In the spring of 1994, the British junkyard that Lotus used to dispose of its prototype vehicles was unearthed by a pair of Corvette enthusiasts, who promptly rescued the cars, and began resurrecting this '86 prototype. The car was mostly completed last year in time for Bloomington Gold, and this story chronicles the chassis and body restoration. There will be additional features on the engine rebuild and other interesting vehicles discovered in the scrap heap.

The yellow '86 coupe featured here, formerly known by GM as P8Y044, was a test mule and emissions testing vehicle assigned to Lotus. The car has 19,000 miles on it, and was officially "destroyed" by a JCB (backhoe) operator and sledgehammer operator in Nov of '88.

When initially recovered on Thanksgiving of '94, the badly wounded Corvette was taken to a secured storage lot behind a bodyshop where it was photographed and cleaned of its six year accumulation of mud and green slime. Now we have on our hands a flat car of historical significance. Now what ? The first task was easy...make it roll, so a spare set of wheels and tires were obtained, and all the frozen (rusted) brake rotors and pads were removed. Now we have a rolling flat car of historical significance.

With the winter rapidly approaching, an indoor facility needed to be obtained. In keeping with the spirit of this project, a converted hay barn was rented. Found in a junkyard/ rebuilt in a barn...There were no long term answers to what was to happen to the car, but something had to be done, so out came the screw drivers and wrenches. The interior of the car was disassembled and found to be mostly salvageable. It had been stored upside down between four other cars, so the passenger compartment had stayed mostly dry. The seat cushions and carpets were set aside and later cleaned. All the screws, nuts, bolts, and other hardware were painstakingly bagged and labeled as to their origin, and the boxes full of ziplock bags began to accumulate.

The Phase I engine and its associated homemade wiring harness were painstakingly removed, as was the prototype six speed transmission. Ex-Lotus technician Geoff Jeal was contacted to rebuild the engine, and once over the initial shock of what was going on, cheerfully agreed to take on the job. The transmission was sent out to ZF of Great Britain for a rebuild, with the warning from their people that there were no parts available, since it was a prototype unit.

With the car lightened significantly now, the engine compartment was cleaned, buckets of shattered windshield glass were removed, and more photos of the Lotus modifications were taken. The firewall appeared to have been moved back (intentionally) into the passenger compartment, and the tunnel area had been cut for the shifter access.

At this stage, the plans were evolving as to the type of restoration to be carried out. For historical reasons, as well as economic ones, the car was to be restored to as a "snapshot in time" prior to the car's destruction. There were many concerns that some would question the validity of this particular car, so many photos were taken, and some of the damaged areas were intentionally repaired only enough to be functional, but not so perfectly that the damage would be undetectable. It would be unfaithful to duplicate the car to factory perfection, since it was never intended to be more than a "mule" anyway.

The next obvious thing to do was obtain a donor vehicle of similar age to provide most of the needed body components. A suitable car was located in Boston by friend and fellow enthusiast George Everett, and was promptly sent over to England to be sacrificed. In preparation for the car's arrival, the broken fiberglass and other body parts were removed from the rear of 044, and a Dennis Wilkes, a professional welder (who specialized in E-type Jags and Aston Martins) was contracted to handle the repair of the windshield surround and roll bar metal (A and B pillars). The chassis was marked and measured, and found to have survived the bulldozer without distorting the frame rails. Talk about tough!

When the donor car arrived, it was stripped of most of its interior, and just before the major disassembly began, the pair took it out for a little "fun." Numerous acceleration demonstrations were accomplished, and the highlight of the evening was a four hour digging adventure out of a farmer's field. Corvettes will sink in the mud.

The interior of the donor car was finally gutted, the engine and transmission removed, and the firewall picked clean of its trim. The welder then carefully measured and marked the areas on the windshield frame to be cut, and made an interlocking "puzzle" out of the two areas. This provided more strength than straight cutting, and later reinforcing welds were done to ensure the work would be safe for eventual driving use...

The rear clip / rollbar was next, and several options were explored. Many of us have heard about cars that have been "clipped" and you can usually hear gasps of horror whenever someone uses that term. It is possible to drill out the spot welds in the rear section of the frame and door area, along with the floor pan, and separate a Corvette in two at factory joints, suspension and all. However, the intent of this "undestruction" was to retain every inch of the original car as possible. Careful observations of both cars were made, and the decision was made to "go high" on the rollbar, and splice from the top of the doors up and back. There is no structure holding the rear body on the car, so the donor was separated at the rollbar joints and at the rear of the plate behind the seats. The entire rear end was then removed at once, sparing the rear frame and suspension from the original car.

With a few clamps in place, the top was bolted on, and the doors were test fitted to check the alignment. All the spot welds lined up, and the car looked MUCH different than the days before. With big grins all around, the welder was fired up and the "hard part" was completed.

Another area with significant damage was the floor pans. The Corvette has steel pans under the seats, which overlap onto fiberglass in the footwell, which then connect to the firewall. 044 had been hurt badly in the footwell on the driver's side, and the metal portion of the passenger side floor was about 8 inches higher than it was supposed to be. Corvette chassis engineers never intended for two car's weight to sit on the floorpan from underneath the car (Poor planning). The welder/ now bodyman (they appropriately call them "panel beaters" in England) was consulted, and he suggested replacing the entire section of floor with pieces from the donor car. Some gentle persuasion was applied, reminding him of the intentions to save "every possible piece" of the original car, and he gave a mean look, mumbled something, and got the (big) hammer and dolly set out.

The banging and cursing noises began in the dark and cold converted workshop.

The following day the metal floor was now flat, and a section of Fiberglass just big enough to fill in the holes laying in the driver's footwell. What a difference!

In the meantime, the donor was picked over more and more for needed suspension pieces and began to look less and less like a car. The frame was eventually picked clean, nothing wasted. Someone else's future rebuild project, no doubt.

The donor's doors and windshield were temporarily bolted back onto the car, and the interior floors and fiberglass was sanded and painted the factory yellow. The exterior was stripped, and at this stage, it was time to send the car back to the US for completion. Bloomington Gold was penned in for the official "unveiling" and planning for the reassembly had begun.

When the truck arrived carrying the naked Yellow car, there was four months until Bloomington. Several frantic phone calls ensued, and arrangements for the paint and body work were finalized. The engine was nearing completion back in England, and if everything went as planned, there would be no surprises...

The first order of business was to reinstall the inner door jambs, which had been removed for welding. One was unusable, so a new one was ordered. Once properly bonded in, the brake lines were reinstalled, and the gas tank assembly was cleaned and put in. The ABS lines and electrical harness were reinstalled, and the entire underneath of the car was scrubbed with soap and water. More slime was removed, and all the undercarriage aluminum was cleaned.

The front crossmember was closely inspected and found to be damaged, and one of the lower control arms was bent. So much for "no surprises." Ron at Contemporary Corvette in Pennsylvania was called, and he immediately provided us with a usable crossmember. The front suspension was disassembled, and the damaged components were replaced.

Another Lotus modification was discovered after the rebuild. The top face of the crossmember was modified for additional oil pan clearance, and the welding job was so clean, it wasn't caught until after a close inspection of the old unit. Of course by that time, the suspension had been reinstalled in the car. More disassembly was done so the modifications could be duplicated.

Once the crossmember was properly modified, the car was trailered to Pat's bodyshop in Winston Salem for the necessary bodywork and paint. The estimated two weeks initially estimated quickly turned to four, and the schedule began to get cramped. There were problems making the engine run in England, and still about forty boxes to unload into the rolling shell once it arrived back from the paint booth..

When the rolling shell is finally picked up, the bright Yellow paint looks stunning, and it doesn't take long to get the "first scratch" out of the way during reassembly. The first night is a busy one with both doors and the rear hatch being put in. The next day calls for the firewall insulation, HVAC ducting and controls, and the pedals and brake booster/ master cylinder assemblies. The engine finally arrives from England, and three weeks prior to Bloomington, there is an exploded view of a Corvette in the garage. Luckily, the other half of the duo arrives in time to assist in the final reassembly.

The wrenches stop at 10:00 the night before the departure for Bloomington. Tempers are short, but the still not running car is pushed onto the trailer, and secured for journey ahead.

The journey to Bloomington is via the Corvette plant and the National Corvette Museum. The car has the honor of spending the night inside the museum, and the following morning's photo opportunity at the plant won't be missed. There were a lot of strange looks by Corvette plant employees at the British registered Corvette, but they still waved. The car had returned to its original home.

