'14 Motorsports Reunion - aka MONTEREY CAR WEEK

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that I need to keep a good number of photos in reserve to supply the ESSES with a meaningful, comprehensive number of unpublished images.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

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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.

…..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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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-spce quallity sensors and transducers to report on every conceivable performance parameter for the REVS Institute research library.

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

…..and more Ferraris.

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

……..and more Porsches.

……and more Porsches yet, including three photos of Rod Emory's personal 356 Outlaw, which is actually a highly modified Cabriolet, but with the significant modifications he performed on this splendid effort, such as laying the windshield posts back at a greater angle, and shortening the Glasspar hardtop to fit the new dimensions, I dare say it looks even better, more elegant and of-a-piece than a standard Speedster.

Beautifully done, Rod.

A few more Porsches, then the cleanest, best built and fastest Devin I've ever seen, Cherolet powered, and the only true 'Supercar' in my opinion worthy of the title, the magnificent, original and indescribably desirable F1 McLaren.

A few more examples of the great variety of cars that frequently show up, and even though some may not be capable of turning respectable lap times, they add greatly to the overall experience of Laguna Seca during the "Historics".

…..and the final set including an almost completely original ex-Dan Gurney Team Cobra, and even though most Aston-Martins are some of my most favorite brands, even they, or more accurately, even Zagato is capable of turning out a real clunker. I don't know if I'm alone in my asessment of the green A-M Roadster, but that has gotta be the ugliest car I've seen recently. I can't beleive the same styling studio / builder that gave us the sublime, alloy bodied, twin-bubble Zagato DB 4 GT of the early '60s came up with this abomination.

Enough for now, I hope you will be back when I post all the images from the events listed in the opening of this thread when I get back…………and don't forget, the foregoing is just foreplay before the real action next weekend at Laguna Seca, Pebble Beach and all stops in between.

See you Tuesday, the nineteenth.

JZG

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Z Goriup

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

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The blue car of "L O'R Schell" is of course the Maserati 8CTF Grand Prix entered in the 1940 Indianapolis 500 by Lucy O'Reilly Schell and driven to 10th place by Rene Le Begue and Rene Drefus just as the Germans were invading France. Lucy O'Reilly Schell was an American heiress who lived most of her life in France and who financed the "million franc" Delahaye as well as the Ecurie Bleue Delahaye that beat the Silver Arrows with Dreyfus at the wheel at Pau in '38. Accompanying Lucy at Indy was her 19-year old son Harry, who went on to race in 57 World Championship Grands Prix between 1950 and 1960. What a beautiful piece of history; I can't wait to see and hear this car on the track (it's not entered in any of the race groups)!

A slight historical aside: SCRAMP did not "take over management of Laguna Seca." The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula built Laguna Seca in 1956-57 and acts as the charitable umbrella owner of the facility. They took over Steven J. Earle's "Monterey Historic Automobile Races" in 2010 from his General Racing organization through which he had founded the event back in 1974. Earle retained the trademark rights to "Monterey Historics" and so the event has been renamed the "Monterey Motorsports Reunion." Coincidentally, General Racing Ltd. has just merged with the SVRA.

Hope to run into you this week!

-- David

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flieger

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

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Max, I'm not a Ferrari expert, but I believe that this is a Ferrari 512BB LM. The Berlinetta Boxer had its transmission under the engine and slightly offset to the left to reduce length. It was not transverse like on the 312T grand prix cars.

-- David

If you are free today,
Go by the Zentrum!!

They are still setting up, but the cars are in the back

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Z Goriup

. . . even Zagato is capable of turning out a real clunker. I don't know if I'm alone in my asessment of the green A-M Roadster, but that has gotta be the ugliest cars I've seen recently . . .

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Hmmm --- well . . .

. . . can't see all the angles from this shot, but . . .



. . . . I rather like this!

Got AM's 'cheshire-cat' grill --- + some pretty slick headlights. Love the slashy shape, too. Wonder what it looks like w/ its top down? Some 'verts don't always pack theirs away well --- stacky

. . . and its green, too!


Great pics, btw

John your pictures are incredible, thanks for sharing! I have not been to the Monterey Historics since 2004, I always enjoyed the paddock seen as much as the racing. Your pictures that show the tow rigs, support vehicles and the interesting daily drivers make it feel like I am walking through the paddock....enjoy your week!

Thank you, John, for the excellent photos! Hope to see more...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eminence Gris

Hope to see more...

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…………….and you shall !!

Got back early evening yesterday after our traditional 'day after' all the automotive festivities of the Monterey Peninsula area , when we relax, stroll Carmel, and have our traditional picnic lunch at Point Lobos, where a huge influx of humpback whales, attracted by an unprecedented increase in the anchovy population this year provided a spectacular show of their feeding frenzy in brilliant weather…………a truly wonderful ending to a very special week. It was on the return home that we were rudely yanked back into reality, a drive that took 4 hours involving multiple accidents, thank God we weren't involved in any of them, but happy to report that Ruprecht's oil temp never got above 190ish degrees…..all for a trip that usually takes well under two hours, and that's on backroads.

To continue coverage of Monterey Car Week as promised, here's a cross section of random images from all the various events we attended to set the tone and to create a framework of "homeless" photos of all the varied aspects of the whole week and special moments, cars - both old and never-seen-before new, people, sights and to establish the atmosphere for the more organized presentation of photos from specific individual events, after I get all the images processed in the next few days.

My schedule changed slightly from that described at the beginning of the thread - I did not attend the Carmel Mission event, but I will fullfill my promise of coverage of all the other events in the following pages.

Starting with a snap of what I was told is the first La Ferrari in the US, discreetly tucked away to keep away the unwashed who only ever ask two questions……..."how fast will it go", and " how much does it cost", then a Ferrrari 375MM, a most uncharacteristic subject for the Mecum Auction folks to be displaying & trying to sell…..the 'handler' must have stalled the motor half a dozen times trying to stage the car, and #3, which captures my personal highlight of the entire week, when I was fortunate enough to run across and chat with Sir Jackie Stewart and his son Paul ( who managed the family's F1 Team back in the '90s ) at the Pebble Beach Tour stop on Ocean Avenue, where they were tending to Paul's splendid & rare '67 Ferrari 275 GTB/4.

Thanks for looking, and enjoy
JZG

…..and more

More still.

Photo #3 is not just a gratuitous shot of various backsides, it's the crowd that gathered when they heard Bruce Canepa driving a 917K to its assigned spot on Ocean Ave. on Tuesday AM to stage it for the "Cars-on-the-Avenue" Concours…….the bluish oil haze from the mighty 12 cylinder still hanging in the air.

The final set for now……..will be back to continue shortly.

Shot #1 is of John Gray's beautiful '70 911 in Metallic Green. I found it amusing that the placards placed in the windshields of cars whose owners identified themselves as R Gruppe members in the "Cars-on-the-Avenue" Concours referred to the R Gruppe as " a quasi-underground organization "…….almost sounds as if they were talking about terrorists, but then again, perhaps that description isn't altogether inappropriate.

Shot #2……….Old guard vs. New - Patrick Long (left) and Hurley Haywood.

#3, an "all-new & redesigned " '15 Mustang turned on its side to show what lies underneath - seems to me pretty much like every other Mustang from recent years.

JZG

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Z Goriup

seems to me pretty much like every other Mustang from recent years.

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Pretty much every other Mustang has lacked a modern multi-link independent rear suspension like the one that the 2015 was laid on its side to display...

Keep 'em coming!

-- David (from the Peanut Gallery)

Wow, I didn't know Hurley Haywood was that short, or maybe Pat grew a few inches. :)

The Mustang has an independent rear suspension for the first time other than the SVT Cobra from 10 or so years ago.

David & Max, et al, that's what carefully calculated snobbery and phony elitism will get you every time….acute embarrassment - to be completely honest, I never even noticed it had IRS while I was standing there waiting for a clear shot of the whole thing. Now I realize why so many seemed genuinely excited and animated as they were studying and discussing the display.

Sorry.

JZG

I hear this newfangled Independent Rear Suspension thing may catch on!

thx for sharing. btw love the Woodie.

Following the ancient, time-honored & highly successful Roman axiom of "divide et impera", to divide and rule, I have broken down the 2500 plus shots from the past week into groups of photos from individual events, then intend to process them in smaller batches and post them in greater numbers of images than any previous year……..I think it'll work better that way for the viewers and myself.

