“If only you were nearer” – a road trip tale

If you’re a long-term reader of the site, the name Mystery Machine might ring a bell. I’ve covered a variety of Bruce’s exploits over the years, starting with his Teenage Dirtbag MX5, then the Area 52 communal garage space, and finally a general look at some other projects he was working on. Bruce has been a little quiet over the past couple of years, with work and general life taking a front seat to his car tinkering, but now he’s back. Oh boy is he back! A childhood love affair with the iconic aircooled Porsche saw him make the pretty huge decision to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to acquire a sight-unseen project P-car. Many of us can relate to the good ol’ road-trip-to-pick-up-a-new-car story, but have you ever flown to another continent to collect your ride? Bruce did, and he’s slowly but surely documenting the whole trip with his trademark sharp photography and poetic wordsmithing, authoring a thread on Retro Rides that is just a visual and mental feast for the senses. The thread is about more than just cars; it’s about the discovery of new friends, new surroundings, and a new appreciation for a land never seen before, documented through Bruce’s natural talent and gifted ability to capture the mood through his lens. The journey isn’t over yet, so I’ll be sure to update this post when the chronicles of the trip are concluded, but it’s up to 19 pages already and growing, so there’s plenty of content for you already.

You might want to warm up/chill your favourite beverage for this one.

Continue reading ““If only you were nearer” – a road trip tale”

Best. Roadtrip…Ever?

I’ve been keeping my eye on a particular build over at Piston Heads, and it was during one of my visits there that I decided to browse around and see what else I could find. My efforts payed off as soon as I came across this unbelievable road trip thread that instantly had me green with envy.

Umair, the proud owner of an NA MX5, partakes in what is known as the Petrolhead Nirvana Alpine Tour. It’s what a car enthusiasts dreams are made of; thrashing your own car day after day for more than a week on the best roads that Europe has to offer. Umair proves that you don’t have to be a millionaire to enjoy a trip like this, putting his humble roadster up against much more expensive machinery and taking away maximum satisfaction from the experience.

These images have to be seen to be believed, each one is like a postcard from automotive heaven. I urge you to follow the link to the full thread after the jump, there are even some video links scattered throughout it. My hat is well and truly tipped.

Continue reading “Best. Roadtrip…Ever?”

Another USA Roadtrip

Following on from the Rusty Road-Trip post, here we have another guy trekking his car across the US of A. Thanks to Matt for sending this link my way.

All these road trip posts are making me want to plan my own highway escapade. Except I don’t think I could be bothered doing it in a modified car putting up with low ground clearance and dodging pot-holes, I’d prefer to hire a mini-bus and grab a few close friends to drive up the east coast of Australia, hitting up all the beaches in summer. But back to the topic, there’s just something nice about a guy and his car going on a long drive, seeing the sites and spending some real quality time behind the wheel. For some people, the height of their car ownership is taking it to the race track, hitting up their favourite windy roads, cruising around their local city, or parking at an outdoor show. For others, a long and well-planned road trip is what really appeals to them, as it gives you ample time to slow your thoughts, think clearly, really get to know your car, and see parts of your country that you’ve never seen before.

On with the show…

Continue reading “Another USA Roadtrip”

Rusty Road-Trip

About a week ago I made a post titled Rolling Rust, featuring rolling shots of the patina’d StanceWorks E28 BMW and it’s equally cool trailer, rocking a combined 6 BBS wheels. Little did I know that those pictures belonged to a whole series documenting a road-trip from Tennessee to California. You guys will probably see this on Speedhunters (which is where I found it) but I thought it would be nice to do a follow-up post anyway. Props to Jeroen Willemsen for posting it and bringing it to the masses. For his Speedhunters article click here.

Continue reading “Rusty Road-Trip”