Shop Talk With Demello Offroad: Navigating the Rough Trails of Small Off-Road Business

Jason Demello of Demello Offroad in Riverside, California is pretty much a household name in the Toyota off-road community. Today, the Demello brand offers bulletproof armor for Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, select Lexus GX models AND the brand new Ford Bronco. Bumpers and sliders are Jason’s game when it comes to fabrication, and as far as suspension and installation goes, his team can handle it all at their SoCal location. From overlanding to rock crawling and everything else in between just happens to fall right inside of Demello Offroad’s all-encompassing wheelhouse.

Has it always been THIS good for Jason Demello though? Nope. Not even close. As what seems to be the story for most successful small businesses, trials and tribulations are prerequisite in order to make it on over to the sunny side of the street. Sure, there are always day-to-day operational obstacles to wrangle with but surviving just to face the problems of an established, profit-turning business is a struggle and right of passage on its own.

We had the opportunity and pleasure to chat it up with Jason, as he filled us in on his personal experience through the long days and longer nights associated with starting a passion-fueled business and keeping Demello Offroad afloat for so many years. You may have known bits and pieces of his story, but we were able to get down to the very bottom of where Demello Offroad all started and where its headed.

State Of Speed: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jason. First off, tell us about your experience during the first phase of starting Demello Offroad. 

Jason Demello: I started in my apartment garage in South Orange County but within two weeks, management served me a notice that there were multiple complaints about the noise I was making. Hindsight looking back, it was silly to think that would last. Those garages were meant for storage in a fairly new and rather high-end complex, and I was plugging in my 110 welder into the same outlet as the garage door opener. I learned where the breaker reset was real quick.

During that time I was working a full time job doing shipping and receiving for a small genetics start up company, and after hours I had to resort to bouncing around from the garages of friends and family who would let me work on my project. I cut all the material and bent the tube with my Harbor Freight bender, and frankly, those first three sets of sliders I made by hand were pretty bad—SO bad that someone on the TTORA (Toyota Tacoma Off Road Association) forum called me out for having piss poor welds and called me ‘amateur hours’, which I guess I was.

SoS: That’s harsh. How did you take that criticism? 

JD: It stung but that guy was right. I made the choice to then make the best, be the best and take criticism as a way to grow instead of allowing it to push me back. I also made weld quality my top goal, so I practiced day and night to get better. Often after work on a Friday night, I’d sit in 2+ hours of traffic going to San Bernardino where one of my first business partners (Frank) lived. He had a small garage at his house where we could work. I’d camp out there all weekend working non-stop from morning into the night building sliders and bed bars. Good friends like David Hale and Dan Lilo also helped make things possible by agreeing to work for lunch, dinner or whatever else I could offer for their time.

SoS: Teamwork does make the dream work, huh? What platform truck did you start out building for and what year was this all happening? 

JD: It was mostly Tacoma based back then in 1998-2000 even though these trucks were still relatively new in the off-road world. Most of the guys and companies focused on older Toyota trucks and considered the Tacoma a Camry with big tires.

SoS: So nothing for Chevy, Ford or Dodge trucks back then? 

JD: In those early years we experimented with S-10s, Nissans, Fords, and basically anything we were requested to make but I’ve always been a Toyota guy. I’ve always been familiar with them and if I don’t know something about a Toyota off the top of my head, I can usually find the answer real quick.

SoS: How long did you spend working in other people’s garages?  

JD: We got out first shop in 2002-2003-ish. I ‘clocked in’ there after work every day since it was now just down the street from my full time job. I even had one or two employees at the time cutting material all day or spray-painting sliders for me until I went full time in October of ’03 just after my son was born in June of that year. It was an exciting and tough time that’s for sure.

SoS: That is a big commitment going full time. What were some notable hurdles you ran into and what advice could you give to someone looking to turn away from 9-5 life to start their own shop: 

JD: Wow, there are so many hurdles! I don’t think small business is for everyone and I really wouldn’t recommend it for most people. You really need an advantage to get ahead and stay on top. You need family money, a house to pull money out of, a dad with knowledge, a dedicated shop space, tools—ANYTHING that gives you an advantage. I didn’t have any of those things. All I had going for me was being too dumb to know when to give up.

I once heard Will Smith say in an interview something about running on a treadmill. He’s so competitive, that if you were to challenge him to see who could run farther and longer, he may die trying to beat you. That’s how I felt about building stuff. I don’t know how to stop. I I know I’m not the best, and I make mistakes but was so lucky to be blessed with the ability to blindly go forward when working on something. 

It’s also worth noting that I had no shortage of good friends over the years that helped promote and build the business with me—I couldn’t have done it without them.

SoS: Sorry to focus on the bad times, but can you recall one specific issue that really knocked you back on your ass? You know, “the things that didn’t kill us, made us stronger” type of scenario?

JD: 2008 in general may have been the toughest notable problem. We were just hitting our production stride. The FJC had come out and we bought a new one in the hopes that we could make enough money off it to make the monthly payment. That vehicle blew up and we got slammed with orders. We moved into a bigger shop, hired more employees, took on more expenses and suddenly it was all cut off like the world had stopped turning overnight!

We had to make some tough choices, lay off important people at the shop and really had to evaluate what our shop space was going to be used for. I realized that I wasted a lot of time on my dream rock crawler and race truck projects I was never going to finish. I also didn’t need the lathe that still had no power running to it. I allowed myself one project at a time and sold everything else off. 

I also subbed out stuff instead of trying to bring it all in-house, which is a common mistake I see a lot of shops do. It’s tempting in the short term. It makes sense—even in the long term but the problem is doing it at the right time. I’ve seen really large companies in this industry go from 300 in-house employees to reducing to just a fraction of that in one day. We’ve hit many roadblocks, but this was the biggest eye opener for me.

SoS: So you’d say that 2008 was harder to deal with than the impact of COVID? 

JD: Yes and no. It was a great to have a surge in business during these last two years but it threw everything else out of whack. It permanently raised the prices of so much stuff in our industry. Customers think that we are making a killing because our prices keep going up but honestly looking around the room and seeing what everyone’s charging for similar products, we are all most likely losing money or at lease making less than we were before it all started.

SoS: So taking this into consideration, what would you consider is now Demello Offroad’s bread and butter items/services? 

JD: Bumpers for sure. We are trying to focus on installations because over our 20 years in business, we’ve seen a shift. In the beginning, we often offered free install because honestly people would do it themselves but now people want cheap and fast but they don’t want to get their hands dirty. Unfortunately we are seeing people buy cheaper products made overseas or offered by big box stores. I’ve seen this coming for a while, and I hope I am wrong but because of this we have been currently pushing installations a lot more and just carrying more products.

SoS: Well, folks are going to need a shop to install that eBay lift kit that didn’t come with proper instructions, right? What trends in the current marketplace do you particularly like/dislike and what would you like to see more/less of in the future?

DM: The trend of pushing Toyota towards being a follower and not a leader worries me. If you cut me, I will bleed Toyota but when I saw the new Bronco coming out, I ordered one over two years ago. I swear they took every complaint from a Toyota FJC and Toyota 4Runner owner over the last 20 years and built them exactly what they wanted—minus the reliability and symbol on the hood. We got our Bronco and honestly it’s a home run. I’m just jealous that Ford did this and not Toyota because I don’t see Toyota coming out with a real frame SUV with a removable top, front and rear lockers sitting on 35s, and with tons of power to spare. I mean the new 4Runner is nice but it still falls short of the Bronco in my opinion BUT reliability has its place too. I wonder how long that will play a factor though with warranties extending way out and people trending towards more features and caring less about reliability. I’m just curious where this will lead.

SoS: Ford did not play around with the Bronco release, that’s for sure. Well, are there any new products we can expect to see from Demello Offroad in the near future? 

JD: Oh yeah, rear 4Runner bumpers for ’03-current, rear GX bumpers, and finally a Tacoma rear bumper. Oh, and of course Bronco parts, which I am personally working on at home and on the weekends so I don’t cut into the production of new Toyota parts.

SoS: We’ll keep out eyes open for all of that freshness! Well, thanks for chatting with us for a minute Jason. Is there anything that we didn’t cover or something you’d like to add? 

JD: I’d just like you for the opportunity to tell my story. I’m not a large business owner with a huge bank account or big ego that needs stroking. I’m just another guy who likes to go off-roading. While you may go into an office everyday or we may have completely different types of jobs, we are still the same. So please, if you see me on the trails come say hi. I started doing this because I love everything off-road. I love the outdoors. I love meeting new people who enjoy the same as me. 

SoS: Thanks for keeping it real, Jason.

To stay up to date on product releases and news updates from Demello Offroad check in online at demello-offroad.com or give them a follow on Instagram @demellooffroad. If you prefer a live phone conversation, give them a ring at 866.333.6525 or if all else fails drop by at 12785 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92503. Either way, they’ll be glad to hear from you. 

Troy Story

The Origin of Troy Lee Designs

No offense meant but I doubt many of you do but for those who know their hot rod history you might recognize the name Marvin Lee. Lee worked for the famous Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilders in Pasadena and at D’Arcy Coachworks in nearby Alhambra. Lee gained some notoriety with his radically customized ’42 Chevy Fleetline, however, he got the public’s attention when his beautiful silver painted dry lakes racing ’29 Ford Roadster caught fire at a lakes meet and burned to the ground—nobody had a fire extinguisher.

Lee fared better in 1949 when he fielded the Chevy-six-powered ‘City of Pasadena’ streamliner powered by a 248 ci Chevy six fitted with some Wayne Horning speed equipment. On July 17, 1949, the ‘City of Pasadena’ streamliner set a new class record at 153.545 mph—it was the fastest lakes racer ever.

Bright yellow, the car was good enough to grace the cover of the very first Bonneville Nationals program in 1949. Lee was on the planning board for that very first Bonneville Nationals. Unfortunately, in August 1950, on a record run at Bonneville with a new body configuration, the rear wheels lost traction at an estimated 230, the car spun and flipped. Driver ‘Puffy’ Puffer was unharmed but the car was destroyed and Lee gave up on streamliners. In the mid-fifties, he opened a car lot at 1650 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena where among other vehicles he sold hot rods and custom cars.

…his beautiful silver painted dry lakes racing ’29 Ford Roadster caught fire at a lakes meet and burned to the ground—nobody had a fire extinguisher.

Fast forward thirty years and you might recognize the name Troy Lee, Marvin’s grandson and the son of Larry and Linda. Larry was an artist, painter, pinstriper and motorcycle racer. With that family history you could say Troy was destined for a life in motorsports. But it was not to be an easy life; the Lees were itinerant, sometimes living in a ¾ camper and traveling from place to place.

We spoke to Le Mans winner Jim Busby at his race shop in Laguna Beach. Busby used to hang out at the Pasa Green Body Shop in Pasadena where Larry was working at the time striping and painting names on people’s cars. Busby was the paint prep kid who remembers: “People forget that Larry was a Von Dutch; he was every bit as talented as Dutch, Dean Jeffries and all that crowd. Larry Lee was right there and twice as crazy as all of them put together.”

“Larry lived in a trailer that he pulled around behind his camper and that trailer arrived here on this property where we sit today about 1976. Larry was always looking for a place to hook his hose up to and this turned out to be it. Then he built a little platform back there to paint and the very first helmet Troy painted was my helmet. It was black but when I went to England to drive a Lola for Barclay’s Bank they wanted an American flag so Larry and his infant son Troy painted that helmet with that waving American flag and that’s how Troy got started.”

