Cars..

[Rougarou]

7 hours ago, roadscholar said:

 I personally know a 987 base can a C6, WRX, or a new Z28 : )

 

Is that professional driver to professional driver or professional driver to a guy that bought a C6, WRX or Z28 and thinks he's a professional driver because he's got a "sports" car.

 

Driving ability matters more than the vehicle, hence why some of the guys on the goldwings can outdo the guys on the crotchrockets on the dragon.

 

I'm not doubting porsche's abilities, but I would doubt the drivers abilities.  

 

 

[John Ranalletta]

 

 

[TEWKS]

I didn't have to do that.... Yet.

[Hosstage]

That looks about right!

[roadscholar]

23 hours ago, Rougarou said:

Is that professional driver to professional driver or professional driver to a guy that bought a C6, WRX or Z28 and thinks he's a professional driver because he's got a "sports" car.

 

partly, ex racing drivers have more experience than amateurs but this one's way out of practice and hasn't sat in a racecar in l7-l8 years, like any sport "use it or lose it". that's not counting the age factor that levels the playing field a bit too, at mid 70's i'm probably 2 or 3 times those dudes ages. diminished vision, hand-eye coordination, reflexes, muscle control/strength, quick(er) thinking, not to mention confidence all take a hit, in this case i'm pretty sure it was at least the car as much as driver, i can't even stay off the painted lines anymore : )

 

dirty harry was right, i've had friends (all very good riders) badly hurt or worse on those roads that didn't heed his warning.

[syntorz]

5 hours ago, John Ranalletta said:

 

 

Ask that guy if it's worth it and I'll bet he says "yes"!

 

I know I do everytime I crawl out of my Mustang or pry myself off my sportsbike!

[Rougarou]

Ya, but even at your age, you have had the experience that joe-blow off the street buying a sports car doesn't.  You have the mental capacity to understand the limits of the machine, yourself and the road,....joe blow has testosterone and a heavy foot.

 

I'ma lean heavily on the driver vs machine.

[roadscholar]

8 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

Ya, but even at your age, you have had the experience that joe-blow off the street buying a sports car doesn't.  You have the mental capacity to understand the limits of the machine, yourself and the road,....joe blow has testosterone and a heavy foot.

 

I'ma lean heavily on the driver vs machine.

 

surprisingly some of those kids are pretty good, they're learning the same way i did at that age, by trial and error.

[Rougarou]

10 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

 

surprisingly some of those kids are pretty good, they're learning the same way i did at that age, by trial and error.

 

Ya, but they ain't European on European roads

 

I learnt to slide on gravel roads, that's what I grew up learning to drive on.  Doing outlandish speeds starting at about 12ish.  Jumped a truck going over a steep culvert and real glad I didn't ruin it as it was my brothers truck.  But none of that meant I could hang with the rally cars,.....dem guys be crazy!!!

[roadscholar]

10 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

Ya, but they ain't European on European roads

 

no i meant the roads of wnc, on hwy 28 between walhalla and highlands (one of the world's great roads) in the 60's i used to push the little super 90 until it did a l80, that's how you knew where the limit was : )

[Rougarou]

1 minute ago, roadscholar said:

 

no i meant on the roads of wnc, on hwy 28 between walhalla and highlands (one of the world's great roads) in the 60's i used to push the little super 90 until it did a l80, that's how you knew where the limit was : )

 

I's being sassy on the European comment,......since most twisty track races are dominated by the Euro's.

[BerettaRacer]

Tesla charging stations become ‘car graveyards’ as batteries die in cold, reports say

https://www.aol.com/news/tesla-charging-stations-become-car-210744972.html

 

Tesla owners are lining up at Chicago-area charging stations as subzero temperatures cause electric vehicle batteries to die quickly, Chicago news outlets report. But, their cars aren’t always making it to the charging port.

 

Fox32 called the charging lots “car graveyards,” describing the abandoned cars left in the lot after cars wouldn’t charge. Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told CBS2 that multiple cars had been towed from an Evergreen Park charging station.

 

Tesla driver Wes France told WGN9 he drained his car battery just looking for a charging station around the Chicago suburbs and eventually used a tow truck to get his car to a charger.

 

McClatchy News reached out to Tesla for comment on Jan. 16 and was awaiting a response.

 

By the time a Tesla driver gets to one a charging station, they may be faced with hours-long lines, according to CBS2.

 

“I’ve been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car,” Welbourne told CBS2 at a charging station in Evergreen Park on Monday, Jan. 15.

 

If a driver found an available charger, they may be waiting hours for their car to get fully charged. Welbourne told CBS2 the charging process took 2 hours, but should have taken 45 minutes. Fox32 reported some chargers at a station in Oak Brook were not working.

 

“Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent,” Tyler Beard told Fox32. He told the news station that he had spent a total of 6 hours between Sunday, Jan. 14 and Monday, Jan. 15 trying to charge his car.

