'14 Motorsports Reunion - aka MONTEREY CAR WEEK

[John Z Goriup]

The best car weekend in the country ( at least it is in my opinion ) started yesterday at Laguna Seca in the form of the Pre-Reunion, an event, which, for years was a catch-as-catch-can clusterf--k which might actually play out or might just as easily be subject to some petulent rich brat's hissyfit who didn't want spectators watching him make a complete fool of himself, and you'd be most unceremoniously told to leave. Three years ago when SCRAMP took over management of Laguna Seca, what once was known as the Pre-Historics are now an officially sanctioned event - the above mentioned "Pre-Reunion", to launch the motorsports activities portion of car week and has been better attended and more fun every year so far.

This year, Maserati, on the occasion of their centennial, is the featured marque, and the list of registered racers and invited cars to the various Concours' are an exceptional lot, some of which I remember reading about when I was a subscriber to "Sports Car Graghic" which, incidentally, I don't believe has ever been eclipsed by any of the current crop of domestically produced car periodicals.

As I did last year, I'd like to start by posting some initial generic photois, all taken yesterday, to provide a glimpse of the facilities, the layout, the atmosphere, the prevailing ambiance and most importantly, the vast array of wonderful, storied, beautiful and in so many instances, unattainable cars that are the very core of the entire week. I undertake this effort to pictorially set the tone for each of the daily events of the week and then like to post as many specific photos of each event to provide as complete a look at this magical week for the folks who for one reason or another simply can't be here in person, as I can. I hope it's understood that I need to keep a good number of photos in reserve to supply the ESSES with a meaningful, comprehensive number of unpublished images.

To that end, here's my plan for the week;

Tuesday, Aug. 12, '14 - 'Cars-on-the-Avenue'….a free, primarily Porsche & Ferrari event on Ocean Avenue in Carmel

Wednesday, Aug. 13, - There is a new Concours ( this will be its second year ) in the courtyard of the Carmel Mission

Thursday, Aug. 14, Pebble Tour - The showing of all the cars on Ocean Ave.entered in Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours, whose owners have decided to participate in the tour, to earn the five points awarded to cars which complete the approx. 55 mile drive

Friday, Aug. 15, Werks Reunion - I am registered & will be parking in the E S Reg. area………it's the first time for this event and I know as much about it as you folks do, which is ' not a lot '.

Saturday, Aug. 16, Laguna Seca Motorsports Reunion - At the track all day

Sunday, Aug. 17, Pebble Beach Concours d/Elegance

I can't express how much I'm looking forward to each & every one of these get-togethers, and look forward to posting more photos than ever before.

Enjoy, and I'll see those of you who are interested back here by late Tuesday, Aug.19th.

Thanks for looking.

All the Best,

JZG

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

As is the case on most summer days, Saturday started cool, drizzly, foggy, in other words, perfect for great photography before the sun came out at the usual time around 10:00 AM. Good coffee is pretty scarce at the track at anytime, no one is running yet, instead there are drivers' meetings and preparations underway for a solid week of racing……….probably the best two, three hours of each day. Photo #3 e is the gate guard's MG, parked at the main entrance,where, for a paltry $20.00, you can buy a ticket and a handstamp for an extremely generous supply of sights & sounds to last a long time, and which you can't find in such abundance and quality at any other vintage meeting in the western hemisphere. Photo #4 shows the kind of treasures you're likely to run across, while #5 captures the spirit of the week well.

[John Z Goriup]

…..strolling further through the pits, one sees some interesting cars, components and artifacts, some not necessarily intended for racing and quick lap-times. I find some of these objects / vehicles just as fascinating & colorful as provenance-laden historic racers. Occasionally, when there's more space than required for a team's race cars folks will park their daily drivers and / or hobby cars in the pits,……very handy so they don't have to schlepp their bicycles or scooters around to get to their personal transportation to town or making a parts run.

[John Z Goriup]

Once you enter the track facilities at the East entrance to the pits, you will literally trip across Bonhams display area, a spot they've occupied for years, and as good a spot to see and study some of the most fascinating machinery you'll ever spot anywhere. They had a great cross-section of varied cars on display.

