(More Gaia-spankin' beauties from the garages of Iowahawk readers, updated frequently. Want to enter your jalopy? Details here. Come strong or stay home!)
Previously: 2007 Earth Week Virtual Cruise Night - Part 1
When not rasslin' grizzly bears in the aspens, the virile and alliterative Chas Clifton of Custer County, Colorado enjoys destroying the fragile Rocky Mountain ecosystem with his Chutch-worthy classic Jeep:
"After the Pinzgauer, I offer my 1973 Jeep CJ-5 as the next-butchest vehicle. It is a slow-moving restoration project, but it runs. All the work done is under the skin: rebuilding the 256 CID straight-six, re-wiring, etc. It still sports modifications/jury-rigs from previous owners. For instance, you turn the back-up lights off and on with a toggle switch on the dash. I have two newer Jeeps, a TJ Wrangler (my wife's daily driver) and a Liberty. But I am happiest driving this one, even though it gets 14 mpg with a tailwind. Funny thing, even my greenest friends are so charmed by it that they don't ask about gas mileage. And total strangers wave at me as I go down the road."
Exciteable Paul Hegert (whereabouts unknown) brings the Italian ponies:
"Hey Dave: Happy belated Gaia Day!! 2000 Ferrari 456M GT. A carbon footprint-expanding pleasure bomb!!! lol "
Straight outta the Hill Country hills of Bee Caves, TX come these two sporties of Patrick Wilson:
"1. 1953 MGTD (only 29,000 made but I guess they've had a million owners because very time I stop at a filling station, some cat waddles over and says, 'My uncle Virgil had one just like 'at.' The MG comes complete with the stock surplus .50 Calibre ammo box built into the firewall as a toolbox. The ammo boxes were surplus to the US air force after the second war so they left them all to Morris Garages! It has no fuel gauge so you dip it with a stick. The carburetors are Skinner Unions--same as the XKE.
2. At least my '05 Vette has a trunk.
The MG gets more wolf tickets."
Cheesehead boogie van fanatic Richard Thom from Sauk City, Wisconsin shares his love mosheen:
"Attached is a photo of my entry into your cruise – 1984 Chevy G20 Van. My Mom nicknamed it “The Ol’ Cheech & Chong”, but I take great pride in my baby and as far as I know the only mods are as follows:
Annual rust stop spray paint because we know from Neil Young that Rust Never Sleeps. Second 305 V8 motor because she was once a working vehicle (locksmith) that ate the first one from idling all the time. Rebuilt T-400 tranny by Moline Transmission Services and the nicest group of guys I ever met. Non-matching back seat culled from the bone yard for 40 bucks so I could put passenger plates on her. Radio Shack non-DIN faced CASSETTE player with KNOBS and the LAST one they had before they quit selling car stereo. (I still long for 8 track and my 1970 GTO, tho.) MANDATORY CB radio provided by my little brother the truck driver. (In fact I have an ACTUAL FCC issued cb license – KAIX 3797 from 1978 ... 10-4 Good Buddy.) 13 miles per gallon on a good day by keeping foot removed from carburetor.
All my dreams are wrapped up in her big tin body. Someday she will awaken from a deep sleep as a leather seated, shag carpeted tire-smokin’ love truck and we’ll go down the highway of life together until the cows come home."
Wicked pissah! Doff your lids for Roger Williams of Narragansett, Rhode Island. Not only did he invent freedom of religion, he boogies around Lil' Rhodey in this "Me Myself and Irene" stunt vehicle that looks capable of scaring the livin' kashi right out of an Earth First!er. Roger explains:
"Feast your eyes on my 1996 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, complete with stock Ford 4.6L modular V8 engine and 19/23 mpg. After a lifetime of being beat like a rug by the Massachusetts State Police, it's still tough enough to go for another 300,000 miles of fossil fuel burning goodness. I haven't had the car dynoed, but I think that 4.6L tops out at about 220 horsepower, and maybe 250 foot lbs of torque. The top speed is a theoretical 140 mph, but I've only been able to get it about 115. I don't know if it's annihilated any polar bears, but I do know that its bad mileage, dual exhaust and decidedly large size are enough to have Arianna Huffington hate me forever."
The delightfully named Arnie Sugar of Edmonds, Washington submits two totally sweet hoopties:
"The first is my 1966 Sunbeam Tiger, with 347 cubic inch Ford Stroker power (400 HP or so), nestled comfortably in a ridiculously tiny engine compartment – just enough room for the massive tube headers and a fine layer of knuckle flesh. Number 8 spark plug gets changed from inside the cockpit, through a bunghole in the firewall. Generally gets under 10 mpg when making even partial use of the foot feed.
"The second, mah sled: 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, police special, with the 1 liter jugs. Gets OK mileage, but is VERY LOUD, so that’s worth something. And if the chrome shark fin pipes don’t get your attention, note the forward mounted Fiamm air horns; all reserve battery power goes to the horn compressor when the hapless drum brakes start to fade. Chrome skulls not visible on photo, but trust me on those."
