[0:05] That turbo is addictive, yeah. It's
[0:07] definitely a seat of the pants car.
[0:09] >> Oh, yeah.
[0:10] >> Yeah.
[0:11] >> You know, I like any car where I can use
[0:13] all the horsepower all the time.
[0:15] >> Yeah.
[0:18] >> You know, I've got those McLarens and
[0:20] they're great fun, but you get in and
[0:21] you go, "Oh, this is fun." You step on
[0:22] the What? Wait, why am I in jail? What
[0:24] happened? You know, you get you got
[0:25] arrested. Well, you you know.
[0:37] Welcome to another episode of Jay Leno's
[0:39] Garage. The car we're featuring today, a
[0:41] 1980 Porsche 924
[0:44] Turbo. These are fascinating cars. The
[0:47] thing that's interesting about this one,
[0:48] it's still with the original owner. He
[0:50] bought it new. He's a gentleman you
[0:52] might recognize. Uh there was a TV show
[0:55] back in the '70s called uh Adam-12. It's
[0:58] a cop show, took place in Los Angeles.
[1:00] It was a half hour, probably responsible
[1:02] for more
[1:03] men and women becoming police officers
[1:05] than just about any other show on TV. It
[1:07] got kind of a cult favorite. Uh his name
[1:10] is Kent McCord. Kent, come on in, my
[1:12] friend. Good to see you.
[1:13] >> Thank you, Jay. Good to see you.
[1:14] >> look great. That TV show was 50 years
[1:17] ago.
[1:18] >> Longer than that. We're coming up Well,
[1:19] let's see. We We did the pilot in 1967.
[1:23] >> Wow.
[1:23] >> So, we're coming up to
[1:25] close to 60 years since we did the
[1:26] pilot.
[1:27] >> hilarious.
[1:28] >> It aired the first time in '68.
[1:29] >> Yeah, yeah.
[1:30] >> began its airing.
[1:31] >> And it was a half hour, which Yeah. And
[1:34] it was pre-DNA, pre-DNA. I love those
[1:37] shows cuz
[1:38] there was no real evidence. You just had
[1:40] hunches.
[1:41] >> Yeah.
[1:41] >> Yeah.
[1:42] >> Yeah.
[1:42] >> You know, I got a hunch. Oh, you'd find
[1:44] a matchbook, you know, like
[1:45] >> More than once Marty Milner said to me,
[1:47] "I just had a hunch that that would
[1:48] >> Yeah.
[1:52] They'll know what And it was on like 50
[1:54] countries around the world, right?
[1:55] >> Yes, it was.
[1:56] >> Yeah, yeah.
[1:56] >> Yeah, it became we started getting fan
[1:58] mail from like in
[2:00] from Germany. I remember one particular
[2:02] letter.
[2:03] They sent us the picture of the two guys
[2:04] in the car. And they were in a green and
[2:07] white.
[2:07] >> Yeah.
[2:08] >> Not a black and white.
[2:09] >> Right. Oh, yeah.
[2:09] >> And they were big fans of the show over
[2:11] there.
[2:11] >> Oh, that's fine.
[2:12] >> The other thing that happened during
[2:13] Adam-12 was that episodes of Adam-12
[2:16] started getting bicycled from Universal
[2:18] Studios
[2:20] to different police departments and used
[2:21] as training films.
[2:23] >> Oh, is that right?
[2:24] >> Yeah. Because we had a technical advisor
[2:25] with us every day we shot the show to
[2:27] say do this when you get out of the car.
[2:29] >> Right.
[2:30] >> They basically had nothing to do with
[2:31] what the story was going to be like or
[2:33] anything, but it once we
[2:35] we would get out of the car and approach
[2:36] a suspect all of that was by the book.
[2:40] >> Well, my favorite thing about the show
[2:41] was how
[2:43] spartan the police car was.
[2:44] >> Yeah.
[2:44] >> No air conditioning, no electric
[2:47] windows, radio, shotgun, here's the
[2:50] keys, there you go. And those cars were
[2:53] pretty hot when I mean you were filming
[2:54] in the Los Angeles in the summer.
[2:56] >> Well, one of the cheats that we did, we
[2:57] did get air conditioning when we ordered
[2:59] ours.
[3:00] >> Oh, is that right?
[3:01] >> Yeah. You know, because one of the
[3:02] things that happened is we set up a
[3:04] shield over the front of the car to keep
[3:07] the reflection
[3:08] of the windshield from obliterating us.
[3:12] And we had to have the windows rolled up
[3:15] because we were miked inside. It wasn't
[3:17] as sensitive as what we have now.
[3:20] >> Yeah.
[3:20] >> We need air conditioning.
[3:21] >> Did it seem like it was going to be a
[3:23] cult favorite as you were filming or it
[3:24] just seemed like just another TV show
[3:26] job, you know, what I mean?
[3:27] >> Oh, no, it was never just another TV
[3:29] show.
[3:29] >> yeah.
[3:30] >> Almost from the beginning.
[3:31] Jack Webb being a stickler for
[3:34] authenticity and also having had a
[3:37] tremendous relationship with the LAPD
[3:40] >> Right.
[3:40] >> called both Marty and me into the office
[3:43] at the beginning.
[3:44] And he said guys, you are joining
[3:47] a very small fraternity.
[3:50] Don't screw it up.
[3:52] He said if you get pulled over for
[3:53] something, buy it."
[3:55] >> Right. Right.
[3:55] >> he said, "Because if you try to talk
[3:57] your way out or give them some accurate
[3:58] crap,
[3:59] >> Right.
[3:59] >> you know, you're it's going to shoot
[4:01] through this department like wildfire.
[4:03] And he said, "So, don't discredit us and
[4:05] don't discredit yourself."
[4:06] >> Have you ever gotten a ticket?
[4:07] >> You know, I did.
[4:08] >> You got it for what?
[4:10] >> couple things on the ticket side. One
[4:11] time I was in one of my Corvettes that
[4:14] I'd had prior to this car.
[4:15] >> Right.
[4:16] >> Going down Laurel Canyon
[4:19] trying to get to Harry's Camera before
[4:20] it closed to buy a component that I
[4:22] wanted for my camera.
[4:24] And I was smoking it pretty good and a
[4:27] motor officer pulled me over.
[4:29] >> And I got out of the car and I got my
[4:31] wallet out and and I walked up to him
[4:33] and I said, "I was wrong. Just write the
[4:35] ticket."
[4:36] And he said, "After everything you've
[4:38] done for us,"
[4:39] cranked the bike and took off.
[4:40] >> Oh, there you go.
[4:42] >> The second one was I'm in Burbank.
[4:44] >> Right.
[4:44] >> Hotter hot day.
[4:46] And I'm coming down Hollywood Way and at
[4:49] Verdugo, there's a 7-Eleven.
[4:51] >> Right.
[4:52] >> And I'm coming down this way and the
[4:53] 7-Eleven appears
[4:55] uh behind a tree and it was just this
[4:58] blistering hot day.
[5:00] And I pull in to the left-hand turn lane
[5:03] and then pull into the 7-Eleven.
[5:05] Burbank motor officer's coming this way.
