"I would rather have a .....

....whore for a sister"

A few years back when I had some liquid capital burning a hole in my pocket I decided it was time to buy myself a toy. I had been working as a doc in an urgent care center just a few years after med school and had the opportunity to buy my first real "sports car". I test drove some exotics... a 1972 V-12 Maserati Ghibli in Miami (with bad brakes and almost wrecked it in traffic pulling out of the dealership), a 1966 Corvette Stingray, and the car I chose a 1993 Mazda RX7 (3rd Gen.).

But while I was looking I was on the hunt for a Maser... a childhood dream since I was a wee tike. Caught up with the owner of the Red Baron Auction House in Atlanta. My question to him was: "Do you have any Maseratis in your inventory." The owner (a big fat sloppy f*#k of a man) responded: "I would rather have a whore for a sister than own a Maserati, but could I interest you in a 1970's Mercedes 450SL once owned by Country Music star Conway Twitty?" (what the hell?) Well that was back in 1992.

Today with the resurgence of the marque as a high-end exotic Grand Touring Coupe, my question to that fat ass is: "So how much does your sister turn tricks for these days in this down economy?"

My 1971 Alfa Romeo GTAm replica finds a new home

Ciao Bella Finds a New Home

Crazy as this may sound, I had mixed feeling about selling my custom restored/modified "dream car", especially since the Alfa Romeo marque is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. The car affectionaly named "Ciao Bella" has a lot of sentimental value (far exceeding its dollar value in this current market)... and I had over the past months half-heartily placed it on Craig's List and eBay a number of times. I even placed ads in Alfa Owners and Vintage Race Car magazines.

But last week I decided to place it on eBay for Auction with a low reserve. It was the week before Myr Leake (Al's widow) visited.... felt sort of weird about it. But I figured I just did my "thing" with the car... was a project I saw through to completion, took her to a few car shows and won some awards and trophies with her... did not plan on racing the car (for which she was designed) so I felt it was time to pass her along to another who would driver her the way she was intended. Plus Sharon and I could use the coin to start work on our "next project" the restoration of a historic home in Conway, SC.

Myr's visit was nice. We stayed in and we cooked dinner, had a bottle of California boutique wine and talked about old times with Al. She was on a trip from Mass to FLA to visit family and friends and stopped by to spend the night with us. This was also the 2-year anniversary of Al's passing (end of Jan.) so this whole thing came full circle.

Anyway, the eBay Auction ended without anyone [16-bidders, with some 71 folks "watching" the item and over 3000 views (hits) to the site] meeting my reserve. Non-the-less I had two folks contact me post-auction to see if Ciao Bella was still available. Dr. Humberto Machado a cardiologist in Miami, FL won out with the highest offer and purchased the car on 1/20/2010. She has a new home with a true Alfisti who will protect and use her as she was meant. So that being said, all my "Italian Women" are out of the house.... (picture above was how my garage was filled in 2008 when I had two Italian exotics)

Gerry-Riggin' Auto Repair Jobs

The latest in high intensity projection Xenon Beam lights. Yes, your car can be fitted with these aftermarket wonders.






Years ago you would have gotten a full sized spare tire, then a decade ago they replaced them with 55-mph limit doughnut tires, now due to the economy they are supplying us with coaster wheels.










This custom hoodornament really adds value to this car.





The latest in trendy aftermarket headlamp upgrades.







Corrigated steel door - a better way to protect passanger from side impact.








Well if you cannot afford the metal door, this used plywood dieal will do.






For really fogged-up windows, instant de-frost









Someone's idea of a super cool - cold air induction system.

HHI Concours

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance 2009

Entered my Alfa Romeo GTAm into the 2009 Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival. It was one of 150 cars selected for this years event.

Here is my car in the GT Touring Class (actually it is between classes as it could also have been entered in the Mixed Racers class). Well received by the fans but not appreciated by the judges. guess they just didn't get it.

EuroAutoFest 2009

EuroAutoFest 2009
A day (wet day) at the Euro Auto Fest in Greer, SC

Mike co-piloting the car as we drove up in the winners parade towards the podium.
The Euro Auto Festival 2009 in Greer, SC (held on the BMW plant). Despite the bad weather managed to capture a 1st place (Best in Class/Best of Alfa Romeo) and the Crowd Pleaser Award. Here "Ciao Bella" sits between some Farraris and a Maserati.


