Don’t tell anyone.....I joined a post war car club.

[edinmass]

My new Florida car buddies all buy this modern plastic, carbon fiber, sports cars. They ride like manure, are loud, uncomfortable to ride in, and difficult to get in and out of. Just like pre war cars! They also get poor mileage and are more expensive than they should be. So things really haven’t changed that much in the car hobby. They are just a bit faster than what I usually drive. We had both of them up to the speed limit.......😇 and I can say, the AMG was my preferred drive. The Lambo is a 2020 special edition, as was the 2019 AMG. Next Saturday we will road test the new BMW I8 and a McLaren.

[padgett]

No-one is more fanatical than a convert. I'll stick to cars I can reprogram.

[SC38dls]

Are you going to try and drive them under the Great White? 😳

dave s 

[oldcarfudd]

Nope.  He's just going to do an engine transplant.

[SC38dls]

Which way Great White to the sports car- won’t fit! 

[alsancle]

Tsk tsk.

[wayne sheldon]

SHHhhhhhhh-

 

(You said don't tell anyone!)

[edinmass]

34 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

Are you going to try and drive them under the Great White? 😳

dave s 

NO! Don’t want to risk scratching my chassis...........

[28 Chrysler]

Define "POST WAR"

There was one young-en that though anything before the mid 1960s was prewar because his father was a war Vet.

Have fun I wish I could join you.

[1937hd45]

Does this mean Car Week is on in Monterey in August? 

[1935Packard]

This is post-war, as in after the War in Iraq.  Who knew.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Good for you Ed.  Prewar cars are the best but opening up to other things is not a bad thing either.  

[30DodgePanel]

I think I see where this is headed.... 

Someone's in training (shhh)

 

[Guest]

 Ed, we are still accepting members in the Strokers Hot Rod Club.  😁

[edinmass]

I saw a Strokers plate at the car show yesterday in Hobe Sound. Had a Mass plate.........from Cape Cod. Didn’t know they were state wide............I thought they were Western Mass. We brought a new car.......for me anyways.......at least I had my Duesenberg hat on!

[Buffalowed Bill]

I'm sure your buddies are a lot younger then I am. If I was silly enough to plant my body in one of those, I'm afraid that they would have to bury me in it. As it is I've had to go into training to get in and out of several of my Jaguars. I wonder how Lenno is going to deal with some of his collection in his golden years?

Edited January 18, 2021 by Buffalowed Bill (see edit history)

[Steve Moskowitz]

Perfect shirt for you...after seeing the shop!  We are all going to start to dislike you if you keep sharing all the wonderful things you get to do!  

[padgett]

Just the difference between a pro and an amateur.

[Walt G]

All interesting to read and observe, but sitting in a plastic car with my eye level at the center of the hubcap of a large semi truck next to me I don't find appealing . Maybe "fogeyness" is starting to creep up into me ( or perhaps was always there!) but I still prefer cars made of steel, aluminum( of a proper thickness not the fast food container level) , wood, brass, bronze.  I am not stating that I don't like post WWII era cars! I do, but am not a 'sports car' type of guy. I do enjoy "sporty cars" but most of them are pre war (WWII) and usually European ( Bentley, Delage, Delahaye etc) . Different strokes for different folks. I like land yachts that are capable of 80- 100 mph if needed , I was never a "boy racer" type.

[1912Staver]

Nothing wrong with post war cars in my opinion.  But late model " super " cars just leave me wondering why ? They are not something that I can see a point to at all. Why advertise to law enforcement you are someone they should be very interested in ? Why spend several times what a race car costs to look like a racer but not be one ? Why shout out to one and all you are a member of the more money than brains club ?

 

If you want to race buy one of these for a fraction of the cost of a Super car and actually race it. It's simply amazing how fast 200 HP or less can be in the right chassis , on the right tires and on the proper place for such things. Many are in the 20 K to 30 K range, and pretty reasonable { as these things go } for operating costs.

 

These older S2000 cars are for the most part driven by " mature " drivers , mid 40's - mid 70's. The hard charging young guys are mostly in open wheel cars.

