Dino Saga 080302 _ Jon’s Dino, Bella Italia

Dino Saga 080302 _ Jon’s Dino, Bella Italia

Jon Gunderson started the epic rebuilding of his GTS just after I started my Dino Sagas. I have watched the process with admiration and no little envy. It was fun to help where I could and am very proud of how good a photographer Jon has become after a little coaching. He is almost done now and is confident that the car will be looking and driving nicely by the Bella Italia car show in San Diego on April 5, 2008. He has a spot reserved and I decided that I couldn’t resist going down and joining him. I want to see the real thing, not just the fine pictures. And I wanted to meet the man who spent 2 years building a brand new Dino. I took a tour of San Diego with Google Earth and the show site is as nice as the show brochure indicates. Called Jon and told him that I was joining him and asked if he minded if I invited a few friends. He said no, he has been holding off his completion party for a year now and his pile of celebration T-Shirts is getting old. He would bring them along. Then called Jim Hyldahl, show contact, and asked him if he had any problem with a few extra Dino celebrants. Jim said they have room for 170+ cars, had 6 Dinos last year and will have Dinos grouped this year too. “Bring as many as you want, plenty of room.” I thought of the 200,000+ hits on Jon’s thread and smiled to myself. I told Jim that a lot of Dino owners and wanabees might be interested in seeing the car and the man. I am hoping that many of you share my passion and will join us. Be nice to have a few dozen Dinos clustered around the new baby. I am going down Friday, will enjoy the show Saturday and come back Sunday. Will stay at the Sheraton right across the street. Show is a low key event, no high powered judging. Basically wash, wax and vacuum your car and come on down. Entry fee is reasonable and you get lunch. Here is the contact info and some comments from FChat members: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186898
Download the flyer, fill in the form, send it in and come on down. If you just want to look, it’s free. Should be a beautiful day. I look forward to meeting the hundreds who have chimed in to cheer Jon on and who have taken the time to read my Sagas.

I took a tour through Jon’s thread and picked a few photos that struck me as significant. Jon was really starting out on FChat, photography, editing and posting pictures. Also setting up a shop to do the reconstruction, buying the tools and studying the books. Shop and pictures started simple. He got a new camera but pictures were still small and fuzzy. I suggested a cure and suddenly there was size and light and detail. We followed the making of a photo encyclopedia that will be a resource for Dino owners all over the world. A high point for me was the photo series he did when selling the black GTS. Have never seen such a sequence in a dealer’s ad or on EBay. One photo won him one of Carsten Christiansen’s drawings and fame as the inspiration of the prints that Dave is selling. I have both of Carsten’s Dino prints on my wall. The final shot of Jeff during the first test drive will have to do until we get to see Jon driving the car himself.

I’ll get back to my Dino next week. Will polish out a few spots and clean out the trunk. The ride to San Diego and back will get the Dino very close to 200,000 miles. I turn 73 today and the car and I are still kicking. Feels good.

John
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Jim,
I have talked to Jim Hyldahl a number of times and he said that they could handle as many
Dinos as I could find. He is very good at either phone or email response. Call him and get the word direct from the horse's mouth. [email protected] 1-858-485-8621
John

 

Was Forza issue #80, October 2007. Had a pretty yellow FXX on the cover.
John