Cars I’ve Worked On

I’ve been a car fanatic since I was a young lad. It started in high school with my first Mustang, then buying parts cars and modifying my cars. Then my uncle opened a body shop with another guy who was a car restoration expert, and a painter in the pilot plant at Ford. I got a job working there, first painting the walls of the plain block building white, and then as a helper and learning how to do body work and painting.

When I got into automotive engineering, lessons I learned in restoring cars and replacing body sheet metal went a long way towards being one of the pioneers in the field of Dimensional Management, where I specialized in body structures – how to build a car so that everything fit together properly. During that stage of my career, in addition to working on pick-ups, family cars and minivans, I got to work on some pretty cool cars.

After I moved to Florida, I bought a car repair shop and spent a couple of years repairing European sports cars and also used car sales.

Through it all, I’ve had a chance to work on some pretty cool cars! Here are the highlights

Curt’s Sports Car Center

I had the idea that I could open a sports car center. A mechanic friend of mine was retiring and wanted to sell Andy’s Sports Car Center.  The idea was he was going to mentor me and teach me the ropes, but unfortunately he died and I was figuring everyting out on my own. A year into my stewardship I changed the name to Curt’s Sports Car Center.

In my youth I was a decent mechanic working on carbs and distributors, brakes and exhaust and minor engine rebuilds. In the years since then computers and fuel injection and camshaft advancing mechanisms took over and it became a whole different ballgame. One needed specialized software and specialized training. Troubleshooting electrical systems? Not my idea of fun, even with the wiring diagrams.

I found I enjoyed being a car enthusiast instead of a car mechanic. I love restoring cars and turning them into a piece of art. But arguing with customers over car repairs and what is needed to get a car running? I’ll pass. I sold the shop and went back to the world of software and engineering.

While I had the shop, I also bought and sold used cars. I concentrated on BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and anything cool. Here’s a few cars I had fun working on.

Andy’s Sports Car Center, renamed shortly after this picture was taken to Curt’s Sports Car Center

Jaguar

Everyone should own a Jaguar at least once in their life. I think Jeremy Clarkson says it best, “It’s a Jag.” You feel like you belong at the country club, the ride is majestic, the cars are beautiful and driving one makes you feel special. And looking out and seeing the leaping cat on the hood (for those that have it) always brings a smile to my face. Here are some of the Jags I worked on at Curt’s Sports Car Center.

 

Jaguar XK8

The XK8 is labeled a 2+2 vehicle, however the back seat is good for holding groceries. Anyone sitting back there will have their legs amputated once a normal-height driver puts his seat in the usual position. That is the only negative for this car. Great looks reminiscent of the XKE, smooth driving, an engine that purrs, and an interior cockpit that makes you feel like a million bucks when you drive it. A beautiful car. So nice it made me want to keep it for myself.

Jaguar XJR-S

You start with an XJS. Beef the suspension. Add some body accoutrements, tweak the horsepower, add some burgundy piping to the seats. Voila! A great car made even better. The XJS is underrated as a driver’s car. The drive is smooth, the center of gravity is low, the V12 has gobs of torque and pulls like a freight train. Not to mention the perfect harmonics with no vibration and this is a joy to drive. Electrical problems on older cars limit the desirability in the collector car market. The electrics aren’t bad per se, but bad connections and resistors wearing out results in gauges that don’t read correctly or don’t read at all. The V12 is daunting for the average enthusiast to maintain. It’s still a beautiful car and a joy to drive. Perhaps someday they’ll make a comeback with investors but for now best to admire from afar.

Jaguar XJS

Start with the Jaguar XJ6. Once Ford took over Jaguar, quality improved markedly and the XJ6 became a reliable car. Now add a supercharged straight 6, wide tires, beefier suspension and brakes and you’re looking at a world-class car. Instantaneous acceleration and the incredible Jaguar ride and this is a fantastic car. The downside is mileage is atrocious. There is a cult following for this car but the typical collector is scared away by the old Jaguar reputation, a reputation not warranted in this car. The newer XJS with the supercharged V8 has even more power with makes this car a real driver’s car. Four doors, luxury, and spirited performance and handling. What’s not to like?

 

 

XJ6 Vanden Plas Majestic

This Majestic XJ6 won two trophies at car shows. The Majestic starts life as an XJ6 Vanden Plas, which adds even more luxury, such as the fold-down trays for the back seats. The Majestic version has a special paint. I was able to bring this paint finish to life, with a shine that was truly concours quality and wowed the judges. Jeff was one happy owner!

Ferrari

Ah, Ferrari! Perhaps the best marketing on the planet, everyone has heard of Ferrari. It fires the imagination, it calls to the possible in all of us. The cars, well, they are passionate, expensive, and can deliver a driver experience like no other. I have the chance to work on a few. Here they are.

