----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Gano" <triumphs@mcleodusa.net>
To: "Triumph Mailing List" <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2002 11:00 PM
Subject: The Fabulous Trashwagon - A Review (not exactly Triumph, but LBC
content)
> (oh boy, something I've always wanted to do :))
>
> The Fabulous Trashwagon
> By B. S. Levy
> Think Fast Ink Press (www.lastopenroad.com)
> Oak Park, Illinois.
> (c) 2002
> 533 pages (not including advertisements)
I bought and read The Last Open Road several years ago. Burt sold it to me
at the Trans Am race in Minneapolis. I met Burt again at the LOG, and
bought his other three books at the open-track day at Blackhawk.
Burt had just track-driven the Esprit Turbo of my buddy Mike, and the car
was now acting up. Burt was signing one of my books while he and Patrick
Peal (late of Lotus Cars) and I were discussing this situation. Burt
suddenly stopped writing and uttered an oath.
"Phil, I just wrote 'Mike' in your book. I can give you a another book."
"Hell, no, Burt! I want the book *and* the story!"
So he crossed out "Mike" and wrote in "Phil, is this truth or more BS? I
broke Mike's car so I feel guilty."
The car ran worse and worse, so several guys worked on improving it. By the
time they got done, it would not start at all. I had left my Lotus at the
resort (autocross is her thing, not big tracks) and driven out to the track
with an empty trailer with the hope that nobody would need it. Sort of like
wearing a raincoat so it won't rain. I would up taking the Esprit Turbo
back to the resort. I left the truck keys with Mike so they could use my
tools and drove the Lotus to dinner with some friends. Mike called me on my
cell. "It's no use, we can't fix it." Since they were planning on going on
to Indy, and I was not planning on driving the Lotus home, I said I'd take
it to the dealer in West Chicago. There they could either rent a car or
wait for repairs. I managed to do it all the next day. Delivered the car
and its owners, missed the deer on the way back, loaded the Lotus after
taking the last picture of LOG, and make it home to Saint Paul that night.
So if you see Burt, let him know that the Esprit Turbo that bore the decal
"The Fabulous Trashwagon" even before the event, has been repaired. Word is
that Mike and Ann made it to the F1 race OK.
If any of you would like to see on-track photos of British cars that are
not Triumphs, have a look. Link is right at the top of the
http://www.lotusowners.com home page. If you see anything you really like,
I can Email you a high-res image, about a half a meg.
Phil Ethier West Side Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa 65/2597, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 TR4 CT2846L
pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/ http://www.vtr2002.org
/// triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive
|