Lifetime auto high lights, list here

1953 drove dad's 53 Chevy convertible around block. Well at least I steered sitting on his lap while he worked the pedals. 

1955 with side of neighborhood kids  pulled  engine from an abandoned 1948 Chevy put in wagon  pulled wagon to welder who welded cracked block  put back in car and got car running.  Sold for $35. 
 

1960 went to Southern California in Dad's 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Tried to buy a 1932 Ford hot rod  offered to drive it home.  Dad totally unreasonable about my lack of drivers license. 

1962 built and raced  1947-8? Straight 8 Buick dirt hobby stocker 

1962 my dad bought a 1953 MGTD for me.  Got 37 miles before connecting rod went on vacation through hole in block. 
   
1962 met Jack Baker builder of the Black Jack special. 
 

1963 purchased fire damaged 1953 Cadillac hearse  with LaSalle gear box. Repaired it  and forced to sell it because my uncle ( a mortician) didn't like looking across the street at a old hearse with the name of the band that had previously owned it painted on the sides  ( The Morticians )   
 

1963  Honda Dream 150 owned by our barber fell over and he left it in our yard. I bugged my dad to buy me a Honda.  Got a new 150 dream ( red) and pushed the white one in the garage. 

1963 first of 6 Morris Minor Travelers I owned  for $35 

1964 Sunbeam Alpine. 1960.  
  
1967 Honda 305 super hawk.  Traveled non stop to California  100+ mph with 5 other guys.  Spent a month in California and a Week in Mexico. 
  
1968 bought a 1958 Plymouth "El Camino"  ( converted from a station wagon on base at Navy North Island, San Diego  

 1969 bought a Pontiac tempest. rust holes in roof from salt spray , taped up holes and paint . Only had low gear.  Shocks were shot!  Used waste115/145 AvGas. 
    
1970 1962. Buick wildcat convertible ( great tow  car! )  

1970  1958 Jaguar XK 150  turn it into SCCA DProduction race car  raced it 

 
1971  Buick Rivera  worst car I ever owned  

 1972  Vega GT  great car great memories  

 1973 1955 Chevy Cameo    1/2 T pickup 

 1974 finished restoration on my 1953 MGTD  retired from Navy drive it the next day  from SanDiego  to Lake Minnetonka Mn 

1975-2001 Vintage raced MGTD 

 1975  purchased Black Jack special Vintage  raced that from 1976 -  2012,  highlites  won 10 of 11 races entered in 1980                                    1984 entered Bahama's vintage Grand Prix came in 6th in class 1986  Bahama's speed weeks came in second in class to Sir Stirling Moss 
 1998 highlight of my automotive life  Navy North Island vintage Grand Prix on the same runways  I used to fly Grumman S2 E's from. Won class 6 in a field of cars  worth over $250,000,000  awarded trophy  on board the Midday air craft carrier  

 2001 entered and raced both MGTD and Black Jack special at Elkart Lake  only time ever done.  
2018  acquired Jaguar XJS  to vintage race.   
2022 started race preparations on car 
2022 acquired 1972 Jaguar XJ 12  to be used as tow vehicle  for XKE to be built 

I have been chauffeured around a NASCAR track by my just "graduated" Street Survival student in a Chrysler Pacifica. 
 

Not the minivan Pacifica, the tall station wagon pitched by Celine Dion. 

In 1989, a week before I graduated HS, I was racing another kid in my class and rolled/totaled my parents SAAB 900.  The day after my accident one of my fathers friends was going on TDY for a month and gave me his mid 60's Lotus 7 to drive while he was away, changed my whole outlook on cars.

1978 - I'm cleanup boy for a builder that's building a subdivision with condos and single family homes.  The condos are a mirror - four on right side are opposite four on the left side - four are ground floor and four are 2nd story. 

Hot day and rich college aged owners son grabs myself and my buddy to move the newly delivered refrigerator's around since the appliance guy mixed them all up.  

We getting a dolly? No - you guys carry the top and I'll carry the bottom.  WHOOPS - slips out of hands on the stairs and he puts his knee up to stop it.  Random steel piece slices his knee and it's bad. 

