Monte Carlo Time

I wrote that my brother picked up a 1971 Monte Carlo at our local swap meet. So he's had the car a little over a week and so far so good.  He dropped a battery in it and re-installed the wiring harness under the hood.  He reconnected all the ignition wires, installed a new coil and points and she started up!  He also performed a very quick primer job to get rid of the grandma green (and other various colors).  Now calories are being spent researching and planning where to go from here....and installing an aluminum intake and 4 barrel Holley which was already sitting in his garage.

before

grandma green gone

Swap Meet Sunday!

Yesterday my brother and I had a difficult decision to make.  Should we go to Caffeine & Carburetors show, the Spring Swap Meet held by the Connecticut Street Rod Association or a VW/Audi specific car show? I personally was leaning towards Caffeine & Carburetors since my brother didn't attended the first event.  I also like the C&C event since it gives me an opportunity to photograph some interesting subjects. The VW show was appealing because it would give me a chance to do some research on parts (especially wheel/tire and suspension combinations) for my GTI.   However, we ended up going to the swap meet. 

Why the swap meet? As I mentioned, the swap meet wasn't my preferred choice. We always go and look around and end up complaining about the ridiculous asking prices on the project cars and parts. We end up buying something stupid in an effort to justify the admission fee. So why did we go? Maybe because it was the closest of all three events? But more realistically, I think we enjoy to possibility of  finding something. Car shows are spectator events.  Swap meets are a participatory event. So how did this event go?

 First and foremost the event was massive. We had to park in an overflow lot that was up on top of a huge sand pit. Here's a view from the truck:

As soon as we hopped out of the truck we were greeted with this spectacle in the parking lot:

Good omen?

The meet featured the same junk for sale.  If you were in the market for a chainsaw or snow blower you were int he right place. The project cars for sale were outrageously over priced or rusted beyond reasonable repair.  There was a cool AMC AMX and a rusty V8 4 speed Barracuda that were showed some promise. This patina-licous truck caught my eye but was already sold by time we reached it:

SOLD!

In the second the last row of the meet we found this:

Full Monte

A 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo that at first glance it looked like every other rough project here. However, upon further inspection we realized the following: 1) It was basically rust free! The body was straight and it already had new quarter panels installed (and done really well). 2) It had a complete small block Chevy drive drain. 3) And despite the multi-color and stripped appearance the car was fairly complete including a trunk full of trim and hardware.  My brother has always had a soft spot for '71 Monte Carlo's.  How does a person develop such a specific preference for a car, especially when the object of affection is somewhat atypical? It stems from the fact that his first car was an '83 Monte Carlo and his birth year is 1971. So he traded info with the owner and plans to complete a deal later in the day.....by yesterday evening the Monte was sitting in his driveway and he was taking inventory of all the parts in the trunk.

So stay tuned for developments with the Monte.

I Don't Like Musicals

I love car movies! I even love the bad ones (which there are plenty of) if there is enough driving, racing, or hooning on display.  I have a special place in my heart for the classics like American Graffiti, Two-Lane Blacktop, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Bullitt, Vanishing Point....you get the point.  If I stumble upon one while channel surfing I consider it must see TV till the final credits roll.  However, the majority of the cult classics really only appeal to car-guys at this point in time. My clinical data to substantiate this statement.....of the movies mentioned above I'd probably only gt my wife to watch American Graffiti with me again (yes she has watched all of the other out of obligation).

However, there is one car movie that she absolutely loves and I cannot stand. In fact it was on two days ago and she stopped to see if my sons would be interested and I literally left the room.  That movie is 1978's Grease!

Her and I joke about the fact that there is a movie that features cars, gangs, and Vinnie Barbarino and I can't stand it.  The simple fact is I don't like musicals. I guess that people randomly breaking into song can even ruin Ben-Hur style hub caps.

