RENO, NV (Dec. 29) – The final car meet of the year came when Reno Cars & Coffee boss Lance Freitas decided to have it by Classic Rock Coffee shop. Good weather and the timing resulted in a huge turn out.
As usual the range of cars ran from the ordinary to exotic and some were a bit extraordinary. Still it was a good time for car people to get together and enjoy both the coffee as well as the machinery.
The most exotic car there was a McLaren 720S Spider with doors that swung up when opened.
“I’ve had it for about four months,” owner David Schnabel said. “I’ve had a super charged Corvetts, lots of power with 650 rear horsepower, I’ve had an AMG C63 Mercedes with a RENNtech tune on it. I sold each of those cars because they weren’t exotic enough for me so this one I’m going to keep.”
Asked about what made the McClaren special he said, “I like it better than a Ferrari or Lamborghini. You don’t see too many of them around, it’s light and got a lot of horsepower to it. I mean Ferraris and Lamborghinis a lot of times have less horsepower and you’re paying more money for them.”
He added the car drives every well although he hasn’t had any track time yet.
“It drives very comfortably, I keep it in track mode on the engine and on the suspension I keep it in comfort mode,” he said. “Track mode tightens everything up and it goes faster. Driving it up and down the freeway it’s just fine.”
At this the amount of cars spilled over the parking area by the coffee shop. Among the cars was a black BMW owned by Jay Sandoval.
“She just a basic BMW 330i, got a nice set up with BC Racing Coil Overs a straight pipe and that’s it,” he said. “I’ve got a six-speed manual M3 swap versus the auto trans then all I’ve got to do is put an LSD (Limited Slip Differential) in the rear and she’s party ready.”
He doesn’t want to do the full BMW swap on the rear end of the drive drain due to the amount of parts needed and cost.
“The cheaper way would be to put my own limited slip for $500 bucks and since I build gears and everything it’s easy,” he said.
Now the car is set up for both street and drifting. In fact he takes his daughter drifting on the weekends when it’s raining. He explains it saves the tires. Later he’ll teach her to drive using the manual transmission.
Asked how he chose this car he said, “I’ve had plenty of cars but always loved BMW’s. To get this I sold my Audi that had a little 2.0 turbo and while it was a lot faster than this I just love what this offers.
“It’s like got so much technology built in. comfortable, got the perfect power I need to stay out of tickets and still have fun. I’ve had this about three months now, I usually burn through my cars, trade and sell them but this one is a keeper. It’s not going anywhere.”
Among the vintage cars there was an orange 1972 Cuda owned by Steve Hertel.
“It’s got a 4-speed manual and I picked this up about four months ago from a friend in the Bay Area then I got rid of my ’72 blown Chevelle,” he said. “It riders like at ’72 Cuda, rough and this one’s got a 391 in it so she uses fuel pretty quick.”
Asked if he’s done anything to it or plans to, he said, “I haven’t anything to it yet but we’re looking at upgrading to a 426 Hemi.”
He then pointed out his license plate, “COMBTW.” With a laugh he said it stands for Crazy Old Man Behind The Wheel.
Next up for Reno Cars & Coffee is their usual first weekend of the month meeting Sunday, January 5 at the Kietzke Starbucks. As usual things get rolling at 10 a.m. and the turnout should be good again as will be the weather.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Be sure to check last Thursday’s preview article. The New Year starts with motocross races at MMX in Marysville then in the afternoon oval track racing at the Stockton Dirt Track.
Finally, we here at nvracing news want to wish all of our readers a very Happy and Safe New Year.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio show will be on the air from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday. The show covers all things automotive.
It can be heard over the air at 1180 a.m. in the Reno/Sparks area. There is a podcast as www.amm.streamon.fm and the show can be seen live on Face Book.
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We now have six very appreciated sponsors supporting this site. Please patronize them as they not only support your sport but they help nvracingnews continue.
Our newest sponsor is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
Former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian is the owner and they not only service older and newer transmission but now have a section dealing with high performance units including those used for towing.
The phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
This year fantastic race photographer Melissa Coker joined the family of sponsors. If you have raced at Summit in Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock, Rattlesnake or Diamond Mountain Speedway she probably has a photograph of your car on the track.
She’s also been at the IMCA Duel in the Desert was well as the Wild West Tour and IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. Melissa not only has photos of the cars, and many times drivers, but she can produce hero cards and even a book of from your season.
To see her collections or to place an order please check her website at www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
The next shop, and our newest sponsor is Moto Source located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again there is a full service shop plus about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.moto-source.com.
The next sponsor is an excellent place if you need collision repair on your car or truck. It’s Concours Body shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno and has a long history of first class repairs.
Brian Saul is the owner, a car enthusiast himself and he’s committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&Company for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. If you’re a rider, well Wednesday evening is Bike Night, always a great time to see some great looking bikes and meet like-minded people.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
Have a business targeted toward motorsports or an off road demographic? We are always looking for more sponsors and will expose your business to the racing and off road community in this area.
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