Insane serpentine belt kit...

Anything that you can see under the hood, all underhood electrical, fuel, coolant and A/C.
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Otto Skorzeny
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Years Owned: 1966 Toronado

Re: Insane serpentine belt kit...

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Sun Jun 26, 2016 3:35 pm

Everything you say about new cars is correct. The only problem is that they just don't have any personality, character or style. They are monuments to sameness. Even the models I somewhat like (Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300, VW Beetle) still don't manage to raise my excitement level high enough to want to own one.

The exterior styling is really my primary (practically only) criteria when choosing a car. Handling, performance, gizmos mean nothing to me. I am uncomfortable in the bland offerings of today.

My primary vehicle since 2001 is a 1956 Coupe de Ville. Before that it was a '72 Monte Carlo. Every time I get behind the wheel of the Cadillac I feel as happy as the first time I drove it.

A friend of mine just bought 2 new cars for his collection; a 1933 Packard Darrin convertible, and a 1935 Auburn 851 convertible. I'm going with him tomorrow to pick up the Auburn and I've had goose bumps all weekend thinking about the opportunity just to sit in it and drive it onto the transporter.

No car sold today does that for me. I parked next to a new Aston Martin at a grocery store and had to look hard to tell the difference between it and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. When I came out of the store other shoppers were drooling over the Cadillac and didn't even notice the Aston Martin, even when I pointed it out to them. For a car costing over $200,000, it's a real yawner in the styling department.

As for my friend's new acquisitions, He will drive them more than most people would but not as much as I would. I'd be taking that Packard to work every day. Interestingly, there's a guy that lives near us who owns "the most driven Duesenberg in the world." He drives his J model Duesy as one would a regular car. My hero! Hahaha!

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xgecko
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:21 pm
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Years Owned: My first Toronado was a 1968 W-34 with the bucket seats and center console... (weeps gently) It was a New England rustbucket in 1982 after less than 14 years. So sad. But it is what infected me and before I knew it I had another '68, a '69, a '70 and eventually inherited a friend's '67 and another friends '73. After buying my brand new Grand Prix in 1988 I retired the last of my Toronados and pulled the 455 I had rebuilt along the way and put it into storage in a friend's barn where it is to this day.
In Mid September of 2010 I happened to see a repeat of the show where Jay Leno did his 66 Toronado and had an instant remission of the disease which resulted in my purchase of a 1969 in very good condition. I am now in the process of fully rehabilitating it and hope to have it on the road in the spring of 2011.
Location: Gig Harbor, WA

Re: Insane serpentine belt kit...

Postby xgecko » Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:27 am

Wow, you are really hardcore! If you think an Aston looks like a Mitsu Eclipse then I don't know what to say... Astons are about the sexiest cars there are and look nothing like any Mitsu I have ever seen including an Eclipse. I guess you are inured to the modern design languages so you just don't see anything where I see everything.

I like old and new styles for their own reasons, in fact, I am seriously considering upgrading a 67 or 69 Riviera with a modern LT1 Crate Engine and the 6 speed along with an Art Morrison chassis and IRS. That would make you and me both happy given the classic styling (which is very modern, BTW) along with the modern drivetrain and the upgraded interior I will put in. I could drive it every day and enjoy it as much as a new car... but that won't stop me from enjoying new cars as well.

That said...

I think there is a huge difference between some new cars, although I definitely feel your pain with regard to others. I do happen to like the modern shapes of Jaguars and Cadillacs as well as some BMWs, Mercs and Audis. Astons are among the most beautiful cars ever produced and I have to say it is a shame they are lost on you. Automotive art for sure. And then there are the supercars... :shock:

For similar reasons I enjoy the Kia Optima, of all things, as the designers came from Audi and I like their style.

Cadillacs look quite different from anything else, the Jags are sexy as hell, and the others tend to have their points. Interiors for me are even more important as that is where I spend my time, so I am really enjoying the recent focus on improvements here as I like leather, stitching, soft plastics, along with a touch of metal and wood in the right places.

