What I Saw Today: The Gipsy Edition

This olelongrooffan did this post over at Hooniverse back during BikeWeek and I thought all y'all might enjoy it as well.



Welcome to Hooniverse Truck Thursday. I know this is Hooniverse Truck Thursday and I am confident my fellow Hoons are wondering what the hell this trailer has to do with that.

This post needs a bit of a setup so bear with this olelongrooffan. In May, 2008, I was laid off from my long held position in the construction industry and relocated to the Birthplace of Speed to be a bit nearer to my closest brother thejeepjunkie. Since then, I have been applying and applying for positions over the past four years but to no avail. I guess there is not much market in the Sunshine State for middle aged, middle managers with no experience other than 28 years of management in the construction industry. I have been surviving by doing mostly small remodels, diminishing my savings and using my blogging as a way to maintain some sense of sanity. I'm not quite sure if the latter has worked though.

Well, anyway, late last summer thejeepjunkie left his position with the company that supplies NASCAR their tires and went to work with a smallish Mom and Pop shop and has met with great success there, although the hot pit pass connection kind of went to the wayside for this season. Anyway, last fall he hooked me up with his bosses, the owners of The Car Shop, who were interested in having some sprucing up done around their place. After I had been working around there for a few weeks, Robin takes this olelongrooffan over to his place next door, bestpricetrailers.com, and relays to me some of the remodeling plans he has in mind. I related I could easily perform the tasks he set forth and even provided some upscale options for his office with which he fell in love.

So this olelongrooffan commenced to kicking construction butt at the trailer place and about two weeks into the project Robin offered me a real job being the lot boy selling trailers and responding to the ever growing number of email inquiries he has been receiving. It seems the two existing sales guys are overwhelmed by the ever increasing number of net inquiries and needed some additional assistance. Well needless to say, this olelongrooffan was extremely flattered and on Monday of this week I began training to sell trailers. As I had been around the place for a few months, I pretty much had some idea of what was going on and Quickbooks is well known to this olelongrooffan. So, on Tuesday morning upon arrival at work, my cool ass sales manager said, and I quote, "This training crap is bullshit. Starting now are selling, now go sell something."

Well my fellow Hoons, the image of the above trailer is the one I sold two hours later, to a rodeo clown, no less. Yes, the clown salesman joke has made the rounds.

Now, is this the gipsy referred to in the title of this post? Not even close.



Now one of the cool things about having a brother who is fairly well known and respected in the automotive repair business in what is really a small megopolis, plus the fact he drives a Michigan yellow 1946 CJ2A, is that he tends to attract some kind of cool stuff to his shop.

By that, I am not talking about that almost run of the mill Land Rover I spotted with fellow Hoon Jim Yu down in FantasyLand a couple years ago. No more of something like this



and my fellow Hoons can read the whole story here.

Or even something like this,



But my fellow Hoons will have to wait a bit until this olelongrooffan does a post about that Kissimmee Mecum purchased Corvette destined for upper PA.



Hell my fellow Hoons, I'm not even referring to this continuation Cobra a buddy of thejeepjunkies and mine brought around the week before the Rolex24.

No, one of the coolest Hoon sightings, among many, this olelongrooffan has seen around thejeepjunkie's place is this one.



Yeah, it's a Daimler Dart SP250 that I Hooned about here.

Well, on Wednesday as this olelongrooffan was headed out back to have a coke and a smoke in the service area of both The Car Shop and bestpricetrailers, I spotted the, almost, absolutely coolest vehicle I have seen in some time.



And, it is owned by the same dude who owns that Daimler SP 250. See that Austin A70 based 2199cc BMC motor?



Well my fellow Hoons, there is no way it powers a mere Austin A70.



No, it is under the hood of one of only 21,208 of these



Land Rover fighting military dueling machines ever produced.



And this olelongrooffan would love to the have the half cab version, such as this one is, of "The Charles Barrett Special."



