The Garage by Greg Riley

Back and Better

2018-07-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a while, and so many changes in my world since I began this as an e-mail to friends in 2005.

For the last couple of years I've been doing something else, and even won an award along the way. But, I'm a storyteller at heart, and this blog allowed me to do that.

I'll have to re-edu-ma-cate myself on the technical aspects of this blogging thang. There are lots of new ways for me to communicate my adventures with you. Over the coming months we'll exploring lots of different journey's together.

I haven't printed any new copies of The Ultimate Guide to 'Vairs with Air in several years and it seems people still want 'em. I spent some time thoroughly re-editing the thing and have contracted with a commercial printer.

Yes friends, no more spiral bound books from my dining table. I estimate we've printed and bound about 500 ourselves since 2003. The first professionally printed batch is in-process as we speak. Heck it'll even have an ISBN # so they'll be on Amazon soon. The current price is $24.95 and as a reintroduction special I'll include priority mail shipping.

I've also been asked about The Corv-8 book. Over the last couple of years I changed and corrected several parts of the manuscript but it is unfinished. Once I sit down and concentrate on it, it won't take long to complete. Those will also be "perfect-bound" by a commercial printer. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

And last, but certainly not least, I will soon have autographed copies of Black Gold to Bluegrass available for $34.95 plus shipping.

Seeing Travis Pastrana's death defying recreation of Evil Kneivels jumps brought me back to about 1974 when I was briefly referred to as "Evil-Greg." I had an MTD Trail-Flute mini-bike just like this one, and I would love to restore one.

I'm glad to be back doing the thing I loved doing best. See you all soon!
Greg

Nissan Titan wins Truck of Texas-Competitors Aghast

2015-10-12T22:55:00.003-05:00

Hello Garage Friends. You likely recall from my last post that I was in attendance at last week's Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo. All of the results have been tabulated, and surprises abound.

Today's quotes, "I love an underdog. No, I don't necessarily mean the cartoon. I mean like David as in Goliath, or the Bears, as in the Bad News Bears."--Nancy Lublin

Out and about with Greg.

It's only been a few days since we last spoke, but I have seen a couple of interesting things.

I call my Ram "The Big Muscle Truck," but here it is with a real Ram muscle truck, LOL.

I spotted this 240D with antique plates outside Rancho Grande, and it even has a manual transmission.

Here is what happens when I'm out of the office for a week :(

Cubscouts Pack 1114 at Garage Deluxe last Saturday morning making practice candy campfires, before going outside to make real ones.

This guy also showed up at The Garage on Saturday. We have eight mouths to feed in our home (including Sally D. Dog,) and I have declared nothing else that eats! I was soundly overruled, so please welcome our new garage kitty, Pumpkin.

Texas Truck Rodeo

As I alluded to, there were numerous surprises at the TAWA Truck Rodeo. Before we get into the official results, and the unscientific and totally subjective Greggies, first a few facts.

69 journalists conducted 1429 test drives of 80 trucks, SUV's, CUV's, and Commercial vehicles over two days. Each of the vehicles received an average of 17 test drives. Talk about automotive speed dating! I managed to test drive 14 in between interviews and taking pictures.

To the manufacturers the truck rodeo is serious business potentially representing millions of dollars in made or lost sales in the most important truck market in the world, and of course the all important bragging rights that entire advertising campaigns are built around. In that regard the journalists have the opportunity to have one-on-one time with some of the biggest industry executives, marketing professionals, engineers, and PR teams.

Special thanks to 2015 Truck Rodeo sponsors, the Steel Marketing Development Institute, B.F. Goodrich Tires, Michelin Tires, and XPEL Technologies, and a special thanks to official event photographer Raven Studios.

Photo Courtesy Raven Studios

I personally tend to gravitate toward the guys with the pocket protectors and bad haircuts lurking uncomfortably in the background...the engineers baby! Yep, talk about catnip to a hard core automotive geek like me to speak directly to the guys and gals that engineered the vehicles and technologies we are here to review. One one test drive with a chief Cummins engineer we had a philosophical discussion about Rudolf Diesel, and Clessy Cummins. I think both would be stunned at the current level of refinement of those 'ol oil burners.

There were a few minor mishaps over the course of the two days. The Knibbe Ranch test grounds are always challenging for even the most capable four wheel drives. Last Springs torrential rains turned portion of the course into car munchers.There are challenging on-road and off-road portion of the course.

One vaunted brand of luxury SUV broke an axle, another truck fender was crunched, and I left a smoked transmission after one PR guy insisted that his all-wheel-drive CUV was up to the Knibbe rock wall climb...it wasn't. Fortunately it was all good clean fun, and no one was injured other than the pride of a couple of PR guys.

Yes those are cows!

Yep, all of the assembled vehicle are given a torture test of workouts that include fording multiple streams, teeth jarring rocky roads, extreme ups and downs, and the aforementioned tortuous rock wall climb. The on road portions include extreme twisties both up and down hill, opportunities for acceleration and braking, and even a brief highway leg.

Photo Courtesy Raven Studios

In some categories clear winners emerged early, in others the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sometimes came down to a single point. In some I was wishing for significantly more seat time, and in others I couldn't wait to get out. Before we get to the official results we have to award the totally subjective, and unscientific Greggies!

Most Concour worthy Interior-Volvo XC90

I got in and shut the door and thought, "This is a Volvo?" My how far they've come since my day's riding shotgun in Stu Lumpkin's Volvo 124. This is an SUV that would be equally comfortable in Houston's River Oaks, or LA's Rodeo Drive.

CUV I would recommend to my Mountain Biking and Kayaking Neice--Jeep Renegade Trailhawk

I've seen a few Renegades on the road and think they are uber-cool with real Jeep-y styling. I can report without reservation that the Renegade Trail Hawk is a real Jeep. It climbed that treacherous rock wall in one attempt with almost no wheel spin or other drama. Some other seemingly more capable 4-wheelers can't claim the same.

Biggest Surprise--Anything made by Lincoln

Photo Courtesy Raven Studios

The last time Lincoln built a vehicle I lust after, 'ol Greg was in diapers and Kennedy was president. The Lincoln MKX was unsurprisingly luxurious and refined. My biggest surprise of the day was my drive in the big Navigator. The eco-boost V6 was amazingly powerful, and I soon found myself slinging it around the twisities like a big-ass sportscar. Now if they would just do something about the refrigerator packing crate styling. Ok Lincoln, you got my attention, now what else you go to show me?

Tonka Truck Award

I tried to convince the Ford guys that I should totally drive their cool show truck, but no soap.

Greg's favorite SUV--GM Full Size

Although the GM entries didn't win the SUV award, they invented this class of vehicle and it shows in every detail. They are comfortable, practically indestructible, and the best road trip vehicle on the planet. Although the big Denali can't be considered cheap at an MSRP starting at $70 large, it will probably still be on the road when your grand-kids start driving. I retired my first Suburban at 278K, and I hear it is still going.

Big Smo Award--Ram Power Wagon

Photo Courtesy Raven Studios

The Ram Powerwagon is built on a beefy 2500 series chassis and it shows. I felt like Big Smo both on and off road. Throw all of your crap in back, and then go out and climb a tree, while looking cool as hell! The big 410hp 6.4 litre Hemi pulls like a rocket ship with the standard 4.10 gears, add the Warn wench, air suspension, articulating sway bars and other goodies and I don't think there is anywhere the big 'ol Ram can't go.

Best Gadget--Ford's new trailer backing technology.

Basically you place a sticker on your trailer, program in a few measurements and backing your trailer becomes the simplest exercise ever. This new feature won't be available until late in 2016, but I predict anyone with a trailer hitch is going to want it.

Baby Oil Burner Award--Chevy Colorado with Duramaxx Diesel V6

The little Colorado sounds like a for-real diesel, covered the off-road course with aplomb and handled the on-road twisties better than any full size truck. It can tow up to 7,700lbs, and looks great doing it. The Colorado with the Duramax is a solid choice for anyone needing a fuel efficient truck with go-anywhere and towing capabilities.

Best Beer Cooler on Wheels Award--

Ram Pro-Master 2500 Beverage Truck. This show truck is outfitted to be a cooler on wheels for a variety of beverages. Perfect for that next Rod Run! Hmmm, I may have to start a weekend business, LOL.

The Texas Auto Writers Association Awards

Truck of Texas

1st 2016 Nissan Titan XD
2nd 2016 Ford F150
3rd 2016 Toyota Tacoma

It wasn't sales king Ford, fast growing Ram, or super reliable GM and Toyota. Nope this time is was Nissan pulling out the upset of the decade with the most anticipated new truck at the Truck Rodeo. All of my friends have been talking about Nissan's new Titan XD powered by the new 5.0L Cummins turbo V8. I asked my Facebook friends for their opinions. My friend Travis said, "that is supposed to be one hell of a truck." My other buddy hotshot driver Paul simply said, "Cummins-Cummins-Cummins."

Photo courtesy Raven Studios

This the American Titan. Everything about this truck is red, white, and blue. Conceived in California, designed in Detroit, proven in Arizona, built in Canton Mississippi, with Cummins engines diesel from Indiana, and later on gas engines built in Tennessee.

Credit for the concept of this new truck is largely attributable to Fred Diaz, now Nissian Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Operations formerly CEO of Ram Trucks. I had a chance to briefly speak to Fred and I learned he is a San Antonio, Texas native who has a clear understanding of the needs of the modern truck buyer. In 2011, Diaz was ranked number two among the 25 most influential Hispanic business leaders in America by the editors of Hispanic Business magazine.

The concept for the new Titan XD is actually a modern take from the old Dodge truck play book. Remember when Dodge introduced the original Dakota to fill the spot between the compact S10 and Ranger trucks and 1/2 ton pickups? Well the Titan XD fills the gap between a modern 1500 and 2500 series truck. It is the size of a 1500 series with many of the capabilities of a 2500 series. Perfect for buys like me that need towing capabilities, but don't want the hassle of driving a big 2500 series every day.

I also had an opportunity to speak with Brent Hagan the Senior Titan product planner. Please double click to load video.

Here it is, the new Cummins Turbo-Diesel V8. It makes a 555 lb/ft of torque at only 1,600 RPM. This is a clean sheet of paper compact design from Cummins and quite a departure of the classic Cummins I-6 design.

Nissan's new integrated goose-neck hitch. How come no-one else thought of this? Just one of the many innovations featured in this truck.

The new Titan XD will be in showrooms in just about six weeks. After years of being an also-ran in the truck market, Nissan has fielded a serious contender and associated it with the magic Cummins name.

Truck Line of Texas

1st Place Ford
2nd Place Ram Trucks
3rd Place General Motors

SUV of Texas

1st 2016 Ford Explorer
2nd 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
3rd 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser

CUV of Texas

1st 2016 Volvo XC90
2nd 2015 Jeep Renegade
3rd 2016 Lexus RX

Best Powertrain Award

1st Nissan Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel & Aisin Transmission
2nd Volvo T6 Drive-E
3rd General Motors All-New 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel

Best Technology Award

1st Ford Pro Trailer Backup Assisst
2nd Toyota Crawl Control (CRAWL(
3rd Nissan Trailer Light Check

Best Connectivity Award

1st Volvo Sensus
2nd FCA Uconnect
3rd Ford Sync 3

Here is the offical TAWA announcement.

Texas Auto Writers Name the New Nissan Titan XD Truck of Texas for 2015

Dallas, TX, October 13, 2015. Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) named the 2016 Nissan Titan XD the Truck of Texas, marking the first time for a Nissan truck to win the prestigious title. The Nissan Cummins® 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel and Aisin powering the new Titan also received Best Powertrain Award, while the Titan XD Pro-4X won best off-road pickup; the Titan XD Platinum Reserve won luxury pickup truck; and Nissan’s Murano Platinum won mid-size CUV award.

The 2016 Ford Explorer was named SUV of Texas and the 2016 Volvo XC90 was named CUV of Texas.

The 25thTAWA Truck Rodeo, sponsored by the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), with lunch sponsors BFGoodrich and Michelin Tires, was held at the historic Knibbe Ranch near San Antonio Oct. 7-9. The event was especially competitive this year with 88 vehicles available for 69 TAWA media members to test both on and off road. TAWA members evaluated the off-road vehicles while climbing rocks and crossing creeks, while the smoother drives on the road might include pulling trailers.

Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing and Operations, U.S.A., Nissan North America, said, “Of the hundreds of thousands of miles driven during the development of the all-new 2016 TITAN XD, the miles driven by the truck experts of the Texas Auto Writers Association were the most critical miles driven to date as we prepare to launch our new truck. This prestigious Truck of Texas award gives us tremendous validation heading into the TITAN XD launch in December. We are humbly honored to accept this award.”

TAWA members evaluated pickups, SUVs and crossover utility vehicles whose combined sticker prices totaled almost $4 million. Several TAWA members commented on how helpful it was to have engineers from the competing companies available to answer questions. It also aided the evaluation process to have side by side comparisons for on/off road driving and towing capabilities.

"The members of the Texas Auto Writers Association always enjoy the Texas Truck Rodeo,” said Michael Marrs, TAWA president. "It’s a unique chance to compare vehicles back-to-back in a timely manner on the same course and provide honest, real-time feedback to our industry partners. The Nissan Titan with the Cummins Diesel engine really impressed TAWA members at this year's event; there's no doubt that innovative powertrains, impressive designs and new technologies paid off for the Titan.”

The 2015 award categories and winning vehicles were:

Truck of Texas: Nissan Titan XD (Cummins Diesel)
SUV of Texas: 2016 Ford Explorer
CUV of Texas: 2016 Volvo
Truck line of Texas: Ford
Heavy duty pickup truck: 2016 Ram 2500
Best commercial vehicle: 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris Cargo and Passenger van
Luxury pickup truck: 2016 Nissan Titan XD Platinum Reserve
Off-road pickup: 2016 Nissan Titan XD Pro-4X
Full-size pickup: 2016 Ram 1500 Rebel
Midsize pickup: 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road & TRD Sport & Limited
Best technology: Ford Pro-Trailer Backup Assist
Best connectivity: Volvo Sensus
Best powertrain: Nissan Cummins 5.0L V8 Diesel & Aisin
Off-road utility vehicle: 2016 Jeep Wrangler
Full-size luxury SUV: 2016 Lexus LX 570
Mid-size luxury SUV: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4
Compact luxury SUV: 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE LUX
Full-size SUV: 2015 Dodge Durango RT AWD and Citadel AWD
Mid-size SUV: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Diesel
Compact SUV: 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and Limited
Full-size CUV: 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD
Mid-size CUV: 2015 Nissan Murano Platinum
Compact CUV: 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
Luxury CUV: 2016 Volvo XC90 T6

The Texas Auto Writers Association, Inc. was founded in 1985 by automotive journalists who wanted to provide an avenue of professional growth, development and networking. These professionals sought to create an automotive event that was unique to Texas, and the result was the TAWA Truck Rodeo. Since 1992, Truck Rodeos have been held in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Granbury and Spring Branch.

In 2003, TAWA created an event for sedans, sports cars, and other vehicles not eligible for the Truck Rodeo. The Texas Auto Roundup, as the event is called today, is held at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. For more information, visit www.texasautowriters.org.
For images from the TAWA Truck Rodeo, visit Raven Studio Images.

I can't imagine a more appropriate song to end this post with!

The News, Winning, and Saying Goodbye

2015-10-08T00:42:00.004-05:00

Greetings Garage Fans! Better buckle your seat-belts, because in this edition we are going to cover everything like a 0-200-0 sprint. With apologies to The Great One....And Away We Go!

Just thinking of all of the ground I've covered since we last spoke makes me tired. I've been to Hong Kong, jetted back to the State Fair of Texas where I met Big Tex, and a country music star, driven and worked on a small fleet of cars, and sadly lost a great friend, even won an award along the way.

I'm writing this little missive immediately after the opening presentation of The Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo. Over the next two days we have the opportunity to drive a dizzying array of over 90 trucks, SUV's, CUV's, and commercial vehicles from 20 brands in 17 categories. There is everything here from the new V8 Cummins powered Titan, to the Ford F750 Tonka, and two spanking new Lexus prototypes. I plan to drives as many as humanly possible on the rugged terrain of the historic Knibbe Ranch.

Today's quote, "The idea is to die young as late as possible."--Ashley Montagu

Out and About with Greg

I recently had lunch with my friend and fellow automotive journalist Heidi Van Horne. Heidi is one of the best informed car people I have the pleasure of knowing. Be sure and catch up with her in the Houston Chronicle or on her web site.

Well you may recall that for 2015 The Concours d'Elegance of Texas changed the event date so the event would no longer compete with Keels & Wheels...and for 2016 Keels & Wheels changed their date to again be on the same day as COT...we can file that under things that make you say hmmmm.

As I mentioned earlier, 'ol Garage Deluxe was awarded third place in The Texas Auto Writers Association Excellence in Craft Competition web category for Greg Goes Hellcattin'. Unsurprisingly this has become the most competitive class with seventeen entries vying for the 1-2-3 photo finish. Here is a link to the official TAWA results and special thanks to the terrific team of judges.

This is good news for some, but means real pain here in the oil patch.

C.A.R. aka Collin Alexander Riley, the best dressed kid at Williams Elementary School.

Bluebell Ice Cream and I have a long and complicated relationship. In Texas there ain't no other ice cream. Ok guys, I'm givin' you one more chance!

Train Boy and C.A.R. towing our 1917 Fairbanks-Morse to the Texas Early Days Tractor and Engine Show in Temple, TX, behind the big Ram muscle truck.

Yes, the both totally geeked out and had a blast. Big-brother Brian had never towed a trailer before, so he was a little nervous but everything was just fine.

A condom store next to a smoke shop? Someones having fun.

ZL1 convertible...virtually guaranteed to be the the hottest thing at Barrett-Jackson in 2035.

I've seen this sano F-85 four door hardtop running around Magnolia. We should crowd fund the guy some hubcaps.

I've seen this 'Vair running around Magnolia too.

We stumbled on this show on the square in historic Crockett, TX.

As part of my "real" job of peddlin' pens, pencils, and crayons, I recently traveled to Hong Kong. Here are a few highlights.

On the first leg I flew on a new 787 Dreamliner. And yes, it is as great as they claim.

When I was last in HK back in January I don't recall seeing a single electric car. This time I saw 'em everywhere, especially Tesla's.

This time I was in HK over a weekend and had time for a little site seeing. Here is the world famous Peninsula Hotel early on Sunday morning. The fabled fleet of green Rolls Royce's was nowhere to be seen. I surmise their gilded clientele slept in.

World's largest paper lantern?

Ferrari parked outside my hotel...in front of the Lamborghini shop?

Bruce Lee's star on the HK walk of fame.

Fiat Cafe in a nearby mall. They even had a cut-away simulator of an Abarth.

Scene from the pedestrian bridge to Victoria Harbor.

Yes I ate this sea monster...don't ask!

Cathay Pacific's first airliner, and DC3 suspended from the ceiling at the HK Science Museum.

A little over a week ago I attended the Media Day at the State Fair of Texas. As I mentioned, I met Big Tex, and country music star Easton Corbin.

I saw a few cool trucks too :)

The good folks at FCA Automobiles brought some of my favorite blast's from the past. These three need no introduction to any hardcore car geek.

Speaking of Hellcat's, I ran into an old friend outside my hotel. Don't ask me how I know it's the same one, but I know ;)

Guitar's 'N Cars

Don't forget next weekend's Guitars N' Cars Auto Show & VIP Benefit. Scheduled for Saturday, October 10th at the Sam Houston Race Park, this big Houston family event is all about classic cars, vintage guitars and veterans, with funds raised once again benefiting U.S.VETS-Houston.Visit the event web site for tickets or other information.

Lonestar Rally

Our friends from Magic Kustomz are once again presenting the Lone Star Rally on Saturday November 7th, and Galveston, TX. Visit their Web Site to pre-register or for more information.

I think that quote I used in the opening applies to my recently departed friend Verlan Heberer. I once read a quote in a book, "he was like a steam engine in trousers." That describes Verlan to a T.
Verlan was a lean and lanky lifetime Illinois farmer, who loved to work outdoors. He and his brothers inherited a relatively modest family farm, and through a lifetime of hard work they grew it into an agricultural empire of several thousand acres.

For years Verlan collected John Deere tractors and memorabilia, and I don't think it would be inaccurate to call him the Bill Harrah of the tractor world. Yep, 'ol Verlan collected the best of the best.

A few years ago he sold some of his lesser pieces and much of the memorabilia, but Verlan kept all of his rarest and favorite things. He was also a world class car collector of Ford's of all era's, but with a special emphasis on Thunderbird's. You can visit the collection web site to see some of the cars still available.

Sometimes we get caught up in the world of glittering car auctions, and millionaire collectors, we forgot the simple truth that honest hard-working guy's like Verlan are the backbone of this hobby and our society.

A couple of years ago Verlan decided to start liquidating his extensive collections. When I asked him why Verlan said, "I had the fun of buying them all, and now I'm gonna have the fun of selling them." My other favorite Verlan quote was, "I never bought rust."

The first time I visited Verlan's farm the barn built by his father and uncle almost 100 years ago was faded and slightly dejected looking. The next time I visited it was resplendent in a coat of shiny red paint. Verlan told me, "I wanted to see it red one more time in my lifetime."

Before his death Verlan had begun organizing another large auction of his prized possessions to be held October 30th in Belleville, IL. I understand their isn't a hotel room within a wide radius.
http://www.polkauction.com/auction/known-world-wide-complete-extensive-john-deere-collection-verlan-heberer

I can't call Verlan's death tragic as it involved one of his beloved tractors. We should all be so lucky to pass doing something we love. Verlan is survived by three daughters:
Amy Heberer Bouvet of Belleville, IL,
Jill Ann Connors of Belleville, IL,
Jann Lynn (Robert) Komotos of Webster Groves, MO;
five grandchildren, one great-grandson, two sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, nieces and nephews;
and his furry friend, Mandy.

Well I see by the clock on the wall that it is almost 1 a.m., and I have an early morning. We've definitely done the 0-200-0 thing this time around. I'll leave you with Easton Corbin singing Let's Ride, which seems doggone appropriate to this post before we hit those brakes.

Catchin' Up w/Greg, Thomas Ranch 75th, Ultimate Auction Fail & More

2015-08-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

Well Garage Friends, it has been quite the roller coaster ride since we last spoke! We've had good times, bad news, witnessed an ultimate auction fail, and even suffered a terrible family tragedy. Oh, yeah and plenty of car stuff too. We're gonna cover a lot of ground in this post, so if you have a short little attention span, better tune out now and head to one of those floppy-jalopy micro-blogs. Big changes are afoot for this blog, which I will be sharing in a future edition.

On June 3rd, I celebrated my 53rd birthday! Notice the Game of Thrones hat under the sombrero? #nerdherd

My Mom Miss Annie always says, "Goddamn doctors will kill you faster than anything." For the first time in my life I'm starting to believe her. In early June my doctor started me on a new injected medication. I've always had a real problem with needles, so the very thought of having to give myself a shot each day totally creeped me out.

I noticed pretty quickly that I wasn't feeling myself, but my Doc believed I just needed time to acclimate. My bride Ronnie kept asking me if everything was ok, and I kept telling her I was fine.

What I didn't tell anyone was that I was entering a deep depression, and in several private moments I found myself crying uncontrollably. Concentration? We don't need no stinkin' concentration! It all came to a head about two weeks ago when I had a full blown panic attack trying to deal with a routine business issue. To cut to the chase; confusion with the pharmacy over the original prescription meant that I was never taking the medication at the dose the doctor directed.

DON'T BE ME! If you have a medication change, and you don't feel right, be relentless with your health care providers. I truly didn't make the connection between my mood and the medication. As soon as the dosage was corrected I began to feel myself again.

This pic sums up how I've been feeling lately...

Seen on a late model Aston Martin in posh Allen, TX.

I thought you might like a little peak inside the world HQ of Garage Deluxe. This is the front office.

My thinkin' parlor

My favorite part of the entire place!

Me after spending a 100 degree afternoon slaving over a hot Corvair

Cool Cat Collin! I don't know where he got the Outdoors-man gene. You have likely surmised, my idea of roughing it is a Marriott without room service. Collin plans to be an Eagle Scout, and I have every confidence he is gonna make it.

The young lady in the middle is our new friend Vika from Latvia. Vika was part of a group of kids summering in Texas, hoping to find "forever homes." Our friend Suzanne suggested we meet this charming young lady, and she immediately captured our hearts. Vika is absolutely car crazy! It is likely that she will return in December to spend Christmas at the Riley hacienda. BTW several of Vika's friends did find forever homes in Texas.

Here is our entire household sans my bride, who is behind the camera. We are visiting my father at San Antonio's Sam Houston National cemetery. From L to R, Kool Kat Collin, Katie Bee-Bee, Bran-Bran, Train Boy, myself, and Miss Annie

Here is the final resting place of my father The Colonel. We think it is important that our children know their family heritage. Dad lied about his age and enlisted in the army in 1926 when he was only 15! He served for thirty years and distinguished himself in WWII and Korea.

Due to our hectic family schedules, and needing to carry Miss Annie's chair and other gear, it took three vehicles for us all to meet in San Antonio at the same time. Here we are clogging up a pump island at Buc-ee's. Nice shady spot for an impromptu tailgate party.

My beautiful niece Ana Lorlei the afternoon of her graduation from Texas State. My sister Jerri-Ann passed away several years ago, but she would be been so proud of her beautiful baby. We now have a commercial interior designer in the family. BTW, Ana created the Garage Deluxe logo for me almost a decade ago.

