Cars & Coffee 7/19/14 - Been far too long

Haven't been going to Cars & Coffee very regularly for about two years now, but I did manage to make it out twice in three weeks. Links below will take you to June 28 and July 19.

Cars & Coffee 6/28/14

Cars & Coffee 7/19/14

6th Anniversary of Cars and Coffee Irvine and Marconi Open House

Cars and Coffee 10/20/2012 Pics

October 20th was the 6th Anniversary of our favorite weekly car show here in Southern California. Mother Nature didn't seem in a particularly festive mood, but the constant mist didn't seem to keep many people away - by 7 am the lot was about 80 percent full and folks kept trickling in along with the precipitation over the next hour or two.

There was no featured marque this week, but the corral was filled with a random assortment of what has made this show such a treat from the beginning. The eclectic mix included a group of Challengers, some old Jags, Cobras, GT40s, Fiat Dinos, Pontiac GTOs, a Split-Window Corvette, Porsche 356 Carrera 2, Morgan, new Camaros and more.

The Porsche row featured the usual mix of 911s, 356s and Boxster/Cayman models, highlighted by a Carrera Panamericana 356 on semi-slicks, a new 981 Boxster S and a nice 550 Spyder among others.

Walking the rest of the lot, it was more of the same random toy collection on display - Old Mustangs, some tuned Fiat 500s, Audi R8 Spyder, Maserati Bora and Merak, Lotus Cortina, BMW 2002 tii, Citroen 2CV, Datsun 1600, S15 Silvia, some classic Mercedes, a Cobra Jet Mustang drag racer, C-Max Hybrid and an RX-7 Turbo powered Mazda pickup by Racing Beat that had a 4-rotor engine in the bed and a matching license plate to advertise the cargo.

Besides the great assortment of cars, trucks and bikes, there were quite a few interesting people at the show. My buddy Bruce introduced me to a young couple who were first timers - she from Riverside and he from England. Bruce also bumped into a German reporter who was another first-timer, not knowing anyone at the show, he still managed to have a great time it seemed, enjoying the cars and making some new friends.



Marconi Museum Open House with SEMA Preview

After the show we headed over to the Marconi Museum where they were having an open house with a special display of some international customs that are headed to SEMA next weekend. It's always fun to visit the Marconi, with its great collection of Ferrari supercars, customs and F1 cars, Indy cars, vintage racers, muscle cars and assorted European exotics, but throwing in those wonderfully delightful foreign customs made it extra special.

The best part of that SEMA display was the fact that the cars looked like they could have been made right here in the States - from the Swedish '57 Chevy to the Trinidad & Tobago-born Range Rover, from the Mexican '46 Ford to the French (what else?) 2CV, it was cool to see that the hot rodding hobby knows no bounds.

Monterey Classic Car Week 2012

It's been a while since I've posted on the blog, mainly because my day job keeps my creative needs met most of the time. But after getting back from Monterey I had 8,000 photos that were begging to be shared. Some ended up on our Facebook page and others will appear in Dusty's exceptional Driven World Magazine - which continues to amaze me every month with even higher levels of work from all involved. Here are links to the rest. I whittled them down a bit by tossing out all of the blurry ones, and broke them up into hopefully bitesize chunks for you. I still need to do the final track album and a highlight album that will likely be around 200 of my favorite shots from that week, but for now...

By the way, Monterey is impossible to capture in words or pictures. Even video doesn't do it justice. The electricity you feel up there just driving around the peninsula is incredible. Even without events like McCall's, Concorso, Quail, the Historics and Pebble, the cars you can see driving around, parked at Denny's, filling up at Rotten Robbie's...are nicer than the cars at most museums or exotic car dealerships. Fortunately for us, we also got to add the Jet Center, Laguna Seca, 17-Mile Drive, the Lodge at Pebble Beach, Bixby Bridge and Scott's Valley to the list of beautiful backdrops for our photos too. So click through and enjoy a whirlwind visit to Monterey for Classic Car Week.

Monterey 2012 - McCall's Motorworks Revival

Monterey 2012 - Canepa Design

Monterey 2012 - Historics: Paddock Walk

Monterey 2012 - Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance

Monterey 2012 - RM and Gooding

Monterey 2012 - Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Monterey 2012 - Misc. Sights

Cars & Coffee 4/7/12 - Porsche Tribute

Click here for full gallery

Coming a couple of days after the death of Ferdinand A. Porsche, the turnout of great Porsches was to be expected, but after looking at 911s for decades and not seeing much beyond a Beetle on steroids, seeing so many generations of them together made the differences more obvious.

