Dave's Drives: Datsun 2000 Roadster on Mt. Diablo Road

A beautiful sunny December day in Northern California.  The trip up Mt. Diablo is a scenic drive, although it can be very crowded with cars and bicycles. It's worth the trip to the top if you have never been there… this short trip today didn't go to the top, but gives you a flavor of the views on the way up. You can go up either from the Danville side of the mountain, or from the Walnut Creek side.  This set of clips is the North side, coming from Danville via Diablo Rd and then Mt Diablo Scenic Blvd.  The best car of choice for this ride is definitely an open-top car if you have one, and since this isn't a good road for speed, don't bother with high power.

"Green Car" Movement: The Gator gets new skin

I've always loved the bright orange and green colors of Porsche's GT3 RS.  I had seen a few Cayman S Sport limited editions a few years back that used those same colors, but those cars are hard to find.  So, having had a good experience with the vinyl wrap done on my daughter's car, I decided to give my 2007 Cayman S a new look.  I just picked it up yesterday from the talented guys at Vinyl Styles in San Carlos, CA, who wrapped it using Avery brand vinyl in high gloss Grass Green.  I also had the Fikse wheels powder coated in gloss black. I'm still deciding whether or not to add the side script "Cayman S" in the same way Porsche did on the stock Sport editions. Good thing this is primarily my track car, because when I do drive it on the street, I think the police won't miss any minor infractions.

10 Laps at Laguna Seca in Cayman S aka "The Gator"

On May 31, a clear day at Laguna Seca. Event by Trackmasters-Racing.

Unfortunately, I didn't get too many clean laps, as I pretty much overtook some other car on every lap and often had to slow or change lines to get around.  When I did get clean, the car was running great.  New Toyo R888 tires in front felt very stable, while the slightly older ones in back were a tad more slippery, giving me just the right amount of oversteer bias to get the rear-end around and point the car when I wanted to.  I managed to pass quite a few more powerful cars, a testament to great brakes and good lines.

Lap 1 overtake and pass two BMW M3s about 1:46 into lap
Lap 2, overtake and pass Porsche GT3 at about :34 and then the Porsche Turbo at 1:05 when he spins coming out of turn 6 (watch that cloud of dust, because he comes right back across the track!)
Lap 3: overtake and pass a 914-6 in cool Gulf Livery at 1:10 after corkscrew
Lap 5: from Turn 4 at 40 seconds to Corkscrew, make up 100 yards and overtake and pass a 240Z. Cayman brake superiority is evident going into corkscrew (as well as into every Turn 2)
Lap 6: catch the Carrera and Shelby (pass). Again, note brake superiority into Corkscrew is what beats the Shelby.
Lap 8 : Pass instructor in Miata going into turn 6…that was hairy!
Lap 10: catch and pass Carrera, FRS, Nissan GTR, and an Evo.

A clean lap around Laguna Seca in my 2007 Cayman S

I was out for some track practice on May 31 with Trackmasters-Racing.com.  Jay at VisionWells captured some good training video for me.  My best laps were in the low 1:45 range, this once lap shown came in just above those.  My line is ok, I just need to carry a bit more speed into a couple corners (4, 5, and 9 notably).  But the Cayman did well as there were GT500s, Carreras, and Corvettes out there that day turning 1:53 and above. I will post the entire 20 minute session later, where you can get a feel for how much faster the Cayman is than many higher horsepower cars. Click on the link below to see the YouTube video:

YouTube Video Dave Cayman S Laguna Seca

My favorite year for cars?

There are so many designs I like in the world of cars, and one could argue that right now, on the precipice of the year 2013, we are at a pinnacle of car design and engineering.  I wouldn't argue that point, but as I think back to various periods to consider if there was a "golden age" during my life (no...not the 1930's!), then I think my answer to the question posed in my title would have to be....

1967
I was five years old in 1967 and by many accounts it was a period of turmoil and growth in the world, and certainly in the United States. For cars, it was a fantastic year.  I won't come up with all the great aspects of 1967, but here are a few to consider...

* The Lamborghini Muria was born and some call it the first exotic "supercar"
* Porsche 911s were stunning, fast, and nimble
* Mercedes introduced the fun and sporty 2-seater 280SL
* Ferrari 275 GTB. 'Nuff said
* Last year of the Jaguar E-type before safety rules made the bumpers ugly, and the same goes for things like cool dashboard toggle switches that disappeared after 1967 from all kinds of sports cars
* Pinnacle year of the mid-year C2 Corvette body styles.  One option: a big block 427ci L88 with over 550HP!!
* all cars were unrestricted as it was still prior to the emissions rules of the early 1970s
* 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake
* Datsun had the Roadster, aka Fairlady (pre-Z car)
* VW had perfected the beetle, increased HP, and moved to a 12-volt generator
* BMW had fun cars for track and street in the 1600ti and 2000cs
* Shelby came out with the GT-500 Cobra
* Mustang upgraded the pony car to a big block 390
* Chrysler had just introduced the 440 Magnum and the 426 Hemi
* GM's cars looked best in this period (GTO, Chevelle, etc) because they hadn't yet gone to the fastback styling of 1968+,
* Both the iconic Pontiac Firebird and Chevy Camaro were introduced.
* The stunning 1967 Ford GT-40: the U.S. answer to Ferrari racing dominance
* But wait: the 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 is still maybe the most beautiful race car ever made, and it won the 24 hours of Daytona that year...oh, and took 2nd and 3rd place, too.
* Porsche had an amazing car on the race circuits as well, with the 906E

 Um, yeah. I think I've made my case: 1967 was my favorite year for cars.

New Garage Complete

The new garage has been completed, hooray!! (We are very excited about the house being done, too... But this is a car blog...).  The vineyard is ready to be planted on the hill above the garage, below the pool. Here you see the uphill face of the garage, disguised as a guest house... 

Three entry bays... no waiting!

Good old fashioned drive-in movie...

And a blessing from the skies, over the top of the garage during move-in week!

And as the garage has gone through some additions and changes, I've updated here...

Garage Build Update

Garage progress continues (the house, too…but this is a car blog!).  I am anxious to get the cars in there!! I'm liking the way it is turning out, but I also realize its a good thing we have good weather in my town.  It's a bit of a walk through the yard to the man-cave!

Pre-paint, the new doors are on...

Internal paint going up…. cabinets will be next.

Outside, the rock and stucco work continues….

The view from back of the house towards the garage… a nice day in sunny California!

The pool is finally in progress.  Latigo casually waiting in background.  Nice photo with the outhouse!!