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 done more good work societely than I have room to list. A young, virtually orphaned Steve McQueen was left there by his single mother, after a very rough time growing up. McQueen shaped up, towed the line, and graduated from the school prior to entering the US military. He’s often quoted as saying that the school saved his live. As an adult, world famous actor and movie star, he continued to visit and support the school spending time with the kids, learning about their lives and aspirations, and sharing himself with them. And also in meaningful financial ways.
It is in his honor and memory that the McQueen family, primarily in the form of son Chad (who serves as the show’s Co-Chairman), and a bunch of car guys and car clubs got together to put on a car and motorcycle show at the rambling school campus. It’s been a huge success, and 2018 will be the event’s 11th season.
A grown up and decidedly successful Steve McQueen meets with Boys Republic students in the dorms, to share stories of his life, and theirs. He continued this practice until he passed away in 1980. Photo courtesy Boys Republic
The previous ten shows have raised many millions of dollars to benefit the school, most of the money going to upgrade, expand, and renew its now century old physical plant. Money well spent.
Every car on the drive got their very own Steve McQueen number bubble
In anticipation of each show, for the last three years now, the organizers have put on a pre-event road tour/rally which ignites momentum for the show, makes for a great weekend drive for folks (like me) who enjoy that type of activity, and also raises money for the school. This year’s program included a three day, two night drive event built around great roads, hotels, wineries, and other interesting aspects of Santa Barbara, Avila Beach, Paso Robles, and Ojai, California. The maximum number of cars allowed in is 48, one of McQueen’s more famous racing numbers. And each car in the rally wore a big banner on its doors carrying Steve’s likeness and that same famous racing bubble number. The event was sponsored by Circle Automotive Group, and RS (Russo and Steele) collector car auction house.
Listen up y’all — Drivers’ Meeting!
Our gathering point, and first night’s stay was the Fess Parker DoubleTree Resort on the coast in Santa Barbara. This gave everyone the chance to meet, greet, and have a Friday night pre-event drivers’ meeting. It all happened April 27-29, 2018.
Annnnnnnnnd…Wheels Up!
The next morning it was up early for breakfast and on the road by 9:00. This was not a rally in the calculated “time speed distance” sense, nor was it a gimmick or poker hand rally, just purely a road tour to get everyone juiced up for the show, and to spend a few days enjoying good company on some of the world’s best driving roads. Saturday morning’s route had us skirting California’s famous Pacific Coast Highway 1, at some points popping out to the beach, others staying just inland of the big water. In spite of recent fires and floods, the roads were clean and clear, the traffic generally light.
Just a taste of the hardware on the FOSMQ Rally, this hot rod 356 being the oldest car on the drive.
Just check out this lineup
Ford Geee T – Yum
And the selection of cars on hand was memorable; Porsches of every year, model, age and stripe. From a wonderful hot rodded, Outlaw style ’58 356A, to the newest 991 GT3s and Turbos. A Ford GT and a Ferrari Maranello. One clearly-having-fun group of women in a new Rolls-Royce. Several Mustangs, a few Corvettes, and all other manner of great road toys. Plus an enthusiastic, friendly group of people who wanted to have fun, celebrate the upcoming show, and raise money for the school.
Among my very favorite Porsches is this 993 series Carrera 2S, which is essential a 2WD Turbo body and suspension, sans the big rear wing, and with a naturally aspirated engine. Highly sought after now. Plus a rare and interesting Guldstrand Nassau edition Corvette just to the C2S’s left. Great cars on this trip for sure…
Plenty of the mid-engined, fast and dangerous stuff on hand too
This all female team drove their Bimmer fast and smart and kept up with all the hot dog boys in often bigger, faster toys
After a lunch spot at a park near San Simeon, smack on the blue Pacific, we wound our way inland toward the very history city of Paso Robles, also now one of California’s most prominent wine countries.
OK, OK, yes that’s my own car, but what I really want to demonstrate here is the look and feel of this fabulous wine resort in Paso
Our HQ for Saturday night was the positively breathtaking Allegretto Vineyard Resort (www.allegrettovineyardresort.com). This is a fairly new property, and for all the world looks like the largest, most elegant Italian villa you can imagine. The family that built the property thought of everything, and this marvelous resort is Five Star, first cabin all the way. The building is new construction favoring Tuscan villa style, and the ownership has gathered artwork, sculpture, glass, wooden doors, and all manner of decoration and appointment from all over the world — it’s an amazing effect.
The property besides having its own abbey, is surrounded by its own vineyards and is also a working winery. The building is somewhat rectangular making for a large. elegant courtyard inside behind the walls. If you are every visiting Paso, and feel so inclined, stay here and you won’t be sorry. The rooms are sumptuous and every public space is beautiful.
Saturday was capped off by a cocktail reception, and excellent Italian buffet dinner, a silent auction, and Yours True as guest speaker and presenter. Rather than just get up there and yammer, it was my honor to present a slide show of vintage and archival photographs of Steve McQueen as car guy, racing actor, and legit racer and motorcyclist.
The Mullin Museum folks gave us total VIP treatment and tour…class all the way
Sunday it was up and on the road again early, heading inland for our return trip to SoCal. We drove the also storied Highways 58 and 33 on our way to lunch and a tour at the splendid Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, boasting a recently refreshed exhibit dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mullin’s passion for great coachwork-era (primarily, but no exclusively French) cars. Our group enjoyed lunch out with our friends and the cars, then got a tour of this fabulous, elegant, art deco inspired museum. I’ll let the photos below, do the talking.
Our weather was bright, dry and perfect all three days, as was the planning and execution of this event. Truly one of the best road tour events I’ve ever participated in. Engaging roads, fabulous scenery, and full days, with just the right number of rest, meal, and touristy stops mixed in. A big shout out to Gareth Ashworth, Christian Addicott, and everyone else who organized and pulled off this outstanding program. Please join us next year.
And I very much look forward to seeing you at the Friends of Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show on June 2, 2018 at Boys Republic in Chino.
Oh Please don’t leave — lots more photos just below, and double click on any shot in this post to see it full screen in high res
Fabulously artful Citroen DS sculpture greets you at the door of the Mullin Museum
The Mullin’s Grand Salon is decorated to resemble the look of the Paris Auto Show floor in the mid-1930s
Some would say the Mullins’ 1-of-3 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is the pride of their fleet, and I wouldn’t argue with that on any front
The goodies come in all scales at the Mullin Automotive Museum
My conference room is furnished with a bridge table and four folding chairs. Mr. Mullin’s is not
Lots of fabulous ephemera displayed around the Mullin, including the crystal and cut glass radiator mascots (remember, they are not called hood ornaments)
Mr. and Mrs. Mullin’s imposing Delahaye Grand Prix is curvy, and resplendent in proper French racing blue, and makes a positively thunderous noise
Talk about a Vroom with a View!
Guess we’re done now. Please visit again soon