That administration, WMD mendacity, 20 years of casualties and hundreds of thousands deaths are the result of fart blossom and his protege "W". ... View more

A couple of weeks ago I read about the high mile, infallible Lincoln MKX taxi in New York. I would make a snide comment about your Lincoln infallibility but I am still pizzed about lionizing Karl Rove. ... View more

Well I have a C8 and......no I don't but lots of guys write that. No one here...yet. Good technical interpretation and entertaining. Clear to me the mano-a-mano competition was not only behind the wheel, it was at the keyboard. "Brain eating fun" WT? I do not know how many owners of these cars track them; I speculate autocrossing is more common. So I would enjoy you providing that mano-a-mano, especially at a club event where the regulars might up the ante. Question: When will OEMs stop with the 60's Le Mans stripes? Do they have to force-retire generations of Marketing people? ... View more

My buddy Russ sends me a CL post for a high mile Audi A8L, "Whada'ya think?" I said don't do it; I would not buy a car like that unless it was a Lexus or Acura. He asked me to lift the Audi today to do basic maintenance and troubleshoot problems. I evaluated it as a 93 LS400 owner that experienced 200K miles of bliss. The Audi is a POS. So tonight you had me at LS500, then you lost me at Rove. Well Jack wrote it, I am reluctantly compelled. I have been satisfied with 2000s luxury cars, and previous owners take good care of them. I don't seek Rove on FOX or LS500. I remember Lee Atwater inspired Rove Re: Ann Richards, Max Cleland and John McCain. ... View more

Adrian, You have focused on body mass and proportion issues but one can influence the perception by changing the wheel and tire proportions. Yeah, there is the outrageous diameter thing but I have sought subtle influences with two projects. I have restyled an old Brooks Stevens Series I Excalibur Phaeton into a 1929 Mercedes SSK Roadster. The E-cal had 15 inch wheel/tire at 27 inch OD. That results in 3.2 diameters between tires. With my 18 inch wheels and 30 inch tires, the spread is 2.6 diameters. The Merc SSK wass 2.4 diameters between. In comparison the Excalibur looks wrong. I also have a replica of a Ferrari Dino.The Dino originally had 14 inch wheels and 24.9 inch diameter tires; 2.7 diameters between. My replica has exaggerated fender proportions and 17/18 inch diameter wheels.with 23/24 tire diameters. That results in 3.0 diameters between and a more contemporary aggressive look. The replica tires are quite wide, and they need it. ... View more

One of the most consistently used tools is my 1hp pedestal mounted grinder, although it does not have a grinding wheel, One side is a 10" SS wire brush, and the other side has a 2" X 36" abrasive belt and sanding disc. Versatile and effective. ... View more

Actually Charlie Lindbergh was good behind the bars, and there was Evil Bob Craig Knievel. ... View more

Glenn Curtiss may not have gone 136 MPH if he had heard of weave and wobble. We can assume speed was measured with a sweep second hand, and maybe a slide rule. Firestone said: YOU DID WHAT? ... View more

Afterthought, With this much spending, the owners tent camp on the roof? Maybe for when parking is restricted at the Super 8. ... View more

This vehicle trend is interesting. In a cumulative sense this may be spending similar to an F1 grid. I am fascinated by train wrecks too, but do not participate. Reading the market(?) Factory Five (replica Cobra kits) is designing a "PreRunner" based upon an F150. Yeah, I don't get it either. ... View more

With no prior Jaguar experience, I spotted an XK8 coupe on BaT and was knocked out by the styling. Researching a bit, I took the plunge and flew to Dallas for an ebay purchase, filled with trepidation. There were obvious nickle dime faults and some cosmetics, but it had the XKR trim package in Phoenix red! My first driving experience was getting to WI. A handful of electronic issues annoyed but it felt more than competent. I had shopped an XJS just prior to this experience and the XK8 was better in all regards. I was surprised at the ride height, I looked up at everything, and often everything was looking at me. Toll booth attendants were complimentary. With a clay and wax I ventured a cars & coffee and despite the vintage it attracts attention, "It is so low". Lots of people have no familiarity with the XK8. I ran into Peter Egan at a picnic and he shared that he had and enjoyed an XK8 convertible. On a journalist foray to to the Jaguar factory, Peter was impressed that almost the entire engineering staff drove XK8s, an endorsement of sorts. ... View more

