The Van

The Van

During one’s lifetime, we all own at least one vehicle with “personality.” Mine was a 1962 Ford Econoline van. It was the barest and most stripped version produced, with a 200 cubic-inch straight-six motor, one-barrel carb, very manual trans, two seats, and the...
A wonderful tribute from one friend of mine to another

A wonderful tribute from one friend of mine to another

A Heartfelt Goodbye to Journalist, Photographer and Amelia Judge John Lamm John Lamm. Photo courtesy of Bill Warner It is with a heavy heart that I relate that my friend of over 40 years, John Lamm died last week after a long battle with cancer. John and I met through...
Barrett-Jackson Back to Live Auctions

Barrett-Jackson Back to Live Auctions

Barrett-Jackson Returns to Live Events with Fall Auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale; Revised 2020 Schedule Announced SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – July 30, 2020 – Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, announced today a special Fall Auction will take...
The “Compact Pickup” is now a thing of the past

The “Compact Pickup” is now a thing of the past

We’ve all likely noticed that every time a car (or truck) model gets refreshed or redesigned, it gets larger in nearly every dimension.  There are many reasons for this which include customer demand for more cargo and people room; the need to incorporate more...
New Hot Rodding Magazines Born

New Hot Rodding Magazines Born

HOT ROD Deluxe.  Rod & Custom.  Street Rodder.  Popular Hot Rodding.  Due to a combination of changing times, mergers and closures, the media convergence, and titanically poor management, one by one, many of America’s best, best known, and/or most enjoyed...
US Marshals selling three replica movie cars at auction

US Marshals selling three replica movie cars at auction

Some potentially fun and interesting news I thought you might enjoy – MS   US Marshals selling 3 replica movie cars: ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean, ‘Ghostbusters’ ‘Ectomobile,’ and ‘Batmobile’ from Ohio federal criminal case involving Medicare fraud   For...
More cool Japan car sightings by Mo

More cool Japan car sightings by Mo

As I’ve mentioned to you and posted about before, my daughter lives and works as a freelance writer and ESL teacher in Tokyo.  And sharing my affinity for strange, cool, and wonderful cars, she snaps them along her trail and shares them with me so I can share...
Medford CarsnCoffee revs up for summer

Medford CarsnCoffee revs up for summer

Hey Southern Oregonians — tired of couch arrest?  Cars need to get out for some air?  Looking for a great Cars n Coffee?  This once launched in Medford about a year ago, and had a bit of a slow windup, but appears to have really turned the corner now, with...
American Car Guy Happily Lost in Cuba

American Car Guy Happily Lost in Cuba

A few years back, Linda and I visited Cuba with a group of like minded car people.  The whole trip was magical and I don’t recall if I ever shared it with you.  Wonderful colorful places, warm lovely people, great food, nice beaches, and a seriously enthusiastic...
REVIEWED: Two Great New Car Books for Your Shelf

REVIEWED: Two Great New Car Books for Your Shelf

As a guy who writes car books for a living, I pay close attention to all the new bookware that gets published.  Plus of course I love to read them.  Here’s a couple new ones for your consideration. JUNKYARD: Behind the gates at California’s Secretive...
A Great Memory from Amelia Island, 2020

A Great Memory from Amelia Island, 2020

3 of 3: The Scimitars Reunited Highlights from the 25th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance The three Scimitar prototypes were reunited at the 25th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Photo: Deremer Studios, LLC. Industrial designer Brooks...
Cool Cars spotted in Kanazawa, Japan, Photos by Mo

Cool Cars spotted in Kanazawa, Japan, Photos by Mo

You may or may not know that one of my daughters lives and works in Japan.  She’s lived in several places during her tenure there, but is most currently based in Tokyo, and currently riding out the Co-19 wave in a lovely, historic city called Kanazawa (which...
Welcome to my Virtual CarsNCoffee

Welcome to my Virtual CarsNCoffee

Dear gang, I miss my daily, weekly, monthly, favorite car events just as much as you do.  But in order to keep the old personal hardware active and moving, Linda and I take a walk at the end of nearly every work day.  We seldom go far from our neighborhood, but...
Hot Rod history spoken here…

Hot Rod history spoken here…

I was talking cars with a friend who has recently moved from SoCal up to Oregon, and he shared with me some charming photos (dated 1943) of his father and uncle and their hot rodded Model A.  My guy’s name is Larry Harlan, and if you look closely at a couple of...
COVID Affecting Car Culture

