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We attended the New England Concours Saturday and it was a great time despite a dry but really blustery day that didn't get over 50.

To be clear this isn't a major concours but a local event in it's third year that is  gaining steam.  It's organized by some great folks and this year's participants included Dick Shappy who brought his Duesenberg Model A and a fantastic Ferrari 275 GTB that won at the Boston Cup a few days earlier.  

Positives included super organization, classes that made sense, traffic and people moved efficiently and a very welcome atmosphere to all participants.  Judging was casual but done by a team of car folk many of whom have judged at bigger events like Audrain. MB, and MB w123 was featured this year, Corvette the previous year.  Pressing for Packard next year...

On the cars themselves, something for most everyone.  I also saw some local cars (we live 3 miles from the venue) I hadn't seen before - a testiment to good events ability to draw interesting cars.

Here are some pics -  hope you like them!

So, there’s this Canadian guy named Ken Carter who spent five years trying to jump a rocket-powered car across the St. Lawrence River. You know, just a casual mile-wide jump from Canada toward the US. 😂

Here’s the best part: this isn’t a mockumentary. It’s a real story. The 1981 documentary The Devil at Your Heels follows Carter’s actual attempt, complete with a massive launch ramp, money problems, failed tests, and even some involvement from Evel Knievel.

Did he actually make the jump? Nope. After five years of trying, the whole thing never came together.

You’ve got to wonder what goes through someone’s head when they look at a river and decide the best way across is a rocket-powered car.

Maybe someone will give it another shot with the new Tesla Roadster? 😂🚀

Fun watch.

Some cars are worth preserving for more than their engineering or racing pedigree. It’s the stories they carry that make them truly special.

Jaguar D-Types XKD 522 and XKD 531 couldn’t have taken more different paths. XKD 522 was one of only two factory-red D-Types and was pulled from the 1955 Los Angeles Auto Show for Carroll Shelby to race. XKD 531 became part of the Kustom Kulture movement, with distinctive pinstriping by Von Dutch.

When their friend Tom passed away, Jeremy and Bill took on the responsibility of restoring both cars. The goal wasn’t simply to make them look perfect. It was to preserve what made each one unique, right down to the original fasteners.

A wonderful reminder that restoring a historic car is as much about protecting its story as it is about bringing it back to life.

🎥 Watch the video:

I have been fighting on an off with a sticking valve for about a year and a half and today it stuck and never really loosened up.  Usually once the car came up to temperature it was fine.  I am guessing either I have a bent valve or just a lot of crud.  I need to send the car somewhere to get the engine work done.  I am leaning toward ACD in Broken Arrow but open to suggestions if anyone has one.  When the valve is not stuck the car runs great so I am guessing that my bottom end must be pretty good.  Hopefully we can just do the valve train.

I finished up blowing several acres of leaves today and had just enough time for a cruise around the neighborhood. However, I got stuck behind this spectacle, driving 20mph with the 4-ways on. Not entirely sure how they had the bed strapped down but it didn’t fall off, so I’ll give them that. “How you gonna move that bed without a trailer?” “Hold my beer…”

Anyone else have any odd photos from the road?

You can’t make this stuff up. Lucas actually mentioned darkness in this 1934 ad. 😂 Interesting that the inspection light could be plugged into a Lucas instrument panel. Whether or not it worked….

Not a motorcycle guy but this thing is crazy cool.   These were made in the 20s in Syracuse NY.   Note the center steering.

I am pretty excited about this because it will be my Duesenberg's coming out party with me as the owner.  I am a two ACD car owner so it was hard to decide which one to bring but the Duesy is new so I picked the new toy.  I learned today that J-464 has been accepted to Amelia for 2027 so we are going to be Eastbound and down, loaded up and trucking to Amelia in March.  My car has been off the show circuit for about a decade so I am bringing her back out of hiding.  It makes me laugh that last year I showed my Opel GT and I am following it up this year with the Duesy.  Who knows, next year I might bring the Pacer just to keep it interesting.  :)

Just for Ed. Lol
Being a tractor mechanic today.
New keyway cut in this shaft from a grain auger.