Going Forward Into The Past

I find the title of this weeks blog kind of ironic as this post sort of marks the end of an era. This particular entry will mark the last blog with the title Maximum Power. Starting in January 2016, the name will have changed to Full Throttle. The format, contents, and mission of the blog will not change - only the title will. I'm changing it because I feel it's time for that change. There's no legal, moral, or copyright formalities to deal with. The blog will still be published every weekend, save for certain dates during the year. For example, the blog will not be published next weekend due to the Christmas holiday. We're still here - keep comin' back!

A boatload of cool vintage stuff came across the radar this week starting with this off-the-hook 1965 Corvette Sting Ray. Listed on eBay as a barn find as well as true survivor, the buying public and jury seem to split on those accounts. A survivor is generally considered original. This Vette is far from that - everything from the psychedelic, love it or hate it paint scheme to the circa 70's drag stance. In this case however, many original cues and options on the car are still

present; from the polished stainless steel ignition shield over the distributor, to the Protect-O-Plate that is still in the back of the original owners manual. Another big question about the vehicle is just who did the paint job? Does the vintage custom paint on this ’65 Corvette make it worth more or less than one that's been restored? If one recalls the recent auction of Janis Joplin’s 356 Porsche with a recreation of the psychedelic mural Dave Roberts once painted for Janis, selling for $1.7 million, a person could get pretty pumped. But most collectors feel that unless the paint and acetylene smoke graphics were laid down by a famous west coast cat like Von Dutch, the best thing for the next owner of this Vette to do is restore the car back to stock. This particular specimen has some fairly rare original options that the car came with when ordered new; like the N36 telescopic steering wheel, A31 power windows, and it's number-matching 365hp 327 engine.

This past week, December 17th to be exact, we celebrated the birthday of famed drag racing driver Ronnie Sox. For over 40 years, his list of accomplishments are staggering. Sox took home five NHRA championships, won more than 50 events in Pro Stock and Super Stock, and was absolutely dominant during Pro Stock’s "four-speed era". Starting at a young age in the 1950's where he began racing at a local airport in Burlington NC, he gained notoriety when he teamed up with Buddy Martin and joined with Chrysler in the 1960s. That would began the tour de force that would take Sox into the 1990s as a driver. Many fans remember him the the teams infamous red, white, and blue color-scheme machines, starting with the 1965 altered-wheelbase

Plymouth Belvedere, which was banned from NHRA competition. This didn’t hurt Sox & Martin, who pounded through AHRA match races in their “funny-looking car” and eventually secured the first 9-second pass in an all-motor door-slammer. Between the heavy factory support and Sox’s incredible consistency and speed on a four-speed manual, the Sox & Martin team saw a mass of success in the late-1960s. Along with “Dyno Don” Nicholson in his Ford, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins in his Chevrolet, Ronnie Sox was one of the driving forces behind the creation of Pro Stock in 1970. Sox & Martin and their Mopars found a wealth of success again in the new heads-up format; short of losing to Grumpy at the 1970 Winternationals, Sox went undefeated in that first year. After another dominating year in 1971, the NHRA began to tweak the minimum weight requirements for the different models, so the Fords and Chevrolets were given a massive weight advantage over the Mopars, (upwards of 600-700 pounds) effectively barring Sox & Martin’s Mopars from the winner’s circle. Eventually, Chrysler had enough with the show and pulled the plug on the factory-backed drag-racing program.

This week, NASCAR also paid some special tribute to three of the pioneering women drivers of the sport. Step inside the Maximum Power time machine and we'll go way back to the late 40's. Sara Christian was the first female NASCAR driver in history. She was married to driver Frank Christian, and together they had two children. Christian’s car was named 711, after the ages of her two children at the time. Her first race took place on June 19, 1949 at Charlotte Speedway. She drove her husband’s car and came in 13th place out of 33. They were also the first married couple team to compete against each other. Christian also competed in the second Daytona Beach race on July 10, 1949 along with two other women, Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith. This marked the first race in NASCAR history having three women competing at the same time. Christian was named United States Driver Association Woman of the Year in 1949.

Ethel Mobley’s blood was practically infused with the racing gene, and it’s even been said that her father named her after the gasoline he put in his taxi. Mobley’s love for racing was born after attending many a moonshine races with her family on Sunday afternoons. When she did dive into the driving world, Mobley was tied with Louise Smith as the second female NASCAR driver. Mobley was part of the “Flying Flocks” - a name bestowed upon Ethel and her three siblings, Tim, Fonty and Bob. They were the first family of drivers in NASCAR history to have four siblings compete in the same race, the Daytona Beach Course on July 10, 1949. This race also marked the first time for a brother and sister combo to compete against one another.Tim finished second, while Ethel finished 11^th — beating both Fonty and Bob in her Cadillac. Ethel competed in over 100 races over the duration of her career, the most notable being a Florida race in which she competed against 57 men and finished in an admirable eighth place.

