Tiger Tuesday

I don’t follow golf. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t note Tiger Woods’ Masters win this past weekend. For what it’s worth, in my opinion his winning a major tournament after such a long “drought” and given his long period of trials and tribulations, much of which was self-inflicted, is amazing and may be prima facie evidence that he is the greatest golfer of all time.

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Another Tiger:

See the source image

From silodrome.com a picture of a Sunbeam Tiger. I have a thing for roadsters with small-displacement V-8s. OK, I have a thing for a lot of “strange” things; I mean, if the shoe fits…

The Tiger has been called the Poor Man’s Cobra because it is a car of similar concept, but not pitched at the same level. Carroll Shelby played a role in designing the Tiger although not, perhaps, to the extent of his role in designing the Cobra.

The Tiger was a higher performance version of the British Sunbeam Alpine and was produced from 1964 to 1967. The builder was the British company Rootes. The first version, the Mark I, was the majority of Tiger production and came from the factory with the Ford 260 cubic-inch V-8 rated at 164 HP/258 LB-FT of torque. If that doesn’t sound like a lot of output remember that this car had a tiny 86-inch wheelbase and weighed about 2,600 pounds. It was also possible to buy a higher-output engine which would have been installed by the dealer.

In its first year of production virtually all Tigers were exported to North America. In an effort to appeal to American buyers the car was fitted with “Powered by Ford 260” badges on each front fender beneath the Tiger logo.

The Mark II was powered by the famous Ford 289 cubic-inch V-8. I have seen the output of the engine used in the Tiger listed at 200 HP/282 LB-FT. I thought the 289 had 195 HP with a two-barrel carburetor and 210 HP with a four-barrel. The discrepancy is not really a big deal. Maybe Professor Kraman can help us out here.

Chrysler purchased Rootes in 1967, didn’t want to use a Ford engine in its products and didn’t have a suitably sized V-8 of its own. That was the end of the Tiger after about 7,000 were produced.

Anyone reading have any familiarity with these cars? I would very much like to read about your experiences.

#TigerWoods

#SunbeamTiger

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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John “The Professor” Kraman (@CarKraman) was kind enough to reply to my questions to him on Twitter:

“Have always said 164hp as produced but many were modified at the dealer for more power.”

“200hp was the 289 rating I have always stated and there is no power rating that I am aware of for 4bbl modified Tigers.”

Monday Musings, Tax Day Edition

Yes, today is April 15. Our federal return has been filed and our payment made. Payment? Shouldn’t we get a refund? I am not Suze Orman’s biggest fan, but in this piece she speaks real truth, in my opinion. The key paragraph in the article is this, I believe:

“Though getting a refund may feel like a windfall — the average one is around $2,600 — Orman argues that you could put that money to better use throughout the year. After all, ‘it’s not as if the government pays you interest on that money,’ she says. ‘You have money that they are holding for you just to get a refund, when you could be getting that extra $100 or $200 a month.'”

I used to work with someone who not only claimed zero allowances on her W-4, meaning maximum tax withheld, she had extra taxes withheld. When I explained to her that she was loaning the government money with no interest she said it was the only way she could save. Ignorance is not bliss and financial ignorance is certainly rampant in America.

We owed the IRS a fair amount of money for 2018 because we didn’t pay “enough” estimated tax to cover the capital gains we incurred to raise funds to pay off our mortgage last January. Let’s see…loan the government money at no interest or pay off our mortgage? Of course that’s not the real tradeoff, but I am trying to make a point. My bigger point is that money legally earned, legally saved and legally invested does not belong to the government, it belongs to the person/family that earned/saved/invested that money.

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I had another weird and unsettling dream last night. I dreamt I purchased a car that I thought was a Jaguar XJS, or maybe even an E-Type—I’m not sure, but when I received the car it was a bloated mess that only vaguely resembled either car. It looked like a bad attempt at a custom car. I asked my wonderful wife if I should return the car to the seller. She said, “Of course!” to which I replied, “I’m actually not sure if I can.” My feeling of disappointment was overwhelming.

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Speaking of the Jaguar XJS:

This car was offered at the Barrett-Jackson auction that was held from the 11th through the 13th in Florida. It is a 1992 XJS with the 5.3 liter/326 cubic-inch V-12 rated at 263 HP/288 LB-FT of torque. What makes this car unusual is that it has a 5-speed manual transmission; the vast majority of these cars had an automatic transmission. Maybe the transmission is what drove the hammer price to $20,000 ($22,000 all in); these cars usually hammer between $8,000 and $15,000 at Barrett-Jackson auctions.

I think the cars are quite handsome. The V-12 engine is smooth when running right, but can be a pain to keep running right. I think the XJS is one of the least-respected successful cars ever as Jaguar produced them for 20 years, the longest running model in their history. About 115,000 were made in all.

#somanycarsjustonelife

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A Classic Classic

My wonderful wife and I were simply overwhelmed by the looks of this car from yesterday’s offerings at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Florida:

This is a 1933 Packard 1002. According to Barrett-Jackson only 1,099 of these cars were produced. This number is confirmed in Encyclopedia of American Cars by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide®. However, 11 body styles were available for the 1002 model in 1933 so the number of 2-door, 5-passenger coupes like this one that were sold is far smaller.

This car still has its original drivetrain, which was restored about 15 years ago. The first owner acquired the car in July of 1933. The 1002 was powered by Packard’s straight-eight engine of 320 cubic inches that produced 120 HP. The 5-passenger coupe had a price of $2,980. As a comparison, the most expensive 1933 Chevrolet cost $565. At the auction the Packard 1002 hammered at $65,000 meaning the buyer paid $71,500 all in.

As I have written before I had no interest in cars of this era as recently as five years ago. That has changed for sure. While I don’t know if I would purchase a classic pre-war car if I won the lottery, I don’t know that I wouldn’t, either.

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Speaking of automobile auctions, I have often wondered what is the ratio of the median sale price to the average sale price. Well, at the Mecum auction in Arizona in March the median was 65% of the average. I have no idea whether or not the fact that most lots at Mecum are offered with a reserve changes that ratio. About 60% of the offered lots were sold.

One of my favorite cars from the Mecum Arizona auction was a car like this:

See the source image

From topclassiccarsforsale.com a picture of a 1967 Buick GS convertible. This lot—once again, Mecum does not allow online photos of its lots to be captured so this is not the actual auction car—did not sell with a high bid of $20,000.

Buick produced 2,140 of these cars for model year 1967 which had an MSRP of $3,167. That price is not much more than the original price of the 1933 Packard sold yesterday at the Barrett-Jackson auction. The 1967 Buick GS had a 400 cubic-inch V-8 rated at 340 HP/440 LB-FT of torque.

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Shame On Me

Shame on me for not noting the 73rd anniversary of my parents’ wedding yesterday. They were married on April 12, 1946 in a “Displaced Persons” camp in Austria less than a year after the end of World War II. I probably shouldn’t strike this tone on the Jewish Sabbath, but my message to Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites remains the same: Zolst Leegen En Drerd. Choke on these facts:

Jews comprise just two-tenths of one percent of the world population. They have been awarded:

37% of Nobel Prizes in Economics

26% of Nobel Prizes in Physics

25% of Nobel Prizes in Medicine

19% of Nobel Prizes in Chemistry

AND

25% of Fields Medals, the ultimate honor in Mathematics

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Shame on me for not noting the end of the first work week as a retired person for my best friend, Dr. Zal. May you have many, many weeks in retirement!

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The Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Florida is currently in session and, of course, Motor Trend is televising much of it. Yesterday, the day was deemed to be “Family Friday” for the audience who were encouraged to send photos of family cars with the hashtag #FamilyFriday. Silly me sent this tweet (shame on me?):

Only two in my family, does this count? #FamilyFriday

The gracious and beyond gorgeous Cristy Lee re-tweeted my tweet and I received dozens of likes. Of course, I wish people would follow through, find the Disaffected Musings link and read/follow this blog. One step at a time, I guess.

From workshophero.com a picture of the aforementioned Cristy Lee:

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Speaking of Barrett-Jackson:

1956 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL LANCER D500 - Front 3/4 - 229921

From the Barrett-Jackson website a picture of a 1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer D500 that sold on Thursday for $19,250 all in. Not sure why the car is labeled as a “Custom” as my understanding is that it either has original or NOS parts. (NOS = New Old Stock) It has been repainted, but in its original colors. I’m not a big Mopar fan, but this car “speaks” to me and I think was well-bought at less than $20,000 all in.

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Sorry, but something copied from Twitter ruined the spacing for the rest of the post.

