August

Weird Cars I’ve Owned and Why?

I’ve owned around 60 cars in my life, 15 or 20 new, and the rest used. In a previous column I mentioned that I really am enamored by small cars. Why? To me they look kind of cute, but the real reason is: [...]]]> The Steering Column

August

Weird Cars I’ve Owned and Why?

I’ve owned around 60 cars in my life, 15 or 20 new, and the rest used. In a previous column I mentioned that I really am enamored by small cars. Why? To me they look kind of cute, but the real reason is: they handle the curves better than larger cars, not the bumps, but the corners. So, at least for my money, I could get more sports for less dough albeit with less power and yes, maybe less safety.

Of course when I got married and started having kids, I bought a Datsun King Cab with seats in the back and then a 1985 Dodge Mini-Van with a 4 cylinder and a manual transmission. I ordered it from the factory, most were shipped with automatics, still are today. I also had three or four station wagons to help with the little ones and their vast number of travel toys. The marriage eventually went away along with the van and I came back to small cars. Also, they were usually cheaper.

My first car was a 1947 Plymouth purchased for $75 with two other soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1962. We drove it once and parked it in an alley for someone to steal. My next was an NSU 1000, a look-a-like Corvair which I purchased in Germany for $1100 new in 1964. This was when our dollars were worth four German dollars. A great deal for us, not so great for them. Of course, now the exchange rate is slightly in their favor.

I had researched cars all over Europe for about a year before I assembled enough dough. My army roommate, Bruce Sherman, had bought a 2 cylinder NSU Prinz 4 the year before. It got 50 miles per gallon and might hit 70 on the autobahn. I was impressed with the car but it’s 2 cylinder motor only developed 36 horsepower. So when NSU announced it would bring out a more powerful 4 cylinder, I put down a deposit. It was between the BMW 700 with the 2 cylinder bike engine making about 40 horsepower. I wanted more power even if it only meant 51 horsepower. Then again, Europeans were just getting back on their feet and many of them rode bicycles and small mopeds.

The NSU factory was very famous, not familiar at all to Americans, but to Europeans, for designing the original VW with Professor Porsche in 1934. They were a sewing machine factory in the late 1800′s but started building motorcycles around 1912. They built cars soon after and raced both. They built great motorcycles and still hold the Bonneville land speed record in the 125 cc class set in 1953. Wait for it: they also designed the rotary engine and sold the license to Curtis Wright, General Motors, Mercedes and a small Japanese car company named Toyo Kogo, or Mazda. In 1971 NSU was absorbed into the Audi corporation never to be heard from again. Their last car was the NSU K70 which came to America known as the Audi Fox.

The NSU would do an honest 85 mph on the autobahn and with its light weight, aluminum engine in the back, cornered as well as a Porsche. The engine was so light in fact, that in 1968 it was installed in a German motorcycle called the Munch Mammoth. I later owned five NSU’s, one a race car here in California, which finished third in the Sports Car Club Pacific coast class of America’s D sedan class in 1969. I was invited to Atlanta for the amateur national championships, but sadly couldn’t afford to go. About a year later, I found an even smaller NSU Prinz 2, about the size of the current Smart car. I paid $100 and drove it from San Francisco to Santa Rosa to show it off to the Cavallero brothers. Of course they laughed their butts off but enjoyed scrutinizing the small 2 cylinder motorcycle engine in the back with its strange set of rods which activated the valve timing. They then painted the car red and Carmen built a racing exhaust for the little beast. We auto-crossed it and went to the George Town hill climbs near Sutter Mills. It was a crowd pleaser but really belonged in a circus with a clown driving it.

My girlfriend Marie says guys with little membranes, I’m using code here, drive large cars and trucks in order to compensate for their lack of, whatever? That may or may not be true but we all realize cars are representative of people’s wants and desires and their status in life, often called alter egos. School teachers might drive Hondas, Volvos, Saturns and Toyotas. Lawyers might drive BMW’s and Mercedes and Hummers, at least they used to when gas was $1.50 a gallon. Seniors drive Buicks and so on. Do they love them? Maybe. Are they practical? Sure. But truthfully, would they secretly enjoy blasting around in a Corvette, Lamborghini, Ferrari or Rover Sport? Sometimes being sensible is no fun at all.

I bought the first of many Hondas called a Honda 600 in 1970. I remember driving up to the door of a beautiful Sacramento State co-ed who had agreed to a date. When she saw the car, I kid you not, she said, “I’m not going anywhere in that thing.” She turned abruptly and went back into her apartment never to be seen again. The car’s feelings were hurt but I persevered and bought a larger 1973 Honda Civic. Now that was quite a car. It was not a chick magnet but at least a couple of adventuresome girls went for rides. It was quick and frugal.

