Super Porsche Man!

...flies in to tweak his carburetor!

Really though, he's pointing to something in his engine bay for the other guy standing nearby. I was taking a few photos from this angle, and the car's owner leaned in. This is exactly how the photo came out of the camera. No cropping. This particular car—a 1965 Porsche 356C—will be featured in comparison with a Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder (a CMS project car) in the upcoming issue of Classic Motorsports. I shot most of the photos that end up in the story. 

Some great automotive writing

John Phillips is one of the few truly great writers in the industry. C/D lately has been exhuming choice articles from their archives, and this one from 1998 made me smile all the way through.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/archive/ford_crown_victoria_lounge_lizard-archived_project_car

The passage describing the engine's noise is probably my favorite part, but there are so many nuggets of verbal pleasure throughout. I'll let you get to that one yourself (it's on page 2 of the feature), but here's a taste of his writing:

"We next installed a set of lower-compression pistons that allowed us to double the boost, a combination good for a total of 370 horsepower and, unfortunately, more detonation than Navy SEALs encounter in a whole career — enough, in fact, that on a 95-degree day, as we were noodling out engine-computer calibrations at Ford's test track, a connecting rod tunneled its way through the iron block and, last time we saw it, was touring downtown Dearborn."

I picture a broken connecting rod adorned with a top hat, bouncing happily past the tourist traps. I chuckled.

The tells that this is from a bygone era: Seventeen-inch wheels are "monster meats;" horsepower in the 400s is considered heroic; Csaba Csere is C/D's editor in chief; and the Mercury Marauder is just a rumor.

Save the Manuals!

Everybody who can drive a stickshift, get on board. The manual transmission is at risk of disappearing from this country, and without it, enthusiasts will suffer. It is my firm belief that people who know how to shift their own gears are more aware drivers, and have more fun at it too. A clutch has borne more car enthusiasts than any poster of a Lamborghini or Porsche.

This isn't about decrying new technology. It's about learning a simple skill that can save you money, help the environment, and make you a more versatile driver. Manual transmissions are better than automatics in many ways. Let me briefly list a few:

• Longer lasting
• More efficient (better mpgs!)
• Better car control
• Cheaper to buy
• Cheaper to maintain

Join the fight! Get yourself a sticker or a button. Spread the word. Offer to teach friends and family how to row their own gears (or learn from someone, if you don't know). If you're shopping for a new car, insist on seeing one in a stickshift. Help make America a better place for drivers.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q3/save_the_manuals!-car_and_driver

I voiced my support for this movement early on, and for that, Car & Driver sent me a sticker and a button. Amanda wanted the button for her purse. I, the sticker fanatic, have yet to decide where I'm putting that sticker (in the background of the photo above). Don't worry, it'll be on one of my cars soon.