On 8/25/99 WST wrote:
"The Red Rat Bastard never looked good in any of
it's racing life... and that's part of its charm... "
On a similar note:
my '58 Bugeye lifelong racer is totally unrestored.
It's been repainted at least 7 or 8 times - right over
the previous layers. The left rear fender has been
pounded out and is still split underneath the riveted
flare. The left front fender has been crushed good &
'repaired'. The doors are mostly patched-up with sheet
metal and fiberglass. From the firewall back, I dread
to think of how much Bondo might be on this thing
(although it's blatantly obvious - there's alot). The
floor pan looks like it ran the Baja - twice. The bonnet
is off some other unfortunate car and fits like hell.
It's a 50 foot car (maybe more) if you know what I mean.
But it's mechanical systems are sound. I feel safe
within it's nifty roll bar/cage system. Sure, it's not
fast, but neither am I. We're both still learning what
is expected of us in this first season.
I was almost embarrassed to show up at Gingerman Spring
Brake with the thing after seeing all that nice stuff up
at ELVF last fall. Then I said "NUTS" - this car is the
real deal! A survivor of dices & battles untold in decades
past, carrying the scars of experience.
So I decided to run with it 'as is' and have some fun.
And I did: at Gingerman, Blackhawk, and Road America.
And, for now, I like it just the way it is.
Thanks for repecting that, guys.
See you in September.
GS
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