FEBRUARY 7, 2024

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

(Photo copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Image by Mathieu Heurtault)

You don't see these every day. This is a 1961 Porsche RS61, a development of the RS60 that was unveiled in January 1960. At the time, the RS60 was the ultimate evolution of Porsche’s iconic sports racing aluminum-bodied, four-cam Spyder. The RS60 was essentially a refined version of the highly successful works RSK built for the 1959 racing season, featuring Wendler coachwork and Porsche’s potent Type 547/3 four-cam engine. A sophisticated, highly efficient sports car perfectly suited for technical circuits and open road races, the RS60 possessed exceptional roadholding, braking, and acceleration capabilities. It was truly the first racing Porsche that posed a real threat to the large-capacity sports racers that competed for outright wins. In 1960, Porsche built 18 RS60s, four of which were retained by the works team. For the 1961 season, they built another 14 Spyders destined for customer delivery, designating these as the RS61. Identical to the RS60 in all but the name, the RS61 was the last of the legendary four-cam Spyders, the original line of sports racers that earned Porsche its reputation as a competition powerhouse. As one of fewer than 30 examples that survive today, this RS61 is eligible for the most exclusive rallies, vintage races and concours d’elegance. It is one of the most important, sought-after competition models in the history of the Porsche marque. And it will be auctioned off by Gooding & Company at Amelia Island in March. It is estimated to go for between $4,000,000 - $5,000,000, just in case you have some serious ca$h-ola burning a hole in your pocket. 

Letter from L.A.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. I’m sure you remember that Chevrolet, in a moment of madness, gave me a Volt to drive for a week in SoCal for this very publication. Even with a charging system that was nascent (I charged it at the Beverly Hills library a few blocks from my hovel) and even with “only” 40 miles of pure EV driving a day, I really liked it. Having a gas engine took range anxiety off the table - I drove to Santa Barbara (1/2 way on EV), parked it, charging at a public lot, had lunch, shopped, hung out and drove back to LA - making Ventura before the gas engine kicked in. The rest of the week I used no gas at all, but I knew I could drive from LA to Palm Springs or Palm Beach and if there weren’t any places to charge it, I’ll just have to suffer through a 36MPG sedan. The second gen even seated five (although wasn’t as distinctive as the first). At the time I thought the brain trust at GM were a bunch of idiots for not marketing the thing at all, then even bigger ones for discontinuing it. How tough would it be to hook up a 3/4 scale Ultium (Penultium?) battery pack with a 3-cylinder engine (they do have them) and make another Volt? It’s not going backwards; it’s giving your customers what they seem to want. I daresay more of them would want a $35k hybrid Volt that seats 5, goes 100 miles on pure EV, then 250 more on gas, than a $100k Hummer that weighs more than a branch library.

It’s not like I’m asking for an electric Solstice. But while we’re at it..

 

The AE Song of the Week 

Hello, baby

Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speakin'
Ha ha ha ha ha, oh you sweet thing
Do I what?
Will I what?
Oh baby, you know what I like

[Chorus]
Chantilly lace and a pretty face
And a pony tail a-hangin' down
That wiggle in the walk
And giggle in the talk
Makes the world go 'round
There ain't nothin' in the world
Like a big-eyed girl
That makes me act so funny
Make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose, like a long-necked goose
Like a girl, oh baby, that's what I like

What's that baby, but, but, but?
Oh honey
But?
Oh baby, you know what I like

[Chorus]

What's that, honey?
Pick you up at eight and don't be late?
But, baby, I ain't got no money, honey
Ha ha ha ha ha
Oh, all right, baby, you know what I like

[Chorus]

"Chantilly Lace" by The Big Bopper from the album "Chantilly Lace" (1958).* Written by J. P. Richardson. Publisher: BMG Rights Management; GLAD MUSIC CO.; Kanjian Music. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Listen to it here. 

*Originally called "That's What I Like," this was released as a B-side for another song. While the A-side got some airplay, the "Chantilly Lace" B-side eventually took off, becoming one of the most played songs of 1958. The Big Bopper was a star, and for most of the year he was on tour promoting his record. The Big Bopper's real name was J.P. Richardson. He was a prominent DJ at KTRM in Beaumont, Texas who had a few hit records of his own. He also become a prolific songwriter, and his songs would later provide hits for Johnny Preston with "Running Bear" and George Jones with "White Lightnin." He died on Feb 3, 1959 in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. This day was immortalized in Don McLean's song "American Pie" as "The day the music died." In 1958, the Big Bopper recorded three music videos for his songs: "Chantilly Lace," "Big Bopper's Wedding" and "Little Red Riding Hood" (all three videos were recorded the same day). He also coined the term "rock video" in a printed interview in 1959. According to Bill Griggs, editor of the Rockin' 50s music magazine, the Big Bopper was convinced that video was the wave of the future and, at the time of his death, he was preparing to start production on music videos for TV and a specially designed jukebox that would play videos. This song was featured in the films American Graffiti (1973), The Buddy Holly Story (1978) and La Bamba (1987). The spoken intro to this song "Hellooooo, baby. Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speakin'..." is typical DJ patter, which was The Big Bopper's bailiwick. By saying his name at the beginning of the song, Bopper made it clear who the artist was and that much easier for listeners to ask for it at record stores. This introduction intro was a potent marketing device, and one that was used in many more songs throughout the years, especially hip-hop tunes that work well with speaking parts. This was the last song performed at the Clear Lake, Iowa concert the night Holly, Valens and Richardson died. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG