Now you can buy engraved or drilled door handles all over eBay, but to these two jugheads they were all just too common or too out of place on a BMW – especially the aftermarket drilled handles. So they 3D printed an example of their perfect handle with an M division stylized E30 logo engraved in it and started driving around machining shops to get them made.

To hear them tell it, most of these shops wouldn’t give them the time of day because it just wasn’t worth the shop’s time to crank out two handles on one of their milling machines. However, the shops said the order was for at least 25 pairs they’d be happy to mill out the handles.

So off to the forums, car shows, and social networks they went to see if 25 more people would be interested. Turns out they were. There were 50  pre-orders booked within 48 hours and Act of Congress was born. It was time to start cranking out handles.

Since we’re such big fans of vintage BMWs, especially 2002s and E30s, we had to check these out once we caught wind of the project online. The handles they’ve created are precision milled out of solid billet aluminum for lightweight and corrosion resistance, then powder coated matte black to match the OEM finish. In fact, the Act of Congress E30 handles match the OEM E30 handle dimensions perfectly thanks to some handy 3D scanning.

We threw on a pair to a super secret project car we’re working on (more on that coming soon!) in all of about 10 minutes. Seriously, it’s two phillips screws on each handle. The fit was just like the factory ones, but the handles are more robust. The E30 engraving is nice and subtle, nothing you’ll notice from across the street, but instead something you’ll see every time you open your door. These are a really nice upgrade, and something that’ll help our project stand out at the shows.

Next up from the Act of Congress crew are a lighting upgrade, some more cosmetic pieces for sale, as well as a few secret parts. For now they are concentrating on their handles and setting up their business, but we’ve seen their other rally-inspired parts and they are something special. All that’s left is to ask, can you handle it?

Yeah, sorry about that…

The post Act of Congress Wants to Upgrade Your Classic BMW appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

For the classic Martini start by filling your serving glass with ice and water to chill it appropriately as you mix 4 parts Pinnacle Vodka with 1 part Martini and Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth in a ice filled stainless steel shaker. I like the higher percentage of Vermouth because this is closer to the ratio of the original Martini recipes of old, some how the vermouth ratio has been diluted over the years and as such the depth and flavor of the Martinis we drink have been compromised. Also, forget about whatever James Bond has taught you; NEVER shake a Martini and respect what the high quality liquor within brings to the cocktail by stirring it, there is no reason to totally pulverize your drink with Ice. Finally, strain your beautiful creation into your now perfectly chilled glass (without any ice), pouring it over two gourmet olives speared with a toothpick. This is by far the best Martini recipe I have tried and I recommend you go back to basics with this amazing  cocktail.

If you are interested in a creative twist on this amazing classic I recommend the Elderflower Martini. To create this flavorful take on the classic Martini start again by chilling your serving glass while stirring 4 parts Pinnacle Vodka in an ice filled shaker with 1 part Elderflower Liqueur (I prefer Bols due to availability, quality, and price), and one part lime juice. Strain in to your new concoction in to the newly chilled glass and serve with a lemon twist garnish and enjoy an incredibly refreshing summer cocktail that will surprise you all summer long.

Whether you are in the mood for one of the best classic Martini cocktails out there or want embrace creativity with a new classic like the Elderflower Martini be sure to make it with the best liquor out there and enjoy an amazing cocktail experience.

The post How to Make a Classic Martini or a Modern Favorite appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

To make the best quality Negroni possible you always have to start with the original and unbeatable Campari Liqueur and add top shelf Gin and Vermouth. To make this pinnacle of elder cocktails I mixed 1 oz Campari, 1 oz Cinzano Vermouth Bianco, and 1 oz London Dry Gin in a cocktail shaker. Strain the cocktail into an ice filled rocks glass and garnish with a carefully cut twist of orange and strawberry halves.

Campari is the heart and soul of the Negroni with its delicate yet fully balanced fruit and herb palette that give the cocktail an unmistakable earthy and natural flavor that is unrivaled and unparalleled in the liqueur world. The London Dry Gin adds distinct juniper notes that refresh while the Cinzano Vermouth lends rooty and floral notes that really open up the whole flavor profile.

Up your classic cocktail game with this superb Negroni that will surprise and excite your guests. Plus, if you want to truly experience Campari be sure try it on its own over rocks or with a bit of soda water.

