Wayne Carini's The Chase | Fall 2022 | Volume 2, Issue 4

from the publisher

WITH

THE HOLIDAY SEASON UPON US,

we thought it would be helpful for you to have a few gift ideas for the discerning car person in your life. Starting on pg. 80 we have put together a collection of 12 gift ideas, all unique. I’d take one a day for the 12 days of Christmas. Thank you very much.

For a little insight on how creative minds tick, catch up with columnist/ artist Chuck Queener as he spoke with GM design guru Ed Welburn. Chuck shines a little light on Ed’s very early genesis into what the man has become today through some of his first sketches. It’s interesting that some of the basic shapes continued to actual production for GM. See pg. 20.

Going to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has been a pilgrimage for some who have gone for many years and have seen it through its growth and popularity. A couple of those guys are Wayne Carini and his friend, Ralph Marano. To date, Carini has been attending for a little over 50 years— either showing a car or just going to enjoy the show. Marano has been showing cars there for 26 years in a row. In 2022, they both attended, bringing their own Lincolns. Editor-in-chief Lowell Paddock sat down with them to discuss what it’s like to bring a car and take advantage of all that the Monterey Car Week has to offer. This year, however, some of their experiences were a little different. See pg. 72 for this great interview.

If you had a chance to attend this year’s Lime Rock Historic Festival, you saw a wonderful collection of Corvettes—not your run-of-the-mill versions of the Vette, but a collection that included design concept cars that helped shape the car for years to come. They were shipped in from Detroit, directly from GM. Also, there were the heavy hitters in the Vette league who brought cars from their own collection. Kevin Mackay is one of those individuals. His collection is steeped in history and The Chase Contributor Sean Smith had time to sit down with Kevin to give us some insight on not only his cars, but his restoration shop, Corvette Repair, Inc. Sean did a great job capturing not only the story but the photos that accompany it. See pg. 92.

The Last Word is a little unique this month as well—a great photo taken by Josh Sweeney at 3:00 in the morning in front of the old Packard Plant in Detroit. The Ghost and the Machine. Enjoy!

Speed safely, Russ Rocknak Publisher, The Chase

Executive Publisher Wayne Carini

Publisher Russ Rocknak

Editor-in-Chief Lowell Paddock

West Coast Editor Jay Ward

Copy Editor Randi Swartz

Content Director Matthew Strauss

Contributing Editors

Mike Brewer, Marshall Buck, Chuck Queener, Andy Reid, Sean Smith, Judy Stropus, Ed Welburn, Linda Zukauskas

Contributing Photographers Russ Rocknak, Sean Smith, Josh Sweeney

Social Media/Web Navadise Media

Column Illustrations Chuck Queener

Advertising, Subscription, and Editorial Inquiries

Russ Rocknak 603.759.4676 rsr@chasemag.com thechasemagazine.com

Wayne Carini’s The Chase is published six times a year by 2022 RSR Media Group, LLC., P.O. Box 786, Bath, ME 04530

© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher.

ON THE COVER: This 1966 Corvette coupe was Roger Penske’s first race car as a team owner. It had an L88 development engine—an engine that wasn’t available to the masses until the following year. Photo by Sean Smith

ON THE CHASE

Wayne Carini

Fog Cutter

Every year it seems that Pebble Beach and the Monterey car week get more crowded overall, more complicated and, unfortunately, more expensive. And yet, it’s just the place to see virtually every aspect of the car hobby on display, regardless of if you’re a collector, a restorer, or just a fan.

The unofficial start of car week has traditionally been the Wednesday evening Jet Center party hosted by Gordon and Molly McCall. As part of its expanding role in the collector car world, Hagerty this year joined forces with the McCalls, and the event is now known as Motorlux. The combination of amazing aircraft, a diverse mix of incredible cars, and great entertainment made for a memorable evening.

An early start the following morning was a chance for me to put one of my favorite cars, a 1938 Lincoln Model K coupe, to the test as part of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. I was truly honored to be invited to show the Lincoln as part of a special Lincoln Centennial class in the Sunday concours. But it’s one thing to drive your car onto the show field on Sunday morning—it’s something else entirely to drive it on the Tour. While the Lincoln is in fantastic condition, realistically I had no expectation of winning Best in Class at the concours. I really wanted to be able to participate in the Tour, where the drive down to Big Sur and back is really one of the most enjoyable events of the week with a rare opportunity to see all these fabulous cars in motion.

Next up, on Friday, was The Quail, a Motorsports Gather-

ing, which showcases both new vehicles as well as classic performance cars. I was really gratified that my good friend Dick McClure, who has done so much to support various classic car-related events on the Monterey Peninsula was awarded with the “Spirit of Motoring” award, a well-deserved honor.

One of the usual destinations of the week is the auctions, where this year’s results belied any concerns about an impending economic downturn. The highlight—in every sense—was a Scaglietti-bodied Ferrari 410 Spider, which sold for over $22 million. As the sale price suggests, this was a very special Ferrari in which Carroll Shelby won more races than any other vehicle in his racing career. I was pleased that my 1920 Stutz fetched a decent price at Bonhams, and I was also gratified that the 1954 Norton Big 4 that I had purchased at Bonham’s Amelia auction and then turned over to Bonhams’ Quail Lodge auction turned into a con-

Above: Where the rubber hits the road, literally. It was a race to the finish getting the Lincoln ready for Pebble, but Intercity Lines ensured that it arrived safely. Transporting a car across the country is never without a few moments of anxiety.

Below: The Pebble Tour started at approximately 5:00 AM on a typically cool and misty morning. While getting invited to display a car on the Sunday show field is an honor unto itself, the Tour is the real highlight of the weekend with a rare opportunity to see so many beautiful and important cars in motion.

tribution to Autism Families CONNECTicut. This year saw a new auction house added: Broad Arrow, another component of the Hagerty organization. Broad Arrow’s first auction was impressive, with an 88% sell through on sales of $55 million.

By Saturday, the pace wasn’t letting up as I participated in one of my favorite events, the Concours d’Lemons, which is always preceded by a visit to Dodi Auto Sales. Owner Dodi Khalil and I have a special relationship. Each year Dodi helps me find a Lemons entrant from his extensive inventory of highly eclectic cars. I usually select from what I would (optimistically) call Dodi’s “project cars,” but this year’s car was actually quite noteworthy: a BMW 502 that had been pulled from long-term storage in Northern California. Now, a 502 in presentable condition would normally sell for tens of thousands of dollars, but this car was far from that, having apparently been inhabited by a possum for an extended period of its life (in fact, a petrified possum came with the car). Something about seeing this otherwise sophisticated German sedan in “barn find” condition did the trick with the judges, and Dodi and his family

were feted with miles of silly string.

Of course, the top event of the weekend kicked off at dawn on Sunday. I was thrilled to drive the Model K onto the field through a cold, thick fog. As the day wound to a close and I was packing up, I was astonished to learn that the Lincoln team had selected my car for this year’s Lincoln trophy. I rolled up to the podium with my good friends Ralph and Adeline Marano to receive the award from none other than Edsel Ford himself. And it didn’t stop there—Edsel sent everyone in the Lincoln class a personalized “flying greyhound” statue as a tribute to the famous Lincoln radiator ornament, along with a personalized note.

Overall, it was a fabulous week, but by the end of the weekend, even I had reached my limit of car enthusiasm. I had earlier contributed to a pool bet on the total auction results, and my estimate of $585 million versus an actual of $601 won me $550 from the pool. Because so many things had gone my way over the past week I decided it wasn’t time to test my luck, so I declined an invitation to dinner and ended the night early.

Left: Norton Big 4, purchased earlier in the year at Bonhams’ Amelia auction, was sold through Bonhams’ Quail Lodge auction to raise funds for Autism Families CONNECTicut.

Below left: Hagerty joined forces with Gordon and Molly McCall to build on the foundation of their Motorworks Revival with a new event called Motorlux. Great cars and great people made for a great party.

Left: The Lincoln Trophy, which was followed by a personal letter from Edsel Ford and a replica of the famous Lincoln greyhound.

Below: Driving up to receive the Lincoln Trophy from Edsel Ford was an unexpected honor. His grandfather prioritized styling at Ford and was responsible for such landmark designs as the Lincoln-Zephyr and the Continental. On the K coupe, he made sure the car was built without side mounts, giving it a more graceful and flowing proportion.

Ed Welburn

Edsel

The world has long talked of great scientists, artists, and inventors who were well ahead of their time. They were (and are) creative people who are possessed by a far-reaching vision of what was possible, but whose inventive minds often outpaced society or the technical capabilities of their time.

There were visions of great flying machines well before the Wright Brothers’ historic flight at Kitty Hawk. There have been countless medical theories and experiments before their time, and yes, the auto industry has many examples of cars whose design or technology outpaced the public’s ability to embrace them. The Chrysler Airflow comes to mind, as well as the Tucker, and the General Motors EV1.

Seeing an Edsel at a recent car show started me wondering if perhaps that car might have been a similar case. It’s well known that the Edsel de-

bacle cost Ford hundreds of millions of dollars. Of course, it wasn’t the only mistake of its kind— every major automaker has had its share of disappointments and miscalculations—but it was certainly one of the worst.

There’s an interesting video of Henry Ford II, Ford’s chief executive at the time, trying to drum up some enthusiasm for the Edsel at its launch, but he doesn’t look very enthusiastic. “From a personal perspective,” he says to the camera in a deadpan manner, alongside a giant Edsel logo, “I believe the car accurately represents the ideals and principles

Above: Henry Ford II had taken the reins at Ford after his father’s untimely death in 1943. “Hank the Deuce” apparently objected to the use of his father’s name on the car, given Edsel’s innate design capability, as evidenced by the spectacular Lincoln Continental as well as other Ford products. He probably would not have been a fan of the Edsel’s awkward styling.

Left: Roy Brown, the Edsel’s chief designer, said that his goal was “to create a vehicle which would be unique in the sense that it would be readily recognizable in styling from the 19 other makes of cars on the road at the time.” From that perspective, he certainly succeeded.

of automotive styling which were so strongly held by my father, in whose honor it is named.”

With the benefit of hindsight and knowing just how refined some of the products designed under Edsel’s leadership were (like the Lincoln Zephyr and the Continental Mark II), I have a hard time believing that the Edsel (the car) is a product that Edsel (the man) would have endorsed. But seeing an Edsel in a contemporary light made me give it a fresh appraisal. Could it be that the Edsel was, actually, well ahead of its time? This adventurous styling exercise, with its dramatic horse collar grille, extravagant use of character lines, and bold use of color was panned by the media, scorned by potential customers, and later scapegoated as an example of a failed, even laughable design, known by every man, woman, or child for years to come –and not in a good way.

The 1950s were a period of expressive automobile design. The focus was primarily on longer, lower, and wider proportions. Sculpted body sides and ever-growing fins were the vogue. Taillamps became an identifiable feature in a car’s design. Grilles were strong, but not really

as much a focal point as the aircraft-inspired rear appearance. Edsel bucked that trend with a bold, vertical grille design, accentuated by strong horizontal elements to the grille’s lower left and right. The Edsel also had a graphic body side and strong taillamps, but it was that bold vertical grille which took it over the top.

