classic car

In short, Bentley has released a new Flying Spur and Flying Spur Speed with very subtle changes to the front and rear of the car. The Flying Spur Speed is the fastest sedan yet by Bentley, and should continue to be a mother load of cash for the company to fund more expensive specials. Photo from Motortorque.com

Here's something I think will encourage people to stop treating their cars as trailer queens and start actually driving them. Don Sherwin, a Canadian resident, created a street rod with a 450 horse, 8.2 liter GM V-8. It is chopped and lowered, and here comes the catch. It's a 1934 Brunn-bodied Pierce-Arrow Sedan.
I think that people need to start driving their cars more, and one major step towards that is not being afraid to modify it. Who cares if people like Jay Leno yell at you and you get scorned by purists; that happens all the time with Corvettes and other, less expensive classics. If you hot rod a Duesenburg, every car guy will know your name immediately and you'll get even more attention driving it than if it was stock. Somebody needs to try this sometimes. Just take a Cord or an Auburn, throw in a humongous V-8 or modify the original so it gets more than 80 HP, and drive it. It's that simple, yet is a step to changing the purist mindset that has always hung over collector cars, especially these prestige brands. This photo is of a hot-rod Cord 810 that has probably been restored to stock by some rich purist since the time this photo was taken. Photo from hbconcours.org

As you've probably heard, Pontiac's future has been revised from previous "niche" brand plans and the entire brand is going to be killed off because of mismanagement and the economy. Instead of telling you all of Pontiac's triumphs, I present to you these photos, which show why Pontiac was so influential and great.

Bugatti has officially announced a new four-door ultra car, aptly named the Royale. It should be based on the Veyron 16.4 outwardly and under the hood, with the same engine. This new sedan should be the fastest four-seater in the world, reaching an astounding 250 MPH. The car celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Bugatti namesake, and should be available to a limited number of customers for a lot of money. Photo from Autoexpress.co.uk

I'm wondering if anyone on this blog may have some suggestions for Carbs or EFI systems that I can put on our '72 240Z. Any ideas?

When many teens buy their first car, they tend to try to use their small budget to the maximum and customize their Cavaliers and Civics as far as they can go. Often if they can't afford something, they get a cheap knockoff or make one themselves, as shown above by this lovely Honda Civic, found at Stangbangers.com. The result in most of these is ugly, with a cobble of stock, used, ugly parts, with spoilers and rims more fit for better cars. Why anyone would do that and make their car look worse than it was, I have no idea. It just hurts to look at.

I love it when I see a rare car driven hard. From Pacers to Duesenbergs, there will always be the owner who stashes their car in their perfect, dust-free garage and never drives it. I appreciate the other people. I like cars to be driven because, after all, that's what they are built to do.
At Iola Old Car show last year, I saw a small collection of ultra-rare Cord 812s, Duesenburgs, V-16 Cadillacs, and many other rare gems. From about ten feet they looked like everything else in that section of the show: over-shined and never driven. But as I got closer, I saw the little pockmarks, the scars of the road, some mud on the running boards. I also noticed the sign on the hood of one, a Duesenburg I think, that said it was driven all the way to the the show, which was a total of a couple thousand miles for the trip. These cars I thoroughly enjoyed, not because they were in perfect like-new condition, but because they had an owner who used them for their intended purpose. This is my philosophy now, and will be with the Z when it is done. It should be yours, too, if you have a valuable car. The photo of the daily driver '74 Charger is from a Mopar Cardomain blog.

Porsche has leaked that they are planning a replacement for the long-gone Porsche 928 front-engine GT, which should combat the Bentley Continental and other luxury cars above the more race-oriented 911. There should be as much as 500 HP on tap from the turbo version, and the baser V-8 should have around 350. The details are scant so far, but it is being labeled for the 2012 model year, coming here in 2011. The photos are everywhere, but I got these ones from egmcartech.com

This custom Rolls-Royce, a '95 Silver Spirit MKIV, is rumored to have cost in excess of $1 Million and is in the possession of the Sultan of Brunei. It may be very attractive to some and expensive-looking, but to me it looks like it's having an identity crisis.
I mean, look at it. It would probably look like it was shape-shifting from the side as it drives by. When coming towards you, it looks like a weird Rolls-Royce, as it goes so you get a side view it looks like a Nissan 350z, and the back seems like a squashed Maybach Exelero. This car is, of course, impeccable in quality, made by the thoroughly professional firm of DC Designs in India. I like it, but it is kind of confusing.

