I took the Dino out for a nice run this morning, a holiday in Manila. I had not used it for months! (Blame that on the new Miata, which is the defalult option.) What a joy the Dino was. One has to drive a car with with non-power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering to remember what we have lost in the new cars. Ive had a Tubi silencer on it now for a decade. What a marvelous sound it makes! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Happy New Year, Andres, and thanks for starting us off with an inspirational Dino picture! I have to wait another 3 1/2 months to take my Dino out for a run. Regards, Fred
I drove mine today. Nothing special, just a 40-odd mile drive round some of the back roads of the Cotswolds. It was a warm, dry day and not a lot of traffic about, so ideal conditions for a spirited drive in a Dino. It seemed a shame to leave it in the garage (below). The car really demonstrated what a wonderful, responsive thing it is. The light unassisted steering is a real pleasure and so is the gearbox: yes, I know it does require a firm shove at times, but when you accelerate hard and change gear on the limit, it just slips into the next gear like the proverbial knife through butter. And the view forward between those two humps as you flick left and right and left again through the twisties is something very special. But of course the real excitement is that glorious noise from just over your shoulder! Better weather is on its way and the thought of all those drives ahead throughout Spring and Summer into early Autumn is very appealing. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Since my area of Western New York is expected to receive upwards of 18" of snow today, I won't be taking the Dino out! Fred
Update: Since over two feet of snow fell Tues. and Wed., with winds packing it into high drifts in many spots, I won't be driving the Dino today, tomorrow or anytime soon! Fred P.S.: I did uncover it briefly yesterday to show it to the heating technician who came by to stop me from freezing to death! f
Sorry to hear that, Fred. Maybe you ought to add a snowplough to your garage. PS I drove mine again today: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Freeman, That's a wonderful shot of the two Kamm tails together. I, too, got my Dino out this past weekend. Yesterday, eighteen days after over two feet of snow fell in my area, I took the Dino out for its inaugural 2017 run. It was the earliest I've ever had a Dino out for the season. Coop, this is for you. No palm trees, but no polar bear sightings either! Fred Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks, Freeman. Coming from an accomplished designer such as you, that is high praise indeed! Fred p.s.: To keep it "honest," I retained the "Dino" wheel center caps. f
Primo photoshop, Fer Sure, Dude! And the window's down, too...nice touch. OK. The setting is gorgeous, as is the car. Didja have any problem waking sleeping beauty from hibernation? Coop
Coop, It started up fairly easily, with a bit of coaxing, but it idled perfectly, and ran like a champ. I even made sure to try the "trompe" a few times, to get into the mood for a nice run. It makes you realize that a Dino is really a time machine. It took a few hours to clear my nostrils of the exhaust smell! Now that's a machine, not a sterile appliance! Regards, Fred
Nice spring photo, Fred! We have to wait a bit longer for driving season in Scandinavia, but soon Your Dino looks as good as ever. Enjoy! / Lars
Thank you, Lars. It's funny that my former Dino, which started life as Blu Dino Metallizzato, was painted silver twice while I had it, then Rosso Fiorano (very similar to your former Dino's Rosso Bordeaux Metallizzato), and your current Dino is silver. Small (Dino!) world, no? Regards, Fred
Happily the weather has been good to me and I have had the Dino out a few times recently. This was at an FOC meeting at the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, home to the Jaguar Heritage collection and another 200 or so assorted British cars. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