C8! & Frugal Friday, Self-Indulgent/Failure Edition

I was going to begin today’s post being very critical of people who don’t seem to understand, and who should understand, that the United States is a FEDERAL republic and NOT a unitary one. Corvette and car nut that I am I’ll just include this:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

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So what does the Corvette have to do with any of this? Chevrolet has OFFICIALLY announced that the next generation of Corvette will be unveiled on July 18 and, indeed, the car will be mid-engined! This article from Car and Driver is probably as good a recap as any. Here is a photo from the article and from Chevrolet:

2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8

Notice the car is still camouflaged and notice the “8” is in red signifying, of course, the next car will be the eighth-generation Corvette or C8.

I am excited enough today not to be too concerned with copyrights so here is a good chunk of the Car and Driver article:

“This first Corvette C8 model we will see in July is the base Corvette Stingray, which will kick off the lineup. Initially, the C8 will use an upgraded version of the current car’s pushrod 6.2-liter V-8, which we suspect will be upgraded to produce somewhere around 500 horsepower. The engine will also be renamed LT2 to reflect its new location in the car. A dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox supplied from Tremec is slated to be the only transmission choice—unfortunate news for #savethemanuals diehards like us. [my note: get over yourself, manual diehards, the manual is dying all over the world]

Multiple high-performance variants are set to follow in quick succession, including Z06, ZR1, and a range-topping hybrid that may use the Zora name. The current thinking is that the Z06 will have a a DOHC 5.5-liter V-8 with a flat-plane crankshaft, while the ZR1 will add twin turbochargers to that engine, and the Zora will get the twin-turbo V-8 and an electric motor in the front axle to cement its place as the most powerful Corvette, with a combined power rating that could approach 1000 horsepower.”

Just like many people refuse to acknowledge the structure of the US republic many people refused to believe the C8 would be mid-engined. For example, someone with the Corvette Museum told me in January that not all C8s would be mid-engined. When I tried to explain otherwise, he wouldn’t listen.

No, I am not sorry I recently purchased a used C7 Z06. I am, however, very excited to see the new C8. According to some sources the C8 “Z06” may have 650-700 HP, the “ZR1” may have 800-850 HP and as noted in the article the “Zora” may exceed 1,000 HP. The amazing thing is that the base C8 Corvette will not be as expensive as many had feared with prices starting only about $5,000 more than a base C7.

(By the way, it appears as though the C7 and C8 will NOT be produced simultaneously as had been previously reported. The last C7, a Z06, will be auctioned in June.)

FINALLY!

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I am very, very idiosyncratic. I like many things most people don’t like and/or have never heard of.

This trait applies to cars. While I like C2 Corvettes and second-generation Chargers I also like cars like the Buick Reatta and Cadillac Allante. I guess in one way that affinity is not so weird in that I am drawn to the looks of both cars. Who doesn’t like a pretty face?

Of course both the Reatta and the Allante were major failures for General Motors. Only 21,751 Reattas were produced for its four-year model run (1988-1991) and only 21,430 Allantes were produced for its seven-year model run (1987-1993). I still wouldn’t mind owning either car. In that vein:

From this Hemmings listing a picture of a 1990 Buick Reatta. Many of those who have any positive feelings about the car at all prefer the convertible, but I prefer the coupe, of course. By 1990 Buick had gone back to a conventional analog dashboard and controls as opposed to the troublesome digital ones. This car has 91,000 miles and the dealer is asking $4,900. I think it’s a beautiful car and yes I know it’s not a sports car or high-performer.

From this Hemmings listing a picture of a 1993 Cadillac Allante in Verde Flax (Green) over Black. Only for 1993 the Allante was powered by a Northstar V-8 (which initially had problems with head bolts and overheating) of 4.6 liters/279 cubic inches displacement that produced 295 HP/290 LB-FT of torque. The dealer is asking $9,595.

C’mon, people! The Allante body was designed and built by Pininfarina! It’s a beautiful car, but was fraught with quality issues during almost the entire run and was underpowered at first. The engine for 1987-88 had only 170 HP/235 LB-FT.

Two beautiful cars (at least to me) that can be purchased for under $10,000. That’s Frugal Friday in a nutshell. (Maybe “case” is more like it.)

#FrugalFriday

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Wednesday Wishes

I wish merit mattered more and political correctness and fiefdoms mattered less.

Notwithstanding wish #1 I wish people were less strident in their views. In the big picture none of us knows very much at all.

I wish the epidemic of narcissism would abate. The world would be a MUCH better place.

