What's Trent been driving?

One of my many responsibilities is to do all the shake down drives of every car that comes in for work. 

I drive a LOT of different cars. I also tend to take a dashboard picture of everyone for the group text chain a few of us have. 

Looking through my google photos, I see a ton of these pics so why not share them?

First a Derby Bentley. A 33 if I remember correctly. A one of one from this coachbuilder

The folks that love these things wax poetic about how wonderful they are to drive. I describe them as a car where the instant you stop focusing on operating it, they will attempt to bite you. 

Rod brakes, No synchros, steering wheel adjustable timing and fuel controls, terrible ergonomics..... But just look at it!

No drivers seat pic but this 1952 Siata Daina was hot rodded in the mid 50's with a Studebaker 232 V8. 

It is a hoot. Someone made themselves a Cobra before Cobras were a thing. 

Ah..... the Saab Sonnet II.

Not gonna lie. The appeal of these is lost on me. Pokey and terrible sounding. Bad seating position but I do dig the 4 on the tree action

Trent said:

No drivers seat pic but this 1952 Siata Daina was hot rodded in the mid 50's with a Studebaker 232 V8. 

It is a hoot. Someone made themselves a Cobra before Cobras were a thing. 

That is way cool. It's like an Italian Shelby Cobra/Sunbeam Tiger.

I think that is a TR8. Decent cars with some strange design choices. No bearings in the upper strut mounts so every time you turn the wheel you are fighting the rubber stiction in the cone.

Looks like a 356C

R5 Turbo II. When meeting your hero works out.

I genuinely love everything about these. 10 oiut of 10, would daily

An R5 Turbo is one of my top 3 "Lottery" cars, so cool.

Speaking of Cobras. 1965 289 Hi-Po track package car that for some reason Shelby put an Automatic transmission in!?!?! 

It's ... fine. The auto sucks the fun out of it. 

This Nardi wheel in this Ferrari 400i is my favorite steering wheel I have ever touched. The squareish profile just fits my hands perfectly. 

The car itself surprised me. It drives like a 90's BMW 7 series but with that Ferrari V12 soundtrack. I enjoyed it.

The Lancia Aurelia B52. This was Carrozeria Ghias design for the Lancia B Junior chassis. In the early 50's it toured the world on the motor show circuit and was pretty influential. I believe it was one of the key cars that inspired the "Kustom" car scene. The desoto style grill, the raked rear glass. No one who saw it in person could believe it was Italian and not from a Kustom shop in California.

And How about an MGA TwinCam?

A standard MGA

And this XK140 that is in the final stages. It will be going home after I put 100 miles on it

Rides like an Ox cart, terrible ergonomics, way quicker than it has any right to be

Well this is now instantly my favorite thread on the internet.  

I know you already know this, but your shop has a level of craftsmanship that's  just... wow.   Keep them coming, also enjoy your '50 words or less' reports on them! 

The steering wheel in the twin cam MGA is super hotness.

Okay, I don't usually upvote every single post in a thread, but...

golfduke said:

Well this is now instantly my favorite thread on the internet.  

 

I know you already know this, but your shop has a level of craftsmanship that's  just... wow.   Keep them coming, also enjoy your '50 words or less' reports on them! 

 

Thank you. I am flattered and I will pass it on to everyone else. 

Maserati Ghibli! The best muscle car Italy made. Solid axle, big V8. Awesome cars!

Aston Martin DB2/4. Frankly, it is a terrible driving experience. The Prewar inline 6 sounds amazing. The front suspension is baffling. It is as if someone described a VW beetle front beam via telegram and it was built with readily available Armstrong lever shocks and coil springs. Heaviest and most dead steering feel I have yet encountered.

yep, this is cool!

I guess I should add this info to the thread. I am 6 feet tall and 220lbs with a 30 inch inseam. So not a small dude, but not a tall one either. This will go some way to explain my ergonomics statements.

Lets go with two very disparate cars

1968 Corvette. 427 4 speed car. The appeal of a big block and a manual transmission is not lost on me. The rest of the car? Who TF is this made for? The steering wheel is way too low, the door mashes into the drivers arm. Typical GM power steering feel (I don't understand how anyone could live with it) I do have a nostalgic affinity for the feel of the side shift linkages on old american transmissions. The way I fit into this car makes me reassess the way an E type holds the occupant.

The C3 did provide me with an experience for life when it led to me being catcalled at a traffic light by two of the most run down and haggard ladies asking for rides  

1965 Fiat OSCA 1500. After having just driven the C3 I was amazed at how spacious, nimble and delightful this much smaller car was. That OSCA motor is a gem. Kind of like the MGA Twincam where it feels like the standard motor but just keeps making power after 3500rpm. 10 out of 10, would love to plan a coastal weekend in this thing

It is amazing how a little 100hp car can bring such huge smiles compared to the C3

Any Exterior shots of the Ghibli?!  Always had a soft spot for those. 

In reply to golfduke :

This is currently my favorite thread on the internet.

1958 Mercedes 190SL. A perfectly cromulent classic car. Style and quality are off the charts. 

Now an odd one, I only remembered to take the dash shot after I got out

1968 Lamborghini Espada. Fantastic "2001 a space odyssey" styling.  For having the same footprint as the C3 it is MASSIVE inside. So spacious. 5 liter V12 soundtrack. Legendarily heavy clutch. Didn't actually drive it very far. What a thing. 

This thread delivers! My only request is to always post a photo of the exterior along with the dash shot.

And regardless of how bad the DB2 might be to drive, getting to stare at it full time would be enough reason to own it!

This thread is awesome.  It delivers.

Thanks for posting these cars and insights into vehicles that we would otherwise never meet.

I find a lot of the classic car world is like attractive women I watch going by; for every hundred beauties that walk by, I know I would only truly get along with but a few of them. But I keep looking!

I am equally fascinated by the shop you work in. I hope the work environment is as fulfilling on your end as the pictures are to us.

Pete

NOHOME said:

I am equally fascinated by the shop you work in. I hope the work environment is as fulfilling on your end as the pictures are to us.

That's the thing, it is!

Joe and I have been doing this since it was just the two of us in a 2 bay shop to the current 38 employee 40,000 square foot business we are now. Mechanical, Coachbuilding, Paint and body and upholstery are all in house simply because we couldn't control the quality or timeline when they left our hands. Being involved in every stage of the growth I was able to enforce my "values" if you will. This is a calm, quiet, relaxed place where craftsmen can do their best work. 

I am really proud of what we have built here.

Awesome thread! I do have some projected anxiety seeing you drive some of these beautiful cars on 'normal' roads with traffic knowing some of the knuckleheads out there...  

I will add to the "this is my favorite thread on the Internet" theme.  Thank you for sharing.