I have had the idea of a purple roadster banging around in my head for a long time.
When I was a little kid my Dad painted the motor in his 55 Corvettewhite and for some reason that has stuck with me my entire life.My coupe came close to having a white mill in it in fact. And of course one of the reasons that car ended up gold was because of that vette.
The two 32's I posted about (in the two previous posts) were another influence.
One of the other "purple" influences on me was the Iris Mist color on 1965 GTO's.
GTO's were one of my first loves.
The 69 Judges like I had in high school always were a big deal to me and still are. That being said my second favorite GTO is a 65 in Iris Mist.I gave serious thought to painting my roadster Iris Mist but opted for the darker purple.
One thing that has always blown me away was how close a car came to my idealized roadster when it was still my head.
I can not remember off hand what Round Up it was at (in Austin, Texas of course) but during that particular show I remember from a distance seeing a purple roadster sitting out on the grass amongst the sea of hot rods.
It turned out to be a Kennedy Brothers creation and man it came close to what I had in my head.
The car blew me away.
Purple with a white motor, black and white interior, chrome wheels with caps...it rocked.
I love flatheads but my "vision" had a small block Chevy in it and that is what I ended up with.I love the chrome firewall, but that is also something I would not have done. I wanted a white motor with a body colored firewall so that nothing would take away from the "whiteness" of the mill.
Other differences exist, but needless to say this Bomb Factory creation really hit a home run with me.
Funny thing, I have never seen this car since that show.
Years ago before I had any of my 32's I met a guy named Mike that used to be involved with the So Cal Speed Shop in Colorado.
He was always one of the coolest guys to talk to and I enjoyed seeing him for several years on what used to be a yearly trek to Back To The 50's in St. Paul MN.
One year under the tent they had this killer 32 cabro in purple with a DeSoto Hemi that set my world on fire.
To this day I love this car and between this car and the one in my last post you can probably see why I wanted a purple car.
This is another car I wish the stars had lined up on and I could have bought.
I know at least a few months ago the car was in the hands of a place that sells street rods and muscle cars.
I wish I could have bought it but by that point the roadster project was already underway.
Cabro's don't get allot of respect for some reason...and they are an odd ball 32, but this car just dripped coolness.
I guess for about three years they brought that car out to BTT50's and I left a ton of drool marks on it.
I can't remember at this point where I saw this particular 1932 Five Window first, but I think it may have been at one of the NSRA mini nats in the 80's when I used to go to a lot of them and the Nationals with my Dad and his buddies.
All I can tell you is I fell in love with this car the first time I ever saw it.
I remember talking to the original builder of the car and we even hinted around about if he ever wanted to sell it to let us know.
I saw the car a couple of more times and then I saw something that just blew me away!
I think it was at the Oklahoma mini nats because the car was parked under the wing of a large bomber (I think Oklahoma was the only fair grounds with fighters and bombers all over the place high up in the air on mounts) and the car had been rolled over and the corner of the roof was crushed.
We never could catch up with the owner and at that point I think the car may have already changed hands.
Nevertheless the car was returned to it's former glory and another person owns it now.
I have talked to the guy that has in now once (seemed like a real nice guy!) at the MN. Back to the 50's event and seen the car there several times.
For some reason it seems to always be parked in odd locations and is hard to find at the show. One year is was back in a hardly used stable area.
Most of my pics are standard 35mm stuff and I have not scanned them. That means that a few of these pics are "stolen" from other sites and I do not remember which ones. (Probably most are from the HAMB)
A few of them are ones I took with a horrid digital camera I had (bad color big time) and some are scans from a magazine.
This car was one of a few unchopped 32's that were a huge influence on me and the building of my car.
As stated it is an unchopped 5iver with multi carbs in a killer lilac purple. It has/had police gauges in it from the 50's molded in the dash.
The frame has a swoop to it and the steel wheels run spyders.
The above car is a picture I found on the internet, I never got a picture of the car in my story for some reason.
During the early 1980’s when I was 15 years old my uncle hooked me up with a job at his boat dealership washing and prepping new Sea Rays for delivery.
It was a killer job that paid way above minimum wage and I worked with some college age guys that I was incredibly fond of.
