Category Archives: Auto Technology

Five vehicles from Ron Pratte’s collection set to cross the block at Barrett-Jackson – Hemmings.com

By | | , , , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments


Tucker #1043. Photos courtesy Barrett-Jackson

The big Scottsdale auction week is finally here, now with six companies set to to drop the hammer on literally thousands of collector cars in a mere handful of days. In typical fashion, Barrett-Jackson was the first to usher cars through the stage lights, and it’s here where we’ve been alerted to the probable sale of this 1948 Tucker (chassis #1043) currently owned by none other than noted Barrett-Jackson attendee and enthusiastic car collector Ron Pratte.

Specific details about the Tucker are lacking, other than mention of its restoration, on Barrett-Jackson’s auction description. And we use the phrase “probable sale” simply because unlike most of the lots at B-J, the Tucker is listed as having an undisclosed reserve. That said, Mike Schutta of the Tucker Historical Foundation, provided more insight.

This car is very nice and most Tucker fans are keeping a close eye on this auction to see if it will set a new record price for a Tucker. The current record is $1,127,500 paid for Tucker #1045 about 18 months ago. This Tucker is in much better condition.

An interesting tidbit is that Tucker #1043 was used as part of an advertising scheme for a golf driving range in a western suburb of Chicago back in the ’50s. It was painted Tropical Rose and Snowshoe White to match the driving range buildings.

While surfing through the Barrett-Jackson website for more information on the Tucker, we stumbled upon four other Ron Pratte-owned vehicles that will also be offered at Westworld during the weekend, beginning with the car pictured above: the 1947 Bentley Mark VI with coachwork by Franay. The Bentley was last offered for sale by Barrett-Jackson – at no reserve – at their 2006 Palm Beach auction, where the hammer fell at $1,728,000 (including buyer’s premium). At that sale, details of the Bentley were as follows:

4.5 Liter Inline 6 with a four-speed. Coachbuilt by Franay. Magnificent restoration to Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance winning standards. This is the first major winning Concours d’Elegance car after WWII. Winning the first two major Concours in 1948, back-to-back, on the 12th of June at Enghien and the 17th of June at Bois de Boulogne. Mr. Gudol, the original owner and visionary of the Franay, was an industrialist whose sole purpose was to prove to the world that France was not only back from the rigors of war, but ready to reassert its dominance of haute couture and automotive design elegance. The awards the Franay has won over the decades is proof of his timeless vision. Mr. Gudol, in his wisdom, continued to enhance and advance the performance capacity and design elements of the Franay to push the envelope of an ever improving competitive edge in Concours d’Elegance competition. Mr. Gary Wales, who has shepherded the Franay through over 50 major awards and honors since 1990, has scaled back the number of public appearances so that the car is currently eligible for any and all Concours d’Elegance events.

Like the Tucker, the Franay Bentley touts an undisclosed reserve.

Then there’s Pratte’s 1957 De Soto Adventurer convertible, again with an undisclosed reserve. Oft-repeated generic De Soto history aside, specific details provided by Barrett-Jackson state:

Powered by the famous 345/345hp Hemi V-8 with dual quads, an automatic transmission, push-button shifter on dash, and independent torsion bar front suspension. With the division’s top Hemi V-8 under the hood, the Adventurer was an early muscle car with a set of the most aesthetically pleasing tail fins ever seen on virtually any car.

The only two cars listed by Pratte without a reserve are this pair of 2007 Shelby GT500s, which are to be sold as a pair. Details per the auction site are identical for both Shelbys:

In January 2006 Ron Pratte bought the Ford Motor Company’s newest car, a 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 VIN 00001 that benefited Carroll Shelby’s Children’s Foundation. In the past, Ford reserved the first fifty cars produced for Ford family members and senior executives or by other people on a selective list. Ford was so grateful to Ron for his generosity, they offered him the opportunity to buy two more, VIN 00002 and VIN 00005. While Ron is keeping VIN 00001, he is selling the orange Coupe and matching convertible as a pair. The successful bidder will get both cars for one price. These cars are special in other ways as well, as part of the purchase of VIN 00001 was a trip to the Flat Rock assembly plant where these legendary cars are manufactured. At the end of the tour of the assembly plant, Ron was presented with the keys to VIN 00001, VIN 00002 and VIN 00005 by Carroll Shelby and Carroll autographed all three cars for Ron. Along with his cars were three other 2007 Shelby GT 5000′s, for Carroll Shelby, Steve Davis and Gary Bennett. Ron then threw Ford a curve and said he didn’t want any of these cars shipped by rail to the owners, he wanted them trucked, enclosed, to his facility in Chandler, Arizona, bypassing the traditional dealer delivery and inspections. All of the cars, including Carroll’s personal GT 500, were delivered to the respective owner this way. This is a unique opportunity to own two pieces of Shelby and Ford history.

Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction started Sunday and will run through this weekend. For more information, visit Barrett-Jackson.com.

I personally love the De Soto.
 
Thanks for reading.
Tim

1975 VW Bug Restro 1

By | | , , , , ,
3 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve provided an update on the restoration of the 1975 fuel injected VW bug that I’m project managing for a former workmate.  So I thought I’d post of some details andsome pics.

The car is called a “Standard” – that doesn’t mean a manual shift (although it is a manual 3 speed), that means the most stripped down, no optioned, VW you could purchase.  I’m talking interior door panels with a thin covering of fake leather over (almost as thin) cardboard. Rubber floor coverings (I wouldn’t even call them mats!!!), a headliner, cloth seats were the total of trim in side.  There was no upholstery covering the rest of the interior – just painted metal.  It did have an AM radio – which was replaced it a JVC.

Not much to the door panel.

 

Headliner and sun visors are about the only other upholstery, the rest is painted red like you see here.

 

In fact importation of these striped down models was halted shortly after about 100 here shipped to the US in 1975. This is one of the 100 allowed in.  Pretty cool story.

This particular car belongs to June Yang and she purchased the car, brand new, while attending college in Iowa.  The car lived in Iowa it’s entire life (until now) and it show’s signs of every winter too.  The car had been stored for years and suffers from a severe case of rust and by all accounts shouldn’t able to sit up-right on four tires.

But like many folks, who love their V-dubs, June has a lot of memories tied to the rusted fenders, college, and other life milestones. So when she moved to Tucson, Az she thought of bring the Bug with her.  She was advised that the car was not safe to drive down the driveway much less the block and certainly not 1/2 way across country!!!  And that was an
understatement!!!!!

I met June when she came to work at the same establishment where I labored.  I’m not a closet car guy and a visit to my office at that time it was pretty clear.  Eventually she asked about having the car fixed and her desire to have it join her in Az was discussed and although I had no idea the exact condition.  I helped arrange transportation to Tucson.

The goal was to get it here to some place that could get the car running (it wouldn’t start and brakes hadn’t been serviced in some time). In run condition, the thought was we could then running it around (save a few $$) to the various places I had planned to do the work.  Unfortunately even running it wasn’t going to be safe enough to drive.  See here<<<<>>>>

The transport had one bump when the driver’s truck died en route.  The company immediately arranged for a local company to pick it up and finish the trip. I believe June called them every hour for updates.  Eventually, the car showed up at my favorite auto repair shop and Tim Sisk gave me a call to come look the car over.

These pictures don’t nearly capture the condition this car, frankly I was taken back as well and I grew up driving a 1930-ish Ford stripped down pick-up that served as an alternate tractor on my grandfather farm, in upstate New York – no floor boards and the like.  This VW was nearly eaten alive by oxidation.

 

Rust 1

Rust 2

 

And here's a little side view.

 

See the highlighted area? It's not attached. It should be. It holds the body to the frame!!

 

So are you saying WHAAAATTT????    Pretty much the standard response… but don’t fret….there’s a plan!!!

More coming up.

Thanks for reading.

Buy a Car get a Track Day!!!

By | | , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

So I’m read a few articles online and a few have touched on Fiat and all the issues they are apparently having with bring the brand back to the US.   There are some individual that say the 500 won’t be back and that they tried too
soon or that they didn’t have any dealerships lined up to handle the turn.  But I don’t really care much, I’ll never buy a Fiat, unless is an older classic, and then maybe….ummm…naaahh…not even then.

