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Dec 24, 2015 11:36:31 GMT
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Once the car was loaded back onto the trailer, Scott piloted the Tundra westwards once again and we continued our way through the Rockies. It was a long trip and I have to say, Scott was amazing....not once faltering. I offered to take over from time to time but he just pressed on into the night. Even in the darkness the scenery was impressive and eventually the landscape started to change. The view opened up more and more, the mountains turned to hills, to the flat plain that is Vancouver. We were here....14 hours after departing, it was gone 3am and we decided to find a hotel to put our heads down for a few hours. After calling numerous hotels, we finally found one with a spare room. The kindly opened up a closed area of the car park so that there was space to put the road train, which at nearly 4am was a nice thing for them to do! We headed to our hotel room and just crashed for a few hours. 7.30am we were up - we had to get the car to the shipping agents. It was Sunday and they never open on the weekends, but my shipping agent in the UK had convinced Rik, the owner, to come in early on a Sunday on the basis of 'if this guy has flown across the world and then spent 14 hours on the road to get the car to the docks, the least you could do is pop down the road and open up for an hour'. It worked! Rik was there waiting for us at 8am. We pulled the car off the trailer and I took the opportunity to drive it around the industrial estate for a few seconds before parking it in the secure yard. Rik did all the paperwork, and that was it....just like that, after all this build up, all this time, all this planning, the car was finally out of my hands. It was exciting to know it was finally going to be heading to the UK but it was also slightly nerving to think that I now had no say in the matter. Walking away from that yard meant I would not see the car until it arrived in England. And anything could happen to it in that time? I couldn't let that thought get to me, there were other more important things to focus on now. I had a flight to catch and Scott had to catch a ferry over to Vancouver Island. Seeing as he was 'over this way' he'd decided to head over to the island to see some family and also, seeing as the trailer was attached and now empty, it was a good chance to collect another one of his cars that was stored at his mother-in-laws. We got to the airport and said our goodbyes. I genuinely didn't want to leave, I didn't want to say goodbye to Scott, or Clay....it would mean the end of an incredible time. But the flight was booked, and so was Scott's ferry. We gave each other a massive man hug and said our goodbyes, it was a sad moment for me but I'd made some incredible friends in the Sherman family and I knew I'd see them again one day. Thank you Scott, Yvonne, Clay, Gracie and Roxy for making this such a memorable, unforgettable time. I pass through the check in and watch through the glass fronted terminal as the Tundra heads off into the distance. Time to head back to Toronto.
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Dec 24, 2015 11:06:58 GMT
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Wow! Just read all 26 pages of this! epic!!!!! Would make a great story for Roadkills magazine! Amazing writing! Many thanks for the vote of confidence. I would love to do something like that, but I'm having enough trouble keeping this thread updated let alone trying to force details onto someone other poor sucker! If I do get chance later, I'll certainly see if I can put something down in writing for them. Thanks again. More stunning shots and a back drop to kill for...doesn't anyone else use the roads out there? The highways seem deserted or are you slipping shots inbetween traffic. On a different note and I guess a little ways down the road, but I'd love to see the mechanics face when you bring this in for it's first Uk mot test and even more so when he presents you with the ticket to drive away. Looking forward to the continuing story! P.S I think your old English teacher didn't know Sh!t! The odd car or two did pass, but seldom enough that you could get some shots in well before the next one. My local MOT man is looking forward to seeing the car. He's used to the random stuff I drive and this one came as no surprise to him when I showed him some photos of it. The thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing that piece of paper giving me 12 months access to UK roads! Also, now I know who you are, talk about blast from the past! It was Mrs Cowley