Posted in House on December 30, 2018 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 564.765
It’s that time of year once again where I give a summary of annual mileage. Check out the chart below for highlights from 2018. The car that I drove the most – the 2013 ILX – also cost the least to maintain at around 2 cents per mile. But what’s interesting was how cheap my highest mileage car – the 1994 Legend coupe – also was to maintain, costing me only $311 to drive over 7,000 miles this year.
The NSX had an expensive year, but that didn’t necessarily translate into a pocketbook impact for me. One of the service advisors at my local dealership covered a timing belt & water pump for free, in trade for some help I gave him selling a vehicle. So in the end, of the $4,000 or so shown there, I was only out of pocket maybe half that. Enjoy geeking out on some data with me!
My coworkers got crafty with Photoshop for my 37th birthday.
In the nearly 2.5 years I’ve owned my current home, I’ve always wanted to dress up the showroom. Simple concrete is so drab, plus when you’re parking a fleet of 2+ decade old cars, you accept the fact that they’re all going to leak a little. And my floor was starting to look like polka dot street art with the drips all over the place. As you can see in this before & after photo, I’ve elevated the look of the garage in a big way.
To get this all done, I engaged the efforts of Eric and his team at Brilliant Epoxy Floors, Inc, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. They completely transformed the look of my 988-square-foot, 6-car garage by fulfilling a 3-step process: Base coat, metallic “Quicksilver” epoxy, and top polyurethane. The sequence took about 5 or 6 days to complete because we had to wait (and weather is cooler than usual this time of year) for the surface to cure / dry in between stages.
Then I waited another 6 days before attempting to drive cars across it. Meanwhile, my backyard was full of cars and starting to look a little bit hillbilly with cars parked every which way. In all, the cars spent 12 days outside getting leaves & bird droppings all over them.
Yesterday was the big debut when I was finally able to park indoors. I am thrilled with the results! A couple of observations I’ve already made: The new floor does show dust and dirt pretty readily – from footprints, tire treads, etc. It’ll be extremely slick to walk on if it gets wet. But, spills and leaks (oil or anything else) will wipe up really easily. Let’s see how everything holds up over the next few years!
Here is a timelapse video showing stages 1 & 2 of the refinishing process. In all, I captured about 1,000 pictures at a 20-second interval with a small camera mounted in the southwest corner of the garage.
NSX & Integra “before”
Blank slate ready for customization:
The Brilliant crew showing up for day 1
End of first / base / single-color coat
Coincidentally, while the Integra sedan was out back, I received an order for a 1:43 scale model car in the mail – a twin to it!
Day 2 complete! You can see the metallic swirl starting to take shape here.
Meanwhile, the cars sat out back like this for almost two weeks.
Complete!
Even the “new car” went inside for a bit. Now you know what it is.
Time once again to play catch-up on current events. I’m turning 37 years old in 3.5 hours, so if I don’t wake up tomorrow morning due to old age, I at least want the Drive to Five community to know how I spent my final weeks, right? Oh and the odometer teaser above – more to come on that. I might have bought myself a 4,615-pound birthday gift.
First of all, I ended up being featured on Hello Road‘s YouTube channel with a quick feature from the Radwood show a couple of weeks ago in Los Angeles. Check out this video at about 6:42 on the clock. Huge thanks to Ethan Tufts for the feature!
A couple weekends ago, I joined 6 friends and headed for the hills northeast of Phoenix.
Our destination was a cabin in Pine, Arizona. Pine is only a little over 100 miles from the hustle and bustle of the city, but it has a woodsy culture, far cooler temperatures, and lots of wildlife. I took the ILX for this trip which made light work of the grades rising out of town on Highway 87. The climb goes from about 1,000 feet above elevation to a little over 5,000, making it a popular way to climb out of the boiling hot valley in summertime.
2012 road tripping:
2018 road tripping:
Among our destinations were the Early Bird Cafe above – which I’d visited six years prior – for a hearty and delicious breakfast. Unfortunately, employee Katie (pictured in the 2012 pic in orange) no longer works there. After that, we checked out Tonto Natural Bridge, the “world’s largest natural travertine arch.” Most of the trails within the park were closed for construction this time, but we were able to hike down toward the riverbed and see some of the mossy waterfalls.
Sam, Adam C, Kenny, Adam S (back), and Tyson, Riley, Chandler (front)
I was delighted to have my friend Brandon from Las Vegas visiting for several days, and then today had another visitor – this time it was my buddy Alaeldeen from all the way in Edmonton, Alberta. Fun fact: He owned the Clarion Legend coupe for about two years.
Here’s Brandon:
The gang at brunch:
Here’s Alaeldeen:
I’m also playing caretaker for my friend Branson’s Legend coupe which will spend a few months at my house whilst his home in the Salt Lake City area is getting some garage upgrades. It’s a sweet ride. My backyard looks like a bit of a parking lot (or junkyard?) as I’m awaiting the cure of an epoxy sealant on the garage floor. That story will get its own blog post in the coming weeks.
