December 2014 Issue of Driven World Magazine by Driven World Magazine- The official magazine of Supercar Sunday

D RIVENWORLD

DEC 2014

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Contents

ISSUE 60, Dec. 2014

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dustin Troyan

ART DIRECTOR

Connected Media Group LLC

COPY EDITOR Heather Troyan DESIGN Connected Media Group WEB DESIGN

Jeff Balbien

STORIES BY Dustin Troyan Mark Llewellyn Scott Martin Brooks Smith Tommy Mansuwan Jim Hunter Mike Grudt Greg Grudt

Page 10

PHOTOGRAPHY Greg Grudt Scott Martin Tommy Mansuwan Dustin Troyan Jim Hunter Jime Stoneman

Advertising/Marketing: Dustin@connectedmediagroup.com

818-516-5053 www.drivenworld.com www.connectedmediagroup.com www.supercarsunday.com Page 6

Driven World Magazine is published twelve times per year by Connected Media Group LLC. It is distributed at upscale locations and events all over California. It is also available online and distributed electronically to high-net-worth individuals as well as members of the car community at large. All rights reserved. Driven World and Supercar Sunday are registered trademarks of Connected Media Group LLC. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or any other materials or advertisements herein may be reproduced without permission of copyright owner. Driven World Magazine and Connected Media Group LLC, do not take responsibility for the claims provided herein. Connected Media Group LLC, Driven World Magazine, and its affiliates, contributors, writers, editors, and publisher accept no responsibility for the errors or omissions with information and/or advertisements contained herein. Connected Media Group LLC does not assume liability for any products or services advertised herein and assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers or editorial information.

On the Cover: â&#x20AC;&#x153;F40 on the Greenâ&#x20AC;? Photo: Greg Grudt www.exoticcarfotos.com

From the Editor If you are reading this you may have attended the 11th Annual Motor4Toys Charity Car Show and Toy Drive. I have left the flier on this page hoping to get your attention. If you did pick this Magazine up at the car show, I hope you had a wonderful time. I hope that it touched your heart and that you too were amazed at how wonderful our car community is. I am always speechless at how kind people are. If you wonder how Motor4Toys began, it was just a simple idea. That is it. Nothing too complicated, no rocket science, pretty much... Can you bring a toy. What it has turned into, well that is because of you. The car community to be precise. The amazing car community that I am so honored to be a part of. For the life of me I cannot figure out how the whole thing works, but, it is just magic. People come to the event once and they are hooked! Hopefully for life. That is how it has happened for many of us. I am trying to think about the best Motor4Toys story that I have, but there are so many. I truly believe that every toy that is donated, that singular act, every single one is a miracle. You may think I am crazy, you may think that I read too much into it, but I do believe that. Why? Well, sure to you and me it may be just a toy, but that toy may be the embodiment of hope. And hope is a seed that needs to be planted and planted young. The value of hope cannot be quantified, it cannot be measured. It is that hope, which can get us through the toughest of times, through the low points, through the impossible. Hope. So...If you are still reading this I assure you that I don’t think that I am crazy, but I try to fill my day with hope. And, hope can come from so many different places. Hope is a type of energy that can be channeled through people, ideas, moments, illustrations, and repetition. Every year I hope. Some people say that you should visualize what you want in life. To see it. To put a picture up on the wall and look at it. To write it down. To focus on it. I suppose I do that in my mind. I hope. I hope that every year Motor4Toys gets bigger and better. Every year I hope that someone or many people will help us get to the next level. I hope for a miracle. I hope for thousands of miracles. I hope and hope and hope and when I run into a roadblock or a door shut in my face, I hope some more. I try to fill myself with so much hope that it turns into a magnet for others who hope. Others who dream. Others who are willing to help in some capacity. Any capacity. You can always use more help. Support. Every year I hope for one big one. One big miracle. That hope is for a huge donation. Now, I appreciate and am grateful for every donation, but a big whopper of donation, it just makes things a bit easier. It kind of takes the pressure off. Well, it doesn’t take the pressure off, but it helps, a lot. Emotionally, it is huge. You have to understand that Motor4Toys started from nothing. Just that simple idea. We had no funds, no way to pay the cost of the event, the insurance, the bathrooms, permits, and on and on. We

had no money. But ever since the second year, we have gotten one big miracle. Sometimes two. I have spoken of the man who every year would silently give us the money to guarantee the next year. The costs would be covered. That was such a huge relief. HUGE. Then there was the year Rich Finn made a call that yielded us 30,000 items. That was something. Good grief that was a lot of stuff. Last year, we got a call from a car guy and he said, “I heard you needed some help....” That was our first BIG donation, $25,000.00. Unbelievable. This year, another car guy called and asked how it was going...It always starts slow and builds I told him. The long and short of it, is that he has donated to date of writing this, $35,000.00. He said his hope is that others with the ability to do so in the car community, our community would do the same. What is interesting is the guys donating the large sums want no credit. Zero. They simply say: “It is for the kids.” I really like that. It is for the kids. I suppose we are all big kids at heart playing with our big toys.