Performance is key, however, and the modern cars perform in ways the older ones (save for ours! 8-) ) simply cannot even begin to approach.

I would consider driving the Riviera I mentioned every day, but if I lived in the snow belt as I used to I may not be willing even if I prepped the body as salt just eats these things alive! Modern AWD is another feature I prefer, esp. here in the Pacific NW where it is wet constantly. My next car will definitely be AWD which is why I am looking at the AWD Jag and Caddy.

As we know, to each his own, but I have to say you are truly missing out on some astonishing hardware. You don't lose the classics if you allow yourself to enjoy the modern cars, so consider looking at them with a different view. You might find that you actually like some of them if you consider them in a different way.

Either way I hope you enjoy you Caddy for many years to come!
I have my Fuel Injected Toronado. Life is good! 8-)
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Otto Skorzeny
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Years Owned: 1966 Toronado

Re: Insane serpentine belt kit...

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:36 pm

I was being sarcastic about the Eclipse and Aston but seriously from the rear I didn't recognize it as an AM right away and Eclipse went through my mind. It doesn't stand out from the crowd enough. Of course it was the same dull shade of grey that every other car is painted these days.

I like the new Jag F type but the sedans look like crap.

I got to drive this car today. A 1935 Auburn 851. I was in heaven and believe me, no modern car could give me the pleasure behind the wheel that this one did. If it were mine I'd use it as daily transportation.

All of the gimmicks and electronic stuff in new cars is lost on me. I don't have a smart phone or a flat screen TV either.

I've always bought cars older than I am!
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User avatar
Otto Skorzeny
Posts: 1721
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:41 pm
TOA Membership Number: 0
Years Owned: 1966 Toronado

Re: Insane serpentine belt kit...

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:36 am

Now this is a car worth driving!
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User avatar
xgecko
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:21 pm
TOA Membership Number: 831
Years Owned: My first Toronado was a 1968 W-34 with the bucket seats and center console... (weeps gently) It was a New England rustbucket in 1982 after less than 14 years. So sad. But it is what infected me and before I knew it I had another '68, a '69, a '70 and eventually inherited a friend's '67 and another friends '73. After buying my brand new Grand Prix in 1988 I retired the last of my Toronados and pulled the 455 I had rebuilt along the way and put it into storage in a friend's barn where it is to this day.
In Mid September of 2010 I happened to see a repeat of the show where Jay Leno did his 66 Toronado and had an instant remission of the disease which resulted in my purchase of a 1969 in very good condition. I am now in the process of fully rehabilitating it and hope to have it on the road in the spring of 2011.
Location: Gig Harbor, WA

Re: Insane serpentine belt kit...

Postby xgecko » Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:56 am

I suspected you were being sarcastic but it is lost in translation...

Yes, that is a beautiful car indeed. Nothing like it today for sure. Izzat you in there?

As for grey, that is my most hated color, so I am definitely in agreement on that!

Modern cars give a very different kind of pleasure, so it is very true that no modern car would tweak you like the Auburn. I just feel that they are different experiences and I like each for different reasons. I get the impression that performance driving is not your thing so I guess much of the appeal of the modern cars is therefore lost on you so that is probably the biggest reason they don't move your needle. Add in the requirements of aero design which by definition causes a convergence on the ideal aero shape and you can get what may seem like a loss of character to you. For me I see sufficient differentiation that I still enjoy certain models, and the performance and quality all just nail it for me.

What is awesome about this hobby is that we both can have it our way, so you get to buy cars older than you, and I get to buy cars my age as well as these awesome new machines they keep pumping out year after year these days. To think of the future we believed was ahead of us back in the 80s only to find out how wrong we were! I will take being wrong in this way every day of the week!
I have my Fuel Injected Toronado. Life is good! 8-)
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Otto Skorzeny
Posts: 1721
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:41 pm
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Years Owned: 1966 Toronado

Re: Insane serpentine belt kit...

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:29 am

Ya! Where's my flying car or the nuclear powered ones they were telling everybody in the 1950s was just over the horizon?

And yes, somebody's got to be that guy in the picture and unfortunately I got the job.


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