They can't all be German

We specialize in Volkswagen and Audi, but we work on all sorts around here. Asian cars. German cars. The occasional British car even sneaks in.

Ahem...yeah, we screen the Brits pretty carefully.

This week, we've got a Maserati, and not just any Maserati. No roachy 80's Bi-turbo. No sketchy Ghibli with strange electrics and finicky carbs. No, this one is actually quite sweet.

A 2006 Gransport.

We can't agree if it's fully pretty. It's nice. It turns heads, and it sure looks good out front, but it's a bit portly in the haunches, it's got a body kit (factory mind you), and it's silver...not really a sports car colour. So maybe not pretty, but its still really hot. Or hawt, if you're modern.

In any case, it is very, very cool. It's cool to look at. It's cool to sit in. It's fun to work on.

And there's one more thing:

What an engine. Gorgeous. Makes us blush. And she's not just a looker. Ferrari built it. Maserati popped their badge on it. Yep, at least to us, the prettiest part of this car is under the hood.

I can't even tell you what 400 Italian horsepower sounds like echoing around our shop.

Here's what Top Gear thinks:

Announcement!

Team Continental Repairs is Cody Campbell and Mark MacDonald!

A great match. Cody Campbell is from right here in the lower mainland, and won the first race I ever did...when he was 14. Mark is from Alberta, but we won't hold it against him, because he's a big fast boy, and probably a good case for eating Alberta Beef.



Grit. Spirit. Our boys are made of all that good stuff. Its a good thing too.

Tuft. Farrar. Holloway. Meier. Pearce. Big names. Big talents. A handful for Team Continental to contend with.

Here is Cody Campbell ripping it up on the Burnaby Boards, looking like he was born to do it.

There goes Mark, testing the torque limit of that rear carbon disc.

Come to the Burnaby Velodrome for two more nights of racing. It starts at 6:30pm. My wife will be racing (Jennifer), so that's especially exciting.

We are really, really proud to support such a great event.

Continental Proudly Presents

We've got a track racing team of our very own. We'll feel like big shots, if only for a week.

I should probably explain.

This December 27-30th will be an exciting time for Vancouver cycling fans. Our very own Burnaby Velodrome ( http://www.burnabyvelodrome.ca/index.php ) will be hosting an international level track race. It's a pretty big deal, because all sorts of famous riders will be there: http://www.burnaby4.com/

Two of those lucky riders will be riding for the Continental Repairs team. We don't know which two, but we'll keep you posted.

This really is very, very cool.

Double Trouble

Always have a backup plan.

Rather than run one engine at full race nick, these fella's ran two moderatly tuned Porsche motors in their race car. The front engine drove the front wheels, the rear engine the rear wheels.

Boy oh boy, that must have been a brute to drive.

Racing cars used to be built over the winter by guys with big ideas in poorly lit barns.

Awesome.

Welder

Grab life by the horns. Seize the day. Anything is possible. The world is your oyster.

Especially if you have a MIG welder.

Lets be clear: a modern automotive repair shop has no real use for a MIG welder. Sure, we'd probably weld the occasional exhaust, but we've been doing just fine all these years without a welder, so we really don't need one.

Or rather, really didn't need one.

But here we are, you at your computer and us with a welder. It's the way things are now. We can join metal pieces together. It's almost like magic, and it's fantastic.

So far, we've made a bottle opener from broken tools. It's a beauty, and very strong. We celebrated by using it.

We're going try to not let this go to our heads.

Snow tires!

As previously noted, we have snow tires in stock. We've got lots of sizes, lots of brands. We've also got steel wheels and aluminum wheels to fit Audi's, VW's, BMW's, Mercedes, Subaru's, Toyota's, Lexus', Volvo's, Honda's, and more. And if we don't stock it, we can get it.

Prices range from $365 for a 14" set of tires for an older VW to $1750 for a set of 17" inch set of tires mounted on nice aluminum rims for a new Audi.

Aluminum rims: $130 each. Cheap enough for winter!

