Latest news from California's '24 Hours of Lemons'

[Mark DiSilvestro]

This just handed to me by a friend, who ripped it from a Car & Driver in his doctor's office -

43-YEAR-OLD PROVES FAVORITE OF LEMONS ORGANIZERS

"Among the bevy of rusted-out, mangled, oil-puking entries, this 1963 Mercedes-Benz 190 sedan stood out like Jackie O at a Star Trek convention. Purchased by a U C Berkeley professor and used as a commuter for 40 years, Ed Adams nabbed it for $500.
Adams changed the fluids, replaced the radiator, added a race seat, and installed the mandatory roll bar. Otherwise, it's bone stock, 43 year old drum brakes and all. Tires? The rubber is more diversified than Kirk Kerkorian's investment portfolio: 205/60R13 BF Goodrich radials up front, a 175SR-13 Goodyear C800 on the right rear, and a P185/70R-13 Big O Euro SXP on the left. No spares. Knowing that he didn't have the quickest ride, Adams strategy was simple: Only stop when you have to, and don't hit anything. Those simple guidelines kept the Benz in the top five for more than half the race. But a swift punt from a 1986 BMW 535i punctured its radiator and required a time-consuming repair.
The Mercedes didn't win. But it did capture the "Organizer's Choice" award and the $500 in nickels that came with it. Considering the modern cars it raced against, the 10th-place finish is a result even Dr. Z should be proud of."

-Robin Warner

The article included a photo of the grey Fintail without headlights, covered with racing decals, and a red racing stripe!

Happy Motoring, Mark

[ozawa]

i've read about that too! i subscribe to Road & Track and they entered a car recently. the writeup was hilarious.

i think to enter, the purchase price of your car can be no more than 500 bucks. you have to add certain mandatory safety equipment and then beyond that you can only spend a predetermined amount on "upgrades."

then you commence to beat your car to death around the Altamont Speedway. i thinks it's more of a war of attrition than anything else but it sounds kind of fun...