[ds968]

Took the 968 to Monterey on a pilgrimage to the gearheads and car aficionados Mecca this week. Four days of mesmerizing automobilia heaven .

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[Chris Vais]

I had hoped to be able to come down for this event, but too much going with moving into the house we just rented in Lake Oswego. Next year I will be there.

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[ds968]

I have a witness ( passenger in my car , who will be willing to testify under oath ,lol ) so I’m not making this up : I was driving by the Pebble Beach lodge , which was surrounded by so many super cars you didn’t know where to look first , and stopped at a cross walk to let a few people by . A fashionably dressed couple in what I’d say was their mid thirties slowed down, the guy looked at the 968 and with a nod and a smile gave me a thumbs up . Given the scenario / evironment in which this happened, I now consider it at the very top of all compliments I got on this car.

I bet you if I had driven the Maserati there , it would not have been equally appreciated .

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[Chris Vais]

Mine is in the shop in Oakland, having some maintenance items taken care of. I'll be down in early September to collect it and bring it to Oregon. Since I don't know my way around Oregon, I've been relying heavily on WAZE for navigation. As you may know WAZE strives to keep you moving at all times. Consequently it has taken be over some amazing roads that I can't wait to return to with the 968 once I get it up here.

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[ds968]

Driving the 968 on great roads is a pleasure in life which must never be taken for granted. I also test drove the new NSX for a good half hour this week in Monterey, a stunningly beautiful, and an exhilarating car, but as a true driver on winding roads compared to the 968 its only much faster, but not much better in terms of feedback and it lacks that being one with the car sensation the 968 gives you . Certainly not at the $ 200 K price tag, when compared to a $ 20 K 968. IMHO


Same with the Ferrari Pista I drove recently . Sure Id take those cars in a heartbeat , but do I think theyre worth 10 X , or 20 X a 968 ?

No way, no how , not in a million years ! Keep your 968s guys, and drive them until the doors fall off ! Life is short .

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[Rap]

Why is it the new cars don’t give you the feel of the road.? Is it all the technology? My 997.2 gets close to it but it’s power often overwhelms the feel. Anybody interested in buying a 968 race car?

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[ds968]

I honestly dont know , but I think youre right .. technology which makes them drive you more than you drive them. And I believe power plays a big role in that as well .

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[pdxmike]

Dan - a thumbs up at the Lodge is high praise indeed. 

 

Curious - did you go to RM Sotheby's and see the Type 64 that didn't sell? 

 

Chris - do tell - what roads? (Last time I used Waze it sent me through a meandering set of residential streets through the West Hills - highly amusing route to get to downtown Portland)

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[ds968]

I was at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights .. so I missed the chaos on the type 64 Here’s a link to the story though

https://news.yahoo.com/chaos-erupts-rare...06218.html

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[PoshGG]

What a black eye for RM Sotheby.  They are such a well respected firm but it probably wasn't a good idea to have a Dutch guy do the auction...

 

I was at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights .. so I missed the chaos on the type 64 Here’s a link to the story though
https://news.yahoo.com/chaos-erupts-rare...06218.html

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[ds968]

What a black eye for RM Sotheby.  They are such a well respected firm but it probably wasn't a good idea to have a Dutch guy do the auction...

There was another nearly identical issue when he started the bidding for the McLaren F1 .. we ( both my friends and I , who were sitting next to each other ) could have sworn he started by saying $ 30 million , and immediately looked at one another in amazement . But the number $ 13 mil. was what appeared on the screen right away . He repeated , what again sounded like $ 30 mil , although as soon as the incremental bidding started, he managed to pronounce everything correctly. Or maybe we just no longer paid close attention to what he was saying and focused more on the screen, somewhat tuning him out .

Otherwise I found him to speak quite well and the accent ( must have studied the Queens English as he sounded more British than Dutch ) was barely noticeable , but he clearly has a problem with 13 vs 30.

 

I realized he was Dutch only when he got overly excited every time an orange car was on the block..  

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[Rap]

Lack of attention to details compromised of course by pc. Bet they won't make that mistake again.

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[ds968]

While I was in Monterey , someone hacked into my computer and pirated my own sonogram , I kept since birth .. they posted it on YouTube and called it funny .. infuriating, I fail to see the humor in this .. but since it’s out , I may as well share it with the forums :


https://youtu.be/T762R179EEs

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[Rap]

Russians?

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[ds968]

Either Russians or Chinese, they’re the only ones who know how to operate a computer ...illegally .

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[94SilverCab]

This used to be Rhudeboy's avatar.

