Wait. Maybe I should have been more clear. What if you wanted to rebuild the transmission on a Mitsubishi Jeep? That’s what Bernard’s looking to do. He’s had his Mitsubishi J26 for six years and really enjoys it, but he’s started finding his 4-speed, column-shifted 4-speed doesn’t like second gear as much as it used to.

The J26 runs an Astron 4G53 (2.4L) and a KM141 trans. Parts for this gearbox are pretty much an overnight-parts-from-Japan affair, but maybe there’s a chance of another transmission option which Bernard might have more luck sourcing in the UK?

Gearheads united
We’ve already suggested Bernard do some reading/posting over at Project Zero G, but if you Google “Mitsubishi J26,” you’ll probably find Bernard has already been doing his homework on this platform. Any of the StarQuest or Delica or 4x4wire folks out there have any leads or ideas? Are there any other Mitsubishi gearboxes he might be able swap bits with? How would you inexpensively solve this problem if it were your Jeep?

In the glovebox:

• Back ‘Round to the All ‘Rounder
• A Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing
• FSBO: 6-Second DSM

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

The more pictures I see from this abandoned dealership in Dominica, the more I start dreaming. It’s unbelievable that such nice, original, low mileage (some completely new!) cars are simply abandoned. Every car enthusiast will get nightmares, simply thinking about completely new cars simply left to rot, slowly taken back by nature. Not even mentioning some of them are quite rare… I know I’ll never have the chance to go there and take a fine example of Japanese craftmanship back home with me, but once we stop dreaming…

Was that car in the back put in the trees, or did the trees lift the car?

TOP DOLLAR FOR YOUR TRADE! (haha)

Forsaken 4Runner is forlorn.

They don't make 'em like they used to...

Just look at all the vegetation coming through the back window of that car next to the van!

We’ve spoken about the Celica GT-Four in our last article as well, and the current update we’ve received included a comment that this Celica is no longer “abandoned,” but has a new owner.  Hopefully better times will come for this magnificent Celica!

Unloved no more!

Currently the owner and the bank are struggling, and nobody knows who’s currently the rightfull owner of these cars (and parts). If and when we receive another update, obviously you’ll be the first ones to read it! Start/continue dreaming.

Gearheads United:

• Why do you think these cars have been left to rot all these years?
• How would YOU solve this problem if you were in charge?

In the glovebox:

• Dominica: Abandoned Treasure
• The Cars of Our Fathers
• Broken English: Mended Classics

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

After getting to know Lisa yesterday, we couldn’t help ourselves thinking about all the different Porsches out there. So…

What’s your favorite Porsche? Why?

In the glovebox:

• Lisa Smith, Bad-ass of Design, Big Time Porsche Enthusiast
• EV Owners are Gearheads Too.
• Top 10 Movies for Gearheads

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

Introduce yourself! What’s your name? Where do you live? What do you do for a living?
I currently live in Pepper Pike, Ohio – about 2 miles from Shaker Heights, where we lived when we first moved to Ohio, but about 10″ difference in snow level – we get more.  I’ve lived all over, California, North Carolina, New York/New Jersey, and grew up in beautiful Harbor Springs, Michigan.

I am an interior designer (2nd career) with commercial and residential clients.  My specialty is color, a little or a lot, with results which are livable and comfortable.  A Twitter friend and fellow blogger likes to introduce me as the bad-ass of design (affectionately) as I don’t mince words and believe in do it once do it right.  Interior design is a vocation not a hobby.

Being that I live in color, I am also an artist.  My work is acrylic on canvas mostly contemporary abstract, whimsical and sometimes representational.  I have a Delahaye drawn on canvas, but as I am no Tom Hale, I have yet to put too much paint on it.

What do you drive and how do you drive it?
What do I drive? Lovely question.  2008 997 Porsche Turbo in Cobalt Blue.  Just sold a 2006 987 Porsche Boxster S, in Cobalt Blue.  Had a 996 in Cobalt Blue and a 986 in Zenith Blue.  See a pattern, I/we like blue.  I have driven all in Autocross and Driver’s Ed events (Nelson Ledges and Mid-Ohio) with the Porsche Club (past treasurer).  Those are the fair weather cars…

For winter driving and luxo cruising it’s a 2008 Mercedes S550 AMG, in silver only because MB blue is basically black and their white is cream.  Shopping for a replacement on that one.  For work I drive… “The Cute One” a 2011 Mini Clubman S in “Lisa Blue” – see pic.  Of course it came in silver but I had a wrap made in blue with a piece of my artwork on the top.  Seriously, it does go faster in blue. :)

What did you do before interior design and how did you come to the decision to change careers? What was missing from your life? 
 Career switch, hmmm… long story short: 1. Still a glass ceiling on Wall Street 2.