 

While recent media reports have focused on Tesla, shortened battery life amid cold temperatures is not specific to this location or brand. According to a report by Bloomberg, lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power electric vehicles, lose some of their capacity as temperatures drop.

 

Tesla’s support website says the company has made updates to the vehicle to improve charging in freezing temperatures, but it also notes that energy consumption can increase in cold weather.

 

“In cold weather, vehicles use more energy to heat the battery and cabin, and it’s normal to see energy consumption increase.”

 

Tesla’s support website recommended that drivers use the precondition or defrost features prior to driving.

 

Evergreen Park is about 16 miles southwest of Chicago. Oak Brook is about 20 miles west of Chicago.

 

 

[Rougarou]

Whilst training in Korea during the winter, our motor-t guys would crank all the vehicles every four'ish hours and run them for a bit.  I don't recall ever having a Hummer that wouldn't crank due to the cold, maybe others have, but we didn't have that issue.  'lectrics still got a ways to go.

 

There's a reason we carried radio batteries close to our bodies while training in the cold.  I don't think you can put a Tesla battery next to your body to keep it decently warm

[roadscholar]

38 minutes ago, BerettaRacer said:

Tesla charging stations become ‘car graveyards’ as batteries die in cold, reports say

https://www.aol.com/news/tesla-charging-stations-become-car-210744972.html

 

Tesla owners are lining up at Chicago-area charging stations as subzero temperatures cause electric vehicle batteries to die quickly, Chicago news outlets report. But, their cars aren’t always making it to the charging port.

 

Fox32 called the charging lots “car graveyards,” describing the abandoned cars left in the lot after cars wouldn’t charge. Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told CBS2 that multiple cars had been towed from an Evergreen Park charging station.

 

Tesla driver Wes France told WGN9 he drained his car battery just looking for a charging station around the Chicago suburbs and eventually used a tow truck to get his car to a charger.

 

McClatchy News reached out to Tesla for comment on Jan. 16 and was awaiting a response.

 

By the time a Tesla driver gets to one a charging station, they may be faced with hours-long lines, according to CBS2.

 

“I’ve been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car,” Welbourne told CBS2 at a charging station in Evergreen Park on Monday, Jan. 15.

 

If a driver found an available charger, they may be waiting hours for their car to get fully charged. Welbourne told CBS2 the charging process took 2 hours, but should have taken 45 minutes. Fox32 reported some chargers at a station in Oak Brook were not working.

 

“Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent,” Tyler Beard told Fox32. He told the news station that he had spent a total of 6 hours between Sunday, Jan. 14 and Monday, Jan. 15 trying to charge his car.

 

While recent media reports have focused on Tesla, shortened battery life amid cold temperatures is not specific to this location or brand. According to a report by Bloomberg, lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power electric vehicles, lose some of their capacity as temperatures drop.

 

Tesla’s support website says the company has made updates to the vehicle to improve charging in freezing temperatures, but it also notes that energy consumption can increase in cold weather.

 

“In cold weather, vehicles use more energy to heat the battery and cabin, and it’s normal to see energy consumption increase.”

 

Tesla’s support website recommended that drivers use the precondition or defrost features prior to driving.

 

Evergreen Park is about 16 miles southwest of Chicago. Oak Brook is about 20 miles west of Chicago.

 

 

 

Is it ironic those folks think they're reducing global warming?

[taylor1]

33 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

is it ironic those folks think they're helping reduce global warming?

And don't forget the hip factor

[TEWKS]

39 minutes ago, taylor1 said:

And don't forget the hip factor

Oh, I thought you said hip fracture.   This was Edna’s 89 Camry. 

[taylor1]

It doesn't get any better than that Pat    

[9Mary7]

2 hours ago, roadscholar said:

Is it ironic those folks think they're reducing global warming?

No, no it's not. I vote for stupidity.

[roadscholar]

1 hour ago, TEWKS said:

Oh, I thought you said hip fracture.   This was Edna’s 89 Camry. 

 

I dated a girl named Edna in the 70's, we usually took her Z-28 because it was more comfortable than the 911 I turned into an almost racecar.

[TEWKS]

Sorry Bill, I’ve only known old Edna’s in my lifetime. An Edna with a Z-28, cool! 

[roadscholar]

Come to think of it I dated several women car buffs, one started racing about the same time I did (she was good). One time she got stopped doing over a hun in her 911S, she told the trooper she was a racecar driver, he said prove it. She happened to have her driving suit in the back seat, he let her go!

[John Ranalletta]

5 hours ago, taylor1 said:

And don't forget the hip factor

Read but can’t confirm Tesla owners were paying upwards of $100/charging session. 

[TEWKS]

Could you imagine negotiating price with MaryAnn?  Here, just take it all! 