Notable cars for excellent and surprising performance: 1966 NSU TT model, 44 mpg, 0 to 60, 10 seconds. 1968 NSU TTS race sedan, 0 to 60, 7 seconds, top speed 121 mph, out cornered street Porsches. 1989 Honda Civic DX, 2dr, 5spd, 40 mpg, 0 to 60, 8 seconds, top speed 120, its wishbone suspension providing sport car handling. 1988 Ford Festiva, 2dr, 4 spd, 42 mpg, 0 to 60, 9 seconds. 1991 Mercury Tracer, aka, Mazda Protégé LX, 0 to 60, 7.9 seconds, 35 mpg. 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo, 0 to 60, 7 seconds, top speed, 140 mph, 34 mpg.

These were all small, almost sub compact cars. They were reliable and provided great service, but truthfully, I drove them because they were a helluva lot of fun to drive. Yes, I rented a Smart car in Frankfurt on a recent trip to Germany. It would actually do 90 mph on the autobahn, handled well but had a terrible automatic transmission. But, I had met my match, it was really too small. Maybe I’m finally growing up. I might go down to the Ford dealer and check out a Super Cab. I could haul lots of small die-cast cars. Maybe go into business, maybe not.

Jim Prior
Sebastopol, California

In the U.S., baseball, football, basketball and hockey win the first four spots of the most popular sporting events. The rest of the world loves soccer, cricket, but motor racing throughout the world is very popular.

Auto racing comes in a very strong fifth here in the [...]]]> Jimmy’s Corner Productions

What’s your favorite sport?

In the U.S., baseball, football, basketball and hockey win the first four spots of the most popular sporting events. The rest of the world loves soccer, cricket, but motor racing throughout the world is very popular.

Auto racing comes in a very strong fifth here in the U.S. But there are many kinds of racing. Just what are we talking about. When you delve into the intricacies of this noble sport, you move from go-karting all the way to fire-breathing dragsters to Nascar in between. But all of them race on four tires. Of course, motorcycle racing uses two, with sidecar racing hanging an extra wheel on the outside rear tire.

It gets confusing but in general, Grand Prix or Formula car racing provides for the engine behind the driver, with open wheels and a flat cigar-shape fuselage. Depending upon the racing series, i.e. Indy cars running on ethanol and developing nearly 800 horsepower and weighing under 1800 pounds with driver, the speeds are phenomenal. Grand Prix cars are similar and develop even more power. Indy cars run on left turn ovals with just a few of their races run on street courses.

Drag racing, a timed race run over a quarter mile straight track, includes 4 cylinder streetable imports all the way to the unlimited, 8 cylinder behemoths making upwards of 8000 horsepower with under 4 second quarter mile times with speeds topping 300 miles per hour.

Other formula racers have smaller power plants, Formula 2 and 3 in Europe and Formula Renault, Ford, and Mazda racers here in the states which provide new drivers with a pathway to the professional ranks. These are often called “spec” classes which demand similar horsepower and weights making the driver the important element here.

But the most popular racing series by far in America is Nascar, look-a-like sedans from Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge. These are basically full out race cars developing over 800 horsepower from their V-8′s and weighing 3400 pounds. The racing is close and with a few exceptions, Infineon raceway and Watkins Glen for example, nearly always runs on left-turn ovals.

In addition, NASA, the National Auto Sport Association, and SCCA, the Sports Car Club of America, offer up to 20 different classes of cars, including all of the above plus sports cars from 100 horsepower up to 900. They even offer historic and antique road racing for the baby boomer set.

We can’t forget rally cars, which race on dirt, snow and pavement all over the world.

I’ve probably left a few out but you get the idea. However, all of these different race venues use steering wheels, accelerators and brakes to make them go, allowing infinite possibilities for all drivers to pursue whichever style they want to pursue.

I’ve raced both motorcycles and sports cars and I love them all. And drag racing was a
huge favorite for me as a kid. However, the action can be over in 10 seconds or less. In other words, you’ve spent your whole week getting ready for the races, and they’re done in a short period of time. But, road racing offers it all. You can turn left and then turn right, blow a corner and head into the weeds, I call that rally driving. Accelerate 11 or 12 times a lap, I call that drag racing, and occasionally end up on two wheels, I call that motorcycle racing. In other words, you get more bang for your buck. But, if you’re an accomplished racer from any one of these sports, you might want to look at Nascar. That’s where the money and the sponsors live.