Ohh man.  In a significantly lowered voice, I have looked up to an Amazon of various coiffures and it had nothing to do with Bezos.  ... View more

Despite my token efforts, my indoor/outgarage is the origin of particulates and noxious fumes. That production is accompanied by welding flash and compressor clamor. My frustrated wife wears noise attenuators, reaches in the length of the vacuum extensions, and longs for the days of (only) exhaust noise. ... View more

I like to believe that I do not have brand loyalty, that I am objective; but my earliest experiences were Mustangs and a 66 GT350. It did skew my sensibilities. That said, subsequent generations of Mustang are not that appealing, well there is the fifth gen.... I worked for a while with Troy, a bright athletic guy in the motorcycle and aftermarket industries, He too is a performance vehicle enthusiast but odd to me, he is fascinated by fat girls. From my aforementioned skewed opinion I look at the 3rd gen-on Camaro people like my buddy, what the ? Yes Jack I experienced the unavailable girlfriend relationship and bemoan it still. A Ginger with a ranch in Wyoming. I may have better taste in women than you or Troy. ... View more

The Stout Scarab design is not so shocking next to the 34-37 Chrysler Airflow, which was somewhat more practical. Leading both cars was the Offenhauser/Miller Golden Submarine of 1917, a race-sedan? ... View more

It is no coincidence the Colorado is dimensionally the same as a 2000-2006 Tundra. Toyota offered a V6 and regular cab, and eventually a 4dr that was popular, but the extra cab V8 seems to be the volume leader. "Real" truck people disparaged the Tundra as 3/4 scale. I have had two to advanced mileage. ... View more

SE WI, mid-sixties, upscale community with a river road that meandered as you imagine. Four high schoolers driving foolishly in an old VW. Without intended provocation, the Bug is off the road and spinning slowly upside down. The occupants are piled like clothing in an overturned laundry basket. "Dave, you OK"? "Yeah". "Reed, you OK"? "Yeah". "Rick, you OK"? "Yeah". "Ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha. HA HA HA"! Three guys and a little slope can turn a VW onto it's wheels. ... View more

Don Rumsfeld may have said (or thought) "You grow up with the parents you have, not the parents you want". Children are not capable of comprehensively evaluating parents, until hindsight provides wisdom. How would our perspective be affected if we understood parental identifiers? Smoker, bowler, fisherman, DIY remodeler, hunter, disciplinarian, accountant, alcoholic. Identification is acknowledged by consequence and proportion. Images fixed into memory: Standing behind the front seat of a 56 Buick as my father lights a cigarette and cranks open the wing window. The first (and only) whiff is aeromantic. Then it burns and stinks. Sitting at a back table in a bar eating beer nuts and orange soda as adults laugh, drink and smoke on bar stools. Eventually the same environment is created in the basement at home. Fishing below the dam is without event until we thread sweet corn kernels on hooks and reel in huge carp to leave flopping on the bank because "they are rough fish". Tramping through the woods with rifles, finding no prey, perhaps because cigarettes and a hangover create BO unaffected by deodorant. Accounting is embellished by three martini lunches and business trips to New Orleans. The family car is an obsession I am denied. Much later, as my own interests develop, the Ol Man accompanies me towing interstate to race driver's school. Indeed, as environments go, snap shots confirm another "fish out of water". But there was a passion that I did not appreciate; undiscovered until waning years in the nursing home. I got a call from the local constable asking me if I know where my Father's car is? "No, my Father does not own a car, why do you ask?" "Well he called here today reporting it was stolen from the parking lot." "Did he describe the car?" "Your Father stated that it was a 1932 Oldsmobile coupe". That would be Dad's first car in Wheeling WV. ... View more