The workshop at Bloomington was nearly a sellout, and the slides covering this restoration were shown to a stunned crowd. The flat yellow car had been reinflated for all to enjoy. The car and an assortment of these photos were displayed next to the car in the Mid America tent for the duration of the show.

Initial plans are being made to feature the car at Bloomington again in 1997.

Copyright ? 1996, 1997 Ed Simmons

Long, Live the King!

by P. Cook, (C)1997

Nine years ago, I sat in Phoenix, Arizona, with hundreds of other dealer representatives from all over the country. The event was a Certified Corvette Specialist program; a week of lectures, discussions, driving instruction, and simply tearing around Firebird International Raceway with folks like Stu Hayner, Doc Bundy and Tommy Archer riding shotgun and teaching us how to drive... real fast.

One evening, as all of us were gathered into the banquet hall of the hotel to hear Chevrolet big-wigs Doug Robinson and Jim Ingle give their presentation. There, by the podium, was =D2the car=D3 we all had been waiting for under wraps.

...It's been called the "wide body", the "super-vette", and the "king of the hill".... And as Doug Robinson said that, Jim Ingle pulled off a car cover to reveal the first, real ZR-1 I had ever seen in person; an '89 red on red prototype. As all the cameras flashed around the hall, time seemed to slow down, and stop. You could feel the excitement and the emotions in the room; they couldn't have been any stronger if they had pulled the wraps off a naked Cindy Crawford.

No one would argue that the ZR-1 was the most greatly anticipated car of the last twenty five years. And ever since production halted, the ZR-1 has become the forgotten date for the evening, disregarded in favor of some flashy, but late arrivals. The Viper, the Acura NSX-T, the Porsche Boxter, the Mercedes SLK, and the Ferrari F-50, to name but a few. Although some have caught the camera's eye, none have come close to the legend called "ZR-1". Now relegated to be a part of automotive history, the ZR-1 was retired early from service with vehicles like GM's EV-1 to be the hallmark. Those who know, however, have not forgotten that the ZR-1 is the living and reigning "king of the hill". A symbol worthy of our fidelity; it still can capsize all of these stragglers in its wake.

We were all ready for the birth of the ultimate Corvette. One that was as American as the USA itself; a combination of different ethnicities. Right down to its soul, the ZR-1 is no pure-bred; and it makes no apologies for being so. Like all Americana, it tries to be the best it can be and drew internationally from the parts bin. In result, the ZR-1 is a mixture of the best the world has to offer. It's heartbeat was born within Lotus of England. It's long legs came from ZF in Germany, and its physique came from a native born design and chassis.

GMs board should have killed the ZR-1 program in its infancy. Its character isn't one of political correctness. It is not a zero emission vehicle, it seats only two, and it doesn't get 100 mpg. Rather, it is socially unacceptable to the masses; illogical, illegal and immoral. The cars concept is so shamelessly one of personal gratification, that your guilt will lead you to expect that a sandle-clad Greenpeace member will hurl themselves beneath your wheels to stop all this fun. But fun was just the point with the ZR-1; it was not built for mass consumption, but for a few select drivers to experience an intimate exchange between car and driver.

The ZR-1 is the ultimate sports car; an untempermental, drive-around-the-town, supercar. Pristine ZR-1s can still be had for a fraction of their original price. And although many of the ZR-1's little brothers (the C-5's) can be had for less money, we all know who would win the brotherly brawl; and which one would capture the checkered flag worthy of the name Corvette.

It's amazing that I was able to sit there in Phoenix, and witness a small part of automotive history. It's also amazing that such an unveiling took place; GM has always reacted to other manufacturers offerings, and rarely taken the initiative. But nine years ago, on that evening, it was GM's moment. GM actually had done something right and was on the cutting edge with a new product. GM was the first to recognize the supercar market, and actually build a niche sports car for it; the ZR-1.

It's an easy car for the average pedestrian to miss; just another Corvette roaring by. But even the average car enthusiast would notice the center-high-mounted-stop-lamp atop the glass rear hatch... on a late model C-4 Vette? Further inspection would reveal that the name Corvette isn't sculpted into the body, but is written in bold, convex letters on the end cap. This car looks bigger... pumped, like a body builder finishing a set of bicep curls. Oh they'd comment with a smile, that's a ZR-1.

