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crownedstoat · 2 years

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1964 Apollo 3500 Gran Turismo by Alden Jewell Via Flickr: Apollo (1962 automobile) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Apollo Apollo 5000 GT Coupe.jpg 1965 Apollo 5000 GT Coupe Overview ManufacturerInternational Motor Cars Also calledVetta Ventura Production88 Model years1962 - 1965 AssemblyOakland, California, United States DesignerRon Plescia & Franco Scaglione Body and chassis ClassSports Car Body stylefastback coupe or convertible RelatedCarrozzeria Intermeccanica Powertrain Engine 215 cu in (3.5 L) Buick V8 (gasoline) 300 cu in (4.9 L) Buick V8 (gasoline) Transmission4 speed manual (automatic optional) Dimensions Wheelbase2,464 mm (97.0 in)[1] Length4,445 mm (175.0 in) Width1,676 mm (66.0 in) Height1,270 mm (50.0 in) Curb weight1,030 kg (2,271 lb) Chronology PredecessorNone SuccessorNone The Apollo was an American sports car/personal automobile, initially manufactured from 1962 to 1964 by International Motor Cars in Oakland, California. Engineered by Milt Brown and designed by Ron Plescia, it featured handmade Italian aluminum coachwork by Intermeccanica, with a choice between two-seater convertible or fastback styles. Power came from a 215 cu in (3.5 l) or 300 cu in (4.9 l) Buick[2] engine mated to a 4-speed manual. The initial company built 42 cars before suspending production while seeking new financing. IMC allowed the sale of body/chassis units to Vanguard Motors in Dallas, Texas, to produce cars under the Vetta Ventura name. These were made until 1966 as a stop-gap measure to keep the carrozzeria (body producer Intermeccanica) in business until new backers were found. Other production arrangements followed. A total of 88[3] have been produced to date by all entities. History Frank Reisner, a former chemical engineer born in Hungary, raised in Canada and educated in America,[4] established a company that later produced complete bodies -- painted and trimmed -- for the Apollo as well as the Texas-built Vetta Ventura (which was the same car with a different name). Reisner, on holiday in Italy in 1959, decided that he loved Turin and set up shop there as Intermeccanica producing tuning kits for Renaults, Peugeots, and Simcas. The Apollo project was the dream of a young California engineer, Milt Brown, who desired to build an American answer to European GTs, such as the Aston Martin DB4 and Ferrari coupes. Brown, who was looking for a coachbuilder, met Reisner at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1960. A deal was made and the first Apollos were built by early 1963 by Brown's International Motor Cars. Intermeccanica hand formed and trimmed the steel bodies in Turin, Italy, and then shipped them by sea to Oakland, California, where the drive train was installed. The prototype's design was by Milt Brown's friend, Ron Plescia, but the nose was too long and the rear vision limited, so Reisner commissioned former Bertone stylist Franco Scaglione to revise it. The finished car, sold by Brown's International Motorcars of Oakland, was well received and had famous owners such as Pat Boone. The base price was $6000 and the top speed was claimed to be 150 mph (240 km/h). A prototype 2 + 2 was shown in New York in 1965. It was shown again in 1966 as the Griffth GT.[4] International Motor Cars sold 42 cars (40 coupes and one spyder, including the prototype) before production stopped in mid-1964 due to lack of financing. IMC then made a contract with Reisner (to keep his operation going) allowing Intermeccanica to supply body/chassis units to Fred Ricketts, owner of Vanguard Industries, an aftermarket supplier of auto air conditioners in Dallas, Texas. Vanguard sold it as the Vetta Ventura. The intent was to give IMC time to find new financing as well as keep Intermeccanica alive. Vanguard built only 11 cars, with shop foreman Tom Johnson purchasing the leftover 11 body/chassis units and completing them as late as 1971. A third attempt to produce the Apollo was by attorney Robert Stevens. His Apollo International company of Pasadena, California completed only 14 cars, with foreman Otto Becker finishing another six. Four body chassis/units were never claimed by Apollo International and were sold by US Customs to Ken Dumiere. A pair of Apollo 3500 GTs were used to portray the Thorndyke Special race car which was featured in The Love Bug, a 1968 Disney movie. One of the pair has been fully restored.[5][6] Reisner later developed projects such as the Griffith, the Murena GT, and the Italia by Intermeccanica. Intermeccanica went on to produce the Veltro 1500, the Griffin (which was a version of the prototype Apollo 2+2), the Phoenix, and the Omega among others. Specifications EngineMax powerTransmissionWheelbaseLengthWeight 215CID Buick V8225 hp (168 kW)4-speed manual97 in (2,464 mm)177 in (4,496 mm)2,540 lb (1,150 kg) [1] References "1963 Apollo GT Convertible performance data, specs & photo". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-11-20. Gunnell, John A. (ed.). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. krause publications. ISBN 0-87341-027-0. Northrup, Robb Apollo GT: The American Ferrari Rogliatti, Gianni (Spring 1971). "Frank Reisner's Intermeccanica - One of the Few That Made it". Automobile Quarterly. New York, NY: Automobile Quarterly. 11 (3): 309–311. LCCN 62004005. "1963 Apollo 3500 GT in "The Love Bug, 1968"". IMCDb.org. Retrieved 2011-11-20. "The Thorndyke Special". Barn Finds. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2016-12-23. Categories: Sports carsDefunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United StatesMotor vehicle manufacturers based i

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paganpianist · 4 years

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This is a black icon from Dominican Republic

Mamá Tingó (born Florinda Muñoz Soriano; November 8, 1921 – November 3, 1974) was a Dominican activist leader and defender of the rural farming community in Dominican Republic. She was assassinated fighting against the unjust plunder of the resident farmers’ land in Hato Viejo in Yamasá during the second government under Joaquín Balaguer one of the president of the Dominican Republic

Mamá Tingó was born in Villa Mella, Dominican Republic on November 8, 1921. She was the daughter of Eusebia Soriano and was baptized in the Parroquia Espíritu Santo, the Holy Spirit Church, in 1922 and was married at the age of 30 to a farmworker named Felipe. She worked on her farm for decades with her husband and later a landholder reclaimed the land. Although she was illiterate, it did not limit her and she fought for other like her who had lost their land.

In the beginning of 1974, the landholder Pablo Díaz Hernández reclaimed the lands that were occupied for more than half a century by the farmerworkers of Hato Viejo. Díaz Hernández claimed that he had bought the land. Mamá Tingó belonged to the Federation of Christian Agrarian Leagues and headed the fight to obtain benefits for the farmworkers of Hato Viejo, who believed they deserved them because they had occupied and worked the land for more than half a century. Despite her advanced age, she participated fiercely in directing the farmworkers movement.