Yes, Hoons, it is the Austin Gipsy. The first one was, appropriately, built on February 28, 1958 and the last one, a Gen IV model, was built ten years later. And that is thejeepjunkie's Michigan yellow 2A in the background of this image as well as his DD Ranger and one of several Panther's that seem to congregate around his shop.



Now this thing is as utilitarian as they come but it works. Clever compartments surrounding the rear fenders and minimalist decorations only serve to make this rare buggy more desireable.



Drew, the seasoned wrench around this shop approached me as I was gathering some images of it. "Austin Healey?" he queried. "No," this olelongrooffan responded with and set forth a bit of a disertation about the Austin Healey, Jenson Healey, Nash Healey, and Healey in general. DDrew, whose wrenching abilities have had the respect of this olelongrooffan since day one, looked at me and said, "You really know your shit, don't you?" And the only response this olelongrooffan could come up with was, "Yeah, BS is my middle name." We both had a chuckle over that but I am pretty sure the information I relayed to him about Healey's in general was correct. Having said that, I am confident I will see the need to correct something in the future about them.



So back to this buggy. The above image is of the inside of the driver's door. That chain operates the release for the door latch as well as serving as the pull to close the door.



But the thing that both Drew and fellow wrench George noticed was the independent rear suspension with components known as "Flexitor" containing rubber springs on the rear



and trailing arm suspension on the front. Just a note, in the trailer industry, I am told this is known as a torsion arm suspension. But what the hell does this olelongrooffan know? I am a total newbie in the industry. But certainly happy to be here.



Now, subsequent to gathering these images of a never previously seen by this olelongrooffan vehicle, I touched base with thejeepjunkie and he connected me with several sites pertaining to the Austin Gipsy. Of course, wikipedia and google, but also YouTube this, and the spelling is correct, and check out the ability of the Rover contesting light weight. I gathered the above image of the assembly line from a blog devoted entirely to this vehicle and this link should suffice as its credit. Be prepared to lose a hour or so there. The rest of the images in this post are originals from this olelongrooffan.



However, my fellow Hoons, as cool as this buggy is, remember it is British afterall and the only reaffirmation you will need of that is to check out the liquid seeping from the connection between the head and the block in the above grainy image.

But ya know what? I WANT IT!! BAD! And this olelongrooffan would venture that I am not the only Hoon with this case of want.

Happy Birthday To TheGentlemanFarmer

My dad, whom I affectionately refer to as TheGentlemanFarmer was born on February 18, 1924. I love him and miss bouncing ideas off his intelligent being since he left us to join a whole bunch of other cool folks in 2003.

Anyway, last week I did a post over on Hooniverse, a car related blog I contribute to on a semi regular basis. I thought those of you Counting Along With Me might enjoy reading up on just some of the cool stuff he owned in his lifetime. And how he was able to that on a journalist's income is still a mystery to me.

Alas, one this olelongrooffan won't be able to solve in my lifetime.

Anyway, it's directed toward the Hooniverse audience but those of you Counting Along With Me will get it also. I hope all y'all enjoy it and remember to take every opportunity to

Celebrate Life.

Here it is. By the way, the "pseudo folksy" writing style I refer to is something a couple of critical commenters mentioned early on in my blogging career over there.



Once again, I must offer my apologies to my fellow Hoons. As usually seems to be the case, this olelongrooffan just couldn't stop once I got started so be prepared for some more of my rambling ways. And yes, it is kind of "pseudo-folksy"

Allow me to start out by saying that longroofs have had a fond place in the heart of this olelongrooffan since I was a mere toddler. The first one I remember was this '65 Country Squire dad owned when we moved to the Queen City of the Ozarks from St. Louis.



A ways back, the esteemed Mr. Brennan did a Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday post about a longroof that triggered this whole thought process and one this olelongrooffan fondly remembers from my youth. I had thought that any image of it was lost during the settlement of my folks estates but, thankfully, this olelongrooffan was pleasantly surprised to receive an image of it from one of my older brothers, the Bus, recently and I thought I might share it with my fellow Hoons.