Check out the tails alone and you'll see a huge variety of aero treatments from clean, to ducktail, whale tail, GT, fixed, variable, etc. You'll also see labels ranging from a simple 911, to 911S, 911E, 911T, Turbo, Turbo S, Turbo Carrera, Carrera, Carrera S, Carrera RS, GT3, GT2, GT3 RS, GT2 RS, 2.4, 2.7 and on and on.

Besides the Abarth that was justifiably mobbed all morning, the other non-911 highlight was a low-slung blue jewel wearing a license plate that read "BUTZI S," Ferdinand's nickname. This was the 904 prototype that belonged to Butzi himself. We've seen it countless times at Cars & Coffee and its predecessor, Crystal Cove, but today it held much more significance.

Other highlights of the day might have stolen the show on any other weekend - the Dino gathering that included half a dozen 206/246 models, the Dino convertible showcar that would become the Fiat Dino, and a few 308GT4s as well, a Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II, Mercedes SLR Roadster, Luigi,  Isetta 600, Subaru BRZ, Spyker C8, Vector Avtech WX-3R, Lotus Elite racecar, Italias, Scuds, Stradales, Gallardos, a Countach, Dan Gurney, Reeves Callaway, and more. Check out the gallery for the rest.

Cars & Coffee - 3/10/12

Orange you glad you came to Cars & Coffee? Lots of orange cars today, highlighted by the Rosso Dino Enzo and Rosso Dino and Black Veyron of Gerald Barnes. So many other great cars, unfortunately the place was so busy it was hard to move around. Apparently somebody decided it would be fun to print C&C in the Register as a Thing To Do this weekend, complete with map. Douche. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

Cars & Coffee - 2/11/12

Link to gallery from C&C - 2/11/12

Who would have thought that such a rainy morning would have produced one of the best shows of the year so far? It certainly didn't hurt that it was Jaguar day, so the featured lot was packed to the gills with E-Types, XKs, XJs, S-Types, and the like. Nor did it hurt that the local Lamborghini dealer had planned a get-together that brought a dozen Gallardos, a Murci or two and a pair of Aventadors. Throw in a mini-reunion of RX-7s and the usual die-hards and the show lot was full before you knew it.

Particularly fun sightings included the black Carrera GT, the special CTS-V Wagon, the old Land Rover and Land Cruiser, the '51 Mercury, Vector, Audi R8 GT, VW Golf R, "Sea Shephard" Rossion, Vintage Morgan racer, Aston Martin Lagonda, Kellison recreation, another Bruce Meyers hot rod, Audi Sport Quattro, and that Sears catalog Allstate Motorcycle.

Of course, it wasn't all good. I guess I'm just too old to appreciate the whole VIP/hella flush Asian car phenomenon. The odd suspension geometry and stretched tires just make me cringe. Like donks, bouncing low-riders and street-bound Trophy trucks - they are more for show than go it seems, totally impractical for the street and an enormous misuse of valuable resources in my book. Like the Rich Evans Mustang and the accompanying spray-on-bed-liner-painted Range Rover, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, but as they say, variety is the spice of life and to each his own.

9th ANNUAL TOUR d’ ORANGE

9^th ANNUAL TOUR d’ ORANGE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gQt0ZnYHo

All cars welcome!

RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A FUN DRIVE THROUGH THE STREETS AND HILLS OF ORANGE COUNTY.

·      New Years Day at Redhill and Fischer in Costa Mesa

·      Vehicle Staging at 7:30am

·      Maps past out at 8:00am

·      Drive starts at 9:00 am

·      Free Coffee, Water and Doughnuts

·     Weather Forecast 77 degree’s  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ9nknpa-mI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrCtUVOvvak

http://www.youtube..com/watch?v=yLk1Fbg7NVk&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLA15D60EE3604D0FE

please drive safe!

2011 Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV Highlights

Such an amazing gathering of legendary Porsches at such an iconic track, it's not surprising that Rennsport Reunion IV added nearly 4,000 photos to my albums. I've since gone back and broke those down into groups and now have a 400-shot highlight album posted as well - in case you prefer the Readers' Digest version.

