Posted in Integra, TL on May 25, 2017 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 552,450
Odometer (ILX): 198,657
Odometer (TL): 97,286
Ahoy!
Here’s a short and disorganized update as we get ready to kick off the 3-day Memorial Day holiday weekend. I was lucky to have my friend Derek visiting from Philly for a few days this week so I did my best to introduce him to Arizona life. We took a Saturday drive with several friends to a small reservoir about 50 miles northeast of my house called Bartlett Lake. It was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. On Sunday, we stopped by Papago Park for some hiking, then later cooled down with some gelato at a place called “Frost” in the Biltmore Mall.
I’ve had to cycle through a few cars for some maintenance needs. The Legend sedan got an A/C recharge at Hon-Man in Tempe last week. There’s a small freon leak and it had lost its charge over about a three-year timeframe. The ILX got an oil change in preparation for an upcoming trip to my brother’s cabin in southern Utah. And the Legend coupe is scheduled to get a replacement vehicle speed sensor (VSS) next week so it’ll be ready to go to Sacramento for this year’s NALM (coming up the second week of June – roughly a 2,000 mile round-trip adventure). The VSS has lasted since 319,000 miles in 2008 so I suppose it’s time.
I finally got the NSX washed from its trip to Las Vegas for WestFest. The Vigor came out for Sunday brunch at NCOUNTER on Mill Avenue in Tempe. The Integra went to a small meet recently in that same area. And the TL continues to impress me with its fun to drive attributes every time I take it out. I installed some OEM color matched splash guards (amazingly, still available new, and with a < $100 pricetag for all 4) and a set of all-weather floor mats on the interior. Perhaps my favorite update on that car was that I picked up a Queen album on DVD-Audio. Can you imagine how good Bohemian Rhapsody sounds on max volume 40 with that media? Concert hall.
Does that cover all of the cars? Haha, I think so. Here are a few pics to hold you over until my next adventure.
Integra meet pics. Club member Dillon parked alongside me with his ‘rust’ colored hood.
Great group of enthusiasts!
I’ve driven by this sign a lot but never taken the time to stop. I finally had a reason.
Honestly not even sure what “TL” business is but they didn’t seem to mind me parking there.
What do you think of those new splash guards?
Photo by my friend Jim who stopped by.
Jim’s 2008 base TL automatic – only 50,000 miles on it!
ILX loaded up and headed toward Bartlett Lake last Saturday.
The lake gang. And my shockingly white shoulders.
Setting up camp
With Derek, hiking around Papago Park
Tempe’s historic Mill Avenue Bridge
Brunch with Lance
Vigor out and about at my former office. This building was once home to US Airways.
My friend Matt stopped by this afternoon in his 1994 Legend LS.
Suuuuuper-duper clean, 110k-mile Sirius White Pearl.
Even the engine bay was spotless
Photo from reader Tim of a 1986 dealership. I like it!
Finally, check out this Redline Reviews feature on the 2018 Acura TLX. The last 4 or so minutes are an impromptu dialogue with host Sofyan Bey from when I visited Maryland a couple of weeks ago. Have a great holiday weekend!
My little green machine is getting more than its fair share of time in the spotlight, thanks to its feature on “The Truth About Cars” written by Steve Lynch, who joined for our recent escapade up Mount Lemmon near Tucson. The comments that spilled in were nostalgic in nature, with over 70 people chiming in to throw in their $0.02 or more about the “glory days” of Honda and how they had this memory or that regarding the sport coupes of the brand’s yesteryear.
The car also got some publicity in a magazine. After 12 years and 140 issues, collector car publisher Hemmings has announced that its “Sports & Exotic Car” magazine will be retired. Many of my readers will recall that I had the honor of getting my Legend featured in the November 2014 issue.
Now, the Integra is representing as well. The May 2017 issue (yours for only $6.95!) contains a Buyer’s Guide for the 1992-93 Acura Integra GS-R, and the feature car for the story belongs to yours truly. Power team Jeff Koch (photography) and Mark McCourt (prose) delivered a top-notch, educational piece for potential GS-R owners.
Cover feature even!
“NSX Jr.” I like it!