“I’d put my name up underneath the visor but Jody told me to put my name on top where people could see it. Pretty soon there were so many helmets to paint I had to quit building pipes.”Troy Lee, Troy Lee Deisgns

Eventually, Larry settled for a while near Nevada City, north of Sacramento, CA, where he operated a speedway track. It was there that Troy’s affinity with motorcycles blossomed. In 1979, they moved back to Southern California where Troy began to race KTMs., Suzukis and eventually Husqvanas. He was also painting racecars for Busby. When he was not painting he was welding exhaust systems for Bill’s ProCircuit Pipes In Corona. Then he moved on to Mitch Payton building pipes in Mitch’s folk’s garage in Norco. Meanwhile, he started painting helmets in his spare time for Jody Weisel of Motocross Action Magazine who put a little ad in the back of the magazine. “The first ones I painted were for Wardy (Jeff Ward) and Magoo (Danny Chandler) and Todd ‘Goat’ Brecker” Said Lee. “I’d put my name up underneath the visor but Jody told me to put my name on top where people could see it. Pretty soon there were so many helmets to paint I had to quit building pipes.”

“It was around that time I started making visors—vacuum-forming them using my mother’s oven and a vacuum cleaner.” Unable to stand the stench of melting plastic, Linda encouraged Troy to move his operation into a hanger at Corona Municipal Airport (CMA). Most airports frown on automotive operations and CMA required that he spend 40-percent of his time working on airplanes so he began painting registration numbers and even complete planes. Eventually, Troy occupied three hangers at the airport. However, a night of drinking Wild Turkey precipitated a move to a new location on a street ironically named Wild Turkey Circle in Corona.

The visor business was growing though and Lee went to Japan to get molds made. Linda, meanwhile, made him business cards and Malcolm Smith Motorsports agreed to distribute the products. Troy Lee Designs (TLD) was born and there was soon a relationship with Japanese helmet maker Shoei to develop a line of mountain bike helmets.

…a night of drinking Wild Turkey precipitated a move to a new location on a street ironically named Wild Turkey Circle in Corona.

By 1991, business had outgrown the hangers and TLD moved into a new commercial building just down the street. Although helmets remained a huge part of the business with commissions from Wayne Gardner, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Tommy Hayden, Roger Lee Hayden, Jeremy McGrath, Danica Patrick, Scott Russell Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Ryan Villopoto and many others, the product line had expanded to include action sports apparel and protective gear.

In 2001, Lee formed a supermoto team with long-time friends Jeremy McGrath and Jeff ‘Wardy’ Ward. They campaigned in the Red Bell AMA Supermoto amateur national championship with Honda support. They were very successful and Wardy placed in the top three from 2003 through 2007 and won in 2004 and 2006. Meanwhile, in 2003, Lee relocated TLD to a 22,600 sq ft historic Ganahl Lumber building in Corona where more than 85 people now work. The facility, located at 155 E Rincon Street, has a 5,000 sq ft retail showroom that houses Lee’s collection of unique sports memorabilia. It’s open Monday through Friday.

Troy Lee Designs are now sold in stores all over the world but in 2011 Lee opened his own store Troy Lee Designs Boutique and Design Center at 380 Glenneyre Street, Laguna Beach, California. The store offers premium tees, jeans, high-end clothing and a selection of TLD bicycle wear, moto gear and sportswear. The store is open seven days a week where that first helmet painted for lifelong friend Jim Busby is displayed.

In 2016, the private investment firm Spanos, Barber, Jesse & Co., invested in TLD and has helped the brand grow and expand its offerings. There is a new 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Upland, CA, and a new store in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Next year, 2020, will see Troy Lee Designs celebrate its 40^th anniversary by adding a new European-based Moto-X race team with Yamaha. This is in addition to the existing Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM official factory team that continues in 2020.

As important as it is as a branding, marketing and moral building, racing is only a small part of what is now a multi-million dollar business. “Our investment in the youth continues as Derek Drake and Piece Brown come aboard our pro team.” Said Lee. “I’m so stoked to see what the future holds for 2020.”

It’s a long way from a camper but when I called Troy answered his own phone and followed up so you know the guy still has his feet on the ground and a spray gun in his hand.

Benton Performance: From the Ashes

In early November 2019, a perfect storm of a vehicle fire on an adjacent lot, a tank of stored diesel that collapsed and fed the flames, and California’s unpredictably predictable winds ravaged one of the world’s premiere vintage Porsche restoration and repair shops. Four months later, John Benton is ready to open his doors once more. Here’s what it took to go from disaster to a new beginning.

“The ambient temperature in the voids was 2,200 degrees. It reduced a Bridgeport mill to scrap. It made cast iron give up. It was pretty intense heat.”John Benton

By now, you may have heard the story of how an out-of-control late night fire fanned by 40+ mile per hour winds consumed a major portion of Benton Performance in Anaheim, California. For more than 35 years, John Benton and his crew have been repairing, restoring, stockpiling original parts for, and otherwise loving air-cooled Porsches. While the disaster didn’t claim all of Benton’s property, it hit his inventory particularly hard.

“There was nothing that was salvageable,” Benton explains. “The ambient temperature in the voids was 2,200 degrees. It reduced a Bridgeport mill to scrap. It made cast iron give up. It was pretty intense heat. When you have a steel building with magnesium as the main energy source going off, and 40 mile per hour winds going through it, it’s a convection oven. Every steel beam in the frame of the building was sagging. All the tension cables were sagging.”

Before even a rough estimate of the damage could be made, the remains of the buildings had to be inspected and made safe for people to enter. Then the hard work began.

Per Benton, “Once we emptied the building, then we began cleaning, and it was a mess. We looked like coal miners. Then we had to disassemble the building, filling these 20-yard roll-offs with steel and debris. I was running a cutting torch, and I haven’t done that work since I was a young man, but I’ve done it, so it was just a matter of relying on muscle memory and telling the guys, ‘cut here, cut there, let’s get this into pieces’ and little by little we did it.”

“I don’t ever anticipate accumulating $2 million of new old stock stuff again, because I’m never going to find that stuff.”

“Finally, we had a concrete pad, and then it started raining! I was undeterred, though,” he continues. “The next challenge was getting the residue out of the concrete because we knew we were going to have an open pad, since it wasn’t going to be hidden beneath flooring. It had taken some damage, and it was pretty scored in spots, so I rented a core cutter and a jackhammer and cut out the one big section that was damaged, then side drilled, laid rebar, and poured new concrete. Once that was done, we got the three 20 foot containers delivered, and started building a perimeter wall with a gate. So now we have this beautiful facade that opens up into a courtyard with our three big containers.”

Those containers are where Benton Performance’s inventory will reside now, though it will only be a shadow of what was on-hand before. “I don’t ever anticipate accumulating $2 million of new old stock stuff again, because I’m never going to find that stuff,” Benton admits. “I have procured a lot of choice parts over the years, and when we used them I would always go looking for more. I know where to find them, and I will get what I need to get, but I don’t anticipate stockpiling them ever again.”

Fortunately, Benton didn’t have to start from zero, and the relationships he’s built over the past four decades gave him a running start.

“I had some stuff at my house, and I had some stuff in a separate storage unit, but not much. I had my clean room here, so there were a lot of choice parts for builds that were taking place. But people in the community have been very, very nice and donated some startup parts. Jack [Diramarian] from Scientific [Motorcars] in Pasadena, had one of his guys come over in a pickup that was full of vintage 4-banger parts.

It’s not big stuff – it was parts that need some work, but we’re good at that. We got some head cores, and some case cores, rods, carburetors, manifolds – just stuff that will make an impact. If we can build one or two motors out of that, that gets us to the next place, and we go on from there,” he explains.

“We built this shop off of our people, and we have to keep the team intact.”John Benton

The term “human resources” is almost a punchline in the corporate world, but for small businesses like Benton Performance, the people who make things run are literally the most important asset.

“I have six guys who depend on this business for their livelihood, and they are the driving factor behind my decisions,” says Benton, with the pride evident in his voice. “We built this shop off of our people, and we have to keep the team intact. After a couple of days when it finally sunk in that we weren’t functional and it was just a debris field, everyone was kind of under a black cloud. So we all went out back, and I said look, every single one of you guys has come to me over the last five, ten, twelve years and said, I want this, I want that, how come we don’t have this? I want a list. I don’t care how long it is – I want to know. We will find a way. We might be dead in the water now, but we are going to do it right.”

But the favorite thing I did was hang a disco ball above bay 1 with four spotlights on it, because when I flip that switch on, it makes me smile.”John Benton

The result was a reborn business, designed with the input of all the key players to make it more efficient than the old layout, better for customers, and a more pleasant place to work.

Per Benton, “This has brought us together as a family on a whole ‘nother level – it’s something we will never forget. It looked like a bomb went off, and now, although the shop is smaller than it was, it’s going to be more efficient. Everyone worked very hard on ‘smoothing the corners’ and improving the flow.”

“We put in LED lighting. We fixed the AC in the back unit so there’s better air circulation back there. We took all the stuff we used for cleaning parts and moved it outside. We moved all the machine shop stuff inside, and made a compact and efficient area for machining and welding.

We moved carburetor and distributor repair to right outside the clean room where we build engines. We looked at the flow, and made sure it was what we wanted. We had limited space, so we built integrated custom shelving into the containers for parts storage to maximize that space. But the favorite thing I did was hang a disco ball above bay 1 with four spotlights on it, because when I flip that switch on, it makes me smile.”

“You have to find solutions, and not focus on what you don’t have. Learning that cost me so much time, money, and whiskey, you don’t even know. It was one of those things where I was thinking about all we had to do and I wasn’t sleeping well, and I was on Amazon buying exterior lighting, and as I am browsing, ‘disco ball’ comes up in the suggestions, and I thought, ‘yeah, I think I will have that.’” Benton explains. “Now I have a 12 inch disco ball – who doesn’t want one of those? So when we ‘officially’ reopen on the 28th, we are going to have a party.

“Big Daddy” Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing

I first saw “Big Daddy” Don Garlits race in England at Blackbushe Airport, west of London, in 1964.  By then, Gar’, as he is often called, was already famous having begun racing in 1950. In 1959, he traveled west from his home in Tampa, Florida, to race at the 1959 Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championships. He was not popular and whenever they moved his infamous “Swamp Rat” dragster it had to be pushed through a field of empty beer cans.

“It got so bad,” said Garlits, “that one of us had to walk in front of the car as we pushed it through the pits, to kick a path through the empties.” Unfortunately, for him, Garlits did not win but he learned a lot and came back in ’65 with three cars, two of which raced in the final that Don won against teammate Marvin Swartz.

Garlits continued to win race after race, but it was in 1970 while running at Lions Drag Strip that he would unwittingly cause a racing revolution.

One of us had to walk in front of the car as we pushed it through the pits, to kick a path through the empties.

While driving Swamp Rat 13, his home-built, two-speed transmission exploded and severed his foot in half. Shaken, Garlits came back the following year with a new rear-engine dragster that changed the look of drag racing forever.

In 1976, Garlits made another trip to the U.K. and while there came to the realization that the U.S. needed it’s own drag racing museum. Consequently, Don and his late wife Pat founded the “Big Daddy” Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing and in 1984 opened the original 25,000 square foot facility in Ocala, Florida, just off Interstate 75.