Honestly, Grease can probably be considered the most mainstream car movie ever made.  The irony goes even further. When I was in high-school the majority of my class was having parties in which they watched (and apparently sang along with) Grease. You know who wasn't at these parties? The socially shunned gear heads (you sense the bitterness) who were literally out cruising/street racing while these private screenings were taking place. And just for some perspective on the movie's staying power.....I went to high-school 18 years after the movie was released!

So why do I bring this up now. As I mentioned, Grease was on yet again the other day, but more importantly, the original 1949 Mercury that Craterface drove is for sale on eBay right now.  So if you have over 100 grand burning a hole in your pocket and aren't revolted by the concept of people randomly bursting into song here's the ride for you...

A Day at the Park

Every Labor Day weekend I like to take the family to the park......Lime Rock Park that is.  In previous posts I've touched on my jealously of automotive enthusiasts who live in regions of the country that have thriving car scenes and/or rich rodding and racing histories like SoCal.  However, as much as I complain about being a car guy in snowy, salty New England there is one thing we have that should be on every American car guy's bucket list.

Recognized and revered for its scenic beauty and its place in motorsports history, Lime Rock Park is one of the oldest and continuously operated road racing courses in the country. Since it opened in 1957, Lime Rock Park has played host to nearly every great road racing driver, car and series, establishing a rich tradition as the Road Racing Center of the East.

Lime Rock’s history is inextricably entwined with that of sports car racing’s. In its 55-year existence, almost all of the sport’s greats have raced here: Andretti, Moss, Gurney, Posey, Rodriguez, Hobbs, Hill, Donohue, Ward, Fitch… the list of great drivers who’ve raced here is literally endless, from the drivers in the industry changing Formula Libre race of 1959 through the stars of the 1960s, 70s and 80s in Can-Am, Camel GTP, F5000, Trans-Am and Atlantic.

Lime Rock is not your typical motorsports venue...to call it a 'race track' is a horrible injustice.  Lime Rock Park rests on 350 acres of rolling Berkshire Mountain foothills creating a natural amphitheater, delivering a truly unparalleled experience for viewing world-class racing. Lime Rock Park is just that - a park. Fans are encouraged to bring their picnic blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the grassy hillside viewing, an attribute unique to Lime Rock. Without being restricted to grandstand seating, fans take full advantage of its complete access.

Labor Day weekend hosts a very special event at Lime Rock Park.....the Lime Rock Historic Festival. With over 300 historic cars and a top-notch concours (with over 1000 cars), the Lime Rock Historic Festival is one of the premier auto events in the country. Noted not just for close racing, the festival brings together a wide variety of cars and historically significant cars.  For instance, a few years ago the event hosted a 1939 W154 Mercedes Silver Arrow that had not seen a track since 1939!!!

Half the fun of going to the Lime Rock Historic Festival is the ride there. Nestled in the northwest corner of Connecticut in the rolling Litchfield hills the venue is surrounded with everything one would associate with the iconic New England countryside. For instance your route may take you over the the picturesque covered bridge in Cornwall a few mile south of the track. What makes the approach to the event so interesting is its pretty typical to come upon (or they may pop up in your mirror) some vintage or exotic sports car as you wind through sinuous roads cutting through colonial era towns and farmland.  I can write for ever about how strongly I feel about Lime Rock Park.....but honestly, one really needs to experience it to appreciate what has been called "the secret valley of racing."

On track action at Lime Rock Park:

Short video discussing the historic festival:

Some of my photos:

Shiny, Fast and Loud!

Historic racing action!

Authentic Smokey Yunick Camaro

No grandstands at this 'track'

open access to the paddock

BMW display in paddock area

Real Corvette Gran Sport (Chassis #004)

The scene walking around the paddock

For all of my photos view my gallery.

A Side Note: The newly released 2014 Corvette Stingray will be available in a hue that Chevrolet has called 'Lime Rock Green Metallic'

 

Where did the summer go?

