Ferrari FXX Crash at Laguna Seca

We didn't see this crash while we were at the track this month. It is supposed to be the first recorded crash of a Ferrari FXX (the $1.8 million street version of the Ferrari Enzo racing car.) According to our friends at WreckedExotics.com, it happened during a special "Ferrari Racing Days" event at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca on May 22, 2011. The Ferrari went off the track at Turn 8 "The Corkscrew" and crashed into the tire wall.

Drift Wars in Greece

Drift Day 21/5/2011 from DK Video Productions on Vimeo.

It's been a little while since we've had a jewel from our buddy Dimitris Katranidis at DK Productions in Greece. There's lots more including backstage video from fashion shows and Top Model. See it at: DKVideoProductions

http://vimeo.com/22119101
http://vimeo.com/23757942

For more info visit:
http://helicamvisuals.com/
http://vimeo.com/dkvideoproductions

Lloyd Read Wins SCCA Race at Laguna Seca!

Almost Everything Autobody sponsored Lloyd Read sets track record and goes on to win the SCCA SFR Championship race at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, California in his Formula Mazda. This comes after his 2nd Place finish at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point in March. Congratulations Lloyd! Next race is June 11-12, 2011, again at Infineon Raceway.

First Place Lloyd Read at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca
in Almost Everything sponsored Formula Car

In the second race of the day Read again looked great, passing much of the field before tangling with another car in Turn 2 at the mid-point of the race. He was quickly able to clear his car from oncoming traffic and get back on the track only to discover that damage to his rear suspension prevented him from finishing.


For more information on Lloyd Read and the championship series, visit:

• LloydReadRacing.com
• worldspeed.com
• Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
• wikipedia.org/Star_Mazda_Championship
• StarMazda.com/
• FormulaCarChallenge.com

Almost Everything's Formula Car Racing at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca this Weekend

Join Almost Everything Autobody at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca this weekend, May 28-29, 2011 to see the Almost Everything Autobody sponsored Mazda Formula car driven by Lloyd Read.

1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Color Change

Almost Everything Autobody's car of the day is a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The paint was old & faded and the plastic body mouldings were weatherbeaten. The owner decided that spending a little to change the color and fix some dents was a lot cheaper than buying a new Jeep. The images don't do the SUV justice. The color she chose looks spectacular: DuPont C939 "Bright Silver Sparkle Effect."

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Beautiful Photo

Okay, we ripped this off from Axis of Oversteer that ALWAYS has the best graphic images. So admire it here for a minute then go take a look at all of their other goodies. . .

Axis of Oversteer

2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Two-Tone Paint Job

Almost Everything Autobody's car of the day is a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser. This customer wanted to give his Cruiser a new look, he was thinking of a color change to silver but he also liked the original black. His wife asked Almost Everything Autobody if we could make the car two-toned, silver on top and black on bottom to match his favorite Bay Area football team. We must say this PT Cruiser looks awesome.

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Almost Everything Autobody Sponsors Lloyd Read in SCCA Formula Mazda Championship

Almost Everything Autobody & Aene Automotive Racing are pleased to announce sponsorship of Lloyd Read in the SCCA SFR Championship. Read finished 3rd in his 2010 rookie season. In 2011 he is also competing for Worldspeed in the Formula Car Challenge. Read drives two different Pro Formula Mazdas. These cars were the stepping stones to Formula One, NASCAR and Indy Car series for drivers like Scott Speed, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Michael McDowell.



Almost Everything Autobody paints the carbon fiber parts for Read's car.

For more information on Lloyd Read and the championship series, visit:

• LloydReadRacing.com
• worldspeed.com
• Facebook.com/Lloyd-Read-Racing
• wikipedia.org/Star_Mazda_Championship
• StarMazda.com/
• FormulaCarChallenge.com

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Stolen & Crashed

Wrecked Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

How is it that a vehicle who's production can be counted on fingers and toes seems to appear in crash photos just about every month? We at Almost Everything Autobody think that the same cars must be quickly repaired and crashed again to maintain this kind of frequency. Thankfully owners capable of plunking down 2 million dollars or so for one of these Earth-bound missiles are usually well insured.

This particular Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, according to our buddies at WreckedExotics.com, was stolen in Switzerland along with a Ferrari 599 and a BMW 750iL. They crossed into Germany where they were chased by police and ultimately caught but not until after the Bugatti was crashed into a barrier.