Every magazine has featured not one, but several articles on the ZR-1. It has graced countless magazine covers, simply because publishers knew it would ensure huge circulation numbers. In the beginning, as in the end, they all raved about the car. Media encounters with the supercar (superstar?) ended in all too short interviews. Most people could only imagine what the car was like; it had personality, and it seemed unreachable. Everyone had seen Jim Dunne's telephoto spy photos on the cover of Autoweek back in '88 that showed a wide, mean and elusive King of the Hill Corvette. But back there in the real world in Phoenix, sat the car in person to touch, smell, and sit in. The ZR-1 had arrived.

On walking up to the ZR-1, you still notice just how low it sits, under four feet high. As you open the door, you plant you right leg into the foot well, lean forward, and squat into the driver's seat as the left leg follows. Many have complained about the effort required to get in and out of the Corvettes, but these happen to be the same people who don't really understand bicep curls either.

As you adjust the outside rear-view mirror, it's easy to notice a little more curve in the driver's door compared to a standard Corvette. The ZR-1 is 3 inches wider than its C-4 sibling, and the subtle 1 1/2" bulge per side reminds the driver that they are piloting a very special and powerful Corvette.

In looking around the familiar cockpit, the driver feels at home. The interior layout was updated back in '90 with the car's premier, and in '92, with many of the dash bezel areas changed to matte black finishes instead of the original gray color. At your fingertips, the feel of the air-bag equipped steering wheel is unmistakably European; its texture and material are not unlike one of the German offerings. The European feel is no coincidence for GM's world class sports car.

As you scan further, you notice that the interior's designers intended to have you feel integrated with the car, as if you wear it. The instrument panel is covered by a black, semi-circular hood that descends into the driver's door arm rest, and the center console, both also in black. The resultant "U" wraps around the driver and blends the control panel nicely to its surroundings. It also contrasts well with the rest of the inside of the car, as long as your interior isn't black.

The instrument panel fans out and houses a large 7,000 rpm analog tach on the left, a digital speedometer in the center, and four analog engine/function gauges to the right; voltage, oil pressure, water temperature, and battery voltage. The dashboard curves down gently from the windshield, and gives the effect of a spacious cockpit.

The standard sports seats are great in feel and aroma, incorporating electric bolsters (for width control) plus an adjustable three section lumbar support. The seats are so effective at holding the driver in place, that few after market seat suppliers have made sales from Corvette customers looking to change them.

As you look below the CD player with am/fm cassette, you notice a key with words above it; "normal" and "full". This and the 7,000 rpm tach are the only telltale signs of this special Corvette's capabilities.

As you turn the ignition key to the "on" position, you hear the ferocious buzz of the primary fuel pump for a few seconds, and then it pauses, waiting for you to light the engine; there is also a secondary fuel pump for those demanding situations. As you crank the engine, you hear the high pitched and rapid "nyet, nyet, nyet" sounds of the starter and the engine fires with a soft, yet fast idle. Your heart races even though you=D5ve driven the car many times before. Like an old love dear to your heart, the ZR-1 has a special hold on our emotions.

"Long, Live the King! - Part Two" by P. Cook, (C)1997

As the old standard Corvette's LT-1 engine was known for its smoothness and torque, it is always surprising to see how the LT-5 of the ZR-1 shatters the old benchmark on both counts. Plenty of torque is created at low rev's (300 ft-lbs @ 2000 rpm) and peaks at 4800 rpm (370 ft-lbs). Peak horsepower (405 hp) is generated at 5800 rpm and the redline is 7000 rpm; fuel cut-off occurs at 7200 for those who don't know when to call it quits. And although the numbers may look similar to a regular Corvette on paper, make no mistake about it, there are no similarities in real world driving.

At your fingertips is a German ZF 6-speed that incorporates two overdrives, 0.75 in fifth, and 0.50 in sixth gear. Its feel is light, precise, and easy to read, thanks to the center sprung loading. If you every driven one of the '84-'88 C4 vettes with the Doug Nash transmission backed with a two-speed overdrive, the ZF unit represents a "night and day" improvement. Long throws and balkiness are replaced with short throws and a nimble, light feel.

