Road Trips – The Unmuffled Auto News

June 19, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Car Reviews, Field Trips, Gifts for the Car Enthusiast, Random, Road Trips, World News

Why a Rare Porsche Will Top $1.5 Million at Auction

While you could say that just about any Porsche 959 is a stunning car, this one is just an absolute neck-turner. It’s black over carmel brown, and it’s one of only three made in this color combination. Talk about rare.

Porsche only made 337 959’s from 1986-1989. Each and every single one of them is still a technological tour-de-force, but when they came out, there was truly nothing else like it on the road.

The car that I’m talking about is a 1988 model, and it could be yours, should you be going to the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction in August. It’s sale price is estimated to be between $1.6-1.8 million, which, if proved accurate, will only reflect the voracious appetite for collectible Porsches like this.

The Porsche 959 remains one of the most technologically-advanced and interesting supercars ever built. Up until recently, they were a rare, astonishing sight in the US, due to the idiotic, bureaucratic import laws that the US has. Why? Because only 50 out of the 329-337 (production numbers vary, depending on who you ask at Porsche) built between 1986-1989 came to the US. However, since the bulk of 959’s were built before 1988, the import laws are completely open on them, meaning that you can drive them legally on US roads without fear of the car getting crushed and you getting massive fines. This is very good news for American car enthusiasts and collectors.

Gooding & Company is calling this car a “Komfort” model, which means that it’s the road-going version of the 959. Komfort was Porsche’s way of differentiating the road-going 959 from the “Sport” version of the 959, which raced in everything from rally to endurance racing. The Komfort cars were powered by a 444-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 2.8-liter flat six-cylinder engine that was connected to a six-speed manual (most cars at the time still had four-speed manuals – a six-speed was simply out of this world). It was completely ahead of its time in terms of speed, technology and handling.

“Car & Driver” recorded a smoking 3.6-second 0-60 run, and somehow had the cojones to get it all the way up to 190 mph. Porsche says that the car has the potential to hit 205 mph, so it seems obvious that “Car & Driver” just didn’t have the nerve…That being said, the 190 mph that they recorded held their top speed record until 1997 and the McLaren F1.

What made the car so revolutionary was the fact that it had electronically-controlled AWD. The only other production car to use electronically-controlled AWD was the Audi Quattro, which started using the system back in the mid-1980s. This system could distribute torque depending on the dynamic load on each wheel. It could also be locked at a fixed torque split.

I’ve never quite seen such a beautiful Porsche, and while I’ve never seen a 959 in person, this is an absolute stunner. The 959 is high up on my automotive bucket list, and this one only elevates it to be alongside other legendary cars like the Pagani Huayra, Dodge Daytona, Ford GT40, and Shelby Cobra, among others.

I’ve attached the link to the car from Gooding & Company for you to look at. There are very few details on it, but they will be available closer to the auction date (think late July). http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1988-porsche-959-komfort-2/

If you can’t afford that much, there is a beautiful 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight at the same auction that is estimated to go for $1.0-1.2 million. I’ve attached the link for it also. If you have the means, I highly recommend buying both and driving the wheels off of them. Cars like these are meant to be driven. http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1973-porsche-911-carrera-2-7-rs-lightweight-3/#tab1

This is the 959 coming up for sale in August. It's beautiful. — This is the 959 coming up for sale in August. It’s beautiful.

June 2, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Random, Road Trips

What the OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car is Really About

It all began at the SEMA show in 2004 or 2005. OPTIMA’s Director of Product Development and Marketing, Cam Douglass, was in awe of all of the pro-built cars being shown, and couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to these cars than just having brand name parts and looking cool.

It took him a few years of talking to people and a whole lot of planning, but then Douglass met Jimi Day, and the idea became a reality. It went from the SEMA show floor to the nearby track, Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch.

As expected, Pro-Touring cars were all over the headlines. I mean, how could they not be when iconic cars like RJ Gottlieb’s Big Red Camaro and Steven Rupp’s Bad Penny Camaro were competing? In fact, they continued to grab headlines because Gottlieb and Rupp were more than willing to push both themselves and their cars to the absolute limit.

In the first year alone of OUSCI (OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational), there were some well-performing cars in the field. There was a 2004 Porsche 911, a brand-new Pontiac G8, a Lincoln MKX of all things, a new Dodge Challenger, and several late-model Corvettes.

Why such a diverse field of cars? Because otherwise, how would you determine what the “ultimate” street car really was? The whole point of OUSCI is to see if SEMA show cars could perform as well on the track as they could look good at a show. There never were, and never will be limitations on the year, make, model, or build style of the cars. Otherwise there would be no real valid way to determine whether the winner was the ultimate street car.

The OUSCI field is the most diverse it has ever been, with cars like Jonathan Ward’s 1948 Buick ICON Special to Dieter Heinz-Kijora’s 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, and more than 100 cars in between those extremes. Yes, Pro-Touring cars are still a big part of the mix, but anybody who owns a street-legal car or truck has a chance at getting to the invitational. Just ask Thomas Smith about his 120,000 mile daily-driven 2005 Subaru WRX STI.

