Wednesday Return

I am aware of current world events, but except for this passage it is unlikely I will write about them. I will write, however, that it is disappointing, but not surprising, that most people seem to view what is happening today through the very narrow lens of political ideology.

By the way, if any medical professionals unaffiliated with any government agency are reading I would very much like to read your views, suggestions, etc.

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Father Time is undefeated.

Just as I was perplexed and disgusted at the genuflecting shown towards the Patriots before the start of the most recent NFL playoffs, I am mystified by the notion that Tom Brady’s apparent move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fatally wounds the Patriots and makes the Buccaneers a Super Bowl contender.

Tom Brady has basically missed 20 games since he became the Patriots starting quarterback. I grant that is not a large sample, but what was New England’s record in those games? How about 14 wins and 6 losses?

Here is another chart to make the point (you didn’t think I was going to stop using charts, did you?!):

SEASON	AGE	PASSER RATING
2015	38	102.2
2016	39	112.2
2017	40	102.8
2018	41	97.7
2019	42	88.0

Yes, Brady did not have Rob Gronkowski in 2019 and his supporting cast was less than sterling. Still, when do professional athletes improve at age 43? By the way, for November and December combined Brady’s passer rating was just 80.8.

Tom Brady is the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history, but he’s only human. By the way, like most NFL fans outside of New England I am tired of Brady and the Patriots. If both implode in 2020 I won’t be upset.

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So, where was I, if anywhere, during the hiatus? See if you can guess:

That last photo contains quite a few hints (duh…). Here’s one more:

My wonderful wife and I were, indeed, in Arizona for much of my writing hiatus. We spent most of four days at the Mecum Auction which was conducted as scheduled.

Although I was not well for the entire trip (and am still not well…don’t worry, Lon, I’m not contagious) we had a great time. We spent quality time with Scott Hoke and John Kraman, hosts of the Mecum broadcasts on NBCSN. We had a nice encounter with Katie Osborne, who is also on the telecasts. You think she looks good on TV? In person she is drop-dead gorgeous and could not have been nicer to us.

The docket on Wednesday the 11th (can’t believe that’s already a week ago) was weakened by a collection of “cinema cars” that were sold at no reserve. Most of them were in poor condition and some hammered for under $1,000. I think, though, that Mecum collects a minimum fee so that even if a car sells for less than $1,000 its commissions are based on a sale price of $1,000.

We did see a lot of amazing cars, though, like the 1964 Studebaker R2 Gran Turismo Hawk shown above. My obsession with making order out of chaos leads me to pick one car as my favorite.

From the Mecum listing:

Highlights

Although I might prefer a metallic teal/gray exterior color with the red stinger hood, this 1965 Corvette is about as close to what I would want in a restomod as I have ever seen. The car did not sell, though, despite a high bid of $180,000. That is a reminder why I purchased my 2016 Z06 almost a year ago. (!) Yes, the front fenders and stinger hood are from a ’67. With a restomod I don’t care about matching parts.

Anyway, I am back and will probably resume regular posting. What’s life without a little mystery?

#TomBrady

#MecumAutoAuctions

#1964StudebakerR2GranTurismoHawk

#1965CorvetteRestomod

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Frugal Friday and The One That Got Away

First, is it really November, 2019?

Second, can “it” be “The One That Got Away” if you are unaware of “it” at the time. I’m going to rule Yes.

From Bring a Trailer a picture of an almost perfect 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. This is how I envision my GT Hawk looking if/when I buy it. Maybe I would want a slightly darker green, but this car just looks awesome to me. It even has both the clock and tach on the instrument panel. Fewer than 1,800 of these were built for model year 1964 before Studebaker closed its South Bend facility and the Gran Turismo Hawk (and Avanti) were no more.

This car was auctioned on BaT last July/August selling on August 2 for $15,250. I think that’s $16,012.50 with the buyers commission. Even though I have had the idea to buy one of these for quite some time, I wasn’t explicitly looking when this car was available. Had I known who knows what I might have done. I still had the BMW Z4 at the time and that could have been an obstacle. By the way, in the comments the seller claimed he had more than twice the sale price in the car and that the car was “all there.”

Money is important, but it isn’t everything. Albert Einstein once remarked, “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” I don’t ever want to be the type of person who knows the cost of everything, but the value of nothing. Car restorations should be a source of satisfaction for the person involved above and beyond the value of the build. By the way, I did not grow up with money and, as the saying goes, “You can’t take it with you.”

Perhaps inspired by my friend Joe’s very recent purchase of a 2016 Corvette Z06 convertible, I have decided to show an affordable C6 Corvette. From Car Gurus:

This is a 2010 Corvette in 2LT trim plus navigation with about 46,000 miles in Crystal Red Metallic over Cashmere. The seller is asking $21,995. These cars are powered by a 6.2 liter/376 cubic-inch V-8 that generates 430 HP/424 LB-FT of torque. The NPP “two-mode” exhaust option would raise the maximum output slightly to 436 HP/428 LB-FT.

A beautiful, modern Corvette with more than 400 HP for a little more than $20,000…that’s a great deal, in my opinion. What do you think?

#FrugalFriday

#TheOneThatGotAway

#1964StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#AlbertEinstein

#2010ChevroletCorvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Stingy Saturday

Courtesy of 56packardman two candidates for “Frugal Friday” even though they don’t seem to be, technically, for sale.

The top car is a 1958 Packard Hawk, of which only 588 were made. Obviously, it was based on the Studebaker Hawk; by this time Packards were badge-engineered Studebakers. Actually, 1958 was the last model year that any car wore a Packard badge. The bottom car is a 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, of which only 1,767 were made and that includes almost 300 that were produced for export. 1964 was the last model year for GT Hawk production, which ceased when Studebaker closed its main plant in South Bend, Indiana in December, 1963. Yes, that means no 1964 Gran Turismo Hawk was actually produced in calendar year 1964.

I constantly search for GT Hawks for sale and can find examples that seem decent listed for around $15,000. On the other hand, Packard Hawks in decent condition are almost never listed for under $50,000. While it’s not set in stone I like to find cars for no more than $20,000-$25,000 given that level is comfortably below the current average “transaction price” for a new vehicle in the US, about $40,000.

My thanks to 56packardman for bringing these cars to my attention.

#StingySaturday

#1958PackardHawk

#1964StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.