Roll Call

[Jameson's Viggen]

I guess I'll give it a go...

My name is Jameson. I was born and raised in Northern NJ.

41, married, no kids, three dogs(would prefer two, but when my father died a few months ago, seemed wrong to rehome is old dog).

I was a car guy from birth. I drew nothing but cars and was drawing 3-dimensionally at age 5-6.

I was also building plastic model kits from a young age of around 6-7. I loved the engines the most and understanding what each part did and where it went.

When I was old enough I went to school in Detroit at CCS(College for Creative Studies) for Transportation & Industrial Design for my bachelors.

My SR year's big design wound up being utilized by VW for what wound up being the '05 Ragster Concept. That was a big deal at the time.

The economy sucked so I moved back to NJ. I met my wife there and worked for the decade doing toy design and even a stint at The As Seen on TV company/Telebrands.

After reading an ad on Jalopnik/Autoblog in 2013 I submitted for a GM sponsored "competition reality TV show" from the producers of The Real World and Project Runway. Long story short, I was 1 of 10 designers on the show called MotorCity Master's which aired in 2014. The "prize" was supposed to be a design job at GM. That's all I always wanted.

After the show we put our NJ house up for sale and moved to metro Detroit.

I got a job as the head of design for a TINY car company. It was called VL Automotive, Bob Lutz's fly by night venture of taking the Fisker Karma and calling it the Destino with a ZR1 drivetrain. Wasn't there long before funding dried up.

I went for a skills tune up and went back to CCS where I became dual certified as BOTH a clay AND digital sculptor.

I got work ever since.

I had a small stint doing FCA cars, then got a great job at Roush on Ford programs which then was tanked by Covid in 2020.

A month later I applied to GM. I got the gig and got the Cadillac studio right out of the gate. I have been working the Escalade programs ever since. After 15 months I just got the big promotion of direct with a couple bumps in levels. I said to my wife, here is the excuse to reward myself with ordering a 6mt CT4 Blackwing.

I have had a bunch of oddball cars. I am a big Saab guy. I love sleepers. My forever Saab is a 1 of 1 5spd manual I built up with everything you can possibly do. I have also had my Vortech supercharged Roadster for over 12yrs. It's been an ongoing project which finally reached the goal of 500whp on pumpgas and truly scares my wife.

Well, that turned out to be a novel. Thanks for drudging through.

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

I'm 38 in Charlotte. First kid just arrived, so it's time to get a better family hauler. I got into HPDE and TT driving a few years ago with a manual Chevy SS. Sold it when the gettin was good to get into a better track car, a DSG Golf R, which is now highly modified, and I kinda hate it, ha. I have longed for a manual V8 sedan since, so patiently waiting on my 6-speed 5BW.

Car History
1992 Chevy Beretta in awesome 90s teal. Wrecked a month after my 16th birthday
1991 Camaro RS 5.0
1997 Camaro Z28
2005 Grand Cherokee
2017 SS Sedan
2019 Golf R
2020 Civic

'91 Beretta GT was my first car. I hated the automatic so much I Getrag swapped it at my college parking lot lol.

 

[bloominguez]

Over the last 15 years I've gone through:
07 Civic Si (manual)
13 BRZ (manual - and honestly my favorite to drive, it just wouldn't fit a baby seat and my wife at the same time)
16 WRX (manual)
19 RS3 (wish it was available as a manual)
21 m340i (the most practical of the lot, but also the one that resonated the least with me emotionally)

I've taken advantage of the crazy used car market the past couple years to get out of both the Audi and BMW at almost what I paid for them, which has allowed me to move on from them quicker than I anticipated. That said, I think my wife might murder me if I don't keep the CT4 a good long time.

I've been chasing that goldilocks car that's big enough to fit car seats, has a stick, is still fun to drive, and can work as a daily.

I also want to finally learn how to properly track a car, I've never been. I don't actually know anyone else offline who is into cars like I am, so I'm pretty excited that the blackwings come with that track experience.

Totally agree with several points. I took advantage of this market to sell my BMW--maybe earlier than I should have, prices seem to keep going up. Like you, I was surprised that my 335i (manual, 2-door, all the usual mods--great car on paper) didn't resonate emotionally as much as I thought it would. I thought I'd keep it for a long time, but I just didn't feel it. I got a chance to drive an '18 (I think) BRZ many times and I knew it was time to sell the 335i when I realized I enjoyed the BRZ way more than the 335i. A new BRZ would be another car potentially on my list, pick up another manual while I still can. #savethemanuals

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

Totally agree with several points. I took advantage of this market to sell my BMW--maybe earlier than I should have, prices seem to keep going up. Like you, I was surprised that my 335i (manual, 2-door, all the usual mods--great car on paper) didn't resonate emotionally as much as I thought it would. I thought I'd keep it for a long time, but I just didn't feel it. I got a chance to drive an '18 (I think) BRZ many times and I knew it was time to sell the 335i when I realized I enjoyed the BRZ way more than the 335i. A new BRZ would be another car potentially on my list, pick up another manual while I still can. #savethemanuals

The last new car I bought(not leased), I ordered a Estoril Blue M-Sport F30 BMW with a 6mt. It was a good looking car. I just had no passion for it. It was COMPETENT. Yeah, faint praise.

It barely lasted two years but I got out of it for what I owed, maybe a few bucks more.

