I had the great fortune to meet a couple of people that I've wanted to meet for some time, as well as re-connect with a couple that I've known for a little while.
Will Campbell, it was great to meet you and finally put a face to the name. I really enjoyed talking to you yesterday regarding the build process of your car as well as your prep to get ready for the interior work of your car. I know that you're chomping at the bit to get it done, just as I am.
I was also able to meet Fran and spend some time discussing the SLC with him. I learned something very important, and that was that no matter how much time you spend on the forums, learning all that you can, there are aspects of the car that you can only get from the designer & builder. Safety. Plain and simple.
I think that Fran's explanation of the safety aspects of the SLC is something that has definitely not been something that comes to mind 9in the forum posts) until now. It seems that all that most people want to talk about is how to build mega engines that make 1000+ horsepower. And that's fine, but there is the realistic piece that should be address more often.
There is a lot of great engineering that has been designed into the SLC. But rarely do we hear about all the safety benefits in the forum posts. It was nice to be reminded that speed isn't the only thing that was thought of when these cars were penned.
I met up with Bill Philips (Rumbles), and was able to re-connect with him. I'm glad to have been able to catch up with him. But I also appreciate the time he spent showing me around his SLC. So many custom designs that made perfect sense. He actually has space for an overnight bag! Very nice!
Of course this was accomplished by moving the radiator to the side pods in the rear. I'm very interested to see how this works out for him.
Bill was generous enough to open his car up and let my wife try it on for size... We'll as it turns out, that one gesture probably opened the door the rest of the way for me to make a solid choice as to my next build... As it turns out, she realized that she really likes the car after sitting in it; and being able to see out clearly was the game changer for her... I think the other side of the coin was that seeing the car in person, is much different than simply seeing it in pictures.
Thanks Bill !!!
Last, but certainly not least... Ralph Martin (former GTM owner), was there. I don't know why, but I was not expecting to see him there next to a pretty much completed SLC. I actually mistook him for Will. (Again, I'm sorry...
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Wow... He has put together a really nice car as well. The quality that is achievable with these cars is very impressive. Especially when you have such quality minded people in the mix.
I'm really glad that we were able to go to the Show.
But for now, I am going to continue to concentrate on getting my GTM to completion, and make it as nice as I can. I'm really looking forward to getting it on the road, and putting some miles on it. It's a great car as well, and I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish with it.
