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re: RL's 959 (No Audi Stuff)
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 10:09:42 GMT
From: quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)
Subject: 959 (No Audi Content)
In message <34D2531E.6E97@tiac.net> Ramana Lagemann writes:
> Anyway, they car is licensed to drive on US roads... I don't know the
> specifics of the deal, however Mr. Lauren's associate stated that Mr.
> Lauren, along with two fellow 959 owners posted a bond "around a million
> dollars" to the DOT or some other such government institution in order
> to federalize their cars.
>Bill Gates and Mike Maples, I believe. And I think it's more than a million.
Well on a similar note
about 6 years ago I took a tour (I worked with the head machinists
father)of a very very talented restoration shop in eastern mass that does a
lot of Ralph Lauren's restorations,
(the pebble beach winners)
To make a long story longer I saw in the flesh a 959 that had had it's roof
squished down onto the top of the seats. It was complete with dirt and grass
wedged into all the nooks and crannies.
Come to find out, at least what I was told, was that RL had some
modifications
done to it and when it was out for a test, the driver lost it and flipped
it off the road at a rather high speed. From the look of the car it's a
wonder
no one was killed.
Seems they (the restorers) were having a dickens of a time getting info on
the hydraulic system that was to level the suspension out, and as the sides
were mashed so were the lines that ran in the fenders. At the time I was
told that no one knew the car was in the country and it was being
appropriatly hidden behind haybales in the warehouse.
The same place had a '70's RSR with only a couple hundred on the clock
a wmb 507, a number of GULLWINGS and assorted Hispano Souzas, Bugattis and
a Porsche spider like James Dean mushed.
Altogether a memorable afternoon! I know not the validity of this
explanation of what happened to the car but I know what I saw! I was
impressed all the same as I had never seen one in the flesh