This past weekend, the ILX ‘front-wheel-drive sleigh’ took me to Christmas festivities in southern Utah, where I got to meet my youngest niece who is named Ava Mae. She’s a real cutie. I also reconnected with a few friends including my friend Shaun who recently picked up a 1997 Acura 3.0 CL that drives like a real peach for having 206,000 miles on it.
Cute baby up above, cute babies right here too:
Following I’ll share a hodge-podge of the rest of the pictures from these recent adventures.
NSX roller shot by my friend Michael
And the coupe at the same time
Checking out my buddy Travis’ new-to-him 1995 LS automatic – it needs work, but it’s a start!
Michael’s new 1993 Integra LS at right.
Out at the Pavilions car show and an RSX-S joined me.
Couple more shots of Branson’s coupe:
Literature swag update: Special thanks to my buddy “on the inside” at American Honda (you know who you are!) who hooked me up with these amazing items. This first one is an actual binder dated 2001 which shows approved paint & interior finishes for dealerships. Like actual dealership showroom carpet samples!
Couple pics of the ever-evolving showcase:
New 2008 TL spiral booklet added, too.
Finally – My brother has just as many toys as I have, and here’s his latest. This 1954 Ford truck is powered by a supercharged GM “LT4” V8 engine with around 650 horsepower. I know, a Chevy engine in a Ford. He’s going to tune it for another 75-100 ponies. Watch out.
Have a great weekend and New Year celebration if I don’t post here before!
Some things just get better with time. And other things, even though not “good” by many definitions, still deserve a chance for recognition and appreciation. Like this one:
Matt Farah, a notorious automotive journalist known for his podcast “The Smoking Tire,” made the comment during the closing awards ceremony at the Los Angeles Radwood show on Sunday afternoon, “To the guy with the Pontiac Bonneville SSEi, this is your show. You’ve waited your whole life for this.” And he’s right – what other car show anywhere in the world welcomes a car like an Oldsmobile Ninety Eight or a Chrysler Town & Country wood-paneled convertible?
It’s those “malaise” era cars from the 1980s and 1990s that some of us grew up behind the wheel of, I’m happy to report that my third “Radwood” car show and celebration of culture from that two-decade era was a total success. Here are write-ups from prior Radwood shows.
December 2017 – Anaheim, CA in the 1994 Legend LS coupe
This time around, I took the opportunity to debut my new (to me) 1992 Integra GS sedan that I picked up in May in Southern Utah. Of the couple hundred cars on display, I had 1 of only 2 second-generation Integras, and mine was the only 4-door “DB1” sedan version. Dominating the playing field were German cars, especially BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche. I was glad to have a little exclusivity, and at least I was able to park by some fellow Honda-heads, including David in his 1994 Legend and Mike in his 1989 Prelude.
My drive to Los Angeles was filled with traffic, rain, and traffic because of rain. All of that contributed to making my normally-six-hour-drive take about eight and a half hours. I spent a couple of days in West Hollywood part of town, including a meet-up with my friend Wyatt who has a 1997 Acura SLX that I got to drive. What a ride! It was a little clunky, top-heavy, and the transmission slipped, but it solidified my need to own one in the next year or two.
Radwood this time took place at the world-renowned Petersen Museum at the intersection of Fairfax & Wilshire just a couple of miles south of where I’d been staying in WeHo. The lineup of cars headed into the venue quickly confirmed that I’d found the right place, and the 1983 Dodge van ahead of me got me high on exhaust fumes while we idled our way to the check-in staff and were directed to parking spaces. on the upper levels of the structure. It took just a few minutes to get the car dusted off; my little Integra has only about 73,000 miles on it and has been extremely well preserved.
Throughout the day, I bounced around the parking structure interacting with friends I’ve made through the crazy automotive enthusiast network over the years. For me these events are even more about the people who attend them than about the vehicles themselves. Best of all, the 1980s and 1990s culture was well represented in forms other than the cars we’d driven: Blasting on the loudspeaker were hits from Madonna, fanny packs and bright colors were the apparel of choice, and we were surrounded for just a few hours by the carefree, big-hair, analog lifestyle of the 1980s. The chicken tenders and tater tots from the food truck weren’t bad, either.
Representing as sponsor for this event was Acura corporate, which surprised me, but I was happy to see it. Andrew Quillin from the company’s Public Relations area had brought out a red 1991 NSX, a yellow Integra Type-R, an Integra from the RealTime race campaign, and the 1995 CL-X concept car which had to be transported via mechanical means other than its own, since it doesn’t have a drivetrain. The booth drew a good amount of foot traffic throughout the day and I got the chance to briefly rub shoulders with people like Jon Ikeda who is the brand’s General Manager.
Speaking of star-studded encounters, I got to shake hands with a couple of YouTube celebrities including Ethan Tufts of Hello Road and Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage. Tyler’s channel recently hit a half-million subscribers so I congratulated him on that well-deserved accomplishment.
