Jeff,

Nice to see that you are stil "rotary'ing" around. Seems like everytime a long time owner of an FD sell their car, some way or another your name comes up. You had a great car and everyone was surprised with you letting it go.

As for me and probably 99% of FD owners up here in the Great White North, the car is in hibernation and I look forward to every spring to take out what feels like a new car. This seasonal approach to enjoying a car really helps in keeping it novel.

Congratulations for your Daughter... I have a two year old son that giggles under hard acceleration. Asks "Again Vroom vroom" when sitting at the next light. Would make an excellent commercial.

It's very cool to hear from you again!!

David

 

Great pic!!!

 

Does anyone remember how labreck used to terrorize the list and make grown men cry?

how about a certain somehow claiming 360 rwhp on stock twins and getting virtually castrated for it? LOL.....

 

David, great pic....your son is absolutely adorable! And I can totally relate to his wanting more vroom vroom...I still giggle everytime I drive the car

Nice wheels btw, look real familiar...I just got new CCW's on YELOR1!

take care, Trixie

 

those were the days...labreck was brutal, yet entertaining at times!

yep, he probably had the most requested "dyno" run of all, for all the non-believers

 

Labreck?

He of small-block Chevy in an FD fame?

Was the point completely missed?

 

Dale,

Nice to hear from you.

Yeah, I miss the FD. The RX-8 is screwed together much better, but the FD chassis and the flexibility of the drive train and suspension were amazing. The 8 needs about 100 Hp more, but a turbo would kill its GT nature. It's even a better candidate for a 3-rotor's loooooong strong pulls than an FD. I'm happy with the mods I made to the CYM. It was strong, reliable, streetable, trackable, with great feedback, and still a sleeper. Yep, I miss it.

I understand that our RX-7 Club of Florida got overly political and died a nasty death as the Mazda Sports Car Club of Florida, or something.

What happened to the vision we hammered out at Bradenton Drag World, oh so long ago?

Oh and I recently found out about our circle's great loss, but I won't mention details here as I inadvertantly upset some people when I reached out for help.

Regards,

 

Wasn't Nathan Freedenberg's real name "criminal'"?

 

Mr. Wyum.

I am honored, sir.

Gee, who will pop up next?

 

Ah yes...the good old days where 300rwhp was a milestone achievement and NO-ONE had a single turbo conversion.

Crispy
- big lister since '97 although I didn't post much then...LaBreck was too scary

 

How about Justin "Tuck" Cordesman of Darkside Research fame? I guess all that boozing didnt hurt my memory as much as I thought it did

 

I got a copy of your e-mail through the track group. God, I'm glad to hear that you are still around! We first became acquainted through the big list, and then I teased you about running with us at Sebring, and you blew my doors off. Congratulations on the new addition, your daughter! What is her name? I also met you wife once, and hope she is well and happy!

You came onto the scene fast, and ripped though it like there was no tomorrow. I'm glad to hear about the RX-8, and it seems like you enjoy it.

I hope our paths will cross again.

Steve Nix, Director
NASA Florida
www.drivenasafl.com

 

Jeff,

Nice to see another old time CYMmer still around. I joined the Big List in March of 2000 when I bought my CYM FD off Ebay from a guy in Hawaii (sight unseen). In those early days of Ebay my purchase was viewed by many as a real "leap of faith" but the car was priced substantially below market at the time, so I decided to roll the dice, and I'm glad that I did.

I bought mine in early 2000 when Ivan of Sunnydale was selling an ultra low mileage FD that he literally had sitting in the dining room of his house. Seriously considered the purchase, but he was firm on his price of $30K and I couldn't muster up the funds, so I decided to look elsewhere.

Like others have said, I've owned a lot of cars in my lifetime, but none that continue to excite me everytime I get behind the wheel like my FD. It's truly a love-hate relationship that I'm currently loving a lot!

Glad to see that you're still kicking the tires!

Tim Eull

 

Such legends all in one thread.

I am getting teary eyed.

Mr. Witzer, it's great to see you in print again. Congrats on the family.

With all the other illuminaries in this thread it is nearly a reunion of the good old days.

After becoming all too well known for my long writings and trip reviews on the Big List, I have mostly blended into the background on the forums. It's just not as fun as it used to be.

I miss the friendships and I hope, as Mr. Nix put it, that we can all cross paths again.

Godspeed JVOB

 

I'm an original big lister as well. (RX7RAGE@aol.com at the time) It was fun reading through 100s of rx7 related emails every night.

 

Hey, all you mutts. Brad in Houston here....

Aah, yes, the good old big list. Flame wars about LaBreck and Jason turning EXACTLY 360 rwhp on the dyno on stock twins, could Kevin run an 11 on stock twins, was N*than ever found running a fish store in a small town in Ohio, my original silver car getting stolen, Tuck pissing off everyone in sight with brags about his sexual prowess... yep, the good old days when 3rd gens were expensive and only a few could afford to own them. The days of waiting 30 minutes for a Japanese website to download pictures of a catch can mod. <laughing>

I will say I met quite a few REALLY great friends on that list who I treasure to this day. You know who you are and I still love you all. I miss JVOB as he's been gone for a year this February, all who knew Jimmy know what I mean. I've crossed over to the dark side and drive a C6 Corvette now. 400hp is good.

