My Vehicle Wish List

My Vehicle Wish List

I get the occasional request for a blog topic but it's almost always political and I try to avoid those sort of things as much as possible.  I usually blog about cars and travel - I like both subjects, and neither is likely to get me in any trouble.  When I got a request for a "wish list" of cars I'd like to own I was thrilled.  I like cars.  I like lists.  Perfect!

I initially sat down with a note pad and started jotting down all the cars I just have to own one day (but haven't yet).  I ended up with a War and Peace length sheet.  I decided to set some ground rules for myself, so here is a top 10 list of vehicles that I plan to (and realistically can) own someday.  

In 'Alfa'betical order:

Alfa Romeo - ANY Alfa Romeo

It's hard for me to believe that of the over 200 cars I've owned, not a single one of them has been an Alfa.  The lads on my favorite TV show Top Gear are fond of saying "You can't be a true petrol-head until you've owned an Alfa Romeo".  Their reasoning is that no car will bring you such pleasure and heartbreak - sometimes on the same trip.  All Italian cars are, shall we say, odd.  Reliability isn't a strong suit, but they have a passion about them that you just don't find in a German car, for example.  I almost bought this little Spider at the Carlisle, PA, spring event a few years back but chickened out and bought yet another Corvette instead.  There are always Alfa's available, and most models aren't particularly expensive, I just need to pull the trigger.

BMW M6 (1983-1989)

I've always wanted one of these shark-nosed 6-series cars, and the M6 is the ultimate version.  When BMW's M Division worked on the original 635, it created one of the most elegant grand tourers of the period - and one of the fastest!  I'd like to buy one of these on the east or west coast and road trip it back to Texas.  You can buy the more common 6-series, like the 635, for just a few grand - and they're great cars in their own right.  I want the muscle car though, and a good one will cost around 20K or so.  It's worth every penny, as these are an appreciating classic.

Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (1971-1978)

Cadillac has been building Eldorados since 1952, but the ones I covet are the 8th generation behemoths from the seventies.  They're shockingly slow, and almost comical to see on the roads today, but I think they're awesome!  The good news is that Nel (who is pretending to be gored by one in the picture above that we almost bought at Mecum last year) is, for some reason, on board with this one.  She humors me on most of my vehicle purchases, but she genuinely wants one of these too.  There are plenty available, and a good one can be found for 15-25K.

Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (1968-1972)     

I've owned 13 Corvettes, but the oldest one I've ever had is the 1986 Pace Car we have now.  I've always had this idea to get one of these chrome bumpered Stingrays and sort of do a resto-mod on it.  I'd like to keep it as original looking as possible, but have modern running gear and suspension.  Original examples with the right engines are very expensive, but I just need a nice roller to get me started.  It's tricky - I could probably find one, but it might take me years to build it the way I want it.

Delorean

 

Yes, Deloreans are horribly built, slow cars and if not for Marty McFly you probably would never have heard of them (Bricklin, anyone?).  They only built about 9200 of these, but they manufactured parts to build more than twice that many.  You can also get just about any OEM part for one that you need, and the company that sells and works on them is right here in Houston, so good for me.  The bottom line is that it's odd and quirky - and I love odd and quirky!  The key is to buy one with a perfect body.  You can work on the terrible Ford or Renault engines, but trying to take a parking lot ding out of stainless steel is a massive task.

Ferrari ?

I'm torn here.  I'm not sure which model I want, I just know that I want a Ferrari in my life.  I've owned a 308 and a Mondial Cabriolet in the past, and I've thought I wanted a Testarossa for years.  The Testarossa is a dinosaur though - incredibly impractical and expensive to maintain and not even that much fun to drive.  I LOVE the 550 Maranello.  It's a much better car and I feel like I could drive it to the office without looking like a complete tool.  On our last trip to Italy, Branelle and I rented this fantastic 458 Italia.  I think it's the best mid-engined supercar ever!  It was refined, and that's not something you say about a supercar often.  The California is growing on me as well.  I'm sort of late coming to the Ferrari party, but I want to take a girl home.  I just need to pick one.