I have just finished the selection of photos from the wonderful "Cars-on-the-Avenue" Concours, held exactly one week ago in Carmel. What a gem of an idea, event, and way to spend a grand day. Everyone who has been there more than once states unequivocally that the show just gets better from one year to the next. Doug Friedmann, founder and CEO of the event, is evolving this show like a good German manufacturer builds and develops cars……….take a sound idea, listen to your customers and make it better in increments, rather than sweeping, drastic changes for the sake of change. Every aspect of the Concours this year was superior to last year's, which was a quantum leap ahead of the '11 and '12 versions.

Alas, but I guess that's a good thing from Doug's & the merchants point of view, the crowds keep getting bigger as well. From my standpoint it means getting up earlier still, and spend the day getting images of an ever improving lot of invited contestants……while meeting friends, chatting with owners and enjoying the thoroughly enjoyable, beautiful and fascinating cross section of wonderful cars. If you haven't been to this event yet, and if you plan to visit any part of Monterey Car Week next year, I urge you to include this jewel in your '15 schedule………..I guarantee you a great day!!

Starting out with a shot of the wares on offer at the best bakery in town, the Cafe Carmel Coffee House on Ocean where I waited for the sun to come up. The next shot is of Ocean Ave before the cars are allowed to stage. Then a leisurly stroll down Ocean Ave., the Concours site, to get some shots of the various groups setting up for the day ( the Mecum folks waiting for their transporter to arrive ), judges meeting, and getting to their assigned spots. After that, it'll be cars, cars and more cars.

With the help of a well-trained, helpful local police detail, staging 200 + cars is a piece of cake, not the nightmare every one dreaded just a couple of years ago.

Even locals who aren't car people enjoy getting into the festive spirit of the day.

The beautiful dark blue 911 is Don "Rennman" Ahearn's latest project, Photo #5 -more photos of it in Laguna Seca coverage from Saturday - and that's Doug Friedman, the organizer in the background in the light-blue shirt with hands on hips.

JZG

……..more, including a gorgeously restored Jag XK-120 Coupe in a most unfortunate shade of lavender light grey.

Anotherv group of 5.

…….another set.

This'll be a group of non-Porsche entries.

A recently unearthed 'barn find' Ferrari 275 GTB, a magnificent Woodie interior, and the erogenous zone of a rare Toyota 2000 GT.

Starting out with a couple of images of Stephen Bakers stunning '73 911 in Signal Yellow……what a beauty - recently featured in detail in the ESSES quarterly, followed by Gary Schultz's famous and still very good-looking and relevant white '67 911S with 'steelies'.

JZG

At how many Concours can you just turn right into a great Italian restaurant for lunch ( Il Fornaio, reservation highly recommended ), and when finished, step back out a few feet to finish viewing the cars on the other side of the street. The perfect venue !

Another group of five. Shot #3 is only a small portion of the total of 25 cars Phil Bagley's 'Klub Sport' organization brought to Monterey Week this year, and the selection just keeps getting better & better every year. More of their cars in the Saturday Laguna Seca coverage.

The gorgeous tan interior in the Irish green car is a '64 911 one of the first 200 911, Serial # -182, built by Keith Martin in his shop in Virginia….no. not TV's "What's your car worth" Martin, but a master craftsman of the same name - no relation.

The final set of the "Cars-on-the-Avenue" series of images. To be continued tomorrow with Pebble Beach Tour coverage, and with luck we'll start the Werks Reunion photos. Thanks for looking.

This was a difficult car to pass without a tear welling up in my eye………an exact duplicate of my own '60 Ferrari 250 SWB - except mine was never that perfect, was never all that reliable and I sold it for a little over $4,500 in 1964, the year I got married - I caved in to the infamous " It's me or the car" ultimatum by my wife-to-be. In retrospect I'm glad I did, because in a few weeks it'll be fifty years of total happiness and a wonderful, full life together, however there's always that persistent, nagging thought that if I still had it today I could safely count on getting at least ONE THOUSAND times the '64 selling price for it.

Ferrari V-12 powered hot rods are appearantly becoming fairly commonplace - Moal has built a couple of them, and now Brianza, also in the Bay area is getting into the act. This engine originated in a '74 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 - beautifully done and sorted.

Alain de Cadenet providing commentary during awards presentation. What a gentleman - and what an interesting life and career he leads.

See you all tomorrow.

JZG

Awesome!!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Z Goriup

however there's always that persistent, nagging thought that if I still had it today I could safely count on getting at least ONE THOUSAND times the '64 selling price for it.

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John, having experienced the honor and pleasure of chatting with your wonderful wife, I can say with certainty that you got the best of that bargain. However, you are under-valuing your extraordinary treasure:

At the Gooding's auction Sunday night, a seller turned down approximately 2500 times the '64 selling price of your Short-Wheelbase Berlinetta...

Sunday race with Pat Long in a 67S.
http://youtu.be/Nm79A8hvDQ8

Sunday GTO/GTP race.
Big thanks to Lars and Ferrari Bob for Reunion pit work, grid and race radio support.
http://youtu.be/4glx1pjt10w

Thanks for posting Mike...your car thunders!

John

The next event I attended was the Pebble Beach Tour - I'll not bore you with yet another retelling of my basic dislike for this event, other than to state that there will most likely be no posting of the PB Tour for '15……at least not by me.

Way too many people, the wrong kind of people, cars parked much too close to each other which forces the use of focal length one would normally not dream of using for automotive photography, too many unattractive bodies ( of the human variety, of course ), you are forced to crop very tight, etc. it's tough to get acceptable images, information about the cars is almost impossible to obtain…..in short, this stopped being fun a long time ago. The only reason I go is to hear the cars and see them in motion, but I can get most of that on the lawn on Sunday at the Concours if I get there early enough….and as a bonus if you do get there early enough & if you're dilligent enough, you can get one of the exclusive 400 Hagerty Dawn Patrol hats, free coffee and doughnuts…….. so I don't have to get my wife out of bed at 4:00 AM to make breakfast.

As is well known by now, Maserati was the honored marque at PB & Laguna Seca, yet the Ferraris outnumbered the Maseratis by at least 5 to 1, including the largest gathering of Testa Rossas ( the classic racing cars, not the grotesque '80s era street TRs ) ever in one place. As always, there was an elegant cross-section of beautiful Rolls-Royces, and the interesting and technologically fascinating Tatras were also a well represented specially invited marque.

I guess in spite of my worrying about the potential of disasters and damage to the cars, and the distinctly user-unfriendly photographic hardships you have to endure, owners and the spectators seem to enjoy the Tour very much, nothing horrible happened and a generally good time was had by all……including yours truly ( he grudgingly admitted ).

JZG

another set with some Maseratis, and two images of a '55 OSCA MT4 Morelli Spider, with 1500cc 4-cyl. mnotor making 130HP……pretty efficient for a 60 year old engine design. Stirling Moss drove a sister car to this one to overall victory at the 12 hours of Sebring against much bigger Ferrari and Maserati competition.

Switching over to the 'other' Italian brand, even by Pebble Beach standards there were a lot of Ferraris present this year. First off is Bruce Meyer in his '57 Ferrari 625 Scaglietti Spyder, Ser. #0672, documented by the factory itself to be the winningest Ferrari ever until '72 when my friend Claude Ballot - Lena took over the distinction in the C. Pozzi entered #39 red-white-blue Daytona.

Next is a very rare ( one of 25 produced ) and beautiful 500 Superfast..a car that just epitomizes the concept of Grand Touring.

The last silver 275 is even more rare and exotic, a 275 GTB/4S Scaglietti NART Spyder, one of 10 made.

JZG

more Ferraris………..the gated shift mechanism in a Testa Rossa…….how I wish Ferry had not been quite so proud and had incorporated something similar in in his road cars from the beginning, instead of the limp VW-style claptrap shifters in 356s & 911s.

Next up, John Shirley's one-off '54 375 Scaglietti Coupe. Started out as a Competition Spyder, purchased originally by famed movie director Roberto Rosselini who was involved in a torrid affair with Ingrid Bergman, but after an accident the car was returned to the factory and re-bodied as seen here. Restored by Shirley in '95, this car went on to win Best-of-Show on Sunday.

…..and more.

and another set……..including Photo #3, a '64 Lancia 1800 Zagato Sports Prototype, built on a lightened & shortened Flavia platform for the '64 Targa Florio, where it crashed out. This showing was the first time the public had seen this car in 50 years.