 

 

[roadscholar]

Glad it's got a rev limiter, she mighta blown the thing up : )

 

This is Vicki, the one I mentioned above, she's def not MaryAnn but does run the Ducati NA website.nowdays..

 

 

[TEWKS]

Seems like the real deal enthusiast! 
 

Funny about the rev limiter on the flat six motor. When I drove my friend’s Cayman I bounced it off the limiter powering on to the freeway.

 

Low red line on that type of engine. Caught me by surprise.

[roadscholar]

Looks like it starts at 7400, should be enough for a road car.

 

 

 

 

[TEWKS]

Yes I’m sure it is, I must of been a bit over enthusiastic. He did look over and said something like, ok relax. 

[roadscholar]

Yeah don’t think it’s proper etiquette to zoom to redline when you first get in someone else's high performance car but also know it can catch someone off guard in a lower gear and probably wasn’t intentional, stuff happens fast. If someone wants to drive mine I usually drive first so they can get acclimated a little before turning it over and at least show them how I drive it. 

[BamaJohn]

7 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Could you imagine negotiating price with MaryAnn?  Here, just take it all! 

 

 

I'm officially dead...I looked at the car before I noticed Maryanne.  Oh, the shame of it all!

[Rougarou]

10 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Could you imagine negotiating price with MaryAnn?  Here, just take it all! 

 

 

 

Depends on what the product is and the time with the product.  Sometimes, it's a one time payment for 24hrs, other times, its charge by the hour.  Activities during that time are individually priced.

 

 

[9Mary7]

11 hours ago, John Ranalletta said:

Read but can’t confirm Tesla owners were paying upwards of $100/charging session. 

they wouldn't admit it if it is costing that much......and I wouldn't be surprised after looking at my electric bill.

[TEWKS]

Long but interesting if interested. 
 

 

[TEWKS]

On 1/13/2024 at 7:46 PM, BerettaRacer said:

When I stopped racing I traded the Camino for this.

 

'62 Vette, 327, 4 spd, w/Hurst. Swapped the Cragars from the Camino onto the Vette, but they weren't on for this pic.

 

In the background you can see my daily driver, a 68 (??) Plymouth Sport Fury, 318, 4 brl, auto.

 

 

What’s old is new and what’s new is old… Man, this car stuff is so confusing! 

 

[DonBernow]

23 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

What’s old is new and what’s new is old… Man, this car stuff is so confusing! 

 

Restomod Vettes like this going for 200k+ at the recent Mecum auction.  it's crazy.  The above photo is a reskinned C6. oops, sorry, C5.

[roadscholar]

4 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Long but interesting if interested. 
 

 

 

Been trying to tell you guys this, I guess just a little more subtly.

 

 

 

Had this old Fraulein nearly 20 years, she's faster but not as well balanced, a Boxster borders on telepathic in comparison. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[roadscholar]

This'll be interesting to start off the new season, it's been farmed out to one of the race shops in NC unlike Ferrari and the Germans that build their racecars in-house but appears to have all the right stuff and should be a contender right out of the box. If you're a fan of beeg Amurican V8's you will like this, it is definitely badass : )

 

 

[realshelby]

My "Dream" car is a new Mustang GTD. While I know Bill won't consider that a worthy competitor to a Porsche, I still have to applaud Ford for building it. Ford has certainly reaped a brand reward from their Ford GT program! 

After owning a new Mustang GT 350, I realize just how good these production cars are. That car was not faster than a lot of "sports cars" ( yes Bill, it won't catch most of your Porsches...) it did have what a sports car has to have. The manual transmission is a factor in that, although a relic compared to a dual clutch auto shift. 8,250 rpm redline and pulling HARD to that redline satisfies the V8 lovers in a way few can. Add brakes that can handle anything thrown at them and it was quite a thrill to drive. I can only imagine driving a GTD!

[Rougarou]

And there's that throaty Mustang sound

[roadscholar]

I'm glad to see new (and returning) manufacturers to sportscar racing, competition breeds innovation which makes the roadgoing counterparts faster and safer for us enthusiasts, albeit at nose bleed prices these days. The 911GT3 basically created the category nearly 30 years ago and has been updated every few years if not sooner to stay competitive. More and more manufacturers are jumping on board adding to the competition and are helping revive the glory days of road racing. 

 

In the interest of equal time this is last years version of the GT3 road car.

 

 

And a good article on the 2025 Mustang GTD road car, it is definitely impressive.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g45600405/2025-ford-mustang-gtd-news/

 

 

Also for anyone interested, qualifying for the 24 Hours of Daytona is this Sunday at 1:25 on Peacock and IMSA tv.

 

[TEWKS]

@Rougarou goes to Colorado  and @roadscholar…we missed Whitmore Falls at 7:25 in the vid.  I kind of remember it wasn’t swimming temperatures when we were there but man that looks nice!  And I apologize because this isn’t really a car vid but enough cool scenery to justify posting. 