The landholder Pablo Díaz Hernández enclosed 8,000 acres of land with barbed wire and uprooted the famers’ crops. On November 3, 1974, the farmworkers of Hato Viejo appeared in front of the Tribunal of Monte Plata where the case was held, but the landholder Pablo Díaz did not attend the hearing. When Mamá Tingó returned to her farm, she discovered that the foreman Ernesto Díaz (Durín), employee of the landholder, had released her pigs. She went to gather them, but the foreman was hidden and took advantage of the moment and shot her with a shotgun. Mamá Tingó tried to defend herself with a machete, but two shots, one in the head and one to the chest, killed her. She died in Hato Viejo at 52 years old.

Member of the Federation of Christian Agrarian Leagues, through which she fought for the rights of the farmworkers. She won the rights of more than 300 families to own their lands.

She is considered a symbol of the fight for land and an example of a rural woman; because of this, one of the stations on the Santo Domingo Metro system is named in her honor.

She was honored by the town council of Monte Plata with a statue that describes her work as an activist and fighter for the rights of agriculturalists.

“ Florinda Soriano, affectionally known as Mama Tingo, a Dominican Woman peasant, mother of 14 children, who was assassinated by a large landowner in 1974 fighting for her piece of land in the Dominican Republic. She has become a national symbol of female courage, strength, and resistance.”

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stone-man-warrior · 4 years

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June 13, 2020: 2:05 pm:

Neighborhood Assessment: A ten minute view while standing on my front walkway was largely unremarkable. It’s overcast and cool outside. There is no wind, no rain. It’s almost silent. Distant freeway traffic can be gleaned from the silence. A goat made goat sounds at Monroe’s terror cell. A big rig air-horn sounded twice with two short tones from somewhere nearby to the south, and sounded as if it was neither on Jackpine or Russell road, but somehow seemed as if the big rig was in the forest area behind Myers terror cell. The horn sound was accompanied by the sound of a truck moving through two gears to a stop. There is nothing to see from my front walkway other than trees, grass, my out buildings and my old broken car projects that are never going to happen because of the terror take-over. From my front walkway I can see the Chapman driveway, and some outbuildings there, and the Monroe Offensive Surveillance Travel Trailer is ever present and visible from my front walkway. Other than that, nothing but trees and forest. I have been noticing a slight increase in small bird diversity, but not an increase in number of small birds in the area. I am seeing a few species of small birds that I don’t recognize as being a local variety There are still no small forest critters other than grey squirrels. ===========================

I said some things yesterday about the offshore lumber mill, and how the lumber may have played a role in the housing of terror soldiers in Southern California in the 1980′s. I want explore that some more. The lumber mill offshore, has been there longer than I know. I learned of it in around 1985 when the lumber we were getting at the job-site had some Asian signature stamps printed on the lumber. Asian people use a wood block printing method to sign their name, it’s an Asian alphabet symbol that is unique to the person who made the stamp. Like a rubber stamp that you keep with you for signing. Every once in while, on a piece of lumber, there was one with a few of those Asian signature stamps randomly stamped onto the wood. Sometimes there were two or three different symbols, other times it was just one symbol on a two-by-four in the stack of new lumber that had been delivered to the job-site. I cut a piece of two-by-four that had one of those symbols on it, and took it to Ventura Blvd where I new of a man who was Asian, and might know what the stamps were about. The man was shocked, excited, and thanked me for bringing that into his shop. I did not understand what he was saying it meant, other than the explanation of the signature, and that it’s someone’s name, and some other information, all contained in small, one-inch by one and one-half inch stamp, or two, or three. I left the piece of two-by four with the man on Ventura. Later, more information about slaves on a boat invented the OSB Omnidimesional Structural Board product, and that is the stuff we were going to be using on the job-site instead of plywood. The carpenters hated the OSB at first, but we got used to it, and it became what it is, a staple in the construction of buildings. Later, the OSB was incorporated into the manufactured truss joisting products, and served as the web between cords... that’s all TMI, but is exemplary of the importance of a product that was developed by slaves on a boat. “The guys on the boat invented this stuff, we are going to use it instead of plywood, and see how it holds up.” Said the foreman. So, in 1980, USA had 20% interest rates to borrow from a bank to buy a house. It was a set-up. Business was stymied. The same way Corona Virus Lockdown is a set-up. People are stymied. Then, Reagan shows up, and suddenly the interest rates are suitable to borrow money again, and a (planned) housing boom happened in California. With Corona Virus, George Floyd murder created another kind of “Boom”, (planned) demonstrations, people all pissed off having been on “lockdown” for three months. I am asking that you see the #SAGcoup pattern, and tactic they use. It repeats. “Lock things up, then turn it all loose explosively” is the tactic.

So the boats making cheap lumber offshore with logs from US West Coast Forests in the years preceding and through the 1980 Ronald Reagan Housing Boom, was a set-up. The logs were going offshore. The lumber mills, in a housing boom, had to compete for access to logs. Lumber mills fell. They closed during a high demand time for the products they make. That was what the set-up was for, control of the lumber, all of the lumber. With fewer lumber mills around, the lumber industry is much easier to take-over. I have done absolutely zero research about this, it’s all from memory, so, if there are interested people who look at ways the terror takes over, the Reagan Housing Boom combined with the offshore slave lumber mills, to gain control of the entire US Lumber industry, while simultaneously building housing for the Ronald Reagan Commemorative Canadian Terror Army, is a good place to find some truth. The work necessary for that, was orchestrated by shill SAG Governors in Washington State, Oregon, and California, at minimum. That sudden reduction in interest rates from 20% is going to show the extent that the banking industries had been hijacked by the early 1980′s. That kind of “Lock it up, then release the Kraken” idea is one that repeats. It provides a “Known Control Point” when planned ahead of time. Puts a handle on an unwieldy, wild, thing, and does so, at a time of perceived chaos, SAG Style. There was no person by the name of George Floyd. The whole thing was/is staged to produce a time when the people who had been couped up for half of the year, were already about to pop like a ripe zit. The demonstrations that followed, came in the midst of lockdown, for a disease that does not exist. All planned, so the the killing of many thousands of people could take place in the resulting chaos at the demonstrations. The people who arrange the demonstrations provide the enticing bait for the ones who are locked up, and want to get outside anyway they can, they are the intended Victims. News Media is the boat the demonstrator event planners are riding on, and they throw the bait with use of Twitter, to many hundreds of thousands of people in a geographic area, where the police were already hijacked by SAG. The result is a mass taking of Victims, in the midst of live demonstrations and chaos, but offscreen. The show stays front and center, drawing in ever more Victims. The actual methods of kill, are varied and many within the chaos. Capture, torture, farm of assets and personal information, gain the cellular telephone of the Victim where the contact list is at, and then kill, and replace with suitable look-a-like impostor citizens from Canada, with help from the State Police who control the DMV, and with the blessings of the State Governor SAG Shills, US Congress, and US President. California Housing Boom, Ronald Reagan, 1981 helped to make the events taking place today, happen, by providing housing for the Canadian terror army, free of charge. End terror report: 3:15 pm.

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svtriteia · 4 years

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youtube

SEASON 6 / The Haul Out : Episode #121 : MAD PROPS (and Expensive Props)

Hello Friends, On this weeks episode we pull the prop off of our 1965 Alberg 30 Sailboat. It was a complete loss due to electrolytic corrosion.