Another set of 5. Shot #4 is of the motor in the freshly restored and partially recreated '38 Mercedes-Benz 540K (as in Kompressor ) Streamliner,. Built for a specific race between Berlin & Rome it never competed due to WWII erupting around the time of the contest. It has been owned and stored by M-B since right after the war, but without the body, which was removed and scrapped. The M-B Museum has owned it since 1950, and started the "resurrection" to its present condition in 2011 using all the original components, with M-B Classic recreating the body based on original blueprints. There is a very informative article on the car / project in the current issue of OCTANE.

……and more, this time it's the Tatra marque. Very interesting cars superbly engineered by chief designer Hans Ledwinka. Powered by air-cooled rear-mounted all-alloy V8 motors, as shown in photo #3. Their Model 77 had a drag coefficent of 0.21…..70 years ago !.

….and on to the Rolls-Royces.

The magnificent car in photo #1 is a 1908 R-R Silver Ghost, also called the Silver Dawn, one of the oldest Rolls cars to survive. This very car has just completed an 1800 mile alpine journey and is highly original, including its cast pistons, block, chassis, front & rear suspension and is scheduled to be used in the Downton Abbey TV series.

I don't know why there is no dashboard in the car shown in photo #5, nor why the gauges are monuted at floor level on the firewall.

….getting near the end of this segment.

The final set of the PB Tour.

JZG

Tomorrow, the WERKS REUNION…………. from its foggy, misty start, to the warm, sunny end of a great day.

…….. some teasers.

JZG

Man I wish I could have attended that event ;( I am wringing my hands looking forward to more images :rolleyes:

Can't wait!!! ...And those elder Bentley's are wonderful as well ;)

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Originally Posted by friggens

Man I wish I could have attended that event ;( I am wringing my hands looking forward to more images :rolleyes:

Can't wait!!!

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OK, time to stop the hand wringing…..here's my pictorial take on the WERKS REUNION. As you would expect when visiting the Monterey Peninsula,, the day started drizzly, misty and dreary, which, truth be known, are in my view the optimum conditions for photography. As usual, around 10:00 AM the sun started to peek out andf was pretty much full on by noon. There's not much method to my madness in this post, I'm posting the images essentially in the order in which I took them, processed them….and here they are.

It was a great event, all the minor hiccups of a first time show notwithstanding, and I'm glad to hear that the WERKS REUNIONs inclusion next year with some needed changes seems to be a foregone conclusion. A new tradition is born ! There will be a lot more talk about this event, including an opportunity for those ESReg members who attended to voice their opinions, suggestions and constructive criticism to Porsche directly….stay tuned, please.

Enjoy,

JZG

…….next set.

Nice john!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

……and again.

……...Set No. 4

……….and set #5.

…….set No. 6

……….set #7

……set No. #8

……..set Number 9.

I'm exactly half-way through the WERKS REUNION posting, but I'm going to take a break for lunch and will continue in a while with the second half.

…………continuing with set #10.

…..and now Number 11.

….set No. 12

……..set No. 13

……..and Number 14.

…….Set No.15

…….and set sixteen.

The penultimate set.

For the last set I've chosen three images of the car thart started it all for many of us on the Registry, the Ur-911, the first of the 901s, which is said to have served as Ferrys 'company car' for a year or so, now in the custody of Jerry Seinfeld, and conclude with a car that I think Porsche possibly sees as one of the concepts to take the firm and its faithful supporters into the future.

Can't wait to see how this event evolves next year…..and the years after.

Next - after a relaxing afternoon in the swimming pool - the Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca photos.

Thanks for looking,

JZG

Incredible photo's John, thank you for making the time to post! Do you know if the 918 is part of the Ingram Collection? Looking forward to your Motorsports Reunion photo's....

John, thank you so much! I felt badly being unable to attend this year and your spectacular photos make me feel like I didn't miss as much.

..sorry to be a little tardy, but watched Belgian Grand Prix practice this morning, then turned to & finally got all the 'Historics' shots processed and arranged in some semblance of marque and chronological order.

By necessity, this time commentary and descriptions will have to be fairly brief, since I'm falling precipitously behind in my chores - and there are still all the Pebble Beach Concours images to process, sort and post.

As always, the day at Laguna Seca starts out foggy, drizzly and unpleasant, but invariably turns brilliantly bright and glorious as the best on-track day of the whole week wears on. I hope I'm not boring you with this, but I think the shots of a desrted vendors row, the Sunbeam Tiger Corrall with a handful of cars, the forboding main entrance to Laguna Seca and the lone Bi-Turbo Maserati in the honored marque Corrall in my view all contribute so much to establishing and illustrating the ambiance and the atmoasphere at this historic facility I love so much, during the most important vintage racing weekend of the year.

Enjoy,

JZG

……….set No. 2

The local Weber carburetor specialist in Gilroy sells this very useful and informative poster describing the various circuits of a typical Weber.

Mercedes brought two of its very first Grand Prix winners to the party.

…….Set No. 3

Image #5 is the 'other' Schumacher's (brother Ralf) race winning Williams F1 car.

……Set No. 4, and on to the featured brand this year, MASERATI, both factory supplied historic examples from their museum and privately entered cars.

That's a '35 Grand Prix car, followed by a pair of '56 250F Formula 1 examples - as a hilarious side note, it is widely accepted that 26 250Fs were produced by Maserati and driven in anger by some notable and most surprising drivers in international Grands Prix races, ( Phil Hill long before his Ferrari days, Carrol Shelby, Troy Rutman) but yet there are well over 30 250s registered with various vintage racing organizations.

For set #5 some Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage" 2 liter cars. They were produced in 2 & 3 liter 4-cyl. versions. Many have said that they consider this the most beautiful sports racer of the 'golden era'…….to study the construction of the 200+ frame tubes of either 10 or 15 millimeter diameter, which were hand-brazed in jigs to produce the frame that gave these cars their nickname is like reading a structural engineering handbook - amazing. What a pity that the factory simply never took the time and effort to make the cars reliable, but they always operated on the verge of bankruptcy, and the deeply imbedded notion that they never copied others but rather blazed their own trail robbed them of success.

Set No. 6, and moving on to some of the wonderfully diverse and impressive Porsches present.

…….set No.7. More Porsches. Shot #3 of a Rod Emory built '56 Speedster, powered by a 2.4 liter, 200 hp 4-cyl. 911-4 Polo-motor……..simply beautiful !

and five more

Shot #2 is of the one-off '54 Pupulidy Special, recently restored by Canepa, and is owned by a local winemaker who creates heaven in a bottle.

Shot #4, a pair of French Grand Prix machines ( 1946 Delage D6, left, '37 Delahaye V12 right ) usually displayed in the the Peter Mullin Museum and enthusiastically driven by the man himself, and the differential and mounting details of a freshly restored Lister.

…….set No. 9

…….set No 10.

I've always liked Jaguars, and even owned one of the very first XK-E Coupes imported into the country, and yes, as vexing as the Lucas elelctrics, the Girling brakes and Smith instruments were, there was something very endearing about driving the XKE. Fuel-injected 315 hp drum-brake equipped Corvettes with 4-speeds would beat my Jag regularly in a straight-out drag race, but they could never out handle or outbrake it, even in the table-top flat Chicgo area where I was going to school at the time……it was a very enjoyable drive. Jaguar has recently announced they are building a few 'Lightweight' Resurrections, as they call them (shots #2 through 5) and brought one of them to Laguna Seca for show & tell…..far better craftsmanship than on any of the original cars, whether production Es or race cars, but unfortunately the price just is not realistic, i.e. well over a million $$$, with virtually unattainable credentials required to be even considered for being able to purchase one.

The final set of my '14 Laguna Seca Motorsports Reunion presentation,

Thanks for looking, only one more bloc of images to go, those of the Pebble Beach Concours last Sunday.

JZG

John, the Pupulidy was "restored" by Brian Haupt of Carriage and Motor Works in Kansas City; it was recently "fettled" at Canepa's.

Porsche racing fanatics may happen to recognize the gray-haired fellow standing behind the "Defense Mondial" 3.0 RSR: a certain Alex Job, who is running the racing department of the floor-mat-magnate owner.

The green Maserati with the prominent proboscis is of course a Maserati 5000 GT, known as "The Car of Kings." This car powered by the engine of the mighty 450S sports-racer was the first one, bodied by Touring to the specifications of the Shah of Iran. Other prominent personages among the thirty-four 5000 GT owners were Presidente Lopez Mateos of Mexico, the Aga Kahn, Giovanni Agnelli, King Saud, and Briggs Swift Cunningham. The tastes of certain of the super-rich are as questionable today as they were in 1958 (in my most humble opinion).

Thanks for taking the time to curate and post the images.