He tells me; go get my stick shift, 1964 Corvette convertible - keys under the mat - come pick me up.  (This was almost a beater, daily driver car)  I stall a few times, pick him up and drive to the office.  He makes me get out and his brother-in-law takes him to ER

So at 15 YO I drove a sweet car less than a mile even though he was pissed at me for a few years. 

I got the closest I will ever get to the grid of a major race when I got to drive the pace car to the grid for the Ferrari Challenge during the F1 weekend at COTA in 2014. The grid girls were out and all of the pomp and circumstance in prep for the race. Felt like I was actually pulling up to the grid to race. 

Then, I got the opportunity to be the only person ever to drive my late uncle's corvette till his death. That was a special drive. It was also the only time he sat in the passenger's seat. 

Highlights in competition have to be that first win in my Turner 950S, passing 14 Spec Racers in 13 laps at Summit Point, and a 2:00.00 lap on the long track at Watkins Glen in the HPVEngineering Special C Sports Racer. 

Highlights in car building have to be the 4 aluminum monocoque chassis and one glass fibre monocoque chassis restorations that have run well on completion

Artistically the peak is definitely seen below with the EVSR body design.

Met Carroll Shelby and raced him.  Technically, I was testing some new Falken tires on his track in a Mustang and he was also out doing some hot laps in a Cobra.

Met Troy Ladd and turned down a job offer from him

Met Jesse James and turned down a job offer from him

Met Chip Foose

Worked for Wil Sakowski and Mercury Charlie (where I got to drive Cadzzilla and meet Billy Gibbons)

Helped (a tiny bit) on the movie cars for F&F and Green Hornet

I have a car immortalized as a Hot Wheels and signed by the designer

Met Brock Yates Sr. At a book signing. He said I needed better goals....

Competed in One Lap Of America 2003, 5th in class.

Silver State Classic 2004 3rd in class

Blew up the motor in my dads car autocrossing it (it had issues already) found a replacement and swapped it in with the help of a friend without him knowing.

Cross country road trip at 17 by myself.

HPDE at Laguna Seca

Owned an Elise for a few years

Pulled an LS1, with hand tools, in my employers parking lot in July in TX. Took the entire day and I was severely dehydrated when it was all said and done.

Puked after a ridealong in a Viper at Big Willow (don't go to the track hungover)

Seeing an F1 race in person (last year before the cars went to turbos)

Seeing Valentino Rossi race in Italy

Long road trip up PCH with the wife in a miata. Driving through the redwood forest was absolutely incredible

Driving a motorcycle in LA traffic for several years and not dying

Having Jay Leno pull up next to me at a stoplight in Burbank and compliment my miata

Got to ride in my Uncle's duesenberg in a parade when I was young. Only after his death did I find out it was a replica

I'd like to join the 200mph club one day, but the Mrs Calteg's tolerance for me cheating death seems less and less each day...

 Interesting. Proud moments for a gear head . 
    Regarding the 200 mph club.? The actual club is at Bonneville and you have to set a record over 200 mph.  Very tough to do.  Can't just buy a car and go for 200 mph. 
    But there are several places around the country you can legally and safely go 200 mph.  Then I'd buy a jacket and have 200 mph printed on it.  You don't need to mention the word club.  ;-) 
Actually you can already legitimately  do that now.  ( I assume you've taken a commercial flight  sometime in your life?) ••••

Taking a Panamera GTS up the autobahn to the Porsche Museum for a private tour and steak dinner. I wasn't driving, but the whole experience was just awesome.

Taking the Elantra N to TNiA. 

My first autocross. My next autocross. Every autocross since. 

Driving the family Impala to a friends house with my sister...when I was 15. 

Driving my college roommate's 280Z and getting sideways over a crest, and his face as I calmly caught the slide, counter-steered and kept it out of the ditch. 

Watching drive-in movies from the 3rd row of my Impala wagon. 

Autocrossing a Cayman, that thing is perfect. 