Ferrari Testarossa

The Testarossa is without a doubt my least favorite Ferrari, an opinion not shared by the Ferrarista. A humongously wide body with the side strakes do nothing for me. But then, I’m a 250GTO fan and love the svelte look of the curvaceous bodies. Watching episodes of Magnum PI with Tom Selleck driving the 308 with a Detroit Tigers hat on his head and that big smile made that car  true eye candy. The Testarossa? It’s like someone took a meat cleaver to style the sides. Anyway, people love them. I find this example in black is fetching and minimizes the stark appearance of the sides in red. Still, it was fun working on it!

Ferrari Mondial

The Mondial is the poor man’s Ferrari. 4 seats, a V8 with only 260hp, albeit at 7,000rpm. It’s not a particularly fast car, but it IS a Ferrari. The seating is great, it’s got the gated floor shifter, prices are cheaper than classic Mustangs. Parts are available but can be pricey, and going to a Ferrari dealer for service still requires a second mortgage. If you’re on a budget but want to pull up to the country club and turn heads, the Mondial is a good choice. And wringing out that engine to 7,000rpm is still a swan song for any enthusiast.

Rolls-Royce

 Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, Rolls Royce was a British car company. And they also bought Bentley and made both marks.

I had the opportunity to work on several differ Rollers, and I cannot say that I was impressed with the engineering. Yes, it was whisper-quiet and rode look you were on a cloud, but there was nothing earth-shattering about the technology. The hydraulic brake systems were complicated and the electricals on the Shadows were typical British. But what a ride.

Silver Cloud

I had the opportunity to replace the brakes on this ’56 Silver Cloud, powered by a straight-6 engine. The car was heavy and woefully underpowered, but then when you drive a Rolls the world stops for you. I had to replace every piece on the brake system, as lines were plugged, master cylinders were corroded and anything that could be wrong was. The styling is elegant, the interior did want to make you sip champagne in the back seat as your chauffeur whisked you to your board meeting or an afternoon at the races, and you wanted to have your Grey Poupon in the luncheon basket.

Fantastic styling. If you own one people will think you’re related to royalty. I’d be tempted to drop in a Jag V12 (to keep it British) and upgrade to a modern braking system. Then you have the grace and pace of a truly fantastic luxury car. Hmmm, seems like someone else has done something similar with the latest Rolls…

Silver Shadow

The Shadow has to be one of the most recognizable body styles in the world. Nothing says you’ve not only arrived but laid claim to the throne like owning and driving a Rolls. Despite the panache and prestige, they’re not technological marvels. The high-pressure hydraulic brake system is not easy to repair, and the engine is nothing to write home about. The electrical, well, Lucas didn’t get their reputation as the prince of darkness for their infallible quality.

Still, it’s a Rolls. The repair manual was four thick binders. The guy I bought the shop from was a factory-certified Rolls mechanic and passed along his customers and the manuals before he passed away. It’s a good thing I was a good study. I find these to be nice cars to look at and I would love to get chaufered from the airport to a resort in one. Own one? I’ll pass. But then I’m a sports car kind of guy.

And More…

More BMWs than I can count. I love the older 740s, particularly the long-wheelbase V8s. Fantastic driver cars. The 3 series are great fun and I think used BMWs are a fantastic alternative to buying new cars. And of course 5-series cars are the pefect middle ground. I’ve owned several Beemers and own one now.

I worked on several SL series Mercedes-Benzes, and a few sedans. While wonderful cars, they are overly complicated and damned expensive to repair. I won’t own one for that reason.

I worked on a few Alfas, which are fun cars with great engines, if a bit tempermental.

MGs are a riot to drive but woefully underpowered with a 4-cylinder engine. Rip off the smog equipment and do a few engine mods and you’ve got a fun car.

I worked on a couple of Maserati Biturbos. Replacing the head gaskets on one convinced me to go back to software. Astonishingly fast, astonishing unreliable.

Mazda Miatas are what every British sports car tried to be: joyously fun to drive while being absolutely bulletproof.

I bought and sold a 1988 Corvette, all black. It had the 4+3 manual transmission, which has to be one of the worst devices ever foisted upon the American car enthusiast. Gobs of torque and it looked fantastic, if I owned it I’d probably have a lot of tickets from stomping on the gas pedal. But that trans… They came out with a real 6-speed in ’89, then upped the horsepower and improved the interior a few years later. There’s great value in the later C4 Vettes.

I bought and sold several Mustang GTs. You can’t go wrong with that car. Fun to drive, easy to upgrade, comfortable and, well, with a 5-speed you can cause some serious trouble.

With that, we come to a close.

I’m a car enthusiast through and through.

 

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