Over the years, Don has added to the facility that now tops 50,000 square feet and even that is nowhere near enough as the place is jammed to the walls with not only Don’s cars and memorabilia but around 200 other cars and related artifacts. Note some are housed in an adjacent building called the Museum of Classic Cars.

To be honest, it’s a bit much to take in on one visit; you really need several visits to see everything. Obviously, it’s great to see so many of Garlits’ Swamp Rat dragsters but some of my personal favorites include Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s “Yellow Fang” dragster that was driven by George Schreiber; Red Greth’s “Speed Sport Special”, Jocko Johnson’s “Jocko’s Porting Service” streamliner, Dean Moon’s Moonbeam Devin sports car and the Mooneyes dragster, and the Mooneyham & Sharp 554 Fuel Coupe.

Finally, and sadly pushed into a corner was Jim Lytle’s “Big Al” an Allison V-12-powered ’34 Tudor sedan chopped to the point that it had slits for windows and the driver’s head poked out through a hole in the roof.  Those were the days when drag racing was wild and unpredictable and racers experimented with the unconventional.

“Big Daddy” Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day from 9 am until 5 pm. Parking is free and admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (60+) military, veterans, college students and teenagers (15-18) and, $10 for children (5-12).

As for Don, whose personal best was 318.54 mph in 4.76 seconds in 2002, you might bump into him working on one of his projects that includes an electric dragster that might just change the sport again—he’s done it before.

Bruce Canepa’s Top 10

Scotts Valley is a small city of 11,000 people six miles north of Santa Cruz, California, and to the south of what is now known as Silicon Valley. Of course, that term was barely in general use when Bruce Canepa opened his first business in 1982.

Bruce’s family owned a Ford dealership in the beach/college town of Santa Cruz where he learned all things mechanical and cut his driving teeth on a Model A Ford circa 1963. He began racing as soon as he was able driving quarter midgets and Go-Karts before progressing to super modifieds and sprint cars.

Bruce tried it all and excelled at most and was awarded consecutive “Rookie of the Year” and “Most Improved Driver” in three different race categories: Sportsman, Modified, and Sprint Cars.

In 1978, Bruce moved into racing sports cars in both the IMSA and Trans-Am series and in 1979 formed his own team to campaign a Porsche 934 at the grueling Daytona 24 hour sports car race. Teamed with Rick Mears and Monte Shelton, they finished an incredible third overall.

The Porsche factory was so impressed by the privateering effort, they provided him a brand new 935 for the rest of that season thus cementing Bruce’s continuing passion and loyalty to the brand.

He tried it all and excelled at most…

In 1980 and ’81, Bruce returned to Daytona with Gianpiero Moretti in the famous MOMO team Porsche 935. They also raced at Mid Ohio and Riverside. Bruce tried his hand at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with his own design twin-turbo-powered open wheeler—he qualified first and finished an amazing second overall.

The following year, Bruce was back at Daytona teamed with Bobby Rahal and Jim Trueman in the very first March GTP “Ground Effects” Prototype. He also opened Bruce Canepa Motorcars handling Audi, BMW, Lamborghini, Maserati and of course, Porsche automobiles.

Bruce has always been good at seeing a niche in the market and in ’82 he opened Canepa Design. The following year he began redesigning Kenworth big rigs that led, in 1985, to his purchase of Concept Transporters. That year he also drove the Eletrodyne Lola T600 at the Riverside 6 Hours.

With Group B rallying dominating the European racing scene in the mid-eighties, Porsche introduced the phenomenal 959 in 1986. It was quickly and rightly regarded as the ultimate sports car, however, the car was not legal to import into the U.S.

Enamored of the 959, Bruce and perhaps even Microsoft’s Bill Gates worked at enabling the car to be legally imported. Meanwhile, the American scene was all about SUVs and Chevy/GMC trucks and Canepa subsequently built more than 1,500 custom vehicles to Bruce’s design.

After ten years of working on the legalization of the 959, Bruce was finally able to deliver the first Canepa 959 in 2000 and the first California-compliant version in 2003. Despite all this work, Bruce continued to race and returned to Colorado’s Pikes Peak setting the course record for tandem-axle big rigs in 2000, 2001, and in 2002 he crossed the line in 13:57.800—a record that still stands on the 156-turn, 12.42-mile mountain course.

Racing oil runs in his veins and his current ride of choice is a McLaren P1 GTR.

Bruce Canepa moved into his current 70,000 sq. ft. Scotts Valley facility in 2006 and for any petrolhead, it’s Nirvana and showcases some of the raddest cars in Petroldom. There is so much to see that we asked Bruce to choose his Top 10 from all the cars on display and they are presented here: everything from the famed So-Cal Speed Shop Coupe that ran both at Bonneville and the drags in the very early fifties to the Porsche 917/10 of 1972 and the 1985 Rothmans Porsche 962C. It’s an amazing to-die-for, must-see collection.

Canepa is not just a showroom though, or even a museum, its also houses one of the world’s most respected restoration shops that not only meticulously restores historic racecars but also offers setup and race support, meanwhile, Bruce still does all the final testing. Well, he would wouldn’t he?  Racing oil runs in Bruce’s veins and his current ride of choice is a McLaren P1 GTR.

The Vault

Originally opened in 1994, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California recently underwent a $125 million makeover and reopened on December 7^th, 2015. The exterior of the building, an old Mid-Century department store, is stunningly wrapped in 100 tons of stainless steel ribbon but there is no obvious entrance. I guess they don’t expect you to miss it, located on the junction of Fairfax and Wilshire Boulevard in what is called The Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles.

Originally the brainchild of the late Robert E. Petersen, founder of HOT ROD Magazine and dozens of other publications, the “Pete” as it is affectionately known is, nevertheless, a world-class museum well worth a visit even if you are not a complete car nut.

Within the stainless shell, there are 300,000 sq. ft. divided into 25 galleries that house about 100 vehicles depending upon specific exhibits.

…well worth a visit even if you are not a complete car nut.

However, below the stunning, if controversial exterior, there is 60,000 sq. ft. containing another 250 or so vehicles in the Petersen Vault. Unfortunately, getting into the Vault is, as you might expect a bit like getting into, well, a vault.

At the time of our visit, the Vault was undergoing some refurbishment so some of the vehicles were in disarray. Usually, they are parked quite closely together. There are no ropes but you cannot take photographs and you are not allowed to wander away from the guide, but that is understandable as many of the cars are rare and quite valuable and not all are owned by the Petersen.

We got to see everything from an original Model T Ford to one-off concept cars to movie cars to celebrity-owned vehicles to a number of winners of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award.

Perhaps one of the most impressive cars is Mr. Petersen’s unique Art Deco ‘Round-Door’ Rolls Royce of 1925. It is the pinnacle of that era’s coach-built automobiles and in a way, the jewel in the crown of the Petersen. And right now, like many other cars, it can only be seen on the Vault tour.

…the jewel in the crown of the Petersen.

There are two types of guided vault tours and both carry a premium in addition to the cost of general museum admission which is $16 for an adult, $13 for seniors, and $8 for children 3-12. A 90-minute introductory tour is $23-25 extra and a 120-minute, so-called, world tour is an extra $30.

There are other rules too:

• Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged once the order is placed.
• NO children under 10 permitted on Vault Tours.
• NO backpacks, food, or drink allowed in the Vault.
• NO photography or video in the Vault.
• Online ticket sales close out on the morning of each date.
• Visitors must refrain from touching the vehicles and stay together with their guide during the tour.

Tours are not conducted every day so be sure to check the website and make your booking before turning up and don’t forget, parking is another $15: petersen.org/vault

Hollywood Movers and Shakers

A recent cover of SEMA News featured the face of Troy Ladd, owner of Hollywood Hot Rods, under the headline “How Famous Builders Grow The Industry.” Indeed, there are few more famous builders than Troy who recently moved into a new space and continues to garner accolades with his own take on traditionalism.

Unlike most hot rod builders, Troy began his second career after studying business and obtaining a Bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. While he enjoyed building cars in his spare time, he was not happy in a white-collar corporate job and consequently took the plunge in 2002 to hang up the white collar and open his own shop in “Beautiful Downtown Burbank”.

Naming it Hollywood Hot Rods was all part of Troy’s big plan as he knew that selling T-shirts and other merchandise containing the word Hollywood made marketing sense. And, he was right. His shirts were the number one selling brand in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Troy’s first shop in Burbank had an unassuming facade located on a small street that ended at Interstate 5. Unfortunately, that building, like so much of Los Angeles is slated for redevelopment and Troy spent has the last couple of years looking for a suitable building to buy. Eventually, he found a 4,300 square foot facility not too far from his old shop at 2617 N. San Fernando Boulevard, Burbank.

Troy first came to the public’s attention when he won the 2005 Goodguys “Rodder’s Pick” with “Big Sister” a ’32 Ford built on the Rides TV show. Two years later he was a finalist in the Grand National Roadster Show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) competition with “Respect Tradition,” a Hemi-powered Deuce Roadster. The copper lowboy went on to win the “Best 1932 Ford Roadster” award at the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals.

The somewhat untraditional traditional roadster was followed by a string of projects that just continued to enhance the reputation of Hollywood Hot Rods.  One that garnered attention was actually a full-size version of the Monogram “Black Widow” plastic model kit.

This is not a mere hot rod; it is a true coach-built car.

Several more roadster pickups (rpu) followed including the road-race inspired, Ardun-powered “El Correcaminos” (Spanish for The Roadrunner) and the stack-injected, Coyote-powered rpu giveaway car for Raybestos Brake Corp.  That went on to win the SEMA “Showstopper Award” in 2010. Other significant Deuce roadsters included the “Platinum Bomb” and the “Brooklands Special”.

Besides the more traditional hot rods, Troy has also built some notable later-model customs including a ’63 Mercury S-22 Comet convertible and a ’60 T-Bird called “Hammered”. Also to show the shop’s versatility there was even a late-model Mustang convertible powered by a 700 hp-x engine. It was a supercar designed for the track yet retained all of the comforts of a streetcar.

In 2012, Troy was named the LA Roadsters’ “Builder of the Year” and, the accolades didn’t stop. Check the list and he received a significant award almost every year up until last year when the ’36 Packard convertible he and his team created for Bruce Wanta won a string of trophies including the AMBR Award, the Custom D’Elegance Award, the Sam Barris Award and the Goodguys Del Mar Street Rod D’Elegance Award.

2017 was a busy year for Troy as that was the year he finally found a building and moved shop, however, it was Wanta’s “Mulholland Speedster” that became a game changer from its hand-fabricated chassis to it’s retractable, cantilevered top that folds down into the trunk. This is not a mere hot rod; it is a true coach-built car.

The new Hollywood Hot Rods is compact but there’s room enough for offices and meeting space above the workshop that accommodates about eight cars. We’ve visited several times recently and there’s always cool stuff to see and Troy welcomes visitors. All of the projects are interesting but I particularly liked the Italian-bodied tribute to Edsel Ford’s 1934 boat-tail speedster.

Both had more tricks than a magician.

Four cars share that space and they include a Hemi-powered Model A roadster and a highly modified ’32 3-window with a split-windshield. In the adjacent shop found a chopped ’57 Plymouth wagon having its roof pancaked 1-1/2 inches. Attached to the workshop is a well-equipped machine shop containing lathes, a mill, a plasma cutter, and more.