In the blink of an eye a month has gone by since my last post! And in that same blink, a chunk of prime New England summer has flown by.  Soon enough the days will be getting shorter and the leaves will be changing .  I realized I have spent the bulk of the summer wrestling with the suspension on my Cougar rather than driving it.  I actually had to replace the front coils again since the set I cut (twice) kept unseating themselves on test drives.  I think I eventually traced the issue to the tired 1 inch spring insulators a the top of each coil.

Anyway, the car is just about road worthy again and now the goal is to drive it and attend as many local shows and event as I can while the weather cooperates.  Yesterday was a local event called the 7th Annual Sgt. Jeffrey Boucher Memorial Auto, Bike and Truck Show. This show really has become one of the best in our area for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, the show is for a great cause and completely backed by the local Police department and as a result the debauchery that ensues is sanctioned by the boys in blue. For instance, the event features a burnout contest, rock crawling course and even mud pit racing.  The venue this year was at our local municipal airport so the event even offered helicopter rides. 

The show is a free for all! Every faction of automotive enthusiast is represented. There is no 'hot rod' club frowning down on every post 1949 vehicle on display. There were vintage muscle cars, new muscle cars, hot hots, low riders, imports, lifted trucks, slammed trucks, sport bikes, choppers, military vehicles, etc!

The organizers of the event did a great job. I hesitate to call it a 'car show' since the rock crawling and mud racing made it feel more like a competitive motorsports event that happened to have a couple hundred cars on display as well.  My 8 year old son, upon entering the gate and looking around, asked me if we just arrived at a fair.  When I said it was a car show he replied to me with certainty 'No, its a fair.'

Irregardless, the event provided the motivation to get the Cougar out to upcoming events.  More to come....and enjoy what's left of the summer.

    

Ma che cazzo fai 2 : 'Borrowed' Fiat 500 Abarth road test continued

Just a minor update on the Abarth road test.  I took it back to my brother's house (he is flying back home as I write this) but this time my sons accompanied me. I put their booster seats in the back of the car and packed my 8 and 5 year old boys in there with explicit instructions not to touch anything with their grubby hands. They did in fact fit in the back of the Abarth......but adults would be a different story.

On other note, I noticed that the car still has the factory installed protective plastic on the carpets!  My brother has had this car for a while and has managed to leave the plastic perfectly in tact!  Makes me want to let loose with some stereotypical comments about our Italian aunts who would buy special plastic covers for their new sofas and plastic hallway runners to protect the carpeting in their homes.

Classy!

Ma che cazzo fai : Impromptu road test of a Fiat 500 Abarth

We are well through our second straight week of near triple digit temperatures here in Connecticut so working on my Cougar has been daunting.  To add insult to injury my brother is gallivanting around Italy while I'm left hear to periodically check on his cat and take in his mail.  Today, however, I made the most of the situation.  My brother happens to own a Fiat 500 Abarth which is sitting dormant while he is away.  And wouldn't you know it, the same set of keys he gave me to feed his cat (Paulie) happens to include the keys to the hot hatch.....what's a guys to do?

While making my rounds today I left my VW in his driveway and sped off in the Abarth.  First thing to note, as I expected, my brother left the car with nothing but fumes in the tank!  So my generosity continued as I filled his tank.  The metallic black (or should I say nero) car was filthy.....so I even washed it! Then I went for a ride.

Is there a cooler emblem out there?

If you read my very first post you'd know that Fiat's are special to me.  Heck, while everyone was driving around in American land yachts in the late 70's my mother was driving us around in a Fiat 124A sedan.  When I found out that Fiat was coming back to the states a few years back I couldn't wait.....especially since I was in the market for a fuel efficient car at the time.  Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out (I couldn't wait for the delayed Fiat offering)  and I went for the Mk6 GTI.....however as soon as my brother expressed that he was in the market for a commuter car I urged Abarth all the way.  

