GNX - That is badass enough to be it's own title.

 

     Back in the late 80's I was really getting into my car obsession. The late 80's/early 90's to me were a great turning point in the automotive world. Cars like the Porsche 959 and the Ferrari F40 were changing the way supercars were designed. Although I loved and still love those two cars, I was beginning my obsession to regular cars that could surprise a Testarossa or 911. I recall reading about the Lotus Omega on the other side of the pond. A car that started some controversy as it did 180ish Mph. A car that was a regular sedan turned beast. The M5 was also born. Companies were taking their regular cars and turning them into sleeper cars that would surprise some high end sports cars. Enter the GNX.

     Now, most people know what a Grand National or Buick Regal is. In 1982, the Grand National was launched and it ran till 1987. In 1987, the GNX was launched, and not many of those same people know the significance of it. I knew a bit but I still did a little more research on it. The owner of this one could recite all of this info at the drop of a dime though. Super knowledgeable. The X stood for Experimental. Buick sent a little over 500 Grand Nationals to ASC McLaren to have totally reworked. Reworked being not just engine work, but suspension, transmission, and few body clues as well. One thing I did not know was that these cars were numbered as well. I always found that feature on rare cars to be sweet. Any limited edition badge showing what number your car was just screams win to me. One other thing I did not know was that these were all 87s. I thought they made them for a few years. I learn something new every day! With only a limited number of these cars made, and now with the limited number left, the GNX is becoming a collector vehicle. Don't believe me? One recently just sold for $165k. Yes, it only had 300 or so miles on it. This one in picture? Little over 3000 miles. No, that is not a typo.

     I sent a photo from my phone to a few friends to give them a precursor to this write up. They all said the same thing. Why only 3000 miles? They wondered why the car wasn't driven. The owner picked this up 8-9 months ago and I guess you really have to ask that question to the original owner. As a kid I never understood why people wouldn't drive their cars. As an adult, I realize why they don't put a lot of miles on it. Value. Can you imagine this car in 20 years with under 10k miles? Imagine a old 60s Ferrari with only 10k miles on it. Low mile collectors cars at auctions pull serious bank. This car here was flat out beautiful. I was glad to see it with only 3k miles on it. Why? Because in 87, I was only 8 and I didn't have the chance to see this off the showroom floor. Now I get to see it how it was when the original owner picked it up. Jaw dropping. I'd almost be scared to drive it being so rare and low mileage.

     Now, I am a huge fan of Audi. They are said to have the best interiors in the luxury car field and I believe it. They are beautifully designed. This is the opposite of that. Of course this is an 87 and the interior back then had this design to it. Looking at it now we all chuckle a bit. But after looking more, I started to miss it. The 80's were awful in some aspects and great in others. The interior of this GNX actually got my love though. Simple, had that look of the generation, and had the pull back ash trays connected to the back of the two seats. Remember those? Damn, I used to love playing with those back in the day. It brought me back to when I was a kid and hot damn did I love those days. (FYI, this interior was cleaner than mine and my car is 20 years newer) Another plus, it has a boost gauge!

     The thing about the GNX is that it's great to see what GM could do back in the day. This car still gets looks and attention. So much so, a random neighbor I don't know even stopped by, got out of their car, and had questions about it. It pulls you in and keeps your attention. The fact that it ran the quarter mile as fast as my C55 AMG also shows that the GM/McLaren relationship with this car equaled some jaw dropping results. I can't imagine running those times in the 80's. This car had to shock a lot of those exotics we were talking about earlier. It also sounds freakin fantastic at idle. I can't imagine laying into it though. I bet that V6 turbo sound will be something I would obsess over in the future.


     Another thing I didn't know. The rear diff cover has GNX inscribed in it. Talk about attention to detail!

     Thanks to the owner for bringing over Darth Vader's car. Talk about a beautiful example and it's nice to see a low mile rare car like this in the driveway. This collectible will be hard to top anytime soon.