Greg

Edited January 18, 2021 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[padgett]

To me a S2000 is a 8900 rpm Honda sports car. Almost bought one.

 

 

[1912Staver]

And I thought you were an old SCCA guy. S2000 { Sports 2000 } has been around since about 1975. A real race car chassis with a easy to afford and maintain, blueprinted , 99 % stock Ford 2000 S.O.H.C.   Pinto and Capri in North America, a bunch of things World wide. The older cars like my Lola and these Royale's generally run in VS2. { Vintage Sports 2000}. In the U.K. there is now a Duratec S2000 series for the newer cars and the latest generation of Ford's 2 litre. Quite a bit faster than the older cars but also a lot more $. I think there are a few of the Duratec cars in North America but not nearly as popular as they are in the U.K. and Europe.. The early ones are more than fast enough for me these days.  Some people put the Cosworth version of the Pinto { YB / YAC from a Cosworth Sierra }  in the older cars and run in C Sports Racer. But more $ than my modest budget allows. Keep it simple and just have fun !

That's a vanilla plain Pinto in there , looks right at home to my eye.

 

Greg

Edited January 18, 2021 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[padgett]

Last SCCA race was in 1974, decided my style was going to involve a bad incident eventually & family was more important. Just SCCA Solo II after that. Earlier had demonstrated that a Formula Ford (predecessor ?) could be drifted.

[1912Staver]

These cars are quite a bit safer than an older Formula Ford. The later Formula Fords { mid 1980's and up }  have a very robust structure but generally a tight squeeze for people of my stature { 6'2" }.

Sports 2000's are generally either a full aluminum tub or a tub front 2/3 , fabricated tube rear 1/3 . A few of the real early ones are full tube construction. They will absorb a significant impact and still protect the driver. Not as safe as a sedan with a full cage but so much lighter and easier to work on. And in the vintage classes the really dangerous stuff is kept to a minimum . The idea is for everyone to have fun , not win at all cost's.

 

Greg

[philip roitman]

Good for you and great photos, Ed. I love all sorts of Car Clubs also. Talking about racing, I like a roof over my head, I am a tin top guy.  I raced SCCA Nationals and Regionals in Mazda's, Camaro 1LE's when they first came out (1989) and you needed a comp license to buy one. Started with Rx-7's, Rx-3's at Bridgehampton (miss that track a lot) and still get into a Miata (sold my National race wining Miata a long time ago) every now and then at Lime Rock. Also raced A Sedan Ford Mustangs. Was sponsored by BFG. That helped keep tire costs down!  Been on the Board of Directors of the NYRSCCA since 1984. I have slowed down quite a bit since i got into my 60's. I do like to track my AMG GTS Edition1 occasionally, but usually just rent a Miata to keep costs down. My taste in cars is very eclectic and there is not much that I don't like. Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society Member for 40 years since the Austie Clark days. 

Here is a photo of my AMG GTs Edition1.

Photo of my Miata back in 1993 at New Hampshire International Raceway.

Photo of my 1989 1LE Camaro winning the first race of the first ever National SCCA race event at New Hamphire Speedway (Notice the landscaping was not completed yet.)  

Also currently still like to Vintage Drag race a Stock Appearing Factory Tire (FAST) Buick. A 1973 Gran Sport of course. 😉 That Buick is a Day2 Concours Gold Award winner at the 2019 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) with 974 points. The photo of the Drag car is from my good friend Martyn Schorr of Motion fame and Cars illustrated, etc. The photo was also a Face Book post and Car Guy Chronicles write up with a link to a recent Hagerty article on the Four Speed car. Look up 1973 Gran Sport on the Hagerty web site.

 

P.S. Also love showing my AACA Grand National Award winning '73 Buicks in AACA events. Both are MCACN Concours Gold Award winners. The Gold Stage1 GS 4 speed also won a MCACN Platinum Award Best Buick with 1000 out of 1000 points in 2017 and has been nominated 2X for a AACA National Award in 2018 and 2019. The all original SCO paint Yellow Stage1 GS Sun Coupe got 986 points at MCACN in 2016

Sorry for the long boring post. I am still as enthusiastic as ever and can talk about cars, racing, etc. forever. 🙂

 

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by philip roitman (see edit history)

[padgett]

Was the perfect size for lying down in a narrow '60s formula car 5'10", 34" sleeve, 29" inseam. 11A shoe.

