In 1962, a college friend at ND State University had a Goggomobil at the same time I had an Isetta 300.  One night we drove them on a dozen or so laps around the quad.  The campus cops were frustrated because their sedans were too big to fit and couldn't chase us.  It was easy enough to find us, and we were properly lectured the next morning. ... View more

If the director spends more than maybe 20% of the time on irrelevant things like plot lines, character development and most especially romantic involvement of the drivers, I become uninterested pretty quickly.  On the television, I record the movies and fast forward through all that nonsense. ... View more

Some pickups are personal identification statements. Some suggest an identity the owner would like to have, but doesn't really. Some are mostly for show. Mine works.  Hard! 1995 white C2500 Silverado heavy 3/4, 4wd and a 454 cid engine. ... View more

Resto-mods aren't garbage.  As a frequent judge, including concourse events, I've seen a fair number of them.  They don't win or place in the restored or survivor classes - though some have been mistakenly entered in them. I had my own resto-mod -- 1978 Black Pearl 280Z -- that had Datsun/Nissan engine bits, but with a block from a turbo ZX, and a single rail FI setup that looked better, was less complicated and more reliable than the factory setup. The only others who considered it to be "garbage" were some old school hot rodders with lead sleds who showed up at a show and didn't want to park next to "Jap Scrap." Pretty much everyone else who saw it thought it was well done and a genuine upgrade to the original. Including but not limited to properly restored/original 280Z's.  Theirs were not Better -- just Different. I am now doing a proper concourse-quality restoration on a car I first owned 52 years ago.  Though there are many more recent parts available, some of which appear close to original,  nevertheless this one is being built to a different standard. I'm 100% down with Own What You Want, and Drive What You Own. I would only add, Don't Complain about what others want and drive.  There's room in this hobby for more than one preference. ... View more

In 1971, I hosted a half-hour weekly television show in Fargo, ND.  Moss came through on a trip to publicize an event at Brainerd International Raceway, 100 miles east in Minnesota. At the conclusion of the interview, I invited him for lunch and he accepted. We went out to the parking lot to get into my 1966 Corvette roadster, and he asked if he could drive it. Could Stirling Moss drive my car? Abso-**bleep**-Lutely! So I got to ride with Stirling Moss in my own car as we drove maybe 15 minutes to have lunch.  The meal lasted about 45 minutes, the conversation was great, and on leaving he said he would ride back with me driving. No --  I didn't do anything stupid, trying to impress him.  But I had Stirling Moss in the passenger seat. In 2010 or 2011, I was within several feet of him at the Goodwood Revival.  I thought of reintroducing myself, but let the moment go. The earlier memory was more than enough, and I figured there was no sense in eliciting a positive response for no reason. He remains one of the two English drivers on my all-time hero list, right beside Graham Hill. It's sad to know he's gone.  But I'm glad he was here and that I once met him. ... View more

I have followed a couple of general guidelines in my past projects: * If you really want that exact vehicle, n none other, then suck it up, spend what it takes and just get on with it. * If you want one just like it, maybe part it out, sell or keep the parts, and find another. * If you want to sell it to make a few bucks, think of selling it as a work in progress to someone else who wants one.  Be honest about its condition, though.  You may not profit, but you can minimize your loss. My current project went sideways well into five figures and coming up on three years.  But i want that exact vehicle, not one just like it, and have no intention of selling it any time soon. So I'll spend what is required to get it, and enjoy it afterwards. ... View more

To readers: There was No coordination between my comments on Jeff as a really good automotive writer who had previous Alcan experience, and today's story. Honest. ... View more

Zurschmiede Damned spellcheck anyway! ... View more

I'll start by tell you who isn't. The current online "zines" contain a lot of automotive writing that is largely garbage.  Especially the lists of 5 or 10 Good/Bad cars which have a two-sentence discussion that provides no useful information.  They are so illiterate that sometimes they are incomprehensible.  It's really sad to know that there are those who take it seriously. Most magazines do a reasonably good job of describing the technical and driving experiences of the cars under discussion.  Those stories resemble each other, and few actually stand out.  Of somewhat greater interest are those that discuss the people who own and build the cars.  It's the people who actually have stories to share more than the cars. For looking for creativity and great sense of humor, added to the technical and personal side of things, Bruce McCall is my all-time favorite.  His discussions of the Denbeigh (fictional) archetypical British car, and especially the Super Chauvinist model still rank among my favorite and timeless contributions to automotive journalism. I am also a fan of the late WRC Shedenhelm, who wrote for Sports Car Graphic back in the 60's.  His wry comments on the vagaries of the cars of the time (the discussion of the 8-cylinder Mini - one engine in front and one in back) was downright wonderful! For current but largely unrecognized automotive writers, I'd suggest Jeff Zurschmided of Tillamook, Oregon.  He has written short reviews, a couple of books (the one on restoring an early Miata and another on how to hotrod Subarus) suggest that unlike many, he spends considerable time wrenching on the cars he writes about.  His stories on driving adventures -- he's done the Al-Can rally (or whatever it's called now) twice -- suggest a broad experience with many different car-related activities. His command of the language is excellent, and now and again his humor sneaks through to great enjoyment. I am an automotive write on a small scale (Hemmings and Eckler's).  But I in no wise compare myself to those who can demonstrate a far greater competence and creativity with the genre than I can. Favoritism is largely idiosyncratic, and those who have been mentioned elsewhere are all good too. ... View more