Out of the ring, pro wrestler Goldberg becomes Bill Goldberg, soft-spoken collector of -- what else? -- muscle cars. And he doesn't just collect them -- he drives them too! In fact, he states, being behind the wheel makes him feel "like a kid in a candy store."
Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Goldberg was no stranger to autos with lots of horsepower, thanks to his buddies' older brothers. To the young boy they looked like big Hot Wheels, and the seeds of a hobby were sown. Nowadays he calls Georgia home, and that's where he keeps his collection of 17 muscle cars.
So what do collector and collectible have in common? With a twinkle in his eye, Goldberg explains it succinctly: they can both be "high horsepower and quite overbearing at times." Not always, though: here Goldberg offers a few tips for aspiring muscle-car collectors. Before investing, take the following into account:
- All seams across all body panels. Make sure all the seams are clean (figure A).
- The underside of the car. Check to see whether any body work has been done (figure B).
- The VIN (vehicle identification number). It can be found on the dashboard (figure C), under the hood, on the trunk and on the transmission and the engine block. Make sure all the numbers match.
- Try the magnet test. Run a magnet over all the body panels. If the magnet fails to stick to any panels, they're not metal -- they're probably Bondo. And that means they've been replaced.
Goldberg's favorite car in his collection is a replica of a 1966 Cobra (figure D). He chose for his kit car a different engine than the standard variety: his is an Ernie Elliott Inc. special -- in other words, a Winston Cup motor (figure E). The vehicle weighs in at an impressive 2,100 pounds and packs a walloping 850 horsepower.
Goldberg (who confesses the Cobra "scares the bejesus out of me!") admits that the hardest part of driving such a powerful car isn't the horsepower -- it's getting his massive frame into the car at all! He points out, "You know you're too big for a car when you're driving down the road and you can see above the windshield!" Not that anybody would dare make fun of him . . . !
RESOURCES :
The Cobra Story: A Man, His Dream and His Automobile
Author: Carroll Shelby and John Bentley
1965, Trident Press
Carroll Shelby website
Classic Car Restorer's Handbook: Restoration Tips and Techniques for Owners ...
Model: 1557881944
Author: Jim Richardson
Order this book from Amazon.com
H.P. Books
Classic Car Restoration Guide: The Complete Illustrated Step-By-Step Manual
Model: 1850108900
Author: Lindsay Porter
Order this book from Amazon.com
Haynes Publishing
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