Scott Sanchez Spins at Las Vegas Blackjack 121 Race

#24 Scott Sanchez Chevrolet Spins in Las Vegas

The Almost Everything Autobody sponsored Chevrolet Impala SS of Scott Sanchez tangled with Brian Herzog in turns 3 & 4 of the Blackjack 121 Race at the Bullring in Las Vegas May 14, 2011. Skilled driving and a bit of luck allowed Sanchez to finish the race but the spin would put him out of contention for the podium.

For more on Scott Sanchez, the #24 Chevrolet Impala SS and SRL Racing visit:
www.racingwest.com

RaceToWinCorvette.com

Just a head's up to our friends. Chevrolet is giving away a 2011 Corvette and a trip to LeMans. Sign up at racetowincorvette.com.

Sebring 12 Hours Looks Like a NASCAR Race

Ferrari 458 crash at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Photo by Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Race winning Peugeot 908 at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring

Almost Everything Autobody watched the 59th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring on ESPN.  We thought we were watching a NASCAR event instead of American Le Mans. Endurance racing used to be tough enough without worring about other racers hitting you on purpose. No longer. Drivers bumped & grinded all 12 hours. Cars were destroyed, carried back to the pits, rebuilt and went back out on the track. Favorites from Audi & Ferrari were totaled allowing Peugeot to win overall for the 2nd year in a row and BMW to win the GT2 class.

Here's footage from one of the big crashes that took out the Ferrari 458:

Not Always Obvious. . .

The accident didn't seem that bad. . . the plastic bumper bounced back into place and it didn't look like there was much damage.

Sometimes the damage isn't obvious. Be wary when accepting settlement payments from a driver that hits you or their insurance company. Significant damage to the car below was not visible from the outside. The damage to the bumper reinforcement and rear body is a safety concern if the car is hit again from the rear. And the trunk is going to leak in the rain or a car wash.

Bob, our Master Technician, works on
a car with rear end damage

The bumper cover is removed and things still don't look too bad

But when we take off a plastic cover
you can see the big wrinkle in the metal
on the driver's side of the trunk opening

There is a wrinkle at the weather seal on the passenger side too.

The weld on the bumper reinforcement is broken

The bumper reinforcement is crushed and twisted

Almost Everything Autobody repaired all of the damage on this car, replaced the crushed bumper reinforcement and energy absorber and repainted the damage area with factory paint.

Almost Everything Wins 2011 Best of Fremont

Almost Everything Autobody thanks our customers for voting us Best Auto Bodyshop in Fremont for the 3rd year in a row. The 2011 "Best of Fremont" was awarded by local newspapers, "The Argus" and "Fremont Bulletin" based on votes cast by their readers.

Frank Barnard, Almost Everything Autobody's President, says, "Once again, I have to credit our great employees for this honor. They are skilled, dedicated and do a great job every day."

Almost Everything Autobody is known for providing quality repairs, quick turn-around and best prices. Last month, Almost Everything Autobody was also awarded 1st Place-Best Bodyshop in the 2011 San Francisco BayList competition sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle, SFGate.com and CityVoter.com.

1977 CHEVY DUALLY WORK TRUCK COMPLETE

Almost Everything Autobody's Car of the Day is this 1977 Chevy Dually. The customer came to Almost Everything Autobody to make the truck look more presentable. It needed a lot of work. The old paint was peeling and raw fiberglass was showing through the paint on the fenders. Almost Everything Autobody took it from eyesore to the good looking truck it once was. We started by machine sanding the surface to get rid of  most of the old paint. Then we applied a coat of poly-lok 2 component  primer sealer. Finally we painted it with a durable, single stage paint. The customer picked a nice brown from Almost Everything's color book. The customer is so happy with the work that we did that he's not sure if he will use it for work any more--he doesn't want it to get scratched.

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1994 Honda Accord Paint Job

Almost Everything Autobody's Car of the Day is a 1994 Honda Accord.
The customer did his own prep work and brought the car to Almost Everything for the paint. He did a great job removing the peeling paint and "feathering" the edges of the chips & scratches. Almost Everything Autobody painted the car with our Ambassador single stage enamel and we blacked out all the moldings. The Honda came out looking great.

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