The shifter has three easy-to-feel gates that let you know where you are in the shift pattern; a critical feature when you combine the availability of six gears with the intensity of a racing situation where it is easy to misplace a downshift. For instance, in switching from 5th gear to 4th gear, it could be possible to select 2nd gear by mistake. Perform this error at high speed as you enter a tight turn and you'll find yourself swapping ends instantly. All you have to do though, is pull the shifter out of gear... feel no side-to-side resistance, you're in the 3-4 gate. Feel a push to the right? You're in the 1-2 gate. Feel a push to the left? You're in the 5-6 gate. It's that simple.

Ahhh, what a dozen years of development have done to refine the car's ride quality. The front tires of all ZR-1's are Goodyear's unidirectional and asymmetric GSC 275/40ZR-17's. The massive 315/35 ZR-17's that fill out the rear fender wells of the ZR-1 are called on to provide the additional traction that is required with the car's power. All Corvettes have a tendency to kick out their tail when the throttle is pressed too hard in the turns. Thus, the engineers wanted to make sure that this unwelcome oversteer would not happen easily with 400+ horsepower at your disposal.

The ZR-1 comes standard with the FX-3  selective ride control, an adjustable suspension that was developed jointly with Bilstein. Each of the three settings has six "steps" of computer regulated suspension stiffness that increase with the car's speed. The base setting is called "touring", the intermediate setting is called "sport", and the third is called "performance". The stiffest level of the base touring mode overlaps the lower end of the intermediate sport setting, just as the high end of the sport setting overlaps the bottom end of the third performance mode. How these settings allow the driver to adjust the ride is remarkable.

If the driver sights an approaching washboard surface and does not feel like riding it out, just dial in the "tour" setting for a ride that is soft and forgiving. Try this with a car equipped with a stiff autocross suspension and you'll be bouncing and rattling all over the road. See a beautiful stretch of freshly paved asphalt and want to blast through its apex with speed and control? Dial in "performance" for a taught suspension that offers the maximum handling potential and road feel.

Despite speculation and prototypes badged otherwise, the ZR-1 received its namesake from a suspension designation, rather than from its engine designation "LT-5". The letter "Z" has always been used as the first letter of suspension options at Chevrolet. And although LT-5 seemed very likely to be the supercar's name for many years, corporate edicts (keeping engine designations off of cars exteriors) would keep "LT-5" as simply an engine designation code. ZR-1 would be resurrected from the available RPO bin from the late 70's Corvette to carry the torch for the Corvette into the '90's.

The ZR-1's handling inspires confidence. Even when pushing the car to the limit, the driver feels safe with the car. In fact, this car's level of forgiveness is measured by its grace under pressure in a panic situation. Suddenly, you're in a decreasing radius turn too hot and heavy. G-forces build as the tires give way to a slide. If you are comfortable with the transition, maintain the throttle pressure and the car is balanced. Feel nervous? Let off the throttle and the car will obey and regain traction as if nothing ever happened. Panicked? Stab the brake pedal hard and the car will still be forgiving and slow down. Try this in some other "supercars" and you will describe yourself as "lucky" when you are climbing out of the grass after wondering where the road went.

This is not to say that the ZR-1 is without fault, however, its lingering flaws are mainly those aesthetic ones that relate to interior materials; hard plastic pieces do not belong in a $65,000 sports car. Anyone, however, that has compared a ZR-1 to any prior Corvette will notice the improvement in fit and finish. The doors close with a solid "thunk".  Attention to detail is also evident in, of all places, the exhaust system and in particular, the resonators. The engineers went through several designs of resonators until they achieved just the right sound from the exhaust system. The result is an engine that generates the best sound effects around, without announcing your arrival to the constables.

There are those drivers who turn on their car stereos to overcome ambient noise. With the ZR-1 though, you may find yourself turning "off" the 200 Watt Delco Bose system (that sounds decent albeit, too neutral) for the engine listening pleasure. The intoxicated whirring sound of four cams is hard to convey and impossible to describe to those who haven't heard it. Let's just say that you might find yourself hanging in first gear for the shear pleasure of blasting through an underpass to hear the symphony and reverb of the engine din at 7,000 rpm.

