The Passion is not gone

Really?

 

When I was growing up in Poland - these cars were Everywhere! They were so little you could use them as a keychain, ha.

Some of my family members owned one of these. Our Polish name for those cars was "Maluh" - which means a baby or a small child ;-)

My dad got us, back then a very cool car by many standarts - Fiat 131 Mirafiori - we loved it. I think that is the starting point from where I got the Italian car bug - starting from opening these little passenger windows that were opened with a little Metal lever, etc.

 

When I was 15-16 years old my school took us to Poland in a trip. I also remember these cars being everywhere, almost every house had a Fiat like that one parked in their backyard. I think they are called "Polski Fiat".

Cool cars, I have to look more in to these. I already am trying to find more garage space so that I can get a 60s Fiat 500, I have had a crush on those microscopic cars for as long as I can remember.

 

... and, as we have said countless times before and nobody believed us, they're still the #1 chick magnet cars

 

-- I take notes on every issue of Exce11ence and evo that's come in over the last five or six years.

-- I can honestly say that I've experienced at least some thrills during every drive I've ever made -- no matter the car.

-- Not a car of note goes by without me reacting as if Gisele Bündchen just smiled at me.

-- The price of bananas goes up I get upset, cursing Keynes, Comte's definition of altruism, etc. I never blinked twice at the seemingly endless series of >$1K bills that used to come in when I ran a '73.5 911T as a daily in the '90s. (The word "airbox" rolls off my back like water off a duck. I'm not even upset at the fact that I'm probably the only person to sell a working <'73 911 at a loss during the last two decades.)

-- I don't know when to let go of clunkers.

-- The woman in my life is redoing the engine in her CRX (it's hopeless, but no Mediterranean woman knows how to let go of her loves -- they'll kill before they'll move on), has scared the crap out of mechanics who figure no woman with her presence could know anything about cars, has changed the timing belt on an MR2 Turbo with next to no help from me, changes her own oil, owns the factory manual of every car she's ever owned, never questions my Hilti purchases, and is always game for a detour to an exotic car dealer -- habits she picked up from my passion for driving, owning, maintaining, repairing and pampering cars (the dishonesty of the auto repair people she dealt with over the decades didn't hurt.)

I LOVE CARS!

 

Originally Posted by Napolis:
Passion isn't measured in monitary terms.
If I had no money I'd still be a car guy.

and as Jay Leno stated, 'im doing what any CAR GUY would do who had some money! Whether that be a large sum or small, its reflection is in the collection. 1 or many its all the same....a passion.

Like my woman says to me - 1 rose says as much as 12.

 

HI if you come to Germany the BMW tour is not hard to get. Email them from their page and set it up. Done during the week. Also let me know as I have a connection at Porsche. The 911 line/tour is very very cool and Stuttgart is a true home of motoring and automobiles!

 

My friends and I are putting this together right now as well as building a back up e21 track car.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Allen-Special-USFail1-ChumpCar-Team/301938023172698

Or just a couple weeks ago My stanceworks friends flew from all over the country to come help my friend ryan put in his new motor. Ryan, our friend jeremy, and I spent almost every weekend for two months getting this motor ready to be dropped in. Really enjoyed putting this car together.

http://www.stanceworks.com/2011/12/20w-50-thicker-blood/

 

Haha, gonna pick me up one cute wife in one of those and tell my grandchildren about it

Hey man

Thank you very much, I will take a note and contact you when the snow melts. I would love to see Porsche at its prime!


Edit:

StanceWorks is cool, good luck with your project!



PS. Sorry for hijacking this thread, didn't mean to do that...

 

The passion is gone?

I am trying to finagle a 458 Spider!

Meanwhile the old 360 Spider still melts my butter!

Owned a Ferrari since 2000.

Life is good.
Life is better driving a Ferrari.

May the horse be with you.
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And why not? What have you got?

 

Living in Aspen, driving a 360....yeah, I'd say life definitely doesn't suck for you.

 

LOL!
I have an unloved one, but it's red
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Thanks Jim - Definitely a breath of fresh air - jeez!

I collected Hotwheels cars when I was a child and my parents used my passion to motivate me to do chores as well as complete schoolwork.

Then I collected Corgi cars and mowed a lot of lawns to add to my collection

As the great day approached to get my drivers license my parents set up a pseudo 401k "match" deal with me that for evey dollar I earned they would "match" it towards my car as long as I kept a B or higher grade average. I worked three jobs all summer and two during the school year to save for my car but still allow time to study - good motivation.

With the savings and the "match" I was able to afford a 1975 Chevy Monza which was not a bad looking car for a high-school kid. Loved it - waxed it weekly - saved and put cool wheels on it - turned the air cleaner upside down so it sounded cool when I punched it etc.

As I got older I went through God knows how many different cars, trucks and motorcycles - Camaros, Trans-Ams, Corvettes - repeat, repeat - finally a 997 Porsche and Ducati which then FINALLY led to my amazing 95 355 - All with the same work ethic and motivation that made the Monza possible and every one with the same passion.

As my parents used to tell me when I was working three jobs to make my Corvette payment "it may be an addiction - and an expensive one - but a helluva lot better than rehab, lawyer fees and jail".

I don't think your income/wealth level or the value/make of the car is really important. It is all about the feeling you get when you have a tangible accomplishment you can look at, take care of, drive, maintain and take pride in - whether that is a $4000 Chevy Monza or a $2.5M Ferrari.

Thanks for starting the thread Jim - it is awesome to see so many people from all walks of life who still share the passion.

Cheers!

 

Great thread.

Glad to see the passion in many of the posts.

 

100% with you on all counts.

 

That's a great line!! LOL

 

I've found that now that my oldest son is driving, it has a new dimension for me. He drove the Ferrari for the first time a few months ago. While approaching a corner I know very well, he went for the brakes. I told him not to slow down, just turn. He did, and I'll never forget the grin on his face. Now he's reciting hp #'s and 0-60 times of the cars he wants. His tastes aren't the same as mine, but that's ok, he knows what he wants. (Cayman S, Camaro SS, M3).

He also 'asks' me every weekend if I want my DD washed. He's quit doing it in the driveway, as he's discovered that if he takes it to the do it yourself car wash, he gets some time alone with 382hp.

 

Washing a nice car at a public and visable DIY car wash also has other benefits - I would guess I met a large percentage of my girlfriends in my teens and early 20s at public car washes - conversation while cleaning the car is a low-pressure ice breaker and followed by "go for a ride" or "meet later" is a good deal closer

 

the passion has definitely morphed for me over the years; I was my dad's pit crew when he was racing SCCA; then we restored his old Ferrari and did Pebble. I am glad we did Pebble, and am just as happy never to compete there again. We're on to the next project, and my oldest son is old enough, and showing the interest, to get involved.

I am happy to announce that I have found the solution to removing 47 year-old undercoating! A 10 year-old boy w/ a facemask, a scraper and a can of Eastwood's "UnderGone". When his arms get tired, he mans the partswasher. When we're finished someday, he will have earned an ownership interest in the car (1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale). Doing my part to continue the sickness to another generation . . . .
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I remember when I used to help wax my dads '57 Chevy while listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio on Saturday nights. The garage was poorly lit, smelled of oil and cold concrete and the radio was crackling out 50's tunes from the workbench. That car was a color called matador red and I used one of his white t-shirts to remove the turtle wax. I'll never forget the oxidized red paint, which came off the car and onto the t-shirt. I think I changed an alternator for the first time when I was 9. Two or three people can sit in the engine bay of a 57 Chevy. Those were the days.

 

Did most of you guys have car guy dads?

I didn't. It just set off when I picked up magazines as a kid during long journies. I was hooked years before I got my license.

Sweet thing is that my mom now knows the very basics BMW is German, Volvo is Swedish and boring, Ferrari is Italian and expensive, RWD makes the car go sideways on snow, how a 911 shape looks like etc. Makes me happy when she mentions cars randomly!! Dad's still uninterested but always said he's happy I spent my time on cars growing up and not drugs and other illegal stuff. I'm glad I found a great hobby!

 

Looks very loved to me... and is one of my favorites.