For any of you who are just tuning in to our channel, This boat sat at the dock for 6 years without moving and likely didn't have the bottom done for about a decade. This kind of neglect meant that who knows when the last time a zinc was put on the boat. Once we hauled out the yard foreman Brad looked at the chip in the prop and pulled out his pocket knife and carved a piece of bronze off like it was cheese. He told me to pull it off and take it to Valley Prop in Ventura to find a replacement. He also told me to bring my gear ration information and all of my boat specs so Brian at Valley prop could tell me the correct pitch we would need for our boat. We first checked the salvage shop down the street hoping to put off buying a new prop for a while as this was SOOOOO not in the budget for the haul out. All the used props looked to be in about the same condition so I took Brad's advice and went down to Valley Prop. We got a new prop for $375 which wouldn't be a big deal if we were just buying the prop but with the growing mountain of expenses this haul out was creating it was an added stress to say the least. I learned a ton at Valley prop and I am grateful they let me film the conversation so I could share it with all of you. If you enjoy our channel please "Like" the videos and Subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. If you find the videos helpful or entertaining and would like to contribute to the refit or Camille's beer fund you can become a Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/sailorjames or if you would prefer to make a one time contribution you can send it via PAYPAL to [email protected] Love, James & Camille Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sailorjames

Website: http://svtriteia.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/james.the.sailor.man http://www.instagram.com/cum_eels

#sailboat

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constructionfirm · 6 years

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Contractors Profit with Functional Fabric Wall Systems

Contractors are discovering a new profit center by installing versatile, stretched fabric wall finishing systems instead of going with the usual options of paint, traditional upholstery, or wrapped panels.

The benefit of a stretched fabric wall surface is that it transforms a wall into a beautiful, functional surface. It is tackable like a bulletin board; has acoustical properties that reduce noise and sound transmission through walls; and can withstand high impact in high wear areas so is very low maintenance. The system is also versatile since refreshing the walls or updating the colors requires only changing out the fabric.

Such fabric wall finishing systems are easily installed on site. A variety of fabric types, colors and patterns are available. Even floor-to-ceiling, high definition graphics can be printed on the fabric.

Various multi-panel designs can be installed from railroad track designs to abstract, curved, and custom shaped patterns using flexible track. With so many options, site fabricated wall coverings can be used to conform to most architectural features.

Best of all, there are no up-front costs for contractors – and free training, support, and assistance is available to help them thrive when adding such offerings to their existing services.

“When I first installed a stretched fabric wall finishing system in my studio, I never dreamed it would lead to doing contract work in so many homes, offices, schools, restaurants, companies, and movie studios,” says John Cox, President of John Cox Integrations (JCI), a Southern California based contractor of residential/commercial remodeling and new construction.

“We have even done work on Steve Carell’s home theater, and Snoop Dogg’s production studio,” adds Cox. “The system has created a profitable business for us because there are so many opportunities for installing it.”

A Versatile New Approach In Cox’s case, the fabric wall finishing system he utilizes is manufactured by Fabricmate, a Ventura, CA based producer of innovative wall finishing systems.

To accommodate the diverse needs of contractors, the wall finishing supplier offers its products in a wide range of sizes from ready-to-hang premade panels and ready-to-install modular panel kits to site-fabricated wall finishing systems. The covering can be installed on top of any existing surface, so it can be used to quickly refresh a site’s look, or for complete remodels and new installations.

Each panel consists of three parts: a fabric covering, a backing material, and a fabric mounting frame. The fabric covering is stretched over the backing and held taut by the fabric mounting frame. This allows the panel surface to spring back when struck, effectively mitigating visible damage allowing for years of performance. The excess fabric is rolled into the frame for a clean look. The frame and backing can be reused, and the fabric changed out as desired.

The backing fills in the frame and covers the wall, providing a pinnable bulletin-board like surface for tacking things up, along with impact resistance and the ability to absorb reverberated sound waves that would otherwise bounce off the walls. The fabric mounting frame holds the fabric in place.

For contractors concerned about ease of installation and productivity, installing the wall finishing system can actually be faster than painting when preparation and clean up is taken into account.

“We can install a typical site fabricated Fabricmate wall finishing system faster than a drywall company can tape it, texture it, and paint it, including drying time,” says Chad Cossey, treasurer and lead foreman at Santa Maria Acoustical Co. Inc., a Grover Beach, CA based acoustical contractor specializing in suspended ceilings, acoustical/tackable wall panel systems, and wall protection systems.

The system can also install over unfinished drywall, so there is no need to mud, texture or prime; just tape the drywall joints. Additionally, the system can adjust to match out-of-true conditions so it can be installed on walls, ceilings, soffits and alcoves with no unsightly gaps.

“With traditional wrapped panel systems, we previously had to make the panels fit every spot,” says Cossey. “Now with the stretched fabric wall system, we can wrap columns, go around windows, and essentially do everything. The one system handles it all.”

Help With Projects and Profitability There is ample help available at no cost to contractors of any experience level looking to add the fabric wall finishing systems to their professional repertoire.

Cossey, for instance, appreciates the hands-on training and instruction that some manufacturers provide at the outset to get contractors started, teach installation shortcuts, and other tricks of the trade.

He acknowledges that online webinars are available today, as is access to best layout practices and instruction sheets. He notes, however, that early and ongoing manufacturer support can really make a difference in how quickly a contractor can learn the trade and become profitable.

“On our first project, Fabricmate sent a crew of people to work alongside us at our jobsite for a couple of days,” says Cossey. “This helped us quickly get up to speed, work through any questions, and successfully complete the job. Years later, I still consult with them once in awhile to get ideas and advice. I may ask ‘How do you think this would work?’ on more complex projects.”

Other job support is provided to contractors as well, such as online access to various project resources. These can range from a material calculator to a submittal and substitution builder, which can help contractors quickly gather all the data sheets, testing documents, and certifications needed to create a complete submittal or substitution.

Some manufacturers will also work directly with contractors in the concept and planning stages of a project. This can assist in the design, functional requirement analysis, layout, material selection, and setting of installation schedules to help contractors meet client requirements as cost effectively as possible.

JCI’s Cox relates how good manufacturer support can help contractors profitably expand their opportunities along with their skillset.

“Installation on square walls is easy, but when you get to more intricate work like wall soffits, ceilings, and curvy, wavy designs, that is when consulting with a manufacturer like Fabricmate can really help,” says Cox. “They will tell you where and how to run the track, where to cut it, and how to go around obstacles to get the job done right, while saving time and money.”

Cox appreciates the manufacturer’s help on a recent sophisticated job.

“When I installed a fabric wall system at a home studio, they helped me achieve a look like the cockpit of a Star Wars spaceship, with a circle and a graphic on it,” concludes Cox. “They have helped me from day one and are a major reason my business has grown to where it is today.”

