Reason has ceased to be a part of my conscious being. Clearly, since I’d rather be seen in this than a new Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari famously said “there are Ferrari owners, and there are Ferrari drivers” and nothing rings more true today as I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see a complete dolt behind the wheel of one. Instead plastic made to look like wood is quite appealing in my eyes.
Apart from illegal Californian road rallys and eighties Group B, it’s hard to think of any other billion dollar motorsport that allows fans such access and closeness to the racing as NASCAR. I absolutely understand its appeal to the working man.
Simple and proven technology is what powers these cars. No telemetry can be used during racing and only the most basic of electronics are allowed since the ignition is mechanically timed. The engines even have carburettors and pushrods! The roll cage act as a space frame chassis and is covered by sheet metal. The V8 is 358 cubic inches, about 5.8 litres and develops around 850 bhp without restrictor plates and is capable of revving in excess of 10,000 rpm. However, due to safety and cost concerns, the rev-limit is controled by the NASCAR gear rule stating that the highest gear ration must be 1:1. A NASCAR engine at 9,000 rpm has a piston speed of 24.75 m/s, roughly that of a Formula 1 engine!
Brakes must be of steel and the only aerodynamics allowed are the front splitter, rear wing and NACA ducts in the windows.
There you have it. I’m a fan now! And, standing so close to a NASCAR going 300 km/h tickles your balls in a very pleasant fashion.
Stop at Athens Coney Island for a Coney dog the weekend before the Woodward Dream Cruise and you’ll see plenty of nice classics. Starting out as a fundraiser for a local football field, the dream cruise has grown into the largest automotive event in the world and one of the most important exhibits of classic Americana.
Unfortunately, I missed it by a week, but next time I come for the Carfax race weekend, I’ll be sure to stay on for another week!
Like a daily slice of New York? My friend Brent Murray details life through his camera.
As he says: “This blog is simply about what it’s like to look through my eyes. These are the things that capture my attention. Also, I do not know any of the people in the street shots.”
I can’t remember the last time I wanted a car as badly as I want the Boxster Spyder. It is really all I need: two great bucket seats, a wheel in each corner, a flimsy top barely describable as a roof and a chassis that never stops giving.
Take the Nissan GT-R for instance. It is such a silly car! You know the story about the bumble bee? The GT-R can’t go really fast around corners, but it doesn’t know it can’t, so it does it anyway. The computers in the GT-R will flatter you way beyond your abilities but the Porsche does that without computers. It is so well balanced that any trouble you get yourself into, you can easily sort them out, even with the PSM turned off. News travel fast in the Boxster Spyder and your hands, butt and feet get it the moment it happens so you really just have to react to something small and nip it in the bud before it develops into anything more serious. It even allows you to slide in the infamous Porsche corner at Ring Knutstorp! Just perfect.
Few things embody NASCAR quite like an ice cold Bud. They even have their own race team! Actually, most things at NASCAR is about drinking beer. Or carrying it. Or storing it. Or chilling it.
The once so proud motor city of America is dying and has been for quite some time. I would’ve just loved to have seen this in the fifties. Now there are abandoned buildings everywhere. Entire blocks have gone from being well-kept Victorian mansions to only two houses left with the rest burned down or rotting away ready to be torn down any second. Imagine being one of those still living in what’s left of a once proud neighbourhood.
A Swedish entrepreneurial team calling themselves Bike By Me is responsible for this. Actually, they provide a template for designing your own bicycle, thus the name. I absolutley love it! The pastel colours are just what a bike needs to brighten up the dull traffic situation. It’ll be just as nice on the road as on the wall!
Do not get this design if you live anywhere near Stockholm, this is mine.
“I received a mail in response to an earlier post on the Lucifer’s Hammer. The mail was from Mr. Scott Turner a.k.a Kenny Roberts and the gentleman had send a link of a YouTube video featuring the Lucifer’s Hammer. now that’s even rarer.
He also mentioned ‘If you click on my YouTube channel, you can see other rare videos. I’ll be adding more in the future.’”
“The video shows a great ‘Battle Of The Twins’ race between Gene Church and Marco Lucchinelli at Daytona in 1985 with Gene Church riding the Lucifer’s Hammer. Its a 9 minute video with the last minute having a short interview with the winner, Mr. Gene Church. Enjoy the video and many many thanks to Scott Turner for sending the link.”
What a fantastic little car. My friend Lina fell in love with a picture that turned out to be the real thing. She drove 1500 kms to get it back home and then she takes me for a ride. Now I’m in love too!
I love it when you write me an email and tell me something. It means that someone is actually reading what I write and that makes me tremendously happy. It’s been a while since I had a guest blogger on here, but Gregorio Baracchi was kind enough to write a story for publication, so without further ado, here ’tis:
Having a Maserati is like having a nice and rare watch that doesn’t stand out easily. The Maserati Granturismo is a car that if you want you can drive on an every day basis. Unlike many other exotics the Granturismo is a car that can be driven down the street without attracting too many eyes.
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