I was in the compliance end – I love rules, and well, as a person in charge of compliance, if a broker goes rogue but the powers [that be] choose to look the other way – the compliance person can get kicked out of the industry.  That happened to a friend of mine and I just didn’t want to risk losing a career for doing the right thing.  I suck when it comes to looking the other way.  I did fabulous things on Wall Street; was margin clerk, Stock Broker, compliance officer, and had my dream job of working for the Stock Exchange, where I caught people insider trading, and a few other jobs.

What was missing from life: nothing other than I just can’t compromise my integrity for anyone.  Besides, I had done all I wanted to and it was time to be creative.  As you might be able to tell, corporate BS is just not my thing.  I like to question how & why things are done, interior design is the prefect place for that.  I can be very analytical – always having to understand cause and effect 5 stages out.  I’m a closet architect, too, which helps, and I’ve always been a think-outside-the-box person.  I’m an information sponge and idea factory.  Though I do miss that the job (mentally) was only 9-4:30 when the markets were open.

Similarly, it would seem you’ve got the blues (in the best possible way). How did you come to be such a German car enthusiast?
German cars?  Having grown up in Michigan, where the (ignorant) mentality was one could only buy American, I did buy a Mercury Capri as my first car, then when it came time for a 2nd, it was a Volvo 240 and I was forever turned on to foreign cars.  They are so much better value, better built, more for your money, make sense, don’t rattle.  After the 2nd Volvo there was an Audi S4 & Boxster and I was hooked, a couple of X5s in there too. Things work, the options make sense, they are built for driving and they last.  Yeah, I know that is hardly relevant for me as we are always changing cars. Germans engineer a superior car and they look good.  If I’m going to drive something, it isn’t going to be ugly.

Volvo 240! Love me some Swedish Dumpster! I scrounged up an 86 245GL for a grand after my car was totaled in an accident while I fought a sketchy insurance carrier for replacement value. Eight months later, I sold it to my father-in-law for the same price I paid. I think that says something about the value of the old Bricks.

Yes, you clearly get the value concept I refer to.

Let’s dabble in metaphor, shall we? You have specific vehicles for specific times of year and weather conditions, and you track them all to test their performance limits – how would you explain interior design in terms of vehicle selection?
The interior design of the vehicle plays a huge role.  Did you see my post on the Fisker Karma?  Hence the reason we didn’t buy one, that and never ever buy the first year of any model and oh yeah… is it out yet?  Or is that going to be the next Solyndra II?  Sorry, it’s a weighty topic for me.

One correction, I don’t track everything – S550 hasn’t been out yet or the Mini (ready spring autocross).  However, I do carry with me what my instructors taught me into every day driving.  Breaking to steady the car prior to a turn and when to apply power.  And the always useful, “brake on the straight.”

Back to interior design.  I’m probably more ergonomic minded though we can dispense with the fruity words.  I want to sit comfortably and have everything I need within reach, without reaching and without major eye diversion.  Mercedes has a problem with some models where the rear view mirror is too close to your head rather than being more out in front so you can glance up without moving your head.

With new models of both Porsches, Porsche made every change one could have wanted, but with the interior door panel and armrest they went backward.  It was sleek, curvaceous and fit one’s arm.  The new model was like they forgot they’ve evolved beyond the early 911 interior with square and cheap – yes cheap – and clunky detail.  Yes, I nixed the Panamera because I hate the “waterfall” because it eats too much space and is not luxurious.  Oh yeah and it is UGLY, it is a $100,000 hatchback.  No thank you.  I heard a guy at Pebble Beach liken it to nothing so ugly since the Pacer.

The Mercedes I will not buy again.  Granted I love the car but the stalk shifter is just friggin stupid.  That was a design change for the sake of change – always a poor idea.  The problem is this is exactly where the windshield wipers are in the Mini and the other day I went to hit the wipers by tapping my finger on the stalk and the damn car went into neutral.  DUMB!!!  Put the shifter where it is supposed to be or make it like they used to be where you had to use your whole hand to move the thing.