If you’re interested in going to a qualifying event to just watch, or to try and get to the invitational, they happen all over the country. I’ve attached a link for you, where you can register for a qualifying event if you’re interested at http://driveusca.com/events/

Every vehicle that makes the cut is placed on display at SEMA for a week, before heading out to the OUSCI at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This is 2010 OUSCI competitor Mike Musto's 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona replica. He's a host for the /DRIVE network on YouTube, which I highly recommend, and this is one of the coolest cars I've ever seen. — This is 2010 OUSCI competitor Mike Musto’s 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona replica. He’s a host for the /DRIVE network on YouTube, which I highly recommend, and this is one of the coolest cars I’ve ever seen.

This is just a beautiful picture from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was taken at the end of the 2014 OUSCI.

This is Bob Benson's totally cool 1972 De Tomaso Pantera from the 2013 OUSCI. It's just epic looking, isn't it? — This is Bob Benson’s totally cool 1972 De Tomaso Pantera from the 2013 OUSCI. It’s just epic looking, isn’t it?

May 23, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Road Trips

What it Takes to Build a Private Race Track

Any desert traveler should be relieved to see palm trees. A large grove of palm trees along 62nd Ave. in Thermal, CA, signals the automotive kind of oasis.

A brand-new state-of-the-art race track spanning 4 and a half acres with three different courses, not including go-kart and autocross courses sits behind

This track is so nice and new that BMW recently signed a multi-year contract to hold driving schools here. If you’ve got several hundred thousand dollars gathering dust in the bank, you can play race car driver here.

While building my own private race track would be pretty damn cool, I didn’t have much of an idea as to how I would pull that off. Then I heard about Tim Rogers, whose personal $85 million has gone into making this track, the Thermal Club, a reality.

You could safely say that building a race track is much harder than building a strip mall. Rogers said in an interview with Hot Rod Magazine (where I got all of his quotes from, so credit is given fully to Hot Rod) that even in the middle of the California desert, he still had to do a lot of paperwork and grading before he could even start pouring concrete and asphalt. He told Hot Rod, “We had to build the highway out here. We had to put in the structure for all the utilities. The hardest part was that the water table was eight feet down, so we had to raise the ground before we could dig. Who would have thought there would be a water-table problem in the desert?”

He estimates that the final cost of building the Thermal Club will be about $120 million, and so far all of the money put towards the track has been used to satisfy all of the city requirements, relocate the palm tree grove that originally was on the land, grade and pour the main tracks, build a 24-hour gas station (that sells race fuel), and put up a “clubhouse” complete with a restaurant, locker rooms, a car wash (in the middle of a drought? Seriously?), and multiple garages.

One of the requirements of being a member at the Thermal Club is that you have to purchase land and put up a structure that meets rigorous and various aesthetic criteria. No, a quonset hut does not count! Rogers said, “The property starts at about $375,000 and goes up to a little over a million.” My dreams of two shipping containers and a travel trailer as a structure are on hold until I can raise sufficient funds to build a house that meets the criteria (hint hint!). Should you donate money to my cause, you will get unlimited visitation rights!

But seriously, if you had a nice car collection and a desire to go fast, chances are this kind of money is just waiting to be spent. Membership at the Thermal Club could pay off. The track was designed to be both fast, safe and fun, with famed track designer Alan Wilson giving feedback about the curves and Roger Penske consulting on the exact chemistry so the asphalt could survive the grueling summer heat (the town was named Thermal for a reason).

If the rest of your family isn’t interested in bombing around a race track, maybe the thought of a nice restaurant, a spa, a pool, and various other luxuries will entice them. An added bonus is the track is close enough to an airport that you can simply fly in whenever the racing bug bites. It’s the ultimate rich Californian dream. Thermal is close enough to Coachella that the kids can go there. Plus, Thermal is about two hours from Los Angeles, so it’s really not that far from a big city. Rogers told Hot Rod that most of his 40 available lots. Since I don’t have enough money to buy a lot and build a house there, I can only hope that I’ll be invited to a private event there. The sample house is used to house journalists and VIP guests, so the Thermal Club doesn’t have to worry about hotels and logistics.

If you’re really keen on getting a look at the track, the BMW Driving School is a good start. You can visit the BMW Driving School website at http://www.bmwusa.com/performancecenter. It’s much cheaper than membership, but you don’t get 365-day track access. However, several large Los Angeles-area car clubs do book the track for meetings and events periodically.

You can visit the Thermal Club’s website at http://www.thethermalclub.com/

There you have it. That’s how one very rich and determined man built a race track. Or, you could just become a member of your local track, which might be cheaper.

The Thermal Club is located at 86030 62nd Ave, Thermal, CA 92274. Their phone number is 760.674.0088.

