[Es2] I test drove the coupe today, long and a bit off topic.

[Jimmy Pribble]

Josh,

Congratulations on the test drive!  Also, I think you are a most excellent
person for trying to really understand your life.  I know far too many
people that seem to shuffle through their days not really understanding that
they only have one brief shot at fully participating in the rich experience
of life (with all due respect to the religions that observe reincarnation
doctrines).  I don't mind you sharing your "OT" observations, especially in
context of their relationship to your car building/driving experience,
because it helps me to understand you as a person and I believe in the human
experience that we share on these crazy lists.  I have made real friends
online.  The concern, support, advice, and generosity is all real.  I have
been lucky enough to have actually met in person some of the people that I
first met online.  I hope to meet many more in the future (eS2 contingent at
the next S-Fest anyone?).  Anyway, thanks again for sharing a little bit of
your life with us, Josh.  Carpe Diem.

As it happens, while Josh was test driving his car last night, I was also
having the first really successful test drive of my car.  My car first
started many weeks ago, but I have only driven it a couple of times.  The
car has been plagued with problems.  It wouldn't idle correctly, it would
stall, it only pulled 10 inHg at idle, it felt low on power, it cut-out at
6000 rpm, the vacuum brake booster wouldn't work, etc.  It was just not a
happy car and I have been an unhappy and discouraged owner.  After some
debate on another forum yesterday, we decided that the cam timing was off
one tooth.  We made the adjustment and noticed that the idle issues were
gone.  That was a good sign.  Then Eric went for a test drive.  Now Eric is
an engineer for IBM.  He is very even-keeled and unexcitable.  I have never
heard him raise his voice or say a harsh word.  He is also a perfectionist,
which tends to dampen any kind of enthusiasm he might have about anything.
Even when things are going well, he will find something not quite right on
which to focus.  Well, after a few minutes, he pulled up in front of the
house and called for the next person.  Ken and I looked at each other.  We
had both heard it - we heard the excitement in Eric's voice!  The car must
be running well.

Eric's brother Ken was up next.  Ken is the opposite of Eric.  He is
completely and totally emotionally driven.  He wears his extra-sized heart
on his sleeve proudly.  He's the most moody bitch I have ever known, but he
is passionate.  He laughs, cries, yells, curses and smiles wide at this car
stuff that we do and he drives a car like he means it.  True to his
character, it turns out that Eric had driven the car gently and had only got
on the throttle once.  We hadn't even heard him.  Ken was a different story.
I live out in the hill country outside of Austin, where it is pretty quiet
at night.  We could hear Ken tooling around over a mile away from my house
(my car is pretty loud).  He puttered around for a minute, getting used to
the car I guess and then we heard him get on it.  The sound of that
screaming engine booming through the hills gave me goose bumps.  Eric, Tom
(another friend) and I just stood around grinning stupidly at one another,
while we listened to Ken wail on the car.  That I5 turbo sound is truly
intoxicating.

I took my turn next.  My drive was brief, because I was a little concerned
that Ken might have stirred one of the sleepy local sheriff deputies (whose
HQ is just down my street).  Without belaboring the point, my car is a
rocket.

I only have one more week until the track event, so we have lots more work
to do.  I will report further details of the car in context of its
performance on the track.  I will also try to borrow a camera and maybe get
some video.  Stay tuned.

Here is the cam timing thread:
http://forums.audiworld.com/i5/msgs/370.phtml

Again, I agree with Josh that I couldn't have done this without the help of
many, many people, including the folks on the various Audi lists and forums.
Thanks!

Jimmy