moments....

close down the year

it has been a wonderful journey so far. we started in june in Fort Smith / Arkansas and went about 6000 miles so far. only minor repairs. perfect cruising. unbelievable landscapes. wonderful people. funny stories. more friends. concept of the book is growing in the very right direction. lots of scanning ahead when back in New York. decided to leave the B. in Moab again. with Chris. to make sure the B. will be happy on the upcoming travels south and later north again. we need new brakes, wiring, steering, and other improving details. there are another 15.000 to 20.000 miles ahead of us and this needs preparation. the B. never let me down, so I have to take care that the B. feels excellent ! driving alone for a longer period of time teaches you to understand the car and its little personal needs... it has been such a fun that I will go on the whole next year to explore the USA , the landscapes and the people.. hope you liked it so far and will join me again in january 2010. cheers !



first checks at chris's shop. like a race car at pit stop. and still looks cool.

B specs

found out more about the engine of the B. its a 318 LA . which means it is a "light A engine" with 230 hp at 4400 rpm. a V8 with 5.2 liters. It says that this 318 was the most produced and most reliable engine in it's time that even the police cars had it built in. all that in the 60's and 70's. with a few modifications it ran until 2002 !!! insane !

for more tech specs about the 318 engine click here



New York City Plymouth Gran Fury police cruisers were equipped with the 318

VW Bus and beetle resting area.

only VW bus and beetle at this repair shop . never seen something like this before !! very unique place.

Utah kinda last time...

nobody can escape the beauty of the landscape in Navajo country...


B with Monument Valley behind...


B facing fisher towers in Professor Valley. at 6.45 am.


B looooong shadows in the morning

everyday things

B-smile


Navigation system B-style

Grand Canyon

simply breathtaking

Las Vegas... nothing more to say ..

....at the New York


...twilight


...curbcardladies

hommage to otto !

ok people out there, let me tell you something :

I have a friend in Germany who always helped me to find the right classic car and also when in trouble with it. His name is OTTO and not only is he a wonderful friend, he also is a true genius. Before I bought the B. I did send him all information and images of the B. and he instantly said : buy the B. ! when I have a problem on the road I would call him day or night and describe the problem I have and the noise that it made and he would tell me exactly what it is. That happened several times now. This time when stranded in the woods somewhere near Bakersfield he again told me exactly what it should be. and when I arrived at Wayland's shop I could give Wayland a hint what just happened to the B. the starter broke. So, thanks you so much, Otto for being a wonderful friend and a classic car genius !! cheers mate !

life is beautiful..

.. starting in Bakersfield in the early morning to get to Las Vegas the B and I made it about 30 miles, than a terrible noise interrupted our wonderful cruise. I pulled over and realized that the journey is over for now. nobody in sight I waited a bit and then found a guy who was on the phone in his truck. Asked him for a tow company and he chatted with his friend on phone to find out what is best for the B. he sent me to Wayland in Baklersfield. Turns out that this was the best ever happened to the B ! This wonderful insane mechanic who races dragsters with 1300 HP loved the B and took a closer look. Not only did we change the starter, he also found all the little things that bothered the B. for a longer time. Since he couldn't get a pulley part for one of the belts he search in his yard and found some old shitty looking thing, sand blasted and painted it and it was like new. and matched perfectly. some fix ups here and there and the B never sounded that cool and smooth and calm. we spend the whole day there and Wayland explained everything I wanted to know about mechanics of the B. to me. just so cool. Thanks so much !!! I am sure one day I will be back here!

Wayland explaining the B mechanics to me .


quick sand blast action to create a new part ....


Front view of Wayland's 1300HP monster drag race car

California without the coast..

...after spending two days in San Francisco meeting many friends and enjoying to hang out with them I learned that the Bay Bridge was closed due to falling parts.. ! for me it meant a detour but it was a beautiful one... passing the bay of Richmond and Oakland was really cool. driving south again there was a bad smell in the B. so i decided to check and it turned out that the battery was about to blew.. Lucky me there was a repair shop across the street and the owner just finished restoring a 1965 Mustang ... we changed Battery and Alternator ( had minor problems here before ). And we met Police officer Marcus who had a flat tire and borrowed tools from the shop to change the flat himself. turns out his dad used to have a barracuda and he remembers sleeping in the back as a kid. beautiful !


Officer Marcus changing a flat tire .