May 19, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Random, Road Trips

What Makes the Monaco Grand Prix So Special?

Monaco has been called the casino capital of the world. It’s got a lot of wealth squeezed into just 499 acres. For reference, that’s almost five times the size of Disneyland. It’s also the oldest circuit of Formula 1, having been a track since 1929. The route is essentially the same as it was in 1929, which gives you a unique opportunity to see cars with nearly 1000 horsepower blasting around for first place. It’s also one of the few tracks where race cars get to run through the tight streets of a city.

For those of you who watch motorsports, you’re likely going to agree with me that the reason that people are drifting away from watching various races is that it doesn’t seem as exciting anymore. I think it has to do with the fact that the tracks are wide (they can usually take well over three cars at even the narrowest corner), and that the cameramen are getting pushed further away from the action. This last fact might seem trivial and stupid to you, but think about it for a second. Thanks to GoPros (I have nothing against them), automotive enthusiasts are getting used to punching in a search term into YouTube (again, nothing against it) and seeing POV videos of some motorcyclist or crazy driver blasting their way through traffic. You can put a GoPro on just about any surface on a car or motorcycle so that everybody can see the action. That’s all fine and dandy, but we need to do this in the professional racing world.

Many Formula 1 races are actually quite exciting, but they don’t seem like it on your TV. The tracks are so wide that it’s nearly impossible to get a cameraman close to the action. It just doesn’t seem quite as exhilarating as hearing that unearthly shriek coming towards you, the whirs and pops from the turbocharger, and the crackling downshifts sending flames shooting out of the back of the car. There’s only so much action a camera can capture when it’s 100 feet away from the action, instead of ten feet away.

I look forward to Monaco for this reason: it’s one of the few races left where I can feel like I’m right there, even if I’m several thousand miles away from the action. It’s the closest we can get to seeing a modern car whip around one of the most historic tracks in the world.

I feel that Formula 1 has turned into what NASCAR used to be. Think of NASCAR as the WWE Raw TV show, while Formula 1 is like watching a street fight. I know this might seem ridiculous, but if you were into watching wrestling, would you want to see a scripted and pre-ordained fight, or would you want to watch a fight where nothing is scripted or agreed to other than the fight itself?

NASCAR used to hold a special magic for me, and I only watch it at Watkins Glen and Sonoma Raceway now, as most of the drivers are inexperienced on road courses. I’ve talked to several friends about the boring, pre-ordained spectacle that NASCAR has become, even though it’s got just enough reality to make it somewhat worth following.

Formula 1 now holds that magic for me. NASCAR and Formula 1 used to be the bleeding edge of technology, and now it’s up to Formula 1 to do that. NASCAR today is this: you have a larger-than-life personality, put the pedal to the metal, and let Dale Earnhardt., Jr. or Jimmie Johnson take the win. It was a shocker to me when Kevin Harvick became the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. It was completely unexpected, and it helped me somewhat re-kindle my interest in NASCAR. Formula 1 is now truly a test of a driver, his team, and their car. If you want to make a big splash in the racing world, become a Formula 1 driver. I know that what I’ve said has been repeated by many automotive journalists, but it’s worth rehashing.

One last thought (promise!): Monaco is a place that should be high on the bucket list of every automotive and racing fan. It’s incredibly high on mine. I’ve always wanted to do a road trip through Europe of all of the great European tracks (Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Goodwood, Le Mans, Nurburgring, Hockenheim, Monaco, Monza and Imola) in a Pagani Huayra.

I’d love to hear your experiences of NASCAR/Formula 1, and why you agree or disagree with me on this. If you watch another form of motorsport that holds this kind of magic for you, please tell me in the comments section. I enjoy watching all of the off road racing in Baja and the desert. It’s entertaining, and it’s truly a test of a driver.

One of my friends from school wrote an excellent article about the loss of magic in NASCAR for him, and it’s worth a read, as well as this article. http://www.theoakleafnews.com/sports/2015/05/12/is-nascar-fading/

May 11, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Out N' About, Random, Road Trips

The Best Car Show Ever

I recently attended what may be the best car show I’ve been to yet. It was called Concorso Ferrari, and it was held in sunny Pasadena, California. My uncle’s friend is a judge for Concorso Ferrari, and was kind enough to let me shadow him as he judged the Ferrari 360 Modena class.

There were 160 cars in attendance, and my uncle’s friend and two other incredibly nice judges were there to judge eight cars.

Some of the cars that I was able to watch being judged were beyond flawless, while two were daily drivers. The owners of the daily drivers were fine to tell the judges that. Their theory is that a Ferrari is meant to be driven, and it would be a waste of money to let it sit in the garage to only come out for shows.

While 160 cars doesn’t sound like a lot, you have to remember that they took up three blocks, with cars parked at the curb and in the lanes. I’m not sure exactly how many people were in attendance, but it was well over three thousand. To say that it was crowded would be an understatement.