 

[FishinV]

52 here. 2 Stepkids, 12 and 21. Live in Friendswood Tx (near Houston). Been a car guy most of my life, Mostly GM cars and Trucks.
List of Vehicles i have owned
78 Caprice classic- 305. Auto Turd- My first car- hand me down from my mom
91 Mazda B2200 4 spd man
95 Ford Ranger 5 spd man
95 Pontiac Grand am - 5 spd man
97 Silverado- 350 auto
2000 Silverado 5.3 auto Ext cab- Ran 13.20's with 100 shot of N20
2001 Silverado 5.3 auto reg cab
2003 Trailblazer inline 6 auto
1999 Corvette Auto Ran 11.70s with N20
2006 Corvette 6 spd manual Ran 11.70s N/A
2007 Corvette 6 spd manual Ran 11.70s N/A
2009 Silverado 5.3 auto
2011 GMC sierra 6.2 Auto
2013 Hyundai Azera (wife)
2013 Hyundai Sonata (stepdaughters first car)
2014 GMC sierra Diesel 2500
2015 GMC Sierra Diesel 2500
2015 Cadillac SRX (wife)
2016 Silverado 5.3 auto
2017 Ford F150 (wife)
2011 CTSV coupe Auto Ran 10.50s
2018 CTSV Auto Ran 10.50s
2019 Range Rover HSE (wife)
2019 Ford F250 Diesel
2019 Buick encore- (stepdaughter)
2020 GMC Seirra 2500 Diesel
2022 CT5V Blackwing-Auto

I am Director of Operations for A Sports Bar/ Billiard chain in Texas and Louisiana with 14 locations. Been working there 19 years and counting!. Been in the Restaurant and Bar business all my life since i was in high school in 1986.

Graduated from Texas Tech University in 1995. (WRECK EM)

This blackwing is a step above the rest for sure, handles amazing. Still learning all the modes and such, launch control, line lock etc. Looking for some drag radials now to give it a whirl on the dragstrip (both previous v's ran 10.50s) Then later when the weather gets warmer try some road courses (2 near me).

As you can see, i get bored with cars easily! LOL. Only 7 of those cars were used, the rest were brand new.

Daren

 

[TalsBW]

'91 Beretta GT was my first car. I hated the automatic so much I Getrag swapped it at my college parking lot lol.

My first car was also a Beretta…albeit not the GT version.

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

My first car was also a Beretta…albeit not the GT version.

Nice! There's mine right when I sold it in '05 when I got my first Saab to replace it.

 

[1Evil55]

A GTZ was the coolest thing when I was about 14. Wound up with a Z24 a couple years later.

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

A GTZ was the coolest thing when I was about 14. Wound up with a Z24 a couple years later.

GTZ's looked the best. The issue was the GTZ was Quad 4 only with the manual, was not my engine of choice. The 3.1L V6 was auto only. I had the 3.1, manual swapped it, even went as far as buying the McLaren Grand Prix's bolt on turbo for it. And then I added the GTU/Indy ground affects. Oh to be 16 again...oh wait, no, scratch that lol.

 

[burn813]

My buddy has a Viggen and we just call it his fancy Sunfire

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

My buddy has a Viggen and we just call it his fancy Sunfire

OOof. If anything it's a fancy Cavalier due to it's Opel Vectra roots.

 

[burn813]

OOof. If anything it's a fancy Cavalier due to it's Opel Vectra roots.

I think cavalier/sunfire is TOE MAY TO / TU MAT TO

 

[RupertH]

I think cavalier/sunfire is TOE MAY TO / TU MAT TO

The Sunfire was so much nicer looking. (OK, usually- some years you just couldn't polish a turd) It really showed Pontiac's design chops over the Chevy team.

 

[ericwilliamstevenson]

46. Married with boys aged 10 and 12. Originally from Southern California happily living in Salt Lake City, Utah for the past 10 years.

I am a systems / software [ SRE ] engineering manager at a global software company.

I have always loved cars. First one was a '66 VW superbus, then slow honda's through the mid-90s.

Over the past 15 years, I have owned 2 Subaru STI's, a Legacy GT, Forester XT, and 3 Porsche 911 Turbo's.

Sold the 997.2 turbo in July and put a deposit on a CT5 BW in #riftgang. Scheduled to be built 1/17! This will be my first V8 and first 'Murican. Super excited.

 

[burn813]

There are a lot of us IT folk here... I am a Senior Software Dev for World Wide Technology

 

[Tall Steve]

There are a lot of us IT folk here... I am a Senior Software Dev for World Wide Technology

And there are probably a lot of guys on here like me that have to call guys like ya'll!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha.... All the IT guys at my work have the personality of a stick, and hard to talk too!

 

[ericwilliamstevenson]

And there are probably a lot of guys on here like me that have to call guys like ya'll!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha.... All the IT guys at my work have the personality of a stick, and hard to talk too!

It's likely because they've all read your emails.

 

[Tall Steve]

It's likely because they've all read your emails.

Maybe, but I usually just tell them how jacked up they are....

 

[RupertH]

And there are probably a lot of guys on here like me that have to call guys like ya'll!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha.... All the IT guys at my work have the personality of a stick, and hard to talk too!

You mean this guy?

 

[Tall Steve]

BUMP for the new people, and GO!