who taught me English. Remember her? I got suspended for three days for sticking my finger up her bum! (100% true story). I still laugh about that now and can't remember if it was you or James Hassett that instigated it? What an epic thread. I started this last night around 11pm while getting stuck into a bottle of Bombay Saphire. I got to page 22 and the 2nd Porsche. Next think I wake up and it's 2am and I'd fallen asleep with my iPad on my lap. Just in bed now having a Xmas eve lie in and finished the rest of it. When do these cars arrive in the uk? Funnily enough, I fell asleep last night writing another update. I got woken up when the computer was frantically beeping at me...only to find a 'create post' message box full of askdawsfdasfaefaskfkasdfasdfasfasfgaregasdkfassdfasdfasdfasfasdfasdkfsadfgasdgsadkfsdkafsad (ad infinitum) after one normal paragraph. And a face with an acute imprint of my keyboard all down one side of it. I figured it time to go to bed? As for the cars arriving, they are already here. Want to see them? One part of this that Bruce left out was after the last panning shot, a good size bull moose ran across the road in front of me... It was a very close call. Close enough to tell you that it's testicles were about the size of apples... Unfortunately neither Bruce nor Clay got a shot of the moose but both saw it. There were 3 skid marks, 2 were on the road, one was someplace else... Damn, how the hell did I forget to write that down? I'd been meaning to write it in, but guess I just forgot in the rush to get that installment posted before heading out to a family get together yesterday morning. The seat still smells a bit 'ripe' - but more than anything I cannot believe two things: The SIZE of that moose, it was *huge*! And also that I didn't get a photo. I'd just dropped the camera down after your pass, only to hear the sound of screeching tyres. Looking up to see the 911 heading rapidly (in a cloud of tyre smoke) towards the massive beast was a chilling sight and I can only imagine how it must have seemed from the drivers seat! Amazing save...
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Dec 23, 2015 11:42:51 GMT
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So here I am with my Porsche. In the Rockies. I know I can waffle on (that's something I never have a problem with) but I've never been the greatest at revealing my feelings. I was rubbish at English (got a grade D which my teacher says I should be grateful for, that I got lucky) and my GF could certainly verify that when it comes to letting my feelings be known, I'm about as expressive as the hallway light. Or the fridge door. I'm able to function, but beyond that...... And so I find myself stood here amongst some of the most impressive scenery I've ever encountered, with one of the most amazing cars (way above and beyond the fact it's a 911) I'll ever have the opportunity to own and I'm watching it blast up and down the mountain roads with the guy that built it behind the wheel. THAT MOMENT! That moment is something I truly don't know how to put into words. I was stood there with a huge lump in my throat...it was genuinely overwhelming. I mean, it's just a car. I love cars but I've never felt this kind of connection to one before. The sight of it amongst the mountains The SOUND of that flat six filling the air with a noise that was intoxicating Everything just came together All the elements of the trip so far, even the people back in Toronto who weren't here with me, all came together.... ....to make this a moment I'll never ever forget. I genuinely cannot express how I felt right then, I doubt I ever will? But I can tell you this, in the best voice of Vinnie Jones, "It was emotional" Absolute perfection.
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Dec 23, 2015 11:18:45 GMT
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Many thanks for the amazing comments everyone - not that it changes anything because I want to write the story anyway, but it's really nice to hear that you're enjoying it too. Hope you enjoyed Vancouver, it's the only bit of Canada I've spent time around but, as you say, the folks there are just genuinely friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Unfortunately I was only in Vancouver for about two hours. However, I was there for quite a while back in 2007 where it was my 'base' before I headed off on an adventure to Vancouver Island, taking in (and spending at least two or three days at each of the following places) Victoria, Cowichan Lake, Gabriola Island, Fanny Bay, Tofino, Courtenay/Comox. Then back over to the mainland to Powell River, Squamish, Harrison...then