Eddie Paul, maker and fabricator of Hollywood movie vehicles

 above image from http://www.epindustries.com

The photos here show the Cars 1 tour vehicles, and the blue bikes are from "Leathernecks" a George Clooney movie, and Eddie's company has also made the vehicles for Fast and Furious 1 and 2, a van in ET, and the vehicles in XXX, plus the Mercury for Stallone in Cobra http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2007/01/from-stallone-movie-cobra-my-love-for.html

below images thanks to Neil Larson

proof that learning never stops

1970 and 71 Cyclone Spoiler, why did it have the peepsight grill hole in the center?

Larry Shinoda designed it, and was keeping drag racers in mind, so he put the hole there for faster, easier camshaft swaps.

Info source, Muscle Car Review, May 2012 issue, page 35

Simple fix for a severe and self perpetuating catastrophic chain reaction in 67-69 Camaros with V-8 engines

When the driver side mount broke, engine torque made the block lift up, and pull open the accelerator linkage.
This caused an increase in pull on the throttle to the carb, causing increased revs and more torque twist to the engine, and with more upward movement causing more runaway acceleration in a vicious circle.

This runaway sequence would only stop when the engine hit the underside of the hood.

But that wasn't all, the twisting upward engine pulled the power brake booster vacuum hose loose, making it harder to stop the car, and if that wasn't bad enough... the twist also caused a problem with the automatic transmission, which would shift to the right, with a result of the car no longer having a park position and being able to start in reverse.

New motor mounts cost $50 a unit, and so GM fixed the issue with a $1.00 bracket and cable to hold the engine down if/when the motor mount broke.

Consider that the problem caused a 6.68 million car recall, then multiply the number of cars by the cost of the repair part, and you can see why Gm went for the cheap simple fix.

I learned all this from the May 2012 issue of MuscleCar Review, page 24

Hawaii Clipper 1930's photos from WJ, he has so many cool images... I'm trying to convince him to start a Tumblr or Blog

 Believe it or not.. I can tell you who that is and what she's doing. The photographer who got this shot was at a historic event, the commissioning of the Hawaii Clipper, and that is Patricia Kennedy pouring coconut water over the bow (awesomely appropriate) it was May 1936, and in Pearl Harbor.  http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation/aviation-photos/1930-1939/pan-american-airways/hawaii-clipper/

 The plane took 10 hours to get from California to Hawaii

from the early 30s I guess, when passenger travel to Hawaii was only by slow ships, sailing ships, slow cruise liners, or these awesome Pan Am clippers

Info graphic on what car maker sells best in different countries

found on http://thekevinchen.wordpress.com/

Daimler and Daimler AG, and Daimler Benz, etc etc etc... I've been meaning to learn what is the history

History

Daimler AG is a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and engines, which dates back more than a century.
An Agreement of Mutual Interest was signed on May 1, 1924 between Benz & Cie (founded 1883) of Karl Benz and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (founded 1890) of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.
(So that explains Maybach's and Benz's connection!)

Both companies continued to manufacture their separate automobile and internal combustion engine brands until, on June 28, 1926, when Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft AG formally merged—becoming Daimler-Benz AG—and agreed that thereafter, all of the factories would use the brand name of Mercedes-Benz on their automobiles. (below I get to where the name Mercedes suddenly pops into this corporate identity, as no one in the company, or company mergers was ever named Mercedes)

In 2007, when the Chrysler group was sold off to Cerberus Capital Management, the name of the parent company was changed to simply "Daimler AG".

Timeline of Daimler AG

Benz & Company, 1883–1926
Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft AG, 1890–1926
Daimler-Benz AG, 1926–1998
DaimlerChrysler AG, 1998–2007
Daimler AG, 2007–present

Mercedes

Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG). DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler.

 Although the name was not lodged as a trade name until 23 June 1902 and had to wait until 26 September to be registered legally, the brand name eventually would be applied to an automobile model built by Wilhelm Maybach to specifications by Emil Jellinek that was delivered to him on 22 December 1900.

 By Jellinek's contract, the new model contained a newly designed engine designated "Daimler-Mercedes". This engine name is the first instance of the use of the name, Mercedes, by DMG. The automobile model would later be called, the Mercedes 35 hp.