Might the Edsel’s bold, over-the-top design aesthetic, punctuated by that extreme grille design and out-of-control bodyside lines and surfacing, have fit in perfectly in today’s world, where some automobile grilles look like Darth Vader’s mask, while others have taken on the scale and proportion of the iron grille work at a national BBQ pig roast? Was the Edsel ahead of its time, or has today’s society not only accepted, but even embraced what was once thought of as laughable? Today I think I understand Ford’s Edsel a bit better, and it inspired me to do some sketching with the Edsel grille adapted to a contemporary design aesthetic. I think it would look great on the proportions of the new Mustang—an interesting alternative to the out-of-control grilles from some manufacturers. Unfortunately, I don’t expect that Ford would agree with me.

Left and Below: Maybe it’s time to reassess the Edsel’s design cues in a modern context. It comes at a time when so many automakers are both struggling to adapt their grille designs to modern vehicle proportions and technologies, as well as stand out in the very competitive market. This is a rough sketch that might be a great exercise for design students.

THE ARTIST

Chuck Queener

“Follow Your Dreams”

One of the first things I noticed about my fellow Chase contributor Ed Welburn Jr. was his demeanor—quietly reserved with a ready smile. Born December 14, 1950, his ability to observe his surroundings and transfer those observations to paper showed itself at an early age. “When other toddlers were drawing stick figures of people, horses, and houses, I was drawing cars. One day I went through my mother’s books, finding the unmarked inside covers with my crayons. She was very angry,” Welburn says with that smile. “I guess I was three years old.”

He grew up in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, a Main Line suburb of Philadelphia. When Welburn was eight he had an opportunity to go to the Philadelphia Auto Show. That’s when he decided he wanted to become a designer at General Motors. Three years later he wrote his first letter to GM hoping they would hire him. Fortunately, they wrote back with recommendations he should follow to make his dream possible.

Early influences include GM’s Bill Mitchell

I asked him what influenced him in those early years. “I was very much inspired by the cars of Bill Mitchell,” he says, “and feel very fortunate to have worked for him in the last five years of his career at GM Design.”

College was an important step and Welburn attended Howard University’s School of Fine Arts in Washington, DC, where he studied sculpture, painting, and design. At Howard he was fortunate to have Lois Mailou Jones, a well-known painter, as one of his instructors.

He continued writing to GM Design and they offered him an internship in 1971 after his junior year. Things moved quickly and a year later he became the first African American to design GM vehicles. Welburn spent his entire career at the company, retiring on June 30, 2016.

During that period he was involved in the design of over 500 automobiles, which included Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn. He spent a year at GM’s Opel Design Studios in

Above: One of the true joys in Ed’s life is the time spent encouraging young people in design, engineering, racing, and life. Here Ed is spending time with students of NXG Youth Motorsports, Inc., a great organization supporting minority students in karting.

Left: As a toddler, the only clean sheet of paper Ed could find was the end sheets in his mother’s books. Needless to say, she wasn’t pleased, but years later Ed still has those books and some of his very first sketches.

Ed Welburn Jr. took his own advice, which led to a remarkable career at GM Design.

Germany, where he was involved with Opel/Vauxhall, Holden, Hummer, Saab, Wuling, and Baojun.

In addition to vehicle design, his team took on many industrial design projects, including graphic design, exhibit displays, dealerships, corporate offices, and the interiors of corporate aircraft, as well as the Chevrolet pavilion at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center in Florida and the Chevrolet pavilion at Shanghai Disneyland.

From the Philadelphia Auto Show to the Smithsonian Institution

In 2003, Ed was named General Motors’ vice president of design, which made him merely the sixth person to head that department in the company’s

history and the highest-ranked African American in the auto industry. In 2005 he became the first to lead GM Design globally with more than 1,400 designers in 11 design centers in seven countries—a far cry from the Philadelphia Auto Show. One thing we can all be grateful for is his interest in keeping GM’s design history alive. He’s responsible for the restoration of 17 of GM’s concept cars.

In 2016, GM dedicated its Center for African American Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum in Welburn’s honor. The Detroit Free Press honored him with the first-ever Difference Maker Lifetime Achievement Award, and most recently his body of work was turned over to the Smithsonian Institution, making him the first automo-

Above, left: Since leaving GM Design in 2016, Ed’s creative juices have spread in many directions, one of which is shoe design. Above: On the 50th anniversary of being hired at GM Design, Ed was the Honoree of the 2022 Detroit Concours.

Above: Welburn spent 20 years of his career in the Oldsmobile Studio at GM. He worked on a wide variety of projects including three generations of the popular Cutlass Supreme. His sketches were all created in pencil, chalk, and marker on vellum.

tive designer to earn that distinction.

During his induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2017, it was said he “brought beauty back to General Motors.” One interesting assignment was the United States presidential limousine that was used by Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. Nicknamed “The Beast,” it was created during GM’s bankruptcy. Welburn feels his team created some of their best work in those years.

That year he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 2018 he received the EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award, and in 2021, Robb Report magazine presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Welburn says the next generation of designers is important to him, and to that end he serves on the board of directors for the College for Creative Studies, America On Wheels, and Tony Bennett’s foundation, Exploring the Arts, which supports public schools of the arts in New York and Los Angeles. While at GM, he attended auto shows in Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Shanghai, and Moscow, and during those trips he always took time to meet and encourage design students.

Welburn’s interest in racing has taken him around the world where he’s been able to drive laps at Indianapolis, Le Mans, Suzuka, Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, Paul Ricard, and Monza. He was also inspired by Jim Hall and his Chaparrals. “In

‘‘

I was very much inspired by the cars of Bill Mitchell and feel very fortunate to have worked for him in the last five years of his career at GM Design.”

Left:

more recent years,” Welburn says, “I’ve gotten to know Jim and he kindly let me drive the 2E and 2H. I’ve always been a fan of vintage Ferraris; the 330 P4, 275 GTB, and 250 LM are my favorites. Others include Aston Martins and the Porsche 917 in all its configurations.”

Making it in the Movies

The movie business piqued his interest, with a goal of GM’s product placement in major films. His relationship with Paramount Pictures Director Michael Bay led to work on the Transformers series, featuring the Bumblebee Camaro. He also had a speaking role in Transformers: Age of Extinction, fourth installment, where he showed a different side of his demeanor. Check it out on Amazon Prime.

Another passion and talent Welburn has, from head to toe, is fashion, and in 2014 he was named to HOUR Detroit magazine’s Best Dressed list. He’s currently working on a clothing line that covers shoes and sneakers. He’s also working on electric scooters for Olympian Usain Bolt. I guess Bolt doesn’t think he’s fast enough.

In his “retirement” Welburn is busy as a judge at classic car events, including Pebble Beach Concours

d’Elegance, Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance, Audrain Newport Concours and Motor Week, Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Suzuka, and The Peninsula Classics, among others.

When he retired in 2016 Welburn took his ZO6 Corvette to Europe to say goodbye to the people who had worked for him in Italy, France, and England. Some retirement party! One thing that doesn’t show in his drawings is his ability to get along with and lead his staff. And that’s a quality that’s highly admired in the executive world.

The sketches you see here are some of Welburn’s favorites, and in the hopes of inspiring a future head of GM Design, he says “Follow your dreams.”

Below: Ed’s very first sketch for the Aerotech project, done in Coyote Orange, caught the attention of the design leaders, but even more importantly, the sometimes-volatile A.J. Foyt, who would drive the high-speed research car and loved it.

Left: This silver sketch represents the car after an exhausting wind tunnel test, in which Ed was very much involved.

From a series of sketches for a proposed expressive wagon for the 1982 Cutlass Ciera.

WHAT’S IN YOUR GARAGE?

Do you have an interesting car or truck in your garage?

Send us five or six high resolution photographs along with about 75 words that explain why you love it, why you bought it, and what you’ve done to it. You might just wind up in the next issue of The Chase.

Show Us What’s In Your Garage: Contact us at garage@waynecarini.tv.

Dave Kuhl

Rochester Hills, Michigan 1973 Opel GT

GM executive Dave Kuhl fell in love with the Opel GT at an early age. “My neighbor was a district sales manager for Buick in the North Central region,” he recalls. “He had one as a company car when I was five and I fell in love with it.” His affection for the GT never wavered and later motivated Dave to spend six years at GM’s Frankfurt-based European division. “GTs are fairly rare in the US, and I finally found a good example when I repatriated to the US,” he says. Good is an understatement — Dave’s GT underwent a rotisserie restoration and is today a near-perfect example of this rare, Corvette-inspired compact coupe.

Dave Castine Wakefield, Massachusetts 1971 Plymouth Duster 340: “The Beast”

The Beast is a 1971 Plymouth Duster 340 that I’ve owned since 2018. It’s an original H code car, in its original EL5 Bahama Yellow paint. This car has a great history, as it has always been a rust-free California car spending a lot of years at the Sacramento Raceway taking life a quarter mile at a time. In 2006 it was selected to be on the cover of Hemmings Muscle Machines. The Beast was brought east by its previous owner in 2016. The engine is what makes this old gal get’er done—it’s a number matching 340 block with a SCAT full roller 416 stroker kit installed, numbers matching rebuilt 727 transmission, and a 3:55 Sure Grip 8 3/4” rear. It has 3,000 miles on the engine and only 1,000 miles on the transmission. Yup, she’s fast. It’s hard to get a cup of coffee in this one.

$3.5 MILLION SHATTERS DREAM RIDE RECORDS IN 2022 AT THE FARMINGTON POLO CLUB

The 22nd annual Dream Ride Experience earns unanimous “Best Year” accolades from the thousands of attendees A record number of supercars, motorcycles, Dream Riders, guests and sponsors stepped up with an impressive $3 5 million figure raised for The Hometown Foundation, Inc The Hometown Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting those in need in conjunction with Bozzuto’s, Inc., its family of retailers, and community business partners

Funds raised by The Hometown Foundation support a broad spectrum of programs that meet community needs which focus around five key programs including Animal Welfare, Emergency Response Personnel, Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities or In Need, Major Illness, and the Military

Throughout the weekend, the Farmington Polo Club lit up with, live entertainment, gourmet food and drink and vendors. A police K-9 Challenge with dozens of departments from across the country competed and showcased their talents alongside dozens of Connecticut fire departments participating in the Firefighter Chili Cook-Off More than 100 pets at the Pet Adoption Expo Center found forever homes! More than 1,000 motorcycles participated in the Sunday morning rally, while our Dream Show boasted an impressive 1,000 cars on display

The On the Chase panel brought experts from the automotive industry together on stage for an informative presentation and question-and-answer session Russ Rocknack moderated the panel and panelists included Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars, Christer Hultberg of Koenigsegg, Roni Kurt of Bugatti, Geoff Tink of McLaren, and Roger Allard of Allard Motorcars Consistently, The Dream Cruise proves to be a highlight of the three-day event Drivers travel from across the country –and even from Australia – to open the doors of their amazing vehicles to individuals with intellectual, physical, or developmental needs, affectionately known as Dream Riders Dream Riders came from 33 states and four countries, including Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, and St Kitts and Nevis

The 12-mile, police-escorted ride gave our Dream Riders a magical afternoon Upon return, the Dream Riders exit vehicles to a dazzling red carpet entrance, complete with medal presentation, paparazzi photographers, cheering fans, Miss Connecticut, and so much more!

