Belle Island Trip

C

Cop Magnet

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Posts
2,533
Reaction score
0
Location
Kenilworth, IL
Belle Isle Trip

Well, I just wanted to take this early opportunity to post some pics and say THANK YOU! to the Viper Club of America for putting on such a great event. We're two thirds of the way through as I start to write this. I'll update with photo's as we go along. Please feel free to post yours here too.

I arrived at about midnight Thursday night, finding a gorgeous gunmetal grey '08 coupe out front of the hotel. Seemed like the foyer was a little lopsided, so some gentle "convincing" got the valet to park my car opposite the coupe.
You must be registered for see images



PART 1 - Saleen Tour
First thing Friday morning, we caravaned to none other than the Saleen Motorsports assembly plant. The Motor City seems particularly fond of U-turns. No one knows why...
You must be registered for see images



There was a beautiful yellow S7 out front to greet us.
You must be registered for see images


We didn't make such a bad showing either.
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


So this is what my car would look like with chromed ACR wheels...
You must be registered for see images


I'll have to make do with my own...
You must be registered for see images


In honor of the LeMans event this weekend. Who could ask for anything more appropriate?
You must be registered for see images


The Saleen hospitality was incredible. Their showroom and the whole line were clean, profession, and immaculately organized.
You must be registered for see images


Inside, we found a Ford GT.
You must be registered for see images


And another Saleen S7.
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


As well as many other cars and trucks they work on.
You must be registered for see images


The Mustangs were a bread and butter item there. Sorry, I don't make the rules...
You must be registered for see images


Kim gave us our tour.
You must be registered for see images
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
C

Cop Magnet

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Posts
2,533
Reaction score
0
Location
Kenilworth, IL
The dyno was used to tune each car and truck after assembly.
You must be registered for see images


Steve explains how each car is dismanteled, rebuilt, refitted with performance parts and body panels, and all done by hand. Here he tears into a soon-to-be-supercharged Mustang engine.
You must be registered for see images


This gentleman color sands a Viper door. The attention to detail here is amazing.
You must be registered for see images


Outside, we had a chance to get a quick ride in several Saleen project cars. This is a NA 400HP Parnelli Jones Edition Mustang.
You must be registered for see images


Apparently, the Michigan Troopers dream they look like this when cruising the streets.
You must be registered for see images


Unfortunately for them, this is what they wake up to. Probably something to do with all the tickets they write for illegal U-turns. Anyway, nice hat...
You must be registered for see images


Inside again, we find this young lady working on the finish of the unpainted Viper fenders.
You must be registered for see images


Row upon row of Viper hoods ready to be thrown in the back of my truck, I mean primed and painted...
You must be registered for see images


Is that the Metra? No, a high-tech paint and finishing system is evident throughout.
You must be registered for see images


This is Emily. Makes you feel good to know who's helped build your Viper, doesn't it?
You must be registered for see images


The cars are actually assembled at the Connor Avenue Plant, but they had one on hand here to triple check fit and finish.
You must be registered for see images



Again, special thanks to Saleen and the Viper Club for a great tour. It has been an unbelievable weekend so far. If you haven't attended an event like VOI or this race weekend, you are missing out.
 
R

RTTTTed

Viper Owner
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Posts
6,438
Reaction score
1
Glad you enjoyed it. Didn;t work out for me to go this year, maybe next? Watched the races on TV, but didn't see any Viper parade.

Ted
 
V

Venomiss

Guest
Thank you for posting all the pictures! :)
It was nice to meet you in person and glad you had a good time (we did too!) at Detroit.
 
OP
OP
C

Cop Magnet

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Posts
2,533
Reaction score
0
Location
Kenilworth, IL
Re: Belle Isle Trip

Part 2 - The Walter P. Chrysler Museum

Later the same day, we travelled by coach bus to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum at Chrysler Headquarters. First of all the complex is amazing. It is probably hundreds of acres of immaculately groomed, modern buildings. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the museum trip. But that feeling soon vanished when we were met by a group of Vipers out front.
You must be registered for see images


Sadly, this beauty did not race this weekend. We could have used you!
You must be registered for see images


This car convinced me to buy a raffle ticket!
You must be registered for see images


Inside we were met by a rotating floor to ceiling carousel with a group of beautiful cars. Of course, the Viper grandad was on top.
You must be registered for see images


The Chronos and Atlantique were on display.They did look damn sharp.
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


Bob tried to get the officers to sing, but fortunately we were spared.
You must be registered for see images