[5:08] And he pulls in and he asked for my
[5:10] driver's license and registration. I
[5:12] said, "What I do?" He said, "You
[5:14] improperly entered the left-hand turn
[5:16] lane."
[5:16] >> Right.
[5:17] >> So, he writes me the ticket.
[5:19] >> Oh, wow.
[5:20] >> I go to court
[5:22] and I plead guilty to the judge with an
[5:26] explanation.
[5:27] And he says, "You want to go to driver's
[5:29] school or you want to fight this?"
[5:31] And I said, "Well, if those are my two
[5:32] choices, I guess driver's school."
[5:34] And I walk over to the bailiff to give
[5:36] him my information and he says, "You
[5:38] should have worn your uniform."
[5:41] But that was the last ticket I got.
[5:43] >> All right. Well, let's talk about the
[5:45] car.
[5:45] >> Yeah.
[5:46] >> You've always been a car enthusiast,
[5:47] obviously.
[5:48] >> Yeah. Oh, yeah.
[5:48] >> You made the jump from Corvette to
[5:50] Porsche. That's like Oh, boy.
[5:52] >> Well, we went through a transition
[5:54] there. I had a '66, a '69, and I had a
[5:57] '71.
[5:58] And the '71 vet
[6:00] >> Right.
[6:00] >> I got from Jack Webb.
[6:02] >> Oh, okay.
[6:02] >> I had talked Jack Webb, who had a habit
[6:05] of getting a convertible Cadillac in the
[6:07] summer,
[6:08] and a two-door hardtop in the winter.
[6:11] >> Right.
[6:11] >> And every crew guy was lined up to get
[6:13] that car that had gone from Encino to
[6:16] Universal and back
[6:17] >> Right, right.
[6:17] >> for half a year. And I finally I talked
[6:19] him into getting a Corvette. I had my
[6:21] '69.
[6:23] And he got this Corvette, 454,
[6:26] the 390 I think it was the 395 with a
[6:29] with a automatic.
[6:30] >> Right, right.
[6:31] >> And uh I was in a negotiation with
[6:33] Universal over salary.
[6:36] And I get a call from Jack's
[6:38] secretary one day, Jack wants to see you
[6:41] up at the office. And I go up to the
[6:43] office,
[6:44] and the Corvette's parked in front.
[6:47] And I walk in,
[6:49] and uh Jack had a desk when he'd work
[6:52] with writers, a double desk.
[6:54] And I'm sitting on the other end,
[6:56] and he takes out the keys to the vet,
[6:58] and he tosses them to me. He says,
[6:59] "Here, it's yours." And I said, "What?"
[7:01] He said, "The Corvette."
[7:03] And you don't even have to give your
[7:04] agent a hubcap.
[7:07] So, that was part of the sweetener that
[7:09] he threw in on my negotiation.
[7:11] >> Yeah, that's a good way to do it.
[7:12] >> So, I kept that car for a long time, but
[7:14] then during one of the gas crisis,
[7:17] going back and forth over Laurel Canyon,
[7:20] you know, that 454 ate gas like
[7:22] >> Oh, yeah.
[7:23] >> Yeah.
[7:23] >> Yeah.
[7:23] >> And and we were we were on that uh that
[7:27] program where depending on what your
[7:29] license number I think the last number
[7:31] on the
[7:31] >> only buy gas every other
[7:32] >> odd or odd or even.
[7:34] >> Odd or even days. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[7:35] >> And and I got tired of that, and I
[7:38] bought a Saab.
[7:40] And uh I sold the vet, and uh I had a
[7:43] Saab Turbo.
[7:44] >> Right. Oh, I had okay.
[7:45] >> And then I started racing for
[7:47] Volkswagen.
[7:49] Doing a Volk
[7:50] VW Rabbit Bilstein Cup.
[7:52] >> Oh, okay.
[7:52] >> And I had done several of the Toyota Pro
[7:54] Celebrity races. One one at Watkins
[7:57] Glen. And uh
[7:59] you know, the Saab I went to school up
[8:01] at Bondurant.
[8:03] >> Yeah, yeah.
[8:03] >> And you know, I started looking at
[8:05] Porsches and I thought something that
[8:08] was economical
[8:09] better than that 454.
[8:11] >> Right.
[8:11] >> And still had tremendous performance.
[8:14] And I kind of got led
[8:17] to Vasek Polak in Redondo Beach who was
[8:20] probably the country's biggest
[8:22] >> Oh, yeah. He was the Porsche guy.
[8:23] >> Porsche guy. And so
[8:26] I went in they loaned me one of these. I
[8:28] had it at my house for
[8:30] a couple weeks
[8:32] and came back and this was sitting on
[8:34] the showroom floor and I just loved the
[8:36] look of this. I loved the way it sat. I
[8:39] loved the fact that it was a little more
[8:41] economical than than other cars and
[8:45] a kick in the eye.
[8:46] >> And this was it wasn't a VW but it's VW
[8:49] Porsche right?
[8:50] >> Well, it's it started out on a design
[8:52] from what I understand in the
[8:54] development of this car, it started out
[8:56] in a in a VW design thing then went to
[8:59] Audi.
[8:59] >> Right.
[9:00] >> And then Porsche
[9:02] was thinking about moving into
[9:04] water-cooled
[9:05] uh front-engine cars.
[9:07] >> Right.
[9:08] >> And so they they had the 924 and then to
[9:11] add a little
[9:12] oomph to the car they put in the turbo
[9:14] here. You know, and then it became a
[9:16] Porsche.
[9:16] >> Cuz originally what was the 924
[9:19] non-turbo was like
[9:20] 125 horsepower just
[9:22] >> Yeah, it was
[9:23] >> not much more than a Volkswagen.
[9:25] >> yeah.
[9:25] >> Yeah, yeah. It was more VW so this was
[9:29] the turbo and these were uh
[9:31] They were how many turbos have you gone
[9:33] through on this thing?
[9:34] >> I think about 10.
[9:35] >> Really? 10?
[9:36] >> I think about 10.
[9:37] >> And how many miles?
[9:39] >> 128,000.
[9:40] >> Okay. This is early primitive sort of
[9:43] turbo technology. So, it was an oil
[9:45] cooled turbo. So, when the engine is
[9:46] running, it's pumping. But when you shut
[9:48] it off, ooh,
[9:50] the
[9:50] turbo's spinning down from 10,000 rpm.
[9:53] >> Right.
[9:53] >> With no oil. Because you shut the car
[9:56] off.
[9:56] >> what's in the sump.
[9:57] >> Right.
[9:57] >> And it heats the oil.
[9:59] >> And cooks it.
[10:00] >> the bearing. Blows the turbo.
[10:03] >> I remember they would tell people, "Oh,
[10:05] run it for 5 minutes idling."
[10:07] >> Yeah.
[10:07] >> To cool it down, that kind of thing.
[10:09] Nobody
[10:09] >> Actually, actually it took about a it
[10:11] took about a minute to bring that
[10:13] bearing down.
[10:14] >> Wow.
[10:14] >> You know, so I have all kinds of little
[10:16] signs in the glove box that I tape to
[10:18] the
[10:19] >> Yeah, yeah.