Best interior design – and it should be for the money – goes to the Rolls Royce Ghost.  Forget the fancy woods polished for hundreds of hours or the hand selected dashboard leather, sumptuous seats or those indulgent sheepskin rugs, what had me as soon as I sat down was the simplicity of the entire dashboard.  What you need, where you need it and if not, it hides away.  No extras or gadgetry nonsense, pure driving necessities.  Bentley is nice, as is the Ferrari 458.  Lambo equals sitting on the ground; can’t have an inch of fat on your hips either if you want to fit into those uncomfortable seats.

The Mini, though nice, has too many dust catchers – yes that matters, I hate a dirty car and places that one can never get clean.  The big speedo is cute, but the space could have been better utilized for the radio/iPod portion.

I look at space management as well, it needs to fit appropriate luggage or be easy to grocery shop with.  I do transport things, so I love a fold-down rear seat, but that is just intelligent design.  Third row seating is stupid, I’ve not bought cars due to that wasteful non-option.  Comfort or ease of access and egress also matters.  Aston Martin Rapide is a failure on that one; you can rack a number of body parts getting in or out.

As an interior designer you likely thought I’d only focus on looks.  True, I am a sucker for a two tone interior (black and cream on the S4) and the seat has got to be comfortable.  I turn down many cars because the seaming in the seatback causes a uncomfortable ridge which hits right at my shoulder blade.  Looks do matter, contrast stitching or piping does a lot for me too, and I love the old cars with the plaid seating.  (I made our daily use sofa in mohair because I loved the mohair seats in the 1930 Model A I grew up with.)  I don’t like a lot of distraction visually so a clean simple interior is my preference.  No phony suede seat inserts though – they pill.

On a final note, color.  OMG this just about kills me.  White should be white, not cream.  Blue should not be black and Aqua is blue green not the color Porsche titles it.  For interior, they need more gray options, as it is a much cleaner color and better with so many exterior colors than cheap yellow plastic-y tan.  Oh, if I can’t get the color I want or combination, I go to another car.  Do you have any idea how many compliments we get on the blue Porsches?  While parked next to a black, silver, Arena red or other color – people gravitate to an attractive color.  Red interiors make me carsick and just have this 1950′s retro-cheap vinyl mentality so I can’t even go there.

Hmm, did I say too much?  You hit my hot button.  Car manufacturers need to understand, more than just testosterone goes into buying a car.

Hot button, indeed! While I’m not as particular as you in this regard (I daily drive a 20 year old Mitsubishi and have never owned a car which MSRP’d for greater than $25k), I share your feelings on interior design. It’s why the new Jag XJ appeals to me so much, and why I was disappointed with the Pontiac Solstice.

I had not seen your Fisker Karma piece until you pointed it out. One of the defining characteristics of a true gearhead is looking beyond pointing out problems – real gearheads reflect on their experiences to offer solutions.
Ha, I always have solutions – but that would have made my response 2x longer.  My husband always says car companies should hire me as a color consultant.  I would work within their box, but that nasty orange-red interior in the first Boxster was hideous.  I’ve also seen this interior with their lemon chiffon yellow – gag.  Seriously, that should have never come out of the factory.

Since you mentioned the Jag… OMG the new one XKRS is stunning (posted on that too), Fisker could copy that interior dashboard!

You offered to help Fisker sort the interior; did they respond? What problems do you see with the Karma and how would your address them? Would they increase the cost dramatically? Would that be a good thing?
No Fisker did not respond.  The thing is simplicity doesn’t require money.  There are lesser cars with better interiors (MINI).  It doesn’t have to be fancy, but if you want to compete in the $100K market you’ve got to play in the same sandbox.  In their case, it was like they felt they needed a great designer for the exterior but not the interior. Sleek, curvaceous, no need for wood or metal which only adds to the price. Soften the lines of the dashboard, etc. and forgo the Darth Vader edges. Chamfer the edges leading to the focal point of the NAV/INFO screen. Oh yeah, that was a bit rudimentary too – Mercedes is better.

They need insulation in the headliner and doors so the road noise does not equate with the Mini.  Again for $100K – compete!  It is very much like new body on an old car.  The rear seats need to be reworked because many people have a butt wider than a few inches.  I understand the transmission hump but work with it, not just use it as an excuse.  The rear door panel and armrest could be more body-friendly so one doesn’t feel as if their only movements in the seat can be within a few degrees.  It has been a couple of months… I can’t recall all the fixes.

What can I say, cars are a hobby for both of us and as we say cheaper than having kids.

You are an artist, an interior designer, and a gearhead – a consummate professional. How have your experiences in these areas helped you bridge differences? How do you know which gear to select when networking?
Now you’ve got the hard questions…  Let me first say networking is a skill I have not mastered.  But as you said, experience trumps stuff.

