130

130 is more than a number, it represents a freedom of spirit. The 550 and the famous young man that died at the wheel of it 60 years ago today are a part of that spirit.

The image of him and the car are iconic, modern art and history together. As easily resting on the living room wall of a million dollar home  as it is at the back of the garage.

The man, troubled, complex, rewarding in the art of his craft. The car, all the same qualities.  

The "little bastard" uttered almost every time a wrench leaves a tool box, affectionately or not. 

They were both headed for infamy before that Ford instantly made them both household words.

Grand Prix

2 hours, 49 minutes and 46 seconds. Doesn't seem like that much time, particularly when ones watching a acclaimed racing movie. 

However with life's limitations of family, work, household requirements, it took me three days to get to 2 hours and 29 minutes. And with that the streaming service decided to no longer have it available for viewing. 

Non the less, like everything else, I have an opinion on what I saw so far.

I will say, that while the opening scene is pretty fantastic, it doesn't quite build the same levels of anticipation that Le Mans creates. Despite that, the film jumps right to the reason ones there.

Circa '66 era Fomula 1 v8's blasting through casino square in Monaco. The sound is worth the admission as straight pipes whale up the hill, best listened on quality surround.

It only takes a few minutes of enjoyment before the eyes come in and truly begin to register the surroundings. No rub stripes, not a single protected curb. As the drivers risk of hanging the tail out and tapping a curb was ever present. 

While James Garner is billed as the hero, his part and story seems surprisingly small in comparison to the other characters. Not quite central to the movie. However if I had a big name actor and I was doing a movie about a sport that predominantly runs in Europe, I might have billed it the same.

There's love and loss, fear and pride and everything that truly drives a human to slide into a fiberglass and chromoly coffin that's bolted to an unhinged v8 and achieve super human feats.

In my heart felt opinion, the cinematographer is the true hero of this movie. The images created with the cameras are fantastic. One could remove the human dialog and still have an amazing movie to watch. Hollowed grounds of Monza, Spa, Monaco in a time when they ran naturally through the country, when drivers had more grit then sandpaper and cars where every bit the monsters they sounded like. 

Now, to figure out who actually wins.

First time caller

I'll admit growing up riding the first waves of the Internet, I'm rather adept at finding information in this information age. If I can't find something right away,  I'll scower forums and build threads until the information arrives.

Always a long time listener, first time caller, I prefer a certain amount of anonymity, lurker status at times. Although not one to shy away from saying something stupid, I am usually rather calculated when I post or comment on something that will enjoy an eternity on the web.

So, when the hair brained thoughts and ideas build to a braking point, I'll turn to the advice and guidance of my peers. At times I've been rewarded with great advice or suggestions from people that have gone down the road I'm on, or ones very similar. There truly are great people on some forums, genuinely willing to help. Then again there are some that are using air better suited for footballs.

However, from time to time my ideas are so far gone that any public display of my idiotness (new word) is begging to be flamed on the Internet. Not wanting a legacy of being "that guy" while still feeling my question is valid, I've turned to direct my questions at the source.

Some manufacturers have their own dedicated forums where information can be gathered and past in direct contact with people that have the knowledge and experience with a given product. While this exchange is invaluable, any lurking passers-by can stop and enjoy in your experience. Almost like the state of television anymore, just a glimpse into someone's life and struggles.

As great a resource as this is, there are times when one might want a more one on one consultation. Usually the answer for this is under the "contact us" heading. A little link where they suggest that you take the time to fire off any questions or concerns you may have about said product line.

Now is where things get tricky with my mention of hair brained ideas. So I take to the Internet to "contact us" with some very direct question. While I mention my fondness for their products and about this little corner of the web, the center is my quest to find a product not offered on the intronet.

The big ship needs to go around a corner, and I've driven and owned to many small German cars to accept the vauge decisions made by the helm of the Black Pearl.

"Can you provide a manual14:1 steering gear for a trifive?"

"No, we make a 16:1 gear"

"Is there any advantages or disadvantages to that ratio?"

"It's just what's available."

So much for going straight to the source, maybe I'll call next time.

The Block

I stood there, mouth slightly agape, ears being punished from a barrage of unaudible words. A grin began to cross my face as I realized that this really is how things work. There seems to be no added pomp and circumstance for the television crews at that famous Arizona event every January.

The man at the podium with the microphone in his hand was pounding away at numbers eagerly attempting to coax the next higher digit out of the gathered crowd. Gentleman dressed in business casual frantically moving from one potential person to the next. Screaming out a holler as if the cows just broke threw the east fence when they received the nod accepting the current numbers.

People with heads bobbing up and down as there reference there lists, craning their necks in a attempt to see who it was that accepted the call.

We had come to try our hand at a classic car auction, figuring it didn't hurt to get a little extra exposure. We had already delivered the car the weekend prior, so it was just a matter of getting it cleaned up and wait for our turn on the block.

All kinds of cars and people had taken to coming out to the event, you could tell there where several first timers like us. Some clearly had done this before.

After taking care of the car I was off to take in the sites and see if I could wager my best bets as to what the values where going to be.

Some very interesting europeans, with their millimeter exact lines and exotic overhead camshafts. Classic Americana from the high banks of Daytona to Woodward in Detroit. All mixed in with the heavily repainted German and the Chrysler that radiated it's level of water retention from several feet away.

The characters where just as varied as the vehicles they had brought. We experienced one such soul that raised the reserve on his unrestored small motor car to well over twenty thousand based on a similar make and model car that had received similar bids the previous day. However apples and oranges when it came time to cross as the car only received half that number.

The organization was filled with just as many interesting people and practices. Not being able to clearly answer questions as to where to go or how to get in line.

Then came the time for us to go to the block, had I thought it was chaos earlier I was only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

As I crept the car closer to the edge of the tent, my nerves began tingling in antecipation. Guided into the center of the ring, then just as I began to orient myself the speakers exploded with sound as the caller began his description.

Eyes fluttering back and forth as people came up to the window. "You the owner?" A gentleman barked on my right. "Hey, pop the hood!" Came over my left shoulder. "We're gonna roll this back a little!" Snapped from back in the right window.

Soon I didn't know which way was up, so I just turned and focused on the car owner in hopes that he was fairing better then I was.

We didn't get what we wanted that day, I'll definitely try it again. I'm gonna leave more time in the afternoon for a nap next time though.