Monterey Car Week Engines

August 17th, 2010

Monterey Car Week Engines

At this years, events, I found myself snapping pictures of engines this year. Had I put any thought into it a head of time, I would have gone out of my way to get important engines from each of the great marques. But I didn’t. So here’s a somewhat random collection of the expensive metal that was on the Moneterey Peninsula for the 2010 events.

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Lotus Trouble Log:

July 15th, 2010

Lotus Trouble Log:

I finally feel like a true Lotus owner. It happened when I started working on my car more than I drove it.

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Why?!?

October 5th, 2009

Why?!?

The first question that you should be asking is what in heaven or earth (or somewhere more sinister) could have possessed me to buy a Europa?

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Buying A Lotus

September 24th, 2009

Buying A Lotus

The problem with telling this story is that nothing interesting happened. Sure, I ended up with one of Chapman’s little Bread Vans, but 500 miles in a vintage Lotus during the blazing heat of summer should have been ripe with struggles. And it just wasn’t.

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Racing is Doomed:  'Go Like Hell' Review

I don’t want to sound prophetic; to be one of those people who says they know the future and give an exhaustive list of evidence to why they are right. It seems that most of the time, these predictions turn out false. I mean technically, Chrysler still exists despite all who foretold its demise at the beginning of the year.

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As the Tumble Weeds Blow By

It seems a bit like a ghost town around here lately, but we are still here and we are still busy chronicling the California Central Valley classic car experience.

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Lotus Esprit Turbo: Classic or Cheesy?

Its an interesting time as more and more cars age on into the classic status. We’re becoming faced with what to do with certain cars whose styles haven’t held up to the test of time quite as well as others.

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Porsche Blues

September 16th, 2008

Porsche Blues

This is a disappointing day.

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Filming 35 - 105

September 8th, 2008

Filming 35 - 105

The first number is for the car featured. Only a replica mind you, but that of a the beautiful 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster. The second number in the title is for the temperature.

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Car Week Overload

August 21st, 2008

Car Week Overload

Its been a crazy week.

Monterey’s Car Week by itself is crazy, and this year I got to attend the Concours d’Elegance for the first time. But I also participated in a little cinematic magic in good old Merced with a 1935 Auburn Speedster (well sort of). Both of these events deserve their own articles and I will be getting them out just as soon as I can. But there’s more insanity. This last week I gave up my Jag.

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DIY in the 21st Century

August 8th, 2008

DIY in the 21st Century

You don’t have to be a mechanic to know that cars have changed quite a bit in the past forty years. Gone are the carburetors you tune yourself with nothing more than a screw driver and mechanical distributor points that have to be checked as often as you change your oil.

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Breaks

July 30th, 2008

Breaks

A quick glance to the featured photograph reveals one of my new brake pads peeking out. Why then is this the only picture in an article about changing brake pads? Because, in a word (or three), I’m new to this and it didn’t occur to me to take pictures while I was preforming the work.

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Buying Fun Cars: A Confession

Why do we do it?

I can tell of countless times I’ve explained to one person or another that for all my elaborate car history, I have never bought a car to be “seen” in. However loud, curvaceous or exotic the car, I never give a thought to how people see me until the day I pull up to a group of friends who don’t know me well and suddenly have to explain that, no I’m not rich, I just spend too much time and money on cars. If anything I am slightly embarrassed about it among normal (read “non-car”) people.

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