..Thomas and I live in Sweden. Born in the sticks the first
sunday after Christmas 1957 as number 3 of 4 kids and
3 of us kids are still around. One brother lost to cancer at
tender age. I learned to make car sounds before I could talk
and while my mom was pushing me around in the "Bedford" I
was leaning over the side to watch the wheels rolling. Learned
English at 7 but always got a "b" in school because of my
American version of the language. Moved to Stockholm at the
age of 6 and stayed there for 20 years before moving back to
the sticks again. At the age of 13, I learned to drive at one of
my dad's construction sites in his Mercedes 220 Diesel with
automatic. That was illegal at the age of 13 as we had to be 17.5
years old to learn to drive back then. Got my license at 19 while
I was in last year in school. To get a drivers license in Sweden we
have to pass a lot of tests so it usually takes a while. I got drafted
for army service the year after, for 11 months. (The army is still
run like this in many countries in Europe). My first car (1977) was
a '69 Volvo 142 which I sold after 4 years and bought a '73 240Z
that I had for 17 years. While I had the 240Z I also had other cars
for daily use as the Z was only used for fun. Among these other cars
were BMW, Nissan, Opel, Toyota and Volvo. Currently, I have a
'98 Volvo 940 wagon with 235 hp & 5-speed box. I wanted to have
another car project after I sold the 240Z in '98 and after 2 years
of reading magazines and books I decided to buy a '65 Nissan Silvia
(CSP311) from Alan Bent in Australia. 6 months later I bought
the remains of another '65 Silvia from down under. Then I went to
Norway to buy a '69 1600 Roadster as parts car. To top it off I
also bought an '84 BMW M6 in Germany last year (Sept. 12) so
now my driveway is filled with cars and trailers. I have changed
my mind several times along the way so now the first Silvia
and the Roadster will be sold off while I will build my own
version of a Silvia from the ground and up. I go my own way
with my projects and when people say "you're nuts" I know
the project is going in the right direction. So I'm 44 now and left
handed. I own one automotive consulting, one manufacturing
business and another automotive consulting company 50/50
with my brother's son (SAE M Se., Michigan University, Ann Arbor
& left handed too). 80% of our business is with US-based companies.
Got to a point 3 years ago where I got burned out and had to
take a different approach to work & privacy. Not an easy change
but I have been able to re-organize myself without any pills.
The doctors said it looked like diabetes at first but it wasn't.
Owning a business in Sweden means a lot of money goes away
in tax but since my line of business and my hobby is similar there's
an advantage as I can sponsor my own hobby and it's tax deductible
too. Personal status, not married, no kids, no pets either (animal
allergy). If I could have a pet it would be that little dog from the
Taco Bell TV commercials. I like many things in Italian style but
maybe not their cars (they build great engines and they are the
best designers but the build quality...). Been a Hendrix fan since
I was 9 years old (how about that, people of Seattle?) I remember
my teacher in 4:th grade sent me home with a note to my parents
saying Hey Joe wasn't suitable for a 9 year old but mom and dad
just ignored her. Now it's mostly AOR and Dream Theater. I have a
weird sense of humor (Monty Python's and Benny Hill to blame and
now South Park and Jackass to fuel the fire) and a temper like red
hot pepper (very un-Swedish) that can get me into trouble, but it
has mellowed with age. Maybe it's my Belgian/Finnish/Italian(?)
heritage? My oldest brother is tech manager for ABB Power Distribution
and my (younger) sister is a farmer with 2 of her son's are racing
80 cc dirt bikes (a.k.a. Speedway oval racing). My parents are retired
since 14 years ago and doing whatever catch their interest for the
moment. I expect to finish the Silvia project before I'm 50 and I expect
to live for another 40 to enjoy many more good things in life. If you
have read it all this far you might have a clue what I mean.
Thomas
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