Who else is into cars? What do you drive?

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‘65 mustang vintage racer. Pulled from a North Carolina junkyard in 1996:

restored in my garage 1996-2000. Raced by me from 2000-2010

Converted from pure race to street legal in 2021

transferred to my middle son in Austin TX this year - keeping it in the family.
 
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‘65 mustang vintage racer. Pulled from a North Carolina junkyard in 1996:

restored in my garage 1996-2000. Raced by me from 2000-2010

Converted from pure race to street legal in 2021

transferred to my middle son in Austin TX this year - keeping it in the family.
Impressive history. Did you do the work yourself?
 
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I think that it would be great fun to ride around in that '28 Austin ghce.
 
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I think that it would be great fun to ride around in that '28 Austin ghce.

These are a great ride, renowned for the smoothness of the 6 cylinder engine and comfort of the ride.
They are firmly planted on the road unlike many other cars of the era which tend to be bumpy or twitchy, the only downfall like many cars of the era is the braking which is in this case cable or others cars of the era being rod or a cable mixture.
There are possible upgrades to the braking which on my other 1928 16/6 ( I've got 2 😀 ) I might pursue.
 
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Yeah had a vintage racing car based on a 1920’s Austin 7, with ye olde mechanical brakes……you had to send the brakes an engraved invitation though the post to ask them nicely to work……you then had to wait for the R.S.V.P. To arrive before any braking was done!
Once the brakes came to the party ( fashionably late of course ) you quickly realised that they weren’t worth the effort as they only marginally restrained your progress! At the best of times!
 
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Driving a 20 year old truck with 164k miles. Bought used and burns a quart of oil every 3+ months. No oil leaks and no funky exhaust. It's reliable. My wife drives a Mazda.

Added better pic. Notice bent antenna, needed to park in garage.

Edited:
 
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Impressive history. Did you do the work yourself?
Thanks. Keeping it with my three sons who all race should allow that history to keep going forward.
I did most of the work myself. It was the only way I could afford to do it-with a lot of scratching and growling. I subbed out certain tasks: the rewelding of the cage, media blasting and final color painting. And I built the 289 under the supervision of a pro builder. Otherwise it was a pretty steady four year push to completion done in my garage
 
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Outside of Bakersfield Ca, just before Christmas.
Great image.
Hope you had some Buck Owens playing while there.
 
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I was just reading this earlier today, the 2023 JDPower reliability survey rating Alfa Romeo at #3 above Toyota. Not an expected outcome and probably not telling the full story but Alfa already had among the best owner satisfaction even when their cars were falling apart because people love them.

https://www.carscoops.com/2023/06/i...-and-alfa-romeo-among-top-brands-in-2023/amp/

I’ve often wondered what a dark horse they could be if they ever became known for making a wide range of reliable cars, especially in an industry of sameness and a lack of personality.
 
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One of these (but I’m afraid it was too much trouble to photograph my actual car so I got this online) 😟


I also have an Alltrack! Mine’s got a 6 speed manual transmission.
And a now parked for the winter 1998 SL500 that I purchased earlier this year.
 
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I also have an Alltrack! Mine’s got a 6 speed manual transmission.
And a now parked for the winter 1998 SL500 that I purchased earlier this year.

It’s our first automatic. I can’t imagine going back to a manual gear …
 
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Great image.
Hope you had some Buck Owens playing while there.
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park was very nice even with the banjos I thought I heard.
 
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I also have an Alltrack! Mine’s got a 6 speed manual transmission.
And a now parked for the winter 1998 SL500 that I purchased earlier this year.

Congratulations on the SL500! The R129 series was "peak Benz", in my eyes. So much technical innovation in such a compelling package. And the SL500 is just an awesome machine.
 
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Is this after you come out of the boot, go up the short hill and have the 180 deg left turn (where NASCRAP cut-off connects back in)?

I haven't been to the Glen in 10 or so years, so my memory has a few gaps.
 
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I was just reading this earlier today, the 2023 JDPower reliability survey rating Alfa Romeo at #3 above Toyota. Not an expected outcome and probably not telling the full story but Alfa already had among the best owner satisfaction even when their cars were falling apart because people love them.

https://www.carscoops.com/2023/06/i...-and-alfa-romeo-among-top-brands-in-2023/amp/

I’ve often wondered what a dark horse they could be if they ever became known for making a wide range of reliable cars, especially in an industry of sameness and a lack of personality.

It's really interesting and reminds me a lot of the stories told about Jaguar ownership, i.e., "this is a car you buy with your heart, and not with your head", and of course, "you buy this one for the way it makes you feel". I imagine being an Alfisti is quite close to this experience.

With Jaguar, part of their downfall was that they went from a manufacturer with a small range of cars to a larger range of cars. Between 1968 and 1999, they basically only made luxury sedans (the XJ in all versions) and grand tourers (first the XJ-S / XJS, then the XK8). After that, they diluted the brand with new cars they basically hadn't been building before, except maybe in the 1960s, when their range was at it's most muddled and chaotic. ... Okay, the point I'm trying to get to is that maybe it's better to only have a few models that play to the strength of a brand, in this case, Alfa Romeo. A wide range may not be the best idea, I think ;-)
 
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I also have an Alltrack! Mine’s got a 6 speed manual transmission.
And a now parked for the winter 1998 SL500 that I purchased earlier this year.
Also has Atlas wheels, nice!
There is a fantastic Alltrack on BAT right now that I'd very much be wanting to bid on if I was currently in the market.
 
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It's really interesting and reminds me a lot of the stories told about Jaguar ownership, i.e., "this is a car you buy with your heart, and not with your head", and of course, "you buy this one for the way it makes you feel". I imagine being an Alfisti is quite close to this experience.

With Jaguar, part of their downfall was that they went from a manufacturer with a small range of cars to a larger range of cars. Between 1968 and 1999, they basically only made luxury sedans (the XJ in all versions) and grand tourers (first the XJ-S / XJS, then the XK8). After that, they diluted the brand with new cars they basically hadn't been building before, except maybe in the 1960s, when their range was at it's most muddled and chaotic. ... Okay, the point I'm trying to get to is that maybe it's better to only have a few models that play to the strength of a brand, in this case, Alfa Romeo. A wide range may not be the best idea, I think ;-)

Yes, but consumers expect choices.

Choices...

We

must

have

choices!!!