Looking ahead 40 years
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From: Mish-she-gan
I like hav'en the S2000 look'en great, same as the next guy. In fact, I just jumped on the Zanio group buy. But I also know that sportscars were ment for sport. Here's a couple paragraphs to help us keep that in perspective:
"And as great as all that was, the cars you saw just drivin' around on the streets of Elkhart Lake were incredible. There goes a guy just nonchalantly cruising down the road in his '57 Jaguar XKSS. Or the guy from Illinois with his '56 Ferrari 250 GT in two-tone green of all things. Or stumbling across a stunning Jaguar XK120M in Black in the parking lot by Siebkins. And then they drive the race cars down into town from the track on Friday night with police escort, but by then I was in a daze (or was it the Leinenkugel's? -ed.).
But the absolute topper for me was parked right on Lake Street, the main drag in Elkhart lake. There it was in all its totally unrestored beauty. A 1963 black 289 Shelby Cobra. And when I say unrestored, folks, I mean unrestored. There were dents and stone chips and thousands of miles of melted-tennis-shoe-to- the-aluminum floorboard drivin' on the thing. People just stood around it in silent awe. it was so nice to see the beast just sitting there, like it was meant to be seen. No hermetically sealed environment. No weirdo wiping it off because, heaven forbid, some air may have gotten on it. No perfectly folded seatbelts or dorky Cobra tchotchke displays arrayed in the interior. No cutesy license plate frame or bad "personalized" plate. Just one of the baddest, most beautiful brutes of a sports car that there ever was or ever will be, just sittin' there silently in all its bug-encrusted glory. " (From AutoExtremists)
So in 40 years what will your's look like - a garage queen or a nicely worn piece of history?
"And as great as all that was, the cars you saw just drivin' around on the streets of Elkhart Lake were incredible. There goes a guy just nonchalantly cruising down the road in his '57 Jaguar XKSS. Or the guy from Illinois with his '56 Ferrari 250 GT in two-tone green of all things. Or stumbling across a stunning Jaguar XK120M in Black in the parking lot by Siebkins. And then they drive the race cars down into town from the track on Friday night with police escort, but by then I was in a daze (or was it the Leinenkugel's? -ed.).
But the absolute topper for me was parked right on Lake Street, the main drag in Elkhart lake. There it was in all its totally unrestored beauty. A 1963 black 289 Shelby Cobra. And when I say unrestored, folks, I mean unrestored. There were dents and stone chips and thousands of miles of melted-tennis-shoe-to- the-aluminum floorboard drivin' on the thing. People just stood around it in silent awe. it was so nice to see the beast just sitting there, like it was meant to be seen. No hermetically sealed environment. No weirdo wiping it off because, heaven forbid, some air may have gotten on it. No perfectly folded seatbelts or dorky Cobra tchotchke displays arrayed in the interior. No cutesy license plate frame or bad "personalized" plate. Just one of the baddest, most beautiful brutes of a sports car that there ever was or ever will be, just sittin' there silently in all its bug-encrusted glory. " (From AutoExtremists)
So in 40 years what will your's look like - a garage queen or a nicely worn piece of history?
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From: North of Alpharetta
Right NOW my s2k daily driver looks like a nicely worn piece of history! (rain leftovers, bird poop, mud, pollen). However, after the Atlanta club has our zaino fest on Saturday, I believe it will be a garage queen! I think there's a nice middle ground ... forty years from now (yes, I will be driving it at 80!) I want people to marvel at how beautiful I've kept a car that I've driven so happily for so long. How's that??? 
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dlq04
What'd you go and do that for????
Man, I am really jonesin' for Road America now!!! This will be the first year in well over 10 that I miss the June Sprints (due to S2KDays) and I am also missing the Spring vintage festival because of vacation. The RA 500 will be my first trip to the great American track and I can't wait!!! I have been visiting Elkhart Lake for almost half of my life and each year is anticipated more than the last.
There is something special about Cobras in their original state. Even a well restored one can strike deep. The grace of a XK120 is truely special, the beauty of an Series I E-type roadster is beyond compare. If you stand next to a '50's Ferrari you can almost hear the stories from back in the day.
The S2000 has all the qualities to make it classic roadster. I hope that one day it achieves this status. Will it rate with Cobras and D-Types? I don't think so. Those cars are that of legend. They have race history to support them. But will the S2000 be a great car to drive and look it in 40 years. You bet it will!
What'd you go and do that for????
Man, I am really jonesin' for Road America now!!! This will be the first year in well over 10 that I miss the June Sprints (due to S2KDays) and I am also missing the Spring vintage festival because of vacation. The RA 500 will be my first trip to the great American track and I can't wait!!! I have been visiting Elkhart Lake for almost half of my life and each year is anticipated more than the last.
There is something special about Cobras in their original state. Even a well restored one can strike deep. The grace of a XK120 is truely special, the beauty of an Series I E-type roadster is beyond compare. If you stand next to a '50's Ferrari you can almost hear the stories from back in the day.
