Firebirds, Classic Bikes, and Antique Trucks You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of: Members’ Rides

Welcome to Members’ Rides, where we share the cars and stories of Autopian Members. The potential to be featured here is a perk for Autopian Members of every level, from the ultra-affordable “Cloth” tier all the way up to “Rich Corinthian Leather.” Click that link and join today!

Matt, today’s featured Member, helps run his family’s NAPA Auto Parts store in Antioch Illinois, and has a fantastic collection of vehicles. He also moonlights as a website builder and investigative journalist. In his downtime, Matt founded the original registry for Koenigsegg owners, and also was a part of the group that shed light on SSC fudging their claimed 300mph run back in 2020. He also has several other vehicles that are not mentioned below just because there was already so much, I couldn’t fit them all.

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How did you get into cars?

I got into cars as a kid, really as far back as I can remember I always had toy cars. From that I learned a lot about makes and models.  I would always get the Matchbox catalog so I pored over models I didn’t have as well.  My Mom got me a big book on classic cars that I still have to this day, it’s a great reference.

By the early 80’s I had learned all the exotic makes, and naturally had 3 Countach posters on the wall of my room.  I saw Roger Moore’s Lotus from The Spy Who Loved Me which set off a lifelong dream to own an Esprit.  I’ve driven a few and came close to buying one once. Market values have kept them *just* out of reach for, oh, the last 30 years.  I’m at the age now (53) where I’m half accepting it probably won’t happen.  I’ll take a V8 model please, I fit in those better. In black of course! Most of my cars are black, the only proper color for a car!

What’s currently in your garage?

• 1980 Pontiac Firebird
• 1989 Pontiac Firebird
• 2006 Jaguar XJ8
• 1991 Yugo
• 1977 Porsche 924
• 2012 Chevrolet Colorado
• 1991 Ducati 907
• 1987 Honda NQ50 Spree
• 1966 Yamaha YL1
• 1978 Triumph Bonneville
• 1941 White WB14 ten-wheeler
• 1922 Diamond T model K 2 1/2 ton truck (this is an impressive piece).

Tell me about your 1980 Firebird

This was my first car, I got it in 1986, so it was my only car until I got the ’89.  I had always wanted to drive on a track, and I found TrackTime had dates at Road America, my home track.  So for the first three years, I was risking my only car!  When my Dad started coming with me to track days in 1993, I started making it more track-capable because my Dad is a bad (good) influence.  Once it’s no longer your daily, a lot of concerns for its everyday drivability get left aside.

What have you done to it?

Originally it had a 301 with an automatic.  Had I had any sense at all, I would have left it alone, because apparently factory four-wheel-disc Formulas are kind of rare.  But when you’re 18 you don’t care about that, so I put a 400 in it.  Eventually, one of my instructors said, “You’re going as fast as this combination will allow,” and I converted it to a four-speed. 

It carries a stroker crank now, displaces 461ci and makes 480hp at the crank.  Back when Rancho used to make car suspension kits, I put their spring and bars kit on it, and it carries them to this day.  It corners well enough that I’ve chased 911s through the Carousel and had the guy come to see me afterward. “I had to see what’s up with this thing.” It still carries the factory disc brakes, which isn’t as bad as it sounds but it could definitely go for an upgrade.

What’s your favorite track to drive it on?

The Glen is amazing, Mid-Ohio will wear you out after two days, but nothing beats stretching your legs at Road America.  People say it’s just three straights but if you’ve driven there a lot you know it has tons of nuance.

Any crazy track stories to share?

The Firebird caught fire once, and there was the time I broke a crank into five pieces, but the best was the time Dad and I finally got in a dry session at Mid-Ohio after sitting in the truck in the rain for a day and a half. We spent the entire half-hour session with a maximum of five car lengths between us, having swapped once.  After the flag, we went down the back straight side by side, thumbs up to each other, and when we got back to the pits people were applauding. One of the highlights of my life.

What made you add the ’89 Firebird?

I was pretty sure I wanted another one, but I was actually debating between it and a Formula Fiero. Drove a Fiero that was for sale, liked it, but in the end the V8 won out, and I thought it would be cool to have essentially the same car in two different generations. It was my daily until the mid-2000s. I actually autocrossed this car for five years or so, winning four consecutive class titles. These days I’ll rotate it into the fourth garage stall and drive it for a few days.  Nice days only because the T-tops leak, like they all do.

My favorite story, and one of the defining things in my life, was when I drove it from Illinois to Los Angeles, via Denver, and then up to Vancouver Canada, and back home over the course of 16 days.  Solo.  Total freedom.  Everyone should do a trip like this before they die.  I recommend doing it while young, before “life” gets a hold of you.