Goodbye, Fair Steed

I sold my 1980 Volkswagen Westfalia today. I owned it for four years. Before me, Erich owned it for at least ten. Before him, it belonged to another mechanic who worked at Continental. It's been in the family for a while, and it was sad to see it go.

I didn't want to sell it, but I needed room in the stable. I hadn't done everything I wanted to do, Westy-camping wise, but I was beginning to realize that that trip to South America or the jaunt to Newfoundland were not going to happen any time soon. I'm way too busy.

The van was fun, but I'm not camper enough to need it.

So I bought an old Volvo, as you do. A 1971 Volvo P1800. What a beauty. It's just the thing for short trips to glitzy hotels in nearby cities. It's just the thing for dressing fancy and going lawn bowling. It's just the thing for string back gloves and twisty roads. It's a dandy.

We're often asked what kind of car is best. Best? Best for what?

I don't know, but I can tell you what I've owned.

My cars, in Chronological order:

1983 BMW 320i. Not a bad first car. These cars have always been underrated. Perfect balance, lots of visibility, reliable and cheap to run. I added an extra "i" to the back, making it a 320ii. In hindsight, I have no idea why.

1966 Volvo 122s, 4 door. Started out mint green, ended up a really nice maroon. It was a beauty when I sold it. When I bought it I didn't know a thing about cars. When I sold it, I was a licensed mechanic. No Joke. I do what I do today because of that car.

1976 BMW 2002. Unbelievably rusty. The rust was absolutely everywhere. No heat and bald tires, so not a great winter car, but I owned it when I was snowboarding, so it saw a lot of snow. Quick and fun to drive, but with all that rust, I'm probably lucky to be alive.

1984 Volkswagen GTi. I'm not sure why the "i" is not capitalized, and I'm too lazy to Google it. Fun car, especially once I put a sport suspension in, added headers and a cam, and ported the intake runners. I spun it at my first Autocross event and cut down an entire shrub. It smelt like burnt foliage for a week.

1979 Volkswagen Westfalia. Absolutely mint. This was a beauty. I bought it with the engine in the back seat in pieces. Two months later I drove it to Ontario with my wife, sister-in-law, and three year old niece. It was a deluxe model, with a perfectly working refrigerator. The three speed automatic forced a level of zen-patience on me that I haven't been comfortable with since. I sold it for $7500, and should have asked more. I've never seen a nicer one.

1988 Dodge Omni. I know, I can't believe it either. Sadly, the newest car I've ever owned.

Q: What do you get when you take a carburetor- automatic 1988 Dodge Omni and put in a fuel injected, turbocharged 2.5L with a close ratio Getrag transmission?

A: A wasted summer and lots and lots of tire smoke.

A 1968 Volvo 122s two door. This was the engine after I rebuilt it. The previous engine blew a hole right through the piston. I passed Aircare with the hole, drove the work with the hole, didn't really mind the hole. My wife wasn't a big fan of watching me change spark plugs every other day though. I also put Jaguar v12 brakes and Mustang II springs on this one. Ugly as sin on the outside!

1985 Audi 4000s. Perhaps the most euro looking car made in the 1980's. Notchy and square looking, with a nice torquey 5 cylinder engine that hung over the front wheels and made the car understeer in the worst way. It only gave me trouble once: the clutch master cylinder let go on a road trip to Penticton. We had a car load of people and all our gear, but the car made it home tugging along with just 4th gear. It had heated seats too!

1980 Volkswagen Westfalia. 65hp. Really. Really. Slow. But that's the point. The adventure was getting there. Being there was good too. Four adults could sleep in comfort all night, make coffee in the morning, and get lost all day in it. I lost at crazy eights a few too many times inside this van.

1984 Volvo 240DL wagon. This is my current car. It's in near time warp conditon. Volvo's last like that. Starts, drives, stops, holds lots of stuff inside, and 4 bikes on top. Perfect. The wife likes the heater.

1971 Volvo P1800s. Watch out ladies, I am now irresistible.

This is possibly the sexiest car ever mass produced. Even better that it's a Volvo. Curves by Italians, mechanics by Swedes. Perfect match. It's got a completely red interior for god's sake. As you read this, you can probably feel yourself wishing you were me.

I don't blame you.