Author Archives: Mike Ross

About Mike Ross

I love anything you can drive. But I love it even more if it has a small block Chevy or Ford motor, a turbo, four wheel drive, is a hatchback, or was made in the 80s. My ideal car would be a combination of all of these things, and I'm working on building a time machine so I can go back to the 80's and convince Chevy and Ford to collaborate on a twin-engine, single turbo 4x4 XR4Ti/Fox Mustang/Third Gen F-body and hide one in a mineshaft for me to recover in brand new condition. Look for a blog post about it just as soon as it happens. Or maybe it already did, and I've already posted about it in the future and the internet just needs to catch up with it. Okay, my head hurts, never mind.

20,000 Leagues (Dodge Ram)

Posted on by
2

[printprofilepic]

I remember hearing about some guys in LA or some other city with really congested roads who put on puppet shows in the bed of their truck for people behind them to watch while everyone is stuck in traffic. This guy puts them to shame- he’s basically driving around showing everyone all the best parts from every IMAX movie for free.

I have to admit, that is some really high quality airbrush work. Bonus points because it’s not a mural of his truck on his truck (give yourself a pat on the back, dawg).

It’s still ridicufuckinglous though.

A (Mostly) Pictorial Guide To Auto Auctions

Posted on by
3

[printprofilepic]

I was really at the auction to see what my old Crown Vic, which I sold about a year and  a half ago and then learned it had been abandoned by the new owners, was going to sell for at the auction. (That whole saga is going to be chronicled in a future article.)

This was the second auction I had ever been to, and the first where I wasn’t peaking over a fence to watch it, but I would imagine that my experience there was probably pretty typical of what you should expect to see at any auto auction you go to.

Continue reading →

Ford Ranchero – Special Championship Edition

Posted on by
1

Here is a brief excerpt from the abridged version of my latest book, Mike’s Guide to Attracting Attention in Your Car Without Being Even the Least Bit Pretentious. All you hipster kids trying out out-attention whore each other with stickers of cartoon characters and colorful wheels, please take note:

Continue reading →

The Rice Report – Introduction

Posted on by
2

[printprofilepic]

I am pleased to announce the arrival of a new category: The Rice Report!

Surely you remember a time when it was impossible to drive anywhere without being constantly surrounded by ricers. It seemed to really peak right around 2003-ish. At the time I was driving an S10 with a loud exhaust and it seemed like somebody wanted to race me at every light. I remember receiving constant “rice-bys” on the way to school. (Who really feels like driving like that at 7AM, anyway?) I remember going to AMC 30 around that time and just marveling at how basically every spot in the gigantic parking lot was full of cars with unpainted body kits. And then, thankfully, the whole thing started fading away just as suddenly as it had appeared.

Continue reading →

1992 Lister Corvette

Posted on by
2

[printprofilepic]

This has got to be one of the rarest Corvettes around. According to my research, there are only either 2 or 3 of these cars in existence, depending on who you ask. This particular Corvette is on display at the Mel Martin Auto Museum in North Phoenix. It is owned by Mel’s son.

There isn’t much information on the internet about these cars, but according to the sheet of paper that was displayed near the car, its got a Vortech supercharged 383 stroker LT1 putting out 500hp and 454lb-ft of torque. The brakes have been upgraded to Brembo units, the wheels are 17 inches (this was 1992, remember) and it cost $80,000 when new. The modifications were performed by Lister Cars in England.

Continue reading →