COVID Affecting Car Culture

Car Culture evolves over time and with society…     My thanks to Kirk Gerbracht for the idea and the pix. Stay healthy and well y’all, and hopefully someday we’ll all be back to fuzzy dice....
The World’s Worst Ever Engine Hoist

The World’s Worst Ever Engine Hoist

You MUST double click this to see it large, then go slowly around with your eyes, and you’ll understand not how risky, but how truly dangerous (and stupid) this was.  I wouldn’t use this rig to change a set of wiper blades, much less an engine and trans....
At Least 101 ways to screw up a Perfectly good car…

At Least 101 ways to screw up a Perfectly good car…

At Least 101 ways to screw up a Perfectly good car… By Kirk Gerbracht, and me We understand and respect that everyone is entitled their taste, be that for architecture, wine, movies, music and of course cars.  But some stuff is just so stupid it warrants a hard...
The Late and Absolutely Great Sir Stirling Moss

The Late and Absolutely Great Sir Stirling Moss

A lot has been said and written, and will continue to be, about Sir Stirling Moss who passed away April 12, 2020, at the age of 90, at his London home.  His racing record generally speaks for itself:  Sir Stirling Moss is one of the world’s most accomplished racing...
Two new car books in the oven for you

Two new car books in the oven for you

Dear Gang, I hope you are all sheltering in place and supporting social distancing and such — all the better time to read. Assuming the book publishing business and market returns to normal once the virus crises is over, I’ll have two new books out for...
DRIVEN: 2019 Toyota Prius Prime

DRIVEN: 2019 Toyota Prius Prime

Everyone has opinions about Toyota’s Prius Hybrid; some love them, some revile them as the killers of all automotive fun, or accuse their owners of being arrogant — which to me is all BS.  I’ve owned one — a second gen 2005 model that we bought...
Another Amazing Amelia!

Another Amazing Amelia!

The annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is among my very favorite automotive events in the world.  So many things make it special.  It’s held at a Ritz-Carlton Resort on the beach in Florida, so let’s talk venue. Founder and chairman Bill Warner...
DRIVEN: Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe

DRIVEN: Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe

  When the first Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans came out in 1985/6, it was truly compact, not much bigger than a BMW 2002 / 3-series.  At first they were only four-cylinder powered, tidy, nicely equipped, and a sales smash.  Because of its diminutive size, everyone...
Early Rodders Club Cars N’Coffee, La Canada, California

Early Rodders Club Cars N’Coffee, La Canada, California

I make it my point to attend “breakfast cruises” or “Cars N Coffee” events all over the world whenever I can find one. One configuration of my posse: Norbert on the left, then Paul, with the camera, who now lives in Oregon but was down visiting, Kirk in the striped...
Rocker James Hetfield’s custom cars Rock the Petersen

Rocker James Hetfield’s custom cars Rock the Petersen

You may or may not know of James Hetfield, lead guitarist, singer and all around front man for the pioneering metal band Metallica.  I don’t know him personally, but among his talents and passions is a huge spot in his heart for custom cars and hot rods.  Many...
Rest In Speed, John Andretti

Rest In Speed, John Andretti

I’m crushed over the passing of John Andretti, January 30, 2020, after a four year long battle with colon cancer.  He was just 56 years old. Even though he wore the benefit and baggage of that famous name (being nephew of Mario, son of Aldo, cousin to Michael...
Clark Gable, Car Guy….

Clark Gable, Car Guy….

I hope you’ll enjoy this photo as much as I did setting it up and shooting it… Here’s the story: Clark Cable Greats Gather at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles Acting icon and Hollywood macho guy and sex symbol Clark Cable needs little...
Volvo XC90 T6 AWD R-Design

Volvo XC90 T6 AWD R-Design

The XC90 was Volvo’s first real entry into the Sport/Utility marketplace in 2002, and remains at the top of its model lineup as its largest SUV, and only 3-row seat model.  It’s been updated and remodeled several times over its near two-decade long life,...
Motor4Toys car show

Motor4Toys car show

I apologize to all of you for not posting this up during last month’s holiday season, just my own bad for not doing so.  But the event is so worthwhile, and the spirit and cause so good, plus a lot of great cars, I felt it was still worth a look and a mention,...
2019 Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance

2019 Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance

Please remember that you can doubleclick any image to see it full screen in high res You may wonder why a place as entertainment-centric as Las Vegas doesn’t have a world class concours.  It’s not for a lack of trying, as several groups have attempted to...
TEN Publishing Is Shuttering 19 Car Magazines

