Found in my twitterstream this morning. One of the better uses for antique computer items I’ve seen to date. Amusing and entertaining from a guy named James in Ontario, Canada.
Month: April 2009
Car Photo of the Day: Tiptoe through the Tulips
I saw this car at the MG Car Club’s Tulip Rallye last year. I really like the car, as it faithfully captures a lot of the era’s zeitgeist. Do you know what car this is?
The flip-side of Spring: Allergies
About 4 pm today I ceased being able to breathe.
At least without effort. It seems the plant life around here has decided to try to kill me. Wave upon wave of demented avenging spore, all heading straight for my airways. It is as if every tree in the pacific northwest wants me dead.
My eyes are watering, my breathing labored. This could be it. Does Claritin come in 55 gallon drums?
Nick redeems himself with a victory.
Several years ago Nick begged a ride in the navigator seat, usually reserved by his older brother Chris. Chris has always been an excellent navigator for me, even in tough TSD events. Nick however, didn’t do so well. Exiting a parking lot after a rest stop, he instructed me to turn right, rather than left, and we ended up about 12 miles off course and showed up late for the awards lunch! Not to mention dead last. That experience soured him off rallying for a while.
Yesterday was the Seattle Jaguar Club’s “Spring Thing” rally, which they have apparently been staging for a long long time. Chris is off at College, and Nick vacillated a bit about taking on the task. Finally Friday night he decided to go for it after I twisted his arm a bit.
Well, we somehow managed to pull off a first place finish, all thanks to Nick. It was not a “real” TSD rally, just sort of a “gimmick” rally where you follow a route, and answer questions based on observing things. This one required a bit of social engineering as it asked some oddball questions which required interactions with strangers. Nick is such a self-confident kid that he’s up for those things. We drew the first car out from the Issaquah Krispy Kreme donut shop and managed to get the most answers right and match the pace time closest enough to pull off a win. A dozen cars participated; six E-types, two XK 120s, and four XJSs. The two really tough questions involved wandering into an ice cream shop and asking what flavor was their best. (‘Bunny tracks’) and the other involved figuring out how many wineries were located in a sprawling industrial estate in Woodinville, all while a huge Spring Release tasting event/open house was going on. The place was packed with tour busses and people, so I waited outside while Nick dove in, found an information booth and got the answers he needed.
The finish was in Redmond, at a place called the Coho Cafe. Nick & I split some steamed clams and shrimp & chips. Tasty! Later we found out we had won, narrowly missing the dreaded second place, which obligates you to organizing the following year’s event (something I think I’m up for anyway… though I’d make it a TSD!) The trophy is a plaque that has been in the club since 1972 (when I was 9 years old!) and when appended with all the names of winners is almost as big as Nick:
Car Photo of the Day: Weekend Stumper
First of all, it is sort of NOT a car, but sort of is. Second, MarkC & ShaunR are ineligible, but perhaps they can fill in for me today in saying if guesses are right or wrong. Do you know what this is?
I will be gone most of the day at the Seattle Jaguar Club’s “Spring Thing” rally (which is really not a rally, more on that later) with my son Nick. At first he could not go, now he can so we’ll be off in a few minutes for the long haul down to Issaquah for the start. I’m going to poll the group and see if any of them are interested in a real TSD rally. I expect underwhelming response. I then hope to stop in Kirkland and check out a 66 E-type on behalf of an interested buyer in Oregon. “I may be some time.”
Corvairdad & J. Ro got it. This is a White Seventeen Passenger Touring Sedan. They were commissioned and built by White for the National Parks (Glacier, Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone, etc.) in the 1930s and largely retired by the late 1950s. They soldiered on in Glacier park though (likely due to the short season and route, and the Going to the Sun road’s inability to use anything larger!) until the late 90s when an axle fell off one (no injuries!) and the fleet was restored by Ford.
Their most unique feature is that the entire right side is made up of doors. They also have canvas tops that can be rolled back for better viewing on sunny days. In a small way, they are national treasures.
Car Photo of the Day: Now THAT’S an engine!
Like the 300sl shown yesterday, this pre-war Bentley was seen in the paddock at the NW Historics. It is hard to describe in words how phenomenally HUGE this lump is in real life. Though I suspect that my little 1.9L TDI engine is more powerful, this engine has a pure presence that can’t be matched by anything built today. This thing is magisterial. It is as English as Winston Churchill and probably smokes the same brand of cigar.
While the Bentley’s of that era may have been the pinnacle of the “high performance truck” concept (just joking!) I have a truck-ish CPotD “weekend stumper” lined up for you. Stay tuned.
Car Photo of the Day: Casual Encounters
I shot this photo as I walked though the paddock at the Pacific Northwest Historics, which happen every year over the 4th of July weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA. The “NW Historics” are a great place to get up close and personal with old cars, both race and stock. Spectators are free to walk the paddock, which is wonderful… in some ways better than the action on the track! The drivers/owners are usually happy to chat about their cars. You also see some amazing stuff. This 300sl for example. It wasn’t there for the racing, it was just casually parked here between a pickup truck and a multi-million dollar Ferrari.
If you are in the region in early July, I strongly suggest a visit. Unlike similar events in other cities, the NW Historics are very lightly attended and access, parking, etc is rarely a hassle. Admission is cheap and the weather here that time of year is usually quite mild.
The cars are… amazing.