Audi TT Video

A video made by my boss.

While driving home last week, I spied one of my immediate supervisors coming up to my right on I-95 southbound.

To my surprise, he was "filming" me with his video camera as he passed me. He then slowed down to do so again as I passed him. Then he tucked in behind me.

He's quite talented with Photoshop and I suspected he had a "plan" for the digital "footage".

The next day he called me into the office where many others were already assembled and pointed to the recently installed big screen TV and asked,
"Are you ready for this?" Then a video started of a blue Audi TT which I recognized as not mine. Flashy images and music and then I and mine appeared. It lasted exactly a minute. I thought it was pretty cool, yet commented, "Marty has too much time on his hands." He handed me a thumb drive and said, "Here you go." I thanked him and brought it home. I don't know who's car the other one is, but at least it's blue too.

Rather than e-mail it to you, I invited you via e-mail to come here and view it. Which if you are reading this, you accepted. For this I thank you.

Current Camera Collection May, 2009

THE CURRENT CAMERA COLLECTION

The current (streamlined) camera collection as reduced to (mostly) fit into the wooden cabinet made originally to house Nancy’s Beanie Baby collection comprises 86 cameras. As pictured, 84 are seen. Two missing are explained at the bottom.

From top to bottom:

TOP OF CABINET

1 Boxed Kodak Vigilant SIX-20 2 Kodak Brownie Junior SIX-16 3 Cine Kodak EIGHT-25 4 Busch Pressman 4X5 5 Wrebbit Paper Pin-hole

TOP SHELF

6 Minolta 110 Zoom SLR Mark II 7 Konica Auto S3 8 David White Stereo Realist 9 F&H Rollei 35 10 Yamato PAX 11 Samoca Super 35 12 Kodak 35 Rangefinder

SECOND SHELF

13 Agfa Karat 14 Konica I 15 Kuribayashi Petri Automate 16 Olympus XA 17 Kuribayashi Petri Racer 1.8 18 Yashica J

THIRD SHELF

19 (Fake) Leica II (black ) 20 (Fake) Leica II (“gold”) 21 Leica IIIC 22 Leica Z2X 23 Yashica Lynx 14 24 Yashica Electro 35 GT

FORTH SHELF

25 FED I (b) 26 Krasnogorsk Zorki I 27 Krasnogorsk Zorki 3M 28 Krasnogorsk Zorki 3 29 Krasnogorsk Drug 30 Gomz Leningrad

FIFTH SHELF

31 Kiev 4 32 Zeiss Ikon Contax II 33 Olympus 35 RD 34 Walz Envoy 35 35 King Regula IIId 36 Canon Canonet G-III 17 QL

SIXTH SHELF

37 Beauty LM 38 FED 5 39 Yashica M 40 Clarus MS-35 41 Argus C3 42 Argus C4

SEVENTH SHELF

43 Light Industries Seagull 205 44 Neoca 2S 45 Beauty Canter 46 Aires 35 III C 47 Aires 35-V 48 Kodak Retina IIIS

EIGHTH SHELF

49 Minolta A5 50 Minolta Autopak 700 51 Konica 261 52 Taron Marquis 53 Sears ES-35 54 Wards AM-550

NINTH SHELF

55 Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 56 Ansco Speedex Special “R” 57 Certo Super 35 58 Voigtlander Vitessa 59 Riken Ricoh 519M 60 Vokar Vokar II

BOTTOM SHELF

61 Frank & Heideke Rolleiflex Automat 62 Krasnogorsk Moscow 5 63 Balda Baldaxette II 64 Franka-Werk Solida 65 Olympus LT Zoom 105 66 Pentax Auto 110 SLR 67 Nikon N90S 68 Fujica 350 Zoom 69 Minolta 16 70 GAF 880 71 Chrystar 72 Keystone Zoom 66 73 Hanimex VEF Zoom 74 Argus Pocketpak 5000

BELOW CABINET (Left to Right)

75 Voigtlander Vitoret 110 EL 76 Minox 110S 77 Chinon Mini 66 78 Kodak Ektramax 79 Kodak Trimlite 48 80 Kodak Pocket Instamatic 60 (Black) 81 Kodak Pocket Instamatic 60 (Chrome) 82 Canon 110 ED 83 Canon 110 ED 20 84 Vivitar 742 XL

NOT SEEN IN PHOTO

85 Nikon Nikomkat ELW 86 Voigtlander Bessa R (Made By Cosina) Both are in cases with many lenses for each.

DIGITAL MODELS

Fuji FinePix 1400 Zoom. Fuji S7000. Nikon D70S SLR, plus various lenses for it and the film camera: Nikon N90S SLR.