An Austrian diplomat based in Nice, a business man running a profitable business selling cars, and a racing enthusiast, Jellinek had been racing DMG automobiles under the pseudonym Mercédès, after his daughter, Mercédès Jellinek.

Later he contracted with DMG for a small series of dedicated sports cars containing an engine that officially bore his daughter's name. He raced them very successfully, gaining recognition that increased interest in customers and Jellinek was placed on the board of directors of DMG. This model was a significant advancement in the history of automobiles.

The model was released for sale in 1901 under the name of Mercedes 35 hp and, because of the success of the model, DMG began to apply the name as a series to other models such as, Mercedes 8/11 hp and Mercedes 40 hp Simplex. Jellinek seems to have become obsessed with the name and even had his name changed to Jellinek-Mercedes.

Maybach quit DMG in 1907 and started up his own business.

The name, Mercedes, later was used to represent DMG in another new brand name, Mercedes-Benz, created in 1926 when it was applied to all vehicles produced by the new company, Daimler-Benz AG, resulting from the merger of Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in that year.

The last name of Karl Benz was retained in the new brand, but since DMG had sold exclusive licences to foreign companies(maybe this is the British car company Daimler), they couldn't use the name of their founder, Daimler, legally in all countries and decided to use the name of their most popular model. Since Jellinek was a member of the board of directors by the time of the merger, the name was promoted for continued good luck to the new company.

all above info from http://en.wikipedia.org

Daimler the British car company

Gottlieb Daimler studied machine construction at the Stuttgart Polytechnic from 1857-59 and during that time he was introduced to the highly developed level of machine construction in Britain. In 1885 Daimler, together with Maybach began work on the first engines that were designed specifically for use in motor vehicles.

They abandoned the existing conventional, open, horizontal type design with an external flywheel, and arranged the engine to stand upright with an internal flywheel, and a casting that was sealed against oil and dust. The engine's output was 0.37KW (0.5bhp), had a cubic capacity of 164cc, weighed 60kg and produced 700 revolutions per minute.

After that, Daimler and Maybach turned to the problem of liquid fuel. Finally, they found the best combustible mixture was 91% air and 9% petrol with a specific gravity of 0.68 g/cubic cm. This engine was equipped with a carburettor and was built into a wooden frame.

 Daimler gave this engine a higher output, up to 0.76KW (1bhp) and built it into a coach body. He made his first trip around Bad Cannstatt in this vehicle in September 1886. Later, this engine proved to be excellent for driving motorboats. In 1887, Daimler purchased a small factory so he could produce and sell the engine. This two-cylinder V-engine had an output of 1.5KW (2hp) Gottlieb Daimler died on 6th March 1900.

Fredrick Simms an Englishman born in Hamburg, was on the lookout for a power source to use in his 'Aerial Flights' (overhead railcar) and befriended Daimler, who at that time was using his new engine in motorboats. Simms saw the potential for marketing this engine in Britain. He took up the patent rights and formed a company in 1893 called 'The Daimler Motor Syndicate Ltd'.

He then started to build the boats on Eel Pie Island for use on the Thames, using the imported Daimler engines to power them. In 1895, a businessman named Harry J. Lawson saw an opportunity to build cars using the Daimler engine and duly bought up all the patents he could, including the rights to the Daimler engine from Simms.

In 1898, the Great Horsless Carriage Company, which had constructed the bodies for the Daimler chassis had gone into liquidation and from it, a new company, called the Motor Manufacturing Company was formed. Having land leased from Daimler, they built a forge and went into production using their own engines and chassis. Also, in the same year, the original Daimler motor syndicate, which had become the British Motor Syndicate, now became the British Motor Company. By this time, it was struggling to hold onto the patents which Harry J. Lawson had originally bought and had Licensed to the Daimler Motor Company and other motor manufacturers.