Lamborghini Espada

I've wanted one of these rather ugly four-seater Lambos for as long as I can remember.  I've come close a few times as well.  Unfortunately for me, collectors have started snatching them up so instead of being able to find one for 40K or so, you need to be willing to go to 80 or even 100K.  I'm willing, but buying one is just the beginning.  It's not like I can work on a 12-cylinder Lamborghini motor myself (and it will need work) and parts are no bargain either - if you can find them.  Still, I want one.  The one I'm admiring in the picture above is in the museum at the Lamborghini factory in tiny Sant'Agata Bolognese outside of Modena.  

Pontiac Trans Am

I want a 2nd generation TA - basically a 1970-1981 model.  To be honest, a Camaro Z28 from the same period would be fine with me as well.  I'm not sure why.  These cars aren't fast, they don't handle well, and they aren't particularly rare.  I just want one some day, and I want to drive it around.  I want to embarrass my wife by picking her up for lunch at her office.  There are plenty available and a good one can be had in the teens.

Porsche 911 Turbo

The new 911 Turbos are amazing cars, and I'd love to have one, but what makes my list is the older models from the '80s.  These beasts were the car to me growing up.  I've owned a few 911s, but never a Turbo.  They were crazy fast for their day, but very challenging to drive.  It was a car that's actively trying to kill you (and who wouldn't want that).  This is sort of a bucket list item as well.  The 911 is the greatest sports car of all time in my opinion, and as a car guy the 911 (or 930) Turbo is the pinnacle of true car aficionado ownership. 

Volvo P1800

I was a little surprised that the P1800 made my final list to be honest.  There's something about this little Swedish Coupe that I enjoy though.  It's not a quick car, nor were they well built, but they look fantastic.  Don't tell my wife, but I secretly want the wagon version a little more than the coupe.

      

Synchronized Napping

Synchronized Napping

(on the left) Gracie - George (on the right)

We've been convinced for years that Synchronized Napping would become an Olympic sport, and like most completely reasonable and rational parents, we were sure that our little George was a sure bet for Gold!  He showed an amazing aptitude for napping and really didn't seem to mind the hours and hours of training that were required to succeed in this grueling sport.  All we needed to do was find him a partner.  Enter Gracie!

Training was initially difficult due to a massive size difference, and the fact that Gracie didn't immediately seem to want to put the hours of napping in that George did.  We solved both of these issues by feeding them massive amounts of turkey flavored cat food (it's fattening and the tryptophan in turkey induces sleepiness).  We've been training non-stop for the last couple of years in preparation for 'Rio 2016'.  It's a real sacrifice we make as a family - the constant kitty blanket prepping, providing laps whenever needed, even bringing in outside coaching when we're out of town - but it's all worth it.  We feel confident that we'll make the US Olympic Synchronized Napping Team, but we have a backup plan just in case politics get in the way.  George is a Turkish Van, so he could compete for Turkey.  Gracie is an American Shorthair, but Turkey is pretty relaxed about their citizenship requirements.  We're ready to nap for gold!  Check out our progress:  

The "Spooning Buddha"

This is called a "Reverse Inverted Yin/Yang"

Their focus on the compulsory moves is outstanding.

This "Kitty Stole" is a little sloppy, but artistic value points are part of the scoring.

A "Double U" with a kick-out.

We've been working on a "Reverse Spooning Buddha" but it's not ready for competition yet.

Just in case the IOC decides to add props.

We're still deciding on costume choices, but thinking of going with a "siesta" theme.

Spacing is important.

We've told them that if they want to be champions, they have to eat, drink, and sleep Synchronized Napping.

This is a new trick we're working on.  We are calling it the "Pillow Top Paw Cross".

A nearly perfect "Heart Nap" - Gracie just needs to extend her tail and this is max points!

The "Cold Shoulder" - every team will have this trick, so we have to really nail it.

Even when you aren't performing a trick, on-bed spacing and synchronization is key to high scores.

      

BWM R1200C

Random Vehicle Blog:

BMW R1200C

Tonight the random selector has given me a bike, and not one of my favorites.

I didn't take many pictures of this bike so this will be a short page.  I bought this thing at an auction on a whim and never really warmed to it.  For one thing, I thought it was extremely ugly.  BMW make some attractive sport bikes, but I don't think they quite have the cruiser styling down.  For another thing, it just wasn't that much fun.  It ran OK but just wasn't exciting.  James Bond jumped over a helicopter on one of these things handcuffed to Michelle Yeoh, but I found it to be sluggish and unresponsive. 