Because of my vast experiences and interests, I’m pretty good at engaging in conversation with most anyone – unless they want to talk sports or babies.  My experience and desire for such has allowed me to live in different areas of the country and, as my mind is a sponge, I often have something to relate to when talking with someone or working on a project.  Been there, seen something, driven it, done that and, if not – willing to hear/learn about it.

I am a seeker and observer of life.  I observe how people use their space, how they make decisions, certainly understand the role money plays in any decision.  I like to say having two phones in my ear (pre cell phone era) with a floor broker on one and CEO or CFO on the other with little ole me making the decision whether or not to halt a stock from trading was less stressful than interior design.  From that experience people don’t phase or intimidate me.  I can talk to someone from any walk of life.

How to know what gear comes down to listening and perception.  One has to hear what people are saying and listen to what they are not – no different than driving, listen to the car, feel the road and be aware of what is around the next corner.  Listening to one’s gut is also effective… when you don’t overrule it.

I’ve never heard a driver say, “I don’t know how that happened,” after a spin or other situation.  We know if we listen.  If I feel myself getting bored on the track (usually at the end of the day) I get off – before I make a mistake.  I’ve learned when anyone ever holds a carrot out of the “next design project” before the first one is started it never comes to fruition and the people aren’t authentic. (Typical tactic to get more for less, sorry just pay your bill and you’ll get my best work.)

Thank you for sharing such an excellent story with us, Lisa. It was a pleasure getting to know you. I’m sure any of our readers who might find themselves at Nelson Ledges or Mid-Ohio this summer will be keeping an eye out for blue Porsches (or Jags). Additionally, you can catch up with Lisa and her colorful mix of design and automotive stories on Twitter and on her site, DecorGirl.net. 

Gearheads United:

• What’s your favorite color for a vehicle?
• How do you prepare for what’s around the next corner?

In the glovebox:

• Top 10 Movies for Gearheads
• Everything We Thought We Knew About Organizing Rallies Is Wrong
• #GTKY: Your Favorite Porsche

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

Penmanshift
We’re calling this program Penmanshift and we’re going to shift the style of automotive journalism. The bar is set pretty low. Marketing departments and PR firms send out press releases, outlets paraphrase and run them. As enthusiasts, we click on enticing headlines, only to get 200 words of fluff and a press release “after the jump.”

Unacceptable. 

We want to help you accelerate your voice.  We’ve spent the last seven months developing a 3-month program and curriculum which will do just that, but need a small group of people to help us test drive things. We’ve got a private forum setup where participants will get a new module to consider and discuss each week in addition to weekly writing assignments and 360° peer feedback prior to being published.

Limited Availability. Limited Time Offer.
We will be launching the Penmanshift beta on either January 30th or February 6th and we need 5 more people to round out our beta team. Are you interested?  If so, contact us ASAP. After beta launches, we won’t have any openings for this program for at least three months and any subsequent seats will have a price tag on them.

Keep going fast with class and press on regardless.

In the glovebox:

• Gearhead Manifesto VI
• Gearhead Manifesto V
• Introducing: The Rally Monster

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

What does respect mean to you as a gearhead?

In the glovebox:

• #GTKY: 3 Words & a Theme Song
• #GTKY: Road Tripping
• #GTKY: Hot Wheels or Matchbox?

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

What’s your name? Where are you located?
Stefan Povolotsky, Somerset, UK

What do you do for a living?
I own and run Mammouth 4×4 Trading Ltd., specialising in the design and manufacture of 4×4 aftermarket accessories.

What is your personal automotive/gearhead/petrolhead backstory?
I have worked within the Land Rover aftermarket for 15 years and been a competitor in off-roading and winching events. I have always been a huge fan of rally/WRC events and, of course, a “sofa-based” competitor of the Dakar Rally and other major international rallies like the IRC and Baja.

Why was Project Mobility started?
My wife came up with the concept. As a company, we were always being asked to donate products and sponsor people in relation to the armed forces and the major service charities. She wanted to know where the money went and did it really benefit the end person. Instead of questioning, she decided to use our contacts, experiences and knowledge base to actually help end users and share our passion of Land Rovers and engineering directly. She took the bull by the horns and Project Mobility was born.

How did all this begin? How have you been involved?
It all began in October 2009. Initially, I thought the wife had gone bonkers; she got a part time job to fund the set up and researched into disabled and limbless driving and regulations. She found a double amputee soldier who could not drive his own Land Rover. She rang around the industry, raised some cash, and then came to me with the dilemma of… I have the car, the volunteers, and all the parts… make it happen… so I did!

