62 posts, newest first.
Disclosure: before I say a word about this book, I must disclosed to you that the two guys who wrote and photographed it are great friends of mine. But I promise to be as objective as I can be. And I’ve recently been to Cuba, and have seen the scene down there, so am qualified…
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It’s only appropriate that I get off my lazy behind and post this while it’s still the holiday season, and in the same year in which this event took place, dontcha think? Motor4Toys is a monstrous, several thousand car morning cruise in that stems from the good karma of a young guy named Dustin Troyen.
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Amelia Island is one of the world’s greatest concours; I’ve been attending for years now, and it is my honor to be a member of its esteemed judging team. About half the show is dedicated to more classical type concours cars, the rest given to sports and racing cars; prototypes, and at least one “special”…
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Europe’s huge and uber successful indoor classic car events, like France’s RetroMobile and Techno Classic Essen in Germany, are marvelous gatherings, and I often wonder why we don’t have any such things in the U.S. So now it’s happening, as a group has assembled to present the Classic Auto Show, very much along those lines,…
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I bet you didn’t know that Toyota has now been selling cars in America for more than 50 years. And those decades of new models, sales records, trucks and motorsport, the company has an interesting history here. Toyota Motor Sales America was for the longest time based in Torrance, California, close to my home and…
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Some of you know that I recently spent a week in Cuba, checking out the warm weather, beautiful women, tasty Mojitos, and crazy car scene down there. I was planning to put up a huge gallery of photos for your review and hopefully your enjoyment, but my friends at Road Kill magazine and online have…
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I’ve told you before that this is a great show every year, and this year, it was again. All of the usual Italian and French made or designed subjects, plus a cross section of the strange, rare, and often wonderful. As you may know, this event is owned and promoted by my friends Chuck and…
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Some news about an interesting series of events, grand Marshalled by a great friend of mine, that I though you might enjoy reading about. Iconic classic car collector to lead ribbon cutting ceremony and feature cars from his private collection at inaugural event ATLANTA, GA, October 19, 2016 – The Classic Auto Show powered by…
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You may love the Unser family, or you may not. No matter, any true racing fan will respect their considerable accomplishments. Nearly two handfuls of Indy 500 wins, several championships in a variety of series, Pikes Peak, Formula 5000, IROC. The Unsers have been there and won that. If you are heading by or through…
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I apologize for being such as sloth at maintaining the site over the last week or so, but I’ve just been really busy, and spent the last two days at PECLA, which is the newly minted and most amazing Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles; I drove the training courses on Monday and attended a star-studded…
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After all the diesel emissions cheating fiasco noise, finally some positive things to say about Volkswagen. I like VW products, and I generally have great respect for the engineering and carmaking prowess of the company. Yes the emissions testing debacle was a major mess up on the company’s part, but we’re not here to talk…
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This amazing show has grown beyond the scope of a “regional concours” and continues to gain in quality and scope of a much more national or international level. It is my honor to serve as a judge for this event, but I would attend every year I could no matter. Part of its magic is…
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If you love all kinds of (sometimes) crazy and (often) wonderful French cars, and/or Ferraris, Maseratis, Lancias, Alfas, Fiats and all that other kind of Italian tin, then you must be at the San Fernando Valley, California’s Woodley Park this Sunday, November 6, for the should be famous Best of France and Italy show. Here’s…
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Cars are art to me, and I suspect to most of you, if you are visiting this page. And fine art covering cars is also a passion of mine. Fortunately, there is a large community of varied artists (painters, illustrators, sculpturists, photographers and more) that focus their talents on the automotive universe. Jay Koka, AFAS,…
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If you’ve been on this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that Motor4Toys is among my very favorite morning cruise in car shows. And not only is it a fabulous display of a couple thousand run-what-you-brungs, it’s also all for charity for kids. Your donation of a toy covers your car admission, and…
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I’ve been driving east and west on California’s Highway 46 for years and years, and was getting really tired of driving by the sign that said “Airplane and car Museum” with an arrow pointing North at Airport Road. So last week I was buzzing by there and decided it was finally time to buzz through…
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Los Angeles’ reborn, remodeled, and reimagined Petersen Automotive Museum celebrates Enzo Ferrari’s birthday with rooftop all-Ferrari cruise in. Enzo’s 118th This event was now several months ago, but I thought you still might enjoy these great Kirk Gerbracht photos – MS Were he alive today, Enzo Ferrari would have celebrated his 118th birthday on February…