[10:20] >> steering wheel when I take it in for
[10:21] service.
[10:22] You know, do not do that.
[10:24] >> So, the engine So, it's four-wheel disc
[10:26] brakes.
[10:26] >> Yeah.
[10:27] >> Okay.
[10:28] >> Independent suspension.
[10:29] >> Independent suspension, four-cylinder.
[10:31] How many was it How many liter? 2.5?
[10:33] >> Two.
[10:34] >> Oh, 2 liter.
[10:35] >> It's a 2 liter.
[10:35] >> 2 liter, okay.
[10:36] >> Just a nudge under, actually.
[10:37] >> Yeah, with a five-speed. You know, it's
[10:39] a good-looking car. It still looks
[10:40] contemporary.
[10:41] >> Yeah.
[10:42] >> I It's so funny. I don't recognize these
[10:44] big giant
[10:46] Are they just reflectors or turn
[10:49] signals? Do those flash?
[10:50] >> Uh
[10:51] Yeah, they flash.
[10:52] >> Okay, they Yeah, yeah. Funny, I For some
[10:55] reason I don't remember Is that that's
[10:56] an American thing?
[10:57] >> I think it's an American. If you were
[10:58] looking in England, you know, when I
[11:01] when I got the call that we were going
[11:02] to do this thing, I started looking at
[11:03] my car again and
[11:05] >> Right.
[11:05] >> You know, and and it was like a kind of
[11:07] a little architectural dig.
[11:09] >> Yeah.
[11:10] >> Opening up the boot and looking into the
[11:12] side storage places and finding
[11:15] the original window sticker, which I've
[11:18] got.
[11:18] >> much was it? 24 and change?
[11:20] >> This This came in at This car came in at
[11:23] 26.
[11:24] >> Oh, 26.
[11:25] >> Yeah.
[11:25] >> Okay.
[11:26] >> The first brand new car I ever bought
[11:28] was a
[11:29] 1965
[11:31] Impala Super Sport.
[11:32] >> Right.
[11:33] >> Black on black. 327 350.
[11:37] >> Yeah.
[11:37] >> Four-speed.
[11:38] >> Right. Oh, nice car.
[11:39] >> I didn't want air conditioning in it.
[11:41] No No kid worth his salt would waste
[11:44] horsepower on air conditioning.
[11:45] >> Exactly.
[11:45] >> You know, so
[11:46] >> And black on black in LA where it's
[11:48] 100°.
[11:48] >> Right.
[11:49] >> Good thinking on your part, yeah.
[11:51] >> You know, and so
[11:52] you know, living with that philosophy,
[11:54] having grown up in that era.
[11:55] >> Right.
[11:56] >> This has air conditioning in it. Right
[11:58] now, it's not operating, so we have what
[12:00] they call
[12:02] the air conditioning is 265 air
[12:05] conditioning. Roll down the two windows
[12:07] and go 65 miles an hour.
[12:09] >> Yeah, I see. Very good.
[12:11] Cool. Well, she still looks good. Is
[12:13] this the original paint?
[12:15] >> This is not the original paint.
[12:17] >> Original color?
[12:17] >> I It's the original color. It's a
[12:19] dolomite gray.
[12:20] >> Dolomite gray, okay.
[12:22] >> Which I've almost bought I can't tell
[12:24] you how many cars this color.
[12:26] >> You know, I was talking with Dan
[12:27] Aykroyd. He's real involved with police
[12:29] stuff, and they got the LA Police Museum
[12:31] here.
[12:32] >> Yeah.
[12:32] >> And here's how old you are. You're an
[12:34] artifact. You're in the museum.
[12:37] >> Yes, I am.
[12:37] >> an Adam-12 display.
[12:39] >> They have an Adam-12 display, and they
[12:40] have a lot of memorabilia that both
[12:42] Marty and I
[12:44] donated.
[12:45] And
[12:46] it is one of the really hidden gems in
[12:49] Los Angeles. The LAPD Historical Museum.
[12:53] And it's on York in Highland Park.
[12:56] >> Park, okay.
[12:57] >> Yeah, which it which is interesting. I
[12:59] was born at Avenue 40 in York.
[13:01] >> Oh, is that right?
[13:02] >> where my folks lived
[13:03] uh when I was born. And my dad was
[13:06] working next door here.
[13:07] >> Okay.
[13:08] >> During the Second World War.
[13:09] >> And what did your dad do?
[13:10] >> He was a welder by trade.
[13:11] >> Oh, is that right? Oh, that's pretty
[13:13] cool. I didn't know you're an LA native,
[13:14] okay.
[13:14] >> Yeah. Yeah.
[13:15] >> Well, that's fascinating.
[13:16] >> my dad became an entrepreneur for a
[13:18] while and opened a Richfield gas station
[13:21] in Baldwin Park.
[13:22] >> Oh, okay.
[13:23] >> And it was the biggest pumping station
[13:25] in the San Gabriel Valley.
[13:27] We were on Garvey, which was the street
[13:30] that preceded the 10 Freeway.
[13:32] >> And how much was gas a gallon then?
[13:34] >> Well, about 19 cents.
[13:36] >> 19 cents?
[13:37] >> Yeah, I think I can see I see
[13:39] and then the gas wars would start and it
[13:40] go down about 16.
[13:42] >> Wow, there you go.
[13:43] >> I started working there when I was 10
[13:44] pumping gas.
[13:45] >> That's funny. That's right. Well, very
[13:47] good. Let's open the hood.
[13:48] >> Yeah, absolutely.
[13:50] >> Is it on my side here?
[13:51] >> It is down on the lower side.
[13:53] >> Oh, let's see.
[13:55] Okay, I'll let you do it here.
[13:56] >> Okay.
[13:58] >> Now, is that the original steering wheel
[13:59] in the back seat?
[14:00] >> That that's the original steering wheel
[14:02] back here.
[14:02] >> Oh, I see. Yeah.
[14:04] >> That's the original. I had this
[14:06] steering wheel done. It's a smaller
[14:08] diameter.
[14:08] >> Right, right.
[14:09] >> And there's no power seats in this. It
[14:11] goes forward and back.
[14:12] >> Yeah, you don't need power seats.
[14:14] >> yeah, and when you're sitting
[14:16] you are splayed like this for me anyway.
[14:22] >> You know, it's so funny when this when
[14:24] this came first came out, I imagine the
[14:26] Porsche enthusiasts were a bit
[14:28] snobby.
[14:29] >> Yeah, they were.
[14:29] >> Yeah, it was oh yeah.
[14:30] >> And they still are.
[14:31] >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, this
[14:33] time to get some love now cuz the prices
[14:35] have come back up. You know, people
[14:36] recognize it's a good-looking car.
[14:39] Uh they handle pretty well and with the
[14:41] turbo you can get some decent horsepower
[14:43] out of it.
[14:43] >> Yeah.
[14:43] >> Cuz it's not a heavy car.
[14:45] >> Yeah.
[14:45] >> And it's what, 180 with the turbo? Is
[14:47] that what it was?