Now longroofs have played an important role in my folks life. When my Mom was a mere teenage hottie, her dad had this cool old woodie wagon. As I've said previously, I really believe this is why my dad married her.



Early in their married life, just after my dad built the brick house in the background, he was hooning around Shrewsbury, Missouri in this awesome Willys Station Wagon.



As his brood continued to enlarge, he acquired this ultra sweet Mercury longroof complete with wood siding. This was one beautiful automobile and my older brothers still talk about that creature with reverence.



Alas, as my Mom continued to pop out kids to the tune of one every two years, the decision was made to move from conventional longroofs to the ultimate longroof, a Volkswagon Microbus, of which my folks owned two at the same time. The first ones sold in the greater St. Louis area. Yeah, that is Mom and Dad in the above photo with my brother, thejeepjunkie, resting comfortably awaiting his entry into this world in a few months time and, undoubtedly, dreaming about all of the vintage CJ's he would eventually wheel and deal.



A few years later, my dad accepted a position as the founding editor of a Roman Catholic newspaper in southern Missouri and the entire clan moved lock, stock and barrel to the Ozarks. That is thejeepjunkie hamming it up in the above photo while this olelongrooffan is watching those movers work while almost simultaneously walking off the tailgate on the rear of that vintage moving van.



My dad, who always seemed to have a Hoonworthy car, drove that soon to be damaged '65 the five hours down Highway 66 towing the "A" he, thejeepjunkie and I later partially restored.



One of the favorite past times of our clan at the time was camping. I mean with ten kids on a journalist's income, there is not a bunch of discretionary income available for spending on amusement park tickets nor on hotel rooms. Mom's daily driver '65 was commissioned as the transport vehicle to Table Rock Lake dang near every weekend during the spring, summer and fall months. The green '62 Belair to the right in the above photo belonged to my grandmother, yes Granny, and had a two speed transmission mated to a 283 (IIRC) engine. Ah, the things I think I remember from my youth. My grandfather, his name was Man, drove a '56 Belair post at the time.



After Mom's '65 recorded 98,000 miles on its clock, Dad traded it in on a similar '67 Country Squire, one of my favorite all time vehicles. I remember thejeepjunkie and I riding in the back back on the way to the lake and rushing to be the first to identify an oncoming vehicle. I damn near always won, something my younger brother still talks about to this day.



The '67 even spent some winter time with my Dad and a couple Catholic priests playing in the snow. The dude on the left, Fr. Bob Landewe, is a lifelong family friend and performed both Mom and Dad's funeral services many years ago.



While my older brother was overseas in southeast Asia defending freedom seekers, my folks decided to divest themselves of dad's project "A",



and sell the recently acquired tent trailer and



the big house in the city and shuck it all for



this truck and a 173 acre farm. Yeah, we were Green Acres and the Beverly Hillbillies combined. Yeah, the wheel even fell off TheGentlemanFarmer's tractor.



However, my folks did stay in touch with their city friends, including Else Watson who drove this wedge off the showroom floor back in this country's bicentennial birthday year.



And lest my fellow Hoons think living on a farm is a breeze, check out the load of hay on that old Sweptline. This is not a staged shot. We four boys, two of them city kids, thejeepjunkie and this olelongrooffan, hauled that hay from "Dad's field" (the biggest one) and tossed it into that little square hole on the second floor of that old oak barn.



And my dad, now known as TheGentlemanFarmer, was able to stumble his way into the ownership of yet another Hoonworthy automobile to add to his collection. This DS21, a 71 Dodge pickup, a 51 Ford stepside pickup, a Buick LeSabre, a Ford longroof, and



this tractor along with assorted tractor impliments made up the vehicular livery my dad called his own. And I'll bet my fellow Hoons thought I was lieing about that wheel falling off.