off into the mountains on an expedition followed by some time in Kamloops, then Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish (again) and finally a week in Vancouver before flying home. It was amazing! Here are some shots from the expedition: Setting up camp on the first night. Getting rather merry in the mountains! Heading deeper into the wilds, a good day from civilisation in any direction from here. Some of the tracks were seriously steep! This one was nearly a 1:2! Stunning scenery away from civilisation. A good two day drive in any direction to get to any kind of town from here. Mountain passes were breathtaking! Back in the 'normal' world: My first night in Victoria and I ended up meeting a bunch of amazing guys who just 'took me in'. The guy on the right, who I'd only just met that night, let me stay at his apartment for three days. He then took time off work to show me around the area including a trip in his friends yacht down the coast to Seattle. Stuff you could never plan, it just happens! Exploring the mountains in and around Squamish with Neil and his lovely Mitsubishi Jeep. Downtown Vancouver from Burnaby where I was staying with Mitch, who also came on the trip through the mountains, "Dude, when you're back in Vancouver, you'll have to come and stay with me" (as seems to be the Canadian way?) Goose Spit in Comox with the Comox glacier in the background. Mount Washington. Being on the sunny beach in Comox, then in the snowy mountains 45 mins later was a surreal experience. One of the many lakes on the Pacific Rim highway Long Beach, Tofino, STUNNING! I loved Tofino. I loved ALL of this trip! Classic jetty and floating house on Cowichan Lake Overlooking Cowichan Lake. I was in BC for nearly two months on this trip and this was the only night I stayed in a hotel. This was because the family I was going to be staying with had just welcomed their new born baby into the world. They still showed me around but I chose not to stay at their place to give them space with their four day old child. Amazing people. Horseshoe Bay from the ferry on my way back down to Vancouver from Powell River. I think this was my fave photo from the trip. I'd not been able to get any shots of the dolphins alongside the ferry, I only had a cheap point and shoot (this was way before I ever tried a proper camera), but the sailing was almost surreal in the mist. Magical. That trip was the first time I'd ever flown anywhere in my life. My second ever flight was to Canada to collect the Porsche. I think you can kind of see that Canada must have had an impact on me?
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Dec 22, 2015 10:26:18 GMT
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Away from the farm (which I'm already missing) it's amazing how different the car looks. The same item in a completely different surrounding, a different context and the whole voyage of discovery starts again, seeing things you hadn't noticed or seeing them in a different way. It's like that enormously satisfying feeling of peeling off huge bits of wallpaper at a time only to find, once you've worked your way around the room that there is another layer of wallpaper beneath so you get the satisfaction of tackling that all over. And then you step back and the wind is is knocked right out of you when you take in the whole view: I've got to head to London now....got a date with a Sierra, a powerstation and a camera. Three things I never thought I'd put together in a single sentence? More to come later.
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Dec 22, 2015 10:14:38 GMT
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While in the midst of the sublimely beautiful Rocky Mountains, Scott pulls over. I'd been quite excited at the prospect of this part of the trip, it was something we'd discussed a few times before I flew to Canada and it was something I was particularly looking forward to. As much as seeing The Chump for the first time, as much as getting to drive the 911 for the first time, THIS was a highlight moment that I knew I had to make the most of. This is not an exaggeration. The 911 is more to me than the sum of its parts. It's the embodiment of the trip, the tangible mass that ties me to Canada in a way that's hard to explain. It is Scott, it is James, JP, Yvonne, the landscape, the laughs....it is everything above and beyond one of the best cars I could ever own (with Bryn...which adds an even greater layer of connection) So, here we are in the middle of the Rockies with this car. Why not capture the moment for posterity? As far as backdrops go, the Rockies is 'OK' I suppose? It'll do.