All too soon, it was time to wrap up the festivities at the Petersen, and Radwood’s Bradley Brownell distributed 7 awards – not just for cars, but some were for wardrobe and wheels. I rolled out of the parking garage a little before 4:00 p.m. and set my sights eastward for my 400-mile return trip. With 1990s music on the playlist, of course. Thanks for coming along!
Entering California
Traditional photo-stop in Desert Center, right off Interstate 10
Saturday morning visit to Honda’s original headquarters at 4077 Pico Boulevard (circa 1959).
The SLX and the Integra
Spotted from the parking garage by Motor1’s Steve Ewing on the way into Radwood
My friend Rob’s Legend sedan looking fantastic
I loved the gear shift lever in this Oldsmobile. It spells out “Reverse, Neutral, Overdrive,” and so on.
Does this car make you think of the movie Planes, Trains, & Automobiles?
So 80’s!
My friend Leon’s Mercedes S-Class “Grand Edition,” one of only 600 cars in that package for the year, in stunning Obsidian Black and complete with a cellular telephone. Leon was taking care of important business when I captured this photo.
Here’s Ethan from Hello Road.
My friend Serge’s 4Runner was full of period-correct swag, including a Blockbuster rental video. Be Kind, Please Rewind.
Pre-departure from the deck of the parking structure with Joseph and his amazing 1991 Integra GS.
It’s common for me to have a guest in town from time to time, but rare for 3 to arrive simultaneously – and that’s what happened this past week when Brian, Jason, and Conor flew in to spend a few days with me and the rest of the Phoenix crew. Brian’s from Orlando, Jason’s from San Francisco, and Conor’s from Boston. My guest book is getting a lot of new entries lately. I think I’m on page 27.
Conor and I started things off right with a drive to the neighborhood Starbucks in the NSX.
Jason arrived in his 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16-valve. He’s had the car for over two decades and it has gone through 9 engines during its 130,000 or so miles. The level of dedication that Jason has for his Scirocco is unmatched! Reminds me of someone else I know!
Here’s a sneak peek at his comprehensive maintenance spreadsheet, which doesn’t just include a maintenance summary, but also miles per gallon (every fuel up since he’s owned the car) – with graphs – as well as dyno results, weight & balance information, alignment specifications, you name it. This guy gives me a run for my money.
Other visitors stopped by just this past weekend, including my NSX-owning friend Brent and his family members from southern California.
I’m Legend-sitting for a friend for a few months. My friend Branson left his 1995 LS coupe 6-speed with me while he has some garage improvements underway at his home in Utah. Cayman White Pearl is such a sweet color on these cars.
The 1990 Accord EX celebrated a small milestone at 137,000 miles. I used it as my work commuter for a couple of days.
Check out this article I wrote for ClassicCars.com
If you get a chance, swing on by my friend Xavier’s YouTube channel called “Sit n Clutch.” He has some great talent in filmmaking and exceptional taste in automobiles.
Thanksgiving was a little different this year. I haven’t talked about it on the blog before, but a health condition called hemifacial spasms has kept me on edge for a few years now – it’s an intermittent, involuntary twitching of the eye & mouth on one side of my face. You already knew I was messed up in the head, but this just made it clinically official. Haha.
After a great deal of research & preparation, I underwent neurosurgery last Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
For 6 days, I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in the “Oakland” area just east of downtown Pittsburgh, which was walkable from the UPMC campus.
Local friends rolled out the warmest hospitality, including my friend Carol and her husband Jeff who took me out in the Waterfront district for dinner one night.
Luckily I was prepared with my heaviest winter coat – which I don’t think I’d put on since Detroit Auto Show in 2017.
The procedure – called “Micro-Vascular Decompression” (MVD) involved the creation of a surgical access port into my cranium behind my right ear, wherein my doctor was able to go in and microscopically re-route the artery that was causing me trouble. I was under anesthesia for over 4 hours.
But the next day, miraculously, I was released from the hospital and back to sightseeing, if you can believe it. Even brain surgery can’t make me sit still more than 24 hours. My friend Adam had flown out from Phoenix to keep me company and we checked out the sights.
The capstone of my visit to western Pennsylvania was a cozy Thanksgiving dinner hosted in this 1930s home in Forest Hills owned by my friend Drew. He served up a full homemade feast. The fire was crackling and the food was fantastic.
I hope all my readers had a great holiday! Stay tuned for weekend adventures as I take the 1992 Integra sedan to this coming Sunday’s “Radwood” car show in Los Angeles. It’s gonna be totally tubular.
“Just so I can do a little mapping on times and distances.”
“So Why?”
That’s how a planning conversation about this trip could have gone. Because, of all the places our group could have picked to rendezvous before venturing into the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, we picked the town of Why, Arizona. And the term “town” is used very loosely, since it’s home to only about 100 people. And, as we discovered, its only restaurant (Granny Mac’s Kitchen) is closed on Saturday – the one day of the week that we’d be visiting. Guess we’ll have to sample Granny’s culinary creations on a future trip.
I’ve visited Why before – about 5 years ago, actually, and discussed a little about how its name came to be. The intersection of State Routes 85 and 86 originally created a Y shape, but for safety reasons were later transformed to meet at a T. It was here in Why, at the Why Not Travel Store where James Lee of Six Speed Blog and I awaited arrival of Jason from Driven for Drives. In addition to snacks and drinks (though I was disappointed the nacho cheese machine was out of cheese), the Why Not store also sells Mexican automobile insurance policies for travelers who are on their way south of the border. A liability-only policy runs $35 per day and “full coverage” rates vary.
We didn’t stick around long, because we had turf to cover a little south of Why. Tucked into the far southern reaches of Arizona – literally, touching the international border with Mexico, is a special place that is remote in geography and picturesque in landscape. Even now, when Arizona’s weather is at its prime and tourism should be at its peak, we had the park largely to ourselves. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was established 81 years ago in 1937 and sees just over 1/4 million visitors per year. By comparison, another of Arizona’s parks, the Grand Canyon, sees about 7 million visitors per year. I much prefer visiting the lesser-traveled park units.
Now with 3 cars in tandem – my ILX, James’ tester Corolla hatchback, and Jason’s Mazda 6, we visited the Kris Eggle Visitor Center. It was named for a 29-year-old border patrol agent who was killed in the line of duty in 2002 by a Mexican drug smuggler. The dangers of being so close to the border are very real, and even today, visitors are encouraged to travel in groups and only visit during the day.
A 15-minute overview film taught a little about the terrain and its history. I noticed that a pair of hikers inquired with the park ranger about getting a token for completing one of the hikes, and later learned that any visitor who hikes 5 or more miles in the monument is eligible. We also saw a 7 or 8-year-old take a “ranger oath” with his right arm extended. Traditions like that make visits to the parks memorable.
The Ajo Mountain Trail was the main attraction for us, and despite the fact that it was rugged and unpaved for most of the 21-mile loop, we knew we had to check it out. Per-car admission was $20 but to me it was worth it to be able to say I’ve “been there, done that.” I led the way and kicked up a pretty good cloud of dust for my followers while we stayed in touch by walkie-talkies. The trail extends eastward to the foothills and curves up to a panoramic lookout over the terrain. The Sonoran Desert, we had learned earlier in the film at the visitor center, is notoriously one of the most “green” types of deserts, and even in summer displays a wide variety of plant life. One of those plants, the Organ Pipe Cactus for which the monument was named, is native to the area and highly prevalent.
Since amenities immediately near the visitor center were few, we decided to back-track to the town of Ajo for a bite to eat at Agave Grill before splitting ways for the evening. James gave his hamburger a little more pizzazz by adding avocado, bacon, and a fried egg. Jason and I couldn’t help but play copy-cat and order the same thing. The owner of the restaurant later came out to let us know how much the kitchen staff had enjoyed putting together our custom-ordered burger creations.
But the next time I visit, it’ll be on a non-Saturday so I can see if Granny Mac’s food compares.
Signage indicating proximity to Mexico. Here’s where we headed south from Gila Bend on Highway 85.
Cab of an old pickup truck made into a fountain – with music playing from inside it!
Coyotes on the loose!
Your one-stop shop:
Jason received this text on his phone as we neared the border (though we didn’t cross it!)
Need a place to store your car? Or your gun? While in Mexico…
From the Why Not Travel Store: “If you need a penny, take one. If you need two, get a job!”
Interior of the OPCNM Visitor Center
Jason making some purchases
Headed out on the Ajo Mountain Road
Not a great place to have low clearance and low-pro tires!
Quick break near a summit on the trail.
Check the size of that saguaro cactus.
“Double arch”
Dinner spot at Agave Grill in Ajo, Arizona
The burger that wasn’t even on the menu. We’ll call it, “James’ Juicy Creation.”
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, that’s exactly how I ended up picking which car to take to a ‘Cars & Coffee’ event last Saturday morning in North Scottsdale. But apparently, I made the right choice, because I happened to pick the Vigor which led me to make a new friend who has the same model. I coincidentally ended up near Gavin who drives a 1992 GS model in Rosewood Brown. It’s an automatic with only 126,000 miles on it and he purchased it just a few months ago. It was nice to have dual representation for such quirky cars, especially in a venue that attracts mostly high-end exotics.
It’s definitely car show season now. While in some parts of the country, people are tucking their sportscars into hibernation and plugging them into the wall with battery tenders, here in Arizona it’s time to bring them outdoors and enjoy the primo weather. This past Saturday, I attended the Mountain Bridges Classic Car Show in Mesa, Arizona, which I learned about through my friend Greg. Now in its 9th year, the MBCCS is largely dominated by 1950s & 1960s American hot rods & muscle cars, but we decided to spice up the roster with a few cars from Japan. Greg took his newly-acquired 1983 Honda City Turbo II, Hy took his 1993 Honda Accord SE, and I took my 1992 Acura NSX.
It was great to spend a couple of hours admiring some of the other sheetmetal including an exceptionally rare and clean 1988 BMW M3 “Evo 2” owned by a guy named Brian. It was stunning for 30 years old. I had some pork brisket from the food truck on-site and enjoyed engaging in commentary with some of the other attendees.
Here’s a short video from the show.
The other cars have had their own time in the limelight in recent weeks, too. The Legend coupe made an 800-mile trip to southern Utah for a 7th birthday celebration for my nephew. I met up with “Honda Pro” Jason Richmond while there, who was in the area in advance of the week-long SEMA automotive aftermarket show in Las Vegas the first week of November. Here’s a photo from Pioneer Park in St. George – one of my favorite places to take car photos thanks to its scenic one-lane loop.
With the man himself, Honda Pro Jason. He has amassed over 110,000 Instagram followers (and equally sky-high reach on other social venues) thanks to his work over the years as a Honda brand ambassador. It was nice to connect with him & his family for a few minutes.
Speaking of my own Hondas, The 1990 Accord EX and 1993 Accord SE got historic tags, and I’ve already since sold the 1993.
I also burned a 16-song disc with the Billboard top hits, in descending order from 1990. It will stay in the CD changer of the 1990 EX to enjoy each time I drive it. These are some of the songs on it:
Hold On – Wilson Phillips
It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
Nothing Compares – Sinead O’Connor
Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
Vogue – Madonna
These were a few photos from the craigslist for-sale ad for the 1993, which in typical Tyson fashion, went into great detail about the car’s ownership and maintenance history, despite the fact that I didn’t own it for very long. I was able to get ahold of information about detailed maintenance services performed at the AutoNation Honda dealership in Tucson, including a timing belt just 4 years ago at 282,000.
I sold the car with 302,200 on the odometer. It still ran and drove great, and passed emissions test requirements with flying colors.
Maintenance binder and dealer brochure – because, duh! My asking price was $1,200 and I took $800.
Another shot from Cars & Coffee
More pics from the Mountain Bridges Car Show:
Interior of Greg’s City
With Hy and his 1993 Accord SE
Separated by 1 model year:
Following Greg’s City out.
Cruising the Legend coupe near the Strip in Las Vegas. (Bellagio in the background)
Scenery in St. George.
A visit from my friend Kevin from GA. Hi Kevin, if you read this!
Visit from my friend Matt from UT. I know he’ll see this one! Thanks for stopping by!
Group dinner with my friend Nick visiting from TX. It’s been a busy few weeks!
Quick trip to Tucson in the Legend GS
Photo from 2003 with the Legend coupe at a Burger King in Utah.
Same location (okay, one spot over) 15 years later in 2018. The main thing I noticed was that the pay phone at the corner of the building is now gone. I love re-creations.
Have a great rest of the week! Stay tuned for a drive this Saturday to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona. I’ve been itching to get out of town and explore something new.
You know when you’re at Chili’s and someone orders chicken fajitas that come out from the kitchen steaming sizzling and evoke interest from jealous onlookers at other tables? That’s called the “fajita effect,” at least according to my friend John who was visiting from North Carolina this past week. John was one of a few of my friends who joined for an evening at one of the American middle class’s favorite chain restaurants. Since John was in his red 2000 NSX, my house that night looked a bit like an Acura dealership. The other cars you see here are a loaner 2018 TLX, my friend Jack’s 2006 RSX, and my 2013 ILX. Another friend commented, “All your exes (X’s) are home.”
John was in the middle of a monumental 8,000-mile road trip from coast to coast, and back. He started out in NC around September 10 and made his way to San Francisco, California in time to participate in this year’s NSXPO. From there, he spent additional time roaming around California, working his way south to spend time in Joshua Tree National Park before starting his eastbound return trip, which is what brought him through Phoenix. He ended up staying 3 nights at my place and I was happy to have him around.
Joining the party was Trent Streeter from Tucson who you met in a recent AcuraConnected article, who drives a beautiful 1992 NSX in Berlina Black. I made space in the garage for both to park indoors while they were at my house, and I must say I enjoyed having some nice looking eye candy in there!
We attended a Cars & Coffee event in Chandler, along with several other NSXs.
My NSX is running & driving in tip-top shape thanks to some extensive preventive maintenance performed at Acura of Tempe. Here are the items that were addressed: Replace timing belt, water pump, tensioners, cam sensor, outer belts, replace valve cover gaskets and cam seals, replace VTEC solenoid seals, replace coolant hoses, replace rear brake pads, resurface rear brake rotors.
While all of this was being done, I roamed around in a loaner 2018 Acura TLX V6 SH-AWD. I enjoyed it a lot – especially its all-wheel-drive and confidence-inspiring handling during a couple of unusually rainy days here in Phoenix. I put together a 10-minute video showing some of the highlights. I took the car to a couple of important destinations.
One was a gas station & restaurant called The Thumb in Scottsdale which has been featured on TV (Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives). They have great BBQ – I went with the pork brisket breakfast tacos, which sound like an odd combination, but trust me – it works. They also sell race gas (95 octane). I did not fill up the TLX with that.
The other destination was a historically significant home on 2nd Street in Phoenix near my office. It was the site of 2 murders in 1931 by a woman named Winnie Ruth Judd. She gained national notoriety not just for the fact that she killed her two roommates over a love affair, but because she later dismembered their bodies and mailed them in luggage via train to Los Angeles with intent of dumping the bodies into the ocean. She spent most of the rest of her life in & out of insane asylums and court rooms, but lived to the ripe old age of 93. I saw a film about her at a cool spot called FilmBar.
This purple home is where Winnie’s crime was committed. Today, 87 years later, it’s surrounded by high rise condominiums. It’s the only original home left on the entire block.
Here’s FilmBar where I saw the flick.
Here’s the video I put together on the TLX.
Another interior shot of The Thumb; this one features the fish tank.
Delicious breakfast tacos + potato salad on the side.
Racing fuel sold here!
Trent’s custom NSX interior.
Tyson, Trent, John
John gave me a silver NSX to add to my collection of memorabilia.
I got the 1994 Legend GS out for a bit of fun in the sun.
Special shout-out to my friend Rick from Rick’s Audi Double YouTube channel for sharing some logo stickers with me. If you’re into car detailing and have even the slightest obsessive-compulsive disorder, you’ll definitely want to subscribe.
The 1990 Honda Accord EX got some mechanical loving this week with a $1,200 timing belt & water pump service at Hon-Man in Tempe. The car’s prior timing belt was 10 years old and due for replacement for a time-based interval. It is running & driving perfectly.
For those who haven’t had enough YouTube yet, I have 2 more videos for you to check out. The first was put together by my friend Dom when I let him drive my NSX back in September at NSXPO.
In this next one regarding Acura’s return to Precision Crafted Performance, I make an appearance at around 6:40 in.
Every once in a while, I get to feast on an automotive sampler platter by driving a dozen or more new cars in a single day. Sounds like a pretty awesome way to see where the auto industry is going, right? This past Friday, I participated in the Southwest Lifestyle Media Drive in Chandler, Arizona at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.
The available offerings came from a wide array of configurations: A 104-horsepower Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid and a 797-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye are at vastly different ends of the performance spectrum, but both of them played a strong game as contenders in this unique “vehicle of the year” program.
The Southwest Lifestyle event builds on a former event called the Active Lifestyle Vehicle (ALV) of the Year that was 14 years running. ALV Co-Founder Nina Russin stepped away after her many years of success, and journalist Becky Antioco took the reins to reinvent it as something fresh and new. The result was a 1-day program hosted at the Bondurant Racing School facility where about 20 journalists put 17 vehicles through their paces and ultimately cast ballots to name top winners in 5 categories. Here were the final results:
Car of the Year – Best Value: 2019 Kia Forte EX
Car of the Year – Performance / Luxury: 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Redeye
SUV/CUV of the Year – Best Value: 2019 Subaru Ascent
SUV/CUV of the Year – Luxury: 2018 Lexus LX570
Truck of the Year: 2019 RAM 1500 Longhorn
SLMD kicked off on Thursday evening with a reception at the Sheraton Grand Resort, giving local journalists the chance to interact with representatives from the auto manufacturers in a casual setting with food & beverages. Friday’s activities started early, with a lineup of fully spit-shined new cars ready to pound the pavement by the time registration got underway at 8:00 a.m.
Both on- and off-road drive routes were made available – the latter subjecting the trucks & SUVs to a pretty gnarly series of terrain challenges that were custom-built for the event by Bondurant staff. Scott Brown from Fiat-Chrysler was proud of how the company’s latest Wrangler “JL” made light work of those obstacles. It was a very competitive playing field all around, and ultimately the Subaru took top honors. Journalists may have been swayed by the fact that it has 19 cup holders.
For the on-road portion, a 20-minute drive route gave journalists the chance to subject vehicles to both city & highway driving environments, thanks to easy access to the Interstate 10 onramp and traffic-free surface streets in the near vicinity. This playground was where I first experienced that nearly-800-horsepower Hellcat as well as the new, limited-edition 480-horsepower Ford Mustang Bullitt.
The Mustang’s release coincides with the famous Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt” which was released 50 years ago exactly, and the model plays homage to that heritage and history. According to Sam Schembari-Negroni from Ford, engineers even modeled the car’s exhaust note after the original. I found the car an awesome all-around package – especially its slick-shifting 6-speed manual.
Rounding out the lineup were an assortment of other trucks, SUVs, and passenger cars – each selected for the event because of the characteristics that make them great vehicles for folks living in the southwest. In about 4 hours’ drive time – broken up by a delicious BBQ lunch sponsored by Fiat-Chrysler, I had the opportunity to drive 12 of the 17 vehicles, and I can say with a certainty that I’m excited about the direction things are going in the auto industry and it’s a great time to be a driver and enthusiast.
I thank the Southwest Lifestyle Media event directors as well as the automakers for the opportunity to participate!
New Kia Forte
With Natalie Kumaratne from Honda and James Lee from Six Speed Blog, at the opening reception
Our host facility for Friday’s fun
Event Directory Becky gives us a welcome & instructions
Test-driving a Honda Pilot Elite
The Volkswagen Alltrack, left, was 1 of 3 vehicles in the event with a manual transmission, which I was glad to see. The Infiniti QX50, at right, was a nice family cruiser.
This was some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had.
My pick was a “burnt ends” combo platter with cole slaw on the side.
Winner in the luxo-SUV category was this big Lexus
Scott Brown, right, explains some of the features of the new “JL” Wrangler Sahara.
I have all sorts of news to catch up on here but I’ll keep the message short & sweet so the photos can tell the story. There have been a lot of articles coming out on the recent NSXPO in San Francisco, but I’m particularly pleased with how this one came together. I wrote a short piece on a father & son from Tucson, Arizona who both own NSXs. It’s here on AcuraConnected.
I took the ILX to southern Utah over the weekend and competed in my 12th St. George marathon. For about the first half of the 26-miler, it rained. Adding to the struggle, my meager 3 miles of training didn’t amount to adequate preparation (shocker!) and my pace-per-mile reflected that. In all it took me nearly 5.5 hours to finish, but my mom was there waiting for me at the finish proudly.
The ILX rolled 208,000 on the way to Utah Thursday evening.
My niece and nephews made a great cheering squad at about mile 25 when I passed by them (slowly).
Mom sat this one out but spent the day volunteering instead.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had some ‘car fun,’ including a visit from my friend Michael who has a Fathom Blue ILX.
A couple of fourth-generation Honda Accords made their way to the house (for short- or long-term, not yet known) but I’m doing a bit of work on each one and enjoying getting to know the platform. This particularly nice one is from a one-owner history right here in the Phoenix area. While showing over 136,000 on the odometer, it easily looks like a car with < 50,000 miles on it.
Plus, what’s not to love about those automatic seatbelts. Just like the ones in my two Integras.
This Mulberry Pearl car was featured on my YouTube a couple of months ago and I was shocked how quickly the video took off. It’s now been viewed over 50,000 times and commented on over 700 times. People have a lot of love for these old Accords!
The second Accord is this 1993 SE with 302,000 miles on it. While it runs and drives well and has a very solid background & maintenance history, it does need some cosmetic and mechanical help so I’ll be putting some effort into it as time permits.
My friend Brad and his roommate Richard from Chicago stopped by. Brad, sorry to post this one with your eyes shut! But glad you were able to make a fly-by visit in Phoenix on the tail end of your 2,000-mile national park tour! By the way, our weather cleared up right after you left.
I visited Acura of Tempe yesterday to drop off my NSX for a new timing belt & water pump, and took the time to admire my friend Leon’s 2001 Integra Type-R which is on display in the showroom. You’ll recognize Leon’s car from JCCS 2018 in Long Beach recently.
My loaner while the NSX was in for service was this new TLX V6 SH-AWD with only 2,000 miles on it. Do you like it?
I thought this article was a worthwhile read on a guy who hit 600,000 miles on his Accord, if you get time to check it out.
Finally, here are some cool ads someone sent me for the Vigor. Acura’s marketing agency back in the day really had some skill.
Someone told me the other day in a text message, “You must really like cars if you’re traveling to see them.” Well, yeah! You just can’t attempt to explain an automotive obsession to someone who doesn’t understand it. And that’s okay.
I was a participant a few days ago at this year’s largest gathering of Acura NSX owners in the country, deemed NSXPO and started in the late 1990s. NSXPO is like NALM (the National Acura Legend Meet) but on a much larger (and more expensive) scale. While NALM registration for this year’s Colorado Springs event was $90, NSXPO cost $400 – and neither of those, of course, included other expenses associated with the trip: Fuel, lodging, most meals, and other incidentals. This is a spendy hobby, but I can think of no more rewarding way to invest in a good time.
NSXPO reached capacity and sold out in just a matter of days after registration went live this past May – a full 4 months in advance of the event itself. This marked my fourth NSXPO attendance, though admittedly I “cheated” and flew in for two of them:
The four core planning committee members definitely had their work cut out for them with a group of this size. Establishing logistics for an event of any size in the urban San Francisco Bay Area is a feat, let alone with over 230 people and 130 vehicles in attendance. Pictured here are the core team members (May Lee in purple, Roger Estrella and James Ubarro in orange at right, and Les Rowe – not pictured, along with NSXCA President Peter Cunningham, and special guests).
My drive took me through Los Angeles, then upward on Interstate 5 — a road I’ve come to know and love in 2018 thanks to multiple trips: Radwood, my Integra purchase, and then my Integra drive home. Beyond that, I was also just in the Bay Area for Car Week.
Unfortunately, I missed out on the first two days of this year’s event – the track days at Thunderhill Raceway. Then again, I’ve never been much of a performance driver and I have a lot to learn about pushing my car to its limits before I make a fool of myself!
For my own NSX, the trip to California was like going back home. In December 2011, I purchased the car in San Jose. It almost seemed like it was already familiar with the roads out there. After a roughly 12 hour total travel time, I arrived at our host hotel, the Hyatt Regency SF Airport, on Thursday afternoon and arranged for a few local friends to come over and hang out. We went out in downtown Burlingame that evening in my friend Ken’s 1987 Legend sedan.
On Friday morning, we braved commute traffic northbound to the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was worth it. The Golden Gate is perhaps the best-known in the SF Bay Area. When completed in 1937, it was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world, at 1.7 miles. Today it has a $30 million “zipper” movable barrier system that allows lane usage & direction to alternate.
From Horseshoe Bay, we were able to take panoramic photos of all the cars lined up together. Lunch was served up at the Presidio, with special guest speaker Graham Rahal, who has scored himself some impressive race wins during his career. Graham was the youngest person to win an American open-wheel race, at age 19, which was ten years ago.
The evening took us out across the harbor from the Embarcadero pier area – a 45 minute bus ride from our Hyatt. As dusk settled in, we were surrounded by stunning views of the illuminated city skyline from out in the water. Dinner was served and we had a short program, all while boating along on a massive ship that took us out to the Bay Bridge, around Alcatraz Island, down to the A&T Ballpark where the SF Giants were playing baseball, and then back. The round-trip adventure took about 3 hours, and the highlight was seeing our friend Randy Chua propose to his fiance. (She said yes, which was received with a round of applause).
On Saturday, the caravan of NSXs rolled out toward the high elevation community of Woodside, tucked into the mountains about 30 miles south of SF. Mountain Terrace served up a brunch menu there on the grass. Unfortunately, I had to work that morning and arrived a little too late to join in on that – so I grabbed lunch on my own across the street at a historic spot called Alice’s. It was originally constructed as a general store, but converted into a restaurant in the 1950s. Today it serves a variety of car clubs and motorcyclists year-round, which explains why two of the sandwiches on the menu are the “Yamaha” and the “Honda.” You can guess which one I ordered.
For the next hour, I pointed my NSX southbound on Skyline Drive and enjoyed the twisty roads and the scenery. One particularly fun stretch had curves that narrowed to just a single lane of traffic with speed limits at 15 miles per hour. I went a little bit faster than that. The NSX excels in such a driving environment.
By the time I arrived at our next stop, Canepa Car Museum in Scotts Valley, most of the group had already beat me there. The museum itself also doubles as a dealership, showcasing some of the finest sportscars I’ve laid eyes on.
My friend Dom made an appearance back at the Hyatt. He and I have crossed paths in social media circles for some time now, but this was our first time hanging out in person. He was in his blue 2013 ILX. I threw him the keys to the NSX and let him take it for a whirl. We finished our test drives just in time for me to quickly change into more formal clothes and get to the pavilion next to the pool. Seating was already underway for our closing dinner and awards ceremony.
We were honored to hear from Motoharu Kurosawa, otherwise known by the name Gan-San, who had an extensive professional racing career. Representatives from HART (Honda of America Racing Team) also addressed the congregation, while dinner was served. Awards were given out for the best original and best modified NSXs, and the long-awaited announcement was made regarding dates & location for next year’s event. NSXPO 2019 will be held in Washington, DC on October 9-13.
All too soon, NSXPO drew to a close and we bid farewell to some of our friends who we only get to interact with once or twice a year. I caught a few hours of shuteye and hit the road early (but not yet bright) on Sunday morning, hauling the entire 11-hour, 800-mile stint with only a few short stops. My NSX performed flawlessly and I had plenty of time to jam out to music and enjoy the drive.
Until next time!
Top level of the Hyatt in SF, full of NSXs
Pre-departure on the group drive to the Golden Gate Bridge
Rolling out
With friend and fellow automotive journalist Jason Cammisa who stopped by
Group parked at Presidio
Looks like this guy’s been to a few meets over the years!
Lunch time
My friend Ben’s 2005 Silverstone NSX-T….
…. with only 8,300 original miles!
My car with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
A visit from Dom and his Fathom Blue ILX 6MT
Bay Bridge
Gas station at Alice’s in Woodside
Group on the dinner cruise
View of the AT&T baseball field from our cruise
Perfect name for a road!
Curves all to myself
Having some fun near Skyline Drive
Very amazingly preserved 1991 Berlina Black NSX with Ivory interio
Jhae and his famous NSX
Lots of colorful cars out there at Canepa in Scotts Valley
A visit from David who has a Legend he showed at Radwood
Check out that yellow interior!
Driving home through some severe dust storms on the horizon
drivetofive 