Tied with Ethel Mobley as the second female racer in NASCAR history, Georgia-born Louise Smith was fondly known as the “First Lady of Racing.” Smith’s racing career was initiated when she visited the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949, simply to watch the race. Once there, she didn’t have it in her to remain a spectator. She entered the race using her family’s new Ford Coupe. Issued unlucky number 13, she unsuccessfully pleaded with every single race car driver to switch numbers with her. She tried to shake her superstitions, but later suffered the misfortune of crashing into a seven car pile-up during the race, thereby perpetuating the unlucky myth behind the number 13. Ironically she finished the race in 13th place. Smith’s career spanned from 1949 to 1956, where she brought home an impressive 38 wins. In 1999, she again made her mark on NASCAR history as the first woman to be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

In spite of all this deja-vu that I checked out this week, I came across another throwback piece from my local library - a book called "The All-American Hot Rod". If you're looking for that last minute Christmas gift for the hot-rodder in your life that seems to have everything, you may want to consider this hard-cover book. It is a time trip with tons of vintage photos, (as well as modern full color photos), advertisements, pulp-fiction, and who knows how much vintage hilarity (that wasn't so 50-60 years ago in our anti-hot rod society) - never mind the fact it's a great read. If you have a chance, check it out. It's worth your time.


I wish all of you the happiest of holidays and a prosperous new year. See you in 2016!
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

You Can't Fix Stupid

In this day in age, I'll probably offend someone, somewhere with the title of this weeks blog. But an article came across my radar on Thursday - the autonomous vehicle and the exploding financial markets they are creating. Like it or not people, I believe these vehicles will be a reality. There's already regulations & legislation being written for them out in California. Autonomous vehicles are nothing new - GM has been experimenting with the idea since the mid-50's, but could never make it work. I don't care how many employees at Google (or any other manufacturer) work on this type of death trap, they will never be able to program this rig for every possible scenario it will face. First off - I would not want to get into even a mild fender-bender with the bubble made by Google. The windshield is made of flexible plastic that bends to the touch. The hood and bumper are made of soft foam. A 10 mph hit will total this vehicle.

Now picture getting rear ended at say 40mph - you'll be automated all over the freeway. But the big hurdle companies are running into (no pun intended) is what happens in a scenario where there's a "no-win situation". For example, a dog suddenly runs out into the street in front of the vehicle. Since you are not driving, the vehicle has to think for itself. It will stop (or slow down) so it won't hit the dog. But in doing so, what if there's a 10-wheel truck behind you that hasn't seen the dog and has no clue your autonomous self is stopping suddenly? If your vehicle slows or stops for the dog, you'll get rear ended and without a doubt be killed. Taking it a step further, what if the car could be programmed in this case to swerve either to the left or the right? Well, to the left is oncoming traffic and to the right is a sidewalk with pedestrians on it. What does the car do? Are you the one who gets ultimately sacrificed because you were so hell-bent on buying one of these smart cars of the future? Google and other manufacturers have yet to even come close to some hard-core answers for situations like this. But the government is giving these cars the go-ahead anyways. Why? There is a multi-billion dollar untapped market with these types of vehicles, and many of the electronics corporations who are getting into bed with Google have field offices located in California.Apparently in the golden state, money buys everything...

On a more positive front, I read another article where there was a little-noticed provision in a new federal highway bill. The provision will allow low-volume aftermarket car-builders to offer complete cars for the first time. What companies like Factory 5 and Super Performance are faced with currently is that while they are licensed to sell the rolling chassis and bodies of Cobras, 33 Fords, 57 Chevy's, or what-have-you, they can't sell them with engines and/or the drivetrain. If they sold them complete, ready to run, they would have to meet the same crash test ratings and emission standards of today's vehicles. That will all change under this provision. Low volume car builders can make up to 5,000 copies per year, but replica vehicles will not have to meet modern crash-test safety standards (and will eliminate such things as mandatory traction control, passenger sensing air bags, and numerous other items) that would cost tens of millions of dollars in engineering expense. The age of the bodies being manufactured was also lessened - anything 25 years or older.

Taking a squint (and pokes) at more government legislation, we'll finish this topic with two laws that are still technically on the books, but I hope are never enforced: In Waynesboro Virginia, it is illegal for a woman to drive a car up Main Street unless her husband is walking in front of her waving a red flag. The 2nd piece of insanity is in Pennsylvania; If any motorist driving along a country road at night comes across farming livestock (like horses and cows) that are on the road, they must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and then continue. In addition, any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass.In the event that a horse refuses to pass a car on the road, the owner must take his car apart and conceal the parts in the bushes.

Enough of government legislation - moving forward... or in this case backwards... or maybe we'll just leave it in the stupid gear. NASCAR has had plenty of stupid moments throughout its lifespan, but one of the worst "...can't fix that with a roll duct tape" moments came at Winston - Charlotte in 1989. That was the race where Darrell Waltrip had dominated the entire event. But just before the last lap white flag, coming out of turn four, Rusty Wallace literally crawled up Waltrip's bumper. In a move that today Wallace said was incredibly stupid, he blatantly ran into Waltrip hard enough to spin him out. The caution flag came out before either Waltrip or Wallace made it to the line to signal the start of the final lap, so NASCAR officials restarted the race with one lap to go. For some oddball reason, Wallace started up front, and Waltrip started in last place. As expected, Wallace won the race - but as he drove to victory lane, he was barraged with beer cans, boos, middle fingers and who knows what else. After Waltrip finished the race and interviewers shoved microphones in his face, he shared his infamous statement; "I hope Wallace chokes on that 200 grand."

