Tribute recreation of the "California Kid" was at SEMA

Tribute built to look like the 1934 Ford by Pete Chapouris of Pete and Jake fame...

http://66.154.44.164/forum/showthread.php?t=529856&page=3 has the details of how and why is obvious

the car was made famous in 1973 when Martin Sheen (Charlie Sheen's dad) drove the cops into submission in a movie named "California Kid" (good movie, but slow)
The story takes place in 1958, and involves a town, Clarksburg, California, with a famous speed trap, in which a disturbed Sheriff Roy Childress (Vic Morrow), whose wife and daughter were killed by a speeder, turns bad, with a habit of deliberately punishing speeders by pushing their cars off the mountain highway in his 1957 Plymouth Belvedere.

Challenging the sheriff, who tries to run him off the road. McCord is ready, knowing his car's limits for the curve, and the sherriff is a victim of his own obsession, going too fast to make the deadly turn. He drives off the cliff, while McCord manages to stop. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_California_Kid
Read all about the car: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/the-california-kid-hot-rod.htm

If you enjoy looking at the "What is it" vehicles because you are up for a challenge, Prewarcar.com has a catagory to enjoy

http://www.prewarcar.com/my-prewarcar/show-a-pre-war-mystery/

Looks very authentic, but isn't. It's a replica that doesn't just say so. Digging online unearths all sorts of information, 1915/2005 Van Blerck

17 liters? Big deal. The biggest I've come across was 28 http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/01/people-wonder-what-largest-displacement.html

For a write up from the last time it was for sale:

http://www.nextautos.com/aftermarket/ebay-auction-of-the-day-1915-van-blerck-special which states it's been built by Gary Wales, and talks about the last time this was on Ebay and sold for $288,000 at an auction when the Ebay listing failed to make a sale

So why is it there again so soon? Just 2 years since the last time in Jan 2008, and after the current owner claims to have spent considerable time and money recently to perfect the mechanicals on this beautiful machine . Not a good sign.

For the current ebay listing http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/17-liter-engined-Custom-1915-chaindriven-Monster-racer-/160514613218?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item255f6a9fe2#ht_7087wt_960 which in the comment section the current seller states that Gary Whales built 3 of these and the first link skirts around how much is real 1915, and how much is new and built to look old.

Ah Ha! Concept Carz come through with the info again! (Great website) http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15255/Van-Blerck-17-Liter.aspx states that Auto Enthusiast and Pebble Beach award winner Gary Whales made it. There is also a great gallery of photos at Concept Carz

It was just at auction in August of 2010 by Russo and Steele in Monterey http://www.finecars.cc/en/detail/car/91319/index.html which used the same gallery that the current Ebay listing has.

The Monterey County blog toook a good close up look at it, and posted a gallery you won't see on the dozens of repeat and recycled news clip blogs that are everywhere today, http://www.blogmonterey.com/2010/08/12/the-five-coolest-and-most-outrageous-cars-we-saw-at-russo-and-steele/ it is #2

Looks like the car isn't unique in getting recycled on ebay. So are the photos. No one used anything but the same photo... must be "robot" websites that just repeat all they find, and never contribute original material. Why would anyone waste time on that sort of blog?

Why is it that some cars just keep getting flipped for profit, or investment potential? Don't these lose profit for most owners? Don't they ever find owners that are going to keep and enjoy them?

The previous owner also owned and sold a 1927 American La France hot air balloon basket retrieval car... yeah, that takes a bit to wrap your mind around... but how else would they go fetch their hot air ballons in the 1920's? http://www.victorycars.com/inventory_details.asp?InventoryNum=953

Via: http://carnut1.blogspot.com/ but all the homework of digging up it's rapid flipping auctions and sales are my own waste of time.

For another incredible creation of Gary Wales, similar to this, but based on a LaFrance Speedster see

http://www.tomstrongman.com/ClassicCars/LaBestioni/Index.htm

Does this look good because of the red white and blue? Or the bare metal with grinder marks?

The huge wagon wheels under that body look pretty damn good too.

Not the common offroading Jeeps, (looks like 1969-1970 Cherokee) looking more interesting than regular Jeep,

ordinary Chevy trucks looking great due to a restoration and perfect paint.

Pretty good for plain old Chevy trucks huh?!

Monster truck crash compilation

Luckiest kid I've ever come across, his parents made him a couple mini Monster Trucks

Wouldn't this truck be the coolest toy for any 7 yr old kid to play with?

Did you know a 71 Barrcuda body will slip over an '01 Viper without it's body? Don't know why you'd not be happy with either, and want both in one car

They made them at http://www.timemachinesinc.com/pastcustoms/71vipercuda/ 6 years ago, just an extra floor structure, wheel tub work, and add a couple inches to the Viper frame rails to extend the wheel base for the cuda wheel locations.