This event would not be possible without the amazing support of our generous sponsors and car dealership displays that ignite the polo fields Our countless volunteers with their big hearts alongside all emergency response personnel ensure our planning and

execution of the event goes flawlessly and safely.

Year after year, The Dream Ride Experience continues to grow. Big plans for 2023 are in place! Save the date for August 25, 26, and 27, 20 23.

For information about The Dream Ride Experience, visit www dreamride org For information about The Hometown Foundation, visit www hometownfoundation org or contact 203-250-5112 or info@hometownfoundation org

WHAT’S IN YOUR GARAGE?

Garrett Bourque Jefferson, Maine

1956 Porsche Speedster

In 1967 my father drove my mother to the hospital in Boulder, Colorado in their ’56 Porsche Speedster to give birth to me. He bought our car in 1965 while attending the University of Colorado. The near demise of the car came after it was driven for two more years in the Boston area. After my family’s return from Boulder to the New England area, winter use meant that the body developed some serious rust. In 1971, the Speedster was taken off the road and parked in a small shed, where it sat without moving for 25 years. In 1996 my father and I decided to disassemble the car after we found a body shop which would undertake the needed rust repair and body reconstruction. It resided there as a ‘long term project’ for 12 years. While the shell of the car was at the body shop, I put my years of experience working on other people’s 356 Porsches to use. I bought many of the needed parts and worked on the chassis. In the Spring of 2011 the body repair and paint preparation were finally completed. The engine was updated with a rebuilt early 912 flat four, along with disc brakes and a conversion to a 12-volt electrical system, because driving it was the plan. The interior was completely restored and installed, including the carpets, seats, and dash. It is happy being back in the shed where it had languished for many years—only now it is ready, willing, and able to be back on the road again.

Bill Warner

Jacksonville, Florida

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville hardtop

Columnist Bill Warner’s recent move to a larger storage facility in Jacksonville, Florida provided him some breathing room for an eclectic fleet that includes a gorgeous Bahama Blue 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. When the opportunity arose to twin it with an Eldorado Seville hardtop that was billed on Bring a Trailer as also being Bahama Blue, he jumped on it. But there was a catch when the new car showed up. “Turns out,” says Bill, “that Cadillac used three similar shades of blue in 1957 and my Seville is something other than Bahama Blue.” Look for the backstory in an upcoming column Bill’s calling “The Bahama Blues.”

IT’S ABOUT THE RIDE

Russ Rocknak

1971 Mercedes-Benz 250C

Making sense out of cars that carry far more sentimental value than they do monetary. I inherited this coupe from my grandmother when I was a senior in college. That was in 1985.

Time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me. We can credit Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for the great lyrics and the rest of the Rolling Stones for ironically, a timeless song. I am constantly reminded of the Stones tune when in my mind, 1985 seems like a little over a decade ago. Harsh reality is that was 37 years ago. A lot has happened in that time frame and more than a few cars from my fleet have gone after many years, but the Mercedes hasn’t gone anywhere. I still have it, and it is now time for it to come out of its long hibernation. It will make a great winter project for me along with

the ever-present Rupp mini-bike restoration. This car has enormous personal meaning for me because it was my grandmother Ruth’s personal ride. It still has her initials on the doors to remind her that it was hers and I kept them there to remind me of the same thing. Here’s the back story with this car: I was born in Toms River, New Jersey and lived in Forked River as a kid. My grandparents, Charles (Charlie) and Ruth, owned a yacht basin in Lanoka Harbor, on Barnegat Bay. On the weekends my dad would go there to either fish, work on his Chris-Craft, or work on one of the many cars he had stashed in the boat sheds. It was

Above: The 250C parked in Robb Report’s parking lot in Acton, Massachusetts. When I was creative director for Luxury Media Corporation, I drove this car from my apartment in Magnolia to Acton every work day during the summer. For those that don’t know, that is a commute from hell— about 50 miles one way, mostly on Route 128. It never failed me in the battle of the commute. I love the time stamps on the old pictures.

Left: This is the first time this car has had the sun shine on it in 25 years. It was put in this barn when it was built. The bumper seems to have done a good job as a snow plow stop for my dad in the winter. Occasionally, he would overshoot the mark.

always a great time, and I considered myself lucky to go over there with him. Sometimes I would just hide in the back seat area (on the floor by all the old popsicle sticks) and he would always act surprised I was there when we arrived. Nonetheless, My grandfather had his 1949 Ford pickup and a big Oldsmobile Delta 88, and my grandmother had this Mercedes. I always thought it was cool.

When I was young, I loved to wash cars, and I really liked to wash this Mercedes. My grandfather set me up with a bucket, a sheepskin to wash it, and a chamois to dry it. Each time, it seems without even thinking about it, I was allowed to back the cars out of the garage to the driveway, wash them and put them back. I must have been six or seven years old.

My grandmother would often take me out to lunch, just the two of us. We would travel probably 8 to 10 miles to one of her favorite places—I remember many carousel towers that had pies and cakes on display, so lunch always ended with dessert. Going out required my grandmother to dress up, and she always wore a very large, brimmed hat along with big black sunglasses. It made quite a profile when she was driving the Merc. One day, as we were walking back to the car after lunch, she asked me if I’d like to drive. Well—here I am, a skinny little kid who just got asked if I’d like to drive on the open road; all the while I was trying to process whether she was serious or perhaps she had lost her mind. After all, I had packed a lot of hours behind the wheel at the age of seven and my confidence level was piqued. I could barely see over the steering wheel. Half a second later, I said,

“Sure, I’d love to.” Sure enough, she took the passenger side and I drove that bad boy all the way back to Rocknak’s Yacht Basin without incident. We rolled in down the long drive to be met by my parents and grandfather who just happened to be outside near the office—they were confused at what they were seeing: nothing but a headrest silhouette on the driver’s side and my grandmother’s unique silhouette on the passenger side. I nonchalantly pulled up alongside like I do this every day, and my grandmother took the heat for the feat. I don’t think there was any because they all found it humorous. Those were they days indeed. I’ll never forget that day.

Soon time went by, and we moved to Maine when I was in the 4th grade. I only saw my grand-

Left: A few details of the 250C to share: My grandmother Ruth’s initials on the doors, the last inspection sticker from the state of Maine—1989. Why did I stop driving the 250C? I bought a Porsche 911S and the Mercedes was visited often, but never really driven. Then 33 years went by in the wink of an eye. Reluctantly, I sold the 911 in 2011.

parents when we would go down to visit them and the Olds and Merc were always there, and yes, they got washed.

Flash forward to the spring of 1984. My grandmother had passed away a five or six years after my grandfather and my Dad went down to help sort out their affairs.

I was living in a cool studio apartment in Portland, Maine attending Portland School of Art, now Maine College of Art & Design. I was driving my 1964 Falcon convertible in the summer and a great little Saab 99 in the winter. It was springtime and the phone rang. It was my Dad calling. He asked if I would be home in about an hour. I replied, “Sure!” The buzzer rang soon after and he asked that I come down. I was thinking maybe he was going to take me to lunch and when I opened the door, there he was—standing there next to the Mercedes that he had just driven up from New Jersey. He looked at me and smiled and said, “Nana wanted you to have this. She said you would take care of it.”

I have some work to do now.

REAR-VIEW MIRROR Judy Stropus

The Olympics of Sports Racing

Some racing fans today don’t realize that professional sports-car racing in the United States started as primarily amateur racing.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, the famous racing names came from the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) National Runoffs, where drivers raced their own cars and spent their own money in what today is known as “the Olympics of Sports Car Racing.”

Divisions around the country would invite their top winners in each class to compete against each other at one event to name the national champion. This continues today, and you won’t see any closer or tighter racing action anywhere else.

Names such as Jim Kimberly, Walt Hansgen, Jerry Crawford, John Fitch, Briggs Cunningham, Bob Holbert, Bill Spear, and “Doc” Wiley were household names back then; well, at least in sports car racing-savvy households. In fact, these amateur

racers, who competed in their Ferraris, Bugattis, Maseratis, etc., would be penalized if they were ever caught racing for prize money.

On occasion these drivers would run an oval race, or other non-SCCA sanctioned Saturday night “paid” event somewhere in the country under assumed names (did we ever believe that Ted Tappett was a real name in those days?). Some did get caught and were banished from SCCA competition.

NASCAR and USAC, of course, were always professional series, as these drivers relied on prize money to earn their livings. The wealthy drivers, mostly from the Northeast, were only interested in having fun and competing against each other for bragging rights.

Above: A Can-Am pit stop at Watkins Glen in the Sunoco Porsche 917. (JVS Collection image)

Left: Hurley Haywood’s Brumos Can-Am car, a 917-10 Porsche Spyder. (JVS Collection image)

Far left: The Road Racing Drivers Club would host lunches for all the RRDC members racing at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in the ‘60s and ‘70s. This one is at Road Atlanta. (JVS Collection image)

Left: Jim Kimberly and me at an RRDC meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, back in the late ‘70s. (JVS Collection image)

Legend has it that several of these privileged racecar drivers got into sufficient trouble in the early 1950s speeding on the back roads of Westchester County in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut in their exotic European sports cars. They banded together and purchased land in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut to create Lime Rock Park in 1957 so they could race their cars without having to look over their shoulders for the gendarmes.

Once the SCCA loosened up a bit in 1959, and under the aegis of USAC, the Formula Libre race at Lime Rock Park was created, pitting professional “roundy-round” drivers against well-known SCCA amateur road racers such as John Fitch, George Constantine, Denise McCluggage, and Dr. Dick Thompson. Offy-powered USAC midgets versus an ex-Juan Fangio Formula 1 Maserati, a Cooper Monaco, and other exotic and expensive cars made up the field. Even with all the road-racing talent on the track, Rodger Ward came out on top in the Midget, equipped with a one-speed transmission and rear brakes only. This one-off race made some great fodder for the history books, and it opened the eyes of the amateur racers that there was money and fame to be made.

The SCCA, based in Westport, Connecticut at the time and led by John Bishop, then created the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) in 1962, the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. And those drivers were mostly the earlier National Champions I mentioned, who would now be paid for what they did as a hobby. The times they were a-changin.’ Bishop wanted to recover the road races that had been usurped by rival USAC Road Racing Championship. He succeeded, as the USAC series folded after the 1962 season

and the USRRC continued until 1968, when the hugely successful Can-Am Series replaced it.

I remember wonderful days as a teenager watching the USRRC cars race at Bridgehampton, New York. I was in awe of the “famous” drivers back then and eventually got to know most of them through the Road Racing Drivers Club after Mark Donohue asked me to help, in 1969, with the administration of the club, which I still do to this day. Back then, to be invited to join the RRDC you were required to be a National Champion. The criteria today are a bit less strict. Bishop discovered that auto manufacturers and sponsors were looking for a way to promote their products in this new, fandangled sport that included racing models that they sold and products that these people used. Enter the SCCA Trans-Am Series in 1966, which Ford and Chevrolet embraced early on, but not before European driver Jochen Rindt, in an Alfa Romeo GTA, won the first Trans American Sedan Championship race in 1966 at Sebring, Florida.

