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Running After the Ice Cream Man, or Picking up the Sidewinder
Remember when you were a kid and you heard that sound? You know, the sound that could motivate the dead to rise and you to drop whatever you were doing and run like hell screaming with whatever coins you could find clinched into your tiny hands? It was a melody that seemed to carry through the air even from miles away and could interrupt anything that was going on in your life at the time making you swing your head it the direction it was coming from. Yeah... that sound: the Ice Cream Man's theme. It wasn't the same theme every time and there were different vehicles, some yellow and some white... but they all had the same wonderful junk. Where else could you get an ice cream with gumballs for eyes for one hand and a giant Pixie Stick for the other hand? Ah, the rush.
Anyway, I can honestly say that vision is the only thing I could use to describe the excitement that quickly spread at the Bosch Technical Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan when Jim and I arrived to pick up the Sidewinder after the DCX Tech Fair. As we fired up the engine its sound traveled through the plant like the Ice Cream Man's theme, pulling people from their desks and stations. We had a long drive ahead of us traveling from Michigan to Chicago so we let the Sidewinder warm up for a while, and the crowd grew. The Bosch folks were genuinely excited to see the truck. Good. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see the people who are responsible for some of the most advanced automotive systems on the planet impressed to see our "little engine that could." These folks are our peers, and partners in our upcoming Duramax race efforts. For them to be that thrilled says a lot about what we do, and what we can accomplish together.
Wait till the Type-R is done. We might have a riot on our hands.
Posted by John Espino on June 29, 2005Time Travel or Power Tour Epilogue
And so here is yet another late entry in my log of blogs. Let's set the clock back... back... back... to June 8th...
... So this is my first time flying Southwest... and I have to tell you it ain't bad. Oh, I'm sure that if it was packed like my flight to Milwaukee I would have much more to say. But hey, airlines don't always smash as many folks as they can into a tiny plane like it was a dare or something like that... do they? The thing I thought was funny was that there are no assigned seats on Southwest, and it was every person for themselves. What a hoot it was to see everyone running to be first in line. I even got caught up in the rush. Hah... that little old lady never knew what hit her.
Well, if someone were to ask me if the Power Tour was worth it I'd have to answer "hell ya"! Where else could you go where there is a sea of pure power on four wheels, with some of the friendliest folks around? I mean it, not a jerk among them. The best part was that they were totally accepting of us and our vehicles, and let's face it... we were the invaders. When you think of "hot rods" you don't really think of a 4X4 with a diesel engine in it, but truth be told the times are a changing. Our mini fleet were hot rods in every way: they were over kill, flashy and could spin the tires till the rubber became molten shards of rage. The difference between our versions and the traditional idea of a hot rod is that you can haul lumber, groceries, a TV and the family... all at stupid speed. Yeah! Of course, if you're not careful in ours you may eventually run over a Chrysler Crossfire or something (whistles innocently).
There's something else I learned on my travels: some of the states we went through aren't allergy friendly. Chicago and Milwaukee both looked as if there was a horrible simultaneous accident on every street involving chicken trucks. I've never see so much junk floating through the air for so long! Sneezing for days... what a drag.
And now here we are in the futuristic time of the present...
Anyhow, it's good to be home and back at the grind. Hopefully I can get caught up with my blogs dazzling you all with wisdom, insight and dumb laughs.
... one can only hope.
Posted by John Espino on June 29, 2005What a Long, Strange Trip its Been
Throwing a bunch of guys together for a seven day, 1,700-mile tour is bound to have its ups and downs. This sign found in Joe's Crab Shack in Kissimmee, Florida on the last day of Power Tour says it all. The merry bunch of Banks employees (and journalists) that traveled with us now share a common bond and many memories that will last a lifetime.
Posted by Tim Gavern on June 28, 2005Bosch DCX Tech Fair or "Drive Sample Vehicles Like You Stole Them!"
I know... it's been a while since I've written, but I've got a good excuse. No, really... I do. See, I went on the Hot Rod Power Tour and before that, Bosch's DCX Tech Fair. Vehicles, meetings, logistics, details and way too many "what ifs" make Johnny a dull boy. It's as if I've been a cross between the proverbial one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest spliced with a chicken with its head cut off. Sort of a one-legged chicken-man with no head trying to kick some butt if you will. See the problem?
Posted by John Espino on June 24, 2005Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour: A Huge Success!
Perhaps you've noticed the lack of blogs from all of us during Power Tour? The days went by like lightning. There was, literally, no time to blog. Here's how our tour went.
Posted by Tim Gavern on June 15, 2005Air Travel Hell: Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour (Pre-Tour)
4:44 a.m.
Okay, the trip stared off badly when the shuttle van that was supposed to pick me up at 4:00 a.m. hadn't arrived by 4:30. When I called, they told me, "oh, our driver just now told us he was experiencing vehicle trouble..." Great. What about my ride to the airport?The shuttle company called a cab for me and my $45 trip to the airport wound up costing $68.30. The shuttle company is going to pay me the difference. Yea - there's money I won't be seeing again anytime soon. The only saving grace was Richard, my taxi driver, was also an Armenian philosopher. I got an Armenian history lesson on the drive to the airport. Interesting.
6:00 a.m
I made it to the gate with only a few minutes to spare. I glanced out the window at the plane and exclaimed to my traveling partner, John Espino, "Hey John, check out the antique we're flying on. Oh, sh*t."Posted by Tim Gavern on June 04, 2005Banks Sidewinder All-Terrains are Ready to GO!
It's been a real thrash for the past few weeks getting ready for Hot Rod Magazine's Power Tour. You may have noticed the lack of new blogs recently. Sorry, but we've all been swamped. Imagine the logistics and man-hours involved in getting five trucks ready for the 1500-mile Power Tour...
Posted by Tim Gavern on June 01, 2005