For more information, call (866) 622-2996; email [email protected]; visit www.fabricmate.com; or write to Fabricmate Systems at 2781 Golf Course Drive, Unit A, Ventura, CA 93003

#construction

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anothersievefistedfind · 7 years

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Photo © by Ben Clark

Fugazi, Ventura Theater, Ventura, CA USA 2/19/99 (FLS #0892)

This recording showcases the second gig of the 1999 Fugazi West Coast tour and harkens back to their one-off performance at the (Majestic) Ventura Theater, a venue in downtown Ventura, California, "minutes from the Valley and Santa Barbara." The 1200 cap theater and a flanking office building are reported to have been designed by architect L. A. Smith, displaying a 1920’s Mission Style Architecture design once favored by architects of motion picture theaters.

The recording presents some 22 live tracks, culled from various albums, i.e. Furniture EP (1), End Hits (9), Red Medicine (4), In on the Kill Taker (2), Steady Diet of Nothing (2), Repeater (3), 3 Songs seveninch (1). Their earliest work, i.e. Margin Walker EP, and 7 Songs EP are not featured this time.

The set opens rather remarkably with Cassavetes, well at least the ending of the song, reportedly because the tape recorder was started late. Other audio discrepancies relate to volume drop-outs or inconsistencies in the right channel due to a "bad cable." After Bed For The Scraping, the audio levels pretty much balance out, the mix being pitch-perfect for the remainder of the recording.

The performance is solid overall, with few mistakes dotted around the place. I feel that Joe in particular takes the cake here, laying down some nice lines on bass (cf. Long Division, Recap Modotti or Sweet and Low). My highlight probably is the nice and subtle version of Two Beats Off (w/ Summertime / The Place I Love tags) which rather unusually includes a handful of bass lines at the beginning of the song as well.

However, other than all things music, I find that the recording offers little more since there is not much else going on, the band appearing not in a particular good mood and banter being limited to Ian addressing the issue of crowd-surfing and someone messing about with some water.

Partial footage of this show (starting at Long Division) is available through YouTube, cf. here and here.

The set list:

1. Cassavetes 2. Merchandise 3. Place Position 4. Reclamation 5. Interlude 1 6. Foreman's Dog 7. Long Division 8. Blueprint 9. Bed For The Scraping 10. Interlude 2 11. FD 12. Closed Captioned 13. Forensic Scene 14. Five Corporations 15. Downed City 16. Furniture 17. Two Beats Off 18. Interlude 3 19. Song #1 20. Interlude 4 21. Arpeggiator 22. Break 23. Target 24. Recap Modotti 25. Pink Frosty 26. Sweet and Low

#FLS1999 #fugazi #dischord #ventura theater #ventura #california

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coin-river-blog · 5 years

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Ross Ulbricht’s clemency petition is closing in on 160,000 signatures stemming from individuals asking U.S. President Donald Trump to pardon Ulbricht. In addition to the vast number of signatures, roughly 100 eminent organizations and well known figures have supported Ulbricht’s effort, many of whom have written a statement on Ulbricht’s behalf in order to speak out against his draconian double-life prison sentence for creating a website.

Also read: Strong Evidence Suggests a Single Entity Mined More Than 1 Million Bitcoin

Close to 160,000 Signatures and Widespread Support for Ross Ulbricht

Ross Ulbricht is serving a double-life sentence, plus forty years in prison without the chance of parole. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest back in 2015 and Ulbricht has spent a number of years behind bars. Since Ulbricht was sentenced, a great number of individuals and organizations have supported him over the years and just recently his family created a petition asking Trump to grant Ulbricht clemency.

At the time of writing, the petition has gathered a whopping 158,602 signatures and the family hopes to reach 200,000 soon. Scrolling through the commentary shows people who have signed the petition believe that Ulbricht’s sentencing was unfair to give to a person who just created a website where others sold drugs. Ulbricht’s punishment for operating the Silk Road marketplace is far harsher than even murderers and many other darknet creators have received much lesser sentences.

Moreover, with Ulbricht receiving a great number of signatures from people who support his cause, there’s also a wide range of statements addressed to Trump stemming from prominent businesses, well known political activists, celebrities and crypto luminaries.

For instance, the assistant secretary of housing under U.S. President George H.W. Bush details in her statement that she would like to see Ross free as soon as possible. “I am but one of the thousands – growing to millions – of people who intend to see Ross Ulbricht walk free, putting an end to a saga that began in 2013 and that constitutes one of the worst examples of prosecutorial abuse the United States has suffered yet,” Catherine Austin Fitts’ statement explains. The popular political party in the United States that promotes free markets and individual freedoms, the Libertarian Party, also would like to see Trump grant Ulbricht clemency. The political party states:

The Libertarian Party has requested President Trump grant a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht.

The Ulbricht Trial and Sentencing Was a ‘Shocking Miscarriage of Justice’

There are countless influential people supporting Ross who have made specific statements on his behalf. The world-renowned scholar, historian and political activist Noam Chomsky calls Ulbricht’s sentence a “shocking miscarriage of justice.” Television personality and show host John Stossel says “No American is safer because Ross Ulbricht is in jail for life — He is just one more casualty of our futile war against drugs.” The popular actor Keanu Reeves notes that Ulbricht’s cruel sentencing affects us all. “The Silk Road and trial of Ross Ulbricht involve many important and complex issues that impact the life of Mr. Ulbricht and us all,” Reeves highlights in his statement.

The Republican U.S. Senator from Maine, Eric Brakey, reveals in his declarative support for Ross that he believes Ulbricht was treated unfairly by our criminal justice system. “[It is] terrible to learn that the Judge considered pending charges during sentencing that were later dismissed — This is not how our criminal justice system is supposed to work,” Senator Brakey added. The former Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, feels the same way and thinks that most online articles concerning this case “present false or misleading information.” The CEO of the financial publication Business Insider believes Ulbricht’s sentence will also cost U.S. taxpayers.

“Ulbricht’s life sentence won’t deter others from giving Americans access to the drugs they want — It won’t ‘protect’ society,” Henry Blodget noted. It won’t ‘serve justice’ in some moral or cosmic sense. It will just waste another life behind bars and cost non-incarcerated taxpayers about $2 million over Ulbricht’s 50-year remaining life expectancy.”

The widespread support for Ulbricht continues to show that many people adamantly disagree with Ulbricht’s sentencing and would like to see him walk away a free man. The list of well known organizations and influential people is filled with many more statements from people like Reason’s EIC Nick Gillespie, Bitcoin.com’s CEO Roger Ver, film director Alex Winter, angel investor Tim Draper, libertarian author Lew Rockwell, and political commentator Tom Woods.

Ulbricht is also supported by many organizations such as the American Black Cross, Cato Institute, Downsizedc.org, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Foundation for Economic Education, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Parallel Polis, Students for Liberty, and more. Essentially, the signatories and statements bolster the evidence that Ross’s investigation, trial, and sentencing were rife with abuse and he did not get a fair trial. The Ulbricht family hopes the thousands of signatures and the 100 proclamations from people will help convince Trump to pardon Ross.

