An audiophile and petrolhead's musings: in the hi-fidelity, first class, traveling set - Page 12

We've still got a 1942 ex-army Ford Jeep stashed away in a barn. It's FAR from original, but it's really just cosmetics. My brother and I both drove it in high school. It has the original flat-4 engine, and about the only thing done to it mechanically is that it was switched from 6v to 12v. Cosmetics are another story - we put a hard top on it that we found somewhere - it makes it look sort of like a mail truck. It's painted a groovy 70's blue with a white top, and the interior has shag carpeting and wood paneling. It has tinted bubble windows and decent sized tires. Of course, it also has a cassette stereo system with a god-awful amp and 6x9's mounted in the back. It was my love machine when I was 17...

My Dad bought it in the late 60s from Army Surplus. When we got it, it was Army green with stars, had Jerry cans on the back and still had the machine gun mounts (unfortunately no machine gun!) My brother (he was older than me) loved to put the front windshield down and play Rat Patrol in that thing.

Not enough rims. Think big man!

As always Woo is very nice to deal with (never bought one of their amps, but I've corresponded with them - still kind of want one of their amps, but they're so big). Question: what is that white port on the front for? None of the Koss or STAX headphones that I'm aware of can plug into that. And the Sennheisers use some weird d-sub looking thing sort of like (but not the same as) the ESP/950...

Also lulz @ the HE60 affair.

That's terrible. I mean it's a 90's Chrysler for you, but that's still terrible.

I'll just warn you - modern jeeps are nothing like that. They've become more plastic and more targeted at the suburban "badasses" who buy them. If you want something that can travel inclement weather or otherwise be nice in bad situations, just get a Grand Cherokee or Explorer and be through with it. Or find an old CJ and set that up. I still think you need a Tonka though.

That's very nice. Go for it. I mean, it isn't the deal of the century, but that's very nice. And it's a Corniche. MMMM. Between that and the Aston Martin I really think all you need to add is a smoking jacket and we can just start calling you Hef.

My car *is* normal sized. You just drive compacts.

And the Carrera S could work in the place of the M5 - it doesn't really matter. They're expensive and shiny, that's the point.

And yeah, I'll agree with "stupid" on CTS-V -> M5. Seriously, one of the best cars to come out of GM in the last decade for one of the biggest pains in the ass to come out of Germany ever? WHY?

Oh well, you're buying nice little compact cars now, so that's all good. Some day we'll get you buying adult sized vehicles with adult sized engines.
Edited by obobskivich - 9/11/12 at 7:50pm

I love the awesome rumble of a big torquey American V8, but I also love the ripping roar of a European V12 *AND* I also love the throaty growl of a well-tuned British 4 cylinder!

Gimme American muscle any day.

I hate that "can opener" effect.

It probably doesn't really matter - these days, if I can hear the engine, that just means I'm burning more fuel than I can afford!

There's a solution to that too! My Lincoln has about 4" of fibreglass around the engine, to dampen it (this is factory), and you don't hear a thing unless you have the exhaust off (and then you would swear that Johnny Blaze is about ready to rise and perpetrate some class-action violence - neighbors were ready to petition for me to put the exhaust back on, so it's on for good now).

 

The fact that you totally remember that incident with fondness tells me that you love her spunk!  Honest-to-God spunk is a refreshing thing these days I think.

 

 

And?    We don't bat an eye about the electricity powering our amps right?  Fact of modern life, enjoyment often requires fossil fuels.

 

BTW guys, I've been thinking some crazy things lately.  For example, it's getting close to that time when I need to be thinking about a new car.  I was thinking of making my life simple and just picking up a new Challenger.  But I've also been thinking of a '48 Mercury Coupe (yes, as a DD).  I know that might sound crazy but I really don't drive much these days so a lead sled wouldn't totally kill me in fuel.  Nothing too crazy, no flames, no chop-top, do want frenched headlamps though.  Am I being stupid about this?

 

Maybe my gender and lack of maturity for my age betrays me, but perhaps a synonym for the word "spunk" would be better used here? No offense intended, to anyone,  but I can't help but think of the more vulgar connotation when I see the word.

 

http://thesaurus.com/browse/spunk Synonyms: backbone, determination, doggedness, fortitude, gameness, grit, gumption*, guts*, intestinal fortitude, mettle, moxie*, pluck, resolution, spirit, toughness, true grit

 

LOL, I do believe we've used the word spunk to describe her affinity for honest expression before.  Pluck is nice too.  Being Magick's wife, it's probably best that he picks the actual term.

 

BTW, it wasn't THAT Beavis/Butthead a term.. are you thinking of spunk as in spoodge?

Yep, that was exactly it.....lol. But of course, whatever term he chooses is fine.

A '48 Mercury? Hmm, interesting choice. I don't know anything about them, but I think I like the prewar grills a little better than the flat postwar version. I thought most of the hot rods were made from the '49-50 Mercs?

I would at least put in some seat belts. No seat belts + LA drivers = seriously maimed or dead headphone enthusiast!

The car I *really* wish I had was my Dad's '59 Buick Electra 225. That would be a great cruiser. I loved the front end of that car - when I was 8 years old, I thought I was getting in a Jetson's car every time we went somewhere. He traded it back to the Buick dealer in 1970 for another Electra 225. I remember when we took the '59 to the dealer, the car had over 150K miles on it and would no longer go into reverse. My family drove their cars into the ground!

Ours looked EXACTLY like this one (except ours had little kid finger prints all over it!)

The new Challenger is...disappointing. It's all by wire, and it isn't zero latency. Comfortable ride and they look mean, but they're nothing like an old 'Runner or 454 - you hit the gas and you wait for a moment. It's a very polite car for every day though, and they make a V6 that sips fuel gently. Really it's a nice balance between power and normal use, but it's not a track car.

But a 1940s American car - you know I ain't gonna object there! Also that Electra is purdy. One thing to keep in mind on both - replacing glass can be very expensive if it uses what would be considered "custom fit" glass these days, so if that's the case, get an extra insurance rider just for the glass to ensure it's covered ("custom fit" glass can be over $2000/window to replace, hence why I'm saying this).

I haven't thought much about the Rolls Royces of recent years, but I have to say that the latest convertibles, in the London Olympics closing ceremony, actually looked sexy.

I couldn't find a pic of the impressive multiple Rolls with the Spice Girls, but here is a solo Rolls pic with Jessie J:

 

 

Rolls and Bentley are both owned by the German automakers now, right? I think one is owned by BMW and the other by the VW Group, although I can't recall which is which.