Keep checking. I just spoke with MA, and Evie had an ETA of the 8th, too. She just showed up 7 days early.

 

So I distinctly recall trolling the support group forums before I placed my order, and thinking how ridiculous it was that people were actually monitoring the Panama Canal webcams to see the ships their cars were on. Anyway... here's the Auto Banner (I think):

 

Here she is! My MA sent over some pics of her hanging out in the shop waiting to accessorize.



Delivery will be either this Saturday or next. Depends on whether the JCW brakes and airbox arrive by Friday at 2. It seems that Evie went and showed up at the dealer a whole week before they were expecting her. Guess she was just eager to get to Texas!

More pics in my gallery.

 

Nice Doogs! I love those rims...I just couldn't afford them :(

 

B-E-A-utiful Doogs!!! I saw a DS/S with stripes the day before I picked up my HB/S and thought it looked amazing. Yours reminds me of that look.

Drew

PS. You guys realize we are past 1,000 posts now?

 

I wish tethernaut, but the Auto Banner is a lovely, rust red/orange hulk! So if ya see it, let us know!! Thanks.

 

Congrats Doogs. Can't go wrong with Royal Grey. Photos just don't do this color justice. You're gonna love it!

 

But it's what's on the inside that counts...

 

NICE color combo Doogs! Have never seen RG/S. She's a beauty!

 

Good job tethernaut,

I was watching really early as the back of what I think was the AB passed through. Regardless, the Panama Canal thing has been fun and interesting.

I was watching AISLive as she left the "radar" into the mid-canal region.

Keep an eye out for her on the Pacific side! The countdown continue!!!

 

Wow, we passed 1,000 responses on this thread...that's amazing PW27SG truly rocks....best support group ever.

 

Or we need our MINIs more than most!

 

Yep, we've almost caught up to PW23...which I remember looking at when we first got going and thinking "no way we're going to get that many posts"...

 

You got the JCW brakes too? I wonder why your's weren't put on at the VDC like mine?

 

Only PW23 and PW45 are ahead of us, but at this rate we'll be waaaaay past them before everyone takes delivery even. 45 seems to still check in with each other, I have a feeling we'll be doing the same.

I dug a little deeper, get this... there are only 31 threads on this forum with more posts than ours. We'll be up in the top 15-20 soon, and most of those are in Off Topic... I think we've done well!

Drew

 

Just got home and the AB is in the Miraflores Lock about to enter the Pacific!



The Canal Cam is facing North though. Oh well...fun anyway!


EDIT: I think the camera IS facing the correct direction to see the AB! If you're online, check it out!

EDIT 2: Duh. The camera is facing North so it is capturing SOUTHBOUND ships.

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

 

OK folks, the Auto Banner has cleared the lock!

And, I "snapped" some pics (below) that I believe are the AB. The ship is clearly marked "NYK" but it is blue with some stripes.

HOWEVER... ...the photo we've seen of the AB in its orange/red color was taken at Southampton September, 1997. I'm going to guess that NKY probably painted it since then? I dunno. I just like to think I saw it. (Humor me, m'kay?)

And put them in your baby album, if appropriate,

 

Look what Gromit801 found in the PW28SG, could this be the Auto Banner????

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&postcount=326

 

Could be. I was watching AISLive when I got the ones of the blue ship. It showed the AB at the Miraflores Locks about the time I "snapped" mine. That was 5:38 PM Panama/3:38 PDT.

The orange ship ones are almost exactly 2 hours earlier. I think AISLive lags but I'm not sure how long. I think it's pretty darn close base on the watching I was doing this morning.

It would help if we knew if it's the same color as in 1997 or not.

 

Good lookin' car Doogs. Hope delivery is this Saturday.

 

Yeah, the boat Gromit got a pic of looks like the AB. I think the one I and Red snapped pictures of was the NYK boat that was just behind it, the Nippon Somethingorother, although in one of the frames I could have swore the fuzzy lettering on the side looked like "Auto Banner" when I squinted and crossed my eyes. After I snapped and posted my photo, I checked the AIS system and it showed the AB a few miles downstream of the locks... oh, well, at least we're in the Pacific now, and don't have to worry about that hurricane brewing out near the Bahamas!

 

The red one is the Auto Banner. Still in the same red color scheme she had in 2003. If you look carefully on the bow of the red ship, it's the logo for PAN, the South Korean company that owns her.

http://www.freefoto.com/browse.jsp?id=2026-39-6

 

My JCW brakes were put on at the factory along with the JCW Engine kit.

 

They only do that if you buy the whole kit.

 

Gromit, you are the MAN! Or is it the dog?

Thanks!!!!!!!!