My Automotive Passion

We all have our passions in life, some more important than others, but passions none the less. Number one of the important passions in my life is my beautiful, loving wife of over 45 years, Jackie. My life would not be much without her. Also, we have great kids, and grand children who are an important part of our world.
There is another passion in my life, different than family and loved ones, but a passion almost as strong and enduring. For well over 50 years, I have had a fascination and love of cars, performance cars in particular.
Over the years, time spent working on, cleaning, restoring, modifying, pampering, racing, and just everyday driving of my cars, I count as some of the most enjoyable, quality time of my life. One of the main reasons I wrote my book, was to try to explain these things to my friends and family, and to share those experiences with other like minded enthusiasts, and anyone who just may be curious about our hobby.
It is sad to think that many people go through life without ever having an opportunity to find and enjoy a passion they would really find rewarding. I feel very lucky to have found mine.
To check out my book, follow this link; "Grab Some Gears" .

My 2015 Mustang GT, my current passion.

The Automotive Legend, 427 Cobra

I've been a "car guy" for over 50 years. From about the age of 14, I really started to notice the cool cars I would see on the roads, and especially those I would read about when ever I got a hold of a car magazine. Growing up in a small, rural, mid-west farming town, the cars pictured in those magazines were way more exotic than anything I would see on the streets. I would see the occasional GTO, Mustang, Camero, and the like around town, but nothing like what I saw in the magazines. But none would ever steal my attention like when I got my first look at a 427 Cobra.
Legends were created when Carroll Shelby gave us the Cobras, and first Shelby Mustangs, but, the legend of all time was created when he brought us the 427 Cobra roadster. Who else would ever have the guts to put a 427 Ford V8 in a small aluminum sports car, and make it available to the public?
Somewhere in my wildest dreams, I hoped I could someday own one. As the years went by, it became obvious that I would never own a real 427 Cobra, but the arrival of the kit car industry made it possible that I could own a clone. Eventually, I enjoyed many high performance cars, but the Cobra never seemed a practical option. I can look back with pride at my automotive history, but there will always be a place in my heart for the 427 Cobra.
For more of my story, check out my book at; Grab Some Gears

The Legendary 427 Cobra, in Polished Aluminum. (internet photo).

The Dodge Side of the Garage.

Readers of my blog are well aware that I am a long time Mustang fan, however, there is another side of Darwin's Garage. The Dodge side.
In the past few years, in addition to the Mustangs,  we have also owner two Dodge Chargers, a dark gray 2013, and our present white 2014. These are nice size cars, especially when you need to carry passengers, and they are comfortable to travel in. They are one of the only 4-door sedans that can still pull off the "muscle car" persona on the streets. And, they have about the coolest taillights of any car on the road at night.
Readers of my book may also remember that a couple Dodge Chargers played a big part of my street race history from the beginning. Two of my sons are Dodge Charger owners as well.
New comers to my blog may want to check out my book; "Grab Some Gears  - 40 Years of Street Racing"  just follow this link; Grab Some Gears .

Our 2014 Dodge Charger in the red rocks of Southern Utah.

The Trouble with Eleanor

Most automotive enthusiasts know what an Eleanor Mustang looks like. The iconic movie car from "Gone In 60 Seconds" is well known and popular among collectors and builders of muscle car clones. To thousands of movie fans, it's a perfect example of a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang. That's the trouble with Eleanor, it is a movie prop, and not an accurate example of a 1967 GT500.
To those of us who have been Mustang fans from the start, Eleanor is not very close to a real "67" Shelby GT500. The hood and front end styling are all wrong. And, "67' GT500's never had side exhaust. Eleanor is simply a customized Mustang, with a few Shelby details, built as a movie "stand in" for the role of a Shelby GT500. In my opinion, the hood and front end are some of the best details of the original 1967 Shelby GT500. Sorry Eleanor fans, but I prefer the real thing.

Eleanor  movie Mustang

Real 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang

One in a Million

The streets these days are full of ordinary cars, transportation appliances, driven by people who care for little else from their vehicles.Typically, we see small, four door, 4-clyinder powered sedans, mini-vans, or crossover style vehicles. In some parts of the country, we also find plenty of pick-up trucks and sport utility vehicles. About half the time these vehicles aren't very well cared for, many not even clean, and some with faded or deteriorating paint.
Those of us who are car enthusiasts, on the streets in our pride and joy specialty cars, find ourselves pretty much the exception, sharing the road with hurds of ordinary transportation machines, literally "one in a million".
As I drive around the streets, it's easy for me to spot a fellow automotive enthusiast, we are so few and far between these days. It is a sad situation indeed, at a time in automotive history, when the best performance cars ever built, are available right now. Maybe I am just part of a dying breed. We can only hope that some of the younger generation will catch our enthusiasm and carry it into the future. Check out my book at;  Grab Some Gears .

My 2015 Mustang GT on the streets of Southern Utah.

We Lost a Car Guy

A couple weeks ago, we lost a "car guy". My nephew Rob passed away from a sudden heart attack at age 40. He lived his whole life in the small South Dakota farm town where I grew up.  He was a farmer, and also worked at the local Ford dealership, Bair Ford, a job he loved. Rob was a car enthusiast, and fellow Mustang owner.
As a teenager, Rob spent a summer with me at a time when I was finishing restoration of a 1970 Cobra-Jet Ranchero.  From that time on, Rob was a car guy. In the last 15 years, he has owned and enjoyed two Mustangs, along with several other cars, trucks, motorcycles, and ATV's.  Any time we've got together in recent years, we always talked car stuff.
At his funeral, we led the precession to the cemetery with Mustangs, his Mustang in the lead driven by a close friend. Rob would have liked that.  Rest in peace Rob, you will be missed.

Mustangs lead Rob's funeral precession, July 1, 2015.

50 Years of Mustang

Not many car models stay around for over 50 years. The Ford Mustang is the exception. Not only has it lasted for all this time, but has stayed very close to the original intent of the very first models introduced in the spring of 1964.
I was a teenager back then, and I can still remember when that exciting new car first hit the streets. It was different than almost anything else people were driving back then. It made an impression on me that has lasted over 50 years.
Over the years, I have owned many Mustangs, just about at least one of every different model they have produced. Some of them were high milage used cars, back when that's all I could afford to drive. And a few in recient times were new, top of the line, Shelby and Cobra models. They include a "96" Cobra, a 2003 "Terminator" Cobra, and a 2007 Shelby GT 500. All were driven and enjoyed, and some had performance upgrades to bring out even more power.
Last week we took delivery of a new 2015 Mustang GT. We had special ordered it back in February, so we could get the exact color and options we wanted. This new model is awesome. It is everything a performance coupe is supposed to be and more. The new styling will keep it fresh well into the future, for a whole new generation of Mustang enthusiasts to enjoy.
For more of my automotive history, check out my book at this link;  "Grab Some Gears" .

Our new 2015 Mustang GT.