-- David

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John Z Goriup

…….set No. 9

---

What is that car in photo #2?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Flieger

What is that car in photo #2?

---

If I may: a 1963 René Bonnet Djet. The first series-production mid-engine sportscar; fiberglass bodies made by the French aerospace concern, Matra. Matra eventually took over and the rest was history (1969 F-1 World Championship for Stewart;
screaming V-12 racing engines; Le Mans wins in '72, '73, and '74).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nine17

If I may: a 1963 René Bonnet Djet. The first series-production mid-engine sportscar; fiberglass bodies made by the French aerospace concern, Matra. Matra eventually took over and the rest was history (1969 F-1 World Championship for Stewart;
screaming V-12 racing engines; Le Mans wins in '72, '73, and '74).

---

Thanks. The red color and Ferrari sticker made me think it was Italian. Front looked a bit Alfa-ish. Looks like a long wheelbase.

Thanks John for sharing those awesome photos with detailed information ; I hope to see more of the SWB racers from Klub Sport !

Thanks again, Regards
JD

Sorry about the delay in posting the Pebble Beach photos, but it was a very hectic day……I'll do it tomorrow for sure.

If I had to choose the one shot I took at the Concours that to me best portrays the ambiance, the atmosphere, the excitement and the sheer beauty of the event, it would be the attached very early morning photo of the newly 'resurrected' '38 Mercedes-Benz 540K "Streamline". This car truly represents all that the Concours stands for, but since it was just on display, it was not eligible for judging.

See you tomorrow,

JZG

After being rudely awakened around 3:12 AM by the biggest shaker to hit the Bay Area since the last 'big one' in 89, it's finally time to calmly sit down at the computer and finsh this year's Monterey Car Week report with images from the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Together with Amelia Island these two events represent the finest car shows in the Western hemisphere in my opinion, and present just about the only opportunities to see cars which are normally simply not available for viewing anywhere else, except perhaps at Villa d'Este.

This will be a posting of pictures of the wonderful cars on the lawn, no more no less, because that is the only reason I have attended and will continue to attend this event. I love this show, I think the organizers do their best to improve the show for enthusiasts, and I simply will not engage in pontificating about conspiracies, polemics, politics, express personal opinions about the cars and whether they deserve to be on the lawn or not, or wheteher they follow the old written criteria of a sixty-four year old event, or whether they meet with my personal approval or not. First, I don't think anybody cares a whit whether I or anyone else approve of certain cars or not, secondly, most genuine enthusiasts have their own opinions which they will most likely defend to the point where Chuck M. may have to pour cold water on the combatants, and thirdly, to emphasize again, I go to the event solely to see and hear the cars, and to take pictures for my own enjoyment and so others, who have the interest but might not have the opportunity to attend or to make the trip, can see the cars exhibited.

I trust my presentation shows that it is not my intent to stir debate & discord among ESReg members, rather to tell the story of the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Enjoy the photos, and please be reminded that I'm ready to answer any specific questions about the cars.
__________________________________________________ ___

Photo #2 shows Paul Stewart's magnificent Ferrari 275 GTB/4

JZG
__________________________________________________ ___________________

The first set shows the lawn and the prevailing ambiance around dawn when the real die-hards gather to enjoy coffee, donuts and Hats graciously supplied by Hagerty's to the first few hundred attendees, and then start to move onto the Concours field itself. IMO this is the most enjoyable part of the day, chatting with friends, speculating, laying out plans where to meet for lunch, who'll win and on & on. The number of cars varies significantly from year to year, and in my time has seen as few as 112 cars invited to as many as almost 200 which definitely makes for a crowded 18th green, challenging viewing, and even more difficult photography………and this years' was a fairly full guest list!

As with most top-flite international class Concours, PB is divided into specific classes to assure that cars compete against like cars, and historically the organizers declare a marque, or cars made by designated coachbuilders or certain types of cars as a separate judging class. This year the 'honored' marque was Maserati on the occasion of their centennial, with a grand cross-section of post-war race cars but not many road cars. Also in a special class were the cars made by the short-lived American maker Ruxton, another sub-set was the display of more than 20 Ferrari Testa Rossas, similar to the '11 gathering of 21 of the original 36 GTOs. It's quite mind-boggling to turn a corner in the back of the field and there, laid out before you, are the very cars in which almost every one of the heroes of your youth made their reputations…..overwhelmingly impressive are words that readily leap to mind. Also featured in this edition were early steam cars, the wondrous pre and post-war Tatras and eastern European motorcycles.

The following set illustrates one example each of most of those categories.

This set illustrates a cross-section of various Maseratis.

Set #4 starts out with a couple more Maseratis, then shows the proud winner of the Tatra class and his '36 T77 Aerodynamic Limousene, powered by a 2,9687cc air-cooled V-8 producing 59HP, sufficient for a top speed of approx. 90 mph. This is one of the first 100 T77s produced, after which the factory switched to the T77A, distinguished by a centrally mounted, steering-connected headlight.

The open two seater in shot #5 is Tom Shaughnessy's recently restored '57 Kurtis 500X 'Caballo de Hierro II', created by AK Miler for the '57 Mille Miglia, and powered by a donated Chrysler Hemi motor, courtesy of Briggs Cunningham. First public showing in 60 years.

JZG

The next features a Ruxton sedan with its distinctive 'layered' paint scheme, shot #2, a fascinating car featuring front-wheel drive and introduced to the public in 1930, about a month before the Cord which also claimed to be America's first front-wheel drive car. Interesting advertising slogans….." a car so low you can iook over the top, a car so smart you can't overlook it".

Unfortunately only 17 were ever actually sold of the 100 or so produced in '30 before the company folded……16 of the 17 were on the lawn at Pebble.

Below that , a '36 Aston-Martin "Speed" open touring 2-seater of the Bertelli era……what a classic and charming little jewel from a time when England produced real sports cars.

This set starts out with three shots of the '67 Pininfarina Ferrari Dino 206 Competizione Coupe, a unique prototype designed after the Dino 206 competed at Lemans, powered by the then-new V6 motor.

The red car in the last two shots is a '65 Abarth-Simca 2 mill Corsa Longnose Abarth Coupe.

This set features images of some of the more interesting 'Eastern European' motorcycles.

Continuing with several sets of various general-class competitors' entries.

…..and more. The first shot is of the engine room of a '52 Cisitalia 202SC Pininfarina Convertible, with the earliest Weber Carburatori I've ever seen on any car/

Ferrari have always been an important part of the Pebble Beach Concours. This year's presence included a significant number of classic examples in the regular Ferrari classes, as well as the very special Testa Rossa exhibit, including the charro rosso '48 Ferrari 166 Corsa Spyder (photo #2 ), enetered by the Collier/Revs Institute, the first Ferrari to win a major race, and the very first Ferrari to arrive in the US and was soon purchased by Briggs Cunningham for racing.

Shots #4 & 5 show a very special '52 Jaguar XK 120 open two-seater with obvious areo modifications. As is well known, the model designation 120 was derived from the fact that the 120 was the first production car ever to go 120 mph, upon which Jaguar improved in '49 with a run of 132.596 mph on a closed track in Belgium. When this second record was broken by a Pegaso Z 102 in '53, legendary chairman of Jaguar, Sir William Lyons called legendary Jaguar chief testing engineer Norm Dewis and asked him what he planned to do about this situation. Dewis and some racing engineers simply took a roadster from the assembly line, modified it with a full belly pan, subtle aero mods to the body including straemline headlights, a metal tonneau cover with a small Perspex bubble canopy, some relatively minor mods to the powertrain, inflated the almost slick tires to approx. 50 psi and went 172.412 mph. Dewis at age 93 still makes regular appearances at Laguna Seca.

another set, including shots #3 through 5 of the Jon Shirley owned and entered '54 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe, which went on to win "Best of Show" honors.

Another set, this time featuring two more images of the beautiful, very rare and exotic '39 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Pourtout Coupe.

Followed by two images of another french masterpiece, a '37 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atalante.

The next three sets are all Ferrari Testa Rossas which were part of the largest gathering of TRs ever.

What can you say when you see 21 of these cars, casually assembled in small groups of five or six in a way that made it impossible to include them all in one sweeping panoramic shot, rather it encouraged the observer to walk around each car, study it, read the history that accompanied each car, and compare the details of one car to another, to marvel at the way some race teams changed the cars to suit their drivers and to adapt the cars to specific races, and to discover the double-secret ways in which the factory tried to stay ahead of the privateers that you've read about for fifty + years and finally see in the metal…..all part of the lore of the marque, the man, the legendary drivers………unrepeatable, imspiring and absolutely wonderful.

