Went to a local car show today..
06-12-11, 03:37 PM
#1
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
Went to a local car show today..
And while not much notable caught my eye (there were the usual ricers, and "drift cars"), a few did turn my head. The biggest head turner (for me at least) was this:
I learned a little from the owner... there are only a few hundred nice examples left in existance, Its probably cheaper to own a Yacht. If you buy one to daily drive, like he does his, make sure you swap the original motor out for a more reliable Chevy 350. He did not, and has had no issues, but he knows plenty who have. Parts are hard to get, so dont expect good prices on those. OH, and one of the weirdest things I have ever seen on a car...they are not painted. Thats right, the steel/aluminum is brushed, and then clearcoated. There is no primer/basecoat on the car anywhere except the front and rear bumpers. Those are painted gray to match the car as closely as possible.
Next:
^1951 Chevy Pickup w/ a 454 Big Block.
And a custom of some kind, could not find the owner, so I have no details. Looks like a Mid 30's vintage Ford Split Window Coupe. Rare to say the least.
^not sure what this guy was thinking, but the Red that this car was before would have looked better...
^A NICE example of a Matte finish STi. First STi I have seen done this way, I was impressed.
^Nissan 240. Nice car, guy claimed it had the Powertrain from an R33 GTR. I am not an expert on nissan's by any means, but I would venture to say if it did, he would not be at a local Fort Lewis Car show...with all of about 20-25 participants. Just sayin. Looks like your typical Nissan 240 motor, just dressed up a little bit and turbo'd. But for all I know about Nissan's, they guy could have been stating fact.
And this guy, well:
^not sure what he was doing at the show, but...to each his own.
I learned a little from the owner... there are only a few hundred nice examples left in existance, Its probably cheaper to own a Yacht. If you buy one to daily drive, like he does his, make sure you swap the original motor out for a more reliable Chevy 350. He did not, and has had no issues, but he knows plenty who have. Parts are hard to get, so dont expect good prices on those. OH, and one of the weirdest things I have ever seen on a car...they are not painted. Thats right, the steel/aluminum is brushed, and then clearcoated. There is no primer/basecoat on the car anywhere except the front and rear bumpers. Those are painted gray to match the car as closely as possible.
Next:
^1951 Chevy Pickup w/ a 454 Big Block.
And a custom of some kind, could not find the owner, so I have no details. Looks like a Mid 30's vintage Ford Split Window Coupe. Rare to say the least.
^not sure what this guy was thinking, but the Red that this car was before would have looked better...
^A NICE example of a Matte finish STi. First STi I have seen done this way, I was impressed.
^Nissan 240. Nice car, guy claimed it had the Powertrain from an R33 GTR. I am not an expert on nissan's by any means, but I would venture to say if it did, he would not be at a local Fort Lewis Car show...with all of about 20-25 participants. Just sayin. Looks like your typical Nissan 240 motor, just dressed up a little bit and turbo'd. But for all I know about Nissan's, they guy could have been stating fact.
And this guy, well:
^not sure what he was doing at the show, but...to each his own.
06-12-11, 06:44 PM
#7
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
In regards to the DeLorean, it is an unpainted SS Body, but this one had a clearcoat on it. It was wicked. I didnt know that about them though, I thought they were just painted gray.
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06-12-11, 07:52 PM
#8
lol,,,it was Delorean's saying that "you could have the car in ANY color that you wanted,,as long as it was Stainless Steel." Yes they are EXTREMELY hard to maintain, due to limited lifespan on the market, and MOST surviving examples are brandised by the "Back to the Future" look. Nice to see an owner who resisted doing this to that car and actually enjoys DRIVING the car.
Last edited by trukn1; 06-13-11 at 11:24 PM.
Must be hard to get in and out of that. 
06-12-11, 08:47 PM
#12
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
06-12-11, 08:48 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
I learned a little from the owner... there are only a few hundred nice examples left in existance, Its probably cheaper to own a Yacht. If you buy one to daily drive, like he does his, make sure you swap the original motor out for a more reliable Chevy 350. He did not, and has had no issues, but he knows plenty who have. Parts are hard to get, so dont expect good prices on those. OH, and one of the weirdest things I have ever seen on a car...they are not painted. Thats right, the steel/aluminum is brushed, and then clearcoated. There is no primer/basecoat on the car anywhere except the front and rear bumpers. Those are painted gray to match the car as closely as possible.
Too young, thank God. Great thing about being born in 1985, I have never seen a DeLorean Ad campaign.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-12-11 at 08:58 PM.
06-12-11, 08:59 PM
#14
Dysfunctional Veteran
Thread Starter
The stainless-steel finish on DeLorean's sports cars was intentional, Josh.....the whole factory-run was done that way. John Delorean left GM in the 1970's to set up his own company in Northern Ireland building these unique gull-winged sports/touring cars. The cars were plagued from Day One, though, with quality problems, especially with the gull-door assemblies. De Lorean's company was not successful, and he was busted for cocaine-trafficing a few years later trying to raise money for the company, but acquitted at a trial. He passed away a couple of years ago.
He never did much of an ad campaign (I remember his company and cars very well). Once he left GM (where he was in both Pontiac and Chevy management and gave us the hugely successful Pontiac GTO), he lost his access to GM's then-big gravy-train. He simply didn't have the money and resources for a big Detroit-style ad-campaign. What publicity he did get for his new company came mostly fom auto mags and the auto press (I used to read Road & Track and Car and Driver religiously each month).
He never did much of an ad campaign (I remember his company and cars very well). Once he left GM (where he was in both Pontiac and Chevy management and gave us the hugely successful Pontiac GTO), he lost his access to GM's then-big gravy-train. He simply didn't have the money and resources for a big Detroit-style ad-campaign. What publicity he did get for his new company came mostly fom auto mags and the auto press (I used to read Road & Track and Car and Driver religiously each month).
Busted for cocaine trafficking huh? Talk about a piece of automotive history. So...Former GM employee turned CEO, then busted for cocaine...Can anyone hear it? "Like a [crack] Rock"
06-12-11, 09:10 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Busted for cocaine trafficking huh? Talk about a piece of automotive history. So...Former GM employee turned CEO, then busted for cocaine...Can anyone hear it? "Like a [crack] Rock"
I go to one or two local antique-car shows here each year where a DMC-12 (Delorean Motor Corporation) shows up now and then. It inevitably draws comments and snickers about being a "cocaine special".
Here's some shots of DeLorean himself with the car.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-12-11 at 09:24 PM.