Simms, together with Robert Bosch, had now developed a low-tension magneto, but the Daimler engineers were not convinced of the merits of electric ignition. The Daimler Company agreed to carry out tests but it decreased the horsepower of the motor, so was dismissed. Fortunately, E.W. Lewis, the company's chief draftsman, had designed his own contact breaker which proved successful and was fitted to King Edward VII's first car. Lewis later joined the Rover Company and designed their first motor cycle and early cars. The Motor Manufacturing Company that shared the Coventry site with Daimler ran into difficulties, and in 1905 was taken over by Daimler.
British Daimler info from http://www.daimler.co.uk

I just realized that Viva Las Vegas starts tomorrow, runs til Sunday

http://www.vivalasvegas.net/car-show

to be a looky lou like me who is just going for the car show and none of the VLV events I'll just say that the short story version is this, for Saturday it's 35 bucks at the gate, for all four days its about 50, the show is about 700 cars, all pre 1963, and era correct. "access to the car show area only. Please note that the vendors and entertainment are on Saturday only. With this ticket you can register a car if you want to as well. Please note that this ticket does NOT get you into any of the VLV events"

It's held in the Orleans Casino parking lot

WHAT CARS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Fad T’s
Billet
High Tech Street Rods
Muscle cars
VW’s
Post-63 Low Riders
Japanese Cars
Fenderless cars w/ Steam Roller Tires
Tubbed
Off road and/or 4 wheel drive.
Diesel engined

WHAT YOU CANNOT DO

No dogs
No ice chests can be carried in
No BBQ’s
No fires
No selling from cars
No burnouts
No glass bottles
No cruising in parking lots
No bicycles
No gang colors (including motorcycle)
No weapons
No fighting

The stories behind the Bugatti Royale, Mercedes, Packard, and Rolls Royce hood ornaments

An Archer’s Tale

Before the company became synonymous with the powerful and well-to-do, the George N. Pierce Company in Buffalo, New York, was known for making more pedestrian items like ice boxes, birdcages, and bicycles. But then came the automobile, and from 1903 to 1938 few made them better and more luxurious than Pierce-Arrow Motorcar Company. Valuable as Pierce-Arrow touring cars are today, the most coveted single part of the vehicle is arguably the hood ornament. Originals are worth thousands and are typically kept under lock and key by their owners. The first Pierce-Arrow archers were slight in frame, partly clothed, and helmeted. Later versions depict a helmet-less archer with no clothes and a little more muscle. Both versions are graceful and elegant, which is funny when you consider that a fellow sweeping the floor of the Pierce-Arrow factory was asked to be the model. After attending archery classes to add realism to the pose, Albert Gonas used his broom for the arrow.

A “Rolls” In the Hay

Prior to 1910, Rolls-Royce did not offer vehicles with a hood ornament; they simply carried the Rolls-Royce emblem. But hood ornaments—or mascots as they are called in Europe—were fast becoming the automotive trend of the day. People of the era believed that a vehicle as grand as a Rolls-Royce should have a hood ornament and, thus, began to affix their own. This disturbed leaders of the company who deemed some of these ornaments patently "inappropriate"—somewhat ironic when you learn the story behind the creation of the mascot known as “The Spirit of Ecstasy.”

The Flying Lady we know today is a figurine of woman with sight fixed upon the distance and wide, outstretched arms. But she didn’t start out that way. Designed by Charles Robinson Sykes, the idol was originally inspired by a secret love affair between John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu (second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu after 1905, a pioneer of the automobile movement, and editor of The Car Illustrated magazine from 1902) and his secretary Eleanor Velasco Thornton.

By all accounts, Lord Montagu truly loved Thornton. But Thornton was “a commoner” with no social standing, which proved to be an obstacle to marriage. Lord Montagu and Thornton continued their affair even after the former succumbed to family pressure and married a woman “worthy” of his money and status. But when Montagu commissioned his friend Sykes to sculpt a personal mascot for the bonnet of his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Sykes chose Thornton as his model. The original “Flying Lady” was a figurine of a woman in fluttering robes and pressing a finger against her lips, symbolizing the secrets of Thornton and Lord Montagu’s love.

A Star is Born

Gottlieb Daimler probably rolled over in his grave during the mid-1980s when a rap-inspired fashion trend led to thousands of Mercedes-Benz automobiles being stripped of their hood ornaments by vandalizing thieves. The symbolic Mercedes star so long associated with wealth and prestige was then turned into a piece of jewelry worn on gold chains around the necks of rappers with stage names like Run DMC and Kurtis Blow.