HERE IS A LISTING OF EACH CAMERA WITH BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT EACH:

13 Agfa Karat 2.8. Made from 1941-43. Valued at $65-100.
46 Aires 35 III C. Made from 1958-59. Valued at $60-90.
47 Aires 35 V. Made from 1958-62. Valued at $90-120.
56 Ansco Speedex Special “R”. Made in 1953. Valued at $40-60. Modified w/faster lens.
41 Argus C3. Made from 1939-60. Valued at $15-25. VERY early Serial number.42 Argus C4. Made from 1951-57. Valued at $25-45.Modified to accept German lenses. Has 135 mm lens with hood.
74 Argus Autopak 5000. 110 camera made in the 1970's. Valued at $10-20.
66 Asahi Pentax 110 SLR with lens, winder & flash. Made from 1979-83. Valued $75-100.
63 Balda Baldaxette II. Made in 1936. Valued at $120-180.
45 Beauty Canter. Made in 1957. Valued at $60-90.
37 Beauty LM. Made in 1959. Valued at $40-60.
4 Busch Pressman 4X5". Made from 1940-50's. Valued at $175-250.
36 Canon Canonet G-III 17 QL. Made in 1972. Valued at $50-80.
82 Canon 110 ED. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25.
83 Canon 110 ED 20. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25. Accepts 400 speed film.
57 Certo Super 35. Made in 1956. Valued at $50-75.
77 Chinon Mini 66. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25. (Same as GAF 880.)
71 Chrystar. Tiny camera made in Japan in the 1940'-50's.
40 Clarus MS-35. Made from 1946-52. Valued at $50-70.
25 FED I (b). Soviet Leica copy. Made in the 1950's. Valued at $50-100.
38 FED 5. Last model FED made. Made in 1990. Valued at $35-60.
64 Franka-Werk Solida (vertical). Made in 1938. 6x4.5cm. Valued at $25-40. RF added.
9 Frank & Heideke Rollei 35. Made from 1966-74. Valued at $200-350.
61 Frank & Heideke Rolleiflex Automat. Made in 1939. Valued at $150-225.
68 Fujica 350 Zoom. Made in the 1970's. Valued at $10-25.
70 GAF 880. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25. (Same as Chinon 66.)
30 GOMZ Leningrad. Made in 1956. Valued at $175-225.
73 Hanimex VEF Zoom. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25.
31 Kiev 4. Soviet Contax copy. Made post WWII. Valued at $70-100.
72 Keystone Zoom 66. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25.
2 Kodak SIX-16 Brownie Junior. Made from 1934-42. Valued at $1-10.
78 Kodak Ektramax. Made in 1978. Valued at $1-10.
12 Kodak 35-Rangefinder. Made from 1940-51. Valued at $20-30.
81 Kodak Pocket Instamatic 60. Black Chrome. Made from 1972-76. Valued at $15-25.
82 Kodak Pocket Instamatic 60. Chrome. Made from 1972-76. Valued at $15-25.
48 Kodak Retina IIIS. Made from 1958-60. Valued at $120-180.
79 Kodak Instamatic Trimlite 48. Made from 1975-79. Valued at $10-20.
1 Kodak Vigilant SIX-20. Folding camera. Made from 1939-49. Valued at $20-30.
3 Kodak Cine-8 25. Movie camera. Made from 1932-47. Valued at $20-30.