Sally kept pushing onwards with amazing ideas and formed a crew of volunteers. She was a “volcano of positiveness,” as she used to say. She trained to be a disabilities nurse and quit working in the NHS because she never got to help change lives, which is what she wanted to do. Now she could be an advocate for change and her highest aspiration is an amputee F1 driver!

From there on in, the aspirations got higher and I agreed to be the team principle for the race teams and manage the fleet and conversions.

What were some of the first challenges/setbacks in organizing?
I think the first challenges are still existing challenges. It’s relatively easy to get parts and product donations, but it’s hard cash that becomes more of a setback; for entry fees, logistics, insurances, accommodations to get the rally car out there and give people experiences. Fundraising is always hard and we hope to get some companies to sponsor us financially and that they see the benefits of working alongside us as partners and how our team and their amazing resourcefulness and positiveness can benefit all.

Set backs, I guess being promised things that never come to fruition!

Driving is instant freedom.

What were some of the first victories/advances?
That very first car, knowing by doing some mechanical work and adaptions we gave mobility and freedom and independence to someone who had it taken away in a second… it can take a long time for some of the amputees to get on prostheses full time, so driving is instant freedom.

Also, working with the MSA on obtaining assessments and race licenses for the team, and with each license that comes through, the delight that brings the individual and the team. AND OF COURSE being filmed for Top Gear – until that point our voice was never heard, no-one was interested.

Why does Project Mobility matter?
PROJECT MOBILITY is a not for profit organisation formed with the intent to empower the differently able-bodied to take on and compete with the able-bodied on their own terms in some of the most competitive arenas Motorsport has to offer.

Project Mobility proves that, with the right support, infrastructure and dedication, differently able-bodied individuals can take on and beat their able-bodied counterparts whilst acting as ambassadors for the disabled community and inspiring the wider disabled and socially excluded population to access and engage in Motorsport or indeed any other competitive sport or activity.

How has the organization changed, compared with the original vision?
I guess it has just evolved. We started off converting a few Land Rovers so that injured soldiers could have an adventure and for off-roading and trails driving, and now we are attempting the infamous Dakar!

The vision has moved forwards due to more people contacting us and getting involved. The beneficiaries and stakeholders help shape our objectives and as such we now have three main projects:

• Dakar/Rally
• Overland
• Academy

The real intent is to create a sustainable programme of inspiration, employment and success that gives the differently able-bodied a sense of purpose, belonging and pride.

Where do you see Project Mobility in the future? What are you driving toward?
Motorsport provides a platform that captures public interest and delivers a high profile halo to spread the project mobility objective. The real intent is to create a sustainable programme of inspiration, employment and success that gives the differently able-bodied a sense of purpose, belonging and pride. The Project Mobility Academy will be run by those injured or affected by conflict for the general disabled community.

The airing of support on BBC’s Top Gear programme has raised awareness of what Project Mobility is aiming to achieve alongside differently abled bodied persons.

Why is Project Mobility important to the gearheads of the world who may never meet you?
Our hobbies, mechanical, spanner-happy skills can help give others confidence, independence and a sense of achievement. I guess the idea that charity begins at home with a twist, have you ever wondered what glee and motivation taking a disabled person around a track in a sports car, or sharing your car maintenance skills to help a paraplegic be more self-reliant on fixing and maintaining their own car, or even setting an aspirational challenge and bringing together a group of individuals and aiming to win something, how this could benefit someone’s confidence which may have been knocked due to mental or physical illness and trauma? Let’s face it if you love Motorsport and cars and the roar of a finely tuned V8, does it matter what label you may hold, whether it’s disabled, amputee, solider, hero, clinically depressed, Post Tramatic Syndrome? We just all love Motorsport and cars and engines… let’s share the passion.

How can the gearheads of the world make a difference, looking beyond Project Mobility?
The concept of the project can be shared by all! We would love to there to be mini projects all around the world… NASCAR, drag racing, historic rebuilds, sports car developments… engaging the socially excluded in OUR joint passions to really make a difference and “drive through adversity.”

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned during this journey?
Look beyond what you might see in front of you, because no matter the label someone might carry, everyone has a skill to offer. They might not know what it is yet, and maybe you’re the person to help them discover it.

Where can the gearheads united connect with Project Mobility? With you, personally?
You can read about us on

www.projectmobility4x4.org
Facebook
Twitter

We have a shop on our website and send all over the world… but we would love to connect with our friends in the USA and help Project Mobility touch lives over the pond!

