Peter Brock’s Blog

Peter Brock

Peter Brock has become a blogger!  Sometimes referred to as the Energizer Bunny, Brock continues to delight us with his designs, insights and stories.

Now you don’t have to go to an event to ask Brock a question. He will answer your questions online on his blog, which will also make the answers available for all to see.  You may want to ask questions about a project or vehicle Brock has worked on, a person he may have worked with, a design, his photography career or a question on current automotive happenings on which you would like his opinion.

Brock may not be able to get to all questions but he’ll try. Brock’s answers may be in various formats such as a text response or as video. Often Brock will have something in his archives or in the shop he will share.

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A couple of weekends ago Gayle (my wife) was working on her beloved 1974 BMW tii, replacing a turn light bulb and had a friend remove the inner panel of the passenger door as the slide for the window had bound up and needed some lubrication. I watched as she “loved” on the car, cleaning the back of the turn light lens cover, putting some polish on a rag and wiping down the underside of
Carroll Shelby’s two Daytona Cobra Coupes’ impressive showing in their first season in the US and Europe in 1964 finally convinced some cool-eyed skeptics within Ford management that the ex-Texas chicken farmer and his small team of Southern California racers might actually have the “right stuff” to compete on an international level. They awarded Shelby their nascent Ford GT40 program for 1965. Ford’s master plan was to have Shelby cancel his Cobra program at the
The BRE and Aerovault crews gathered in the showroom to wish me happy birthday a couple of weeks ago. The showroom has what Gayle calls the “Peter Brock History Walls”. She’s taken images from when I had my first car in 1952 (an MG TC) thru my time at GM (late ‘50s), my history with Shelby (’61-’65), my BRE team (’66-’72) and my hang gliding company starting in ‘73, Ultralight Products (UP) and mounted them
Cobra Killers
Back in the ‘60s things were pretty fluid in the racing world and a person could be involved in several different projects, unlike today where you mostly have to be dedicated solely to the team you’re with. Even while working at Shelby’s I raced my own cars, including a small 1000cc Hino sedan and a 1300cc Hino Contessa, both right hand drive. Fast cars attracted a lot of stars back then and they would just
DeTomaso P72 US unveiling
First, I’d get a hotel room reserved no later than March. You can always cancel days you decide not to attend but finding a room much later than that could be a problem.  Next, accept that you can’t go to everything. You may look at a schedule and the map and think it’s doable but add an hour to any estimated travel time for the heavier than normal traffic and the time it takes to

5 thoughts on “The Crystal Ball by Peter Brock

  1. After I read Mr Brock’s article from 13 years ago I believe there are some observations to be made today: i believe we see the speed at which we are seeing the I. C. E. Auto being replaced is slowing. The amount of direct pollution from operating todays cars is well over 100 times less. Perhaps a factor. Many in the car buying public are not willing to accept the limited infrastructure, limited range and long charge times of an electric vehicle as it affects our major lifestyle tool of convenience, the personal automobile. Also perhaps a factor. The price of all electric compared to I. C. E. autos is excessive. A factor. The perception that you will not have a choice but to buy an electric auto by 2035. A definate factor for some of us.
    I agree with Mr Bell that the I. C. E. Auto will be around for many years. I think like the cars themselves there will be choices on how you want yours powered.
    Lastly, as we complete the 65th month and finally complete the restoration of my 1967 Shelby G. T. 350 I think the passion is there still…… for me and for the generations that follow. The desire to own, preserve and enjoy your favorite car will continue as long as young people get there drivers licenses and borrow their folks cars.

  2. Thank you for keeping me on your Email list. Please continue. Gearhead here going back to 1959. Yeah, spot on with the “old” blog post. Cheers and Best Regards. ‘AC’

  3. Maybe taking a more positive outlook… You can still get parts for Model Ts and As I believe, but I’m no expert on what is available. And those cars in many was are so simple, can manufacture needed parts with todays technology, but again not sure about price… I think will have our favorite gas cars around perhaps for the next 100 years, maybe beyond!? As long as there is enough demand for them it will be met! And looking at what is available for the 60s muscle cars, complete bodies in some cases validates that! The cost is high and getting higher. But keeping older, and especially antique, cars is for people that have the extra money for such things and probably will remain so… Beyond that, mom use to say, “You can’t stand in the way of progress!” If you do you get run over…pardon the pun… We need cleaner running cars, it’s just a fact going forward into the future. And for the enthusiasts out there many of the electric cars are much faster than gas…. For the interim hybrids with be a better choice because of the capacity of the batteries available now. There are bigger capacity batteries but the cost for them is prohibitive for most people, at least for time being! So there will be a need for gasoline going into the future for some time! And bottomline, as long as there a love for the old cars, they will be with us! Those that can afford them anyway….

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