I have not disappeared.

It's been a crazy couple of months, and I've almost escaped from the car business, but I don't know that I'll ever be able to do it completely.

A close friend of mine had been looking for an air-cooled Porsche to have as a weekend and special occasions car, and my friends at RUF Auto Centre found a 993 Carrera 2S that ended up fitting the bill perfectly. When my friend first drove it, he commented that it felt like an old-school Porsche, and felt classic without being an "old car." I think he summed it up perfectly.

We all know how I feel about newer cars, and Porsches in particular. There is a certain lack of soul about them. Don't get me wrong, technically and objectively they are amazing feats of engineering, but that doesn't make up for what's missing: the raw, organic feel of a hand-built sports car.

Looking at the current prices of 993's, E30 M3's, Ferrari 355's, and other cars of that era, it appears that I'm not the only one who sees the value in the last generations of these cars. Let's hope the prices don't go crazy like vintage Ferraris seem to do ever couple of decades, and that I'll someday be able to fill out my collection with a couple of these gems for less than the price of a vacation home!

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A Taste of Lemons

The 24 Hours of Lemons race series is, according to some guy named Jay, the fastest growing form of motorsport in the United States. While I can neither confirm nor deny its empirical growth, I can tell you that it is perhaps the best motor racing value in the country. Endurance races featuring $500.00 cars, thematic team liveries and costumes, and a judging system to keep things safe and sportsmanlike on the track all add up to a weekend of fun racing with other people just as crazy as you. The nature of the cars and the reasonable entry fees keep costs more realistic, and attract a broader audience. To quote the 24 Hours of Lemons website, "It's not just for rich idiots. It's for all idiots." Speedy Monzales To say there is a fair amount of theater involved would be fair, but it is also serious racing. Safety is the top priority, because a serious accident would be a serious buzz kill. Winning is, of course, one objective, but mo...

One That Got Away, One To Take Its Place?

My friend Rick and I met when we worked together at Tesla. We found a number of common interests, including cars, music, and a love of writing. While I whittle away at this blogging thing Rick has taken a bigger leap and is working full-time on his writing now, but while his take on the great American novel is in progress he also has a blog for his extraneous writings. One of his recent posts about the one (car) that got away brought back memories of my "one." ( click here for Rick's post ) I've written about my '87 M3 on these virtual pages before, and neither my passion for that car nor the regret I have from selling it have subsided. Now that the market for the E30 M3 is approaching air-cooled Porsche levels of crazy prices, my chances of picking up another one any time soon are slim-to-none. So it shall remain on my most-wanted list until such time as I can afford one again. In the meantime, I've added it to my automotive bucket list. ...

Something I Started That Turned Into Something Pretty Cool.

Through the magic of social media, I discovered a young woman in the suburbs of Dallas, just minutes away from me, building amazing cafe style motorcycles. My friend Brad Holt volunteered his time and his skills to create this great video about Sofi, her father George, and GT-Moto. Another friend, Wes from Megadeluxe, offered to share the video on his site to help spread the word about the amazing bikes and the noble cause that drives Sofi and are the foundation of GT-Moto. Sofi Tsingos :: GT-MOTO @ Megadeluxe

Chet Parsons, Car Guy

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