At this year’s GNRS, Troy displayed two very distinct, bare-metal roadsters that were an Art Deco-Steampunk mashup with lots of hand-formed brass accouterments. Both had more tricks than a magician.

As if that all is not enough, Troy recently teamed up with the original host of Overhaulin’ and Power Block on Spike TV, Courtney Hansen, for a new build show called The Ride That Got Away. It’s a feel-good show that builds and reunites deserving people with their lost ride. It’s airing now. For more information visit: hollywoodhotrods.com

World of Speed

If you ever saw the TV show Portlandia you will understand exactly what the city of Portland, Oregon, is like: Cool, funky, wacky and wet but under that thick layer of green there is a vibrant car town with so much going on it’s difficult to keep track. There are car collections, some numbering in the hundreds. I know of at least three warehouses in the center of the city that contain multi-million dollar collections.

There are street events like Bradshaw’s “Tranny Show” where they close the streets for a rod run. There’s “Beaches”, a weekly cruise at Portland International Raceway (PIR), located right in the city that in the summer can attract 1,400 cars. There’s “The One Moto Show” that is perhaps one of the world’s coolest bike shows while another motorcycle event called the “Alley Sweeper” sees literally hundreds of bikes ripping through the back alleys of Portland—it drives the residents crazy but it’s a lot of fun.

That’s just the very tip of the iceberg. Besides PIR and kart tracks there’s also the Alpenrose Dairy quarter midget track for 5- to 16-year-olds. Just 30 miles south there’s Woodburn Dragstrip, one of the oldest continuously running strips in the country and, on the way, right off Interstate 5, there’s a comparatively new automotive museum called World of Speed (WoS).

I had the great fortune to be Executive Director and part of the team that developed WoS as an auto-centric edutainment and experiential experience—it’s far from a dusty car museum.

Primarily, it’s an exhibition of racecars displaying not only PDX’s rich motorsports heritage but also the bigger picture with, for example, a collection of Mickey Thompson’s land speed racers including the 4-engine Challenger as well as M/T’s 2-, 4- and V-8-engined record-setting dragsters.

…it’s far from a dusty car museum.

These were recently joined by Danny Thompson’s Challenger II, which recently set a land speed record. This might be the only time and place where these two iconic cars will be seen together.

M/T’s cars are featured in a larger, Castrol-sponsored exhibit that tells the history of the absolute land speed record for cars and motorcycles. A timeline depicts every record setter from Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat’s 1898 French electric car that set the very first record at 39.24 mph to the current record holder Andy Green’s Bloodhound SSC that is aiming for 1,000 mph.

Another interesting exhibit is a full-size replica of the 31-degree Daytona banking complete with four real NASCARs. It shows how steep the track really is—almost impossible to walk up.

One of my pet projects was the Wall of Sound exhibit that explores the relationship between cars and music from Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston’s 1951 hit Rocket 88 to ZZ Top’s Eliminator of 1982.

It also explores how we listened to music via radios, televisions, record players, and 8-track players—there’s even a working jukebox. It’s a really fun, interactive exhibit that everybody can relate to.

Perhaps the most engaging aspect of this very interactive, hands-on museum is the three simulators developed in conjunction with Keith Maher of VRmotioncorp.com.

It shows how steep the track really is—almost impossible to walk up.

The three cars are all real race cars: Johnny Benson’s 1998 NASCAR Ford Taurus, Adrian Fernandez’s 1995 Lola Indy Car and a genuine 1962 Lotus simulator that Maher updated with modern computer technology and a large wraparound screen.

At the time of writing, the WoS was holding sim races on the last Thursday of the month. They also have a weekly Cars and Coffee event every Saturday morning, rain or shine.

World of Speed is a cool destination with lots to see and do for the whole family, including a cool area just for kids. It’s the primary purpose, however, is to educate and it has a very strong program that offers a wide variety of camps, classes, and workshops for adults and children. It’s worth checking out: worldofspeed.org

Fast Cars Unlimited

I don’t know about you but I like to detour off the main street and take the back alleys—you never know what you’re going to find, particularly if you are looking for interesting vehicles. Recently, I was cruisin’ Pacific Coast Highway on the west side of Los Angeles when I took a turn near the beach and found myself in a small street filled with exotics: Ferrari, Jaguar, Bentley. There were so many parked by the side of the road I didn’t know which way to look.

Established almost 40 years ago by Steve Tillack, Fast Cars Ltd. emerged from a stereo business but has grown to provide discerning international collectors with a complete package of services including research, location, purchase, services and complete restoration of exceptional collector cars and historic sports cars. They can even handle race support if the customer requires it.

With around 20 employees under the experienced eye of manager Craig Calder, Fast Cars has complete machine, dyno, fabrication, and upholstery shops. They have produced noted trophy, Concours, and historic race vehicles that have graced the lawns as far and wide as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Ville d’Este in Italy; Their cars have even competed in the infamous Mille Miglia Italian road race. For any event, Fast Cars can offer its clients seamless support and logistic planning here in the U.S. and overseas.

Walking through the various shops on my guided tour with Marco Piehl who has been with the company for more than 20 years, I was amazed at both the amount and the variety of work being performed. We began the tour in a small shop where they were working on a Ferrari 250 GTO Spider. Next door we found a Jaguar E-type low-drag coupe with a hand-formed aluminum body. Eventually, Marco pulled us away into another large area where there were vehicles for sale.

There were so many parked by the side of the road I didn’t know which way to look.

These included a road-going 962 Porsche from Vern Schuppan, A V-12-powered Jaguar XJR-15, a pair of Ferrari 250 GT convertibles and a coupe, the only Bertone-bodied Jaguar Pirana Coupe styled by Marcello Gandini, an equally rare Porsche Carrera GTS as well as a 1966 Porsche 906 than ran in the Targa Florio, and an extremely rare DSRM-backed Ford RS200 Group B rally car.

Across the street in the service area, there was everything from a pair of Ferrari Dinos and Daytonas to a pair of 250 TRs as well as a Ferrari 500 NDTR. Alfas, Lamborghinis, and even a Jaguar 220. It’s all in a days work for the Fast Cars mechanics that keep these exotics running. Indeed, one young man who graduated from UTI turns out to be the Weber-carb tuning wizard.

About the only part of the restoration process not handled in-house is that of paintwork and some of that is farmed out to Mick’s Paint, Pomona, California. Mick’s was primarily known for award-winning hot rod and custom paint, but since collaborating with Fast Cars their combined efforts have garnered several awards at the prestigious Pebble Beach Historic Concours d’Elegance.

…one young man who graduated from UTI turns out to be the Weber-carb tuning wizard.

Their first award came in 2016 with a 1958 Pegaso Z-103 that came third in its class. In 2017, a rare Boano-bodied 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900c SS Coupe Speciale came first in class. In 2019, the only-surviving Atcherley-bodied 1928 Alfa Romeo came second in Class J4 Italian Classic. This year the companies are working together on another rare 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500.

Typically, Fast Cars is not open to the public, however, occasionally, they host an open house and you can find out more by visiting their site at www.fastcarsltd.com

Brooklands Museum

As we have said here before that while many people believe that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the first purpose-built race track in the world, that distinction actually goes to Brooklands in Surrey, England. Construction began on Brooklands in 1907 whereas Indy was not started until two years later in 1909. However, Brooklands was finished as a racetrack by 1939, whereas Indy marches on enjoying continuous use, except, of course for the war years, since the track first opened. Incidentally, the first Indy 500 took place in 1911.

Brooklands was the brainchild of Hugh F. Locke King and was built of concrete unlike Indy where the original surface was oil-soaked gravel before it was paved with brick—hence the term ‘Brickyard’. At the time, Brooklands’ 2.75-mile track was described as resembling a ‘crushed egg’. Nevertheless, it could accommodate almost 300,000 spectators and housed one of the world’s first airfields. While it remains the spiritual home of British motorsports it did, in fact, become a real home to British aviation.

Back in the early 1900s, there was no easy way to asphalt the surface and as it ceased operations 80 years ago, time and vermin have taken their toll. The last race was held in August 1939, just as Europe was going to war, and the facility was turned over to the production of aircraft.

At the time, Brooklands’ 2.75-mile track was described as resembling a ‘crushed egg’.

Unfortunately, the ‘crushed egg’ was rather obvious from the air so it was camouflaged to help prevent enemy bombing. Nevertheless, it was bombed and access roads to the factories were cut into the banking.

As a young journalist I used to visit the derelict site and though crumbling, the steeply banked surface stirred up emotions whereby you could almost feel those big aircraft-engined cars thundering around the course at incredible speeds. In fact, three land speed records were set at Brooklands between 1909 and 1922 when Kenelm L. Guinness (of the Guinness beer family) took his 18.3-liter Sunbeam to a speed of 133.75 MPH.

Thankfully, due to a number of investors, including Mercedes-Benz, Brooklands survives and one of the cool places to visit is the Brooklands Museum that has been undergoing what they call ‘Re-Engineering’. Last fall, they opened two new exhibits: The Brooklands Aircraft Factory and the Flight Shed—telling the story of aviation design and manufacture at the site. They also opened The Finishing Straight of the original track so that it can be used for events and demonstrations.

Unlike most museums that are going for the modernist look exemplified by Gehry and Piano, Brooklands appears as a collection of quintessential English sheds—and I mean that in the most positive way—as it reminds me of how Brooklands used to be and I hope it retains that charm as it steps into the modern world.

The car collection, as you would expect, leans toward the pre-WWII era and the glory days of Brooklands, however, there are some late-models including an MP4 21 F1 simulator that is good fun to experience. The other must-see is an original supersonic BAC Aérospatiale Concorde and there’s even a Concorde flight crew simulator.

…you could almost feel those big aircraft-engined cars thundering around the course at incredible speeds.

That said my favorite part of the visit was the unexpected appearance of the 1933 Napier Railton in which John Cobb set an unbeaten record of 143.44 MPH in 1935. Contemporary images show the car completely off the ground. It certainly lifted my spirits and was the fitting end to a great visit.

Typically, Brooklands is open every day except Christmas, but Christmas can be longer in the U.K. than in the U.S. so we strongly suggest you check their website before you make plans to visit. For more information, hours and a list of events, visit: www.brooklandsmuseum.com

Nashville Pickers

There are many reasons people from all over the world visit Nashville, Tennessee. For example, there is the Grand Ole Opry House, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Johnny Cash Museum, and the historic Ryman Auditorium. There are also more than 180 live music venues as well as bars and restaurants to keep your senses sated.

For car people there is the Lane Motor Museum but fast climbing the list of must-sees is the Marathon Motor Works that houses, among many other stores and eateries, a branch of Antique Archaeology, the namesake of the hit TV show American Pickers.

Built of beautiful red brick in 1881, the Marathon Motor Village, as it is now known, was originally the home of the Marathon Automobiles, at the time one of the largest producers of automobiles in the world assembling as many as 10,000 cars a year in 1912. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons the Marathon was over by 1916. The complex, which is an on-going restoration project by owner Barry Walker, covers well over 150,00 square feet that is now divided into a four-block complex of artists’ and photographers’ studios, offices, a radio station, salons, cafés, bars, a distillery, event spaces and, of course, Antique Archaeology.

For those of you who watch the show on the History Channel, you’ll know that Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz pick their way across America and some other countries in search of that rare nugget. The show has been on since 2010, has an audience of more than five million viewers a week and is seen in 63 countries. Mike, you can tell, is a car and motorcycle guy and he invited us down to Nashville to check out the store.