……and more.

…and the final group of TRs.

This final set are shots from a part of the Pebble Beach festivities that have become something of a minor personal tradition……when I've seen all there is to see on the 18th Green, all the awards have been presented, I'm exhausted, all the camera batteries are almost dead, I walk to the car through the Concept Car area, on the practice green in front of the Course Pro Shop. Invariably I'm amused, surprised, disappointed, shocked, and delighted, because it always fuels my anticipation to see just how long it takes for some of the more reasonable, realistic concepts to actually come to fruition……..if ever they do, and how they morph on the way to production.

The first & last image are of the McLaren P1 GTR making its world debut, the monstrous Mercedes-AMG study in McLaren F1 style chrome paint, and a preview of a possible future BMW 7 Series pillarless 4-door sedan……..mercifully completely purged, finally, of any residual Chris Bangle influence.

Thanks for sticking it out for an interminably long week, I probably won't attempt anything on this scale ever again, but I sincerely hope at least some of you enjoyed some of the posted images.

John Z. Goriup

John --- all I can say is . . .

. . . you saved a lot of us the price of a ticket!

Great stuff!

John, thanks for chronicling the week's events; the photos and commentary are awesome. I keep going back through it and learning new details. Your efforts are appreciated.

I looked in on Chris Genau's wonderful images in his thread "more photos from Monterey '14" and after admiring and thoroughly enjoying his superb photography, was reminded that in my eagerness to post as comprehensive, timely and informative a report as my present skills allow, I simply forgot & neglected to intersperse the preceeding photo-essay with some of my personal favorite photgraphy……black & white.

The last time I attempted this, there were some immediate and quite unambiguos comments recommending that I forget about the 'artsy-fartsy bu*****t' and bring back the color, so this time, having done the whole thing in color first, permit me to now post some random monochrome shots from all venues & events I attended. I disagree with the critics, and think there is nothing artsy or pretentious about b & w photography, in fact I submit that for a subject such as an automobile ( or airplanes and architecture ) black & white removes the sometimes distracting element of color from the image and allows for more detailed, accurate and focused analysis of the technical aspects of the subject…………anyway, I hope some of you enjoy them.

JZG

…….and another set.

…….and another,

……and the absolute final set in this thread from me, ending with a shot I'm particularly fond of, taken at the Werks Reunion, about the time the participants were starting to fill the parking area and the sun was just trying to peek through the clouds and the mist, when I caught this isolated Light Yellow '74 Carrera bathed in a narrow beam of direct sunlight.

Thanks for looking

JZG

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John Z Goriup

I looked in on Chris Genau's wonderful photography in his thread "more photos from Monterey '14" and after admiring and thoroughly enjoying his superb photography, realized that in my eagerness to post as comprehensive, timely and informative a report as my present skills allow, I simply forgot & neglected to intersperse the preceeding photo-essay with some of my personal favorite photgraphy……black & white.

The last time I attempted this, there were some immediate and quite unambiguos comments recommending that I forget about the 'artsy-fartsy bu*****t' and bring back the color, so this time, having done the whole thing in color first, permit me to now post some random monochrome shots from all venues & events I attended. I disagree with the critics, and think there is nothing artsy or pretentious about b & w photography, in fact I submit that for a subject such as an automobile ( or airplanes and architecture ) black & white removes the sometimes distracting element of color from the image and allows for more detailed, accurate and focused analysis of the technical aspects of the subject…………anyway, I hope some of you enjoy them.

JZG

---

John, i couldn't agree with you more, I'm a fan of your photography. BTW, love the 'sepia' shots too! :D

I'm not really a fan of black and white but I have to rethink that stance after seeing those engine shots and the 2 Maserati Grand Prix cars. For some reason the black and white does seem to take away the distractions and highlight the mechanical intricacies and beauty.

John,

Thank you for posting. B&W, color, you name it - Fantastic! Great contributions to the registry. Please keep it going - year in, year out. I'm sure there are far, far more viewers than posters for your photos and the fact that so many are viewing your posts validates the contributions in my opinion, regardless of the odd curmudgeon (there's at least a couple on here, I think?) posting their .....ah......contributions.....to the contrary from time to time. Thanks again.

JG


Just went thru this thread.....I was going to point out some favs...but there are just too many..lol.....that being said, post #3..that is incredible....wow.

thank you so very much
thank you so very much

thank you so very much
thank you so very much
thank you so very much

Martini x2Attachment 305459

Don't mean to revive this thread, but I came across a "lost" photo which I simply forgot to include in the original coverage of this years Car Week. Here's the whole story.

I'm positive this car, a '61 Maserati Tipo 63, was not at the Pre-Reunion on the weekend prior to the regular Motorsports Reunion. On Saturday during the Re-union I did an early-morning pit walk-about ( before the racing got under way - while everyone was preparing their machines in the pits ) to see who was there that I had not seen during the Pre-Reunion, to take some photos and to make some mental notes about which cars I wanted to come back to, shoot and cover in greater detail. Sadly, as the day progressed, this rare and historic treasure just fell through the cracks and I forgot all about it until a nostalgic review of the Laguna Seca photographs very early this morning.

After the original Tipo 60/61 'Birdcages' Maserati failed to live up to expectations and win LeMans and only had two major international victories (2 succesive victories at the Nürburg Ring 1000k ) Maserati embarked on an intense and rushed program to become more competitive with Ferrari, whose 3-liter Testa Rossas were the dominant endurance racers of the period. After the failures of the various Birdcage models, Gulio Alfieri, ( head of Technical Devlopment from '56 to '64 ) redesigned the Tipo 61 'Birdcage' ( a front-engined, 4-cylinder sports racer ) into the mid-engined Tipo 63, at first in 4-cyl. form and later in 3-liter ( 2980 cc) V-12 format, utilizing the brand-new but never-used V-12 Formula 1 engine he co-designed / developed with Giaocchino Colombo, legendary engineer and engine wizard responsible for the company's highly successful 250F single seater, but the new engine was rendered obsolete by the FIAs new regulation which limited F1 cars to 1.5 liter displacement before it was completed, and was thertefore put away until a suitable chassis for it could be designed and constructed. The Tipo 63 provided that platform. The car was blisteringly fast, equalling Ferrari's lap times at LeMans, but, like all Maserati race-cars of the period reliability was dreadful and Ferrari continued its endurance race dominance. Since this was one of the first Italian mid/rear engined race cars, many believe that the Tipo 63 / V-12 so worried Enzo that he finally gave up his resistance to the move to rear / mid-engine race cars, leading to the design of the highly succesful Ferrari 3-liter V12 mid-engined 250 P. Since Maserati was near financial ruin by then, they merely designed and built the car, relying on privateers ( Camoradi, Briggs Cunningham and Count Volpi's Scuderia Serenissima ) to campaign the cars. A total of 10 Tipo 63s were constructed, the first 4 with 2.9 liter 4-cyl. motors, the rest with the 'unfinished' V-12.

I genuinely regret not seeing or hearing this car run later in the day, since this is the first time I'd ever seen a Tipo 63, and seriously doubt I will ever see another one. I almost feel I owe the membership and apology for not including this jewel in the regular initial coverage, …..but, better late than never - even if it's only one photo.

JZG

Revive away, John! It's a great thread!!

Description alone is worth priting by itself, photo or no photo. What a beuatiful car, I'm sure many others have photographed it in great detail. Thanks for the post John!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 72targa

. . . Revive away, John! It's a great thread!! . . .

---

Absolutely!

Nothing builds my enthusiasm for an event like a good set of pics. If I wanna know about an event? --- then I'll search it out here, on The Registry . . .

Plus? --- anyone who couldn't/wouldn't/didn't go to some event . . . can come here + read/see some of the Goings-on, so . . .

Just to keep all info in one place (from the race program I just happened to have in my hand!)

Car # 158
Run Group: 6A
Chassis: 63004
Displacement: 2890cc's
Driver: Adrian Kraft
Entrant: Mario Linke, Köln, Germany

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Teej

Martini x2Attachment 305459

---

YES! I like that one too. Thank You John, for the GREAT pictures, exposure, and Press! Next time we meet, I'll give you the Special Tour of The Car

Great stills John keep them coming. :)
Bruce's Porsche video from Reunion.
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zG6foJSVlG8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"I'm trapped in a sea of Porsches" :D
http://youtu.be/0W_soJVHBww

The one-hour Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion special is coming up.
10:00 a.m. EST
Saturday, October 11
FOX Sports 1
We hear it's going to be an action-packed and entertaining show. So be sure to tune in or set your recorders!

