the Ferret
Road warrior
Nice!
What was the yellow thing is the Kaw triple pic?
What was the yellow thing is the Kaw triple pic?
CB1100 Monthly Photo Challenge
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Gone in 60
Road warrior
Getting back to the CB, I had another Ducati neighbor in my parking space, and a light blue Cobra had parked next to us.
I feel like I know enough about Cobras to be semi-dangerous, and I have a ton of sweat equity in a Factory Five replica Cobra build with a friend. Looking over a Cobra, there's always that "could it be real?" feeling, but in reality, who would be driving an authentic Cobra in city traffic?
Looking over this car, I saw a lot of elements that just didn't look right. Wide fenders like a 427, but tapered body lines like a 289, and a small block under the hood. I dismissed it as a very nice replica with some vintage elements under the hood for effect. The yellow stikes across the front were also a nice touch, Dan Gurney's personal livery.
The owner, an older gentleman wearing a COBRA hat walked up. I asked about the car. "I know it's not a Factory Five, doesn't look like a Superformance... what is it?"
The answer was staggering: "This was a Shelby mule from 1963. They were trying to homologate the Cobras for FIA international racing, but they knew the little 260 and 289 cars weren't going to get the job done. So, they stroked the engine to a 302, which was the FIA maximum displacement for its class. To make it handle better, they tried out a coilover suspension, which they ended up using on the big 427 cars. They knew it needed wider tires, so they tried stretching the ass-end, and flaring the front fenders. Too much tire in my opinion, but it worked. Then, they gave it to Dan Gurney (you probably never heard of him) and he took it out and flogged the crap out of it. I found it about 30 years ago and it was pretty used up, but we got it put back together."
This began an hour-long conversation where I learned more about Cobras than I though I'd ever learn. There was one element about the car that might strike a chord with anyone who saw "Ford vs Ferrari."
Early on in the movie, Ken Miles is in the pits at Willow Springs, hammering out the inside of the trunk lid on his white Cobra. He was furious about a new FIA rule that designated that a specific size box fit in the storage area of the car, and it would not fit in the standard Cobra trunk.
His fit of anger and taking a hammer to the car seemed like a throw-away scene to show how furious Miles could get, but there was an element of reality. Looking at the trunk lid on this "Mule" Cobra, I noticed a raised ridge along its rear edge. That was a modification so that the box referenced in the movie would fit in the trunk of the Cobra.
Sometimes, you never know what you'll see at a car show!
Ferret, that little yellow bike is a Whizzer. A few of them always show up here.
I feel like I know enough about Cobras to be semi-dangerous, and I have a ton of sweat equity in a Factory Five replica Cobra build with a friend. Looking over a Cobra, there's always that "could it be real?" feeling, but in reality, who would be driving an authentic Cobra in city traffic?
Looking over this car, I saw a lot of elements that just didn't look right. Wide fenders like a 427, but tapered body lines like a 289, and a small block under the hood. I dismissed it as a very nice replica with some vintage elements under the hood for effect. The yellow stikes across the front were also a nice touch, Dan Gurney's personal livery.
The owner, an older gentleman wearing a COBRA hat walked up. I asked about the car. "I know it's not a Factory Five, doesn't look like a Superformance... what is it?"
The answer was staggering: "This was a Shelby mule from 1963. They were trying to homologate the Cobras for FIA international racing, but they knew the little 260 and 289 cars weren't going to get the job done. So, they stroked the engine to a 302, which was the FIA maximum displacement for its class. To make it handle better, they tried out a coilover suspension, which they ended up using on the big 427 cars. They knew it needed wider tires, so they tried stretching the ass-end, and flaring the front fenders. Too much tire in my opinion, but it worked. Then, they gave it to Dan Gurney (you probably never heard of him) and he took it out and flogged the crap out of it. I found it about 30 years ago and it was pretty used up, but we got it put back together."
This began an hour-long conversation where I learned more about Cobras than I though I'd ever learn. There was one element about the car that might strike a chord with anyone who saw "Ford vs Ferrari."
Early on in the movie, Ken Miles is in the pits at Willow Springs, hammering out the inside of the trunk lid on his white Cobra. He was furious about a new FIA rule that designated that a specific size box fit in the storage area of the car, and it would not fit in the standard Cobra trunk.
His fit of anger and taking a hammer to the car seemed like a throw-away scene to show how furious Miles could get, but there was an element of reality. Looking at the trunk lid on this "Mule" Cobra, I noticed a raised ridge along its rear edge. That was a modification so that the box referenced in the movie would fit in the trunk of the Cobra.
Sometimes, you never know what you'll see at a car show!
Ferret, that little yellow bike is a Whizzer. A few of them always show up here.
Nachodaddy
Road warrior
Great story, Gone. Thanks. Long ago, sometime between 1961 and 1963, I went to a great road-race at Laguna Seca and I think Dan Gurney may have been driving in it, but it was long ago and that part of my memory is long faded.
I never was a fan of Whizzers - always thought the name sounded like something connected to emptying your bladder.
I never was a fan of Whizzers - always thought the name sounded like something connected to emptying your bladder.
Gone in 60
Road warrior
Along with the Whizzers, some guys bring their beach cruisers with 2-cycle engines, usually the $150 Ebay kits. I have a hankering to build one of those...
Continuing the "birth of Cars and Coffee" story, sometime in the early 2000s, guys with newer Ferraris and Lambos started showing up at Donut Derelicts, but were not made welcome by the oldsters and their GTOs and Tri-5 Chevys. So, the exotic guys started their own early Saturday show at Crystal Cove, further down the coast near Laguna Beach, in a very high-zoot shopping center. Show up in a Mustang? You'd be shown the parking lot. However, these guys made too much noise revving their Italian V-12s for guys standing along Pacific Coast Highway with cameras when the cars left, angering the residents in their zillion-dollar ocean-view homes surrounding the shopping center.
Someone who worked at Ford's PAG (Premier Automotive Group, the headquarters for Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo and Jaguar) in Irvine stepped up and said "Look, we've got a huge parking lot in Irvine that's empty on Saturday mornings. Everyone is welcome, no matter what kind of special car you have. Just behave and don't do anything stupid." Soon, over 500 cars and at least 100 motorcycles were showing up, and the PAG building's giant parking garage could be used for spectators. They started offering coffee and donuts, and the first Cars and Coffee was born.
It was an awesome gathering. Dan Gurney was a regular participant, as his shop was nearby in Santa Ana. He had sold his original run of 36 Honda-powered Alligator motorcyles, and was working on the prototype of the second-generation Alligator which was powered by an S&S V-twin. It was not uncommon to see him arrive on the prototype and park it among the other bikes, showing off whatever new fairing piece or fender they had just rendered in carbon fiber. Here was a very distinguished, very tall older gentleman showing off a custom motorcycle. People thought "Is that.... Dan Gurney? Nah, can't be."
Continuing the "birth of Cars and Coffee" story, sometime in the early 2000s, guys with newer Ferraris and Lambos started showing up at Donut Derelicts, but were not made welcome by the oldsters and their GTOs and Tri-5 Chevys. So, the exotic guys started their own early Saturday show at Crystal Cove, further down the coast near Laguna Beach, in a very high-zoot shopping center. Show up in a Mustang? You'd be shown the parking lot. However, these guys made too much noise revving their Italian V-12s for guys standing along Pacific Coast Highway with cameras when the cars left, angering the residents in their zillion-dollar ocean-view homes surrounding the shopping center.
Someone who worked at Ford's PAG (Premier Automotive Group, the headquarters for Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo and Jaguar) in Irvine stepped up and said "Look, we've got a huge parking lot in Irvine that's empty on Saturday mornings. Everyone is welcome, no matter what kind of special car you have. Just behave and don't do anything stupid." Soon, over 500 cars and at least 100 motorcycles were showing up, and the PAG building's giant parking garage could be used for spectators. They started offering coffee and donuts, and the first Cars and Coffee was born.
