It’s been a while. Yep, a while since I slid behind the wheel of my Spectraflame Blue Torero.
I remember seeing the car as a kid when it was brand new. The style and design was like something I have never seen before. It was the most aerodynamic vehicle from the maker. A two-seater that sat no more than 42 inches high from the blacktop.
Considered way before it’s time, the canopy raises up with a wave of your foot below the rocker panels. As the canopy rises, the steering and gauge pod swing away for easy entry. I slide back into the specially contoured space age bucket seat with integrated headrests. With voice command, the steering and gauge pod slowly descends into the correct position and the canopy closes.
Unlike other canopy cars of the day, the Torero features cabin air vents at the base of the wrap around windshield. Providing fresh cool air adding to the comfort on this Sunday Drive. Also new for the times were paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.
A push of the button and the 426 Hemi powerplant roars to life. At 425 hp and 490 foot pounds of torque the mill is plenty of horsepower for this lightweight aluminum skinned tubular framed vehicle. It features four-wheel independent suspension that Jaguar copied for their XK models. Known for it’s superb ride and incredible handling. I slap it into gear and away we go.
For ultimate driver control this sleek sports car has four pedals. On the right is the Accelerator Pedal, next to it is a small pedal that only hits the rear brake for drifting through the corners. The next pedal is a bit larger and is the brake pedal common in most cars, yet sends high pressured juice to 14″ discs on all four corners. The clutch which engages the 6 speed gear box is on the far left.
I already planned my route for today with Blacktop Magazine’s Fuel Fed Fun Guidebook: A Sneak Around The Peak. We will be taking a leisurely stroll along the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains bordering Orange and Riverside Counties in the heart of Southern California. A perfect day for it at 73 degrees under partly cloudy skies.
Breakfast in the Orange Circle and I steer the beast east towards the hills. As I skirt south on Santiago Canyon Road, I remember back as a kid, when I first saw this car, I would ride my Schwinn Deluxe Paramount up and down the rolling blacktop on a daylong excursion, similar to this one today.
We scoot through Trabuco Canyon and across the backside of south Orange County till we get to Highway 74. Ortega Highway. Famous as the Palms to Pines Scenic Highway. In this stretch we go from the San Juan Capistrano up and over the Santa Ana Mountains and down into Lake Elsinore in Riverside County.
As I near the top of the hill a pair of red and blue rollers come up fast behind me. I down shift it and eye the turnout for Wildomar OHV park up ahead on the right. Like a Minnesota Fats bank shot, I focus on the inside edge of the turn out and point the nose in. I tap on the rear brake as I spin the wheel to the left. Rolling off the brake and onto the gas I sped past the rollers in good “Rockford” fashion. A tight turn is up ahead as I realize I am going too fast downhill and not in the proper line as I approach a tight right turn. I roll the rear brake again and pitch the tail out to the left and gain control creating a smoke screen of Radial TA rubber.
Around the next left I see a road block in place. No time to panic I see a narrow escape up the rolling embankment on the left. I hit the throttle, and get put back in the seat when all of a sudden I wake up and the morning news is on with an eye in the sky following a typical Southern California Car Chase.
That’s what happens when I am playing with my Hot Wheels before I go to bed. How did you sleep?