I was looking around at supercars on the 'net, and somebody's post on a forum out there got me thinking. What is the ugliest supercar out there on the market? So I devised a few rules for commenting and adding your idea. First, your car must cost in excess of 80,000 dollars and have only two or three doors. It must be an actual production car made between 1985 and today. And, last of all, it must actually be ugly. I already came up with a few ideas, one of which is shown above in a photo I found at Caradvice.com, the Mitsuoka Orochi.

I've run into a couple of these online: Edsel Ranchero conversions. I think it was a good idea for the Edsel branch of Ford, but they never made anything like it. Yet I occasionally see one online, trying for attention at a car show, and getting it. Some are so well-done they look like they came from the factory. I saw one online that was sitting in a parking lot in Lansing, MI with a sticker that said "Double Lemon" on the back.
Generally, there are two ways to go about making an Edsel "Ranchero". The first of these is the most authentic, taking off the whole rear aspect of an Edsel station wagon and rounding out the body panels to make a pickup bed. The second way to do this conversion is to take an old Ranchero and manipulate the trim to make it look like an Edsel, switching out taillights and grilles. Either way you do it, you have an attention-getting idea that never made it to production (you can even claim it was a pre-production model!). Photo is from Street Rodder Magazine (obviously).

Ford created a landmark, a tribute to a legend, the GT supercar. It was priced well under rivals from other companies and was a car upwards of 200 MPH. It's downfall: the blue oval. If Lamborghini would've stolen Ford's design plans and put a Lambo badge on it, they could have sold it for three times as more AND have more demand.
This is the sad truth in the supercar business. Ultra-luxury concoctions from long-established makers of exotics automatically get a thumbs-up, while homegrown, and often cheaper, supercars are ignored and dismissed as inferior. Take the Corvette ZR1 for example. Many hail it as a miracle, but still others say it is horrible just because it is a GM creation from America. In the Eighties, when Ferrari 308s were beat by the little four-door Dodge Omni GLH-S, the Ferrari still got a better rap than the then-new ZR-1 Corvette from the Eighties, which was an altogether much better car. If you take a car from a company with supercar history and make it expensive, people will think it is better. Who cares about the interior? As Jay Leno said (this may not be an exact quote): "People complain about the Corvette's interior. I say, just use the 150k you save by getting a Corvette to get a good interior." Leno also says that, out of all his supercars, which includes Lamborghinis and Ferraris, the 'Vette is the most practical and is very exhilarating. Take that, Italy!

Two days ago I was biking and doing my customary check of open garages, even though I'd already checked all of the ones in this street except for two. As I passed the last house on the street, I paid close attention. At one point last year I spotted a 1970 Chevy Chevelle Malibu sitting outside, and wondered if the car belonged to them. And what do you know, I see the gold Chevelle in the garage undergoing an engine change! The wife of the owner was outside, and I asked her if I could see the car. I took along my camera and got a few photos.
What you just read was basically just an example of how I get many photos, such as the ones of the Maserati in North Carolina and the unknown Forties project that was in an old lean-to. So, in short, go biking...and take your camera.

If you want to get faster updates and know when I've done a new blog post, you can get an account on twitter and follow me. My username on Twitter is ssrock64, and I give updates on new blog post, 240z updates, and much more. You may want to check it out!

On Saturday, I went to a farming area near Fond Du Lac to look at a project car found on Craigslist with no photo. This was what the ad said:

1972 240z datsun. Was a project i dont have time to finish. Solid body. Motor is bad but comes with a good motor with 70,000 miles on it. Car has manual trans and extra parts. Car is orange.

