scannon

I'd like to make it but I have friends coming from out of state to attend the Greeley Blues Festival Friday and Saturday, otherwise I would be there. I am signed up to show the car at the big UCP Exotic and Sports car show on Sunday in Littleton. This is one of the best shows for sports & exotic cars in the Denver area.

Of course it is true! Don't you believe everything you see on the internet? Fun facts from Wiki: The Packard Motor Car Company was the first automobile manufacturer to build air conditioners into its cars, beginning in 1939.[18] These air conditioners were originally optional, and could be installed for an extra $274 (about $4,050 in 2007 dollars[update]).[19] The system took up the entire trunk space, was not very efficient, and had no thermostat or independent shut-off mechanism.[20] The option was discontinued after 1941.[21] In 1954 the Nash Ambassador was the first American automobile to boast front-end, fully-integrated heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system.[22] The Nash-Kelvinator corporation used its experience in refrigeration to introduce the automobile industry's first compact and affordable, single-unit heating and air conditioning system optional for its 1954 Nash models.[23][24] This was the first system for the mass market with controls on the dash and an electric clutch.[25] Marketed under the name of "All-Weather Eye", the Nash system was "a good and remarkably inexpensive" system.[26] Entirely incorporated within the engine bay, the combined heating and cooling system had cold air for passengers enter through dash-mounted vents.[24] Nash's exclusive "remarkable advance" was not only the "sophisticated" unified system, but also its $345 price that beat all other systems.[27]

Do you know who invented the Automobile A/C? It was the Goldberg Brothers: Here's a little factoid for automotive buffs or just to dazzle your friends. The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Max, invented and developed the first automobile air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946, the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees. The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter. Henry was curious and invited them into his office. They refused and instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car. They persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off immediately. The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the patent. The brothers refused, saying they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having a label, 'The Goldberg Air Conditioner,'on the dashboard of each car in which it was installed. Now old man Ford was more than just a little anti-Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put the Goldberg's name on two million Fords. They haggled back and forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just their first names would be shown. And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show -- Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max -- on the controls. I can hear your groans from here.

California: Governor of California is jogging with his dog along a nature trail. A Coyote jumps out and attacks dog. 1. Governor starts to intervene, reflects upon the movie "Bambi" and then realizes he should stop; the coyote is only doing what is natural. 2. He calls animal control. Animal control captures coyote and spends $200 testing it for diseases and $500 upon relocating it. 3. He calls veterinarian. Vet collects dead dog and spends $200 testing it for diseases. 4. Governor goes to hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for diseases from the coyote and on getting bite wound bandaged. 5. Running trail gets shut down for 6 months while wildlife services conduct a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is clear of dangerous animals. 6. Governor spends $50,000 of state funds implementing a "coyote awareness" program for residents of the area. 7. State legislature spends $2 million investigating how to better handle rabies and how to possibly eradicate the disease. 8. Governor's security agent is fired for not stopping the attack and for letting the Governor intervene. 9. Cost: $75,000 to train new security agent. 10. PETA protests the coyote relocation and files suit against the state. Arizona: Governor of Arizona is jogging with her dog along a nature trail. A Coyote jumps out and attacks dog. 1. Governor shoots coyote and keeps jogging. Governor has spent $0.50 on a .45 ACP hollow point cartridge. 2. Buzzards eat dead coyote. And that's why California is broke.

From the Miata forum. Well worth reading the speech attached to the post. http://forum.miata.net/vb/showpost.php?p=4571757&postcount=1

Please post a picture of that, it will truly be "one of a kind".

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale ' He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there. 'You talk?' he asks. 'Yep,' the Lab replies. After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?' The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.' 'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.' 'I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.' The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. 'Ten dollars,' the guy says. 'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?' 'Because he's a liar. He never did any of that shit

Adam, I think it was your car I saw at Caterham USA awhile back. At least there was one there with the Gulf Oil livery. Sharp looking car.

A man was leaving a convenience store with his morning coffee when he noticed a most unusual funeral procession approaching the nearby cemetery. A black hearse was followed by a second black hearse about 50 feet behind the first one. Behind the second hearse was a solitary man walking a dog on a leash. Behind him, a short distance back, were about 200 men walking single file. The man couldn't stand the curiosity. He respectfully approached the man walking the dog and said, "I am so sorry for your loss, and this may be a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this. "Whose funeral is it?" "My wife's." ''What happened to her?" The man replied, "My dog attacked and killed her." He inquired further, "But who is in the second hearse?" The man answered, "My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my wife when the dog turned on her." A very poignant and touching moment, of brotherhood and silence, passed between the two men. "Can I borrow the dog?" The man replied, "Get in line."

!