The store is not big enough to house any cars but they do have on display the Volkswagen-powered motorcycle that was built by lowbrow artist and father of modern pinstriping Von Dutch. Scattered around the store floor to ceiling and among the piles of Antique Archaeology clothing and knick-knacks are more rare motorcycle engines and parts. Unfortunately, most are not for sale including one of Evil Knievel’s star-spangled, white leather ‘jump’ suits.

American Pickers, a brand owned by the History Channel, has logoed merchandise for sale at the History Store. In addition to that, you can purchase Mike’s own line called Two Lanes.

Entrance to the village and, of course, the stores are free but unless you can find free street parking the cost to park in the Village lot is $10. Other than that, it’s a great place for a family to visit where you can spend several hours drinking, dining and checking out the building, the restored machinery, some original Marathon cars that are displayed and, of course, Antique Archaeology. For more information contact www.antiquearchaeology.com/locations.php or www.marathonvillage.net

Coker Museum

If you’ve ever looked at or purchased a specialist tire, especially a vintage-style tire, chances are you’ve looked at offerings from Coker Tire. Based in Chattanooga, TN, Coker was founded 70 years ago on January 30, 1958, by Harold Coker whose parents sold their home to help him start the business. Originally just a tire and service center, Harold grew the business to handle all the big names including BFGoodrich, Firestone, Michelin, and Uniroyal. A small part of Coker’s business was vintage tires and in 1974 Harold handed that division to his son Corky who devoted the next 50 years to build the brand into one of the most recognized tires and wheel manufacturers and distributors in the world. Indeed, if you are in the vintage car or motorcycle business be it hot rods, restorations, racing cars, or motorcycles, you know Coker.

Like all good sons, Corky worked hard at building the business eventually developing it into a multi-level, international brand. The Coker Group consists of the Coker Tire, Wheel Vintiques, Universal Vintage Tire, Phoenix Race Tires, Specialty Wheel, and Roadster Wire Wheel brands. 

Like his father before him, Corky is first and foremost an enthusiast and so he couldn’t help putting a few vehicles aside into a private collection that is open to the public. During a recent trip to Chattanooga, we got the personal tour from Corky. Corky likes brass-era cars, that is to say, cars that have brass radiators which they had until the late 19-teens and in particular, he likes old racecars such as Simplex and Mercer. That said the collection is a great mix of Americana, British sports cars, classic American cars and trucks, and even a few customs and hot rods. There are even a couple airplanes one of which Corky recalled driving down the street when it first arrived to be hung in the museum.

Besides all the four wheelers, Corky is into motorcycles and the complete back wall is stacked three high with one of the most impressive collections of rare vintage bikes we have ever seen.

Although nobody was working there at the time of our visit, Coker still builds wooden wheels and rims using both original and modern equipment and skilled craftsmen. Heck, we even saw a young man doing vintage-style wood graining. It’s traditional crafts like this that Corky has been keen to perpetuate.

The collection is housed in a cool brick building in the old part of Chattanooga at 1309 Chestnut Street next door to HonestCharley.com. At the time of our visit, the museum was undergoing some renovation so before you visit we strongly recommend you call 1-888-795-7077 to confirm opening times. Typically, Coker hosts a huge car show the first weekend of April but again, check with Coker Tire before heading there: 1-866-516-3215 or check their website at www.cokertire.com

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Many think that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the oldest purpose-built racetrack in the world; however, it is actually the second, the first being Brooklands in Surrey, England. Construction began at Brooklands in 1907 and at Indy in 1909; however, Brooklands was more or less defunct by the start of World War II whereas Indy marches on enjoying huge crowds of almost 250,000 people. Its total capacity is around 400,000 but who’s counting?

Located within the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) oval, also known as the ‘Brickyard’ because the track’s original ‘oiled’ surface was quickly resurfaced with brick, the IMS Museum collection encompasses automobiles and artifacts representing more than a century of Indianapolis 500 competition (the first Indy 500 was in 1911), plus vehicles representing NASCAR, Formula One, American short-track racing, drag racing, and motorcycles.

Unfortunately, at the time of our visit several historic Indy cars were on loan to the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. The main floor was a little threadbare, however, you shouldn’t let that deter you as the museum is well worth a visit with lots of other cars and areas to enjoy. At the time of our visit, there was a special exhibit, Hoosier Thunder: Indiana’s Short Track Heritage. Hoosier Thunder tells the story of the drivers and families who made Indiana short-track racing a way of life: names such as Carter, Darland, Elliott, Kenyon, and Kinser among others. It also honors the drivers, such as three- and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. More than 40 cars are on display.

Old, front-engine Indy roadsters, known collectively as ‘Big Cars’ from the late-’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, are the coolest though. They thundered around the track with their Offy engines screaming before the rear-engine whining Lotuses (or is that Loti?) arrived from England with Jim Clark and Graham Hill who won in 1963 and ’64 respectively. It was the Golden Age of American auto racing and is exemplified by the permanent display at the IMS Museum.

The museum is located about six miles west of downtown Indy at 4790 W. 16^th Street, Speedway, IN 46224, inside the track between turns 1 and 2. The entrance to the museum is actually at Gate 2 on the north side of 16th Street. It’s open every day of the year, including some evenings, except for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Entrance is a very reasonable $10 for adults and just $5 for kids aged 6-15. Children 5 and under are free as is parking. There are summer and winter hours and numerous special events including track tours so check their website before you go: www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com

Born to Rally:
Rally Ready Driving School

So, you know how there are people who are so busy to the point where they’re difficult to reach online but, if you’re able to meet with them, are actually quite settled in person and are able to give you their full and undivided attention? Yeah, that’s not Dave Carapetyan of Rally Ready Driving School.

When I first arrived at the 137-acre ranch in Dale, Texas, Carapetyan was already on his porch with his five dogs and the guys from Global Time Attack discussing how he could help them make their first event at Circuit Of The Americas a successful one. It’s funny because, when we initially chatted on Facebook, I thought that his rapid-fast way of conversing was a result of him killing it in Mario Teaches Typing as a kid. After only a few minutes of sitting back and watching the meeting, it was clear that that wasn’t the case. He just doesn’t stop.

I decided I didn’t want to waste time asking him about what ultimately led him to found Rally Ready Driving School. Instead, I listened to the Do It For A Living podcast that he was a guest on recently. From this, I learned that he’s essentially lived in Austin all of his life and, as a teenager, was in a punk rock band. It was only after his band members introduced him to Gran Turismo 3 that he became hooked on rallying. 

Between the band’s introduction, a near-death experience with a cattle trailer, and a whole lot of growing up in between, Carapetyan decided to start Rally Ready back in 2010. With nearly a decade of existence in the books and having already taught some of his most famous students including Daniel Ricciardo, Bucky Lasek, and Aaron Kaufman (who you’ve likely seen most recently in Gymkhana Ten), Dave has created one of the most successful rally schools in the Midwest, if not the country.

But it wasn’t until 2014, when the X-Games came to Austin, that Carapetyan took Rally Ready to the next level. After networking at the games, Dave ended up meeting someone there who decided to help him buy the 137-acre ranch that both he and his school reside on currently. By 2014, Dave already had a fleet of about 25 cars and had taught a few classes, so having the business living on a dedicated space was really the next big step.

WELCOME TO RALLY-VANA

Pavement turned to gravel as I putted along on the 40-minute drive. As I drove along, I not-surprisingly observed that, compared to Austin, Dale was pretty desolate. My immediate surroundings were draped with a strange, golden hue as each house passed me by. In what seemed like an instant, I was at the Rally Ready ranch.

Making my way into what was the equivalent of the “Parking Lot,” I proudly parked my functioning Mazda Miata rental next to a bare, stripped out Lancer chassis. I initially thought that my rental was the only functioning vehicle in the immediate vicinity until I saw six-car fleet parked a short distance away.

Just beyond the functioning fleet sat a gated-off area filled with even more cars, or to people like us: A field of potential. Not so inconspicuously placed within what Dave would call the junkyard sat his Pike’s Peak-winning Evo (one of the many projects he says he might get back on the road…someday). After ogling over that car for far too long, I continued towards the house where I saw even more goodies, like the Rally Ready Subaru BRZ. By the house sat a few Yamaha and Textron UTVs, which Dave will claim, until he’s blue in the face, are the future of rallying.

Dave has a great sense of humor because, when people like Ricciardo or I say that he’s living every car nut’s dream, he quickly retorts, “Ehh, all I own is a bunch of stupid race cars. It’s not that glamorous.” Not true man! Not true.

Although there weren’t any classes going on while I was there, the track had just been used to film a commercial for COBB Tuning. But having said that, it was nice to walk around and photograph a “cold” track for once. The silence in the air and vastness of land really contrasted with Dave’s seemingly-manic life. And, although we weren’t able to rip through the woods, I could really get a sense of just how much fun you could have spending a day in one of his classes.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES & LIFE LESSONS FROM A RALLY DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

Dave Carapetyan is equally as fascinating as he is busy. I only spent a few hours at Rally Ready Driving School, but I learned so much about him, the sport of rallying, business, and life in general. He’s flying by the seat of his pants, and I already know that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I didn’t go to college, I went to rally,” Carapetyan joked on Do It For A Living. One of the many keys to success for Dave was learning as he went and not being afraid to fail. As cliché as that sounds, it’s helped keep Rally Ready alive and growing to this day. “A lot of us in this industry have this fear of failure,” he explained on the podcast. “The thing that helped me most was realizing that I already made it…according to my metrics, I’ve already succeeded.” 

That’s not to say that he’s complacent by any means. Quite the opposite. Dave has one and five-year plans for Rally Ready, which include UTV driving classes and, what he calls, the “Ultimate Driver’s Ed Experience,” where he hopes to provide first-time drivers with a more in-depth education. All this coming from the man who never went to business school and jokes that his business plan changes “just about every 45 minutes.”

Oh, and that’s the other interesting thing about Dave: When it comes to his business, Dave doesn’t keep secrets. He’s more than happy to divulge anything and everything he’s working on. Why? Because, in his mind, no one can replicate what he’s doing.

What initially sounds like an overly confident, bold claim is, in reality, a true testament to how much Carapetyan cares about the future of both rallying and motorsports as a whole. In an industry that’s primarily driven by ego (which, by the way, he argues also has its benefits in motorsports), Dave is happy to, not only share his business strategy with anyone but also, to help anyone in any way that progresses motorsport. To him, it’s crazy to think that other driving schools across the country are his competition. Carapetyan explained to me that he’d much rather join forces with other schools to not only refer business to one another but also to unite and grow motorsports as a whole.

A Trip to Lane Motor Museum

Over the past few years, Nashville has become an international destination with tourists flying in from all over the world to what is known as Music City and the Music Capital of the World. For music lovers, there are more than 180 live music venues as well as the Grand Ole Opry House, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the historic Ryman Auditorium and the Johnny Cash Museum where they have an original Johnny Cash machine. For car lovers though, there is the Lane Motor Museum.

Founded by Jeff and Susan Lane, Lane Motor Museum regularly displays some 150 vehicles but according to the docent I spoke with there are another 500 cars in storage—some of which are in the basement and can be viewed on special tours at a small additional cost.