    

Celebrating Perseverance

 

 

 

     I will start this story off by saying this is the best thing I have written about so far on this page. Now this isn't my typical driveway post being this isn't my driveway, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that today I am proud to be a car guy. Today, I am proud to say that this story restores faith in humanity. Turn on your local news and you will see a few things; shootings, hatred, and world problems.....maybe the latest Red's loss. What you won't see is a story like this. A story that needs to be on the news because it shows you how good people are for somebody they don't know. Prepare for tears.

     Meet Jason. Jason is a kid full of energy, something we wish we all had. I didn't know Jason a few months ago but I got a random email from a friend that changed that. A friend named Jack sent me a message asking for my help. He noticed Jason sitting outside his house one day watching cars drive by and he was always waving. This went on for a while. After some contact with Jason's parents, Jack asked me if we wanted to gather some cars together and hold a rally for Jason, just a little drive to his house so he could see some cool cars and meet some awesome people. I was on board without hesitation. After a few botched days due to weather, we finally got a perfect 85 degree, sunny day, and fired up the cars. Guess who else joined in.... the Blue Ash Police Department! After we all met in a parking lot down the street, the BAPD gave us an escort straight to Jason's house to see that smile!

 

     Before we get to the pics though, I wanted to tell you all about a place that went above and beyond for Jason. No this isn't a paid advertisement. haha Mercedes Benz in Ft. Mitchell Kentucky. Why the name drop? Well, I have a few friends there and I thought it would be cool to drive up in a nice Mercedes Benz versus my old boring tank. I made a call to them. I don't even think I got a "let me check first" response. It was more like "absofreakinlutely!" The car of choice? A CLA45 AMG! This was a gift for me too! I have read about them and if you didn't know, I am a sucker for AMGs. This one was awesome. If you have the means, go buy this car right now. It pulls very hard, makes amazing sounds when shifting, and it looks the part too. Now, MBFM did not give us this car to use to get some publicity, they gave us this car to put a smile on a kids face. We need more places that follow this example, always willing to help for a good cause.

  Thank you very much Mercedes of Ft. Mitchell

 

 

 

     While on the subject of Thank Yous, a special thanks goes out to these three class acts. Officer Cho, Sgt. Noel, and Officer Schrand. These three took a few minutes out of their day to come escort us to Jason's house. They were polite, they solved the nightmare traffic issue on the street when 30+ cars showed up, and they promised to come visit Jason when they can. Again, class acts. These three are the reasons why I look up to Police Officers. They have a tough job and it's awesome to see them do what society needs them to do, be there for the community no matter what! They are the heroes here.

 



     Speaking of heroes, they were everywhere at this party. Anyone remember the movie Shallow Hal, when Hal could all of sudden see the inner beauty of people? Well if I had that power, everyone at this event would have a superhero cape on. Especially Jason's parents. These two are what every parent should be like. They love their kids unconditionally and will do anything to put a smile on their faces. Pete and Lori are the definition of perseverance. In fact, check out their website at www.CelebratingPerseverance.org. Pete will be running a 100 mile marathon soon to support Jason and the Cerebral Palsy research at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. (The best in the world too) Please stop by the website and show your support if you can! I also met Audrey who helps take care of Jason. (Another hero of mine) Unfortunately, with how busy the traffic/party/organizing things were, I didn't get to talk to them all that much. Hopefully they can have us back over in the future to hang out and chat it up.

     Another corporate ad here?  NOPE! But I am going to mention them anyway. When one of our participants heard about this event, he had Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale ship a few T-shirts up for Jason. Again, not for publicity, but for a good deed. They don't know I am writing this. haha For how much Jason loves seeing cars, now he gets to wear the gear too. Pic #2 there is from two more heroes, Brian and Pam. They are ambassadors for Subaru of America and threw in some party gifts as well. Again, not for publicity, but because they are ambassadors, meaning they always do the right thing and are proud of the company they represent. Thanks again to all of you for the gifts.