The dash surface looks like engine turned aluminum or stainless steel to me. That Miata engine is an 1,800 cc unit from an '01 thru '05 car, about 145 HP at the crankshaft. It is a nice looking car, I even sort of like the louvers in the rear panel.

I have a set of those Panasports, I use a thin wall 13/16" spark plug socket to get them on and off. The PO had a Snap-On deep socket that worked for him.

What a beauty! and for only $1.295 million. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-Siata-208-S-Steve-McQueen-Siata-208S-Mille-Miglia-Ferrari-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27b1ba9735QQitemZ170485520181QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks There is an interesting story in the ad about McQueen commandeering the car from the subsequent owner and taking him on a wild ride up Coldwater canyon and Mulholland drive: Driving down Sunset Strip after midnight, “A Ford convertible came roaring up and forced [the Siata] to the kerb. Out popped McQueen. ‘There was no “Hello!” or “May I?”…he just walked up and said he wanted to drive the Siata.’ Sand moved to the passenger seat…McQueen got in and went tearing off, heading up Coldwater Canyon and Mulholland Drive… ‘Steve drove the Siata flat-out,’ Sand continued. ‘I was glued to the seat and didn’t even have the time to be frightened.’ At the end, ‘Steve pulled in behind his car. He hadn’t uttered a word but got out of the Siata and returned to his own vehicle.’”

WOW, what a car. But why didn't they install disk brakes?

How good are your calibrated eyeballs? http://woodgears.ca/eyeball/

I was there that day but my car didn't make the show. You can catch a glimpse of Derek's yellow Caterham clamshell but that's all the coverage we got. http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-438904 It was a pretty good turnout for such a small town with two other C&C's going on the same day in the Denver area.

Did that exhaust manifold come with the engine? It looks like it is designed for a turbo.

Any time you are in the Denver area...

I gave a ride to a Viper owner in my Miata on the local highway patrol training track. On the first fast corner fondly known as the widow maker, he slammed his right foot on the floor and pulled the upper part of the grab handle off the door. I asked him what was wrong. He said I was so far beyond his braking point he was sure we were going to die. Four times that has happened in the Miata. I get tired of pulling the door panel and replacing the plastic insert in the door. It does have oversized 4 pot Wilwood brakes with very aggressive pads for the track.

In the early 70's I took a test drive in a Porsche 911 in Salt Lake City. It was at a Chevy dealer and the salesman insisted on coming along with myself and a friend so he got the tiny back seat. The only curvy road close to the dealer was a park call Memory Grove situated in a small canyon. We went through at a very brisk pace and as I slowed at the end I heard a strange noise from the rear. I looked back at the salesman and he was white as a ghost and looked like he was having a hard time breathing. I asked if he was OK. He nodded but couldn't seem to get his vocal cords working. When we got back to the dealership, he disappeared. We waited for awhile but he didn't come back. We left as I didn't think it was the right car for me. More recently, I was at a small cruise in at the Sonic drive in. As I was leaving a 20ish woman and her boyfriend approached me and asked if she could possibly have a quick ride. Since I'm a pushover for pretty females asking for rides I invited her into the Caterham and we set off. There was a block long back street behind the Sonic and when I got it straightened out I nailed it up through 3rd gear. She started screaming about the time I hit 2nd and didn't stop. I slowed as soon as I hit 3rd and she continued to scream. I drove back slowly trying to calm her but she continued screaming until we got back to the Sonic. Her boyfriend had to lift her out of the car and she finally stopped screaming and started to hyperventilate. I guess her idea of a quick ride was a little different than mine. I've had a couple of grown men scream a bit the first time they experienced the acceleration of the car but nothing like this woman.

There is no reserve showing so someone will own it for at least $4,000.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/opinion/07Espinoza.html

13 bidders seem to think so. It's at $4,000 right now with a little less than 2 days to go. It will be interesting to see what it sells for. A member of LOCO (Lotus Colorado) has a similar one with the engine in the boot but it has working A arm suspension in the front and leaf springs in the rear. He said a year or two ago he wouldn't sell it for less than $6k.

A friend (Chuck Goode) was at the gathering with a camera. I didn't know until today that he was taking short videos. He provided me with copies and permission to post them. So far I have uploaded three of them. #1 shows some of the cars arriving and some already there. #2 is the announcement by Nathan Down of the winner in a betting pool we had on the final weight of Alaskossie's Executive Super Lite. #3 is the arrival of Tom Carlin's Birkin. He drove all the way from Gypsum over two passes only to suffer an electrical failure about 10 - 15 miles from the party. Jeff and Ross were dispatched to pick him and the car up and get them to my place. The fault was isolated and Tom was able to drive the car home that evening. I'll post a few more as time permits.