If you told me to pick just one highlight from the show, I couldn’t. It was a truly amazing experience, and I urge you to come down to Pasadena next year to experience it for yourself. You probably won’t be invited to shadow a judge, but you’ll be able to see truly beautiful cars, meet nice people, and get expensive merchandise (the hat and mug I got cost around $80).

Enjoy the pictures I took.

This is my uncle's friend's 2008 Ferrari F430. It's a deeper red than you'd see on a typical Ferrari, but it looks absolutely stunning. — This is my uncle’s friend’s 2008 Ferrari F430. It’s a deeper red than you’d see on a typical Ferrari, but it looks absolutely stunning.

I hope this gives you some idea as to how large the event is. This was taken from the top end of the show, and I couldn't even fit the rest of it into the frame! — I hope this gives you some idea as to how large the event is. This was taken from the top end of the show, and I couldn’t even fit the rest of it into the frame!

This car is the incredibly rare Ferrari Sergio. It's named after Sergio Pininfarina, the man who led the legendary Italian design firm for 40 years. It's a truly beautiful car, and it was apparently a mess when it came to Beverly Hills Ferrari. It supposedly needed a repaint. That can't be cheap! — This car is the incredibly rare Ferrari Sergio. It’s named after Sergio Pininfarina, the man who led the legendary Italian design firm for 40 years. It’s a truly beautiful car, and it was apparently a mess when it came to Beverly Hills Ferrari. It supposedly needed a repaint. That can’t be cheap!

I'm pretty sure that this is a recreation of a vintage Ferrari Formula 1 car, as cars from that era didn't have coil-over shocks (not visible in this picture). Either way, it's still cool. — I’m pretty sure that this is a recreation of a vintage Ferrari Formula 1 car, as cars from that era didn’t have coil-over shocks (not visible in this picture). Either way, it’s still cool.

This was the only Ferrari F40 at the show, which surprised me. Anyways, the F40 was the last car that Enzo Ferrari had personal control over in development. It's an incredible car, and I've always wanted one. Seeing one in person was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Hearing it fire up, and hearing that gurgling V-8 with the whistling turbochargers still sends shivers down my spine. — This was the only Ferrari F40 at the show, which surprised me. Anyways, the F40 was the last car that Enzo Ferrari had personal control over in development. It’s an incredible car, and I’ve always wanted one. Seeing one in person was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Hearing it fire up, and hearing that gurgling V-8 with the whistling turbochargers still sends shivers down my spine.

I have more pictures, but they’re basically all of the cars shown above. I have attached the album link on Facebook for you all to drool over. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.917013121670207.1073741830.692811890756999&type=3

Also, if you are on Facebook and haven’t already liked my blog, please do so! I’m really pushing to get more likes on the page(I will post pictures, you can comment, etc.). You can be part of a movement!

March 18, 2015 zoomvroom Random, Road Trips

Why You Should Road Trip in 2015

Gas is cheap. You’re going to see more classic and high performance cars out on the road because of this. Most of us like to drive. It’s fun. Road trips with family or friends are a lot of fun. You don’t need an exciting, fancy car to road trip. You could go through California in a Kia Rio and still have fun. Here are some tips to make the most out of a road trip. You probably know most of these, but some you probably won’t.

Have travel companions. Whether it’s your spouse, sibling(s), friends, co-workers, or a boyfriend/girlfriend, other people make road trips more fun. Even your dog can make it more fun.
Know basically where you’re going. Unless you have some sort of deadline, or specific place to be, know where you’ll end up within the next couple of days. Let people know where you’re going, and when you expect to be there. Let them know when you arrive.
- That being said, explore some. Don’t stay on the interstate. Take some backroads, explore local towns, and have a good time. If you’re travelling around, say California, and you want to end up in Palm Springs by the weekend, let somebody close to you know, but explore some. The California desert has plenty to offer.
Tell people where you’re going, and when you get there. Don’t be a total loner when it comes to road trips. Call your parents/siblings/significant other/friends/whoever you know well. It’s a simple 2-minute call.
Try out the local delicacies. Most small towns have something that the locals enjoy. For example, Gilroy, California, is the garlic capital of the world. Try garlic-themed food there. You get my point. Try what the locals all recommend. It’s usually in the specials section of the menu. Or, you can ask the wait staff what they recommend.
Check out museums if there are any where you stop. It’s a simple, quick Google search. You’d be amazed at what you can find. Most of the museums are quite interesting.
Talk to the locals. Chat the people who seem nice up. They might tell you where the good places to eat are, or where a fun or scenic road is. It’s worth your time, and most people will be nice enough to talk to you.
HAVE FUN!!!!! That’s what most road trips are meant to be. Make it memorable. Do burnouts, donuts, drifts, or go off-roading if you want. Just make sure you won’t cause trouble when you do it.

June 22, 2014June 22, 2014 zoomvroom Out N' About, Road Trips

Out and About in Sonoma County and Oregon!

It’s been a while since I published an Out and About in Sonoma County. However, that’s because I got some great pictures from Oregon AND Sonoma County! I hope you enjoy them! I will provide commentary on ALL of the cars – basically fun facts on them! I also got some pictures from Mother’s Day Weekend up in Redding, CA. Those are included as well.

This is my 300th post, so next week, I am doing a giveaway of a Roadkill hat! Every reader or subscriber MUST leave a comment saying that they wish to be entered in the giveaway. Remember, leave a comment to get a chance to win!

Oregon:

I'm simply in love with the Harley-Davidson themed paint! It really helps accentuate the beautiful lines on these old trucks. — I’m simply in love with the Harley-Davidson themed paint! It really helps accentuate the beautiful lines on these old trucks.

Are you a fan of a classic Vespa? This stunning 1968 Vespa was for sale for a meager $6,000! I was working on going 50/50 on it with my sister. It didn't work. It has a 1971 engine for a bit more poewr and reliability. The sidecar gives it a practical side... — Are you a fan of a classic Vespa? This stunning 1968 Vespa was for sale for a meager $6,000! I was working on going 50/50 on it with my sister. It didn’t work. It has a 1971 engine for a bit more poewr and reliability. The sidecar gives it a practical side…

This is probably the best Jeep badge that the world has ever seen. It may be a direct BMW rip-off, but whatever!

This simply amazing Jeep Jeepster Commando was probably the nicest Jeep that I have ever seen - I don't care if it's 2WD or not! — This simply amazing Jeep Jeepster Commando was probably the nicest Jeep that I have ever seen – I don’t care if it’s 2WD or not!

How's this for cool? I've never really seen a '32 Ford dirt track racer before, so this was a cool first for me! I wasn't able to get closer to it, otherwise I would have done a separate blog post on it! It was a very cool '32 Ford, though! — How’s this for cool? I’ve never really seen a ’32 Ford dirt track racer before, so this was a cool first for me! I wasn’t able to get closer to it, otherwise I would have done a separate blog post on it! It was a very cool ’32 Ford, though!

Sonoma County:

How'd you like this to be in your rearview mirror? Sorry if I just gave you nightmares...This 1971 Dodge Charger R/T is equipped with the 426 HEMI. It doesn't get much better than that! — How’d you like this to be in your rearview mirror? Sorry if I just gave you nightmares…This 1971 Dodge Charger R/T is equipped with the 426 HEMI. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Man, this is just one of THE best engines in the world! Let me tell you a funny story about this car and another car. Somebody in a 1949 Chevy lowrider tried to do a burnout. All he did was send a bunch of smoke out of his tailpipes. The owner of this fine triple-black '71 Charger proceeded to do a burnout without really having to try too terribly hard right through an empty intersection! — Man, this is just one of THE best engines in the world! Let me tell you a funny story about this car and another car. Somebody in a 1949 Chevy lowrider tried to do a burnout. All he did was send a bunch of smoke out of his tailpipes. The owner of this fine triple-black ’71 Charger proceeded to do a burnout without really having to try too terribly hard right through an empty intersection!

If this doesn't make you drool, then I don't know what will! This stunning 1970 Plymouth Superbird was SOOOOO cool! It was in the Limelight Green color, along with the Super Commando 440 cubic-inch V8. More to come on this iconic car. — If this doesn’t make you drool, then I don’t know what will! This stunning 1970 Plymouth Superbird was SOOOOO cool! It was in the Limelight Green color, along with the Super Commando 440 cubic-inch V8. More to come on this iconic car.

Yes, the Superbird really does make the iconic "meep-meep" from Looney Tunes - as does the Plymouth Roadrunner that the Superbird is based off of! — Yes, the Superbird really does make the iconic “meep-meep” from Looney Tunes – as does the Plymouth Roadrunner that the Superbird is based off of!

Redding, CA:

How's this for nice? This is probably one of THE nicest Corvettes that i have ever seen! It was all-original, so it has the punchy 283 cubic-inch V8 and a four-speed manual. Plus, it's got absolutely amazing looks. The only thing that isn't original is the wheels, but they went perfectly with the car. This would be an excellent car for touring the country with. One of these days I will do that in a classic car - I promise! — How’s this for nice? This is probably one of THE nicest Corvettes that i have ever seen! It was all-original, so it has the punchy 283 cubic-inch V8 and a four-speed manual. Plus, it’s got absolutely amazing looks. The only thing that isn’t original is the wheels, but they went perfectly with the car. This would be an excellent car for touring the country with. One of these days I will do that in a classic car – I promise!