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Like Miatas? Then you’ll be happy about the launch of an excellent new magazine about the world’s now best selling sports car. I’m pleased to be Total MX-5‘s North American Editorial Correspondent, and this new mag is published by CHP Limited, a damn fine specialty magazine publishing house located near London. They also produce 911…
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As you may or may not know, my rather fabulous daughter Mo has spent the last year living and working in Turkey, and has recently left that country to do a bit of travelling around Russia in search of my maternal grandfather’s ancestral home in what is now the Ukraine. Sharing my penchant for strange…
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I’ve never been particularly crazy about the 350/370Z. It’s not that they don’t perform well, because they do, but these cars to me lack the style, charm, and lithe fleetness of the original 240Z. It may not be fair to compare a modern day car, with all of its weight-adding safety and technology gear,…
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One of the great morning cruise-ins near me takes place in Woodland Hills, California, at the parking lot of a regional shopping mall. It’s called Supercar Sunday, and is open to any kind of cars or bikes, although once a month, it’s sort of dedicated to a particular marque. As me, and my two best…
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If you know anything at all about me, or have visited this blog site more than a time or two, you know that the legendary Mario Andretti is both my hero and friend. Mr. Versatile, as he’s often been dubbed, is the very definition of “Been There, Won That” as he’s raced all manner of…
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I’m pleased to advise you that I’ll have three new books out early next year. The first is the next step in my ongoing Steve McQueen as Hollywood Car Guy series, this time about Steve as cyclist. Its called McQueen’s Motorcycles, all about Steve’s success as a motorcycle racer, and also about the hundreds of…
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Some news from my friends at Shelby American I thought you might enjoy. I’ve long felt that the current range of (mostly supercharged) Shelby American-built Shelby Mustangs (not including the Ford factory GT350, a much different animal, confusing as that may sound) are fabulous, but too expensive, and that Shelby American needed to get back…
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When I booked a new SL450 Roadster with Mercedes-Benz for my trip to Monterey and Pebble Beach this year, I got a little nostalgic over the name of this new model. You will recall that prior to putting the platform class (S, SL, C, G, whatever) prior to the number it was the other way…
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Everyone enjoys the Monterey car week (or some would say its now car Month) a bid differently. Here are some of my personal highlights, which I hope you also enjoy. It dawns on me that, somewhat like the “swallows returning to Capistrano” every year, I’ve been participating in the Monterey Historic Auto Races (Now called…
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The Really Big Show for this year is now consigned to history. This was about my 35th or so Pebble Beach, and 21st as a judge. So here’s Pebble Beach’s official press announcement with a complete list of all the class and special award winners.–MS PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 21, 2016) — The 2016 Pebble…
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Initially, this will sound like a plug for a friend’s business, which it sort of kind of is, but I promise you there’s a free and easy payoff for you next time you’re in SoCal. Besides being a terribly high quality guy, Corky Coker is a consumate businessman of the first order. He recognizes need,…
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I love to detail my own cars. It’s a way of really connecting with them, touching nearly every square inch of them with my own hand, great exercise, and you get a beautiful shiny car when you’re done. What’s much better? Here’s an update on some new products I’m playing with. Some cars I do…
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The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a bit of a phenom, maybe a little bit of an American Range Rover. The GC was a runaway sales success from its first day, and Jeep (and its various owners) have aimed to continuously improve it. I have long felt this vehicle would be ideally suited for a high…
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Richard Peieruska is a friend, a formally trained automotive designer, and one of the world’s great automotive artists, particular in the forms of sculpture. He’s a complete enthusiast, a classy guy and a nice man. Plus he owns a DeTomaso Mangusta, IMHO along with the Lamborghini Miura, among the most beautiful and fabulous mid-engined exotic…
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I’ve never owned or built a classic hot rod. But I sure want to. You may dig this scene or not, but as an LA native car guy, I suspect there’s a taste of it in my DNA somewhere. Personally I like traditionally styled and powered hot rods, not the Coddington style billet and big-block…
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I couldn’t be more proud of my friends Evan and Thomas, who now for the third year, have organized, promoted, and pulled off a wonderful, casually irreverent car show that celebrates the notion of “run what you brung.” Highway Earth is a one day event held at historic Franklin Canyon Lake in the Hollywood…