What do you think about all the individuals and organizations that support Ross Ulbricht’s clemency? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image credits: Freeross.org, and Pixabay.

Not up to date on the news? Listen to This Week in Bitcoin, a podcast updated each Friday.

Tags in this story

160K Signatures, American Black Cross, Bitcoin, Catherine Austin Fitts, Cato Institute, Cryptocurrency, Donald Trump, Doug Casey, Downsizedc.org, Electronic Frontier Foundation, FEE, Free Ross, Henry Blodget, Jesse Ventura, John Stossel, Jolene Foreman, Keanu Reeves, N-Featured, Noam Chomsky, Parallel Polis, petition, Ross Ulbricht, Students For Liberty, Tim Draper, Trump

Jamie Redman

Jamie Redman is a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open source code, and decentralized applications. Redman has written thousands of articles for news.Bitcoin.com about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

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marianajacqueline45 · 6 years

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Hoy cumple años Zooey Deschanel 38 años es una actriz, comediante, cantante, modelo, productora y compositora estadounidense. Debutó en el cine en 1999, con la película Mumford y más tarde consiguió su papel estelar en la película semi-autobiográfica que Cameron Crowe hizo en 2000, Casi famosos, donde interpretaba a Anita, la joven rebelde hermana mayor del protagonista William Miller. Deschanel pronto se hizo conocida por su humor seco, por sus grandes ojos azules y por sus interpretaciones como una "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" con papeles en películas como Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Bridge to Terabithia (2007) The Happening (2008), Yes Man (2008), y (500) Days of Summer(2009). Actualmente protagoniza la serie de Fox New Girl, por la que ha sido nominada al Globo de Oro, a los Grammy , a los Emmy y a los People's Choice Awards en numerosas ocasiones. Por su interpretación en New Girl recibió el premio Critic's Choice Award a mejor actriz, otorgado por la asociación de críticos de la televisión estadounidense. Desde 2001, Deschanel también actúa con su compañera, la también actriz, Samantha Shelton en los números de jazz cabaret de su grupo If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies. Además de cantar, toca el teclado, la percusión, el banjo y el ukelele. En 2006, Deschanel se asoció con M. Ward para lanzar su álbum debut Volume One (grabado con M. Ward bajo el nombre de She & Him) que finalmente se publicó en marzo de 2008. Su segundo álbum Volume Two fue publicado dos años más tarde en los EE.UU. El tercer disco de la banda, Volume Three, recibió críticas muy positivas y fue un éxito de ventas. En agosto de 2014, Deschanel y Ward anunciaron el lanzamiento de Classics, un álbum en el que interpretarán versiones de clásicos de la música norteamericana y que salió a la venta en diciembre de 2014. Es habitual también que Deschanel cante en sus películas. Hoy cumple años Betty White 96 años es una comediante, actriz, exmodelo y productora ejecutivaestadounidense que desarrolló una extensa carrera en Hollywood y adquirió reconocimiento internacional por su interpretación del papel de Rose Nylund en la exitosa comedia de situación The Golden Girlsde los años 1980. Comenzó a actuar en la década de 1940, convirtiéndose en actriz de radio y en una de las primeras figuras importantes de la entonces naciente industria de la televisión en los Estados Unidos. Desde entonces, es considerada como una de las figuras más representativas del humorismo. En 1939, White empezó a trabajar como modelo y más tarde comenzó con su carrera como actriz en el teatro Bliss Hayden Little. En los años 1940 participó en varios programas radiales, pero ganó atención de la prensa recién en 1949 cuando fue elegida para co-presentar el programa de televisión Hollywood on Television. En 1952, fue fundamental en la creación de la comedia de situación Life with Elizabeth, en la que compartía créditos con Del Moore y Jack Narz. El show terminó en 1955, después de 65 episodios. White fue etiquetada como la «Primera Dama de los concursos», refiriéndose a sus muchas apariciones en programas televisivos de concursos. En 1974, se unió al elenco de la serie The Mary Tyler Moore Show, protagonizada por la actriz Mary Tyler Moore, que se transmitió hasta 1977. Galardonada con siete premios Emmy, protagonizó junto a Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan y Estelle Getty la exitosa serie televisiva The Golden Girls, que se que transmitió por NBC desde 1985 a 1992. Tras el éxito de la misma, White continuó con personajes importantes en cine y televisión. Sus últimas actuaciones incluyen una participación en el ciclo Saturday Night Live(2010) y unas valoradas actuaciones como anciana jovial y graciosa en películas como The Proposal y series como Hot in Cleveland. En la actualidad, es la actriz más longeva de Hollywood, como así también una de las últimas sobrevivientes de la televisión estadounidense de la década de 1950. En el Libro Guinness de los récords de 2014, Betty está oficialmente reconocida como la actriz con la carrera más larga. Hoy cumple años Jim Carrey 56 años es un actor, humorista, cantante y escritorcanadiense-estadounidense. Es conocido por sus interpretaciones con humor slapstick, y por su labor actoral ganó dos Premios Globo de Oro y fue candidato a un Premio BAFTA.Su camino como intérprete comenzó a finales de la década de 1970, cuando empezó a actuar como comediante en vivo en el club Yuk Yuk's, ubicado en Toronto. Después de obtener cierto prestigio, en 1981 comenzó a trabajar en The Comedy Store de Los Ángeles, donde fue visto por el humorista Rodney Dangerfield, quien inmediatamente firmó con él la apertura de sus giras de actuaciones. Carrey, con mucho interés en el cine y la televisión, desarrolló una amistad cercana con el humorista Damon Wayans, que le consiguió un papel en el exitoso programa de humor In Living Color, en el que interpretó a varios personajes durante 1990. Después de obtener éxito en series de televisión y varias películas de bajo presupuesto, protagonizó la comedia Ace Ventura, que se estrenó en febrero de 1994 y recaudó poco más de 72 millones de dólaresen Estados Unidos. La película tuvo una secuela en 1995 titulada Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, en la que repitió el papel de detective de mascotas. Le siguieron otros exitosos papeles como el de Stanley Ipkiss en The Mask, que le valió una nominación al Globo de Oro como mejor actor en una comedia o musical, Lloyd Christmas en la cinta Dumb and Dumber, ambas de 1994; y a Fleetcher Reed en Liar Liar de 1997. En 1999 y 2000 ganó el Globo de Oro por sus actuaciones en The Truman Show y Man on the Moon, respectivamente. Desde que ganó ambos premios, Carrey continuó protagonizando comedias, incluyendo How the Grinch Stole Christmas(2000), Bruce Almighty (2003), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events(2004), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Yes Man (2008), A Christmas Carol (2009) y Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011). También interpretó roles dramáticos, incluyendo a Joel Barish en Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), junto a Kate Winslet y Kirsten Dunst, que le dio otra nominación al Globo de Oro, y Steven Jay Russell en I Love You Phillip Morris (2009). En 2014 protagonizó la secuela de Dumb & Dumber, Dumb and Dumber To, que fue un éxito en taquilla. Se casó en dos ocasiones, primero con Melissa Womer, con la cual contrajo matrimonio de 1987 a 1995, y luego con la actriz Lauren Holly, con quien solo convivió un año. Después, Carrey se relacionó con la actrices Renée Zellweger, a quien conoció durante la filmación de la película Me, Myself & Irene, la directora Laurie