On that note, we'll quit while we're behind...
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Convential Thinking - And Making It Work For The Unconventional

At almost 80 years old, my Dad is still one of the most conventional people I know. And although this can be a double-edge sword, it can be a cool thing at the right time. Being the type of guy that my Dad is, his mindset sometimes took odd turns. Especially when it came to cars. Friends and relatives compare the two of us on occasion, and they have no idea how we can be of the same blood. We're total opposites. On the right is a digital copy of one of the 1st pictures he took of me in a car back in late 1963. I was sitting on my Mom's lap in a... way for it... a late 50's Willy's sliding door postal-carrier type Jeep. Some of the vehicles that followed were two VW's, and a Saab that was one of the ugliest vehicles on the planet. For comparison purposes, one of my first vehicles was a late 60's Mustang with a modified 302 V-8. The first picture my wife took of my first daughter and I with a car was back in the fall of 1986 with our green 1971 Charger R/T. See what I mean?

Where does the cool part of all this come in? I can remember when the first Volkswagen (a sea foam green Beetle) we had got into a minor front end accident (everyone was okay) and totaled the car. The late 60's was still a time where one car per household was more than enough, but now we needed a vehicle to buzz around in until the insurance claim was settled and my parents could purchase their next vehicle (it took a long then like it does now). My grandmother on my Dad's side came to the rescue. She owned two cars (which confused my Dad's conventional thinking); she drove her 1962 Pontiac Tempest with it's economical 4-banger and lent my Dad the beautiful 1961 Chevy Impala that her late husband purchased. She hung onto the car as something to remember him by. While we only drove it for a few weeks, and my Dad really didn't like the car - but I loved it. He didn't like the fact it was so big, that it was an automatic, and had a gas-guzzling V-8. Me, on the other hand, if I had been about 10 years older at the time, I would've begged my grandmother to let me buy the car. It was so cool looking, never mind it had the 348 cubic inch W-motor between its fenders. It was probably a good thing I never had the chance to own it as a late-teenager. I probably would've killed myself driving it...

Another cool example was back in 1968 when Mattel first released their original 16 car line-up. My parents knew by the time I was five that I was into hot rods & muscle cars. I already had lots of Matchbox cars, but they never really rolled that far or that fast. I guess my parents saw ads for these better, faster toy cars on TV. For Christmas 1968, they gave about six out of the original sixteen Hot Wheels. One of the gift-wrapped goodies was the Custom VW Bug. Of course, my Dad wanted to find one that closely resembled the color of the one we owned. The closest one turned out to be anti-freeze in color, one of the rarer colors I would find out years later. That theme carried over to Christmas 1969 when they gave the Classic '31 Ford Woody model. My Dad being conventional sought out the Woody model in brown. I mean, after all, wood is supposed to be brown - not red or blue or purple. The brown '31 Woody turned out to be the rarest of color variations. Go figure...

My Dad's conventional mind-set carried to numerous other aspects of his life. It was almost like trying to follow a flow chart. For example, he almost always took back roads instead of the more crowded supposedly faster main routes. His theory was he could get to where he was going using side streets and back roads faster because they were a lot less crowded. I never found out if that particular hypothesis was true, but I did get to see way more cool cars - ranging from being parked in people's driveways to ones rotting in fields - than I ever would along a busy highway. It also gave me a much better chance to pose the question of, "Can we stop and take a look at that car?" I can say about 40% of the time it worked. 

Looking back, I wished my Dad took me to car shows or the drag strip, but at least I had a cool aunt & uncle who did. We lived fairly close to Englishtown Raceway in New Jersey when I was growing up, and my aunt and uncle never had any children, so I fit the bill of surrogate gear-head child. Car shows were nowhere near as numerous, popular, or well-attended like they are today. The best someone could hope for was a cruise-in at a popular burger joint on a Friday or Saturday night. But drag racing (or NASCAR style racing) was a different kettle of fish. Drag racing was at it's zenith in the 60's and NASCAR was really starting to gain popularity (thanks mostly to television) by the 70's. Back then, spectators could wander around the pits and actually watch top drivers work on their vehicles. It was like everyone had a back-stage pass. What really made things cool, was that the drivers and mechanics seemed to have a soft spot for a young kid who was into hot rods, muscle cars as well as the sport of racing. While other kids traded baseball cards or were into football, I followed the likes of Sox & Martin, Dick Landy, Bill Jenkins, Bill Maverick, Don Nicholson, and more. But, conventional wisdom (and safety) took over & those days are long gone.

A final, unrelated note, just wanted to give readers a heads up that the blog will not be published the week of December 26th. We'll be taking a break for the holidays and preparing for the changes that will be taking place by January 1st.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Thoughts On Being Last and Ghosts From The Past

For the first time in a while, I had trouble coming up with a title for this weeks blog. So many events have been happening over the past few weeks, I almost didn't know where to start. I figured here at the home of Maximum Power is as good a place as any - we'll be doing some slight changes over the next few weeks. The format will stay the same, but we'll be modifying some other aspects starting January 1st 2016. We're kinda pumped about it, we hope you will like what you see as well.