Just as you may be getting used to the exhilaration of the car's acceleration, you may want to throw the gear selector into neutral, jam your foot on the brake pedal, and attempt to lock up the brakes at say... 85 mph. If you never thought that braking could be thrilling, then you've never experienced anti-lock brakes system (ABS) and had your heart race from a 1.0+ G stop; try this with your partner in crime, but not with someone weak of heart. It's also wise to make sure that the road behind you is clear when you try it! Besides getting your adrenaline going, the familiarity from this practice will probably save you from an accident at least once during the course of ownership of the car.

The ABS braking system was developed by Bosch and introduced in '86, and has been upgraded for the ZR-1's performance. Huge 13" rotors provide the stopping power up front, and the three channel system modulates these front brakes independently, and modulates the rears together as a single unit.

New in '92 was the ASC (Automatic Slip Control) developed by Bosch. It uses the anti-lock brake sensors to anticipate wheel slippage during acceleration. It combats this by pushing back on the accelerator, retarding the timing to reduce power, and automatically applying the brakes to stop wheel slippage. If you live in the North Pole, then you'll probably feel that ASC is a God-send. But for those of us who live elsewhere, an ASC equipped Corvette hinders performance in flat-out racing situations where the driver may want to slide the end of the car out in a sweeper. Although ASC has an "off" switch, it offers little consolation as it must be turned off each and every time the engine is fired up. Also, a Corvette that inherently pushes the accelerator pedal up is an anathema.

Overall, the ZR-1 is awesome in performance and looks. Owners have to get used to the attention the car garners, and the myriad of questions that follow from admirers. On one particular occasion, a gentleman was caught looking at the parked ZR. The resultant conversation revealed that he really liked the car, but didn't quite understand its mission. "Where are you going to drive 180 mph? ... the posted limit is 55 mph"  he asked. A smile came over my face as I raved about the 25 mpg the ZR gets on the highway, the beautiful ride quality she exhibits on rough pavement, the awesome Bose stereo, and the utility of even throwing groceries beneath the hatchback when called on to do so. I said matter-of-factly that you really can drive the ZR-1 around town mildly and still appreciate its character. He looked blankly back at me as we said our good-byes, and I got into the ZR-1 and left.

As I pulled out onto the street, I steadily pressed down on the throttle until the engine reached 3,500 rpm... the whirring of the cams taunted me to press the pedal all the way to the floor... and I obliged. A rush came over me as I was pushed back into the seat... people on the sidewalk stopped in their tracks, turned around in slow motion, and hailed "long live the king".  At least, that's the way it seemed from the wideness of their eyes. As the engine's symphony reached its crescendo, I laughed and thought of what I had just said before to the gentleman on the sidewalk... I laughed and thought, OK., so maybe mildly was a poor choice of words.

Remembering old friends

by Kevin Silva, (C)1998

My baby circa 75 - 77 - was a 1969 GTO Judge Convertible.

I saw the add in a local paper while my parents were on vacation in Hawaii (they saved for years to take their dream vacation). I begged my grandmother to let me go see it and finally a friend of my grandfather brought me in his old country squire to check out the car.

I bought it from a female Hall monitor for the Brockton High School for a ridiculous $400. The car had been totaled - crushed from the drivers front left corner to the passenger windshield post.

Had a spare block and tranny. She actually picked up the block herself and put it in the station wagon. She was a BIG Girl. She told me "His name is George. You take care of him and he'll take care of you". George had a name plate on the passenger side dash.

We delivered it to the yard of that old friend of my grandfathers. His name was "Red" - "Red" Hudson he was the service manager for a local Buick garage - (He met my family when they bought my brothers first car - a 63' Ford Falcon. Baby moons and all) .

I spent an entire summer meeting Red for lunch and after work. I'd always make him his "highball" for lunch. In return he taught me how to bring the Goat back to life.

He'd sit on his porch or under the shade tree and tell me what to do next. I'd work real hard, listening to his stories of when he used to race stock cars years before. He tell me all about racing and all the friends that lost their lives from it. He also told me about women and things he did when *he* was young. I'd talk to him and ask questions, things I was too afraid to ask my parents. All the time I'd be sweating over my Goat and preparing for his next inspection.

My work was never good enough - He was never mean but I always had to make him another highball and keep working. "Whatever you see there now, is still gonna be there when you paint it ya know - paint don't hide nothin".

