Well I have never been good at writing or expressing myself correctly with words, so please keep that in mind as you are reading. I am going to keep this bio brief and mostly about the cars that I have owned, but I will throw some other goodies into the mix in an effort to keep the momentum going.

The passion all started with a 1968 Mustang coupe. It had a 289 motor with not a lot of horsepower but she was a looker. It was my first car and she did not have all the bells and whistles of a new car, no A/C, no power steering, the heat only kind of worked, the windows would fog like crazy in the winter, the gas gauge did not work, and I am sure there is more that was not working but I have blocked that out of my mind. She was a dark metallic blue with crager 5 start wheels. I was so happy when I got her you would have thought I won the 300 million lottery. I always took great care of here and tried my best to keep her in like new shape, but with a car that was 30 years old at the time, it was no easy task. Like with any older vehicle this one started to have problems. First the brakes went and I had to have almost everything replaced. Next the engine just did not have any life left in it, so in goes a fresh 289. After all this I was getting tired of not having A/C, CD player, and all the other items I listed above, not to mention fixing everything when it broke. So I put my 68 Mustang up for sale. It did not take long and she was sold. The next day after I sold her the guy that bought her called me and let me know that the transmission went out. I felt bad for him but there was nothing that I could do. So that was the beginning of my obsession with cars.

I next purchased a new 1998 Mustang LX. It had only 300 miles on it when I picked it up. I was 18 at the time and I was told that I could not get a new V8 because of insurance so I settled for the V6. Even though she was a 6 cylinder she was beautiful! I finally had A/C, CD player, real heat, a defroster that worked and the most important thing was a warranty. I no longer had to worry about what was going to break next. I started to modify this one right away. First I had to get new wheels and tires. I ended up getting a set of 5 star Cobra wheels and tires, which made the car look 100% better. Seeing that I had cool wheels I needed the car to sound good. I put on true dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. I must say for a V6 she sounded great. I tinted the window, added a cold air intake, and the mustang stripes that went across the bottom. This car took me through the rest of High school and was a great car, but I was catching the car bug and needed more power. So when I graduated I was told that I could get another car as my graduation present. WOW! I ended up selling the V6 Mustang to a friend, who by the way still has the car and has not had any problems with it, and putting that money towards my next baby.

So I have a budget, I can’t remember what it was, and I am on the look out for a new ride. My Dad and I went looking and we found an awesome 1996 black on black convertible Cobra. She was used but in great shape and with an extended warranty. We bought her on the spot. This was the car that I wanted all along. I loved the body style and she was FAST! Today 305Hp does not seem like that much but in 2000, it was huge. I had the Cobra for a month and I was getting ready to start the modding when my Dad’s truck gave out. So I told him I would go looking for a car with him, in the hopes that I could get him to pick a cool ride. So we start looking and he throws me a curve ball and tells me he also wants a sports car. WOW! The first car that we looked at was a new 2000 WS6. The car was cool, fast, and way to much. So we continued down the rode. We next looked at a used C5 Corvette. My dad was not very excited about this one so we journeyed on. By chance we drove past a 1998 red Cobra convertible and he said that he liked it but did not want red. So I mentioned that I liked the red better then the black. After a little conversation we decided that he would take my black Cobra and I would get the red Cobra. Out of no where I am getting an upgrade to a 98 Cobra. Well it did not take long for me to start modding the 98 Cobra. 1^st was 2 chamber exhaust to help that sweet V8 scream. I added a cold air intake and BBK throttle body to help breath a little better. Now that she was driving good she needed to look good as well. I started by tinting all the windows. Then I added some Saleen 5 start wheels and a Steeda spoiler to the rear. I added some Cobra stripes and she was set. To get all the mods done it took me about 1 year, things take time. I was now getting ready to graduate college in about 6 months and the Cobra was getting old. I could feel the car bug getting to me.

I ended up selling the red Cobra and buying a used 1999 C5 Corvette with the Z-51 package. She was all black and had every option that you could imagine. This car was the great thing since air! It had heads up display, dual climate control, run flat tires and so much more. This is the only car that I have ever sold that still and will always hold a place in my heart. When it was all said an done she had a set of BBS wheels, Borla exhaust, Blackwing air intake, larger throttle body, and a set of grand sport stripes. She was hot, but like all the rest I was getting tired with her as well. I had the Corvette for a little over a year and thought that this was the right time to make the jump to a Dodge.

