(Car Stories)
The Motoring Journal started long before I ever sat behind the wheel of a car. Interesting enough, I knew nothing of The Motoring Journal until 1997 when I purchased a Karmann Ghia. Since birth I’ve wanted nothing more than to be around, work on and photograph cars. But, That day after pulling the 64′ Ghia out of a decade long rest in a field and trailering it home, I began digging through the box of parts that accompanies every good vintage car. There it was, the old beat up, leather-bound journal. Inside the cover was scribbled “The Motoring Journal”. Now that caught my attention. It was then I realized where my passion came from. A desire and uncanny ability to fix, troubleshoot, identify and keep a vintage car alive. My dad has it, my uncles have it, my grandfather had it too… I just didn’t realize how far back the passion went.
The Journal’s roots grow deep into the passionate love affair between man and machine. This journal was not a published work however, it was simply a personal, hand written journal passed down through generations of car guys. Telling stories of their relationship with the automobile. The earliest entry I could find from 1931. A man wrote about his home-built Model A speedster racing through pastures and farm roads in the Midwestern United States. Later in the 1960’s journal entries tell stories of a young mans Triumph TR4 and the controversy of purchasing a foreign car after his return from the call of Military. Someone recorded memories of a guy driving a late 60’s Porsche 911 up to the house to pick his sister for date. The stories go on and for some reason I’m certain they go back as well.
I realized that The Motoring Journal should be shared. What better way to document it than online. To my amazement TheMotoringJournal.com domain was available. I’m always looking for great stories of Life with vintage automobiles. So please, by all means send me an email or leave a comment here. I’d love to hear from you.
More about me,
My name is Chris Runge. I am an avid German car enthusiast but have interest in all european makes and most models (I lean towards sports cars). Anyone that knows me would say I am a car nut. I was raised on a hobby farm in rural Minnesota. My dad being a contractor didn’t do much farming as a hobby. We ended up using our barns and sheds as storage for boats, cars and other things. When I was 7 years old a gentleman asked to store his Porsche 914 in our barn. It wasn’t long before the car was under a cover tucked away safely. After a few months my curiousity got the best of me. I would sneak into the barn, slip the cover off just enough to open the door on the 914 and enter what I thought was heaven. The smell, the black sheepskin covers on the seats, the steering wheel, the pedals way out in front of my feet, oh yeah, and the Gumby air freshener hanging from the mirror.
That poor 914 sat in our barn for quite some time, maybe 3-4 years. When I was around 10 years old. I finally got my dad to ask the owner if we could get it running. He gave us permission and in an afternoon we had it going down the road. It wasn’t running great and I don’t remember exactly how well it was stopping but what a car it was.
At 14 years old my dad and I bought my first truck. It was a 1951 GMC 3/4 ton pickup. It had sat behind the local GMC dealer for years. We trailered it home, put in a battery, changed the oil, bled the brakes and she started right up! I drove that truck around the back roads for a few months before starting to take it apart for restoration which was a mistake. The truck went to a shop and the shop went somewhere. We never saw it again. I still have the tailgate which my dad has the best intentions of making a fold down counter out of someday.
At the age of 17 I bought my first VW beetle and then went thru a number of classic german cars. In total i’ve had over 35 european cars since then. Every car had a story and I was always happy to be a part of each cars life and have them a part of mine.
I’ve also encountered some interesting situations in buying and selling cars. Everything from flying across the country to find out the pictures of the car I was buying were 3 years old to selling a car to a 6′2″, mid-60’s aged, cross-dressing truck driver. It’s the press-on fingernails. They just don’t look right on large man-hands.
I’m not claiming to be an expert in any particular area and the site should be for entertainment with a little bit of education as well. I try to stick to the facts but sometimes things go better with a little fiction.
Read my story with the Florida Crown Region PCA HERE.
Enjoy.
Your’s Truly at the wheel of my US Spec, 1987 Porsche 930 Slantnose