We lost a member of our own personal Rainbow Tribe who spent considerable childhood time in our home. My sister Shannon became Salaya's Leal's first foster mother at age four, after Salaya was confirmed to have suffered unspeakable abuse almost from birth. In July she was run over by a hit and run coward in Austin. Another driver then hit her broken body likely resulting in her death. Neither driver could be bothered to stop, and In my book both are sorry bastard's. RIP Salaya, your worldly troubles are now behind you.
http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/news/2015/07/25/death-of-young-homeless-woman-demonstrates-challenges-of-aging-out-of-foster-care.html

I saw these at a local antique store. I could just imagine Dolores Del Rio using the green one to call down for her Duesenberg.

Five in the center console of my big Ram muscle truck, with room for two more in the back, for a total big gulp capacity of a whopping 224 ounces. This is why you buy 'merican...Go USA, Go USA, Go USA ;)

I recently got a call regarding a local owner than wanted to sell a couple of classics. Well, that can mean anything...in this case it literally meant two full classics. All it took was a few phone calls to find two great cars a new out of state home. A wise man told me long ago that there is always a ready market for the best of the best.

Out and About Cars

Here are photos of random cool cars I've spotted over the last few weeks.

Little GTO, she's looking fine with three-deuces and a 389!

Ever seen a two-door Falcon wagon? I'm told by my rabid Falcon/Econoline enthusiast buddy Carl Owen they are exceedingly rare. Perhaps we can feature his current project car in a future edition.

All primer, and cool as an igloo!

I can't think what I would use it for, but...

Ooooh, now that's one fine '63 Galaxie

Nothing wrong here a little bondo won't fix...

Front end make me think of a venomous snake.

Some rust in evidence, but a complete go-down-the-road car.

Love them Chevy II's.

My bride and I recently discussed all of the adventures we had separately and together in 2nd Gen F-bodies. Mine mostly involved some sort of racing, her's....ahem...involved her and her high school friends flashing truckers out of a T-Top Trans-Am. When we met I had a 1979 Z28 in a very particular and exceedingly rare one-year-only shade of green called Pistachio. My friends simply called it "the lime green Z." Ah, to be young again...or a trucker ;)

There is something sooo cool about a vintage 911 Turbo. One of my all time top ten's.

The first car my bride bought with her own money was a Pinto.

I'm not sure what it is, but Collin thought it was cool. Nader called the Corvair unsafe?

They're everywhere, they're everywhere!

Gratuitous bus porn! This new Vantare on a Prevost chassis is a seven figure coach.

A local Magnolia fund-raiser. I encountered the Stude a few weeks earlier while driving Cool Breeze. He looked over, grinned, gunned it and was gone. Those old Hawks can really go.

At a recent Corvair Houston meeting.

You can't tell in this photo, but this 'Vette had just passed me at high speed in the wet on the left, spun 360 degrees, before bouncing sideways across three lanes, and impacting the right front hard on the k-rail. The entire right side of the car was totally destroyed. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen the entire ballet.

Another blended-fender incident in Magnolia outside my bank.

This one actually involved four vehicles. Someone(s) here showed real driving talent.

Yes that is a gas pump laying on its side...after they put the fire out. I think a car shunted into it at high-speed from the highway. Driving skill, lots, and lots of driving skill...NOT!

My first book review...Big print, small words. End of review. I'm guessing one week of his royalties was roughly equal to may annual earnings. Sometimes life just ain't fair, LOL.

I've actually made significant progress on my '63 Spyder coupe.You may recall that I'm the 2nd owner of this low-mileage documented original Houston car. Fellow Corvair Houston member Bob Wilhelm purchased her new. Do you like the vintage Centerline wheels? Another of my Craigslist finds.

The exterior color will now be gun-metal silver with a red interior.

DIY Automotive paint kit! I haven't painted a car in over twenty years, but I'm about to find out if I still know how. Sure hope it turns out.

Bronze Baby (last summer's junkyard rescue) has gone to her new home with Houston broadcasting legend Don Armstrong, who is also host of the popular radio show In Wheel Time. In less than a year a crusher-bound 'Vair was revived, and sent to the best possible new home. I'm kinda proud of the work Travis Nassar and I did on this one.

Yes, all of the Pebble catalogs have come in the mail. Sadly, perusing them will once again be as close as I get to the World-Cup of automotive extravaganzas. My arrangements for St. Johns were all solidified before Salaya's murder and memorial made attendance impossible. On the positive side I will definitely attend the ACD Festival even if I have to crawl to Indiana.

Thomas Ranch 75th Anniversary Gala

If you are a SE Texas car guy, and unless you've been living under a rock, you certainly know of the fabled Thomas Ranch. In June our most gracious host Mr. Bill Thomas opened his ranch to virtually all comers to celebrate 75 years of family ownership.

In spite of threatening skies and muddy conditions a whose-who of Houston automotive royalty came to help Bill celebrate, as did an alphabet soup of car clubs. There was something for virtually every automotive taste with an unusually high number of early cars and full classics.

When I spied a meticulously restored vintage Ford log-truck I knew we were in for a one of a kind day.

Even the threatening skies and occasional raindrops did nothing to dampen everyone's spirits as they paraded past Grand View Manor.

Even Train-Boy got into the act. He strapped his vintage Fairbanks-Morse to the back of Clifford the Big Red Truck, and let 'er rip during the parade.

Thomas offered a choice of traditional Texas BBQ, or Mexican food. I don't know what the Thomas crew does to that brisket, but it almost melts in your mouth.

James "Drove it like he stole it" Bartlett brought his spectacular Duesenberg Model J Dual-Cowl Phaeton.

Gratuitous Duesenberg Engine Porn!

Quite some time ago Train Boy and Thomas learned they had a shared interest in...er...model trains. Brian's are HO, and Thomas's just slightly larger in scale. Incidentally I understand these live-steam locomotives, will soon be chugging around the Thomas ranch. I know where Bill can find a volunteer engineer.

Ultimate Auction Fail?

You may have heard about the raid conducted at a recent auction held in Anderson, TX. This was widely reported in the Houston media, but with few details or context. I have tried to provide both, and my full report can be read on the Old Cars Weekly Web Site.
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/auction-news/texas-auto-dealer-arrested-during-his-auction

You may wish to read the OCW article first. Subsequent to publication of the article I received an e-mail from Israel Curtis Auctioneers, which in the interest of fairness I will reprint after the trailing photos. If you have followed this blog for any length of time you will know that I spend a great deal of time attending and reporting on collector car auctions. I am by no means a legal expert, but even before the law enforcement raid I found the actions of the auctioneer and stated property owner on the day to be troubling and at odds with conduct of professional auto auction companies. I cannot speak to how the vehicles were obtained or titled, other than to repeat statements made by the involved parties. Please read to the end for Mr. Curtis statement, which I have reprinted in full.

I will continue to closely follow this story, and will print any updates as they become available. I am available at any time to conduct an on camera interview with any of the involved parties.

Received 7/28/2015 from Israel Curtis
ICurtisAuctions@aol.com

Dear friends. This is to update and inform you of the events that happened in Anderson on June 27th....... As you know the auction was very rudely and unjustly interrupted by a task force. A task force that has for 2 years harassed my client Mr. Shipman and not ever found him in violation at his shop. They regularly come in and check his vin numbers as they did just weeks prior to the auction. For some reason they believed him to be selling autos on open titles etc. without going thru proper channels. ( but even that would not have warranted their actions that day ) As you saw he had a table set up where his long time partner was in fact reassigning titles collecting fee's, taxes, with a valid license according to law. They set us up.... My license was active. I was in a dispute with TDLR about a fine they levied against me as a result of TDLR saying I did not have their info on a contract I issued. (It was in fact stamped on the back as always) I had sent proof that I was not in violation and I was appealing their decision, not just because of the $1000.00 fine but because I was not in violation, as a principle I do not pay fines when innocent. THE TASK force convinced them to come down from Austin and put me on a hold due to the sting. They originally charged Mr. Shipman and his partner with selling autos without a state license which they dropped the next morning due to the fact they did have an active resale license, They then charged them with a misdemeanor charge of selling at a un designated address, (selling at a wrong address) However an auto dealer has the right to sell at any auction. BUT they also charged all three of us with conspiracy to conduct in organized crime activity. a class 2 felony and thru us in jail. The RICO Act designed for mafia etc. The lead detective in charge of the investigation named Joe Schider is the head of the stolen auto task force and is a good friend of a board member at the bank located next to Mr. Shipmans business where the auction was held and DOES NOT like all the cars there, so for 2 years Joe Schider has harassed Mr. and Mrs Shipman to the point they were selling all they had and moving. I am an honest man and although I did not know the Shipmans or their partner before our recent auction I have gotten to know them now. They are also honest God serving people who have crossed paths with a power abusing sociopath named Joe Schider. I ask Det. Schider why in the world he would charge me with organized crime? He said and I QUOTE: Well, we have to have 3 people to charge anyone with conspiracy to commit organized crime activity and you are just a pawn. So Mr. Schider you are sick enough to falsely accuse a person just to get what you want? I am proud of my reputation. I am far from perfect but I do my best to treat everyone honestly and good, I have a clean record and there is a reason for that. Not only did I not make money that day but I lost approx. $10,000 not counting legal fees, lost income due to my integrity being falsely accused, etc. On the 6 o'clock news when interviewed Mr. Schider even lied and said there was stolen property and they had to find out the lawful owners... THERE WAS AND IS NO STOLEN PROPERTY and he knew it......... All of these erroneous charges will be dropped and a civil lawsuit will be filed against Mr. Schider and the county. The vehicles you purchased will soon be released and if you still want them we will make them available to you. And the others will be sold and you will be notified of the time and place. In closing I want to thank you for your patience, kindness and trust in me and my staff. A few of you were new to our business but many of you have been coming to our auctions for 15 years and you know I would not be involved in anything shady or wrong.... If you felt like your rights were violated or you were treated by this task force unfairly, rudely, or with disrespect please write me a detailed statement of these facts. (Or if you would want to give me a character reference concerning my personal and business conduct and ethics)
Israel Curtis

Greg Goes a Hellcattin'

2015-05-27T18:18:00.001-05:00

Greetings Garage Friends…I know it’s been like forever, but I’ve been seriously busy with several different projects. I’ll have lots to share in a future edition. This time I have a sort of open letter to Sergio Marchionne head of FCA Automobiles.

In place of our monthly quote, here is a photo of a fortune cookie that I recently received that I think is apropos.

Dear Sergio,
You don’t know me, but trust me we have the beginnings of a real bro-mance. I’ve recently spent seven days behind the wheel of your 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat…and well I’m just a little bit smitten. Actually your creation is the coolest damn car I’ve ever driven, and I’ve driven hundreds. Forget the Porsches, Lambos, et Ferrari’s, Dodge now sells the baddest sedan on the market for $65 large, and oh yeah it runs 204 m.p.h.

When Dodge dropped this snarling best in my driveway the chase vehicle was a Challenger Hellcat…Wow, what a pair and they are in my driveway! Truly two of the most coveted new cars on the planet right here in God's Country, aka Magnolia by God Texas.

The main exterior identification is this cool little Hellcat emblem on the front fenders. There is little else on the exterior to designate the snarling beast within. Dodge warned me that they have had several badges pried off of test cars.

At every start this cool Hellcat graphic pops up in the center of the dash.

Remember the line from the song that goes, “the kind you don’t bring home to Mutha?” Yep, that’s the Hellcat. It started with my friends joking about taking up a collection for bail money. I did sort of establish a reputation for…spirited driving, not long after obtaining my driver’s license. Ah, my old Monte Carlo SS454 signing the pavement….but I digress. These troopers didn't quite haul me off to the hoosegow, but their was some discussion on whether it would outrun the Charger cruiser (it will.) I did make a little noise leaving the parking lot, and all I got was thumbs up.

There it is in all its 707hp Supercharged glory. Viva the American V8!

This particular Hellcat and I had a previous engagement at The Texas Auto Writers Spring Roundup. My brief ride in the wet confirmed that the Hellcat is a car for for-real grownups with proper respect for 707hp, and 3.5 second 0-60 times.

When it arrived in our driveway I asked my bride if she wanted a ride? Her reply, “no I’m good.” She did eventually strap in but one quick part throttle stab had her screaming. After a couple of days she told one of her friends that Dodge was going to need pry the keys from my hands.

I can never remember any sedan grabbing attention like the Hellcat. People stop and stare, and the local constabulary gives big thumbs up. The exhaust burbles and crackles in a near ear splitting crescendo. Ah, but gentle reader that’s only outside the car. Inside everything remains, well not exactly quiet. I hereby dub it loudly melodious. I drove it for two days in full Nannie mode before I started fiddling with the performance settings and paddle shifters. This is a car that commands respect and let me emphasize again, definitely not a car for beginners.

All of my friends begged rides, even a couple of guys that have seven-figure machinery in their Garage-Mahals. Yep, it is that kind of bad-ass.

In full-on track mode the Hellcat is a snarling untamed beast. A little bit of steering input in either direction while under moderate acceleration causes billows of tire smoke and traditional muscle-car tail-wagging action. I would bet on a proper race track she would drift in unbelievable fashion, and cutting donuts is...well...as easy as pie....er, donuts. This mode also considerably stiffens the suspension settings. This also puts the transmission in full-manual mode and the shifts bang out like an old school Muncie crash-box. Truthfully only an aspiring member of the Darwin club would drive this sledge hammer of a car on the street in full track mode.

Default mode disables the paddle shifter, and puts the suspension in Boulevard mode. The shift points come at lower RPM, and are much smoother. Put it in drive and your grandmother could drive it to church. If she were to inadvertently stab the loud pedal a little too hard, the electronic nannies would do their job so even the little old lady from Pasadena could control things. I found it pleasant to drive on the highway, and more than comfortable for long distances. You could still hear the burbling exhaust, but it never drowned out the excellent Harmon-Kardon sounds.

My favorite mode was Sport mode. The suspension was considerably stiffer than default, and the transmission could move seamlessly between full automatic and manual shifting. Pull the left paddle once and you are in manual, pull and hold the right and in a split second back in full auto. Perfect for picking your spot on those freeway entrance ramps, or at the toll-booth grand-Prix. The shifts were firm, but not quite neck snapping as in track mode. The mid-range acceleration is like nothing I’ve experienced before.

After a few days I did try a couple of hard starts in default, sport, and the totally insane track mode. On concrete, hard launches were controllable in all three modes. I repeated this only once in sport mode on asphalt which resulted in regrettable amounts of tire smoke. After the concrete launches I truly didn’t anticipate what we used to call, “wasting the skinnies.” The Hellcat is shod with wide 275mm ultra-sticky Michelin Pilots on the rear and I’m sure this faux-pas shortened their life considerably, but god was it fun obliterating the scenery with blue tire haze!

I did make one quick sprint past 100mph, which arrived in what seemed like milliseconds. Truthfully I did briefly exceed my own personal high-speed record (known only to a handful of old friends.) The big Dodge always seemed firmly planted and well behaved. I came nowhere near its fabled 200mph top end, but I would expect things would remain well controlled.

So what’s the downside? Well, my experience was sort of like a weekend fling that continues into Monday, and you realize things have gotten serious way to quick. I quickly became acclimated to the Hellcats charms and found myself driving in…ahem…a highly spirited manner. And there my friends is the downside. The Hellcat is a car that inspires confidence, making you forget the snarling beast that is always lurking just below the surface in Mr. Hyde fashion.

At the Texas Auto Writers Roundup I found myself in the elevator with a couple of Dodge honchos. I asked them if they had any concerns about making such a car available to all comers. The response, “Yep we’ve discussed internally that there are a lot of guys that can stroke a check for $65 large, but most of them have never driven anything like the Hellcat.” Translation? Treat this car with the respect 707hp deserves because it can bite your ass, really, really HARD.

Our loaner stickered for $70,170 which ain't chicken feed, but compare it to competitors of similar performance and it seems like a virtual blue-light special. And you can almost justify this to Mama as a four-door grocery getter. Try making the same argument for any of its gull-wing and scissor doored brethren.

So why the Bro-mance with ‘ol Sergio? Well I think he is the most worthy successor to head this company since old Walter Chrysler hisself. Yes, I know that Iaccoca has been anointed to that position, but Serg took a gutted Chrysler corporation, merged it with a not overly healthy Fiat and created a world-class portfolio of automobiles for every want and need with a specific nod to hard-core gearheads like us.

Heck even the new Dodge Brothers commercials are inspired. They may have taken a few liberties with John and Horace but these guys were my kind of balls-to-the-wall entrepreneurs. When ‘ol Henry Ford tried to give ‘em a good screwin’ they responded by building their own car that was light years ahead of the T-Model.

Just look at the portfolio of brands under the newly re-minted FCA Automobiles; Dodge, Chrysler, RAM, Alfa-Romeo, Maserati, Fiat, and of course Ferrari. Some of the most storied automotive brands of all times, all under one corporate umbrella.

What of the comparison between Walter P. and Sergio? Well if you don’t have a copy of Vincent Curcio’s excellent book Chrysler, you outta grab one. At 690 pages it ain’t light reading, but I’ll guarantee you learn loads about the early auto industry. Until I read it I never fully appreciated what major contributions Chrysler made to the early industry.

‘Ol Walter P. combined Chalmers, and Maxwell, to form Chrysler Corp. while simultaneously launching a world beating car bearing his own name. He then founded Plymouth in large measure to apply pressure to Dillon Read & Co. to essentially give him Dodge Brothers. Kinda like Sergio, Cerberus, and Uncle Sam.

I did sign the pavement just a little (Sport mode.)

I have a couple of quick videos to share with you. The first is a quick ride along with me and my Go-Pro, the 2nd is a quick SRT Promo piece. I think you will enjoy both!

Charger-Hellcat-v8 from driveSRT on Vimeo.

Texas Auto Writers Spring Roundup

2015-04-03T22:05:00.001-05:00

Greetings again Garage Friends! (Note that I actually wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but just now found time to publish.) As I start to write this I’m bouncing down the Interstate with my laptop literally balanced in my lap, and my good friend Dutch auto Journalist Natan Tazelaar at the wheel of my new Ram truck.

Special thanks to Major League Photography official photographers of the Texas Auto Roundup for many of the photos used in this issue. Be sure and visit their web site for all of the 2015 Roundup photos. CLICK HERE

What a day it has been for us. We participated in the Texas Auto Writers spring Roundup where we drove the best of the best from virtually every leading car brand sold in America. We sampled everything from a 2015 Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel to a 2015 Bentley Continental GT V8 S convertible and 56 others besides.

I’ll only be home for a few hours before Train Boy and I depart for all of the pomp and circumstance of the Amelia experience. For the near future I don’t know how I’m going to top this week.

This week’s quote is in honor of #AmeliaConcours, and this year’s special guest. “Calling upon my years of experience, I froze at the controls.”—Sir Stirling Moss

Read to the end to be one of the first to see the official TAWA Auto Roundup results. First I’ll share my personal impressions, and then of course the completely unofficial, totally unscientific, and completely crazy Greggies.

The TAWA spring Roundup is held annually at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX. The breakfast and mandatory safety meeting was held before sunup at the 8^th floor of the Speeday Club. Ah, nothing likes watching sunrise over a racetrack. Unfortunately the day started foggy and rainy, with the track extremely wet. Usually the assembled journalists are allowed hot laps around a portion of the track in most (but not all) of the vehicles. But alas today wouldn’t be that day. More on that a little later.

Once we arrived at the paddock garage we gazed upon 58 tasty automotive treats. This year the manufacturers brought many of their top performance models. Remember the old fashioned racing starts where the drivers run for their cars? Well now you have the correct impression of a bunch of rabid auto journalists when presented with key in ignitions and enough horsepower to tilt the earth on its axis.

Last year some floppy-jalopy blog poked fun at TAWA and our awards process. In that regard I thought I would share a few statistics. 47 accredited automotive journalists and one good ol’ north-end Beaumont boy drove 58 cars, for a total of 885 test drives. The average number of test drives per journalist was 17, with one intrepid soul somehow managing 38.There were two main test circuits (not including the racetrack) which included a wide variety of possible test conditions. These circuits could also be combined in several different manners allowing for a huge array of possible road conditions. Virtually all of today’s testing was done in varying degrees of rainy conditions.

After the driving was done, the journalists completed ballots of 18 pages and 128 questions. The ballots allowed us to rate and comment on the cars in six different criteria. All balloting was done electronically and anonymously. In the official results I’ll outline all of the official classes, and winners.

But first…the completely subjective, unscientific and likely outlandish Greggies!

#1 Most Journalist Preferred (based on the total # of drives.)

2015 Dodge Challenger HellCat. Who doesn’t want to experience 707hp? Certainly not this assembled group of horsepower fanatics. You gotta hand it to the guys and gals at FCA (Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles) they’ve created a priceless amount of buzz with the Hellcat series. Wonder what they’ll give the Hellcat treatment to next? No doubt my friends at Texas Auto Gear are voting for a 707hp Jeep Wrangler (like TAG builds.) Sound perfectly sane to me.

Car Texans are gonna love best!

2015 Dodge Charger HellCat. When I was a kid all of the nouveau oil rich Texans drove 500ci Cadillac and Lincoln leviathan float-mobiles with opera windows and tufted leather interiors. Today’s best automotive-dressed Texans will all be driving Charger HellCats . Turns out it comes standard with 707 tire-shredding horsepower, and enough room for all of you golfing buddies and their clubs in the trunk. Dodge has even agreed to loan me one for the Concours d’Elegance of Texas weekend. I already have a huge list of my peeps wanting rides. One friend claims already to be gathering bail money.

Adult Go-Kart Award

Why the Alfa 4C of course. This was the car I most wanted to drive. I once heard a car described as "automotive sneakers." That comes close, but the little Alfa is so fleet of foot that the description falls short. I was grinning like the village idiot while banging off shits with the little Tiger Shark 4-banger at full wail. I understand the Alfa can only produce these little jewels in limited quantities due to the fabrication of the carbon fiber tub. Seems a pity because at the mass-market base MSRP of $53,900 they could sell 'em by the boatloads. Think of it as a diminutive Ferrari that you can actually afford. Once again FCA hits it out of the park with the little Alfa that could. Were he still with us I have no doubt that legendary automotive journalist and rabid Alfa aficionado Ralph Stein would approve.

Most Concour like interior

Well, this was the easiest one of all, the Bentley of course. I waited all day for my turn at the big Brit, but the queue never diminished. When it became obvious I wasn’t going to get any wheel time I squeezed in the backseat…big mistake. This back seat ain’t designed for 300lb Texans. Nope I was miserable and my knee possible permanently disfigured from being jammed into the seat-back, but there is plenty of room for the purse puppies and Gucci handbags of the intended clients. Yes its beautiful and its a Bentley, but it just ain't for me.

The Ridiculous crap your pants horsepower award

Actually I should call this category something else because my pick, the 2015 Nissan GTR may not have had the most ultimate horsepower of the day, but I’ll wager it delivers the best lap times. Sorry Ferrari and Lamborghini, this fat Texas boy would rather have a Nissan. As the video shows, even on a wet test track the GTR went around the track like stink on s**t. After a couple of tire warming laps, my driver/host Nissan Product Planning guru John Curl asked if I wanted to go for a couple of more really, really hot laps. Hell yeah, I could have ridden with him all day. I’ll wager the Nissan starts every time, doesn’t require annual maintenance equal to the national debt of a third world country, and won't self-immolate like some bull-headed Italian exotics. Gotta hand it to those Japanese engineers thei truly produce some world-class machinery.

Car Greg is mostly likely to add to his fleet

Hands down, Subaru BRZ. Have you ever sat in a car and just knew you were going to be great friends? Well for me it was the little Subie that could. The flat four delivers a singular and nearly indescribable tail-pipe growl. The interior was comfortable to even my large frame and a skillful mix of materials gave it the appearance of a much more expensive whip. Hustling it around the track was no sweat, and the six-speed manual shifted slicker than snot. All of this for under $30K? Subaru has a winner with this one.

Most...interesting...paint award?

The gloss-less paint on the Bentley reminded me of a Corvair I painted in the early 80’s that was exposed to dampness while still wet, and blushed. At the time I was kicking myself in the ass for my lack of acumen as a painter. Little did I know that I was creating a cutting-edge paint job twenty years to soon? I simply don’t understand why someone would spend $200 LARGE on a car with a flat finish. Oh well, I’m just a simple minded Texan. We like ‘em shiny.

Car I almost became “that guy” in

2015 Corvette Z51. You know that guy right? The guy that breaks the engine or crashes the test car? All day everyone joked about not being “that guy.” Well I almost was in the 2015 Corvette. Admittedly the conditions were wet and far less than ideal, but a part-throttle stab brought the rear end around in an unpredictable and very scary manner. My bud Natan was riding shotgun, and I expect he’s still cleaning out his shorts. Fortunately some quick see-sawing of the steering wheels brought things quickly back under control.

After this near catastrophic incident we both tried various quick throttle applications and agreed the traction control was utterly useless in these conditions. Why? Ah, read on gentle-reader! Interestingly I later tried the exact same maneuver at the same spot in the HellCat, with no drama of any kind. Initially I was left a little leery of the ‘Vette. I’m certainly not a novice driver, but this thing was no more controlled than a ’67 big-block ‘Vette on skinny belted tires. Natan was left puzzled by all of this and decided to do a little research. Ah ha, it seems that every mode in the traction control settings is infinitely and fully programmable. It seems likely that the guy before me was fiddling around and the settings were whacked.

I was so intimidated by the near incident that I couldn’t enjoy the car after. GM, I want a do-over!!

What if I could only choose one?