Even though it said it was solid, I was suspicious, as the 240z and the later variations had very thin, rust-prone body panels that generally ended up falling apart and rusting very quickly. But I was interested, and we decided to go take a look at the car along with a VW Beetle on that Saturday. What we found was, like the ad said, an orange 1972 240z with an extra engine in a separate garage. But, to my surprise, the Z had barely any rust on it at all, just some surface rust on the hood and a very small spot in one of the fenderwells. It also turns out the car had THREE motors: the original one, which was non-running, a running one from a later 260z, and the third was in parts, but missing a few pieces.
Needless to say, we purchased the car, and it is being hauled to my house in a few days. We will restore and modify the car (there aren't very many 240z purists out there to yell at us) so it can be used as a driving car, and basically learn as we go. We have never attempted a restoration before on any car, but we will try very hard for it not to be another "I don't have time to finish it" story that ends up selling three months later. These photos are of the actual car, so you can see it is in good condition for a project. I won't tell you the exact price, but I feel we got a very good deal on this well-preserved Datsun.
One of the only major problems with the car is that the interior is in shambles. There are engine parts ruining the floors behind the seats, the vents have fallen out, and though the seats are in the only desirable color for a '72, black, the are worn and torn. We are thinking about putting in a custom interior and carpet to remedy this. Also, the transmission is not original. The former owner thought that the original trans was lying around with the parts that make up the third motor, but we'll have to see. You can track our progress through the restoration blog at projectzcar.blogspot.com.

I found this neat quiz online where you identify the make of a car from a list of four by looking at a photo they provide of the logo. Most of them are pretty easy, with Ford, Honda, and VW in there, but some, like Skoda, are harder. I got 100% on my first try, but was challenged on a few problems. Try it out, and don't cheat by looking up the answers in another tab! Here's the web address:

http://autos.canada.com/community/logosquiz/index.html

Yesterday, I saw tons and tons of two-door Audis, which are relatively rare for Northeast Wisconsin. They were basically swarming as I searched through the Fox Cities for a suitable project, speeding down the highway and providing photo opportunities at every turn. I managed to get only a few good photos, but they were enough. Particularly popular yesterday were Audi TT Coupes, with one pulling onto the highway behind us at the same time that two of them passed on the other side of that interstate. Was there a car show, an unknown day for Audi owners to celebrate, or is it just the intuition of an Audi owner to come out on the same day as everyone else does.

The Subaru Outback has been treated to some minor mods and a facelift for 2010 in a newer, but still pretty boring package. On the bright side, there is a new package with a 3.6 Liter 265 Horse engine at 4,000 revs and handling is better.

This has been bothering me for some time. I keep seeing a silver '68 or '69 Chevy Camaro that always blows by me when I'm driving. About twice a week, I see this car go by , and usually I'm not in a position to get a photo of it. Finally, after seeing this Camaro for about a month now, I was finally ready to get a photo. I insisted on being in the passenger seat, and brought my Fujifilm camera with me every time I was in the car. I was intent on showing you what I've seen, so I spotted it about a quarter mile away, coming towards me one day, and got this shot. So if you didn't know it before, it takes a lot of effort to get a photo of a car that is coming at you at 40 miles per hour from the opposite direction.

Here's a car that is a little ways away from my home. It is unrestored, and was put under a tarp last fall. I know the identity of this car, and I hope somebody else does, because that's the point of this post. Anyways, send your ideas my way in comments.

Every day, in every state I'm in, I see many trucks that people have gone way overboard on in the vain hope that it will impress their friends, and much less likely, their wife. Higher ride height is a common mod, and flashy grilles another. Most of these mods are not functional, such as fake semi-style exhaust coming out behind the cab, and most are just ill-fitting and bad-looking.
Here and there, some tasteful customizing is okay for trucks, but never go overboard. It makes you look either stupid, antisocial, or both depending on your mods. If you put some of the fake-chrome partial trim strips on your doors, it looks pretty ugly. Big logos, huge suspension mods, and really loud engine sounds are out of the question on grounds of being seen as somebody who doesn't care at all about the environment and antisocial. Here's a great example of what I'm talking about, only less so because it's a diesel and the pipes actually work.

