So I'm back from our 24 Hours of Lemons race at Thunderhill, and the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid turned out to be an impressive tow vehicle. It struggled on some of really steep hills and stopping the rig was a bit of an adventure -- note to self, check the battery for the electric brakes -- but the Caddy was comfortable and, more importantly, stable. As for fuel economy, I averaged 14.2 MPG with the trailer hooked on -- not as good as the diesel-powered Dodge, but not a bad figure at all, considering the regular V8-powered Escalade can barely manage that when running light.
OK - on to the race! We created a completely new theme for the 633 CSi: Our German homage to Richard Petty's famous Superbird, complete with huge nose and ridiculously tall wing. We dubbed it Der Uberbird, and it was a big hit with the Thunderhill attendees, especially the kids, who recognized it as The King from the movie Cars. Our nose and wing may not have done much for the car's handling, but our cut springs and thicker anti-roll bars sure did, and the Uberbird was a lot more competitive this time around, despite our so-so driving skills. We finished mid-pack -- 87th out of 160 cars. But more importantly, the Uberbird was still running at the end of the race (although the shift linkage was broken and it was stuck in drive), despite a couple of off-track excursions, including one by yours truly, and the entire exhaust system falling off twice. The most important thing is that we all had a fantastic time. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you have an inkling of wanting to race at Lemons, then you should totally do it. Find out how at the official 24 Hours of Lemons web site.
I've added a whole mess o' photos to my Team Unknown Fluids 633 CSi photo gallery; photos of the Uberbird start on this page and race photos start on this page. Special thanks to teammate Jeremy Jozwik for letting me use his spectacular race photos. -- Aaron Gold
Photos © Aaron Gold
Oh… just wait until we cut the video of you going straight off at 11…
Your link to the lemons website is broken.
Too bad there are no races in the Pacific Northwest. This series looks like real fun.
Link fixed — thanks! And it’s more fun than you can possibly imagine. Worth the drive down to Sears Point(less)…
Any aspirations you may have had of becoming an automotive designer/stylist are now officially over!
It looks like your rear spoiler is high enough so that you can still open the trunk, as on the “real” Superbird. Heck, you could probably open a minivan’s rear hatch without hitting that thing!