A couple of weeks ago, I snapped some photos in the Melrose area of central Phoenix – roughly 7th Avenue & Indian School Road. It’s an “up and coming” part of town but still has a few original mid-century era buildings that haven’t yet been restored.
One example is this dry cleaning shop.
I’ve already had the article made it up into an acrylic plaque for my garage – now to find a wall space large enough to hang it!
Speaking of mag features, my ILX got its moment in print recently as well. The May-June 2017 issue of Arizona Driver Magazine contains the story on my recent trip to the Nellie E Saloon in western Arizona.
Thanks for the feature, Editor Joe!
Couple other last news bits before you start your weekend:
What do you think of my new TL plate?
My friend Matt came over last night in his ’03 CL-S and brought some DVD-Audio discs. Have you ever heard of such a medium? The sound quality is phenomenal! Fleetwood Mac on max volume!
Joint milestone with my friend Chris. Making history in our twin cars.
This was a jaw-dropping high-miler I saw the other day.
Posted in Nevada, NSX on May 7, 2017 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 552,434
Odometer (NSX): 107,620
I have to give my friend Tony Ciervo some credit. The Malibu, California native is the original owner of a 1991 Acura NSX in Berlina Black that’s about to roll 70,000 miles. Now, that’s not a huge mileage achievement by any stretch, but can you imagine buying a car new and keeping it for over 26 years? That’s commitment. “What do you do for a living?” I asked him, noting that I pegged him as a bit of a brainiac/nerd from the get-go. (Maybe it was the socks w/ sandles he was wearing). “I’m a mathematician,” he said. “Go figure,” was my response. He started laughing. It took me a minute to recognize the pun that I’d just created. Gotta love someone with a sense of humor.
The NSX Club of America (NSXCA) has a strong regional chapter in the southwestern United States. And what better way to round up a few crazy car-people than setting up a meet in the city that never stops partying – a city that receives 41 million visitors each and every year. Cinco de Mayo weekend saw about 60 NSXs overtaking the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada in a 3-day event called “WestFest,” put on by region leader Les Rowe with the help of a handful of other volunteers.
In attendance at the event were people and cars from an assortment of demographics. There were members who flew in from around the country and even one guy from Japan. The cars ranged in model year from 1991 through 2005 when the first generation ended, and we even had a few new, second-gen 2017 NSXs in the mix. One of them was driven up by none other than Acura’s own Kelly Lynch from the Torrance, California-based Public Relations team at headquarters. We were glad to have her and her sister Jody joining in for the fun and games.
Our host hotel was a long-time Las Vegas landmark since 1986, the Gold Coast casino with its 87,000 square feet of gaming space. Conveniently located within the lobby is a TGI Friday’s restaurant and a Java Vegas coffee shop, both of which saw plenty of my business over the course of our event.
For me, one definite highlight was reconnecting with my buddy Fred (above), who I’ve known for upwards of 13 years but who I hadn’t seen for about 10. At that time, we were both driving Acura Legends and crossed paths at various meets. Oddly enough, we think the last time we saw each other was at NALM 2007 in Las Vegas. Here, in fact, is a photo of us together at the dinner table during that event (I’m second from left, and he’s at the far back of the table on the right). Time flies.
So it seems fitting that exactly 10 years later, we’re back doing the same thing but with NSXs instead. Fred has a “Midnight Purple” 1995 NSX with over 180,000 miles on it that’s wearing Hawaii plates. It’s been all over the country, and unlike a lot of NSX owners, Fred isn’t afraid to “daily drive” his. My kind of guy.
My trusty 1992 Formula Red NSX performed flawlessly on the 300-mile trip to Las Vegas, delivering ice cold air conditioning and as much comfort as can be expected from a 25-year-old, two-seater sportscar. I did take the opportunity to rock out to the Top Gun soundtrack on audiocassette – specifically, “Danger Zone.” The car rolled over its 107,000th mile somewhere along the way.
On Friday, our group was hosted by a dealership called Findlay Acura about 20 minutes away in the suburb of Henderson. General Manager Kevin Hicks rolled out lots of red carpet for us, including a taco truck, audio entertainment, and these lovely ladies. We enjoyed spending a few hours at his facility and we were even able to send a couple of club members to the roof so they could capture an aerial photograph of the parking lot.
There was a go-karting event in the afternoon at Gene Woods Racing Experience but with temperatures pushing triple-digits, I opted out. I spent the evening hunkered down in air-conditioned environments including a bar called Charlie’s where I met a drag queen named Farrah Moan. I hadn’t heard of her, but apparently she’s kind of a big deal on the TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Things went smoothly until my friend Tony got his bare foot (he was wearing flip flops) stepped on by her high heel. That’s what you get, Tony! Haha.
Despite the fact that most people who visit Vegas don’t stray too far from the Strip, there’s actually plenty to do outside city limits from a recreational perspective. Club member Chase Heath developed a 200-mile scenic drive route for Saturday’s activity including waypoints at Mount Charleston and Valley of Fire State Park.
I elected to join for just the second half of the drive, so I met up with the group at Aliante Casino for lunch and hopped in with the caravan for the afternoon portion. But before that, I made a special visit to my friend Jeff’s place. Jeff has been in my “car family” for well over a decade now. He went from a 1993 Legend coupe to a 2003 CL and now to a 2008 TL. It just so happened that my visit fell on his 41st birthday. He took the NSX for a spin and enjoyed it.
Our caravan of 43 NSXs rolled out for an afternoon in the red rocks of the Valley of Fire. The scenery feels a bit surreal – curvy roads that cut through vivid sandstone rock formations. You feel like you’re in a car commercial out there. We sure enjoyed ourselves and we got plenty of attention in the process. I just happened to fall in line with 5 other Formula Red NSXs when we got back on Interstate 15 for the trip back to the hotel.
Things concluded in the ballroom at Gold Coast, with our banquet dinner, awards presentation, and closing remarks. It was truly a memorable event and gets me excited for NSXPO which will be held in September in Wisconsin
I knew I’d found the right spot when I saw a fellow NSXer on the 2nd floor of the parking garage
Not bad accommodations
All checked in and credentialed
Separated by 16 years
May Lee from the NSXCA leadership, me, Les Rowe (SW Chapter leader), Kelly from Acura
Arrival at Findlay Acura on Friday morning
Group shot!
NSXs for days
Back of T-shirt design. It’s supposed to be a poker chip.
Twins. Check out those T-shirts, and check out the cars! This was summer 2015 at the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) in Houston, Texas with my friend Chris from the Baltimore area.
In January 2016, Chris flew to Phoenix for the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction. It just so happened that his trip also involved a special 150,000-mile rollover for my car which we celebrated at Papago Park near the Phoenix-Tempe border. In a fitting second half to the story, I’ve now flown to his neighborhood on the east coast and rolled 150,000 miles on his Legend GS. Cool, right? By now this kind of nerdy behavior shouldn’t surprise any of my readers.
Piggybacking on this special weekend event were some other activities, including a visit from a few of our friends at Redline Reviews with a brand new 2018 Acura TLX and a taste of some of Maryland’s finest crab cakes. Sexy cars and tasty food – that’s my kind of vacation.
Friday afternoon’s PHX-BWI flight was delayed three times, making a painfully late arrival even worse (as in, 1:00 in the morning the next day). When I finally got on the ground in Baltimore, I opted to catch an Uber to a shady nearby motel rather than having my friend Chris drive the 50 or so miles to come pick me up at that hour. Room 241 of the Motel 6 on Nursery Road smelled a lot like an ashtray, and when I got up the next morning, so did all my clothes.
That didn’t matter though, we had an action-packed day ahead. The first unexpected twist was that Chris picked me up in his wife’s Chevy Cruze as opposed to a Legend or a TL, but it all made sense later on. We made our way northbound through a series of bridges & tunnels to get to his place in Havre de Grace. The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, at 1.4 miles in length, takes drivers underneath the Patapsco River.
Chris had milestones on the brain, and I ended up rolling one on EACH of his two Acuras. The first was in his 2008 TL Type-S – a car in many ways a twin to my own recently-purchased TL. It has, however, a few things that set it apart: 20,000 fewer miles, a black interior as opposed to my ivory, and some special aerodynamic equipment in the form of an A-Spec body kit. I rolled the odometer to 78,000 miles on the way to the local grocery store in Havre de Grace for donuts.
Not long afterward, loyal Legend lover Kevin from Georgia arrived on the scene. He was wearing a blue T-shirt commemorating my 2011 milestone in my coupe. Looking good, Kevin!
We prepared our roll-out toward a burger & shake spot called Arctic Circle (much more “hometown” than the chain I had pictured it to be) where a few other friends were already there waiting for us.
Right off the bat, I recognized the “Still Night Pearl” Acura TLX A-Spec that Sofyan Bey, Redline Reviews’ host, had driven up from Virginia a couple of hours south. The TLX was his tester for the week – fresh out of the gate from a media launch in Kentucky and fresh in automotive news as it barely debuted two weeks ago at the New York Auto Show. We were lucky to catch a first glimpse.
The next stop on our tour took us to the picturesque Susquehanna River where recreational fishermen and boaters were taking advantage of the unusually warm and humid April afternoon. There were so many visitors, in fact, that we had to travel another couple of miles up the road to a grassy picnic area in order to find parking that would accommodate everyone. Chris’ Legend GS rolled its 150,000th mile at precisely the designated spot – arrival at the boat ramp. A few more folks had showed up for the party, including Marc from New Jersey in a pristine 42,000-mile 1995 Legend coupe, Karna in a 2001 Honda Prelude SH, and Jaysen and Davey in their Legends.
I got the chance to take the wheel of a couple of those cars and it’s always a treat when a friend entrusts me with his or her pride and joy. Chris had arranged for our group to visit “Legends Vineyard” in Churchville, Maryland. For $7, we were able to sample about 10 different wines. It seemed appropriate that most of the cars parked out front during our visit were Legends! A few of the other guys had to depart shortly thereafter, but Kevin, Chris, and I dined at MacGregor’s in downtown Havre de Grace where I sampled the most popular menu item: crab cakes. They were divine. These pics are for you foodies! (Looking at you, Brad and Tim)
Tartar sauce & cocktail sauce on the side. That potato, though!
As the sun set on our busy Saturday, we admired the scenery from the Havre de Grace Promenade at the waterfront.
Sunday’s events were a lot less structured in nature, and that made for a nice low-key day. Chris & Kera served up scrambled eggs, sausage, & toast which I washed down with some super-smooth chocolate milk from a dairy up the road in Pennsylvania. Chris and I decided to check out one of the local salvage yards but it had only 3 Legends in inventory and they were already pretty well picked-over.
It was already time to start making our way toward the Baltimore/Washington International Airport, so we cruised down I-95 toward the city, stopping for a bite at Chop Pit Beef for lunch. It’s a historic spot that I’d describe as “Arby’s but a million times better.” I had the ham & beef combo sandwich with the house BBQ sauce. To Die For!
Many thanks to Chris for being such a great host and to the many friends who came out to play.
IN OTHER NEWS…
For years (about 7, to be exact), I tried getting ahold of the license plate “ACURA” for one of my cars. The Arizona DMV’s website always told me that the combination was unavailable, which came as no surprise. Initially I settled for “THACURA” which had my initials in it. But miraculously one day, it popped up. I snagged it and proudly put the plate on my 1994 Legend GS sedan.
The story got even better this past weekend, when my friend Dan had me over to his home in Mesa to show me his new 2013 Viper. In the trunk of the Viper was a gift for me – a vintage Arizona license plate with ACURA on it. A real plate, mind you. Last registered in 2001. What are the chances? And the best part is that the design is period correct for my car. According to AZPlates.com, this maroon style ran from 1980 through 1997.
The DMV issued me a new registration sticker and allowed me to put the old plate back into use – some 16 years after it had last seen the roadways!
Few more pics from the Maryland trip below!
Signing Kevin’s trunk liner. This has become a tradition.
Rear 3/4 view of the new 2018 TLX A-Spec.
TLX interior.
Too excited for my own good.
Looking northward from the bank of the Susquehanna River.
Geek mode, activate.
What better place to take a convoy of Legends?
Parked outside…
Party time at Chris’ place! Set up like bowling pins. We just needed another one front & center. Maybe next time I’ll drive out and play frontrunner.
Quick pic with Marc before he headed back to New Jersey.
drivetofive 