Canepa May '16 Cars & Coffee

[John Z Goriup]

Concluding with a final batch of 9 images, the first seven on which are of a very unique and quite overwhelming one-off project of a local gentleman who took a 1930s firetruck which was powered by a huge Pierce-Arrow V-12 engine, and who then reconstructed it in the configuration shown here , using the motor, transmission, some suspension components and the main frame rails which were obviously modified to suit the shorter and narrower two-seat touring roadster into which it was morphed by Michael Leeds of Santa Cruz.

The thing dwarfs anything and anyone standing anywhere near it and it's really difficult to comprehend how an object that large ( Leeds reports it weighs 10,000 pounds exactly )and appearantly that ungainly can possibly be called and used as 'personal transportation', but Leed's patience, multi-faceted abilities, talent, dedication to incredible workmanship and attention to detail and perseverance are such that he reports that it's capable of cruising at 80 mph all day long, is perfectly comfortable to drive long distances and has been almost completely reliable.

When I jokingly asked Leeds if Jay Leno had ever contacted him about this thing, given his appearant preference and enthusiasm for 'really big" American iron, Leeds casually, but with more than a tinge of pride & satisfaction mentioned that Yes, indeed, Leno had heard about the Roadster and had contacted him and in fact asked Leeds to work with him to build something similar using utterly unconventional power, looks and construction...........all of which which ultimately resulted in Leno's famous, all-alloy "Tank Car" ( please see the last photo for reference, which I took at the '08 Pebble Beach Concours where Leno personally displayed his then-new toy on the lawn).

It's stuff like that which will keep me going back to Scotts Valley on the second Saturday of each month, because trust me, I'm just not imaginative enough to make any of that stuff up.

I chose the image of the blue Cobra Coupe as the last image ( too bad it isn't the last photo because the gremlins in the site decided otherwise ) for the sole reason of demonstarting just how handy and convenient the new-to-me concept of an auto-focus camera can be...........it was getting around mid-day and folks were starting to leave, when I heard the unique crackle of a high compression Ford racing motor, spun around and there was the Cobra Daytona Coupe on its way out - simply pointed the camera and got this sharp, perfectly usable image without any drama...something I never could accomplish quite so effoirtlessly & handily with the old manual Leica M.

The Wine Country Classic ( or whatever name it's known by these days ) in early June is next.....see you then.

Thanks for looking,

JZG

[trdking]

Sooooweeeet!!!

[Nine17]

...morphed by Michael Leeds of Santa Cruz.

The Blast-O-Lene Brothers are Santa Cruz originals! What a terrific new camera and lens combo John! Leica has really stepped-up their game to compete with what Sony and Fujifilm are doing. These are great days to be a camera buff.

Not to hijack, but one of the coolest cars to show on Saturday was a locally-owned Pagani Huayra -- one of 100. The owner is one of the nicest automotive enthusiasts you will ever meet, and he and his son let every Tom, Dick, and Harry have a turn sitting behind the wheel of what is probably the most expensive new car in the world. Of course, to this owner it's just a car. His son drove the Huayra to Cars & Coffee, while the owner drove his lovely 1968 Dino 208 short-wheelbase alloy berlinetta. The family 275 GTB short-nose is in the shop. I have to say that I never "got" the Huayra from magazine photos and the poor color choices of other owners -- I thought it crass. This gentleman and his charming wife worked with Horacio Pagani to select the perfect combination of colors and finishes -- the bare carbon fiber of the central section shows perfectly against the liquid silver of the bodywork. The leather interior is amazing; even the floor mats are fine leather. The details seem silly until you see the jewel-like workmanship. This is true artistry that a 21st Century Ettore Bugatti would admire -- that over-blown Auto-Union that currently masquerades as a "Bugatti" isn't anything like the thoroughbreds that came out of Molsheim. This car is that kind of special. Pagani is the Michelangelo of carbon.

-- David

[pu911rsr]

John,

Great images - thanks!

Phil