I took the car for a quick spin when my brother first bought it but nothing long enough to really form an opinion about the car.  Today I spent a descent amount of time with the car (I actually still have it with me since he isn't due back for a couple days).  My brother lives about 25 miles away from here so I spent some time on the highway, in the city and on eventually on some fun curvy wooded lanes.  This was my first chance to really compare the Abarth to my Mk6 VW GTI. 

So for some perspective...I love my GTI!  I've had it for almost two and a half years and have already logged over 70,000 flawless and spirited miles.  My daily commute is roughly 130 miles round trip and the GTI has made the hours fly by.  The GTI still impresses me in its ability to be (and feel) sporty and yet serve a multitude of practical functions.  I use the car to lug my two sons to soccer. I routinely make airport runs to NYC (or all over New England for that matter) with the hatch stuffed to the gills with luggage (and sometimes fireworks).  It even moonlights from time to time as a wannabe boy-racer.

The Abarth is not as practical as the GTI due to its size....but then again the Fiat 500 is a smaller class of car.  I actually make that statement with a grin since my non-car guy colleagues don't understand how I can drive my turbo'd 'Golf' with low profile tires and stiff suspension as much as I do.  However, the result of its diminutive frame is that it is a hell of a lot sportier feeling that the GTI!  First there is the exhaust note.  Upon start-up the thing sounds like a small outboard motor.....once the idle settles it is fantastic to think that a company would have the balls to build something that sounds like that for 20-something grand.  Coming from the GTI I had to get used to the shifter position (and only having 5 gears) and the torque curve of the little 1.4 turbo (the 2.0T of the GTI is much more forgiving when you find yourself too lazy to down shift).  It also took me some time to get used to finding 3rd gear.....but once I adjusted to the car it was a blast to drive.  The biggest difference in the ride quality between my GTI and the Abarth is you definitely feel the effects of the Fiat's shorter wheelbase...as you would with something like a Mini Cooper S. However, it was very surprisingly tame and comfortable. There was plenty of leg room for the driver (head room would be questionable for a taller driver....I'm 5'9") but the back seats are tiny. All things considered, I'd have no problem battling though my 130 mile commute in this thing.  

By the way....my brother is in the furniture repair business and managed to fit 3 4'x8' sheets of plywood in his Abarth......but first he turned them into 8 ottomans:

Abarth delivers!

Happy Valentine's Day to our Poor Wives

Just a quick note of appreciation for the significant others in our lives. This goes out to the people who let us name our children and pets after racing icons. To the people who tolerate us spending time on our romantic getaway to San Francisco re-tracing Steve McQueen's route from Bullitt. To the people who don't get too nutty when we drag a new project car home and to the people who have their daily driver sit in the snowy driveway while our projects stay warm and dry in the garage. To you....we say Love You.

Here's our dog Shelby...

Grandpa's Stainless Steel Car

My wife's grandfather loved to tell stories (usually the same ones over and over again).  To the surprise of my wife's family, I actually liked listening to them.  I think I was the lone participant in the story sessions for a combination of reasons. First and foremost, unlike the rest of the family, I hadn't been listening to the same tales for the last 30+ years. Secondly, my wife's grandfather (Gene) was a pretty interesting guy.  He was a technical guy who was an engineer at a local steel plant.  Many of his stories involved cars.

One time he told me about the stainless steel Fords his company produced and that he drove. Of course I questioned the validity of the story. When I think stainless steel car I think DeLorean (flux capacitor not included) made famous by the movie Back to the Future. But it turns out in 1935, officials at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Division (where Gene worked) and the Ford Motor Company collaborated on an interesting experiment.

Allegheny Ludlum, a pioneer producer of stainless steel, proposed the idea of creating a stainless steel car to Ford. The idea took shape in the form of a 1936 Deluxe Sedan. That car became the centerpiece of a campaign to expose the public to the new metal and its many uses. The stainless steel cars were perfect vehicles for increasing awareness of the quality of the metal. And over the years, this quality has been shown in its stainless performance.