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Scott, although I do not share your automotive addiction in this case, I really like your life style: family, farm, f...olkswagens bigger brother. Thanks to you, too for making a huge part of this fine thread possible. Amen to that. If it wasn't for amazing people like Scott, his family, camerashy, his friends and the other people I met along the way....this would have been a tale of staring at motel ceilings and waiting for flights, with maybe the odd interest break that I had a burger. The people are the people are the foundations, the bricks, the mortar and the roof of this story. The rest is the furniture....which would be just items left out in the cold if they didn't have the context to tie them all together and give them meaning. curse word analogy, but I know what I mean.... Also, celebrating the "NOW MOMENT" and enjoying it to the max. I found myself on my US trip doing that multiple times a day. Thank you friend. And thank *you* because, likewise, I got the same message and feeling when reading your thread. I know full well that you are very much a person who appreciates everything that happens, even the rough....knowing it makes the good times even sweeter. Do you Know if you will be able to road register it in the UK, or will it continue its like as a track car? I would have thought it may need a couple a creature comforts for this, but as we know you drive THAT land rover on the road, so just having a roof should be enough. Yep, the plan is to get it road legal and registered. There is no reason it can't be because I can prove the identity of the car, I have a reasonable paper trail and the fact it was de-registered in Canada doesn't affect its eligibility for registration over here. Compared to the LR, this thing is positively luxurious. Just joined, purely to read this story! It's like a thriller that I keep sneaking a minute here or there to read a page or two. Mystery Machine, you have a great way way of writing and the photographs convey emotion, context and place beautifully. Well done. I'm also not entirely un-envious of that 911, I've never "got" the whole Porsche thing but that car is just fabulous. I hope there's a way of keeping the finish in the UK. Keep writing, keep shooting, you really are doing a superb job and I'm loving it. -Simon Thank you Simon, I really appreciate it. Do check out the rest of the forum and a few good places to start are the Readers Rides section where there are some truly awe inspiring builds. Then within this section I can highly recommend Grizz's own Epic road trip to the USA There's also B3nson's European road trip and SurprisingSkoda's Gatebil road trip both of which I haven't had chance to read myself yet, but am saving them for sometime over Christmas when I can take the time to enjoy them both to the full like I did the USA trip thread. Canada, 911s and the Rocky Mountains. Doesn't get much better than that. I think you'll like the next bit then.....
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^Perfectly sums it up^ Might look that up....thanks *n
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The trip into the Rockies is amazing on so many levels. Firstly, it's just stunning. Beautiful. Captivating. Scott informs me that in a week the leaves will take on their chameleon colour change and the landscape will turn the most amazing vista of reds and oranges. I'm a little gutted that I won't get to see it, but then it's just an opportunity to come back in order to do so. It's also humbling. These vast monuments dating back many millions of years, a range of mountains so vast it's so hard to comprehend their scale. Anything I could ever achieve in my life, even if it's significant, is but a spec of dust landing on a leaf, on a tree on the side of a huge piece of rock that is as old as time as we know it. Scale and perspective for what we are really doing here really does come into your mind when faced with 10 hours solid of landscape that will be unchanged long after man is no longer walking this earth. You'll probably notice that the past number of shots are all from my phone? I kept my camera in my bag for most of this bit simply because I wanted to just enjoy the landscape, take it all in and not lose the moment by trying to capture it all with my camera. These shots DO NOT do the Rockies justice, not even close. But they are more to show that we did make the trip. A verification of my amazing journey through these mountains rather than an attempt to capture their beauty. Only being there can really do that. In a matter of a week or so, the road we are taking will be closed. The weather will dictate that no access in this area will be possible - this is a hostile landscape and mother nature takes no prisoners up here once autumn starts to take hold. Closing the roads through the mountains is the only way to ensure that lives aren't lost. You simply wouldn't make it so it's just easier to make sure people don't try. We stop at a roadside services near Banff where I spot this stuck to a noticeboard. It would seem comical if it wasn't actually necessary for anyone wandering about in the wilderness here. This isn't sensationalist marketing, this is real life in the Rockies! 5.7 litres of petrol guzzling engine in a HUGE 4x4 towing a car and trailer through mountain passes meant this was a regular occurance: One second you can be in bright sunshine, the next in pouring rain. This was middle of the day but the thickness of the clouds made it feel like dusk. I only saw but a tiny fraction of the tempestuous nature these mountains can throw at mankind. If there was one photo to sum up the drive to Vancover: My one regret, I didn't take it with my camera. My one comfort was that I took it at all. So easily an opportunity missed. Then we pulled over and I got my camera out for what was one of the most memorable moments of my life. Ever.