The origin of the “three-point star” traces its roots back to the late 1880s when Daimler had been technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory. According to company records, Daimler often rendered the image of a star on postcards to friends and had even once written to his wife that this star would one day shine over his own factory as a symbol of prosperity.

As early as 1910, both a three-pointed and a four-pointed star were registered trademarks of Daimler’s fledgling company. Although both designs were legally protected, only the three-pointed star was used after it was determined to best symbolize Daimler’s original ambition of universal motorization “on land, on water and in the air”.

Brotherly Love

On June 8, 1916, Rembrandt Bugatti, a gifted wildlife sculptor and younger brother of Italian auto maker Ettore Bugatti, committed suicide at the age of 31. An eccentric artist known around Paris for climbing into the cages of animals at the Antwerp Zoo, Rembrandt Bugatti suffered financial troubles and chronic bouts of depression.

Struggling financially and suffering from depression as a result of the horrors witnessed in his time as a paramedic aid at the Red Cross Military Hospital during World War I, Rembrandt found himself pushed over the edge. When he was found, sealed in his apartment with the gas turned on, the once gifted artist whose outstanding animal sculptures can be found in museums all over the world was reportedly clutching a bouquet of violets.

When older brother Ettore went on to produce the famed Bugatti Royale sports cars, each carried a replica of Rembrandt’s most famous sculpture on the hood—a dancing silver elephant—commonly regarded as the most sought after hood ornament in the world.

Info from the HVA, Historic Vehicle Association http://www.historicvehicle.org/Latest-News/News-archive/February-2012/2012/02/23/Sex-Lies-Dancing-Elephants?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=March%20Hagerty%20News

Men compared to Women driving statistics, crashes, car buying, causes of crashes... big infographic and my thanks to Charlie Holbert and Helen Young, and CarRentals.co.uk

Infographic by Carrentals – Men Vs Women Drivers found on http://www.carrentals.co.uk/blog/men-vs-women-drivers.html where you can see it full size (original size is bigger than Blogger can deal with)

VW Kombi trivia

It is the only production vehicle in Brazil that already had all the possible configurations of fuel by the law:

gasoline,
alcohol,
diesel
 and flex.
 There was even a CNG option approved by VW.

You don't know the new Camaro, it's not American.. here are 3 things you've probably never heard before

It's Canadian built,
designed by a South Korean,
and developed in Australia. 

Fantuzzi Pantera P70 (1965-67) the little I've learned

images of this 65 were found on http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page/128058/1965-de-tomaso-p70/

I've never heard of the Fantuzzi before... so I looked around a little, and learned that Dean Martin bought a 1967 Pantera with something done to it by Fantuzzi... it did not say or show what at http://www.oldtimeraustralia.com/wp_car_dealer/1967-de-tomaso-mangusta-fantuzzi-targa/

other De Tomaso I  haven't heard of are
De Tomaso Bigua Concept
De Tomaso Deauville Estate
De Tomaso Ghia Competizione 2000
De Tomaso Mustella Concept
De Tomaso Pampero
De Tomaso Pantera „Bastelobjekt“
De Tomaso Sport 1000
De Tomaso Vallelunga Fantuzzi Spider
De Tomaso Vallelunga Fissore Spyder
De Tomaso Vallelunga Ghia Competizione

Other Fantuzzi I had never heard of before are
Shelby Fantuzzi P70 1964,
Shelby Fantuzzi Sport 500 1965

This DeTomaso Vallelunga Spyder with coachwork by Fantuzzi was shown at the 2006 Quail Gathering making its first appearance outside of Italy in 41 years.

The Vallelunga series was produced from 1965 through 1967 with a total of 58 examples being created. This was the first road car made by DeTomaso and a prototype version was first shown in 1963. It was also one of the earliest vehicles to utilize a mid-engined layout. Though cars such as the Porsche 550 Spyder and Ford GT40 had used this design before, this was the first road-going example to utilize this configuration.

The body and chassis was constructed of lightweight material which made the four-cylinder engine with just over 100 hp more than adequate to give this small car sports-car status. The bodywork was comprised of a lightweight fiber-glass construction. Top speed was reported to be around 112 mph.

