Tag: ennui on steroids

Tuesday Truth

Truth: I love my wonderful wife, who is supposed to finally return today from her long trip.

Truth: Her absence has laid bare just how much I dislike the rest of my life.

My feelings of boredom, disappointment and even anger are so profound that I can taste them. Remember that you can’t understand or judge someone else until you’ve “walked a mile in their shoes.” DO NOT project your life on to me or on to anyone else. Except perhaps for identical twins or triplets, no two people are exactly alike.

I am not even asking for advice; I am just venting. I don’t want to hear that I should just volunteer my time or I should just take any job. In my hierarchy, doing nothing slightly outranks doing something I don’t want to do. The longest I’ve ever stayed in a non-baseball office job is one year. At this stage of my life, working in any full-time job where I would have to work in an office would be detrimental to my mental and physical health.

My last full-time job, as a “stockbroker” for a firm that no longer exists, lasted two weeks. Every day in the office I had severe headaches and diarrhea. Amazingly, on the weekends I felt fine <end sarcasm>; I resigned after two weeks. Obviously, I used to hold Series 7 and Series 63 FINRA licenses.

Speaking of those licenses, explain to me (not really because no rational explanation exists) how someone who, in his 50s, made two of the highest scores in the nation can’t find a meaningful and fulfilling work situation. Explain to me how someone who earned those scores AND finished the tests in possible record time can’t find a good job. The time limit on the Series 7 was six hours; I finished in an hour and 40 minutes. The time limit for the Series 63 was an hour and 45 minutes; I finished in 20 minutes.

Life is not always a meritocracy; it never has been and it never will be.

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I think almost everyone needs to vent now and then…

This article lists the ten cars the new C8 Corvette “defeated” in a Figure-8 track test. Those cars are:

 

2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS

2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT-S

2013 Dodge SRT Viper

2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8

2006 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

2010 Corvette ZR1

2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus

2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

2012 Lexus LFA

 

I grant that the comparison to some cars that are almost ten years old or older is a little specious. Hey, I didn’t do these tests or write this article. However, the fact that the C8 outperformed the Porsche 911 GT3 RS or the Lexus LFA is very impressive. How do I get my hands on a C8 so I can test one for an article?! From the carbonhans.blog article a picture of a C8 Corvette:

 

2020-Chevrolet-Corvette-3LT-Z51-front-three-quarter-in-motion-4.jpg

 

I wish Chevrolet and GM nothing but the best of luck with the C8. I think the future of the Corvette is riding on it.

 

#TuesdayTruth

#EnnuiOnSteroids

#C8Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Ultimate Garage 2.0: Car #4

“If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you.”

– Groucho Marx

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Day #500, once again compulsion defeats disappointment. Is the phrase “ennui on steroids” an oxymoron?

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The second of three “original hybrids” in Ultimate Garage 2.0, the 1966 Iso Grifo smallblock just missed the cut the first time. I rationalized the exclusion by saying it was a very similar car, in looks and drivetrain, to another car that made it. That is still true, but I deem it irrelevant this time.

 

See the source image

 

The top photo is from allcarsforsellnz.com; the bottom is from a site called astonmartin-lotus.com. The reason I specified the smallblock version is that the model equipped with a Chevrolet big block, the Iso Grifo was powered by Chevrolet and Ford engines, necessitated a giant roof-like structure in the middle of the hood that hurts the appearance for me.

Iso, an Italian firm, was the same company that developed the Isetta bubble car (Isetta means “little Iso” in Italian). That design was licensed to many manufacturers, most notably BMW, and the earnings from those licenses allowed Iso to produce GT automobiles. Iso’s first car exported to the US was the Rivolta in 1963 (Iso was founded by Renzo Rivolta). The Grifo was introduced in 1965.

In 1965-66 the Grifo was available with two versions of the legendary Chevy 327 cubic-inch smallblock V8. In more aggressive tune with a higher compression ratio and solid lifters the engine was rated 340 HP/360 LB-FT of torque. The transmission was either the Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual, a five-speed manual by ZF or the Powerglide automatic.

The Grifo was not cheap; the POE (Point Of Entry) price was about $15,000. The base price for a 1966 Corvette coupe was about $4,300. The Grifo is still not cheap; according to Hagerty the average price of a 1966 Iso Grifo with the higher output engine is about $350,000.

The 1973 oil crisis in addition to more stringent US emissions and safety standards of the early 1970s doomed the Grifo, which had been changed in 1970 to the Grifo Series II and again in 1972 to the Grifo IR-8. Iso went bankrupt and ceased operations in 1974. Only 412 Grifos of all types were made, which helps to explain their value.

I think these cars look amazing and they weren’t just for show, either. Imagine 340 HP/360 LB-FT in a car that weighed about 2,900 pounds.

Any thoughts on the Iso Grifo?

 

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#1966IsoGrifo

#ennuionsteroids

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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

Please have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend and don’t forget the reason for the holiday.