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As I awake the next morning, the mother of all tractors pulls into the farm. This thing is HUGE! It belongs to one of the neighbours and is here to help with the harvesting of Scott and Yvonne's crops. I'm asked if I'd like to join in and help out. I do actually consider how it would impact on my return to the UK if I were to take a few extra days here. Part of me doesn't want to leave, instead I want to call my GF and tell her to book flights, get out here ASAP with Jed and just leave the keys to the house with a local estate agents. Tempting. I decide to be sensible and kindly decline the offer. It's time to leave, despite my reluctance. Scott and I load the car onto his trailer, we hook that up to his Tundra and we're ready to hit the road. Clay decides he wants to come along....he wants to see the car off and also to get to "Spend time with Dad and Bruce"I don't think I really told Yvonne or Scott how much I was going to miss them, or how honoured I was to be able to spend this time with them. The loveliest people, truly the best. We head out down the dirt driveway, a mile of dusty opportunity for me to conveniently ask to go back because I'd 'forgotten' something. But life goes on, we move forward and there were bound to be other adventures ahead. The farm gets every smaller in the mirror. But the sight of the Porsche following close behind brings a smile to my face. There will definitely be other adventures ahead! Scott points the Tundra westwards and we head towards the Rockies. A 12+ hour drive lies ahead.
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So on my last night in Blackie, my last night with this incredible family, I get to enjoy a lovely pizza and some great laughs around the dining table but all the while knowing I'll be leaving it all behind in the morning. I'm not one to hang onto the past, but I do very often feel like I want to hang onto the present. A lot of people spend their lives wishing time away and wanting what is yet to come at the expense of appreciating 'the now'. I just relish every moment that I'm lucky enough to encounter and boy had I won the lottery when it came to meeting amazing people on this trip. I knew there were exciting times to come, but at the same time I didn't want this time to be over. I headed out to the 911, started it up and moved it over to the spotlight near the workshop. This gave me some light to work with but for a while I just sat there in the car, taking it all in and smiling to myself at how this family had let a complete stranger from England, here to buy a car, stay with them and be part of their family for a week. Not just as a guest, but to really be a part of their life for those six days. I got out and started packing the spare parts into the car. A suspension arm, front bumper, some spotlights etc... all of which would easily fit into a 911, but with a massive cage and other race car parepenalia to content with, it took some Tetris like juggling to fit them in. I chained them all together to help minimise anything getting nicked, especially as the car has no side windows. Or locks. Time to *try* and get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day and I knew I was going to miss Yvonne, Clay, Gracie and my special friend, Roxy.
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Once the race car was finished, it was entered into the Chump Car World Series. An endurance race series where cars have to have been built within a certain budget, so when Scott & Andrew turned up in a 911, all prepped and ready to race, there was a lot of questioning and they were heavily penalised because it was doubted they could have built the car withing the guidelines and budget. They then set about compiling documentary evidence to show it was not only possible, but that they could do it again with other Porsches and Porsche parts available on eBay etc...if they had the time. I have a folder here FULL of eBay and other online adverts for project cars, engines and so on with prices that would make your eyes water! "Knowing what we know now", says Scott, "I'd have bought literally every single car and engine from those adverts back then" The folder shows other 991 cars for sale for $400 (£200), $350 (£175) and engines for similar money. Just imagine having access to that kind of resource now? Forget 'if only you were nearer', it should be, 'if only I'd have known?' The huge wealth of documentation was finally accepted and they were then allowed to race in the series competitively. And that, my friends, is how The Chump was born. For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of Scott racing The Chump at Spokane race circuit in 2012. Turn your speakers up.
