SL500 Mercedes (Click on the photo for a larger image.) Now here's a car that’s perfect for the Autobahn! The Mercedes SL500. Capable of very high and totally effortless cruising speeds in complete comfort and safety, it is also very civilized for a long haul trip.

This is a newer version of one that I had before and it is rather refined by comparison. The silky smooth 5-speed automatic is a major improvement and it is directly responsible for a strong 24 mpg on the highway!

Living in Louisiana means that A/C is imperative, so something had to go...hence the MGB now has a happy new owner in Texas, and he loves the car! And lucky me, I have this Autobahn burner with a serious A/C unit! My opinion remains as follows...these SL Mercs, (Model #129, built between 1989 and 2002) are huge value for money…if you want a gorgeous and swift cruiser with second to none build quality, classy looks, and wonderful drivability, these SL500’s are an unbelievable value. Costing just under $100,000 dollars when new, a first class example with low miles, (less than 50K), can be had for right around $25,000 bucks. Now that's a deal! To hell with a Corvette, get a Benz.

This new SL has been lowered, has xenon headlights, a killer Bose sound system, a blackout grill, white front markers, and two sets of wheels…18” & 17”. The 18’s look better, the 17’s ride better.

 

1969 Triumph Motorcycle (Click on the photo for a larger image.) So my buddy Richard Dwyer said to me..."I'm going to sell the Triumph". I was amazed because he had bought it brand new from a Triumph dealership in Biloxi, MS, in 1969, and here it was 1991!

He'd owned the bike for his entire adult life...to me the thought of selling it to a stranger who might abuse it was a sacrilege! I mean, hell, it was a member of the family! So, I said, why don't I buy it? We quickly reached an agreement on price, and Dwyer's Triumph became mine. At first there was to be but a serviceable restoration done to the machine, but I couldn't stop myself from putting it back to it's original condition.

A full restoration was undertaken, and with fabulous results. Since I've owned the bike it has lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, the West of Ireland, then back to New Hampshire where it lived in a living room as an art object for two years, and finally, it was shipped to New Orleans in December of '06 where it now lives, and runs, again! This bike is a delight to ride and it appears that I'll have it for the duration. Like the MG, it is in fabulous condition and virtually irreplaceable.

MGB Sports Car (Click on the photo for a larger image.) This is a 1974 "steel bumper" MGB, complete with over-drive, wire wheels, and a very nice conversion to full electronic ignition. This is a fully serviceable car in amazingly good condition, and it was loads of fun to drive for all the years I had the pleasure of being its owner.

A lovely driver in cooler weather, it reliably made long hauls from New England down to the Deep South, and great short hauls to Natchez, MS, weekend runs along the river, and trips into Bayou country. Though I've owned other more exciting sports cars, during the years that I owned this lovely MG, it was always a joy to drive! Previously, it was a show car that covered maybe 200 miles a year. When the previous owner asked me what I intended to do with it, much to his great horror I said, "I'm gonna drive it!" And drive it I did. Its new owner who lives in Texas just loves it and I have first refusal if he ever decides to sell this great car!

Harley Davidson (Click on the photo for a larger image.) I am going to be buried on this motorcycle. No, not because of it, on it! No other vehicle I've ever owned, and there have been close to forty of them, has come close to the funk this beautiful hunk of black and chrome junk generates. I adore it!

It's a 1972 HD, FLH, and I have the original Beer Box, Seat, and Fairing. On the first day I owned it, I blew it up! Oh, well, I thought, it's a good excuse for a total mechanical restoration, and I also tossed in some nice upgrades to boot. For the money I have in this bike I could buy a new Road King...but who needs that? I wanted funk, and with this bike, bought many, many, years ago, I have achieved my objective.

It has electronic ignition and advance, Progressive front and rear suspension, a balanced motor, Andrews trans, and plenty more. But I've kept the Series B, S&S carburetor because it's period correct and makes the bike snort and holler when you crack the throttle...no accelerator pump. And what a sound!

The Fishtail Drags give off that distinctive Shovel-Head 60 degree V-Twin rumble...something that screams VINTAGE HARLEY!! Fully serviceable and very reliable, I've taken it for long rides without a thought. "Harvey" the Harley, what a hunk of steamin' funk!