In the mid-nineties I switched to a job requiring weekly road trips between WI, IL, and MN. My Mitsubishi Montero was not interstate appropriate. A used LS400 and Lexus became my automotive benchmarks. A few years later my wife's Subaru traded the "love" promise for loathing and went on Craigslist. Living very rural and being absent much of the time, my Consumers Report review suggested an RX300. We bought a Certified Used exactly like your photo and it was perfect. Lexus' use of QFD (quality functional development) and VOC (voice of the customer) was a bull's eye. For my wife the car fit, felt and functioned perfectly. For me it was efficient, trouble free and the dealer was not an idiot. I would have been happy to turn RX300s over at 275K mile intervals forever, but my wife is all about the vintage. IMHO we have never done better. ... View more

R&T did indeed bring Peter back for the AUG/SEPT quarterly to wax about the MG-TC. Backed with Chris Beebe's technical, it is marvelous as expected. ... View more

You could google the numbers, but raging is more gratifying.. 1970 Camaro production 124,901 1970 Firebird production 48,739 That was easy. ... View more

Firebirds would be more interesting (and valuable) if there was no Camaro. My perception is that Chevrolet did the development work, and Pontiac was the opportunist. This is not unique for GM and badge engineering. The "subsequent models" suffer from ambition and lack of restraint. The "screaming chicken" and weight are two examples. Yes Ford had the Mustang/Cougar; at least they stretched the wheelbase. ... View more

"complaint would be missed point" No truer words have been written. I am a serial renter of said trailers. It usually goes well but when it is bad, it is very bad. Never cross the agency, and, turnabout is fair play.. As is well known local fees are about half a ton and remote pick-up or drop off is open game. The routine response to my objection is "Everyone is hauling in that direction, you would get a discount if you were bringing one back; off season would be better". Lateness is to be avoided at any cost. Hauling a "local" from WI to Ashville and back encountered complications including a TN interstate shut-down in the wee hours. Violating the imposed speed limit in a rain storm on I-40 skirting Knoxville my phone lights up. "Where is my trailer? You were supposed to be here a half an hour ago, I have a customer for that trailer". Yada Yada. Twenty minutes later the phone lights up again, the regional manager wants a piece of me. "We are charging you for another day and we expect that trailer back before 7AM tomorrow" which was actually less than a day. Pre-dawn, armed with wire tags I label the inoperative tail lights and the load ramp that requires crawling under the trailer (in the rain) to stow in transport position. Yes, the trailer was returned before 7AM and before the agent was open. Repairs? Not likely. ... View more

What is a "hook"? Why is it appealing? Why is it necessary? In a Porsche two come to mind, aesthetics and tactile. In a musician two come to mind, acoustics and presentation. Something for everyone. ... View more

The 911 platform is seductive. Yesterday I was visualizing the experience and the concept of womb return came to mind. Outside of Heidi Kulm that nationality tinged analogy is a struggle. My latest potential indulgence was a Craig's 912 with moderate race bodywork and a GD SBF literally sticking through the rear facia. I resisted the compulsion to save it. In addition to the rebalancing, there was the oxidation. An intrinsic experience can be created for less time and treasure albeit with less market value. I acknowledge that marque devotion and restoration are not ROI compatible. Jethro Bovingdon theorizes that current Porsches are driving the resto-mod and replica markets. I think he is right. ... View more

If you (Kyle) and FortNine get it, you have obfuscated with self esteem. It was not that long ago when all Harleys had solid mounted engines and no counterbalance shafts. (and two valves/cylinder) Your handling analysis is not entirely correct, but you would not believe me anyway. The sound issue is more objective. Despite the numbers expressed, Harley riders are still a vocal minority. I would be OK with that if they kept it to themselves. Unfortunately the demographic demands everyone must hear the noise; "hear me, see me, aren't I grand". That is not welcome in my rustic rural environment, or when I visit other rustic environments. I endure the noise at home when it is 1-2 miles distant. Objectively that means 50-300 other pairs of ears "per mile" also experience "disturbing the peace". You misrepresent the means of producing that noise: It's 2-1, front cylinder fires, 315 degrees later rear cylinder fires, 405 degrees later front cylinder fires. The rear cylinder is cylinder #1. That's what HD puts in their training manuals. There were flat trackers made to fire 45° apart (called 'twingles') but all production bikes fire as above. Why a twingle? It makes the rear tire hook up better on one mile clay tracks where the sound is appreciated. ... View more