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Dec 21, 2015 23:51:07 GMT
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OK, so what's the story behind the enigmatic 'Chump' 911? Well, it is a 1973 911T which had a 2.4l flat six. It was apparently restored quite a way back by a well known Porsche 'restorer' in Calgary. After the restoration it looked like this: ^THE actual car!^ It was bought by the president of the Porsche Club (Canada), Ken McDonald, who also had a '77 911 wide body coupe and a 356. He was, apparently, draining the fuel tank down in his garage whilst preparing to hibernate the car for winter. He went into his house for a moment and while out of the garage, the furnace fired up, the fumes from the draining tank ignited and everything went up in flames. He lost all three cars to the fire. And the garage. Mr McDonald claimed that none of the cars were insured at the time and the Porsche Club held a fundraiser to help him out. When Scott discovered the car was for sale, it turned out there was no registration for it. This only happens when an insurance company pays out for a wrecked car, the reg is cancelled/revoked and this prevents the car from being allowed back on the road. So the car was insured after all...and Mr McDonald had been pretty devious in allowing the club to give him a big fundraised hand-out for his cars when it transpires he'd already had the money from his insurance. What a little ****!! The VIN that is stamped into the car had been sanded away when Scott and Andrew went to buy it and this is believed to have been done in an attempt to the true ID of the car and the fact it had been insured and subsequently had its reg revoked. "He was very dodgy about giving us a bill of sale for the car and we provided the VIN number (which we read off the underside of the panel with a mirror)." - So Scott and Andrew basically caught him out! Here's the bill of sale to Andrew from Ken. On the back, note the price...that's £150....FOR A 911!!!! That's all they were worth back in 2009 when Scott & Andrew bought the car, but now this shell alone would be worth at least thirty times that! Even in this state. They bought the car, now knowing that it couldn't be put back on the road in Alberta due to the insurance payout but weren't too bothered because they were buying it to turn it into a race car, "For our purposes we didn't need to be able to register it, we would have liked to use it as a rally car but you need to be able to insure and register it for this."It turns out Mr MacDonald was quite a dab hand at wheeling and dealing in a manner that would even have Arthur Daily squirming. "There was another incident where Andrew sold Ken a very rusty 70 911S shell. Ken tried to get away with restamping this VIN onto a 69 T but Andrew noticed that the VIN matched the shell he sold Ken and they certainly were not the same car. There is a thread about this on the early911sregistry.org."Have a read for yourself here: ww.early911sregistry.org/forums/showthread.php?58245-Help-with-Possible-Fraud!! A 911S is FAR more desirable, sought after and valuable than a 911T, so this was basically fraud. If you ever get offered a car from Ken McDonald of Canada, be very careful! Anyway, Scott and Andrew got their hands on the 911 and this is how it looked the when they first got it. They set about blasting the undersides, insides etc...to clean it all up and rebuild it as a race car. Despite its appearances, it's a remarkably solid shell. Sure, it was full of masses of thick filler from its 'restoration' but underneath, everything is completely solid. No rot! It's a car that truly belies its outwards appearance. Scott and Andrew sourced a new engine for it in the shape of a 2.7 which they then fitted with Zenith carbs (avoiding the injection system that was standard), rejetted the carbs, custom made the venturis (Scott made these himself) and then fitted a distributor-less ignition set-up with Megajolt, EDIS and running Dodge Caravan (Chrysler Voyager) coil packs. Scott designed all the ignition map and it runs a switchable ignition. 911T map for normal driving and a 2.7 RS map for fast road and race driving. The wealth of paperwork and charts to go with this set-up is overwhelming! This isn't just an engine thrown into the hole! A 911 901 'dogleg' 5 speed is fitted with a custom clutch set-up. 80s 911 SC suspension, brakes and steering cover the handling and road holding. Meanwhile a plumbed in fire extinghusiher system, FULL roll cage, polycarb windows and stripped out interior finish up the race car side of things. It's a pretty impressive package overall, all wrapped in that wonderful body which reminds me very much of the Ray Bradbury novel; The Illustrated Man, where an unknown man is covered in tattoos, each of which tell a story. Who needs a service book to have history?