Around here in Northeast Wisconsin, I get excited when I see one 350z in a day, so it's hard for me to beleive that people in Chicago, Beverly Hills (and the rest of coastal California), and New York see exotics every day and can just walk into a Bugatti dealership without taking a plane halfway across the country. Many of you who live in these areas barely blink at every Lamborghini and Ferrari that goes by on the street. Here, I've only seen one Lamborghini running within 50 miles of my home, and another at a car show.

I haven't done this in a while, but here are my current picks for YouTube videos:

Some Ferraris Street racing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBz9vsNyYEo

A Rolls wiping out at the Gumball 3000:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTIsbvNxejY

A claim to world's fastest street car:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRrleV9QWU

Another claim to world's fastest street car:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS_2uKVFpso&feature=related

weird invention: Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtkoje4-eM

Enjoy these videos!

Here are some tips and tricks I've learned from my on-going search for a project car:
1: When there's a chance to get a dialog going between an owner who has a neglected car that is not necessarily for sale, take that chance. There was a woman owner of a 30's coupe that I was very keen to see who was out getting her mail one day when I drove by. Later I regretted it because I almost never saw her outside. If I would've taken that chance and talked to her about the car right then I may not have still been searching for a project. I DID start a conversation, which I told you about in the past, with the owner of a blue 1950's Chevy Panel that was not for sale, but was worth the conversation because I discovered that their hobby shop sold hundreds of model cars and die-casts.
2: Don't let a good deal pass, even if you're still waiting for pay day. This rule is mostly directed towards Ebay. Many owners of cars understand and are willing to wait a few days while you receive your pay. There was a very nice-condition Porsche 914 with a possibly one-off body and very minor damage for sale with no reserve on Ebay Motors. It sold for a very low price, and I missed out because we didn't have the money for a few days after the auction.
3: Take the back roads. Especially in rural communities like the state of Wisconsin, this tip can lead you everywhere. I was going along the back roads one day and saw not one, not two, but three forgotten projects in about five minutes. Only one had a for sale sign on it, but on one other one the owner was outside, and I could've used tip #1 and therefore gotten a good deal on a 20's two-door sedan.

As anyone who's seen my album on Flickr knows, there are tons of unrestored muscle cars just sitting in Moyock, NC, ready for somebody to bring a trailer an resurrect their 455s or 390s. There are places like this all across the nation. In Newton, WI there is Newton Classics, which deals largely in unrestored muscle cars, though they have restored beauties inside their showroom. There are Country Classic Cars in Staunton, IL, Classic Cars of South Carolina with their "Field of Dreams", and many more.
Sadly, the business has slowed and many of these cars are just sitting out slowly rusting away. There are also restoration businesses, such as the Corvette restorer I saw in North Carolina, that have many parts and body shells lying about. There was even a '54 body lying around at that Corvette place that would probably go for a lot of money, even considering its bad condition. Save a muscle car (or anything else) and save the world and a classic car business. Photo is of a Buick for sale at Classic Cars of S.C.

Everyone knows it. Car and Driver is inclined towards BMWs, Road and Track likes Porsches (even though the 370Z is half the price and had a better lap time at the Nurnburg, not to mention their amazing and frankly revolutionary Syncrorev Match system), and many other magazines, television shows, and yes even blogs, have bias towards certain brands that are a tradition or are secretly throwing them under-the-table money (not that this actually happens that I know of). Even I give into my bias occasionally, such as supporting Chris Bangle and Detesting Hummers without ever actually driving one. but I try to be unbiased when I can. Anyways, I think somebody should start a campaign against biased automotive media. They could rally supporters into sending thousands of complaint letters in and flooding their mail, or launch an online protest through the various forums and networking sites. Either way, we want to get rid of bias in the automotive media and have fairer comparisons.

I keep getting too many photos to load onto Picasa and keep it free, so I'm doing another account on Flickr. I'll have the link up soon. enjoy!