And mom continued to grill dinner for her brood nearly every night. Only now it was beef, pork, mutton and veggies harvested right there on "Haven Lee Farm."

Now about this time, this olelongrooffan can hear my fellow Hoons screaming "What the hell does this have to do with Mr. Brennan's post about a Plymouth longroof?"

Well, I'll tell ya. When my folks decided that we "four little kids", as we are known as to this day and I am the oldest at 52 and the baby is 46, needed to have proper schooling (read Catholic school education) they decided to sell most of the farm and move back to the city. During that move, my dad bought his last longroof.



That's correct my fellow Hoons. A 1976 Plymouth Gran Fury Sport Suburban. Maroon with the requisite vinyl wood siding and a light cream vinyl interior. Yes, it was powered by a gas sucking 440 that roared whenever this 16 year old longrooffan would punch the accelerator. Man it was fun but my dad was always, and I mean always, bitching about its fuel consumption. I think he secretly knew why though. And that chicken in the above photo? When we moved back to the city, it was to three acres of semi woodlands just 12 blocks from the downtown square. My folks had grown accustomed to farm fresh eggs so a few of those hens and a rooster or two made the move with us. Yeah, it's hard to take the hillybilly out of an Ozarkian, even transplanted ones.



Shortly thereafter, dad's DS21 decided to cease running and he sold it to a dentist out in the Mile High City and dad decided that shortbed Blue Oval pickups were to be his newest Hoonworthy rides. He bought this '67 in 82 and then an '80 a few years later. The rear end of the farm owned 51 pickup can be seen in the background of this photo.



And my folk's camping desires resurfaced so dad picked up this Mobilux motorhome to satisfy those desires. Man, there are a ton of stories about this brown campercar this olelongrooffan will share with my fellow Hoons someday. Yeah, google image image "Mobilux" and see how many show up. Prior to my getting the above image, I did and there was exactly one. A powder blue one. Just think, with the publication of this post, the population of Mobiluxes on the net will double!



As Dad got older and over his love for shortbeds and '66 Bonnevilles and Catalinas, he downsized substantially and picked up this Fix It Again Tony for Hooning around in. But see those wagons he built in the foreground? He, much like this olelongrooffan, just couldn't stay away from woody wagons. Dad presented the smaller one to my, now 17 year old daughter, on her birthday. Not for her birthday but on her birth day in 1995.

RIP to TheGentlemanFarmer and thanks for the vehicular influence you provided to this olelongrooffan. And for the "pseudo-folksy" writing style you provided to this olelongrooffan to share with my fellow Hoons.

Hot D*mn! It's

This olelongrooffan Is Seriously Bummed Out

This olelongrooffan has lived in the Birthplace of Speed for dang near three years and have enjoyed exploring my new home and discovering the historic areas located around these here parts.

For years, I have driven by a construction mesh privacy fenced in lot over on Beach Street next to those two newly completed, yet still vacant, condo towers facing the Intracoastal Waterway. Little did this olelongrooffan realize the abandoned structure behind that fence was Smokey Yunick's Best Damn Garage in town!

That was until a couple weekends ago when it mysteriously caught on fire.

This olelongrooffan can only wonder the variety of vehicles that went through this garage door during the life of this building.

Smokey died in 2001 and in 2004 this parcel was sold to a consortium of developers with the plan to build condo towers on it as they did on the parcel to the north.

For whatever reason, there were stacks NASCAR slicks stacked up out front and out back with threaded bolts securing them in place. It appears there was plywood on top of these tires to keep out the weather. Sadly, they are nearly all ruined now.

Ironically enough, I found this fire extinguisher laying out behind his shop near that overhead door.

And this olelongrooffan can only guess at what design secrets were hidden in that file cabinet back in the day.

But actually, it's okay. Smokey always stated he never wanted a shrine in his honor and now, with his garage pretty much destroyed, those hard up real estate developers won't be tempted into turning their investment in to a museum.

And that really let's this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life.