With nearly 35,000 spectators on hand over three days enjoying autograph sessions with 50-plus legendary Porsche drivers, German music and food in the Biergarten, museum quality display cars and plenty of on-track Porsche action – Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV is in the books as the best ever on all accounts.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca played host to Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV Oct. 14-16, which brought together many of Porsche’s most historic racing models from across the country and direct from the Porsche Museum in Germany. There was a significant highlight around every turn in the paddock, including a special tribute to the celebrated Porsche 911 history, a Concours on Pit Lane, the North American debut of the new 2012 Porsche 911 and the Porsche Club of America’s largest single marque car corral in Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca history with more than 1,300 vehicles.

“Rennsport Reunion IV has exceeded our wildest expectations, and the entire Porsche team is both grateful and a bit proud that our dreams and hard work have paid off,” said Detlev von Platen, president of Porsche Cars North America. “But it took more than just our efforts to make this weekend a magic one. It took a perfect race track, a beautiful countryside, picture perfect weather and the tireless work and cooperation by the professionals of SCRAMP to make Rennsport Reunion IV unforgettable for our many racing legends, the hundreds of participants, the tens of thousands of race fans.”

“We were pleased to be a part of Porsche history,” says Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Judging by the smiles on the faces of spectators and participants alike, we feel the event was a huge success. Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV is the capper for what has been a tremendous 2011 season.”

The cars - and the photos - are broken into eight groups, plus an extra album each for the Concours, the Paddock and the Parade Laps. Below are the list and the links. It was a truly extraordinary event. Enjoy.

Race Groupings

Group 1 - 550, 550A, RSK, RS60-61 (4&8 cyl.), 2000 GSGT (Dreikantschaber), Abarth Carrera, Lotus/Porsche, Cooper/Porsche (Pooper), 356 GT, and any other 356 with FIA history and selected 356 SCCA history cars.

Group 2  - Elva/Porsche, 904 (4&6 cyl.), 914/6 GT, 911TR, 911ST, 911 (911 up to 2.5 liter). Any of the 911s must have FIA history (Daytona, Sebring or Watkins Glen is the only US accepted FIA history). No SCCA cars.

Group 3 - 906, 910, 907, 908, 908/2, 908/3 (8 cyl. & 6 turbo), 909, 917 (normally aspirated and turbocharged)

Group 4 - 911 (over 2.5 liter), RSR, 3.0 RSR, 2.1 Turbo, 934, 934.5, 935, 924 GTS, 924 GTR, 936

Group 5 - 956, 962, GT1, WSC, RS Spyder, World Challenge 911 GT3 Cup

Group 6 - Cayman Interseries

Group 7 - PCA

Group 8 - 911 Cup Cars

Cars & Coffee - 10/22/11: Ferrari Day

Cars & Coffee 10/22/11 Pics

Absolutely amazing gathering of Enzo's finest today. From new Italias, 430s, 360s, 355s, Maranellos, Stradales, Scuds and a new 599 SA, to classics like the SWB, TdF, Mondial and Mexico, it was one of the best shows ever. Tillack alone brought half a dozen of the coolest cars ever to show at C&C - Niki Lauda's F1 car, a Scuderia Ferrari Lancia D-50 made from spare parts, a 250 GT Speciale, gorgeous blue and white Vignale bodied 340 Mexico, Superfast and 500 Mondial/Testa Rossa.

Of course, there was also a line that included two 275 GTBs, an SWB, TdF, Lusso, Daytonas and a stunning 250 GT Pininfarina Europa Coupe. And if you're not much of a Ferrari fan (you probably stopped reading by now anyhow), there was a nice line of Porsches, a Lexus LFA, Fiat 600 Multipla, old school 1970 Subaru microvan with wheelie bars, shag carpet and a velour dash, an Aventador and two, yes two, McLaren MP4-12Cs. One in black and one in a ruby red that really showed off the car's shape well. It's amazing how compact and low in the chassis that V8 is!

Absolutely the best thing from the whole show for me, though, was the shifter in Niki Lauda's 312 B3. The classic Ferrari gated shifter, just in miniature. It looked like the keychain version of the polished gate but had a full size shift knob to go with it, which made it almost comical. We envisioned it being used with your thumb kind of like an early joystick. Love it.

Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV

 Direct link to 4,000 photos from RRIV

First-Ever West Coast Appearance Called “Unforgettable”

MONTEREY, Calif., Oct. 19, 2011 — With nearly 35,000 spectators on hand over three days enjoying autograph sessions with 50-plus legendary Porsche drivers, German music and food in the Biergarten, museum quality display cars and plenty of on-track Porsche action – Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV is in the books as the best ever on all accounts.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca played host to Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV Oct. 14-16, which brought together many of Porsche’s most historic racing models from across the country and direct from the Porsche Museum in Germany. There was a significant highlight around every turn in the paddock, including a special tribute to the celebrated Porsche 911 history, a Concours on Pit Lane, the North American debut of the new 2012 Porsche 911 and the Porsche Club of America’s largest single marque car corral in Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca history with more than 1,300 vehicles.

“Rennsport Reunion IV has exceeded our wildest expectations, and the entire Porsche team is both grateful and a bit proud that our dreams and hard work have paid off,” said Detlev von Platen, president of Porsche Cars North America. “But it took more than just our efforts to make this weekend a magic one. It took a perfect race track, a beautiful countryside, picture perfect weather and the tireless work and cooperation by the professionals of SCRAMP to make Rennsport Reunion IV unforgettable for our many racing legends, the hundreds of participants, the tens of thousands of race fans.”

“We were pleased to be a part of Porsche history,” says Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Judging by the smiles on the faces of spectators and participants alike, we feel the event was a huge success. Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV is the capper for what has been a tremendous 2011 season.”

Porsche Legends Arriving in Monterey for Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV

Porsche Legends Arriving in Monterey for Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV

October 14-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Calif., Oct. 12, 2011 — There are thousands of race car drivers around the world. But there are far fewer who can be called Porsche Legends. At this weekend’s Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV more than 50 legendary Porsche drivers who took this fabled marque to victories at the world’s most demanding race tracks will be on hand to celebrate Porsche racing history, October 14-16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Porsche Rennsport Reunion occurs only every three years and captures the essence and purity of man and machine. Few, if any, marques can claim such road racing dominance, whether in the early years or today, as Porsche has done and continues to do..

But the cars are only half the story. The drivers themselves who fearlessly put Porsche into countless victory circles will be present to tell their stories. At Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV, fans will have the opportunity to see the cars up close, and meet the legends.

Among the significant Porsche personalities attending are (listed in alphabetical order):

Dennis Aase

Tony Adamowicz

Richard Attwood

Dick Barbour

Jurgen Barth

Derek Bell

Joerg Bergmeister

Timo Bernhard

Jo Buzzetta

David Donohue

Romain Dumas

Rob Dyson

Chris Dyson

Vic Elford

John Fitzpatrick

George Follmer

Elliott Forbes-Robinson

Bob Garretson

Walter Gerber

Hurley Haywood

Wolf Henzler

Marco Holzer

Alex Job

Stefan Johansson

Alan Johnson

Willi Kaussen

Charlie Kemp

Michael Keyser

Gerard Larrousse

Bruce Leven

Marc Lieb

Richard Lietz

Rudi Lins

Patrick Long

Arie Luyendyk

Sascha Maassen

Jochen Mass

Chad McQueen

David Murry

Walter Naeher

Seth Neiman

Kees Nierop

Jackie Oliver

John O'Steen

Scooter Patrick

Patrick Pilet

David Piper

Brian Redman

Chip Robinson

Valentin Schaeffer

Vern Schuppan

Udo Schutz

Norbert Singer

Alwin Springer

Danny Sullivan

Gijs van Lennep

Cort Wagner

James Weaver

Jeff Zwart

Tickets are available each day at the entry gates, which open at 7 a.m. For complete details and a schedule of events, please log onto www.MazdaRaceway.com.

# # #

About Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV

Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV will be the world’s greatest gathering of Porsche race cars and the drivers that drove them to victory, held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from October 14 to 16, 2011. Hosted by Porsche Cars North America, it will assemble the wide variety of Porsche’s most historic racing models from the nimble 550 Spyder of the mid-Fifties through the mighty 917 and 956/962 of the Seventies and Eighties to the highly successful RS Spyder of the last decade.

Special tribute will be paid to the numerous racing versions of the Porsche 911 and their countless victories on the dawn of what will become another milestone of this iconic sports car. Additional details of the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV are published on www.porsche.com/usa/rennsport-reunion-iv/, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s website www.MazdaRaceway.com.