View more

I used a ZQ8 GMC Sonoma.  I made them wonder when I showed up and then shocked them when I out ran some of the cars.  After a few runs I learned the fast way around was to drive in hard and deep on the anti locks and off the corners smooth and easy on the throttle. This help put the power to the ground better with the lite rear end.  Also the V6 had power but not so much that you could over drive it too easily.  I had a lot of fun and it was my daily driver so no need for any special things.  My favorite car was a Z06 Corvette. It made going fast feel slow. If not for the drifting out of the turns it really did not feel fast.  I have noted this in a number of cars that are tuned well. They slow the feeling of speed down and don’t make you work hard going fast.  ... View more

Let me know. If I know I can help. If not I may know someone that can help.  ... View more

Karl Ludvigsen's book Corvette America's Star Spangled Sports Car is back in print in hard cover at an amazing price. I just got my copy and it is a treasure of information. Note it is not just another coffee table book. It is a well written and documented book on the history of Corvette Racing and Corvette Development up till 1982. It covers a ton of history in over 700 pages. ... View more

This was by far one of the best Porsche gatherings I have ever seen. The cars and the setting could never have been better. I would love to see Universal open the back lots to other makes as the photos really are cool. ... View more

We sell these at work. The whole idea is to have the Carbon look.    I suspect other colors will follow as we get complaints from customers when the anodizing comes off the rotor surface after a few stops.    Right now the treated rotors like the ones on the new GM cars have been great. No rust and they are chemically treated to be harder. My Canyon rotors are 3 years old and never any rust.    I just wish they had them for more applications.  ... View more

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.” ―  Alexander Fraser Tytler ... View more

One of the fastest growing issues today is now the Dirt Bikes and 4 wheeler gangs in the Cities.    They are going around disrupting traffic, nearly hitting pedestrians and generally  looking like a mob from a Mad Max movie.    The cops have tried to stop them but catching them is difficult.    In Cleveland a car was hit head on and as the paramedics were trying to get to the scene the bikes were in the way slowing them down to the rescue.    The city foolishly built a dirt track thinking it would get them off the streets but these are not guys who want to ride dirt.    A number of crimes have been done using these vehicles and little has worked to stop them. Also as soon as one gets hurt in a crash running from the cops they will protest police brutality.    I would not want to be an officer today in any city. You can't win!    ... View more

I have tried to send you a question but it keeps coming back or the link is dead.    Here is the question. When charging an AGM battery what is the proper way to charge it and if I don't have an AGM charger is there a way to charge it with a conventional charger?    This should help with how to use an AGM charger and how to link a battery in to use a conventional charger.    Ultima has a lot of good tech on this if you need to have a tech resource to link to the story. Also many people here use these batteries so it may be a good one to use.    Ultima Customers tend to also be the ones I get the call from most on so called failed batteries when it really is just a battery too low to work with a conventional charger and they just don't know what to do.  ... View more

While not my taste this is no major loss. The 412 is not one of the more popular cars and would cost so much more to restore back original than it is worth. Just because it says Ferrari does not make it a wise investment. Many an exotic is just parted out or scrapped as it is not practical to restore do to rust or lack of market. If this custom was not done odds are good it would just be parted out, scrapped or still sitting rotting. ... View more

The VW should have been an Audi. Too much car for value leader VW. The Magnum no because no matter how cool you make a wagon there is still not a great enough buyers. The Magnum proved it. 300GT too expensive to repair and still ugly. Besides who buys Mitsubishi cars anyways. The Aztek? I am and have been a Pontiac fan since birth but I e mailed Pontiac when I saw the Aztek prototype in Detroit and asked what the hell are you thinking? There are a great number of good looking CUV and SUV models out there that fill this segment. No need to revisit a poorly styled model. I even had a new AWD Aztek offered to me for $14,000, that is $11,000 below sticker and I could just not pull the trigger to buy it. Besides Pontiac is gone so no need bringing this back. If Pontiac ever returned there are many more themes better revisited. ... View more

Most carb issues are due to people not tuning the carb or not knowing how to tune a carb. I often see customers buy the wrong carb size. The next issue is they think a universal carb is set to run right out of the box and they will void a warranty if the open the carb up. The truth is the mfg expects you to tune and open the carb up to rejet as needed. Too often the old carb was so bad the new appears better but with more tuning it would even be better. With FI not only is it a better system, it is a system that forces you to tune it. Also the tuning is a little easier than with a carb. There are a lot of guys who can build engines but just never honed their skills on a carb. It takes some knowledge but it is very beneficial in the end. ... View more