I learned all kinds of trivia about Chrysler and the work they did. Did you know Chrysler bought the plant from the estate of the Dodge brothers after they both died of influenza in the 1919 pandemic? Also, Chrysler switched to a war footing and ceased production of cars in favor of jeeps and tanks during WWII. This tank engine is a series of 5 in-line sixes bolted to a common crank. It produced 445 HP from a total of 1250 CID. No word on torque, but this baby powered Shermans, so you bet it was badass!
You must be registered for see images


To get an idea of the things Chrysler made during the war, read this list. Everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink! Can you believe almost 3 billion .45 caliber casings???
You must be registered for see images


Back to the cars, in the basement they had the muscle cars on display. I know we all loved this car and probably still think of it as iconic. The '68 Charger.
You must be registered for see images



So many cars brought back great memories...
You must be registered for see images


A Superbird to round out the day. There was lots of history stuff about the cars, and you know there were tons more than I could show you here. All in all, very interesting.
You must be registered for see images


Again, what better car to view in light of this weekend's LeMans Series race? I bet you'd be hard pressed to find much noticeably different from the beautiful replica you saw at Saleen.
You must be registered for see images


And if you though JonB was in a bad mood most Mondays, wait till he gets the bill for this evening's libations!
You must be registered for see images



All in all a gorgous night for a private showing...
You must be registered for see images


When we got back to the hotel, that SRT coupe was still there, calling to me...
You must be registered for see images


Afterwards, the Illinois Club went out for steaks. Alex showed us how to put the big boys away. Props to Alex and the Illinois Club for having the biggest turnout of any region!
You must be registered for see images
 
Last edited:
M

mike & juli

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Posts
11,715
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
Re: Belle Isle Trip

GREAT pictures....and hmmmm....thankfully ALL OF CARS!!!! (I know, you've got the 'chick' ones on the 'right' forum!!~~!)....thank you for posting these absolutely fantastic pictures....absolutely LOVE the Vipers' pics you took. ~juli
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
C

Cop Magnet

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Posts
2,533
Reaction score
0
Location
Kenilworth, IL
Part 3 - Belle Isle for the Grand Prix

Saturday morning we headed to Belle Isle itself for the races. The day consisted of our setting up together at the "Car Corral" with our VIP passes, observing practice runs, entering the paddocks to view the team trailers cars, and support, entering the pits themselves to see it all up close, meeting drivers for autographs, and of course the race itself.
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


Besides the Vipers, there were tons of Corvettes, Ferrari's, Porshes, and (we don';t know why) a huge turnout of Audi's. Some Audi S4 running heavy boost harrassed our line of cars on the way into Detroit, actually, but none of us reduced ourselves to play.
You must be registered for see images


No matter your marque allegiances, you have to love cars like this...
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


And even this...
You must be registered for see images


In the paddocks, we saw a set of Ferrari trailers with their World Challenge cars out.
You must be registered for see images


This is a rack of the tires they use being hauled to the pits!
You must be registered for see images


In fact, Ferrari had a very popular paddock area (had to post this for Juli!)
This is an actual reconstruction of the conversation amongst the "crew". OK, maybe I imagined it...
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


I guess eventually they took turns on each other...
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images
 
M

mike & juli

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Posts
11,715
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
Gee thanx--I'm DEEEEE-lighted to see the 'chick' pics!!! :smirk: :rolaugh: AWESOME cars there...LOVE those type of shows. Thanx for sharing all those great pictures...hope you got some 'down' time after shooting all these pics and ENJOYED IT!!! (I'm sure you did)
THANX! :2tu: ~juli
**Edited previous post, Cop Magnet, thank you**
 
R

revived_gearhead

Viper Owner
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Posts
204
Reaction score
0
Location
Charlotte, NC
That must explain the caravan of three Vipers being trailered on I-75 Sunday. I was visiting friends in Toledo this past weekend, and there were Vipers everywhere. Also saw a Black and Silver RT/10 buzzing around. What a vacation!
 
OP
OP
C

Cop Magnet

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Posts
2,533
Reaction score
0
Location
Kenilworth, IL
Y2K5SRT it was great to meet you and a lot of other folks I have "known" only peripherally through the web. Thanks for the picture of my car. Yes, she does look badass with those wheels and brakes! :D


Some more pictures from the ALMS race Saturday.