One of the guys had an old Mustang coupe that was nothing special, but he did get drunk one night and drove it through a fence and it ended up in a swimming pool.
Funny thing about that pool was that it belonged for one of the most famous baseball players of all time who is associated with New York but was living in Dallas.
Working at that place I got exposed to a lot of famous people and got to see a lot of high dollar cars come in and out of the place.
At the time I had my 1969 GTO Judge.It was an early Judge with the Ram Air III option, no A/C, and a Muncie 4 speed.A local guy who became a legend latter in the Texas Pontiac scene (he became known for his early 60’s 421 Pontiac that he would drag race all the time) was in on the motor build for that GTO when it needed freshening up and I was running some stout 4:56 gears in the car so needless to say it was a pretty tuff ride.
At my high school there were two guys who were faster than I was and I never bothered to race them (they were older than I was but always cool to me) because I knew it would be pointless and they would only street race and were not interested in going to the track.I pretty much knew if I got busted street racing (even though my Dad had been a street racing hood in the late 50’s early 60’s) that if I got caught that would be the end of my hot rodding.
One had a mean 455 powered 1968 442 and the other guy had a Vega wagon (in a god awful green) that was sporting a 454 big block Chevy.They were fast.
I made a mistake in saying something about these cars to my direct “boss” at the dealership one day and he kept harping on me about being a chicken and so on and so forth.He will play into this story in a minute.
My uncle one day rolled in the dealership with his newest purchase and when I saw it the thing took my breath away.
It was a 1968 GT500KR ragtop in Highland Green with a white top and a black interior.The only thing that did not thrill me about the car was it was an automatic.
That being said I had always had a love for Shelby stuff.I still remember as a little kid meeting Mr. Shelby and falling in love with a black and gold Hertz GT350.As I grew older my first Shelby love shifted to the 1967 GT350’s and 500’s because that was the year I was born in.
I got to sit in that car, but for some reason I never got to drive it.When ever my uncle had any other cool rides I often got the car washing duty (I guess because he knew I would not mess it up) and got to drive his various rides like 280ZX’s and so on…but never that Shelby.
The shop manager I mentioned always moved it around.
This shop manager also had the attitude that because the car was a Shelby is was automatically faster than “my clown car orange Goat.”
He always was busting my balls about that car.I finally said “why don’t you drag the ‘vert out and bring it on, and while you are at it put your money where you mouth is.”
So my poor uncle never knew that this guy took me up on this offer.He never knew this guy took his prized Shelby out onto Royal Lane in Dallas, and he never knew how bad the car got spanked.
I freaking destroyed that car.TWICE.
That ol’ Judge would almost lift the front tires off the ground when I got on it hard, that Shelby could not get the edge on me.
Oh, and when we were done guess who would not pay up.Yeah, chump manager man.
That being said, beating that car never diminished my love for it.
I really was taken by that car.
I will never forget it.
I have always wanted a 1967 Shelby.I have also always wanted a Highland Green 1968 Fastback Mustang “Bullitt” clone.
I could sell all my cars and maybe get a Shelby, but I could never live with myself if I did.
That GTO was replace by my 50 Merc and I have had the car so long that even though I am sorta bored with it and threaten to sell it all the time I never will.It is part of the family.
I could never sell the 32’s I have either.Especially my coupe considering its history and how attached I am to it.
I really would like to have a late model Shelby too, but if there is one last car that I could ever have in my lifetime it would be a vintage Shelby Mustang.
I am afraid that is probably the one dream I have that will never happen.
I also will always regret not getting to drive the 68 GT500KR.
The New Pony Car War and Why I Bought The Mustang GT
I have been dogged to death about buying a 2010 Mustang.
Why you ask?
First off the Camaro is new and fresh and has people talking, the Challenger is the retro king and I am a retro guy, and the Mustang loyal know that the 5.0 is returning and many are not buying the 2010 because of it.
I drove all three, I really struggled with all three, and I made a choice and I thought I would share the reasons why I did what I did and why I did not wait.
First, I was driving a 2007 F-150 Supercrew FX2 and it was a really good truck but I had three issues with it that made me want to send it on its way.