Holden y la modelo Jenny McCarthy. En 2012 comenzó una relación sentimental con Cathriona White, quien falleció a causa de una sobredosis de fármacos en 2015. Hoy cumple años James Earl Jones 87 años es un actor estadounidense. Su extensa carrera incluye grandes éxitos de taquilla como Star Wars(Episodios IV (1977), V (1980), VI (1983), III(2005) y Rogue One (2016), El rey león (I(1994), II (1998) y La Guardia del León (2015), Conan el Bárbaro (1982), El príncipe de Zamunda (1988), Campo de sueños (1989), La caza del Octubre Rojo (1990), Juego de patriotas (1992) y Peligro inminente (1994). Es hijo del también actor Robert Earl Jones.En 2011 fue galardonado con el Oscar honorífico, junto a Dick Smith y Oprah Winfrey. Hoy cumpliría años Muhammad Ali ( 1942 -2016) fue un boxeador estadounidense, considerado el mejor de todos los tiempos, o uno de los más destacados. Fue una figura social de enorme influencia en su generación, en la política y en las luchas sociales o humanitarias a favor de los afroamericanos y del islam.En su etapa amateur, logró la medalla de oro en los Juegos Olímpicos de Roma 1960 y, como profesional, ganó el título de campeón indiscutido de la categoría de los pesos pesados en 1964 a la edad de veintidós años, el cual recobraría diez años después. En 1978, consiguió otro cetro de campeón, lo que le convirtió en el primer boxeador en ostentar en tres ocasiones un título mundial en dicha categoría. Se caracterizó por su estilo de boxeo alejado de la técnica tradicional, aunque era un conocedor del deporte y de sus contrincantes. Fue dirigido la mayor parte de su carrera por el entrenador Angelo Dundee, y sostuvo memorables combates contra los más renombrados pugilistas de su tiempo, como Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman y Ken Norton. Seis de sus peleas han sido consideradas como las mejores del año por la revista The Ring. Vertía tanto opiniones claramente irreverentes sobre sus oponentes, como acertados pronósticos de sus contiendas. Fuera del cuadrilátero, Muhammad Ali se erigió como una figura con influencia social desde los años 1960 cuando se opuso a su reclutamiento por parte de las fuerzas armadas de su país durante la guerra de Vietnam. Se declaró objetor de conciencia, pese al rechazo de los defensores del nacionalismo estadounidense. Formó parte de la organización religiosa de la Nación del Islam y, aunque se ganó detractores por su conducta independiente de los estereotipos sobre los afroamericanos, a partir de los años 1970 consiguió el respeto como figura deportiva de renombre mundial, en especial tras su pelea contra George Foreman.En el ocaso de su carrera, empezó a dar muestras de desgaste físico; después de su retiro padeció la enfermedad de Parkinson. Entre numerosos reconocimientos recibió la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad; el ingreso al Salón Internacional de la Fama del Boxeo; el título de «Rey del Boxeo» por parte del Consejo Mundial de Boxeo; y «Deportista del Siglo XX» por Sports Illustrated y la BBC, entre otros. Fallecimiento El 3 de junio de 2016 falleció por choque séptico provocado por causas naturales no especificadas a la edad de 74 años en un hospital en Phoenix,donde había sido ingresado por problemas respiratorios el día anterior. Las exequias se llevaron a cabo el día 10 de junio, en las que el cortejo fúnebre atravesó la ciudad de Louisville hasta culminar en el cementerio de Cave Hill donde fueron quemados sus restos. El día anterior se había celebrado una ceremonia bajo el rito islámico. Tras la inhumación, otra ceremonia interreligiosa tuvo lugar en el KFC Yum! Center donde se brindaron elogios fúnebres por parte de familiares cercanos y otras personalidades como Bill Clinton y Billy Crystal. Entre los portadores del féretro se encontraban Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson y Will Smith. Hoy cumpliría años Andy Kaufman ( 1949 - 1984)fue un comediante estadounidense. Prefería denominarse a sí mismo "artista de variedades", asegurando que "nunca he contado un chiste en mi vida". Es uno de los exponentes del movimiento de anti-humor. También fue compositor. Estudió artes televisivas en la universidad, lo que influyó en su trabajo posterior. Muerte Kaufman murió en el hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center en Los Ángeles el 16 de mayode 1984, tan solo 6 meses después del diagnóstico de su enfermedad, a la edad de 35 años. Según su autopsia, fue producto de un fallo renal causado por una metástasis de un carcinoma pulmonar de células grandes. Su cuerpo fue enterrado en el cementerio de Beth David en Elmont, Nueva York, (Long Island). Se dice que el día de su muerte la enfermera que se encontraba en la habitación intentó cerrarle los ojos, pero los abrió nuevamente como si se tratara de una última broma. Aunque fue diagnosticado en 1983, su enfermedad se mantuvo en secreto casi hasta el día de su muerte debido en parte a que las personas más cercanas a él parecían no creerle, y también debido a que sus creencias dictaban que debía rodearse solo de vibraciones positivas, algo casi imposible por la imagen que él mismo se había creado. Muchos han dudado de la veracidad del fallecimiento, preguntándose si no se trataría en realidad del último chiste de Andy Kaufman. Sus familiares y amigos aseguran que el cómico nunca bebió ni fumó, y que seguía una dieta vegetariana. Se culpa de la dolencia a sus años de trabajo en clubs, en los que mantenía contactos prolongados con fumadores. También corre el rumor de que Kaufman simuló su muerte para volver 20 años después, aunque en 2004 no hubo noticias de tal leyenda urbana. Solo tras la muerte del actor, se hizo público que había tenido una hija, María, fruto de una antigua relación, a cuya paternidad fue obligado a renunciar. Ni siquiera ella conocía la identidad de su padre hasta que se anunció a los medios. Dicha hija aparece en el final de un programa especial a Kaufman llamado "A comedy salute to Andy Kaufman". Hoy se cumple 15 años de la muerte de Richard Crenna (1926 - 2003) fue un actor de cineestadounidense. Tuvo una extensa carrera, actuando en películas tales como El Yang-Tsé en llamas, Sola en la oscuridad, Fuego en el cuerpo, Acorralado (y sus posteriores secuelas de Rambo como el coronel Samuel Trautman), Hot Shots 2 y The Flamingo Kid. Carrera Inició su carrera interpretativa en la radio, actuando en los programas My Favorite Husband, Boy Scout Jamboree, A Date With Judy, The Great Gildersleeve y Our Miss Brooks. Continuó en el reparto del último, cuando fue trasladada su emisión a la televisión. Tras Our Miss Brooks, actuó en otro programa televisivo, The Real McCoys, protagonizado por Walter Brennan. Además, Crenna interpretó el papel principal en la temporada de 1964 de la serie Slattery's People. Trabajó en el Cañonero del Yang-Tsé junto a Steve McQueen . Es mundialmente conocido por su papel de "Coronel Trautman", antiguo superior de John Rambo, en la trilogía sobre este personaje. Donde tiene su máxima participación en Rambo III, luchando codo a codo con el protagonista del film, en una escena donde está siendo torturado dice una de las frases más célebres de la saga : le preguntan si Rambo se cree Dios al enfrentar solo a comandos rusos entrenados, y el coronel Trautman responde que Dios no, porque él tendría misericordia, y Rambo no. Tuvo una extensa carrera´interpretativa e interpretó a personajes con responsabilidades de mando con cierto éxito. Tiene una estrella en el Paseo de la Fama de Hollywood, en el 6714 de Hollywood Boulevard. Vida personal Estuvo casado con Penni Sweeney, desde el año 1959 hasta 2003, año en que falleció a causa de un cáncer de páncreas, en Los Ángeles, California, a los 76 años de edad. En la época de su muerte tenía un papel en la serie Judging Amy. Tuvo dos hijos, y uno de ellos, Richard Anthony Crenna, es también actor.