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I’m absolutely honored to have been asked by my friend Wayne Carini, and the folks at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to participate as a panelist in their Classic Car Forum during Monterey car week. Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum Highlights Automotive Heroes Here’s the news as released by Pebble Beach… Famous GT40s Drivers Will…
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The current VW Beetle (reborn in 1999 as the New Beetle, you may recall) is a bit of a phenom in that it is the only surviving member of that era’s class of retro cars. The Chrysler PT Cruiser? Cute but gone. The reborn two-seater Thunderbird. Also cute and also gone. The Chevrolet SSR? Equally…
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Some news I thought you might enjoy… With Massive Event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Mustang Club of America to host 40th Anniversary Celebration at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway Event highlights to include track activities, Night at the Museum, Mustang Parade, MCA Banquet and more Mustang Enthusiasts from around the world are expected to attend…
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This news, from RM/Sotheby’s, as a major automotive world event, and the result will register on the classic car Richter Scale. Wow, I’m a little breathless just reading it. THE MOST IMPORTANT AMERICAN SPORTS CAR TO EVER BE OFFERED FOR SALE: THE VERY FIRST SHELBY COBRA, CSX 2000, SET FOR RM SOTHEBY’S MONTEREY PODIUM ·…
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I’m privileged to call Wayne Carini my friend. If you visit this site, you likely know Wayne from his outstanding Velocity television show, Chasing Classic Cars. It is leaps and bounds better than so much of the other automotive television content out there. And the smart, savvy, affable, well spoken, enthusiastic silver-haired Wayne you see…
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Celebrating the Spirit of Carroll, and the GT40s’ winning of Le Mans in 1966 Kirk Gerbracht photos Carroll Shelby passed away in May of 2012. So every spring, the Carroll Shelby Foundation, Shelby American, and all the other related Shelby companies and entities mark the occasion with an open house and car show– but don’t…
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After first writing and publishing the original McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon, I’m diving headfirst back into the McQueen as motorhead pool. This time, the focus will be strictly on Steve McQueen as a motorcyclist; bikes he owned, raced or put into his films. At the time of Steve’s…
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I have for quite some time, been enamored of Cuba for many reasons. Among them certainly is the island nation’s history with the United States during the John F. Kennedy era (Cuban Missile crises, the Bay of Pigs, nearly 60s years of trade embargo with the US, and a car scene that’s like no other…
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I’m a huge supporter of this show, and have entered a car the last two years. It is staged and presented by friends of mine, and is a wonderful day with nice people and a varied smorgasbord of great cars, in a cool, historic and attractive location. Car entries still wanted and being accepted, so…
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You know by now that I love Cars and Coffee events, and have been to many of them around the country. If you are heading Virginia or Washington DC way, this is one you must visit if you’re there on a Saturday morning. The epicenter is a little coffee, bakery and sandwich place called Katie’s…
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Wherever I go in the world, my eyes are always on silent prowl for cool cars that may be forgotten, but not gone. Cars marooned and neglected on driveways or in carports or just parked in front of some house, looking forlorn. My missions are likely much the same as yours are; I just enjoy…
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As you know I’m deeply involved with this fabulous, worthwhile event that’s great fun and all for a good cause. Entries for great cars and bikes are still being accepted. No matter if you have a car in the field or not, I encourage you to attend this great show as you’ll have an enjoyable…
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It is with humble pride, and a bit of hero worship, that I tell you it was my honor to attend Dan Gurney’s 85th birthday party yesterday afternoon. The warm, love filled, and race fueled gathering was hosted by his family at their All American Racers Southern California epicenter, and it could haven’t been at…
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Let’s begin with a little information about what is a Luftgekühlt. Its a cumbersome name but a fabulous event, and now perhaps a fabulous style of car. Simply put, the word is German for “air cooled” and if you’re a Porsche fool like me and few million others, you know the ethos this represents. In…
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If you’re a car fool, like me, you probably also love fine mechanical timepieces. Great watches are another of my sicknesses, from which I hope I never recover. Along those lines, I thought you might enjoy this news announcement from Baume & Mercier and Shelby American. NEW YORK CITY – March 28, 2016 – Baume…
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It was again my honor to serve as a judge at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours e’Elegance in Florida, and it continues to rank as among the world’s great concours. This was the 21st edition of this fabulous show and week full of wonderful automotive and automotive people events, and I think I’ve attended 8…
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Here’s yet another great local car show I’ve been too lazy a sloth to post up and share with you. Nice location, nice sized show, some nice cars, and free entry. Plus great Kirk Gerbracht photos. Enjoy.
