Okay race fans, I’m building another race car, based on a new GTV-6. Well, new to me anyway.
Actually, the base car has been through a varied and interesting group of owners. As far as I know, Walt Hatcher was the original owner. He sold the car to some guy, who sold it to Carter Hendricks, who sold it to ME, but that is not the end of the saga. I sold the car to my friend, who sold it to my brother, who then sold the car to Chip Sandstedt, an Alfa Club member from Columbia MO. Chip then decided to go deer hunting using the car instead of a gun on I-70. He got one. Or, some would say, the deer got him. Unable to repair the car, Chip sold it to a friend of mine, who just happened to be doing bodywork on my original race car at the time.
Since I had previously flattened the entire left side of the car in a racing incident (concrete wall-1, Alfa-0), my buddy recommended a better long term solution would be to purchase this new acquisition of his . . . again. Since my original car was beginning to look more like a wrinkled piece of tinfoil than Giugiaro probably intended, I thought it a prudent move, even though my modifications and development to make the car competitive would have to start almost from scratch. If I were going to be slow at least I would look good doing it.
So the transformation has begun. And a lucky few like yourself, will get to hear about it. I can almost sense the anticipation; standing by the mailbox anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new issue of i Saluti to catch up on my progress with the car, or to see if I’ve yet developed any semblance of a social life to replace this laborious project.
My expectations are for the car to handle as well as my previous racers but to be faster in a straight line. This was the only area I had trouble in. Since the old car was competitive but underpowered: Being Walt’s old car and hearing the stories about his autobahn adventures I have no doubt that this new car is accustomed to speed.
Taking my cue from my extremely ex-girlfriend, I find much comfort in denial (ohhh... did I say that?), so race fans take note:
Now that we’ve cleared that up, I am happy to report that all the damage and rust repair on Walt’s car are complete, and my old racer has been stripped of its goodies. The build - paint - setup tasks lay ahead, and I hope to have the car ready (if not exactly legal) for Spring Fling in April.
Stay tuned for progress updates if and when they happen; (yes, I intend on boring you all with the positively riveting details of the build-up) By the way, the new car is black, so if anyone has suggestions for a paint scheme I would appreciate the input. See you at the races!