Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Coming up on a quarter of a century since it was established, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance now ranks up there on the calendar of international “must see” events along with Pebble Beach, Goodwood, and Monterey Week.

I was lucky enough to be invited by my good friend Ron Hope—owner/driver of the world famous Rat Trap AA/Fuel Altered drag car that was part of the first-ever display of historic drag cars at Amelia—quite the honor.

Amelia was the brainchild of founder Bill Warner, and unlike other Concours events, focuses a bit more on racecars than pure automotive aesthetics. Of course, there are plenty of stunning classics to eyeball such as fabulous late-thirties Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K to the inevitable Duesenberg.

Unfortunately, one of the Merc’ 500Ks was involved in an accident that wiped out the right front fender—can you imagine the cost of the repair—it didn’t look like it would rub out. Apparently, there were at least four accidents in the narrow congested streets of Amelia Island and for all I know, maybe there were more.

Besides the dazzling array of classics, this year saw a huge celebration of Porsche with race driver Jacky Ickx honored.  Belgian Jacky won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times achieved eight wins and 25 podium finishes in Formula One.

He also won the Can-Am Championship in 1979 and is a former winner of the Dakar Rally. As part of that celebration Porsche displayed a fleet of 11 962s that was just stunning. Other Porsches included a custom 356 built by Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports for musician John Oates of Hall & Oates fame. Rad to say the least.

“I didn’t see it as cheating, I felt that I just operated on an ‘alternative rule interpretation.’”Jim Busby

One of the highlights of Amelia was the Friday panel discussion The Unfair Advantage: Racing Around the Rules hosted by NASCAR driver and TV personality Ray Evernham with Jim Busby, Kevin Jeanette, Andy Petree, Mark Raffuf, Steve Roby and Jay Signore.

The tall tales they told of creatively navigating the rules was truly fascinating. Jim Busby said, “ I didn’t see it as cheating, I felt that I just operated on an ‘alternative rule interpretation.’ By the way, Ray himself may have been the sketchiest character in the room.”

Even the roster of judges was impressive and included 5-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell, Cobra Daytona Coupe designer Pete Brock, TV’s Wayne Carini, GM designer Wayne Cherry, Chrysler designer Tom Gale, racing drivers Hurley Haywood, David Hobbs, Jochen Mass, Brian Redman, and Lynn St. James. In total there were 121 judges reviewing more than 300 entries.

“By the way, Ray himself may have been the sketchiest character in the room.”Jim Busby

As I said, there we eight drag cars helping celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Gatornationals and there was also a special display honoring hot rod builder and designer Ken “Posie” Fenical, Hummelstown, PA.

Ken makes springs and to promote the business he has over the years built a string of hot rods and custom cars, that despite being slightly off-center, are recognized as automotive works of art.

Putting aside the display of 962 Porsches, one of the more interesting displays was of custom-bodied Volkswagens built by German carrosseria such as Hebmuller, Karmann and Rometsch.

The two most outstanding vehicles were the rare 4-door and the wrought iron Beetle “Wedding Car” designed by Raphael Esparaza Prieto. I liked them all.

Upon reflection, the 24th Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance had something for everybody and located at the Ritz-Carlton hotel on Amelia Island should definitely be on every car person’s bucket list.

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

Legends of LA

It’s hard to imagine what it might have been like to grow up in Los Angeles either side of World War II. It was pitched as paradise and with endless summers of sunshine, beaches and jobs it was. It was also the car capital of the world. Moratoriums prevented buildings over three stories; instead, we spread urban development like mayo on white American bread. The freeway ruled and with it car culture.

Think of all the cultures that blossomed here in SoCal: drag racing, dune buggies and off-roading, vanning, trucking, lowriders, tuners, surfing and, naturally, racing. Of course, racing wasn’t invented on the West Coast but the weather, the vast expanses of land and the freeway infrastructure enabled motorsport to grow like Topsy.

To celebrate the golden era before every track was bulldozed to make way for a mall, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles recently opened a new exhibit called Legends of Los Angeles: Southern California Race Cars and Their Builders.

Located in the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery, the display features twelve racecars, racing artifacts, and a 180-degree panoramic video providing an immersive way to experience a variety of the fastest and most famous cars built in and around Los Angeles.

Reflecting this diversity, the exhibit presents racecars built by the region’s renowned designers and engineers including Fred Offenhauser, Harry Miller, Frank Kurtis, and Max Balchowsky.

The new exhibit pays tribute to this rich history and honors racing greats such as Parnelli Jones, who has been a hero to fans around the nation for decades. Parnelli was honored at the opening night reception as one of the most successful racers to come out of Los Angeles with accomplishments in a wide range of motorsports including Indy Car, sports car, and off-road racing.

Most remembered for his accomplishments at the Indianapolis 500, Jones is often regarded as one of the most versatile racers of all time. He has won nearly every major auto-racing event in the United States including six Indy Car wins, four NASCAR wins, 25 sprint car wins and 25 midget car wins. Apart from racing, Jones has operated several successful automotive-related businesses.

The twelve racecars on display are: 1956 Watson-DeBisschop “HOW Special”, 1964 Mercury Marauder, 1967 Long “Shelby Super Snake”, 1963 Balchowsky Ol’ Yaller Mark IX, 1924 Miller 122, 1947 Kurtis Kraft “Leader Card”, 1975 Edmunds Tamale Wagon, 1970 Ford Bronco Big Oly, 1966 AAR Eagle, 1929 Ford Model A Roadster 22 Jr., 1948 King & Hansen, 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 FIA, and a c. 1947 Offenhauser Engine.

Cars displayed in the lobby are: 1960 Kuzma “Detroiter Mobile Coach Special”, 1975 Vel’s Parnelli Jones VPJ-4/1, 1946 Kurtis “Ross Page Special”, 1962 Epperly “Mid Continent Securities Special”, and a 1958 Novi Indy Engine.

Legends of Los Angeles officially opened to the public on November 10, 2018, and will run through December 1, 2019. For more information, please visit www.Petersen.org