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buildercar · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.buildercar.com/the-apollo-gt-and-devin-c-two-all-american-mashups-forgotten-by-time/

The Apollo GT and Devin C: Two All-American Mashups Forgotten By Time

Bud Bourassa, I’m about to learn, is a man prone to understatement.

“The Devin is like driving a skateboard,” he tells me. “It’s very quick and really responsive.” As for the Apollo GT, “You have to be pretty attentive. It’s a fun car to drive, but it takes concentration.”

In retrospect, I should have taken him more seriously.

Bourassa is a car collector from Scottsdale, Arizona, and he’s agreed to let me drive two of the rarest American cars in his collection. His Devin C is one of about 25 made, and it was Bill Devin’s own prototype. The Apollo GT is one of 39 examples built by the short-lived International Motor Cars company and one of only two automatics. Both cars stand as reminders of how difficult it is to get traction in the automotive business: Conceived in the same era, they launched hard and wound up flaming out.

Devin started his business building race cars, but he was best known for his fiberglass bodies. Made in 27 sizes to fit every chassis from Crosley to Corvette—all of which sold for the low price of just $295—these Ferrari Monza-inspired shells were a fixture of the 1950s and ’60s era sports-car culture.

Stuck for a powerplant for his low-cost sports car, Bill Devin found the answer in the Corvair’s flat-six. Milt Brown believed Buick’s aluminum 215 V-8 was an ideal mill for his GT.

Still, turn-key sports cars were Devin’s dream, and in 1958 he introduced his Chevrolet-powered Devin Super Sport. It was ridiculously fast, but at $5,950 it cost more than a Cadillac. By 1961, the price was $10,000. Devin needed a low-cost model, so he designed the Devin D (for Deutschland), a rear-engine car using either Volkswagen or Porsche power. There was just one problem: Devin’s race cars were embarrassing Porsche at Riverside International Raceway in California, and as a result Stuttgart had little interest in selling him engines. The VW Bug’s mill was easier to come by, but 36 horsepower didn’t quite cut it.

Devin found his solution in the 1960 Corvair. He kept the D’s VW-sourced front end and installed the Corvair’s engine, transaxle, and rear suspension. Devin asked motorsports legend Stirling Moss to evaluate the car. Moss advised him to add one more beam to stiffen the frame. Once that was sorted, the Devin C was born.

The C was made with weekend racers in mind, but the Apollo GT was more of an American answer to European GTs. It was dreamed up by a young California engineer named Milt Brown, styled by Art Center graduate Ron Plescia then later restyled by Franco Scaglione in Italy. Brown saw great potential in Buick’s all-new 1961 Special—not only the light and powerful all-aluminum 215 cubic-inch V-8 but the suspension as well, particularly the rear axle’s four-link coil-spring setup. All were adopted and improved for the Apollo. Carrozzeria Automobili Intermeccanica of Turin, Italy, hand-built and assembled the bodies, frames, and interiors and shipped them to the newly formed International Motor Cars in Oakland, California, for installation of the mechanicals.

Apollo Mission: The GT bears more than a passing resemblance to a Ferrari 275 GTB. But once you turn the key, there’s no mistaking the rumble of the American V-8.

The GT was light (at 2,440 pounds, it was 700 pounds lighter than a fiberglass-bodied Corvette), and it was quick for its time—0 to 60 mph in a claimed 7.5 seconds, though contemporary magazines timed it about a second slower. It went on sale in 1963 for $6,597, midway between a Jaguar XKE and a Mercedes-Benz 230SL.

Reviews were good. “Handles as well or better than a 2+2 Ferrari, an Aston DB4, and a Sting Ray Corvette,” racer and respected journalist Denise McCluggage wrote in Science and Mechanics magazine. In 1964, IMC added a convertible and a new version with an iron-block 300 cubic-inch Buick engine that became known as the 5000 GT, with the 215-powered cars adopting the 3500 GT moniker.

Settling in behind the Apollo’s big, wood-rimmed wheel, it’s easy to see the European parallels: Its leather-lined interior is snug and very obviously handmade, and the Jaeger gauges are labeled in Italian. The windshield pillars are stick-thin, and the hood seems to extend for miles. But one twist of the key, and visions of Modena are quickly forgotten. The engine rumbles to life with a delicious Detroit soundtrack.

Bourassa wasn’t kidding when he said the Apollo requires attention. With the R-1-2-N-P shift pattern of its Dual Path Turbine Drive automatic, selecting a forward gear is a challenge. But even with the automatic transmission—remember, it was the Dynaflow from which this transmission is derived that gave us the term “slushbox”—the bantamweight Apollo is eager to take off. But it’s not so eager to stop. The brakes are drums all around with no power assist, and the pedal rides so high I feel like I have to touch my knee to my chin just to get my foot on it.

The steering wheel is offset far to the right, and despite the fact the Apollo is fitted with unassisted steering and an extended pitman arm to effectively speed up the ratio, it still responds like a Kennedy-era Buick. It has an independent spirit and an insatiable urge to venture off in new directions on its own initiative. Driving it makes me wonder how anyone survived the 1960s.

Leather-lined interior and Jaeger gauges give the Apollo a European feel. Matching luggage was a lucky swap meet find. This is one of two automatic IMC Apollos. Note the funky shift pattern.

The Devin C is a completely different experience, more race car than road car. Devin offered the C with engines rated from 80 to 150 hp, with the highest-spec model using the turbo unit from the Chevy Corvair Corsa. Bourassa’s Devin has a naturally aspirated engine with a multi-carb setup, and a dyno test revealed 180 horsepower—plenty for a car that weighs about 1,400 pounds.

