The Junkman

Funny how the diesel fumes from idling busses effect the bouquet of a fine Cabernet. And the experience of tourists 2-3 deep at the tasting bar. Kind of the reason we stopped going to Napa better than 25 years ago.

We live just over the hill from Anderson Valley, where a BUNCH of Napa Wineries have set up shop. They haven't started the $50-$75 tasting fees there-yet. Didn't used to be any ?

Rotten day for a drive (well, rainy which passes for rotten in Calif ?) but the wife was getting cabin fever. In Napa Valley (Calistoga) a Maserati GranTurismo coupe with a strong sounding engine and a very clean black Buick Grand National. On the way out of Napa in the Carneros area (awesome Pinot Noir) I passed a ranch and saw a parked- and half covered with a tarp- dark orange Bricklin. Haven't seen one in probably 25 years

That's not necessarily a bad thing. On another board there was an opinion was that it wasn't bad, just a little flat. I like WRC but its next to impossible to find on US television. My first recollection was a broadcast, on the much lamented Speedvision, wherein a driver is in a full 4 wheel drift, in a mountain hairpin, on snow, and looking through his passenger window to see where he was aiming to go. Great stuff.

Not sure if this is cheating but my rarest are my small collection of Fisher resin kits. Porsche 917LH (2), Mclaren M-6B, Chaparral 2E, Ferrari 312P and a D-type Jaguar. All now irreplaceable. To that I'd add my Studio 27 Chrysler/Dodge Viper GTR. ?

"Daytona" is a wasted nameplate without an outrageously elevated wing and a pointy nose. Kinda like a "Mustang" with motors but no engine. But that's just my opinion.

Whoa, I hadn't been paying attention recently to the delivery issues, what with being busy with life. I JUST got my Issue #222 yesterday (Saturday) in Nor Cal. Was it just delayed, mis-processed by USPS, or did you guys send out a supplemental mailing? Still, I'm happy to have gotten it.

Kinda like the massive and lifted 4WD pickups that will never touch dirt, I'd imagine it will never leave a Home Depot with a sheet of plywood and a couple bags of concrete mix.

I did just that thing, along with several thin Evergreen strip selections and a couple Vintage Motorsport issues regarding the classic Trans Am years. It goes until Sunday and I'm going to peak in and make a ridiculous offer for a bunch of stuff at the end.

Estate sale find-full set of Motor Racing Replica News/Motor Racing News. I only needed 6 to fill out my set but I'll likely go back and get the rest in the morning. Spares/trade bait et al.

Two ends of the spectrum: I saw a mid '50s Nash Rambler, mid-blue and being driven by a younger 20's guy. (Always thought you had to be Medicare age to be seen in one.) Not pristine but also not abused. Secondly, I saw a Tesla truck in the wild on US 101 about 80 miles north of San Francisco. The brushed nickel color was even darker than photos that have been released but it didn't help. I'll allow that I'm already prejudiced but photos you've seen don't do justice to just how ugly the thing is. Looks like something they'd cook up for another remake of "Tron". Between the Rivian and Tesla trucks is there an unstated competition for the the most visually abusive new electric vehicle?

I volunteered earlier my love for Revell Mustang kits. But I went through and found I’d also developed a love for GT40 kits. Mostly various iterations of the Fujimi kits (Mk II, 1968-69 body styles, a couple “slim hip” 1965, Revell release of the Mk II) and a couple of the Revell/Monogram reboot of the old Aurora first generation. Haven’t pulled the trigger on the Meng though I want to but the price is beyond my justification yet.

Revell Mustangs. I've got 5-6 1969-70 of various versions (Boss 429, Mach One, Boss 302) and at least that many early '90's (CHP car, GT). AND as soon as I find the '71 on a store shelf it will be added to the collection. Add to that 3 or 4 S-197 (2004 to 2014 body style) for obvious reasons.

Lincoln V-12 Zephyr?

Well, he HAD a lap belt so there's that. I don't like the short distance between the steering wheel and his face and the attitude of his legs. With no upper body restraint the first impact will be his head on the wheel as he submarines into the footwell should there be a front end collision. Oooof. But he did the best he could with the knowledge that there was back then. (Soft steel water pipe....)

Enough to pay for a proper paint job? Including prep? Oh, and not mine (its in the background). ?

Not so interesting, you say? Look a bit closer. That rough paint job is completely done in adhesive tape, including the wheel covers. Parking lot ding? No problems, just peel off that tape strip and put on another. Genius, I tells you, genius.

A little after the fact. Just got back from visiting (wife's) family in Toronto. Always make a trip to Wings and Wheels hobby shop on Danforth-whatever your modeling interest do NOT pass it up. I found the most recent release of the Revell (Fujimi) Porsche 917K kit at 50% off. Originally $84 CAD, down to $42 CAD and about $30 US after the exchange rate. Between that and the 2 packages of pea meal bacon I brought back I consider it a successful trip.

Ulf, stop making sense.

The Mustangs-first, last and always. But those Lincolns are very appealing. Could a manufacturer get away with suicide doors nowadays?

I've seen a grand total of 3: one in a dealer showroom in Tokyo when I was stationed there in the mid '70s, one at the National Auto Museum (the old Harrah's collection) in Reno, and this one out in the wilds of California a little over a 18 months ago so seeing one remains an occasion.

Yesterday, just as we were leaving a birthday lunch in Windsor, CA. The owner and family ate next to us. Some real pride of ownership.

Or they're over-compensating for some perceived lack in their life? ? But you're probably correct. In California there is required to be a barrier (fender, mud flap, flares) that extends to the outer most portion of the tread. Not that the law is enforced.....

Today at an antique collective store in Sonoma, CA. (Nothing I was interested in except for protecting the family finances) 1955 Ford Victoria with Ford-O-Matic proudly emblazoned on the trunk. Funky cell phone camera pretty much captured the colors though the camera operator contributed to the fuzzyness..