May 31, 2014 zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Road Trips, World News

Richard Petty to Drive His 1967 Plymouth Belvedere at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Richard Petty is one of the foremost racing legends ever. He dominated NASCAR from 1964-1986. He was a brilliant, uncompromising driver who set so many winning records in NASCAR during his brilliant career that nobody except Dale Earnhardt ever came close to matching him. When asked of what his most iconic car was, many people will immediately tell you his 1970 Plymouth Superbird or 1967 Plymouth Belvedere are his most iconic car. More people will tell you that his Superbird is the most iconic car to ever race NASCAR. I’m inclined to agree. All of Petty’s Plymouth’s were powered by the legendary, versatile 426 Hemi. What I am here to tell you about is Petty will be driving his 1967 Plymouth Belvedere.

Richard Petty’s big, Petty Blue 1967 Plymouth Belvedere will be an amazing sight to see at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. It’s going to be a change from the wailing Le Mans and F1 cars that populate the Festival of Speed. It was the car that Richard Petty drove in his most dominant season ever, 1967. Just next month, Petty and his big, blue, burbling Plymouth will reunite.

Petty’s 1967 Belvedere was actually a 1966 model redone as a 1967 model (it can get expensive to supply a brand-new car that hasn’t hit the market yet for one person to race). Normally, it lives over at the Petty Museum in North Carolina, but it has also been displayed at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. For the 1967 NASCAR season, Richard Petty was a force of nature. He was simply unstoppable. He won 27 out of 48 races entered, including a 10-race winning streak. That is a NASCAR record that stands to this day. It would be the second of his seven championships. His first championship was in 1964. Until 1967, Petty was referred to as “The Randleman Rocket.” After 1967, his new nickname was “The King.” I’m trying to resist the urge to make bad Hakuna Matata jokes…

While the full list of the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed invitees hasn’t been finalized, we do know that Indy 500 legend Al Unser will be driving his 1978 Lola-Cosworth Team Penske Indy car. We also know that Formula 1 legends John Surtees and Emerson Fittipaldi will be driving a Ferrari 158 and a McLaren M23, respectively.

Some other highlights of this year’s Festival of Speed: Sebastian Loeb will be attempting to set a record in his Pikes Peak-winning Peugeot 208 T16, and a timed supercar run of a prototype Acura Honda NSX.

On a sad note, Richard Petty’s longtime wife, Lynda Gayle Owens Petty passed away on March 25, 2014. She was 72. It was unclear for a few weeks on whether Richard Petty would come to the Festival of Speed. A quiet announcement on Petty’s website a few weeks ago said that he will be going to Goodwood. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the entire Petty family.

March 18, 2014 zoomvroom Field Trips, Road Trips, The auto dictionary. Look it up here!, World News

Ford Wins 12 Hours of Sebring for the First Time Since 1969!

The last time Ford won the 12 Hours of Sebring was back in 1969. That was when a Ford GT40 MkI beat out a Ferrari 312P. That was at the tail end of Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari’s decade-long motor sports rivalry.

Now, 45 long years later, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ford Daytona Prototype brought the glory back to Dearborn after 12 chaotic and dramatic hours.

The skilled drivers, Marino Franchitti, Scott Pruett, and Memo Rojas, managed to get the Ford Daytona Prototype across the finish line a mere 5 seconds ahead of Ryan Danziel and the Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03B. They managed to do this after a late restart bunched the field up.

The win makes Chip Ganassi the only team owner ever to have race titles from the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

As for the GT classes, cars from Stuttgart took the win. Andy Lally, John Potter, and Marco Seefried won GT Daytona in the No. 911 car. Amazing pit stops helped Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, and Michael Christensen drive the CORE Autosports Porsche 911 RSR to victory in the GTLM class.

With the Prototype Challenge class, former NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Colin Braun helped put the CORE-ORECA Chevrolet FLM09 best reigning class champion Bruno Junquiera.

With the highly anticipated Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, fuel pump issues and 2 spins dropped the leading Vette to 6th, which disappointed driver Oliver Gavin. Ben Keating and the SRT Viper GT-D retired within the first hour after a truly spectacular fire.

The revolutionary Nissan DeltaWing led its class for several laps, but retired after Lap 104, thanks to a collision on that lap, in addition to a botched pit stop and multiple mechanical issues.

March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Gifts for the Car Enthusiast, Road Trips, World News