Scaring the poo out of the poor dude who rode with me in a Ferrarri 458 Spider at one of those "experience" things. It was an autocross course, what did they expect. 

Hitting 185 in an Indy Car at LVMS. 

Every rental car in my 20s. 

2019 - Won the $2000 Challenge 

*mic drop* /thread

In one season I won the local motocross series, the off road/harescramble series, and the vintage motocross championship. I was in my 50's at the time and the oldest rider in every class.

In 2004 I set two land speed records. It sounds more impressive than it really is, but what it actually took to get there and getting the records on my first try was an accomplishment I'm proud of.

My Dad was a stock car racer and In my late teens and twenties I used to help out. I would make recommendations or try to make changes to the car which were always overruled, and I was sometimes ridiculed for my crazy ideas. I eventually gave up, feeling dejected.  So when I could finally afford to go racing myself I built the car I wanted and had a strong first season finishing 5th in points. I was very happy with that, and over the winter made a lot of changes to the car trying to get faster. Some worked, some didn't, but in my second year I completely dominated the class and won the track championship.

I will never forget that season

I guess I should also say, being around a lot of oval tracks, going to the shop to work on the cars with my Dad. Those were good times, and being in the pits as a kid, and growing up in that atmosphere is something most people would never get to experience.

Late 70s. Hanging out with my step-dad while he worked on his '63 split-window Corvette. Any ride I could get in that car.

1985. Opening a Chilton's manual to try to get a 1975 Opel Kadett 1900 running. There was a chapter that had on Opel GT as the header.

1989. Leaving a barn with my very own Opel GT. Restored , sort of, and wrecked 2 months after I got it on the road.

2009. Buying a GC8 2.5RS Integra that was well modified and racing it.

2012? Buying my first Porsche. A 914.

2016. Buying my second Porsche. A 987.1 S.

2016-2020. Driving my Cayman S across country 5 times.

2018. Driving the Tail of the Dragon. Now I have done it 3x.

2020. Buying an Opel GT and realizing I bought MY Opel GT 30 years and 850 miles later.

2021. Looking for a winter beater GTI and finding a heavily modified R for a decent price and buying it.

calteg said:

Seeing an F1 race in person (last year before the cars went to turbos)

By any chance Vettel's win at COTA?  That was the first F1 race I ever got to see in person.  The fact the track was only finished where it could be seen on TV accentuated the disparities on display.  So many Ferraris you actually got bored of seeing them.  Everything outside the grandstands was covered in dust from the four helipads just outside the gate.  Constant stream of helicopters flying well-to-do folks in from Austin.  Two brand new McLarens virtually brown where they were on display as you walked in, taking the brunt of the dust storm with every landing and takeoff.  Seeing rich guys' WAGs strutting across basically the surface of the moon in cocktail dresses and stilettos.  Lines for the port-o-lets that crossed, wrapped around, and finally merged indistinguishably with the lines for $20 bratwurst and $125 team t-shirts.

Even though we watched the race from grandstands at turn 4 that felt like they just grabbed the flimsiest set from the poorest nearby high school, it actually added to the experience.  The entire grandstand reverberated when the Jaguar cars hit that one booming note during engine braking.

Three laps around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in a turbo VW Golf (which belonged to the company I worked for).

Racing a Yugo. 

Winning a podium finish at the GRM $2000 Challenge

Buying my Europa. 
 

Selling my Europa. 

Winning the Range Rover.

Winning the M3 (and taking Euro Delivery).

Winning the C8.

SV reX said:

Buying my Europa. 
 

Selling my Europa. 

Buying Paul's Europa

...hopefully soon... Driving that Europa

In reply to maschinenbau :

Watching Travis build my Europa the way I had hoped to, but with much more talent and time then I ever would have been able to give to it.

Hoping to one day drive my former Europa because Travis is a helluva nice guy.

Let's see... WARNING: this might be long.

1982: I was born. Guess it starts there.  

Sometime around 1984: Dad got me a few Hot Wheels cars. That really started it all. After that, I needed to know what every single car I saw was, and my dad was eager to help me tell them all apart. 

Summer 1985: Took a ride in my mom's friend Susan's 1982 Z28 to the beach. It was the coolest car I had ever seen. 

Sometime in 1987: Dad had to bring the Olds 98 in for service a couple times, and got a Toronado Trofeo and a 300ZX as loaners. They had a lasting impression.

Xmas 1988: Got Rad Racer for the NES. I could drive a Ferrari 328 in my living room in 3D! 

Summer 1989: Went to Italy and got to check out weird (to me) foreign cars for the 1st time. Got to ride in my cousin Luigi's original Fiat 500 over one of the tallest bridges in Europe at the time. That was scary but cool!

Summer 1992: Used my paper route cash to buy a go-kart. My first vehicle with an engine! 

Summer 1993: Got a ride in a restored 60's Jaguar XKE 2+2; friend's dad knew a guy who restored them and tossed him him the keys to take us for a ride. We got the thing up to around 80MPH in a big parking lot. It ruled. 

Summer 1994: Blew up my go-kart engine and performed my first engine swap: swapped a 5hp Tecumseh for a 6hp Tecumseh from a snowblower. Big upgrade. 

Sometime in 1996: Two friends got their first cars, a 1988 Accord LXI and a 1986 Monte Carlo. We discovered junkyards. 

Summer 1998: I got my 1st car: a 1964 Buick Skylark

Summer 2000: Got my first Japanese car: a 1989 Nissan Maxima SE, and that set the standard for all daily drivers to this day

Summer 2002: I bought my 1979 Trans Am after the Maxima got smooshed on the way to school, thus altering my project car aspirations for all eternity

Spring 2005: I bought an attainable dream car: a 2002 WRX wagon. And I immediately went to New England Dragway to make my first ever passes with it. 

Fall 2009: I attend my first GRM Challenge, which melts my brain

Fall 2010: I help turbo an Auto-X Jeep Cherokee in the Best Western Gateway Grand parking lot at midnight. That gets the attention of the GRM Staff. I meet them and hit it off with David S. Wallens and JG. 

Fall 2012: We come back to the Challenge and win a bunch of awards with the Jeep

Fall 2013: We do a photo shoot with BangShift.com, and I got the stones to ask if they would take my writing. They said sure, but I was really scared of doing it and didn't follow through. 

Fall 2014: David S. Wallens and I have a conversation at the Challenge that changes my life trajectory. I got the confidence to submit something to BangShift, and they accepted it!

2015: I start writing for BangShift.com as a contributor, and get to do cool photo shoots with the crew

2017: My racing gang starts doing Lemons. I meet even more people and go autocrossing for the 1st time

2017: I start doing freelance work for GRM, which RULED, doing feature articles. Dream come true! 

Summer 2018: I get to work the NHRA New England Nationals as a member of the press. My 1st national event! I get yelled at by security for getting too close to the pits so I could snag shots like this:

 

Fall 2018: I get access to my first press vehicle for review: a 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium convertible

Winter 2019: I buy my Power Wagon, which becomes BangShift's Project Power Laggin'. My first "magazine project vehicle"!

2021: I go to my first New England Motor Press event and get to meet some of my heroes, and they were all cool! 

2022: I start a YouTube channel mainly related to car stuff

That's a lot. Phew... and I'm probably forgetting a lot. I feel like Chunk spilling his guts to the Fratellis. 

1975 first ride in a C2 Corvette.

1976 ride in a Pantera.

1977-78 met Bobby Allison, AJ Foyt, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and others.

1979 ride in Plymouth Superbird.

1987 got my live car.

1990 bought my first 5.0 Mustang,

1995 bought my 2nd 5.0.

1996 bought a 1997 Mustang Cobra drag raced and autocrossed it.  Was in a car club that won the car club challenge drag racing.

1998 bought a Mustang SVO modded it and did drag racing in it.

Lots of other cars....

2020 bought a crappy Impreza.  2021 and 2022 won my class 2x in rallycross and had the most fun in a car cheap ever.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:     Met Chip Foose

We've all met Chip .  (LOL)