14 Konriushu Konica I. Made from 1948-50. Valued at $150-300.
7 Konriushu Konica Auto S3. Made in 1976. Valued at $150-200.
51 Konriushu Konica 261. 126 RF. Made in 1960's. Valued at $20-30.
29 Krasnogorsk Drug. Made from 1960-62. Valued at $60-90.
62 Krasnogorsk Moscow 5. Soviet Ikonta copy. Made from 1956-60. Valued at $75-100.
26 Krasnogorsk Zorki I (g). Soviet Leica copy. Made from 1953-54. Valued at $65-100.
28 Krasnogorsk Zorki 3. Made from 1951-55. Valued at $65-100.
27 Krasnogorsk Zorki 3M. Made from 1954-56. Valued at $65-100.
15 Kuribayashi Petri Automate. Made in 1956. Valued at $30-45.
17 Kuribayashi Petri Racer 1.8. Made in 1966. Valued at $15-25.
19 (Fake) Leica II black. Made in recent years from old FED. Valued at $50-125.
20 (Fake) Leica II “gold”. Made in recent years from old FED. Valued at $50-125.
21 Leitz Leica IIIC. Made from 1940-46. Valued at $175-250. Red sea-snake skin.
22 Leica Z2X. Made 2001. Valued at $100-150.
43 Light Industrial Products Seagull 205. Made in 1970's. Valued at $35-60.
69 Minolta 16 Model P. Made from 1960-65. Valued at $25-40.
49 Minolta A5. Made in 1960. Valued at $55-85.
6 Minolta 110 Zoom SLR Mark II. Made in 1979. Valued at $120-200.
50 Minolta Autopak 700. Made in 1965. Valued at $12-20.
76 Minox 110S. Made in 1975. Valued at $50-80.
54 Montgomery Wards AM 550. Made in 1965. Valued at $55-85.
44 Neoca 2S. Made in 1955. Valued at $75-100.
85 Nikon Nikomat ELW. Made in 1976. Valued at $110-250.
67 Ninon N90S. Made in 1994. Valued at $150-300.
33 Olympus 35 RD. Made from 1975-79. Valued at $55-85.
65 Olympus LT-105. Made in 1997.Valued at $30-80.
16 Olympus XA. Made in 1979. Valued at $60-90.
35 Regula III d. Made in 1956. Valued at $70-100.
59 Riken Ricoh 519M. Made in 1960. Valued at $40-50.
11 Sanei Sangyo Samoca 35 Super. Made in 1956. Valued at $60-90.
53 Sears ES-35. Made by Riken in 1963. Valued at $40-60.
52 Taron Marquis. Made in 1962. Valued at $35-55.
84 Vivitar 742 XL. Made in 1970's. Valued at $10-25.
86 Voigtlander Bessa R. Made by Cosina in 2002. New at $600. Valued at $250-450.
58 Voigtlander Vitessa. Made in 1952. Valued at $200-300.
75 Voigtlander Vitoret 110 EL. Valued at $40-60.
60 Vokar Vokar II. Made in 1946. Valued at $75-150.
34 Walz Envoy 35. Made in 1959. Valued at $40-60.
8 David White Stereo Realist. Made in 1947. Valued at $150-250.
10 Yamato Koki Kogyo PAX. Made from 1952-55. Valued at $65-100.
24 Yashica Electro 35 GT. Made in 1968. Valued at $30-50.
18 Yashica J. Made in 1965. Valued at $30-50.
23 Yashica Lynx 14E IC. Made in 1969. Valued at 55-85.
39 Yashica M. Made in 1960. Valued at $25-45.
32 Zeiss Ikon Contax II. Made from 1936-42. Valued at $150-250.
55 Zeiss Ikon Ikonta. Made from 1951-55. Valued at $80-120.
5 Wrebbit Paper Pinhole camera kit. Made 1997. Value $10-30.

