53 posts, newest first.
Mazda has always done the “sportwagen” thing well and to an enthusiastic degree. We first saw signs of it in the sporty and damn fun to drive Protege5 of a couple vehicle generations back; that car has since grown into today’s Mazda3 lineup of sedans and sportwagens; they’ve almost always been fun and sporty, and…
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Some news from Shelby American and the Petersen Automotive Museum that I thought you might be interested in …MS and thanks to Kirk Gerbracht for the photos… Who: You’re invited to attend a two-day tribute and cruise-in held in honor of Carroll Shelby’s birthday. What: The Saturday evening tribute will be highlighted by a Forza…
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In case you hadn’t heard, an all-electric powered purpose build race car now holds the all out record at the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb. This is no mean feat, as Pikes Peak is among the very toughest and most historic hillclimb events in the world. In the olden golden days, Pikes was dirt, and…
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Kia’s fun and affordable sedan has been thoroughly freshened and updated for MY 2019. I’ve always liked the Forte, creatively named (remember, the 2-door version is named Koup), and offering good quality and solid transportation value for money. With this “all-new” 2019 version, the Forte has really grown up, delivering better driving dynamics and performance,…
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Guest Blog words and photos by Kirk Gerbracht; doubleclick on any photo to see it full screen Just blocks away from downtown Jacksonville, Oregon with its 100-plus buildings on the National Registry of Historic Landmarks, its three-month long Peter Britt music festival, wineries, first class restaurants, and quaint shops, the Rogue Valley Corvettes Club held…
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I’ve seen this new exhibit, and it’s fabulous. Small but mighty, it reminds us how many great racing cars (and drivers) called Southern California home. Here’s the Museum’s news release about the opening. And you can doubleclick on any imaged to see it full screen – MS New exhibit features 12 of the most iconic…
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Dear Friends, Just letting you know that this section of MSC.com is on hiatus until after Thanksgiving. I’m taking some time to run down a bunch of new material for us, and driving several new cars that I’ll be reporting on. And finishing up some other unrelated stuff…so please check back in with me post…
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The simple fact is that the Art Center Car Classic has become one of the world’s greatest car shows. Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, has a world class transportation design program, and has trained many of the world’s best and most prominent vehicle designers. The campus is an interesting and very architectural…
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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 that launched the notion of making its…
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Please come and visit with me and cam grinding and hot rodding legend Ed Iskenderian; we’ll be selling and signing my new book HOT ROD Empire, (I wrote the book and Isky wrote the Foreword) much about the epic lives of Margie and Robert E. Petersen, the birth of HOT ROD magazine, the hot rodding…
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This is a don’t miss exhibit at the Petersen; Japanese classic, collector, tuner, and vintage race cars are finally earning the regard they so much deserve. You won’t find a better collection anywhere…so come to LA and check it out…MS Placed throughout the museum, the collection includes the Infiniti Prototype 9 and Prototype 10, two…
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Some news from the folks at Shelby American that I thought you might enjoy…MS The Original Venice Crew (OVC), which builds the official continuation 1965 Ford Shelby G.T.350 Competition Model, will offer only two of the Bondurant edition models of the classic sports car. Only one Bondurant edition car with a 9-inch fixed axle rear…
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Gas/Electric Hybrid. Natural gas. LPG. Pure Electric. Hydrogen. BioDiesel. Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV). Conversion to run on vegetable oil. Every carmaker in the world is trying to figure out the best and ultimate “alternative energy” powertrain scenario that’ll be the ultimate magic bullet able to deliver less reliance on fossil fuels, ultra low particulate emissions,…
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I have visited the Petersen Automotive Museum’s newest gallery exhibit, and it is an eye opening view into the worlds of custom and pop culture. It’s small but mighty, staged in one of the Petersen’s smaller gallery halls but packed to the gills with interesting content. It’s a highly eclectic gathering of wall art, sculpture,…
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Down the Road Len Frank; Automotive Journalist, Radio Show Host July 04, 1996|PAUL DEAN | TIMES STAFF WRITER Len Frank, respected automotive journalist, magazine editor and veteran co-host of “The Car Show” on radio KPFK-FM, the nation’s first call-in car program, has died at the age of 60. Frank, who had suffered from colon cancer…
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Words and photos By Kirk Gerbracht Doubleclick on any photo to see it in high res full screen. Club car shows, along with bracket drag racing and Saturday night cruising, are the backbones and epicenters of the automotive hobby. You know what we mean; a local car club or a group of them rent a…
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Remember, you can double-click on any photo to blow it up full screen. Thanks… Yes, Brits in the Ozarks is really A Thing. In fact, it’s a great thing. Believe it or not, automotive enthusiasm in Arkansas, and many of its surrounding states, extends well beyond pickup trucks, tractors, and musclecars as you may (incorrectly)…
