DBK
Club Member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERx818xmiYQ
Cliff notes:
Me and Camilo Pardo flew to L.A the day after Christmas to look at 67 Mustang he wanted to buy. Wild road trip ensues.
Long version:
I was at a party at his place and he mentioned it, I said I'd do it, and he said let's go. He calls me 3 days before christmas and says let's go, but I remind him of that small holiday in a couple days. We shift it to the day after Christmas.
On to L.A, we arrive and a friend of his picks us up. We go to dinner and hit this green lit up Holiday Inn in Huntingon Beach. The next day we went to Chip Foose's place and hung there for the morning. They taped something for Autoweek. Shop is small but has some cool stuff. Most of his work is done elsewhere after he designs it.
Me and Chip jumped in his truck, he tells me he's getting a GT as a signing bonus, and CP and a guy I know who randomly showed up jump in his GT and we head to Metalcrafters Inc. The owner gives us a bad ass tour. They build Chip's stuff, as well as alot of the show cars you see. Stuff like the Shelby GR-1, the Chrysler ME412, etc etc. Bad ass facility with some crazy stuff. I picked up the CF body of a drag car, only weighed 123 pounds or so. Same with the CF bits of the S7 they produce there.
The next day we bounce from the hotel and pick up the car. It has a few issues and the seller rebuilds the distributor. Better, but it's a sign of things to come. We head off to Jay Leno's garage. We got there and spent the next 5 hours screwing around. Leno critiques the Mustang in this sort of fatherly "I'm not mad, i'm just disappointed" way because it has some serious opportunities. He uses his temp laser to show the rad is screwed. They fab a cork cap for the coolant reservoir because it blew off earlier. He says we need to put it on a trailer because we'll never make it back. After he tours us around, we go for a ride in some 1920's Crane Simplex with no acceleration and worse brakes. Beautiful, but scary on the L.A freeways. He said he has 7 vehicles worth over 7 figures, this is probably one. He doesn't even mention the Mc F1, CGT, or SLR; but is enthusiastic about the new turbos on the tankrod and the huge motor in the Toronado.
We head to palm springs to stay at a friend's parent's house. Massive, on a golf course in the desert, a Bentley Flying Spur in the garage, and a screensaver of the $40 million yacht they sold on the computer. Butler makes us breakfast and I realize this is going to be one hell of a trip. We drive into the desert to replace the radiator because it's completely clogged. I think it's a garbage dump, until a mexicano runs off from the shrubs and we realize it's a hut. Some cats show up, a pack of dogs. Dead rats. Nice. Radiatior goes in but is too high. Fix it later.
On to AZ. We go to a hick bar in the desert, and many cocktails later I spring on the crew that it's my birthday. Well yeeeehaw. We spend the night drinking and making plans for the next day. Early the next day we head to phoenix to a friend of mines house. Another friend in his GT is already there as well. We drill some holes in the rad and move it to the proper height. Head off to the Pavilions car show. Another friend of mine in his GT also shows up as word travels the internet of our journey. We meet a few more people and a guy with a private racetrack invites us out the next day. We also replace the lightswitch because of a screwy rheostat back at the house. Starter "goes" out so we pushstart back to the desert.
Next day we hit the racetrack at 8:30. Figure out the starter is just a disconnected cable. A friend lets me track his GT on a nice 2.4 mile road course. He can't rent it because of a dispute with the city that issued the permit. 148 acres on land worth $350-400k an acre. The owner of the track also lets me beat on his Bondurant crown Vic. The car is hilarious. Super sticky tires, big brakes, 5 speed stick, 4 points...Made a new friend and he offers it up for our use for a racing school I'm involved in. Awesome guy.
We head to my friends airport where he keeps his aerobatic plane. He's a 7 time champ. Tells us all 4 guys before him died. Ugh. As we put on parachutes, also notes "In the event of an emergency, the signal will be that you look to your left, and I will no longer be in the plane. That is the signal to exit the plane". In flight, the plane was AMAZING. There is nothing on the ground that can compare. I pulled almost 7 g's. Went 380mph 30 feet of the ground and pulled straight vertical for 1 mile. Took a canyon run like the damn Death Star at super high speed. Flew a barrel roll and a full flip myself at the controls. We flew straight at the ground over and over and did more flips than I can count. He literally made me puke, but I would do it over and over given the chance. Off to Texas.
Missed New Years but a fair trade. Met my friend Don and took some shots of his Viper GTS and GT for a painting. We go to dinner and shoot the shit. As we leave he mentions we should stop and see another friend who isn't far off. We do, and he lets both of us drive his Heffner Twin Turbo Ford GT. Unreal! Only 800rwhp on the conservative tune, but what a blast to drive. No traction problems, and just smooth as can be. Engine bay is show car beautiful. I tell how everyone how amazing it is and Heffner calls me the next day but I miss the call. I have a feeling I'm going to be offered a TT kit cheap. The owner also has a Viper GTS that ran an 8.75 and a nasty nasty fox body GT.
On to Dallas. Another friend of mine calls and says we need to meet for lunch. We do and 3 more GT's show up. We get treated to lunch, and shoot the shit before leaving. Before we make it out, some hick ass cop blows 2 hours of our time searching us, making us disassemble the god damn car on the side of the road looking for drugs. Asshole. No ticker because there was no infraction.
Things suck in the Stang with no heat. But we make it back in the next 36 hours. I get a nasty cold. But the Mustang makes it out alive. Trans was about to take a shit, but it made it and we never ran out of gas with no fuel gauge. Awesome.
So there it is. Bad ass trip and I've got a whole bunch of cool friends around the country from being an internet/events pundit...