The S2000 has all the qualities to make it classic roadster. I hope that one day it achieves this status. Will it rate with Cobras and D-Types? I don't think so. Those cars are that of legend. They have race history to support them. But will the S2000 be a great car to drive and look it in 40 years. You bet it will!
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From: Erock's my boat!
Originally posted by dlq04
So in 40 years what will your's look like - a garage queen or a nicely worn piece of history?
So in 40 years what will your's look like - a garage queen or a nicely worn piece of history?
but, i probably won't care 'cause in 40 years, i'll either be dead or piloting my very own personal aircraft
thinking of moving to the space station too!
sorry, i'm having a tough day and needed to interject some humour, somewhere.....
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From: Torrance
My car will probably look somewhere in between a garage queen and a nicely worn piece of history. I'll have all the nicks and scratches, but I like keeping my cars clean, so it will still look nice and shiny.
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From: Fremont
I just had to join these musings about Road America. Been going there since '96 as an AMA 250 GP motorcycle tuner and engine/bike builder (two national championships to show for it--the rider was Chuck Sorensen). My wife and I stay at the same place in Plymouth every year. That 4.0 miles of track has got to be the most beautiful in America, if not the world, despite the rain that inevitably falls in June (I've been to Silverstone and Donnington Park, England and Catalunya, Spain twice, as well as a variety of smaller tracks in Europe). I would try to steal "track time" at RA on a pit bike each year just to requaint myself with the scenery and the turns, and usually get booted off in the turn five runoff area (although I did make it all the way around once).
Been to most of the other major road race circuits in the US, and the only one which comes close to the intrinsic beauty of RA IMHO is Laguna Seca--well, OK, Mid-Ohio is pretty scenic too. I will say that I'm biased though, because my wife and I got married on the Start/Finish line at Laguna Seca five years ago tomorrow (April 18, 1997), during an AMA weekend--my wife says she agreed to that venue because it was the one place she knew she could find me. Anyway, we still talk about moving to that part of Wisconsin (Plymouth, Elkhart Lake, etc) on retirement. I'm not racing this year, and that's one place I'll truly miss. Siebkins, etc are unmatched anywhere else in the Country.
Been to most of the other major road race circuits in the US, and the only one which comes close to the intrinsic beauty of RA IMHO is Laguna Seca--well, OK, Mid-Ohio is pretty scenic too. I will say that I'm biased though, because my wife and I got married on the Start/Finish line at Laguna Seca five years ago tomorrow (April 18, 1997), during an AMA weekend--my wife says she agreed to that venue because it was the one place she knew she could find me. Anyway, we still talk about moving to that part of Wisconsin (Plymouth, Elkhart Lake, etc) on retirement. I'm not racing this year, and that's one place I'll truly miss. Siebkins, etc are unmatched anywhere else in the Country.
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From: Chicago
dlq04 -
You are killing me, my man!
IMHO, Laguna and Wadkins Glen are the only other tracks that have what RA has.
The Monterey Historics at Laguna are unmatched in the quality of machinery displayed and raced. A truely awesome event. The Pebble Beach weekend always has one or two cars that you can't quite take your eyes off - this year it was a silver Ferrari GTO - it was truely breathtaking - I took about 100 pictures of it!
This warm weather sure does have me ready for the race season. I think I'm going to Road Atlanta in a couple of weeks for the Mitty Challenge to kick off the season!
You are killing me, my man!
IMHO, Laguna and Wadkins Glen are the only other tracks that have what RA has.
The Monterey Historics at Laguna are unmatched in the quality of machinery displayed and raced. A truely awesome event. The Pebble Beach weekend always has one or two cars that you can't quite take your eyes off - this year it was a silver Ferrari GTO - it was truely breathtaking - I took about 100 pictures of it!
This warm weather sure does have me ready for the race season. I think I'm going to Road Atlanta in a couple of weeks for the Mitty Challenge to kick off the season!
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From: Mish-she-gan
jdracing,
Sounds like you've made the rounds... some great tracks. Another one I like is Mosport. Your stories of RA reminded me of the night I drove my Nissian Maxima with 3 buddies around RA after a little to much of spirits at keg party at the track. The guards caught up with us at bathroom afterwards (you can't hold it for ever) but in the end let us go. I've stayed in Plymouth two or three times as well... in fact, my wife and I got escorted by a police officer all the way from Elkhart to Plymouth because the tail lights in my MG had crapped out after a dinner and drinks. Good thing I didn't have to take a breath test that night.
That's neat getting married at the track.
Sounds like you've made the rounds... some great tracks. Another one I like is Mosport. Your stories of RA reminded me of the night I drove my Nissian Maxima with 3 buddies around RA after a little to much of spirits at keg party at the track. The guards caught up with us at bathroom afterwards (you can't hold it for ever) but in the end let us go. I've stayed in Plymouth two or three times as well... in fact, my wife and I got escorted by a police officer all the way from Elkhart to Plymouth because the tail lights in my MG had crapped out after a dinner and drinks. Good thing I didn't have to take a breath test that night.
That's neat getting married at the track.