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I’m pleased to announce the publication of my new book, HOT ROD Empire. By me, with Gigi Carleton, and Foreword by Ed Iskenderian. This new project is very exciting, and I believe provides a long overdue look into the epic lives and times of Margie and Robert E. Petersen, they of Petersen Publishing Company and…
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I couldn’t be happier for my friend David Sydorick, taking his first Best of Show win at Pebble Beach with this most deserving and completely fabulous Alfa 8C. Here’s Pebble Beach’s own press release about the occassion. And trust me, it was.– MS PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 26, 2018) — After an intense competition that…
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The car that I’m most commonly identified with is my screaming yellow ’72 deTomaso Pantera, just above. It was a marvelous car, I bought it from by high school band director, kept if for 17 years and drove it 100,000 miles. I loved it and I miss it to this day. Something particular to the…
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Some news from the folks at Shelby American I thought you might enjoy – MS Iconic Shelby GT returns to the Shelby American lineup with public introduction inside Ford Motor Company’s “Mustang Alley” during Woodward Dream Cruise Fastback, convertible, manual and automatic transmission options available Based on Ford Mustang GT, the 480 horsepower (estimated) sports…
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Remember youcan double-click any photo to see it full screen. The Stelvio is a looker from any angle, with more than adequate passenger and cargo room in back for most needs. Others are bigger, but this is a smart size that will work for most drivers and it keeps this Alfa light on its toes.
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Some compelling news and cars from the folks at the Pebble Beach folks I thought you might enjoy…MS The 1950s in America were a time of unapologetic optimism, excess, and seemingly unlimited prosperity. This mindset was mirrored in everything and anything—but quite literally in the chrome-covered Michigan-made dream convertibles that defined an era. This August,…
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When the Elantra GT Sport M/T hit my driveway, I immediately thought of the VW GTI as a potential competitor; its just what my roadtester’s mind does when evaluating any new vehicle — “What would this compete against?” A humble Hyundai up against one of the world’s most iconic pocket rocket hot hatches? YWhy not.
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You know I’m a sucker for a great cars n coffee event. I’ve traveled all over the country to attend them, and my friend Jeff is on every email blast list possible to notify him of any coming up on the calendar. So we decided to hit this one scheduled for a very fashionable mall…
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Wife Linda and I were stumbling through Cologne, Germany recently, and happened upon a classic car rally that was launching from a square right near out hotel, and taking off to parts unknown. It wasn’t a specific marque or club, very much a mixed back of delightful run what you brung stuff. Nothing really super…
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Dear visitors, Just letting you know that I’m wrestling a major book deadline to the ground, so I’m giving the site a brief vacation, plus gathering up lots of new stuff to share with you. Hope your summer is off to a great start, and I’ll be back in action very soon. I appreciate your…
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As you know, one of my daughters, Mo, identifies herself as a citizen of the world; born and raised around LA, she’s additionally lived in San Francisco, Turkey, and now in Kanazawa, Japan where she works as an English teacher and travel writer. And also travels the world. She knows how much I love strange…
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This show is a great, fun, run what you brung ride on the no stress express. No judging, no trophies, no hassle. It’s held at an attractive, historic park in the Hollywood Hills, and anything goes from mild to wild, from rat rods and bikes to Citroens and old trucks to Ferraris and who knows…
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This year’s Steve McQueen Car and bike show is going to be off the chain. The Thursday night screening of Bullitt is sold out, as is the Friday night pre show dinner. And registration for entering the show is also closed, which means there will be more than 500 cars, bikes, vintage travel trailers, industrial…
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Otis Victor Edelbrock Jr. passed away June 9, 2017, at the age of 80. That name most likely rings bells as one of the world’s premier performance products company. Edelbrock’s original products were intake manifolds, and high performance heads for Flathead Ford V-8s. The company was founded by Otis Victor Edelbrock, Sr., as an all-around…
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SHELBY AMERICAN TO OFFER LIMITED NUMBER OF NEW FORD-POWERED SERIES 2 EXOTIC SPORTS CARS • Only 4 total hand-built sports cars will be built annually for enthusiasts worldwide • The Shelby Series 2 is a major evolution of the famed 1999 sports car • Series 2 is engineered for Ford V8 power with other customer…
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It is my considered honor and privilege to be deeply involved with the Friends of Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show weekend, held each June at the Boys Republic School in Chino Hills, California (www.stevemcqueencarshow.com, and www.boysrepublic.com). This amazing institution has been turning around the lives of wayward teens since the early 1900s, and has…
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If you have old cars (bikes, boats, planes, trucks, whatever), you likely have (or should have) what everyone used to call “trickle chargers” those little plug-in devices that keep your car batteries topped up and hopefully ready to fire at the first twist of the key. They are great devices for sure, but much as…
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Porsche AG, Porsche Cars North America, and the Petersen Automotive Museum celebrate the marque’s 70th Anniversary in fine style with an elegant, historic exhibit on show for all of 2018 Words and photos by me Enzo Ferrari and Ferdinand Porsche were in countless ways very different men. Yet they ended up on somewhat similar paths,…