That’s where I came in. In 1967 the Bud Moore Lincoln-Mercury Cougar team “discovered” me and my ability to time and score long-distance races and hired me for a five-hour Trans-Am race in Marlboro, Maryland. And the rest is history. I continued as a timer/scorer for top teams, racing cars and running a public relations company; and professional sports car racing continued under Bishop’s leadership as head of the International Motor Sports Association, taking over the same building SCCA used in Westport. IMSA is now the premier professional series, owned by NASCAR; the original Can-Am Series ended officially in 1987; and the sport has soared. I’m so proud to have been, and continue to be, a part of it all.

There’s no feel like open-wheel.

The excitement of the Formula Car experience is coming back to Lime Rock Park with the Skip Barber Racing School Mygale FIA F4 race car. There’s no better time, no better track to accelerate your racing dreams.

Lime Rock Park is a legendary 1.5-mile road racing track set in the gorgeous Litchfield Hills of Northwestern Connecticut. For over 60 years, it has been the home of spectacular road racing.

Consider this your invitation to become part of this great history by enrolling in the Skip Barber Racing School.

More information and school dates are a click or a phone call away. We’ll see you at Lime Rock!

THE COLLECTOR Marshall Buck

Great American Art Deco

Above: The ’48 Roadmaster looks great from any angle, and certainly can’t be mistaken for anything else. The fit and finish of all parts as well as general stance are all flawless.

It was produced by The Danbury Mint, which was at one time, one of the most prolific model car manufacturers. The Danbury Mint is still in business today but is no longer making any model cars due to the perils of manufacturing in China.

Maybe one like this should be my next 1:1 “family” car… I sometimes do things in reverse; I find a great model first, then find the car!

Bend my arm just a little and I’ll admit it; I like flowing shapes and chrome, and almost anything Art Deco or reminiscent of that style. Well, the 1948 Buick Roadmaster Coupe scores a bull’s-eye on all points. The Roadmasters were always Buick’s best appointed premium model.

When this 1:24 scale miniature was first announced, I was impressed when I saw the photos

and read the list of specifications, and then having one in hand and carefully looking it over I was even more impressed. Just from an engineering standpoint, the boys at DM should have received a round of applause for this one. Yes, it is that great.

This coupe, in Honolulu Blue, was released in 2010; it was the second version they produced. The first version was released in 2004/2005 and was offered in a two-tone paint scheme of dark gray over light gray. It looked good, but just didn’t call out to me. Well, this “blue one” has my direct number. Both models have the same details and features with the only difference being the body color. Even both interiors are the same color: gray. Overall fit and finish of this piece is superb.

Speaking of the interior: It is more than complete, with very finely scaled textured upholstery, carpeting, headliner, seat backs that tilt forward, and sun visors with blue edging that pivot up and down. The driver’s footwell even has the little round floor-mounted high beam dimmer switch. The rear seat passengers have been looked after too, with hanging grab handles, window cranks, and I know that no one smokes anymore, but ashtrays are there as well. Nothing was overlooked including the headliner, interior light, and little chrome coat hooks!

The hood on the real car is unique in that it is hinged on both left and right sides and opens from both, which presents quite a challenge in miniature form. This model has one of the slickest features I have seen. Grasp the hood on both sides by the chrome side markers and lift up one side (which-

Left: This interior photo shows just a tiny bit of the extensive cockpit detailing. You’d have to view it in person to see everything and to fully appreciate what The Danbury Mint accomplished here. And yes, the steering is functional.

This terrific model of the 1948 Buick Roadmaster Coupe is a long out-ofproduction piece but is truly worth seeking out and buying.

Trunk detailing is extensive. Nothing has been forgotten from all the underside detail to the patterned floor covering, to the removable spare, jack, and various accurately reproduced little labels. This model displays perfectly with panels open or closed— you’ll almost want to have two just to display both ways.

ever you prefer) and the hood unsnaps from two steel spring holders which also function as hinges.

To see the other side, close the hood, snap it back into place and repeat the process for the other side.

To keep it open just raise up the centrally located hinged prop rod. It’s worth the effort, as the engine

and surrounding bay have excellent and thorough detailing: hoses, fuel lines, metal carb linkage, Delco battery, and so much more. Of course the Fireball Straight-8 has been perfectly replicated.

Detail is everywhere. The little gas cap door opens, and next to it is the opening trunk which houses a removable spare tire, and accurately replicated patterned cloth floor mat. Look to the underside of the lid and there is a simulated latch mechanism and back in the corner is an oh-so-tiny black and yellow label for changing the tire! But wait! There’s more. A fully detailed chassis, metal transmission, brake lines including parking brake line with springs, and one of the smoothest functional suspensions to be found on any model, in any scale.

The Honolulu Blue model is the rarer of the two versions, and not too easy to find. It also carries a premium over the two-tone gray car. When first released, the ‘blue beauty’ was very reasonably priced at only $129. Now you should expect to pay from a low of $400 to over $600. As for the two-tone gray version, those can be easily found, and on average they range from $125 to $250. Happy hunting!

EVERY CAR HAS A STORY by Wayne Carini

1969 Torino Talladega

Given the title of my TV show, most people think I’m only interested in older cars, but that’s not always the case. I first saw this highly modified 1969 Torino Talladega at SEMA and knew I just had to have it someday.

AT AGE 75, with a classic Tennessee drawl (though he was actually born in Mississippi) and a quick smile, George Poteet is a disarmingly modest man. Meeting him, you would never know that for the past 11 years, he has taken his “Speed Demon” land-speed record car to nearly 500 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, making him the fastest piston-engine driver in the world.

At an age when most people have long since traded the office for the golf course, George has his eyes firmly on the prize – someday breaking the 500-mph barrier for piston-engine vehicles. In the meantime, he has exceeded 400 mph 58 times, though that didn’t come about overnight. “I went really slow for many years out there,” he said on the Hot Rod Blues podcast earlier this year. “The upside of that is I’ve become a pretty good driver out there. I have going slow to thank for that. Going slow, you have more time to think about what to do, when to do it and how to do it.” At 470 mph, things happen very, very quickly.

I’ve always had great respect for George’s taste in cars, particularly when it comes to fast Fords. George and I saw each other at Bonneville last year and made plans to get together at his shop in Mississippi earlier this year. That was fortuitous for me, because I came away with two amazing Fords: a 428-powered 1963½ Galaxie XL 500 as well as a 1961 Starliner equipped with the very rare tri-power accessory kit (which Ford originally packed in the trunk of the car because they didn’t want to advertise a car that exceeded 400 horsepower. As if that wasn’t enough, I also picked up a 1967 390 Mustang with the rare air conditioning option.

photos by Russ Rocknak

The shape looks familiar, but that’s about where it ends—everything else about this Torino Talladega is completely bespoke, starting with its dimensions: shortened three inches in the front fenders, widened by five inches, and a wheelbase that’s an inch shorter. Everything else, including the rear quarters, was made from scratch. Paint is a combination of Whiskey Gold and Daytona Sand. GPT Special Boss 429 engine produces 750 horsepower and makes a wonderful noise.

But there was one other car of George’s that I assumed he would never sell—an extreme Torino Talladega that I first saw at SEMA in unpainted form. Built by Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy INC in Manteno, Illinois, it resembled the rare Talladega version of the 1969 Torino Talladega fastback (of which just 500 examples were built to enable NASCAR competition) but was completely modified in every other way. Starting with the basic dimensions of the similar Mercury Cyclone, the Torino was shortened three inches in the front fenders, widened five inches, and had a one-inch-

shorter-than-stock wheelbase. Pretty much everything on the car, except for the roof and doors, was constructed by hand. That’s an extraordinary amount of handmade metalwork.

“We built the Torino in a Talladega style, but we moderned it up a bit,” Troy told Hot Rod magazine. While to the untrained eye it looks like a typical Torino, look closer and you’ll see that the body has a “Coke bottle” center section, meaning that the rear quarters and front fenders are wider than stock and bulge out relative to the rocker panels. In addition, the grille and taillight bezels are

machined from large chunks of billet aluminum, the interior race-ready, with oval-shaped punch plates aplenty and a full rollcage. The seats alone are a work of art, managing to capture classic sports seat cues while at the same time remaining incredibly thin (though not uncomfortable). “When we got ready do the interior,” George told me, “I didn’t want anything plush; you know, soft and padded. I wanted to go with a NASCAR theme all the way through it.” That all-out performance approach continues to what’s under the hood: a specially modified, 750-horsepower

Boss 429 V8, beautifully detailed with “GPT Special” on the valve covers.

If the Torino looks familiar, that’s because it had a cameo appearance in the film Fast and Furious 7, driven by none other than Vin Diesel.

Just as I was about to leave George’s shop after buying three cars from him, I casually asked him, “So George, when are going to sell me the Talladega?” To which he responded, much to my surprise, “How about right now?” So we sat down and made a deal on the spot. You can’t imagine how it felt to drive that car off the truck when it arrived at F40. Some

people would call this a “restomod”—but that doesn’t begin to do it justice. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that combined such high levels of craftsmanship and performance underneath a classic 1960s muscle car silhouette. Every time I sit in it, I come across new details I hadn’t noticed before. Now, it’s not exactly a streetcar (the exhaust is, ahem, a bit loud for my local constabulary) and it doesn’t have a lot of ground clearance, but every time I drive it, it puts a smile on my face, as well as everyone who sees (and hears it). And I’m sure that would make George very happy.

Attention to detail everywhere: grille, taillight bezels and other trim parts are machined from billet aluminum. Holman Moody-inspired interior is practically race ready, with classic instruments and switches, oval-shaped punch plates, and a full-on roll cage. Aluminum racing style seats are ventilated and covered with stitched leather, complementing the leather dash pad. Rear tires are 14 inches wide.

AUCTION READY

THE HOLIDAY SEASON is upon us and while I’m sure everyone reading this is busy shopping for gifts for family and friends, you might want to save a little money for the auctions happening in December and January. There are literally thousands of cars that will be hitting the block from mid-December through January and if you can’t find something that attracts your attention at the sales listed here you either already have every single car you ever wanted or are out of space and need to consider enlarging your current storage space.

One change around the auction world this year is during Arizona auction week. For the first time in many years the Gooding & Company auction will not have a presence in Arizona during the week, either online or live. This is a bit sad as they were a staple of the car-filled week, but I am sure that RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams will work to pick up the slack from that omission.

Take a look at the cars I am featuring here and if none quite fit the bill, be sure to check out the websites for each sale; I am sure there will be something that piques your interest.

words by Andy Reid

On the Block

Mecum Kansas City Auction

12/1/2022-12/3/2022

Kansas City Convention Center Kansas City, Missouri

https://www.mecum.com/auctions/kansas-city-2022/lots/featured/

Mecum is holding their Kansas City auction just in time to buy yourself a Christmas present and if you are a fan of the C4 Corvette, and more specifically the ZR1 model, then you should definitely check out the amazing selection of cars on hand at this sale. They offer an entire set of the C4 Corvette which includes a car for each year that the ZR1 was built. All the cars in the entire collection are painted red and all are in exceptional collector-grade condition. Of all the C4 Corvettes they are offering, my personal favorite is the 1995 Corvette ZR1 coupe. This is a completely original fully loaded example that has covered a total of only 13,472 miles from new. The car includes every piece of paperwork you would want in a collector’s grade Corvette and remains an unbelievable bargain in the collector car market.