The post An Everlasting Classic – The Original Negroni appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

To make the Raspberry Mule I poured 2 oz of Stoli Razberi in a copper cup filled with ice, splashed a bit of lime juice on top, and filled the rest of the glass (about 5 ounces) with ginger beer and a lime wedge garnish. The result is a refreshing Mule where the raspberry notes add a dimension flavor absent from the standard recipe making an indomitable late summer drink that is best enjoyed on the porch as the sun slowly sets over the horizon. My other favorite classic cocktail alteration is a great go-to low-calorie drink that is absurdly simple to make; a raspberry vodka tonic. I simply poured one part Stoli Razberi and two parts diet tonic water over an ice filled cocktail glass, garnishing with a lime wedge. This raspberry vodka tonic is wholly refreshing with the fruity and dynamic vodka being opened up by the bitter and floral notes of the tonic. This raspberry vodka tonic is a great post workout drink when you want to unwind and reward yourself after a hard day at the gym.  

If you are looking for a fresh take on tried and true vodka cocktails look no further than Stoli Razberi; it will transform old standbys into new favorites.  

The post Stoli Razberi: Transforming Old Classics into New Favorites appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

RibbedTee is the latest to throw their hat into the ring with their heathered V-neck. To be honest, I was quite skeptical of their pitch. How, I ask myself, can any plain white tee be THAT different from a $3 Hanes classic? And price means a lot to me because 1) I’m “grew up in the midwest where a dollar goes a long way” cheap, and 2) I have a propensity to aggressively stain my clothes the first time I wear them. I don’t have a big closet because I’m fancy, I have a big closet because it is full of doubles and triples to protect myself.

How does RibbedTee answer this? Well they obviously can’t make me any less clumsy, but their shirts certainly don’t feel or drape like a Hanes. By that I mean, I might just be a convert. These cotton layers of goodness wear like nothing and perfect for a sweltering summer day. Thin and heathered to the point of near see-throughness, the RibbedTee is more flowy and long than your father’s Sears-bought grubby and tight undershirt. The V-neck is wide and aggressive, perfect for differentiating your look, as well as further keeping you cool.

They got me. Those bastards changed my cheap mind and have me converted to the upscale tee. If you’re willing to risk conversion yourself, you should check out a 3 pack for yourself. Pray for me, my closet may never be the same.

The post RibbedTee Updates the Classic White Tee appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

That seems strange to me, as the Jag succeeded the former and was toppled by the latter for the title world’s fastest production car. It could and did do over 210mph. It accelerated faster than the F40, a car that seems to be all things to all enthusiasts. On paper, everything is there for the Jag to always have been a darling of the collector car circuit, but for most of the twenty-five years since the car was introduced, customers seem to have met the XJ220 with a collective shrug of indifference.

Part of the blame lies in forces beyond Jaguar’s control – the XJ220 launched in the midst of the economic recession of the early 1990s, which helped keep customers at bay. This doesn’t quite explain the lukewarm reception for the car though, as all manufacturers were equally affected, and at any rate, prices should have shot up once the recession eased – but they didn’t, at least, not as much as they did for competing cars.

The usual explanation for the Jag’s poor showing in the minds and hearts of the collector audience is down to some questionable decision-making on the part of Jaguar. When the car was previewed, it was supposed to have a fiery V12 and blistering performance. However, due to the recession – and partly because Jaguar was not yet owned by the deep, deep pockets of Ford – the XJ220 arrived with a turbocharged V6. The body was made from aluminum at a time when carbon fiber was already the obvious way forward in the supercar class. On paper, both of those facts are a bit of a letdown. Pre-orders evaporated, and after two years, less than 300 were made.

That low production number – less than a quarter the number of F40s Ferrari churned out – ensured that the Jag couldn’t be ignored forever. This is especially so, since – despite the seemingly pedestrian cylinder count, the XJ220 was always the faster car. The 3.5 liter turbocharged V6 was a Group B rally engine. It made the Jag the fastest car, period, for an entire year until the McLaren F1 debuted in 1993. Even though the body wasn’t space-age, it didn’t lack drama. Today, the XJ220 is still a beautiful car to behold. It is seriously long, low, and wide – all textbook proportions for a supercar (though the front always did look a bit like a carp to me). Looks may be subjective, but there are no glaring errors in the way the car was styled.

It was really only a question of time before the world re-discovered the Jaguar XJ220, and though we might be in something of a collector car bubble, I think the surge in prices for the XJ220 is here to stay. Any commoner with a million dollars to blow can have a Ferrari F40, but you’ll probably be the only guy at the collector-car gathering with the ultimate Jaguar. If I had a spare quarter-million dollars lying around, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate – this thing’s got to qualify as some sort of collector-car investment.

The post The Classic Jaguar XJ220 appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

First and foremost, even as an active duty Marine, I have always worn watches that invoke style and class, and while my collection is varied in manufacturers, there has been a similarity in the styling that have come to define my style. It’s one of the few accessories that I wear outside my KIA bracelets, and they definitely bring more attention than the latter. It’s a small piece of my style that is always there, always worn, and brings a sense of completion to my outfit and the activity at hand.

Recently an invitation direct from Pulsar asking me to give them a second look, to dive deep into their new watch lines for the fall season, inviting me to find the watch that fits my styling. As I perused their new collection, I was amazed by the new styles, the designs that were classy, timeless, and very bespoke for both women and men. And then there is was, within the business section of their line, the perfect watch. Among any of the other watches they make stood out this modern interpretation of the classic multi-hand, multi-dial design. A mixture of deep brown leather in the strap, paired with the polished case, anthracite face, and gold numbers and hands, it was truly a modern classic, even if the term is a bit contradictory. None the less, here was a new watch mixing up the common norms, stepping outside the box of the classic interpretation.

A mixture of metal and leather, with different tones and textures, packaged together in a day-to-night package that reminded me of the old watches my grandfather had worn. His every day watch was recently handed down to me, and it was the one he wore at work and out on the down, and while I do not wear it, it sits protected and displayed alongside the rest of my collection as a way to honor that part of him. And similar to that old watch, this Pulsar fit into that everyday and night watch, the one for work and heading out for a night on the town as well, and I couldn’t wait to wear it.

Now I often rotate through my collection of watches, wearing a different one every day as they often become conversation pieces, but after putting this watch on for the first time, I stopped. I constantly wanted to show it off, to talk about it to everyone. I have worn this watch more consecutive days than I can remember doing so with any other in my collection. Its not just a watch that looks good, but feels solid, with great quality. The band is not too thick and doesn’t get uncomfortable throughout the day, and the face is extremely easy to read even at a glance because of the use of gold hands on the anthracite face. I can wear it all day with no fatigue or discomfort, which is something I can’t say for others in my collection.

So what is it about a watch that defines so much of me? Well, I have never been able to put my finger on the direct point that it become such a common accessory for me. My father wears a nice watch every day for work, and I always admired how it just fit his personality. As I grew into my own, I wanted to also find that piece that helped define my style, and the watch was always where I ended. And since those moments, I have sought to build the rest of my styling around the simple, classically styled watches that have always attracted me.  And for the first time, I found a watch that fits all that I have sought.

This watch hasn’t just just fit into my collection; it become an additional piece to the puzzle of my definition. This, and the others in the collection from Pulsar, have impressed me more than I could have imagined, and I know it will not be the only model from their collection that I will be proud to own.

Every day, there’s a new rhythm, a new adventure. You dance to the beat of your own drum. You capture and share moments, with your family and your friends. PULSAR is a quality companion that is right there with you – every day, and for tomorrow, with modern styles that stand the test of time. That’s Life. In real time.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pulsar. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post How My Watch Style Defines Me appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

We do it because it challenges us.
We do it because we feel like owners working on their own vehicles is becoming a lost art.
We do it because people look up to us for being able to fix the oft quoted but mystical “blown head gasket.”
We do it because we think the old ways were more beautiful and have a feeling of soul.
We do it to customize our rides and be unlike anyone else on the road.
We do it to gain confidence, to gain friends, and most importantly to gain time to think away from the distractions of this future world.
We do it because as children we recklessly and foolishly decided that this is what we wanted to be like when we grew up; because our 8-yr old selves fell in love with a rat rod, an ancient Indian motorcycle, or a custom Impala.
We do it to feel in control. Despite the rest of the world, no matter what happens to this mechanical beast we can fix it. We can deal with it and make it right again.
We do it to proudly proclaim, “I did this.” To drive and show the world what we are capable of doing – a mobile trophy case to our skill, dedication, hours, and personal taste.

We do it because this is a craft that we can always work toward, always learn more about, but never master. The beauty is in the journey not the destination, in the task not the output, in the time spent rather than the miles undertaken. This hobby, this craft, this life is in us. As much as we have bled and sweat on our machines, they have leaked and spread into us in kind.

We do it because we are it.

The post Why We Love Owning Vintage Cars appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.