Hi,
Now this is where we should talk Lamborgini, Ferrari, Porsche and Lotus! From muscle cars to antiques, from collectables to luxury, from big trucks to fast cars, this is where it's at and don't forget that Indian, Harley, KTM or Bultaco, or those race cars from our childhood making laps at Daytona!
GR
GR,
You just rattle off an exquisite list of machinery there…Obviously your a man of exceptional taste :beer
I’ve been in the car business since 1990 in one way or another. Here’s some of my all time favorites and WHY:
PORSCHE: Speed, reliability, engineering, and a race history second to none!
FERRARI: Beauty, exclusivity, speed, sculpture on wheels!
SHELBY: Do I need to go into detail…A failed American CHICKEN FARMER brings the fight to ENZO’S back yard and KICKS HIS ASS…Not ONCE (with the Daytona Coupes) but MULTIPLE YEARS with the Ford GT40!!!
MERCEDES: Particularly the 1992-1995 500E models…Mercedes and PORSCHE collaborated on a FACTORY SLEEPER!!! They took the 300E and TASTEFULLY added fender fares, bigger brakes, up graded suspension components, and STUFFED in the V-8 from the 500SL creating a MONSTER with 350HP and 400Ft/lbs of torque. It took the factory WEEKS to build a single car and they cost $90,000 in 1992. This PANZER on wheels will cruise at 160mph for HOURS on end and was made at a time when Mercedes built cars to a STANDARD not a PRICE POINT. This one’s on Jakes FUTURE CLASSIC/GREAT INVESTMENT NOW list.
JAGUAR: C TYPE…Won everything it could win at LeMans in the 1950’s. Breathtakingly beautiful. Check out this video on Youtube…Type in Jaguar C-type NIGHT PATROL and just LISTEN!!!
LOTUS: One of my all time favorite cars is the 1983-1986 Lotus Esprit Turbo. TOTAL pain in the ASS to own one, British NIGHTMARE as far as reliability goes…But my GOD what a beautiful car!!! Light weight, great handling, and when’s the last time you SAW ONE on the road???
As for Vintage Motorcycles: Take a peak at a OSSA MAR Replica from the early 1970’s…Absolutely one of the most beautiful trials bikes ever built. Delicate and at the same time very bold looking bike. Mick Andrews rode one to the World Observed Trials Championship in the early '70’s.
And finally: What’s on MY personal “waiting to buy list” (besides every air cooled 911 I can find)???
A 2006 Ford GT…A factory built tribute to the legendary GT40 that has power windows, A/C, a 5.4 liter super charged V-8 that EASILY makes 700 horses with just MILD tweaking…AND…It’s traffic stopping BEAUTIFUL…It’s also $150,000…Which in my mind I just can’t justify spending on a car…But when they hit $200K I’ll be kicking myself in the ass for not grabbing one NOW!!!
Love the Ford GT40 myself but I feel just like fdjake, I just can’t justify the $150K for a toy. For an affordable exotic, it’s hard to beat a Lotus Europa. Another somewhat affordable exotic is the DeTomaso Pantera; beautiful Italian styling powered by a rock solid Ford V8. For motorcycles, I favor the British classic Norton Commando and Triumph Bonneville even though I own an “antique” Japanese bike, 1985 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim that I drive all summer, every summer.
I’ve owned a few British sports cars, Jag XKE, MG Midget, and Triumph TR4-A, and I can say from experience that they ALL were problems waiting to happen. I took to carrying a toolbox with me everywhere I went. I rebuilt my neighbor’s Jag XKE V12 carbs one time, and in talking with him I noted the car had barley 30K miles on it. He responded that the engine only had half that. I looked at him a little strangely and he explained that he could usually get where he was going but had to have it towed home. I remember going to the New Hope PA car show for several years and al least half the Jag XKEs were overheating as they entered he parade grounds.
I love the new jaguars. Talk about a beautiful car. One of my friends owns a small auto dealership here in Dallas and he has figured out the secret. He owns a Honda Accord outright. What he does is he goes to auction and buys a car such as a Porsche 911 at way below market value and immediately lists it on all of the auto sites on the web. While it is for sale he drives it around like it is his. He paid cash for it so he has no car payment during this time. Once it sells he goes back to driving the Honda for a few days until he goes back to the auction and buys another exotic car that he drives until it sells. He is always showing up to stuff in cool cars. He does not get greedy. If he has to drive the Honda for a few days or weeks he does not care he is not going to jump on something that is not a good deal.
