The Vehicle The first inklings of a team were pulled together in about October of 2006.  I immediately started looking for a suitable ride for 3-4 grown (in size) men.  Although I've had years of experience in cheap car shopping this was different.  I wasn't looking for the wierd and unusual, I didn't need a project, we just needed BABE transportation.  And since this was the first BABE we didnt have the experience of others to draw on.  So we just started looking for cheap and possibly comfortable.  I dont recall exactly what, if any, other vehicles were looked at but I remember finding Fugly in the Parts cars section of EBay.  Starting bid was $200 and noone bid.  After the auction I emailed the seller to see if he would sell it outright for $200 and he would. So we drove out to Pa to look at her.  She was as described, she ran and drove, and smoked, and smelled bad , and was ugly.  Perfect, sold!  An attempt to get AAA to tow her back was met with failure so David Hess and I arranged to go out the following week with his trailer to get it.  Dave was an original member of the 2006 team along with myself and Chris but when he had to back out he sent Jim W (The Wake) along in his place and the rest is history.  I rebuilt the carb and the whole team (which now included Rafael as well) joined up for a work day.  A table was built for the interior.  A hitch carrier fabricated for our footlocker full of volitile fluids (booze and anitfireeze, don't get confused) The front brakes were replaced.  A few cans of seafoam were run through her and she just seemed to get a little better each time.  Good to go. She was big, and comfy, probably the best way to travel for a group of 4.  The bar was converted to a media center with TV, DVD and PS2.  All in all I think we all grew very fond of her and can't complain at all. Event failures were limited to a pinhole leak of the radiator on day 1, fixed with a can of Barz leaks.  And overheating the brakes through right hand gap, not really a failure, just a scary moment. The trip took its toll on her though.  The stance shown in the photo above is not due to a jackrabbit launch, she just rode low in the back.  The springs and shocks were shot and just died a little more with each mile.  The trip home finally did her in as she was loosing power fast and appears to have lost compression in at least 1 cylinder.

The Team We are often asked where we all met.  Our team is a great unit, whether all together in a van like 2006 or in seperate cars supporting each other as future years would hold.  But it was not always so.  In fact prior to the BABE rally none of us had ever met.  I think Jim W and I had probably met at an SCCA meeting or two but I doubt either of us could have picked the other from a crowd.   I can't remember who posted first on GRM, me or Chris, but one of us posted in the thread about the coming rally that we were in NJ and would be interested in joining up with others from the area.  The other one replied.  Chris was up north and I down south but we emailed back and forth, I kept him apprised of vehicle selection and he joined up with myself and the others when workdays were scheduled.  Rafael was another GRM memeber who answered our call for additional teammates.  So, we are all just a bunch of car geeks who came together to have this stupid adventure.  But in the process, as happens with alot of people on BABE we made some friends and we've all stayed together dispite changes and moves. Officially the 2006 team was Jim T - JThw8 Chris - Sonic Rafael - Captain Napalm Jim W - The Wake