My First Ford: Make it a 2018 Shelby GT350R

I'm a car guy from way back, and if you've read any of my prior blog posts, you'll know I have a penchant for import cars (except for my all-American Jeep Wrangler). So this car is a bit of a departure for me, but it speaks or itself.  This week, the newest occupant of Dave's Garage is a new 2018 Shelby GT350R.

I've been taking my Porsche Cayman S to the track for years, and have had track and road time in everything from a Skip Barber Formula car to a Porsche Carrera and from a McLaren MP4-12C to vintage cars like my Datsun 2000 Roadster. When the Shelby GT350R came out, I was intrigued, as it was reported that the company had benchmarked  the car against the track-ready king-of-the-hill: the almighty Porsche GT3.  I was skeptical about the Shelby claims, I'll admit, but the positive reports kept coming in and then a friend of mine got one. This was a guy who has had lots of amazing cars like AMG, McLaren, Porsche, Ferrari, and who hits the track with a Formula Mazda open-wheel race car as well as his GT350R.  When he told me "You gotta try this car, it's fantastic!", how could I say no? I test drove his car and I was hooked.

I ordered the car in March from a dealer that could get me an allocation for a new 2018, ordered as I pleased (Many thanks to Mike Storkan and the whole team at Bill Brandt Ford !!). My intent was to have the car in its basic, stripped mode, as the Shelby engineers intended, with no A/C, no NAV, no back-up camera. I noticed that the majority of used GT350Rs out there typically had the optional "electronics package" added. So I figured my car would be unusual now (and into the future) if I avoided that option. But alas, my timing was off. It turns out that my car was slotted for production in May, 2018. A new federal law as of May 1, 2018 requires that all cars delivered in the USA now have a back-up camera. The Ford people let me know I'd be required to take the electronics package option, as that was the only way to have the back-up camera included.  Oh well, I thought, at least I won't get so dang overheated driving the car to the track on summer days (have you ever been to Thunderhill Raceway on a 100 degree July day??). I'll admit, I do like the back-up camera.

My initial reaction to the car is that it is very solid, and feels smaller than it looks.  There are a number of really nice track-focused functions and apps on the car, and a few selectable gauges that I didn't expect but really appreciate, like cylinder-head temperature, transmission oil and rear-axle temperature. And the car makes those amazing noises you've heard about.  Wonderful bark from that flat-plane crank V8 as you run through the RPM range and lots of burble and pop on downshift blips and deceleration. The selectable suspension damper mode is simple and definitely makes a difference in ride feel, and the steering feel is digitally adjustable, along with other things I'll figure out as I get more time with the car.  For my first 100 miles, 

I am extremely impressed with the throttle response, suspension feedback, the turn-in feel, and the overall quality of the car. I think it may the absolute performance bargain champ available (admittedly, I have not driven the 2018 Corvette Z06, which has an MSRP of about $10,000 more than the Shelby). Also, I love the Recaro seats and was extremely pleased with the beautiful metallic paint in what Shelby/Ford calls "Orange Fury".  Well named, and I just wish it showed up as spectacular in photos as it does in the California sunshine.

Well, the car is home now, settled into the garage with the other "Skittles / M&M" colored cars. It certainly cuts an imposing figure, and once the break-in miles are done, I'll be sure to report back on how its track manners stack up to its look and initial feel.

Aston Martin Vinyl Wrap: Cool Yellow

I've waxed poetic here in my blog and with friends about how much I love my 2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Having purchased it new in late 2006, I've now had it for 11.5 years and I suppose I just needed a minor change after all these years. I love the original color, Tungsten Silver, as it was one of the colors I had fallen in love with when I saw the Vantage concept car and the big brother car, the Vanquish, in that great metallic silver.  But, as anyone who knows me can tell you, I love colorful cars, and I am a fan of vinyl wraps. So, it was only inevitable that after 11-plus years of ownership that I would find a bright color I wanted to try on the Vantage.

For several years, I have also been trolling Craigslist, Autotrader, various car forums, and Bringatrailer.com for the perfect Speed Yellow Porsche 911. I just haven't found one that has caused me to jump into another P-Car, so the great epiphany came recently when I realized that I just needed to make the Vantage into my go-to bright yellow coupe. I looked at the 2005 Geneva Car Show Vantage in "Cool Yellow" and the 2006 Vantage N24 race car in "Rose Yellow" for inspiration.

I relied on the guys at Vinyl Styles in San Carlos, CA, as they have done a couple really good vinyl wraps for me on other cars. Lyle is the owner there and he suggested the perfect gloss yellow product with what he assured me was "great depth and gloss", so that the vinyl wrap would look as close to a paint job as possible.  Well, he was right, and I am very happy with the outcome.  The car looks great, sits nicely alongside the other colorful cars in the garage, and the yellow has depth and gloss and makes the car look absolutely new.  Just please don't waive me down and yell "Taxi!!", because this car is too old for Uber.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Cayman S: the only car you'll ever need

OK, so I have owned my Cayman S coming up on 7 years now. I can safely say that this is a car that can do almost anything - except haul two more passengers in the back seat.  Other than that, I have used it for long road trips, fishing trips, camping, back road excursions, daily commuting, grocery store runs, auto crossing, Time Trials, and all kinds of track days with the SCCA, NASA, Trackmasters, and Hooked on Driving. In every case and in all uses, this car does everything well. It is the ultimate underdog at the track, yet can embarrass much higher power cars, much more expensive track cars, and just about anything on 4 wheels if the other driver isn't prepared for what is coming in the rear view mirror. Granted, I have modified this car, but that makes it a bit of a "sleeper" that defies expectations.