Maybe that is why Motor4Toys works...We never really grew up and still play with out toys. Now, I have mentioned cash donations. I have also said how I believe every single toy is a miracle. And again, I believe that. Truly. So do not think that your donation of a toy is trumped by someone who writes a big check...Every single toy counts and you never know which toy is going to give that kid hope. We need every single toy we can get, every single cent that can be donated, every last bit of it. We do not take your kindness for granted, we do not take any donation for granted. We do not expect anything, but I will tell you that we sure hope like heck and then some. So back to the hope. I hope that if you can help us grow you do. I hope that you put us on your to-do list. Your to-support list. I hope that you come every year for the rest of your lives. I hope if I only see you once a year it is at Motor4Toys. And, I Thank you. You are Motor4Toys. D u s t i n

The United States Grand Prix Story & Photos by Jim Hunter

F1 was once a gentleman’s pursuit contested by small, private teams funded by tobacco, liquor, and condom advertisements. Aerodynamics were merely an accessory in those days . . . heavy, rudimentary wings bolted straight onto the significant rigid chassis structure known as the engine. The F1 car at that time looked not much beyond the self realization of an engine that had grown appendages to propel itself forward around sweeping corners. Motor racing was never cheap, but in the 1970’s man had hardly altered the virgin surface of the moon. Cars could be conceived and built in small workshops with a skeleton crew without high tech polymers, wind tunnels, capacitors, micro-processors, and software engineers. Enzo Ferrari sold limited production road cars to finance his Scuderia, and relished his pride-

ful war on the garagistas, small English teams . . . Tyrell, McLaren, Lotus, BRM, to name a few. The United States Grand Prix was held in the fall at Watkins Glen in upstate New York, where into the mid ‘70’s fans camped out for the race weekend, drank too much, and burned cars and buses in the muddy infield “bog.” In a simpler world it was easier to believe in the potential of a David who could topple Goliath. In those days, Jody Scheckter could take Walter Wolf’s Cosworth powered, Doc Postlethwaite reworked Hesketh (christened the WR-1) to victory in its very first Grand Prix. Today F1 is a completely different animal. Under technology’s logarithmic progression, it is an endeavor that has grown more difficult to sustain even with prosperous financial resources. Aerodynamics have evolved from being an accessory to driving everything in a car’s development.

V8 engines have been replaced by hybrid power units, merging combustion with kinetic energy recovery, requiring a fleet of technicians a mile long to monitor, manage, tune, and trouble shoot. F1 garages now come complete with cloaked mission control centers driven by more gigabytes and telemetry than all of the manned moon missions combined, and a fleet of engineers to interpolate that data. And as the scale of the endeavor now relies upon manufacturers as never before, so has the accompanying manner in which their PR strictly controls the dissemination of information. Advertising dollars have become harder to find and the sponsorships which remain come from ‘safe’ mega corporations; banks, consultants, logistics, energy drinks. The sport has in fact become anti-septic, politically correct and has lost some of the luster it once held.

All of this has also made it much more difficult for a privateer, a garagista, to enter the fray. Hardly privateers as in Walter Wolf’s day, it was announced prior the USGP that Caterham and Marussia, F1’s youngest teams, would not make the trip to Austin. Both teams, struggling with reduced revenue at the back of the grid, had gone into “administration,” a polite English reference for bankruptcy. What arrived in Austin in their absence, however, were some fairly nagging questions. Simultaneously, Tavo Hellmund’s inspired, purpose built, hill country home for the pinnacle of motorsport, The Circuit of The Americas (CoTA), was set to host its third F1 Grand Prix. Known in smaller circles for sensational BBQ brisket and off beat, eclectic media, Austin has now found itself a player on a worldwide stage. Defying skeptics and head scratchers alike, CoTA has proven itself an immediate hit on the F1 calendar. It has also been saddled with political turmoil. Hellmund may have been rudely pushed out by his venture capital bedfellows long before 2012’s opening weekend, but their combined reliance on Texas’ “Special Events Fund” to not only construct but operate the facility meant CoTA would never exist free of political agenda and scrutiny. As questions regarding the circuit’s management and the legitimate use of taxpayer funds greeted the USGP just two days prior an election, the financially crippled teams would not find immediate comfort for the future in Austin’s newspapers. This untimely intersection of F1’s challenging economics with Austin’s challenging election year politics would give pause to anyone who has long hoped for a stable, secure home for F1 in the United States. One could not help but wonder if the real victim of political ambition and misdirected public ire in the coming months might be CoTA’s vastly unrealized potential. As the empty garages and hospitality structures fueled questions as to how and why, chatter began to filter through the Austin paddock of a potential boycott by the remaining smaller teams. Visions of 2005 and the ultimate failure of Indianapolis hovered like a dark cloud. The long journey of F1’s search for a stable home after so many ill fated prior attempts did not need the threat of a greatly reduced grid at this race. No matter what the reasons, it would be catastrophic and probably represent a death knell to F1 in the US.. Fortunately, CoTA is a truly outstanding racing track, one that every driver relishes. Getting the cars on circuit Friday morning did a lot to refocus attention on the pursuit of raw pace and