1. I thought I needed a truck and not once did I ever tow anything and I hardly ever put anything in the back of it.
2. Gas these days is not cheap and I was getting tired of feeding the beast. It never really got too close to the estimated millage on the window sticker to be quite frank about it.
3. And most importantly, I am just not a truck guy. I don’t like driving them, I don’t like the seating position, and I just don’t like driving a truck (clear?). The only plus to it was being high up in the air and being able to see around all the other big trucks and SUV’s out on the road.
Now that I have that out of the way here is how things played out for me while looking at cars.
First up, the 2009 Dodge Challenger.
Looks:
I love how it is the most retro of the three pony kings. In fact the one thing that gets me the most is that Plum Crazy purple is on the way. The car on the outside speaks to me big time. Inferno red is still the candy apple red-ish color to beat and I love B5 blue.
Looking out the windshield and at the hood is a retro experience on its own, you really feel like you are driving and older car, you can see the hood like you could in a 60’s muscle car.
You cannot help but love the big guy.
Performance:
The car will get out of its way but it does feel big. I am no road racer so I cannot pretend to know the real handling of the car but out of the three it has a mass you cannot ignore.
Interior:
The one I drove was an RT and the shifter and seats did not thrill me at all. The car had cloth and I am not fan of cloth so I made sure I sat in an SRT8.
At that point I realized that the Challenger has one major con to it that I have an issue with already. The interior is the same as what I had in my 2006 Charger and I did not like it either.
It is not the layout, my biggest problem with the car is the rubber like material that covers many of the panels in the car. If you scratch it with a stray fingernail or rub it with something it is there for life.
My wife’s 2009 Dodge Mini Van has this stuff in it and the kids have already marred it up pretty good.
Value:
The car is the most expensive by far with the options on it I wanted. I wanted an R/T Classic with an auto (yes I am getting wimpy in my old age) and it was pushing 40 grand with my preferred options.
That is something you cannot ignore when looking at the three.
The Dealerships:
I tried to buy one from four dealers in the DFW area, including the one my wife got her mini van from.
Each treated me like a leper to be honest.
All made it clear that if I was not willing to pay over sticker I was going to have a battle on my hands. When they would give some, it would be a price at sticker, nothing more, nothing less.
To the dealers:
Yeah, your Challenger is hot right now but you guys needed the tax payers to save you and you now are tied in with Fiat, what have they ever done right?
I complained to Chrysler and they sent me a form letter about how they cannot control the dealers.
I knew with the factory shut down and so on they were in short supply but give me a break.
When I did get one down to sticker ( B5 Blue Classic) the dealer hit me with a 6.9% interest rate when I have perfect credit.
They told me if I could do better get my own financing. Yeah, they were really interested in selling me a car...I felt like I was bothering them.
I would love to mention the dealers names, and in fact one of them is recommended all the time by a radio guy who does a show on Saturday mornings in the DFW area that I love to death.
I know this has nothing to do with the Challenger per say, but it was a huge factor in me not buying one.
Also I have had some weird failures and quality issues come up on my Chrysler products like failing power windows, failing power sliding doors on two of the three mini vans, battery deaths before their time, and other little things that make me question Chrysler quality.
The worst was a recall/failure of the roof molding on her van that leaked water that the dealership actually made worse.
And yes, I have an axe to grind with Dodge/Chrysler dealers now.
Pros: Great looks, fine performance. Let me say it again, GREAT LOOKS.
Cons: The most expensive, boring tired interior from the 300, Magnum, and Charger. Terrible rubber material on many of the interior panels that mars easily. Dealers that just flat out tick me off.
The 2010 Camaro SS
Looks:
Like the rear on the 2010 Mustang it took a bit to grow on me. The car is evil looking, but probably my least favorite aspect is the taillights. I do not dislike them; I really do not know what it is about them that makes me stop and look.
Some of the colors are odd and I am no fan of the Aqua color and find it bland and lifeless. The red metallic is not real strong to me either.
This is a car that looks best in black to me and there is a lot to like about the “love it or hate it” outside of the Camaro.