I’m not sure I could choose just one. Its kinds of like being The Bachelor at a rose ceremony. How do you tell a room full of beautiful girls that they aren’t the “one” for you? What criteria do you use? The high maintenance diva? The girl you don’t bring home to mutha? Or, the practical good girl? In my experience it’s the one that’s a combination of all of that, and that certain indescribable something? My three finalists are….the envelope please!

2^nd Runner Up-Nissan GTR. This was by far my favorite drive of the day, the price would be the only thing that would give me pause.

1^st Runner Up-2015 Mustang GT 5.0 mit six-speed manual. The Mustang is a fantastic blend of comfort, straight-line performance, coupled with a brilliant chassis. Great mass-market price too. Forget what you’ve heard about the loss of a live-axle out back. Ford has a straight up home-run with the new GT.

Miss Universe-2015 Subaru BRZ. After the first five minutes with the BRZ, it just like my meeting my bride 27 years ago, I knew it was the one for me. It just has that certain indescribable something…call it Automotive pheromones ;)

Truthfully there wasn’t a single bad car at the event. Some were just gooder than others, and still others just had the certain extra something. No onwards to the official results from the real auto journalists!

Be sure and scroll all the way to the end to watch the hot laps in the 2015 Nissan GTR.

Official Texas Auto Writers Results

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Texas Auto Writers (TAWA) refused to let a day-long deluge of rain keep them from diligently test driving and evaluating 54 vehicles Monday, both on and off the Texas Motor Speedway Racetrack. The 52 journalists attending the annual Auto Roundup chose the
2015 Chrysler 300 as Car of Texas

2015 Toyota Sienna as the Family Car of Texas

Other Auto Roundup winners included: Best Value, 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe; Best New Feature, 2015 Dodge SRT Hellcat 6.2-liter Supercharged HEMI V8 Engine; and Best New Interior, the 2015 Lincoln MKZ's Black Label Package.

Winning the Sub-Compact Car Division was the 2015 Kia Forte5 SX, with the 2015 Chevrolet Trax LTZ runner up.

Compact Car of Texas was won by the 2015 Ford Focus SE, with the 2016 Acura ILX runner up. Premium Compact was the 2015 Subaru WRX Ltd with the 2014 Mazda Mazda3 S 5-door Grand Touring runner up.

In the Mid-Size Car category, the 2015 Chrysler 200 was named the winner with the 2015 Mazda6 I Grand Touring runner up. In the Mid-Size Luxury Car category, the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe was the winner with the 2015 Lincoln MKZ Black Label runner up.

Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack was the winner with the 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid runner up. For full-size luxury car, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 was the winner, with the 2015 Jaguar XJ (long wheelbase) runner up.

Performance Compact was the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R, with the 2015 Ford Focus ST as runner up. Performance Coupe was the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe runner up. Performance Sedan was the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, with the 2015 Cadillac CTS V Sport TT runner up.

The Minivan category was won by the 2015 Toyota Sienna Ltd., with the 2015 Chrysler Town & Country runner up. Activity Vehicle was the 2015 Lexus NX 200t F-SPORT, with the 2015 Jeep Renegade Limited a close runner up.

Performance Utility was won by the 2015 SRT Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT with the 2015 Land Rover Ranger Rover runner up. The Green Vehicle was the 2015 Lexus NX 300h, with the 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE runner up.

The Super Car of Texas was the 2015 Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible, with the 2015 Nissan GT-R Premium runner up.

TAWA is one of the most reputable automotive press organizations in the industry, with a mission to promote quality and accuracy in automotive journalism and disseminate information about the industry through news related print, online and broadcast media. TAWA produces two driving events each year—the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall. Media members enjoy driving and evaluating new vehicles competing for the coveted Car of Texas or Truck of Texas trophies. For more information, please visit

http://www.texasautowriters.org
Media contact: Jo Ann Causey,

joannholt@gmail.comSOURCE Texas Auto Writers Association

Spring is starting to Sprung!

2015-02-25T00:24:00.002-06:00

Greetings Garage Friends! As I write this it’s once again a beautiful sunny February day such as we are sometimes blessed with here in God’s Country, aka Magnolia, TX. Please excuse my tardiness in publishing this latest issue of The Garage.

Today’s Quote, “Nothing ages your car as much as the sight of your neighbor’s new one.”—Evan Esar

I’ve actually done a couple of posts regarding my new car exploits via the Texas Auto Writers Association, but I didn’t send out an E-Blast.

You can read them…

Here: http://garagedlx.blogspot.com/2015/01/happy-somewhat-belated-new-years.html

And Here: http://garagedlx.blogspot.com/2014/12/its-been-challenging.html

Out and About Cars

Here are a few tasty treats I’ve spotted since our last meeting ;)

Old pickups are loved too!

Look quick, its the guys from Entourage (yes I will be seeing the movie.)

R8TED R

New Shelby GT 500 in Magnolia

The '77 and '78 Trans-Am's always make my heart beat faster, and I love the gold and black better than the black and gold.

I've also came upon a couple of accidents near our Magnolia, TX offices. This one was directly across the street.

This one was in town near Las Fuentes.

As bad as they were, I don't believe anyone was seriously injured in either accident.

At the entrance of my subdivision...only in Texas!

I'll bet we won't see prices like this again anytime soon...much to the relief of my friends in the oil business.

Riley Happening’s

It seems that my work demands become greater every day and quite truthfully I haven’t felt quite myself since my hospital stay a couple of months ago. Fortunately last week the Doc adjusted my meds and I’m now feeling better by the day. My bride Ronnie is still faced with significant health challenges and this past two weeks has been particularly hard for her. She has some work ahead of her, but the prognosis is generally good.

You may be surprised to learn that in my “real” business of pens, pencils, and crayons we book factory orders almost a year in advance. Since early September I’ve crisscrossed the U.S. working trade shows, seeing customers, traveled to China and generally done everything possible to seal some deals. We are fortunate to count some of the world’s largest resellers among our satisfied customers. Happily there is a stack of P.O.’s on my desk about 6” thick. In a few weeks it’s finally my annual payday and all of the kids get haircuts and new shoes, LOL.

I thought you might enjoy a couple of snapshots I took outside my Hong Kong office. Quite a dichotomy. This HK trip I also made contact with the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong. Unsurprisingly their ranks are filled with tasty British cars of every vintage and type. I'll have more to say on this great group of guys and gals at a later time.

My New Muscle Truck

As many of my long time followers know, I’ve wanted a pickup truck for a long time. This isn’t just some caprice on my part. Nope, I truly need a pickup for my business and for a haulin’ cars on the weekend. I was fortunate to drive virtually every new model at the Texas Auto Writers Truck Rodeo, and easily settled on a new Ram 1500 crew cab. This almost 400hp beast with 410 lb/ft of torque can break the tires loose from a 30mph punch! Big Chunky is gonna be soooo jealous.

I'm a 33 year member of USAA via my fathers military service. Their financing and car buying service along with their preferred dealer AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram made things a snap. My purchase was facilitated by Auto Nation Vice President Col. Larry Chatman who made the purchase and delivery quick and painless. I was in and out in two hours flat, which must be some sort of new car buying record. This Hemi-powered rocket-truck has the fantastic new 8-speed automatic, and it is equipped to tow up to 10,500 lbs. We’re about to break ‘er in right, which I tell you more about in The Amelia section.

C.A.R. (Collin Alexander Riley) and Cub Scouts

C.A.R. and I once again took part in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. We had a tech night here at The Garage and a number of parents and kids showed up to use our facilities. This year C.A.R. and I placed a respectable second.

Just last Saturday we participated in the Blue and Gold Celebration which includes a Dad and Son cake baking and decorating contest. We thought our entry was pretty cool, but this year we didn’t win any awards. Collin is growing up quick and we only have a few more months in Cub Scouts.

I have a sweet Mercedes 560SL For Sale

Selling for a friend, this three owner roadster has obviously lived a pampered life. You can see the E-Bay ad here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161607861035?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#vehicle-use-and-event-check

Nearly Finished with Bronze Baby

Fellow TAWA member (and Houston broadcasting legend) Don Armstrong host of In Wheel Time on Yahoo Sports Radio has been patiently waiting the finish of his 1966 Corvair Monza Coupe. Legendary metal crafter Sean Ornduff fabricated the sheet metal for the remote A/C condenser. Don, I promise you it will be worth the wait.

These guys have even had me back on the show a couple of times lately. They will be broadcasting live at the upcoming Mecum and Worldwide Houston Auctions.Yours truly will be on the air at both auctions as their collector car and auction expert (know it all?)

Concours d’Elegance of Texas

We are only a few weeks away from the Concours d’Elegance of Texas and if you haven’t submitted those car entries, you need to do so very quickly. Some of the classes are fully subscribed and all are filling quickly. This year’s marques are Packard and Porsche, and amazing examples of both are already confirmed for attendance.

The COT crew has covered the Houston car scene like the Dew over Dixie.

We’ve been to the Houston Autorama

The Houston Auto Show

The Chevy Corvette Expo

Garage right hand gal Amy Gerke (aka The Gerkinator) and Houston collector car legend Ron Stein.

To nominate your car for the show, click here:
http://www.concoursoftexas.org/entrantapp.php

If you want to participate or otherwise volunteer click here:
http://www.concoursoftexas.org/volunteer.php

Worldwide Auctioneers already has a phenomenal and rather eclectic selection of cars already consigned. They will be offering a hens-tooth rare Dual Ghia convertible. Rod Egan narrates a short 2 min video featuring the car.

Houston Auto Show

I recently attended the Press Day at the Houston Auto Show.

Imagine my surprise when I encountered our old Garage Friend Dutch automotive journalist Natan Tazleer. This guy is a walking talking encyclopedia of ANY European marque. Natan will be back stateside shortly and I’ve invited him to the Concours d’Elegance of Texas, and perhaps he’ll even share a story or two for The Garage.

The star of the show was definitely the Pagani Huayra. Two were in attendance, with one static display and the other being seen at Houston’s Hotel Zaza and running around NRG Center. I was outside and heard her approaching, but she was quickly out of sight while I was still fumbling with my phone. Damn, it would have been like capturing a Unicorn on film.

The Amelia!

https://www.ameliaconcours.org/

Every year at the start of February I start marking the days on my calendar to our annual trek to Amelia Island. Train-Boy and I go every year and last year we were joined by my oldest daughter Jo-Jo so she could visit her Waycross, Georgia high-school friends. This year Joni will again be joining us and for the first time we will also be exhibiting in Florida…just not at Amelia Island!

Train Boy was once the youngest member of the North Florida Antique Engine Association. Their Starke, FL Spring show is the same time as Amelia Island. The new Ram will get a workout as we plan to bring several of our antique engines, and Brian has also asked if we can trailer either The Pumpkin (our ratty ’63 Monza coupe) or Cool Breeze (the ’65 4-door hdtp.) Brian thinks it would be uproariously funny for us to valet The Pumpkin at the Ritz Carlton. Somehow I think Amelia showrunner Bill Warner might be less than amused. What they hell, we might just try it anyway

This year the Amelia experience will include three world-class auctions, Bonham's, Gooding & Company, and RM Sotheby's. Also, the MotorXpo, luxury merchants, a cars and coffee experience, and of course Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance featuring Sir Stirling Moss, and even a Sunday fashion show. After several years’ experience I hope to give you a real behind the scenes look via The Garage, and my old friends at Old Cars Weekly. Some of my updates and photos will be posted in real time to the Old Cars Weekly Facebook page. Be sure and "like" their page and join their 74,000+ followers. In our next edition I’ll give you a more in depth preview of the Amelia experience, but here are a few auction cars I’ll be watching closely.

Bonhams-March 12, 2015-10a.m. EDT-Ferninda Beach Golf Club

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22530/#/aa0=2&MR0_length=100&w0=list&m0=0

Lot #135 1930 Cord L-29 Town Car. No Estimate Given. Translation, once in a lifetime expensive.

Image via Bonham's http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22530/lot/135/

This car is widely thought to have been owned new by sultry actress Dolores Del Rio. Rakish, impeccably original and Pebble ready. Bonham’s isn’t publishing an estimate but I’ll wager record seven figure money for a Cord.

Lot #152 1908 American Underslung 50hp Roadster. Estimated $1.1 million – 1.2 million USD.

Image via Bonham's http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22530/lot/152/

I have a real thing for any of the early underslung cars which had the axles mounted above the chassis frame to give these early sporting cars a road-hugging stance.

Gooding & Company-Friday March 13, 2015-11:00a.m. EDT-Omni Amelia Island Plantation

http://www.goodingco.com/auction/amelia-island-2015/

Lot #22 1932 Lincoln KB Custom Stationery Coupe coachwork by Dietrich. Estimated
$800,000-1,000,000 USD.

Image via Gooding & Company http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1932-lincoln-kb-custom-stationary-coupe/

One of three remaining examples of the seventeen constructed and believed to be Dietrich’s 1932 Los Angeles Auto Salon car. The early Edsel Ford constructed Lincoln’s have long been under appreciated by the Chi-chi CCCA crowd in favor of the Auburn-Cords-Duesenberg’s et Packard. In fact all Lincoln’s from L through K series are some of the finest automobiles constructed during the classic era.

Lot #24 1987 Lamborghini Countach. Estimated $425,000-475,000 USD

Image via Gooding & Company http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1987-lamborghini-countach-5000-qv/

In that late 1980’s my Pontiac J200 crapmobile had an Alpine stereo, “just like the new Lamborghini.” Today some dismiss the Countach’s over the top styling a somewhat clownish. During the 80’s it was the epitome of Adrienne Barbeau Cannonball Run bad-ass cool. I predict seven figure prices in the next few years.

R.M. Sotheby's Auctions

http://www.rmauctions.com/auctions/event.cfm?SaleCode=AM15

Lot #119 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo. Estimated $125,000-175,000 USD

Image Via RM Sotheby's http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1072271

During high school I used to troll all of the local car dealers for showroom brochures. One of my best scores was a package of 1980 Porsche literature from Jerry Allen VW Porsche, which I still have. I also drooled all over the jet black 911 Turbo in the showroom awaiting delivery to a local plastic surgeon later to be known as SE Texas best implant practitioner. A couple of years later Dr. Dick and I diced it up between said 911 Turbo and my Monte Carlo SS454. I could hang with until he was at the top of third and making serious boost, then by by Dr. Dick and Porsche. I've coveted a 911 Turbo of my own ever since.

Lot #145 1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet by Pinin Farina. Estimated $6,000,000-7,000,000 USD

Image via RM Sotheby's http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1072401

This gorgeous roadster will likely be the high-sale of the Amelia weekend and perhaps set a world record in the process. Ferrari’s have always been the Sportscar of choice for the glitterati, but now certain vintage models have risen to nearly incomprehensible heights. This is really quite a shame as not only will most of us never drive one, but they are now disappearing into the hermetically sealed garages of the world’s most gilded collectors some never in my lifetime to be seen again.

Coming Attractions

Did you see Lady Gaga's performace at The Oscars? I've never been a fan of Gaga and her crazy get ups. Who knew there was a world class vocalist behind all that hype?

Greg goes crazy for Toyota's

2015-01-20T16:39:00.002-06:00

Happy (somewhat belated) New Year’s Greetings, Garage Friends!

I’m once again back to my globe-trotting ways. In fact as I write this I’m sitting in a hotel room on Hong Kong’s fabled Golden Mile.

While in Hong Kong I’m always struck with all of the unfamiliar cars I see on the road. Interestingly I estimate that over 50% of what I see is here made by Toyota which is apropos as we are going to take a little peek at the new 2015 Toyota Yaris, Camry, and Sienna.

Here in HK the Toyota Crown Comfort is the Checker Cab of the far-east.

In fact Akio Toyoda awarded it the first Morizo award. For the uninitiated Morizo is the alter-ego adopted by Toyoda for his racing and blogging persona. He sounds like a guy I could hang in the pits with ;)

Today Toyota also broke ground today on its new U.S. HQ in Plano, TX. All I can say is, welcome home to Texas guys!

Also, one doesn’t see pick-up trucks or hulking SUV’s in Hong Kong. Nope instead what American’s describe as mini-vans is ubiquitous here. Many are outfitted like a Roller or Bentley is apparently considered quite the status symbol.

This is all a great segue to the main event…

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a Toyota USA press event as stand-in for….ahem, shall we say a more mainstream journalist? Although I drive hundreds of cars each year, my personal preference is more toward something with fat sticky tires and a blatting exhaust as ancient dinosaur bones make a transformation into raw horsepower and tire smoke.

This was even more apparent to me as I was hob-knobbing with the Toyota PR folks. At that moment my driveway contained a loaned 2015 Dodge Challenger Scat-Pack all hemi-sinister in shag-nasty black with cracking exhaust and huge gooey tires.

In fact over the years I’ve somewhat derisively called Toyota’s the automotive equivalent of the world’s best toaster. We have owned almost countless vehicles at the Riley domicile, but only one was a Toyota.

During our stint in Georgia in the early 2000’s I bought eldest daughter Jo-Jo a super-clean one-owner early 90’s Tercel.

This was after she and her friend Jen returned my Mazda 6 from a night of cruising (swamp drag-racing?) with the transmission in need of an automotive ICU. I often wondered how they have got the ‘ol 6 home, as I soon found out the transmission case was cracked in half…but I digress (as usual.)

That little Tercel was one tough little car! Not only was my gear banging daughter unable to break anything, but when she was involved in a horrific crash very similar to the one that took the life of John O’Quinn, Jo-Jo walked away with nary a scratch.

After we inspected the mangled wreckage mama and I both gave thanks to the big-man that she survived at all. At that time my opinion of Toyota’s began to shift. After all people do need toasters too, particularly reliable and safe toasters!

When I arrived at the press event there are an array of Yaris’s, Camry’s, and Sienna’s arrayed for my driving pleasure. Each car had the keys in the ignition, and a map of three possible routes of varying distances and conditions. I was told to pick the one I liked and have at it!

My first drive was in a Camry hybrid. The redesigned 2015 Camry line has much more contemporary styling. It is great to see Toyota finally take a few styling risks on its mainstream sedan, which I believe is the most stylish Camry ever. To put it bluntly, some of the previous iterations were as stylish as a brick on wheels. The swept-back headlamps, wider stance, and large blacked-out grill opening make the car look more aggressive and very much Lexus like.

I have driven numerous Hybrid’s and still find the transition between gas and hybrid modes a little disconcerting. Toyota has minimized this to a large degree, but the transition is still somewhat noticeable. Owing to my misunderstanding of the route instructions I found myself on the longest of the three routes, a distance of some 70 miles. Soon I became obsessed with the MPG meter prominently displayed in the dash cluster. It’s 25mpg, now 30mpg, now 35mpg. Can I make 40mpg? Just at that moment I found myself in particularly heavy traffic conditions near the Kemah boardwalk with lots of stop and go. “Nope I’ll never get to 40,” I thought to myself.

At that point I turned up the tunes on my favorite classic rock station, and said to hell with the mpg game. As I listened to AC-DC, Black Sabbath, and Boston my foot got heaver and heaver. I squirted in and out of traffic and generally drove it like I stole it (James B. are you listening, LOL?) Imagine my surprise when I returned and realized I averaged over 40.5 mpg! Dang, I didn’t see that coming. In many ways the Camry Hybrid is the perfect urban mid-size sedan.

Next up was the micro-sized Yaris. I expected it to be cramped, uncomfortable, and underpowered. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be none of those things. I found it to be an engaging little car and soon I was in full slot-car mode! I recently bought my kids a new Chevy Sonic, which competes head to head with the Yaris. I think the Sonic has a slight edge in the refinement department, but the Yaris was definitely more fun to drive. My teenage kids tell me they slightly prefer the styling of the Yaris to the more blocky Sonic.

My next drive was in the Sienna mini-van. This was actually the biggest surprise of the day. We have owned several Dodge mini-vans over the last twenty years. All were great at moving people and stuff, but one could hardly call them interesting to drive, refined, or particularly durable.

The Sienna was loaded with great features and the doors all closed with a bank-vault like “thunk.” The JBL sound system really blew me away. I’ve driven six-figure luxury cars that didn’t have such great tunes.

Acceleration was brisk, it handled well, and it was engaging without being obtrusive. There was plenty of room to spread out my 6’, and almost 300# frame. In fact my bride I subsequently agreed that the Sienna will be on our short list when it comes time to trade her Durango in a few months. The Sienna would be a hoot for my upcoming Florida trip to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Plenty of room for Train Boy and I, all our luggage the hundreds of pounds of electronic great that I take every year.

So far Toyota is batting 1,000!

My final drive was in a loaded to the hilt Camry XLE V6. It had every feature imaginable including a full-leather interior with contrasting stitching, and sun roof. I had driven my ’14 bolt-action Mazda 6 to the event, so it made for an interesting counter-point. The Mazda is definitely a hard-core driver’s car with full Zoom-Zoom at every turn, but the Camry is a refined cruiser.

The Camry immediately charmed me with its butter smooth 268hp V6, slick shifting six-speed automatic transmission and array of creature comforts.

The Entune Premium Audio (also by JBL) didn’t quite measure up to the concert-hall sound of the Sienna, likely due to the Sienna’s larger interior volume but it still sounded great. I loved all of the great features including navigation and a full suite of Apps. My only minor complaint is that the 7” touch screen is a mite small for my old eyes when trying to move quickly between menus. I thinking a 52” screen would be just about perfect ;)

On the drive home in the Mazda I found myself wishing for the Toyo’s superior V6 acceleration, and refinement. There are only great things to say about the Camry driving experience. Experience has shown that the entire Camry line represents great value, rock-solid reliability, and solid resale value.

I enjoyed my drives in all of the Toyota’s, but I found myself wanting more seat time in that damn Sienna, and it’s a mini-van!! Go figure.

Next time I'll share with you my recent new truck buying experience. Wanna take bets on what I chose?

It's been Challenging!

2014-12-17T13:35:00.000-06:00

Greetings Garage Friends! I always try and send out pre-Thanksgiving wishes, but for various reasons I didn’t get ‘er done this year. In fact since our last meeting I have quite unexpectedly had several auto-related adventures.

Today’s quote, “My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor!”—Phyllis Diller

Fortunately our Thanksgiving here at the Riley Hacienda was considerably better than that. Our oldest daughter Jo Jo volunteered to entertain Bran-Bran and C.A.R. over the holiday so our table was only six this year, LOL! I hope you and yours had a holiday as nice as ours.

This time we are going to try a little something different in our report from the garage. I’ve started filming a short series of video vignettes, really something I would describe as akin to tasty little automotive bon-bons. I'll be sharing these over several posts.

Greg goes Scat Packin’

You may recall that the Concours d’Elegance of Texas hosted a little preview reception at the LaTorretta Lake Resort a couple of weeks ago. I put out the call to borrow a cool car for the night and Dodge responded in a big way.

Would I like to borrow a 2015 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack? Uh, hell yeah! A couple of days before the car was to be delivered I got a call from the transport company inquiring if I can drive a six-speed manual? Does a bear poop in the woods!

On the morning of the Concour party I heard the muscular Dodge arrive in my driveway before I saw the beast.

There it was all black,sinister, and crackling exhaust. The driver asked me to sign for the delivery and then turned to leave.

“Is that all there is to this?” I said.

“Yep,” he said. “We’ll see you next Thursday, but it can get a little squirrely in the rain.”

With that he turned and left without a backward glance…and then it was just she and I for a week of fun and frolic. For just a moment I felt guilt pang. Does Dodge really know who they just left this 485hp beast with?

About that time my bride came out of the house and almost read my mind, “Just promise me no burnouts!”

Uh, yeah what she said!

It was really hard not to full in love (lust?) with this black muscle beast. When I first hopped in I was struck with the similarities of the dash in a ’71 Challenger, but the ’71 didn’t have this bad-ass Infotainment system, heated seats and steering wheel, and the Super Track pack with launch control and reaction timer. Really, it was like Dodge expected me to put the Challenger through its paces.

I actually completely resisted the urge to do burnouts and drift around corners…for about five minutes!

My boys were a smitten with this bad-ass Dodge as was I. My son C.A.R. (Collin Alexander Riley) summed it up very nicely, “Dad this is a real race car!”

He and his brother Bran-Bran found the back seat a little snug, but I didn’t hear a single complaint.

We even drove it to Beaumont and back for oldest daughter Jojo’s house warming. Joni’s best friend The Gerkinator showed up in her slightly saner white V6 Challenger.

Joni grew up banging gears with Gerkie riding shotgun in my old Camaro 1LE, so they immediately begged me for a ride. We went out by the flumes where we used to drag race during my misspent youth….nope the pavement ain’t one whit better, LOL.

This thing is an absolute hoot to drive. Everything about this car begs you to let ‘er rip. Would you like to hop in and ride shotgun with me? Twenty five years ago my old buddy Don and I used to make our clandestine muscle runs at night so I decided we would this time too.

All in all not a bad way to spend a week!

Backatcha shortly...

Happy Veterans Day!

2014-11-11T16:06:00.001-06:00

Good afternoon Garage Friends! I've been a little slow with the posts, but this time I have a legitimate excuse.

Today's Quote, "I don't measure a man's success by how high climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits bottom." Gen. George S. Patton

Happy Veterans Days!

I want to take a moment to honor my late father Lt. Col. Perry N. Riley Sr.-U.S. Army Retired. He served his country with distinction in WWII and Korea and retired in 1956 after thirty years of service. Dad also served on General Patton's staff. Here are he and Miss Annie, the night they met Gen. Omar Bradley.