"fugue states" indeed, in cold oil, in Holcomb County. Thankfully this was not another Truman story. Barn clutter, not farm house. ... View more

Years ago I read that many Harleys look like a electro-magnet dragged through the HD parts department. This BMW looks a bit like a lump electro-magneted out of a compactor. ... View more

I chose to live in the quiet, rural Kettle Moraine in SE WI. Our home is on a rustic road that attracts leaf watchers in the Fall, many on Milwaukee’s finest noise maker. Why do Harley riders festoon their bikes with American flags? Does that justify the 125DBA exhaust and emission violation? When it is 2AM and I am awakened by a Loud Glide a mile distant; I do not thank God for another patriot. Indeed, under exactly those circumstances I was pondering the Doppler effect of a one-mile distant dark-thirty pass-by when it shifted abruptly to a rev-limit warble, then silence. Donning jeans, slip-ons, and my pick-up truck, I arrive at the county trunk in two minutes. There is light and chrome in the east ditch as I stop on the west shoulder. My headlights illuminate a human form, in road kill posture. It is a woman, unconscious but breathing. Crossing the road, the rider, under the bagger is quite dead. Later that week the local news told of the OWI rider leaving his wife at a bar to take another woman home. Helmetless, they caught the edge of the pavement in a gentle turn and flipped. His passing is now memorialized in the ditch with oxymoronic religion, a black cross with red flames, a date, and name. I consider the “RIP” ironic. The “service” followed later that week, at the local funeral parlor. The photo eulogy exhibits consistent arrogance as every snapshot features the deceased with middle finger prominent. FTW. GFOD. In lieu of a 21-gun salute, 42 unsilenced combustion chambers announce “the service is over” and quiet returns to the Kettle Moraine, at least temporarily. ... View more

Saturday AM, coffee is helping me concentrate on Sam's recent entertaining intellect. I am thusly inspired. More "lightly relevant points": 1966, I am a high school senior and part time service writer at a Buick/Pontiac dealer. A welcome task is road testing customer cars for quality and additional services. An Electra 225 convertible (deuce and a quarter) with a 455 and dual four barrels is my victim. This thing will certainly run like a bear with the fresh tune. Not for long. WOT dislodges carbon, fouling the plugs and enraging Pete the mechanic who must change them out again. 1986 Ruidoso NM HD motorcycle rally and as a factory rep, I endur biker rage from V-Twin ownership experience. A common complaint is disfunction similar to Sam's GTI. Carbon disbelief is also common "I've been pounding the interstate at XX MPH this thing ain't fouled". Off comes the air cleaner and my "tool" is a pump-spray of water. Revving the engine and spraying the carburetor throat results in a thermal shock that releases the carbon through unrestricted "pipes". Amusing myself, I blend the water with black coffee to create a little magic. 2001 I am service managing at a Yamaha/Suzuki dealership and appreciate the diversity of engine configurations. Well excepting that some of the air cooled V-Twins are a familiar PIA; carbon again. Yamaha has a chemical solution somewhat more sophisticated than water or coffee. As a non-chemist I speculate the chemical ingredients are something like Sea Foam. In extreme cases, the procedure requires application through the throttle body in volume sufficient to kill the engine. After an over-night soak, with the "pipes" discretely aimed, and the wet carbon is fired into the eather. ... View more