[14:48] >> It it'll it'll come up to about 170. You
[14:51] know, you get it in that range. It's got
[14:52] a real low first gear.
[14:54] >> Right.
[14:55] >> And that was just to get you rolling.
[14:56] Dog leg transmission they always talk
[15:00] >> Have you had had an accident with it?
[15:02] No?
[15:02] >> No.
[15:02] >> No.
[15:03] >> Thank goodness.
[15:03] >> So, it's unmolested.
[15:05] >> It's unmolested and
[15:06] >> 120-something thousand miles on a
[15:08] Porsche is nothing.
[15:09] >> Yeah.
[15:10] >> These will go a long time.
[15:11] >> Yeah, I had the top end breathed on a
[15:13] little bit.
[15:13] >> Yeah.
[15:14] >> And you know, and we freshened it up and
[15:16] uh
[15:16] didn't want anybody to get in here and
[15:18] and clean this motor
[15:21] cuz you wind up with water down in the
[15:23] spark plug galley and you know, you
[15:25] start and then it starts misfiring and
[15:27] everything and I didn't want to
[15:28] mess around with that.
[15:30] >> was that way about my room with my mom.
[15:32] No, I don't want anybody
[15:33] >> Right, nobody
[15:34] washing anything.
[15:38] >> I mean look at Yeah, I think you could
[15:40] probably get a new pad here. I
[15:42] I would spring for the new pad.
[15:44] >> Yeah. Yeah. You know, that's uh
[15:47] you know, I'm falling in love with this
[15:49] again.
[15:49] >> Yeah.
[15:50] >> It it sat for a the the whole pandemic.
[15:53] >> Yeah.
[15:53] >> I had a radiator issue.
[15:55] >> Right.
[15:56] >> And then we tried to find an original
[15:58] radiator. And this is again where you
[16:00] come into issues with cars this old, as
[16:03] you know.
[16:05] >> Uh we found one in Australia.
[16:07] >> Really?
[16:08] >> Yeah, but it was $1,500 to ship to ship
[16:10] it here.
[16:11] >> Wow.
[16:12] >> And so we took the original out of here
[16:14] and rodded it out about uh
[16:17] a year ago.
[16:18] And finally, you know, it hadn't run
[16:20] during the entire pandemic because of
[16:22] the radiator issue.
[16:24] And then I get it back and my wife and I
[16:27] are
[16:28] out cruising
[16:29] and I come up to a stop sign and I go to
[16:31] shift down into the first and it just
[16:34] and all the all the shifting bushings
[16:37] >> Oh, yeah. Yeah.
[16:37] >> had gone.
[16:39] And then I got that in and got it taken
[16:41] care of. And then when it was in being
[16:42] taken care of
[16:44] the guy that's worked on it for 35 years
[16:48] said uh you've had a rat in your
[16:51] >> Oh, eating the wires.
[16:52] >> Yeah, eating the wires. So he replaced
[16:54] all the
[16:55] all the
[16:56] plug wires and everything and
[16:58] >> Well, look at the size of that
[16:59] alternator. What an enormous That's a
[17:02] That's got to be a 25-lb alternator.
[17:05] >> Probably at least that, yeah.
[17:06] >> I mean, you can actually got Mitsubishi
[17:09] makes one that's like like this big. You
[17:10] fit it right down there. It's probably
[17:12] twice the
[17:13] the amperage of that, too, but
[17:15] but very nice car.
[17:16] >> Yeah. Very nice car.
[17:17] >> Yeah, they laid this in here
[17:19] pretty nice. I think it was the 924S
[17:23] or they waited till the 944.
[17:25] >> Right.
[17:26] >> They basically cut up Porsche engine in
[17:28] half.
[17:29] And so, it gave it the four.
[17:32] Uh and that became a Porsche motor. This
[17:36] was again
[17:38] Audi developed.
[17:39] >> Right.
[17:40] >> With and then they put all the badging
[17:42] on and and did all of that stuff.
[17:43] >> Did you ever think of upgrading to the
[17:45] 944 or cuz I mean what you obviously
[17:48] really bonding with this car at this
[17:50] point. Yeah, so you've had it what how
[17:52] many
[17:53] >> 45 years. 46 years.
[17:54] >> 46 years.
[17:55] >> Yeah.
[17:55] >> And like two payments left or
[17:57] >> Yeah, only only a couple left.
[17:59] >> I mean, so why why this rather than the
[18:01] Corvette or whatever?
[18:03] >> I just got into this thing and then you
[18:06] know, I did a lot of racing in in the
[18:08] to have a high performance car as a
[18:12] you know, as a temptation on the street.
[18:15] >> Right.
[18:16] >> You know, became less of my
[18:18] my macho connection.
[18:20] >> Right, right, right.
[18:20] >> I figured you know, you can do all this
[18:22] stuff on a track and everything. And I'm
[18:25] the kind of guy that when I bought my
[18:27] first car in 1954
[18:30] two-door sedan
[18:33] it may not have been
[18:35] the newest car, it may not have been the
[18:38] best car, but it was the cleanest car.
[18:41] >> Right, right, yeah, that's funny.
[18:42] >> You know, I always tell my wife if
[18:44] something happens to me in a in a shop
[18:46] or or we're at Home Depot or something
[18:49] you know where to find the car. It's at
[18:50] the furthest spot in the parking
[18:52] >> Right, that's funny.
[18:53] That's funny.
[18:54] >> So, you know, I I just as you said,
[18:56] bonded with this car and and have always
[19:00] I you know, I mean, you look at this car
[19:01] from a
[19:02] side view
[19:04] just driving it the other day. I've got
[19:05] people, you know, you
[19:07] get this all the time. You get the
[19:08] thumbs up and the
[19:10] and then the other thing that I noticed
[19:12] I was up against a Camaro this morning
[19:14] coming here.
[19:15] >> Yeah.
[19:15] >> You know, and the guy hammers it like
[19:17] I'm going to race him.
[19:18] >> Right.
[19:20] Well, it seems to you know, it's funny
[19:21] because interesting about good design is
[19:24] it's timeless. Like this car looks
[19:26] probably it looks better now than
[19:27] probably at the time because at the time
[19:29] you you used to seeing Porsches look
[19:31] like 911s or 356s.
[19:33] And this comes along and it's like,
[19:35] "What?"
[19:35] >> Yeah.
[19:36] >> You know, but yet it it is I mean you
[19:38] could pretty much Well, it still uses
[19:40] same shape today basically. Panamera or
[19:43] any of those
[19:44] you see all the Porsches and I think
[19:46] their mistake was aligning themselves
[19:48] with Volkswagen in America cuz then it
[19:50] became, "What is it a Porsche or a
[19:51] Volkswagen?"
[19:52] >> Right.
[19:52] >> A guy buying a Porsche doesn't want
[19:53] people to go, "Hey, is that a
[19:55] Volkswagen?" You know, that was sort of
[19:57] the problem. And this was VW Porsche,
[19:59] right at the time.
[20:00] >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean they had they handled
[20:02] all the distribution and everything VW.
[20:05] You know, one of the one of the fun
[20:06] things about about the turbo when they
[20:08] said they're out of business I I took it
[20:10] up to a
[20:11] Pasadena
[20:13] Porsche to get the last turbo put on.