Out and About with Greg

Train Boy has just had a birthday. Seems like he was born only yesterday. I remember every detail of the night he was born...little did I know then how profoundly his birth would change my life. Happy Birthday Brian!

Well you may have heard that I had a little health scare and spent several days in the hospital. My heart rhythm went into Afib. Fortunately they were able to address the problem without any type of surgery.

The Porsche Carrerra S was parked outside my Cardiologists office. After I got his bill I think we can begin calling it "our" Porsche.

#borrowedbaby! One our cub scout Mom's brought this cutie to the last meeting at our house. I still have a thing for babies and dogs.

Here is my baby Sally all tuckered out after a day of doggie mayhem ;)

Since we last spoke I've made another appearance on In Wheel Time on Yahoo Sports Radio AM1560 discussing how to locate and purchase a collector car. On the left is legendary Houston broadcaster Don Armstrong, on the right Texas Auto Writers Association President Mike Marrs. Don't forget that you can stream the show live every Saturday morning from 9am-noon on the In Wheel Time web site.

A couple of weeks ago I made a flying road trip to Lubbock and spotted a couple of interesting things. This COE International is apparently runs on propane.

I just really have a thing for fire trucks. This old boy needed a major restoration, but would be super cool upon completion.

Some assembly required!

This 'ol Ford may have reached the end of the road.

I've been asked how I like my bolt-action 2014 Mazda 6. On the recent Lubbock trip I got a whopping 36mpg. I think this latest iteration of the Mazda 6 is best mid-size sedan sold in America. Unfortunately it is also one of the best kept secrets. Get behind the wheel of this drivers car, and I'll bet you fall in love too.

Wow, as much as I drive these unbelievably low gas prices are like getting a raise...bet it doesn't last :(

Big block '64 Ford spotted yesterday in Magnolia, and it sounded mean.

Betcha ain't seen a AMC Rebel Machine in a month of Sunday's.

Now there's a pair of Jeeps for you. Wonder what the story is?

The owner told me this discourages tailgaters!

Over 40 years old and still working for a living!

The kid driving this new Roller looked about sixteen and I surmise the gold chains he was wearing are likely worth more than my house. I'm really questioning my career choices, LOL.

No 302 here...nope this was a monster big-block with about 600hp!

Niftee50ees Halloween Show

Niftee50ees held their Halloween cruise-in at the huge Academy parking lot. I understand the car count was over 700.

Here is C.A.R. (Collin Alexander Riley) posing with Tony Pomponio's Corvair Spyder. Collin said this Zombie get-up was the best costume ever.

We did a little politicin' for the Concour d'Elegance of Texas and got the entire family into the act. You have already met Zombie C.A.R, so let me introduce you to Grammy the Witch, and my bride Ronnie the 'Lil Red Devil.

Oh yeah baby, I'm headed back to the future.

An original, unrestored 1919 Oldsmobile truck. I didn't even know that Olds ever made a truck. Can you see the Fairbanks-Morse stationery engine peeking out of the bed? We are near completing a meticulous restoration of a bigger example here at The Garage.

I'll happily take any of these four deuces home to The Garage:)

My bride's first car was a Pinto that she paid for working third shift at a Beaumont convenience store. Hers didn't look this good 25 years ago.

Yep, I definitely qualify for membership into this club.

This '57 Desoto was absolutely gorgeous and highly detailed. I gave him a COT application on the spot!

There were two great mid-50's drop-top Caddy's on hand. This one is claimed to have 17k original miles.

Now that's what I call a stroller. Lets start 'em off right!

VW's, Porsche's and Corvairs are all "a thing" here at The Garage. I'm kind of thinking I might need a Franklin too.

Anyone who has ever driven an early VW Microbus knows this is a true statement.

We have a new sponsor!

Our friends at Luxury Warehousing in Spring have a solution to your storage and man-cave problems. Visit their web site at luxurywarehousing.com for more information.

Plenty of parking and lots of security too. Hey, I recognize that Mazda.

The club room is available to all residents by reservation. Perfect for that car club meeting or club Christmas party.

Units are available in several sizes, all are climate controlled, have electric overhead doors, and epoxy painted floors. There are many custom options available. Call 800-280-5897 to arrange a personal tour.

Clifford crosses the block!

Well, Clifford the Big Red Truck will be crossing the block at Leake's Dallas Auction in a little over a week on Saturday November 22nd at about 11a.m. I've had Clifford for a little over two years, which is almost a record for me. If he sells I'm going to start seriously looking for something made before 1930. Perhaps an air-cooled Franklin?

I'll even throw in my matching diamond plate tool box.

Clifford is rated at 16,000 GVW, and legal to haul 8,500lbs in Texas. We've done a lot of work on the old boy and his rolls down the road like a big-ass Cadillac! Find more auction details here.

Your Invited!

Join us the Thursday for the Concours d'Elegance of Texas Kick-Off event. Please RSVP to Preview@ConcoursofTexas.org

Update on Bronze Baby

You may recall my barn find '66 Corvair Monza, Bronze Baby. When we acquired the old girl she was still sporting 1974 Texas plates and inspection sticker. It appears that she spent most of the last forty years indoors, but at some point in the recent past was left outside in the elements, and vandalized.

When we brought her home she looked a little worse for wear, but she had good bones. The rear window and drivers wing window were both broken.

Looks a little better, doesn't she?

What a mess! Fairly complete, but in need of some serious help.

It appeared that someone had attempted a cylinder hear repair forty years ago, but had gotten stuck and abandoned her.

I stripped the engine down the long block. The reciprocating assembly appeared to be in good shape, so I cleaned everything, had the heads completely rebuilt, and began reassembly.

This was after installation, but before we fired her yesterday. She fired the first time I hit the switch.

Yuck, what a disgustin' mess. We even found a couple of snake skins under the rear seat.

Hard to believe it is the same car a scant 90 days later.

We gutted the interior, identified what could be reused, and replaced what was necessary. Not so much as a pin hole in these floors.

Amazing what a wash job and some Craig's List wheels can do. Next up we are replacing virtually everything in the brake system, installing a new gas tank, and updating the A/C. This is gonna be one hell of a nice car! Stay tuned for more details...Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel...

The Riley collection, LOL!

This is the coolest song about Texas, Happy Listening!

2015 Ford F150 wins Truck of Texas, and you are there!!

2014-10-13T11:27:00.001-05:00

Greeting Garage friends…as usual my life is hectic and eventful. Since we last spoke I’ve attended the Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo, and C.A.R.’s (Collin Alexander Riley) extremely important Webelo’s Woods campout. What a whirlwind the last five days have been! Tomorrow morning (Monday) it’s back to pens, pencils, and crayons. Its late Sunday night here at the Riley abode, all is quiet and I’m sitting in my favorite easy chair as I write this.

Not only did I have the Texas Truck Rodeo to attend, but late Friday afternoon I had to jet back to Magnolia to grab son C.A.R. for the aforementioned campout.

Saturday downed overcast and wet, but C.A.R. and I arrived at the opening ceremony on-time and in good spirits.

By the time we got to Sunday morning I was feeling a little worse for wear. I won't surprise anyone that knows me to hear the my idea of roughing it is a Marriott without room service ;)

I originally approached the TAWA truck rodeo with some trepidation. My wheel house is Classic Cars, Sportscars, and Auctions. I’ve never written about trucks before although I own a humdinger. Soon I came to the realization that I’ve spent more than half my life towing cars of all stripes behind every conceivable kind of tow rig some of which…ahem…may not been particularly well suited to the task at hand;) Also, as most of you know I live in Magnolia-By God-Texas aka the heart and soul of Truck Country.

Today’s quote, “If it ain’t covered in mud, it ain’t a real truck!”—Unknown.

Up here in Magnolia teenage boys frequently inherit grand pappy’s ten or fifteen year old Ram, F150 or Silverado, and more than one of these fine young men has come to fisticuffs’ debating whether a Cummins can out-pull a Powerstroke or vice versa, and Rolling Coal isn’t something we see on You Tube…nope we see this in front of the Brookshire Brother’s every Saturday night.

Cruise by the adjacent Sonic and you’ll see that the Holley carburetor’s and traction bars of my youth have been replaced by Lift Kits, and Exhaust Stacks.

Up here virtually every house in every neighborhood has a pickup or SUV in the driveway, the Riley hacienda included. Today I tried to count all of the trucks pulling trailers, and I lost count at thirty. Around here truck’s aren’t transportation…they are part of the family.

Shoot, maybe I know more about this truck thing than I thought at first!

The TAWA Truck Rodeo

Scroll toward the end to be among the first to read the official press release and be among the first to see the official results.

When I arrived at the host hotel I found myself in a room chock full of hard core car (truck?) guys and gals.

When I joined my buddies Don Armstrong and Mike Herzing of In Wheel Time at the dinner table, I was taken aback to realize the guy eating at my right was Bob Hebgloom newly appointed CEO of Ram Trucks. Seems the manufacturers think this Truck Rodeo thing is pretty important. I suppose that’s not really surprising considering the huge Texas truck market and SUV market. Guess I better bring my A game!

It didn’t take long to realize that I was surrounded by the top Execs, Engineers, Marketing Team, and PR folks for all of the brands represented. Everyone in the room was talking cars and trucks and there was definitely a good natured rivalry between the respective brands. There are more than bragging rights at stake here. Our vote will determine the all-important Texas Auto Writers Association Truck of Texas which you may have noticed figures prominently in marketing campaigns.

I had been told that our test course on and adjacent to the Knibble Ranch was a great place for truck and SUV testing, but It definitely exceeded my expectations.

The course on the ranch consisted of legs on some rough back roads, fording a couple of small creeks, ascending and descending some fairly treacherous grades with loose rocks, some of which where the size of grapefruit.

The course twisted and turned, went up and down, and some sections were very muddy.

There were two different possible legs for the public road portion. These included some twisty’s, grade and pavement changes and even a short highway portion.

Yes, the long horn bull is alive and well. They offered for me to hop on to have my picture taken. I sort of figured that might be pushing my luck.

There were over 75 vehicles arranged for our driving pleasure. All had the keys in the ignition and an attentive factory representative nearby.

We had the option of having the Rep ride with us, and in almost all cases I opted to do so. I asked lots of questions, some of which I’m sure they found highly impertinent. Heck I even made a couple of new friends one of which with whom I had a long discussion of the demise of the manual transmission. We both equated it to the downfall of society ;)

Truth be told this was really a two-way shootout between the new aluminum Ford F150 and the Ram Eco-Diesel.

GM, Toyota, Nissan, et al brought their A-games, but Ram was the reigning champion, and around here everyone is talking about the new aluminum F150. My elementary school buddy Dennis had this to say about the new F150 on Facebook, “I read it was going to be 700 pound lighter. Ford hasn’t said how much better the gas mileage will be or the cost. Plus, most body shops can’t repair aluminum. I still want one though.”

Personally I wanted to drive a Ram with the new Eco-Diesel. I’ve wanted a new truck for a long time but can’t justify the expense of running a Hemi, or GM LS motor, and the smaller engines don’t deliver the towing capacity I need. The ½ ton Ram Eco-Diesel seems a good compromise, 28 mpg – 420 lb.-ft. of torque and up to 9,200 pounds of towing capability. Now we’re talking!

I was able to put several iterations of both trucks through their paces on-road, off-road, and while towing 5,000 lbs. The comparisons were quite interesting. We’ll get back to that in a moment, but first I’ll share some of my personal favorites.

Here is a very short video showing some of the paces we put the vehicles through.

In the SUV categories I drove almost all of the entrants.

My favorites SUV's in order were the Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco-diesel. The Grand Cherokee Eco-Diesel if a refined cruiser, with legendary off-road capabilities, and it will tow a barn.

Chevrolet Tahoe

And the sinister and blindingly fast Dodge Durango RT.

Many of you may recall my former high-mileage Suburban tow vehicle. The new Tahoe and Suburban take everything that was great about that previous iteration, but made it so much "gooder." In the Durango I had a hard time resisting the urge to do a smokey burnout and banging off shifts while grinning like a maniac ;)

I thought the SUV with the most Concour worthy interior was the Infiniti QX80.

When I approached the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque I was immediately taken with how stylish it was inside and out.

Once we were on the road and the Rep explained the paddle shifted manu-matic, I was soon snapping off shifts like a Formula 1 driver. I would have to rate the little Range Rover as the most car-like and fun to drive SUV of the bunch. Although I didn’t take it off-road some of my fellow testers reported it to be a capable in the badlands.

Another big surprise was the new Jeep Cherokee. Jeep had brought two iterations, but I opted to take the non-trail rated version figuring this would tell me if little brother was still a real Jeep. Yep it sure is! Sure there was a little wheel spin her and there, but I never felt out of control or like I would get stuck. I was expecting the little guy to bottom a time or two, but it never happened.

The Jeep Willys Roller was unsurprisingly the most fun on the trail. Jeep’s really figured this off-road/on-road thing out in the years since my Daddy drove one in WWII.

My favorite luxury CUV is the 2015 Lexus NX 2t F Sport AWD. This is another one that left me grinning manically after our pulse quickening ride.

One that I wanted to drive and was unable to was the 2014 Nissan JUKE NISMO RS. There simply wasn’t time to drive everything.

The trucks I found most surprising were the Ford Transit and Dodge ProMaster.

Each had its own charms. I found the seating position and extreme maneuverability of the Ram to be very compelling. It can also swallow a regulation 40X48" pallet through either its cargo door on the side and rear.

I was also interested to learn the Winnebago is offering a new motorhome on the Promaster chassis. I think I'll have to check that out in a future edition.

The Ford had a totally different charm.

The driving position was more familiar and car like, and this thing will GO!! It also had a lot of nifty features like the articulated cargo door hinges, and magnetic stops.

But back to the Ram and F150. These two truck have very different feels when you drive them. The Ram is very much in the fashion of a traditional pick up. You sit in a commanding driving position, and wrap your hand around a meaty steering wheel. The light clatter of the Eco-diesel engine is barely perceptible inside the cab.

From the moment of the first wheel turn it is obvious that the F150 is something totally different than what has gone before. It drives with a lightness of control I’ve never experienced in a pick-up. I found it to be the most nimble off road of any of the full size trucks I drove. Up hill, down hill, through the creek, and splashing through the mud the F150 reacted like a motorized mountain goat. The big Ram was also a capable off roader, but without the nimbleness of the F150.

On my test ride I also had the benefit of being accompanied by F150 body engineer Mark Mikolaiczik.

He explained many of the new F150 features to me and explained that the lightweight aluminum materials allowed for greater density which equates to great strength with no weight penalty. He was understandably proud of this integrated tailgate step, perfect for oldsters like me.

A 5,000 lb water tank was hitched to both the Eco-boost F150, and Ram Eco-diesel for my towing pleasure. I thought perhaps that the lighter truck might suffer from tail-wagging-the-dog syndrome, but it never happened even when navigating the twisties.

Ah, but the Eco-diesel Ram was really in its element while towing. The little engine that could makes 420 ft/lbs of torque and up to 9,200 lbs of towing capacity, but with an EPA rated highway fuel mileage of 28 mpg due to the diesel and 8-speed automatic trans.

So which would I chose? That’s a real tough one! The fleet-of-foot feel of the F150 and Swiss army knife like capabilities and the myriad of standard and options features is undeniably compelling. Ah, but the Ram gets the nod with it’s “I’m the boss styling,” and it also has the undeniable cachet of the only diesel engine offered in a domestic ½ ton truck. After several drives in both I’m still torn. Truthfully, they are both great trucks derived from different philosophies.

Ram sales have been on fire for some time now, and it will be interesting to see if the new aluminum F150 retards that sales juggernaut or both sell like gang busters to the detriment of other brands such as Chevy, Toyota, and Nissan.

The Official Results

Ford F-150 Named Truck of Texas at 2014 Texas Auto Writers Assn. Truck Rodeo

The all-new Ford F-150 was named Truck of Texas at the 2014 Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) Truck Rodeo.

“This year, the Texas Truck Rodeo had a record number of vehicles on hand for our members to evaluate,’ said Michael Marrs, president of TAWA, “We want to thank all of our partners in the automotive industry as well as sponsors for making this such a great event.”

Sixty auto writers drove 75 vehicles on and off road for two days (Oct. 9-10) at the Knibbe Ranch outside San Antonio to choose the prestigious Truck of Texas. This year’s Texas Truck Rodeo, which was sponsored by the Steel Market Development Institute, also saw the 2015 Lincoln MKC take the CUV of Texas; the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee capture the SUV of Texas title for an unprecedented fifth straight year; and Ford being named the Truck Line of Texas.

Doug Scott, marketing manager of Ford’s truck group, said, “This is a significant honor, one of the three big ones along with the Motor Trend and North American Truck of the year awards. Our entire truck team is proud and honored to win the Truck of Texas trophy.”

Winning the Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) title was the 2015 Honda CR-V Touring; the 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium was named the Mid-size CUV; the 2015 Kia Sedona SX was named Full-size CUV; and the 2015 Lincoln MKC was named Luxury CUV.

Stephane Cesareo, Lincoln Global Communications Manager, said, “It’s been a long time since Lincoln participated in the TAWA Truck Rodeo and we will definitely keep coming back. I had never been to Texas and have really enjoyed meeting the friendly members of TAWA and seeing some of the Hill Country of Texas.”

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk was named Compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV); the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 was named Mid-size SUV; the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD was named Full-size SUV; and the 2015 Range Rover Evoque 5-Door was named Compact Luxury SUV.

"We are extremely delighted and proud that for the fifth consecutive year, the respected and influential Texas auto writers have named the Jeep Grand Cherokee the SUV of Texas," said Mike Manley, president and CEO of Chrysler Group’s Jeep Brand.

The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel 4x4 was named Mid-size Luxury SUV; and the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali was named Full-size Luxury SUV. The 2015 Jeep Wrangler was named Off-road SUV.

Mid-size Pickup Truck title was won by the 2015 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab; and Full-size Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch. Luxury Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum; and Heavy Duty Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn. Off-road Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ram Power Wagon.

Commercial Vehicle was the 2015 Ford Transit 250. Other winners in the competition included: Best Connectivity, Chrysler Group’s UConnect Access; Best Powertrain, Chrysler Eco Diesel Engine; and Best Technology, 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch high- strength military-grade aluminum body.

The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) was founded in 1987, with a mission to promote quality and accuracy in automotive journalism and disseminate information about the industry through news related print, online and broadcast media. For more information, please visit www.texasautowriters.org.

Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150

SUV of Texas: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee

CUV of Texas: 2015 Lincoln MKC

Truck Line of Texas: Ford

Compact CUV of Texas: 2015 Honda CR-V Touring

Mid-size CUV of Texas: 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium

Full-Size CUV of Texas: 2015 Kia Sedona SX

Luxury CUV of Texas: 2015 Lincoln MKC

Compact SUV of Texas: 2015 Jeep Cherokee

Mid-size SUV of Texas: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4

Full-size SUV of Texas: 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe

Compact Luxury SUV of Texas: 2015 Land RoverRange Rover Evoque 5 door

Mid-size Luxury SUV of Texas: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel 4x4

Full-size Luxury SUV of Texas: 2015 GMC Yukon Denali

Off-road Utility Vehicle of Texas: 205 Jeep Wrangler

Mid-size Pickup of Texas: 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab 4WD

Full-size Pickup Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4x4 SuperCrew

Luxury Pickup Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum SuperCrew

Heavy Duty Pickup of Texas: 2015 Ran 2500 Longhorn

Off-road Pickup Truck of Texas: 2015 Ram Power Wagon

Commercial Vehicle of Texas: 2015 Ford Transit 250 MR

Best technology: Ford F-150 Aluminum Alloy Body.

Best connectivity: Chrysler Group's Uconnect Access

Best powertrain: Chrysler 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel

Meeting Vic Elford, Happy 40th CH, and things to know!!

2014-10-03T09:25:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday Guy's, today's weather is a little iffy, but I'm still optimistic Saturday will be clear. If so, drive those collectors cars!

Although it hasn't been that long since we last visited, lots of auto-maniacal things are happening and I'm trying hard to keep my promise of regular posts

Today's quote, "Is that all that's broken, or all that's left?"--Ferdinand Piech

September and October are always very busy in my "real" business of peddling pens, pencils, and crayons. This year has been insane with family and business demands, leaving little for all of the cool car things I've been invited to.

Out and About with Greg

As I write this I'm in downtown San Antonio. Yesterday I took a moment to snap a photo of a grand old lady, The Aurora.

Too bad all of the Packard's are long gone from the defunct Gene Meador Packard.

My mom had a '78 Cutlass in a color that my friends at the time called Baby S**t Yellow. These guys used to be everywhere, but now most are long gone to the great junkyard in the sky.

I spotted this tasty panel truck in Magnolia last week.

Today I find it almost impossible to believe there was once a time I wanted one of these!

A really killer little A-bone.

Lancia...do any of you guys know which model?

We have been making slow but steady progress on Bronze Baby. Since this photo was taken, the engine has been torn down, parts returned from the machine shop, and everything clean and ready for me to assemble as soon as I find some time!. I plan to throw every trick I've learned in over thirty years of Corvair-ing at this one.

Happy 40th Birthday CH

Two weekends ago the Corvair Houston chapter of the Corvair Society of America celebrated its 40th birthday. A surprising number of charter members showed, many of whom we hadn't seen in many years.

Our host for the evening was another charter member Larry Keast at his business Venture Tech. Larry has created a fantastic space for working on his projects that is also perfect for large gatherings.

When I first met Keast he owned an ultr-rare 1966 Corvair Corsa with factory A/C (which I seem to recall he purchased new) likely one of less than 500 produced. Today he seems to have a special affinity for military vehicles.

All of the past club Presidents were honored including yours truly who has served twice during the 1990's. In fact I've been a member of Corvair Houston for 32 years! I have been honored to know this wonderfuly diverse group of people and to call them "friend." I've been on more than a few adventures with these guys and gals...a couple of which resulted in emergency rooms visits, and on one occasion broken bones (mine!)

On the night I spoke briefly of how I came to be involved in all of this.

I also shared a Readers Digest version of our trip to San Jose, CA in a Corvair Greenbrier that had been left for dead twenty years before. I revived it in six weeks, and as fellow member Ray Rosenbaum reminded me, I also built him an engine during that same period that still performs admirable in his '64 Monza ragtop. That entire episode it an adventure unto itself which I plan to share at a later time.

On of our most colorful members John Noser called me immediately before our San Jose departure to tell me I was crazy in the attempt. This from a man who on multiple occasions bought cars and promptly forgot where put them...in his defense Corvair's were ridiculously cheap in the early '70's :) Club historian Guy Bobkoff once said between Noser and I we had at some point owned every car in the club! Ah, those were the days...

We had a strong turnout of club cars too.

We even had the police show up!

I thought I would share a few random Corvair memories of my own...

Would you believe Katie Bee and Train Boy?

Train Boy, Jo Jo, and a young lady who once belonged to the club.

My bride at the Albuquerque CORSA International Convention where she took FTD in the ladies Autorcoss.

Duane Baker with me, my bride Ronnie and an unbelievably young Jo Jo.

Corvair Houston has been an Autorama participant for as long as I can remember. This was likely around 1994.

Things to Know

Guitars 'N Cars

We are only a few hours away from Guitars 'N Cars. There is still an opportunity to participate in the car show from Noon-5, or from attend the 6pm-Midnight fundraiser. Don't forget that this great event benefits U.S. Vets Houston Mid-Town Terrace. Find all of the details HERE

Concours d'Elegance of Texas Kick-Off Reception

On Thursday November 13th the Concours d'Elegance of Texas will host a reception at the LaTorretta Lake Resort to kick off our 2015 show and fund-raising efforts. If you are on my e-mail list, or reading this blog you are invited.

At the reception we will explain the goals of the show, and cover how can you help as a participant, exhibitor, or volunteer. This will be followed on Friday November 14th with the THIRD Next Gen Education Summit held this year. The young people that have participated in Next Gen are blown away at what they've learned. I believe we've brought more than a few young people into the old-car fold.

If you plan on attending the Concour Preview please RSVP to Preview@concoursoftexas.org

Meeting Vic Elford

Several days ago I was invited to a fundraiser for the Ron Wakefield Scholarship in Automotive Technology at Tyler Junior College. You may recall that Wakefield was appointed Engineering Editor of Road & Track in 1965 and Editor in 1972. I was surprised to learn Wakefield was a graduate of nearby Mineola High.

A cadre of well-heeled local gearheads came together to create an endowment at Tyler Junior College that will ensure some deserving young person has the opportunity to become a highly credentialed mechanic in perpetuity. TJC has one of the best automotive technology programs in the nation.

As part of these efforts the Maverick Chapter of the Porsche Club of America was invited to a private North Texas collection with Vic Elford being reunited with the Porsche 908 he drove at Zeltweg (The Austrian Grand-Prix in 1968.)

Image Via http://rodrigomattar.warmup.com.br/2013/12/

I had been asked to arrive the evening prior to our host's home. Mere seconds later I was standing in the presence of the legendary Vic Elford.

Imagine my thrill when I was asked to chauffeur Elford to the evening's festivities at Villa Montez where we joined the rest of the party.

Honestly I've never spent a more engaging evening with a bunch of gearheads. I later understood these folks to be some of Tyler's leading citizens, but that evening we were simply a bunch of guys and gals talking cars with one of the living legends of the golden-age of auto racing.

Unfortunately Wakefield was forced to cancel his attendnce at the last minute due to an injury. However, our host read a few choice Wakefield quotes to the 75 assembled Porsche enthusiasts, and the lone Corvair guy. My favorite was after he drove his first Porsche 911 he reported in Road and Track, "sounds like a Corvair." Ouch! No doubt that zinger was included for my sake.