     Now for the cars!  Most of these people were from a local car club that does things a little different than your idea of what a car club is. These guys and gals are family. In that family, they spend lots of time together at events, races, and even random lunch/dinner meets. The best part about this group is that it's not about the cars, it's about the people. I asked the group, and the few extras that joined, to try and chip in for a donation to Children's Hospital for Jason. Right before we left for his house, one of these individuals said let's take care of the money now. I had mentioned that 10 bucks each would be awesome. As I stood there getting twenty after twenty, I realized something that I mentioned earlier. People are great, especially these people. They had no hesitation opening up their pockets to help somebody they haven't even met yet. Now, I have seen this group do road rallies and car shows, with all of the money they raise going to charity. It's always good to see. This was different though, to me at least. Nobody asked for change, nobody stood back. Everyone gave me money to present to Jason's family and they did it with a smile. One of these guys even forgot cash so he got right on the website and dropped a wad of cash to the cause. Regular people don't do that. Superheroes do. Superheroes lead by example. When a few non club members saw this as well, you could see the shocked faces. I was even short of a good round number and when one of them heard that, he opened his wallet to make it so. He saw how this group of people acted and he went above and beyond as well to help. It made me so proud that I get to know and hang out with these people.

    Listen to me I am rambling, but behind all of the joy that happened on Saturday, and behind all of the participation of the neighbors, family, and the car people, one thing just keeps sticking out in all of our minds. Jason. Jason is the man here. He says hi to everyone and any time you see him, you can tell he is happy. Why is he happy????? I know that answer, and it's explained above. The heroes around him. Please stop by their page if you can, leave some words of encouragement for Pete, and thanks for reading.


Another shout out to Sweeny BMW as well. That morning, they lent a sweet car to one of their employees to bring by and let Jason sit in. Again, not for publicity, but because it was the right thing to do. You guys rock as well! (In the background in the pic below)

I also have to apologize to some of the car people who came. I was sooooo busy running around meeting people, I didn't get pics of all the cars. :(    I know 100% of those that came by have already mentioned this is something they want to do more of so I promise next time I will get pics of them all.

The Sleeper.... Seriously, this is the definition of Sleeper

 

 

     Many years ago, well not that long, the wife and I were in St. Lucia about to tie the knot. We flew down and had a wonderful wedding/honeymoon. It was a week of nothing but relaxation. We never left the Sandals compound so I was void of cars for that whole week. On the way from the airport and to the airport though, I saw a lot of odd things. First was an Audi A4 with a completely different engine that wasn't offered in the states. I also saw a pristine Supra in an area were it didn't seem to belong. What was most interesting though was a BMW that I had never seen or even heard of. The X1. I had to get a picture of it as it was actually a cab that you could take from the hotel to the airport. FYI, if you ever go to St. Lucia, be prepared for a scary ride through the mountains. (very little traffic laws) The X1 was very unique though. A mix between a wagon and a SUV. Pic is below.

     Few years later, it came stateside. What's really cool about it is you could get it with the inline 6 turbo motor that BMW fans are crazy over. This motor is very tunable for very low cost. It is seriously impressive. This X1 in the article has some of these mods but is more track focused so has some suspension/braking work done to it. Wait, what?? Keep reading.

     I met the owner of this machine through a few friends and started to learn about it a bit. He has put a lot of time into making sure the suspension and brakes were done right. These aren't Ebay parts made out of pewter and plastic. This suspension is no joke. Reason? This car does track day events. And by track day events, I mean it smashes cars like 911's on track day events. Yes, I have seen the video. I had doubts though. You know how it is, you see a video online of some underdog beating a faster car and you always see the same comments. "That car needs a driver mod" or the usual, "put me in that car and I'd smash that X1." So, I went for a ride.