A Spectator’s Guide to the Bonneville Salt Flats at Bonneville Speed Week

The Bonneville Salt Flats are one of the world’s fastest places. The sound barrier was broken there in 1997. Multiple records have been set there over the years. It’s also the only racetrack where the ground underneath you can give you sunburns…and taste bad! I’m hoping to the 2014 Speed Week (August 9-15) with my dad. I thought it would be smart to tell you what to do and bring as a spectator. Enjoy.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are in the high desert of Utah. The Salt Flats are located just 5 miles away from Wendover UT, and West Wendover, NV. West Wendover is a casino town, and Wendover is a pretty neat little town. Wendover Air Field is located at the edge of Wendover, and it’s the same air field that the Enola Gay took off from with both atomic bombs both times. There’s a small museum honoring the brave flight crew and the Manhattan Project.
Bring a cooler with a LOT of ice and water bottles! Fill up your cooler with at least 15 water bottles. That might seem like a lot of water, but temperatures can go as high as 120 degrees. There is a gas station on the frontage road leading to the Salt Flats that sells gas, water, snack food, and sandwiches. It is advised to fill up with water and/or gas here. Vendors sell food and water on the Flats, but they have been known to run out in the past. Bring your own snack food and a LOT of water and hydrating drinks (people say that Gatorades, Vitamin Waters, and iced tea are also good things to bring).
Sun protection is REALLY important here. The Bonneville Salt Flats have never heard of shade. Bring your own. Be imaginative – bring beach umbrellas, sun hats offering head and neck protection, and snow-worthy sunglasses. The reason for the sunglasses being that tough is that the salt is so reflective that you can get snow blindness. Vendors do sell heavy-duty sunglasses, but they are overpriced ($20). Veterans of the salt say to bring skiing sunblock – the reflectiveness of the salt, plus the Sun beating down on you can make your skin look like a tomato. Running long-sleeved shirts are also a good investment – they mean that you don’t need to worry about your arms, and they help keep your torso relatively cool.
Spectators are encouraged to walk the pits and talk with the racers. Last year, the pits were over 3 miles long and 4 city blocks wide! They are expected to be larger this year. Bring a bike or some other form of two-wheeled transportation.
Camping chairs are a good investment. The salt is way too hot to sit on. The salt will leave burns a mile long on you! It will also go into your pores and hurt like crazy to get out! Since there are no grandstands, bring camping chairs with cup holders and an umbrella stand. You’ll thank me later.
Radios are good to bring. Racer/race information is broadcast on the 1610 AM radio frequency. Racers also communicate with race officials or their pit crews with CB radios. If you don’t have a radio, you should get one. Otherwise, you won’t know anything about a racer or how fast they went! There is no PA system except for a driver’s meeting on the first day that everybody is invited to.
Tarps and shoes: The salt gets everywhere, and it corrodes whatever it gets on. Bring a heavy-duty tarp and smooth-soled shoes are a good investment. I don’t mean VANS, I’m thinking shoes like sneakers.
Binoculars are a good thing to bring. Those tiny birdwatching binoculars you have won’t cut it. Their field of vision is too small to track a vehicle going 200+ mph down the course. Spectators can be anywhere from the start line to the final mile marker (Mile 6), but they are always 1/4 of a mile away from the cars for safety reasons. Get big binoculars with a wide field of vision. Because many cars are going in excess of 200 mph (some even go 400+!), this is too fast to track with the human eye, according to veteran spectators.
Optional entertainment is a good thing to bring, as Bonneville Speed Week isn’t meant to be fast-paced, even though the cars and motorcycles go bloody fast! Bring the day’s newspaper, a good book, a new magazine, etc. Some people bring iPads, but it’s hard to read or do whatever on something that reflects the Sun into your eyes. Taking a nap or working on your tan is also a good idea.
Cameras are a must. Make sure that your camera has a good zoom feature that can capture a car at least 1/4 of a mile away. Also, make sure that you have something to download the hundreds of pictures you took that day onto.
Be prepared to meet lots and lots of nice people. Lots of the racers are ex-engineers, ex-JPL employees, etc. When you ask some of the racers what they worked on, and they give you, “If I tell you, and then I kill you” response, they aren’t joking. Don’t go further than that with them! Many racers are nice people who will go out of their way to show you their car, offer you a drink, or just chat with you for hours on end. While there are some people who aren’t people people, there’s a LOT of nice people people.
The engines from the cars are very, very loud. Think Top Fuel on steroids kind of loud. This is because the engines are large and they have no restrictive exhaust systems on them. The high-octane racing fuel will burn your eyes if you are too close.
Vendor food is good. If you can name it, vendors offer it. The food is good, but everybody says the Enola Gay Cafe is the best. I don’t doubt them. It’s even got folding tables and chairs for you to sit in! It starts cooking at 6:00 AM (many racers arrive before then to work on their cars), and stops cooking at 5:00 PM (when everybody leaves the salt). Many vendors sell t-shirts and other souvenirs.