The frame was returned to within 1/4 inch - I'll never forget when that car was finally done. He sprayed it candy apple red. When we took it out of the shop I pointed out every mistake I made. This time he was different. "Don't worry boy - you done good" he said. "But Red" I quickly shot back as I proceed to point out every mistake I made. "You'll never see it from the Brooklyn Bridge" he responded.

I think he was actually proud as he smiled at the finished product.

George had a 400 Ram Air, 4spd T handle Hurst with a Muncie Stone Crusher. Tach on the hood. Red w/black convertible top. 4.11 posi - Hooker Headers with thrush Hush mufflers.

That car sounded so sweet to me. And man could that car cook.

We had a local tuff guy. Name of Stew Gillum. You know the type, no brain, min. wage job, always had his "gang" with him in his nice car (Firebird)- liked to impress the young girls and beat up the young boys (as long as his "gang" was with him).

I'll never forget one night at the local hangout - It was the first time he saw my goat - Stew and his boys were spoutin off , tryin to be cool, impress the girls etc.

I forgot exactly what I did , but I managed to piss him off real good - Well they decided to come after me - I got in the goat and actually waited for them to get close before I took off.

I left so fast it seemed like they were standing still - Problem was - I was so damned scared by then , I never stopped till I was in the next Town.

He spent the next several years try to get me.

I spent the next several years trying not to get caught.

Well now; seems my father (the Town Barber) began to hear stories about his boy and that car of his. I was finally *urged* to get rid of that car - I found a nice 74 Maroon Firebird Formula I liked. I was *urged* to buy the 73' plain jane orange firebird with the automatic and the white leather interior.

I found out that my Judge was sold at auction. A young man purchased it from a local dealer and wrapped it around a telephone pole within one week. All I have left of that car is a couple of photo's and the spare tranny that still sits under my work bench.

Fast forward to the years shortly after I got married. My Grandparents had passed away. My parents and I had lived in a 1656 Farm house with my grandparents. When they passed away, my parents remodeled the exterior of the house and the first floor. Red had experienced a heart attack as well as bypass surgery. He couldn't stand to sit still and just hated being told to take it easy. He was retired then, and I was working shifts. Red used to love kicking me out of bed at 7 AM after I worked the 4-12 shift. "Can't sleep all G*d d*amn day boy"

Red spend the next couple years teaching me plumbing, electrical and wood working while we refinished the second story of our home. Had to sneak him the highballs now (or we'd both be in trouble). He still told me his stories. And I still asked him those questions that I couldn't ask anyone else.

His family was so concerned that he kept coming over and working on the old Home. Every time I tried to slow him down, he'd get pissed at me. "I'd rather drop dead doing what I love, than sittin in that G*d D*mn chair watchin soap operas all day".

We finished the house and I didn't see Red for a couple years.

I'll never forget the day my mother told me that Red had passed away. It was so hard for me to go to that funeral. I cried like a baby when I got home. I don't think his family ever really knew what he meant to me.

Ya know this story was supposed to be about my 69 Judge - but as I got going I realized it was about a very special friend - someone I'll never forget - Someone who became a part of me and helped me become who I am today. To this day I cannot pick up a wrench without seeing Red and hearing his stories. Maybe that's why I do it.

I hope that one day I can give to someone special, what Red gave to me.

ZR-1 races boosted 3.6 Porsche Turbo

by JULIO VIDAL, (C)2000

A week ago I was coming out of my house with my wife driving her 3.4 liter v-6 Camaro, when I see a Ferrari F-355 coming from behind. The driver looks at me and nails it. As you can imagine I felt very impotent as I wished I was driving my ZR-1. I finally caught up to the driver and told him I had a Vette that would be a good race for him, so he invited me to go to his shop another day to try it out. Turns out he was the owner of a large sport car dealer here in Miami that sells mostly Porsche, Mercedez and Ferraris.

Last week I called him to set up a race with the Ferrari. To my surprise he told me over the phone to bring my sh!@t over that he would race me whenever.. even backwards!, and he hung up on me. I was going to race him on motor, but after this rude attitude I was definitely going to "spray" him! (Mind you only with 125 HP dosage). Around 7:00 p.m I showed up to his place dressed up like a very nice "mama's boy", cleaned, shaved and perfumed!