Camera collection breakdown.

I typed up this list long before I decided to shrink the collection.

The photos above and below, I added on September 10, 2016. They were made in 2005 at the time I was in the midst of selling my (now-late) friend, Colonel Bill Arps' massive collection of cameras and other sundry related items. The creepy creature below was one of two that his wife had bought. They did not sell. Other  blog posts show the cameras better and an image, (if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page) show the CameraLock boards with all the cameras. I made that image with a fisheye lens.

The collection consists of cameras from 62 different manufacturers from six different countries. 14 companies were in the USA, one in China, one in Ukraine, 4 in Russia, 12 in Germany and 30 in Japan. I included Sears and Wards under the USA as they are American companies although the cameras were made in Japan and Germany. Cameras were made in many other countries, but I don’t have any. To tell you what country they were made in, I have color coded the names below. USA is Blue. Japan is Orange. Germany is Purple. Russia is Red. China is Tan.

AGFA.........................Karat 2.8
AGFA-ANSCO............5"X 7" Universal View Camera
AIRES........................35 IIIC, 35 V, Viscount 1.9
ANSCO......................Autoset, Speedex Special R
ARGUS......................C3, C3, C4, C44, C44R, Autronic 35, C-Twenty, Pocketpak 5000, V100
BALDA......................Baldaxette II, Super Baldina
BOLSEY....................B2, Jubilee
BRAUN......................Paxette IIL, Super Colorette Ib
BRUMBERGER.........1651
BUSCH......................Pressman 4" X 5" press camera
CAMERA CORP........Perfex Forty-Four
CANON.....................110 ED, 110 ED 20, A35F, Canonet GIII QL17
CERTO......................Super 35
CHINON....................Mini 66
CIRO.........................Ciro 35
CLARUS....................MS-35
COSINA.....................35 FR
CRYSTAR.................Crystar
FED...........................1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 5C, 35A, Micron 2
FRANKA-WERKE.....Solida 4.5 x 6cm
FUJICA......................35-ML, Auto-M, Pocket 350 Zoom, Pocket 450 Flash
GAF...........................880, Anscomatic 726, Memo 35EE
GOMZ.......................Leningrad
GRAFLEX.................Century 35, KE-4 70mm Combat camera
HANIMEX................VEF Zoom
KALIMAR.................B
KEYSTONE..............K1020 Automatic Reflex, Zoom 66
KIEV.........................4, 4AM, 60TTL
KODAK....................35, SIX-16 Brownie Junior, Ektramax, Instamatic: 800, 804, 814, Reflex (Black), Reflex (Chrome), X90, Pocket Instamatic 60 (Black), Pocket Instamatic 60 (Chrome), Retina IIIS, Signet 35, Tourist, Vigilant Junior SIX-20
KONICA..................I, 261, Auto S2, C35 (Black), C35 (Chrome)
KRASNOGORSK.....Drug, Mir, Zorki: 1d, 3, 3M, 4K, 5, 6
KURIBAYASHI.......Petri: 2.8. Color Super, 35, 35 1.9 Super, 7S, Automate, Color 35, Color 35E, Computer 35, Racer 1.9, Racer 2.8
LEICA (Fake)..........II Black, II Gold
LEITZ.....................Leica IIIC, Z2X
LIGHT INDUSTRIES.Seagull 205
MANSFIELD............Skylark E
MINOLTA................110 Zoom SLR, 110 Zoom SLR Mark II, A, A5 M, Autopak: 700, 800, Highmatic, Highmatic E, Highmatic F
MIRANDA................Sensoret
MONT. WARDS.......AM550, cp301, XP500a, XP501
NEOCA....................2S, IVS, Robin 35
NIKON.....................Nikomat ELW, Pronea 6i, N90S
OLYMPUS...............Auto-Eye, 35DC, 35ECR, 35RC, 35RD, XA, XA
OPTOMAX..............Binoculars with camera
PENTAX..................Auto 110 SLR
POLAROID..............Captiva SLR
PORST.....................135L
RIKEN.....................Ricoh: 500 G (Black), 500 G (Chrome), 519 M, TLS 126C Flex
ROLLEI...................35, A110, A110, Rolleiflex Automat TLR, Rolleiflex SL26, Rolleiflex SL35ME, XF-35
SANEI SANGYO.....Samoca 35 Super Rangefinder
SEARS....................10|10, 700RF, Auto RF|35, ES-35, RF5, RF7, Tower: 10B, 18B, 20B, 57-A, Snappy
TASEI KOKI...........Super Westomat 35
TARON...................35, Auto EE, Marquis, VL
VIVITAR.................35CA, 35EE, 35ES, 742XL, Opus, Pocketmate
VOKAR...................II
VOIGTLANDER......Bessa R, Vitessa, Vitoret 110 EL
WALZ.....................Envoy 35
WHITE....................Stereo Realist
WIRGIN...................Edixa
YAMATO.................Atlas 35, Konair Ruby, Pax, Pax M2, Pax M4
YASHICA.................Electro 35 GS, Electro 35 GT, EE, J, Lynx 1.4E I.C., M, MG-1 (Black), MG-1 (Chrome), T4
ZEISS IKON.............Contax II, Ikonta

Old Camera Collection CameraLock displayed

If you look bellow the second image on this page you will see a fish-eye lens image of the original camera collection. Now I will show you a picture of each panel and a list of the cameras on each panel.

ABOVE IS THE RIGHT PANEL

ROW 1 YAMATO: Pax, (1955) Pax M2, (1956) Konair Ruby, (1955) Atlas 35, (1958) and Pax M4 (1958). BOLSEY: Jubilee, (1955) and B2 (1949). MINOLTA A, (1955) KODAK Signet 35, (1951) and KONICA I (1948).

ROW 2 ROLLEI 35, (1966) PETRI: Color 35, (1968) Color 35E, (1970) 35, (1954) 35 1.9 Super, (1958) 2.8 Color Super, (1958) Automate, (1956) and 7S (1962). AGFA Karat 2.8 (1941).

ROW 3 ROLLEI XF35, (1974) VIVITAR 35ES (1978), CANON A35F, (1970's)
COSINA 35 FR, (1978) OLYMPUS XA with A16 flash, (1979) PETRI: Computer 35, (1970) Racer f1.9, Racer f2.8 (1966) MINOLTA Hi-matic 7S, (1966).

ROW 4 SEARS: Tower 10B, (1960) Tower 57-A, (1961) KODAK 35, (1940) YASHICA: J, (1961) EE, (1960's) Minimatic S, (1960's) LYNX 1.4E I.C., (1965) MG-1, (1975) and Electro 35 GS (1969).

ROW 5 (ALL BLACK) FED 35A, (1987) KONICA C35, (1968) GAF Memo 35EE,
(1970's) RICOH 500 G, (1971) VIVITAR 35EE, (1978) SEARS 35|RF, (1970's) KONICA Auto S3, (1976) YASHICA: MG-1, (1975) and Electro 35 GT (1968).