[John Z Goriup]

This year's highlight of the Bonham effort was undoubtedly the ten "significant" Ferraris, the most significant of which has to be the '62 Ferrari 250 GTO of Count Violati, of the Maranello Rosso Collection in San Marino ( the tiny country within Italy )……after all, how long has it been since a real, unmolested, highly original, completely documented history / provenance GTO was listed in an auction. Estimates run as high as $60 million US $, a number I simply don't believe it will achieve. My personal favorite Ferrari of the ten for sale is the white / blue '53 ex-Phil Hill, 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta (Coupe ) photo #1, which won the first event in which it was entered in P. Hill's capable hands.

[John Z Goriup]

As mentioned above, this year's featured cars are the historic Maserati cars. A tasty selection awaits those interested, if the cars present on only the first day of the Pre-Reunion are any indication. There were 4 Birdcages, two 450 S sports racers, a 2.0 liter sports racer, a '38 Grand-Prix car ( the blue car, photo #3, brought by the renowned Miles Collier Collection, completely instrumented for performance testing by the REVS Institute for historic research, and the only surviving, genuine Tipo 151, Number 3 of only three ever produced.

[John Z Goriup]

I can honestly say that I was fully prepared for the prospect of never actually seeing one of the absolutely brightest stars in my personal automotive firmament, unhappy in the appearantly certain knowledge that I would never actually lay eyes on one of the most remarkable sports racing cars ever produced, the Maserati Tipo 151. The need for this monster came about as a result of yet another of the FIA's sudden, knee-jerk decisions to drastically alter the rules / specifications for the '63 season. Maserati's Giulio Alfieri designed the brutal and powerful new coupe, drawing heavily from the one-off 450 S Coupe, designed by famed aerodynamicist Frank Costin for Masreati, and intended for long distance racing. It is documented that every one of the three 151s built led every race they ever entered at one point or another, only to succumb to the dreadful Maserati reliability problems. Name a part or system aboard just about any Maserati race car of the era ( Birdcage, Tipo 64, etc.), and you can be sure that the component/s in question contributed to yet another DNF. Transmissions, overly & needlessly complicated suspensions ( they loved DeDion rear axle arrangements ) engines, and brakes all failed with maddening and frustrating regularity.

By the time the 151s were launched Maserati was for all practical intents bankrupt and simply lacked the resources to develop the car and make it competitive. Even Briggs Cunningham and his money and influence could not change the inevitable, rapidly approaching end of Masrati. I vividly recall reading about this model in Sports Car Graphic, Raod & Track and many European books and periodicals at the time, but was never able to actually see a race which featured this fast, but fragile machine and over time lost track of what happened to the cars and who owned them. The car in the following photos, the only surviving example of the three produced was last driven in anger by American driver Skip Hudson, and has since been owned by several enthusiasts, having been repainted and vintage raced, and was finally restored by its present owner to a very high standard in 2006 as it appeared and was configured when Hudson drove it last.

In my eyes this brute ranks right up there with the M-B Uhlenhaut SLRs, the 300SL which became the first German car to ever win LeMans, GTOs, Bugatti Atlantics and Ferrari's Testa Rossas, and seeing it in the flesh was a unique and totally unexpected pleasure that I shall cherish…..can't wait to hear it on Saturday when Derek Hill, Phil Hill's son, will drive it.

[John Z Goriup]

As usual, Ferraris are always a mainstay at the Reunion. The red cars simply draw big crowds, and this year's invited Ferrari owners brought some delectable specimens……….and that's just for the Pre-Reunion. Can't wait to see what shows up for the main event next weekend. The 250 LM Berlinetta is owned by the Collier Collection and it too was completely wired up with the latest of aero-space quallity sensors and transducers to report on every conceivable performance parameter for the REVS Institute research library.

[Flieger]

As usual, Ferraris are always a mainstay at the Reunion. The red cars simply draw big crowds, and this year's invited Ferrari owners brought some delectable specimens……….and that's just for the Pre-Reunion. Can't wait to see what shows up for the main event next weekend. The 250 LM Berlinetta is owned by the Collier Collection and it too was completely wired up with the latest of aero-spce quallity sensors and transducers to report on every conceivable performance parameter for the REVS Institute research library.

What is the last one? Boxer? Transmission appears to be under the engine rather than just a transverse box.

[John Z Goriup]

…..and more Ferraris.

[John Z Goriup]

……..moving on to some of the more interesting Porsches.