Windblown Witness, August 1999
Reprinted with author's permission

Tom McBurnie has always been a car nut. He developed an appreciation for Porsches early in life, and even owned and raced a 904 during one period (he said he wished he had kept that one!). Although he studied art in college, his fascination with sports cars has led him on an interesting journey. If you watched Miami Vice in the mid-80's, you no doubt saw the heroes, Crockett and Tubbs, styling around Calle Ocho and Flagier Street in Miami in what looked like a perfect Ferrari Daytona. Guess what - Tom McBurnie built that car! Unfortunately, some corporate lawyers objected, and the car was subsequently blown up in a dramatic episode, which caused grown men to cry (for the car). Tom dropped that model.

McBurnie has also had rave reviews for another car he builds in addition to the 550 Spyder. This is a roadster, which looks like a customized '34 Ford until you look closer and ask a few questions. Then you find out that it is all composite construction, no frame, weighs less than 2000 lbs, and will do 130 mph with its rear-mounted Aurora 4.0 liter V8. He has built 8 of these to date, and one of them is going to the Oakland Roadster Show for judging this year. The car is called the Lightening. Itís a quantum leap ahead of older technology hot rods.    

Well, after a very interesting evening touring the shops, and looking at the cars in process, we finished up the evening, with a door prize of a model Spyder, and polished off the test of the chicken wings and veggies and brownies and beer, and gave a rousing round of applause to Tom McBurnie for showing us what life is like at Thunder Ranch. Thank you. It was great.