Anyway, this has been fun. Get back to apex seal discussions and my best to all.
Brad

 

Wow, we're turning out some old timers! Now we just need to get Reto to post...

I've always wondered what happened to Tuck. Jeff Hoskinson had a parts FD that was Tuck's - I believe it was wrecked in the rear, but he used the front body components to repair other cars. Anyhoo, Tuck's flamboyance was definitely fun to read on the Big List .

Glad to hear you're still around, Brad! Been meaning to give you a holler one of these days.

Dale

 

Hi Jeff,
Your website was in inspiration when I went sports car hunting back in the mid-late 90s. I always browsed your site, and was very sad to see you sell her. 8 years later I still have my FD and still have pics of your beautiful CYM in my computer Good to see you doing well.

Mike

 

Ah, yes. Tuck. Did he ever finish emotional puberty?

Mr. Nix. I went looking for you several times over the past few years. SAFE moved to different hand, I understand, but you will always be the best track day arranger in my book. Please give your beautiful wife, Barbara, a hug for me. I miss you guys. My daughter's name is Shelby Morgan Witzer, and, yes, *that* Shelby (with props to JVOB) and *that* Morgan. Her middle name was almost Elise.

Brad. Yes the RX-7 landscape has changed considerably and the RX-8, obviously, is a very different car with a very different audience. My discovery, a few months ago, of Jim's passing was a great shock. I took it very hard and it still hurts to think about. It was very important to me that he meet Shelby and now that won't happen. The Florida RX-8 club is trying to put together a logo. I showed them several of your designs for inspiration.

I left the "For Sale" site up at the request of the buyer, John Rolff. I still have it in my .sig for email and the RX-8 forum, mostly to show them that I used to know how to build a pretty fun car. (The 2005 RX-8 is still bone stock after a year.)

Oh, this is my second RX-8. The 2004 was hit, head-on, by an elderly woman in a Grand Marquis who had a stroke and hit my stationary car in an intersection doing 60+. She spun me 4 times and knocked me back 40 feet and over a curb while she continued on to blast through a 4x4 fence and up a phone pole. Car was totalled (see http://www.cardomain.com/ride/719164/2, 4th and 8th shot down the left side), but only damage to me was a Mazda logo scar on my wrist from the steering wheel airbag flap. I'm marked!

Anyone want to meet at the Tail of the Dragon in April?

 

I'm doing a moto ride on the ToD, the Cherohala Skyway and up through Boone/Jefferson in June. Bunch of sport touring friends do a tour every year and this year we are riding my home state. I'm happy because I can get some more real BBQ again.

OK, I'm back to the C6 forum. You kids be nice.
--
bb

 

*sniff sniff* It's the family reunion.

I was on the big list from around '96 until 2002? Lots and lots of names I remember on it. Used to love to come home to 100 emails about RX-7s every day

Jeff, I drooled all over your CYM at one of the Florida meets (anyone remember MoKart?!).

Jim Labreck was by far the best once he joined the list. Him calling out everyone on the list was great. I can remember many of his threads. How about Robert Eaton? HAH! Jim vs. Jason, et cetera. The only time when Jim's car actually was running

Tuck - Solid Brass - Hahahahaha.

I'm 100% with Dale and real names/email addresses. Those were the days.

Who else can we drag up in this thread?

-Michael J. Gallagher
-Pensacola, Florida

 

I got some PMs inquiring why I didn't include my name with my post.
Aren't I the only person from WV ever associated with the 3rd gen? [joking]

Bill Gammon here

Tons of great memories with many of you guys.

Why can't it all be as easy and fun as it used to be.

 

Not to forget David Lane whose lengthy, but always eloquent posts usually brought sanity to many insane discussions.

 

DISREGARD: Duplicate

 

Hey Jeff,

Under the advisement of my trusty "Internet Mole" (hi Dale!), I figured I'd join the old-school rotary mosh pit that this thread has turned into.

So hello from Fort Bragg, where I'm training with the Special Ops guys to do my volunteered year "in-country." Needless to say, this has really cut into my play time, but I guess the lump-sum (HRD) expenditure after I get back in '07 year should help sooth the pain!

As we spoke some months ago, I came into the CYM family through an arranged second marriage to the fuel-to-noise converter that I currently obsess about. Unlike Brad, I'm to hard-headed to stop pushing the rotary (apex seal) boulder up the hill of technological maturity... https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...IC+RACER+gt40R, but what did you expect from a Cuban.

As for the peeps, it always amazes me how many of the friendships that I've made over the Internet have grown to be life long! I still remember the first email distro that started both the Florida clubs as well as another special and ongoing group that we are a part of. To think that it has been over a decade is frankly as awesome as it is amazing. And in the end, it's about these fond memories that keep me coming back... so thanks for the spark!

Anyways, an Airborne "Hooah" to you Jeff, as well as all of the old-timers and still close friend that have already posted to this thread. I very much will look forward to our next meeting.