 

Jay

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[ds968]

This used to be Rhudeboy's avatar.

Jay

And now we know who the original hacker of my sonogram was ;-) :-)


On the Monterey subject again; even with California real estate prices which are irrational, to say the least, one can buy a very nice mini-mansion ( lets just say 6 K sq ft , 6 br, 6 ba, all custom features ,on maybe a 20 K sq ft lot, AND with 180 degree ocean view ) , for under $8 or $ 9 mil . And yet people are buying friggin CARS at that price, and for a lot more than that for rare ones.

Im thankful to be in the so-called 1% ( vis-a-vis the national parameters , not Silicon Valley , where I might make it the top 50 % , lol ) but attending these events you see the colossal wealth the 1%, of the 1%, of the 1% posses and conspicuous displays. Some guy named Ming , flew a half dozen of his Ferraris from Hong Kong , all between $ 1 mil to $ 5 mil range each , to the show. The spokesman said Mr. Ming owns a duplicate of each one of those cars , he buys everything in pairs . And then there were at couple of Dubai people who flew in several of their Bugattis and Koenigseggs just to show them at the Bonhams display . Jay Leno was there , although not sure he brought anything from his massive collection of unique cars along. And none of those guys are even anywhere near Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates, or Bernard Arnault, or many othersimilar moguls weath category, so its all relative as they say .. Then someone like Warren Buffett lives in a $ 300 K house in Nebraska and owns only one car- a very simple Chevy ( or Ford ) sedan .

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[pdxmike]

I do not understand that level of ostentation. 

 

I have an acquaintance up here in Portland who has been on Jay's show a few times. He's a working class guy who started up his own side business designing and working on Model T and Buick roadsters. Totally down to earth, runs his shop out of his 1.5 car garage in Vancouver, WA. Jay flew him down to Burbank for an episode. He seems like a really legit cool guy. 

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[Rap]

Money is perhaps the strangest of all motivators to people. It can destroy long term relationships in an instant on a misunderstanding or perceived slight. Others can indulge in fantasies dreamed about for years. Some develop pretensions while others undergo total personality changes. I doubt any of us could honestly say, “ a boatload of money won’t change me”. Except for Dan who is the atypical perfect 1% percenter we all dream of becoming!

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[ds968]

Well being in the 1% for those just barely over the threshold is generally a temporary situation..as is mine ( rather, ours since its both my wifes and my income Im counting ) Only got to that category six years ago at the ripe old age of 56, and will be back to dropping below that this year, far below as a matter of fact , and for the foreseeable future . Also living in this insanely expensive place called the SF Bay Area / Silicon Valley, does not leave you anyway near with a boatload of money, particularly when more than half goes immediately to lining both the Fed and State treasury pockets.

So no opportunity to make a huge impact in my lifestyle, but you do end up not thinking a lot about gas prices being $ 3 or $ 5 and how that difference impacts your wallet . On the other hand a true boatload of money, as in sudden and substantial weath will probably change 90% of people into becoming more conspicuous consumers and indulge in quite of bit of excess . But I dont believe thatll change their moral fiber, not most of them anyway. Deep down you are who you are, money does not change the character, just some habits . Of course in Monterey car week were talking about quite a few people who have hundreds of millions or billions. In my observation those people do tend to go to extremes in flaunting their wealth .. come on, Mr. Ming has a duplicate Ferrari for each one of the numerous models he owns because he buys two at a time ?! Pure douchebaggery ! Eh, maybe Im not giving him the benefit of the doubt , perhaps for every million dollars he spends on a car, he might donate two million, to charities . Yeah, right ! But there are those who do ; Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos , and lots of other billionaire philanthropists. Hey, Ive also been called a philanderer ( err...I meant philanthropist) I do donate a lot of money to animal rescue and shelters causes, just none to humans ..Im not very fond of, nor have empathy for most humans.. So for those billionaires or multi millionaires who share the weath with the less fortunate ..and I dont mean that in a Bernie Sanders kind of way, lol, his ideas are as batsh*t crazy as the ideas of those on the far right of the spectrum, I tip my hat. Based on what Ive seen in Monterey though, I dont think there were too many of those rich but modest folks. A side note : my fried who owns a house in Pebble Beach , where I stayed , and who has quite a bit of money but never flaunts it or spends it foolishly , noted the difference in the demographic of the attendees at the Bonhams and Sothebys events versus the one at the Mecum event : he said the main difference in the Mecum crowd was that the designer purses were all fake and the boobs were all real ...

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