I wish my wonderful wife would feel comfortable enough about our finances so that she would retire.

I wish I could have just one year without any physical maladies.

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Speaking of wishes:

See the source image

The top picture is from carsaddiction.com (and is shown here, the About page of this blog), the bottom from tradeuniquecars.com.au. Any regular reader knows of my feelings about the De Tomaso Longchamp. If you said I had to pick one car as the best-looking car ever, this would be it. The exterior was designed by Tom Tjaarda of Ghia. That guy could draw some cars! Jalopnik called him “one of the defining automotive designers of the 20th century.”

Since only about 400 Longchamps were produced—despite being made for more than 15 years—and since most of them were sold in Europe, I doubt I will ever own one. The Longchamp was an original hybrid, meaning a foreign body design but an American drive train.

From the Wikipedia article about the Longchamp:

“The Longchamp featured a long and wide hood to accommodate the American power train, i.e. the 351 cubic inch (5,769 cc) Ford Cleveland V8. The 351 Cleveland, a popular and very potent engine in early 1970s Ford “muscle cars,” was the same unit as that used in the Pantera. It produced a minimum of 330 hp and gave the Longchamp an official 240 km/h (149 mph) top speed. After Ford USA stopped manufacturing the 351 Cleveland V8, De Tomaso sourced them from Ford Australia. The standard gearbox was a three-speed Ford C-6 Cruise-o-Matic automatic gearbox, however around 17 cars were equipped with a five-speed ZF manual gearbox. The suspension was independent front and rear with coil spring and wishbone suspension. Steering was power assisted rack and pinion with vented disc brakes all around, the rear discs being positioned inboard.”

So the car was not just a pretty face.

This would be my first lottery car no matter what machinations were required to acquire it. Obviously, this will be in Ultimate Garage 2.0 just as it was in the first Ultimate Garage I posted.

Speaking of Ultimate Garages, I am still hoping some more of you will submit yours. Be advised, though, I may post them here… 🙂

#WednesdayWishes

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Tuesday Bomb

See the source image

Oh, it’s bombe, silly me. From refinery29.com a picture of what looks like a delicious chocolate bombe or bombe glacée.

I love chocolate, which as a diabetic can be a bit of an issue. Since I prefer dark or bittersweet chocolate to milk chocolate and I do have some willpower, I can enjoy myself without feeling too guilty.

Life is too short to be unhappy on purpose.

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I am still hoping that readers other than David Banner will submit their Ultimate Garage. Again, it should be 5-10 cars and you can pick the criteria. My only suggestion is that the cars should be more stock than modified except where modified cars are a significant part of the market for those cars.

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According to HumanProgress.org:

In 1820, 94 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. (They defined that as earning less than $1.90 a day adjusted for purchasing power.)

In 1990 that number was 34.8 percent.

In 2015 that number was 9.6 percent.

From the same information:

“Put differently, of those who live in extreme poverty, over 40 percent resided in just two nations: India and Nigeria.

Since its economic liberalization reforms in 1991, India’s average income has increased by 7.5 percent per year. That means that average income has more than tripled over the last quarter century. As wealth increased, the poverty rate in India declined by almost 24 percent. But most significantly, for the Dalits – the poorest and lowest caste in Indian society – the poverty rate during this period declined even faster, by 31 percent. That means that in the nation that has by far the largest number of people in extreme poverty, it is the people at the very bottom of the social strata who are getting richer faster.

A similar trend can be seen in Nigeria. Since the new millennium, gross domestic income per capita has increased by over 800 percent, from $270 to over $2,450. There is much work to be done, but this level of progress shows that even in the poorest countries, the speed of economic growth is encouraging.”

Unfortunately in my opinion, people don’t know this information and/or don’t judge themselves by it. People are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not a comfortable life without working for it. As I have written before, it is also not in the best interest of politicians to admit that conditions are improving. If things are getting better then why do we need more government programs? Please don’t take any politician’s remarks at face value and remember they all have an agenda.

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Back to the Ultimate Garage or does stream of consciousness mean consciousness?! 🙂

In Modern Classics, The Great Cars of the Postwar Era by Rich Taylor this car received the longest write-up of any in the book:

See the source image

From wallpaperup.com a picture of a Shelby 427 Cobra. Taylor was in awe of this car. Read this, please:

“What would possess you to unleash such a wicked bit of savagery on the unsuspecting world, this brutal Frankenstein’s monster of a car? Well, it was pretty easy, really. When Chevrolet decided to stuff their big-block 396 and then the 427 into the Corvette, Ford felt that Shelby had no choice but to match it…The Cobra 427 is a damn brute is what it is and too much car for almost everybody. Of course, that’s the beauty of it, too, and the reason I’d give my eyeteeth to own one.”

