Hi. Remember me? Things are good on the home front, just super busy. I have not posted in a while. These are the cool cars I saw last weekend.
1. Lotus Evora GT.
C bought a Lotus! I got to drive it slowly around some residential streets. Better yet, I got to catch up with C. The last time I saw him was in April 2020, when I met him at a donut shop to buy him some toilet paper.
2. Chevy Volt rebadged (and re-skinned) as a Vauxhall Ampera. I spotted this at the local playground. Look what this mad man did to make a LHD Volt look like its British brother!
The local car show is a favorite because it's so close to home (Bay Area traffic, even on weekends, is getting ridiculous) and because there is always a diverse mix of cars. It's not just ultra-expensive supercars or 1960s hot rods.
This Isuzu-Lotus-Kia Elan belonged to a spectator. I also saw a Cayman GT4 with the vanity plate APX NOOB.
This E12 528i is beautiful and very rare. Here is an intro produced by Driving While Awesome.
Next to the BMW in the glare is a Panoz Esperante! I really appreciate these Georgia-built cars. The owner was very patient when explaining the car to passersby. Is it Italian? Is it American? Is it a Ford kit car? He was very patient. He bought it new in 2001 and told me that he saw another Esperante at the show and it's the more aggressive version.
I took a few photos of this Audi 4000S and was ready to walk away when I saw the functioning QUATTRO pattern on the rear defroster. What a neat idea!
I had no idea that there was such a thing as a Vanden Plas Supercharged. Apparently, it's sort of a stretched XJR with a more supple ride.
The unappreciated 968 in a sea of 911s.
Has anyone here owned or driven a 968 before?
Here is a 1979 Ranchero with lights from a Thunderbird(?).
And here is the souped up Esperante. It's apparently a JRD. It came with an enlarged Ford engine and a supercharger and cost over $150,000 new. I had never heard of it before.
That I have only purchased three Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars in the last three months is either evidence that I have great self-control or evidence that the available inventory is crap. I considered buying this Evora the other day, but just couldn't accept the matte black paint job.
The first annual Radwood car show was a success. It was a low key gathering of Gen Xers and allies. After a late start, I took my neighbor's 1988 Legend to the car wash. For a car with 188,000 miles, the car felt very solid. Everything worked!
There were dozens of cars. I'm posting those that really stood out, like this Prelude.
And this Back to the Future Toyota truck.
Six-cylinder Jag.
And just look at that Legend. One passerby described it as "epically clean".
This 1991 Camaro was my favorite. It has the police package and just 28,000 miles. Spectacular.
This ratty wheel and tire belonged to the show winner, an old Viper brought by Kevin McCauley.
I saw this LaForza ad and wondered if that blue car in the background was a Lotus Eclat. I see them parked in the wild once in a while. None of them have moved in the last decade and they all have moss growing on them.
Had another great New Year's morning. The usual Sausalito meeting place was getting too crowded so this year's starting point was in Corte Madera, a few miles north.
Because the Run started a bit later this year, restaurants along the way were open. So we stopped for oysters, chowder, and brews in Marshall. We faced the road rather than the gorgeous bay as we ate so we could watch the cars zoom by.
I rode with Rich in his fantastic 1988 Porsche 911.
Everyone stopped at the Petaluma Creamery. We followed that 380SL for much of the Run.
A replica Lancia Stratos next to a bona fide Lotus Europa.
I'm debating whether to write up more here or on Hooniverse. I've got a bunch more photos.
