Now I’m not braggin’ or anything, but this ZR1 is fast. Seriously, insanely crazy fast. Don’t believe me? Just check out the max speed listed on my GPS unit as we left Racine this morning.

Not bad for some American iron, eh?

One of the reasons we went so fast was to hurry and get to the Mars Cheese Castle.

Our main reason for leaving before daybreak was to detour south of Chicago to the charming hamlet of Manteno — home of Rad Rides by Troy. We’ve been in his shop several times, and are always amazed at the cars he and his skilled troop of craftsmen turn out. Despite the best efforts of three GPS units, all three vehicles in our little convoy ended up in a meeting we didn’t quite expect.

I think Garmin needs to update its maps a little.

Thankfully, being a direct descendent of Daniel Boone (as reported yesterday), I soon found the world famous shop.

Yep, life is good.

The moment we snuck in the back door we knew it was going to be a great trip worthy of the extra miles.

If you can think it, Troy and his guys can do it.

Jim found the Chicayne, a Mothers Shine award winner from a few years ago,

right next to the car they built for Bonneville, Blowfish.

Keep an eye on that red and white car to the right, and I’ll spill the secrets on it a little later.

While Troy and his team are great builders, sometimes they do too good of a job. Jim is holding the driveshaft from Blowfish that twisted when the boost came on.

Truth be known, Jim is smiling because someone else was driving when it broke — a rarity in our world.

Walking through the shop we saw a ’57 Buick under construction

with an AMG motor under the hood,

and a few assorted F-Body cars that will have an interesting life.

Remember that red and white car earlier? It’s a Cale Yarborough Special with 300 original miles on the clock. The owner asked Troy to throw together a modern incarnation to play with. We found a few sketches on the wall.

Ol’ Ricky Bobby could sure burn up the track in this puppy.

They’re working on the body now, fabricating some panels for the inner doors.

Troy made it a point to explain to us and the Magnaflow guys who came along what was happening all throughout the shop.

He made sure Jim understood it all.

When Jim asked Troy if he wanted to look at the El Camino’s newest motor, we knew it was about time to go, because this could take a while.

Troy’s keen eye caught a tiny detail amiss, and offered to set it right.

When Jim uttered those famous five words, “I’ll be done in a second,” the rest of us headed for the door.

And if you ever wondered how Troy got to be so good — it’s in the shoes.

Leaving Jim and the El Camino in Troy’s capable hands for certainly much longer than a second, we headed back north to catch the Power Tour route. We found the Magnaflow guys had a bit of bad luck with their support vehicle,

but I understand things worked out just fine. No harm, no foul, and most importantly, no points.

All along the route towards Indiana we saw these billboards:

He must be crazy with an offer like that.

I, on the other hand, was crazy enough to drive 1 mph under the speed limit, just in case the speedometer was off.

And at 1 mph under, there were few cars I passed — like a “real” Mini Carryall.

For a high performance car, the ZR1 gets respectable fuel economy.

That’s about what my wife’s minivan does. Of course, it helps that I keep the tires inflated to their proper pressure and drive in a safe and prudent manner at all times.

Once in South Bend, we found the venue and were awed at the increase in cars. Everywhere we looked — cars, cars, cars.

I don’t think I had ever seen a 1953 Buick Riviera before.

But I can cross that off my list now. How about a nice red ’Vette that’s not a ZR1?

Some street rods were done,

and some not quite.

Maybe that’s Tow Mater’s cousin.

Despite the pleasant offering at the Road Kill Cafe,

I decided today was a good day to skip lunch and make it up at dinner.

When’s the last time you saw a car so big it had its own Zip code?

How about one so small it would fit in that Imperial’s trunk?

Was it any wonder the car with the smallest motor was the last to arrive?

Some guys go for the macho look, but resort to practicality to make it work,

and some throw practicality to the wind and go for hot wheels.

This has to be the scariest front end I’ve ever seen. I’d hate to meet him in a dark alley or garage.

That is not Mr. Happy.

This, on the other hand, would make me very happy.

A rompin, stompin, BOSS 302.

With the clouds forming up for an afternoon shower, we headed for the hotel and food to make up for the lunch missed by our sojurn to Manteno. We ended up at Texas Road House and had a great meal surrounded by other Power Tour folks. Amidst the cacophony we were treated like kings by our new friend Jamie.

Mark and Jim got the best end of the deal. I, on the other hand, got the bill.

C’est la vie. If you ever stop in, ask for Jamie and tip well. We told her all car guys were high rollers.

Tomorrow we head for the Motor City and their Metro Park. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop on by. The Detroit area responds to the Power Tour like you can’t imagine; high quality cars coming out of the woodwork.

Times may be tough there, but I guarantee Detroit will be rockin’ tomorrow. Stop in and see.

Your humble and obedient servant,

Forrest Tosie
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