Any closing thoughts?
“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone.” – Martina Navratilova

Gearheads United
If you’re a gearhead, I like to think you read through this story and felt a desire to do something more with your skills. I mean, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be awesome to apply all your experience learning about cars and turning wrenches to some seriously good use beyond the usual? What does that look like to you? How did this story make you feel about being a gearhead?

In the glovebox:

• Talking Sponsorship (and More) with the First Professional, All-British Dakar Rally Team
• Rally4Life Interview Mark Jennings-Bates & Mick Extance

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

I’m curious about Group A. Did you build for rally or touring?
I am building the Evo for stage rallying and hillclimbs adhering to Group A regulations set by Motorsport Ireland.

Why did you go that route and why an Evo 4?
Honestly, because I had the 4 was a road car at the time. I’ve driven/raced/rallied and tested a lot of cars in my time and, to me, the Evo is one of the best cars for my driving style, plus I think it was the last of the really subtle Evos.

Are there any special constraints to that sort of competition which might surprise the average bloke?
Because the Evo is turbocharged, I’m restricted by regulations to a restrictor on the turbo inlet of 32 mm, about the dimater of a Lynx deodorant can, which really limits the amount of air into the system, in turn limiting power the engine can produce; approximately 360bhp or so depending on mapping and management system used.

What could you tell our readers about the team at AMR?
If I’m very honest, we’re a small family busness started by my dad (Eddie Lamb) in the late 70s to run and maintain my mom’s (Shelagh Lamb) rally cars and his own, along with some midget cars and his friends’ Road A competition cars, and it went from there. I took over in 2001, and the AMR of today was born specialising in Mitsubishi and Subaru, but can look after and cater for anything really, with a vast knowlaged of most cars used in competition today.

Why are you looking to GSR-swap the other Lancer?
Just to be different. The old body GLiX’s are becoming rare these day and it’s something I’ve never done before, plus it only cost me €400 and, when I’m finished with her, she’ll be a genuine sleeper – and we all love them!

Dude! Your dad started the company to maintain your MOM’S rally cars?
Mom rallied a few cars; Fiat 124 Sports, Opel Kadett gen 1, etc. She also raced midget cars, which were very popular back in the day – homemade, up to 1000cc-engined RWD racers that race on grass.

What did she drive? Any notable results?
She won several championships, nationally, in the midget cars ladies class, and regularly beat the men in their class. She also won the ladies class in the 1978/9 Circuit of Ireland, beating some big names in the process, in a Mazda 323. I’ve been around motorsports since I was six weeks old.

You kind remind me of Drew McPhee from Australia (we interviewed him last year). His dad was taking him to rallies like the Southern Cross to see big names like Timo Makinen and Andrew Cowan (Mr. Ralliart UK, if I’m not mistaken) back in the day. He grew up around rally cars too. That’s wicked.

You can catch up with David on Facebook, where he posts lots of pictures of mad automobiles and hot chicks, or on Twitter, where he’s always up to something. Additionally, David’s open to offers to travel and possibly do some professional wrench-turning.

Gearheads United
David probably knows all kinds of mad gearheads in Ireland, but how many Irish gearheads do YOU know? How do you think being a gearhead in Ireland compares to being a gearhead where YOU live? We’re trying to start a movement, here. Join us.

In the glovebox:

• A Gearhead in Need
• FSBO: 6-Second DSM
• Make Mine a 1992, Please

Thank you for subscribing to Gearbox Magazine.

Note: The pictures here are not the actual cars my dad owned, but they are the closest I could find via Google based on his descriptions. I wanted to get an idea what they were and looked like.

1928 Ford Model A – black
He was 15, it was closer to 30. Bought for $50 (paid for with two $25 savings bonds), Dad borrowed $5 from his dad to cover tax, title and license. He told me there was this little tube on the radiator which floated or spun a dial depending on how fast the car was moving – this was the speedometer. One day, on the way to his dad’s farm south of Hutchinson, Kansas, he accidentally put his elbow through the driver’s window. Since it wasn’t safety glass, he got cut up pretty badly. Upon reaching the farm, grandfather (who I never met, by the way) told him his buggy would be staying on the farm as a work vehicle because it wasn’t safe. They turned it into a flatbed or something.

