So it was a couple weekends ago this olelongrooffan was up at JetBlue Park in the City of Palms checking out the Eurotripper European Car Show. As I mentioned previously, there was large contingency of VDubs, both air and water cooled, but they were not the only Eurocars to show up that day. One of them was this seriously cool Land Rover as well as many more. However, to see them my fellow Hoons will have to make the jump.


This old school military liveryed Land Rover was the first vehicle I spotted after I had BS’ed my way into this event driving that Opel longerroof. With its hardtop and solid rear swing door, this could have been nearly any old Series I or II Land Rover.

However, when I got around the front of it I realized this is most likely a late model. Back when this olelongrooffan was sporting that Comanche beaterpickemup truck and I was trying to figure out a place to carry its spare tire, I briefly considered mounting it such as seen above. That was until thejeepjunkie pointed out the thickness thinness of its hood skin and the lack of any structural support. That spare tire rode in the bed of that Waldo to the day I sold it. Those cards sticking out the top of that license plate are business cards for Quarry Motorsports, the dealership offering this beast for sale.

After checking it out, this olelongrooffan turned to see what else could be seen and the first vehicle I spotted was this highly, at least to me, desirable E30 longroof. Yeah after owning a bunch of E30 ragtops and sedans, this is the Holy Grail for this olelongrooffan. And in my near favorite color with the correct wheels. And it was bone assed stock.

The three pedal requiring 5 speed, Recaro leather interior and hole in the roof only sealed the deal for me. I immediately headed over to the pop up awning next to it and inquired as to the price of my hopefully new to me longroof. “It’s already been sold,” this olelongrooffan was informed. “Sh*t. What did it sell for?” “I can’t disclose that but it was in the Eights.” D*mn. But it’s okay, the steering wheel was on the wrong side and there was not an A/C button on that dashboard anywhere. Know this olelongrooffan is still looking for a longroof almost exactly like this one.

Just on the other side of that pop up was this Resale Red E28 M5 sedan. And while it is nice, it doesn’t hold a candle to that E30 longroof. Sigh, must get away from the Quarry before this olelongrooffan jumps off that cliff.

A row or two over was this Audi and whether by design or not, it was missing its front fascia. Is this another new trend this olelongrooffan knows nothing about?

This longroof looked pretty sweet but as has been expressed previously, the modification of a vehicle’s suspension is a true engineering art and if not done correctly, could result in some serious expensive repairs over the life of it.


Not to mention the tire replacement costs. And what is up with the width of those rims?

Now that’s what I’m talking about. As this olelongrooffan is typing this up I am realizing that the organizers of this event, other than not recognizing an Opel longerroof, had divided this show up, well almost. The bulk of the cars in this field were BMWs and Audis while in the next field were predominately VDubs. But this hailing from Californieland E30 ragtop sure made me miss every one of them I have owned.

Even the fairings and the automatic did not dissuade me from desiring this E30 ragtop. It was in remarkable condition and rust free. And yes my fellow Hoons, this black on black on black ragtop did possess an air conditioner. And the paint was rather nice as well.






This was one of the few 911 shaped Porsches I remember spotting that day.

And trust me my fellow Hoons, this olelongrooffan will never do this to the interior of any longroof I will ever own.

I include this rather mundane Passat as it belongs to the guy who is the natural gas subcontractor for the company providing me the dollars necessary for this olelongrooffan to attend these events and share those experiences with my fellow Hoons via these interwebs.

Regardless of the stance, this baby blue over white Cabrio was drop dead gorgeous. If thejeepjunkie would let me, one of these relatively affordable ragtops would be in this olelongrooffan’s livery. However, as gorgeous as this ragtop was, I was sorely disappointed to not have seen a Harlequin in this group.

And then there was this olebeaterpickemup truck. I struck up a conversation with a couple youngsters who were checking it out alongside me. I asked what they thought it was and they, like I, had no idea. Looks like a Cabrio grafted with a shortened VW pickup. Nicely done though. We couldn’t see a weld seam anywhere. My fellow Hoons seen one like this previously?

In addition to those Bimmers and what this olelongrooffan will always refer to as V.A.G. offerings, I did stumble upon these two Euro ragtops. And what a divergence in looks they were.

As I was checking out this British Racing Green MGB, something struck me about those chrome bumpers and its stance. Unlike many of the other rides here at the Eurotrippen show, rather than being lowered, this one appeared to have been lifted. I then reflected on those wheels and decided, although this olelongrooffan may probably be wrong, it sure as h*ll won’t be the first time, but I think those chrome bumpers may have been grafted on a later model rubber bumper B. It seems to me that to meet the newer bumper height requirement the USDOT enacted in the mid 70’s that British Leyland just increased the ride height to meet those requirements. Trust me my fellow Hoons, this olelongrooffan will be inquiring of that gentleman to the rear of this ride next time I see it.

The last Hooniworthy car my pops, TheGentlemanFarmer owned was a 124 of this variation. His was bone stock with chrome bumpers and wire wheels. I got to ride in it only once and I never drove it. While this 124 looked good, I only wish it were as his was just for the memory alone.


While I was out at this show, I did spot a couple cool Vanagon Westies that were pretty desirable to this olelongrooffan. But, sadly, there was not a Zyncro to be seen.

And while I saw no Classic Minis, I did spot a new one that would be appreciated by my friends over at that society on the book about my face.

As this olelongrooffan was traversing down a row, I overheard a couple of youngsters chatting it up about the Mercedes center caps seen on the wheels of this VDub and it got me to thinking that I had not seen anything from the Mercedes camp at this show. And while not surprised, given the gist of this show, I was disappointed. But in truly what seems to be the way this olelongrooffan can continue to Celebrate Life……

this one was spotted out in the lot on the way back to my Opel longerroof.
Image Copyright Hooniverse 2015/longrooffan