A pretty old article...

From Dirt Magazine:


photo credit: Spike Jonze

(article transcription) The other day I was at Distaso's shop, surrounded by champion engine blocks and gleaming chrome. I was eyeing a '68 Barracuda with a duel Holley carbs and a manifold you could cook on when Distaso himself turned to me and said, "I can tell you right now you're over-cammed." I was slayed.
Some people say that size doesn't matter, but there's nothing like a boy with a 455 that can catch a third gear scratch. It all began one hot summer with a cherry '69 Charger. I don't remember the name of its driver, but I'll never forget the hemi-powered muscle of that machine. I was infatuated at 50. I fell in love at 75. And it was all over in a crash at 130.
And then there was a '67 Camaro Rally Sport with a madman for a driver. I liked his kiss- he was all right- but it was his relentless fuel injection and the need for speed that kept me buckled in. With the top down, the road held no obstacles. He dodged cars, turning the city streets into a NASCAR speedway. I fell asleep at night with visions of that Camaro speeding through my head. I figured this was it until I mentioned Holley carbs and he thought I was referring to an ex-girlfriend.
After that there was the Challenger, the Mach One and an Olds 442. I was on an endless drag strip to nowhere. It wasn't until a midnight blue '69 GTO caught my eye. It was for sale. When I talked to the owner he told me this wasn't a girl's car, but when I put my hand on the shift kit, it was all mine. Fast and clean with a faithful 455, that car could take me anywhere I wanted,...until one afternoon, at the side of the road, I was idling too low--the ignition wouldn't catch. It was in danger of flooding, when a boy with a tool box came by and lifted the hood. Before I knew it he had the chrome blower off and was manually revving the engine. He'd found the spot and my car was purring. After that the GTO was never out of tune. And when it was parked, the genius mechanic and I would lay in the afternoon sun, the smell of Pennzoil in the air, as he whispered descriptions of engines he had built; Edelbrock, Flowmaster, Holley, Hurst.
So, if I can leave the boys of America with one piece of advice: A guitar's all right, but it's what's under the hood that gets the girls hooked. Learn how to handle a Hurst power shifter, fill up with 100-octane fuel and a mounted fire extinguisher never hurts. And remember, friends don't let friends drive imports.

Sofia (above left) and Nicoletta (right) are roommates and share a friendship so close, they write in first person even when collaborating. They are currently developing their own magazine-format TV program, High Octane, filmed exclusively with Super 8 cameras in, on and around cars.