Of the six stainless steel cars that rolled off the Ford assembly line in Detroit in 1936, four exist today as living proof of the durability of stainless steel.  Each of the original six logged at least 200,000 miles in the hands of Allegheny Ludlum officials before "retiring" to private ownership in 1946. Thousands of additional miles have been logged on the odometers since, and the shiny bodies have outlasted most of their non-stainless steel parts.

The idea was repeated at the end of the run of 1958 to1960 Thunderbirds, since those cars in stock form used a great deal of stainless steel for their trim. Two 1960 Thunderbirds were built in stainless steel. It was necessary to wait until the end of the production run, because the harder stainless steel would wipe out the stamping dies. With the exception of the body skin, bumpers and grille, which are made of T302 stainless steel, every other component is standard 1960 Thunderbird equipment. Also included is the first T409 solid stainless steel muffler released on a production vehicle. Both cars still have their original mufflers and T304 exhaust pipes after 25 years on the road!

Lastly, in 1966, the collaboration produced three amazing stainless steel 1966 Lincoln convertibles.

Of the 11 cars originally built, nine are still in use.  Interestingly, out of the 8600 DeLoreans produced, it is estimated that over 6400 still around today.  That says something about stainless steel.

Last note, only one of the four remaining '36 Fords is presently in road-worthy condition and was allegedly insured for 1.5 million dollars. This would have blown Gene's mind!

Gene's photo of the car in front of his plant:

Gene is the guy with the top hat:

Gene at the Indy 500 (I think):

Super Troopers (Beater Vehicles are Fun)

It's obvious that there is a sense of pride a car guy has about his cherished ride.  However, only real car people can appreciate the satisfaction and enjoyment of owning a total beater vehicle.  I've had my share of beaters. My favorite probably being my '88 VW Fox that I bought for $100, drove to college regularly, road rallied, auto crossed, and then years later drove to the junk yard and was given $85 for the scrap value.
  
My brother's 'best' beater had to be his first generation Isuzu Trooper.  He scored it from a co-worker for about $125. It needed work before it could even be driven home so he spent some time getting it roadworthy in his friend's garage.  We were introduced to the obscure Isuzu SUV by my godfather. He purchased one of the early 80's models new and loved that thing.   He drove that truck for a very, very long time and liked it so much he ended up buying a third generation model.  We joked that we knew to only person in the US that was brand loyal to Isuzu.

The first generation of Trooper was produced between 1981 and 1991. It began production as a rather basic and somewhat under powered on-and-off road vehicle, offered initially only with 4-cylinder motor, 5-speed manual transmission, and part-time four-wheel drive. The first generation eventually evolved to add both amenities and luxuries, including optional air-conditioning, power windows, and a more powerful V6 engine.

Troopers were plain,  boxy and very utilitarian .  My brother embraced this simplicity and basically stripped the truck down even further.  He ripped out the carpeting and coated the floor in rubberized undercoating. He fixed the exterior rust and covered the lower portion of the body in undercoating. He blacked out the trim and then I surprised him with new tube bumpers.  The only mechanical upgrade was the addition of manual locking front hubs (the auto-locking ones didn't work). And that was it, that truck was abused from there on out as his daily commuter.

As I mentioned earlier, owning a beater can be fun. I think the fun only comes from having the proper expectations. I think the satisfaction comes from knowing you are operating and maintaining a vehicle that cost less than some people's shoes.  The enjoyment comes the fact that you are basically playing with house money and every additional mile you log in that car is pure profit.  My brother and I always joke about our beaters saying, "If it dies on the road, I'm just going to leave it there." Neither of us have followed through with this yet.

Another important factor is that as car guys, we tend to baby our rides. We park in the remote reaches of parking lots to avoid shopping carts and door dings. Tree sap and bird dropping are our mortal enemies in our quest to keep our cars shiny and new.  However, when you're in your beater....who cares.
 
Many years have gone by since my brother sold his Trooper.  Whenever we see one on the road (as infrequent as that is) we always pay homage to his beater.  However, an interesting thing happened in 2010.   I went to Haiti after the earthquake that leveled Port-au-Prince.  As we left the airport and walked to our ground transportation I noticed something.  Our 'rental' car was an old Trooper!  Not only that, almost every other vehicle in the parking lot was either an Isuzu Rodeo or Trooper!  It was surreal.  That Trooper had a tough week navigating the rubble that was still piled in the streets.  The first day the clutch cylinder went on it (which we repaired with the help of a rock). Later in the week the clutch let go in downtown Port-au-Prince. We abandoned that car on the side of the road and took a Tap Tap (a Haitian 'taxi') to our destination.  My point is....if you like Troopers like I do, go to Haiti!


Port-au-Prince Airport Lot (other than the Rav 4 I think everything is an Isuzu):

Our Trooper right where we left it after the clutch let go:

A day in the life of a Haitian Trooper:

Links:
The Isuzu Trooper Owners Guild Isuzu Trooper Owners Club

Attempt at Road Rally

As I indicated in my previous post we were wannabe rally car drivers.  So what is there beyond autocross that the amateur car guy can get into? First there is RallyCross....which is basically autocross on an unpaved surface.  As fun as it looks we viewed it as not the sort of event you want to take your brand new car to.

The other alternative is RoadRally. These events take place on public roads and obey speed limits (in theory). There are a few types of rallies but the most prevalent type of RoadRally is the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) RoadRally. In a TSD RoadRally, the teams must not only follow the rally course, but are also challenged to maintain precise average speeds. This speed is always at or below the posted speed limit for the roads used. At various points along the route, unknown to the competitors beforehand, the cars will be clocked in. Since the organizers of the event have measured the course prior to the event, the exact time that each car should arrive at these checkpoints is known. Teams are penalized one point for every hundredth of a minute that they arrive late or early at the checkpoint. At the end of the event, the team with the lowest score is declared the winner. Since all speeds are at or below the posted speed limits, no special vehicle is needed. Rallies usually end at a restaurant or other social establishment. Here competitor's trade stories of their adventures and enjoy each other's company while waiting for the awards to be handed out.

So, my brother and I entered the Subaru in a local rally back in August of 2000. The course covered a very large area in the eastern part of Connecticut which is fairly rural (i.e. unpaved roads!).  The event started early and was an all day affair (or at least it seemed like it).  Even though this was our first rally we were fairly confident we'd do well since the gist was to follow the directions and calculate the anticipated speeds.  My brother's background as a furniture repair person basically had him drive everywhere in the state on service calls (pre-GPS) so the navigating directions thing was covered. I was an engineering student so calculating average speeds over distances should have been cake......I said 'should have been.'

The first challenge of the event is to not be an idiot....which can be harder than you think. You are in your car that you are so proud of, you are surrounded by other car guys in their rides and you are all going to the same place.....yet, the rules say don't speed!  So you have to suppress the 'racer' in you and focus on the fact that it is a precision timing event.

The second challenge was that my brother had already swapped is wheel/tire package on the car.....meaning the rolling diameter of his wheels didn't match the factory spec and the odometer was slightly off. The directions you are given don't necessarily say "Turn left on Main Street" instead they will read "Turn left in 6.2 miles" so an accurate odometer is kinda important.

So how did we do? Not well. Honestly, we could have done better, but as the day went on we chose not to....let me explain.

The event hinges on the fact that if you drive along at the speed limit along a predefined course you will cross certain points at the same time. Well, what happens if you take a wrong turn? Since you would only dare to drive the speed limit the time it takes to correct your route is 'lost.' You then have to provide the scorers an estimate of how long you think you were off course and they somehow calculate that into your score.  We did this the first time we went off course.

Then we learned that it was easier (and more fun) to 'make up' for the lost time.  I'd basically calculate the overall time we needed to finish a stage of the course, and then we'd do our best to stay on course at hit that time, however if went off course we still did everything in our power to still end the course section at the time we already targeted.....you understand what I'm getting at.

This new philosophy coupled with mounting competition throughout the long day resulted in a great afternoon which featured much more 'McRae' like action.

For instance, a wrong turn on a narrow country road in the morning was fixed with a careful K turn to get us headed  in the right direction again. In the afternoon it was a U turn across grass covered medians and road shoulders.

Our 'best' off-course was when we were traveling unpaved roads through serene tree-lined woodlands and we crossed a narrow wooden bridge. We knew that the course couldn't go over the little bridge so we turned around determined to make up the lost time (and there was a lot of it).  My brother slid the Subaru around corners as I tried to figure out where we went wrong. Then while flying up a gravel road we blew by the timing table.  Our blue blur of noise and dust obviously shocked the workers since they jumped for cover when we passed. We later asked the timing volunteers if they were able to get the number off our car and they claim they did.....but I'm still not sure if they did (at least this is what my excuse is going to be for losing the event).

Another notable highlight was the father/son team in which the father made the son relieve himself in an empty soda bottle rather than stop the car and throw off their average speed.

I highly recommend participating in a local rally. It is a simple form of 'competition' and the time you spend in between stages and at the end of the event socializing with other car enthusiasts is a great. Click this link for more information about SCCA RoadRally

Record Setting Subaru

As I mentioned earlier, the arrival of my brother's Subaru 2.5 RS marked our involvement in getting out and participating in the local autocross scene. We did the majority of our racing with the Connecticut Autocross & Rally Team,  a local club that held autocrosses every other week.  CART events were a great deal of fun.  The variety of cars that showed up on any given Sunday was fantastic.  You had everything from new C5 Corvettes to vintage Mini's. 

The events were also frequented by interesting people. One such person was Jeff Denmeade.  Jeff used to show up to the events in a full blown Rallyart prepped Mitsubishi Evo5!  This was way before Evo's were available in the States. It was the same car he drove in the Mount Washington Hill Climb:

Denmead on Mt. Washington

I just did a quick web search and Jeff is still at it. He has recently tackled Pike's Peak in a Australian built Skelta!

Another guy that was always at the events was Bill Rutan. William "Bill" Rutan holds the record for the quickest gravel road time to the top of Mount Washington in a car that came to be called the Bathtub--a home-built hillclimber powered by a quad-cam Porsche 356 Carrera engine mounted amidships in what was at one point long ago a stock VW Sedan.

In 1961, Bill drove his lightweight car 17.4 miles to the 6,288-foot peak in a stunning 9 minutes and 13 seconds. There were Porsches and even Jaguars there at the bottom of the mountain, but none of ultimate consequence. Bill trounced the standing record by a full minute and eight seconds. The previous mark set by Carroll Shelby behind the wheel of a Formula 1 Ferrari was permanently broken. The road to the summit was paved the following year, cementing Bill's run into the books as the record time up the gravel course.



Rutan's 1961 record breaking run

My brother and I always had a great time at the CART events. And while we never recorded the FTD (fastest time of day) among such experienced drivers my brother did set a record of his own.

He recorded what may have been the fastest off course in CART autocross history!  The way the club set up the starting line was interesting.  There was the starting line itself which was flanked by cones and the starting light. When it changed from red to green you were good to go.  However, the actually timing trigger was set up at the first set of cones usually a few feet away from the starting line. Once you got the green light and took off your official time didn't start till you went though the very first gate and tripped the optical trigger.  Apparently my brother got the green and launched hard and fast as he would always do in his all wheel drive Subaru. He made his entire run and when he finished to get his time he was told he went off course.  Under further analysis it turns out he somehow managed to not trip the timing equipment, meaning he missed the very first gate.  So he not only was off-course, but never really managed to be on-course!

 To this day we still aren't sure how this was even possible.

Some pics of the Subrau in action at a Renselaer Sports Car Association event: