Car culture - Getting out and about

Lately it's come to my attention that I spend entirely too much of my free time hanging around my house.  A condition I decided to rectify a couple of weeks ago.

I ventured out to (or more correctly went BACK to) one of Arizona's best known weekly car meetups.  The McDonald's Car show at the Scottsdale Pavilions.  I hadn't been out there in about 10 years so I didn't know what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a strong representation of the Phoenix car culture.


For over 20 years people have been coming from all over the metro Phoenix area to show off rides of every conceivable permutation of the car hobby.

I was there back when it started as an informal event in a relatively unused parking lot in a far corner of Scottsdale.  A friend of mine actually grew a thriving auto body and paint business from customers met there that exists to this day.  That's the power of the community this event fosters.

From 57 Chevy's to Teslas and even bikes you're bound to find something that meets your fancy and someone to trade tall tales and memories.

You never know what you're going to find but be sure to show up early (starts at 4PM every Saturday) and wear your most comfortable shoes because there's usually 250 to 400 cars to see not counting the periphery of late comers and motorcycles.

Check out the video below for a taste of the action.  If you love cars, do yourself a favor and check it out yourself every Saturday from 4PM to 11PM at the McDonalds at the Scottsdale Pavilions ( also known as Talking Stick) off the 101 Freeway and Indian Bend Road.  Admission is free and parking is abundant.

Merry Spin around the Neighborhood - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

March's Interesting Car Videos

So I've been a little lazy keeping up with the monthly car video posts.  But I've found a few vids that I've watched more than once so I figured I share them with you.

The first one is kind of ridiculous.  A hand built 2010 Lingenfilter Trans AM (made out of a Camaro) versus a 1968 Firebird 400.

The next one is a test drive of a stock 1968 Firebird 400

Finally, an eternal feud.  Camaro vs. Mustang

Barrett Jackson 2015

Been awhile since I've posted.  That's because I don't believe in posting junk.  Recently a special event came to my town but unfortunately I couldn't make it but somebody else did.  Here's a few great videos from the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction.

Need for Speed for the gearhead and the gamer

I like a good action movie just as much as the next guy.

Make an action movie about racing around in hopped up cars and I'm in love.

I just happened to catch Need for Speed the other day.  It came out earlier this year and starred Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame.  As I watched I was reminded of another favorite film of mine from 2000, Gone in 60 Seconds, which was a remake of the 1974 original of the same name.

While the story differed the premise of both movies was the same.  In short, a bunch of gearheads drive really cool cars really fast.  

That's pretty much it and there's nothing wrong with that.  Leave all your prejudices against inflated male stereotypes and gaping plot holes at the door.  

What makes Need for Speed special, however, is that it's not just a car movie.  It's a car movie based on a video game.

I've got an entire blog as well as most of a Youtube channel devoted to gaming and a big part of that revolves around driving games.  Need for Speed is one of them and a favorite.

So as I'm watching a cool movie about gearheads driving cool cars I'm also noticing elements of the game in the movie.  

I saw scenes that looked like tracks I've raced in the game and action sequences that could have been lifted right off of the game box.  It was an epic experience.  

So for me it was the trifecta.  It tickled my gearhead fancy, had cool cars going fast and reminded me of one of my favorite games.

It made we want to go rearrange my toolbox and rotate my tires afterward.  

The story revolves around Toby Marshall.  He's a top notch car builder that always seems to be on the brink of financial disaster.  He's got a cadre' of wacky friends all with their own unique talents that help him along the way.

Toby has a nemesis, Dino Brewster, a cocky, ruthless a-hole who makes Toby an offer he can't refuse even if it's against his better judgement.

As expected, tragedy soon ensues when Dino causes the death of Toby's friend Pete whom Toby sees as a little brother.  

Of course there's a girl and some romance but the plot really revolves around Toby's quest to bring Dino to justice.

That's as deep as it gets and that's a good thing.  Nothing ruins a car movie faster than an overreaching plot.  I'll watch Gandhi if I need a life lesson.

It's at least worth a rental or a few hours on Netflix.