It was an awesome gathering. Dan Gurney was a regular participant, as his shop was nearby in Santa Ana. He had sold his original run of 36 Honda-powered Alligator motorcyles, and was working on the prototype of the second-generation Alligator which was powered by an S&S V-twin. It was not uncommon to see him arrive on the prototype and park it among the other bikes, showing off whatever new fairing piece or fender they had just rendered in carbon fiber. Here was a very distinguished, very tall older gentleman showing off a custom motorcycle. People thought "Is that.... Dan Gurney? Nah, can't be."
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
Love it Gone.
What was in the white bag, man?
What was in the white bag, man?
Gone in 60
Road warrior
My donut, of course! My cup of coffee was sitting on the top box.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
... :huh: wanted to see the donut. (*sigh*)Gone in 60_imp said:
Gone in 60
Road warrior
Mrs. G uses my phone periodically. Best that she not see the donut.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
:rofl:Gone in 60_imp said:
TXBikerGuy
Running like a top
Timely info on the Donut Derelicts activities. I'm going to be in Huntington Beach in a couple of weeks for work and will be staying not too far from there. Hopefully I can sneak away on Saturday morning and check it out. Thanks for posting about it, Gone.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
Pictures of donuts too, TXBikerGuy. Or at least, of the one in Gone's bag.TXBikerGuy_imp said:
Gone in 60
Road warrior
It seems to me that the only thing that will make GO happy is for me to go back down there and take a picture of a donut. About to hit the road for a few weeks, so that might have to wait.
TXBikerGuy, if you don't mind getting up early, it's definitely worth checking out. If you get there by 7:00, you'll get an eye-full of cool cars and bikes.
And if you want to see what else is going on in the area, check out SoCal Car Culture - Car Shows - Cruise Nights - Photos
It's a very comprehensive list of car shows in the greater LA area
There's also a vintage bike meetup in Huntington Beach each month, if it lines up with your schedule: Home page of Vintage Bike OC
TXBikerGuy, if you don't mind getting up early, it's definitely worth checking out. If you get there by 7:00, you'll get an eye-full of cool cars and bikes.
And if you want to see what else is going on in the area, check out SoCal Car Culture - Car Shows - Cruise Nights - Photos
It's a very comprehensive list of car shows in the greater LA area
There's also a vintage bike meetup in Huntington Beach each month, if it lines up with your schedule: Home page of Vintage Bike OC
peterbaron
Road warrior
Nah, no need, he can go to Tim Hortons and not only look at it but also eat itGone in 60_imp said:
Gone in 60
Road warrior
Ha. Yeah, that is true, he can do that. And I'm sure they look exactly the same as the donuts I get at the car show.
the Ferret
Road warrior
Cmon forum peeps. How about some pics with your CB and old cars for the monthly challenge?
Gone in 60
Road warrior
I can understand the guys in the Rust Belt where cars dissolve within ten years, but everyone else...
the Ferret
Road warrior
LOL is that what people in California think? Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are considered the rust belt states and there are plenty of old cars in these states holding up just fine. My Ohio truck is 13 years old, sits outside every single day all year long and doesn't have a spot of rust on the body.
Now my brothers Dodge Ram Truck on the other hand, which was always garaged, just about rusted away.
Now my brothers Dodge Ram Truck on the other hand, which was always garaged, just about rusted away.
Gone in 60
Road warrior
Ha! Yeah, our events around the country feature car shows, and there are just as many beautifully restored and protected cars in those states as there are out here.
And this is the time of year they're all out, ready to have their pictures taken.
And this is the time of year they're all out, ready to have their pictures taken.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
You would do that for me, Gone? :heart:Gone in 60_imp said:
Gone in 60
Road warrior
Of course I would. But can’t for a few weeks!
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