Bonhams Bond Street 12/16/2022 New Bond Street London, England

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27525/the-bond-street-sale-importantcollectors-motor-cars/

Maybe spending Christmas in London would be a great idea, especially when you see the cars offered by Bonhams at their Bond Street auction. This sale is the final collector car auction of 2022 and the staff at Bonhams are presenting some exceptional collector cars just in time to add to your Santa list. There is a modern collector car that immediately attracted my attention which I would very much love to own. It is the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 edition coupé. Now, I have a bit of time behind the wheel of the SLR McLaren, and it is the very definition of a civilized supercar. Yes, it has an automatic transmission, but it is a serious performer with a top speed of 209 mph. These are very special cars and the 722 was limited to 150 total built, which made it an instant collectible from new.

On the Block

Mecum Kissimmee

1/4/2023-1/15/2023

Osceola Heritage Park Kissimmee, Florida

https://www.mecum.com/auctions/kissimmee-2023/

As has been the case in the past, the first collector car auction of the year is also the biggest with Mecum bringing a total of 4,000 collector vehicles to Kissimmee for their year-beginning event. The sheer number of different cars at this 12-day event ensures that no matter what you like, there will be a vehicle for you at this auction. The negative of this is my job, which is to choose a single car from this sale that I would most like to take home to park in my garage. After searching through various full classics, going through thousands of cars at this sale I settled on an amazing car. It’s a Hemi-powered 1969 Dodge Daytona NASCAR stock car that was raced by Bobby Allison. This is the exact car that Allison drove on August 24, 1969, for four laps at over 200 mph. The car is fully documented and is a true piece of racing history.

Barrett-Jackson Arizona

1/21/2023-1/29/2023

Westworld of Scottsdale Scottsdale, Arizona

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Home/Scottsdale-2022/

The anchor tenant of Arizona auction week and the first collector car auction in Scottsdale, Barrett-Jackson again brings their immersive experience to the Arizona desert. I call this a collector car experience and not merely an auction as Barrett-Jackson offers so much more… from vendors to driving experiences and more food than at a state fair. Then there are the cars, with more than 1,500 offered for sale, most at no reserve. Among these cars I found a standout that was the one I wanted the most. This car is a nicely restored 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Restored to its original factory color of Lemon Twist Bright Yellow, it is one of 77 built with an automatic transmission and powered by a non-original 426ci Hemi engine restamped with the correct VIN. I would love to own this car.

On the Block

Bonhams The Scottsdale Auction

1/26/2023

Westin Kierland Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Arizona

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28009/the-scottsdale-auction/

Bonhams again returns to Scottsdale in January and has brought quite a few nice cars to the sale. Notable is the collection of rare Chrysler cars from the John White Ramshead collection which includes some of the rarest Chrysler special-bodied cars in the world. Of these cars the one I saw first and the one I kept returning to is the 1957 Chrysler-Ghia Super Dart 400. The Super Dart was a one off car designed by Virgil Max “Ex” Exner Sr. and then built by Ghia. It is a striking car that is powered by a 400 horsepower Hemi V8 and rides on the chassis of the Chrysler 300C. It is interesting to note that after it was shown at the 1957 Turin Motor Show it was next purchased by Dual Motors, who showed the car as their Dual-Ghia prototype when in fact it was not their design.

RM Sotheby’s Arizona

1/26/2023

Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa Phoenix, Arizona

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az23

Since their first sale in Arizona, RM Sotheby’s has remained THE auction to compare others to among the boutique auctions during auction week. While Gooding has left Arizona auction week, RM Sotheby’s remains and is as strong as ever. This year they are offering their typical fare of some of the very best cars available during Arizona auction week. Of these cars the one I consider the most interesting is the 1963 Apollo 3500 GT Coupé by Intermeccanica. For those who are unfamiliar with the Apollo GT, it was an Italian American sports car built from 1962 to 1964 by International Motor Cars in Oakland, California. Only a total of 88 cars were built and they were powered by the Buick aluminum 3.5-liter V8. These are nicely styled, rare, and fast cars that offer an Italian car experience with the simplicity of American power under the hood.

The New England Racing Museum

This museum celebrates race cars and motorcycles from all disciplines, all with a New England background. When visiting the museum, you’ll see stunning photography and unique racing artifacts including championship trophies and driver helmets. There’s even a wonderful Soap Box Derby display, slot car track, and iRacing Simulator to bring the action right to you.

The New England Racing Museum opened in June 2017 and has been attracting racing fans as well as those who are simply curious about what’s inside ever since then. The team that runs the museum is the Racing History Preservation Group, and at the helm is Dick

Berggren, who owned and drove race cars in the Northeast and won many races. Berggren wrote for local newspapers early in his career. He worked for Stock Car Racing magazine while he taught at Emmanuel College while also racing on the weekends. He later became the magazine’s editor, and after 22 years, he left in

Above: A “Big Car” from the 1940s and another from the 1950s bear witness to the danger New England’s race car drivers faced in years gone by. Neither car has a roll bar. The Big Car was raced with a fuel tank that was pressurized. Imagine the danger of escaping pressurized fuel during a crash. Upper right: Artifacts include signs from long shuttered tracks. Bill Binnie’s Le Mans-winning Lola shares a corner of the building with a massive tractor pull engine.

Lower right: Jungle Jim Liberman’s drag race car.

our museums story and photos by Russ Rocknak

1999 to start Speedway Illustrated in partnership with the owners of Down East, the magazine of Maine. For more than 30 years, Berggren has covered big league stock car racing from the pit roads of some of the sport’s biggest events for ESPN, CBS, TBS, SPEED, TNN, and Fox TV. He and an executive committee and board of directors comprising some of the most significant personalities in Northeast motorsports help drive this wonderful museum forward. Incorporated in New Hampshire, the museum operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and no member of the executive committee or the board receives any compensation in exchange for their services. Volunteers largely run the museum. With just one paid employee, the lean-running nonprofit relies on donations to provide its income. It’s a

local museum that takes guests back to a time when there was a racetrack near where many New England residents lived and most of the cars that raced there came out of local gas stations. There have been over 300 racetracks in New England. There’s something from most of them in the museum.

Each year the museum runs four or more outdoor car shows and an annual dinner event honoring drivers who were the stars decades ago. One-third of the cars displayed are

annually swapped out with others, so guests always see something new when they visit.

The nearly 10,000 square-foot building in Loudon, New Hampshire houses a broad variety of racecars and motorcycles, each with a New England heritage.

There’s even a 25-foot-long trophy case, and a library that holds the largest publicly available collection of New England racing photographs anywhere in the world. Guests spend hours in there looking at pictures of the earliest auto and motorcycle races in New England.

There is also a helmet collection that includes those worn by champions, and walls covered with photos of New England racing in days gone by. The Museum is open year-round, and details may be found at nemsmuseum.com.

Right: A display honoring championship race car driver turned business entrepreneur Bentley Warren includes one of the cars he drove. Above: Frank Grimaldi wrecked this road racing Camaro at high speed in a crash that included rollovers. He rebuilt the car and subsequently won many races with it. The building looks busy, and it is. Multiple visits are required to see everything. A new interactive display reveals the history of racetracks that operated in New England from the 1800s to today.

Ford Mustang (Fox Body)

The late 1970s and the 1980s did not constitute an automotive era that most enthusiasts recall with fond memories, but the cars of the “malaise era” are seeing an upsurge in interest. The socalled “Fox Body” Mustang is a typical example—plentiful, relatively inexpensive, easy to fix, and fun to drive, it is a perfect example of an affordable classic.

There are few cars that typify the 1980s more than the Ford Mustang, commonly known as the “Fox Body” after the internal project name for a rear-wheel-drive compact sedan platform shared between Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury in the era. In the late 1970s, while the platform and bodywork were all new, the early Fox-body engine selection was carried over from the prior Mustang version. Buyers

could choose from a 2.3-liter SOHC four cylinder with 88 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque, or the same basic engine with a turbocharger that boosted horsepower output to 140. The turbo Mustang could manage 0-55 (60 mph being illegal throughout the United States at the time) in just over eight seconds, which was a bit faster than the V8. The Turbo engine saw its horsepower rating rise to 150 in 1980 and 1981.

In 1979, Mustang buyers could also opt for a

Affordable Classics excerpted from Wayne Carini’s Affordable Classics

The “Fox body” Mustang sought to recapture the affordable performance image of the original 1960s Mustang. Top right: Starting in 1983, Ford finally made a convertible version available.

Above: The Mustang SVO was only offered from 1984 to 1986. Its turbocharged four-cylinder engine was capable of over 200 horsepower. Only 9,800 units were produced.

gutsy 2.8-liter V6 with 109 horsepower and 142 lb-ft of torque, and in mid-1979 Ford added an anemic 3.3-liter inline six-cylinder option with 89 horsepower. But the engine everyone wanted was the 302 cubic inch Windsor V8 with 140 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. However, fuel economy issues moved Ford to drop that option at the end of the year. Mustangs for 19801982 could be ordered with a smaller 4.2-liter V8 with 119 horsepower and 194 lb-ft of torque.

The United States was, at the time, a convertible-free zone for domestic cars. Ford made a standard operating procedure to open air driving by bringing back the T-top starting in 1981, and then finally relented and added a convertible to the Mustang line in 1983. Meanwhile, in 1982, Ford brought back the 157-horsepow-

er, 5.0-liter 302 V8 as a high output option. For 1983, Ford gifted the 5.0-liter V8 Mustang with 175 horsepower and 245 lb-ft of torque, plus the first five-speed transmission with a Mustang V8. The company also brought back the turbocharged four with 142 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque and added a new 3.8-liter V6 with 112 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque.

The 1984 model year marked the advent of the Mustang SVO, with a special turbo-four engine rated at 175 horsepower and 210 lb-ft. Then in 1985 the high output V8 option put a four-barrel carburetor atop the 302 engine and cracked the 200-horsepower barrier (210, actually) for the first time since the last of the 351 Cleveland V8s in 1973. The SVO was also boosted, achieving 200 horsepower in 1986.

For the 1987 model year, the whole Mustang lineup got a facelift. New front and rear bumper and grille treatments updated the look to modern standards, but the basic bodywork remained the same. Ford also dispensed with the V6 option for the second phase of Fox body history. Buyers got either the base 90-horsepower four-cylinder or the 5.0-liter V8, now rated at 225 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. That’s how it went until 1993, when the 5.0-liter V8 lost a step and went down to 205 horsepower and 275 lb-ft. Ford may have done that intentionally to highlight the return of the Cobra nameplate, which included a tuned-up version of the 5.0-liter engine with 230 horsepower. The hatchback coupe was dropped after 1993, as the 1994 restyling softened the lines of the Fox body Mustang and gave the two-door coupe a rounded cabin to replace the notchback.