When I purchased it from a seller back east, he had just had TPC Racing install a full STage4 JRZ race suspension on it, as well as a limited slip differential and a Tubi sports exhaust with a nice ECU tune.  Since then, I have made a few more adjustments to the suspension and tires, along with deep sump and other oiling mods, and I upgraded the brakes to Girodisc rotors, Pagid pads, and Motul fluid. I also had the car color-changed with a full-car vinyl wrap to a green that mimics the green color of the 2007 Porsche GT3RS. Many of these changes have been shown in other posts on my blog. But the biggest change came in 2016 when I had Vision Motorsports completely rebuild the engine. It was bored out from the stock 3.4 liters to 3.8 liters, and a long list of modifications gave it better oiling, higher HP, higher torque, and far more track and daily street dependability. Chrome-moly pistons, new rods, race bearings, underdrive pulley, third radiator, custom crankshaft with oil channels, lightweight aluminum flywheel and racing clutch, etc. With an additional 45 HP and more torque across the band, this car punches above its weight class!

Here are some photos and videos from today as well as through time, commemorating what has been a car with more uses that you can imagine!

Here is a short video of the sound of the car on the street as it accelerates and when blipping the throttle to downshift, and one with some exhaust sound at idle and revs to about 5000 rpm.

And a few videos of the car in action at Sonoma Raceway and Laguna Seca. Some are older, when the car was still in its original black paint, some are newer.

Laguna Seca, 2014. This was before the engine rebuild.

Sonoma Raceway, 2017, after engine rebuild:

And a few more from both tracks:

Thunder hill Raceway, no external microphone:

And this is a full session (older version of car), produced with multiple camera angles by Jay Rosa at VisionWells:

The Gator being used as an SUV, and a pic of before it's color transformation:

A McLaren, A 930, and a Cayman S walk into a bar...

A nice drive on Highway 35 and Highway 84.  Yes, I love this road and I've posted about it before. But this  time, we took out three of the "Skittles" cars to add a splash of color to the green forested roads. From San Mateo, south on Hwy 35 at Hwy 92 into Woodside and "Four Corners", then out Hwy 84 to La Honda and San Gregorio, then up to Half Moon bay and back. Ridges, redwoods, farms, beaches.  Everything in one glorious 2 hour drive.

Jaguar E Type: Meeting your childhood heroes

Let's just agree that if you are a car enthusiast, there is probably some point in your life you thought about owning a 1960's Jaguar E Type (or "XKE" as it was referred to in the U.S.).  Well, that was true for me and has been for a long time. Having always loved convertibles, yet fearing old British sports cars, I had considered many options through the years, including beautiful cars like the Triumph TR3A, the MGA, the Austin Healey 3000, etc. But nothing quite was going to scratch the itch of owning a Jag E Type. Well, this year, I finally did something about it.

I went to the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in January 2017, wit the intent of looking at a few British cars, including an XK-140 and  TR3A. But then I saw several E-ypes in the line-up and figured I could get a good deal.  As it turned out, I should have waited one more car, as a fully-restored Series 1 E Type sold for a very low price. As it is, though, I am very happy with my 1969 (Series 2) 6-Cylinder E Type in red paint with black interior. The Jaguar Heritage certificate shows the the numbers of the engine, frame, transmission, all match as per original factory build. It was originally a Primrose Yellow exterior with Cinnamon interior.  That's nice, but I don't see myself returning it to original. I like the classic red and black.

Someone once said that you "shouldn't meet your heroes"... meaning that you may be disappointed. And in this case, I wasn't sure at first. But after some work to get the brakes in better condition and after some work on the valves and head, it drives smoothly and has nice torque down low. It's a bit cramped, suggesting that the English drivers of 1969 weren't over 6 feet tall (neither am I, so my 5-9" frame works just fine in there). The car was apparently reconditioned back in the late 80's or 90's and it is obvious that these cars didn't have much value back then, because some of the body work was done without the greatest attention to detail or originality. Looks great on the outside, but the underside, particularly of the bonnet, leaves something to be desired.  Details count, but in this case, I bought her to be a car that gets driven, not as a show car.

I do find that the pedal position is a bit odd (slightly to the left of center) and the pedals have a softness that make it feel as if your throttle and brake inputs are muted. But the clutch has a nice take-up and the 4-speed manual transmission is a pleasure to click through.

Overall, this hero lives up to its billing, mainly for its timeless proportions and beauty and its smooth low-end torque. Summertime cruising along California's Highway 1 will be perfect for this one. And oddly enough, without trying, somehow my garage now has three British sports cars in it.