Today I found this picture on an old CD of random files from one of the computers I owned somewhere around the turn of the century. Judging by my car and the location of the photo, this must have been 2001, or possibly early 2002. Definitely still in my teenage years, and most likely while I was working inside that very brightly-colored and brightly-lit building.
Can any Oppos identify where this picture was taken? I assume at least one of you have been there before.
Obviously, the car is a Chevrolet Cavalier. A little background, it was a 1997 Rally Sport model, 5MT with the 2.2L inline 4. It was my first autocross and track day car, and the one I came within a few inches of spinning into a barrier at Sebring Raceway. At the point of the photograph, it appears to be at stock ride height. Looks like I already went with 16x7.5 wheels with Falken Azenis (back when they were all the rage), some very beefy sway bars, and the standard aftermarket bolt-ons, intake/header/exhaust.
It was never a great car in any regard, but I thrashed the hell out of it and it never once broke down. Even won a few SCCA Solo2 HSP-Class events with it. I’ll have to dig around some more CD’s, but I have a great picture of this car mid-turn with one rear wheel about 3" or 4" in the air at a local autocross.
I eventually traded it in for the first (and to this day, only) brand new car I bought off a dealer lot, the 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege.