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So this is usually a small, lazy show of maybe 40-50 cars, and this year, with the threat of maybe rain maybe not, what happens?  About 150-175 cars show up - Go Figure.  Tom Marantz showed up with his Suby coupe, and Boothy, Mrs. Boothy and the Boothy pooch all came out from just South of Boston.

The rain held off, although it was a bit on the cooler side (I doubt that it hit 70F) but it was a pretty good show for the area.  Here are my photos:

I just thought this was the coolest window sticker this season.  I want one....

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My wife needs this plate.  This was on a really cherry Type 3:

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Weird, yes, but the workmanship was impeccable:IMG_1580

I have no idea how this guy does not do a wheel stand on every launch..... Thank God it was a mostly stock engine.IMG_1581

The real and the poser - Rich MacKoul's original 1955 Speedster next to Pearl.  THIS is the car that lent its' dash layout to Bob Carley and Gary Bloom (among others).  No, you can't afford this car.  It's valued at more than my house.IMG_1584Rich's original 1500 Normal engine.IMG_1585

The dash that launched a thousand (well, OK.....five, so far) Speedster Replicas.IMG_1586

OK, who can tell me what is right (and at the same time, wrong) with this hood?IMG_1587

The "Replica Corner" with a real 914, Tom's Suby coupe, an older Bugatti replica, Rich's '55, Pearl, Neil Fennesey's original 912 and (believe it or not) a 911 driven in by a very tattooed young "Tuner Guy" who got a kick out of our replicas, especially the coupe.IMG_1588

So I jumped up on the stone wall beside Neil's 912 and took the next few shots.  that '69 Ghia you could eat off of.  Looked a LOT like the pre-'62 Corvairs.IMG_1589

Look over on the right - some guy went to tremendous effort and workmanship to make a "mini-Camarro" with a VW pan/engine.  Drop a Suby in there and get on with it, but, again......The workmanship was superb!IMG_1590

That orange "Thing" had an original BN4 gas heater - it must be over twice the physical size of my BN2 - it was YUGE!   That's the Candy Mansion in the background - the inside is amazing....   Old exposed walnut beams and about an acre of confections of all types.IMG_1591IMG_1592

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Rich, the '55 owner (only the second owner of the car, too), lives about a mile from me and sometimes complains about the lack of oomph! in his Speedster, to which I ALWAYS reply, "Well, you're not reving it high enough!"  

He also has a 993 Carerra convertible (blue on blue) for his DD, and thoroughly enjoys driving that, but I took him for a short ride in Pearl a couple of years back - Scared the beJesus out of him when we took off.  He was totally unprepared for 3X the torque of his Speedster but I noticed he never stopped smiling, especially on the way back to his shop (he owns a small, local, foreign car dealership) when he was driving.  

Oh!  I almost forgot - I looked in the Deserter Dune Buggy group to see if Boston Bob Elliot was there but I'm pretty sure he now lives out on Cape Cod, 2+ hours away.

I also looked for TC, for you older members on here, but I think that after his Dad passed Tom went through a bad patch of health - Then, I think he moved to Florida - everything I've tried to contact him has bounced.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

YES!

80% of the "T-0" Pre-A cars (produced until June-August-ish, 1956) had the hood handle slightly skewed from the factory!  Always to the passenger side and sometimes up to 1/4"!  A one-eyed assembly guy?  Who knows?

That's what'cha get with hand-built cars, even from the Mother Ship.

Sometimes, when I'm at a snobby show, I'll point it out to the owner, who often knows about it, but then I tell them (very matter-of-factly) that most are skewed to the Driver's side, so his must be really rare.  They walk away with additional dollar sign$$$ in their eyes as they rush over to their snobby friends to tell them about it.  By that time, I've moved on down the line.

BTW:  Tom Marantz's coupe really threw Rich MacKoul for a loop - he was convinced it was an original because John Steele shaved the inner fender lips to about 1/4".  Rich told me he always knows replicas because the fender edge is too wide (mine is about an inch) but Tom's really faked him out.  I've told rich about Bob Carley's IM-6 (also shaved fender lips) and he's psyched, so if you ever get this way, Bob (Maybe at Lime Rock?) he wants to see it in person (he's seen the video).  Still thinking Tom's car was original, we walked over as Tom was opening the engine cover - You should have seen the look of total shock on Rich's face to see a Subaru back there!!    He would probably faint to see his 993 engine crammed into Carley's Roadster!!!

Last edited by Gordon Nichols
Gordon Nichols posted:

Probably the same guy assembled it.  Emigrated to the 'states and found his way to SoCal, right?   Now retired in Huntington Beach and livin' the good life.

It's a small builder community.

He probably drooled on the car somewhere so you can get FORENSICS down there to do a complete DNA workup AND an ancestry analysis to find out whether your car is more NEANDERTHAL/AFRICAN or more EURO/RUSSIAN in case of WAR. That way you will know whether to change REVERSE gearing for quick backwards getaways

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