July '15 Canepa Cars & Coffee

[John Z Goriup]

Sorry to be a lttle tardy with my posting, but things got a little hectic around the house yesterday when I returned from Scotts Valley, and earlier today, as I sat down down in front of my faithful iMac to post yesterday's excursion, I was reminded that eccentricity is an occasionally very heavy cross to bear. I recently started using my computer's reminder feature in the 'Dashboard' app and what should pop up but a blurb about today's annual Holland Herring Festival at my favorite old-style deli, Saul's in Berkeley…….a magnificent smorgasbord of specially-prepared-for-the-occasion freshly caught herring, marinated, salted, smoked, with onions and peppercorns, pickled - and washed down with a glorious array of imported beers, home-made pumpernickel bread served with that incomparable Dutch unsalted country butter…..it's utterly pointless to try to relate to anyone who's not a certified fanatic about just how truly delicious this stuff is - one either understands fully, or will forever roll their eyes, and write us off as hopeless lunatics. Either response is perfectly acceptable & normal.

Back to the cars…….since it's the height of summer the morning at Canepa's started without the usual fog and drizzle, rather opened to dazzling sunshine and the usual full parking lot at 8:00 AM already. To me one of the wondrous aspects of this monthly spectacle is the variety in cars and people. Even though It's still a relatively new happening ( in its third year ) and word about how great an event this is keeps spreading and attracting new attendees, its difficult to detect a significant cadre of the 'usual ssuspects'….yet. Admittedly, there's maybe a dozen or two hardenend repeat-offenders for whom this has become a de rigeur monthly pilgrimage, but it seems to me the majority every month are first timers. I keep saying that it's the cars and only the cars that attract me, but, truth be known, I dearly love seeing my friends there and chatting with them and genuinely look forward to seeing them during the months when the Canepa organization throws open its doors (April through October) .

JZG

[John Z Goriup]

Folks kept arriving individually throughout the morning in some of the most delectable cars ever made ( photo #3, an original '67 Lamborghini Miura S ) as well as en masse as part of club outings and parked in small clusters of 'birds of a feather'.

In my view, a significant event occured during yesterday's C & C: Jim Breazeale, proprietor of EASY ( European Auto Salvage Yard ) in Emeryville, CA drove to Santa Cruz for the occasion in the world's most famous Sepia Brown longhood and met Bruce Canepa, with whom he's been doing business involving Porsche parts for almost forty years. I am glad I was there to record the historic moment ( photo # 4 ) Bruce C., left, Chris Roman, a mutual friend of both, center, and Jim B., right.

The last photo in this set shows Jim's eclectic and highly organic '73 911 with 3.2 motor and almost 300,000 miles on the clock………..a car that truly works for a living. I submit a photo of that car belongs next to the word "patina" in every dictionary. One of the most 'honest' longhoods I know.

[John Z Goriup]

In the next four sets I'll attampt to show the fascinating, interesting and astonishing diversity and variety of iron you can expect to run into at these second-Saturday-of-the-month get togethers. I didn't take anywhere near my usual number of shots yesterday, since, as I mentioned above, yesterday I actually spent the majority of my time chatting and discussing cars with friends, instead of just mindlessly shooting cars.

[John Z Goriup]

…..and the next set.

[John Z Goriup]

Another set, this time featuring wheels only. The wooden affair in photo #5 is a 1904 Cadillac that drove in with owner and his entire family.

[John Z Goriup]

The last set of guest's cars in the parking lot.

[John Z Goriup]

Moving on to the Canepa Museum to check out some of the latest acqusitions and well-known core displays.

Photo #5 is the unique front wheel / front suspension arrangement of the historic Tyrrell 6-wheeled P34 F-1 Grand Prix car - scored one victory in two seasons of being campaigned. Didn't have my archeologist's hammer handy, so used my swiss army knife with 2-1/2" blade to show the scale of the tiny 10" dia. front wheels.

[John Z Goriup]

……moving downstairs to the well-stocked showroom.

Photo #1 shows the cowl and dash of an absolutely perfect M-B 280 Coupe, a sinister looking black 914, a '74 model, completely restored and extensively modified with a PMO carbureted 3.2 motor, modified 915 transmission, coil-over suspension with 930 brakes F & R and a 2" top chop..and a total of approx. 4000 miles since the restoration….and fully sorted.

That's original paint on the viper green '73 911T.

A 4-cam Carrera in silver.

[John Z Goriup]

These final three sets are all of projects in the Canepa shop, with just abouit all of the race cars in the shop for the specific purpose of being prepared for the Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Rennsport 5 weeks later in September.

[John Z Goriup]

This set leads off with a shot taken through the rear window of a '62 ATS 2500 GT, one of 12 such cars ever produced in Modena by ATS, a company made up and quickly founded by the handful of people who were forced out of Ferrari due to disagreemnts with Enzo in the now famous 'palace revolt', including Carlo Chitti, Phil Hill, etc. The car was a disaster and the company folded after 18 months, but it is significant in that it was nevertheless one of the very first mid-engined production sportscars ever.