 

 

[TEWKS]

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.    
 

[Rougarou]

On 1/21/2024 at 4:23 PM, TEWKS said:

@Rougarou goes to Colorado  and @roadscholar…we missed Whitmore Falls at 7:25 in the vid.  I kind of remember it wasn’t swimming temperatures when we were there but man that looks nice!  And I apologize because this isn’t really a car vid but enough cool scenery to justify posting. 

 

 

 

We had one of these when we were in Japan, Mitsubishi Delica,.....4wd Diesel van with all kinds of neat options:  hot/cold box in the front, the roof windows would open like wings, the rear seats were lotsa ways adjustable/turnaroundable, rear heat/ac,....this on a 90ish model.

 

 

Ours

[TEWKS]

@MikeB60 Sound check on aisle 5.0   And just as I was putting this thought together I remembered you have a Coyote in your Stang.  

 

 

 

[MikeB60]

@TEWKS Here you go!

 

 

[TEWKS]

That ^ Be Better! 

[roadscholar]

6 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.    
 

 

Somebody get that kid some Ritalin, please : )

 

On 1/21/2024 at 4:23 PM, TEWKS said:

@Rougarou goes to Colorado  and @roadscholar…we missed Whitmore Falls at 7:25 in the vid.  I kind of remember it wasn’t swimming temperatures when we were there but man that looks nice!  And I apologize because this isn’t really a car vid but enough cool scenery to justify posting. 

 

 

 

pftt, years ago the GF and I did Alpine Loop in a stock 90's Suburban with standard road tires, conquered Engineer like it was nothin'.. almost*. One near problem were the giant whoop de doos at the bottom of Corkscrew (they're 4 or 5 feet high), the long wheelbase caused it to almost get high centered between them, the front sway bar and rear trailer hitch dug in simultaneously a few times, luckily it was just hard clay at the lower altitude. On one narrow section I had to move way over for for some bozo and co. in a rental Jeep, the driver stopped and said what are you doing up here in that thing, you need a real 4wd, I didn't reply just smiled : ) The next day we went over Stony Pass (stony is an understatement), at the East end there's a sizable mud hole/deepish water crossing, a Gen 1 Jeep Cherokee with big tires was stuck up to his doors, we yanked him out.

 

* Going down the other side of Engineer it was dark when I got a puncture from a sharp rock, the GF was afraid of a Bear coming along so I left the lights on and motor running while she held a flashlight. By the time we got to Lake City all the restaurants were closed so had to get some edgy pizza in a bar then drive all the way back around on the road to Ouray, another 3 hours. Next day I bought a used all terrain tire to replace the blow-out, just one. 

[MikeB60]

It's too loud for something that you are going to drive longer distance with a trailer. But it does sound good.

[roadscholar]

Great cinemaphotography, THE classic European sportscar and it's founder's story, what's not to like.

 

 

[Rougarou]

9 hours ago, roadscholar said:

 

Somebody get that kid some Ritalin, please : )

 

 

pftt, years ago the GF and I did Alpine Loop in a stock 90's Suburban with standard road tires, conquered Engineer like it was nothin'.. almost*. One near problem were the giant whoop de doos at the bottom of Corkscrew (they're 4 or 5 feet high), the long wheelbase caused it to almost get high centered between them, the front sway bar and rear trailer hitch dug in simultaneously a few times, luckily it was just hard clay at the lower altitude. On one narrow section I had to move way over for for some bozo and co. in a rental Jeep, the driver stopped and said what are you doing up here in that thing, you need a real 4wd, I didn't reply just smiled : ) The next day we went over Stony Pass (stony is an understatement), at the East end there's a sizable mud hole/deepish water crossing, a Gen 1 Jeep Cherokee with big tires was stuck up to his doors, we yanked him out.

 

* Going down the other side of Engineer it was dark when I got a puncture from a sharp rock, the GF was afraid of a Bear coming along so I left the lights on and motor running while she held a flashlight. By the time we got to Lake City all the restaurants were closed so had to get some edgy pizza in a bar then drive all the way back around on the road to Ouray, another 3 hours. Next day I bought a used all terrain tire to replace the blow-out, just one. 

 

Over the years, watching several videos of the alpine loop and several stock vehicles doing it, not impressed by the "trail",......scenery, yes, but everything looks nothing more than a bunny trail at elevation.  Having never done it, all I can go off of is videos.

[TEWKS]

Here’s the car, she’s most likely the one, seems like fate that it’s still available, but who knows. 

 

He put it away till springtime, that timeframe will be better for me anyway. I think he’s going to give me the first option to purchase, unless an over bid comes his way. If that be the case I wouldn’t blame him if he sold it. 

I probably should get a “clue”  this time, if I really want it.