A horizontal coniferous tree of gears.

I say gearbox. I say boot. I am American (but lived in Europe for several years). I do not apologize. They are better words. I shall remain insufferable to my friends.

This engine didn’t come out of nowhere; it started life in a largely-forgotten supercar from Nissan.

Dear 19-year old SmugAardvark,

Probably this Renault Turbo II at the Hunt Store in Hunt, Texas.

Hell yeah! Sounds like something I’d do/say.

In the mid-’90s, I moved just outside of Seattle and bought a 1970 Ford F-100 Ranger XLT for $500 cash in hand. I loved that truck. The first night I had it, I drove up to a scenic spot in the Olympic Mountains and slept in the bed under the stars. The engine was in great shape, a 300 straight 6 with mostly original…