"JR1" (type35bugatti)
07/31/2014 at 10:14 • Filed to: doug is losing it, beartooth pass, oppositelock, open road, monaco, blog
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"JR1" (type35bugatti)
07/31/2014 at 10:14 • Filed to: doug is losing it, beartooth pass, oppositelock, open road, monaco, blog | 4
| 22 |
Two weeks ago Doug DeMuro resident funny guy in the Jalop universe made a post about Monaco being the best place in the world for car enthusiasts. Since that date my cosmic universe has been out of alignment. Although I have never been to Monaco I could not help but think he was horribly horribly wrong.
A city of all places really?? Traffic, people, fender benders, stop lights, more traffic, and soul crushing speed limits are what one finds in a city. Now of course Monaco is a unique place with fancy cars owned by rich people but that being said at the end of the day you my friend still don't get to drive the fancy rich cars. You don't get to experience the joy and excitement of downshifting a 500,000-dollar hyper car that will almost certainly make you pee your pants. At the end of that day Monaco just reminds me that I am cursed with loving an amazing hobby full of wonderful cars I will never get to drive. I think for me that is where the root of the problem lies. I don't get to drive what I see. It is like the ultimate tease. I can experience the noise, the smell, and the sight of wonderful cars passing by me but I can not drive them.
If I may throw my humble opinion into the mix the best place for a car enthusiast should be someplace far less populated. It should be a place with beautiful vistas and tight apex corners. Perhaps along the drive there should be a few campers you have to downshift and pass on a long straight because they are interrupting the beautiful view in front of you. Our Eden should be a place you have to conquer and explore with our stallions at our side. Man/Women and machine one and together exploring the limits of adhesion with a mechanical symphony of excellence bleeding into our ears.
The greatest place in the world for car enthusiasts should be a place like Beartooth Highway. The mountain pass is located in Montana and Wyoming was an engineering achievement that conquered the land in 1937. Beartooth Highway connects Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park, an attractive destination for many. Beartooth is an unbroken chain of perfection that takes 68 miles to fully experience. Along the way one passes beautiful mountain views, glacial lakes, and snow lots of snow. All the while you will almost certainly be smiling. Be it a Citroen 2CV with 12hp or a 2005 Ford GT with 550hp Beartooth offers memories for both man and machine that will last a lifetime.
Now I am not saying that Beartooth is the greatest place in the world for an automotive enthusiast. Perhaps there are better roads. Open roads however are the greatest places in the world for car enthusiasts. The sense of discovery, excitement, and joy offered by an open road sends shivers down the spin. Anyone with their own vehicle will find more joy driving their own car than sitting statically in traffic watching super cars go by. It is a big world out there, go find a piece of unbroken perfection and enjoy it.
Photo Credits:
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Conan
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 10:18 |
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That looks beautiful. Does it get lots of ice/snow damage though?
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JR1
> Conan
07/31/2014 at 10:20 |
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I cannot remember but it might. That being said it is one of the main entrances to the biggest national park in america so it is maintained very well
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 10:21 |
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The Montego would eat those roads up.
It handles surprisingly well!
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Conan
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 10:27 |
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That's a definite advantage. I had a great time driving to Wisconsin via back roads and unusual highways but I did notice that the Midwest tended to have more beat up roads than the Southeast.
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JR1
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
07/31/2014 at 12:10 |
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Really? I wouldn't have guessed that. Does it have drum brakes and how much does she weigh?
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JR1
> Conan
07/31/2014 at 12:12 |
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The Midwest winters are horrible on the roads
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 12:25 |
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She weighs A LOT and has 4 drum brakes.
It has the Cyclone GT Package on it though, which got me....power steering and a front sway bar. It's shockingly easy to turn and the drum brakes do a great job of stopping the car, despite not even having power brakes.
The hairpin turns would be tough. But the smooth cornering it would roar through. It's a shockingly dynamic car. My wife drove it for the first time (after us owning it for years) just a few weeks ago and she was amazed at how easy it turns.
EDIT: just found out a weight from a spec site I know of, I'd take it with a grain of salt though: 3417 lbs
McLarry
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 12:31 |
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Different places for different purposes I guess....This looks like a much better place to drive, but Monaco is possibly the best place to spot cool cars.
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Conan
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 12:36 |
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Yeah. I had a blast, but I think I caught air from potholes multiple times and the Crossfire is not the lightest car.
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JR1
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
07/31/2014 at 12:52 |
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That isn't terrible honestly. 3400 roughly is lite by today's standards. Long sweeping bends would be a big ball of awesome in a muscle car with a lite weight 302 under the hood. You should just drive out to Wyoming and conquer the road!
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JR1
> McLarry
07/31/2014 at 12:54 |
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That could be true but is spotting cars really make it the car enthusiast greatest place on earth?
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 12:55 |
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I wish. It's not a fan of driving that far lol.
Actually it's lighter than 3417 now if that was an accurate number. Under 3400 I'd say (this is all minus driver weight btw haha). When I swapped the cast iron 2 barrel intake for the aluminum Edelbrock I'm pretty sure I took 75-100 pounds off the front of the car, if not more.
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McLarry
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 14:52 |
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Perhaps slightly higher than a car show or museum since you're seeing it in the wild, but perhaps not as high as a Cars&Coffee or some such thing where the owner is happy to talk to you about the car? Then again, it's likely the only place in the world you'd see multiple 'unicorn' cars being driven in one day that's not a concours, so it's got to be pretty high up there.
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JR1
> McLarry
07/31/2014 at 16:14 |
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I agree but I know I get more enjoyment out of driving on a nice road on a sunny afternoon than I do at a car show or even an auto show. For a 12 year old that can't drive it probably is the best place on earth. But for adults it is a great place but maybe not the best.
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JR1
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
07/31/2014 at 16:16 |
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Nothing beats a little hot rodding to bring up performance! While we are on the subject of the fast Merc I remember you mentioning new wheels a while back have you gotten those or is life getting in the way?
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> JR1
07/31/2014 at 16:30 |
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life is very much in the way. LOL
we're closing anyday now on our house we're selling, and closing in about 2 weeks on the new one. Money has been funneled off to that. The next change is floor board repair anyhow, wheels will be further down the line. I was dreaming a bit when I posted all that (and maybe a touch bored at work lol, which is funny because my job is playing with car pictures).
The good news is, after the car cruise this month my wife is more into the car, she drove it and liked it so maybe my budget will go up hahaha.
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JR1
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
07/31/2014 at 17:33 |
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Once you get the wife on your side you're 95% of the way there!
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> JR1
08/01/2014 at 09:47 |
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It helps A LOT especially because the cosmetic issues are her biggest concern, and those are what I need to start focusing on.
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JR1
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/01/2014 at 17:59 |
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I am generalizing but that seems to be a lot of girls concerns. Why can't some ladies just appreciate HP and heritage?
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> JR1
08/02/2014 at 12:17 |
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That's why I took care of the HP concerns before the cosmetic! The 2 barrel was...well...lacking and it needed to SOUND like a muscle car.
Both of those problems have definitely been solved!
66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash
> JR1
08/03/2014 at 11:54 |
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First of all, I disagree with Demuro because there is more to enthusiasts than rich old men buying shiny expensive things, and also, the best place for any enthusiast is an autocross or TRACK DAY BRO.
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JR1
> 66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash
08/03/2014 at 12:08 |
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Awe a good autocross is indeed a load of fun. I just need to porsche a vehicle to not embarrass myself!