TEN Publishing Is Shuttering 19 Car Magazines

Automobile, Lowrider and Truck Trend will be discontinued, among others, according to a memo to MotorTrend Group staffers. I was somewhat disturbed yet not entirely surprised to learn that TEN, The Enthusiast Network Publishing — (formerly, long long ago,...
Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California

Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California

I love this place (and of course the world needs more car museums, yes?).  It’s not fancy or going to put the Petersen or the Guggenheim out of business, but it’s worth your visit any time you’re near Los Angeles International Airport. Please...
DRIVEN: 2019 Volvo XC40 T5 AWD Inscription

DRIVEN: 2019 Volvo XC40 T5 AWD Inscription

It’s hard to believe that as recently as 1999-2000, Volvo wasn’t completely sure that it could survive without being sucked up by Renault, nor did it fully believe that it needed a line of SUVs to survive and prosper. In the modern eras, its really Subaru and Volvo...
Holiday Car Guy/Gal Gift Guide

Holiday Car Guy/Gal Gift Guide

If you are the gift-giving type, then your car guy/gal might enjoy some of the new car guy/gal stuff out this season. As always, you can doubleclick any item to see it full screen in higher res. Happy shopping…and please scroll all the way to the end as this is...
DRIVEN: 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GT S-AWC

DRIVEN: 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GT S-AWC

I will admit that it had been some time since I’d sampled any of the current Mitsu product line so it was time to fix that void.  I’ve always seen Mitsu as a bit of an underdog automaker in the North American market, and in spite of Evos and some of the...
ArtCenter Car Classic 2019

ArtCenter Car Classic 2019

Now, truly, among the greatest car shows on earth.  The list of first rate, big game car designers who went to school and graduated from the Transportation Design Program at the Art Center College of Design (now more casually referred to as ArtCenter, with no space...
World of Speed Motorsports Museum Car Show

World of Speed Motorsports Museum Car Show

I’ve already said quite about about this wonderful museum in Southern Oregon, very near to downtown Porland. You can read these posts here… Guest Blog: World of Speed Motorsports Museum and here… An EveningWith Mario Andretti at World of Speed...
The Cobra Experience Museum

The Cobra Experience Museum

As usual, double click on any photo to see it full size and high res This fabulous Shelby/Cobra/Mustang museum is billed as “America’s Place for Cobra & Mustang Fans” and it truly is.  Besides visiting the Shelby American factory and museum in...
DRIVEN: 2019 Genesis G80 AWD 3.3T Sport

DRIVEN: 2019 Genesis G80 AWD 3.3T Sport

The Genesis brand was initially rolled out of Hyundai somewhat quietly, but has since gotten busy making noise with a bunch of new product. I previously reviewed the G70 on these pages, and that one as you know really rung the bell this year as both North American Car...
DRIVEN: 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE AWD

DRIVEN: 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE AWD

I remember when the RAV4 came to market in the mid 90s. It was among the first car platform based crossover SUVs and was an immediate smash hit. I understood all the reasons why, but wasn’t in love with it at the time. The design, available in two- and four-door...
Auto-Alliance’s new Garaj Mahal in Moorpark, California

Auto-Alliance’s new Garaj Mahal in Moorpark, California

All of us seem to be always searching for that ideal car storage solution. A relatively new company in the automotive events, products, and lifestyle space is Auto-Alliance, which has just opened a new vehicle storage and concierge facility in Moorpark, California, an...
DRIVEN: 2019 Lexus US 250 Luxury

DRIVEN: 2019 Lexus US 250 Luxury

Just doubleclick on any photo to see it in high rest and full screen I remember when Lexus brought us the first RX 330 mid luxury crossover/utility in the late 90s.  I was at Motor Trend at the time, and it was so innovative and good, we made it our very first...
The George Barris Zebra Mustang Custom

The George Barris Zebra Mustang Custom

  photos by me and courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum; double-click on any image to see it full screen in hi res.   The late George Barris was the self-proclaimed “King of Kustomizers,” building hot rods and customizing cars since he was a kid.  He...
The Gentle Art of Just Driving Around

The Gentle Art of Just Driving Around

I was friends with a guy in high school named Don (weren’t we all?).  Don was a basically good guy, and we shared several interests, including and primarily cars, and tring to meet girls.  After high school, Don moved to Phoenix to attend deVry tech school.  So...
San Marino Motor Classic

San Marino Motor Classic

The San Marino Motor Classic is always a part of my summer car show agenda, and this year’s rendition didn’t disappoint.  I’ve shown cars there, judged there, and bought a ticket and attended as a regular car fool just like all the rest of us. Part...
Kip Cyprus’s Garajmahal

