Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Rock Hill Cars + Coffee

We saw a Super Wasp, and a Super Bee!
INSECT FIGHT!!!!!!!

Right here in Rock Hill SC, the 4th Saturday is Cars and Coffee. Today the weather was great, and there was a big turnout of older cars, some newer cars, and a little bit of everything too. Also, a few of what I like to call "here's something you don't see every day" too. This event happens right next to Knowledge Perk, and man they were doing a big business.  Let’s go!


Porsche with way cool round pop-up headlights. 
Oh, and the engine in the front. 


OK, there was one super car, this Lamborghini. It even has a small round sticker on the driver side windshield, so you know the owner also belongs to a Charlotte group that sponsors car events too, I think it's Cars and Cappuccino. 

Lambo interior. 

Kind of a cool duo here, older Mustang and Porsche 911. 

Sorry I didn't look real close to this one, it had a Lotus badge, but I think it was built by another company. 

I don't remember seeing a wing on the back of a Lotus/Caterham before either!

Maybe a work in progress, but a nice Mach 1 Mustang. 

Once upon a time, there were GM cars made in Australia by Holden. 

Three words: Ford. Galaxie. 500. 

Three more words: Chevy. Chevelle. SS. 

Two tone Mustang? Why not!



This was my favorite car of the day, a 1954 Hudson Super Wasp Hollywood. No B pillar, this was the shorter wheelbase than the larger Hornet. 


I believe this is a Hudson L engine. The owner said it's been modified. 

Super Wasp is definitely in the "Things You Don't See Every Day" category. 

Standin' tall and lookin' good, oughta be in Hollywood...Army cadence.
I been bad, I been good. Dallas Texas, Hollywood...ZZ Top lyrics. 

1954 Hudson with period correct cell-phone holder on the dash!


I forget what car this was, but I bet I hadn't seen one of these old jacks for a long time!

More Mustangs!

BMW Clownshoe!

Enough with the Fords and Chevys, on to some Dodge power!

Like the Bunch of Idiots Coronet, this has the Super Bee!
No, I do not know who would win a cars-named-after-insects fight, a Hornet, Wasp, Super Wasp, or a Super Bee.



In the convertible layout, this Plymouth Super Sport looks really Loooooooong!

Morgan +4! Another car you don't see every day!
When I autocrossed in Virginia Beach, sometimes there were two Morgans like this competing. 

Funky windshields, leather strap on the bonnet, and center rear-view mirror? Check!

Oh, nothing in the trunk officer, just a gigantic Nitrous rig!


Sunday, April 28, 2024

Autocross Report From Winston-Salem

At least it's not raining inside the car. 
I don't think any Porsche drivers were intimidated with my 2018 G Street Champion jacket from the Tidewater Sports Car Club in Virginia Beach. Maybe I'll try a WORLD'S GREATEST DRIVER AND I'M FASTER THAN YOU t-shirt next time!
Hey, come on, that was a joke! It's the Ohio state flag on my helmet that should be scaring people!


Yes, there really is a city named Winston-Salem in North Carolina, and there is much more there than Winston and Salem cigarettes! Specifically, last Sunday there was a Fairgrounds, and along with the Carolinas Region Porsche Club of America, it was time to autocross! 

Attention race fans! The grandstands are PACKED, so get your tickets NOW!

The course was set up on basically a figure 8, with the start in the middle of the 8. Oh, and it was raining the entire time, so it was a bit slippery! To tell the truth, most people don't want to go drive (or drive fast) in the rain. However, after experiencing 10 runs in the wet, I think I prefer it! Yes, the rain makes you slower, but it also makes it more fun and easier to rotate the car around the cones.  It made me feel like the car was close to the edge of losing control a lot more than normal, so maybe that's what real racers experience when they're pushing it on track. I'll just sum it up with some words of wisdom from Mr. Mario Andretti, who once remarked that:

                “If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.”

If you're not familiar with Mr. Andretti, just picture someone that won the Indy 500, won NASCAR races, and won a Formula 1 world championship. Oh, and this was after his family lived as refugees after WWII in Europe, and then moved to Pennsylvania! He knows what he's talking about!

I was back with #77 and found a handy table to keep my stuff dry. 
2009 base model Cayman in Ruby Red Metallic. 

In a class of only 2 cars, I managed first place, and grabbed the overall 2nd fastest RAW time of the day. That was fun! In addition to Porsches, there was a 2013 BMW M3, a 2004 Mini Cooper, and a 1989 Ford Mustang. 

The other fun part of autocrossing (even in the rain) is meeting other car enthusiasts and talking about cars all day! I enjoyed working on course (in the rain) with a gentleman who was there to drive with his son and daughter. He's a pediatrician, so I tried not to act like a baby. 

Here's my fastest run, and some photos from the day. 

49.3 On YouTube


For a rainy chilly day, we had a good number of Porsches and some other cars too. 


Driver's meeting, NOT in the rain!

Very nice blue 2021 718 Cayman and a red 1986 944

#37 2006 Cayman S

#21 is a 2009 Cabriolet 911

You gotta love a #986 Boxster.
HINT: 986 is the internal Porsche model number for this 2002 Boxster S. 

This 2017 Carrera S 911 took fastest time of the day

PRO TIP: You can autocross a hybrid!
PRO TIP PART 2: You can autocross a Cayenne SUV!

#7 is a 2013 911 

#31 is a 2016 Boxster S
#
2024 Cayman GTS 4.0

#505 is a 2008 Cayman

#611 is a 2009 Porsche 911 4S


Thursday, April 25, 2024

Lemons Block Party!

The Bunch of Idiots and their Dodge Coronet. But will it run?
And YES, that is the Coronet support vehicle on the right, a PEUGEOT!

Last Friday kicked off the Lemons race weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park, and the Coronet "Bunch of Idiots" team managed to get in some testing at the track before heading to the Block Party. All the race cars headed from the track down to Camden, paraded into town, and then parked on the street for a few hours of hanging out and car talk. During this time the Lemons judges came around to each car for a quick little inspection and then made the all important class determination. Known as the BS Judging, this is where the judges find out a little bit of info, like if your rusty old 70s Dodge really is just an old Dodge underneath, or if you've put a Corvette motor or something else in there!


Time for the BS Judging. Hoping for Class C. 

The most likely fast/reliable cars will go into Class A, the next slower cars in Class B, and the slowest/worst cars end up in Class C. This is totally arbitrary, so there is some haggling/bribing going on here, and it's all just part of the fun for a Lemons race. The Dodge Coronet started racing in Class C years ago, but then since they won their class one time, they have been bumped up into Class B ever since. 


STALL WARS!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Miata and Red Baron Fiero

On the outside: MAVRICK
Underneath: CORVETTE!
This car won the overall race!

Waffle House




Come on judge, a car with this much rust should be Class C!


Cars parade into Camden


Who You Gonna Call?

Where else would you race a car covered in, uh, blue jeans?

You have to admit that the Dodge is HELLASWEET!


Brian sprays some more FAMILY shirts

This tribute to Eddie Van Halen (guitar spoiler!) included a microphone shift knob!

Yes, that fill cap says EARL. SAE 5W- 20 EARL!

Our friends from Shellie's House of Speed with the mighty Dirtie Dirtsun (Datsun)!