Chet Parsons, Car Guy

I may have bitched and moaned quite a bit about the car business, but being around some spectacular machines over all those years did leave me with some fond memories as well. One such fond memory is that of starting up a row of 5 or 6 new 993's on a Saturday morning.  Standing behind those cars and not only hearing them, but feeling the ground rumble beneath my feet was magnificent.  A symphony of flat-sixes, as it was. These days, I still love the sound of an air-cooled 911, but since then, there have been a number of noises that have stuck with me as well.  The rumble of a Morgan Aero 8 with side pipes stands out in particular, that BMW V8 under the bonnet growling and popping only inches it seems from your ears. But lately, I've come to recognize one certain engine / exhaust note with which I have become particularly enamored.  It comes not from an exotic sports car, but from, of all things, a Ford.  And not the Ford you might be thinking.  How does a F250 or F350 with the ...

A friend of mine has a '74 Dino.  I sat next to him at the auction when it went across the block, and all but held up his hand to bid on it.  He bought the car at a very fair price, and it has since appreciated pretty significantly.  This was the only time in my illustrious career in the auto industry that I was right about a market trend. Of course, the classic car market is in just as much turmoil as every other industry right now, so things are a little different than they were 5 years ago.  This may be the time to buy, though, as there may be some fire-sale deals out there this year.  But what to buy?   Here's my take on things: Ferrari - 12-cylinder Ferraris are now, and may always be, unobtanium.  So unless you're THAT wealthy, forget it.  "Other" Ferraris aren't really that exciting, with the exception of the Dino, which I still think is a good buy.  I think the Dino will hold and even steadily increase over time. Lamborghinis - Old Lambos (Miuras and 4...

As it turns out, the state of Texas doesn't care for rusted out, 21-yr old exhaust systems. The factory original exhaust on my '88 M3 was in just such a state, with some additional outlets that came about through the miracle of oxidation. When I took it to get a state inspection, surprise surprise, it didn't pass. I didn't realize how bad the damage was until we took the old muffler off to replace it. There are only a few off-the-shelf aftermarket back sections available, and being on a budget, I did some research and found out that I could have a "custom" system installed for a good bit less.  Using a Magnaflow universal muffler (Part # 12468) and with the skilled welding of Joe's Muffler in Addison, TX, I was back in business.  Now the Magnaflow piece is a little smaller than the factory piece, and where the original muffler was a 2" core, this one is a 2.5".  So the new system was bound to be a little more vocal...  and indeed it is.  There...

New exhaust for the M3 - good, bad, or ugly? Future collectibles - my take on cars that might be worth something someday Diesels rock - and clatter, but I why do I have a thing for oil burners? Of course at the rate I update this thing, it might be a while before I get these posted.  Stay tuned.