ROW 6 FED: 5C (All black), (1990) 5 (Red leather), (1990) 4, (1976) 3 (type b), (1972) 3 (type a), (blue) (1963) 2 (type b), (green) (1956) I (1950) LEICA (fake) II all black.

ROW 7 KRASNOGORSK: DRUG, (1962) ZORKI: 6, (1959) 5 (type 1), (1958) 4K, (1978) MIR, (1959) ZORKI: 3M, (1954) 3, (1951) I (type 1d), (1953).

ROW 8 VOIGTLANDER Vitessa, (1950) BRAUN Super Colorette Ib, (1956) GRAFLEX Century 35, (1957) ZEISS IKON Contax II, (1944) KIEV: 4AM, (1981) 4, (1960) GOMZ Leningrad, (1956) LEITZ Leica IIIC (1946)

ROW 9 MANSFIELD Skylark E (1960's) NEOCA: Robin 35, (1950's) IVS (1959) Neoca BRUMBERGER 1651, (1958) Neoca 2S (1955) CANON Canonet QL GIII, (1972) (1955) WIRGIN Edixa II, (1953) REGULA III d, (1956) LEITZ (fake) II “Gold”.

ROW 10 WALZ Envoy 35, (1959) (Light Industrial Products) SEAGULL 205,
(1970's) OLYMPUS Auto-eye, (1962) MINOLTA Hi-matic (original model), (1962) ANSCO Autoset, (1962) TAISEI KOKI Super Westomat 35 (3 window), KALIMAR B, (1956) (Sanei Sangyo) SAMOCA 35 Super, (1956) RIKEN Ricoh 519 M (1965).

LEFT PANEL:

ROW 1 KODAK Instamatic 800, (1964) [Next seven are SLR cameras.] ZEISS IKON Contaflex 126, (1967) ROLLEI Rolleiflex SL26, (1968) KODAK: Instamatic Reflex (Black) and (Chrome), (1968) KEYSTONE K1020 Reflex, (1969) SEARS TLS 126 Reflex, (1968) and RIKEN Ricoh TLS 126C-Flex, (1968).

Row 2 KODAK: Instamatic 804, (1965) 814, (1968) X90, (1970) SEARS 700 RF, 1969) GAF Anscomatic 726, (1966) MONTGOMERY WARDS cp301, (1960's) KONICA 261, (1960's) MINOLTA: Autopak 700, (1965) Autopak 800, (1969).

ROW 3 MINOLTA 110 Zoom SLR, (1976) KEYSTONE Zoom 66, (1970's) ARGUS Pocketpak 5000, (1970's) GAF 880, (1970's) CHINON Mini 66, (1970's)
VOIGTLANDER Vitoret 110EL, (1978) OPTOMAX Binoculars/110 camera, (1970's) MINOX 110S, (1975).

ROW 4 HANIMEX VEF Zoom, (1970's) FUJICA Pocket Fujica 350 Zoom, (1970's)
KODAK: Pocket Instamatic 60, (1972) Trimlite 48, (1975) CANON: 110 ED (1970's) 110 ED 20, (1970's) VIVITAR 742XL, (1970's).

ROW 5 MONTGOMERY WARDS: XP500a, (1960's) XP501, (1960's) AM550, (1965) KONICA Auto S2, (1965) TARON: 35 (1955) VL, (1959) Marquis, (1962) Auto EE, (1966).

ROW 6 SEARS: Tower 18B, (1962) 20B, (1962) Auto RF|35, (1960's) RF5, (1965) RF7, (1966) ES-35 (1960's) CANTER Beauty, (1957) BRAUN Paxette IIL, (1958)
BALDA Super Baldina, (1954).

ROW 7 FUJICA: 35-ML, (1958) 35 Auto-M, (1962) KODAK Retina III-S (1958) AIRES: 35 V, (1958) 35 IIIC, (1958) Viscount 1.9, (1959) BEAUTY: LM, (1959) Lightomatic II, (1960).

ROW 8 ARGUS: C3, (1939) C3 Matchmatic, (1958) Autronic 35, (1960) C4, (1951) C44, (1956) C44R, (1958) V100, (1958) C-Twenty, (1956).

ROW 9 OLYMPUS: 35 ECR, (1972) 35 RD, (1975) 35 DC, (1971) 35 RC (1970) RIKEN Ricoh 500 G (chrome), (1971) KONICA C35 (chrome), (1968) PORST 135L, (1970's) VIVITAR 35 CA, (1970's) FED Micron 2, (1978) MIRANDA Sensoret, (1972).