Around this time last year, after the publication of the 'summer' issue of the ESSES, which contained Monterey Car Week coverage, I posted the following:

Now that the latest issue of the ESSES is hopefully in everyone's hands, please allow me to post the rest of images which I think are fit for viewing, from Monterey Car Week earlier this year. I didn't want to pre-empt John D's great issue of the current edition of the ESSES and therefore waited until its publication last week to put up the remaining images that have not been posted / published yet, to present a more complete picture of what has become over time the premier US-based vintage / collector car event.

None of the following photos have been shown on pages 1 through 9 of this thread, nor published in the ESSES.

Hope you enjoy…………

I'd like to repeat this small holiday gesture to interested members of the Registry again this year, starting with the remainder of my images from the first real event of the week, and a personal favorite of mine, the wonderful & thoroughly enjoyable "Cars-on-the-Avenue" Concours in Carmel on the Tueday of 'Car Week". As I have said every year so far……..this event just keeps getting better and better.

This is the merely the first of this series of photos expanding on my original coverage from shortly after the August festivities to get things going. I'll be gone for about ten days and will continue when I return. Hopefully this'll provide some pleasant memories of this wonderful week's activities and 'see you through' the upcoming winter to the LA Lit show in early March '15.

Have a good Thanksgiving !!!
__________________________________________________ ________________

…..starting with a couple of sets of 356 shots, the most original & unmolested Spyder I've ever seen, very early Porsches with bodies by other coach builders, and the splendidly recently restored Pon 906 in the Dutch National team's orange racing colors.

JZG

……and another set.

Continuing with a pair of sets of 911 images, starting out with the green Keith Martin's car, as featured in the ESSES, and also including Magnus Walker's best effort to date ( in my opinion ), the white, red and blue car - now in the Ingram collection.

A few more 911s, a 914 and the magnificent Pon-built 906.

There was also an increased presence of English cars this year……..nothing too over-the-top or exotic, but like everything Doug Friedmann ( the organizer ) has done with this Concours, a modest, well thought-out step, designed to attract enthusiasts, from both sides - participants and spectators.

….and another set.

When this Concours started it concentrated mainly on two marques, Porsche and Ferrari, but has since grown to include other German brands as well as a farther ranging selection of Italian cars…………it's all good, I think.

Moving on to a few images of Italian cars, which are always a big draw. The first shot of the steering wheel and interior may be a hackneyed cliche, but that is exactly the sight I enjoyed fifty years ago this autumn when I owned my 250 SWB GT - ecxept mine had black leather, but it shows the same steering wheel that is mounted in Ruprecht these days, thin rim and all.

This year's Concours featured a splendid selection of American Woodies, some merely refinished and others completely restored or even recreated - with the differences in the fit and finish of original, 60, 70 year old wood vs. newly crafted, fitted and finshed wood literally jumping out at the observer.

……..and the final set for now, of a small selection of American iron, especially the very well-done '32 Roadster with Ferrari V-12 motor by Brizio ( not Brianza as previously stated in the original post at the beginning of this thread).

Thanks for looking,

JZG

Wow, thanks for the encore! A 32 roadster with a Ferrari V12! Very cool.

Brizio's been doing some of the world's best hot rods for decades.

It's nice to see the crossover...

Brizio makes really nice stuff..

that roaDSTER IS JUST ABOUT PERFECT.....

Continuing with 'Part Deux' of the original Monterey Car Week thread, I'd like to present the rest of the images I have of the "Werks Reunion", the 1st time event on Friday of car week. Since I used the majority of the photos in the original posting above, and the remaining 'good' ones for the current issue the ESSES, I'm afraid the below shots are all I have to offer. I promise to do much better next year, quantity & quality-wise.

photo #1: Chuck Miller arrived first and took the corner spot in the 'Registered Parking' area. Another early arrival, Harvey Weidman pulled in a few minutes later.
photos #2 & 3: Typical for the Monterey Peninsula, the day started somewhat chilly and dank, but those conditions really make for the best photography……..with true, deeply saturated colors and subdued contrast. Being slightly inland, the mist clears earlier than in Carmel and the brilliant sunshine then puts a damper on well balanced, properly exposed photography.
photo #4: In my opinion, Curtiss Autenrieth's 993 was one of the biggest surprises of the day. The subtle anthracite-gray main color, the slightly darker shade of the matte-finished front lid, the beautifully matching dark gray wheels - and NO RED calipers - represent a unique and striking appearance……..but the piece de resistance just have to be the hood-mounted Cibies. After all, how many 993s have any of us seen with hood lights. I respect original thinking and actions that take untrodden paths & shatter cliches. Well done, Curtiss, the first "short hood" that truly represents the R-Gruppe ideal in my view.

JZG

………..and a few more sets of miscellaneous shots of Werks Reunion.

Photo #1: Nicolas Hunziker, who has quite a few ESSES covers to his credit, during an interview.
Photos #2 & 3: A good friends' low milage, original '74 - sold shortly after the Reunion.

……..and more.

……and more still.

The final set of Part II of the Werks Reunion.

Photo #2 of the Tangerine '68 911 TR is the car which was recently sold at auction for well over half a million dollars. Here's the verbatim text of the placard accompanying this car on the lawn of the Reunion:

"A very small batch of 911 TRs was imported in '68 for SCCA Trans-Am and B Sedan racing.

These cars were sold to race and were not intended for the street, although they were streetable.

SCCA Champion John K. ordered this car trhrough Heistman Porsche in Virginia for his racing efforts.

Shortly after taking delivery of his new Porsche, John was hired to drive Triumphs for Group 44.

Because of this John raced the 911 only one time, where he won the class.

The Tech sticker is still on the roll-bar and the 911 retains its original motor."


JZG

See you next week after Thanksgiving.

To continue revisiting that wonderful second week in August, when the Monterey Peninsula becomes the center of the automotive world, here's the remainder of 'all my shots that are fit to print', to paraphrase the old New York Times theme, i.e. images not shown before nor published in the fall issue of the ESSES. I've made a reasonable effort not to duplicate any photos previously posted, rather, wanted to show some different cars and show images of previously posted examples from different perspectives and angles.

This segment, the next to last before the Part II recap of the Pebble Beach Concours which will follow shortly, covers Saturday of Car Week at Laguna Seca.

Enjoy,

JZG

Another five. Admittedly, some cars are the same that have been shown before, but I think all that probably emphasizes is the point that vintage racing is a fairly small community, and that the true long-term enthusiasts keep evolving these machines and continue to develop them. Over time it's this small group of top cars that become the mainstays of the hobby.

The white #55 911 , Frank Altamura's superb specimen is a perfect example. Constantly refined and superbly maintained, Frank keeps dropping his lap times, while keeping the car completely legal and becoming a better driver.

The silver 911 is Chris Messano's '73 911E, featured in a past issue of Excellence in a Randy Wells article under the title "Second Birth".

A line-up of Emory cars 356s.

More Porsches.

The last of the Porsches and a couple of odds & ends.

On to the Italian cars, specifically Maseratis, which were the chosen marque for the 2014 Edition, although, as in real life throughout their head-to-head racing encounters against Enzo Ferrari, either at the helm of the Alfa racing team or in supreme charge of his own endeavor after '47, the Ferraris usually prevailed at the finish, except for the magical but brief run of spectacular success Maserati enjoyed in the mid-fifties with its 250F Grand Prix cars, especially in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio.

The 250 LM is from the Collier Collection, and was completely instrumented to gather as much data as possible to contribute to the growing treasure-trove of information being collected and stored as part of the REVS Institute Automotive Research Library.

………and more.

……another set, featuring the important & historic Don Parkinson - Jaguar Special. Don P. was an architect from LA who entered and raced his '49 XK-120 in the first of the "Racing through the Forest" 17-mile Drive Pebble Beach road races, held from '50 to '56, until Jack McAffee was killed when his Ferrari smashed against a tree, and that was the end of that. After that the races were conducted on the newly constructed Laguna Seca course.

Parkinson also had an accident against one of the Eucalyptus trees lining the 17-Mile Drive course, severly damaging the Jag. It was returned to LA where Parkinson decided to repair & re-body the car incorporating a 4" stretch, laid out by the talented Robert Cumberford, the same gent who these days critiques car design and styling in Automoblie magazine, with the work supervised by a young Phil Hill, who had become Parkinson's brother-in-law. I'm not sure / aware if this is the same XK-120 in which Phil had won the inaugural 17-mile Drive race. Phil's background at the time included being involved with restoration work, with his whole Ferrari and professional racing career still in front of him.