     I decided to sit in on the next track day event. Now, in the picture above you will notice there are some winter tires on. The owner was in process of getting a summer wheel fixed so we had to make due. The acceleration is pretty intoxicating. For the size, it is very quick. Size..... it really isn't that big though. You would think an SUV like this would be large but it hides it well. I would venture to say my sedan is actually bigger. Now, it's no vette on the straight line performance but it will hold its own very well. What concerned me the most was how the owner kept accelerating when I would have been on the brakes by then coming into a corner. This is the moment I realized a few things.

1. Crazy shit is about to go down.
2. I may have made indents on his door armrest
3. The only time I have felt that kind of cornering was when I rode in a buddy's R8
4. This kid can drive!
5. I cannot confirm or deny that I peed a little bit.

   I was super impressed with how this thing took corners, especially on tires not designed to do that. It was an eye opener that I need to get a car to start doing track days, immediately. It has been a few weeks since that ride and I still can't believe the physics of what happened. It just goes to show you what a properly tuned suspension and brake package can do for a car, that being more important than adding a bunch of power in most cases. Also, the driver mod helps as well. The owner had complete control at all times and even though I was saying Holy Shit about every corner, I felt as if he knew what he was doing. The track day stickers prove that as well. Now, when I look back at those videos online of his track days, I know the underdog is passing those cars because he/it can!

     What makes this track day beast awesome is the fact that I can bet its the most comfy car on that track. The interior is very lush. Great color combo on it an very user friendly. This thing is a sleeper in every aspect, which is my style. Love it.

     Sorry to the owner for taking so long to put this up. Vacation, work, and everything else has kept me from getting it done. More cars are coming soon as well so stay tuned. Thanks again to the owner for the ride, again, it was amazing how that thing took corners. When BMW says the Ultimate Driving Machine, they are talking about this, not an M3. haha

SL 63 AMG.....I repeat... SL 63 AMG

     I know very recently I had another AMG on here so this story may not be as good or funny at all. Actually, I'll just let the car do most of the work. And even though the E55 I wrote about recently and this car have a lot of differences, they have the same heritage. Sure one is a supercharged wagon and one is a two door twin turbo GT car, but they both start their lives in the factory, built by a person who creates the heart of the AMG by hand building and signing the massive torque monster. This one is a little newer though.

     Twin turbos pushing a massive V8 equals a lot of fun. Add the performance package that AMG offers and you are pushing over 600 lb ft of torque. I mean, I was impressed that my C55 AMG had almost 400 lb ft of torque. Over 600 has to make the earth spin a little faster when you goose it. The best part is, you can even still mod these cars, for a small fortune though. Being a GT car though, it is a heavy pig. The SL is one of the most luxurious cars Mercedes offers, especially when you add the optional Designo interior package. This car is beautiful. Straight up beautiful. Just seeing it roll up the street and into my driveway made me depressed that I didn't win the lotto recently because I want that feeling with a car like this. The Audi A6 isn't cutting it anymore. I need one of these!

     I have been a big fan of the SL for quite sometime and back in the day, it even shared the engine with the E55. It's a fantastic model that comes in all sizes. From a N/A v8 all the way up to a twin turbo v12. I have to imagine it is a great cruising car that can lay a set of 11's a half mile long. The options you can get on this car are just something you will have to research on your own. Not because there are too many, or I am lazy, but because some of the options are things you would never think a car would have. Remember though, $$$$$$$$. I personally think the SL 63 is a little overpriced in my book but if I had cash to blow, I would definitely have one. I am a sucker for anything with an AMG badge. I still want the R63 AMG.  Google that.

     Again, I think that's all I got today. Sorry, slow computer and long days at work have my brain a little fried. Maybe having this car would be a way to correct that problem. Slap the top down, warm summer day, cruising the back roads of Kentucky. I could see that as a way to clear ones head and recharge the batteries. Hey Mercedes, can I borrow one for a few years? I will wait for a response shortly.

 

     Let's just treat this episode like you are in a museum. Just be quiet and enjoy the art. I have even saved the most valuable piece for last....

Hayabusa- Japanese for WTF!