I actually ventured out into some stores yesterday, which is rare for me seeing it was black Friday. For the most part, the stores were nowhere near as packed as I thought they would be - which gave me a chance to grab a better look at what might be available this holiday season classic car wise. Some of the cool things I came across, in store as well as on-line, was this classic Chevy 750 piece puzzle. If they had more stuff like this when I was a kid, I might've done more of them. This will be a great project on those days when it's snowing like we're living in

Buffalo or when the Siberian Express is blowing up our address - which happens occasionally here on the coast of Maine. The other cool items I found  - and you have to have a sense of nostalgia as well as it being semi-twisted in nature with the 1st one, is the Dirty Mary & Crazy Larry Car vs Train Set. That's right - slot car fun combined with model railroading and Russian roulette! Typically a set includes a train set with an electric-motor-powered diesel locomotive, two or three freight cars, matching caboose, two slot cars, two speed controllers, and a UL-listed transformer to power it. Unlike the movie, you actually have options - you can race around and set up a perfectly timed crash just like at the end of the movie, or decelerate and avoid the train. You can also replay these scenarios over and over. The only bummer is that the slot cars look nothing like the Dodge Charger that was driven in the movie. The other cool slot car set I found was the American Highway race set featuring a modern Camaro SS and a Mustang GT.

While the Dirty Mary & Crazy Larry thing kinda got me on the ghosts of the past theme, it also carried over to NASCAR - and led to the 2nd part of the title for this weeks blog. I read of the passing of famed sports car racer Dick Guldstrand. While he was best known for racing Corvettes back in the 60's, he also dabbled in racing a 1967 427-powered Dana Chevrolet sponsored Camaro. He is also credited with giving Chevrolet its first Trans-Am victory at St. Jovite, Canada in May 1967.
Also as many of you know by now, Jeff Gordon drove his last NASCAR race about a week ago at Homestead-Miami for the Sprint Cup season-ending EcoBoost 400. While this blog focuses primarily on pre-1975 NASCAR, and love him or hate him, you have to admit that Gordon has contributed immensely to the sport over the past 23 years.

Vintage V8 Photography, which this blog is associated with, will be adding yet another car show to its "must attend" list for 2016. A friend of mine shared some pictures and details with me about this unique get-together - the Muscle Car Classic out in Inver Grove Heights in Minnesota. First off, it's hosted by a local GTO club, but it welcomes any and all muscle cars from the 60's and 70's. What makes this gig more interesting are the Street Muscle as well as the Rat Muscle categories. Rat Muscle is where all the barn finds, rust buckets, and anything else that looks downright pitiful gather for their moment in the sun. Oddly, it one of the more popular categories!

I also read this week about Shawn Bowen and his new "Violator" 1970 Dodge Challenger nostalgia nitro funny car. (Photo right courtesy of Dragzine.com). Bowen is no stranger to funny cars, but he's the latest driver to move to this increasingly popular class. That news got me to thinking - I can remember another driver who got her start in the 60's, but made her mark in a

1970 Dodge Challenger funny car. Della Woods is one of the few drivers, male or female, to drive funny cars for over 40 years. One of her most popular cars was her "Funny Honey" Challenger. As I compare the two pictures, I still can't help but have a soft spot for the old style funny cars, especially how they look, despite the all the safety improvements that have come about. There's just something about that old-school rake. Maybe I'm just gettin' old...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Giving Thanks

Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is right around the corner, I've been hearing the term "Give Thanks" quite a bit lately. And even though it may be getting to overkill levels, I'd still rather hear that than Christmas commercials - which I'll be totally sick of by November 30th. As humans though, when we get sick of hearing something, even if it's positive, we tend to tune it out and ignore it. I think it runs along the same lines as being told what to do - we just don't like it. As I was coming home from the garage last night, this concept kind of hit me. How many times have I been thankful when it comes to hot rods, muscle cars, and vintage American automobile memorabilia? Now before you go off the handle and mention, "...how can you be thankful for a material object that you purchased with money?" Simple - it's not just the object, but the entire realm that hot rodding encompasses.

Getting back once more to that moment when I was driving home from the shop on Friday, I was thinking about this weeks blog and the fact I had read the news that legendary automotive artist Art Fitzpatrick had passed away this week at the age of 96. If you don't know who he was, and call yourself a GM fanatic of classic cars from the 50's and 60's - shame on you. He was half the artistic team of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman who drew some of the most eye-catching advertising for GM from 1959 to 1971. Everything from Cadillac's to GTO's - Fitzpatrick drew the cars, while Kaufman drew the people and scenery. Their work was so impressive, that for a period from 1967 through 1971, Pontiac head John DeLorean banned the use of photographs in all sales literature (except magazine ads) and solely used their art work. Fitzpatrick also created two series of postage stamps from 2005 to 2008 called "On the Move" and "Tailfins and Chrome" which featured vintage Corvette's, Thunderbirds, Chrysler 300's and more. Godspeed Art Fitzpatrick.