But I did notice that they are now offering a race ready version of the 500 Abarth.  That’s right 160 hps of rubber melting power, not too bad when you are starting out with 101 hp.  Drop a turbocharger and you’ll get 160.  They
tuned the suspension for the track and its light curb weight might make it a bit fun to drive..might.

160HP..enough said...HEY..who snickered???!!!

But the cool part is that included in the price is a ‘Track Day‘.  Supposedly you will get (I think car will be available in the spring) a day at one of the Richard Petty Driving Experience events.  What would be really cool is if you could return it right after that!!!

Anyway, I got to thinking if any other auto makers offer a track day.  We all know that the Big Three are making track ready cars’ some for track only and some for street and track.  Here is what I found out.

Fiat got the idea from Chrysler.  They are  offering a track day with the purchase of some of their SRT models (300 SRT8 and the Challenger SRT8).

GM via Cadillac offers their own at various tracks across the country.

Purchasing a Corvette ZR1 will get you a trip to Ron Fellows Performance Driving School or Bob Bundurant School of High Performance Driving, in Chandler, AZ.  (OK….even you can’t afford the ZR1, sell the spouse’s daily driver, rent out your man cave (gal cave) and go to the Bundurant school.) They have a lot of classes at all levels and some fair prices.  I did the Formula 1 event at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) and it was outstanding.    Here is a link:   http://www.bondurant.com/?gclid=CJD93Luc2K0CFQduhwodNyU1mQ

2012 ZR1 Vette

Not to be out done Ford as a similar deal with the 2012 Boss Mustang. This is at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.  I chatted with one of the Miller Motorsports reps at the 2011 Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in Scottsdale and he showed off some video of their facility and it is extremely nice. I’d make that trip.

2012 Boss 302

If you got to have an “import” (and the Fiat ain’t doing it for ya) Mercedes-Benz will be offering a track day at course across the US if you purchase their top of the line models. (Although I didn’t find mention of which ones.)

So if you are going to spring for a new car, you’ve got some options if a Track Day  is part of the deal. Of course the Fiat will run you about $22K and the ZR1 about $108K, tough choice?

Thanks for reading

Tim

Ford Releases First 2013 California Edition Mustang Pictures

By | | , , , , ,
1 Comment
 

I really like this car.  These use to carry the moniker – California Special.

Posted by on January 16, 2012

Ford released three pictures of the 2013 California Edition Mustang, which has traditionally been an appearance only package. They have not released an exact part list yet but the pictures speak wonders for what you will get, including the popular glass roof.

You can check out more 2013 Mustang pictures over in our photo gallery.

Another First @ Barrett-Jackson Auction – 427 Corvette

By | | , , , , , , , , , , ,
5 Comments

C6 performance convertible and its 60th Anniversary Package will be unveiled at Barrett-Jackson, where the first public version will be auctioned off for charity.

Some features:

The 427-cubic-inch (7.0L) LS7 engine  is from the Corvette Z06. Rated at 505 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque.  The 427 Convertible is only available with a six-speed manual transmission.

The LS7 was co-developed with the Corvette Le Mans-winning GT1 engine with:

– lightweight titanium connecting rods and intake valves

–  racing-inspired high-flow cylinder heads

– a dry-sump oiling system

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels

– the same driveline and rear axle system as the Corvette Z06

–  Magnetic Selective Ride Control

– 19-inch front and 20-inch rear lightweight machine-face Cup wheels

–  ZR1-style Michelin PS2 tires

–  PDE performance packages – come standard and include unique gray-painted pockets.

–  a rear-mounted battery

The 427 Convertible Body has:

–  Carbon fiber raised hood (introduced on the 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition)

–  Carbon fiber Z06-style fenders

 –  Carbon fiber floor panels

 –  The “CFZ” carbon fiber front splitter and rocker panels

Weight:

427 Convertible’s curb weight to 3,355 pounds.

Other specs:

 – 505-horsepower LS7 engine, it gives the 427 Convertible a power-to-weight ratio of 6.64 – or one horsepower for every 6.64 pounds of vehicle mass

– one of the fastest convertibles in the world, delivering estimated 0-60 performance of 3.8 seconds, quarter-mile performance of 11.8 seconds, lateral acceleration of 1.04 g and a top speed of more than 190mph.