Elford related a story of losing a suspension member after encountering road debris. After waiting for hours to be hauled to the pits he eventually made his was to the dining hall where Piech the engineering genius grandson of Ferdinand Porsche was holding court to the assembled entourage. Elford dropped the offending parts on the table at Piech's elbow. Piech glanced at the broken parts and said, "well is that all that is broken, or all that's left?"

The Conservator of the 908 had asked that no photos be taken of hihis garage. This was absolute torture for a camera-bug like me, especially when surrounded with spectacular automotive art, artifacts, toys, in a museum quality setting. I have been privileged to see some of the world's greatest automobiles in spectacular settings. None top this experience.

Not only was Elford a delightfully engaging speaker, but substantial funds were raised.

Be sure and visit http://vicelford.com/ for stories, memorabilia, or to dialog with great racer himself.

Here is quick two minute video of Elford in action and providing commentary. I think you're going to enjoy it.

My Vida Loco!

2014-09-08T17:25:00.003-05:00

Greetings Garage Friends! I had planned a little hiatus after all of the work leading up to the Concours d'Elegance of Texas last May, but I never anticipated being away this long. We have had a litany of issues at the Riley Hacienda which derailed all of our summer plans. Thanks to everyone who has called or written asking if I was okay.

Today's quote “You take away all of the other luxuries in life, and if you can make someone smile and laugh, you have given the most special gift: happiness.”--Brad Garrett

Guys, I made several false starts at this over the last few weeks, so apologies if thing seems a little disjointed.

My Vida Loca

Unfortunately, my mom Miss Annie, and bride Ronnie faced significant health issues over the summer. From early June to late July there wasn't a single day that didn't include ambulances, doctors, hospital, surgery, or rehabs. Thank goodness everyone is now on the mend and I haven't see the inside of a doctors office in two weeks ;)

I was paid the nicest compliment today when an old friend told me my postings sometimes made them laugh. There isn't a nicer compliment one can receive.

Well, am I old or young?? I feel great but the calendar says I'm no kid! This was a surprise from my kids for my June birthday.

Several Saturday's ago I was again invited on In Wheel Time on Yahoo AM 1560. My cohorts for the day were Mike Herzing, Don Armstrong, and Texas Auto Writers Association President Mike Marrs. Chip Foose was the featured guest, and I even got to ask 'ol Chip a few questions of my own.

Here I am just before going live to discuss how to locate and purchase a collector car. Radio must be my medium 'cause I definitely ain't photogenic like all of those TV car guys, and I almost never swill beer LOL. Tune in every Saturday morning at AM 1560, or stream on InWheelTime.com

We've moved the family business! Love the view outside of my new office window. Looks pretty as a picture to me. Later this fall we will have an open house for all of our garage friends.

We've been making steady progress on Train Boy's Fairbanks-Morse Model Z. Here is how it appeared the day we picked it up two years ago in Illinois.

After cleaning, but before paint prep.

Not bad for a couple of amateurs a-workin' in a home garage. At least I've graduated from the shade-trees of my youth. We hope to do the final assembly in a few days.

Here is my hard working Garage girl Sally D. Dog...it's a hard knock life, LOL. It's her house, she just lets us stay there:)

I also attended a 34 year French High School class get together. Here are a me and a couple of old friends. All through elementary school I sat behind the nice lady 2nd from the left...first comes Ridley, then comes Riley! Love 'ya Grace and Susan too. Can't wait for the official 35th reunion next summer.

Out and About Cars

I'm always on the lookout for interesting cars, and there are some phenomenal cars in the Woodlands/Magnolia area. I Spotted this Ford GT at a convenience store in The Woodlands.

Oh how did I love this '67 Camaro parked at the Magnolia Tractor Supply. One of the nicest '67's I've seen in years. I occasionally see this Camaro running around town, but have never spoken to the owner. When I was 16 a similar '67 gave me a bad case of road rash during an ill advised attempt to help a friend "waste the skinnies."

On a trailer passing through town...

There he is again!

For Sale at our local oil change emporium...it's an automatic which automatically excludes it from consideration for a spot in The Garage!

Parked at Rancho Grande, brand new from Gullo replete with paper license plates. I wanna drive!

I know that Rampside! My 'ol buddy Ron just sent the ol girl to a new out of state owner.

I seem to have really developed a thing for firetrucks. As my son C.A.R. says, "none of my friend's Dad has their own firetruck." I spotted this little Ford south of Dallas. I showed the pic to my bride and all she said was, "Uh, No!"

On a recent trip to return my nieces and nephews to their Beaumont home I spotted this beautiful Mercedes SLS AMG in the local Carrabba's parking lot. Hard to believe, but the Beaumont of my youth was awash in mouth watering muscle car's and a fair sprinkling of exotics owned by the oil glitterati. I've always said it is a Rolls Royce kinda town!

Here is a motorcycle in the Fort Hood Post Exchange. I didn't expect that. I'm unsure of the history, but it looks totally legit to me. It even wears the correct Ft. Hood motor pool livery. Who knows maybe we can get them to bring it to the Concours d'Elegance of Texas next year.

Miss Annie's new therapist showed up in a new Tesla...gotta check how much we're paying this guy!

Here is Clifford the Big Red Truck, Train Boy, and the guy's I just bought this barn find '66 Corvair from. My favorite Aztec Bronze color too. The 'Vair was wearing 1974 Texas plates too ;)

Here is Bronze Baby after a quick bath and the addition of $100 worth of Craigslist wheels. I kinda like those 1990's vintage Enkei's. I'll have lots more to say about Bronze Baby in a future edition.

They said it was the hottest day of the year, but Clifford and his trusty 256ci Y-Block didn't care. At 62mph on the beltway I may be slow, but I'm ahead of you! We must have made quite a spectacle because several of our garage friends texted or e-mailed to say they saw us.

An LTD...in my youth the ruled the road, but I haven't seen one in years.

I spotted this line of 'Vettes in Magnolia...

Not thirty seconds later I spotted these three tasty Stude's at the same intersection.

We did eventually manage to make a quick over-nite trip to Galveston for the kids. Here is my #2 son Bran-Bran. Although Brandon is a special child his is also giant who towers over his 6th grade peers, here was his 1st choice for a ride at the Pleasure Pier. He's still my little boy inside.

Here is Bee-Bee, Train Boy, Bran-Bran, and C.A.R!

Saying Goodby to another friend

A few weeks ago we lost my childhood neighbor, and our good garage friend Linda Reed. Linda was a real car guy and shown below is her beloved Mustang GT. In the summer of 1977 Linda turned 16 (I turned 15.) Her birthday present was a green VW Bug, the first in a long line of interesting cars she owned.

I'll always remember that summer and the four Reed girls which was partly the inspiration for my Old Cars Weekly story Smokey and the Bandit SE Texas Style of a few years ago. Her grandfather inspired my love of Duesenberg's and interest in Texas oil history and M.F. Yount. During my youth their family fleet included a Model-A, Morris Minor, MG TD, MG Midget, Caprice faux woody wagon, and two VW Bugs. I rode home from Elementary school in that A-bone for several years.

Without exception I would hear from Linda after every post here at The Garage...she will be missed!

Guitars 'N Cars

I hope you will join me on October 4th in supporting the 4th annual Guitars 'N Cars (formerly HCIAS) guitar and car show at Sam Houston Race Park. Our good garage friend Gordon Clunn is one of the founders of this worthy event, and he and the other volunteers work tirelessly to raise funds for Houston's U.S. Vets Midtown terrace. This facility is an apartment complex that serves as temporary housing for Vets that would otherwise be homeless, but many other services are provided. U.S. Vets Midtown Terrace serves 323 deserving veterans per day.

Since its founding four short years ago the Houston Construction Industry Charities have donated over $700,000 in goods, services, and money to U.S. Vets. Largely due to the efforts of Guitars 'N Cars, and HCIC a kitchen was recently completed to feed residents, and also provide employment to other Vets. Many local contractors donated their expertise and construction crews.

Let's repeat that number for HCIC $700,000 in only four short years!!! This year the goal is to purchase a 15 passenger van for the facility, and I for one intend to do everything possible to help.

This event is in two parts; The Auto Show from 12-5pm and the VIP Benefit from 6-10pm, featuring Houston's Top 40 cars. To register you vehicle, or to obtain more information visit www.HCIAS.com or e-mail KClunn@hcias.com. Last year our good garage friend James "drove-it-like-he-stole-it" Bartlett won the peoples choice award with his Duesenberg Dual-Cowl Phaeton (also took us on a midnight high-speed Duesie run!) This year I'm sure James is bringing something else from his spectacular collection, so you other guys got to bring your "A" game!

Corvair Houston 40th Anniversary Celebration

My home club of Corvair Houston is having a 40th anniversary celebration on September 20th! It appears that we are going to have a record turn-out with former members coming from all over the region. If you would like more information, or to register e-mail Mark Clarke or Dee Watkins for entry.

Are you looking for Garage Space?

If so I know some guys near Spring that can help. LUXURYWAREHOUSESORAGE.COM. I recently took a tour of the property, and went away very impressed.

The complex features a club room for use by the residents, complete with kitchen facilities.

There is oceans of beautiful virgin concrete, and access to the property is controlled, and on-site security includes a multitude of video cameras.

A variety of unit sizes are available, all are climate controlled with electric overhead doors, and I understand there are many, many options available. For more information call Weir Kyle at 832-455-4321.

Until next time!

September is going to be an incredibly busy month both professionally, and car-wise. I have a major stationery industry trade show starting Sunday, the Corvair 40th, Guitars 'n Cars, Texas Auto Writers Truck Rodeo, new car into at the Texas State Fair, and a private Porsche club event I'll tell you about in a future edition...yes 100 Porsche's, and a lone Corvair. Should make for interesting conversation ;)

As always thanks for tuning in, and everyone here at The Garage appreciates all of the notes inquiring if we were okay. I thought I would leave you with a little music to take you to your happy place! No matter what life throws at you, never let the bastards get you down :) I'll be back at you in a week or so.

Thanks to all!

2014-05-09T17:58:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday Garage Friends! Well the Concours d'Elegance of Texas is now in the bag for another year. The last few weeks have been a blur of planning meetings, car club events, and community outreach.

Today's quote, "No one has ever become poor by giving."--Anne Frank

We have the entire Riley clan in the act over the last few weeks. Everyone was assigned a job, and all five of my children, wife, and even both Grandma's gave all they could. I would like to give a special thanks to our eldest daughter Joni, and my intrepid assistant Crystal for all they did.

Page 1-I found a new product I love!

From time to time I like to share information on unique products I've found. On Monday I opened my garage to find that the gas tank on Cool Breeze had developed a fairly serious leak, and my garage had a river of gasoline running through it.

On what to do, what to do? The tank was almost full of Premium, and I didn't relish the idea of 14 gallons of gasoline stored in the garage. A quick survey of the situation showed that the tank had been patched years ago, and the repair had let go. In the past I've always used that old two part gas tank epoxy. This time the young lad at Autozone taught this old dog a new trick.

He suggested a product called Seal All. I took a big lag bolt, fender washer, and rubber washer and coated all liberally in Seal All. At first I thought there was no way this low viscocity stuff could work. Man was I mistaken! Within ten minutes the stuff had set to the consistency of rubber and the leak was sealed. I still need a new tank, but at least I don't have to worry about a garage explosion until the new tank arrives from Clark's Corvair.

Page 2-Tour d'Elegance, and Next Gen Educational Summit

Almost exactly five years ago I attended a business meeting at the LaTorretta Hotel & Spa on Lake Conroe, and thought what a great place for a car show. Since that time there has been a lot of gyrations and angst, but I now believe The Concours d'Elegance of Texas will outlive me.

Everyone always says, "this was the best show ever!" Well, allow me to say it again...the 2014 Concours d'Elegance of Texas was the best show ever!

Tour d'Elegance

The show opened on Friday morning with the line-up for the Tour d'Elegance. Here I am with Bob Dekorne and Jeff Broadus of Heacock Classic Insurance.

The tour made stops at the Lonestar Executive Airport, and downtown Conroe. The tour participants said they had a wonderful time, and were especially appreciative of the police escort. One of our local Constables even showed off his 700hp Supercharged Dodge Charger pursuit vehicle.

Next Gen Educational Summit

While the tour was in full swing, I got to participate in one of the most meaningful auto related things I have ever had the pleassure to be associated with; The Next Gen Educational Summit for Montgomery County high school Junior and Seniors, and featuring elite automotive panelists from all over the world.

The kids chosen to participate were nominated for a variety of reasons. Some were college bound students of privilege. Others superstars of the local shop programs, and still other in foster care or other types of state custody. I sponsored two young men from the Magnolia AG program, both of which own hot-rod Cummin's powered Dodge Trucks.

We even had a surprise guest that sent these young people into orbit.

One thing I can say for sure is that all of the kids that participated had their hair blow back by what they learned. I was once one of those at risk kids. My friends Fred and Don were my role models and their automotive encouragement likely kept me out of serious trouble. I don't want to violate a confidence with too many details, but a local CPS official approached me afterwards to tell me how meaningful this was for her kids. It may sound cliche, but I think we changed some lives last week.

Here are a couple of the break-out sessions.

Auction Preview Party

Later Friday evening Worldwide Auctioneers held their annual auction preview party. You are perhaps aware there was a competing auction held that same afternoon at Keels & Wheels. I for one was filled with angst. Would anyone show up? Would the auction be a success? The simple answer is yes and yes!

Ronnie and I invited our good friends Greg and Sandra Wrobleske to be our guests for Friday evening, and we had a blast with them at the auction preview, and afterwards at the hotel piano bar. Sandra and Greg even got a photo with Richard Rawlings of TV's Fast 'n Loud.

After the tour participants returned the Rolls Royce Owner Club members parked their cars on the main promenade in front of the hotel. What an array of Rollers and Bentley's it was.

Page 3-The Houston Classic Auction & Cowboys and Cars Strolling Charity Dinner

The Houston Classic Auction

Saturday dawned cool, clear and sunny. There were plenty of folks at the auction preview, but would anyone show for the auction itself??

My fellow Texas Auto Writers Association Members, Don Armstrong, Mike Herzing, and Mike Marrs were on had for a live remote for In Wheel Time on Yahoo radio. Heck, they even invited me on the air for my dubious auction expertise. Don has thrown down the gauntlet for me to find him a late '60's cruiser for reasonable dollars. Challenge accepted!

K-Star Country was also on hand with a remote broadcast.

So what happened with the auction? Well, I haven't seen the final results, but I can tell you that bidding has spirited and many cars were hammered sold on the block. I'm told anecdotally, that with after sales the percentage sold approached 90%. The principals of the auction company were certainly all smiles afterwards.

My bride Ronnie worked with member of the Rolls Royce Owners Club in planning and decorating the Cowboys and Cars Strolling Dinner. Special thanks to RROC members Cathie Mouton, Shawn Behrens, and Phillip Reece for all they did to make this dinner a smashing success.

We had originally thought that if we sold 100 spots the event would be smashing success. The final tally was 175 spots sold, which was the cap as the hotel wasn't prepared for more guests. I'm betting we can top 200 next year!

Here the guests begin to arrive to their tables.

The poolside dinner was laid out so that several cars could be displayed adjacent to allow for cocktails and bench racing....Hmm in my old days we did call it bench racing. I think I'll coin a new term for the classic car set; Cars and Cocktails, LOL.

Our good friends Glenn and Helen Mulvihill joined us for dinner. Helene is a food and lifestyle blogger, and world championship cook. Check out her blog about the Concours weekend. I think she gave me a smidge too much credit for all of this. I've taken plenty of brickbats over the last three years, so maybe I can bask in just a moment of undeserved glory, LOL. A Jersey Girl in Texas

As the sun began to set the silent auction kicked off. Over $15,000 was raised for the charities during the live dinner auction!

Garage DeLuxe did contribute a couple of items for the live auction.

The Ultimate Texas Gift Basket....er Wash Tub! Aka, the do-it-yourself gas kit ;)

And a wagon filled with a cornucopia of Crayola items.

The basket (tub) got a top bid of $250, and the wagon brought a fantastic $500. Not bad for something mama helped me through together at the last minute.

I truly wish I had a better photo of the party after dark. Cathy and her crew decorated every inch of the pool area. There were gorgeous table center pieces, twinkling lights in every bush and tree, multi-colored pool balls and draped entrances and exists. No wedding was ever more lovely, and you got to hang out around great cars too.

Later that night Ronnie and I sat on our balcony and watched as the party was slowly dismantled. We both felt a huge sense of accomplishment knowing we had helped do something important.

Page 4-The Concours d'Elegance of Texas

On Sunday morning I was up with the roosters and standing at the front gate at 6a.m. to greet concour and car club participants.The next four hours was a blur of old and new friends, gorgeous automobiles, and the general public.

I was particularly gratified with the participation of the local car clubs. You guys supported us in huge numbers, and LaTorretta Boulevard was its own car show with club cars of every stripe lined up for over 1/4 mile. Everyone had great fun, and I'm sure the word will spread exponentially for 2015.

The crowds were steady all day, with continuous comings and going. At midday we almost had to use our backup parking location. For sure next year!

There were cars of all stripes... From this ultra-rare 1969 ZL1 COPO Camaro, one of only six that still has its original number matching aluminum big-block.

Firebirds #1 and 2 as featured on a recent episode of Fast 'n Loud

Alfa and Isotta

Muscle Cars of all stripes...

Brass Cars...

Full Classics

And even what I believe is the only Truck class at a Concour...hey after all its Texas.

Next Gen Student Judges

Best of show winners American and European; Isotta Fraschini, and Cunningham.

I did take some photos of the weekend, but our good Garage friend The Camaro Kid (aka Bob Wright) photographed every single car! If you don't subscribe to The Camaro Kid Newletter, you are really missing out. Click here for his album.

Epilogue

Lake Cruise

After the show closed to the general public on Sunday we were invited to a "decompression" dinner cruise on Lake Conroe. Here are my two youngest boys, Bran-Bran and Collin aka C.A.R. Bran-Bran is showing his displeasure at having his game interrupted for a photo, and C.A.R. is the family ham.

John Kruse and I making plans (plotting?) for 2015.

The evening ended with a beautiful sunset over the western end of Lake Conroe.

There are so many sponsors, exhibitors and other supporter to thank, I hardly know where to start! Heartfelt thanks to everyone that supported COT 2014!

I would also like to extend special thanks to Mr. John Aguillard. John was in charge of planning, and operations for both the Houston Classic Auction, and COT. John I can't imagine the stress of having to manage all of this. An old friend once described a similar situation as "like getting pecked to death by ducks!" Regardless, you pulled it off old friend! Many, many, many thanks.

2015

For three seasons there has been considerable angst in some quarters over the date of COT. I'm happy to report that for 2015 there will be NO CONFLICT with Keels & Wheels. Watch this space for information on the 2015 show and dates. I hope you will join me next year in supporting both events.

I've been on a beach boy kick all week, so here is a little music for your weekend. Here is a very special rendition of Good Vibrations. See all of you back here at The Garage very soon.

Calling all Car Clubs!!

2014-04-04T13:02:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday Garage Friends! I don't know what the weather is going to be like this weekend, but today is gorgeous so drive 'em if you got 'em!

Today's quote, "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."--Winston Churchill.

Last night I was talking cars with my C.A.R. (Collin Alexander Riley.) I asked him what he thought our next project should be.

"Hmmm," he says, "Do you want a pretty car or a fast car?"

"A fast car," I say.

"Okay," he says, "then its got to be black with fire on the side, and the motor sticking out of the hood and loud pipes."

Yep that's my boy!!

Making Progress on Clifford and the Fairbanks-Morse

We are finally making progress on several of our projects here at The Garage. Show below is the block of Train-Boys 1915 Fairbanks-Morse Model Z just back from a cleaning and honing at the machine shop.

We've shipped a pile of additional parts to Hit 'n Miss Enterprises for reconditioning, and ordered all of the small parts. Brian and I debated leaving it a-natural, but I want it as highly detailed my friend James' Duesenberg.

We are also finally making progress with Clifford's open heart surgery. The hard parts are all back from the machine shop, and the news ones here.

Heads bolted on and torqued, so he may be running as early as this afternoon. Truthfully, I miss driving the big old beast.

Miss Annie and the Riley clan at Niftee50ees & Corvair Houston

A couple of weeks ago we attended the monthly Corvair Houston meeting at the Feehry's Party Barn. Can't imagine a better place for a car club get together!

Yep, Corvair Houston has some nice cars. Some of the uninformed may still snicker at the Corvair, but we have numerous Concour quality examples in our club. Besides everyone knows Nader is an idiot.

That's my boy C.A.R! Dressed to the "9's" in his Ferrari Formula 1 uniform, and slim-shady shades. Last night at bedtime he gave me an unexpected hug. When I asked him why, he shrugged and said "I don't know, I guess because I love you."

This year we are getting the entire Fam-Damnly in the act. Here is my 87 yeard old Mom Miss Annie at Niftee50es with C.A.R. and Train-Boy.

I've seen plenty of Eldo's with horns, but this is my first Fiesta!

C.A.R. handing out information on the Concour d'Elegance of Texas and Houston Classic Auction. He's personally handed out over 500 flyers and catalogs over the last couple of weeks. He can't wait for the event. Go C.A.R.!!

1934 Whatzenberg!

The recent move by Niftee50ees hasn't dampened attendance one whit! Lots of cool cars, of all types.

C.A.R. has a birthday!

Well C.A.R. is 9! Here he is with Mom and eldest sister Jo-Jo at his b-day party last weekend.

Yep, we had a total of 12 little boys for C.A.R's sleepover. They had all been outside in the moon-walk and got soaked. The sound level was DEAFENING!! Everyone had a great time, especially Collin, but I was praying for the Saturday 11 a.m. pick-up time.

Dishman Art Museum

Last Saturday Fred B. McKinley my co-author of Black Gold to Bluegrass and I particpated in a book signing at Lamar Universities Dishman Art Museum for "Glory-Days, The Art and Visual Culture of Second Spindletop." Fred and I were gratified to meet Lamar's new President Dr. Kenneth Evans. It seems Kenneth and I have a shared love of Classic Cars...hey he opened the door, and I walked through it ;)

Here are some of my favorite Lamar University people; L-R,

Megan Young-Dishman Art Museum Director

Fred B. McKinley-my Co-author and man about town

Myself

Charlotte Holliman-Special Collections Librarian

Penny Clark-University Archivist.

I keep telling people that my hometown of Beaumont, Texas is full of hidden treasures, and here is one of the best. This live-oak tree at Wiess Park is at least one hundred years old. I think it is one of the most beautiful trees I've ever seen. Adjacent to the new downtown Events Center too.

Shown on the left is were is where it all started for my bride and I. When we met I was 26 years old with two cars and a motorcycle. Man, I thought I had it going on...didn't have a clue of what was to come. Behind the house was Don's Shop where countless hot-rods, road-race, and street cars were built.

The photo on the right is my childhood home a few blocks away on Ironton Street. My father the Colonel died when I was ten and after that we lived in greatly diminished circumstances.

Here is a car a truly hate, LOL. After our return from Georgia in 2006 I bought this for my fledgling business. I racked up over 100K miles in this thing over two years getting my business established. Slow, uncomfortable, and ugly...but she always started and still does. Since then it has served my bro-in-law and his family well. For the record they love it!

Calling all CAR Clubs-Concours d'Elegance of Texas Wants You!

This is the third year for the Concours d'Elegance of Texas, and this year is shaping up to be world class. Some of the world’s leading collectors (including several former Pebble Beach winners) are bringing spectacular automobiles in fierce competition for the coveted Class and Best of Show Awards.

I have some great news to share with all car club members. Read on gentle-reader to see what we have in store for you and other car club members.

This years featured marques are Rolls Royce and Bentley in conjunction with spring regional meet of the Rolls Royce Owners Club. Over the last several weeks I've gotten to know several RROC members, and can way without reservations that these guys are great fun!

Shown immediately below is the poolside venue for the COT Cowboys and Cars Charity Dinner/Dance. Three members of the RROC have been instrumental in sponsoring and planning this event; Phillip Reece, Shawn Behrens, and Cathie Mouton. I've eavesdropped on some of the plans and can say unequivocally that people will be talking about this charity dinner for years to come. This event is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased HERE. Best of all, RROC cars will be parked within a few feet so you can enjoy your before dinner cocktail and talk cars too!

A couple of weeks ago I was honored to be invited to the RROC Austin/San Antonio monthly breakfast to speak about their participation in COT.

Not only are these a great group of cars guys and gals, but they DRIVE their cars! Although we are unlikely to own a Rolls or Bentley anytime soon, Ronnie and I plan to immediately join the RROC.

There are numerous new charity initiatives at COT this year. I'm particularly excited about the Next Gen Educational Summit, and our work with Montgomery County Emergency Assistance.

The Next Gen Educational Summit is aimed at getting young people excited about our hobby, and more importantly helping at-risk youth. My wife and I are passionate about children as evidenced by our work with the local PTO and Cub Scouts. We are honored to be playing a small part in this, and I'll be discussing this extensively in a future issue.

The work of Montgomery County Emergency Assistance is particularly close to my heart. Long-time readers may recall our close call with the Tri-County fire that destroyed dozens of homes and burned hundreds of acres in the greater Magnolia area 2 1/2 years ago.

At one point during the emergency we thought our home was lost. Fortunately we were spared but our across the street neighbor saw their home reduced to cinders, and in the adjacent sub-division a scant 1/4 mile away over 80% of the homes were totally destroyed.

