Tempting Fate Tours

OK, old-car owners ... especially who live in THOSE states (and you know which ones they are) ... DISCUSS.

This Barn Find 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360 Sat Silent for Decades - The Online Automotive Marketplace - Hemmings, The World's Largest Collector Car Marketplace This 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360 spent some time decomposing in the Garden State before debuting at the 2024 MCACN Show as a barn find.

"At one point he blew up the rear end + couldn’t find a replacement axle,” Martin says.

"He saved his paper-route money for nearly a year + ordered a set of one-piece Hy-Tuff axles from Henry’s Race Axles out in California."

Great story on an obscure but cool AMC barn find just 5 miles from home.

Ah, for the days before catalytic converters ... LOL.

ABANDONED 1965 Volkswagen Bus Parked for 39 years, WILL IT RUN? YouTube video by RedCanClassics

Oh. My. Goodness.

We salute these folks ... and their rescued 1965 VW Bus that had sat for 39 years. We've only rescued an MGB-GT that sat for 12 years (it ran).

Of course, we do have that very rare 1968 Japanese car, which apparently went up on blocks in 1982 or so ... but we digress.

Three white men standing + smiling at camera. At left, wearing dark sweater + dark pants, with spectacles + black cap. In middle, the tallest, with silver hair, grey sweatshirt, blue jeans. At right, man with mustache in flat cap, wearing beige zip jacket over green t-shirt with sunglasses hooked in the vee, and jeans. Hung on the wood wall behind them are a poster for a performance of 'Julius Caesar' + a painting of a Scots soldier with a bagpipe.

Who are THESE suspicious characters? Oh, just part of the Tempting Fate Tours gang, seen in a secret Highland lair last weekend in Van Nuys, aka 'The Staten Island of LA.'

From left: @johnvoelcker.bsky.social, Tom Rymes, and video wizard @brwtwit.bsky.social. Footage was shot. Plots were hatched.

White box showing 3 GoorDik wireless lavalier microphones, propped up in shipping box on brown crumpled paper, with an octagonal teak salad bowl behind it on a white countertop.

OK, so who do we THANK ?!?!?

Someone who knows where John lives sent us these Lav mics. We truly don't know who to thank.

Whoever it is, THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor! We'll work on better sound for the video shorts, honest. ( @brwtwit.bsky.social does wonders with sound in our longer videos)

Gotta think J10s are now desirable, no?

I mean, every few weeks I drive past one that's been up on blocks in an open field (and has seen better days) ... and it's been there for 20+ years.

Should I try to rescue it? Visions of $$$$$ ?!?!?

Only for $500 or less, of course.

Vigilante Reimagines 1966 Jeep Super Wagoneer as Ultimate 485HP Luxury SUV | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings, The World's Largest Collector Car Marketplace Vigilante reimagines the iconic 1966 Jeep Super Wagoneer, transforming the pioneer luxury SUV into a modern, 485-HP HEMI-powered masterpiece.

Something like this $295K+ Jeep Wagoneer restomod is great.

If you're a P.E. bro or just wanna toss $$$ for bragging rights.

Problem is, our take tends more toward this: "Huh, I wonder how much Wagoneer we could get for 1/100th of the price.

"Hey, can you search for old Wagoneers under $3,000?"

Slightly greasy hand holding box for TruGrade fuel pump.

Latest update on the Lagonda 3 Litre, from Tom as he heads eastward ...

Interior of right-hand-drive 1955 Lagonda 3 Litre, with wooden 3-spoke steering wheel in front of wooden dash with 4 large black-faced dials. Seats are fluted green leather.

Two fluted green leather front seats over tan carpet inside right-hand-drive 1955 Lagonda 3 Litre photographed from the open left front door, with wooden 3-spoke steering wheel on far side.

Interior of right-hand-drive 1955 Lagonda 3 Litre, with wooden 3-spoke steering wheel in front of wooden dash with 4 large black-faced dials. In front of front passenger on left side is a wooden glovebox door. Individual front seats are fluted green leather.

In case you wanted to see the inside of our 1955 Lagonda 3-Litre, which so far has covered more than 1,200 miles from Seattle to Long Beach.

It seems possible Tom will be able to meet up with TFT member + MGB owner Scott, who's on a business trip to Phoenix. LA to Phoenix should be a doddle, right?

Two-tone 1955 Lagonda 3-Litre saloon (light green over dark green) angle-parked in the setting sun with palm trees behind it.

For those of you following us on Insta, check out our new reel, which shows Tom driving the 1955 Lagonda 3-Litre away into the LA sunset.

He made it to the LBC; cue 'Doin' Time' by Sublime?

Anyone down there who sees the Lagonda, say hi!

With belated thanks to our video wizard @brwtwit.bsky.social, who turned us on to a great brewpub in Van Nuys, saved us a parking spot there ... AND casually mentioned the Petersen Cruise-In the next morning as well.

With gratitude + toasts. (Need clever videos? Hire Woody !!).

Green 1955 Lagonda with pale green roof in front of blooming almond trees in California's Central Valley.