One of the reasons Fitzpatrick gave as to why he was still kickin' in his mid-90's during an interview last summer was the fact that he was still involved in some way with automobiles - or his passion. It wasn't the money, or living in California, or women (although he said they helped). He said he was grateful he could be part of that era of beautiful cars. Looking back on my 50+ year lifespan, I could literally write a multi-page thankful / gratitude list of the people, places and things I've been able to share and engage with in regards to high performance automotive in general. Whether it be with old (and new) friends and neighbors who share a common bond with hot rods, or the massive amounts of car shows I've attended, or riding shotgun in rat rods or drag cars, or the over two dozen classic vehicles I've owned - some restored... some not - to having the chance to participate with local organizations ranging from the local tech school to a state prison.

That last item on the list - the state prison - was probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. At this facility about 12 miles from where I live, there used to be a program (used to - thanks to budget cuts) where inmates who were due to be released within the next 18 months and those who had a good record while in prison, could participate in an auto body program the prison offered called "Cars Not Bars". It gave inmates a chance to learn or better a skill while working on some cool vehicles. It was the hope that once these inmates were released, they could capitalize on these skills and obtain meaningful employment. I had a 1979 Chevy C-10 pickup at the time that we did all the body work to - inside and out. My truck was the last vehicle they accepted into this program. When the truck was done - so was the program. It took us nine months to complete the work. It literally brought the term, "...sand until you bleed" to a reality. Because there was so much metal on this truck, I vowed to make this project the last one I'd ever do this extent of body work & paint on - four years later, I'm still keeping that vow. The inmates and staff I worked with were incredible. These inmates admitted and accepted that they fucked up, were serving their time, and couldn't wait to get out - and never return to prison. To my knowledge all the inmates I worked with kept that "never to return" vow alive and four of them are working in local body shops.

You may or may not be feasting on turkey and all the fixings this coming Thursday. But instead of passing out in the recliner or watching football, why don't you make a list of things to do next year in regards to hot rodding;
 - Take your child(ren) to a car show.
 - Sit your kid(s) on your lap and have them "steer" the car through your neighborhood.
 - Volunteer your time (if you can) with either a high school student or a non-profit organization that promotes automotive. Even if it's only one hour a week.
 - Drive the hot rod, muscle car or street rod more often. Weather be damned.
 - Establish a cruise-in at a cool restaurant in your town.
 - Attend a racing event; be it NASCAR style or drag racing. Even if it's way local and amateur.

The list can be endless. You can take it from here. And be thankful...
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Keeping History Alive

Every once in a while, we have a really cool car come into the shop where I work. It's not often we get to work on such classic machinery, like this 1956 Chevy Bel Air (even if it's modified), especially when its factored into the sea of Subaru's, pick-up trucks, Prius's, and 4-door sedans that almost start to look alike after a while. Two trains of thought came about from that 8am appointment a few days back:
 - The shop's service manager who just happened to be at 9am that day (and the Chevy was fixed and gone) was, "Man... I missed the really good stuff again!" 
 - The 2nd comment was from another customer, also with an 8am appointment, waiting for her car to be finished who said, "Why would someone spend so much time & money on an old car? It's a dinosaur."

I've heard the second comment so many times over my life, I can't even begin to count. I realized long ago that if someone asked that of me, they will never understand - no matter how I try to explain myself. To me, fixing up an old car is not some statement of a mid-life crises (I'll be 53 next summer). I've been fixing, modifying, restoring, and basically having a blast with "old" cars for over 30 years. Sometimes I really get hit hard with that question, because not only do I work on old cars, but I write about and photograph hot rods from the 20's through the mid-70's, groove on nostalgic drag racing, NASCAR, as well as automotive Americana. I swear some people think I'm stuck in that era from my childhood. To me it's living and engaging in a sense of history. The same thing could be said of someone who is a Civil War buff, or a carpenter who loves fixing up late 1800's Victorian houses, or even the volunteer at your local historical society. I feel we all have some sense of history about something and the drive to preserve it in some way. If you happened to stumble across this blog by pure accident and are still reading at this point, but don't have any sense of any history at all - you need to get one.

As we move forward in our journey together on this Earth, we have to be careful not to loose that sense even when we think we're "making progress" or "improving the breed". The NHRA as well as NASCAR are walking this tightrope. In my humble opinion for what it's worth, I feel that the NHRA may very well implode and kill itself off. Between inner organizational politics, pissed off drivers, lack of manufacturers support, and decreasing attendance at events, the NHRA has been losing money since 2008. What a lot of people, even

fans of the sport, don't realize is that sponsorship money only goes so far - many of the drivers, be it pro-stock or funny car, invest a great deal themselves. It's not uncommon that a yearly budget to campaign a very competitive pro-stock car (that involves at least one back-up car), is around the 2 million dollar mark. Yeah - two million! And NASCAR isn't much better. Many drivers are fed up with the ever-escalating costs of racing. Many feel it's out of control. Ironically, what many fans and drivers feel is missing from these programs is the sense of history - or the way it used to be; when there were rivalries. Competition improves the breed, not having a 300 page laundry list of rules and regulations to follow so everyone is equal to the nth degree. Where's the creativity? Where's the spark of imagination? Where's the drive to be different?

