Driving my new Delorean on the street is… humbling. Ed eased
me into it by letting me ride along and – wow – I would characterize the
acceleration as almost explosive.
Responsiveness is great. Once it reaches the
beginning of the power band it just takes off; and the “whoosh” from the
blow-off valve when you let up on the gas tells the ones you just passed that this
is not your ordinary “all-bark, no-bite” Delorean. That Saturday in Melbourne was
pretty hectic and we were itching to hit the road for the long journey home. So
in the midst of all that I actually never drove the car – until we were
back home in Frisco, TX and it was time to drive it off the trailer. Last time
I drove this car, it had the stock engine and auto tranny. Now, ten o’clock at
night, after a full day on the road I was negotiating a torquey fire breather
with three-four times the power, a stick shift (in fact, I was so unprepared
that I wasn’t even sure where in the shift pattern to find the reverse gear)
and what seemed like a very, very grabby clutch. It is, I’m sure, probably considered
very smooth and easy for the amount of power (Ed emphasized many times that it
is child’s play compared to some of his other projects). HOWEVER, to me, it was
like trying to compress a rock. I did my best not to slip the clutch too much
but, still: I bet that car came off the trailer in one big leap.
A couple of days later I spent a good hour practicing starts
in the parking lot of a grocery store (audience included). Now, a full week
later I’ve got it figured out: I can do smooth starts all day long with just
the right amount of rev without bunny-hoppin’ or stalling. So far, I think my
favorite environment is the highway: You trudge along at 65 and wait for
someone with something to prove to come up alongside and then… downshift…. end
of story. Mid-life crisis? Maybe so, but – hey - I’m enjoying every second of
the cure.
This past weekend I also participated with my car at the
North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas. The comments around Ed’s worksmanship
were never-ending…. So, as a last hoorrah, here are the before-after pictures
again:
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| Then |
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| Now |
As I was outlining my high level criterion in my very first blog
page, Delorean owners have a few, good sources for engine upgrade options
but, in my mind, Ed Ghesquiere has really hit a home run with my car and I am
just so thankful I was the beneficiary of his skills and expertise.
Next, I’ll be working on upgraded, ventilated,
multi-pot brakes and then I’m thinking an all-digital dash. The ECU has all the outputs to accommodate it.More than anything though, I will do a lot of driving J.