Car did great on the way up to the show. While driving back we hit a snag near Asheboro. Dead batter due to alternator failure. Had to have her flatbeded to Alfa Imports in Charlotte to have the folks there fix-her-up for HHI show end of month.

Some Hot Masers...

Maserati 250-F


c.1950s Barchetta


Barchetta Stradale

How to read those collector car ads

How to read those collector car ads.....

source: http://mid-atlantic-aroc.com monthly e-newsletter

------

Description / Meaning

One owner	Hertz
Ideal for enthusiast	Total restoration needed
Mechanic's Special	Needs major overhaul
Good mechanics	Bad body
Good body	Bad Mechanics
Marriage forces sale	It can be done in a Spider, they did, and must get married
Stored two years	Engine seized, small maple growing through chassis
No dealers	No body knows anything about these cars
Collector's item	Price is over-inflated
Good tires	That's all that is good about it
Excellent condition	Buyer beware
Divorce forces sale	Spent more time and money on car than wife
Company car forces sale	I've got a better job and getting a decent car
Baby forces sale	Can't pour any more money into this thing
House forces sale	Neighbors complaining
In need of total restoration	In pieces
Lack of time forces sale	Spent more time than it's worth
Dismantled for restoration	I can't put it back together
Slight accident damage	Total write off
OBO (or best offer)	I may come down 50 bucks
Offers	I haven't the nerve to put a price on the car
Daily Driver	High mileage and million things need fixn'
Genuine mileage	Disconnected speedo-cable
Good driver	Looks terrible
Runs strong	same as above
Owned by lil' old lady	from Pasadena
Will bargain	I'll get mad, you won't buy the car and I'll hit you
Will consider trade	Anything to get out from under this dog
Some rust	You can brake like Fred Flintstone

Only have enough $$$ for 1/2 of a Ferrari? Well these halves are for sale...

Am sure the driver after the wreck felt like going 10 rounds with this guy.

Before and After pictures of my 2002 Maserati 4200 GT coupe

The new Alfa's coming to the US shores soon... the 8C and MiTo




My Classic GTAm

Ferrari 599

Read about my GTAm in Alfa Owners September 2008 Edition

MyVRL

For all you race car and racing fans... a new cool site is up and running. Find me on there occasionally.





http://www.myvrl.com

Happy Birthday to me....

The soon to reach the US market Alfa 8C and the MiTo.

A one-off concept Maserati A8 Touring Supperleggera

Danica Patrick on a Snake (Cobra) for the 2009 SI Swimsuite Edition

Garage Find sells for $4.4M

Car Found in Garage Sells for $4.4 Million

AP: LONDON (Feb. 7) - A car abandoned in a garage in Britain for half a century sold at an auction in Paris for about $4.4 million Friday.
The 1937 Bugatti Type 57S went under the hammer at Bonhams' Retromobile car show and sale in Paris. It was sold on behalf of the family of its last owner, Dr Harold Carr.
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The 'Creme de la Creme' of Cars


After spending 50 years collecting dust in a garage in England, this rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe is now the prized possession of a European collector. The beauty -- one of only 17 ever made -- fetched $4.4 million at auction in Paris on Saturday.

The orthopedic surgeon drove the car for several years, but in the early 1960s it was parked in his garage in Gosforth, near Newcastle in northern England, where it remained for nearly 50 years until his death in 2007.

Bugatti once represented the height of motoring achievement. The supercar was so ahead of its time it could go up to 130 mph when most other cars topped out about 50 mph.
This particular car is especially valuable because it was originally owned by Earl Howe, a prominent British race car driver, and because its original equipment is intact, so it can restored without relying on replacement parts.

Bonham's said a European collector bought the car.
The company founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti collapsed in the 1940s after a long string of racing victories.

The rights to the legendary Bugatti name were purchased in 1998 by Volkswagen, which has built the Bugatti Veyron, one of the world's fastest and most expensive cars.

Top 10 Most Expensive Cars in Production Today

Well for a lot less money you can enjoy the same thrill by owning a Classic Race Car. I have decide to offer my complete ground-up off frame restored 1971 Alfa Romeo GTAm for sale. For more visit: www.AlfaRomeoGTAm.blogspot.com

Another Car Guy

Had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Terry Clark, MD. Terry is another big "car guy". We talked all things automobile, from classic cars to his Last Chance Garage collection of F1 memorabilia.