First gear in the close-ratio four speed is funky, if you can even find it. This is still a ’50s-era American transmission. Once you’re in second, you really start to boogie. I expected the Corvair mill to echo the sophisticated thrum of a Porsche flat-six, but the largely unrestricted exhaust on Bourassa’s car belts out a bratty blat like a demon Volkswagen. The Devin steers a bit like a Volkswagen, too. There’s more on-center play than I expected, but once it begins to respond to the wheel it never stops. This car lives to change direction.

The Devin C is street legal but a race car at heart. This is Bill Devin’s original prototype, which once ran 167 mph at Bonneville with an experimental supercharger.

Like the Apollo, this Devin has drum brakes, and it takes a deliberate foot on the pedal to haul it in. Clearly the car was meant to go, not stop. Out of respect for its rarity—and a passing concern for Scottsdale’s traffic laws—I remain mostly at second-gear speeds. The Apollo got my blood pressure up, but the Devin is pure adrenaline. I never wanted to stop driving it, a plan the brakes clearly agreed with.

So what happened to Devin and Apollo? In the end, both companies simply ran out of cash.

“I think [Devin] was undercapitalized, like most startup businesses,” Bourassa says. A successful businessman himself, he knows a thing or two about running a company. “There just wasn’t money there to research and build the cars. He sold a lot of fiberglass bodies for $295, and you can’t make a lot of money doing that.” Devin sold just 25 Model Cs between 1959 and 1965, when he finally threw in the towel.

A similar fate befell International Motor Cars, despite high demand.

“They had orders they couldn’t fill,” Bourassa explains. “They were buying the motor, the suspension, and all the running parts over the counter from Buick. They owed Intermeccanica a lot of money for the production they had already shipped.” With some 39 cars completed, Intermeccanica demanded payment, and IMC went bankrupt.

Owner Bud Bourassa and bodyman Kurt Sowder handmade the low-profile Plexiglas windshield. “We finished the car,” Bourassa says, “the way we thought Bill [Devin] would want it to be.”

Vanguard Industries of Dallas, Texas, which made aftermarket air-conditioners, bought 19 bodies and continued production as the Vetta Ventura, though it reportedly finished only 11 cars before going belly up in 1965. The Apollo went back into production in late ’64 under its own name, with Intermeccanica shipping 24 bodies to the freshly minted Apollo Industries of Pasadena, California. But that company completed only 14 cars before it, too, became insolvent. A shop foreman bought and assembled six bodies. Four went unclaimed at the dock and were sold at a customs auction and assembled. In total, 90 Apollo GTs and Vetta Venturas were built.

Today, it seems only a handful of hardcore collectors and historians know about the Apollo or the Devin.

“We take them to a show, and we just get bombarded,” Bourassa says. “‘What is it? What is it?’ You can spend your whole day answering questions.” He’s only too happy to answer. Bourassa is keeping the faded American dreams of Bill Devin and Milt Brown alive. “I like cars that are limited-production and unique,” he says.

Take that as his ultimate understatement.

Apollo: Bashed panels and Bondo

Bud Bourassa fell in love with the first Apollo he ever saw, a red 5000 GT on the “Still for Sale” lot at a Barrett-Jackson auction. He restored the car and later sold it but soon decided he wanted another.

“One day I get a call: ‘There’s an Apollo on Craigslist!’ I called the guy and said, ‘I want the car. I’ll overnight a check, and then I’ll come look at it.’ His parents each had an Apollo. His mother was 87 and quit driving. It looked beautiful, and it drove fairly well, and I knew they were few and far between, so I bought it.”

But it turned out the car’s beauty was barely skin deep.

“I had a guy soda-blast the paint off, and it was Bondo everywhere! His mother had crashed every corner. They used a slide hammer, then Bondoed it in.”

Bourassa sent the Apollo to the body shop for new panels and almost lost the car.

“It was there for six or eight months,” Bourassa remembers. “Finally they called and said, ‘It’s done.’ It was 114 degrees, and I said, ‘I don’t really want to go get the thing, it’s so hot.’ But I hooked up the trailer, drove into Phoenix, and loaded it up, and that night the place burned down. Everything in it was destroyed.”

The fire left Kurt Sowder, who did the metalwork, out of a job, so Bourassa hired him. And as it turned out, there was still plenty to do on the Apollo.

“The front clip was badly smashed and puttied,” Bourassa explains, “so we got a new one made in Italy. The guy cut it in half to save on freight! I just about crapped. I called him on the phone: ‘Why? Why?’ He said, ‘Well, it’s a lot cheaper to ship in smaller boxes.’ We had to put it back together without making it look wavy. It was really a job.”

It was only later that Bourassa learned just how rare his Apollo was. Not only was it one of just two automatic-transmission examples, but it was also the second car off the production line despite having serial number 0005.

“They didn’t want the customers to think it was the second car built, so they gave themselves a little cushion,” Bourassa explains. An outside fuel-filler flap, downward-angled switches, and chrome trim around the secondary gauges mark this as one of the first two cars built.

Despite its rarity, Bourassa drives it regularly.

“People say, ‘Are you driving it?’ Well, yeah. You can’t just let it sit and deteriorate.”

Keeping Devin’s Dream Alive

While Bourassa went looking for the Apollo, his Devin C found him.

“This was Bill Devin’s car,” Bourassa explains.

“I have pictures of it racing at Riverside. All of the famous racers we know, from Stirling Moss to Dan Gurney, they raced against it. Bill Devin painted it gold so it wouldn’t be confused with Max Balchowsky’s yellow car, Ol’ Yeller.

“Bill Devin was approached by Andy Granatelli, who was in the process of developing the McCullough supercharger. He wanted to mount it on the Devin. The supercharger wouldn’t fit in the engine compartment, so they cut a hole in the back fender. He ran something like 120 mph.” The car clocked an 11.94-second quarter mile at 117 mph and also ran 167 mph at Bonneville, though it was never timed officially. The experiment done, the supercharger was removed. “There’s a picture of it on the track with the hole patched in,” Bourassa adds.

“Bill decided to restore it, and before he finished he passed away. The family sold it to another gentleman in Arizona, and lo and behold he passed away, so the family was looking for someone to finish the project. I was recommended by a few mutual friends, and I bought the car. The body had been painted, but there wasn’t much else done. It was a lot of parts and pieces and an old Corvair motor.”

Because of the car’s unique history, Bourassa had some flexibility with how it was finished.

“It’s not like doing a restoration on a Jaguar E-type, where every nut and screw has to be a certain manufacturer. You can take liberties. We finished the car the way we thought Bill would want it to be.

“The windscreen and the side windows are something we wanted to do. Bill sold the cars with an old-fashioned upright windshield with chrome around it. Ugly as hell. I wanted a screen that went all the way around and on to the doors, so that’s what we did. Kurt molded it out of Plexiglas. We also did the headlight covers. We heated them up in the barbecue! Two-hundred-twenty degrees, and they just shrunk over the form.”

Asked about the Devin’s lasting appeal, Bourassa says, “It’s unique, and it’s something I can finish up and create.”

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