the World Championship title fight between Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton arrived in the US having enjoyed four straight victories from Monza and held a 17 point gap over his teammate. With momentum on his side, he appeared relaxed, confident and poised at Thursday’s Driver press

conference, even if this was something Lewis was hesitant to acknowledge. “It doesn’t really feel any different to several races ago. As I keep saying: just fighting and chasing the ultimate goal.” A couple of new faces who will be on the 2015 grid took to the circuit on Friday morning. Max Verstappen, the highly touted seventeen year old son of former F1 pilot Jos Verstappen took over Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso and Felipe Nasr, who over the weekend put fresh ink to a race seat with Sauber, took over FP1 duties for Williams’ Valtteri Bottas. Both pilots finished the session in the top ten. Both Friday sessions ran under gorgeous cool blue skies, but with a great deal of wind. Valtteri Bottas, who did not drive in FP1, found his Williams slightly off expected pace, “Today was tricky conditions with the wind. Mechanically the car didn’t feel that well balanced, and aero-wise today the windy conditions it was not easy but in the end if we look at the gap. It’s not far from our normal Friday so I’m still hopeful we can improve a lot tomorrow.” Jenson Button regarded the influence of the wind with caution, “It was tricky this afternoon with the car with the wind. We seem to struggle a bit more in the wind and me personally as well. So its tricky

to set the car up... and you have to be very careful with what you do with the car because it’s not going to be as windy tomorrow.” Bottas concurred, “All I know is that the wind direction is going to change, so I think the balance we’re going to have tomorrow will be different, so we’ll see.” Hamilton led both Friday sessions, but Rosberg quietly claimed that he had speed in his pocket. Nico indeed took pole position on Saturday, checking H a m i l t o n ’s title momentum, and providing hope that Austin would weigh in the title fight. Rosberg’s close work with his engineers again proved the difference, and he credited a front wing adjustment made after Q1 for his pole pace. The Mercedes powered Williams duo locked the grid’s second row, with Bottas bettering his teammate Massa by three tenths in Q3. The usual players, including Red Bull’s Ricciardo, Alonso, and both McLarens finished out the first four rows. Threats of boycott and memories of 2005 faded on Saturday night as reasonable thought prevailed. Few believed that the smaller teams would play such a destructive hand. In spite of everything that could have derailed the race, the slightly reduced grid of 18 cars (17 on track with Vettel starting from pit lane), lined up to take the lights on Sunday before a modest Austin crowd. Nico got a great start and managed to initially keep Hamilton at bay. That is, until just past the halfway point. Recalling his tenacious pursuit of Sebastian Vettel in 2012, Lewis applied that experience into hunting Nico down and took the lead away on braking into turn 12.

Although Nico kept Hamilton in check into the closing stages, he was never really able to return the fight. “It feels horrible to finish second after starting from pole,” said Rosberg in the post race press conference. “Conditions were very different compared to yesterday and it took me too long to find my rhythm.” Some pundits raised an eyebrow to Nico’s remarks, prompting questions as to whether Nico was truly up to the title fight. Conversely, Hamilton has shown nothing but fight over the past few rounds and once again drove with the same conviction that allowed him to rise above his previous hiccups in qualifying. “Once I got past Nico it was really just about controlling it. Coming here today, just having that same determination and hunger to get that win.” There were several notable drives behind the Mercedes duo. Daniel Ricciardo drove sensationally early on to lift himself above the Williams cars on his way to claim the final podium spot. Alonso put on his usual good show dicing early on with Button and later engaging his old rival Sebastian Vettel to take sixth. Räikkönen looked certain to achieve a sorely needed points finish, but eventually dropped out of scoring position. In another lessor moment of his baffling season, Kimi fell prey to inspired driving by Kvyat with but a few laps to go. One must wonder what fortunes 2015 holds for the popular Finn. Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne gave everyone something to cheer about with one of the most ag-

gressive moves we’ve ever seen into CoTA’s turn one. Vergne flew into the apex from seemingly nowhere, stealing ninth from a startled Romain Grosjean, who had put forth a good drive in the strug-