I kept this thing for years before my friend Barry took it off my hands.  He rode it for a few years before coming to his senses and selling it.  Not a terrible bike, but not one I would ever buy again. 

On a rare ride with the BMW (on the left) - Eddie B. on his proper Harley cruiser is my ride buddy here.

Neuschwanstein Castle

100 Places To See Before You Die!

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hohenschwangau, Germany

  

I haven't done one of these "100 Places" blogs in a while, so I thought I'd give it a go with one of our favorites so far.  Neuschwanstein Castle, or Schloss Neuschwanstein in German (which translates literally to "New Swan Stone Castle") is probably the most visually recognized castle in existence.  It is a romanticized version of a medieval fortress that has provided the inspiration for many film versions of a dream castle as well as for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.  

I won't bore you with a lot of background info (Wikipedia it up), but I will relay a few fun facts about the creator, Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria.  Ludwig ascended to the throne in 1864 at the age of 18 and was already considered eccentric.  His new found power didn't help as he continued to go further and further off the deep end (I like to call this the Bieber Effect).  He started building fairytale castles in the Alps and in 1869 started construction on Neuschwanstein.  It took 23 years to complete, although complete is not entirely accurate as of the castle's 360 rooms, only 14 were ever decorated.  Ludwig was declared insane and deposed by his subjects in 1886 and mysteriously drowned in Lake Starnberg shortly after.  I'm sure he was, in truth, murdered by his subjects, but CSI wasn't around in those days so the mystery remains.

Ludwig actually spent 11 nights in this castle before his death, but basically it was immediately opened to the paying public in 1886 and has served as a tourist attraction ever since, with over 1.3 million visitors a year.

Enough of the background, now for some practical tips:

Visiting Neuschwanstein means heading to the Bavarian Alps of Southern Germany.  A lot of places on the "100" list are as much about the area as they are about the actual place.  This castle would probably make the list anyway, but Bavaria is a fantastic place to visit!  Munich is probably the best city in Germany for tourism and the area around Neuschwanstein in beautiful and fun in all four seasons.  The area is geared to the castles - as is illustrated by the scene on the inside of our hotel's elevator door in the picture above - but it's very tasteful and clean about it.  It all fits.

The "other" castle:  Schloss Hohenswangau - Visit both!

There are actually two castles in the town, the other being Schloss Hohenswangau, and the only way to go inside them is on a tour.  You must buy your tickets in town at the ticket center - don't make the mistake of hiking up to either castle without a ticket because they don't sell them there.  You can, and should, purchase a combo ticket to tour both castles.

This picture shows the cue where you will line up inside Neuschwanstein for your tour.  You basically buy a ticket for a certain time and language.  For example, we purchased tickets for the 10:00am tour in English.  With the usual German efficiency, the electronic boards will have a countdown to your time and tell you exactly where to go.  The kid who gave us our tour was fine.  He had a strong accent and it felt like he was reading a script, but after the tour we asked a few questions and he loosened up.  They do not allow any photos inside the castle, but take all you want outside.  It's quite a hike up from the town to Neuschwanstein, but it's gorgeous so worth taking your time.  There are buses, and you can also take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage if you prefer.

They're always doing some kind of restoration work, so scaffolding is a possibility.

Take the time to hike the trails around the castle after your tour.  The natural beauty of the area is astounding and every time you come around a corner you'll find a new and more amazing view.

We visited in the fall and it was perfect - no crowds, great weather, etc..  I understand that this place, like most of Europe, can be a madhouse in the summer.  We hate crowds so we always try to travel when other people don't, but I imagine it would be fine any time.  We stayed in the nearby town of Fussen, a mere two miles away.  It was clean and picturesque and I highly recommend it.  

Neuschwanstein Castle should be on everyone's "100" list both for its iconic beauty as the most recognized castle in the world and for its fantastic location in the beautiful Bavarian Alps.  Don't rush your visit.  Spend a few days here and a few days in Munich, taking a day to drive the "Romantic Road" in between.  

A bonus tip:  There is a summer luge facility right down the road.  It's a blast so definitely give it a try.

Heading up to the top of the summer luge track!