DO YOU WANT ONE NOW??? 

HOW ABOUT NOW???

2013 Corvette-427-Convertible-Collector-Edition-1

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Happy Birthday Mr. Shelby

By | | , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Thanks for all your ingenuity. Enjoy your day.

Mr. Shelby

His legacy

Thanks for reading.

Tim

1917 Crow Lakester Custom headed to Barrett-Jackson

By | | , , , , , ,
2 Comments

I’m pretty jazzed to see this car in person.

From Autoblog:

There will be hundreds of collector cars going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson this month, but few will be as interesting as this custom creation nicknamed the “Lockheed Lakester”. The car, registered for road use as a 1917 Crow Lakester Custom, was hand-built from the wing tip tank of a Lockheed Super Constellation and uses a mix of automotive and aircraft parts. Wedged inside the tank is a 1.8-liter turbocharged Hemi four-cylinder mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the two-person cockpit features gunner seats and an air-speed indicator in lieu of a speedometer.
 

We’ll be bringing you live coverage of Barrett-Jackson later this month, so be sure to check back for more photos of the “Lockheed Lakester” and more in just a few weeks.

 
The Crow Lakester

            

 

I’ll grap some pic and video.

 

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

The rebuilding of a Ford 3 speed manual Transmission

By | | , , , , , , , , , ,
3 Comments

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m going to rebuild the old 3 speed transmission that I took out of my ’70 Mustang coup and I’ll do it in stages (average guy, average time to spend on a project…especially one that isn’t going to benefit my cars).  The rebuild kit is on it’s way.

This the first time I’ve attempted this, so who knows how it’s going to go.

First I’m going to give myself a transmission anatomy lesson, which I’ll share here.

In the mean time here are couple of videos.

[vodpod id=Video.15939015&w=425&h=350&fv=file%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvid299.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fmm296%252Ftimsweet2200%252FVIDEO0086.mp4]

[vodpod id=Video.15939022&w=425&h=350&fv=file%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvid299.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fmm296%252Ftimsweet2200%252FVIDEO0085.mp4]

[vodpod id=Video.15751050&w=425&h=350&fv=file%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvid299.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fmm296%252Ftimsweet2200%252FMVI_9345.mp4]

Exciting..HuH?

Thanks for reading

Tim

Shelby Ford Mustang “Eleanor” From Gone In 60 Seconds For Sale!

By | | , , , , , , , , ,
5 Comments
Perhaps one of the worse movies ever.  Horrible acting and on top that…..” five were totaled out during filming…” (see bel0w)
 
Posted by on January 9, 2012 – 1 Comment

mustang1

Even people who aren’t Mustang enthusiasts know the name Eleanor as it became a household name after the release of the remake Gone in 60 Seconds featuring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. As I’m sure you remember, Nicholas Cage, or Randall “Memphis” Raines, is racing against time with his old crew to boost 50 cars in order to save his brother’s life. The last car on the list is the elusive Eleanor, a Shelby Mustang given a huge personality and is as big of a star, if not bigger, than the big household name actors in the movie. How can you forget that crazy police chase through Long Beach?

You could explain the car you were referring to as, Eleanor, and everybody knows exactly you’re talking about. The Mustang was quite a hit in the remake with it playing the role of the ’73 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in the original film that was released in 1974.

Steve Stanford, famed Hot Rod illustrator, was actually called to draw the concept for Eleanor which was turned into the physical Eleanor shown in the movie.

Chris Routledge Managing Director at COYS said, “The Eleanor Mustang is one of only two original cars in private hands. We are offering an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire one of the cars that actually appeared in the movie and which will undoubtedly increase in value in years to come.”

The “star” of the film, Eleanor, will be hitting the auction block on January 14th and will likely fetch more than £100,000. It is number seven of twelve that were used and this one was apparently used for some of the driving scenes. Can you believe that five were totaled out during filming? OUCH!