ROW 10 FRANKA-WERKE Solida 4.5x6, (1938) ANSCO Speedex Special R, (1953) ZEISS IKON Ikonta, (1951) MAMIYA 6 Automat II, (1958) KRANSNOGORSK Moscow 5, (1956) BALDA Baldaxette II, (1936) CERTO Super 35, (1956) MINOLTA Hi-Matic 7, (1963)

ROW 11 MINOLTA: Hi-Matic: E, (1971) F, (1972) CAMERA CORP. Perfex Forty-Four, (1939) CLARUS MS-35, (1946) VOKAR Vokar II, (1946) CIRO Ciro 35, (1949) MINOLTA A5 M, (1960) YASHICA M, (1960).

BELOW IS THE LEFT PANEL

The OFFICE a virtual tour

I had very carefully labeled and described each of these pictures. Then when viewing it, nothing matched up! So, you'll just have to enjoy them.

THE Cars

This will not be a long post. I just came across another blog on blogger.com by a fellow Audi TT owner and enthusiast. His car seems to be front wheel drive where mine is AWD called quattro by Audi.

This prompted me to list the cars I've owned over the years that I can recall, starting at age seventeen at the beginning of my senior year in high school.

1. 1964 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop coupe. Beige with brown interior. 283 V8, 2 barrel carburetor with 2 speed Automatic powerglide transmission. WELL over 100,000 miles.
2. 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS convertible. Dark blue, white top light blue interior. 327 V8, 4 speed manual. Kept it just long enough to take the engine out and put it in my '64 Impala. I should have kept this and fixed it up! Young and dumb.
3. 1967 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible. Off-white, black interior, black top. 327 V8, 4 barrel carburetor with 2 speed Automatic powerglide transmission. I modified this one with a Holley aftermarket carb., chrome valve covers and air cleaner, exhaust headers and "glasspack" mufflers, CDI ignition. Mag wheels.
4. 1941 Plymouth 2-door coupe. I talked my Dad into letting me get this and restore/hot rod it. I was the fourth owner working at the same dealership. The second owner had converted it to a Chevy V8 with three speed Corvette close-ratio manual transmission, '57 Chevy rear end and modern-type shock absorbers. The third owner took the engine out and I bought it as a project. Here's the thing: The front end was off and in pieces. I had never seen a '41 Plymouth before and could not figure out how all these pieces fit together. By chance I found an October, 1940 magazine with the 1941 Plymouth line ad in it. At last I could put the car together! I rebuilt a 1957 Chevy 283 and installed it in the car. I never got it running! I just didn't know enough. I also got a 1967 Chevy Bel Air as a parts car and put the 3-speed automatic, alternator and various parts on it. The trouble was, I fell in love with a girl (Linda) and thoughts of and time for working on the car disappeared. I finally sold it to yet another mechanic at the same dealer and what he did with it, I do not know. I did replicate it in miniature via several 1/25th scale model cars.
5. 1979 Chevrolet Monza. My first NEW car! I paid $3,900 for it. RED in color with black vinyl interior. Four cylinder "iron-duke" engine with four speed manual transmission. The only options were: Gauges, sunroof and aero side mirrors. I traded it in after six months to buy my (then) wife:
6. 1975 Audi 100LS. My first foreign (and German) car and first front-wheel-drive. It was silver/blue outside and I don't remember the interior color other than it wasn't black. 1.8 litre four cylinder with four speed manual. It had fuel injection another first for me. The speedometer cable was broken, so I had no idea how many miles it had! I fixed it. It gave me some problems including throwing a ring gear bolt through the trans-axle housing in two places on the way to church one Sunday, losing all the fluid and soaking the clutch! Thanks to a co-worker, we pulled thetrans-axle and had the housing holes welded up. A new clutch got it going again.
7. 1974 Triumph Spitfire. RED with black interior and top. That same wife sold her hideous looking Datsun F-10 and bought me this car. Quite a shock, I know. We did not have any kids yet. It had a tiny four cylinder engine and four speed transmission with independent rear suspension. All-in-all, many firsts for me. Kid number one (Paul) came along and it had to go:
8. 1975 Ford Torino station wagon. Green inside and out. Almost military looking in it's greenness and lack of personality. Put MANY a starter on it until giving up on Trak Auto and getting one somewhere else. Pretty trouble free otherwise.
9. 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna station wagon. Also green/green. This was given to me by a friend. It was a very rare car, it turns out. A Google search won't find many pictures either. I should have kept this and sold the Ford, but didn't.
10. 1976 Chevrolet Vega wagon. Two-door. Tan with brown interior. Four cylinder with four speed manual transmission. Despite the stigma of Vegas, it was trouble free.