The name 'Vellelunga' was named after an Italian racetrack. After 1967 the production of the Vallelunga ceased as the company turned its interests to the Mangusta which was powered by an eight-cylinder engine.

The DeTomaso was introduced in the early 1960s and produced until 1968. It was an exotic, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car that was based on a roadster designed by Carrozzeria Fissore. It was named after the Autodromo di Vallelunga first shown as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1964. DeTomaso planned to sell the design of the concept to another automaker but an interested party could not be found. As a result, DeTomaso undertook the project with the vehicle assembly outsourced to Ghia.

The Vallelunga was powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder Kent engine sourced from the Ford Cortina. It produced just over 100 horsepower. The chassis was a pressed steel backbone with tubular subframes. A Volkswagen Beetle transaxle was used and fitted with Hewland gear sets. The entire package was clothed in a fiberglass body along with many drilled aluminum parts. At all four corners were disc brakes.

Only 53 production examples were produced (a total of 58 examples when including the prototypes and race cars). Production ceased before the vehicles problems could be resolved, such as quieting the noisy, high-torque engine or working out the drive train vibration issues. It was replaced by the DeTomsao Mangusta which used a modified Vallelunga chassis and powered by a Ford Boss 302 motor.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011

Top photo and info from http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12447/DeTomaso-Vallelunga-Fantuzzi-Spyder.aspx

Most expensive cars ever sold at auction list just updated

Top 10 Prices Paid for Cars Sold at Auction

1. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype, Gooding Pebble Beach, August 2011, $16,390,000
2. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, RM Auctions Ferrari, May 2009, $12,402,500
3. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, RM Auctions Ferrari, May 2008, $10,894,000

The above is a 30 million dollar 1962 250GTO that sold in England http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/news/marketnews/278407/the_20million_250gto.html

4. 1931 Duesenberg Model J Whittell Coupe, Gooding Pebble Beach, August 2011, $10,340,000
5. 1931 Bugatti Royale Type 41, Christie’s London, November 1987, $9,800,000
6. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, RM Auctions Monterey, August 2011, $9,680,000
7. 1962 Ferrari 330 TR/LM, RM Auctions Ferrari, May 2007, $9,281,250
8. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, RM Auctions London, October 2007, $8,252,201
9. 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe, Gooding Pebble Beach, August 2008, $7,920,000
10. 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe, Mecum Auctions Monterey, August 2009, $7,685,000

The Duesenberg result was also significant in that it became the record for an American car sold at auction, eclipsing the 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe that Mecum Auctions sold for $7,685,000 in 2009.

from http://www.sportscardigest.com/top-ten-cars-sold-at-auction-february-2012/ via http://multibriefs.com/briefs/vrl/index.php

blogger tip to my followers and readers, spam comments are way up today, about 15 -2 dozen in just one day

Today I had a lot of spam comments, they are easy to spot because they are consistent with a link at the end of the comment, they are a very nice compliment that is vague and not aimed at the post they are left on... but well written, and always the commenter has a first name, middle initial, and last name, and the whole thing is in bold.

Why does it matter? Every spam comment is just an uninvited advertisement for someone you didn't allow to add advertising some product you don't endorse.

Do what ever you want with your blog, but now you know that someone decided that today they were going to blast out spam comments like there is no tomorrow.

If you let comments happen to your blog without your controlling the approval of them, anyone can put anything in your content.

Best wishes to all you bloggers, my compliments to all of us who share our hobbies and passions for free to anyone who finds us on the internet

the 25th Anniversary Corvette, Pace Car edition, an instant draw for investors... but was it a bad idea? MSRP was $13,000, most sold for double that due to the consumers demand

The Wall Street Journal on March 27th, 1978 had a front page article about what a great investment it was. 

So many people jumped on it, that instead of a limited production, and controlled supply to keep the investment value high, Chevrolet made more.

The most ridiculous option I've heard of, the AM FM CB was RPO UP6 - $638.00. One antenna was called on to provide for the AM-FM and CB functions, so its performance was compromised. The AM FM 8 track radio was a $419 option... still ridiculous

One big improvement was the new temporary space saving spare tire which enabled the installation of a new 24 gallon (previously 17 gallon) fuel tank, increasing the driving range between fill-ups.