The 289-cubic-inch V8 was replaced by a 351 Ford Racing engine with a 700cfm Holley 4-barrel carb and a ‘big’ camshaft. It features a modified suspension plus some Wilwood brakes. The side exhaust was not functional during filming, but is now perfectly functional. It also features wide rear arches, a huge bonnet, deep front valance, side skirts, integrated boot spoiler, new grille, PIAA lights and 17-inch Schmidt alloy wheels.

Leilani Münter “Life is short. Race hard. Live green.”

By | | , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

You are going to like this story.  I’m as green as a guy that believes dead dinosaurs  are for burning (fossil fuel…get it?), but I do recycle including oil.  Here is something I can get behind as well.

Leilani Münter “Life is short. Race hard. Live green.”.

Race Car Driver and Eco-Activist Leilani Münter is Getting in Gear to Take “The Cove” Movie to the High Banks of Daytona
Activist Raising Funds For A “The Cove” Themed Race Car to Help Raise More Mainstream Awareness of Dolphin Captivity and Slaughter

Bookmark and Share

Daytona Beach, Florida (Jan 3, 2012) Leilani Münter, race car driver and passionate environmentalist, is bearing down on her goal of driving a “The Cove” themed race car at Daytona International Speedway, arguably one of the most famous race car tracks in the world. The ARCA race at Daytona is February 18 and will air live on SPEED television, which is available in 79 million homes. This will be the first ever ocean awareness themed race car to race the high banks of Daytona. Münter is seeking corporate and philanthropic donations for the remaining funds required, which is $30,000. Leilani has already raised $15,000 in donations prior to this story. To make a tax deductible donation, please visit opsociety.org/securedonation.htm and be sure to write “For Daytona” in the notes.The Academy-Award winning documentary “The Cove” exposes the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins in a small cove in Taiji, Japan. It also exposed the undeniable connection between dolphin parks and dolphin captivity, and the largest slaughter of dolphins in the world.

“The Cove forever changed me. I know race fans will respond to it, they just need to know about it,” said Münter. “The race falls on my birthday, and my greatest wish is to end the slaughter and the ongoing abuse of these beautiful ocean creatures.”

This campaign in designed to educate and engage 75 million race fans in the United States. Director of “The Cove” Louie Psihoyos has committed to giving away 1000 DVDs of “The Cove” at the race, and in addition, will be in attendance for the race alongside dolphin activist Ric O’Barry autographing DVDs of the film. People donating $50 or more will be entered into a raffle to win two pit passes for the Daytona race and two other lucky fans will win two garage passes each. Münter will be wearing a helmet painted for “The Cove” during the race, which will then be auctioned off with all the proceeds going to Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project to continue the fight on the ground in Taiji. To donate to “The Cove’s” awareness campaign at Daytona, click here and be sure to write “For Daytona” in the notes.

Münter is a biology graduate turned race car driver and environmental activist who adopts an acre of rainforest for every race she runs and promotes only environmentally conscious companies on her race car. Since seeing the film, she has traveled three times to Taiji, Japan to document the slaughter first hand and has organized several screenings of the film. Most recently, she spearheaded a campaign to turn the lights of the Empire State Building red to raise awareness.

At Münter’s last race at Daytona, she was driving the first ever 100% eco sponsored race car, with six environmental companies coming together to get her car on the track. The race was watched by 2.4 million people live on SPEED television and 100,000 people were watching the race trackside. The media exposure she received included the front page of the sports section of the New York Times.

“The Cove” received 47 awards including the Audience Awards at Sundance Film Festival and the Oscar for best documentary film. New York Magazine described it as “Passionate, exciting, and frightening” and Cinematical called it “A stunning, shocking story. The film itself is an act of heroism.” Over 2.3 million people from 151 different countries have signed a petition asking for the slaughter to end. The grassroots movement to spread awareness has spread to social media, with over 500,000 fans of the movie on Facebook.

For more information on the cause visit thecovemovie.com, opsociety.org and dolphinproject.org and for more information on Leilani, visit carbonfreegirl.com.