Some pics he sent:

Terry's Lambo

Terry's Ferrari Daytona Coupe

Terry also once owned this Ford GT40 that ran and won at LaMans

Inside Terry's Last Chance Garage... Racing memorabilia and a place to park his Daytona, Lambo and Acura NSX.

Terry's wife with Dario Franchitti (Formula Racer/ Champ)

Hope to visit his collection soon.

* * * * * *

Flaming modern day Ferrari... not a good day for the owner of this car.

Contemporary Voisin Concept Car, will they bring back this marque like they did the Bugatti?

Never gave it much thought to riding a motorcycle

While I love the motorcycle as an art form, rolling 2-wheeled sculpture I never gave it a second thought about getting on one of these rather dangerous iron-horses... that was until........

Marisa Miller got on the back of a new Harley-Davidson V-rod.......

Fair Trade....

Well for the price of loosing my 2002 Maserati GT Coupe I gained two reasonable cars... the first (our green car... so I don't have to make excuses about my carbon foot print) is a 2009 Honda Fit-Sport. Nicely equipped, practical and fun to drive with a 5-speed manual. My daily driver to work and hauling the family on trips 1/2 way across country on only a tank of gas.

The second acquisition is a bit sportier and in the luxury class, not as exotic as the Maser, but for all practical purposes a more reliable, safer vehicle that can haul stuff with AWD traction and lets us have some fun with the top down for half the purchase price and cost to repair. She is a 2006 Audi A4 3.0L V6 Quattro AWD Convertible.

Guess what I found on the net.... Ford's RS200EVO

1986 FORD RS200 EVOLUTION

1986 FORD RS200 EVOLUTION ID# SFACXXBJ2CGL00084 BRAND NEW CONDITION CAR WHICH WAS PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM FORD IN EUROPE BY THE CURRENT OWNER. FORD RS200 EVOLUTION. #084 CAR. 2.1 LITER COSWORTH SINGLE TURBO. 600+ HP. ONE OF 24 EVER MADE. THIS CAR IS FACTORY ORIGINAL AND HAS BEEN DRIVEN VERY LITTLE SINCE NEW. THE RS200 WAS BANNED FROM RALLY COMPETITION IN EUROPE IN THE LATE EIGHTIES BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO FAST AND CONSEQUENTLY BELIEVED TO BE TOO DANGEROUS. RECENTLY THE FIA HAS LIFTED THE BAN ON THESE CARS TO COMPETE IN THE "VINTAGE" RALLIES BEFORE ALL OF THE EVENTS ON THIS SEASON'S EUROPEAN RALLY SCHEDULE BECAUSE OF THEIR POPULARITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. EUROPEANS ARE FRANTICLY TRYING TO FIND THESE CARS AND THIS IS AN UNMOLESTED EXAMPLE OF THE REAL THING. TWO POINT ONE SECONDS, THAT'S 2.1 SECONDS, A LITTLE OVER TWO SECONDS. LESS THAN THREE SECONDS. IN THE TIME IT'S TAKEN YOU TO READ THIS, A FORD RS200 EVO CAN REACH 60MPH! FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AND 650BHP FROM A MERE 2.1 LITRE ENGINE MADE FORD'S RALLY CAR AN INSTANT LEGEND WHICH FEW CARS HAVE COME CLOSE TO CATCHING.

2008 Euro Auto Fest in Greer, SC

BMW's Euro Auto Fest in Greer, SC

The "clan" in front of a row of BMW 8-series

While I advanced registered my Alfa for this years event (missed getting it in last years because she was still in California). I decided NOT to drive her through the horrible rain storms we were having on the eastern side of the state. Did not want to subject my baby to 3.5 hrs of yucky rainy driving. There is always next year. However, did show up to check out the cars. Not as big a turnout as last years event. This year the honored marques of Sweden.

One happy and LUCKY kid!

Darren Frank's most beautiful 1969 Iso Grifo was once again present at the show and Michael was offered the chance by the owner to sit inside. Lets just say he didn't hesitate. Was very proud when he thanked Darren (without prompting mind you) for the honor. Nice to see a fellow who shares the love of cars with kids (even a pristine collectible valued at over $365,000).

There were Jags...

There was even a 300SL Benz...

....and even a handsome row of early model Volvo sports cars.

Example of a Bizzarrini another Iso Rivolta design (not at show)

A 1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 convertible (not at show)

1985 Lancia 037 Rally Car (not at show)