During the Fox body period, Ford produced about 2.6 million Mustangs. The V8-powered examples are the way to go—and the most desirable examples are the 5.0-liter GT and LX 5.0 models, and potentially an SVO, though those have always been rare with just under 10,000 built. Driving a Fox body Mustang today feels like stepping back to a simpler time of lower horsepower and more exciting handling. The V8 provided plenty of torque down low but tended to run out of breath at a higher rpm, while the turbocharged SVO was a high-rev screamer designed to lure back some of the buyers lost to Japanese and European brands.

Unlike the turbocharged SVO, the Mustang GT was more old school Pony Car. It still has drum brakes in the back, for example. Horsepower ratings seem abysmal now, ranging from 120-225 ponies depending on the year. But the performance in the Mustang GT was always based on torque, and it made torque about as well as any affordable car of its era. A Mustang GT with the 5.0-liter engine is a “point and shoot” car—and not a nimble handler.

When considering this era of Mustang, condition is everything. Most of these cars suffered through a long middle age of being left outside with maintenance deferred (at best) or neglected entirely. Insist on one that has been garaged since new and maintained or be ready to rebuild virtually everything. Low mileage is nice, but by 30 to 40 years of age, time has had its way with wear and tear as well.

The Knowledge

THE BEST YEARS for V8 engine power were the 1993 Cobra at 230 hp, 19871992 GT at 225 hp. For the SVO, 1985.5 was the peak model at 205 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque, but 1986 offered 200 hp, compared to the 175 hp of 1984 and 1985. The Turbo GT also offered 175 horsepower alongside the 1984 SVO.

EARLY FOX BODY V8 cars were offered only with a three-speed automatic transmission. Early Turbo four-cylinder cars received a five-speed manual gearbox, but early V8 cars and the 1982 GT received a four-speed, with an optional four-speed plus overdrive at additional cost. From 1983, the GT was available with standard five-speed manual transmission.

TOTAL FOX BODY Mustang sales from 1979-1993 were 2,608,812 vehicles. In 1980, total production of 241,064 Mustangs included about 150,000 four-cylinders, 12,000 turbos, 71,500 six-cylinders, and 6,508 V8 models. In the heart of the Fox body era in 1984, Ford made about 46,000 four-cylinders, 47,000 six-cylinders, and 36,038 V8s.

1991 THE FORD Special Vehicle Team (SVT) began work on the 1993 Mustang Cobra. In addition to 1,854 production sale models, the team built 107 competition-designed Cobra R models. The Cobra R was rated at 235 horsepower, 280 lb-ft of torque, with a five-speed transmission that would allow 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and a 14.3-second 1/4-mile time. The Cobra R came with fourwheel disc brakes and heavy-duty suspension. Bright red exterior over gray cloth interior was the only color combination available.

WHILE THE FIRST Mercury Capri was an import from Ford’s German subsidiary, the second generation Capri from 1979-1986 was a badge-engineered variant of the Mustang. The Capri was available only as a hatchback. Differences are subtle, but from 1983 onward the Capri included a bubble rear window that provided a little more space in the trunk area. The Capri generally had wider fenders without the pronounced flares of the Mustang GT. Mercury made about 15,000-20,000 Capris each year, most with four-cylinder or six-cylinder engines, though the 5.0-liter V8 was available.

1988 Mustang GT Interior

THE FACTS Ford Mustang (Fox Body)

Mustang SVO 1984-1986

Mustang 5.0 1979-1993

ENGINE

Displacement

2301 cc/140 cu in 4942 cc/302 cu in Bore X stroke 96.04 mm x 79.4 mm 101.6 mm x 76.2 mm (4.0 in x 3.0 in)

BHP @ RPM 175-205 @ 4400-5000 119-230 @ 4200

Torque @ RPM 210-248 lb ft/285-336 N-m @ 3000-3200 194-300 lb ft/263-407 N-m @ 1800-3000

Compression Ratio 8.0:1 8.3:1 - 9.0:1

Fuel delivery Fuel Injection Carburetor or Fuel Injection

TRANSMISSION

Manual

5-Speed

4-Speed/5-Speed Automatic N/A 3-Speed/4-Speed Final Drive 3.73:1 3.27:1/2.73:1

BODY

Construction Unibody Unibody

Overall Length 4592 mm/180.8 in 4554 mm/179.3 in

Overall Width 1755 mm/69.1 in 1755 mm/69.1 in

Overall Height 1323 mm/52.1 in 1323 mm/52.1 in Wheelbase 2523 mm/100.5 in 2523 mm/100.5 in

Front Track 1468 mm/57.8 in 1438 mm/56.6 in Rear Track 1481 mm/58.3 in 1468 mm/57.8 in Fuel Tank 58.3 liters/15.4 gallons 58.3 liters/15.4 gallons

Trunk Capacity 849 liters/30 cu ft 849 liters/30 cu ft (coupe) 283 liters/10 cu ft (convertible)

CHASSIS

Front Suspension Independent, with MacPherson struts, coil springs, telescopic shocks, anti-roll bar Independent, with MacPherson struts, coil springs, telescopic shocks, anti-roll bar

Rear Suspension Live axle, with coil springs, telescopic shocks, anti-roll bar Live axle, with coil springs, telescopic shocks, anti-roll bar

Front Brakes Disc, power assist Disc, power assist

Rear Brakes Disc, power assist Drum, power assist

TEST DATA

0-60 MPH 7.5 seconds 6-7 seconds

Top Speed 85 MPH (limit of gauge) 85 MPH (limit of gauge)

Fuel Consumption 20 MPG 18 MPG

WAYNE’S TAKE

Ford Mustang (Fox body): Great value in a functional sports car; good looking with ample performance from the V8 versions, especially the later fuel-injected models. Convertibles have room for four. Purpose-built police versions are a best-kept secret. Good parts support with lots of upgrade potential.

Great entry-level collectible that’s easy to live with. Well-maintained examples, especially convertibles, are harder to find and are increasing in value.

ANXIETY INDEX

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

As we look forward to the rest of this year’s schedule and on to the remainder of 2022, let’s check the rearview mirror for highlights from this season.

photos by Josh Sweeney/SFD

Misselwood Concours d’Elegance

Endicott Estate, Beverly, Massachusetts 7/15-7/17/2022

The 12th annual Misselwood Concours d’Elegance welcomed over 100 cars and motorcycles to the oceanfront Misselwood Estate on the campus of Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. The annual event helps raise funds for Endicott College students, with all proceeds going directly to support students in need. The weather, cars, and people made the 2022 show truly spectacular. Peter T. Boyle’s 1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS would be crowned Best of Show when all was said and done. Chassis No. 1353 was built in Italy in 1928 and was then sent to American coachbuilder LeBaron to produce the gorgeous boattail cabriolet body with a single rumble seat that took everyone’s breath away on Sunday. It was purchased new by aviation pioneer Harry Williams and his wife Marguerite Clark, a silent movie star whose looks inspired Walt Disney’s Snow White. This car is a wonderful piece of history with only 22,000 original miles. The list of highlights from the 2022 Misselwood Concours d’Elegance is quite lengthy. We were honored to have television personality Wayne Carini display his 1949 Buick Roadmaster from the Academy Award-winning film Rain Man in the featured Celebrity and Movie Cars Class. This stood alongside a famous 1985 Toyota Truck and 1949 Packard Custom 8 Victoria from the Back to the Future trilogy. There were eight Ferrari Dinos lined up

Misselwood Concours d’Elegance continued

as one entered the show field. When have you ever seen eight Dinos together at one time? The Hagerty Youth Judging program was implemented for the first time, and it was a success. The program is a great tool to keep the next generation interested in classic cars and to teach them some really cool things. “What an incredible weekend of events, from Cars & Coffee to the Tour d’Elegance, to the main show on Sunday; everything went so smoothly, and the weather played a huge factor. For that I’m thankful,” said Darren P. Stewart, Misselwood Concours d’Elegance chairman. “I have a vision of what the Misselwood Concours can and will become and this year part of that vision became a reality. If you weren’t here to witness what this show has become, please mark July 23, 2023, on your calendar!” For more information visit misselwoodconcours.com

1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS takes Best of Show

Celebration Exotic Car Festival

4/8-4/12/2022, 600 Market Street Celebration, Florida

The 19th annual Celebration Exotic Car Festival children’s charity event was a four-day car festival held in the community of Celebration, near Orlando, Florida. Celebration’s origins belong to the Walt Disney Company, and it was founded in 1996. The Festival, established in 2004 and organized by a dedicated team of volunteers, donates 100% of the net proceeds to their chosen charities after each event. Since its inception, the Celebration Exotic Car Festival has donated nearly $4 million to children’s charities including Make-a-Wish, Special Olympics, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, and the Moffitt Cancer Center. Over the years, the festival has grown to become one of the largest exotic car events in the world, attracting more than 300 of the world’s rarest exotic

photos by Josh Sweeney/SFD

‘‘

Over the years, the festival has grown to become one of the largest exotic car events in the world, attracting more than 300 of the world’s rarest exotic cars and racecars, and draws thousands of spectators.”

Celebration Exotic Car Festival continued

cars and racecars, and draws thousands of spectators. In the past 19 years, hundreds of children in need have been helped directly through the efforts of this event. The 2022 festival spanned four days, each with its own theme. On Friday night there was the official event kickoff and party followed by the world-class exotic car concours set along Celebration’s waterfront boardwalk on Saturday morning. After the concours, there was an exclusive ZD Wine pairing dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando at Walt Disney World. Sunday brought the exotic car rally that started with a police escort. The rally was open to all cars that participated in the concours on Saturday and toured the wide-open roads of central Florida. On Monday, the event moved to Daytona International Speedway, where participants had the opportunity to drive their car on the world-famous speedway. For more information, log on to celebrationexoticcars.com About Celebration, Florida: Celebration was an experiment in community planning called “New Urbanism.” It was often called “Disney’s Town of Celebration” in its early days but it’s not actually a town and is no longer owned by the Walt Disney Company. This proximity, however, gives this event not only a great name but a perfect venue to showcase one of North America’s largest gathering of exotic cars, racecars, Hollywood movie cars, and iconic actors and celebrities, all coming together to help children with life-threatening medical conditions.

photos by Russ Rocknak

The Boston Cup

9/25/2022, The Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common Boston, Massachusetts

The lawn surrounding the Parkman Bandstand with as many as 75 automobiles is really a sight to see, especially early on a Sunday morning in late September. Rich Doucette, the show’s founding chairman, certainly had Mother Nature on his side as we were all blessed with great weather. Those from the Northeast know that the weather can get dicey toward October and the outdoor car show’s planner rolls the dice the later in the year they push the date. There is something unique about the formula of a car show with the Boston skyline as a backdrop, combined with the pleasantly surprising shock value of the locals out for their early morning stroll only to find a major league car show has emerged on The Boston Common overnight. The Boston Cup celebrated its 11th consecutive year in 2022, welcoming enthusiasts and VIPs to the Common and the Parkman Bandstand for a festival of worldwide car culture. The event in the United States’ oldest public park enjoyed great weather, allowing the guests to feast on not only some of the finest machines ever created,

The Boston Cup

continued but also excellent food from Eataly and James Beard award-winning chef Tony Ambrose. Even better, there was the chance to try the latest tipples from the Boston Harbor Distillery and Sam Adams. It was a wonderful atmosphere to take in a diverse selection of automobiles that ranged from pre-war models to new supercars, along with some surprises along the way—such as a VW Beetle sporting full Herbie livery. New brands supported the event, too, with stands from Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Rover Trophy (vintage Defenders brought back from the dead). Best of Show went to a 1950 Ferrari 195 Inter, body by Ghia. Sally and Roger Demler have owned it since 1965. Chassis no. 00087S, which was restored by Restoration & Performance Motorcars in Vergennes, Vermont, took home Best Italian class victory. Arthur Gutierrez’s ’57 Ford Thunderbird was declared Best American, and German honors went to Robert Vail’s 1958 Mercedes-Benz 190SL. Keeping the British end up was Don Rose’s 1960 Aston Martin DB4.