11. 1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2. Once burgundy with brown leather interior. Tiny 262 (4.3 litre) V8 with 3 speed automatic transmission. I bought this from a neighbor for $150. It ran great but was geared for mileage so despite the small car/V8 combo was not a speed demon. Unlike the '79 Monza of yore, this one was the aerodynamic model, thus the 2+2 moniker. Different shape front and rear. I spray-can painted it flat black because the paint was so bad.
12. 1988 Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon. I traded the Ford for this. White with blue velour interior. Quite pretty really. Had an Oldsmobile 307 V8 with four speed automatic transmission. The four barrel carburetor was a joke, because if I managed to get the second two barrels open, the "computer" would take over and slam them shut. Wouldn't accelerate very well. Finally sold it to a guy who was going to make a taxi out of it.
13. 1982 Plymouth Reliant. Four door sedan. Tan with brown interior. Plain as can be. 2.2 ltire four cylinder with three speed automatic. Bullet-proof engine. Ran great. A few problems. I wanted a wagon version, but a certain female objected to our owning two wagons. Transmission finally failed and I traded it for:
14. 1989 Pontiac Grand Am. Silver/gray four door sedan. Gray interior. Quad-4 160 horsepower four cylinder. Automatic transmission. My first twin-cam multi valve engine. Had fun with it, but pizza delivery along with LONG commutes destroyed it.
15. 1975 VW Super Beetle Sun-Bug. Once gold, then flat black. I owned this while trying to sell the Grand Am. What a P.O.S. It actually slowed down going up hills on the highway! Some previous owner tried his own heater set up and I swear exhaust gasses were getting in the car. The defroster was a joke. I hated that car!
16. 1993 Ford Escort wagon. My 2nd NEW car. Dark red with gray interior. Four cylinder engine with five speed manual transmission. Pretty trouble free. I installed a sunroof in it. That first hole drilling was nerve-racking. It fit well and never leaked.
17. 1997 Dodge Stratus ES. My 3rd NEW car. Special ordered with five speed manual transmission and Candy Apple red paint. Gray interior. Kept it for long time.
18. 1985 Dodge Aries station wagon. I got my K-car wagon at last! This was given to me by some friends. Dark red outside with RED interior. Same 2.2 litre as the '82 Plymouth. Same transmission except this one had bucket seats with a console and floor shift. This was a GREAT car! I would still have it had I known about a product that would get it through emission's testing. It never gave me any trouble. It let Nancy down twice, though.
19. 1996 Chrysler Sebring convertible. Bought this for Nancy, traded in the Escort. Black with grey leather interior and black top. 2.5 litre V6 with four speed automatic. Had some problems with it. Finally traded it for:
20. 2002 Saturn Coupe. Black with grey interior. Pretty but uninspiring. Nancy wanted it. She later didn't.
21. 1997 Ford Ranger pickup. My first eBay car buy. Got it for HALF Kelly's value. Nancy thought as homeowners, we needed a truck. She was right. Despite 157,000 highway miles, this truck, which we STILL have looked and ran new. Green exterior with tan insides. Great truck.
22. 1987 Porsche 924S. My second eBay car buy. Got it for $2,225. A steal! Black with tan cloth/vinyl interior. 2.5 litre four cylinder with 5 speed trans-axle. Fantastic car and my first Porsche! Put a wood rim aluminum steering wheel on it and a few other things.
23. 2002 Suburu Impreza WRX wagon. WRC blue with black/blue interior. 2.0 litre turbocharged "boxer" quad-cam multi-valve four cylinder with 5 speed manual transmission and all-wheel-drive. A great fun and fast car. I did a few things to it, but not much.
24. 1996 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. White with charcoal leather interior. 5.7 litre LT-1 V8 with six speed manual trans. T-tops. Fun, fast and large car. Got 22 mpg on the highway! Traded the Porsche for it. They gave me $2,500 trade in.
25. 2005 Scion TC. Dark red with grey interior. 2.4 litre four cylinder with automatic. Nancy wanted a TC after driving one. Sold the Saturn and bought this. She still drives it.
26. 2000 Audi TT quattro. Denim blue with blue/black leather interior. 1.8 litre turbocharged four cylinder with five speed manual and all-wheel-drive. My baby! Found to be very modified by previous owner, well done too. Estimated to have doubled the horsepower and torque. Came with Toyo Snow tires on it. I bought a set of Audi RS4 wheel and General Exclaim UHP summer tires for it. LOVE IT!

One car of note that I'd love to have bought: 1972 Datsun 510. I talked Dad into buying this used from the dealership I worked at. He needed an economical car. I don't recall the color inside or out. It had a 1.8 litre four cylinder (2/3rds the 240Z's 2.4 litre six cylinder) engine and four speed manual trans, with independent rear suspension. I borrowed it many times from Dad and had a BLAST with it! I'd love to have one today.