One would easily lose count of all the companies all over the world making replicas of these cars. The Cobra design is timeless with all of the proportions just right. The original 427 and 289 Cobras are now extraordinarily valuable. According to Hagerty, a 427 Cobra in good condition, not excellent or concours, is worth $1,850,000. A 289 Cobra in good condition is worth $950,000. This disparity differs from commentary I have recently heard stating the 289 Cobra is now more valuable than the 427. Either way, they are above my pay grade.

If readers start submitting their Ultimate Garages I would be surprised if this car isn’t on a lot of lists.

#Lifeistooshorttobeunhappyonpurpose

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Monday Musings, Bill James Edition

Many thanks to Bill James. Without any request or prompting from me, yesterday he tweeted the link to my blog (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Not surprisingly, the number of views and visitors increased dramatically compared to normal. So much so, in fact, that Disaffected Musings had the most views in a day ever, 90% more than the previous high figure. The number of visitors was also a new “record,” 45% above the previous high.

Thanks to everyone who read the blog yesterday. If you liked what you read please sign up to follow the blog and/or tell your friends. Of course, being neither a glass half-full nor glass half-empty person, but instead being someone who doesn’t even see the glass, I am disappointed that with all of the views not even one comment was posted. Oh well…

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The saying “time flies when you’re having fun” was never more true for me than one time at the Baseball Winter Meetings. Bill and I decided to sit down and chat at 7 PM one evening. I had to attend a Rule 5 meeting for one of my clients at 9 PM so I figured I would have no problem making the meeting. I missed the beginning of the meeting. Our conversation was enormously entertaining and stimulating and I completely lost track of the time, which is out of character for me. I would rather be 10 minutes early for something than 1 minute late.

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A picture of the 1998 World Series patch on my very worn sweatpants that I wear most nights from October to May. As regular readers know I don’t follow baseball anymore, but these sweatpants are a reminder that I once was right and the rest of the world was wrong.

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From this post on Archon’s Den, some humor:

I became a professional fisherman, but discovered I couldn’t live on my net income. I went to work in a meat processing factory, but I couldn’t cut it. So then I got a job at a gym…but they said I wasn’t working out!

How many optimists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None, they’re convinced that the power will come back on soon.

Murphy’s First Law of Computing

Whatever happens, behave as though you meant it to happen.

Murphy’s Second Law of Computing:

When you get to the point where you really understand your software, it’s probably obsolete.

Music was much better when ugly people were allowed to make it.

One of my own:

How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb?

None, we’ll sit in the dark.

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A car like this was consigned to the recent Mecum auction in Houston. From classicvirus.com a picture of a Lancia Flaminia Coupe:

The pictured car is a 1963 model; the one that hammered at Mecum for $30,000 was a 1965 model. I had never heard of this car before seeing it on the auction. That is one reason I watch car auctions, to see something I’ve never seen before.

This picture doesn’t do the looks of the car justice, in my opinion. I was quite taken with the styling when the car first appeared on the screen.

The Flaminia was produced by Italian automaker Lancia from 1957 to 1970 and was available as a coupe, a saloon (sedan) or a cabriolet (convertible). Despite being produced for over a decade and in three different body styles fewer than 13,000 were made in total. Of course, that might be an impressive figure for Lancia. The body was designed by the legendary Pininfarina.

The only two Lancia models with which I previously had any familiarity were the Stratos and the Fulvia.

#ThanksBillJames

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Sober Sunday

Frank Robinson appeared in a dream I had this morning. My wonderful wife and I were wandering through a large, crowded building—maybe a department store—when we saw Frank dressed in a suit and tie. The timing of the dream was after the announcement that he was in hospice care. When I said hello I almost broke down in tears as I thanked him for what he had done for me and I told him to hang in there.

Here are some posts about the late, great Frank Robinson:

Happy Birthday, #20

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday, Why Not Edition

Goodbye, Number 20

While I am referring to some posts, here are the three most read posts so far this year:

Saturday Salary Arbitration

Saturday Song

Throwback Thursday

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After the talk I gave last Tuesday, I asked Michael Lewis if he would write a one- or two-sentence recommendation for me. This is his gracious reply:

“[He] was one of the leaders of the movement that I described in Moneyball. He was an original thinker before original thinking became fashionable.”

