What Were They Thinking? Or A Matter Of Perspective

We've all experienced those moments - situations that, at minimum, make us pause for at least a few moments, possibly shake our heads, and end with the thought process of, "... what were they thinking?" Other times, the same pattern may be followed, but end with "...WTF?!?" We see this quite frequently; from the news media to our public highways and by-ways.

A few blurbs came across my radar this week and I'd like to share them with you. The first one had me going through a mixed bag of emotions. One the one hand, I thought it was unique and way different, but on the other hand, I'm having problems digesting the mixed breed.
Although this car was "done" back in 2011 by Dave Sherer and Anthony Musilli, (whose nicely restored cars have been featured in magazines as well as on the Hot Rod Power Tour), the pair turned the rat-rod world on its ear when they transformed a brand new Camaro SS into a rat-rod. Not only did they grind off the paint (to different levels in different areas) but also rubbed salt on the bare metal spots to "speed rust" the metal. They also re-sanded other areas for color change, put dents in the vehicle, and even broke the grille. To top things off, they dropped in a 1,000 horsepower supercharged engine. Why? According to Sherer, "...no one was expecting it and no else had the balls to do it." By the way, the modifications cost about $160 large...

In collectible vehicle circles, it's common knowledge that the 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda is one of, if not possibly the most collectible muscle car. They're rare, brutally fast, and handsome automobiles. It is not uncommon to find painstakingly restored models that fetch $500,000 easy at a major auction. But would you pay one million dollars for one? And this model is NOT a convertible, which is super-rare and can usually help command this price.
Up for bid this month at the Mecum Auction held in Indianapolis is a fully documented unrestored Hemi 'Cuda coupe (one of the last 10 built) with just 81 miles on the odometer. That's not a misprint. Eighty. One. Miles. Early estimates predict this car will sell for more than $800,000, but numerous sources say when the gavel falls, it may top $1 million.

This next tidbit is not exactly new - I've known about it for years. The original story took place back in 1965. If you don't know about this story, you should. Everything was coming unglued in the 60's and hot rodding and/or racing was no exception. Enter the Turbonique Drag Axle - a small 850 horsepower turbine rocket that attached to a vehicles rear axle. When tested at the drag strip, the end result was usually quarter mile long burnouts with times in the low 9's at over 150mph. What makes this entire scenario really cool (or really nuts depending on your perspective) is this product was advertised and had full intentions of being used on the street. The logic being was the turbine rocket would not be "used or engaged during everyday normal driving" - only when the driver demanded more power. No problem - just put the car in neutral, press the rocket button, and hang on for dear life...
(Photo courtesy of Hot Rod)

I gotta admit - one thing I truly love about NASCAR is it's influence. Ever since the late 40's, this particular aspect of motor-sports has spawn off more types of circle track racing than you can shake a stick at. Everything from lawn mowers to school buses. Things were crazy enough in the 60's when figure eight racing really became en vogue - timing was everything & crashing now-vintage iron was the norm. Now imagine the same deal except with a 45-50 passenger school bus. Or better yet, how about full size cars and trucks towing campers? This stuff is very popular especially in the Midwest. If you ever get a chance to witness action like this, you won't be sitting there going, "What are they thinking?" You'll be laughing too hard.

Performance automotive (or what we now call muscle cars) advertising was going full throttle by 1968. Concepts that touched on societal norms, psychedelic art, and even street racing were played with. This weeks featured ad is for a Pontiac GTO. The ad ran only once, in the December 1967 issue of Motor Trend, before it was pulled by GM brass. At first glance, one might be confused as to what the big deal was. The deal was that Woodward Avenue was a nationally-known street racing hot spot. The driver is in a turn-around area which was a common waiting place for your next street challenge. Was it over the top? Did it go too far? GM thought so. Just a matter of perspective...

Just over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to visit Old Car City in White Georgia. What was a junkyard, is now basically an outdoor museum of sorts featuring vintage Detroit iron in various stages of rust and decay. This 1968 Chevelle has an interesting story behind it. Purchased new in the area with a 350 cid V-8 and a 4-speed, the owner was in the process of modifying it further when it was t-boned by a truck at an intersection. The car had less than 1000 miles on it. Normally, the story would end there, but the establishment owner told me that the guy who owned it pulled over near said intersection to take a leak. He shut off the motor, but forgot he had it in neutral. It rolled back a slight incline, into the intersection, and bam! No more Chevelle. What was he thinking?

Lastly, wanted to start spreading the word that Vintage V8 Photography (who does this weekly blog), will be firing up a new You Tube channel! We're pumped! We hope to have it up and running by the beginning of June 2015. We will be passing along more details in the weeks ahead.

Until next time, peace out -
Dave