[1912Staver]

Hi Philip, great to hear from you ! The main reason I am attracted to purpose built cars rather than an adapted production car is cost and ease of maintenance.  They are very light compared to a production based car, and need a lot less HP to achieve good lap times.  This helps keep tire costs within reason. I used to be involved with a friends former Trans Am series 1970 Boss 302, A great car but the running costs; particularly tires, were way beyond my budget.

 And as I am a one man band the ability to have the car up on a set of stands with all the body off and out of the way in about 15 minutes is priceless . Especially as I am also in my 60's. The old bod just isn't as happy doing things as it was 25 years ago. Everything necessary to set up a car is right there and designed for track side ease of accessibility.

On the cost front things like Club Formula Fords and Vintage S2's tend to hold their value a lot better than what I generally see with modified, production based cars. You can have a lot of fun until you either loose interest or just get too bloody old and still recover a substantial part of the car outlay.

I am retired and have a pretty slim budget, every penny counts.

 

Greg

[wayne sheldon]

I really like open wheel racing cars. That is part of why I have loved all the open wheel model T speedsters I have had. No fenders, no windshield, no top, no doors, no seatbelts, no a lot of other things.  A healthy vintage engine with a tall overdrive. Just you, the machine, the road and the wind. 70 mph feels like 90. The true racing car I had would do over 80 mph, how much over that I do not know. With my aversion to speeding tickets, I didn't get up that fast often.

About 45 years ago, there was a wonderful vintage racing event that was held once a year for four years. While it was called a "reenactment", most of the people were really racing. I was just a kid, with my first model T speedster, and the slowest car there. The fastest cars there? Were running that more than half mile dirt track at the same speeds as the slower modern sprint cars at the real races! The fastest car there? Ran that track five seconds behind the modern race car track record!!!! (Record at that time)

 

Most fun I have ever had in my life! Oh the stories I like to tell from those fantastic days.

[edinmass]

11 hours ago, Steve Moskowitz said:

Perfect shirt for you...after seeing the shop!  We are all going to start to dislike you if you keep sharing all the wonderful things you get to do!  

Steve.......I don’t post five percent of the stuff I do.......or no one would talk to me. I’m lucky to be immersed in cars day and night..........probably more than 99 percent of the people here...........which I’m ok with. This weekend it’s BMW I8 and a McLaren. Last night at 9:30 at night........I was driving the Evil Knievel sky cycle. The road going version.............the PD in Palm Beach didn’t appreciate the open zoomies rattling the windows going down Royal Poinciana ...........fortunately, at my suggestion we rigged up some fuel injectors and a plug to blow flames out a few feet.......makes a spectacular show for the locals..........there was some debate if we needed a permit for an incendiary device.........but it was determined we were ok on the dealer plate. It’s never ending fun and insanity here........fits me well.

Edited January 19, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Out to dinner with the “new” car club guys tonight they roll large........ State police escort in the whole 9 yards. 

Edited January 23, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[padgett]

That the I8 next to the Rolls ? Sorry but the rest all look like the same car in different colors.

[edinmass]

Yes, the I8 is just about the strangest car I have ever driven. I was shocked how fast it was with the electric/gas combination driving. We ran out of horse power at a ridiculously high speed.......and the rest of the cars walked us............the five liter mustang was no where to be seen.......no where. Interesting evening with a great bunch of people. 

[padgett]

Ever drive a steam car ? Steam and Electric share one thing: max torque at  zero rpm.

[Walt G]

I drove a friends 1912 Stanley touring here on long island once decades ago ( owner was Ray Lindsey) and after numerous instructions on what to watch so far as gages, levels etc ( he sat next to me) after a few miles I was glad to have the experience but just as glad to let him back behind the wheel.