Brought to you by E N D L E S S R O A D, Historic Savage Mill, 8600 Foundry Street, Savage, MD 20763 Store: 301-497-0369, FAX: 301-497-3690, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IN THIS ISSUE
- Car-Guy Trivia Questions
- Formula One
- I Meet the Most Interesting People
- Bits and Pieces
- On Order
- Recent Receipts
- Car-Guy Trivia Answers ======================= **====================== Car-Guy Trivia (answers are later in this email)
1) What did Robert Kennedy have at his disposal to speed his paper route delivery?
2) What car was named after the founder of Detroit?
3) Maserati is becoming more visible again, now that they are under the wing of their previous competitor, Ferrari. Most of us recognize the Maserati logo, the trident. Where did Maserati get their trident logo?
4) A) What car did Tom Hanks drive in "Apollo 13"?
B) What three muscle cars did Mel Gibson drive in "Payback"?
5) Last month, we did car-guy acronyms and phrases. Our friend Warren gave us so many that we saved his for this month. See how many you know.
Muscle Car and Hot Rod initials and words and from the past:
I realize many of these terms may also be used on imports.
-BUMPSTICK
-FLATHEAD
-FULL HOUSE
-SLUSHPUMP
-QUICK CHANGE or QUICKIE
-THIRD MEMBER
-SOLIDS
-TUNNEL RAM
-CROSS RAM
-RAT Motors
-MOUSE Motors
-CHERRY BOMBS, GLASSPACKS, etc.
- LAKE PIPES or LAKERS
- FLIPPERS or SPINNERS
- T-BUCKET
- ROLLED AND PLEATED
-NOSED and DECKED
- BLUE DOTS
- SHOTGUN
- CAMMER
- SHOE BOXES
- FRENCHED HEADLIGHTS
--- Retreads --- These last three questions are from over a year ago. If you remember them from before, consider this a memory test.
6) Dearborn Steel Tubing was a shop that was called on in the early 60's by one of the big three to build a car to compete in the raging drag racing scene. They took a very plain-jane coupe and modified it extensively. They took their benefactor's already hot V8 and upped the compression to 12.7:1, added two four-barrel Holley carbs mounted on an aluminum high-rise intake manifold, put domed pistons in modified heads, added a high-lift cam, and many other goodies. The huge engine then did not fit in the engine bay. So they modified the front suspension and exhaust system to squeeze it in. Weight was reduced wherever possible: fiberglass hood, doors, and front fenders; gutted interior; Plexiglas rear and side windows. Two transmissions were available, a heavy-duty four speed or a high performance automatic. What was the car? Who was the manufacturer?
7) The M3, the M5, and now the M6 are members of BMW's performance models. The 'M' designation started with their M1, a high-performance, rear engine, two seater that could have been a supercar by now. But where did the M1 name come from?
8) There were three Formula One drivers that had their sons follow them to F1. Two of the fathers and two of the sons became World Champions. Can you name them?
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Formula One
2005 Formula 1 World Championship ????? March 6 Australia (Albert Park, Melbourne) March 20 Malaysia (Sepang) April 3 Bahrain (Bahrain International Circuit) April 24 San Marino (Imola, Italy) May 8 Spain (Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona) May 22 Monaco (Monte Carlo) May 29 Europe (Nurburgring, Germany) June 12 Canada (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal) June 19 USA (Indianapolis) July 3 France
July 10 Britain (Silverstone) July 24 Germany (Hockenheim) July 31 Hungary (Hungaroring) August 21 Turkey (Istanbul) September 4 Italy (Monza) September 11 Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) September 25 Brazil (Interlagos) October 9 Japan (Suzuka) October 16 China (Shanghai International Circuit)
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I Meet the Most Interesting People
An interesting guy, John Tegler, came by the shop this week. Although he's into cars and racing, his love is airplane racing. He has been a well known writer in the field of aviation for many years, and he wrote a book in 1984 entitled Gentlemen, You Have a Race, which is a history of The Reno National Championship Air Races from 1964-1983. He is considered to be one of the leading authorities on the sport of Air Racing. He was gracious enough to sign a few books for us, and we now have them available in the shop.
***
And then there's Joe Keegin, who came by the shop the other day. He has been restoring and modifying some pretty neat American Iron for years. Joe told me about a '31 Ford Roadster with an aluminum Buick V8 engine that he has to sell. He sent me a list of 26 modifications on it and three great pictures. There're cycle fenders on the front of the stripped yellow body, capped headers, tall stacks on the injectors, and it looks just the way a 50's-60's roadster should. We have the pictures here at the shop, or if you are interested, you can call him directly at:
Home: 410.799.1376 Work: 410.566.5973 (Steve's Auto & Marine Works)
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Bits and Pieces
The Cast-Car-Price-Guide Issue #3
We just got this in. This book covers RC2/Ertl 1:18 die cast from the beginning in 1991 right up to October 2004. Yes, right up to last month's RC2/Ertl releases! Each book has over 1300 listings with color pictures; descriptions; details such as if it's a regular issue, hobby issue, or a limited edition; how many were made; and for who. It also has estimated current pricing, what kind of box it came in, and the original release date of all the known RC2/Ertl American Muscle Cars, Trucks, Foreign Cars, Body Shop kits and Stock Rods. It is 208 pages total, with a heavy front and back cover.
