Austin enigma

Breaking away from all the hubbub of the madding crowds was a welcome respite, and we heading to an overlook on the edge of town for an unobstructed desert background. As noted in previous articles, the Enigma uses the durable and plentiful parts from the Mazda MX-5 Miata, but on a purpose-built frame unique to this new replica.

The Miata components consist of the front and rear subframes, connected by an aluminum frame and also topped by a stout steel chassis with sheet-steel panels for the floor and drivetrain tunnel. The sturdiness of the frame is immediately evident in the solid thunk of the doors closing.

Nothing flimsy or fragile here as an unfortunate encounter would soon confirm. The seats are thickly padded and quite comfortable, and as noted, the cockpit is much roomier than in a Miata. As we pulled smartly onto the highway, the ride feels stable, reassuring. While its manners are predictable, the handling is still responsive. Knowing U. Well, yes and no. Many years later I find that wisdom and life are often at odds. His quest was for a statelier ride that he and his wife would be able to use in retirement years.

After arriving in the U. After many calls to England over the next six months revealed that the Royale Motor Co. Malcolm Badger, the owner of Automotive Creations, became his speed-dial number seven, and they conversed on a monthly bases, during his efforts to track down a chassis, car, molds or drawings for the Royal. An unexpected trip to England several months later gave him the opportunity to meet Malcolm and thank him face-to-face for his efforts.

It was developed, refined, classic, modern, it was an Enigma, it was my Tiger. Martin Williamson. Rather than let many years of work go to waste, Martin redesigned the car over the next few years to create a single-source kit car.

They talked for a few hours about the car, the U. The interior of American cars in general are at least several inches wider than an English car due to the larger average size of Americans, but more important the average American is two inches taller than the average European. As already noted, the Mazda MX5 has sold well in the U. Using the through model MX5 for the Mark III would allow the use of doors almost four feet in length giving greater ease of ingress and egress.

The 2. Over the years I have sold lots of cars to people, but I have never knowingly sold a bad one. So for me to be an agent I would have to be convinced the car was safe, of the best quality and all it claimed to be.

His plan was simple: buy a car, ship it to the U. But this is where wisdom and life were at odds, as mentioned above. The buying and shipping took a little longer than planned due to development of the Mark III, a parade and a car show.

The kits are manufactured in a European factory where traditions are taken seriously. For this U. Every other part is from a Mazda MX5: interior with heated seats, Bose stereo, electric windows, ABS brakes, brake lines, electrical items, suspension, fuel tank, and so on. The arrival in Los Angeles almost a year from the original meeting with Martin was a joyful day, the first Enigma in America.

The shipping had taken little toll on the car, so it started on the turn of the key, the leather upholstered seats gave off the new car smell and everything worked.

But, as first jobs out of school tend to do, it wasn't paying him enough to live independently; Aynes admitted in his Reason to Dance autobiography that he was still living at home with his mom. Not that moving back in with your parents even raises an eyebrow among Millennials, but Austin was still looking for ways to make extra cash at the time. So he began doing demolition work because, as he says in the bio, "I needed rent money to retake calculus. Whether it's parody or for his own entertainment, Austin Aynes posts about his plants the way most people do about their children.

On one occasion, he shared a happy birthday post for Little Shaqtus, a pet cactus named after basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. He later added a Buddha's Temple succulent, giving it the appropriate "welcome to the family" post. Immediately after that, Austin bought it some rocks, announcing he'd gotten his baby a new pair of shoes.

The succulent fun subsequently continued when Austin bought three new succulents to live on his desk. Austin took his green thumb out of the office on another occasion, posting a picture of his re-soiling efforts for his extended plant family.

The construction coordinator for Good Bones' Two Chicks and a Hammer has been working in the industry for a few years now. Initially, though, Austin Aynes got into demolition for the same reason many people end up taking jobs that aren't in their field: he needed money.

This was how Austin was first introduced to Good Bones, as Thad — whose sister is one of the principals in Two Chicks and a Hammer — hipped him to the opportunity. The work was seasonal, however, and though Austin enjoyed working full-time as a laborer, when winter rolled around work stopped. To that end, he got a job that "would use my degree and smarts and all that jazz.

Just because one crosses the finish line, that doesn't mean it was an easy race — and such is definitely the case for Austin Aynes. Though in his autobiography for Reason to Dance he says he graduated with a bachelor of science in biology from Butler University, Austin was admittedly not a model student. His first aspiration was to study physical therapy, but failing calculus put a serious crimp on those plans.

And though he claims to have saved up money to retake it, it's unclear whether Austin ever actually passed the subject. Similarly, when the opportunity to audition for Good Bones came along, Austin confessed he skipped a social psychology test to make it happen. Ultimately, that seems to have been the right decision, though the TV star doesn't offer up much about his final grade in the class.

Despite all of that, Austin managed to graduate in , according to this newsletter from his old fraternity. And with a degree and some TV name recognition, Austin's future looks bright. If you got a degree in communications, you may want to stop reading this now. Because even though you went through all the painful reporting classes and AP Style exams, you could have majored in biology and gone into house demolition and still gotten a job in the field.

Sure, you may have also needed to catch a break and had that demolition company end up on a reality show, but sometimes it's more about the destination than the journey. At least, it is if you're Austin Aynes. A quick search on Zoominfo confirms the new position, dropping the old Construction Coordinator job title completely. That entry, however, was last updated in September of , so it remains to be seen what, exactly, Austin now does on a day-to-day basis.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that a high school athlete-turned sports fan-turned celebrity demolition guy is also a member of a large national fraternity. According to a spring newsletter from the Indiana Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Austin Aynes is listed as a chapter officer, holding the position of Phikeia Educator. And what, exactly, is a Phikeia Educator? Back in the old days of hardcore fraternity houses, this may have been the person who oversaw the Now, according to Phi Delta Theta's website, it's the man "responsible for the execution of a new member education process that is safe, effective, efficient, and in alignment with the Fraternity's zero-tolerance policy for hazing.

And absolutely in no way hazed anyone, ever. Though speculations about Austin Aynes' age abound — and some sites have listed him as being between 30 and 40 years old — he's actually much younger. Demolition and television fame can age you, apparently. According to this media guide from the Indiana High School Athletic Association football finals, Austin is listed as being in tenth grade during that year, which would have made him either 15 or 16 at the time.

Delving a little deeper, a newsletter from Phi Delta Theta lists him as being a member of the Butler University class of , which would make him about 22 at graduation; that lines up with the age from the media guide.

So with all of these combined we can deduce that Austin was probably born in Though Austin Aynes never had much of an athletic career after high school, he was apparently a pretty decent offensive lineman at Cardinal Ritter High School until he graduated in In this media guide , he's listed as 6'0, pounds as a sophomore, an impressive size for someone so young.

He remained on the offensive line throughout high school, and earned all-state honorable mention as senior in Someone thought enough of Austin to invite him to the Indianapolis Colts' preps pro combine, which he attended in If you'd like to see him running sprints and doing agility drills, the video is still up on the Colts' website though he's not exactly breaking any land speed records.

And probably more recognizable than a lot of guys who made it a lot further. Of course, football is a fall sport, which means the athletically-inclined Austin Aynes had to find something to occupy himself during the spring. To that end, rather than baseball, Austin opted for track and field. However, since Austin doesn't exactly have the build of a guy giving Usain Bolt run for his money, the powerful offensive lineman competed in shot put and discus.

If you'd like to join Athletic. Austin seems to have been fairly competitive at his chosen sports, finishing sixth in this shot put competition as a senior — a marked improvement over the 27th place finish he had in a state qualifier.