Jim Valley is the founder and owner of Wheelskins,http://miamibritish.com/plugin.php?tag/ahlinvi/, a Berkeley manufacturer of Leather Steering Wheel Covers for cars and trucks.

I love cars. I feel lucky that I have been able to spend my career in the automotive accessory industry. I’ve owned many interesting cars, none of them very practical. My current favorite is a 1936 Special Business Coupe. It’s my daily driver.
I spent a year looking for a pre-war Buick Coupe on the Internet,http://www.greatfoodclub.co.uk/wc-script.php?home/, when I found this car at an antique auto dealer in Illinois in 2010. I loved the look of it, with its streamlined design and ample Art Deco touches. This car is more round than the boxy models that preceded it in the 1920s and early 1930s. From some angles it looks masculine and aggressive, while at other angles it is soft and feminine. The rare dual side-mounted spare tires were more than just decoration. Tire technology wasn’t very advanced at the time, with blowouts common,http://www.the5m.com/wp-register.php?nouveautes, so it was a good idea to carry as many spares as possible.
I didn’t actually drive this car before I bought it, but I did see lots of photos and had many email and phone exchanges with the salesman. If a car salesman can misrepresent the condition of a used car when both of you are standing next to it,http://www.djjenjones.com/wp-searches.php?Germany-Hjem-Fodboldtr%25C3%25B8jer-VM-2014-LAHM-16, imagine what he can do when you are 2,http://www.kombatkungfu.it/css.asp?fc-nantes-c-74_108.html,000 miles apart. Let the Internet buyer beware!
When the Buick arrived in Berkeley by truck it looked great and was original and complete, but this was one very tired old car. The steering wandered, one front shock absorber was frozen and thick dark smoke poured out of the tailpipe. Three days after I got it, one of the gears in the rear end broke apart.
I bought this car to drive every day. It would have been more prudent to have the car completely mechanically restored all at once,http://www.laverdadapostolica.com/rss.php?tag/fc-athletico-madrid-jalkapallo-pelipaita/, but I wanted to drive it. Thus, the Buick was restored one breakdown at a time. As each mechanical component failed it was replaced or rebuilt, and off I went until the next breakdown. I have spent a lot of time stranded along the side of the road waiting for the to rescue me.
By now virtually every mechanical part has been replaced, including a complete rebuild of the original Straight-8 engine. My old pal,http://www.nowwhatlife.com/wp-diff.php?mujer-espana-c-6_58.html, ace antique car mechanic of in Emeryville, has done most of the work, while cheerfully dealing with my rampant automotive hypochondria. The car remains original. The only modern additions are turn signals and a sound system, which operates on its own rechargeable 12-volt battery. The Buick now runs great, just like 1936.
So why would a seemingly reasonable person go through all of this trouble, expense and frustration? Because this car is great fun. Unlike a modern vehicle, you actually have to drive this car. You sit up straight and use your whole body to operate the big steering wheel,http://www.bucapositano.it/postinfo.asp?6281_Maglia_Pantaloncini_Kit_Home_Divisa_BVB_Borussia_Dortmund_Reus_11_2014_15, the heavy clutch and brake pedals and the long 3-speed floor shifter. There is no power steering,http://klassiksportwagen.de/phpinfo.php?Individuelle-Beflockung/, no power brakes, no power anything. It’s more like operating a machine than driving a car.
The Buick can keep up on the freeway, but it’s most at home on city streets. There were no freeways in 1936,http://hellenicstudiescsus.com/wp-searches.php?teams/r/roma/old-roma-football-shirt-s19121.html, and the speed limit in California was 45 miles per hour. I drive this car every day, and I enjoy every minute. When people see it coming they light up,http://www.door6.co.uk/wp-xml.php?departments-home-kit.html, it makes them happy. So if you see us scooting around the East Bay,http://www.virtusleadership.com/wp-register.php?swiss-rolex/explorer-ii.html, smile, wave and take a picture. We’re glad to see you too.
Attention Bay Area drivers
We’re looking for more submissions to the bi-weekly “My Ride” feature. We want to know what you drive and why. Send story ideas to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “My Ride.”相关的主题文章：


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