Wrecked Vipers are the speciality of X2 Collision in Maryville Illinois http://www.x2builders.com/default.asp

funniest thing I read all day, the writing of Scott Longman in Mopar Action, Feb 2011 issue, '68 Power Wagon feature

"Displacement! No, MORE displacement! No, more than THAT! Offset journals and crank throws and who gives a good rat's thyroid if the piston skirts are in contact with the holes at the bottom end!

496 CID? No! More! 500? Keep at it! A Callies crank? 540? Yes!

540 flag waving, magnificent, glory laden American cubic inches! But flow? Heads! From Indy! Fire hoses have less flow! Fuel injection? Not a chance! No drama! No history!

Carbs! Leviathan carbs! 900! No! 1,000! What, are you lame? 1,100! Yes! 2200 CFM worth of carbs at full throttle that look like the Deep Throat Tunnel project during a class 5 rainstorm!

And what do you mean, atmospheric pressure? If I want atmospheric pressure, I'll inhale! Belts! Blowers! Boost! No, MORE boost! No, more than THAT! A Procharger F1R!

Dammit Boost is America! Why the hell did we go through the revolutionary war and adopt Adam Smith and put up the flag on Mt Suribachi and survive Jimmy Carter if we aren't going to have boost? How's 20 pounds? 20? Not a chance! make it a nice round number like 29! What? The motor will blow up? Intercoolers! No, bigger than that!

Set to chill Chernobyl! Heat exchangers that hang icicles in Hades! We're going for a column of air that would flash freeze green beans, denser that Elena Kagan, but half the weight and triple the throughput!"

Did you know there was a race to the South Pole in a Biodiesel powered vehicel?

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=929487&page=3

Carroll Shelby prototype Cobra #1. The progenitor of the Shelby AC Cobra and Shelby 427 AC, it is CSX0001

read all about it: http://www.supercars.net/cars/5132.html

Saleen Motor Sports (SMS) 570 Challenger... the hood louvers are functional! Unlike 68 Camaro and 69 Roadrunner mesh louvers

The Big Job '56 Ford F750

Sox and Martin Super Stock Barracuda on display at the Gear Vendors booth at SEMA

There were 80 1968 S/S Dodge Dart Hdtps and 70 1968 S/S Plymouth Barracuda Sport Hdtps built.

The only thing better than a SS Barracuda is the following SS Dart

Fastest factory quarter miler ever, the Super Stock Dodge Dart. Here is one sponsored by Mr Norm

50 were built http://www.ehow.com/list_7383614_1968-dodge-dart-specs.html

Although racers like Dick Landy and Don Garlits had modified Darts in the mid-60s to run in the NHRA Funny Car class using the 426 Hemi, Super Stock class racing of the Dart was almost non-existent due to the small V-8s available. In 1968, Dodge contracted Hurst Performance to build a limited number of 440 in³ V8-wedge and 426 Hemi-powered Darts to compete in the SS/B class as the LO23 Hurst Hemi Dart.

Dart body shells were shipped to Hurst who would install a magnesium cross ram-inducted 426 Hemi into the engine bay, facilitated by sledge hammer hits to the fender wells to make room for the Hemi's installation. The rear wheel well arches were also modified in the same manner the shock towers were modified up front. Fiberglass nose, fenders and hood, lightened bumpers, no side view mirrors, radio and heater delete, no soundproofing in the floor and firewall, no back seat, a trunk-mounted battery, acid dipped doors, belt straps for window cranks, Lexan windows, and Dodge A100 van seats mounted on drilled seat rails for decreased weight.

When shipped to a dealership, a Hemi Dart had a disclaimer on the window stating "Warning: this Super Stock vehicle is to be shipped on the bottom level only of all rail and truck transportation"; this was to ensure that the Hemi's low-hanging oil pan would not get damaged and keep the fiberglass nose from being damaged on any low-hanging obstacles.

These cars would successfully cover the quarter mile with elapsed times in the ten second range. According to Chrysler staff engineer Larry Shepard, the majority of these Darts were Hemi powered, all though a small pilot run of fifty 440-powered Darts were also built in 1968, in 1969, over 600 were built with thte 440







Would you believe one of these was found with only 33 miles on it? Well, maybe one was, but the story was that one of these was raced once, put in the garage. Guy passed away and his kids inherited a 12.5:1 dual quad race hemi with open headers. Nice car to inherit huh?! Well it didn't happen, someone was pulling the wool on MoparMuscle and told them a tall tale. No idea why, but they wrote it up anyway http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/mopp_0208_1968_dodge_dart_hemi_super_stock/index.html