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Dec 21, 2015 22:42:59 GMT
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Dec 21, 2015 22:00:13 GMT
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Sleep evaded me that night. I'd like to put it down to feeling utterly ill, and this could probably be attributed in a small part, but in truth it was because I was childishly excited about this car. Had I turned up in Blackie and the car was running, driving and having all the bits sorted I would have been beside myself with happiness. But seeing the being brought back to life, working on it, spending time with Scott and the family, spending time with his other cars.....all of this made is so much more special. You just cannot buy these kind of experiences. This has made the car infinitely more special to me that if I'd have just simply bought it. The next morning, while the family are busy doing family things, I spend some time just walking around the car in the early morning sunshine, soaking in all the details. That Mona Lisa experience thing again....but this time my feelings towards the car are exponentially greater. It's rough, it's really rough but it's just amazing. This shot reminds me, I need to tell you all about the history of this car. How it came about....I'll do that a bit later tonight. I don't think I could ever get bored of looking at this thing! It's my last day in Calgary and Scott wants to get some shots of all the cars together. I decide to put them all in front of the hay bales, nice backdrop which really reflects their surroundings. What a line-up, what an incredible line-up! Spending time with all of these cars has been a real experience and I count myself to be incredibly lucky. but despite the value of some, the rarity, the desirability, there is only one for me. OK, I'd happily have any of them and the silver '76 930 really does have a special place in my heart, even more than the pin-up poster slant nose, yet it's the 'Chump', MY 911 that wins my vote. Every time. As I move the car away from the line-up, I can't resist but take a photo of it in front of one of the sea-cans. Time to start packing, to prepare to leave Blackie. I know it's a cliche, but I genuinly didn't want my time here to end. I'd happily live in a car trailer forever if it meant I got to live this kind of life in the stunning Albertan countryside with wonderful people around and the incredible way of life out here. Perfection. But pack I must. I leave in the morning.
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Dec 21, 2015 21:21:43 GMT
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You'll possibly notice it now has a bumper in the shots ^above^? One of the any jobs carried out on the car after it was laid up for three years. The bumper previosuly used was an impact bumper but Scott had an early one he was willing to let go with the car. Looks so right IMHO. A better front bumper was also included in the sale and this, also, improved the looks no end. With front and rear bumpers, lights, seat etc..it was really starting to come together and look like a car. Sitting in this space gives a sense of occasion I've never felt in any other car. Ever. The moment of truth: the test drive. Clutch is adjusted, Scott seems happy with it so it's down to Clay to decide if the car is ready to be 'handed over'. It's been a LONG week, so tiring, exhausting (not being at all well didn't help) but this was the moment, the moment I'd flown all the way to Calgary for - to see this car move. Clay, perched on top of the battery box, is about to deliver his verdict! They come back 10 mins later and Clay gives a big thumbs up! You can't see it here, but he's wearing the biggest grin as they pull back into the farm. He jumps out and Scott decides, in the best possible way, to check for clutch slip. Well, why the hell not? And then the moment of truth. Scott pulls over, jumps out and tells me it's my turn! I actually feel numb. Almost like my body has shut down in shock. I'm not only about to drive one of the coolest cars I've ever laid eyes on, I'm about to drive a Porsche that I actually own! (Well, mine and Bryn's) It's a surreal moment, it's been a long time coming, the week itself has been quite hard but suddenly I'm climbing into a Porsche 911 race car which is mine. I never thought this moment would come yet here it was. It was quite overwhelming. I creep the car along the mile long dirt track driveway then point it out onto the open road and.....well, I can honestly say that the next part was unforgettable. I didn't take any photos, I didn't have the camera with me but that memory of my first drive will be with me forever. Moments we live for? This was one of them. I try not to use this word, but genuinely, this short drive in *my* Porsche race car was truly epic. You'll just have to take my word for it. As I returned to the farm, Scott grabbed this photo on my camera. All I can say is that smile is a MASSIVE understatement to what I was feeling under the surface. THIS is the essense of living. The embodiment of everything my petrolhead addiction has led me too....not just the car, but the people, the country, everything. An experience like no other. My biggest regret right there & then was that Bryn wasn't here to share it with me. I think he'd have rather liked this moment. He'd have loved the whole trip, but this moment in particular I reckon?
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Dec 21, 2015 20:50:41 GMT
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A lot of work went into the car over the week I was there. I was picking off some jobs while Scott was tackling others. Like welding in some brackets for the temporary seat - the original race seat was already being used in Scott and Andrew's other race car (a 914 stored elsewhere) so this one was earmarked to be fitted just so that the car could be driven. Clay was keeping it warm... ...while Scott measured up.... ...and welded in the brackets. Getting to drive the car properly was getting ever closer! Suddenly, we have A RACE CAR!! The car is driven outside but Scott stops pretty quickly, commenting that the clutch is still slipping. More adjustment commences with Clay assisting: It's a family affair, with Roxy acting as supervisor. Don't ask me why, but this is one of my favourite photos from the week. "Roxy: Guardian of the Porsche." Right now, I would do anything to be back there on the farm.