How long have you had the Jag?

Bought this in 2011 to replace my ’98 XJ8, which was starting to have more and more persistent issues.  This is my “half daily”, meaning it’s my primary driver unless I have chores or it’s winter. One of our customers had it in his dealer lot.  I wanted another Jag, everyone is scared of Jags because of unjustified maintenance concerns, consequently they’re a tremendous value on the used market.  You won’t find a German luxobarge as nice inside for twice the price.

Have you had any issues with it?

As I say the above, I have to acknowledge that it has a fun little thing it does where all the gauges go dead at random, and every warning light comes on.  The car will run fine and operate normally, minus power steering.  Sometimes just shutting it off and restarting it will clear it, other times I have to open and close the trunk (don’t ask).  Just recently I finally found a factory TSB that covers this exact issue, it involves a pin on the ABS harness (yeah I dunno either), but I haven’t taken it to the dealer yet because I just deal with it.

What’s great about it?

It’s rated at 300hp which doesn’t sound like a lot today, but it’s so damn smooth and loves to rev. It’s so comfortable inside, let’s face it no one does an interior like Jag used to do.  And you can set the cruise at 90 like we like to run in the Chicago area, and it’s so solid going down the road.  In spite of its little gremlin, if I had 200 miles to cover, that’s the car I’d take.

Now, let’s talk Yugo

I’d always thought it would be funny to get a Yugo, as a goof.  I even knew that the final two model years had the bigger fuel-injected engine. About every six months I would quickly scan the internet to see if any popped up. 

Finally, in December 2016, I found the one. I’d never seen a black Yugo before. I think I made the offer 24 hours later.  It was a bit nerve-racking because I’d never bought a car sight unseen before, and it was in Colorado. I probably overpaid at the time, but it was the one I wanted, and since then it seems Yugo interest has only gone up. Given the condition it’s in, it was worth it.

What’s the Yugo experience like?

It’s a hoot to drive, it’s so light and the sightlines are great.  Before it arrived, I told my wife, “Remember when I said I always wanted a Yugo? Well, it will be here Tuesday.” She hates it, mostly, but in a good-natured way. I think…

Everyone – except my wife – loves the Yugo. Every time I drive it, someone smiles big and gives a thumbs up, they are so shocked to see it. I’ve taken it to some local shows, now people are always asking about it. One time I had the Yugo and my ’80 Firebird at the same show, no one even cared about the Firebird. But everyone has questions about the Yugo. 

How rare is the fuel-injected model?

Through work, I had a contact who had access to Polk registration data. I asked if he could search Yugos for me. At the time, there were only 78 on the registration records between the 90’s and the 91’s. There may be more now, as it seems there are guys interested in getting them back on the road. But suffice to say, it’s not a large population. Years after I got it, I found out that black was only offered in the USA, and only for one year. I’ve only seen one other black Yugo, and that was online. So mine might not be the only black Yugo in the world, but there aren’t many.

How hard has it been to keep on the road?

Not too bad.  The engine and running gear are essentially Fiat 128, so you can get a lot from Midwest Bayless. Parts via NAPA were going obsolete when I got the car, so I ordered everything I could get my hands on, whether I needed it or not, just to have. There’s also a really good Facebook page, where I’ve found a fellow in Serbia that I’ve bought a few pieces from that you would think were extinct.

What’s the story of the Porsche 924?

I got the 944 in June of ’21, and by that fall I had it dialed in pretty good. It makes like 12 horsepower, but the harder you drive it, the more it likes it, so it feels way faster than it is. I got it detailed in May of ’22, did a whole photoshoot of it, put it away for a few weeks and the next time I tried to start it, it was broken. 

How a car can break with no outside influence I have no idea. It will start and run but won’t accept throttle. I know just enough about K-Jetronic to be dangerous, so I’m waiting for some spare dollars to get it to an independent Porsche specialist in the area.

How did you find it?

A guy I knew had it in his garage, I could see it from the street sometimes. I asked him about it once, he offered to sell it to me, but what do I need to spend money on an old Porsche for? Every so often I’d ask if he still had it. One day he comes in and says do I want it, I say sure but I can’t pay you for it, he says come get it, I need the space in the garage. It had been sitting for 16 years, so it needed quite a bit of love, but we got it.  Which is why it’s such a shame it’s down at the moment.

Ok now tell me about the Ducati!

I got it in 1996. Prior to then, I had owned two motorcycles. Both dirt bikes that I knocked around the neighborhood. This was my first road bike, which was awesome but also completely against conventional wisdom for new road riders. When I went to buy it, the guy needed to jump-start it to get it going. 

As soon as it started, that V-twin was reverberating in the garage, and all reason leapt out the window. Once you accept that a Ducati is an emotional decision, the only question is can you afford it. And fortunately, I could. For what it’s worth, it’s never gotten me into any trouble, but conventional wisdom is probably right on this.

I love the way it rides. I found out many years later that the 907 and its predecessor the 906 Paso were designed by the legendary Massimo Tamburini, and I think that’s pretty cool, because initially I was just looking for something fuel injected!

How did you come by the ’87 Honda Spree?

I wanted a pit bike because Road America’s paddock is huge, and one day a customer called for a battery for a Spree. I asked if it was for sale, and it was.  Then I asked if it was black, and it was – so that was that. That was in 1999, and I used it as a pit bike for many years. I’m a tall guy, so I’m pretty sure I look ridiculous riding it around. I don’t know how something this small and slow is road-legal. I think some people might be laughing at me rather than with me, but who cares. Life is serious enough.

Where did the Yamaha YL1 come from?

It belonged to a coworker, it was sitting in his basement. The dad of a friend of his had brought it over from Thailand. It was a while before I ended up with it, and a few years before I got it road-ready. It’s really neat though, not the kind of thing people see anymore.

What’s it like to ride?

It really requires you to pay attention while riding it. The shift pattern is four-down, so I’m constantly having to remind myself what to do on downshifts. It’s not a US-market bike, so it has no turn signals, which means you have to use hand signals. The power curve is extremely peaky, and the brake light is only activated by the rear brake, so you’re very in the moment while riding because things are so different.

Quite frankly it might be the most reliable thing I own! And when I have needed things, I’ve actually had luck ordering OEM parts for it still off of dealer websites. 

What’s the background on the Triumph Bonneville?

It was just sitting in my uncle’s engine shop for a long time and Dad finally got it out of him. It’s beautiful. It could use replacement turn signal lenses to replace the faded ones, and the tank stripes are faded, but that’s patina and it’s lovely the way it is. It has the upright bars on it, and the seating position is so natural, you feel like you could ride it for miles. 

You said it has a 9-step starting procedure, what are the steps?

Every time I successfully start this thing, I feel like a superhero. It goes like this:

1. Unlock fork with round key
2. Pull in clutch lever, kick the engine over until the clutch plates are free
3. Turn on ignition with square key
4. Open both fuel petcocks
5. Push both fuel ticklers until fuel flows out
6. Flip the kill switch to Run
7. Press down slightly on the kickstarter to release compression
8. Fully kick starter lever. Bike should start
9. Flip the headlight switch to the on position
10. You are now ready to ride.  

How did your grandpa end up with a dual dually axle WB14 truck?

Grandpa ran a feed store in the area, before he got his own farm.  I believe this was one of the feed store trucks.  It had a wooden, hydraulic tilt flatbed, that for some reason my uncle took apart before we moved it off the farm.  The hydraulics are still there though, and I have a good mental picture of what the bed looked like.

What’s the plan for this one?

Hard to say.  It’s in a pretty rough state, and it’s not like most people have any idea what a WB14 is.  Plus it’s massive.  There are people who have restored the White Yellowstone buses though, and the cabs are very similar, so it’s theoretically possible.  Just how long to do it and how much.

How did you come to have a 1922 Diamond T model K 2 ½ ton truck?

My uncle was a member of the American Truck Historical Society and was looking for a project.  How he found it I have no idea, but he was a truck mechanic so he knew people in the business. 

Based on the plate it was registered as recently as 1981, which is hard to believe.  It’s nearly impossible to find out anything about it.  The big problem with moving it is he took the rear axle out to restore the worm drive, so it’s on a stand he made.  But he already had the rear springs redone and was keeping busy with it.  He said he had the Hercules 4 cylinder running at one point on a crank start. So in *theory* it could go back together as is, and run.

Are you even able to get parts for something like this?

I had a local guy who did custom restorations come look at it once.   He was blown away by it.  It sits on solid tires, 36 inch up front and dual 40’s in the back, and the wooden cab tops out at about seven feet high I’d guess.  But he said it’s doable, with a good wood guy and some time.  His summation was, “this needs to be done, because I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

Everything would have to hand finished, one-off.  Before my uncle passed, I visited him in the hospital.  We were talking about his life, and he said he had so much to do still, and needed someone to finish his truck.  I said I would do it.   Originally I envisioned a nuts & bolts restoration, but now that I’m older and I realize the time and financial limits I’m under, I think maybe just get the axle back in it and see if it will go down the road.  I feel like I owe him that.

Before I let you go, talk to me about the Koenigsegg connection.

Thanks Matt!

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