Cliff notes:
Me and Camilo Pardo flew to L.A the day after Christmas to look at 67 Mustang he wanted to buy. Wild road trip ensues.
Long version:
I was at a party at his place and he mentioned it, I said I'd do it, and he said let's go. He calls me 3 days before christmas and says let's go, but I remind him of that small holiday in a couple days. We shift it to the day after Christmas.
On to L.A, we arrive and a friend of his picks us up. We go to dinner and hit this green lit up Holiday Inn in Huntingon Beach. The next day we went to Chip Foose's place and hung there for the morning. They taped something for Autoweek. Shop is small but has some cool stuff. Most of his work is done elsewhere after he designs it.
Me and Chip jumped in his truck, he tells me he's getting a GT as a signing bonus, and CP and a guy I know who randomly showed up jump in his GT and we head to Metalcrafters Inc. The owner gives us a bad ass tour. They build Chip's stuff, as well as alot of the show cars you see. Stuff like the Shelby GR-1, the Chrysler ME412, etc etc. Bad ass facility with some crazy stuff. I picked up the CF body of a drag car, only weighed 123 pounds or so. Same with the CF bits of the S7 they produce there.
The next day we bounce from the hotel and pick up the car. It has a few issues and the seller rebuilds the distributor. Better, but it's a sign of things to come. We head off to Jay Leno's garage. We got there and spent the next 5 hours screwing around. Leno critiques the Mustang in this sort of fatherly "I'm not mad, i'm just disappointed" way because it has some serious opportunities. He uses his temp laser to show the rad is screwed. They fab a cork cap for the coolant reservoir because it blew off earlier. He says we need to put it on a trailer because we'll never make it back. After he tours us around, we go for a ride in some 1920's Crane Simplex with no acceleration and worse brakes. Beautiful, but scary on the L.A freeways. He said he has 7 vehicles worth over 7 figures, this is probably one. He doesn't even mention the Mc F1, CGT, or SLR; but is enthusiastic about the new turbos on the tankrod and the huge motor in the Toronado.
We head to palm springs to stay at a friend's parent's house. Massive, on a golf course in the desert, a Bentley Flying Spur in the garage, and a screensaver of the $40 million yacht they sold on the computer. Butler makes us breakfast and I realize this is going to be one hell of a trip. We drive into the desert to replace the radiator because it's completely clogged. I think it's a garbage dump, until a mexicano runs off from the shrubs and we realize it's a hut. Some cats show up, a pack of dogs. Dead rats. Nice. Radiatior goes in but is too high. Fix it later.
On to AZ. We go to a hick bar in the desert, and many cocktails later I spring on the crew that it's my birthday. Well yeeeehaw. We spend the night drinking and making plans for the next day. Early the next day we head to phoenix to a friend of mines house. Another friend in his GT is already there as well. We drill some holes in the rad and move it to the proper height. Head off to the Pavilions car show. Another friend of mine in his GT also shows up as word travels the internet of our journey. We meet a few more people and a guy with a private racetrack invites us out the next day. We also replace the lightswitch because of a screwy rheostat back at the house. Starter "goes" out so we pushstart back to the desert.
Next day we hit the racetrack at 8:30. Figure out the starter is just a disconnected cable. A friend lets me track his GT on a nice 2.4 mile road course. He can't rent it because of a dispute with the city that issued the permit. 148 acres on land worth $350-400k an acre. The owner of the track also lets me beat on his Bondurant crown Vic. The car is hilarious. Super sticky tires, big brakes, 5 speed stick, 4 points...Made a new friend and he offers it up for our use for a racing school I'm involved in. Awesome guy.
We head to my friends airport where he keeps his aerobatic plane. He's a 7 time champ. Tells us all 4 guys before him died. Ugh. As we put on parachutes, also notes "In the event of an emergency, the signal will be that you look to your left, and I will no longer be in the plane. That is the signal to exit the plane". In flight, the plane was AMAZING. There is nothing on the ground that can compare. I pulled almost 7 g's. Went 380mph 30 feet of the ground and pulled straight vertical for 1 mile. Took a canyon run like the damn Death Star at super high speed. Flew a barrel roll and a full flip myself at the controls. We flew straight at the ground over and over and did more flips than I can count. He literally made me puke, but I would do it over and over given the chance. Off to Texas.
Missed New Years but a fair trade. Met my friend Don and took some shots of his Viper GTS and GT for a painting. We go to dinner and shoot the shit. As we leave he mentions we should stop and see another friend who isn't far off. We do, and he lets both of us drive his Heffner Twin Turbo Ford GT. Unreal! Only 800rwhp on the conservative tune, but what a blast to drive. No traction problems, and just smooth as can be. Engine bay is show car beautiful. I tell how everyone how amazing it is and Heffner calls me the next day but I miss the call. I have a feeling I'm going to be offered a TT kit cheap. The owner also has a Viper GTS that ran an 8.75 and a nasty nasty fox body GT.
On to Dallas. Another friend of mine calls and says we need to meet for lunch. We do and 3 more GT's show up. We get treated to lunch, and shoot the shit before leaving. Before we make it out, some hick ass cop blows 2 hours of our time searching us, making us disassemble the god damn car on the side of the road looking for drugs. Asshole. No ticker because there was no infraction.
Things suck in the Stang with no heat. But we make it back in the next 36 hours. I get a nasty cold. But the Mustang makes it out alive. Trans was about to take a shit, but it made it and we never ran out of gas with no fuel gauge. Awesome.
So there it is. Bad ass trip and I've got a whole bunch of cool friends around the country from being an internet/events pundit...