How to get to Bonneville from Wendover is important. Here are directions on how to get there from the main drag in Wendover, UT. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Wendover+Blvd,+Wendover,+UT/Bonneville+Salt+Flats+International+Speedway,+Bonneville+Speedway+Rd,+UT+84083/@40.7604641,-113.9657532,12z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m16!4m15!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ac2f5b4f0db3a7:0xb33345362043f07d!2m2!1d-114.0355344!2d40.7375496!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ac308e73f0ed1b:0x6c5d8e3c50acde7!2m2!1d-113.895972!2d40.762569!2m1!6e4!3e0. As you can see, it’s pretty easy. Also, the volunteers who put on Speed Week have an entry/exit road marked with cones. Stay inside of the cones. Going out will mean your car will bury itself into the slushy salt and it will take lots of digging and tugging from multiple pickup trucks to extricate you.
Salt Corrosion is one of the worst fears among those of you living back East. Salt is extremely corrosive, and the Bonneville Salt Flats are no exception – they will turn your car into vehicular swiss cheese! Think twice about taking your brand-new Ferrari onto the Salt. If you do, there is a truck stop just off of the I-80 that has a large carwash. It is recommended that you take your car, rental car, motorcycle, whatever you are driving there, and wash EVERYTHING off! With your bikes, a garden hose or compressed air will do just fine. I’ve already talked about shoes, so I won’t go too far into that – just make sure that you can’t find any on them when you get into the car – it tracks everywhere, and it is difficult to get rid of.
Where and what to stay in is always a good thing to ask yourself when going on a trip. There is a Best Western and other small hotels in Wendover, UT. West Wendover has a Super 8 and multiple casinos. All of these are booked solid through August 20th. Same thing with the RV parks. The mud flats outside of the Salt Flats are your only choice right now, unless you want to stay in Park City, or Salt Lake City. Both of those are 110 miles away from the Salt Flats. The mud flats are what they sound like.
Clothing is always good to have on hand. Do NOT wear blue jeans – the tiny rivets in them will leave small, painful burns all over your hips and legs! If you wear shorts, put sunblock on. Make sure that your belt buckle cannot touch any skin – it will hurt! Make sure your shirts are lightweight, light-colored long-sleeved running shirts. Make sure your hats have a big brim that protects your face and neck. Skiing sunglasses (not skiing goggles, alien) are also good.
Where to eat in Wendover is a good thing to know. Long story short, follow the racers. Many of the racers have been coming to the Salt Flats for years, and they know where the best places to eat are. The Mexican restaurant at the truck stop is a good place to eat, as well as Mildred’s Custom Burgers. Following the racers is a good idea, but waiting for them to finish eating isn’t. Waiting for a table can take hours. Neither restaurant knows what reservations mean, so driving quickly to get ahead of the hordes of hungry racers is smart. But, sitting at a table inside (where all the racers are) is nice. The racers talk about their day on the Salt, and previous experiences on the Salt. Listening to their banter and chatting with them is smart. Just be thoughtful of those waiting for your table.
What to do in Wendover/West Wendover is also good to know. Wendover Air Field is now a small airport, but it was where the Enola Gay took off from both times with the atomic bombs, and there’s a small museum honoring the brave crew and the Manhattan Project. The hangars look like they are right out of WWII, but inside, there is a multitude of cool helicopters, planes, and other stuff. West Wendover has not one, but five casinos! Wendover has a small movie theater that offers an air-conditioned escape from the boiling desert heat. There are a few National and Regional Parks (Bonneville is a National Park) in the area. There is even a 9-hole golf course that takes advantage of the desert to lure golfers onto rocky hills.
Gas stations are always a good place to get drinks and gas. Buy at least 15 water bottles at the gas station on the frontage road leading to the Salt Flats. The Wendover Truck Stop I have talked about, as well as the small gas station on the way to the Salt Flats. Don’t ever underestimate Bonneville – it gets hot, and always keep drinking! Dehydration is a bad thing under the best of circumstances, but you could be dead by the time the helicopter from Salt Lake City arrives.
What to do after the racing ends is good to know. The Bonneville Salt Flats close about 5:00 PM, and they open at 5:00 AM. Bonneville is on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, and it is fenced off and gated at 5:00. When racing is winding down, go back to your car and pack up and head out. It gets crazy getting out of there at 5:00! Go into Wendover for a burger or Mexican food. The racers enjoy an ice-cold beer or two, but don’t let that discourage you! Go up and talk to them! They are cool folks!
When to get to Bonneville to set up to watch racing: Bonneville opens up at a bright-and-early 5:00 AM, but most racers get there about 6:00 AM. The courses open up at 7:00, and the quickest runs happen from 7:00-9:00 AM, as the air is cooler and less humid there. You have to pay a small amount of money as an entry fee every day as a spectator (racers pay for it when they register their car for Speed Week), but it’s really not much. Getting there earlier is better.
Bring a lot of cash. Some vendors don’t take credit cards, and the Bonneville volunteers collecting entry fees don’t take credit cards or checks. Plus, cash is good to take wherever. You can use it to tip, donate to the Wendover Air Field museum, or even donate to the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA).

I’ve also attached one of my favorite Roadkill episodes, where they attempt to set a landspeed record. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEcbwvNaxE8

Also, take a peek at the SCTA’s website. http://www.scta-bni.org/Bonneville.html

The colors, excitement, people, cars, and the beauty are just some of the reasons why people return to Bonneville year after year. It’s called Salt Fever. Catch it! Come to Speed Week 2014 and hopefully you can meet up with me and my dad! Plus, getting to Bonneville is a beautiful road trip in itself. Enjoy the trip to Bonneville and your time there!