We were fortunate to be well insured via USAA, but many of our hard-working friends and neighbors weren't so fortunate. Without the assistance of MCEA and other local service organizations many of these folks would have been in terrible straits. I'm hopeful that my small efforts will help them raise lots of needed funds.

But what about your car and car club?? Glad you asked!

COT plans to make participation by car clubs a centerpiece of our event for years to come. We have on-site space for hundreds of club cars, and we want you to be part of this great event!

The best 125 club cars will be displayed immediately adjacent to the Concour show field and will be seen by thousands of spectators. Your car could be displayed only a few feet from a multi-million dollar spectacle of the world’s best automotive masterpieces.

In recognition of your club’s participation we will offer free tickets to the Saturday Worldwide Auctioneers Houston Classic Auction collector car catalog auction, and free tickets to the Sunday Concour for club car drivers and their passengers. Additional passengers can purchase Concour tickets for ½ price. We also expect to have a few surprises for participants on the day.

Additionally Heacock Insurance and Gullo Family Dealerships are sponsoring a hospitality lounge immediately adjacent to the show field for Concour entrants and car club members. We will have volunteer Marshall’s watching the club cars so that your members can enjoy the show.

Worldwide has some great cars consigned for this year sale. I'm particularly taken with a couple of them...

My favorite is the 1934 Auburn Twelve Salon Cabriolet known as "The James Cagney" which will be offered without reserve.

This car was featured in the 1933 movie, "The Mayor of Hell" and is ACD certified and beautifully restored.

Now this it truly different! A 16' tall motorcycle featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as the the worlds tallest motorcycle. Yep, everything is bigger in Texas.

Here is one I truly wish I could bring home; a 1930 Riley Brooklands Two-Seat Roadster with an alloy body and racing history. I can't wait to see it in person.

To register you club and car, please follow this link and submit the electronic form: http://www.concoursoftexas.org/CarClub.cfm

If you wish to volunteer, or help assist in other ways please complete this electronic form:
http://www.concoursoftexas.org/volunteerform.pdf

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this short 3 1/2 minute must be work a million! Enjoy your weekend and I'll be backatcha very soon!

The Amelia -We do it Greg's way!

2014-03-13T17:08:00.001-05:00

Well, its been a couple of weeks since we returned from our annual trek to the Amelia Island Concour's d'Elegance. A very special thanks to Angelo Van Bogart of Old Cars Weekly, and Bill Warner and Ellen Thorne of the Amelia Island Concour d'Elegance for facilitating backstage passes.

Today's quote, "A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."--Ayn Rand

Note, you can read through all of this, or scroll directly to the end and find links to my photo galleries where you can see hundreds of photos of everything you are about to read.

Word's Of Wisdom!

And another...

And my personal favorite!

And a reminder that someone does apparently win!

Digging For Buried Treasure

I'm always trolling for interesting collector cars, and here is a little stash I recently found. Some are...ahem, more restorable than others.

Cub-Scouts with C.A.R.

A couple of weeks ago C.A.R. and I had a marathon day of cub-scout activities and we rocked it! In the morning we took a meteorology class at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and in the afternoon attended the Blue and Gold ceremony. Collin receiving his meteorology belt loop at HMNS.

For the Blue and Gold competition Scouts and their Dads have to bake a decorate a scout themed cake with no help from Mom allowed. The rules also stipulate that everything must be edible. Several awards are given, but we won for best cub-scout theme with our "Bear Scout Campout" cake.

Now I can add "fly-by-night cake baker" to my list of dubious talents ;)

Cars and Coffee and Niftee50ees

The weekend before Amelia we had a Houston double feature, with Cars and Coffee in the a.m. and the Niftee50ees Cruise-In the same evening. We gave ol' Cool Breeze a good going over, and burned up the roads all day.

Cars & Coffee at Vintage Park

If you going to work on really old cars, you gotta be a woodworker too.

There was several Tesli in attendance.

Niftee50ees

Finally a use for all those left over Jack Daniels bottles...

I thought this roadster had a great look.

The Amelia Experience...Greg's Way!

I must admit to feeling a little blue leading up to the Amelia weekend. I have worked 18 hours a day for months on end, and spent more time in the air than Orville and Wilbur combined. On several occasions I told my bride, "I don't think I'm going to go this year." Fortunately she encouraged me to attend...well actually she shoved me out the door and gave me a swift kick in the caboose on the way out. After some time at Amelia I felt myself begin to relax.

Another difference this year was that Train Boy and I were joined on the trip by his oldest sister Jo-Jo (Joni.) JoJo is a very good driver and can out power-shift most men. It was nice to split the driving and we made excellent time going and coming. However, I found riding in the back seat very disconcerting.

Along the way we saw some interesting sites.

The Amelia Auctions

By the time you read this all of the auction results will no doubt be widely published. If yo haven't seen them, they can be found on Gooding's Amelia Results Page. and RM's Amelia Results Page too. I enjoy the auctions but sometimes can't help wondering if to much emphasis is put on the prices paid. I generally prefer to just enjoy the cars for their artistry and beauty. However, Gooding posted a whisker under $32,000,000 in sales, and RM over $36,000,000. For the math challenged (like I) that is over $68,000,000 in car sales. Not bad for a couple days work.

Gooding Amelia Auction

I have encountered this stunning 1930 Minerva at a previous Concour. Unfortunately it went unsold by Gooding.

Doesn't everyone love E-types? Notice the Ferrari Dino 246 GT in the background? This is the highly prized "Chairs & Flare's" model. It brought almost double the low estimate with a final hammer of $627,000 which I believe to be a world record for a Dino.

This Porsche 907 Longtail brought $3,630,000. I have one garage friend that is going to be thrilled by this particular result.

Wow, look at this array of sporting cars. Bring home the first three in this row and you would have a car for every mood

This Avions Voison was my favorite car of the weekend. I didn't care for the black color, but spent considerable time looking at all of the amazing details such as the piano hinged doors, and riveted mascot.

Some people don't like the wild interior. I think they need to envision me sitting behind the wheel in an ice-cream suit;)

I didn't watch it cross the block, but it had a pre-sale estimate for $250,000-$300,000 which is almost affordable by Amelia Auction standards, but apparently it was a no-sale.

RM-Amelia Auction

Here is the star of the weekends auction the 1939 Delahaye 135 with coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi. A mere $6,000,000 and it could be yours.

I also got a bit of a chuckle during the auction preview party. I noticed an attractive woman who seemed oddly familiar accompanying a registered bidder. After a short time I was startled to realize that I remembered her from a...ahem...particular kind of movie from my misspent youth. When I returned home I dug a box of VHS tapes out of the attic...strictly for academic research purposes you understand, and confirmed that she was indeed a retired star. quite talented too I might add ;)

I would more nearly go for this beautiful little Bugatti and it was certainly much cheaper than the Delahaye at a final bid of $962,500. I can promise it to be a more exciting drive.

The "winning-est Shelby ever" commanded $984,500. This particular Shelby had 17 straight wins in 1968-1969. It was also clocked at 184mph at Daytona which is the highest known speed for any 289 powered Shelby, including Cobra's.

What a beautiful little Locomobile speedster. I especially love the little spotlight. Could've been yours for only $126,500. Again, downright affordable in this rarefied air.

Here is a little gratuitous engine porn!

This rare Olds brought a little less than $200K.

Cars & Coffee Amelia Style

The Saturday Cars & Coffee at the Ritz Carlton brought out an amazing assortment of local club cars of all stripes.

My friend Stu used to have a beater Volvo like this one. I've always thought of it as one of the coolest cars of all time.

See they even had 4-wheelers!

This is the world most amazing street rod.

Now this is my kind of Porsche. All bad-ass primer and crackling exhaust! I'll bet she is an absolute hoot to drive.

North Florida Antique Engine Association

Yes, I had front row seats to watch the Delahaye sell for $6,000,000 but Train Boy had something else he wanted to do, and I didn't figure either RM or the perspective buyer needed me to bless the transaction. At about the time the auction kicked off we departed the Ritz for the Starke, Florida fairground for the North Florida Antique Engine Association tractor and engine show. When we previously lived in Georgia, Train Boy was their youngest member.

Here are a couple of highlights that caught my eye.

This is totally OSHA approved....NOT!

Nope, I ain't even gonna try!

We've been working on a 1915 Fairbanks-Morse Model Z for Train Boy for some time. Perhaps you will see it in the near future.

Sunday-The Main Event!

I once heard a quote from legendary departed automotive journalist David E. Davis Jr. stating the most magical automotive place on earth was the Amelia show field at dawn on show day. Yep, I can totally agree. I can't think of any place else you can see such a array of rare machinery in motion.

As Joni was dropping me to the Ritz Carlton at 5:30 a.m. we did see one very sad sight. We were slowly following what I took to be a Mercedes SSK, when it suddenly spit fire out of the tailpipe amid a horrific grinding metal sound in what I can only surmise was a catastrophic engine failure.

It is an almost endless parade of the rarest cars on earth in a rolling parade of sculpted metal in a cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells. Where else can you see a Chrysler Turbine car in action?

The morning was crisp, and I forgot my jacket. Yep, froze my ass off and didn't care a bit.

As always, we ran into old friends.

Richard Mitchel with the gorgeous and perhaps slightly sinister Lancefield Coupe. I always thought it could have been the centerpiece or a Dashiel Hammett novel.

John Groendyke with his Delage.

Keels and Wheels Chairman Bob Fuller looking dapper as always.

Our good garage buddy Mark Hyman and his lovely daughter Brooke with their stunning Austin.This is a spectacular brass era machine, and Mark is one of the good-guys of the classic car business. I frequently troll the web site for Hyman Ltd to see some of the world's most spectacular collector cars.
ass

Richard Crump has one of the best jobs in the world. Richard, my hat is off to you!

I even snuck in a selfie!

And we met some new friends and saw some neat get-ups...

Ralph and Anna Tolman with their 1914 Pierce Arrow. I'm a big Pierce fan so we had plenty to talk about.

Here are few of my favorite moments.

There was an Underslung Class which is the largest gather of Underslung's I've ever seen. BTW, "underslung" refers to the practice of mounting the axles atop the frame rails rather than in the conventional position below the frame rails.

This is the "first Duesenberg," or more correctly the first production Duesenberg. I loved everything about this car, and it was awarded the Classic Car Club of America trophy at last August's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. You old racers in the audience might be interested to know the engine was rebuilt by Ed Pink Racing Engines.

Mid-'60's Duesenberg concept.

Packard dream car of the 1950's.

Pure automotive arts. Notice the cable brakes and beautiful tubular front axle.

Yet another gorgeous Bugatti straight 8.

Perfect for running around Galveston Island.

This is vaguely like an old school hot-rod from my youth. Actually it is a 1948 Ford Dunesmobile owned by the recently departed Frank Hagerty. Read about Mr. Hagerty and the Dunesemobile HERE.

More curves than Gina Lollobrigida.

Man, oh man did these legendary Offy powered racers get my blood boiling. I'd almost give my left *** for a couple of hot laps in any one of them.

More mechanical porn!

Another Stutz from the Mitchell collection.

Cadillac V16.

This is an early High-Wheeler automobile, claimed to be the world's first Coca-Cola delivery vehicle. Don't get those toes caught in here!

Do you have any Grey Poupon? But of course!

I've never met a Rolls Silver Ghost that I didn't like.

This is more to my sporting tastes.

Fin-Tailed Ferrari.

Another rear-engined wonder.

Some spectacular early motorcycles were featured as well.

Maserati Birdcage from the Houston area.

Porsche 917 in full Gulf livery. I loved watching these cars on TV as a kid.

An un-clothed Off in all of it's mechanical glory.

My old buddy Pete is a hard car BMW enthusiast and this array left him nearly speechless.

Only a handful of people in attendance, LOL! My hat is off to everyone that helps make the Amelia one of the world's greatest automotive events.

Here are the links to my photo galleries. You will find over a thousand photos, so browse until you clicker finger won't!

Amelia Friday RM

Amelia Friday Gooding

Starke Engine Show

Amelia Saturday Cars & Coffee

Amelia Sunday Concours

Closing Arguments

I absolutely love events such as Amelia Island These type of events represent the highest level of car collecting. However, its guys like you and I with our Ratrods and Corvair's that keep all of this alive. We buy the parts, tickets, hamburgers, and beer that make all of this possible. The car guy I admire most is the 18 year old kid pulling an engine under a shade-tree, and welding in his garage. Many of our garage friends started this way (as did I.)

I'll never be Royal either!

Yep, I'm still here and Spring has Sprung!

2014-02-14T10:56:00.001-06:00

Doggone it, its been so long since I posted a blog I'm getting e-mail from Garage friends worried about me. Other than overwork, and under-pay I'm a-doin' just fine! Writing is sort of like exercising, its much easier if you do it everyday. I haven't been doing much of either lately.

Forget the groundhog, I'm here to tell you that Spring has Sprung! Oh, we may get a few more chilly days, but the weeds are sprouting in my yard like....well weeds, and and the trees are also starting to bud.

What a glorious time to drive your collector car! Yesterday morning I was feeling so frisky I made a quick circuit of my super-secret Grimes County "test-track" in my bolt-action Mazda at....er....slightly elevated speeds. In fact afterwards I went home and got the 'Vair, and repeated it all over ;)

I got a little good news this a.m., Clifford the Big Red Truck will soon be back in action. After numerous parts delays the machine shop is almost done with the heads. Now I have to decide whether to keep him, or roll him ala Chasing Classic Gas Monkey's Car Garage style, LOL!!

Today's quote, "Spring is the time of plans and projects"--Leo Tolstoy

Out and About Cars (& Trains)

Here are some tasty confections I've spotted since last time we met.

How about a gorgeous little Alfa?

Love them Firebird's too. I'll take the Ram-Air rag-top for myself.

Straight and clean!

You almost never see colonnade bodied Elkie's anymore.

Looks and sounds like a real SS!

A rat-truck honoring the United State Marine Corps. Semper-Fi indeed!

Now this is cool!

I guess the Bandit stopped at Super-Burger?? It definitely seemed so when he left in a haze of tire smoke and squealing rubber. East bound and down...well, you know the rest.

Spotted in a field near my house. I whipped around and pulled up near the fence, and my bride had only two words to say, "Uh-no."

A Brian delight. We drove waaaaaay out the hinterlands of west Texas to look at this little steam train.

I was impressed with the impeccable quality of construction and multitude of one-off brass castings. Here is Train-Boy with the owner.

Love it, but I could never fit in it to drive it!

Yeah baby, 911T! I wanna drive! Didn't sound stock to me.

An Beaumonster goes to China

Even though you haven't heard from me lately, I haven't stopped having adventures, LOL!

In early January I made my fifth trip to Hong Kong since September. I thought you might be interested in a snap of the legendary Peninsula Hotel. This time I didn't see any of the fabled green Rolls Royces, but I have it on good authority the fleet was out and about.

We traveled by car to southern China, and I was a little non-plussed by my luncheon. Yep, those are fish tanks full of just about anything you can imagine that swims, crawls, or slithers. Nope, none for me! I'll stick with the cheesy crackers I bought at the Houston airport.

A festive Mercedes wedding car.

A very typical street view.

Four on a moped...makes you appreciate that big-honkin' American SUV with the built-in TV screens all the more.

This is what I came to see...and no it doesn't have anything to do with Corvair parts. I dreamed it...they built it.

The Riley's Win!

A couple of weeks ago C.A.R. and I once again participated in Cub-scout Pack 1114 Pinewood Derby. Here is our hand-built racer the incomparable X1. She was spot-on racing weight, and hot-wheels fast.

Once again competition was fierce. This is the Superbowl of cub-scouting.

Here is the proof, Collin Riley's X1 racer sets a new track record of 228.1 mph!

Not only did Collin win his age group, but also third overall and runner-up for best paint job.Take that big kids! He even insisted on sleeping with his trophy that night.

Here is a little something I picked up for Collin in honor of his big win. He is going to be the best dressed Concour kid this season.

Amelia Time!

Thanks to the world's best editor, Angelo Van Bogart of Old Cars Weekly for once again allowing me to cover the Amelia Island Concours in my own "special" way ;) Angelo is a true "Caddy-Daddy" and works for Old Cars. I took this special Cadillac pic out in west Texas just for him!

There is so much to see during the Amelia weekend; Gooding Auction, Festival of Speed, RM Auction, and the main event The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. You may recall my post after LY's event that many of you seemed to enjoy:
The Amelia Experience-Garage DeLuxe Style

These links will take you to information on the specific Amelia happenings:

Festivals of Speed Amelia Island

Gooding Amelia Auction

RM Amelia Auction

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

This year I come armed with Go-Pro's, professional sound recording equipment, and new video gear. I don't know how I'm going to use all of this stuff, but I'm sure I'll think of something ;)

Here are a few photos highlight of 2013!

"Voice of the Concour" Ed Lucas with Amelia impresario Bill Warner.

Tim Suddard, publisher of another of my favorite magazines; Classic Motorsports.

Donald Osbourne is one of my favorite guys in the collector car world. He is always smiling, and I've never heard him utter a harsh word. One hell of a singer too.Wish I could learn to smile like that!

Yep, Train Boy with that CCC guy Wayne Carini.

Our good Garage friends the Como's from Lafayette and their spectacular '53 Eldo.

Train Boy found one he wanted...chug, chug, chug! I'm pretty sure we already have the steam whistle here at The Garage.

Our other Garage Friend Richard Mitchell with one of his spectacular Stutz's. Richard has won so much hardware in the last two years I doubt he knows where to put it all. I told him to look down from his private jet and waive as he flies over the earth-bound Rileys.

That dapper young man in the center in Bob Fuller of the Keels and Wheels Concour. To his immediate right is Ed Welburn VP of GM Global design.

Concours d'Elegance of Texas board member Don Summer. Don is the father of the U.S. Concours movement.

Another good Garage Friend, Tom Timmins.

Rod Egan and John Kruse of Worldwide Auctioneers.

Sportscar Market publisher Keith Martin and I.

See sometimes I do almost smile :) All it takes is a Screaming Yellow Zonker of a Supercar!

Halloween in January & Houston's best new restaurant!

Our eldest daughter Joni who now works for me full time. She planned and executed our participation in the Halloween Show. Yep, I'm a proud Papa!

This is a massive trade show.

Ever seen a balloon castle? I wish I had thought to take a photo from inside.

There were multitudes of great costumes all modeled by professional actors.

Now these two really creeped me out! They had that whole Zombie thing down just a little to well.

Uh, this lovely young woman was attired in nothing but stickers! I went by the booth 4 or 5 times just to take peek and make sure...okay, okay it was 60 or 70 times, but whose' counting? I really, really tried to keep my eyes above neck level. Didn't succeed ;)

Our out of town guests from Hong-Kong, China, and Sweden.

My Swedish buddy Ander's is a huge fan of Texas cowboy culture.

My HK friends wanted to try some of Houston's top dining spots, and we ate at one Houston's best new restaurants The Corner Table http://cornertablehouston.wordpress.com/ co-owned by our dear Garage friend Darla Lexington. When I called Darla to ask for the name and address of the eatery, I didn't dream she would phone ahead and direct we receive the full rock-star treatment. Darla, as always you are a class act, and best wishes for well deserved success!

On the left is my daughter/employee Joni and our latest hire Amy. In the center is Halloween marketing specialist Joey Lo, and on the right my HK associates Clayton and Agnes Kwan.

This was my red-snapper. I guess I should have snapped the photos before I dug in, but with food this good who could wait?

Closing Arguments

I used to think I understood all about how the Concour world works, but I still have plenty to learn. Last summer I attended the Keeneland Concour and learned from our Garage friends Tom and Connie Jones what all of this is supposed to be about. It is first and foremost about raising money for charities one is passionate about. All else is lipstick and background noise.

As car guys we sometimes lose perspective on what this is all about. Simply put, it is about doing good works while sharing our passions and prized possessions!

Here is a little advice from George Strait---Keep an Ace in the Hole! I expect to be backatcha a couple of time before Amelia!

The Christmas Edition

2013-12-11T21:58:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas & Seasons Greeting!

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greeting to all! Regardless of your faith or persuasion, my December wish for you is health, a home full of children's laughter, good food, and the company of friends such as all of you who come here to hang at The Garage.

We've always wanted to a "Tim the Toolman" Christmas display and divert 747's ourselves. This year was the closest we've come. Not too bad for a first effort, but just wait until next year, LOL!

The tree is up, but we need to get crackin' on the present buying thing. Amazon.com here we come ;)

Also, may I suggest the perfect Christmas gift for the historically minded peeps on your list? I have ample copies of Blackgold to Bluegrass in stock here at The Garage for only $24.95 and i'll throw in the shipping! Send me a private message to gsriley1@gmail.com and I'll send your a PayPal link, and your copy will ship immediately via Priority Mail. Get 'em while there hot!

Today's Quote

"The main reason Santa is jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls' live"--George Carlin

The Newest Riley

We have a new...ahem...a new baby here at The Garage. We are having a little naming controversy. Our first Beagle was named Sally, so one contingent wants to name our new baby girl the same. My 2nd son Brandon calls her Jesse, JoJo calls her Liza, and Miss Annie just says "pup." The dog...she just be confused!

Isn't she cute rolling in the grass? Actually she had been torturing a lizard by tossing it in the air, then chewing on it, and she was happily rolling all over the recently departed carcass. This dog has some seriously bad habits, so she is fitting in here just fine.

Sally, Jesse, Liza, Pup and Miss Annie have become fast friends too. Miss Annie is a little foggy about the whole blogging thing, but she knows you can see her, and she says to say hi!

Spotted while out and about!

I'm on the roads a lot, and try and snap photos of any interesting car that catches my attention. Here is a mid-1930's Plymouth rat rod.

The ubiquitous and much maligned Chevy mouse motor. Upon closer inspection, this little Plymouth had some great fabrication like rack and pinion steering, and independent front suspension. Just shows you don't have to spend a fortune to create a cool car and have fun.

A few minutes later I spotted this SWB Chevy outside the bank. She looks pretty straight and rust free to me.

This little Malibu was uber-clean, and whatever resided under the hood was definitely making the right noises.

When was the last time you saw a full size Buick convertible, particularly one this sanitary? That 383 Magnum Challenger rag-top ain't too bad either and I think I spy a Goat in the background.

This bus project was on a trailer rolling down the Interstate, and hopefully destined for a full resto at its new home. I predict these early VW buses to bring stupid money in my lifetime. It seems they have developed a cult-like following in Europe already. I was driving Cool Breeze at the time, and we gave each other a big thumbs up.

I never used to like the early rubber-bumper 'Vettes, but I'm beginning to get a hankering for one. Back in the day my high-school friend Les-The-Mess and I had several hair raising adventures in his Dad's bright orange L82 '73.

The second Tesla Model S I've seen. This one was at a Dallas hotel where I recently stayed.

Yount-Lee Equestrian Day’s

In mid-November Train Boy and I headed to Beaumont in Cool Breeze for Yount-Lee Equestrian Days. My old buddy Ray "Cisco" Baker suggested we run by the Beaumont version of Cars & Coffee. Here is Cool Breeze, Cisco's '62 Buick, and Carl Owen's Econoline. I literally hadn't seen Carl in 30 years!

I love those old nail-head Buicks and Cisco's has all the right stuff. He tells me she floats down the super-slab just fine!

Here is a Chevy 789. Cool look for a newish 'Vette.

Some closeups of Carl's sano-econo.

We arrived at Beaumont's Glady City Boomtown Museum of Lamar University to find quite a crowd waiting to get in.

Brian thinks we should get his one running for the museum. Interestingly a close inspection shows that it probably wouldn't be very hard.

These three ladies look like they could have been at the original Spindletop field in 1900. I found out the nice lady in the middle (Julie Size) is a Saddlebred enthusiast who lives near us in Plantersville. Seems we have mutual friends at Bluebonnet Farm in Bellville, and in Lexington, KY. Small world indeed.

Julie Size explaining Saddlebred's and side saddle riding.

The Lamb's print shop looks ready to crank out the 1900 edition of the Beaumont Enterprise.This machinery was used in Beaumont from new.

This exhibit is courtesy of my friends at Broussard's Mortuary, which started as Broussard's Livery stable. I'll stick to wagons, they can keep the casket...at least for now ;) I once drove their Packard Hearse, but we'll save that story for another day.

I especially enjoyed watching the blacksmith work.

What a neat old Fagoel Gulf Oil tanker truck at the museum. I'll be it took a mans man to wrangle this beast back in the day.

Miniature Therapy horses.

While in Beaumont, Train Boy and I visited this little Plymouth Loco that has been parked on a siding near the port for as long as I can remember.

Although remarkably intact the head and oil pan are both off. It is likely powered by an industrial V8, coupled to a torque converter and something akin to a semi-automatic transmission. It would almost fit in our garage....hmmmm. Can anyone in Beaumont steer us toward the owner? I have a friend with a train station in his backyard that may need a locomotive!

We also visited my brother-from-another-mother Super Dave, and checked on The Pumpkin. Brian really wants to bring it back home to The Garage...we'll see what the new year brings. I'll wager that Dave's 302ci Mustang can "waste the skinnies."

The Passing of Bill Wallace

I received an e-mail from Gloria Wallace a few days ago letting me know that her dear husband Bill had passed away in Mid-November. Bill was a noted Houston restorer who had a somewhat unlikely friendship with local car dealer, collector, entrepreneur, David Taylor. Both of these gentleman played a part in making me the car-guy I am today.

These two guys were fast friends and created together what I've always thought of as "The Best Little Car Museum in Texas."

Bill once told me, "David said he dreamed of having the best car museum in Texas. I told him it was my dream too."

The museum collection consisted entirely of American Classics that were either pristine low-mileage originals, or total nut-and-bolt restorations preformed by Wallace and his crew.Taylor meticulously restored a turn of the century Galveston car dealership building and acquired adjacent vintage buildings as well.

Every car was maintained in meticulous running condition, and a climate and humidity controlled facility. One a month each car was started and run for an hour. Taylor wanted to drive any of the cars at a moments notice in complete reliability.

Bill really loved this little Model-T racer which was created with authentic speed equipment from the 1920's.

Some people called Bill, "Flat-Head Bill" as he special passion was creating red-hot flatties.

He built this full-tilt-boogie Deuce Coupe for David to tool around in. It paid homage to the cars of David's youth in Port Arthur, Texas. I doubt of any of the car of David's youth were are well built as this Wallace creation. It ran and sounded just as good as it looked.Imagine a Cadillac dealer with his pick of new cars arriving to a business meeting in his deuce as Taylor often did. I never once heard of him coming home on the hook, which was a testament to Wallace's mechanical prowess.

Bill also restored many of the funeral coaches in the National Museum of Funeral history, located in Houston. http://nmfh.org/ He once told me that he was especially proud of these macabre restorations.

Bill had a multitude of stories and notable customers, but none quite as interesting as his long association with Baron Di Portanova (know locally as Baron Ricky) and his collection of Rolls Royce's. Baron Ricky was an incredibly colorful guy and heir to the Cullen oil fortune. At one time it was reported that his Cullen allowance was $1,000,000...per month!

Barron Ricky apparently had some outlandish ideas for paint schemes. At some point he asked Wallace to paint one hot pink, which Bill not so politely refused to do.

The crowing achievement of Wallace and Taylors long association was the near perfect restoration of the 1936 Cadillac Model 80 V12 convertible couple known as Blue Baby.

Late in the restoration it was determined that some missing interior fasteners were unavailable from any source. Bill located a 16 cylinder Fleetwood parts car, and Taylor wrote another big check. For six screws.

During late 1996 and early 1997 this car won first place everywhere it was shown including the uber-competitive CCCA Grand-Classic. It was invited to the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance but Taylor's sudden decline in health made participation impossible.If I live long enough (and make enough) Blue Baby will eventually live here at The Garage.

Bill was a mild mannered man well liked by those who knew him, and loved by his family. He never objected when I hung around his shop for hours on end, and was never to busy to give good advice. I will miss him terribly, and remember him always. I'm sure he and Taylor are in heaven discussing their next restoration project.

Clifford catches cold!

Well, by now your are likely familiar with Clifford The Big Red Truck.

A couple of weeks ago he was supposed to cross the block at the Leake Dallas Auction. We spit-shined him to within an inch of his live, including polishing all that damn aluminum which proved to be a much more daunting task than I originally thought.

When we fired up for departure all seemed well. Within a short time he developed a hellish valve train noise and a couple of dead holes. A little exploratory surgery revealed several bent push-rods.

I hadn't driven the old boy much since early September and the fuel had spoiled. This molasses like goo caused sticky valves, and bent and broken parts. I knew to use Stabil or something similar, but didn't think it had been stored long enough to cause a problem. I hadn't realized how quickly Ethanol blended fuels can degrade. Lesson learned...expensive lesson learned!

Now I gotta fix it. May as well replace that ancient tea-pot Holley, and Load-O-Matic distributor. Better replace the timing chain, and gears...and it wouldn't be too hard to add a cam that makes a little thumpity, thump-bump-bump. I hear they make some truck aluminum heads too. A stroker crank and forged pistons wouldn't be bad either. There are some nifty, and uber rare period correct valve covers on E-Bay for only $1,800 the pair. Wonder if I could find on of the McCullough superchargers off a 312ci baby bird? Oh hell, maybe I'll just keep him!

Actually, I'm having the stock heads reworked and everything will be exactly as Hank The Deuce intended in 1955, except I am ditching the Teapot Holley in favor of a 350cfm two barrel. After a good detailing he'll be back on the road better (and certainly cleaner) than before.

Cool Breeze...She's Been Everywhere Man!

During our recent trip to Beaumont we visited our old friend Fred Bozeman previous longtime owner of Cool Breeze.

Unsafe at any speed? We didn't have any problem maintaining the 75mph Interstate speed with the 140 squirrels on tap. Brakes is good, and tires fair...or is it the other way around?

Fred gave me the most amazing gift. Cool Breeze with Fred at the wheel and his bride Margaret riding shotgun attended an amazing number of Corsa Conventions all of over the country from the late 1970's onwards. Fred had purchased dash plaques at all of them and told me he would give me the ones for which he had duplicates. Here are the ten he gave me, and I wager he has another five.

I came home and told the story to Miss Annie, and she mentioned that she still had the T-Shirt she purchased at the 1985 CORSA Silver-Jubilee convention in Houston!

I recently received my media credentials from The Amelia. This year I'm definitely driving Cool Breeze. I think after a decade long hiatus she is ready to resume her highway traveling ways.

JoJo and I Meet Annie in New York

Last week my oldest Joni and I traveled to New York to participate in the Halloween Industry Association trade show. It was a little ironic being in New York to discuss Halloween just as the city that never sleeps was putting on it's Christmas bling!

We had dinner at the world famous John's Pizzeria (No Slices) where Joni sampled her first New York cocktail.

We both wanted to see the city from the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building.

And what a view it is!

The Chrysler Buidling was one destination we missed, but I'll be back!

I spotted these cool soap box derby racers in an antique shop. However, the prices asked would have gotten you a nice entry-level collector car.

We meet all sorts of world-famous celebrities including Shrek, Elmo, and the Minions.

The highlight of our trip was seeing Annie at the Palace Theater. This unexpectedly proved to be one of the most emotional things I've done in years. I used to play the Broadway Soundtrack of Annie to Joni every day on the way to school. She and I both can sing every word to every song, but her favorite is, "It's a Hard Knock Life."

I was first introduced to Annie in 1977 by my older brother. Perry chaperoned a large group of high-school theater kids to New York every Christmas season to see the Broadway shows. I remember him coming home and talking about what a great show Annie was. After seeing Andrea McArdle sing "Tomorrow" on the Tonight Show with Johnny I was hooked too.

When Joni and I sat down, I found myself becoming extremely emotional thinking of my brother. Within moments of the opening curtain I had tears streaming down my face. In my defense Christmas is always an emotional time at the Riley hacienda as we lost Perry shortly before Thanksgiving 1986, and my beloved sister Jerri Ann on Christmas Eve 2003. Both my siblings loved live Theater and took me often as a child.

One of the most amazing things about Annie, is that a little girl has to carry the entire show, and little Lilla Crawford certainly delivered, kid got some pipes!

Afterwards we had cheesecake and coffee at the Cake Boss Cafe. Buddy even took time to pose with me.

Thomas Christmas Party

Last Saturday, we attended the annual Christmas party hosted by our good Garage Friend Bill Thomas at the spectacular Grandview Manor. And what a party it was!

Here another good Garage friend James "drove it like he stole it" Bartlett points to our host for the evening Bill Thomas with the spectacular organ in the background.

The house was decorated in all of its holiday finery.

Every room conveyed the spirit of the season and traditional Texas hospitality.

There was seating for 170 in the music hall, and it was still standing-room only. The evening's entertainment included Jim Connor on the big organ, The West Houston singers led by director Michael Wood, and solo vocals by Eduardo Lopez De Casas. Unfortunately the size of the crowd made video recording near impossible. Next time I hope to bring the Go Pro's I've asked Santa for ;)

Michael Wood direction of The West Houston Singers on the left www.thewesthoustonsingers.com , and soloist Eduardo Lopez De Casas Artistic Director at Houston's All Saints Catholic Church.

Here is our old Garage Friend organist extraordinaire Jim Connors. Take a moment to visit www.JimPlaysMusic.com www.JimPlaysMusic.com

The three wayward Riley's; Train Boy, Ronnie, and I. Someone recently asked me about the moniker Train Boy as they didn't understand the nickname being used by a grown man. If Brian agrees one day soon we'll discuss Autism, in particular Aspergers's Syndrome.

Closing Arguments

The car world recently lost Paul Walker who had made a much larger impact than I had realized. Walker also used his passion for cars to raise funds for a worthy charity. We need more guys like him in the hobby, so be careful out there. Here some of our Garage Friends have machinery on par with the Carrera GT that took Walker's life. Others of us just have average old cars with plenty of needs. Both ends of the spectrum are fun with plenty of possible hazards. On two occasions in my youth I experienced near catastrophes. Take reasonable care and respect that machinery!

Merry Christmas from The Garage

Here is a little piece of my youth, and my favorite all time Christmas song. Best wishes for the season, from Greg, Ronnie, Miss Annie, NaNa, JoJo & David, Train Boy, Katie Bee, Bran-Bran, C.A.R. and Miss Crystal. See you again soon.

Latest News & Texas Auction Wars

2013-11-05T17:55:00.002-06:00

Greetings Garage Friends from here at Garage HQ in Gods' Country, aka Magnolia, Texas. Since the last week in August I've been racking up both car and airline miles faster than a '57 Chevy from a note lot!

Today's quote, "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age!"--Lucille Ball

A North-End Boy goes to Hong Kong!
Fortunately I've made my last trip to Hong Kong until sometime in January. I've been a mind numbing four times since early September. There is so much to discuss and share, I scarcely know where to start.

On my final trip I finally was able to do some sight-seeing. Here is the view from the top of Victoria Peak. Incidentally, my HK host Mr. Kwan tells me that little house in the foreground is one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the world with a value of approximately $100,000,000.

Makes my little Magnolia ranch house look like a palace by comparison with far fewer zeros.

I'm a-doin' a book signin'!!
On November 16th as part of Yount-Lee Equestrian Days at the Gladys City Boomtown Museum at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas I'll be doing a book signing of Black Gold to Bluegrass.

From therapy horses to award-winning saddlebreds, visitors will delight at being able to ride, groom and learn all about the care and riding of horses. The event pays tribute to Pansy Yount, who was world famous for her saddlebred horses, in Beaumont, TX and in Lexington, Kentucky.

Also, Black Gold to Bluegrass has recently found a new publisher. Copies are now in stock at The Garage, and I'm told will be available on Amazon in time for Christmas. More info to follow shortly on how to order an autographed copy from...ME!

You could own Clifford!
That is if the price is right. I've consigned Clifford the Big Red Truck to the Leake Auction on November 22nd in Dallas. Since our move to the new house I'm having to pay for off-site storage and I've decided I would like to have a truck that will actually fit in my garage. View Details Here

In-Box Craziness
All kinds of crazy stuff makes it was into my in-box...however, I think this wins the award for 2013.

Yep, that's a vintage Porsche 908 racer running the early morning streets of a sleepy little Texas town. Did you notice the police car in the rear view mirror of the camera car? Maybe he decided that chasing was pointless? Although the clip was sent anonymously I have a preeety good idea who the perp was...but I ain't a tellin' ;) But I do want to go for a ride!

Texas Auction Wars??
It seems as if the Texas Spring Auction Calendar has gotten a lot busier with the recent announcement of the newly minted Leake Dallas Spring Auction. We now have four (yes four) collector car auctions in Texas within a five week period. I'll have lots more to say on the auction wars at a later time. Suffice it to say that someone is going to get bloodied.

Dan Kruse Classics-San Antonio March 29th

Mecum Houston April 10-12th Houston Reliant Center

Leake Dallas Spring Auction April 25th and 26th Dallas Market Hall

Worldwide Houston Classic Auction May 3rd-La Torretta Lake Resort

Happy 120th birthday Raymond Loewy.
Unless you have been hiding under a tree in Grimes County you certainly know that Raymond Loewy was one of the most talented and prolific designers (they used to be called Stylist's) of the 20th century. Today is his 120th birthday!

Image via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Loewy

From the 1920's to the 1970's Loewy brought his unique design sensibility to everything from household appliances to locomotives...and of course cars. And what stunning cars they were! My favorite Loewy deisgn, and perhaps one of the most beautiful cars of all time; The Studebaker Starlight Coupe. Take a moment and read more about Loewy and his remarkable career http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Loewy

Needham Passes-Trans Am's around the world weep...
You likely heard last week about the passing of Hal Needham, an incredible stuntman, and director of that epic motion picture Smokey and the Bandit. I thought I would share a couple of quick thoughts with you about the movie. "To the rest of the country Smokey and the Bandit was just a movie. Here in Arkansas, it was a documentary!"--Billy Bob Thornton.

In Beaumont, Texas too...

My favorite quote from the movie, "Give me a Diablo Sandwich and a Dr. Pepper, and make it quick, I'm in a god-damn hurry!" Sheriff Buford T. Justice--Sumbitch

Here is a link to an excellent article on Needham and the misadventures of getting the movie made.
http://playboysfw.kinja.com/remembering-hal-needham-and-the-birth-of-redneck-cinema-1452470692

With God as my witness, I will own a black-gold '78 Trans-Am SE one day (TA 6.6 and a 4-speed please!)

Mitchell Wins---Again!
Montgomery country resident and Stutz collector extraordinaire Richard Mitchell Stutz, has received yet another accolade. Last weekend he was awarded Best of Show at the prestigious Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance with the sinister and sexy Stutz Lancefield Coupe. Richard, you are going to run out of places for the trophy's!

A Visit to our Friends at Dooley and Son's
I've been so busy that I haven't even had a chance to run up the road to see what our friends at Dooley & Sons Hot Rod Shop have been up to. Last Friday I was totally burned out on paperwork and decided to take a few minutes to run by and see what the boys have been up to. These guys are covered up with work! http://www.dooleyandsons.com/

Here are a few cars (and trucks) that caught my attention.

Yes, that's a Hilborn injected aluminum-headed full tilt boogie 409 in Jeff Cameron's '61 Bubble Top! Note the Dooley and Son's fabricated stainless steel headers too.

First Annual F1 Invitational Car Show-Taylor, TX

Join us on Taylor's Historic Main Street for the inaugural F1 Invitational Car Show on Saturday, November 16th, sponsored by the City of Taylor. In addition to cars, we'll feature an automotive art exhibition, prize raffles, etc.

Registration for cars starts at 11am. Show runs from 1pm - 4pm and entry is free.

The Taylor Artist Guild will present its F1 Invitational Art Show in conjunction with the car show, with works by local artists celebrating all things motoring. Exhibition runs from 11-4pm in the McCrory Timmerman Building, on the corner of 2nd and Main.

Visit their Facebook Page for more information

Here a couple of tasty treats I understand will be in attendance.

Halloween and other doings at the Riley's
We had a fun Halloween last week.

I had my HK associate make several custom Halloween costumes for both the immediate and extended family. Here are some of my nieces and nephews.

Lance Mitchell, son of my intrepid assistant.

Here are our two resident Grandma's; Nana Accardo on the left, and Ms. Annie Riley on the right.They both had a blast handing out candy to the kids.

Road Kill C.A.R. (Collin Alexander Riley)

Here is a poster that C.A.R. bought at the book fair for our garage. I got a little wrinkled in his backpack, but no matter it is now proudly hung over my work bench.

FYI, there is one Lambo I covet more than all others, and it ain't this one. At least one person reading this blog knows EXACTLY which it is.

This is what it looks like immediately outside our subdivision in Magnolia on Ren-Fest weekends. A world-class traffic jam in Magnolia...whodathunkit?

Well I've played hooky for about three hours putting this blog together. In that time I've received about thirty e-mails, and my cell has buzzed with voice-mails more times than I can count, so back to the world of pens, pencils, crayons, and yep...now Halloween too.

Our closing video was suggested by C.A.R as a tribute to both him and his brother Train Boy. I know there are several more of you in the audience THAT LIKE TRAINS! Enjoy! Drive 'em if you got 'em and I'll bebackatcha as soon as time permits.

Greetings from Hong Kong!

2013-10-05T17:22:00.003-05:00

Greeting from Hong Kong garage friends, home of one of the world's most active car cultures. As I write this it's likely late afternoon where you are, and about 3:30 a.m. here in Hong Kong. Darn the jet lag! Actually, I finished this week's business and will be returning to Houston in a few hours, only to return late next week.

You are likely surprised at how long it has been since you last heard from me. Well, I'm engaged in the very serious business of booking factory orders for school supplies for 2014. I know some of my well-heeled friends are baffled at what I do. Let me just say this is a multi-billion dollar industry where I'm now working at the top levels with America's leading retailers. I've also expanded my business into the Halloween market, which also represent multi-billion dollar sales. All of these business reviews and future factory bookings happen between September and mid-November, so I'm busier than a cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond.

Today's quote, "Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew, and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water!"--W.C. Fields

Here is something a little exciting for me as well. The book I co-authored with Fred B. McKinley; Blackgold to Bluegrass has been picked up by a new publisher and is now available on Amazon.com for about $20.00.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Gold-Bluegrass-Spindletop-Kentucky/dp/1571688870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381010042&sr=8-1&keywords=black+gold+to+bluegrass

In addition to the offering on Amazon, just in time for Christmas autographed copies will soon be available directly from me for $24.95 plus shipping. Watch this space and my web site for more information.

I was also recently invited back on Yahoo Radio for In Wheel Time. I had great fun clowning with Don Armstrong and Mike Herzing.

I think these guys are going to have me back about every six weeks for a classic car and auction report.

Before I left home I was watching TV, and on came a promo came for a new show "Vanilla Ice goes Amish!" Okay, okay I've spent half of my life in "pitch" meetings, so let me describe how this one likely went down.

Everyone involved is summoned to the executive conference room. At one end of the table is the division Vice-President. At the other end the talent (in this case Vanilla Ice.) On one long side of the table is the V.P. of Sales and his top sales guys. On the other is the V.P. of Marketing and his team. After introduction the division V.P. says something like, "Today we are going to hear a very special presentation." In walks some consulting geek with a ream of pie charts and demographic information.

The geek says, "Gentlemen, we have been researching our desired demographics and have reached some very interesting conclusions. We have realized that most males between the age of 25-40 relate to Mr. Ice, but are likely under or unemployed. Furthermore, many of these fine gentleman now live with their elderly grandmothers. The grandmothers love early American craftsmanship and purchase 72.8% of all fine hardwood furniture. All of our other Amish related shows such as Amish Mafia, Breaking Amish, and Meet the Hutterites are strong performers and deliver broad based appeal. Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that paring Mr. Ice. with Amish craftsman will deliver a broad based dream demographic that will purchase everything from rolling papers to fine hardwood floors!"

For two beats the room is totally silent. Both sides of the table look at either end.

Ice looks over his shoulder at his agent who whispers, "Rob you need the money." Ice smiles broadly.

At the other end the division V.P. also smiles broadly and says "I think this could work."

The sales staff stops fidgeting and throwing spitballs at each other long enough to roll their eyes. The marketing team who heretofore have remained stoic also all start smiling and murmuring appreciatively.

The consulting geek surreptitiously texts his real estate agent to go ahead with the beach-frond Boca condo purchase, and smiles even broader.

The V.P. of sales texts someone like me and says, "Sell the F40. I'm about to be out of a job when this turkey tanks."

Que "Ice Ice Baby!" And that my friends is how we get TV shows such as Vanilla Ice goes Amish!

Vanilla Ice, keepin' it classy!

My beloved '08 Chryntely recently turned over 150K miles. As I'm in a business that requires appealing reliable transport, I began shopping for a replacement company car. After looking and driving numerous mid-size sedans I settled on what I think is the best moderately priced sedan in America....the winner is....the 2014 Mazda 6 Touring Sedan!

I had to search high and low for one with a six-speed manual in my desired color combination of Reflex Blue with Sand leather. For the record I absolutely love this car, and it now ranks as one of my five all time favorite cars of the hundreds I've owned. Handles like a slot car, amazing acceleration for a 4 cylinder and gets almost 40 mpg on the highway too! Love that slick shifting bolt-action six-speed tranny too. Specs show that the little engine that could has an unbelievable 13:1 compression ratio.

The other day I saw this Chevy Volt at a pump island for his bi-annual refueling, LOL.

Here is another random car pic for 'ya. I spotted this in a parking lot, and loved the work on the rear fender extensions. Well done sir!

How about this little home-built I spotted in Magnolia? It appears to be a loose interpretation of a Tin-Lizzie, but powered by a Chev inline-six.

About a month ago I considered buying this rare, and unusually bodied 1924 Nash Cariolle, which seems to be the only survivor. A loose interpretation of Cariolle is "elegant little carriage." And this little car certainly was once that. Upon inspection the car was much rougher than it appeared in the photos. I still wanted it, but after consulting with my level-headed bride I made a market correct offer which offended the seller. I hated to see it pull away, but bitter experience has taught me not to buy cars from emotion. He told he he was going to take it home and cut it to pieces for a rat-rod. I hope not, but again it would have been imprudent to pay his price which was several magnitudes above the actual value.

I thought I would also give you a quick peek inside Garage HQ, where the...ahem, magic happens. Feel free to drop by anytime and we'll have lunch at Superburger.

Here is my office. My Garage, My Rules!

The office of my long-suffering, but intrepid administrative assistant Crystal Mitchell.

As I said at the beginning, I'm here in Hong Kong where there seems to be an incredible car culture. I have never seen so many high-end luxo barges and exotics in one place in my life.

On my first trip here mid-September I was a little intimated upon my arrival as never having travelled further than Mexico. First I had to navigate my way through Immigration, and Customs, then find my way into the heart of the city. Here is a quick snap of the airport taxi stand.

One the way in, I discovered that my taxi driver should try out for NASCAR as he was certainly familiar with drafting and shunting! The size and number of apartment buildings was staggering to this Texas boy who is used to wide open spaces. Not a very good photo, but perhaps you'll get the idea.

The Toyota Crown Comfort is apparently the Checker Cab of Hong Kong. Hey Bill, you'll be glad to here they're CNG powered too!

Here is the view outside my hotel room at the Royal Garden Hotel on the Golden Mile.

I had previously thought that double-decker buses were only found in England. Wrong! This place is awash with them.

As I said, Hong Kong is awash with mouth watering luxury cars and exotics. Here is a Loti outside my hotel last night.

Here are some examples parked in the parking garage of our HK showroom.

Everything from a vintage mini, complete with the Union Jack...

To this mouth watering Lambo!

This custom car emporium in only a few doors down from us. I'm definitely going to stop in next trip and inquire about the 911's and 356. Looks like they are completing a comprehensive resto of the one 911. Lots of other interesting stuff in the far background too.

I guess 7-11 is absolutely everywhere. I stopped in and didn't see a single brand I recognized...except Marlboro.

Here is a new car emporium. It looked like they represented several intersting marques, but we sped by before I could get a good look.

Sometimes its the little things that strike us as most humorous...here is a bottle of water that struck me as vaguely pornographic.

This is an unusual hatch-back truck thingy...this is something I would have expected to see in Australia.

Here is a snap of our Halloween showroom where yesterday I conducted a successful meeting with the world's largest retailer.

My hosts here in HK have made every effort to make me welcome and comfortable. However...I am having some trouble with the food. I've never been a fan of Dim Sum, which we eat everyday for lunch. My host asked me what type of food I liked, and I mentioned seafood as a favorite. He broke out in a broad smile, and suggested that we try his favorite Japanese seafood restaurant...well to make a long story short, in Texas we call what they served us bait. No Louisiana blackened catfish here!

By the last night of my first trip, I was beyond hungry. An acquaintance mentioned that there was a fantastic Italian restaurant in my hotel; Sabatini. I soon found that Sabatini has their home location in Milan, and this satellite location in HK. I didn't look at the prices, ordered what I wanted and enjoyed every morsel. In fact I even personally complimented the chef. The wine that the sommelier recommended paired perfectly with the grilled red snapper. Everywhere else I've eaten in HK has served instant coffee. Not so at Sabatini! I had a wonderful cappuccino that finished the meal perfectly.

The live entertainment was quite good as well.

Lovely decor too!

The final bill was a little staggering, but as the food was world-class, I handed over my Visa without a second thought.

At the airport I spotted something else surprising...Popeye's Chicken!

I was told last evening that I'm now an honorary Hongkongnese. I can add that to Texian, North End Boy, Beaumonster, Houstonian, Waycrossian, and Magnoialite! What long strange journey my life has been :)

On a more somber note, we have a little trouble on my Thursday flight here. It seems that an elderly passenger become very ill. We were informed that we were diverting to the closest possible landing location which was Shanghai China. Within moments of our landing the medics arrived and began working on the gentleman. As they took him past me up the aisle, his breathing can only be described as a death-rattle. Word soon spread among the other passengers that he had expired before they could get him in the ambulance. Although this is unconfirmed, I'm certain that the gentleman was in extreme distress.

It took several hours before the Chinese government cleared us for departure. By that time the pilots allotted flying time had expired, and special permission had to be obtained from United Airlines, and the Pilots Union for us to continue. You could tell by the announcement that even the pilots were exasperated by the continuing delays. We sat on the tarmac for almost seven hours before being allowed to complete 1 1/2 hours flying time to HK. My heart goes out to the family of the stricken passenger, but United and the Pilots Union could have and should have expedited the completion of our flight. By the time we arrived in Hong Kong I had been on that plane for more than 24 hours and was toast!

I'll be returning to HK twice more between now and early November. Maybe I am going to really he an honorary Hongkongnese! Maybe in the near future I won't simply be reporting of my friends that show on the concour circuit; perhaps I'll be on the show field with them.

One final thought, I'll be consigning a couple of my personal vehicles for the upcoming Leake Dallas auction. More on that later, and hope to see you there. http://www.leakecar.com/

http://www.leakecar.com/

See you on the other side of the pond in Houston in about 24 hours...just in time to watch the new episode of Boardwalk Empire!