I'm starting to see this "keep it simple - like it used to be" movement hit more and more car shows; even ones of national significance. Whether it's a small local get-together, or a large event that also involves bracket racing, auto-cross, or nostalgia oval racing, organizers of such events are reconnecting with the past and its deep history. I've been to some major shows across the eastern United States where full-on racing has the simple mantra of "Keep it safe - Keep it fun." And participants are adhering to it - most likely because no one wants to see these cool times go by the wayside. With events like these, big or small, we've got the pot of gold in the palms of our hands. Let's not get stupid and piss it all away.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Free Cars, Playboy Bunnies & Ticklers - What Will They Think Of Next?

Over the past two weeks I have been reviewing some articles from the 2015 Tokyo Auto Show that was held last month. Oddly, but maybe in hindsight not so much, most of the articles focused on the funky, goofy, and totally weird automobiles that were in attendance at that show. Most of us realize that 95% of these models and prototypes will never see the open market, let alone US shores. I can see some of these concepts being popular in Japan just because - if you think it's weird in our neck of the woods, pay a visit to the land of the rising sun. Some of their culture is just... way out there.

But it got me to thinking - I've been to numerous new auto shows throughout the country over the span of 40+ years where manufacturers try to pull out all the stops to get the consumers attention. Some are cool ideas, some are just pure gimmicks. Some make us laugh; others just leave us shaking our heads. As goofy as the picture above right looks, it is basically a mini-van made by Toyota. While it may seem a little over the top, manufacturers as well as other organizations have been doing the same thing for decades. And if you think some of the gimmicks of yesteryear were sedate because it was easier and more laid back times, guess again.

First up, the always struggling AMC. Throughout the 50's and 60's, American Motors had the definitive "Mom and Pop" image. By the late 60's however, the Kenosha Wisconsin manufacturer tried everything to ditch this image. For 1968 as well as in 1969, one "sales" tactic (they called it a promotion) was the use of Playboy Bunnies. In one promotion, a special-order pink AMX was given to the Playmate of the Year. Victoria Vetri, (above left), better known as Angela Dorian, was awarded this special vehicle (which is now owned by Jay Leno). AMC also used various Playmates in special advertising supplements that were mailed to members of the AMC Performance Club. Sexist? Absolutely blatantly so. You also have to remember the car buying demographics back then. Over 88% of automobile customers were men. However, try explaining the flyer you received in the mail (right) to your wife...

One of the first questions you may ask, is "I've never seen GM do anything like this!" And you'd be correct. They really didn't have to. Face it - they were multiple manufacturers (including Chevrolet, who was the #1 selling automobile back then) under one roof. However, when your company is farther down the scale, sales wise, the gimmicks tend to get a bit more crazy.

Chrysler was never exempt from this. Even though at one point, Dodge & Plymouth accounted for more muscle cars on the streets than any other marquee, the organization as a whole was still at number three (or less) in total sales. One of the most notable promotions, actually took place back in the mid-50's. Dodge had a contest where a lucky contest winner took delivery of a new Dodge every year, for life. Yeah - every year... for life! Plus, if the winner was already the owner of a Dodge vehicle when they won the contest, they received a $5,000 bonus. That was a cake-load of money back then. Can you imagine any manufacturer doing that today?



Crazy ideas and sales gimmicks were not limited to just dealerships or special events. For 1970 as well as 1971, Plymouth released a plethora of wild colors for their performance models, including the completely redesigned Barracuda. The pendulum swing of societal values was reaching its zenith going from the uber-conservative 50's to the anything goes late 60's. The American public, for the first time. saw such eyeball frying paint hues like Panther Pink, Plum Crazy Purple, and Sassy Grass Green. But none of these names compared to one that Plymouth offered. It was a bizarre shade of yellow mixed with a hint of green. It changed color tone slightly depending on how the light hit it or what angle you looked at. The name - Curious Yellow. The only factory paint color named after a European porno movie. The country of Sweden used color codes in the late 60's to classify whether an adult film was either soft or hard core. The film, "I Am Curious" was a popular underground film back in 1967 with "yellow" being used for the hard core version. Supposedly, some small cities tried banning the sale of such vehicles that were painted in this shade.

Carroll Shelby had one of the greatest sales techniques of all time - I call it a technique and not really a gimmick because the tactic he used to sell his Cobra sports cars truly highlighted the sheer performance of the vehicle. Rumor had it, that he would place a $100 dollar bill on the dash of one of his 427 powered Cobras before a test drive. The passenger in the other seat was promised if they could grab the bill while the vehicle was accelerating, Shelby would give them the car and the $100. The story goes, he never lost that bet. 