1936 Ford 2-Door Sedan – black
At 16, Dad ran away from home. Well, he drove away – in his 36 2-Door Sedan. Considering all the buzz in recent years surrounding the likes of manufacturers trying to sell us 4-door “coupes,” I wanted to know why this 2-door was called a “sedan.” As it turns out, coupes of this time period probably had a “rumble seat” out back. The 2-Door Coupe actually had the backseat inside the cabin. Something we take for granted today, ya know?

En route to Sterling, Colorado, with a friend they encountered road construction. As they were pulled off the side of the road, a dump truck pulled out behind them and proceeded to back up, pushing the rear of the car into a bulldozer. Damage to the Ford appeared minimal, but it turned out the exhaust got bent nearly closed. By the time they pulled into Sterling – at 5mph – the engine had enough and gave up the ghost.

1949 Ford V8 – lime green
Dad didn’t have much to say about this one, except that it was lime green. “After the war,” he said, “people didn’t want any more of those old, black cars.”

1950 Chevy Business Coupe – Cream over Robin Egg Blue (could only find black)
What’s this? Not a Ford? A couple years after running away to Colorado (where he stayed in high school and worked nights as a bellhop), Dad went back home to Kansas. The Chevy was his mom’s car. What made it a “Business Coupe?” There was no backseat. A door folded down, giving access to the trunk so traveling salesmen could access their samples and whatnot without getting out of the car. Dad tells me it was also an excellent place to fool around with the ladies.

1954 Hudson Jetliner – Cream over Robin Egg Blue
Dad liked the color scheme on the Chevy so much, he had his Hudson painted the same scheme. When he was done with it, it had pleated, blue & cream leather interior, an 18″ rear bumper extension with a continental spare kit, and a 15 foot antenna.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 – black
Pretty damn gangster.

1962 Plymouth – “puke, beige”
Dad said this car “was a POS, but it had AC.”  I didn’t catch if it was a Valiant like the one pictured above, but I just did a quick search for a beige POS ’62 Plymouth.

1969 Ford Fairlane 500 – Gunmetal Blue
Dad’s first NEW car.  Lasted a long time, kept it for 80,000 miles. This one was spotted at a Canadian flea market in September 2011. I like the color and the lines of this one.

1973 Honda CVCC – brown
Clearly, my dad’s 73 CVCC looked very little like the one above, but it’s so seldom we get to see a done-up first gen Civic, I couldn’t resist when I saw this one. Bought new, Dad’s Civic quickly rusted out. Fortunately, Honda sent checks out to owners with this problem, which Dad used to replace the hood and fenders, and get the whole thing painted black.

?? Dodge Omni – blue
Is the Omni pictures a GLH? I don’t know, but it’s a 4-door and the color looks about how I remember it. Dad had this one less than a month before the transmission went out on it. Took it back to the dealership and got a K Car. (Worth mentioning, I learned to drive stickshift in one of these things, though the more Daytona-looking version.)

?? Plymouth Reliant K – blue
Aw yeah! Special K! Technically, this was Mom’s car. It was a dark blue with a tan, vinyl Landau top. One night, somewhere between Seattle and El Paso, we ended up getting side-swiped by a semi trailer as the trucker lost control and jack-knifed on an icy highway somewhere in Wyoming. The K car ended up in the ditch, but was surprisingly intact.

1977 Dodge Tradesman 200 – plum
This thing was epic. When Dad started this thing in the morning to go to work, everyone in the neighborhood knew about it. Classic Mopar 360ci V8 with chrome side pipes and Cragar SS wheels, it would be called a “pedo-van” today, but it was just a simple, badass van back then.

Chevy Chevelle – red
Dad told me it was a 63, but I definitely remember the twin round tail lights and washing machine-looking wheels. He bought his Chevelle from the guy across the street for $600. It was awesome, but he flipped it a couple months later for a couple bucks.

1986 Toyota Hilux – red
We’d never make it to the magnetic North Pole in a stripped-down, base model Hilux, but damn did Dad love his little red ‘Yota. He had a rear bumper, passenger side mirror, and tape deck installed, and drove the piss out of the little pick-em-up truck that could. Something very special about the Hilux that the newer Tacoma just doesn’t have.

198? Chevy Conversion Van – beige
Dad traded the Hilux in on a brand new conversion van not unlike the one pictured above. Somewhere in the house, there’s a picture of my dad in his Class A uniform standing next to his van the day he graduated from the Sergeant Majors Academy in El Paso.

In an ironic twist of fate, we moved to Detroit, Michigan, and the van was stolen the second night we were there.

1988 Toyota Hilux “Custom Cab” – white
Good news though. With the van gone and cash-in-hand, Dad picked up a brand new, Toyota Hilux Custom Cab. It was white, 2WD, and awesome. Dad bought this one new, had it shipped to Germany when we moved there, and it ended up driving to France and Switzerland, among other places. Then it got shipped back to Long Island, New York, and finally ended up in Kansas.

In 1997, I loaded up four friends in it and drove from Wichita, Kansas, all the way to San Antonio, Texas, to attend a friend’s graduation from Air Force basic training. Great truck. Probably still someone’s daily driver.

1991 Ford Sierra – red
While we lived in Germany, Dad had a company car. It was a bright red Ford Sierra. NOT a Cossie by any means, but it was still pretty nice. Whenever Dad would pick me up for lunch at school, we’d race ahead of everyone walking over onto base to grab something at the food court or zip down the street to “Wolf’s Steak Stube” for a grilled steak ‘n’ onion hoagie.

1987 Buick Somerset Regal
At some point around there, Dad got Mom a Buick Somerset Regal. It had a cool, digital dashboard. It had a smooth ride. It had an engine that sounded like a washing machine full of empty beer cans.

1980 Audi 80
This is pretty much the car I learned to drive in.  Ours was a pale, barely shiny yellow, with a peuse green interior. German Domestic Market, it had no AC and a radio with a dial and push-button presets. Interestingly enough, though GDM, it was an automatic – somewhat rare.

I ripped the rear bumper off one night pulling into a tight garage and, before we moved back Stateside, it had developed serious motor/transmission mount issues, causing the entire rear end of the car to crank up or down when shifted into reverse and then drive. Still, I was 15 years old and driving in Germany.

1990 Plymouth Sundance
Dad still had the Custom Cab, but now that we were back in the States, Mom needed a new car. She got a Sundance. Remember the Dodge Shadow? The Shelby CSX? This was nothing like those cars. It was an economical commuter car with a 3-speed automatic.

My fondest memories of this car involve seeing country mailboxes pass by the windshield as we did slow, Scandinavian Flicks through the country. It was like sisu but with none of the honor.

1998 Plymouth Neon
I graduated from high school in 1995, found out my 88 Grand Prix was paid off (thanks Mom & Dad), and sold it. I used the money to buy Mom’s Sundance, which I traded in on my 1997 Eagle Talon. Mom & Dad used the money to buy Mom a new 98 Plymouth Neon Expresso.

I don’t care what anyone says – the first gen Neon was an awesome car. They make for great race cars, too.

Sadly, the Neon was stolen after a couple years in Phoenix. The police recovered it, Dad bought it back, and then it was stolen again. In the end, due to some paperwork mistakes with the insurance company, Dad got a total of like $5,000 after buy-back on his now 10 year old Neon.

1979 Toyota Corona
Dad used some of the money from the final payout on the Neon to buy himself a decently maintained Toyota Corona. What a neat car this was! Same 22R engine the Hilux(es) had, 5-speed manual, and rear-wheel drive. It had all kinds of bells and whistles (that no longer worked), and the paint job was a little sketch, but it’s the only Corona I’ve ever seen in person.

Sadly, the Corona puked its head gasket in a Wal-mart parking lot one night. Dad sold it to the tow truck driver and never looked back.

2004 Chevy Cavalier
Today, Dad’s driving a Cavalier pretty much identical to the one above. He tells me he likes it, though I kinda wish we could have found him another Neon or Hilux. I’ve asked him if he’s thought of getting a picture of this thing tattooed on his arm, but he didn’t get the joke. (Whew!)

So there you have it, all my dad’s cars, more or less in order.
I had found myself thinking about how cool it is that our love for all things automotive brings us together online – from all over the world – but our cars can also bring us together right here at home, too. Have you ever thought about building one of the cars your mom or dad owned when they were your age?

I’m thinking I’d really like to build a ’54 Hudson Jetliner one day…

In the glovebox:

• Domino: Serious Toys
• Top 10 Movies for Gearheads
• Cruise In, Netherlands

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Here’s just a sampling of some of the stuff you’ll find when you visit Studio Time Capsule, Shin’s website.

Just goes to show, we might not all speak the same language, but when we see stuff like this, we understand. I think those of us who don’t speak Japanese are fortunate Shin cares enough about sharing the stories of these mended cars with us in broken English.

Gearheads United.

• What’s your favorite car on Studio Time Capsule?
• What language do you wish you could speak better? 

In the glovebox:

• The 54th Frankfurt International Autoshow
• Dominica: Abandoned Treasure Part Two
• The Cars of Our Fathers

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