I think that I'm not missing any cars, but could be. The funny thing is, despite my feeling for the AMC Matador wagon my parents had when I got my license, (I hated it!) I have grown to love wagons. Audi loves them too. The most powerful Audi made is NOT the R8 sports car. No, it's the RS6 Avant with a twin-turbo V10 engine!

More on the stereos

Dear Gentle reader, wherever you are,

(Since carefully editing this so there are columns for the figures, then posting it, (twice!) I find that the carefully made columns gone! So, I overcame with dots!)

First off, I don't think I mentioned that aside from the two TVs, and the BOSE 301 speakers, ALL of the equipment was bought used at fractional cost of new or even "book" value as determined my Orion's and eBay trends. For instance the Yamaha receiver that is in the den, had listed new for $1,600. I got it used for $50 via eBay. Now that's a bargain!

I decided to do some research on the various pieces of equipment that makes up the four sound systems in the house. As mentioned before, I have Orion's Audio Book. From that I gathered the build dates and original list prices of the equipment. Then I used the Consumer Price Index web page that determines inflation. Thus, if the same piece of equipment was produced today, it might sell for the 2008 value of.........So, without further ado and the magic of cut and paste:

Office System

Item....................................................................Year(s)............MSRP...................2008

Denon PRA-1200 pre-amplifier............................1988-91.............$475.................$853
Kenwood Basic M1 power amplifier.....................1982-84.............. 330...................726
Denon TU-600 tuner...........................................1986-90...............400...................775
Denon DR-M203-head cassette deck....................1986-87...............400...................775
Denon DP-7F turntable (Stanton cartridge)............1985-98...............325...................642
Denon DCD-690 CD player.................................1992-93...............300...................454
Denon DVD-757 SACD/DVD-A player................2005-08...............400...................400
Insignia HD Radio tuner......................................2006-08...............200...................200
MXR 147 graphic equalizer.................................1981-83...............250...................584
LYRIC/Eosone speakers.....................................1997-06...............900(x2)............1191(x2)
RCA PRO-X44AV speakers................................1999-05................60.....................76
Grand Totals................................................................................$4,940...............$7,867

Living Room System

Adcom GFP-565 pre-amplifier.................................1989...............$900................$1542
Adcom GFA-585 power amplifier........................1990-92...............1200.................1950
Adcom GFT-555 tuner.......................................1987-89.................300..................561
(2) Adcom ACE-515 power conditioner/distributors...1987.................200(x2)............374(x2)
Denon DP-23F turntable....................................1985-94.................425..................839
Shure M97xE cartridge......................................2000-08.................140..................140
Rotel RCD-940BX CD player............................1994-96.................380..................545
Pioneer PDR-555RW CD recorder.........................1998.................700..................912
Samsung HD-950 SACD/DVD-Audio player...........2005.................250..................250
JVC TDV-711 3-head cassette deck..................1988-89.................620.................1113
KLH TNE-7000A Transient Noise Eliminator....1975-83.................330.................1303
Coustic HEQ-7000 equalizer............................1985-89.................130...................257
Optimus PRO-4000 speakers...........................1984-97.................520.................1063
Grand Totals................................................................................$6,295.............$11,223

Family Room System (less TV)

Yamaha RX-V493 5.1 Receiver...........................1998...............$400...................$521
Sony DVP-NS775V SACD/DVD player...........1998-05................125.....................165
Sherwood ST-875 Turntable...........................1986-89................120.....................233
Ortofon OM-5 cartridge..................................2005-08..................60.......................60
BOSE 301 speakers........................................2002-08................300.....................300
Pioneer center channel speaker........................2005-08................100.....................100
Dual surround speakers...................................1999-05.................50.......................75
A-Neutronics ANS12 sub-woofer.....................2005-08...............150.....................150
Grand Totals...............................................................................$1305..................$1604

Den System (less HD TV)

Yamaha RX-V2092 7.1 Receiver.........................1997............$1600....................$2118
Infinity TSS-450 6-piece speaker system.........2002-08................350........................350

Yamaha DVD-S1500 SACD/DVD player........2000-05................450........................531

Grand Totals............................................................................$2400.....................$2999

So, what is the point of this exercise, you may ask? We have long been believers in buying used, "previously enjoyed" if you prefer. The best thing to do this with is vehicles. A one year old car will be at least 30% less than the current modcl year, for example.
I love crisp, clear, tight sound from my speakers. I can close my eyes and at the proper volume "see" the band or orchestra in front of me. That's what high end audio is all about. I joined this elete, some think snobbish, some think insane, group of music lovers on a budget.

Since grandson # 3 has just been handed to me, I need to sign off for now.