[20:15] >> They get the last turbo, yeah.
[20:17] >> And this is the last one we're we're
[20:18] covering you. Right.
[20:19] And and he was the one who recommended
[20:21] me to my guy John out at
[20:24] Modern Modern Auto Tech
[20:27] Technology in Pasadena and and uh
[20:31] you know, and John's taking care of it
[20:32] ever since.
[20:33] But we go out and we're driving in the
[20:36] thing and the service manager at at
[20:39] the Porsche dealership says,
[20:41] "I forgot about this car. You can run
[20:43] over a dime in this thing and tell
[20:45] whether it's heads or tails."
[20:46] >> Right. Yeah, yeah. That's the
[20:47] >> And driving up here I just wondered if
[20:49] the
[20:50] if I had lost the shock when we were
[20:52] doing the
[20:54] you know, it just is as stiff as a car
[20:56] can be and and
[20:58] when we were doing the VW Rabbit
[20:59] Bilstein up
[21:01] Bilstein gave me a set of shocks for
[21:03] this thing and I think they're the same
[21:04] ones that are in here probably now 35
[21:06] years.
[21:07] So.
[21:08] >> Well, it's sure well very nice. Can we
[21:10] take it for a ride?
[21:11] >> Absolutely.
[21:12] >> it. Let's do it.
[21:16] >> This is the other thing about closing a
[21:18] hood on this car anyway.
[21:20] I I went for a 10-cent part at a Newport
[21:24] Porsche.
[21:26] And the guy comes out, he takes puts the
[21:28] little thing in I can't even remember
[21:29] what it was.
[21:31] And he lays the thing down and he
[21:33] presses here and
[21:35] just put a cup in the hood of It was
[21:37] brand new.
[21:38] >> Wow.
[21:39] I have never driven one of these. Those
[21:41] would be a treat.
[21:44] >> One of One of the other things fall into
[21:47] this.
[21:47] One of the other things is I still have
[21:49] the original three of the four original
[21:52] mats.
[21:59] >> I like this little wheel.
[22:02] >> Yeah, you know, the the big
[22:03] >> though, isn't it?
[22:04] >> Yeah. The bigger one
[22:08] just puts your legs at this angle and I
[22:11] dealt with that for years and I finally
[22:14] tried to find one that had the
[22:17] a little different configuration here.
[22:20] No.
[22:21] >> No power steering.
[22:22] >> This is strictly a muscle car.
[22:32] So, as you know, boom, this thing
[22:35] really goes up Here we go.
[22:37] You feel every bump and
[22:39] >> You do feel every bump, but you got to
[22:41] remember this car is
[22:43] 50 almost 60 years old.
[22:45] >> Yeah. No, it's it's 46 years old.
[22:47] >> Well, I guess Well, I guess what it it
[22:49] shows you're a good driver, man. That's
[22:50] why I'm dyslexic. Okay. But, that's
[22:53] that's a long time ago.
[22:54] >> Yeah.
[22:56] >> And the fact that it still operates
[22:59] as a modern car I mean, you can drive
[23:01] it.
[23:01] >> Yeah.
[23:02] >> It's fast enough. It's fun to drive.
[23:05] It's easy to work on, reasonably so.
[23:11] When you bought this new, did it come
[23:12] with the tool kit?
[23:14] >> It's got uh
[23:15] It's got some stuff in the in the boot.
[23:17] >> Yeah, remember those days where you
[23:19] actually get
[23:20] >> Actually got a tool kit you could
[23:23] you could work on your own car.
[23:24] >> Yeah.
[23:26] >> I like when that turbo kicks in.
[23:28] >> Yeah, it it gives you a little boost.
[23:30] >> You know, I kind of like turbo lag cuz
[23:32] when you're driving by yourself
[23:34] >> Yeah.
[23:34] >> it's like you're getting a free jolt of
[23:36] you know, yeah.
[23:37] >> It'll wake you up.
[23:38] >> I mean, obviously if you're racing or
[23:39] something, you don't want that. But
[23:41] it's just fun to drive.
[23:43] >> My wife said the other when we were
[23:44] driving up here, yeah, she said, "Do you
[23:47] Do you enjoy driving this car?" I said,
[23:49] "I love it."
[23:50] You got to pay attention to it.
[23:51] >> Right, yeah.
[23:52] >> You know, it's not one of these where
[23:53] you
[23:54] everything's being done. You got to know
[23:56] about the gear ratio and range that
[23:58] you're
[23:59] you know, when you're coming up behind
[24:00] someone, slowing down to bring it down
[24:02] and
[24:02] >> And it's it's funny cuz there's nothing
[24:04] old-fashioned about the dashboard. It's
[24:07] still basically the the most sensible
[24:09] layout that they still use to this day.
[24:12] You know, speedo in the center,
[24:15] gauges easy to read.
[24:18] >> there's a lot of rattles. I've chased
[24:19] them from the beginning and uh
[24:23] never really been able to solve the
[24:24] little things like where the the the
[24:27] seatbelt ratchet.
[24:28] >> Yeah, yeah.
[24:29] >> Things like you know
[24:30] >> they did
[24:30] >> Yeah.
[24:30] >> Well, the thing I think the mistake they
[24:32] made was
[24:34] selling it as something less than a
[24:36] Porsche.
[24:36] >> Yeah.
[24:37] >> You know, a Volkswagen. It was like new
[24:39] Coke. They tell you for a hundred years
[24:40] new Coke's the greatest tasting
[24:42] beverage. Oh, no, we got a better one.
[24:43] Well, WELL, NO, MY HEY, I LIKE MY NEW
[24:45] COKE. I like my regular Coke.
[24:47] >> Yeah.
[24:48] >> Yeah, I remember when this came out, it
[24:51] they deliberately made it underpowered
[24:53] because they didn't want to undermine
[24:55] the 911. I mean, so you know, they they
[24:58] built the car with one hand tied behind
[24:59] their back. Oh, no, we can't Oh, no, no,
[25:01] it can't be better. Oh, no, it can't be.
[25:03] So, consequently, it's always a
[25:04] compromise.
[25:05] >> was al- almost as close in performance
[25:09] with the turbo as a 911.
[25:10] >> Right, exactly.
[25:11] >> And uh
[25:12] you know, and I and I have to say when I
[25:14] walked into the showroom on this thing
[25:15] and then I'd had the one that they
[25:16] loaned me for a couple of weeks and
[25:18] driven it
[25:19] and just really liked
[25:23] the
[25:24] the look of it, the feel of it.
[25:26] >> Yeah.
[25:27] That's what I loved about when they came
[25:28] out with the C8 Corvette. All the old
[25:30] guys, "It doesn't have round tail
[25:31] lights. It's not a Corvette." Yeah. You
[25:33] know,
[25:33] Porsche
[25:35] kind of like a Harley-Davidson. They
[25:36] have to keep building exactly the same
[25:38] thing. Oh, new hand grips for, you know,
[25:40] 2026.
[25:42] Yeah, you feel the turbo.
[25:44] >> that little kick in it. Yeah, it's fun.