***
From Detour Dave: GMP's new line - Real Art Replicas or RAR for short? Mark Sanderson - GMP's General Manager under Tom Long - and George Bojacuik - former design director at the Franklin Mint and design consultant to GMP - have released some details on this new line over on the Diecast Pub. GMP actually refers to this line as a tie between diecast and art. Each model produced in this line will be very limited, with only 350 made of each model and distributed worldwide by only 5 or 6 authorized dealers. GMP and Replicarz are the only US dealers at this point. The models will be 1:8 scale (not a typo - that's one eighth scale as in HUGE) and extremely detailed. The first release in this series is going to be the Gurney Eagle F1 race car, which looks amazing. George mentioned a few of the finer details, which include simulated fuel in the fuel lines. The model will be approximately 20" long and will come with a glass and wood case, along with a hardcover book filled with never-before-seen photos taken by famous race photographer, Dave Friedman. The books will be signed by Dan Gurney and numbered to match the cars. The retail price will be (are you sitting down?) $1495 each. GMP had the Gurney Eagle on display at the 2004 hobby show in Chicago, and they'll be making an official announcement regarding this new line at the Barret-Jackson auction in January. Surprisingly, from what George Bojacuik said, a good number of these have already been pre-ordered just from the exposure they had at the Chicago hobby show in October.
======================= ** =======================
Here are highlights of a few things we have on order now:
All models are 1:18 unless otherwise stated.
Auto Art Jaguar XKE V12 Coupe
12071 1:12 Lamborghini Murcielago, yellow
71191 1963 Corvette convertible red
Beanstalk
10045 Ford SVT Lightning Concept
Carousel
Coyote 1966 G. Snider #82 Lotus Gurney #17 1965
CMC
Mercedes SLR McLaren, silver
1962 Ferrari 250GT SWB, red Mercedes 300SL, silver
Ertl
33685 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator - yellow with black interior
33765 Authentics 1950 Oldsmobile, we had a case and sold out in a week
33874 1964 ½ Mustang Pace Car (From the Precision 100 mold)
Exoto
Every wholesaler that we purchased Exoto from has dropped them. I am afraid that we will no longer carry the line.
GMP
1:24 1971 GTO Judge, black/black
Tommy Ivo Buick Twin Engine Dragster
1989 Pro Stock Mustang LX
Highway 61
60065 1967 Dodge R/T
60066 1957 Chevy two door
50337 C-61 Chevy flatbed, red
Hot Wheels
1:43 1970 Mustang Boss red
1:43 1968 Camaro light blue
1:43 1971 Plymouth GTX purple
Kyosho
1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 yellow
Shelby Cobra 427/C blue
Lancia Delta 'Integrale 6'
Lane / Exact Detail
406 1967 Car Craft Firebird
Minichamps Bar Honda F1 006 Jenson Button #9
McLaren MP4/2 Nikki Lauda
McLaren MP4-19 Raikkonen
Precision Miniatures Prm-04 1933 Willys Ohio George Prm-05 1933 Willys KS Pittman Pmsc-01B Black Landau Style Hearse
Revell Porsche 962C 1986 Le Mans winner
Ricko
1934 Lincoln Model K black
1933 Cadillac V16
Super Car Collectibles Most of these are put on hold before we receive them. Please let us know as soon as possible if you want one. As an example, the black-on-black Barracuda Super Street came in and sold out in a week since the last Chatter.
29411 Sox & Martin 1970 Duster Pro Stock red-white-blue
50229 1970 AAR Cuda Yellow / Black
50239 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A black ======================= **====================== We received these lately:
Auto Art
71051 1957 Corvette SS competition
77882 Porsche Boxter S, silver
80207 Corvette C5R 2002 Le Mans winner #4
ERTL
33867 Authentics 1965 Chevelle Z-16 Black
33913 Pontiac Firebird, Arnie Beswick Boss Bird
33704 1973 Eldorado Pace Car
GMP
1972 Pontiac Le Mans, Yellow
Trans Am Mustang, Gentalosi #1
Mustang Malco "Ohio George" (Third Reorder)
Highway 61
60065 1967 Dodge R/T
1970 Mustang Boss 302 Dodge Racing Maverick Dodge Racing Ram Chargers Dodge Racing Color Me Gone Chevy Pickup
Hot Wheels
2004 Ferrari F1 Schumacher
2004 Ferrari F1 Barrichello
Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta - red
MIC
1964 Pontiac GTO Beswick Tameless Tiger
Revell
1969 Targa top Porsche 914/4, in yellow, the first 1:18 Porsche 914
Ricko
2003 Cadillac 16 black
1963 Lincoln Continental
Super Car Collectibles
50285 1967 Coronet R/T Super Street in black
29353 Sox & Martin Plymouth Superbird
29412 1969 Yenko Nova 427, Fathom Green, 1st in Street & Strip series
========================= **====================== Car-Guy Trivia Answers
1) Robert Kennedy had a Rolls Royce at his disposal to speed his paper route delivery. It doesn't sound too cost effective to me.