Performance:
I drove and SS 2 package with a six speed. Let me just get this out of the way, the car is a brute and it the fastest of the three. It felt like it. I would buy an auto, but the extra power that you get with the six speed would be a major temptation.
The one thing I noticed is the car has a top dead center sluggishness that I find on GM’s trucks. My Ford truck felt far more responsive and drove better than my buddies new GM truck (If he reads this he will disagree and dog me for this) and another good friend of mine who buys trucks for his construction company says the same thing about this issue I do and we have discussed it several times. I am not saying the Camaro handles poorly, it just seems to have a dead spot and floats a bit more on the open road. It is not a horrible experience but it is odd.
Interior:
I am sorry and I know it is a dead horse but I am beating it again. It is too much and not nice enough.
I just do not like the interior of this car, I found the back seat to be the hardest to get into, and I personally found the car the hardest of the three to see out of. That was a major negative for me with the Camaro.
I just was not impressed with the dash at all and the waterfall of the dash seemed to make me feel even more cramped.
I found the seats the least comfortable of the three by far also.
Value:
It is the bad boy engine wise and I feel a decent value all things considered.
The Dealerships:
The amazing thing is even with the waits if you are a really serious about buying one the dealers will work with you on what is on stock and will do even better on an ordered car. The problem with ordering one is the back up.
When it came down to it even with the demand for Camaro SS’s I could have gotten one for sticker and the Chevy guys were doing their best to get me a good interest rate.
Pros: Bad boy motor and a six speed if you want it. The looks, the value, the dealerships.
Cons: The looks (I am still mixed on that rear end), the interior, some of the colors are very “blah.” Hard to see out of.
The 2020 Mustang GT
Looks:
Yes, I had to warm up to the rear end. Once you see the sequential taillights in action you too might change your mind like I did.
The new Mustang is far more sinister looking than the 2009 to me and I love the frontend and the lack of water catching phony scoop bits that were all over my previous Mustangs. Interesting colors including a gold that seems to be very rare and a captivating Grabber Blue.
Performance:
Better than the Challenger but not as fast feeling as the Camaro SS. I felt it handled the best of the three and is the most responsive of the three.
Interior:
This is where the love affair began. The upgraded interior with the white stripes seems light years better the other guys. Superior fit and finish, and far better layout and style.
The lighting, the gauges, the Microsoft SYNC, and the new steering wheel all sucked me right in and sold me on the car.
It is a joy to drive, and I never thought I would care about something like a back up camera but once you have one you don’t want a car without one.
Value:
Even during the heyday of the Camaro vs. Mustang the stang usually won this battle and still does. You get a lot more car for your money.
Dealerships:
My guys will always say “we would rather sell one customer several cars than lop their head off on one” and they really mean it.
No hassle, no argument, one hundred over invoice, all the incentives, and they shopped me around and beat the 4.9% Ford was offering at the time.
I cannot say enough about my experience.
Every GM or Ford product I have purchased resulted in a good dealer experience and I was in and out in a reasonable time. All tried to sell me warranties and such but none were “hard sells.”
Pros: The looks, the interior, SYNC, the dealers, and the value.
Cons: The rear end takes some time to get used too, and the black plastic all around the bottom of these cars is not real awesome on some colors. I bought a black one so that is a non-issue.
So there you have it, what I feel about the three, why I bought what I did, and where I am.
I love my Mustang.
I respect the Camaro, but it is just not for me.
I love the Challenger but have serious doubts about their dealerships.
When automakers take a concept vehicle to a motor show, they offer all kinds of information about what the future production model would come with. However, every so often a car maker, let’s say Honda shows off a concept vehicle with no details, such as the Honda Skydeck Concept.
The SkyDeck is widely seen as a potential successor to the Odyssey, Honda’s current mini-van.This vehicle was on show at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, but Honda said that this six-seat MPV Hybrid is theoretical.
The interior of the car looks like something from the future, the first two rows are cantilever mounted to a center tunnel, the second row of seats are able to slide forward and can be stored under the front seats.
How far off is the SkyDeck? Who knows. For now, it’s just a concept car – a glimmer in the eye of a few top Honda designers.