[25:47] >> You know, I like any car where I can use
[25:49] all the horsepower all the time.
[25:51] >> Yeah.
[25:54] >> I drove a couple of McLarens and they're
[25:56] great fun, but you get you go, "Oh, this
[25:57] is fun." You step on the What? Wait, why
[25:59] am I in jail? What happened?" You know,
[26:01] you get you got arrested. What you you
[26:02] know.
[26:03] I mean, you and I come from the era
[26:05] where
[26:06] when you watched a car movie, the
[26:08] speedometer go 90, 91, 90, 100 mph and
[26:13] then that's like the end of the world,
[26:14] 100 mph.
[26:15] >> And that's the other thing I forgot.
[26:18] The original speedometer on this was an
[26:20] 85 mph speedometer with a big red 55.
[26:24] >> Yeah, and that's stupid.
[26:25] >> You know.
[26:26] So, I got rid of that a long time ago. I
[26:28] didn't keep what, you know, the original
[26:29] face.
[26:32] Probably should have, but nobody's going
[26:33] to put it back in.
[26:34] >> Yeah, that was Jimmy Carter.
[26:36] >> Yeah.
[26:38] >> Those are actually more dangerous cuz
[26:39] people had no idea how fast they were
[26:41] going.
[26:41] >> Yeah.
[26:44] >> You feel that turbo kick in?
[26:46] There we go.
[26:49] It gives you a little kick in the butt,
[26:51] though.
[26:51] >> Yeah, yeah.
[26:52] That's a lot of fun.
[26:53] And then the car is like on rails. It's
[26:57] I don't know if that's a function of
[26:59] 35-year-old Bilstein shocks.
[27:01] >> Yeah.
[27:02] >> May have given up a little.
[27:04] >> Yeah.
[27:05] You know, it's funny. I have had the got
[27:06] that Carrera GT.
[27:08] And I've had it since new. It's 2004.
[27:11] One day I'm going down the road and I'm
[27:12] hitting bumps and I'm jumping to the
[27:14] next lane. And I realize my shocks are
[27:16] depreciating like 5% every year. I just
[27:19] never realized how bad it was until I
[27:21] put new shocks in one. Oh my god, this
[27:23] is what it's supposed to be.
[27:24] >> Yeah.
[27:24] >> How old are these tires?
[27:26] >> Uh
[27:28] I think they're about 6 years old.
[27:30] >> Yeah, they feel a little like starting
[27:31] to get a little hard, I can feel.
[27:34] You feel like you want to slide.
[27:36] It really is a light car compared to
[27:39] even a modern Porsche.
[27:40] >> Yeah.
[27:41] I think it's 2,800 lb.
[27:43] >> Yeah, that's I mean, that's
[27:44] a lightweight now.
[27:46] >> Yeah.
[27:47] >> Fun thing about
[27:49] 200 horsepower or less is you can enjoy
[27:52] watching the tach sweep across.
[27:53] >> Yeah.
[27:54] >> You can look at the tach while you're
[27:55] driving. You know, most modern supercars
[27:58] you can't even take your eyes off the
[27:59] road.
[27:59] >> off the road.
[28:02] >> And you said your air conditioning does
[28:03] not work?
[28:04] >> No, I can't get
[28:05] >> You know, you should You know what you
[28:06] should put in this is vintage air. You
[28:08] ever heard of them?
[28:09] >> No, I haven't.
[28:10] >> They're a company. I put them in
[28:12] everything I have. It
[28:14] The air conditioning unit is it's it's
[28:17] it's this big.
[28:18] >> Really?
[28:18] >> It looks like a tiny old tomato. You
[28:20] know, everything is improved so much.
[28:22] The idea of putting a big, you know,
[28:24] 75-lb
[28:26] I mean, they're really unbelievably
[28:28] good. But, you should check it out.
[28:30] >> into that because
[28:31] >> you they make it. And what they do is
[28:32] they keep it so all your original switch
[28:35] gear
[28:36] >> Yeah.
[28:36] >> still works. Yeah.
[28:38] >> Well, that's something to look into. I
[28:39] just talked to my guy and I said, "What
[28:41] do we What do we" He said, "I'm going to
[28:43] have to go in and and check for
[28:45] something's leaking." I said, "Well, we
[28:46] know that."
[28:47] >> Well, this is probably freon, right?
[28:49] >> It is freon.
[28:49] >> Well, you can't get freon anymore.
[28:51] >> Well, you can kind of on the
[28:52] >> Well, you can, but it's crazy expensive.
[28:57] >> But, 134
[28:57] >> it's And then it's not It's really not
[29:00] worth it when you do it and it's only
[29:01] going to last for 2 months.
[29:03] >> Right.
[29:04] >> Well, you know, when uh
[29:07] Adam-12 ended in in 19
[29:10] 75, and then I did a uh
[29:13] uh another series We did two spin-offs
[29:16] of Adam-12 that we were going to do. One
[29:18] with Jo Ann Pflug playing my partner
[29:20] being
[29:21] >> Right.
[29:21] >> an early
[29:22] adopter of females getting into the
[29:25] field.
[29:26] And then the other one was with Mark
[29:27] Harmon being my partner and me moving
[29:29] into the place.
[29:31] Marty had said, "Find me something I
[29:33] have to do half-day's work and I can go
[29:34] down on the avocado farm in Fallbrook."
[29:37] >> Right.
[29:38] >> So, we had it all set up and then it
[29:41] didn't it didn't happen.
[29:43] But, in 1982, Jack Webb called me and he
[29:46] said, "You know, I want to have a
[29:47] conversation with you." And
[29:49] we met at the
[29:51] and Bull in in uh
[29:55] He said,
[29:56] "Listen, kid, I got
[29:58] 400 of the best then
[30:01] well-written scripts that exist.
[30:04] And uh
[30:05] we're going to modernize them and we're
[30:06] going to redo Dragnet.
[30:09] But, this time this is going to be your
[30:10] show." He said, "I'll do the voice-over
[30:12] narrative
[30:13] and Frack, meaning Marty, Marty'll be
[30:16] your partner. But, this is your show."
[30:18] And I said, "Great, I'm in."
[30:21] And uh couple days later, early in the
[30:24] morning, Buddy Hackett gave me a call.
[30:25] Buddy was a real good friend.
[30:27] >> Yeah.
[30:28] >> And called me and he said, "Hey, are you
[30:29] awake?"
[30:31] I said, "I am now." And he said, uh "Sit
[30:33] up.
[30:35] Turn on the television.
[30:37] Jack Webb is dead.
[30:39] They're just bringing his body out from
[30:41] the Sierra terror of
[30:43] bringing it.
[30:44] And that was uh that was the end of that
[30:46] endeavor. But uh
[30:49] Jack was a wonderful wonderful man to
[30:51] me.
[30:53] Very loyal. He had a stock company of
[30:55] people. You can look at
[30:57] >> from Dragnet radio days. Marty worked
[30:59] with Jack in the radio.
[31:02] >> Wow.
[31:02] >> You can imagine.
[31:04] And uh
[31:05] you know, so
[31:07] they had a relationship that went all
[31:08] the way back to a movie called The Halls
[31:10] of Montezuma.