 

     Back in my crazy driving days, I never really got into the bike scene. I never really looked at bikes as a way to get your speed fill for the day. I would just roast tires on my 5.0 or fishtail around a corner or two, but the 5.0 was a 14 second quarter mile car back when I had it in late 90s. Fun then..... slow as molasses now. The first bike I ever rode was a TL1000R. Yup, first time ever riding a bike and I ride a 1000cc bike. Stupid, but I learned very quick. Within 100 feet, I knew the basics of riding and took the TL1000R out for a little fun run. I will never forget that day or the buddy who trusted a newb to ride his new bike. RIP Roger! Few months later, I got to ride a CBR600RR. Wonderful bike. Few months later, I got to try my luck on a 929RR. This is the first bike that scared me. See, when I rode the TL1000R and the CBR, I never really gave them too much throttle. I gave enough to have fun but I never opened them up, and by open up I mean taking one to redline. If you have never ridden a sport bike, you'll know what I mean the first time you ride and tach one out. I'm sure for the riders here reading, you still remember the first time you ran through the gears.

     So..... I was riding the 929 getting to know it a bit. Short ride, just to get a few pulls in. I knew I was way too inexperienced to open up first gear on any of the bikes I had ridden so I thought to myself, hit second and give it the beans. Holy F! Pulled the wheel straight up. 30 seconds later, I pulled in my driveway and went and had a few drinks to get rid of the shakes. It was scary as shit. When you don't expect that, it's scary as shit. That's when I developed a respect for bikes. Fast forward a few years and I ended up picked up a Triumph Daytona 650 after getting on the Triumph kick- my brother had a 955i at the time. 600-750 cc sized bikes in my opinion are perfect. Great handling and already fast as hell, although maybe not the most comfortable. In comes the Hayabusa and says, "Screw everything!"

     Suzuki executives must have said, "Let's make the most bulbous, but fastest bike ever made. As a result, 1300cc motor. 1300! The Hayabusa has a motor twice the size of my Triumph. To me, my Triumph was pretty quick, like quick enough for anyone to ever need. It would outrun pretty much any car on the road. My bike had 114hp. Hayabusa is over 170. Yes, the Hayabusa is also a lot heavier, but power to weight is real! This bike will pull off a 9 second quarter mile and almost hit 100 in first gear. Stop and think about that for a second. Max speed limit locally is 70 on the highway. One gear needed. haha Almost 100 in first gear. Now I have not ridden one but the owner did let me sit on it and I noticed one thing. Wow, this bike is huge. At first I didn't like it. Then a few hours later I was thinking about it and thinking about what the owner and a few other people have told me about the bike. It's basically the GT of bikes. Big power, not the best handling, but a joy to ride on the road.

     I could see this bike being an awesome cruiser for a long trip. I can also see this bike doing a wheelie from 0-180. I'm sure it could do it. When I see them on the road I tend to miss my bike, but then I think of what this bike can do and how stupid I was on the Triumph and I switch to, "Thank Jesus I don't have a bike." Close up it actually is a large bike, very bulbous and long. The curves make it all worth while though. The ferrings on this bike are like nothing you see on a typical street bike. Lots of places to enjoy on this bike. Even though it may look large, it looks insanely fast too. With some pipes like this one has, it also sounds awesome as well. Just once, I would like to experience the pull on a track to see what this bike is about, but I don't think I could hold on.

 

     Thanks to the owner for getting a text to bring it by, and then showing up 30 minutes later. This bike has a good and bad reputation it seems. Every biker I have talked to has a story about one. Either way, this bike is designed to be fast as hell, and it is. I unfortunately don't know too much about it besides what people tell me or videos I see on Youtube. FYI, Youtube videos of the Hayabusa and be seriously amazed. That's your homework for this story. Hope you enjoyed the pictures, although not as many as you see on other stories. Only so many pics you can take of a bike. LOL. If you get a chance to see one in person though, do it. Pictures don't do it justice. It's much more pleasing to look at when it's shining in your driveway.