Lane Motor Museum is unique in that rather than row upon row of classic American cars the vehicles displayed are primarily oddball European contraptions with often less than a full set of four wheels and quite often a propeller for propulsion.  This was not my first visit to Lane because I find the eclectic collection to be fascinating and not as cookie-cutter boring as so many museums. What’s also nice is that there are no ropes to prevent you from taking unobstructed photographs. You can get up close and personal but obviously, you can’t touch. However, there is a French Citroën that you and kids can climb into for a photo op.

Being from England I can certainly remember seeing some of the vehicles on the road when I was growing up. Cars such as the British fiberglass-bodied Berkeley sports car that was powered by a variety of motorcycle engines or the three-wheeled German Messerschmitt that looked like, well, the cockpit of a World War II Messerschmitt airplane. There was also the three-wheeled BMW Isetta with its front-opening door and perhaps the coolest of all, Alex Tremulis’ Subaru X-100 that achieved 100 MPG in 1980 at the long-gone Ontario Motor Speedway, CA.

Of the various propeller-propelled cars on display perhaps my favorite was the sporty 1930 French L’Eclair. Powered by a 1200cc American Indian Motorcycle V-Twin, the three-wheeler was capable of 60 MPH and according to its builder, Jean Legeay, was rather noisy, scared people and would chop up chickens if they got in the way. 

Winner winner, chicken dinner and that’s my opinion of the Lane Motor Museum—well worth the visit if you happen to be in Nashville. The Lane Motor Museum is open Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) and costs just $12 for adults. Seniors are $8, those age 6 to 17 are $3 and those under 5 are free, as is parking, making a very affordable day out for the family. For more information go to www.lanemotormuseum.org

What Remained of an Austin Car Collection: Dick’s Classic Car Garage

On the day I went to visit Dick’s Classic Car Garage in San Marcos, Texas, the weather weirdly resembled the mood of the visit. Prior to arriving, I had been corresponding with Thom Fortney, Museum Curator, who informed me that the owner of the collection, Richard L. Burdick (better known as Dick), had passed away almost a year prior to my arrival and that most of his collection had already been sold off. That didn’t entirely matter though because what I was able to witness during my tour was nothing short of incredible.

A LEGENDARY COLLECTOR

I may not have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Burdick personally or seeing his collection at it’s prime but, as soon as Mr. Fortney unlocked the main door allowing me in, I instantly knew I was stepping inside the home of a legendary collection. It was eerily quiet, but the presence and quantity of classic, well-kept cars helped to block out the silence. Thom gave me a brief rundown about Mr. Burdick and what remained of the collection before leaving me on my own to tour and shoot for a bit.

As I walked down the aisles, it became quite clear that I didn’t know about most of what I was looking at. Rather than berate myself for not knowing, I realized that I could still get a lot out of the tour by appreciating just how well preserved each vehicle was. And judging by the pictures I took, it’s pretty difficult to argue that most of the cars weren’t in outstanding condition!

Continuing on, it quickly became apparent that Dick liked to collect just about anything, not just cars. Next to most of the cars that were on display sat all sorts of toys, posters, and other automotive memorabilia. Mr. Fortney explained that, in general, Dick was a very sentimental person, and when he started a collection, he usually added anything and everything he could to it.

BUILDING IT UP TO BREAK IT BACK DOWN

Seeing what remained of Mr. Burdick’s collection was saddening, but making my way into the shop was equally as upsetting for me. A space that was originally meant to repair monumental pieces of automotive history to add to his collection was now exclusively designated for reviving and preparing what was left for the auction block. As I finished that thought, the guys successfully revived Dick’s Bentley race car, which both my eyes witnessed and lungs felt.

Continuing to peruse the shop, I walked up to the loft space, which served as a reminder of just how passionate Mr. Burdick was for collecting things. There seemed to be manuals and books neatly organized on shelves for every vehicle he’d ever owned during his lifetime. With all the spare parts I saw scattered around the shop, I knew the guys had a lot of work cut out for them. Lucky for them, it looked like they had every tool and machine they needed to get the job finished.

GOODBYE FOR NOW

Dick’s Classic Car Garage will likely be closed well before anyone reads this piece. Normally, I’m not a person who believes in serendipity, but I do feel fortunate that I was able to see some of Dick Burdick’s car collection before the museum closed. On a more positive note, it’s reassuring to know that, since most of his priceless gems will be heading to auction, they should end up in better homes. It will be the responsibility of new automotive enthusiasts young and old to care for these cars and help preserve automotive history.

Party Time:
Joe Rogan’s Chevy “Novaro”

As the trend for hot rodding muscle cars of all shapes and sizes continues to grow the desire and sometimes need to be different grows with it. However, as hot rod guru Pete Chapouris once said, “It’s not about being different. It’s about doing the right stuff in a different way. More is not always better, less is usually more.”

The exception that proves the ‘less is more’ rule is this new ’69 “Novaro” from the talented teams at Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design, Mick’s Paint and Joey Angelo. In typical fashion, Strope had the vision to combine the aesthetics of a ’69 Chevy Nova and the four fenders of a ’69 Camaro—the ones with the speed flashes coming off the top of the fender lips. It’s a unique idea that nobody else conceived.

To execute the work Strope turned to Mick Jenkins at Mick’s Paint, Pomona, CA, and ace metal shaper Joey Angelo. Joey’s work was well known as he worked his magic on Bob Florine’s ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon that was another Pure Vision/Mick’s Paint collaboration. Incidentally, the wagon was voted Street Rod of the Year by Street Rodder magazine.

In the case of the Novaro being built for comedian Joe Rogan, Strope’s vision was to adapt the distinctive ’69 Camaro fenders onto the iconic shape of the same year Nova. Easy peasy, right? Not so fast. The Nova is kinda slab-sided whereas the Camaro is actually quite bulbous through the sides. Sure, the Camaro fenders lay onto of the Nova but the side profiles of each car are very different and making ends meet was not simple. Likewise not simple was reshaping the doorjambs front and rear.

Being able to see and understand how metal is formed and how it can be massaged and shaped is an art and Joey nailed in less than three months saying, “It was not easy. The Nova needed some restoration before we could even begin the modifications and its sheet metal is original, old and somewhat thicker at 19 gauge compared to the new 21 gauge Dynacorn fenders. Trickiest part was the front of the fenders where I had to blend the curved Camaro panels into the flatter Nova fenders. Also, the front jambs were very complicated to shape. All told, there was almost 200 feet of welding, hammering, picking and filing.”

The result of Joey’s labors and those of his sometime assistant Paul Carroll were unveiled in a private ‘reveal’ in an exclusive garage in Van Nuys, California. The event coincided with the debut of Strope’s new TV show called Hand Built Hot Rods showing on the MotorTrend Channel. Luckily, stateofspeed.com was on the VIP list and we got to see Rogan literally speechless when the cover was pulled back and the car that he had never seen before was revealed. It was like handing over a baby to a first-time father.

Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to do to finish the build. It will go back to Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley for mechanical working including the installation of a blown-Corvette LT4 engine. Then it will go to Mick’s Paint for final body and paintwork. Expect to see it finished sometime this year.

COBB Tuning Facility Tour

Ever since I got into Subarus, I’ve admired and respected the COBB Tuning brand for the products and services they’ve created and continue to create. When I first started the sponsorship program for my Bagged Baja project back in 2016, I knew I had to have them involved in it and was thrilled when they agreed. So when I decided earlier this year to visit Austin, Texas, I absolutely had to take a tour and share my experience with our readers.

MAKING GOOD THINGS EVEN BETTER

In the late ’90s, you likely wouldn’t have heard of COBB Tuning. But 20 years later, it’s become one of the largest aftermarket automotive performance tuning companies on the planet. Beginning in the Subaru market, COBB has since developed performance products and software upgrades for eight different automakers and counting. Using a specific brand’s car as a foundation, COBB’s mission is and has always been, to take a good thing and make it even better.

NEVER FORGET YOUR ROOTS

Like anyone visiting a place for the first time, I had no idea what to expect when I got to COBB Tuning headquarters. With as many shares of the various tuner markets as they have, and with roughly 100 employees to keep the company running, it’s not-so-surprising to see how large of a space the company needs to occupy. Oh, and trust me, they use all of it.

 When I walked inside, one of the first things I saw was a display case filled with historic COBB products. In addition to the one-off prototypes and diecast memorabilia, they proudly display the various renditions of arguably their best-known product, the AccessPort. It’s a nice reminder for not forgetting how they started and where they came from.

The reminiscence continued as I walked down the main hallway and passed by Customer Service, large banners and framed magazine features hung prominently on the wall. My tour guide, Marshall Glasgow, remarked that the framed features really needed to be updated; I politely disagreed. Rather than remove the classic features, I suggested they add more to the wall instead.

We made our way to the manufacturing side of the building. Having dramatically expanded over the course of their 20 years of existence, COBB creates the majority of their products almost entirely in-house. With CNC machines, tube benders, and a handful of staff welders, they do everything from R&D and prototyping to final execution and packaging all in one place. Continuing to walk along, there were shelves filled with what seemed like an endless amount of exhaust jigs for every make and model, reminding me of the company’s prominence in the industry.

There quickly became a running joke about how none of their doors seemed to work properly, and as we walked throughout the building and into the shop. There were lifts, tool boxes, and cars packed into the brim, mainly because they couldn’t get the garage door open. They managed to open it shortly thereafter but made for a good laugh nevertheless.

Adjacent to the all the car eye candy, sat a Mark VII Volkswagen GTI with enough exposed wires and contraptions attached to it to give me heart palpitations. Marshall managed to calm me down when he explained that, what looked like the explosion of the GTI’s insides, was actually a highly controlled situation. The way that they had everything hooked up to the car actually allowed the engineers and tuners to program in real-time without having to constantly go back and forth from the car to their desks and vise versa. Phewph!

Next to the GTI was the dyno room. The uniqueness of COBB’s dyno room is that it’s actually been divided into two rooms. The smaller space is used for their Pro Tuner training programs, where certified COBB tuners can study and learn from in-house engineers in person. Dyno rooms are somewhat notorious for not having a lot of space, and so using a live feed from the main tuning screen, students in the training room can see changes the tuner is making, without hovering over his or her shoulder.

THE FOUNDATION OF COBB: AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS

The coolest part of the tour for me was seeing just how much of a role automotive enthusiasm plays into nearly every aspect of COBB Tuning. For the people who work there, it’s not just about going into work, clocking in, getting the job done, and clocking out. Most employees eat, live, and breathe cars and racing.

The conference rooms, for example, were all named after world-famous race tracks. The cars employees drove and modified really varied across the spectrum: A 5-series wagon with an M5 front end, an LS-swapped Volvo wagon, and a rear-wheel drive converted WRX, just to point out a few. Things got even more interesting when Marshall pointed out that a few cars in the lot were originally COBB R&D vehicles that had since been purchased by employees. The white Fiesta ST, for example, was one of COBB’s vehicles that ended up getting sold to an employee. If that’s not a testament to the quality of COBB’s products and services, then I’m not sure what is.

We ended the tour shortly after that and, as I headed back to my rental, I reflected on all that I saw. It was enough proof for me that having a passion for something can fuel a group of people to create something special. One thing became clear: Automotive enthusiasm isn’t disappearing any time soon.

Motorworld

A New Kind Of Auto Destination

During a recent trip to Germany, I was invited to tour Motorworld, a new type of auto facility that is developing across Europe and might be heading west if the owners can find the right partners and property.

