Cool Cruisers - Cruise In - August 10, 2013

Lake Serene Grocery, my car club meets the second Saturday of every month except during the winter months (usually November to March).  Here's pics from the August 10 event.

Now this was interesting.  It's a 1980 TA, done as a Bandit but ...

She's got LS-X power.

One of my favorite cars in the club.

They just don't make interiors like this anymore ... back when cars really were works of art not cookie cutter modes of mediocre transportation.

She's not stock, either.

The line of cars stretches from one side of Lake Serene Grocery, across the entire front, and up the other side.  Get there early to get a parking spot on the front.

Only a handful of clean third gen Camaros and Firebirds left in this area.  This is a '90 RS, bone stock as far as I can tell and nice.  Hard to think that something like a RS Camaro could one day be considered "rare" or "collectible" but because so few good third gen F-bodies exist today this RS has become just that.  Plain Jane back then, knockout today.

Car Show - June 29, 2013

A coworker invited me to an annual car show that his church was putting on.  The last year was the first year for the car show and I missed that one because the TA was in the shop getting fixed or something.  I said I'd be at this show this year but as things turned out I was late getting there so I just showed the car with no expectation of being judged or winning any awards.  

Hopefully in 2014 they'll have the show again.

Driver Selfie - May 24, 2013

Friday, May 24, 2013.

On my way to work, it's "National Take Your Trans Am to Work Day".  

Aw, who am I kidding?  

Every day is "National Take Your Trans Am to Work Day".  

Tops off, windows down, cruise set at 70mph, 5.0 liter Tuned Port Injected V8 growling under the hood, Ipod cranking the tunes and a bit foggy on the 70 plus mile commute but the TA turns heads like whiplash and even gets two people in stop and go traffic to start up a conversation at the traffic light.

Yours truly.  Not bad for a 45 year old kid.

The '86 TA at work.  She's keeping some sketchy company ...  Hard to believe that if you added up the cubes, cylinders and injectors under the hood of the Ford Transit Connect and the Kia Soul you might get what's under the hood of my TA.  Might.

When people at stop lights in commuter econoboxes ask me what I have under the hood and I tell them "Oh, about twice as much as you do." it's really not far from the truth.

There will come a time when the V8 is as dead as the T-Rex ... but today is not that day.

A health and warning notice on a coworker's California sold car.  California is so stupid, it's state motto should be "Duh."

The TA at work later that night, private security detail.  Yeah, she's missing a center cap on the front right wheel.  It's in the center console.  It fits for shows but would fall off if I drove very far with it on.  I was lucky to get to a show and find it about to fall off, the retaining ring had partially melted.  

I found three on Ebay and bought them for a song.  Now I have spares.

Car Cruise - R&K Pitstop - May 17, 2013

Just a fun get together at the R&K Pitstop, not a car show, just a "cruise-in, park and enjoy" kind of event where you could show off your car, get some good food and listen to a live band.

The '86 TA made it out to the cruise-in. 

There were about three rows of vehicles, front to back, one more row on the side over to the left (where the semis are parked) and a few stragglers out in front.  Late comers and what-not.

Could it be?  A real Six Pack MOPAR?

Nope.  Fool's gold.  Four barrel.

I was surprised that something like this existed.  Even more surprised what it cost.

It's been a while since I saw a C3 Corvette with a factory stick in it.  Nice.  I'd own it though the imitation wood grain would be the first thing to go.

Not a fan of the new Challenger.  Loved the old Challenger.  Comparing the old one to the new one is like comparing Kirstie Alley from "Star Trek II" to Kirstie Alley all ballooned up.  Yeah, it's got power but the lines are wrong and it's way too chubby.  The original was a lot tougher, muscular looking.

I've always wanted a hot rod station wagon but mine would be a total sleeper.

Yes, it's a Rolls Royce.

It was a car and bike show which meant that plenty of Harleys were going to show up.  In fact, it was all Harleys which meant that it really wasn't a bike show, at least not a "real" bike show.  It was a show for pretend bikes and the pretend riders who ride those pretend bikes.