The 24 Hours of LeMons organization has descended upon the once-upscale Race Sonoma aka Sears Point in California's Wine Country, for the eighth annual Arse Freeze-a-Palooza race. We've got the usual hordes of Mazda Miatas, Honda Civics, and BMW 3-series cars among the 180+ entrants (check out Judge Eric's preview for a more detailed crapcan inventory), but we've also got more British cars than we've ever seen at a single LeMons race. We always have some Union-Jack-flying machinery at California races, but never the broad assortment of marques that we've got in store for this weekend. Along with that, there's also a not-quite-fully-British-but-still-amazing replica of the Jaguar E-Type hearse from the film Harold and Maude.
This "E-Type" started out as the In-a-Gadda-Da-Speeda Datsun 280ZX, then received some thrashed-but-genuine Jaguar body parts and some creative sheet-metal work to become Harold's hearse. The team even put together some excellent costumes for the occasion.
As for the fully British cars, we've got at least one example apiece from Austin, Rover, Jensen-Healey, Humber, MG, Jaguar, Sunbeam, and Lotus in the house (strangely, we don't have a single Triumph). Here's the Pit Crew Revenge "RoLex" Rover SD1, which features a Lexus 1UZ-FE V8 swap.
Would you believe two Jensen-Healeys? Not only that, both have proper Lotus 907 engines!
Here's a Lotus that doesn't have a Lotus 907: the "Chotus" features Chevrolet 350-cubic-inch V8 power. The B-Team's Chotus has turned in past LeMons performances that run the gamut from execrable to disappointing, but the team has swapped in a Jaguar XJ-S rear suspension and worked Ford Sierra front hubs into a homemade front suspension that might allow the B-Team to get a full weekend of racing out of their car.
Bonus points for this so-geeky-we-almost-can't-stand-it Chotus badge.
Of course, you can't have British cars without at least one French car, and here's the Peugeot Daddy 404 to remind us that they make cars on the other side of the Channel.
Also from the Continent, two Teutono-GM Opel GTs.
Classic Detroit machinery was also well-represented. Check out this battered-but-proud Chevy El Camino, complete with genuine Chevrolet rally wheels. With its squishy suspension and tired 350 engine, this car will compete against the Jensen-Healeys, Peugeot 404, and Humber Super Snipe in Class C.
Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon? Yeah, we've got one!
This Ford Crown Victoria team showed up with a classed-up "ASSCAR" theme, complete with umbrella girls.
Hella Shitty Racing, which operates on the premise that men should be objectified as humiliatingly as women in racing, contributed some of the team's own eye candy to the ASSCAR presentation. Only in LeMons!
The last time LeMons came to this track, the LeMons Supreme Court's BRIBED stencil featured a stencil based on the Grateful Dead's "Steal Your Face" logo. This time, we decided to stay psychedelic with a diagram of the LSD molecule.
One team brought a game of Brain Surgery Operation for the LeMons Supreme Court to use as a penalty for miscreant drivers. Here's Judge Mary (who works as an emergency-room physician for her day job) trying her hand at Brain Surgery Operation.
Teams continue to do Breaking Bad themes, and they keep getting better.
This team picked up an Audi wagon that had made the news for a dramatic police chase prior to getting LeMon-ized. Such provenance!
Another team brought this boombox built into a trash bin. We admire this sort of ingenuity.
The Killer Rabbit Racing Team, which finished in 228th place in the world's largest road race earlier this year, is back. We feel certain that they won't be DFL this time.
After the inspections, the teams got busy with the cookin' and wrenchin' in the cold, rainy evening hours. Check in Saturday night to see what happens during the first day's race session!
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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