The BritishV8 Pub

Nebraska is not "west". (grin)

The Rockies define "west". (grin)

Yoiu are missing half of the fun of you don't make the road trip!

Wildfires again around Colorado Springs. I hope everyone is OK and it doesn't throw another wrench in the 2014 plans.

Michelle - Distances are not measured in miles out here but rather in time. Omaha to Colorado Spings - just a tad bit more than 8 hours.

Regarding the fires - where they are currently pose no threats, we will just have to wait to see what the rest of the summer brings.

Oh heck, what's 8 more hours? :)

The Denver Datsun Z club kindly sends me invitations to their driving events. Their latest e-mail gave me an idea... It might be possible for us to rent or borrow the Colorado Highway Patrol's training track for a high speed "autocross" event. I've no idea what it might cost, and I've also got no idea whether we might get it on a weekday. Here's a video which shows the track in use. (Notice that someone has added traffic cone chicanes to break up the straightaways.) The track is located in the foothills west of Denver, about an hour north of Colorado Springs.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2013 05:58PM by Moderator.

Michele, we'll be back your way in 2015, meanwhile I'm in the same boat as Winston and Nickolas, trying to finish my plastic TD to drive on those beautiful mountain roads.

Looks like fun Curtis!

I've been talking to a shop that has a dynomometer and when I drove by their place a couple of weeks ago there was a sign that the place was for lease - bummer. I thought they had gone out of business. I found out this morning that they have relocated so this possiblity is also open.

[www.revolutionsperformance.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2013 09:40AM by lars49.

What a great track! I hope you can get it. Back in the 60's one of the SCCSCC clubs in southern California rented part of Riverside Raceway for a high speed autocross. We got to use the start/finish straight, turn 9 and part of the main straight, that was so much fun. You could get up approaching 90 mph through turn 9 since there were no cones there. This track looks even better

Colorado State Patrol Track Info:

[www.colorado.gov]

Are we a club?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2013 01:14PM by lars49.

Probably close enough for their purposes, but I prefer to think of us as a "blunt object". More ambiguous and mysterious...

Quote:

I've been talking to a shop that has a dynomometer...

If you book it, I'll participate!

I will 2'nd the dyno!

I got the lunch stop nailed down for the mountain road tour. I talked to them today, and they are really accomodating folks. I will be making the run to clock the miles and approximate times

[www.hogheavenbar-b-que.com]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2013 03:59PM by lars49.

I am planning a visit to the Penrose Carriage Museum. The news today is that there are expanding with a new building featuring artifacts and memorabilia from the history of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, including the first motorized vehicle to climb the mountain.

They are breaking ground for it today and it will be completed by the time we roll into town next year.

The full story is here: [gazette.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2013 02:00PM by lars49.

It's about two hours north of Colorado Springs, so I'll suggest this as a side-trip for people who can come to Colorado a day or two early:

The Dougherty Museum in Longmont Colorado has an outstanding collection of early American automobiles. They're very well displayed, an excellent 36-page catalog is provided with the cost of admission, and the cost of admission is only $5 for a season pass!

The Dougherty Museum is only open Friday thru Sunday.

Here's a list of the cars in their collection:

1. 1902 Mobile Steamer (steam powered)
2. 1903 Cadillac - Rear Entrance Tonneau
3. 1908 Silent Waverly Stanhope (electric powered)
4. 1908 Cadillac - Model T
5. 1909 International Auto Wagon
6. 1910 Cadillac - Model 30
7. 1909 R.E.O. - Model D with Detachable Rear Tonneau
8. 1914 Metz - Model 22
9. 1915 Stanley Steamer - 12 Passenger Mountain Wagon (steam powered)
10. 1912 E.M.F.
11. 1909 Fuller - Model B (on remarkably skinny, very large diameter, slick tires)
12. 1905 Stevens-Duryea - Model R
13. 1910 Ford - Model T
14. 1908 Packard - Model 30
15. 1910 Lozier - Briarcliff
(Note: if this Lozier sportscar were the only car you saw on your visit, the admission price would still be a bargain!)
16. 1912 Case - Model 40 (a personal favorite of mine)
17. 1913 Ford - Model T
18. 1915 Ford - Model T (equipped with nifty period-accessory coil spring front suspension)
19. 1914 Stanley Steamer - 10hp (steam powered)
20. 1919 Locomobile (steam powered)
21. 1924 Rolls Royce - Silver Ghost (note: this is a "Springfield" Rolls Royce. It was built in Massachusetts!)
22. 1918 Cadillac - Model 57
23. 1917 Studebaker
24. 1916 Franklin - Series 8
25. 1913 Lozier - Type 72 Riverside (imagine... two Loziers in one place!)
26. 1916 Packard - Twin Six
27. 1916 Stutz - Bulldog Special
28. 1920 Pierce Arrow
29. 1937 Lincoln Zephyr - V12
30. 1924 Buick
31. 1928 Studebaker
32. 1917 Studebaker - Model 40
33. 190? Detroit Electric - Coupe Model 97 (electric powered)
34. 1929 Ford Model A - Roadster
35. 1929 Ford Model A - Sedan

These cars are the real deal: only four of the cars in this collection have been restored since Ray Dougherty took possession of them. Dougherty procured most of the cars locally - starting in 1940 and continuing through the 1960s. Signs next to the cars tell you a little bit of each car's particular history (e.g. which local businessman bought the car, what he paid for it, what he used if for, etc.) The museum also has collections of farming/construction machinery and of musical instruments, including all sorts of player pianos... which the staff will demonstrate for you!

---

If you DO come up to Longmont to see the Dougherty Museum, you might also want to swing over to Gunbarrel (at the northern edge of Boulder, ~20 minutes to the SW) to see the Shelby American Collection. In addition to Shelby Mustangs (snore!) and Cobras, the Shelby American Collection displays some excellent racecars. The display varies from time to time. Last time I was there, I particularly enjoyed studying a GT40 MkIV and a Lola T70. (I don't know what a Lola has to do with Shelby... but it was there.) I'm sorry to report that Omni GLH enthusiasts will probably be disappointed. Read all about the Shelby American Collection here: [shelbyamericancollection.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2013 02:16PM by Moderator.