Kip Cyprus’s Garajmahal

Kip Cyrpus is an Orange County property developer, manager, and investor.  And he also loves just about anything with a motor and wheels.  His collection is varied, and eclectic.  There are a few of the expected standards, and lots of different and unexpected too,...
Montrose, California 4th of July Car Show

Montrose, California 4th of July Car Show

It’s a scene repeated dozens if not hundreds of times all around America; the local weekend car show.  Three Day Holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the 4th of July are particularly suited to this activity.  You know, the local car club puts on a casual...
Summer Car Books Reading

Summer Car Books Reading

I still love old school car books, you know printed on actual paper, with photos, and all that.  I’ve written and published more than a dozen of them, and even though I’m a Kindle carrying radical, reading an actual book provides certain satisfactions that...
15th Annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance

15th Annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance

And please double-click on any image to see it full screen and high res It was my privilege to serve as Master of Ceremonies for the 15th Annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, in La Jolla, California a few weeks ago.  This event started out as a kind of glorified...
Vive la France – and Vive la Mullin private collection

Vive la France – and Vive la Mullin private collection

Many of you know of Peter Mullin; he’s the big game LA businessman who puts down rather large and significant footprints in the classic and collector car community.  Mr. Mullin has a rather fabulous museum in Oxnard, California, bearing his own name, and also...
Rising Sun Car Museums

Rising Sun Car Museums

Japan has an automotive history going back a century; not to mention several worthwhile car museums many of which go well beyond only Japanese car Please doubleclick any photo to see it full screen in high res Most people might believe that Japan’s automotive history...
Mega Cruise Events in Southern Oregon Span 8 Days

Mega Cruise Events in Southern Oregon Span 8 Days

Guest Blog: words and pix by Kirk Gerbracht Most of us auto enthusiasts have spent an entire weekend at a car show with associated events like a cruise or road trip and dinner one day, with a show or concours the following day.  So how about a week-long series of...
Remembering Chairman Lee

Remembering Chairman Lee

Photo Courtesy Galpin Auto Sports   I was distressed, but unfortunately not surprised to hear of Lee Iacocca’s July 2, 2019 passing.  Lido Anthony Iacocca was born October 15, 1924 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, making him 94 when he died.  He was known and will be...
Gone Fishin, Blog on vacation — until July 4

Gone Fishin, Blog on vacation — until July 4

Actually, I don’t fish, just like I don’t golf and don’t do Olympic Curling.  But in this case it’s just a metaphor so deal. On the road again hopefully gathering up more great cars and stories to share with you. Thanks for visiting often and...
The Friends of Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show 2019

The Friends of Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show 2019

Now in its 14th year, this fundraiser show dedicated to the King of Coolness, has become a Thing photos by Kirk Gerbracht;  Inspired Communications, Inc.  Please doubleclick on any photo to see it high res and full screen – thank you, please enjoy. J Mays,...
DRIVEN: 2019 Genesis G70 RWD 3.3T Sport

DRIVEN: 2019 Genesis G70 RWD 3.3T Sport

As always, you can doubleclick on any photo to see it high res and full size You’ve probably heard that the rather exceptional KIA Stinger and the new Genesis G70 share a fair amount of chassis platform architecture, suspension components, and powertrains: This...
Guest Blog: Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show

Guest Blog: Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show

  Words and photos by Kirk Gerbracht DoubleClick on any photo to see it high res and full screen The car culture continues to thrive, and one of the biggest reasons is that our hobby offers something for everyone.  No matter what your personal taste in cars,...
Number 18 for The Captain

Number 18 for The Captain

Jacksonville, FL – Congratulations to Roger Penske, Simon Pagenaud, and Team Penske for their record-setting 18th Indianapolis 500 victory. Team Penske swept Indy’s “Month of May” last Sunday when Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500...
Guest Blog: World of Speed Motorsports Museum

Guest Blog: World of Speed Motorsports Museum

Words and photos by Kirk Gerbracht Double-click on any image to view it full screen No doubt there are hundreds of automobile museums across the country, and many times visiting one is the sole purpose for our adventure down the highway.  But occasionally our travels...
DRIVEN: 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF Grand Touring

DRIVEN: 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF Grand Touring

I’ve always loved Miatas, from the very first 90 horsepower Series I Lotus lookalike to the current 4th gen car.  They are nothing but fun to drive, affordable to buy and carefore, and durable as an anvil.  So it was with some anticipation that I signed myself...