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Lane, it not only looks evil but is probably the new bad boy on the block.  I am not sure I would attempt to drive something with a power to weight ratio like this.  The Crème Brule Coupe was quick but fairly benign with something under 165 HP.  I believe this new one is over 300 HP and maybe a lot more.  Jim can have at it against Clint.  Sigh ... 

Spent the night just east of Little Rock, AR after leaving Knoxville TN yesterday.  I've been cruising at 90 mph, and getting passed occasionally.  Guess I'm out of touch with interstate driving.  Lots of folks taking pics with cell phones.  I'm going to call Jack Crosby in a while to see if we can arrange a visit.  I am going to drive through SoCal on the way home to Santa Cruz, and would love to meet up with the SoCal members somewhere in the LA area if possible.  This is Saturday morning, so I should be in SoCal on Tuesday.  If there is interest in a meet, let me know, and I will e-mail again when I get closer.  

Jim---if you

re reading this--I got your phone message and tried to call back.  I was unable to leave a message because your new cell phone hasn't been set up for messages.

 

Call me back if you get this;  501/760-2889. I'll keep trying too.

 

I hope you can spend the night here with us.----Jack Crosby

Jim.  You car is totally awesome, but is it going to be legal in Calif with no bumpers?  I know you already have it registered and from what I know about you I'm sure you have already looked into that, so it must not be an issue.  I don't really know what the law is about bumpers, but I would love to know, because your car looks totally awesome without them.

And, welcome to the "widebody" side.

Troy, as far as I know, Jim registered his car in CA under SB100.  I believe this exempts most enthusiast's cars from issues of this type.  While, I live in GA and do not have to cope with tight scrutiny on replicas, etc., I have tracked CA progress in this area closely.  I suppose the good news is that you can get your car registered legally but the bad news it may cost you some heavy bucks.

Marty, You will have to wait until Jim gets to CA.  I have looked through Clint's, Scott's and Jim's picture files that I have without success.  Of course, once in the car, these engines do not photograph well.  The only engine pictures I see are of the Crème Brule Coupe that I took when I owned it.  I am sure the Turbos look a bit different.

 

Steve reports that the Kelly Coupe is a bit quieter than the Crème Brule Coupe now owned by Spencer Dillman in FL mainly due to the lining and sound deadening materials used. I think he is working on a drive-around video (U-Tube) of the Kelly coupe in action.  The Kelly coupe is by far the highest form of the SAS state-of-the art.

I just received an email from Jim, looks like he won't be heading to Calif as he believes he has a defective head gasket.  He's in Amarillo, TX and supposidly the engine builder wants Jim to ship the whole car back to him for repairs.   To me that sounds like crap.   Why should Jim have to pay transportation costs to the tune of 500 to 800.00    If the builder was credible, he  should just pay for the repairs.

Where did you get the idea that Jim was having to pay to ship the car back?  This is not the case. [I checked with SAS after reading your blog.]  SAS has always paid to return the car to Knoxville during the warranty period.  A carrier has already been scheduled.

 

The repair issue was whether to have the local Subaru dealer change the head gasket or send it back to Knoxville for the change out and a check on the entire cooling system and engine.  Additionally, SAS has agreed to ship the car to Jim in Santa Cruz at no cost as soon as it is repaired.

 

I believe you owe SAS an apology.

I think SAS will accept the apology.  No need to belabor the point as the facts are now known.

 

The gaskets likely failed because the engine overheated.  The cooling system had lost water through slow leakage.  When Jim topped up the radiator, air likely remained trapped in the cooling system and replaced some of the water - air that he could not remove and cannot be removed easily under most circumstances.  At 90 mph in over 90-degree weather, the conditions were not favorable.  Better Amarillo than the Mohave Desert.

 

We hope Jim gets his car back soon in good order ready for his next trip to CA from Fiji.  Meanwhile, his son can style and profile in Santa Cruz!

Sorry I didn't respond quicker, but as a certified non-techie, I don't travel with a laptop, and most hotels/motels only provide wifi, since it seems that every individual on the planet has a laptop with them.  At any rate, I am now back in California.

 

Of course, I am disappointed, but it's not like getting a bad biopsy.  SAS is arranging transport back to TN for repairs, then will ship in back to CA after it's fixed. I was actually pretty fortunate, since I had a solid cell phone signal, a safe spot to wait for the tow truck, had a cooler with ice and soda, and a good book to read.  I have had worse breakdowns, as many of us have. 

 

SAS had put 400+ miles on the car, so they gave it solid testing, but the weather across the plains was warmer than TN.  From my perspective, I want to know ASAP if something will fail.  Too bad it didn't happen closer to TN, but it is what it is. I did learn one interesting fact.  If you are in TX, and the sign at the turnoff says "picnic spot", don't believe them.  

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