[31:15] But he he uh
[31:17] he had a a stock company. They knew the
[31:19] way that Jack worked. Jack worked with
[31:21] teleprompters.
[31:23] I was very lucky in my life. I worked on
[31:25] two iconic shows, The Adventures of
[31:27] Ozzie and Harriet, where I started.
[31:29] >> Right.
[31:30] >> And they came out of radio, Ozzie and
[31:31] Harriet. And Ozzie used teleprompters,
[31:33] but he never insisted
[31:36] any other actor use them.
[31:37] >> Right.
[31:38] >> Jack, on Dragnet,
[31:41] would put a teleprompter in front of an
[31:42] actor, and the actor said, "Oh, I don't
[31:44] use teleprompters." Jack would take the
[31:45] teleprompter away and say, "Good. Now
[31:48] just don't blow your lines."
[31:49] >> Right.
[31:50] >> And of course the guy would blow his
[31:51] lines, and Jack would put the
[31:52] teleprompter back in, and then Jack
[31:53] would say, "Now let's get the day's work
[31:55] done."
[31:57] But uh
[31:58] you know, he uh
[32:00] was loyal to those people who knew the
[32:02] way that Jack worked and what Jack
[32:04] wanted.
[32:06] But it was devastating the day that he
[32:08] died and suddenly. He had a heart
[32:10] attack.
[32:11] >> I didn't realize he was so young. Would
[32:12] you say 62?
[32:13] >> 62.
[32:14] >> Wow.
[32:17] >> Yeah, it was uh
[32:19] >> Well, he came from that mad man era
[32:21] where everybody just
[32:22] >> Well, everybody smoked and drank.
[32:24] >> You know, Fred deCordova, the old
[32:26] producer of the Tonight Show, every day
[32:27] would be like a a highball or
[32:30] some sort of stupid mixed drink for
[32:32] lunch, you know.
[32:33] >> And you know who directed the movie
[32:36] Here Come the Nelsons, which was
[32:37] basically the pilot for The Adventures
[32:39] of Ozzie and Harriet.
[32:40] >> Was that Was that Fred?
[32:41] >> Freddie.
[32:42] >> Oh, that's right. Yeah.
[32:43] >> And then Ozzie said,
[32:45] "I know how to do this." And Ozzie
[32:46] directed every other episode until David
[32:49] started directing too.
[32:50] >> I'll tell you something else about Fred
[32:51] McMurray. You know who his father was?
[32:53] >> I don't.
[32:54] >> His father was Ponzi's partner.
[32:57] You know the Ponzi scheme?
[32:58] >> Yeah.
[32:59] >> Yeah, the two of them had
[33:01] these schemes that they they pulled into
[33:03] town in their own railroad cars.
[33:05] >> It was all Donald Duck.
[33:06] >> Oh.
[33:06] >> And they get money from investors and
[33:08] then the train would pull out in the
[33:09] middle of the night and they'd go to the
[33:10] next town.
[33:11] >> And they never got caught. How do you
[33:12] know How did I get caught?
[33:14] >> Yeah.
[33:14] >> But you didn't get caught cuz you were
[33:16] you you were out of town. There was
[33:17] hardly any communication between
[33:19] >> Yeah.
[33:20] >> But yeah, the Ponzi was his
[33:22] >> Yeah, I didn't know that.
[33:23] >> Yeah, Fred was a character.
[33:26] I know Fred came one day and said, "Oh,
[33:28] I had a little accident today.
[33:30] I hit another car." What kind of car did
[33:31] you hit? Said a big town car. I said,
[33:34] "When was this accident?" 1929.
[33:37] What What is a big town car? You know,
[33:39] he's thinking of you.
[33:42] You know, this thing is a lot of fun to
[33:43] drive.
[33:44] >> Huh?
[33:44] >> It's hard to believe it's a 47-year-old
[33:47] car.
[33:47] >> Yeah.
[33:50] >> I mean, you got a few rattles and stuff
[33:51] that you can probably take care of.
[33:53] >> Yeah, I got it.
[33:54] >> Some new bushings.
[33:55] >> Yeah.
[33:56] But, you know, it's still fun.
[33:58] >> Oh, yeah.
[33:58] >> And that's the key to the you know, I've
[34:00] always
[34:00] >> a little
[34:01] feeling the turbo spool up and
[34:03] and then catch it down. You get that old
[34:06] kicking in the rear end.
[34:08] >> Now, we started out running
[34:10] When we started hanging out, we got a we
[34:12] got a call I you know, when I was a kid
[34:15] and after the Second World War,
[34:17] I always remember the Indianapolis 500
[34:20] being on the radio and my dad doing yard
[34:22] work
[34:22] >> Right.
[34:23] >> Day and being out there with my dad
[34:24] listening to the race.
[34:26] So, I don't know if you remember Don
[34:28] Skagen and Jay Michaels who were PR guys
[34:31] at NBC for a long time.
[34:34] >> Jay Michael sounds familiar.
[34:36] >> And and so on
[34:38] early May
[34:39] my wife and I have just moved in at
[34:41] 1970. My wife and I have just moved into
[34:43] our house in Hollywood.
[34:46] I get a call from
[34:48] Jay Michael. He said
[34:50] do you know
[34:52] the Indianapolis 500? I said, of course.
[34:56] He said, would you be interested in
[34:57] going? I said, I'm packing.
[34:59] >> Yeah.
[34:59] >> Yes. So, we went back as a guest of the
[35:02] 500 Festival Committee in 1970.
[35:06] And it was a, you know, a whole bunch of
[35:07] celebrities. David Hartman was
[35:10] you know, just
[35:11] >> David Hartman, yeah, I remember, yeah.
[35:12] >> Yeah, and and uh
[35:15] you know
[35:16] just a whole group of guys and gals.
[35:20] And it was raining and delayed the race,
[35:23] and they come up where we're all sitting
[35:25] in Tower Terrace.
[35:27] They said, well, everybody headed back
[35:28] to LA. We need We need towels. It's like
[35:31] lap 160.
[35:32] >> Right.
[35:33] >> Hartman and I look at each other. We're
[35:35] not leaving.
[35:37] We're staying We're in this till the
[35:38] end.
[35:39] And we stayed till the end.
[35:42] And I I went back. I missed
[35:45] the year my son was born on May 27th,
[35:48] 1975.
[35:50] Cuz I couldn't figure out a way, but I
[35:52] did go back for practice.
[35:53] >> That's uh
[35:54] >> And and came home and Rocky had Michael.
[35:58] And uh
[35:59] then I probably in those years have
[36:01] missed five races
[36:04] since 1970.
[36:06] >> We all got out of the TV business right
[36:08] in time.
[36:09] Yeah.
[36:12] You got that turbo kicked in? There we
[36:13] go.
[36:16] >> Jay, come to think of it, I don't know
[36:17] that I've ever sat in this seat.
[36:19] >> I I just I I was going to ask you that.
[36:21] >> I think I'd have a more fun sitting here
[36:23] than
[36:24] >> Yeah, I remember when the
[36:26] when the Porsche 930 Turbo came out,
[36:28] >> Yeah.
[36:29] >> it made 260 horsepower.
[36:31] >> Yeah.
[36:32] >> And people talking about having it
[36:33] banned because it's too powerful.
[36:35] >> Well,
[36:36] >> funny how things change. I've got a a
[36:39] '62 Maserati 3500 in the garage there
[36:43] with fuel injection. And I'm reading the
[36:45] road test from a '62.
[36:47] >> Yeah.
[36:47] >> And in Road & Track it says,
[36:50] "Why anybody needs 220 horsepower in a
[36:53] sports car is beyond me, but
[36:55] >> I'll take it.
[36:55] >> you know, because that was considered
[36:57] just a crazy amount of power.
[37:00] I mean, turbo was a great idea. It
[37:02] seemed like it's free horsepower.
[37:04] >> Yeah.
[37:04] >> The exhaust gases are going out anyway.
[37:06] Why not use them? I mean, it just seems
[37:08] like common sense.
[37:09] >> Yeah.
[37:11] >> And less horsepower to run than a than a
[37:13] supercharger.
[37:15] I remember an ad they ran back in the
[37:17] '60s with the Comet.
[37:19] >> 100,000 mi at 100 mi an hour.
[37:21] >> you remember that ad? Do you remember
[37:22] that ad?
[37:22] >> That I do. And that's what happened to
[37:24] us.
[37:25] >> Yeah.
[37:25] >> They were at 24 hours at Indianapolis
[37:28] for speed, and we were averaging about
[37:29] 120 mi an hour.
[37:32] Uh
[37:33] Mercedes went to
[37:35] Nürburgring and ran 100,000 km. Saab
[37:38] went to Talladega.
[37:41] And they ran like 40 days or something
[37:43] like that.
[37:44] >> Yeah, right.
[37:45] >> And Nissan scrapped the campaign.
[37:53] >> You know, give it back to the Porsche
[37:54] guys.
[37:55] >> Go to replace every bushing,
[37:57] and you're going to rattle-free car.
[37:59] >> Yeah.
[38:03] >> Although it doesn't bother me. I'm just
[38:04] you know,
[38:06] I'm so used to driving cars with no air
[38:08] conditioning, windows open.
[38:09] >> Yeah, I'm thinking
[38:10] >> Yeah, it doesn't
[38:11] >> I'm thinking for sound in this if we
[38:13] were doing when we worked, we'd be in
[38:15] the dubbing studio looping all
[38:18] all this dialogue.
[38:23] >> Any other cars you like?
[38:25] >> Miatas and even get that I've got my
[38:28] little C-Max and I've got a 2009 Ford
[38:31] Fusion.
[38:32] >> Oh, okay.
[38:33] >> And I had a I had a show
[38:37] you know, with the Yamaha motor in it
[38:39] and then things started happening to it
[38:41] and I traded it in for that Fusion.
[38:43] >> Well, did you see my Ford Festiva with
[38:44] the show motor in the backseat?
[38:46] >> No.
[38:47] >> Oh, yeah.
[38:48] It's called the Shogun.
[38:49] >> Oh, really?
[38:50] >> It was built by Chuck Beck and
[38:52] what's his name? The other guy.
[38:54] >> That little car was a fun car. I would
[38:56] have it today. I bought cars with this
[38:58] in mind.
[38:59] >> Yeah, great.
[39:00] >> Either the car dies or I do.
[39:02] >> Yeah, yeah.
[39:03] >> and
[39:04] for a fun thing, this was in the vets.
[39:08] You know, weren't family cars. They were
[39:11] like my youth
[39:13] showing itself off.
[39:15] So,
[39:17] you know, right now
[39:20] I don't know what high performance car I
[39:22] would want to park in the garage.
[39:24] >> You must be the longest original owner
[39:26] of a 924. In fact, you should contact
[39:29] Porsche. I bet they'd do a story on you.
[39:31] That's probably I I don't think there's
[39:32] I've never heard of anybody else with
[39:34] one.
[39:34] >> Yeah. I mean, they're probably out there
[39:35] somewhere so.
[39:36] >> Well, there weren't a lot that were
[39:38] brought into the United States. They had
[39:40] to redo the bumper, the front and the
[39:41] back because of the you know, the all of
[39:43] that stuff.
[39:45] And uh
[39:47] you know, so
[39:48] looking up
[39:50] and
[39:52] basically, thank you because
[39:55] I got jazzed about this car again.
[39:57] >> Oh, yeah. Well, that's that's you need
[39:59] something to rejuvenate, you know.
[40:00] >> And uh
[40:01] >> Like put a little excitement in the
[40:03] marriage, you know.
[40:03] >> You know, I I did uh
[40:05] you know, like finding that original
[40:07] sticker on the thing.
[40:08] >> Yeah.
[40:09] >> You know, my
[40:10] you know, for if you haven't seen this,
[40:12] this was the
[40:14] the this was my turbos.
[40:17] >> Oh, yeah. All yellow.
[40:19] Replaced turbos. That's hilarious.
[40:21] So, about every 10,000 mi you replace a
[40:23] >> I was putting a turbo in the damn thing
[40:25] and and you know, and again, that's when
[40:27] Porsche was good to me
[40:29] on that front until
[40:32] they got some new management or
[40:34] something and somebody looked at a
[40:36] a a sheet somewhere that said, "What is
[40:38] this Ken McCord turbo replacement
[40:41] invoice?"
[40:49] >> Did they always replace it with the same
[40:50] turbo or an up updated version?
[40:53] >> Uh replaced it with the same one until
[40:55] my guy took the last one and rebuilt it.
[40:59] And and this thing has held
[41:03] from that time on and it's still going.
[41:04] >> would have come up with an auxiliary oil
[41:06] pump on that
[41:07] >> Yeah.
[41:08] >> You turn on the ignition and just
[41:09] circulates the oil.
[41:11] >> Well, you will interestingly what they
[41:13] did to try to solve that is they gave
[41:15] you an ignition delay
[41:18] where you could turn the key off, and
[41:20] pull the key, and the engine would run
[41:22] for whatever time you set it to.
[41:24] >> Oh, I see.
[41:24] >> And and so you would have it and allow
[41:27] that bearing to stop spinning.
[41:32] >> Well, Ken, thank you, my friend.
[41:34] Appreciate it. Great talking old TV
[41:36] shows and cars and
[41:38] it's it's uh yeah, it's just great. You
[41:41] have quite an automotive life. I didn't
[41:43] realize.
[41:44] You know, when you see people on TV, you
[41:45] never really know.
[41:46] >> Yeah.
[41:47] >> But just the racing and all that kind of
[41:49] stuff so
[41:50] Well, I hope you enjoyed this trip down
[41:52] memory lane and
[41:53] >> I did, very much.
[41:54] >> How many original owner 1980 Porsches do
[41:56] you find? Not many. This is especially a
[41:58] 924, so thanks for saving this piece of
[42:01] history.
[42:02] >> Well, you're welcome.
[42:03] >> There's a railroad tracks. We're going
[42:05] to get killed by a train. See you guys
[42:06] next week. Bye-bye.