I'll leave you with one more. In 1970, Dodge had a marketing campaign for their muscle car offerings called The Scat Pack. Members who signed up received a newsletter, decals, patches, engine tuning tips, and more. They also had opportunities to purchase special merchandise not offered elsewhere. For 1970 (the item has also been re-released recently) Dodge offered a special piece of jewelry to "...Scat Kittens who swing with the Scat Packers." It was a pin, usually worn at the bottom of a skirt. It was called The Scat Pack Mini Tickler. The advertisement alone is worth more than 1000 words. If you look close enough, you can see one of the real pins on the model. The little bead on the end, if worn correctly, would "tickle" the leg of the wearer while they walked. If they sat down, guess where the bead went...

Until next time, keep it cool.
Dave

Odds and Ends

A very good friend of mine in the automotive journalism field once told me, "it's good for the soul to take a detour once in a while." Well, Maximum Power is taking a little detour this week. Now that it's officially November and daylight savings time has either begun or ended, (I can never keep track of which is when - all I know is the days seem damn short), I've decided to post a few odds and ends, picture wise, for this weeks blog. These are pictures that were taken, but never used in a blog, or posted on Facebook, or put up on the website for different reasons. Some just didn't turn out the way they were envisioned; the colors were off, the composition was out of balance, or in some cases, people just had to make it a photo-bomb. Naturally, there are stories that go along with these as well. In the end, it still makes for a good chuckle.

Remember last week I wrote about how old junk or other non-automotive oddities are substituting for car parts on rat rods? This week we have more evidence of that micro-movement. While this particular ride is not finished yet, I'm digging some of the features. I love the patina and the stance of this rod. For some reason, I am grooving the fuel pump set up. I have yet to pinpoint why. The buffet of horns on top of the motor are interesting and I'm unsure if they serve an additional purpose of just helping to channel air. The wiring is still a little sketchy in some places, but that will get sorted out.

Speaking of components in odd places, check out the brake master cylinder location on this beauty. I have to admit, I like this, as awkward of a place that it is. Granted, I would be nervous about getting any brake fluid on that mile deep green paint! I know it's personal preference, but I've never really liked how numerous street rods have the master cylinder relocated and placed along the frame. One aspect that drew me to this particular rod, was its mix of old and new. This shot also demonstrates my absolute HATE for overhead fluorescent lighting inside large buildings when it comes to photographing vehicles. It screws with colors and is a bitch to fix.

One thing I've learned over the years is that photographing vehicles at a car show is tougher than it looks. One thing that clouds the issue is all the other people in attendance and their perspective - in other words, why are they there? Just about everyone likes looking at the cool vehicles and will snap a few pics with their cell phone. They could care less if other people are in the picture or what the surroundings look like. As long as they get somewhat of a decent shot of the car - they're good. For someone who is more than a hobbyist and attempting to make a living at it; be it at a magazine, newspaper, or through their own work, "getting that quality shot" takes a lot more time and effort. And face it, not every car owner is going to meet you at a later time in a better location just so you can photograph their ride.

Sometimes it's people (or their shadows) that get in the way (above right). Is it me or is their some gravitational force that pulls spectators toward the hot rod you're photographing up close and you're not using an ordinary cell phone? A former car dealership manager I used to work for told me time and again; "Activity breeds activity." One minute there's zero people around a hot rod I want to photograph. The next minute, everyone wants to get in on the action...
Other times it's not people - it other vehicles. How the vehicles are parked; that's just the luck of the draw. Sometimes you win, other times, no matter what angle you're at, it just doesn't work like with the '64 Bel Air (above left).

In other situations, it's me. Even with a picture numerous people dig, I won't like it for some reason. Case in point this stunning creamy yellow 30's street rod. I like the color, the engine, lack of shadow, minimal reflections, even the orange hot rod behind it I can live with. So what's wrong? To me, it's the headlight. It's just... there. It draws all your attention to itself. It's as if the fender lifted the light for a photo-bomb. And it's a little out of focus. I know that's how the car was made and it's beautiful. But I feel I could've done better with the angle.

One question I do get asked every once in a while, is why I don't take "action" shots of hot rods, muscle cars, or street machines. The simple truth is, I'm not very good at it. I've tried it, but all my pictures have sucked. I still attempt it from time to time, but it's nowhere near one of my strong points. For the life of me, I have no idea what came together to get this shot of this beautiful Willy's while on the road. While this shot is hardly professional - it's about the best I've got. I can file this under "extremely lucky"...

My automotive writing and photography have been a learning curve over the years. I've come to the conclusion that I am totally comfortable with being an "amateur". I'm not technical enough to be a professional, nor creative enough to be an artist. My tools are very simple. Even with all the mistakes I've made over the years, the fact that people have read my ramblings and have purchased my work, leaves me with an immense feeling of gratitude. "Extremely lucky" doesn't even begin to describe it.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

You're Too Old...

You know how many times I've heard that? It doesn't matter if it's in reference to a car, music, a job, a hobby - whatever. I've gotten better over the years; my response nowadays is either, "Well, that's just your opinion. You're entitled to it." or in most cases, I don't say anything. I'll be turning 53 this year. I don't consider myself old - not by a long shot. Heck, my parents are both 79 and I don't consider them old, even though we both get flooded with AARP shit in our collective mailboxes from time to time.