One guy bought one, stuck it in storage, and it had a total 13 miles on it. He sold it after storing it for 25 years, and got less than the $50 thou that 2nd owner is asking for it http://www.sellcar-uk.com/news/original-features-in-vintage-cars-can-raise-price/ so he wasted 25 years of space I believe. 25 years, for maybe double your money, but having to take care of a car? Would have been better buying gold. Would have at least tripled his money

The WSJ article stirred up a commotion at dealers who were bombarded by excited buyers. Though some dealers held the line at the suggested retail of around $13,000, many bumped the price north of $18,000. The secondary market high jumped the $30,000 level and some sold at double that figure and more. By race day, Econ 101 kicked in. Fearing legal action from its dealers, Chevrolet decided to build enough Pace Cars to supply each dealer at least one, a tactic that exploded final production to 6,502. Inevitably, supply and demand caught up with reality and by race day, prices dropped like a bag of hammers. http://www.bloomingtongold.com/inc.php?link=greathallcars

Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley bought one, had it for 2 years, gave it to his brother in law for a graduation gift. It was on ebay, and only got bid to 19 thou... with autographs and the famous person link. http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2011/02/18/corvettes-on-ebay-ace-frehleys-1978-corvette-pace-car/

The approximate delivery sticker price on the majority of the Pace Cars was $13,800 for the L-48 and $14,300 for the L-82. As the production date neared, word spread that this could become a very collectible Corvette given that each dealer would only be allocated one Pace Car. The final production number reached 6,502.

The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story on March 27, 1978, reporting the collectible stories of this special Limited Edition Pace Car. At that time, prices went wild – with asking prices frequently in the $20-25,000 range for the L-48 and L-82 automatics, with the L-82 4-speed commanding up to $40,000. Stories and pictures began to appear everywhere; we even recall seeing a Pace Car in a dealer’s showroom with an armored guard watching over this Special Limited Edition!

Today, the average price of a 1978 Pace Car is $17,600, which reflects no change from the 2001 pricing. However, many of these Limited Edition Pace Cars are available for sale with little or no miles on them, which make them special buys. It is interesting to note that today’s average prices exceed the window sticker price in 1978!

Today, the Pace Cars with limited mileage continue to bring top dollar. A L-82, 4-speed Pace Car with less than 100 miles was recently sold for $31,000. Another Pace Car with the L-48 motor and automatic transmission with only 4 miles sold at the “low price” of $20,750 at Bloomington Gold last year.
http://www.vettefinders.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/corvette.Vette101Story/ID/28

So, 40 years, double the value. Terrible. Most 1968-1971 musclecars are aboout 5-10 times the original price. That "special" Corvette gets about 1-3 times? That's it? Waste of automotive interest. 

What you did not know about the 1956 SR2 Corvette SS

The SR-2 (Sebring Racer) designation was given to three 1956 Corvettes. All of them left the factory as stock Corvettes, and were shipped to GM styling in Warren, MI for race modifications and cosmetic additions. This is the first of the three. In the spring of 1956, it was a known fact that the GM Head of the Styling Studio, Harley Earl, had a son Jerry who road raced a Ferrari. Management told dad he should be racing a GM car. Harley made a deal with his son: “If you sell the Ferrari, I will build you a special Corvette to race.”

This car, #2522, had the highest priority with no cost spared. Work began in May ’56 modifying the body, brakes and suspension. Special windscreens were installed for driver and passenger. The parking lights were removed allowing air to flow for front brake cooling. Fifty-five years ago this weekend, Earl debuted his SR-2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. Dr. Dick Thompson completed the six hour race with a respectable finish. Jerry Earl continued to race the SR-2 throughout the 56-57 seasons and sold the car in 1958 to Jim Jeffords. National race champion Jeffords painted the car purple to match the moniker, “Purple People Eater,” named after the 1958 song by Sheb Wooley.

Found on http://www.bloomingtongold.com/inc.php?link=greathallcars

Craig Breedlove – the first person to exceed 400, 500, and 600 miles per hour on land – was the recipient of the fourth annual “Spirit of Competition” Award

The Spirit of Competition Award that Dr. Simeone presented to Breedlove featured a model of the Museum’s Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX 2287, the car Breedlove co-drove to 23 international records in 1965, shortly before breaking the 600 MPH barrier in his Sonic I jet-powered car . This was also the barnfind Cobra Daytona http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/stop-if-youve-heard-this-one-before.html

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011. Breedlove joined drivers Mario Andretti, Janet Guthrie, and John Fitch as an Award recipient.