Jack, the memories of significance here are destinational more than "the trip" but yes your point is vehicular and technological. It is a car (truck?) media not a bike media afterall. Infrastructure was not always as comprehensive and trips as immediate as you suggest. 1969 I am reassigned from Selfridge AFB MI to Tyndall AFB FL with a buddy from San Antonio. Driving a 1966 Shelby GT350 we take a "delay in route" to entertain ourselves in San Antonio. Navigating from I-94 to Southbound in Chicago traffic the intersection with I-80 approaches. We reflect on our time at Tech School in Denver and impulsively turn West. The Shelby is great at high speed, anticipating lunch or maybe breakfast in Denver, but at 1AM in rural NE, the sixteen gallon tank is dry and nothing is open, even on the interstate. We pull into a small town gas station and try to sleep until opening. This inconvenience was diminished when I recently found the trip diary of my Great Grandparents from 1924. Starting from the farm in Otsego WI they drove NW to Minneapolis and on to the northern West Coast, camping in town squares or boarding houses. The trip consumed about a year but the high point for me was the return, navigating the Mojave Desert. The road was obscured by a "sand-out" but waiting in a touring car with limited water was not an option. Great Grandma was tasked with walking before the car with a stick to prod the pavement for location. Travel, technology and convenience has progressed and will continue to do so. ... View more

Dub, My buddy Russ leased a VW diesel for his wife, and the dealer was very gracious about him bringing it back. (no hurry) I wonder how that used inventory is moving?  ... View more

It is my memory that vehicle leases (truck or car) were intended to service businesses and business persons to write-off on taxes as an expense. Our shared vehicle philosophy is most effective if our purchases are informed by research and a laudable reputation. Obviously resale value is not as important, but it usually goes with a reliable vehicle. A German SUV? Well the lease is not a bad idea in that regard. ... View more

An ownership factor of significance is missing here but hey, who's counting? My 15 year old pick-up with 185K sits in the driveway I have owned for 33 years. The truck is expected to be serviceable for another 65K, then maybe I'll turn it over. I paid cash for the truck. The driveway (and all that goes with it) has been mortgage free for 18 years. Market recovery? Meh. Housing crisis? So what? Brian did not question about buying a truck $20K under MSRP? (mendacity suggested retail price) I run away from sales pitches like that. Brian has paid the bank (or GMIC, or GE) to use their money for three years. $8K? Maybe. A lease? Pride of ownership, or at least a facsimile thereof, while he pizzes it all away. I am not rich, and I never act that way, but I purchase analytically and I make D-sure I do not function above my pay grade with borrowed money. Now I don't have to be rich. ... View more

I am not an automotive journalist but we may share professional comradery in one sense, we have driven, as a requirement, and maybe exorcised our anxt on the lesser liked victims. Assigned to Dealer Support from Development of OEM vehicles I traveled Nationally three weeks/mo. Lots of cheap (expense reported) rental cars. Two weeks in TX and NM followed by a week's vacation in CO. I disliked the Topaz prior to "the incident". If you have not done vehicle development, or road raced, you likey don't recognize the modus operandi. Commodity rental cars provide sadistic amusement one would not entertain at home. Indeed in the aforementioned groups the abuse is a competition itself. Think about that the next time you are at the rental counter. I consummated this Mercury Topaz rental from Telluride to Ouray CO via jeep trail. My wife panicked as we encountered an approaching Jeep Cherokee on the narrow trail. Actually I was overtaking him. As I closed the gap I saw the "license applied for" plate on back. At the summit the Topaz O-heat lamp came on, I stopped to inspect. The black-wet crankshaft was exposed. We pushed-off to coast down the eastern slope. After a mile I had to install the space saver spare. Eventually we coasted to the hwy 550 embankment where I used the eviscerated engine to climb to the pavement. We coasted 18 miles to Silverton and rented a Jeep. The Topaz was towed to a Farmington NM dealership. The rent car company was not amused and neither was my insurance company. The Topaz took up permanent residence in a desert salvage yard. I never really cared for the Tempo or Topaz. ... View more

