Happy 4th of July

Thankfully, we are not representing this Lambo for sale, but the colors of Old Glory hold up well.  More great cars resume tomorrow!

VSCCA June Rally 2013: Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Finally a glorious weather weekend in New England and perfect timing for the Vintage Sports Car Club of America Rally. And what a great collection of cars in the starting line up. Everything from a Wolsely Hornet to an Aston Martin DB3. The roads were great although some were under repair due to all the rain we hand this Spring. Our entry seemed to rise to challenge running better than it ever has. Here are some photos to give you a snapshot of the group.

The VSCCA Rally

A Day of Reflection

Mint2me has been around a short time but we have been very successful (so far) in building readership, finding and selling some great cars. But like any new business or entertainment entity, we need to get feedback from those of you who come to Mint daily for their automotive fix. What we want to know is simple.  What would you like to see more or less of? Race cars or no race cars. How about some newer exotic and sports cars? Or maybe not? It is hard to be pitch perfect for everyone but we can try. If you are a regular reader yet haven’t signed up for our Daily Digest email, you should think about it. If you get bored, it’s easy for you to unsubscribe. So far, our Digest ranks have tripled since we started and not one un-subscriber. There is no prize for being first. Rather than send us a private email, we encourage you to comment right at this post so everyone can read and comment on the comments.

2013 Greenwich Concours

We hoped we could give you a thorough report of the Greenwich Concours since we were fortunate enough to be selected to be on the lawn with all of these wonderful cars. But we were kept so busy by all of the fans of our ’67 Mercedes-Benz Rally Tribute, that became impossible. So what we do have is a series of photographs of some of the cars we were able to see. We did fire up the dash-cam for a peek at what we experienced getting onto the lawn and getting off the lawn. We did manage some other footage of cars as we walked around the park. Here is a brief video of what we experienced from inside the Merc.

We see that there is a Ford GT40 in the ring with all of the Mercedes-Benz automobiles. It is an important historic car that represents one of the best American racing stories. This one is for our avid Mint reader, Vince Conti. We know he can’t wait for his daily fix. The short version goes like this. Read More

Is it a jewel or a jalopy? Ian and Kim Lomax will help answer that question.

The Buick Riviera pictured looks pretty darn good. The seller represents it as rust-free and show quality. Read on.

When we first started to think about Mint2Me – before it even had a name, we thought about ways to differentiate ourselves from other sites like ours. What came to mind almost immediately is a way to match up prospective buyers with an enthusiast local to the car under consideration. The enthusiasts would volunteer, or at a minimal charge, put a set of knowledgable eyes on the car to determine whether or not the seller should invest more time and effort or move on. It seemed like a great idea but too much of a challenge for us to embark on. Then we ran into Ian and Kim Lomax on the Alfa Romeo Bulletin Board. Ian and Kim had the same idea and they have been working on a database of knowledgeable inspectors for the past 2 years. The name of their service is Jewel or Jalopy at Jewelorjalopy.com. Inspectors can verify the details in the ad, take photos of the car, check for damage, take the vehicle for a test drive and report back to you. Read More

Mercedes Benz 230S Rally Tribute Progress

It is never done. You learn that early on in the hobby.  You can never really say you are done when you are re-commissioning an old car – in our case 48 years old. There will always be something you either have to do or must do. Last week we replaced a clutch master cylinder and the week before, the gear shift lever linkage and tomorrow, a heater core shut-off valve. But for all intents and purposes, The Colonel is back to health and is a blast to drive. The only item not yet working is the windsheild washer system. The wipers wipe but we need to clean out the fluid lines and do some fiddling. However, we even managed to get the small stuff up and running – the clock, the Becker Grand Prix, the interior lights, the glove box light, the cigar lighter and even the trunk light all function like 1967. All of the new equipment we added with the help of John Rogers works great. We await our graphics package from Ghi Signs and we will be ready for the Greenwich Concours on June 2nd. That’s next Sunday and the weather prediction is sunny and around 90 degrees. Oh my. If you plan on attending, stop by and say hello.

Did you ever wonder how to start a Type 43 Supercharged Bugatti?

We have. Truthfully, we are not that skilled at driving or caring for cars with more than an ignition key, fuel pump switch and a push button. The starting procedure for a vintage Ferrari like a Lusso, is a wonderful thing – key on, fuel pump on (to fill the carbs), engage the starter, then vroom. If you are in a hurry, you can make up the time after you start driving. We wrote a story about a Bugatti Royale and had to do some research about how you would start a car like that. But it isn’t as complicated as the starting procedure for a Type 43 Supercharged Bugatti – the cover car of the Bonham’s Greenwich auction catalogue. Just the other day, we limped into Auto Turismo Sport to get some brackets welded onto our Merc 230S as we get it ready for Greenwich Concours. Our gearshift linkage gave up a few hundred feet from their driveway so I just coasted in and parked it. While Steve and the guys looked for a suitable bushing replacement (they actually had a replacement. I love these guys), I spied the cover car in the shop sitting between a Lotus and a Daytona. Steve said it was in for a carb adjustment before the auction. We found this starting procedure instruction sheet on the front seat and it unlocked the mystery of how to start a Supercharged Bugatti.

Happy Mother’s Day!

This is Luisa Maddalena, mother of Mint2Me founder Michael, in Rome around 1966. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Happy Mother’s Day Luisa!

These cars were posted on eBay but…

Our readers and editors scour the internet looking for great cars. We found this Alfa Romeo Montreal on eBay and got pretty excited. We also found a Zagato Double Bubble that we featured in our article How To Photograph Cars.

Courtesy of Mike Dean, Mike Dean Photography. all rights reserved www.mikedean.zenfolio.com

So we put a little work into both listings but there was one thing that bothered us about both – the lack of any details about the offerings. Not even a chassis number. That negative feeling was confirmed at the end of the day. Both cars were pulled off eBay. And we don’t think they were sold. Maybe the legitimate sellers realized they needed to do more and will list the cars again? But we suspect they were bogus. So be careful and if it looks too good to be true, be wary.

M-B 230S Rally Tribute Update; Working at John Roger’s Racing

We had a busy afternoon at Roger’s Racing. Working with John is illuminating as he unlocks the mysteries of fabrication. Sort of fabrication for dummies. Instruction and conversation is interspersed with amazing stories about some of the greatest drivers, mechanics and cars we regard as legends. Read More

June 2, 2013: Greenwich Concours – Festival of Speed & Style

Greenwich has become one of the premier Concours events in the country. It should as it is held in one of the country’s toniest addresses and home to fabulous collections of classic cars. We submitted our rally car project – AKA, The Colonel, not because it is a pristine example but because it is so damn cool. We expressed our opinion of the trusty Benz to founder Bruce Wennerstrom and he agreed with us. The Colonel will be on the lawn on June 2nd! Come to Greenwich and give us a shout out. We would love to meet you in person.