Jim Prior
Sebastopol, California

I think I alluded in a recent column to playing with cars at a very early age. I know I was around 2 when I’d push little toys around in the dirt or the sand, making indiscriminate motor noises to accompany the movement. Now, in my late 60′s, I’ve started collecting [...]]]> Jimmy’s Corner Productions

I think I alluded in a recent column to playing with cars at a very early age. I know I was around 2 when I’d push little toys around in the dirt or the sand, making indiscriminate motor noises to accompany the movement. Now, in my late 60′s, I’ve started collecting model diecast cars, either 1/18 or 1/24 in size. Yes, when holding them up in the light to view the body structures, I catch myself, once again, making little boy car sounds. If anyone caught me, I’d be sent to the funny farm. They might offer toy cars there to play with, might not be so bad.

My dad quit his law practice in Oakland in 1946 and bought a ranch near Upper Lake, California. It consisted of nearly 5000 acres. We had milk cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and more than a few farm implements. Also, I had my own horse at the age of 3. I would ride him down the country lane holding the pommel for dear life. The horse scared me but not the farm truck. It was an old 2 ton stake bed Dodge which my little brother and I proceeded to drive off the small wooden bridge and into the local creek. We were unhurt, but four year olds should not be driving.

When dad died in 1952, as I said in a previous column, the two little kids, Jack and Jim, were sent to live with grandmother in northern Illinois. My mom had run off with a Navy boxer and had headed for Alaska. My grandfather, Lars Jensen, granny’s second husband, taught me how to steer a car at the age of eight. I didn’t tell him about the old Dodge farm truck. By the age of 10, I was sneaking down the steps late at night, hiding under the kitchen table, and waiting for the grandparents to head for bed. Once they did, I hopped into the 54 Chevy in the garage behind the 100 year old house and headed for the open road. I had to sit on two pillows in order to peek over the steering wheel. On my second attempt, I topped 100 miles an hour, not bad for a 6 cylinder engine and an 80 pound kid who stood 4 feet 6 inches tall.

On the fourth attempt, returning home around midnight, I swung the car a little wide getting into the garage. I scratched the right side of the Chevy. I spent an hour cleaning up the damage. It looked pretty good to me so I went to bed. After school the next day grandmother met me at the front door and hauled off and slugged me. Um-mph. Apparently I had forgotten about the garage door entirely. There were wood splinters on the jam.

It was never stealing for me, it was purely the adventure of driving the machine. I’ve driven nearly every kind of conveyance, except for a Sherman tank, although I drove a Caterpillar in a field once. You steered by using a brake, right brake meant a right turn and so on, just like a Panzer.

In the army in Europe in the 60′s I had a 2 1/2 ton WW2 Dodge radio truck at my disposal, also a new style Ford jeep with a very hot motor, and a 1959 Chevy Bel air staff car. The romance continued. The old Dodge would almost make 60 miles an hour on the autobahn but the radio never worked properly. The jeep would top 90, the wind picking up the front end off the autobahn. The jeep would slow to 85 when carrying a loaded trailer full of gasoline. I was a flying bomb but didn’t seem to care. The Chevy would do over a 100. I often passed Mercedes Benz and BMW cars with the Jeep and the trailer. This was 1964 when German cars weren’t quite as quick. In short, it was pedal to the metal in everything I drove.

Stationed with the German army from 1963 through 1964, I was a member of a five man US army team from the 3rd Armored Division. This was Elvis Presley’s tank division and I followed the guy everywhere. One morning I heard a commotion outside my barracks window. The German soldiers were putting down orange cones and laying out a course of some kind. After a time, they brought out their DKW front wheel drive jeep with its 3 cylinder, corn popper 2 stroke engine. I had never witnessed an autocross before, but within minutes I’d fired up our jeep and the battle was on. I’m proud to say the US beat Germany on that day, although the little DKV cornered better than the Ford. One crazy German brought out his BMW motorcycle powered by alcohol. He had a sidecar installed on it and needed a passenger. You guessed it, off we went, yours truly vaulted up in the air then smashed to the ground on each corner. It was exhilarating.

It’s little wonder that I would later race sports cars and motorcycles. It was in my blood from my earliest childhood like many of us I’m sure. If I’d become an  air force pilot, I’m not sure if those little kid noises would have been accepted. Do you think Chuck Yaeger made any strange sounds before climbing into the Bell X-1? I doubt it but who really knows…..

Jim Prior