I am not an automotive journalist but we may share professional comradery in one sense, we have driven, as a requirement, and maybe exorcised our anxt on the lesser liked victims. Assigned to Dealer Support from Development of OEM vehicles I traveled Nationally three week/mo. Lots of cheap (expense reported) rental cars. Two weeks in TX and NM followed by a week's vacation in CO. I disliked the Topaz prior to, and after the two weeks leading to "the incident". If you have not done vehicle development, or road raced, you likey don't recognize the modus operandi. Commodity rental cars provide sadistic amusement one would not entertain at home. Indeed in the aforementioned groups the abuse is a competition itself. Think about that the next time you are at the rental counter. I consummated this Mercury Topaz rental from Telluride to Ouray CO via jeep trail. My wife panicked as we encountered an approaching Jeep Cherokee on the narrow trail. Actually I was overtaking him. As I closed the gap I saw the "license applied for" plate on back. At the summit the Topaz O-heat lamp came on, I stopped to inspect. The black-wet crankshaft was exposed. We pushed-off to coast down the eastern slope. After a mile I had to install the space saver spare. Eventually we coasted to the hwy 550 embankment where I used the eviscerated engine to climb to the pavement. We coasted 18 miles to Silverton and rented a Jeep. The Topaz was towed to a Farmington NM dealership. The rent car company was not amused and neither was my insurance company. The Topaz took up permanent residence in a desert salvage yard.. I never really cared for the Tempo or Topaz. ... View more

I "heart" Toyota, but I like to think I am objective. Based on experience I find they deliver balanced performance and above average reliability. That is what daily drivers are about. Even experiencing benign neglect, exceptional engineering delivers acceptable performance. Good for the masses whether they know it or not. As I have noted in other columns here, I buy used, durability and aberrant trends are in my metrics. Camry is a safe bet. The Camry has also been the ubiquitous platform for variants, somewhat like an award winning actor. Don't type cast him, he will surprise you. I remember the first Lexus ES250, then a Camry wagon, the Avalon, ES350, All great at their job, but the IS-F. that I drove was disappointing. Sam, you do not draw comparisons in the "Camry market", but I will. I identify "Chevrolet" in Cadillacs, "Ford" in Lincolns, and Lexus in Toyotas, specifically the Camry. ... View more

My last autocross experience was actually a BMW promotion, sent to me as a BMW owner and car magazine subscriber. In the mid-nineties BMW set-up a fair-park parking lot with a wet straightaway, and a dry AX course. They had a Volvo, Mercedes, Acura and the BMW 3-series. I expected the BMW would be quicker. A Pro gave us an in-car demo then we took turns. The Volvo was a yawn, the Merc was better and the Acura was spirited for a couple of turns, then the power steering pump ran out of pressure. I finished with shear muscle. The BMW was marvelous and I was flying on the pre-ultimate straight into the last hard left, to a short chute and finish. I late-braked wide and turned-in. the Beemer was totally hooked-up. Crap! I underestimated the car and let-up on the brake. Wrong. The weight transfer and ABS had the front tires hooked up but when I lightened the brake the Beemer understeered through the cones. ... View more

Fiat Marketing Department Brainstorm: We need a sports roadster fast and cheap, development is for the ambitious. We need margin without capitol. Our identity is Italian and unique, that is sufficient. Let's pirate the world's ubiquitous UJSC and call it our own. What, our paradigm has not been overcome? The UJSC paradigm is unasaleable? (I made that up) ... View more

I have a 2JZ in a Mercedes SSK replica, and a throw-back to original would be a blower. An obstacle of significance is the electronics. Toyota does not make it easy. My son has replaced the 2JZ in his MKIII Supra with a 1UZ. The light weight four cam V8 fits well and a blower nests under the hood. Eagle rods are taco resistant. ... View more

Nice Jack. as usual.Swamibob has good points. I will offer-up another influence, the OEM Marketing Department that as professionals, know everything. I question their bonus when they direct things like Lemans stripes on pick-ups and semi-gloss black bodywork. There is the concept of Halo cars, but that market niche is small; the OEM and dealer have to accept that. I am an observer on this topic not a participant. My only new car purchases were in 1976, 1983 and 1996. Only the Saab exceeded my expectations. As a used car buyer, I accept compromise. The internet is my tool of choice. Not all dealers are analogous. When an oak tree fell on my first series Tundra, I wanted another just like it. A suburban mega dealer advertised one recently aquired. The Saturday showroom was a frightening blend of State Fair Midway and a meat processing plant. I was assigned a salesperson and found a dealer employee bought the Tundra I came for, but "We surely have an alternative". No they didn't. I spent two years in the Harley Davidson dealer network as an advisor and I observed that "enthusiasts" were selling the bikes, or not. In the W-DC area one dealer complained that he could only sell Sportsters. One told me he could only sell Big Twin Cruisers, one stated only Baggers sold. For good reasons OEMs have mixed allocations and dealers hate it. What they needed was actors who could at least fiehn enthusiasm for the whole product line. You are correct Jack, enthusiasts are a PIA especially if they are clubby and wear the apparel. You can not tell them anything; like the Marketing Department, they devote their life to being an expert. ... View more

