Where does the owner of a classic car go for repairs?  If you take your car to most of  the “big-box” franchise repair operations, and you’ll likely be told: “Sorry, we don’t have a listing for that model”.

Not so at L and L Automotive in Dripping Springs.  In fact, owner Larry White actively solicits customers who own classic vehicles.  As Larry puts it: “I had a successful career in sales, but was not really happy with my job.  Every night I’d go home and work on one of my classic cars.. that’s really what I wanted to be doing.  One day a friend at a repair shop near Dripping Springs offered to sell his exhaust/muffler business to me.  I didn’t have to think long about that proposal, and before I knew it, I was in the auto repair business”.

Larry’s first business location was situated in two bays owned by...

Ah, the venerable Jaguar XK engine! This beautiful 6 cylinder double overhead cam engine was produced by Jaguar from 1949 all the way until 1992. While enhancements were made along the way, the basic engine design remained virtually unchanged throughout the entire production history.

Jaguar designed this engine to be easy to maintain and repair.  This includes the design of the overhead camshaft mechanism, which allows minute adjustments to each cam for timing purposes, and, more importantly, allows both cams AND the entire head to be removed without having to disconnect the timing chain.

One of the more active car clubs in the Austin area is the Texas Hill Country Alfa Romeo Owners Club (www.texasalfas.com)

For several years I’ve been attending the breafast get-together, held regularly on the first Saturday of each month 8:30-10:30, at Mozart’s on the Lake, Lake Austin Blvd.

One of the ...

He’s an unassuming guy, providing motorcycle maintenance out of a secluded spot in a quiet village just east of San Marcos.  But Mikey Orloff, owner of Martindale Motorcycle Works, is nothing like your average mechanic.

Mikey, a trained archaeologist by education, has had a lifelong love affair with motorcycles.. to be more specific, BMW “airhead” motorcycles.    So, in 1990 Mikey gave up thoughts of a career in archaeology, in favor of perfecting his expertise with these beautiful bikes.

BMW built its ico...

Most of us car guys are just amateur shade tree mechanics, relegated to simple R&R (remove and replace) operations at best.  But then, Scott Reid is no shade tree mechanic.  Scott, founder and President of Miur Essence, has been modifying and enhancing automobiles since he was a kid in high school.  His latest (and likely grandest) achievement has been the design, development, and implementation of a series of major engine enhancements for the Lamborghini Miura.. a car long recognized as the world’s first “Super Car”.  Scott’s engineering achievements for this car would make even the most accomplished Formula One technician team take notice!

Scott’s story begins some 6...

Nestled quietly on an unassuming street off Airport Blvd. is one of Austin motoring’s secret havens – Moorespeed.

Inside the simple Moorespeed facade lie innumerable treasures to make any car guy’s heart go pounding.  No, this isn’t where your dad takes his Buick for an oil change!

Ask any Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Porsche owner in town, and they will tell you Moorespeed is the go-to spot for maintenance, repair, and modification of their exotic machines.

But it is not just Ferrari and Lamborghini owners who are drawn to owner David Moore’s pristine facility.

On any given day, a wide rang...

For a second year Austin gets to claim its title as the undisputed capital of motor racing in the US.

The US Grand Prix race itself this year could only be described as anti-climatic.  Young driver Sebastian Vettel added another jewel to his already-won 2013 championship crown, by bringing home his eighth straight consecutive F1 victory this year, a record he shares only with legend Michael Schumacher.  And of course, with one more race left in the season (Brazil), there is more than a slim chance that Vettel will be able to claim the all-time record for consecutive wins!

It is not an ordinary sight to see a guy regularly riding a 1927 motorcycle. But then, Mark Scott is not your ordinary motorcyclist!

Yes, Mark, a resident of Volente, Texas, regularly rides his 1927 Scott “Flying Squirrel” motorcycle. Mark acquired his Scott bike, a British marque, in 2001, and has subsequently restored it to beautiful condition.

Mark is certainly not a one-bike guy.

When my friend Doug told me he had inherited a 1939 Allis Chalmers tractor, it got my attention.  After all, it DOES have an engine and 4 wheels, the basic ingredients to attract any gearhead.  However, my interest was particularly piqued due to my own personal encounter with the exact same model tractor at age 12 (the tractor I was driving overturned at 25 mph and exploded in a spectacular fireball… but that’s a story for another time).