[alfa] on the road again!!! (pseudo NAC -- yes, there's a question buried in here)

[Tessie McMillan <tessmc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

As some of you know, I've had a restoration project on a very slow burner 
since 1997. That has been long enough for me to practically forget I still 
owned the car! It's not an Alfa, but it's an interesting car that some of 
you know, so I was hoping you'd celebrate with me and also answer a 
question.

The car -- originally a 911T with a magnesium engine -- was totally torn 
down, the body media blasted and repainted, and the fenders flared. Lots 
of work was done to the engine and the car sat for couple of years in my 
mechanic's shop as well. This year my BF Steve, my friend Gordy, my 
mechanic, and some of my other friends helped here and there to get 
things in and on the car with an eye to having it on the road in the not 
too distant future... say 2005....

But for a birthday present, Steve ramped up the assembly. The result is 
that a couple of weeks ago, I was able to drive it as far as the corner 
and back (there were a few important things missing, like seats). And I'm
very proud to say that yesterday I was able to drive the fully licensed, 
"street legal" (quotes are mine &:-)) car for the first time since 
1997!!!! I drove from my home in Bellevue up through back roads to Mill 
Creek, then back down to Bellevue's business district on the freeway, 
then home at night on multi-lane arterials. It wasn't a perfect drive -- 
the tires are very hard 10 year old R compound that haven't been tracked 
for... well ... 10 years, the rear end rides a little low so I'm bottoming 
out, thick plumes of smoke still pour out of the exhaust pipe due 
to a seal failure that happened early on in the engine rebuild, the 
engine is harder to start than the dickens, the odo doesn't appear to 
work, the mirrors are only johnnie-rigged on the car, and I'm 
driving the stick without a shift knob, which is a little painful, but 
the engine sure makes a sweet sound!!! I can even put up with the gas 
fumes in my clothes after the drive. It's like, I Have A New Car!!!!!!!!

So here's the question: PEMCO doesn't really want to insure the car, now 
that I have a collector plate on it, so I only have temporary insurance 
with them. I was thinking about collector's insurance. Can anyone give me 
tips on insuring this car? How do you get the insurance (I seem to recall 
the name "Hagerty".) How would you calculate the car's value, since it is a 
restoration to a different 'spec' (if you will) than what it was  
originally? I am planning on driving it at the track, as well. 

Thanks for listening, everyone! Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!!!!!

Tess
in Bellevue WA, USA
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