Cars and Coffee, March, 2014

The morning started out cool and cloudy, but quickly warmed up when the sun came out.  The locals seemed to be grateful for the nice weather as this was the largest turnout I think I've EVER seen at C&C.  My friend Neil and I met up around 7:30 and were amazed by the crowd.  Every parking spot was taken and they were double parking the overflow in the lanes.

Right as I walked in the Sports Car Club of America had set up their recruiting table.  Tempting!

I'm just not sure my 'lil Audi would fit in among that crowd.  But If I just had a proper sports car, like this Jaguar F-Type....  :)

 While I'm not all that enamored with Lotus cars, I'm awed by the camaraderie shown by the Lotus Owners Club.  They turn up en mass at every show.  Kudos! 

And this group was impressive, too.  I've never seen such a large collection of pristine Honda S-2000's.  Whatdaya think?  Screaming Yellow, or....

....a more sinister looking (think Texas Tech) Scarlet and Black?

The VeeDub Club was well represented today, too.  I've always been a fan of the little Karmann Ghia, and this was a fine one....with one picky flaw.  Why the Porsche wheels?  

And I don't think I've ever seen a nicer VW Beetle Cabriolet than this.  The headlight visors were a nice touch.

It just goes to show it doesn't have to be a muscle car or a European exotic to be "cool".

This one needs a little narration:  There's a growing movement among car guys to collect old derelicts and get them running again.  Many are highly modified / souped up and are known as "Rat Rods".  This piece of crap is a prime example.  OH!  NOW I GET IT!  Now I understand why they call it a "movement".  *wink*

Let's just jump from the absurd to the ridiculous in this ridiculously desirable "La Ferrari".

The way the Italians can sculpt metal is just sublime.

Erotic even.  *sigh*

I'm generally not a fan of Nissan GT-R's, but this one I liked.

The owner had a fun sense of humor, exemplified by this little bumble bee thingy that was perched on the rear wing.  I have no Idea why it was there, but I liked it.

Even the license plate was funky...."Lunatik".  Ha!

Oh, and by the way....this is Luna.  (No, really  ;)

After visiting with Luna for a while Neil eventually regained his composure enough to declare this Toyota Supra his favorite of the day.   (OK, you can stop smiling now, Neil.)

Decisions, decisions.  Which to cruise 'round town in today?  My Aston Martin, my Alfa Romeo GTV, or my Alfa Romeo Montreal? 

I think I'll go with the GTV.  A very nice example, this.

Anyone remember the old Ford Woody wagon?  Here's someone's version of an Audi R8 Woody.  (Dude....the Woody died for a reason.  It needs to stay dead!  Just sayin'.)

So THIS is how the other half lived.  A MB 190.  :)

Anyone reading this old enough to remember the '56 Cheeeeevy?  What a gorgeous deep purple!

And it extends to the interior, too.  While not exactly stock, I didn't hear anyone complaining.

Anyone from the land of escargot and stinky cheese?....Your Citroen SM is waiting.

This English Triumph TR-6....

....and its baby brother, the English Triumph Spitfire....

....and this English Bulldog who was also taking in today's C&C reminded me of my friend "Big Joe" Hagy ( ^ the resemblance is striking :) and his pining for some pics of his first car....

....the quintessentially English MGA.

And boy did I find him a beauty!

Such a beauty, in fact, I'm naming it my personal Favorite Of The Day.

Finally, let me leave you with this short video of the Ferrari Formula One team changing tires at a routine pit stop.  Think you could top their 4-tire change in 1.8 seconds?

That was Cars and Coffee, March, 2014.  Hope you enjoyed.  :)

S

Boys and their toys

No, unfortunately I didn't realize my dream of owning a vintage Austin Healey or Alfa Romeo.  In my next life maybe, but it doesn't look too promising for this one.  What I did buy, though, was a new camera.

It's still just a point-and-shoot variety, but this one has a 30X optical zoom, 'cause, you know, sometimes a guy just has to zoom in on something 30 times.  :)

For a few years now I've used a simple pocket camera that has served me admirably:

To photograph cars at a car show or similar it's been great, and I'll still use it some, but recently I've wanted a photo of something that was just a bit out of range and I was dead in the water with this one.

I learned long ago that anything with much more than an on/off button is too complex for me.  Consumer Reports and lots of user reviews said this one was easy peasy.  Sold!  And so far the camera has been.  It's setting it up to connect (via Wifi) with my computer, iPad, iPhone, etc that has been a pain. 

The instructions just assume everyone starts out with at least an Associates Degree in Computer Technology.  They really shouldn't let a techie write the how-to instructions for a consumer electronic device....they can't think simple enough.  I finally had to call in my in-house IT guru (K) and she set me up.  Sort of.

Take a picture...press x button...wait for it...it connects to my computer...do this...do that...drag it here...on and on.  Finally, about 8 steps later I was able to produce a picture I could share on my blog.  Jeez, this is gonna take all day to download all my car pics.  

*OMG, what have I done?  Can I take it back?  Where's the box?*

But then, on my iMac, I did something (unknown) and suddenly a pop-up asked, "Do you want to download your pictures directly to iPhoto?"  

ABSO-FRICKIN'-LUTELY I DO!  (Apple to the rescue! :)

Bada Bing....now it works like a champ.  God does indeed look after idiots, drunks, and now the tech challenged, too.  :)

Have a great weekend everyone.  Stay warm.

S

Cars and Coffee, February, 2014

It was a cool-bordering-on-cold, windy morning, but the Cars and Coffee faithful were there in force anyway.  By the time I arrived at 7:30 the party was in full swing.

The first car that caught my eye on the British row was this nice Triumph TR-4.

I've seen this one before at the All English Car Show, but it's just one of those cars I never tire of seeing.

This tastefully pimped Mini Cooper S was nice, too.

* "tastefully pimped"....the ultimate oxymoron? *

While nothing at all exotic, I've always liked Audi TT's.  I think my name on the title of this one would look great!

This was your lucky day, Betina.  Look what I found for you....

A showroom perfect BMW Isetta 300.

Did somebody really drive this thing from Oregon to Texas?

One of the better hot rods for sure!  I think Tim "The Toolman" Taylor would approve.

The times, they are a changin'.

Now even the Korean car guys have reserved space.  Car clubs are always present at C&C, the most prominent usually being Lotus, BMW, Mini, Mustang, Camaro, and Subaru.

Oh yes, and the Corvette "comb-over" boys club, too.

I must give the Subaru WRX boy-racers high marks for their sense of humor.  :)

"If it's not leakin', it's empty"

Close, but no cigar.  If it had been blue, this could have passed for my first car.

It was a treat to see this '70-ish Lancia Montecarlo there.

It must have never gotten wet.  If it had, all you'd see would be a little pile of rust on the pavement and 4 tires.

Alfa Romeo Spyder....still on my Lust Bucket List.

I must admit, Ferrari's (458 Italia ^ ) can look good in "non-red", too.

Then again, why upset the ghost of Enzo (Mr. Ferrari)?

While not the newest or the most exotic, I still think the 599 ^ has the most class.  I love those thin "flying buttresses" off the rear glass.  They're both aesthetically pleasing and aerodynamically useful.

Nostalgia time....who wants a ride in my '56 (?) Cheeevy.  (Umm, maybe I'd better ask the owner first.)

The car that made Ralph Nader famous....the Chevy Corvair.  With the engine (and all the weight) in the back, it had a tendency to swap ends while in motion (not good for life expectancy), hence Ralph's book Unsafe At Any Speed.  He's been running for President (and losing) ever since.

Still, I think this is a great looking, very well maintained example.

There was a camera crew there interviewing some race car driver, but I was more impressed with this rig that allowed the camera to very smoothly glide horizontally.  Pretty cool!

And now, for my Show Favorite....

This immaculate Austin Healey 3000.

Achingly beautiful.

That's it....Cars and Coffee, February, 2014.  Hope you enjoyed.  :)

S