Of course [He] is my name, but this blog is still anonymous. My resume will now have recommendations from Bill James and from Michael Lewis. I still probably won’t be able to find an interesting and fulfilling work situation, but no one can accuse me of not pulling out all the stops.

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See the source image

From coloredcars.wordpress.com a picture of a Lexus RC F, in purple because that’s my wonderful wife’s favorite color.

What do we think of this car? I have always “looked past” it because I am mesmerized by the LC. Even ignoring the RC F Track Edition the RC F is not an ugly car and is a good performer.

The RC F is powered by a 5-liter/303 cubic-inch V8 that produces 467 HP/389 LB-FT of torque. The transmission is an 8-speed automatic. The RC F is supposed to have a 0-60 MPH time of 4.3 seconds and run the quarter-mile in 12.8 seconds. Those are impressive performance figures.

I think the perception of this car suffers because it is a Lexus. Despite the amazing LFA, Lexus is not known for performance cars. In general, to quote Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, cars are disappearing. I have railed against that development many times in this blog, but that’s probably akin to howling at the moon.

#SaveTheCar

#DontDrinkAndDrive

#DontTextAndDrive

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Saturday Sampler, Final Four Edition

I don’t expect a lot of people to read Disaffected Musings today since this is the day of the national semi-finals of the NCAA basketball tournament. Except for a minute or two of the Maryland-Belmont first-round game I have not watched the tournament. Some people I used to know would have told me I’m lying about that. Why would I lie about my basketball viewing habits? Why can’t my interests change over time?

I firmly believe that you should stay away from people who erode your quality of life. People who accuse you of lying about a trivial matter and who can’t understand that life always changes fit into that category for me.

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Rachel De Barros BG3

From her website a picture of Rachel De Barros, now formerly of All Girls Garage on Motor Trend. I was virtually certain she was leaving the show because in a brief shot in a commercial for the Season 8 premiere (today at 11:30 AM Eastern) someone else was in the back seat of the car. I have been searching for the news on the Internet since then, but the news was only made “official” yesterday.

Best of luck, Rachel, and be well.

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This Jalopnik article asks and answers the question if it’s a bad sign that a used car has been sold at an auction. The answer is, basically, if it’s just once then that’s not a red flag, but multiple auction appearances are a red flag. The article claims, “In fact, the vast majority of used cars move through auctions at least once.” If that’s true, then that’s something I didn’t previously know.

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This article from Automobile Magazine is called, “Seriously, Just Put Your Damn Phone Away.” It is a funny, yet truthful and scary look at the danger of drivers distracted by their cell phones. I have opined that the drivers side of a car should be turned into a Faraday cage so that drivers phones simply won’t work. Of course that will never happen. It makes too much sense and threatens to reduce motor vehicle sales. Maybe when the number of road deaths due to distracted drivers reaches five figures annually then something will be done. On the other hand, the number of people who are killed every year in this country because someone is driving under the influence of alcohol is in five figures and the legal BAC “limit” is still .08%. IT SHOULD BE ANYTHING OVER ZERO! In Europe the BAC limit is .04% or .05%. Why this country coddles people is beyond me. Oh, stop telling yourself you can drive under the influence. You can’t, either.

One of my best friends used to make a yearly trip to Scandinavia for research. The nature of the trip meant that he was always in Scandinavia for New Years. Every year he and his party were warned not to drive under the influence or they would be arrested and jailed without exception. Taxicabs didn’t charge a fare on New Years Eve.

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At the Mecum auction currently taking place in Houston a car like this was offered and sold:

From classiccars.com a picture of a 1965 Pontiac GTO. Regular readers know that my first car was a 1967 GTO, but may not know that I am also a big fan of the ’65. The car to which I am referring sold for $37,400 all in meaning the hammer price was $34,000.

Sorry to sound ignorant, but does the claim of a “WT-suffix” engine mean that the car has the Tri-Power three-carburetor setup? The Tri-Power was available through the 1966 model year. In 1967, the heads were changed for better flow, displacement increased from 389 cubic inches to 400 and the Tri-Power was no longer available.

Like the hashtag says: so many cars, just one life.

#PutYourF***inPhoneAway

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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