Mecum Monterey 2010

[LongRanger]

Take a good long look at the engine compartment picture. You see anything funny? Hint: look at the distributor.

When I first walked up to this car, I was half-expecting to see a Hemi. Nope. But, as I looked closer, I asked my Mopar Buddy: 'Hey! What's with the second distributor-thingy?'

Then we read the display placard.

Electronic fuel injection. In 1958! One of four cars so configured. Turns out, the system was being developed experimentally but couldn't be made to work properly, so all 4 of them were recalled, then the injection systems removed and the cars destroyed.

Except this one. Turns out, this one car had its FI system removed in-the-field by a Chrysler Engineer. Who kept it, kinda as a keep-sake, up in his attic. Years --- decades! -- later, the Guy who has the car, and is looking for the rumored FI system, is overheard asking about that system, at a swap meet . . . by the very same Engineer who took the system off, way back when. Goosebumps.

And here's the car. DeSoto Adventurer. Convertible.

With genuine, bona-fide, made-in-America, electronic fuel injection.

From 1958.

[LongRanger]

. . . 1960.

413 Cubic Inch V8
Dual Carter AFB 4-bbl Carburetors
375 bhp @ 5000 RPM
495 ft. lbs.@ 2800 RPM
3-Speed Torqueflite Automatic Transmission

Dual four-barrel 'sono-ram' induction. Push-button three-speed automatic trans.

And that's not just a dash . . . that's entertainment!

With proper back-seat accommodations.

[Homemade 911]

Except this one. Turns out, this one car had its FI system removed in-the-field by a Chrysler Engineer. Who kept it, kinda as a keep-sake, up in his attic. Years --- decades! -- later, the Guy who has the car, and is looking for the rumored FI system, is overheard asking about that system, at a swap meet . . . by the very same Engineer who took the system off, way back when. Goosebumps.

And here's the car. DeSoto Adventurer. Convertible.

With genuine, bona-fide, made-in-America, electronic fuel injection.

From 1958.

I was out there, too...and remember this car. I was hanging out near the block, and so I looked it over as it went across...it was very cool. I hadn't realized that about it being a sole survivor. Neat story about those guys getting together - You're absolutely right...goosebumps.

And yes, I agree...that Mysterion is just too weird for words...

Cheers
R/Thom
www.pmletter.com
www.pmletter.com/classifieds

[LongRanger]

1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2 . . . 1 of 12.

The ZR2 is an LS-6 with a competition package -- consisting of a heavy-duty twin-plate clutch, HD cooling, HD brakes, HD suspension . . . basically super-double-extra-heavy-duty-everything.

No radio.
No radio shielding.
No AC.
No radiator shroud.

By corporate mandate, all compression ratios are dropped to allow the use of 91-octane unleaded fuel. The LS-6 was available in the Chevy A-bodies (Chevelle/El Camino) in '70 --- but only in the Corvette in '71. Even with 9:1 compression, this motor was still rated at 425 HP @5600 RPM.

188 cars got the engine.

12 more got the engine and the competition package.

The only other ZR-2 I've ever seen was at Otis Chandler's old Vantage museum, out in Oxnard, 18-20 years ago?

This is the last Chevy factory hi-po big-block.

But not GM's.

(That was my '73 Super-Duty Trans-Am. )