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Dec 21, 2015 20:38:01 GMT
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I'd love to see the 911 blasting up certain hill on an august bank holiday Bruce I missed out on tickets, but I think Bryn might be taking it up the hill? Customs can be quite arsey about things especially when they find out somethings come off a farm. Did you have to get this steam cleaned before shipping or any other precautions? I look forward to seeing this at Queens square some day if the traffic wardens don't ruin it. I wondered about this too... Of course my Cows are premium Alberta Herefords... No Mad Cow here. It was dropped off at the shipping agents with most of Alberta's finest dust, dirt, straw, seeds and other such things covering and filling every square inch of the car. We just didn't have time to clean it. No one said anything at the shippers and it doesn't seem to have been a problem thus far.
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Dec 21, 2015 12:50:25 GMT
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Dec 20, 2015 11:11:04 GMT
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^I've got some photos of that E-Type somewhere.^ He attends the Bristol classic car meet in Queen Square every now and then. I stopped him once when he was leaving just to congratulate him on such an amazing looking car. He told me it was rare to get such praise and that most people ask him when it's going in for paint. I pleaded with him NEVER to paint it and he reassured me it was never going to happen. The car was put back into the workshop and Scott raises the rear again to adjust the clutch. I got on with another little job: changing the rear light. Race cars, as you can probably gather, don't need anything fancy. In fact, under the mantra of 'less is more', this car had been put together by Scott and Andrew with a fair bit of the Colin Chapman ethos, "Add lightness". And so, the rear lights were just a thin strip of bare steel screwed into place with a cheap red light unit to act as a brake light. Now, whilst I'm a big fan of the whole Mad Max look AND the approach of less is more, in this case, the lack of indicators...and in a practical sense, lack of reverse lights, even if not legally required, meant I would want to come up with another solution. Taking the path of least resistance and also because it just makes sense, I had managed to convince Scott to throw a pair of genuine rear lights into the deal. This alone would make it a lot easier to get the car road legal in the UK. OK, so I could source a set of rear lights over here, but if Scott had some and was willing to let them go with the car...it made sense to take that opportunity. Goodbye 'race spec' rear lights: Hello original rear lights: A vast improvement both legally and, in some ways, aesthetically. Now, the trouble with this car as I may have already mentioned, is the way it just distracts you all the time. Anytime you're working on the car, or just near it doing something else, you can't help but be drawn to it, to look at it, just take in all that terrible bodywork, that flaking paint, those chunks of remaining filler half falling off the steel. The only way I can describe it is like the Mona Lisa. I thought I 'knew' the painting, after all I'd seen it a million times, pretty much everywhere and the image of that gurning woman did nothing for me. No matter how many high quality prints I'd seen, the familiarity of the portrait never make be any fonder of it. Until, that was, I saw it for real hanging in the Louvre. I was lucky enough to see it at a really quiet period, so got to stare at it in detail and for quite some time. I can tell you now, no print in the world can portray the real thing and I now know why. Because of the texture. Seeing the brush strokes, the layers of paint, the physical depth of colour where the oil doesn't sit flat against the canvas....all these things are aspects you don't get and can't appreciate from a glossy print. Yet, to be truthful, they *are* the painting. More so than the image itself, it's the life breathed into it by the artists hand that gives ol' Lisa her charm. Her enigma. I never got that until I was faced with it. And so I found myself staring at this car for hours. I had free reign to do so and I genuinely got lost in the way there is no one 'best' part. There is simply so much to take in that you just find yourself stopping and noting another bit of paint here, or a bit of colour hiding under a bit of filler there. A DA mark which is starting to rust showing the signs of previous work...and boy has this car had some previous work! This 911 is a canvas, an enigmatic piece of automotive art and no matter how much I try, I will never, ever be able to capture that true feeling of experiencing those warts, blemishes and scars that all go to make this car so enthralling. It may look a bit mad in the photos, but in the flesh it really is something to behold.
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