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You may recall I attended, judged and co-emceed the 21 Gun Salute Concours in 2017, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. the country, the food, the cars, and the people. For a variety of reasons which don’t matter here, I was unable to return for the 2018 version which took place again in New Delhi in…
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Among the many brilliant product moves Toyota has made over the years, one of the smartest and most intuitive is that the Prius model (and subsiquent lineup) has always said “Hybrid.” It’s no accident that you can’t buy a Prius that isn’t a hybrid of some sort, as there are no purely conventional gasoline powered…
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I continue to be amazed at what people do to, with, and often, inside of cars. Therefore I recently had a good chuckle at the gas station watching this hapless woman wash her car, from top to bottom and stem to stern, with a windshield squeegee. We’ve all seen women applying their makeup while driving,…
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If you’ve visited this blog for any amount of time, you know that I have a fetish for car detailing supplies. I love to rub on my cars, and make it my purpose to test out and try a variety of detailing products up and down the price and quality scale. By now I’m sure…
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Just double click on the message below to see it full and readable size……
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The 23rd Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is in the books, and it was also one for the books. Now in its third decade, the Amelia Island Concours d’elegance has taken its place among the world’s greatest automotive events. Amelia is a stratospherically great car show but so much more; it’s a social gathering and…
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Many collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts watch classic and collector car auction results like the proverbial hawk, believing that they truly represent real time pricing in the marketplace; noting every high and low, and tracking the trends and curves in an effort to understand “the market,” figure out what a given machine is worth, and what’s…
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It is with considerable yet humble pride I share this information with you….MS photo courtesy MPG Annual Motor Press Guild Awards Presented At the Petersen Automotive Museum In Los Angeles February 13, 2018 — Author Matt Stone took top honors in the Book category for “Isky: Ed Iskenderian and the History of Hot Rodding” at…
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Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, is celebrating its official 50th Anniversary today. After the horrific crash where Bob’s McLaren steering arm broke on Turn 4 at Watkins Glen in 1967 that ended his illustrious racing career, Bob Bondurant chased his dream of opening a school that would empower other drivers with the skills…
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photos by Kirk Gerbracht; double click on any photo to see full screen Carroll Hall Shelby was born January 11, 1923, and passed away May 10, 2012, meaning that were he still alive today, he’d have recently turned 95. Los Angeles’ world famous Petersen Automotive Museum, with certain of its monthly breakfast cruise-ins, chooses to…
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Only the largest, grandest and most historic factory property would do for Preston Tucker’s Car of Tomorrow Photos courtesy of The Petersen Automotive Museum and Fiat Chrysler Archive Everyone has (at least one) opinion about Preston Tucker and his near mythical Tucker 48 automobile. Some believe that Tucker was at least a huckster if not…
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As you may or may not know, my daughter Mo lives and works in Japan, after doing the same in Turkey for about eight months, more than a year ago now. Anyway, she’s picked up my habit of always being on the lookout for cool/strange/weird/wonderful car sightings while out and about. Last year I put…
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Car people tend to love fine, (particularly) mechanical timepieces. And watch enthusiasts equally seem to appreciate cars. Its just A Thing: Cars and fine watches go hand in hand. It makes sense; watches, like cars have engines. And watches, like cars are about design, craftsmanship, and metallurgy. Not to even mention the emotional connection and…
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I went to this show last year, and its absolutely the kernal of something very good, and could grow into a real thing. Think of it as LA’s version of Retromobile indoor classic car show and event. — MS Iconic automotive celebrities to headline the largest classic car gathering of its kind at the Los…
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Some news from the folks at Shelby American I thought you might be interested in – MS. * The Carroll Shelby Foundation will auction the 2008 Ford Shelby GT convertible prototype at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale to raise money that helps kids in the race for life * First ‘08 model year Shelby GT and first Shelby…
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January 4, 2018 — A little more than fifty years after Carroll Shelby and his merry band of designers, fabricators, racers, and hot rodders built the original racing versions of the ’65 Shelby GT350 Mustang, a small nucleus of that group is putting the band back together to design and produce a Ford Motor Company…
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I apologize this site has suffered from such a lack of attention lately, but many WordPress blogs were recently hacked and messed up, mine included, which is why you haven’t seen any fresh material lately, and why some of my recent posts are missing photos. But it’s all fixed up, re-secured, and working once again,…
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