Outstanding writing Jack, I forwarded to my biking buddies. I was a non-typical bike novice. I worked for Harley and learned to ride prototype baggers that I built. I took my license exam on a borrowed Honda 360; my first purchase was an XLCR. My UJM was a Yamaha Seca 750, I still miss. My 1200 V4 became a PIA pushing before and after riding, and went by way of CL. With physicality in mind, a 700 parallel twin looks pretty good to me these days. BTW my Millennial son progressed from a K-250R to 600cc Sport bikes. He asked one day to ride the XLCR. He brought it back, cutting his trip short. "This is the most uncomfortable bike I ever rode." I knew that. ... View more

I am former USAF so jet engines always make me look, and the smell of JP4 jet fuel is almost intoxicating. In service close encounters were occasional and always thrilling. In the early eighties Nancy and I were vacationing out West in a Mustang II / Cobra II. We were in transit from Cheyenne to Yellowstone, high in the mountains when I was distracted from the scenery by a B52 Stratofortress. It was more than a thousand feet BELOW us, likely training with ground sensing radar. That is an act of faith. ... View more

I have read and re-read this article and "I am so confused". People named Green, Blue and Brown. Who is Brown? Then Gus appears at the end, no connection. The chronology of ownership is still unclear to me, and how much "Green" did Green shell-out for it? BTW the barn find story of my youth was a Corvette for $100. The owner died in it and was unfound for a year. Yeah that story stinks. ... View more

You knew Sam the eccentric (weird) analogy was coming. I would like to think your newer car is an E46, I was there once, but it is more likely a "people's car". In a bit of self-description, my wife's SUV lives on the driveway under a car cover because the garage has always housed my projects, three just now, and the tractor. The exotic fun is in $80/mo storage, the vintage cafe racer is in the trailer, and my ultimate back up is a pick up in the park off. Yesterday's progress was assembling a IRS differential freshly finished in clear coat, and TIG welding a Nippon SS water manifold to fit a 1929 Das Replik resto-rod. Enough about me, My projects are "wonderful things" as is my wife, but how much pandemic conversation can one man adsorb? My other wonderful thing routinely woke me up this morning. He came to the side of the bed to see if my eyes were open. As they did, he leaned forward to sniff my face. "OK" from me and he pulled away, message delivered. I thought about his five predecessors resting eternally in the trees, 150ft to the east. I wondered how I will tolerate his passing, and realized, he may have to tolerate mine. At the five week-old interview I knew he was special. At five months my wife reflected there would never be another to match his predecessor. I knew already, this is the best companion we would ever have, and I was right. He modulates my habits, routines, and anxieties. He does not give me (metaphorical) crap, and I do not have to explain the insanity of news to him. Meeting his simple needs balances not only my mechanical challenges, but my social challenges as well. If I have to, finding a newer better example may be impossible. ... View more