The 2022 Best Of Show Winner is Sally and Roger Demler’s 1950 Ferrari 195 Inter, Body by Ghia

HOLIDAY Gift Ideas

THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US, and as we all know, trying to find the right gifts for those who are special to us sometimes results in a decision made in the clutch. We have put together a few ideas that may pique your interest and help your decision-making process. These offerings are just a few of the ideas presented by our contributors. Please visit the websites listed and see many more ideas for gifts for that special car aficionado.

1917 Locomobile Model 48 courtesy of Dick Shappy photo by Russ Rocknak

The Rosewood or White Gear Shift Bottle Stop $20

each thedriverssociety.com

These bottle stoppers are a fun gift for the discerning automotive or wine enthusiast. Not only do they keep air out of your wine bottle, but they also add motoring panache to a cellar. They’re available in white or rosewood. Give them individually or as a set for red and white wine.

Racing Socks

$25 per pair

thedriverssociety.com

Add a motorsport element to your casual or business dress with these racing-style knit socks from The Drivers Society. They are adorned with competition-inspired roundels, flags, and stripes and are an ideal way to channel your inner racer while adding to your sock collection. Available in sizes 6 through 11.

McKee’s 37 mckees37.com

A world-wide manufacturer of waxes, polishes, compounds, and ceramic coatings, McKee’s 37 synthesizes the knowledge gained from the development of the Detailer’s ProLine with the latest technological breakthroughs in surface care to create a full line of effective and affordable products. Each formula in the McKee’s 37 line is worthy of being used on the world’s finest show cars but is still obtainable for the everyday driver.

Retrographs

Wall art prices start at $22 www.retrographs.com Retrographs, the biggest and best collection of reproduced vintage and contemporary automotive art, has over 1,400 unique automotive photographs and illustrations in a wide range of formats including metal and canvas prints, shirts, tote bags, mugs, and holiday ornaments. Large-format wall murals are also available. They seek out only the rare and unusual to bring you hundreds of variations, from small to supersized, all affordably priced. Speaking of BIG, their Custom shop aims to brighten workplaces, garages, commercial spaces—you name it! We hope you will take a moment to look over their personally curated inventory of timeless car art and invite them into your home, garage, or commercial space. Wall art pieces are available in a wide range of sizes, mounting and framing options. Each art piece may also be purchased on mugs, shirts, tote bags, phone cases and even Christmas ornaments.

Amalgam Collection

Ford GT40 based on chassis number 1075, 1:18 scale Priced at $1,013 Amalgamcollection.com

Following the enormous success of their absurdly detailed Ford GT40 model at 1:8 scale, UK-based Amalgam Collection has now released a version at 1:18 scale, precisely replicating chassis number 1075 as raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hands of Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver on June 14th and 15th, 1969. Each 8-inch model necessitated over 800 hours of development and has the full approval of the experts at the Ford Archive and Heritage departments.

Autodromo Vallelunga

Priced at $695 autodromo.com

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their original launch collection, Autodromo has crafted a refined, elevated reissue of this old favorite. Case size has been reduced to 40mm, the movement is now an automatic mechanical one, and the dial and handsets offer a new level of refinement and detail. Vallelunga is a minimalist watch that can be worn in just about any context, from sport to dress, or just as fun daily wear. Named for the famous racecourse outside of Rome, the Vallelunga is inspired by racing tachometers of the late 1960s and goes back to the original minimalist ethos of the Autodromo aesthetic.

CarCapsule

CarCapsule.com

Give the most awarded vehicle storage product on the planet this holiday season. The CF1 and the Limited-Edition Scorcher series showcases are front and center and used exclusively at F40 Motorsports to preserve, protect, and present their collection. Professional storage results from the comfort of your garage. From indoor and outdoor, to cars, boats, and motorcycles, we have a complete line of vehicle storage products to serve every need and budget. CarCapsule USA has been the driving force for over twenty years, setting the standards for premium vehicle storage. Have a question? Give us a call or visit CarCapsule.com. Please use promo code CHASE.

Automotive Sculptures by Mario Tagliavini

https://mariotagliavini.com

Car sculptures in scale, to decorate your garage with style. Models of your choice of any type of vehicle, handcrafted with mechanical components, plus 3D printed details. Working in his home country of Argentina, Mario Tagliavini creates immense pieces of automotive art that are perhaps more model than sculpture, and ‘models’ are how he describes his creations. For budgets and details, consult https://mariotagliavini.com, Facebook: Mario Tagliavini; Instagram: tagliavinimario

Ferrari Testa Rossa J

Pricing starts at $95,000 testarossaj.com

Designed and built-in collaboration with Ferrari S.p.A., the Testa Rossa J is an electric, 75% scale replica of its famous namesake which won the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans. Developed and handcrafted using the original design drawings supplied by Ferrari’s Classiche department, the Testa Rossa J is limited to just 299 vehicles. As an official Ferrari model, the Ferrari Testa Rossa J is built to meet the highest of automotive standards. The Little Car Company’s team of engineers have taken great inspiration from the craftsmanship of the original, using the same hand-beaten aluminum bodywork. The interior showcases continued sublime attention to detail with the transmission tunnel removed to make space for seating to accommodate a driver and a passenger. Just like the original, the steering wheel is supplied by Nardi, which has the world’s smallest quick-release steering wheel system developed to facilitate easy entry and exit. Similarly, the classic dials have been repurposed for their new role in an electric car, with one notable addition being a power gauge showing the level of regenerative braking being deployed. The three batteries powering the electric engine are positioned at the front of the car, and provide approximately 55 miles of range, depending on driving conditions and style. The batteries are accessed under the hood, while the car can also be charged where the fuel cap was previously situated.

The NK Collection

Priced at $185 carscarves.com

New from NK Collections, this 54”x 54” oversized shawl recalls the golden age of travel and grand tours. It features vintage travel stamps from around the world with a border of gracefully parading classic cars. Beautiful, featherweight, cashmere-touch, 100% wool makes this easy to keep on reserve in a handbag for use as an elegant accessory or a quick warm layer at a rally.

Peter Brock Signature Edition

BRE Datsun 240Z Prints

Priced at $829 (shipping included) sportscarart.com

From the illustration hand of David Townsend at Sports Car Art. Limited edition, signed, numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Printed on acid-free, archival paper and beautifully framed in ebonized hardwood with museum grade double mats, Peter Brock has signed these limited-edition prints. Framed size is a generous 33” x 27” with the dust backer and hanging hardware installed, ready to grace a special place in your home or office. Framed Peter Brock Signature BRE Datsun 240Z Limited Edition prints ship pre-paid directly to your door (within the continental United States only) via Federal Express. Order by December 16, 2022, to get best chance for holiday giving.

Turbo Laser

Priced at $40 https://playforever.us

Formula 1 in the 1980’s was all about turbocharging to get more speed. Downforce was your only friend, getting you around those fast corners alive. Unapologetic clashing colors, box wings, massive air ducts, and extremely bold graphics sliced through what came before. All this brash confidence was a tangible force, driving aesthetics and pushing boundaries. Turbo captures the spirit and magic of the most infectious decade ever. ABS Plastic with high gloss UV coating. Hand-polished with care. 5.9” L x 3.6” W x 1.8” H

Battle Plans–Limited Edition

Carlo Chiti has testing done on the new Ferrari 156 (1.5 litre, 6 cylinder) F1 racer. Assisting him is Mauro Forghieri, as Enzo Ferrari looks on. Edition of 50 premium 17”x 11” Giclée prints - $150 USD plus shipping/fees.

Motorsports Art by Paul Chenard

Limited editions available, and commissions are welcomed paul.chenard@hotmail.com 1-902-817-9273 www.pinterest.com/automobiliart www.facebook.com/automobiliart.ca

Paul Chenard is a motorsports artist who works in pencil, pen & ink, colored pencil, watercolor pencil, watercolors, acrylic on canvas or birch panel, hand-cut aluminum sheet, and laser-cut stainless steel. Paul also creates murals.

Rufus Patrick

Priced at $70 https://playforever.us

Introducing Rufus, the coolest canine-driven racing car we have ever seen! The Rufus collection is designed and made by Playforever, following their recent collaboration with Hugo Boss. A streamlined shape with a geometric front and pointed ‘ridge’ on the bonnet top, smoothing out to a rounded form at the back, this car means business, and SPEED! Those dog’s ears say it all.

Just like all Playforever products, Rufus is not only beautifully designed, it is built using the finest quality materials to last a lifetime. ABS Plastic with high gloss UV coating. Hand-polished with care. 8.4” L x 5” W x 4.3” H

Red Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster– Commissioned Art Prismacolor pencils, pen & ink and white acrylic pens on 17”x 11” red paper.

THE KEVIN MACKAY STORY OF CORVETTES KING

The

words and contemporary photos by Sean Smith

only Factory L88 convertible to be built in Marina Blue. Dick Guldstrand pointed Kevin in the right direction to add this car to his collection.

KKevin Mackay remembers holding his Dad’s hand as they crossed the street. Out of nowhere came a car like nothing he had ever seen before. He saw the chrome spears on the back of the trunk. He asked, “Hey pop, what kind of car is that?” His dad replied, “That’s a Corvette.”

Kevin was seven years old. It was love at first sight.

This was nothing like the other cars that populated his hometown on Long Island. It was a two-seater, it was compact, and it was aggressive and sporty. In other words, it was everything that stirs a young boy’s heart.

As he grew up, he learned to drive behind the wheel of his grandfather’s car. They would head to the local shopping center on Sundays when it was closed and made use of the empty parking lot.

From there, he got his learner’s permit.

After automotive school, Kevin started working at a series of Chevrolet dealerships; that’s where his love for Corvettes deepened. They were fiberglass, they didn’t rust, and they were sporty. You get a cool car, find yourself a hot

chick; what more could a young guy ask for?

Kevin had to wait awhile, but when he turned 23, he took his life savings and bought his first Corvette and never looked back. It was a ‘64 red convertible. The line about never meeting your heroes didn’t apply in this case; it was everything that Kevin had thought it would be and more. It was his daily driver from the late

Above: Kevin leaning on the #3 Le Mans class-winning Briggs Cunningham Corvette. John Fitch and Bob Grossman drove the L88 Rebel Racer. It was discovered by Mackay and restored by Corvette Repair. Below: Behind the unassuming façade, some of the most important Corvettes have been resurrected.

