18th Annual Woodward Cruise

The Woodward Dream Cruise in Royal Oak, Michigan, is essentially the world's largest car show. Millions of people show up every year to admire and laugh at the amazing and ridiculous parade of cars in front of them.

Yes, I have been to the Woodward Cruise many times before, but this is the first time I drove my DeLorean up and down the avenue. I drove alongside Corvettes and Chevelles, Thunderbirds and Triumphs, Packards and Porsches.

I appreciated the wild amount of cheering my car garnered as I cruised, doors open. It got more attention than most. After all, I was smack-dab in the middle of John DeLorean's territory.

As I crept along, I had a strange conversation with a bystander. Yelling over the din of the rumbling V-8s, it went like this:
"Where's John?"
"Cemetery!"
"In jail?"
"No, he's dead!"
"Did he die in jail?"
"No! New Jersey!"
On my second day of cruising a convertible pulled alongside me. The conversation was lighter (and cuter) as the girls filmed me for Street Sport TV (hooray!) and made Back to the Future comments.

Heavy police presence and huge fines hindered antics, launches and burnouts, but there were still a few bad boys willing to take the chance. Especially when egged by spectators holding signs that read, "Drive it like you got a pair!"

I eventually fell victim to this. Stopped in traffic I was provoked by the relentless badgering of an 8 year old girl. Yeah, you heard me. Soon a guy joined her, egging me to rev my engine. Over and over I resisted... then failed.

Saturday afternoon, at the Woodward Cruise, I revved the dinky 2.8 litre Peugeot/Renault/Volvo V-6 and did the DeLorean community proud. With my new aluminum water pump pulley and K&N filter, the engine revved faster than it has before. In a second I hit 7 grand. It sounded surprisingly good. Then the rpms dropped, dropped some more and then dropped some more. Right to 0.

I stalled.

Embarrassed, I nervously started it up and drove away, having proved to the crowds that the DeLorean really is that great big pile of crap they all think it is. Yay me.

StreetSportTV.com

Auchentoshan 12 year Single Malt Scotch

In his prime, John DeLorean was featured in Cutty Sark scotch ads just before his company began the downward spiral that ended in bankruptcy. While his DMC-12 is not new to me, whisky is. I don't know exactly how to properly taste it, and I definitely don't know how to review it. It feels a bit fancy. And sometimes it's nice to feel fancy. Some guys like to wear women's panties, some smoke Cuban cigars, and others enjoy a dram.

A few years ago a neighbour gave me a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 year for Christmas. It was the most vile thing I'd ever tasted and I decided right then that I didn't like whisky. Over the next few years I had the occasional bourbon... and liked it. In 2010 I toured Kentucky's Buffalo Trace distillery with my car club and had a tasting there. "Mmmm!" I thought, which led to continued bourbon drinking at Halloween, Christmas, and weekend parties.

Like I said, this is new to me. My drink of choice was always gin. But whisky is a whole other animal, and I've discovered how much I like both scotch and bourbon. Should those words be capitalized? I don't even know.

The other day I went to my local LCBO. Once a month or so they put various items on sale. I scanned the aisles and decided on a bottle of Auchentoshan (Oken-toshen) 12 year single malt scotch. Sale price: $48.

It is presented in a nice silver box, which I suppose also protects it from the sun, the only triple-distilled scotch in the world. It's a medium amber colour, and without knowing the proper way to describe it or reading other people's reviews, that's the best I can do.

When I opened the bottle I was shocked at the varying and subtle smells. Old wood, green apple, orange peels, a slight toffee scent. Amazing! I went back again. There's more there, but I don't have the experience to discern the nuances.

The taste was laid-back and soft. It was sweet on the tip of my tongue. Wood, caramel, charcoal, green apple, and finally a tiny punch of smoke. There was a very slight bite as I swallowed, then slowly that apple returned. This time with a bit of spiciness. The finish was mellow and long with a delicious smokey flavour too subtle for me to distinguish.

This bottle makes me excited. It is going to be fun playing "guess the flavours" over the next few months as I learn.

LCBO sale: $48
750ml
40% (80 proof)

www.auchentoshan.com
www.buffalotrace.com

St. Patty's Day 2007

It's March 19, 2007.
With the second anniversary of John DeLorean's passing, I imagine things get a little easier for his family. I also wonder how the Irish feel.

Ireland is rather unique mostly because of its history. Around here you don’t have to look far to find at least one person who claims to love the land of Leprechauns, the birthplace of U2 and of the DeLorean DMC-12.

This St. Patty’s day, Suz and I went out for dinner with our friends Ottobot and K. We decided to go to the pub early as we knew it would be bursting at the seams come 8 p.m.

We made a mistake.

Six-thirty, with the sun shining, wasn’t nearly early enough. As we entered, we joined the groups of green-beer-craving University students who were already waiting for a place to drink.

As the table next to us departed, we took the opportunity to sneak in ahead of the others who waited deeper inside. When the waitress asked for our orders, I specifically asked if she could dye my gin & tonic green.

"Anything that’s clear." came the shout over the raucus. I gave her a big thumbs up and told her to totally go for it. A few minutes later the green dye was staining our stomach linings.

I never usually go out for St. Patrick’s Day, but this night I found myself remembering the little rubber Leprechaun accessory that the previous owner sent along with my DeLorean. "The Luck o’ the Irish" it stated.

Coincidentally, or not, the next day Suz got a call from someone at the DeLorean Owner’s Association asking if we’d be attending the Las Vegas event. The Red Rock Resort & Casino agreed to provide a special room rate of $229/night for Association members, which includes the hotel’s resort fee. Tickets to the event are $225 per member, and $325 for non-member and tickets are available at www.deloreanstore.com

The best part about it, by far, is the morning rallye across the Hoover Dam, where a professional will photograph the line of lucky drivers.

Unfortunately it’s going to be tough to get time off work to go, and it’s also a pretty expensive 3-day event. If we’re going to come up with the money before the end of March (the price jumps up April 1) I think we’re going to need the Luck o’ the Irish.

R.I.P. John DeLorean

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of John DeLorean's death, which caught me by surprise, and really darkened my day.

From the literature I've absorbed over the years I have learned that he was the kind of guy that people either loved or hated. And that is fine. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and I can accept that some people simply did not like him.

I won't argue. I hate Billy Crystal, who is loved by the rest of the world, for a reason that escapes me.

But what is really boiling my blood is how, since his death, professional journalists and non-journalists alike have jumped on the John DeLorean bandwagon, and are eagerly writing his life's story, providing the public with quite a lot of incorrect information.

Rumours and personal opinions are being stated as facts, and the people who disliked DeLorean either as a person, or a businessman, are saying some absurd, untrue and unfair things.

It would be nice to remember John for his accomplishments and his contributions toward the automotive industry. But he did not belong to the automotive world alone. He had a family - one that had to endure the strains of his court battle.

And that is the most important thing - to know that John Zachary DeLorean was acquitted of all charges brought against him. That he served no time in jail. He was found innocent. In a court of law.

The verdict? Entrapment. By the U.S. government.

Do the research yourself. You'll find it was the United States government who approached DeLorean with the cocaine. You'll find a lot more than that, too.

Don't remember John for the lies and the rumours. Remember him for the good stuff, like the GTO and the DMC-12.