Because of the spread he makes on the cars it is like he is getting paid to drives these beautiful cars. He is also a mortgage banker like myself so once again it goes back to having multiple streams of income coming in. He also will take buyers to auction and let them pick out a car and they can just give him the cash and he pays for it right there or he buys it and then they get financing to buy it from him. He charges $500 a pop to do that.
Don’t forget classic VW’s!! Especially for investment. A vw bus just sold for 198000!! Crazy!!!
http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-saturday-barrett-jackson-blog1/
I love the exotic cars too, but has anyone seen the new Ford Raptor?
I love old trucks it stirs up something inside me to think about the part those vehicles had in building the country. I look at an older truck and wish it could share stories about about every scrape, dent, or ding.
I’ve driven this road a few times, and they are freakin nuts to drive this at that speed! Only in a GT3
That looks like a fun ride in a fun car!
Here’s something interesting for you Porsche people:
http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Singer+Vehicle+Design+rebuilt+Porsches/G2472
So I might pull the trigger on an extremely eye-catching unique vehicle in the next few days: 1964 econoline truck in great condition. It is the heavy duty version so it would be useful. It is a true eye-catcher so if I ever decided to advertise something it would get the attention I would want. It will be the featured car from the 60’s at the auto show this year as well (I was told).
I have an investment I squirreled away a few years ago that has done very well. He is willing to accept it in trade. I would drive this in nice weather only and drive my other paid for winter car the rest of the time.
Through and through I am huge car guy. I’ve never seen one of these before and that is what piqued my interest.
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/2568615798.html
Thoughts?
I like the fastback mustang that steve mcqueen drove in bullet
My father has that exact car only it’s a 67’ instead of the 68’.
I love fastback mustangs! They just have a bad ass look about them.
I love having an Audi and a suzuki swift then customize it like a race car. As simple as that actually and that would make me feel better.
I currently on the hunt for a 1975 - 1983 vintage motorcycle with a reasonably small displacement (250cc - 350cc) for the basis of a cafe racer project. I currently have a 85 Yamaha Maxim and my son has gotten the bug for riding and likes the vintage cafe racer looks. My plan is a joint summer 2012 project with my son to do a serious rebuild of the engine, trans, carbs, suspension, and brakes while trying to avoid any serious chopping of the frame, and then add the cafe astetics.
Look at Yamaha SX650’s from the early 80’s…They have bullet proof engines and the look of a classic Triumph twin.
Do a Google Images Search for Yamaha SX650 Cafe Racer or even cooler (IMHO) are the SX650 Street trackers.
Incredible amounts of parts and accessories for these old Yamaha’s from rims, to seats, to side covers, headlights, frames, you name it THEY MAKE IT!!!
Have fun!!!
fdjake,
I agree the XS650s are a great beginnings for a cafe conversion, and there are plenty of them to chose from. But, I think the 650 is too big for a beginning rider. I’d like to keep it to a 250cc - 350cc so my son doesn’t kill himself so quickly. Unfortunately, that kind of limits my search to the CB/CL Hondas but I’m thinking the XS400 might be OK, especially if I tune down the performance a touch.
I had an old Honda Ascot 500 for a couple years. It was about as quick as the name sounds tough…
I always preferred to have a decent amount of power just for getting into traffic and things like that. I couldn’t stand to have a bike that struggles just to go 65.
Good luck with your project. Hope you find what you want.
Picked up a 1980 XS400 this week for $400. I did a little research on the XS400 before buying and it seems they were only rated for 27 HP, less than the 33-36 HP of the CB350/360 so I grabbed one in reasonably decent shape at a decent price. We’re looking to build this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYGpiBRZNrY.
I’ve got pretty good mechanical, electrical, body, painting, and welding skills but am piss poor in the original design department. I can mimic this build with good results expected.
would like to check out the compact engineering on these…some day:
http://www.miniusa.com/#/MINIUSA.COM-m
…would be perfect for one of my garages…
-Mike