This whole "old" thing came about one day this past week when I was discussing a customers brand new 2015 BMW X5 that was getting undercoated at the garage I work at. Never mind that it was a high end crossover SUV and the fact it had the 445 horsepower turbocharged V-8 under the hood. Oh, did I mention it was also a brilliant blue? Granted, there's not much eye candy when you pop the hood. Almost everything is hidden by that honking engine cover. But what struck me was why she purchased it - yeah... a woman owns this; "I'm 55, divorced, and have no kids. I needed an all wheel drive vehicle with enough room for all my crap that I need for my job. After working for over 30 years - I was finally able to get something really nice for myself. But honestly - I just love the way the engine sounds when I punch the gas accelerating onto the highway and that turbo kicks in... it is so awesome!" There you go - that's as good of an excuse as any! Of course, the other female customer who was having an oil change done on her Prius V wagon at the same time just had to pipe up; "Aren't you a bit old for something like that?" The BMW owner just glared at the other woman - "Madam; your opinion does not matter", and went back to what she was working on.

Be that as it may, racing and high performance has always been sprinkled with inspiring people who, to the uneducated casual observer, would be considered too old to participate in what they are doing. Two of the most notable examples are Mogan Shepard and Chris Karamesines.

I realize that not many people have heard of Mr. Shepard (right) and the fact that highlighting him sort of deviates from the early 70's cut off date we have for the blog. Your unfamiliarity may be due to the fact that he only competes part time in the Xfinity series of NASCAR. Regardless, he still deserves serious mention. As of this writing he just turned 74 about a week or so ago. He's not a powerhouse in the points division and has zero wins so far this season. Who cares. Would you still have the nerve and skill to power a 200+ mph race car around a track when you're in your 70's? And then still be good enough at it to qualify to start?

Chris Karamesines (left) should be more familiar, especially if you're into drag racing. Commonly referred to as "The Golden Greek", he has been a staple of the NHRA since the late 50's. Do the math - that's almost 60 years in professional drag racing... as a driver! He will turn 84 years young this November. Karamesines got his start with factory stock cars, then moved to Funny Cars, and finally switched to Top Fuel dragsters by the late 60's. While he hasn't been in the winners circle in years and his last final round appearance was way back in 1990, he is still a force to be reckoned with and is a man who truly loves the sport. Just ask #1 qualifier Brittany Force after she lost to Karamesines in the 1st round back in June 2014 in Bristol Tennessee. When interviewed afterwards, she basically stated, "He's very good and extremely competitive. My dad (John Force) wasn't so subtle. He asked me how it felt to get beaten by an 82 year old..."

Speaking of old, that seems to be a new semi-movement with rat rods lately. Using old but cool non-automotive items as a substitute for car parts. Case in point - dig the antique spittoons as carburetor air cleaners on top of the tunnel ram intake. While it may not be your cup of tea, you gotta admit it is unique. I have been seeing more of this in the past few years or so, when builders started using old street signs as floor boards and transmission tunnel sheet metal. While some people wish this particular genre of hot rodding would go away, I'm glad it's still as strong as it is. To me, it is another form of expression. Just like that completely over the top street rod that cost $300,000 to build and every magazine will feature is one person's statement, this type of creativity is the root of all hot rodding - work with what you have.

The thing is, I feel every hot rodder never truly loses their passion for going fast - it's the mode of transportation that changes. This has been fact for decades, especially when it came to muscle cars in the 60's and 1970. Companies like Studebaker and Buick realized this and tried capitalizing on it - you were never too old to go fast. Buick ended up building one of the best performance cars of the era. Studebaker... well, mechanically they built a pocket rocket, but sales wise, the car was too little too late as Studebaker was bleeding cash catastrophically in the early 60's. Some of you may be asking, "Studebaker built a muscle car?" Yup - back in 1963, the company screwed together turbo-charged V-8's that cranked out over 300 horsepower in a car that weighed under 3000 pounds. In 1964, just as the manufacturer was about to lock the doors, they offered an R3 and R4 versions of the Lark and the Avanti. The option placed a 400+ horsepower turbo small block V8 between the fenders that could blow the doors off most anything the big three could offer. I have a rare Studebaker brochure in my collection that highlights their turbocharged options, although it's on an Avanti model. The bottom line says it all - "More power than you'll ever need."

Buick was a bit more successful. Their performance version of the Skylark, known as the GS, was potent in its own right. But when GM threw the 400 cubic inch engine mandate for mid-size muscle cars out the window for 1970, the GS when equipped with the Stage 1 package became iconic. With a horsepower rating that was a sedate 360 horsepower - it was more like 425 plus - and 510 pound feet of torque, the car was an iron fist in a velvet glove. If one could live without A/C, and the owner swapped in an aluminum intake, a Holley carb, and decent set of headers in place of the factory pieces, low 12-second quarter mile times were common, even with an automatic... in a 4000 pound car. Add the rare Stage 2 option and you had a set of wheels legends were made of and very few modified muscle cars, even Corvettes, could touch. Motor Trend magazine fell in love with the 1970 GS Stage 1 calling it, "...brutally fast without the hint of Geritol."

We may age, but we never get old.
Until next time, peace out.
Dave