The line-up at race start.
You must be registered for see images


This bad boy was the one and only Viper in the series. They worked valiantly to keep up with heavily sponsored (hello, Dodge???) teams.
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


Ultimately, a broken half shaft put her temporarily out of the race. They had to cannabilize one from their backup car. Note to self: keep spare half-shafts -- it's a race car!
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images


There sure were some good-looking fans there...
You must be registered for see images


The Audi TDI cars got lots of attention.
You must be registered for see images


There seems to be one of these in every crew area. What gives?
You must be registered for see images


And I suppose in the stands, too. Larry, you are looking the WRONG WAY!
You must be registered for see images


Indy car with the skin off being prepped for Sunday.
You must be registered for see images




The Lowe's Acura car.
You must be registered for see images


Dyson Racing team's Porsches
You must be registered for see images


The Flying Lizard Porsche team clearly had some inspiration for their logo. Where are the DC copyright lawyers? All wrapped up in mergers and acquisitions?
You must be registered for see images


Now I would never wish any team bad luck, but one of their cars started leaking fuel and burst into flames during the race. We were in the paddock area and I only caught it on the monitor. The camera of the car behind just happened to be on screen, and you could see the lens being sprayed with fuel just before the driver pulled over. The cockpit started to fill with smoke, he pulled the fire suppression, and bailed out onto the live track. Pretty wicked, and glad everyone was OK. But next time, stick to your own logo! :nono:
You must be registered for see images


The course was fraught with collisions minor and major. You can see some carbon fiber on the track as a road hazard here.
You must be registered for see images


Audi gaining on Porsche. Nice line!
You must be registered for see images


Towards the end of the race, we lined up to do some track touring.
You must be registered for see images


We had to follow the lazy Audi and Porsche Club, so this first day's tour was slow. But we could get on it a little more the next morning!
You must be registered for see images
 
M

mike & juli

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Posts
11,715
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
Great pictures, CopMagnum, I mean ChickMagnet, I mean CopMagic...oops...CopMagnet!!
LOL--a bit of fun there!!~~~~Absolutely great pictures, thanx again for sharing! ~juli
 
J

JonB

Legacy\Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Joined
Dec 8, 1997
Posts
10,327
Reaction score
45
Location
Columbia River Gorge
I really appreciate that you NOTICED and took time to post:
You must be registered for see images
 
V

vipergirl

Enthusiast
Joined
May 21, 2007
Posts
150
Reaction score
0
Location
Kansas
WOW- you took some awesome pictures (minus the chick pictures- I don't really get into those)! Thanks so much for filling us in about the event. Looks like it was a blast and sure makes me wish I could have been there!
 
M

mike & juli

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Posts
11,715
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
vipergirl said:
WOW- you took some awesome pictures (minus the chick pictures- I don't really get into those)! Thanks so much for filling us in about the event. Looks like it was a blast and sure makes me wish I could have been there!
Click to expand...

LOL--yep, same here vipergirl!!! I think the pictures of the CARS is what makes us FEEL like we were there anyway!! :2tu: ~juli
 
OP
OP
C

Cop Magnet

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Posts
2,533
Reaction score
0
Location
Kenilworth, IL
Part 4 - IRL Race Sunday

Jeez, almost done already. You'd think I'd lost a bet.

Sunday morning we got up early to be the first ones on the track. The parade to the track was impressive, Vipers as far as the eye could see!
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images



We got to do 3 or 4 laps at a fairly good clip. I might have hit 80 (not so fast except when you consider this was a "parade lap"). Jeff, in the Saleen S7, told me he hit 120!
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images



A Porsche GT was on display with the Porsche Club.
You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images



There's Danica Patrick, next to a normal-sized human being
You must be registered for see images



Here's her car being towed around the paddock.
You must be registered for see images



Not sure what the tread is all about on Ed Carpenter's car.
You must be registered for see images



Up close of the information management system.
You must be registered for see images



Another Indy car. Note how they wheel it around after its towed near to its destination. This is Dario Franchitti's car.
You must be registered for see images


The Ferrari and Maserati models
You must be registered for see images



Like father, like son? Uh oh...
You must be registered for see images
 
M

mike & juli

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Posts
11,715
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
Verrrrrry nice pics, Mr. CopMagnet...see you are getting R-E-S-P-E-C-T now from me!!
Sure, you threw in some girls in there, but mostly CARS, yesssss!!!! Keep em coming!
~juli
 
V

Venomiss

Guest
Even more awesome pictures!!! Especially the ones on the track laps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
Gen 1s and Gen 2s-Adding Tire Pressure Monitoring
Replies
6
Views
5K
Goggles Pizano
G
E
Car will not start unless fuel pump unplugged first
Replies
18
Views
4K
Dyno Dave
D
V
Aftermarket Proportioning Valve Install Question
Replies
14
Views
7K
GTS Dean
GTS Dean
James_GTS
Emergency Brake Assembly not engaging
Replies
4
Views
4K
Dan Cragin
D
C
Selling time-capsule 1994
Replies
0
Views
2K
concours_classic
C

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,537 (members: 5, guests: 1,532)

Forum statistics

Threads
153,663
Posts
1,685,351
Members
18,254
Latest member
Puntacanaviper

Share this page

Top