Yesterday in California's Central Valley. The almond trees are not a great crop ecologically, because they require massive amounts of water. But the scent when they bloom is amazing.

We took a very similar photo on our very first trip, in 2022, when we brought 2 Sterlings from the Pac NW to Austin.

Well done! Can you ID which one without researching?

Silver-haired man in beige shirt fussing with window frame of low, dark green 1950s four-door sedan with light green roof and streamlined formal grille above a horizontal yellow non-US license plate, photographed from front left.

Low, dark green 1950s four-door sedan with light green roof and long trunk (boot), photographed from rearleft.

Another hotel. Another late-night meeting under arc lights. Another old car with finicky twin SU carbs.

(Points if you can name the car WITHOUT searching!)

Yep, we're back on the road again. Adventures to start today ...

Steering wheel of right-hand drive car, with 3 metal spokes + a black central hub. Green fluted leather seats are just visible below it; a wooden door capping to the right is visible just below the wing window, and 4 large dials set into a wooden dashboard (fascia) behind the wheel can be seen. Beyond the windshield (windscreen), a V-shaped hood (bonnet) is open.

Why, yes, in fact ... we seem to have embarked on a new adventure !!

Some years back, one of them showed up unannounced to the Woodstock NY British Car Show. Jaws dropped all over town.

Most remarkable thing: ALL of the digital dash still worked !!

This is in Van Nuys, si?

Oh, Beau Boeckman + Co? Hmmmmmmmm !!

Silver 1977 Aston Martin Lagonda, photographed from above front right corner, on gravel drive with green lawn + stone walls in back. Carries British registration number UNM 902R.

OK, new quest: Anyone know someone who owns an Aston Martin Lagonda (the Bill Towns one) in Northern or Central California ... who might be willing to be visited by some intrepid Tempting Fate types?

There's a reason. Pic for attention. #weirdcarbs #carbluesky

UPDATE: The '87 Toronado Trofeo sold for $3,981. Still under the Tempting Fate Tours budget for any individual vehicle ... but we're still working on our #LemonsRally car from 1953.

1987 Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo - 3.8-Liter V6, Digital Gauge Cluster Display This 1987 Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo is for sale on Cars & Bids! Auction ends February 16 2026.

OK, folks: Here's yer oddball 40-year-old car for the next #LemonsRally. With less than an hour to go, it's still under $3K.

#carbluesky #weirdcarbs

The Impwing: Powering A Hillman Imp With The Engine Of A Honda Goldwing | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings, The World's Largest Collector Car Marketplace Meet the Impwing: the result of fitting a Honda Goldwing's engine into a Hillman Imp to make a homebuilt rear-engined performer.

This is a truly fantastic build: a Hillman Imp with a Honda Goldwing engine. Six cylinders vs the original four; 100+ hp vs 39 hp ... and less likely to grenade than the original engine too.

But, holy crap, what an incredible lot of work.

Great article by Friend of TFT Bryan Raab Davis.

1,400 miles to get ... WHAT ?? #roadtrip #fordmaverick #oldcar YouTube video by Tempting Fate Tours

And ... a short video on our in-process #roadtrip to get the 45-year-old axle for the 73-year-old car we hope to run in a future #LemonsRally.

We had a shorter version of this, but for whatever reason, YouTube wouldn't let us post it as a Short. So you're getting vertical format. Sorry.

Rear axle covered in light brown rust strapped diagonally into a ridged pickup bed, from upper right to lower left, with each brake drum + the center differential resting on folded blankets. A red plastic toolbox is wedged The center blanket is pink and red, and it can just be seen to be themed Hello Kitty.

This, THIS is the crucial part for which we're driving 2,000 miles. As one does.

It's a 45-year-old axle from a Datsun B310 wagon. Right wheel-bolt pattern, correct width, AND 3.70 rear-end ratio. GOAL: Get our '53 Minor, the putative Lemons Rally car, above its current terminal velocity of 54 mph.

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We haven't gone anywhere ... but, now we've gone somewhere! Specifically, from upstate New York to Tennessee.

In a new vehicle for John's side gig testing + reviewing new cars, that is.

Here's the video. It explains what, why, where, how + who. Keep your eyes peeled for the Hello Kitty blanket!

Driving 1000 Miles in a 75-Year-Old Car: Anxious, Exhausting, and a Total Blast - Hagerty Media A 1000-mile road trip isn't easy, even for newer cars. But in two 70-plus-year-old Morris Minors? Well, the memories made it all worthwhile.

Hagerty asked us to write up our 2024 European adventures ... and it's finally out. They may have used all 130 pix we sent!

Let us know what you think of the piece. It's got links to videos scattered throughout, to refresh your memories if you've watched them. If not, you can watch 'em now!

Quick reminder to our followers + friends + fans:

We're on Instagram too!

(with equally random stuff, sometimes the same as here, often different ... give us a visit, follow us, blah blah blah ...)

Yes.

Ohhhhhhh !! Thanks.

In my world, that's phrased, "Whoa, are those REAL Minilites ... or just [sniff] Panasports?"