(Thanks to Trivial Pursuit.)
2) Cadillac was named after the founder of Detroit.
3) Originally, Maserati was in Bologna, Italy and only moved to Modena later. Their logo of the Trident is actually the symbol of the city of Bologna.
(Thanks to our friend Jeff for this one.)
4) A) Tom Hanks drove a Chevy Corvette.
B) Mel Gibson Drove a Nova, a 1970 Road Runner, and a1970 Firebird.
(Thanks for this one to Steve R.)
5) Muscle Car and Hot Rod initials:
-BUMPSTICK Camshaft (Haven't heard this in a long time.)
-FLATHEAD Ford's V8 produced from 1932 thru 1953, where the valves were located in the block and not in the head. While there were other engines of this configuration, it was the Ford engines to which this term usually applied.
-FULL HOUSE Used to hear this a lot regarding Flatheads - meaning that the engine had been bored, stroked, and the heads had been re-worked, as well.
-SLUSHPUMP Chevrolet's Powerglide and sometimes any Automatic Transmission.
- QUICK CHANGE or QUICKIE This refers to a car's rear axle where the gear ratios can be changed in a matter of minutes rather than hours. Used primarily on race cars.
-THIRD MEMBER Car's rear axle housing.
-SOLIDS Solid lifers, as opposed to hydraulic valve lifters.
-TUNNEL RAM A special intake manifold with the carbs sitting very high.
-CROSS RAM Similar to a tunnel ram, except the carbs sit over the valve covers - the MOPAR 383's, 413's and 426's wedge engines were the most common
-RAT Motors Usually refer to the Chevrolet Big Block's (396 - 454).
-MOUSE Motors Chevrolet smaller displacement engines.
- CHERRY BOMBS, GLASSPACKS, etc. Glasspack Mufflers packed with fiberglass; every self respecting rodder had them.
- LAKE PIPES or LAKERS Long chrome exhaust pipes mounted on the side of a car, usually chrome and capped at the ends. (See them in American Graffiti.)
- FLIPPERS or SPINNERS Hubcaps with attached pieces that appear to 'flip or spin' when turning - my favorites were 1956 Dodge and 1955/56 Oldsmobiles. This was long before Dub City.
- T-BUCKET Ford Model T body that has been cut down and souped up. Street Rodder Norm Grabowski's T-Bucket was in the TV series 77 Sunset Strip driven by Kookie (Ed Burns).
- ROLLED AND PLEATED - Type of interior referring to the design of the fabric - usually Naugahyde. (Our friend Warren swears he used to raise Nauga's at home!)
-NOSED and DECKED Removal of the hood and trunk emblems, etc.
- FRENCHED FENDERS Welding the fenders to the body to make them an integral part of the body.
-MOONS - Flat disc hubcaps made by Moon Equipment Company - still in business today and still making Moons!
-BLUE DOTS Small, usually 1/2 inch blue reflectors, placed in the center of a red taillight lens, which gives off a neat purple-like appearance at night. Our friend Warren has them on his '57 Chevy and '40 Ford.
- SHOTGUN - Ford's BOSS 429 Engine. (Sometimes called the BLUE CRESCENT.)
- CAMMER - Ford's SOHC 427 Engine.
- SQUARE BIRDS - 1958 to 1960 Ford Thunderbirds.
- SHOE BOXES - 1955 - 57 Chevrolets because of their "rectangular" design.
-ROLLED PANS - When the bumpers are removed, the existing body is rolled.
- FRENCHED HEADLIGHTS - Fenders are molded around the headlights, so they appear to be recessed.
--- Retreads ---
6) Dearborn Steel Tubing was a shop used by Ford for special projects. This one was shoe-horning a 427 into a stripped Fairlane to become the fire breathing Thunderbolt. You could order one off the shelf for $3900 and go racing, IF you knew it even existed, and only the chosen few serious insiders did.
(Thanks to Detour Dave's article on Ertl's Thunderbolt.)
7) The name M1? Yes, there is Britain's famous high-speed highway M1, but BMW says it means "Mid-engine, First type."
(From 'The Great Book of Sports Cars' 1988 by Dean Batchelor, Chris Poole and Graham Robson.)
8) The three father and son Formula One Drivers were:
Graham and Damon Hill, both world champs.
Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve; Jacques was world champ, Giles was not.
Mario and Michael Andretti; Mario was world champ, Michael was not.
There have also been three sets of brothers that competed in F1, brother against brother. Can you name them? We will tell you that one next month. ======================= **======================