At the risk of coming-off superior, I offer my (inferior) experience. You have skillfully avoided associated cultural aspects of large off-road trucks like 10K watt headlamps, exposed tire treads and "rolling coal". We own 10 acres 8 and 17 miles from the nearest Big Box towns. A little over a year ago (in retirement) I assessed our daily drivers . Infiniti SUV, Acura AWD TL, a 4X4 pick-up and a Kubota. I realized we were heavy on utility and light on entertainment. (Four project cars are not in this assessment) The Acura went to Craigslist and an ebay post provided a Jaguar XKR coupe. The snow/salt of Wisconsin is not depreciating the Jag; the sequester costs $80/mo. That leaves the truck as more than occasional during the winter, and it does a great job; I prefer it to the SUV. The truck has hauled car projects home from Athens, Ashville and Ohio, but a disassembled Ferrari replica in San Antonio required a 28 ft enclosed trailer and 3/4 ton Dodge. Bigger was better but DEF in the middle of the night @ $22/jug is a PIA. The "Extremely Pick-up" types look down their noses and hoods at me; a relative pizz ant. What does my truck deliver? Suicide doors to a back seat with no leg room, but accommodates 80% of what I haul. Completely analog and ergonomic, with comfort that surpasses the rental cars I encounter. Climbs my 8% grade, 600ft driveway in winter. Pulled a car and trailer up and down a 1/2 mile gravel mountain goat path in Appalachia. Payload 1477lb and tows 7000lb. What fractional equivalent is that? My wife is completely comfortable driving it, even in a skirt and heels. It is a Series I Toyota Tundra, my second, the first was crushed by an oak tree at 270K miles. Ironically the latest "mid size" Colorado/Canyon have identical specifications, except that I have a V8. The days-to-sale of used Tundras is short, and haggling is limited. IMHO "bigger" is more of a statement than a practical requirement. ... View more

Jack, thank you. It occurs to me that about 2010 (Obama term) incentives were initiated to encourage sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. As with CforC, both manufacturer and dealer benefited. Ironically, because of pricing, proximity and prejudice,  the majority of those cars were purchased by persons that did not demand an incentive.  ... View more

Paraphrase  Jack: " In 2008, GM got a very tidy bailout that was both financial and legal. The dealers? They got nothing. They were told to suffer through it. Which they did." Not so Jack. My conservative buddies raged when President Obama initiated "Cash for Clunkers" and incentified the Public to turn over their old car for a new efficient car; a tax subsidised socialist bail-out at retail. Inevitably the trade-ins were mostly wholesale appropriate, not used car material. The used part industry had to be satisfied with recycle profit. The dealers moved inventory and the states collected tax and license revenue.  Bail-out indeed. As for me, raised on Buicks and Pontiacs, I could not make the Cadillac leap. In 1983 we bought our second new car. I shopped used Devilles (at Cadillac dealers) to evaluate wear and durability; I was discouraged and the cars were not pleasing to my 30's taste, We bought a new Saab that served 270K miles. About that time my Father bought a 4cyl  Cimarron, terrible car. In his mind he had moved-up, and bought a second with a V6. My wife and I moved on to Lexus, Acura, Infiniti and even a Jaguar. We would have bought another Saab, but GM ruined that for us. ... View more

This article strikes a chord for me, decades old. Back in 1967, home on leave from the USAF, I bought a used 66 GT350 and drove it to several assignments including the Detroit area and Woodward Ave. Drive hard? Oh yeah. That launched ambition to race. I sold the Shelby in 1971 to buy a GT350 that had been set up and raced in SCCA Nationals, except that it was a "tribute" not a Shelby. I took that car as far as Trans Am, and now is owned in North California, I wish I knew where. In the day, as an expert, I turned my brother's Mustang into a "tribute" complete with race engine, he still has it. My current "Tributes" (in process) are a 1929 Mercedes SSK with Lexus 2JZ parts and a mid-engine 246 Dino with Toyota SW20 turbo 3SGT parts. Yes, they will be appropriate for enthusiastic driving, even autocross or a track day. BTW my street Shelby eventually became a "tribute" vintage race car. It has auctioned twice recently, once for $134K and the second time for $145K. Not in my league anymore.   ... View more

In 2011 my wife, son and I vacationed in Las Vegas as a base to explore the surrounding nature scapes. On a day trip into Death Valley we sought ghost towns near Pahrump. We found abandoned buildings, railroad cars and this 50s International pick-up. It appears to be heavy duty and compared to our rust belt (Wisconsin) vintage trucks, it looks appropriate for restoration. jim ... View more