He saw me and invited me to his office. I started telling him about how we could race from a rolling start in a empty street around the neighborhood. Then he opened his big mouth in front of 4 (kiss-ass) employees of his, and said: "relax, you are too tense, ja-ja-ja, but don't worry, after tonight you are going to sleep real tight and calm after I blow your ass away! Ja-ja-ja and kept laughing.

Then he asked me how much money I wanted to put up, I looked puzzle and said .. $50. "That's it?" He said, " those are the easiest $50 that I'm going to make in my life!", and he proceeded to invite his followers to dinner after the race with my $50. Then he invites me to his parking lot and tells me: "this is what I'm going to race you with".. and points to a 96-97 Turbo Porsche" I said what about the Ferrari?, he said "Let's try this one better.. you are not even going to see my ass."

The insults and ridicule continued for another hour, here are some examples from this Porsche arrogant jerk:

"You are going to see after tonight why a Porsche cost 100K, and a Vette 20K."

"Tomorrow you are going to come back begging me to trade your vette for a 911, come and see this one, the one I'll give you (pointing to a 90 plain 911). "I'll give you good money for your little car!"

I was speechless but said to him nicely, the new vettes are faster than 911's. He said "Oh yea.. have you raced one or a Viper?" I said no , I don't race much but I read a lot of Motortrend! He kept laughing!

"Why didn't you bring your wife so she can see what I'm going to do to you?" "If you only knew.... this Porsche had a front license plate on it, that I took off, if you see it I guarantee you you'll buy a box of pampers and go back home crying!"

The insults kept coming and every thing he said, was in front of his followers which would not stop laughing. Me instead... innocent and quiet. Finally I told him to stop talking and take it out, he got offended and raised the bet to 500 dollars against 100, although he admitted of feeling pitiful for taking money away from a poor looking kid.

He insisted in racing me from a 70 mph rolling start on I-75. (If he only knew this is my only kind of race) So we get on the highway. Me alone, him with a co-pilot, his wife and kids in a Mercedes, and his four followers in a 850 BMW. He just wanted to look like a God in front of his crew!

On the way to I-75 he insisted several times to try me out, until finally I gave him a preview on third gear on motor alone. He looked a little concerned and lowered the bet $200, against $100.

Finally we get to I-75, and after more trash talking we rolled at 70 MPH. He nails it in front of me and pulls 1-car length, but when I smashed the hammer down (with Nitrous), I pulled two cars in third gear, 4 cars on fourth gear and a few more on fifth. I let go at 165 mph, and after a few seconds he blows by me. We pulled next to the road and he started screaming in front of his friends:

"I'm not paying you , you don't know how to race, how the hell can you put the breaks on me when I'm about to pass you. Your car is from hell, I've never seen anything like it, is a f#*k**ng rocket, but at 130 MPH you are out of gas". Say what? I said.. do you think this thing opens a parachute at 130? You got nothing for me! Whose buying a Porsche now UH? He would not reason and kept screaming. As I was walking away he said.. "you scared, you can't take me?"...

I turned around and said.. GET IN THAT DOG AND LET'S DO IT OVER!!

This time he rolled at 80 mph and took off. I did exactly the same thing, only this time I pulled to 180 MPH! I let go and a few seconds after the Maniac blows by me in between two cars almost losing control. I pulled next to him at about 60 MPH and asked him, are you convinced now?

He started screaming, "pay me my money", and steered his car trying to hit me.

Anyway I was able to get out in an exit which he was not able to make so he went on down the highway.

Yesterday, a week later, I found out that everybody in the Porsche and Vette community knows about the race. I hear the guy was so frustrated of the embarrassment he did not talk to anybody for a week, not even his wife! He would only say "he had something.. I don't understand... F#*k!!g Kid!!"

Although this was not a pleasant experience, (I do not enjoy racing maniacs), It is a great pleasure to be able to do this to such a arrogant person who thinks ZR-1's are a piece of Shit and Porsches are the "ultimate cars on the planet"

Porsche..... There is a Substitute!!.....ZR-1

It was late in the afternoon on a typical June day in the Tri Cities

by Jeff Thornock, (C)2000

ZR-1 BLISS