“Craig Breedlove represents what you can achieve if you have a clear vision and determination,” 

“With only a handful of volunteers and a shoestring budget, he was able to accomplish what many others could not. His achievements captured the country’s imagination and made him a household name.” commented Fred Simeone, executive director of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.

His quest for a speed record captured the imagination of the nation and his technological feat became a symbol of national pride during the Cold War. His achievements made him a household name in the 1960s, and the Beach Boys even wrote a song about him. Shortly before exceeding 600 mph in November, 1965, Breedlove set 23 international speed records – including averaging 150 mph for 12 hours - co-driving the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (CSX2287) that is on display at the Simeone Museum.

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum (Philiadelphia) was awarded the International Historic Motoring Awards “Museum of the Year” for 2011-2012

http://simeonemuseum.org/events/simeone-museum-named-museum-of-the-year

The judging panel included such noted figures as TV host Jay Leno, vintage car racer and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, Pebble Beach Chief Judge Ed Gilbertson, five times Le Mans winner Derek Bell and Lady Susie Moss, wife of racing icon Sir Stirling Moss, Horst Bruning, president of the International Federation of Veteran Automobiles, Ian Callum, design director of Jaguar Cars, Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of Motor Racing Legends, Robert Coucher, international editor of Octane magazine, Peter Stevens, designer of McLaren F1, and Simon Kidston, international car consultant and commentator.

The other museums that were considered were the National Motor Museum of England and the Jaguar Heritage Museum in the UK, the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles, and the Auto Museum Prototyp in Germany.

“This is an enormous honor for the Simeone Automotive Museum, especially considering the quality of the other institutions that were considered,” said Executive Director Fred Simeone. “These are the very best automotive museums in the world and we were humbled just to be considered. To actually win was beyond our wildest dreams. This award is the greatest international recognition to which an automotive museum can aspire.”

The results were announced on November 16th 2011.

The least anyone ever paid for a Ferrari GTO: £750

 A very famous collector, who has one of the finest noses for sniffing out a deal, hears a whisper that the first James Bond Aston Martin DB5 may be for sale. This is back in the day. 

The word is that for the right money, the original James Bond car can be bought directly from the movie studio. So he makes a few calls, he tracks down the production guy, the one who can price and sell, and the guy says: “It’s gonna have to be 15 for the pair.”

“You mean there are two?”

“Hey man, this is showbusiness, there’s always two… at least.”

“But 15 for the pair,” says our man. “I wasn’t counting on spending that much and I don’t really want two – I just want one.”

“Well, that’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

Fifteen thousand pounds – a lot of money now, a load of money then. Our hero hesitates for a moment, but his nose knows better. It tells him to deal, deal now. He buys the cars.

The cash is to be paid on delivery of both vehicles. The day arrives, the trailer pulls up, the cars roll off. The invoice reads: "Fifteen HUNDRED Pounds". 

Yes friends, both original Bond cars for £1,500, but it doesn’t end there. Be prepared to run to the hills screaming. 

Our man then swaps one of the Bond cars for a GTO. That’s a GTO for £750. That’s the cheapest GTO ever and... he still has it today.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/classiccars/3398352/Chris-Evans-Why-the-Ferrari-250-GTO-is-the-best-possible-investment.html

Auto Enthusiast feb 2012 issue has an article about the 1966 "Carryover" Shelby GT 350 Mustangs

I had never heard of them, but there were 252 66 GT 350s that started life as 1965 Mustangs, and were ordered to prepare for the stoppage of the 1965 production and retoolling time before Ford started building the 1966 Mustangs

So Shelby had to order 250 cars to have on hand for his companies conversions to GT 350s while Ford would be unable to keep up the supply. This way when Ford started selling 1966 Mustangs, Shelby would have 1966 GT350s

2 cars were prototypes (6S001 and 6S023)

For more about the "Carryover" Cobra Mustangs http://www.carryovergt350.com/