A much Simpler time

No, that's not James Dean up in the top photo. It's me, in what seems like a different lifetime. Way back in 1970 before everything got real complicated (and expensive). Back then, one could buy a 1957 Porsche Speedster with nerf bars and baby moons, for $1500. This is the one I bought, I think from some guy in Torrance, CA. I had it repainted a robin's egg blue (I don't know why), and sold it a few years later, probably for about $2000. And I replaced it with a red 1960 Roadster, that had disc brakes. For the life of me I can't remember where I bought that, or who I sold it to. If anyone does, I hope you will drop a note on this blog. I would have sold it in Van Nuys, because that is where I grew up.

Anyway, I used the money from that, and money I had saved to buy Von K's Speedster. I paid $4000 for the car. It had a finely tuned 1800 SC engine in it then, and the 4 Cam 904 motor (with busted crank) was disassembled and packed in a crate in his garage. Harald offered to sell the 4 Cam motor for another $2000, and I declined it. It was all I could do to muster up the coin to buy the car,,,,, How'd I know that 30 years later I could sell the 4 Cam engine for well over six figures!! Remember, life was a lot simpler back then.