Here's to never growing up! I don't intend to, and hope you won't either. Love me some Avril!!

What I did on my Summer Vacation!

2013-08-14T16:11:00.001-05:00

What I did on my Summer Vacation!

Page 1-The Intro

Greetings friends! I know, I know it has been quite a while since you last heard from me. Darn that real job! Several of you have called or e-mailed to ask if was okay. Yep, I’m just fine but working harder than ever.

Today’s quote, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”—Benjamin Franklin (Correlate that to the current NSA spying scandal)

Also, be sure and tune in to In Wheel Time on Yahoo radio AM1560 as I’ll be the featured guest this coming Saturday. http://inwheeltime.com/ We’ll be talking about all of the Monterrey weekend happenings, new cars, and the upcoming Mecum Dallas Auction.

Page 2-This That and Monkey's Hat

Thus far we have had an awesome summer with our kids! We had lots of adventures, and I’ve even found time to wrench on my own stuff. Here is my new mantra…My Garage, My Rules! I now have my new garage about 95% the way I want it. Whadda-ya-think?

Here are some of Train Boys small engines. He now has quite a collection, including an uber-rare Continental with roller bearings. We also plan to get the huge 1911 Fairbanks-Morse Model Z percolating within the month.

Early in the summer Train Boy suggested we visit H.A.L.S. (Houston Area Live Steamers) http://www.hals.org/ on one of their weekend open houses. They weren't running steam that day, but we had a great time anyway.

Here is a Mercedes C.A.R. has named, “The Magnolia Pizza Taxi.” It is apparently a stick shift, and I didn't even know they made 240D’s with a manual.

This brings to mind a conversation between my two bosses at my first “real” job in 1985. Boss man Jim just purchased a new 500 series Mercedes, his business partner Gene went in for Eldo’s with fake convertible tops. Jim asked Gene his opinion on the new Teutonic ride. His answer? “Five million European cab drivers can’t be wrong!” Ouch! I kind of miss that ’85 Eldo with the "Carriage Top" as they called it.

I spotted this late ‘70’s Cutlass custom here in Magnolia. I really liked the look, and in fact Miss Annie had a new ’78 that I sometimes drove to high school. Our school colors were orange and white, but Miss Annie’s car was an unfortunate shade of yellow typically seen in a baby’s diaper, or as we called BSY.

Here is the first Tesla Model S I’ve seen on the road. I was driving Clifford when I took the snap, which now that I think about it is sort of the antithesis of a Tesla.

Trabant race car? Now I’ve seen it all!

This little guy was part of the same group, and looks like it was straight out of the movie Cars.

I wish my kids could have had a cool stroller like this one!

Here is another unusual car that caught my attention. Mercury convertible anyone?

At a recent Niftee50ees street meet, I took this photo of the assemblage off the back of Clifford The Big Red Truck.

I went to appraise a sweet (and damn radical) ’57 Bel-Air the other day. How about a full-on injected LS7?

Guess what was lurking in another part of the hangar. I begged and begged for a ride, but no P51 rides for me!

Page 3-The Main Event, Keeneland Concours d'Elegance

On The Road!

About a month ago we loaded our new Durango with Mama, Train-Boy, C.A.R., and I and headed East bound and down for Lexington, KY and the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance, and what a trip it was. http://www.keenelandconcours.com/

The new Durango turned over 5K miles just before our departure and we took her back to Tomball Dodge for the first service which cost an amazingly reasonable $38, which included an oil change, tire rotation, and we even had the computer re-flashed for an update related to low speed transmission shifting.

Our scheduled 10 a.m. Thursday departure was moved back to almost 4p.m. due to a business deal that couldn’t wait until my Tuesday return. As a result e pulled into Bryant, Arkansas our first night stop at almost 1a.m. The Durango rolled down the Super Slab at 75+ like hot snot rolling off a silver platter.

Friday morning we slept a little later than planned, and then had a leisurely breakfast at IHOP before hitting the road. Just before Memphis Mama, and I swapped for her to drive so I could make a legion of phone calls to complete a report that was due before COB on Friday. About fifty miles out of Memphis my phone rang, and it was our good friend Bill Thomas owner of the Thomas Ranch, and the Vineyard at Grandview.

“Hey Greg, what are you driving?”
“A Maroon Dodge Durango.”

“What mile marker are you at…pull over at the next exit and wait a moment.”

It seems that while I was making my phone calls that Ronnie decided to see what that ‘ol Durango could do, and went blasting past Bill and his car hauler like it was standing still.

In a few moments Bill wheeled in with his drivers/ranch hands Dustin and Kyle. After a quick consultation we decided that we were really going to have to hustle to make the 7:30 Hangar Bash in Lexington. Hustle we did! We all made the Lexington city limits at 7:15!

Hangar Bash

After a quick hotel freshening we met up with up with the Thomas crew at the Bash only a few minutes late.

We also up with several of our other Houston friends including Richard & Irina Mitchell (in their private jet parked outside the hangar,)

James & Eileen Bartlett, and Nancy Smith, Lee Brown and John Alkire. In addition to bringing their 1910 Bianchi, Nancy, Lee, and John were part of the crew for the B17 bomber Texas Raiders.

Here is left to Right, John Alkire, Dustin, Lee Brown, Kyle, and Bill Thomas

The band was hot, and was shortly joined by Dr. Jay Zwishenberger on harmonica. If he ever decides to give up surgery he can always get a job with the band. This guy can play! Click the link to listen to a few seconds of Dr. Z https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201719563215675

Here is Keeneland Concours Chairman Tom Jones preparing for his first bombing run!

C.A.R. was decked out in a miniature flight suit, and looked ready to pilot the B-17 himself.

We were among the last to leave, but were up early Saturday for the Concours main event.

Concours d'Elegance

Note that near the end of this section is a flash photo array of virtually every car at the Concour.

Judges hard at work on Bill Thomas's 1929 Cadillac.

The Riley's with Alkire and Browns incomparable and original 1910 Bianchi.

Richard Mitchell with his 1929 Stutz Blackhawk. The Mitchell collection is one of the best Stutz collections in the world.

James "He drove it like he stole it" Bartlett with his 1932 Duesenberg Dual-Cowl Phaeton.

Here are is Train Boy's favorite, a 1905 Crossley Bros. stationery engine.

Make no bones about it, this is a killer bike!

Man did I want one of these in 1978. When was the last time you saw a Mustang II King Cobra?

My bride Ronnie says this Maserati is going to be her next new car...man I gotta sell lots of pens, pencils, and crayons to pay for that one.

How about the chain drive on this 1910 Mercedes Gran-Prix car? I'm naming this one "The Mangler."

Hmmm, this one isn't scaled for anyone in the Riley clan!

I'll call this one, "The Lady in Red."

There were even a couple of super cool trucks. I've been saying for years that Texas Concour events gotta have a pick-up class.

Here is the car I most wanted to drive, a Lancia Scorpion. I hear the handle better than a slot car.

Bzzzzz!

I've really developed a thing for Ferrari 308's. Just call me Magnum GR!

I even found the Corvair people.

Giddyap!

You can find all of the results and even more on the official Keeneland Concours d'Elegance web site http://www.keenelandconcours.com/ or on their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/KeenelandConcours
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1077092_10151564663207939_1519139957_o.jpg
Here is the 2013 Keeneland Concours d'Elegance Best of Show Winner, a 1937 Delage D8 120SS Aerodynamic coupe of the Patterson Collection.

Here is the promised photo array, but keep reading we aren't done yet!

Page 4

Tour d'Elegance

Lining up for the Sunday Tour d'Elegance.

Driving some of the most beautiful Kentucky roads you can imagine. Ronnie and Bill Thomas as the Equus Run Winery...'ol Bill knows a thing or two about vineyards himself. Lunch Stop at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Page 4-Keeping Up with the Elvis's!

On the way home we made a couple of quick tourist stops. The Riley's at the one room cabin where Abraham Lincoln grew up. Train Boy asked if we could make a couple of train stops, so naturally we did. This is the R.J. Corman excursion train. I understand from Brian that Corman also has an operating steam loco in Lexington. We also made a quick detour to the Kentucky Railway Museum. They were closed, but we saw some great rolling stock anyway. Our final tourist stop was Graceland, Graceland-Memphis, Tennessee to see how the Elvis's lived. It turns out that there are some interesting parallels between Lincoln and Elvis. Bother came from extremely humble beginning, and rose to the pinnacle of their chose careers. Only in America my friends, only in America. I gotta get me on of them Jungle Rooms too.

I think this one would make 'ol Elvis hisself smile! If this doesn't make your day, then you may need to see the Doc for some sort of happy pills.

The News, and a Midnight Duesenberg Ride!

2013-06-13T23:48:00.001-05:00

Greetings Garage Friends. Yep I've been away again, but I'm baaack! I keep trying to strike a balance between car stuff and "real" work, but sometimes I balance better than others.

Today's quote, "When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest."--William Hazlitt

Well, that segues nicely into some recent blogs I've read. One stated the Concours d'Elegance events are a complete waste of time, and another cast aspersions on the veracity of a local best of show winner. Both garnered huge page views and voluminous comments. Interestingly both bloggers got media credentials (akin to backstage passes) to the events they were knocking. I'll file that under things that make you say, "hmmm." Most bloggers get paid based on page views. Therefore, the larger the controversy and more comments posted (be they positive or negative,) the more dollars the blogger makes.

I've steadfastly rejected the idea of writing posts to generate controversy and $'s. Fortunately, I don't have to concern myself with making money from all of this.

Page 1

Overheard in the Riley kitchen between C.A.R. and Bran-Bran (Collin & Brandon.) Collin looking around our new house, "Hmmm, Bran-Bran, I think we're rich now." Bran-Bran replies, "Naw we just got better appliances." Well said Bran-Bran, well said.

A few days ago my little Katie Bee graduated from high-school. Tell me it ain't so! Mom, Dad, Katie Bee, and Train-Boy...er Train Man.

We also just purchased our first brand-new vehicle in many years; a 2013 Dodge Durango V6. Incidentally we had a little drama as we were shopping. A guy was driving slowly down SH249 feeder road oogling new cars when he was rear-ended and slammed into the dealers lot. Good thing that motorized display was stationery, or things could have gotten even more interesting. The at fault driver hopped out of his car, forgot to put it in park, looked at his own, and the other damaged vehicle, and then chased his car half a block before hopping back in and leaving the scene. Fortunately no one was injured.

Why a Durango you may ask? At the Texas Auto Writers Round Up I drove over sixty new cars, and was very impressed with all of the Chrysler/Jeep/Fiat products. Afterwards I read many of my fellow Texas Auto-writer's reviews, and was struck with the overall favorable impression of Chrysler's current offerings. The current Ram truck was voted best in Texas by TAWA. Besides, my Dad The Colonel was a dyed in the wool Mopar man, and my Uncle was a Chrysler master mechanic from the '50's-'80's. I still fondly remember Dad's beige '64 413 powered New Yorker. Especially after he topped 'er out in the hinterlands of Louisiana, and the speedo broke, forever stuck somewhere way past 120. Uncle Claude had breathed on her a just a leeettle :)

Also, we needed three-row seating, enough towing capacity for my ancient car-hauler mit car, and it had to be comfortable for six on long-hauls. We wanted something slightly smaller than our 250,000 mile Suburban with a little better fuel mileage too. We drove a multitude of new cars, but the Durango seemed to fit our needs better than O.J.'s hand in a glove. Even the V6 will tow over 6,000 lbs comfortably, which we will be proving next month...more on that later. That big factory rebate didn't hurt either. Thanks Sergio.

I turned 51 a few days ago, and Miss Annie gave me the best birthday present ever! Just before my Dad shipped out to Europe in 1944 she gave him a silver I.D. bracelet. She tells me that all soldiers had their dog tags, but they were encouraged to purchase these bracelets too.

One the face it has my Dad's name, military serial #, blood type and other vital info. On the rear it says that in the case of emergency to contact Mrs. Annie Ruth Riley via Legion Service Station, Rural Route Silsbee, Texas. Miss Annie explained that they didn't have home mail service, or a telephone at that time so you picked up your mail and made phone calls at Legions. My how far we've come! I can't imagine how my Dad felt knowing the real purpose of the bracelet. I now wear it everyday as a reminder of my courageous father.

Here is another great present from C.A.R. A drawing of Clifford the Big Red Truck, with the caption, "Your the best Dad ever!" And I thought my Dad was the best Dad ever. Note he included the winch too. C.A.R. loves to ride in Clifford and Train Boy has been practicing driving this 16,000 GVW monster.

Here's a little something else I recently stumbled on, a barn find Nash Healey. Don't find those everyday. I wish I could share the story, but I'm sworn to secrecy.

Page 2

We have a little cruise-in at the Home Depot in "New Magnolia." Here are a couple of my favorites.

Allante!

Gotta love them tail-draggers too!

I've always had a special place for Gremlins since my Bro' purchased one new in '73. There used to be one running around Beaumont with a hot small-block and 4-speed.

This manual-trans Olds 88 looks like it was straight out of American Graffiti.

Page 3

Our good Lexington friends Tom & Connie Jones were awarded the Hyman Spirit of the Hobby Award at the CCCA Museum Experience. The award couldn't have gone to two better people. Take a look at that beautiful Packard Roadster. Tom & Connie are a big part of the fantastic Keeneland Concours d'Elegance. http://www.keenelandconcours.com/

We are looking forward to seeing Tom and Connie and all of our Lexington friends (including those form Spindletop Hall) in a less than a month. Lots of our Texas friends answered the call and will be making the trek to Lexington with us...including a very special participant from Hooks Airport in Tomball. Yee-Ha, the Texans are invading Lexington, and even bringing our own bomber Texas Raiders! Much more on this later.

I think we are going to trailer our 4-door Corvair "Cool Breeze" to Lexington so we can participate in their classic car tour. I tried to convince Mama we should haul it on Clifford The Big Red Truck, but she kibosh-ed bouncing cross-country in a 60 year old truck without A/C, say's I'm gettin' too old for such nonsense. Ha, the secret is lots of Gatorade.

Page 4

You may have heard the recent controversy regarding Tesla Motors and their attempt to circumvent long standing auto dealer franchise laws. Here is a piece on what happened in Texas.
http://news.yahoo.com/tesla-backed-bills-texas-fail-vote-174843486.html

Have you heard about the controversy regarding the NSA vacuuming up all of our electronic information? Now the FBI is admitting to using drones domestically. I believe people need to get as fired up about this as they do issues such as politics, and gun control. The potential for misuse by well meaning but clueless bureaucrats is absolutely staggering. Think about it, we communicate our most private information with our families and friends, pay our bills, and manage virtually every aspect of our lives electronically. This is like the J. Edgar Hoover files turbocharged. The standard for tapping a wired phone line (which few still use) is higher than gobbling up all those electrons. I recently heard a congressman say that this activity is perfectly legal. I call bullshit on that. Once again we are being told this is being done for our own good. If we allow the threat of terrorism to circumvent our civil liberties we may as well admit the terrorists have won. Here is a great piece that I hope will get you as fired up as I. Now we decide if privacy will continue to exist.

Our Feature

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Houston Construction Industry Auto Show. Special thanks to our good Garage Friend Mr. X for bringing the George Harrison Aston-Martin DB5. Mr. X, your a great guy and I appreciate your contributions to this hobby, and the countless charitable causes you support such as U.S. Vet's. What a class act you are (even if you are invisible!)

We mustn't forget the Flying Fish, a '69 Barracuda convertible that proudly plies over the show.

Here are some photos from the evening's Top 40.

Chevelle SS, 442 convertible...Duesenberg Dual-Cowl Phaeton!

The Gibson Guitar Bus made the trek all the way from Nashville!

You had to see the inside of this thing to believe it

Here is HCIAS show impresario, and owner of the Flying Fish, Gordon Clunn with the George Harrison DB5.

Gordon had a rockin' Beatles tribute band to accompany the DB5 too.

Michael Parker won this 2013 HCIAS special edition Dodge Ram too! Darn my Irish luck.

Beautiful guitars from world famous Fuller's Guitars. http://www.fullersguitar.com/

Everyone involved worked hard toward the goal of renovating the kitchen at U.S. Vet's Midtown Terrace facility in Houston.

This picture below brings us to one of the highlights of my night. James Bartlett's 1932 Duesenberg was awarded the Peoples Choice Award which was presented by the children of the late Bob Olofson; Erik and Stephanie. Stephanie gave one of most moving tributes any car guy could ever ask for including how she drove her Dad's beautifully restored Dodge Powerwagon in a dress and high heels as part of his funeral procession.

Stephanie said they asked everyone at the graveside service to put a wire tie on her Dad's casket, "Because he loved wire ties." Well Stephanie, I do too and hope my kids will look back as fondly on my car doings as you did on your Dad's and bring on them wire ties when my time comes.
Erik Olofson (left,) Duesenberg owner James Bartlett (center,) and Stephanie Olofson (right.)

James took the Olofson's for a ride in his Duesie, and then asked Ronnie and I if we wanted a ride too. By that time is was nearing midnight, which made for one of the most memorable rides I've ever been on. James drove his Duesie like he stole it! What a great group of people, and a magical night. Now if I can just convince James to let me drive it :)

The Midnight Duesenberg Ride

Your Weekly Reader

2013-05-24T14:12:00.000-05:00

Hello Garage Friends, glad to have you back! Pull up a crate, open a beer and lets talk about the weekend's happenings.

Today's quote, “Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.”--Ronald Reagan

Well, our good Garage friend Big Chunky dropped by today. I usually hear her 6X6 Autocar or 572ci Chevelle coming before I see her. Well, not today. All 5' nothing of her quietly snuck into Garage HQ and she was wearing....a dress and cowboy boots! I looked in the parking lot to see what she was driving. The only thing parked out front was a Smart.

"Are you driving that?" I says.

"Yep," She says.

"Uh, whats that all about?"

"Haven't you heard there's are recession on? Besides, do you know how much diesel a big cam Cummins Autocar burns?"

I guess I hadn't thought about it...

Big Chunky also asked me if I was going to the Houston Construction Industry Association Auto Show on Saturday. https://www.hcias.com/ She said she was going to see the ex-George Harrison Aston-Martin DB5.

Yep, Big Chunky I'll be there, and reporting tomorrow morning's happenings to my friends Don Armstrong and Mike Herzing at In Wheel Time radio on 1560 AM. http://inwheeltime.com/

This great event benefits U.S. Vets, and in it's short history has already raised over $200,000, with over $700,000 raised in total by HCIA members for this worthy cause. Part of these funds are being used to renovate the kitchen at the U.S. Vets Midtown Terrace facility. This kitchen will eventually feed over 30,000 needy Vets per year.

You can also tour the Gibson Guitar Bus that includes memorabilia from Paul McCartney, US, Slash, and others.

It will followed tomorrow evening by "Houston's Top 40-Guitar's 'n Cars" Casino Night and Concert. There will be great live entertainment, beautiful cars, and fantastic guitars. I understand a couple of our Garage Friends will be there too. You can still get tickets for $75/person on-site and help some needy Vets.

You can also purchase a tax deductible chance to win a new 2013 Ram Truck.

A limited amount of tickets are now on sale on-site for the evening's Guitars n’ Cars Casino Night hosted by HCIAS and The World Famous Fuller's Guitar.

You’ll enjoy an evening of exhilarating gambling, delicious dinner, and open cash bar.

Casino games will include:

Slot machines

Poker tables

Black Jack tables

Texas Hold 'Em tables

Roulette table

And much more!

A silent auction will round out the evening. Auction items will include luxurious trips, exclusive sporting event tickets, fine art, theatrical presentations... and much more.

This year's event will be a tribute to The Beatles rocker, George Harrison with his 1965 Aston Martin DB5 on display. If that isn't enough, The Beatles tribute band, The Fab 5, will be rockin' and rollin' all night long!

In addition to all the fun and games, the Guitars 'n Cars Top 40 Showcase cars and some fantasic guitars will be on display.

Big Chunky says she'll be there, we will be, and I hope you will be too!

George Harrison playing and singing While My Guitar Gently Weeps. A musical master at his finest.

Results Houston Classic Auction 2013

2013-05-15T22:28:00.001-05:00

Guys, everyone has been asking so here are the results for the Houston Classic Auction 2013. 90% sold for $7,220,810 in sales! Wow, I'm impressed.

Nash-Healey serial #1 sold for $500,000

1966 Cobra for a post-sale of $1,050,000.

Read below for all of the results.

I guess these guys have a reason to smile; Rod Egan and John Kruse of Worldwide Auctioneers

Concours d'Elegance of Texas-New Kids on the Block

2013-05-13T21:09:00.001-05:00

In addition to my trip to Keels & Wheels, during the same weekend I also attended the Concours d'Elegance of Texas which made for some interesting comparisons. Lets take a little tour, catch up with some old friends, and make a few new ones.

Today’s quote, “Competition is a sin.”—John D. Rockefeller

Here I am with Tony Gullo Concours d'Elegance Presenting Sponsor, and Magnolia hometown hero.

A few of the auction cars at the Friday afternoon media party.

Richard Rawlings, and Dennis Collins at the Friday media event. I understand the Fast 'N Loud is now the highest rated program on the Discovery Channel. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/fast-n-loud

I even conned Richard into taking a quick photo with me at the Auction preview. Does that make me an honorary Gas Monkey guy? I'm just older, shorter, and...ahem fatter. Ha, but Richard has more gray hair ;)

Richard filming a scene for an upcoming episode of Fast and Loud.

Here is the "totatled" Ferrari F-40 that Gas Monkey Garage restored. More on this toward the end of the post. http://www.gasmonkeygarage.com/

They also brought the Evil Knievel Messerschmidt...talk about two totally different vehicles.

Concour of Texas Board Chairman Mike Ames on the left and Rod Egan, principal of Worldwide Auctioneers on the right.

My bride and I with her favorite car a Chrysler Woody.

There was a good crowd for the Friday night auction preview party.

I really liked this Ferrari Mondial cabriolet.

Ah, a manual transmission, complete with gated shifter.

I would have taken this Diana home too.

A very nice selection of auction cars.

Any of these three would be welcome here at Garage HQ. I kind of have a thing for Ferrari 400i's.

An International Travelall ambulance at a catalog auction?? Maybe I better get Clifford painted and cash in too.

I saw a similar (but highly restored) Fiat Jolly sell at RM's Amelia sale for over $100K.

Ronnie's pick, with a few other auction cars in the background.

I love motorcoaches, but I'm thinking this Sprinter based motorhome is a tad more manageable than my old 40' Silver Eagle bus. Likely gets much better fuel mileage too.

Ronnie says she'll take this Phantom coupe, but still isn't interested in its Baby Sister the Ghost.

Onwards to the Show Field!

COT Chief Judge Roger C. Wilbanks with his gorgeous Delahaye.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Rolls Royce Phantom town car. I was so taken with the car that I failed to photograph the placard.

Now that's what I call a trunk!

Here is one for the multitude of Shelby enthusiasts in the audience.

Here is a brace of ultra-high performance Ford's.

Now here is an air-cooled delight!

If you had shown me a paint chip this color, I would never have chosen the color, but it looks just right on this 356 Cabriolet.

I would like right at home in this cockpit.

I wonder if I can make the air-cooled wonder in Cool Breeze look this sanitary?

Judges hard at work on a competition Porsche.

God, how I love those quirky Morgan's.

I've often wondered how they are to drive.

I also have a thing for ALL 1920's Cadillac's.

If owned this one, I would definitely need a Pin Stripe suit and a Tommy Gun.

Back in the day I was an Oldsmobile man.

I owned several Cutlass's, but none were quite like this. Looks right out of Stroker Ace...I kept expecting to Burt hop out.

By mid-day Sunday the crowd's were growing.

This Pierce was my favorite of the day.

Now doesn't this young gentleman look just right with this Buick? He could have stepped right out of Leave it to Beaver.

Uh, ain't this the Nash with the seats every 1950's Mom dreaded?

Concour of Texas Board Member Ron Stein, with the judges hard at work.

These guy's didn't miss anything.

This Jag was part of the Car Club corral. I love the color, and wire wheels with wide whites.

Mike Ames, Chairman of the Board Concours of Texas. I just found out he is also from my hometown deep in the Oil Patch.

This is a fantastic miniature MG.

John Kruse, Principal of Worldwide Auctioneers with a couple of Auburn's, very apropos.

A gaggle of great muscle cars. How many legit '69 Trans-Am convert's have you ever seen? This was my first.

Robert Houck and Matt Jones from Re-Originals

Here is a shot of the judges reviewing stand. Pretty classy stuff.

Here is a shot FROM the judges stand just before the presentation of awards.

Click anywhere on this splash display to see my entire gallery of COT photos...browse to you hearts content.

Onwards to the Gas Monkey F40.

Here is how the car looked after the accident. Apparently the mechanic was test driving it, when things went horribly wrong. This accident happened in Houston, but you can't blame this one on me!

Here is the story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mechanic-crashes-300000-ferrari-f40-185519

Image via http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article185518.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/ferrari-f40-crash-pic-swns-783489563.jpg

The Gas Monkey guys forwarded this photo of the car under restoration to me. I understand that the car was disassembled down to the last nut and bolt. Here is the car on the COT Show field, with Rawlings in the background, apparently making an international car deal.

It all looks pretty well put together. There is a pretty active thread on FerrariChat.com if your interesed in what the Ferrari guys have to say: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/288gto-f40-f50-enzo-laferrari/403113-f40-fast-loud.html I'll let the guys from Worldwide and Gas Monkey tell you the story in their own words.