The facility I visited is housed at an old, World War I military airfield in Böeblingen, near Stuttgart also home to the Mercedes and Porsche museums so well worth a visit. The airfield opened in 1915 as a training facility with runways, hangars, and other facilities. At the end of the war, the airfield was shuttered until the 1920s when flying schools used it unofficially. In 1925 it became the state airport and commercial aircraft used it initiating the construction of a hotel, restaurant, customs, and baggage handling. With eight daily flights, passengers could fly to Zurich, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, and Switzerland. In 1929, the world-famous Graf Zeppelin airship landed at Böeblingen, in front of a crowd of 100,000. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Böeblingen boomed with the opening of the German Aviation Museum and a Lufthansa airmail route to South America. However, the war was looming and Böeblingen reverted to a pilot training school.

After the Second World War, the U.S. took over the airport and used it as a repair facility for Army vehicles. The various buildings were used as offices and storage until 1992 when the U.S. Army vacated the premises. It then stood vacant for more than a decade until 2008 when construction began on Motorworld. Images on their website: www.motorworld.de/en/portfolio_page/historie/ show some pretty derelict buildings. Nevertheless, Motorworld, the vision of Andreas Duenkel, a major real estate developer and petrol head, opened in 2009 and I have to say the place is impressive. Not only had Andreas and his partners salvaged and restored a historic site but he’d built an amazing destination for auto enthusiasts from around the world.

At the entrance to the 540,000 sq. ft. Motorworld facility is a huge 7-story cylindrical tower announcing your arrival. Below is a Harley dealer and the Tower 66 Steakhouse and Bar. Across the way, there is a Porsche facility. Interestingly, some young auto-paparazzi stood on the corner photographing all of the supercars that buzzed around them like flies.

Across the street and facing the old airfield that is now an extensive show field, are all the original buildings refurbished to house an impressive array of facilities: Restaurants, meeting rooms and spaces, retail shops, restoration shops, classic car dealers and even glass-walled storage units for your classic or supercar. The retail tenants include the official representation for Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Bentley, Maserati, and Lotus, as well as several large classic car dealers and clothing and lifestyle shops.

Indeed, a McLaren GT was just parked in the hallway alongside the 56 double-stacked, climate-controlled car storage units where well-heeled patrons can keep their prized possessions. The structure houses the usual array of Ferrari, Porsche, and Mercedes as well as other supercars of similar ilk.

OVC Mustangs

In April 1964, after Ford sold 22,000 Mustangs the first week it was on sale, General Manager Lee Iacocca called Carroll Shelby and asked for a Mustang that could beat the Corvette in SCCA B Production road racing. The Mustang had in fact already been proven in Europe where Alan Mann Racing had prepared ten for rallying. They were successful and to prevent any competition from Mann in the U.S., Shelby got hold of a coupe and tested it at Willow Springs, California. Sensing the cars’ potential in both street and race trim; Shelby ordered a batch of Wimbledon White 1965-1/2 2+2 fastbacks from Ford’s San Jose, California, plant. They came less hood and less back seat to meet the SCCA’s sports car requirement.

Also ordered was the high-performance, 289 “K-code” engine. Upgrading the engine of the R-is-for race model included blueprinting, balancing and high-compression pistons. External add-ons included an aluminum “high-riser” intake with a 715-cfm Holley, a 6.5-quart oil pan, Tri-Y headers and an X-pipe exhaust system that exited ahead of the rear wheels. The transmission was an aluminum Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed with a limited-slip, 9-inch Dana rear end.  The upgrades increased horsepower to 306 from the stock 271 rating.

The suspension mods included 11.375-inch Kelsey-Hayes front discs and heavy-duty, 10 x 2.5-inch Ford Galaxie drums in the rear with adjustable Koni shocks all around. 

The interior was left almost stock. The back seat was deleted and the space used for the spare. The seats were stock and offered little lateral support beyond the addition of wide lap belts from Ray Brown Automotive. Tach and oil pressure gauges were added and a flatter, wood-rim, Cobra-style steering wheel replaced the stock, deep-dish factory wheel.

The G.T.350 listed for $4,311, plus $273 for the cast magnesium wheels, however, the R version, sold through Shelby’s Venice, California, factory added almost another $2,000. Despite Shelby predicted building 200 a month, however, only 562 G.T.350s were built of which 36 were R-spec. Rumor has it #37 was destroyed but that’s just a rumor so let’s stick with 36 original cars. It makes sense, therefore, in Shelby tradition, to build a few continuation cars which is exactly what ex-Shelby employee Jim Marietta is doing with OVC Mustangs (OVC).

Marietta formed OVC with Ted Sutton while Peter Brock, the father of the Cobra Daytona Coupe, acted as a consultant. Marietta grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, going to the races as often as he could. One day, after seeing him hang around, Al Dowd, Shelby’s race team manager asked 17-year-old Marietta if he wanted a job. “Yes.” He replied and he soon received a letter from Dowd telling him to be in Los Angeles, January 2, 1965, and to bring his tools. Upon his arrival, one of Jim’s tasks was to work with Brock, Sutton, Chuck Cantwell and later designer Klaus Arning on the independent rear suspension (IRS). It worked but just didn’t provide enough ROI for the Mustang and it was shelved for the time being. 

With licensing from Ford and Shelby, OVC was officially in business in September 2014. Subsequently, two prototypes were built in 101 days at Brock’s in Henderson, Nevada, the shop where Brock was able to incorporate some of the design elements he originally suggested for the G.T.350R including a new front lower valance, new Plexiglas three-quarter windows, and a new Plexiglas rear window. Subtle but significant parts that should also be available separately for retrofit.

The first two prototypes were built, as will be the 36 continuation cars, using original ’65 Mustang Fastbacks licensed-for-the street, however, the first pair will not be serial-numbered cars as will the 36 subsequent cars.  

Each car is carefully selected before it is completely stripped and blasted clean prior to any necessary repairs. A new original-spec, iron-block 289 is sourced from Bill DenBeste’s Carroll Shelby Engine Company, Windsor, California, however, customers can specify any spec. Each engine even has a cone-shaped air filter hand formed by Jere Kirkpatrick who worked at Shelby and drove a Cobra DragonSnake to the 1964 NHRA National Championship. Kirkpatrick also fabs the cone-shaped splash guard around the gas cap on the trunk-mounted gas tank—tasks similar to those he performed 50 years ago.

After the body shells are prepped, including the addition of original-style steel fender flares, they are painted Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes on the rocker panels and Le Mans stripes over the top of the body. Other external additions include the original-style scoops behind the doors, the new Pete Brock front valence and windows and an original-style fiberglass hood complete with a scoop. 

The suspension is somewhat similar to the original; however, OVC is able to offer an IRS option comprising a limited-slip Dana center section with vented discs. Up front, there’s a period-correct aluminum 4-speed with the stronger cast-iron tail shaft. The wheels are 5-spoke Americans shod with Goodyear 15 x 7 race tires.

The interior is Henry Ford-black and comprises the shallow-dish, wood-rim wheel, deleted back seat, an original-style, four-point roll cage with a non-original kill switch, a driver’s race seat, a stock seat for the passenger and a new instrument cluster.

Prototype testing took place at Willow Springs Raceway on February 14, 2015; exactly 50 years since Ken Miles’ first G.T.350 win at Green Valley Raceway, Texas, February 14, 1965. The test team included Vince LaViolette, Shelby American’s current test driver, Rick Titus, son of Shelby Trans-Am winning driver Jerry Titus. Former Shelby American driver and Le Mans winner John Morton was also on hand to help tune the car’s suspension. The first new-old G.T.350R went on to win its very first race in June 2016 at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, Oklahoma.

In 2017, OVC moved into the old Shelby International headquarters engine building on S. Figueroa Street in Gardena, California. It’s a huge, 9,000 square-foot space dwarfing the production area but affording room to grow. While visiting I counted about ten vehicles in the process from being blasted to assembled. With original K-code Shelby street G.T.350 Mustangs fetching more than $500,000 and G.T.350R models tipping the scales at $1 million, the $250,000 price tag of the continuation cars seems reasonable.

Hoodbilt

Kingston, New York – a city in Upstate New York sitting South East of the world-famous town of Woodstock. The Stockade District, located in the heart of Kingston, was New York State’s original capital back in the late 1700’s. Shortly after its founding, the capital and most of the surrounding buildings were destroyed by the British. Preservation has therefore been, and continues to be, a key part of its history as it says in the district’s Preamble:

“…it is in the public interest to ensure that the distinctive and historical character of this Historic and Architectural Design District shall not be injuriously affected, that the value to the community of those buildings having architectural and historical worth shall not be impaired…”

It’s no surprise then that both the district and Woodstock boast one of the largest populations of Hippies known to man – the modern day preservationists. It’s where the counterculture was born, comprised of musicians, artists, and environmental conservationists.

Ironically enough, The Stockade District was also the home to an arguably environmentally unfriendly thing: The very first Cadillac dealership in all of New York State. During the 1960’s, Cadillacs were being shipped to, sold at, and repaired in a building on the eastern border of the district – one that’s still standing today.

HOME TO AN ARTIST

Devin Larson, founder, and owner of Hoodbilt Co. grew up in a town close to Kingston. At an early age, he’d get dropped off at The Landesmans – family friends of the Larsons – and would be recruited as a helper on one of the many car projects the family was working on.

As a kid, Larson didn’t initially understand why he was doing these things or appreciate the value of what he was doing with the Landesmans until he started Hoodbilt. At only 28 years old, and with no formal automotive technical training, Devin learned nearly everything about working on cars from The Landesmans, to the point where they repeatedly send him work to do for their clients.

You could say that there was definitely a mutualistic relationship between them, but that’s only the beginning of it. Their relationship would further cement when Hoodbilt was in its infancy. Larson’s work was becoming more steady and required a dedicated space for all of it. Of all the people that could’ve bought the former Cadillac dealership, who would’ve thought that it would be his childhood family friends?

It’s no surprise then that, when Devin was offered the opportunity to share space in the building now owned by the very people he learned so much from, he jumped at it. Devin jokes that he and Will Landesman are often physically in the building together at the same time working separately on their respective projects on different floors without actually seeing each other for months on end. It would be at a show months later that the two get to “hang out.”

WORKS IN PROGRESS

When I first met Larson, I observed an old soul living in a young man’s body. His work process is slow and methodical, with builds taking an average of a year to complete. Contrary to the popular belief of our social media-centric generation, “Doing things quickly never gets you good results,” Devin explained. This holds true for client projects like the ‘51 Chevy 3100 pickup truck he’s currently working on. The task at hand? Combining the subframes, suspension, engine, and ECU from a C4 Corvette with the Chevy cab and his one-off, custom chassis to create a working and driving truck.

“Everything we’re doing is so different, you know? We’re changing so much,” he explained. For these kinds of vehicles being rebuilt essentially from scratch, “You have to pay attention to every aspect of the car,” measuring hundreds of times and cutting or welding once. “You want to give [a finished product] to somebody so that they never have to worry again,” Larson explains. “My ultimate goal is to finish it and never see it again.”

As much as this explains why personal project vehicles like his Nogaro Blue Audi S4, Pontiac Catalina, and ‘69 International 1300 remain on the back burner, it also sheds a light on the methods to his madness of pushing the boundaries of what can and can’t be done. In the early stages of ownership of the S4, “Stance” and “Fitment” were relatively foreign concepts in the automotive world, and pushing these limits was more-or-less unheard of. So fitting wider-than-normal, 17-inch wheels to a static Audi was a feat that few had accomplished before let alone dreamed of.

