© Copyright 1995 - 2023, Richard Troy

Richard Troy's Toys

From here you can browse:

My collection varies in size with time, and has, over a long term basis, hovered between 18 and 20 cars. Everyone asks, "where do you keep them all?" ... as if in disbelief... Well, the company I work for has a bit of extra space, so they let me store my cars there, and there are usually one or two on display in the entrance hall, three or so in the workshop, 9 or so in the "back 40" warehouse space, and perhaps another in the driveway... -smile- Hey, it's what I do instead of raise children!

The collection is mostly 'pre 60 Ghias, though I have had some Porsche 356s, and a Rometsch (all three below).

The following image I refer to as Ghia Row. In this location I have 8 Ghias, plus or minus one or two now and then. Or you can view them from another angle.

In the images, from either foreground, or left: '58 Cabriolet (hacked up, not in image above, black), '58 coupe (red), '58 Cabriolet (white), '59 Cabriolet (brown), '59 Cabriolet (red), '58 Cabriolet (sliver-blue), '59 Coupe (red), '55 Coupe (black/motled with primer), and, not really in view, back row on left, '59 Coupe (blue) Montage Suisse. (The other cars aren't mine.)

 

Listing of my automobiles

The following list is roughly by production date, in ascending order, with car types mixed together. I have decided to go-ahead and list cars I no longer own as well because I often have good data on them for historical reference. Which is which can be distinguished from disposition entry for each car.

...Notice: this list has _never_ been accurate as I never have time to keep it updated!...

Ivory 1959 Okrasa 1500 Super powered Karmann Ghia Coupe'

Aerosilver 1958 Karmann Ghia Coupe'

Porsche 356 SC Coupe'


The Porsche 356 SC Coupe, 1963. I bought this car in '87 with about 76,000 miles on it. It runs great, and has really turned heads at some Porsche Club Events. . . You see, as the oldest car run at some of these events, people expect it to be soundly beaten by modern cars - they're in for a surprise!

Incidentally, this car is sweeter even than she looks...

Porsche 356S B Cabriolet


...and then there's the 356 B Super Cabriolet - also a '63. This car went off road at some point in its life, and it had all 4 wheels replaced. Its mileage is unknown, but I suspect it's high, because since its purchase in '90, it has forced me to do a lot of work on it.

First, though the SC should beat it, I felt it wasn't competitive enough with the SC, so I tore the engine apart, against the shrieks of my girlfriend (who felt it was running fine and why have another project...). I found one of the pistons was broken, and the crankshaft was cracked, and about a half dozen other problems - it was amazing it ran as well as it did! So I rebuilt the engine... installed the SC crank, a big bore kit, dropped the CR. to about 8.2:1, etc., etc.

I pulled it out of storage one day and when I hit the brakes found it wanted to change lanes all of a sudden! ...OK, redo all the brake components. It was something like $800 just in parts - gee whiz...

Then one day, the pinion shaft lost a tooth! Ouch! (brakes are positively cheap by comparison) ...So I rebuilt it myself, with all new synchros, bearings, etc., and a new pinion shaft! Double-Ouch! It was about $4k just in parts!

Goodness I hope this car gives me a break! ...at least it's fun to drive... Take a look at the typical 4th gear problem: 

Rometsch Roadster

The Rometsch Roadster is perhaps the strangest car I've ever own. It's a 1959 model, and I bought it from the second owner, though the second owner did literally nothing but store her for some 25 years. She has only about 43,000 miles on her, and I drove her back to California from Illinois!. This shot was taken on the day I bought her, never wrecked, complete, and not rusted either.

Cessna 140

OK, it's not a car! But this is my Cessna 140, tail number 2996N, built in 1947. My Dad "ground looped" her one day, and she hasn't flown since. I rebuilt her with an old coot named Farley Vincent, but one day Farley died without signing any paperwork. Farley had made a lot of enemies, apparently because he was quite frank about telling people when they were full of shit. So, in the end, no one else would sign off our work either. So I paid Loucien Tax of AirTax Inc. to "rebuild" it - take it apart enough to sign it off.

Well, ole Lou was a clever one, he was. He scammed me, and kept the money, and didn't finish the plane!

Here she is from another angle:

Richard Troy