‘70s to the early ‘80s. He went to car shows, bought Corvette books and magazines, and went to the library. From these experiences he learned the nuances of each variation of his beloved sports car.

Kevin’s next Vette was a 1965 coupe he restored in his garage. He took his freshly done car to the Malcolm Konner Corvette show in New Jersey to show it off. A gentleman came up to judge the car who looked very familiar. His name was Ed Mueller. Kevin had been reading about the amazing cars in his collection in various Corvette magazines.

Mueller was extremely impressed with the ’65; so impressed that Kevin was awarded Best of Show. Mueller wanted to know which shop did the work. When Kevin told him he did the work himself, Mueller told him,” Young man, if you ever open a shop, let me know.”

That car went on to win a Bloomington Gold Certificate with the highest score in its class.

Kevin had kept Mueller’s card. In 1985, Kevin lost his job (he was rather good at that; he didn’t like following other people’s rules). He called Ed to let him know he was opening his

Top: The 1967 L88 in period on the track at Riverside Raceway.

Above: Details of the brutal racer—notice the mostly stock interior has only the driver’s seat and steering wheel swapped out. Below: A rare, quiet moment sitting on a racetrack where the large-displacement Vette is most at home.

own place (a one-bay garage out of a body shop). Mueller remembered the quality of Kevin’s work and sent him a project.

The first car Ed gave him was a 1969 Factory ZL1: one of two built. Kevin and company worked their magic on the car, and when they delivered it, Ed was so impressed he handed them another car. Then another, and another. Within two years, the shop expanded into a custom-built facility, with a team of experienced professionals working side by side with Kevin.

Ed Mueller became Kevin’s best customer and mentor for the first 17 years he was in business. Other customers came from across the US and beyond. Ed and Kevin became great friends. One day the pair was hanging out at the shop having lunch. Ed looked at Kevin and said, “You’re like a son to me, but you don’t know anything about the Corvette market.” Kevin was a bit taken aback. Mueller proceeded to school him on Corvette values and what he should search for, telling him if he was going to collect, go for the best you can afford. He said, “In Corvettes, it’s all in the engine. The bigger the horsepower, the bigger the bucks.”

Kevin took this to heart. Back at the Malcolm Konner show in 1983, Kevin saw the car that would become the Holy Grail of his collection. It was the ex-Roger Penske 1966 Development L88 racecar. The car had an engine that wasn’t available to mere mortals until 1967, and it was the first car that Penske ran as a team owner. Kevin was going nuts. His buddy Ed talked to the owner;

Above: The 1966 coupe coming off the trailer at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring where it won its class. Below: The ’66 coupe was Roger Penske’s first race car as a team owner. It sported an L88 development engine—an engine that wasn’t available to the masses until the following year.

Above: Details that make up a race car: a Traco-built 427/L88 “Gray” engine, an ingenious way to keep hood pins in place for special cowl hood, a quick release fuel cap, and a mostly stock interior for a very potent race car.

‘‘

In 2012, Kevin was inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall as one of the 50 most significant people to influence the Corvette phenomenon.”

Mackay’s collection spans the years of the big L88s. They were basically factory-built racecars.A person off the street could order one if they knew what boxes to check, but salespeople were asked to steer them away from the potent motor.

he was willing to sell for $135,000. Too rich for Kevin’s blood. But he kept tabs on the very special car. Over the years, other L88-powered cars came into Kevin’s life. In 2000 a serious collector offered him life-changing money for three of his cars. Kevin was single and he didn’t have any kids, so he went after and got his dream car. His garage had some holes in it, but the space was taken up by a unique machine. The others were great, great cars. But now he had the Holy Grail.

Kevin didn’t stop there. He spent long hours restoring cars for other people in his shop, but he loved the hunt, the chase, and the history. So he was back at it, chasing down leads.

Mackay has found and restored some extremely significant machines throughout the years. The L88 Rebel Racer was found in a junkyard and purchased for $7,000. Years later it was auctioned at Barrett-Jackson for $2.86 million, which was a world record for a Corvette at auction that still stands. He also did the restoration work on a Corvette owned by the president of the United States.

The next one just fell into his lap. It was a

‘69 L88 black-on-black side pipe car, the only one in existence. An ex-employee had moved to New Jersey and heard about the car. He told Kevin about it. Kevin headed to NJ with a flatbed and a pocket full of cash and bought the car on the spot. He was in the right place at the right time. Back in the day, Kevin had worked at Bay Chevrolet in Queens, NY, and he remembers it coming in for service. At the time,

Above: The 1968 L88 convertible lined up with its competitors. The C3 Corvette was designed perhaps with the thought of cruising the Pacific Coast Highway—it’s a unique sight to see the L88 convertible mildly prepped to race among the more purpose-built coupes.

Below: As with the earlier L88/427 Corvettes, these were basically ready to race off the shelf—all you needed was a lot of fortitude. The customer could just add different exhaust pipes, a roll bar, wheels, and tires and they were ready to go racing.

he would just stare at that car and dream. Now, with another one-of-a-kind L88 in his collection, what did Kevin decide to do? First was a total body-off restoration. He now had a beautiful jewel-like chassis, so why cover it up? Kevin decided to turn it into a see-through car, thinking it would be a great promotional tool for the shop. Before a lynch mob gathered, Kevin safely stored the body so it could be reunited sometime in the future, but for now, it lets people can see the inner workings of a high-powered Corvette. Don’t judge.

The next car to join the collection was a 1968 L88 racecar. Retired racecar owner and builder Doug Bergen had run it. Kevin flew out to Ohio to meet with Doug. The original window sticker and invoice for the Corvette were framed on the wall in Doug’s house. It couldn’t leave his wall, but Kevin was able to take pictures. With the serial numbers in hand, he found the car. And it now shares space with the Penske car.

The third racecar in the current collection is the only 1967 Factory L88 roadster in Marina Blue known to exist. Dick Guldstrand was a big

Top left: The heart of the beast, a ready-built racer. Above: DB for Doug Bergen. The only way to tell the car’s racing pedigree is the extra gauges and tach. The seats and steering wheel are all street.

help in getting Kevin into the car. He told Kevin about an L88 he had ordered for a man named John Peter Hill, who had raced it in period. After that, the car went into long-term ownership with Doug Dewar, a man Kevin knew from the Corvette world. Doug had passed away, and he thought the ‘67 racecar might be in play. Kevin headed out to the west coast and was able to add the car to his collection of racecars. He now has an example of each year of the Factory L88, with one being a development model.

The shop Corvette Repair, Inc. has been in business for 37 years and has a well-deserved reputation as one of the top Corvette restoration shops in the world, with over 1669 awards to its credit; Everything from Bloomington Gold, NCRS Triple Crown/Diamond, Best in Show, and Best in Class. Kevin is also an NCRS master judge and Bloomington Gold benchmark judge.

In 2012, Kevin was inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall as one of the 50 most significant people to influence the Corvette phenomenon. Still, Kevin is at Corvette Repair, Inc. every day at 5:30 AM, with his team lov-

ingly bringing his chosen marque back to Corvette perfection.

With four rare L88s in his garage along with some other special cars, you might think Kevin would have enough. Not so. He loves the hunt, and there are still some special Vettes out there he would like to have keep company with the others.

The search goes on.

Above: Kevin searched for a long time to get his L88 vanity plate. He found it on a boat trailer, and it now graces his See-Through Stingray. Below: This is a unique build that looks more like something that Chevrolet would have created for the auto show circuit.

Top: The #3 Cunningham Corvette is ready to leave for a concours. Above, below: Cars awaiting Kevin and his team’s magic touch. Everything from priceless racecars to basic street cars are treated to the same quality and meticulous attention to detail at Corvette Repair.

The Big E Exposition

Every year in September there’s a twinge of excitement that runs through the Brewer family. We’re heading back to the USA and will be hanging out with some of the best, kindest, and funniest people we know.

Springfield, Massachusetts is the destination; one of the largest state fairs is my office for the weekend. The Big E Exposition is just unbelievable. It’s a huge state fair that sits on the West Springfield showgrounds where you can pet a pony, ride the big wheel, dance to the biggest rock acts, or watch me in a classic car show.

Nine years ago JJ, the organizer who books the acts at the fair, asked me to talk to the audience about cars, a simple stage act that had me prattling on for 40 minutes about the difference between the UK and the USA in terms of classic cars. After the event, JJ and the show President Gene Cassidy decided it went so well that we should work on making it better, so the next year, we got

Above: Fun across the pond, where I get to see all sorts of cars that I don’t often see in Blighty, such as this amazing 1923 Model T, still in the same family since new. It’s so much fun to do this together with Wayne and Ant Partridge.

Left: It looks like I don’t quite believe what Wayne is saying, but he knows a lot more than I do about this lovely 1949 Chevrolet pickup because he restored it!

ACROSS THE POND

Mike Brewer

a bigger stage and some cars to talk about parked out front, and again it was a hit.

By 2015 we had separated the Classic Car show to an event within the event and called it Collector Car Live. That’s where we suggested bringing in my friend and local hero, Wayne Carini. Now, Wayne and I had worked together professionally for Discovery Channel/MotorTrend several times at live events, like SEMA in Las Vegas, so I knew sharing the stage with him was going to be a breeze—but little did we both know that it would also be so much fun. Wayne and I have a great bond, and our conversations always revolve around the same topic—cars! We can spend hours in each other’s company just nattering about our love of the automobile.

So we decided between us to cover cars from the past 130 years; these days we bring cars up on stage from the Victorian era all the way up to the latest supercars. Each has its own story to tell, from design, manufacturing, ownership, and re-sale value. We could talk for hours about one car on the stage at that moment, but we have 90 minutes to get through 25, so it’s a crash-course history lesson from the pair of us. What I love is just listening to Wayne’s vast knowledge and his ability to tell the story so we can all understand,

and I hope he gets the same from me. This year we were joined by Ant Partridge from Goblin Works Garage fame, also on MotorTrend, who gave us the customizer’s angle on the cars on stage.

This year’s was a blast, spanning from a turn-ofthe-century Model T to the best Continental Mark II I’ve ever seen, to a BMW i8. We even shared the story of a young man who tracked down his late father’s Suzuki Samurai and bought it back to keep his memory alive. As Wayne says, every car has a story.

Thanks again to Wayne, JJ, and Gene for making this the best weekend of the year. Book your tickets soon for next year; we already have plans in the works to make it even more special.

Top: This 1956 Lincoln Continental is simply one of the most beautiful American cars I’ve ever seen, especially in this color with the added benefit of the rare air conditioning option. The owner came across it during a tour of Wayne’s shop and just had to have it. Above: As Wayne says, every car has a story; The owner of this Suzuki Samurai shared a heartwarming story of tracking down his late father’s example and then restoring it.

LAST WORD

Packard Motor Car Company 1899-1958

The Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan, where luxury cars were made by the Packard Motor Car Company and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. In 2022, the plant was scheduled for demolition, which began on October 27.

photo by Josh Sweeney/SFD 1930 Packard 740 Phaeton courtesy of Cyndi and Howard McLauchlan