The manufacturer's are increasingly becoming involved in the Laguna Seca events, even though very few of their presented offerings ever turn a wheel on the track. Bentley had a whole row of Continental Coupes in various guises lined up, with the original Mustang I and the latest irs-equipped 2015 Mustang on the occasion of its 50th anniversary being presented.

fffffffabulous......thank you so much...

the 289/and the 427 are just pure muscle. I like the new stang as a design exercise...good looker...kinda like a bmw 4 series.......all the pics were great...that well known 911 on steelies is always lovely....

and more………

I know I've said this before, and hesitate to repeat it again, but every time I see an original 300SL Coupe - or Roadster for that matter - anywhere near the "new" M-B 'Gullwing', I'm compelled to express my bitter disappointment and disgust at just how far those two cars' DNA have diverged……..tragic.

Also, some Bugattis.

………and more still.

The final set of the 'Motorsport Reunion' Saturday event.

Interesting flares on that '63 356.

Thanks for looking, Pebble Beach is next.

JZG

I would guess that 356 flare is to mimic the abarth 356 rear flare......hmmm....

Joel, you could very well be correct……….sort of look a little like the Carrera flares, don't they ?

Here's something else to mull over:

In Oct. of 2011 I attended the marvelous and unique "Race Car Classic" event, at the same venue at which the 'Quail' is usually held. There were well over 100 of the rarest, most exotic very early Porsches displayed, including the silver '62 Super 90 GT Coupoe shown below ( photo #1 ), which riveted my attention with its elegant and subtle flares. The car posted above, which you commented on, is a '63 Super 90 Coupe ( photo #2 ). So here we have two very similar, consecutive-year Super 90 GT coupes, they both have a Brumos connection involving the essentially same, highly unusual modification, since I'm not aware of any other factory flared 356s.…..hmmmm, indeed.

Here is what the placard for the Race Car Classic display car had to say: " Brumos Porsche ordered this car from the factory with factory aluminum 6.5" wheels, flared fenders ( my emphasis ) and a number of other lightweight options typical of GT category vehicles The Super 90 engine had a counterweighted crank, sodium-filled valves and Solex P40-II carburetors. It is believed to have been raced at Daytona International Speedway on at least one occasion ".

On the '63 GT spotted at Laguna Seca in Aug. '14 it shows the name Brumos Racing '63 -'66 , and Bawlby Racing '75 - '91 painted on the roof (see photo), leading me to speculate that perhaps the Brumos organization was working with Porsche to create a model exclusive to them, or ordered cars with this feature two years in a row to convince the factory to adopt flares - to enable the use of bigger wheels and tires in general. I suppose they might have had some leverage had they won their class at Daytona. Either way, methinks the answer probably is hidden in Jacksonville.

On the other hand, I've always been a bit of a "conspiracy theorist" regarding Porsche matters……………double hmmmm !

JZG

Between a massive home remodel / reconstruction / renovation project which has slipped way behind schedule, lousy weather ( thank God, because we really needed the rain ) , and a million other unplanned things popping up, I finally finished post-processing the last of the Pebble Beach photos to complete Part II of my annual Monterey Car Week thread. I was reasonably careful not to duplicate shots from my original posting back in August, nor to show images published in the fall issue iof the ESSES. You will see photos of some cars posted before, but I'm pretty certain none of the same photographs.

Here then are the final imagers of the '14 Pebble Beach Concpours d'Elegance which will complete this thread. I hope I'm not boring you with this, but I find it very agreeable during these cold, dreary and short days of winter to look back at the sunny, warm and elegant atmospehere and the spectacular cars displayed on the finishing green of the Pebble Beach golf course, adjacent to the Del Monte Lodge. It's a grand event and remains, in my opinion, the premier Concours in the world.

The '14 Concours was the 64th edition, was as well presented and staged as any before, and by virtue of the sensational, spectacular and quite breathtaking coup of displaying 25 Ferrari Testa Rossas, will stay with me for as long as the '88 and 2011 events, the earlier featuring all six Bugatti Royales, the latter with 21 Ferrari GTOs - plus the proto type. Planning my day at the Concours and attending this grand event has become an unbreakable personal tradition.

A few factoids about Pebble Beach, in case anyone cares. The first was held rather informally in 1950. Of the 64 Concours in total so far, 7 Best-of-Show winners were post WW II cars. Until 2014 no Ferrari had ever won Best-of-show. The winningest marque at this time is Bugatti with 9 of the French cars having been crowned "Best-of-show", followed by 7 Mercedes, with 5 Rolls-Royce examples in third place. The oldest car to win top honors was a 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer in '62, the newest, a '64 Maserati Mistral in '68 during the darkest era in the Concours' history when it came frighteningly close to folding altogether.

As long as I remain physically able to spend the entire day on my feet and take photos of the wondrous, historic and so often unique automobiles I will continue to attend & present them in a similar format in the hope that at least some of the memership is sufficiently interested and appreciates it enough to log on and derive pleasure from this offering.

Thanks for looking

JZG

Starting this final segment with this years' featured marque - Maserati, and ending the first set with a shot of unquestionably the most successful Maserati of all, the 250 F Grand-Prix car. This particular car, a '55 model ( Chassis # 2515 ) is one of the most historic, having competed in 39 Grands Prix.

So long as we are doing Italian cars, some more South-of-the-Alps cars from Maserati's lomg-term adversary, Enzo's Maranello-based Scuderia Ferrari. I have already posted the majority of my shots of the Testa Rossa display in the original post, and would now merely like to flesh out the Ferraris with the more 'mundane', but always still exotic and rare models.

Photos #2 & 3 are of Jon Shirley's '14 "Best-of-Show" winning '54 Ferrari 375MM ( Mille Miglia ) sports racer, which was re-bodied early on into the Scaglietti Coupe shown after a severe accident. I believe the reason this Ferrari won is because A. no Ferrari had ever won Best-of-Show at Pebble in spite of the many close calls in the past , and B., simply because it is in my humble opinion the first completely correctly restored significant Ferrari with known provenance and ownership history to be shown. The vast majority of Pebble Beach Ferrari entrants are usually so ludicrously over-restored, to standards & details no original Maranello product ever displayed at delivery, that they had very little credibility. This car has continuous provenance and is eminently believable and was justly rewarded in my view.

The maroon car that one could easily mistake for a Pegaso with the most un-Ferrari grill and central peak on the 'bonnet' is a '51 Vignale 212 Inter Cabriolet.

Continuing with the Ferraris, an entire set of 5 of the ultimate development of the spectalurarly successful Testa Rossa series of sports racers, the TRI61s. Begun in late '55 the series raced from '56 through the mid sixties, culminating with the cars shown , the '61 Ferrari 250 TRI61 Fantuzzi Spyder. Only 2 TR61s were produced and both were presented on the lawn. #10 is owned by Ralph Lauren and has two successive Sebring victories to its credit, in '61 with Phil Hill / Olivier Gendebien, and in '62 with Jo Bonnier and Lucien Bianchi. Also driven in '61 at LeMans by the Rodriguez brothers to 5th place. The other, ex-Count Volpi Serenissima collection car without racing number is presently owned by a Connecticut based collector, and won LeMans in '61 in the hands of Hill / Gendebien, which, if I remember correctly makes this the last front-engined car to ever win at Le Sarthe overall.

More Ferraris, starting with the REVS institute ( Miles Collier Collection )-owned #54 '48 Ferrari 166 Corsa Spyder ( photos #1 & 2 ). This is the first Ferrari ( Chassis # 016-1 ) to win a major race and the very first Ferrari to arrive in the US. Luigi Chinetti won the 12 Hours of Monthlery in it, and later that year broke the 2-liter 100 mile and 200 kilometer records at over 124 mph. In '49 Briggs Cunningham purchased this car and scored the first Ferrari US victory at the Suffolk County Airport race in '50.

The other three images are of Bruce Meyers' '57 Ferrari 625 TRC Scaglietti Spyder, one of only two such cars originally delivered with Ferrari's 2.5 liter 4-cylinder Grand Prix motor. By Ferrari's own records this was the winningest Ferrari ever, winning more class and overall wins during its active racing career than any other 'Cavallino'. Some of the prominent drivers who won in this car included Briggs Cunningham, George Arents, von Neumann, Ritchie Ginther and Ken Miles. In '58 Ferrari sent over a V-12 engine which was installed along with a new hood with the larger scoop, became known as "Von Neumann's Hot Rod" and continued winning until its racing retirement in '61.

