A few weeks afterwards I received an e-mail or a call from the guy who asked my advice on acquiring a Clenet. I always enjoy conversations about the car and must have stayed on the phone with Bob for quite some time. During the conversation, I walked him through the many ways I utilize the Internet to find what I'm looking for. We entered many different search queries to try and find any available Series I Clenet Roadsters that might be for sale. There are a few available, mostly in the Southern California area, however they're not the color combination Bob is looking for. Bob thinks the car would look gorgeous in black.
I directed Bob to both of the Clenet enthusiast websites where he picked out a few he liked, including #200 that is about an hour's drive from Bob's home...and clear across the state from me!
Bob put the Internet to task and searched every person with the matching name of the listed owner of car #200 and called him to inquire if he would be willing to sell his car. Mario too phoned Dave a few years ago just after we agreed to purchase our car, #229 while it was being shipped to us from Texas. We needed to learn about correct tire size among some other information in order to get some parts ordered to ensure the local Ford dealer would have the correct stock when our car arrived. Dave was more than generous with his time and spoke to Mario in detail about his car. Mario was very eager to learn of the modifications Dave made to his car.
Fast forward to late September when Bob called me to say that he and Dave have opened a dialogue regarding Dave's car. Bob e-mailed some pix of car #200 and told me that he would be seeing the car soon. The owner, Dave also invited Mario and I through Bob to come see the car. We were able to sync our schedules as this would be an all-day event for Mario and I. Mario and I agreed to drive our Clenet the 250+ miles and met Bob at Dave's on what turned out to become a nice day.
After exchanging our introductions, we immediately focused our attention on both Dave's and our Clenet, walking back and forth between the two cars. Dave's car is one of four S-1 Clenet Roadsters that came from Dave's father's estate. After acquiring the car and noticing the anemic performance, Dave was compelled to swap out the 351M that was coupled to the Ford FMX transmission. In its place now sits a Ford 460-4 barrel with a C6 transmission and posi-traction rear end.
Dave offered us a test drive in his Clenet and of course we accepted. First it was Mario and Bob who were out for at least a half hour. Shortly afterwards, I took my turn behind the wheel with Mario as co-pilot. Dave's car is a screamer to say the least. He wanted performance and I can assure that he succeeded. The front plate of Dave's car reads "Everything Else is Just Traffic!" And couldn't be more accurate!
We spent a good 2-1/2 hours with Bob at Dave's home, learning about the history of Dave's car. If Dave can let his car go to a new home, I'm sure Bob would be an excellent candidate to become the next care-taker of #200.
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