We had a plaza we used to hang out at. It was in a high traffic area. We could fill it with a couple hundred cars.  But we self policed. If you did something stupid some of the older tougher guys would give you a warning.. if not Yielded you often were confronted or turned over to the cops.  They did not tolerate drinking either.  I was 16 years old and new to all this but I was taught a coded of behavior.  There were always a few that always tried to screw it up for the rest.  Today there is few standards and little thinking. Too many trying to garner attention.  To be honest the real racers never did burnouts if they could help it. The fast guys built their cars to hook up. If you were spinning tires you were losing.  I think my generation was taught by the previous generation that learned the hard way about racing. Many of the younger guys today were never around to learn what we learned. They just don’t ever look around to see the folks around them they could hurt or destroy their families.  ... View more

Cars like these were disposable. They rotted out and were not worth repair. We will see a great number more lost names and models. I saw a Sunbird Turbo sedan. It was original like new. I assumed some older person held onto it with low miles. They passed on and it finally again saw the light of day. That is how many of these cars will survive. ... View more

The Lincoln in Gold Finger. Brand new cars crushed. Though the car was prepped. I assume it was a engineless donation from Ford for the movie. Smokey and the Bandit. All the pre production cars gave their life’s for the movie. The last shot of the Snowman’s truck and Trans am running down hill to the Stock Car race was needed. The last car would not run so they had to use the hill to pull off the shot. Finally Knight Rider. That show was such a tragedy. I hated the show to start and with and owning a black Pontiac I get so tired of the Knight Rider comments. ... View more

I had looked at a low mile one years ago for a cheap price. Neat truck but. I had a chance to auto cross one. The chassis had a lot of flex. The other issue though small is you generally had to open the door to adjust the seat. I still like it as a cruiser and play toy and would still consider one at the right price. What stopped me from buying? Well it was going to have to be a daily driver and I just could not live with the paint chips it would have on the nose with all that paint. Too much ocd for that. ... View more

I work in the racing performance industry. I can report the automotive hobby is in decline. I have seen over the last 30 years the age of the customer climb and fewer in the under 50 range. Now I am not saying there are none under 50 but the numbers have declined as much as the kids hanging out at the food courts at the mall. There are many factors in play here vs the golden age of the hobby in the 80’s and 90’s. First off cheap muscle cars are gone. Back in the era they were easy to find and cheap to modify or restore. Today’s prices have killed this for the young buyers. The later cars are a good buy but most are not easy or cheap for young buyers to modify.  Most FWD cars are of little interest or value in the cool factor. There are a few but not many.  Kids may like cars on GTA but they are just out of the game in the real world. Even at Walmart the average age of the Hot Wheels display searcher is over 40. The one area still holding out are our off road fans. Jeep’s/Trucks are both doing well and going strong. Easy to lift and customize. Also cheap to buy. The reality is today I go to a cruise in or car show I am one of the youngest there. I remember we used to be out late and close the burger place down. Today everyone is gone by 8 PM as they want to get home before dark as they can’t see. Note I am in my 50’s and I am the kid at most of these events. The market has Also changed once it was fueled by great numbers of Fox body Mustangs today just older guys buying parts for a hot rod some one else is building. The segment of enthusiast will always be here. It may be smaller, older and more limited but there will always be the enthusiast. Just don’t expect it to ever reach the levels it once was in the 80’s and 90’s again. If you do find a group of younger enthusiast welcome them in. They may have different taste in vehicles and music but it is up to them to preserve the hobby. We all should help them and grow their interest. I wish these Boomer comments would drop. Back then I knew it all too. Experience is a teacher and a heck of a way to learn. Been there seen it and brought the trophy home. Just not as many trophy’s to win anymore.  Even racing events are showing many empty seats prior to the virus. Will they win back people once the virus is gone? Time will tell.  I remember you had to pay a premium for a seat at Bristol. Today you can pick your seat.  ... View more

I am sad to say I just saw Aldo just passed away.  I will treasure my two posters from the Trans Am Series. They used to gather all the drivers to sign the posters in the paddock area.  I would always go over to Aldo holding court at the hauler and get him to sign the poster too. He would always get a chuckle over me getting him to sign it.  He was a class act!  Sorry or the Loss Adam and family.  ... View more

I really mis the artistic ads if the 59’s and 6o’s. I used to. The them out of old Saturday Evening Post magazines I would find in used book stores. Tires have come a long way. Most all season tires are better than any of the old bias snow tires of the time. I laugh now how many today think you need AWD to get anywhere and RWD is impossible to get through the snow. Well we made it. Yes not as easy but very possible to live with RWD and Posi. ... View more