Some more Ferraris, including the forerunner to the "pontoon-fendered" customer Testa Rossa series, a '54 Ferrari 250 Monza Scaglietti ( photos # 2 & 4 ). This car is the first of the four Monzas built, and was originally designed and built by PininFarina. Bought in '57 by US-based Luigi Chinetti, it was sent to Scaglietti to be re-bodied to its present configuration.

Finishing up with a styling study for a potential future Ferrari supercar, displayed in the AFAS ( Aoutomotive Fine Arts Society ) tent.

A set of a pair of Bugattis, starting out with a rare '37 Type 57SC Atalante (photos #1,2, 4 & 5), nota bene, not an Atlantic . After passing through the hands of several European owners, it was sold to Bill Harrah in '61, who restored it meticulously and added the supercharger, bringing it up to full SC specs. In '76 this car ( chassis # 57551 ) won Best of Show at Pebble.

Another set of miscellaneous cars, including three images of a particularly nice, white '53 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Spyder ( shots #2, 3 & 4 )- note the 4-cam V-8 engine, carrying a pair of the incredibly rare and damn near impossible to find four-barrel Weber carbs.

It's not only about the cars, although I sincerly confess that I personally go only for the cars. For those who care about such things, Pebble Beach offers some of the best people - watching outside of major international airports.

Photo #1 shows famed restoration guru Paul Russel, ( center, with Mexico Blue tie ) whose organization is responsible for several 'Best of Show' cars, most notably the black Bugatti Atlantic from the R. Lauren collection.

Photo #3 - Art Center college graduate, New Beetle & Audi TT designer, Chrysler 300 designer, Ford Styling & global developement VP, R Gruppe co-founder and long-time Pebble Beach honorary judge Freeman Thomas

Photo #4 - Sports Car Market magazine publisher and "What's my car worth" TV show producer and anchor, Keith Martin - in grey trousers

Photo #5 - an old and burned-out looking Jay Leno - a shocking metamorphosis from his days on the Tonight show

Back to the cars………..starting with an extremely rare '68 Ford GT 40 Mark III Coupe. A total of 84 racing GT 40s were produced at Ford's Advanced Vehicle facilties at Slough, England. J.W. Automotive Engineering, headed by John Wyer, ex-Ford's GT 40 team manager, then took over Slough and began producing only road-going street-legal versions of the GT 40 in '66. This car has a de-tuned 289 V-8, a more civilized interior and better ground clearance. Only 7 were ever produced at $18,500 per.

Tom Shaughnessy's 392 cu. inch Chrysler hemi-powered '57 Kurtis 500X "Caballo II " open Sutton Sports Racer. This specific car is the only American car to have ever been entered in the famed original Mille Miglia. With its Briggs Cunningham donated motor it was good for a sustained 170 mph. Shot #3 is a framed 'centerfold' from the period, taken from 'Sports Car Illustrated' magazine.

Photos #4 & 5 are of the fascinating, mildly modified, record breaking Jaguar XK-120, which went 172 + mph to recapture the production car speed record for Jaguar.

Another set of various cars…………..

…….on to the Rolls-Royce / Bentley marques - starting out with a pair of images of one of the oldest cars on the lawn in '14, a 1908 Silver Ghost with Roi des Belges body by Barker, as well as one of the oldest surviving Silver Ghosts in the world. Regularly driven and to be featured in the upcoming season of 'Downton Abby'.

If I may be permitted a brief editorial, Rolls-Royces are not my 'cup of tea, and if I live to be a hundred I'll most likely never own one, yet I cannot imagine a proper Concours without the presence of a representative selection of classic 'Rollers'………as opposed to the atrocities being pawned off on the world these days under the BMW banner.

To be continued & finished tomorrow evening

…….and another set of images of the cars from Crewe, England.

Transitioning to the German marques, we lead off with a rare '37 Horch Model 853 Cabriolet. The Horch marque represents one of the four rings in the Auto-Union corporate grille badge, the other three being DKW, Wanderer and Audi. This particular car, is one of 50 similar cars purchased by the government of the Third Reich, you know, the one that was supposed to last a thousand years, as staff cars for general grade officers. Towards the end of the war this car's general was captured by US troops and his Horch confiscated and brought to the US. Completely original, with only the top of the hood repainted to cover up the yellow stenciled US Army inventory number, it now lives in a museum in Sprinfield, MO.

Photo #2 is of the winning 1914 Number 28 Mercedes Grand Prix car, one of three entered in the '14 French GP where they finished 1,2 and 3. Powered by a 270 cu. in 4-cylinder motor making 112 HP with total loss oiling system, the car was the first "modern" GP design of the era, light but strong, with NO front brakes. Note: Car shown at Laguna Seca, since it was not entered in the Concours.

Photos #3 & 4 - a rare '37 Mercedes 540K Cabriolet

Photo #5 - a very rare and exclusive '41 Mercedes 770K WQ150 Offener ( open ) Tourenwagen ( Touring car ). This specific car was personally presented by Adolph Hitler to the commanding general of his Finland invasion force in '41. In '44, when Russia invaded Finnland, the car was secreted away to neutral Sweden, who in turn confiscated it and sold it off to the US, this time to our general William Lyon in the early '50s.

Another set of various cars, starting out with a Hernandez et Darrin bodied '34 Hispano-Suiza, then a '34 Duesenberg with its distinctive Kelly-green engine, followed by a '33 Auburn 12-165 Salon Speedster, and photo #5, a '35 Packard 1207 Twelve Sport Phaeton.

A few more misc. cars, and starting with photo #4 moving on to the always fascinating & entertaining "Concept Cars" area, on the practice green by the course pro-shop.

Another set from the Concept Green, leading off with the grotesquely priced ( $ 185,000 ) MIDUAL Type 1 motorcycle, with 35 planned for production beginning in '16 and several pre-orders already on the books. Phot #2 shows the official Alfa 4C USA introduction display, followed by the most powerful Infinity ever, the 560 HP Q50 Eau Rouge - no plans for production - yet ! Photos #4 & 5 show a Mercedes AMG styling study……..words simply fail me.

That's a Tesla Model S, not an Infiniti.

The year is winding down, so why shouldn't my appearantly endless thread about the greatest car festival in the country end as well at this time. It's been a pleasure and a sometimes frustrating & futile effort to capture the deeply satisfying but always fulfilling second week in August in one of the loveliest spots in America. I can't wait for the 2015 edition of the ever-changing and evolving Monterey Car Week.

The final set of photos.

Thanks for looking, and a Merry Christmas to all.

JZG

Huge effort, John! Many thanks. Great Christmas present to the board.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Flieger

That's a Tesla Model S, not an Infiniti.

---

Max, you're correct - shown is a Saleen Automotive 4 Sixteen Model S, based on the Tesla S. The infinity I mistakenly referred to has the almost identical lines to the Saleen / Tesla and was the same Candy Red. Sorry

John G.,

Thanks so much for your generous text and your absolutely GORGEOUS photos.......... :)

John, the car in post 177 with the round fuel tank wearing start-number 2 from the 1914 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France is the Opel grand prix car that Carl Jorns drove to a 10th place finish behind the Mercedes sweep. The Hispano-Suiza coupe chauffeur in post 178 is of course bodied by the Franco-American carrossiers Fernandez (with an "F") et Darrin. Also, I believe that Duesenberg aficionados consider their engines to be "Apple-Green" rather than Kelly.

I just want to help educate; given the vast number of images you have produced, you are a miracle-worker to keep so much of of what you have seen in your head. Merry Christmas, and many thanks for this early present!

-- David

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nine17

John, the car in post 177 with the round fuel tank wearing start-number 2 from the 1914 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France is the Opel grand prix car that Carl Jorns drove to a 10th place finish behind the Mercedes sweep.
I just want to help educate; given the vast number of images you have produced, you are a miracle-worker to keep so much of of what you have seen in your head. Merry Christmas, and many thanks for this early present!

-- David

---

Thanks, David…..right as usual on all counts.

To atone for my sin of inattention I have corrected Post #177 by showing the car that's actually described in the text.

I am also posting photos of both cars below to try to gain some sympathy for my error by illustrating just how damned similar to each other they appear. As if the lesson were necessary, this is yet another demonstration of what happens when one assumes something - in the very early hours of the Concours during stageing and before cappuccino I looked up and here was a white GP car with a #2 on its grill, therefore it had to be the Mercedes I had seen at Laguna Seca the day before, right ?………. when in reality the Mercedes never even made it to Pebble Beach - hence the shot of it in the pits at the track.