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As I’ve probably told you, I love small local car shows. The kind put on by local clubs and local people at a park with local cars. Easy run what you brung kind of days and events, often benefitting local charities. So here’s my calendar alert for what will surely be a nice day in…
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Every car guy has two fantasy lists of cars/trucks/racers/bikes we want to own if we had unlimited space and an even more unlimited budget. The first is the conventional roster, containing the usual suspects: perhaps a Ferrari 250 GTO, the world’s rarest Corvette, this or that Duesenberg, some Cobras, a pristine supercharged ’57 T-Bird, a…
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Here’s another local show that I really enjoyed, and slothfully waited far to long to post up these great Kirk Gerbracht photos of it. Great cars, great locale, and great fun day. I’m hoping you agree that late truly is still better than never……
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Chino Hills, CA: Automotive aficionados needn’t pull off a bank heist, or go on the lam to appreciate a getaway to the 2016 Friends of Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle Show at Boys Republic in Chino Hills, CA. The theme of the 2016 event will revolve around the 1972 film, “The Getaway”, directed by Sam…
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Modern automotive diesel engines are fabulous. Put aside for the moment all the noise about VW scamming the emissions testing process; today’s oilburners perform marvelously and get fabulous mileage. I had a trip from LA to Vegas planned, so a car with great mileage running on less costly fuel seemed like a good idea. And…
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As you may remember, I’m deeply involved with the annual Friends of Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle show held each June in Chino, California, to benefit the Boys Republic schools. The financial needs of the school are great, and the fundraising goals for this year’s show are large. Here’s an interesting project that a group…
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I generally love Mazdas. Mazdas are generally more sporty and more expressive cars than the models by other carmakers with which they compete. And the Zoom-zoom brand has also given us great sports cars such as th RX-7, RX-8, and the best compact British sports car ever built, the MX5 Miata. So I had high…
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News from my friends at Shelby American that I thought you might enjoy knowing about…MS Only 75 total (50 for the USA and 25 international) Shelby Terlingua Mustangs will be built 750+ supercharged V8 offered for the first time in a Shelby Terlingua Mustang Each car comes with a plaque honoring Carroll Shelby, Bill Neale…
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For reasons I won’t bore you with, I ended up with this ’79 El Camino and don’t need it in my fleet. So its for sale. I’d call it a good driver quality piece, better than a beater or a parts car but nobody’s show car. Runs and drives pretty well. Highly equipped. Myriad small…
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I love vans. Always have, both in the custom, surf wagon, shag carpet and 8-track sense, and because of their inherent practicality. I owned an old Econoline back in the day, and would own another van if I had need (or room) for one. My general preference is for full-sized, traditional, American branded, rear drive…
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This show took place nearly six months ago, so I’m almost embarrassed to finally be putting up these photos now. But its such a great show, and I didn’t want to waste Kirk Gerbracht’s great photos, and this can also serve as a calendar alert for the 2016 event, which is June 12 at Lacey…
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Last September 30 marked the 60th Anniversary (September 30, 1955) of the death of actor James Dean, as he and his mechanic were involved in a tragic, fatal accident as they were driving from Los Angeles to Monterey for an SCCA sports car race. Along with the assassination of JFK, the death of Marilyn Monroe,…
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