Challenge accepted. Mission accomplished.

“I love being an artist with it,” Devin explained regarding his reasons for ultimately choosing to build custom cars full-time. It’s as much about the builds themselves as it is about putting his personal touches on things, like lowering the front half of a 60’s Ford F100 pickup’s roof an inch to give it more attitude. For the most part, his clients give him the total creative freedom to do these kinds of things.

The F100 is one of many client projects that eventually found their way into Hoodbilt’s possession, with personal touches including (but certainly not limited to) a procharger and custom intercooler that have both been fabricated to a big block motor – one of the many challenges he successfully completed once the truck was his. “I like when diehard chevy guys come to me thinking they know what it is,” Devin said after giving me the build breakdown.

Oh, and don’t worry, he’s got plenty of one-off touches that have either been completed or begun on his other vehicles too. For instance, Devin’s dream work truck couldn’t merely be revived as a bone stock restoration. No, he’s already made his own Beadlock wheels for it using Hummer wheels in front and Duallies in the rear. And the Catalina? The chassis is fully channeled with air-ride suspension allowing the car to sit on the floor.

But make no mistake, doing what you love as a career doesn’t always equate to being stress-free. It also doesn’t always mean that the traditional path is the only way to a goal either. Sometimes you have to take “the road less traveled,” as they say and, so far, that journey seems to be paying off for Devin and Hoodbilt. 

Handcrafting a Classic

The Aston Martin DB4 G.T. Continuation and the Heritage Center

I remember my dad driving us kids through the small town of Newport Pagnell on our way to Santa Pod, Britain’s only dragstrip in the 60s. As we entered the town we’d often see Aston Martin workers pushing car bodies on dollies across the street from one part of the factory to the other. For a car-crazy kid, it was an exciting if odd vision but one that stuck in my memory.

Since it was established in 1913, Aston Martin, like many bespoke car companies, has gone through some ups and downs but is currently enjoying a resurgence with a strong, worldwide market for classic and supercars. While the production of Aston Martin vehicles has moved to Gaydon, a stone’s throw from Shakespeare’s home of Stratford-upon-Avon, the old Newport Pagnell factory has been tastefully converted to the Heritage Center (AMHC) where all Astons are serviced. It’s also where they restore classic Aston’s and build the DB4 G.T. Continuation Car.

Work started on the DB4 in 1956 and it was shown to the public at the London Motor Show in 1958. With a 4-seater body designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, using their ‘Superleggera’ construction method in which aluminum panels are fixed to a tubular frame built onto a substantial platform chassis, and a new DOHC 3.7L, six-cylinder, all alloy engine designed by Tadek Marek, the DB4 was an instant hit. It had a top speed of 140 mph and was the first production car capable of 0-100-0 mph in under 30 seconds. That was fast until 1959 when they announced the G.T. version that upped the ante to 152 mph. The G.T. accelerated from 0-60 mph in 6.4 seconds. Of course, the next model, the DB5, became iconic as James Bond’s car of choice.

They only built 75 cars originally and of those only eight were lightweights. Those originals can now command prices north of $3 million and as a consequence of the growing interest in all things nostalgic and fast a business plan was developed to build just 25 continuation lightweight cars. Not unsurprisingly, all 25 were sold upon announcement and they are currently being built entirely at the AMHC where we got to view the process.

In order to enable the build, a number of DB4s were purchased, disassembled, and measured for replication.  The team at Aston also studied some 450 original drawings and fabricated exacting bucks in order to get it right. However, some key areas were upgraded to take advantage of technological developments. For example, the roll cage, the brakes, the fuel tank, the seats and even some of the engine components were improved. The new old engine has a capacity increased from 3.7 to 4.2 liters and now produces around 340 bhp compared to the original’s 302 and the gearbox features tougher, straight-cut gears. Also, the suspension has firm rose joints rather than squidgy rubber bushes.

Aston also utilized many of the original suppliers such as Borrani who faithfully reproduce the 16-inch wire wheels. Even the leather comes from Connolly or Bridge of Weir who have been supplying hides to Aston for decades.

Each continuation car is hand built and assembled and takes an estimated 4,500 hours to complete and therefore the estimated price tag of almost $2 million seems reasonable. However, what was most refreshing about seeing the DB4 G.T. get built was seeing it get built by hand rather than by robots. There’s something emotionally satisfying about watching a craftsman take a flat sheet of aluminum and beat it into a sensuous, three-dimensional form.

McLaren Technology Centre

Of course, I’d heard about it, everybody in the supercar business has heard about it, but few have had the opportunity to tour the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC). Located near Woking, 30 miles southwest of London, England, and close to the historic Brooklands race circuit, the MTC is amazing. Nothing quite prepares you for rounding the corner at the McLaren Thought Leadership Centre and taking the long curving drive beside the lake that is overshadowed by the sweeping building designed by Norman Foster & Partners. The word “building”, however, is insufficient to describe this yin-yang inspired Taj Mahal to motorsports.

The Technology Centre provides a headquarters for the McLaren Group and is designed to reflect the company’s design and engineering expertise. It includes design studios, laboratories and production and testing facilities, including their own 145-meter long wind tunnel, for Formula One and high-performance sports cars. 

What’s cool about the MTC is that it enjoys an incredibly low carbon footprint and uses the lake water and heat exchangers to keep the air temp inside the building a comfortable 22 degrees Centigrade (72 Fahrenheit). When the wind tunnel is in use, the water gets hot, so it’s cycled out of the building, flowing out and down a stepped wall. This releases the heat, oxygenates the water, and ensures the lake never freezes during a British winter.

While no figures are given for what the central building cost, I was told that the adjacent, 32,000 square meter Production Centre cost around £60 million to build (that equates to around $70 million today but back when it was built, between 1999 and 2003, that was about double or, $120 million).

Upon my arrival, I was directed to park in Ron Dennis’ space. Ron, of course, was the man behind the phenomenal growth of McLaren. New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren founded the company in 1963. Unfortunately, Bruce died in 1970 and the remains of his company merged with Ron Dennis’ Project Four Racing in 1981. Ron is well known for his obsessive attention to detail and when designing the new Production Centre took the floor tiles home in order to calculate how big the building could be to use the minimum number of tiles with no cutting. It’s exactly the size he dictated.

As he is no longer with the company, I got Ron’s parking space and was met by none other than Bruce McLaren’s lovely daughter Amanda who was to show me around. We began our tour in the lobby where we checked out the cars beginning with Bruce’s Austin 7 Ulster that he raced in New Zealand as a boy aged 15—it’s a far cry from the current Formula 1 technology. Alongside the Austin was the Chevy-powered M8D Can-Am car that took McLaren and Denny Hulme to 39 race wins and five championships between 1967 and ’72. Alongside that was Hulme’s DFV-powered M19C of 1972. And so it went on, car after car until we came to a huge glassed-in shop that turned out to be the McLaren Formula 1 workshop. And while you’re not allowed to take photographs, for obvious reasons, you can stand and stare and just drool at the cleanliness and the attention to detail.

Eventually, Amanda dragged me past a line a McLaren F1 cars of the 2000s known as the ‘Silver Arrows’, a nod to the all-conquering original ‘unpainted’ Silver Arrows of the Pre-World War II Grand Prix era. The equally impressive line of late-70s F1 cars included the 1977 M26 of James Hunt—beautiful in its simplicity compared to the current F1 machines. Before I knew it, however, Amanda took me down a rabbit hole and through a long underground tunnel that connects the MTC to the Production Centre. Now, I’ve visited any number of car factories from Ferrari to Ford but I don’t think I have ever been so impressed. Again, no personal photos but here, in a pristine environment, several thousand workers, working two shifts assemble more than 4,000 McLaren road cars annually—everything from the 540C to the $1 million Senna (depending upon the prevailing exchange rate) and there was one sitting right in front of me. I could reach out and touch it.

For some, the Senna is a bit OTT as the Brits say. That means Over The Top, a bit too much, for some. But supercars are supposed to be a little OTT, are they not? At the heart of the Senna is the family’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 but here it is one of the most powerful McLaren road car engines ever, producing 800PS (789bhp) and 800Nm (590lb ft), with 700Nm (516lb ft) of torque available at just 3,000rpm. Designated M840TR, the powertrain features dry sump lubrication, a flat-plane crankshaft, and lightweight pistons and rods to reduce mass. Meanwhile, low-inertia, twin-scroll turbochargers and electronic wastegates deliver instantaneous throttle response. Max speed is 208 mph and the Senna accelerates from 0-62 mph in just 2.8 seconds.

Having worked as a young man in a pre-robot Chrysler factory, this facility was eye-opening, jaw-dropping, finger-lickin’ good. Still a lot of people scurrying around as the McLaren’s continue to be essentially hand built but there was a purpose about their actions, an obvious attention to detail and a pride in their workmanship. I could have watched it all day from the arrival of the carbon composite tub, through the assembly and on to the final monsoon soak test. It was fascinating. Unfortunately, I was dragged away; my tour was over with the promise of a drive when I got back to LA. Watch this space….

Behind the Scenes at Currie Enterprises

Currie Enterprises is one of the biggest names in automotive powersports. At their global headquarters in Corona, California, Currie Enterprises builds high-quality components for street rods, muscle cars, and off-road beasts. 

Frank Currie started the business in the late ‘50s, designing and building rearends for specialty equipment such as scissor lifts, tugs, and personnel carriers. In the late ‘70s, the focus moved on to building rearends for Chevy Vegas that had V8 conversions and needed a stronger differential to handle the power in the custom application. 

With the help of Frank’s 3 sons, John, Charlie, and Ray, the company evolved and grew into the powerhouse that it is today. Currie Enterprises now utilizes a 40,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to build a wide range of differentials, accessories and suspension components. 

Check out the behind the scenes look at the magic happening in the Currie facility and visit www.CurrieEnterprises.com for more information on how they can help you and your performance vehicle.

Various completed street and off-road axles awaiting will call by their purchaser.

Currie keeps off-road vehicle front and rear differential housings in stock to cut down on build and shipping times.

Housings & axles for 30 common street car vehicle platforms are kept in stock so that they may be pulled and shipped immediately.

Where a housing is born! The axle housing tubing rack.

Currie’s frontend housing assembly technician in action.

100% new GM G-body 12-bolt housing in the bracket jig.

F-350/F-450 unit bearings used in Currie 1-ton front-end applications.

Currie has over 30 different axles cores on hand at all times for different applications.

One of three of Currie’s CNC axle splining machines cutting splines.

RockJock 60 & 70 off-road differentials awaiting pickup by their purchasers.

9” 3rd members for large P.O. customers are built in stages.

One of Currie’s 4 gear set-up technicians doing a precise gear set up.

Ready to go! Finished product awaiting the big brown truck.

Ray Currie’s new 2018 Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon that is equipped with all of Currie’s goodies underneath.

Currie’s over-the-road show rigs. Look for them at a show near you!

Currie holds numerous trademarked names for their famous components.

The Currie Enterprises sales office features Currie family vehicles that get rotated out. The office is currently featuring Frank Currie’s Ford 514 SVO powered ’32 Ford 3 window coupe.

Currie’s world headquarters in Corona, CA.