After I sold the Corvette it was time to get a true American sports car, the Viper. I found one that was for sale in Miami Florida and I drove 12 hours there to pick it up and 12 hours back to bring her home. She was a 1996 Dodge Viper RT/10. I had been driving a Corvette with ever option and now I have a raw sports car with no options. Yes it did have A/C but it did not blow cold only kind of cool. The 96 RT/10’s did not have windows but side curtains that suck the big one. It was created to be a true open air roadster so a top and windows were just not needed. This car had the power I was looking for and the look of a piece of art. Viper’s are not the most refined cars in the world but I was bitten by them and now I can’t think what it would be like to not have one. I kept this Viper for almost 2 years, that’s a long time for me, but even a Viper has to go to make way for a new toy.

Like I had stated above I was bitten by the Viper bug, so if one Viper is gone another Viper is on its way. I bought a 1998 Viper GTS. This Viper had power windows, CD player, and a fixed roof, but the A/C still sucked. The GTS is to me one of the most beautiful car designs ever. Even if these cars had no engine I could just sit and look at their lines all day. Ok, so I think they are nice. The 98 Viper has smooth tube intake, K&N air filters, and Snake Oyle rear muffler delete. When I sold the 96 Viper RT/10 I had looked into buying a Plymouth Prowler, but I talked my self out of it and got the Viper GTS. Now I had found a way to keep the 98 Viper GTS and buy a 2000 Plymouth Prowler. So, being a die hard car guy that is exactly what I did. The Prowler is awesome. It has an in dash DVD navigation system and a few other look good items. Well now I have a Viper and a Prowler, so what could I possibly want? Well, seeing you asked. I wanted a 97 blue with white stripe Dodge Viper GTS. I originally wanted this car when I bought the 98 Viper but the blue with white stripe Viper demand 5K more in price because they are a limited production color. I just happened to be looking on the net when I found the perfect 97 B/W Viper and I made the impulse buy. That’s right I bought it. I should have thought it threw but I didn’t and just bought the car. So right now in my life I own a 98 Viper GTS, a 00 Plymouth Prowler, and a 97 B/W Viper GTS. The 98 Viper is up for sale and hopefully will find a good home shortly, however until that day comes I am enjoying all my children being with me. I am sure that as time continues so will the cars and the stories. Keep checking back as I update my bio.

Thanks

John

1/2/07 Update

Well the 1998 Viper GTS has been sold for a few months and the empty bay in the garage drove me crazy. I wanted to get something that I could take to the drag strip and not have to worry about if something went drastically wrong. I ended up getting my original 1996 Cobra convertible back. This car is stock, and when I mean stock I mean to the point that even Ford said they want some upgrades for it.

I did all the things that were needed like, oil change, new fuel filter, new spark plugs and some 9mm Ford Racing wires. It was now time to get some base-line runs at the drag strip. I was able to get in 5 runs before I broke down at the end of the track. While I had replaced and changed parts that I thought needed to be done, I had neglected to replace the serpentine belt that was still on the car from 1996. Needless to say, the belt was shredded.

When I got her back home, after replacing the belt at the track,  I did a coolant flush to make sure she was in better then new shape. I also placed an order for some new parts, UPR cold air intake, Mac off-road H pipe, and some MIL eliminators. As soon as I got the parts I went to work. The cold air intake was installed but the H pipe and MIL had to wait because the bolts had rusted together.

I was going out to dinner with some friend and I was stopped at a red light, when all of a sudden the car behind me forgot to stop. The rear bumper was crushed, which pushed the rocker panels into the door panels and caused damage. The turn lights are not working but I am not sure what other damage might have been caused. So this is where I am. I am waiting to find out what is the next step in getting my baby back together.

9/17/07 Update

The Cobra has been fixed and there was no major damage. The off road h-pipe has been installed as well as a set of 03 cobra wheels with Nitto drag radials for launching. I installed a MGW shifter and had to fix the driver side window motor.

I have taken the Cobra to the track a few times with no luck of breaking into the 13's. I am sure that the car can do it and that it is just a driver problem. Yes the driver is me!

On the B/W Viper I put some CCW track wheels to get a different look. I am not 100% sold on them but they are better then nothing. I also invested in an enclosed 8.5X20 ft trailer.