gling Lotus. Vergne finished in the points while poor Grosjean could not hold on and eventually crossed the line in 11th despite his noble effort. Vettel had a strong finish and topped the race speed trap on the long run into turn 12 at roughly 209.4 mph late in the race on his way to posting the race’s fastest lap. In the end, Hamilton took his tenth win of the year and extended his consecutive victory streak to five grands prix from Monza. His champion-

ship lead now stands at 24 points, with only Abu Dhabi’s controversial double points result posing a true threat to his title hopes. It’s been a challenging year for F1. To describe this as a time of transition would be an understatement of monumental proportions. F1 faces 2015 with fewer teams, fewer opportunities for drivers with more talent than purse strings, and in great need of a major rethink to allow revenue sharing among all entrants in the paddock. The guard is changing. Luca di Montezemolo is gone, as is Adrian Newey. Sebastian Vettel’s run at Red Bull is over, Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button may soon be facing retirement. The great mystery surrounding Fernando Alonso’s 2015 whereabouts has moved beyond silly season intrigue to bordering on ridiculous theater. Sadly, Jules Bianchi, the talented Frenchman and future Ferrari driver, remains at this time hospitalized in Japan. Bianchi’s Suzuka accident marked the first serious loss for the sport in over 20 years - that fateful weekend in Imola, 1994. Forza Jules. The F.I.A. tested a new Virtual Safety Car

system in Austin with good result. This system appears to offer an effective, constructive response to the Bianchi tragedy. However, in their charge to improve safety, the temptation to over police racing incidents remains, and the F.I.A. must focus upon governing the sport with a measured hand. And although there is probably no real danger of CoTA dropping from the schedule, the circuit faces steep challenges. Whoever emerges from the political fray in Texas to guide the facility into the future, let’s hope that they respect the investment and recognize Hellmund’s vision remains but a work in progress. The 2014 Grand Prix season has delivered some of the closest wheel-to-wheel racing we’ve seen in years. Never stagnant, through challenge and change, F1 yet remains a spectacle of sport, commerce, and theater. It’s been a fantastic honor to cover the World Drivers Championship for Drivenworld this year, and I hope next year will bring even more opportunity.

Palos Verdes Concours d’ Eleganace

Story and Photos by Scott Martin On September 14th, 2014, the twentysecond Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance was held at the picturesque Trump National Golf Club overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes, CA. Automotive Innovation was the theme, and the featured Marques of Cord and Tucker epitomized that spirit. The Grand Marshall, Don Panoz, has been a leader in new automotive technology in motorsports along with his son Dan over the last two decades. One of their Panoz sports cars was displayed at the entrance to the Club. Although the collection of cars was the main attraction, the unique golf course and club are also pretty interesting. Early details are a little sketchy, but it looks like a course was originally built in the area about 1924 and then went into disrepair and used as farmland during the 1950’s. 45 years after purchasing 150 acres in the area, Edward Zuckerman was successful in building Ocean Trails Golf Club. After the 18th hole was destroyed by a landslide in 1999, his company went bankrupt and Donald Trump purchased the property in 2002 for twenty seven million dollars. The Trump National Golf Club officially opened in 2006 with 18 holes at a total cost of $264 million, becoming the most expensive golf course ever built. The property and surrounding areas have been compared to Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula, not necessarily due to course difficulty, but because of the striking ocean views and high-end residences. The neighboring Terranea Resort, built directly on the site of the original Marineland of the Pacific, offers the same magnificent Cliffside views. Participants in the preConcours Pleasure Road Rallye got to drive much of the Palos Verdes Peninsula including a visit to Point Vicente Lighthouse which was built in 1926 and sits just north of the Terranea acreage. Due to the topography of the golf course, the different featured classes and mod-

els of vehicles were very easy to group together. Woodies had their own designated area which was adjacent to the Microcars section and on the way down the graded hill to the latest added PV Concours class, Innovative Hot Rods and Customs. This was where our local Supercar Sunday friends Gary L. Wales and Johnny Martinez’ cars were located with their unique vehicles La Bestioni and Wicked in Suede. (In a special congratulations, La Bestioni won a special award which was presented just prior to the last award of the day, Best In Show for the 1936 Bentley Roadster.) Moving on toward the ocean or southwestern area of the golf course, there was a vanguard of amazingly preserved 1950’s and 60’s Chryslers and Dodges, many with those great paint colors and kooky drive selector buttons. Passing by what seemed like dozens of perfect Thunderbird’s, Tornado’s, GTO’s, Studebaker’s, Corvette’s, etc., we stumbled on a gathering of Packard’s, Bentleys, a Franklin, a White and a 1920’s Rauch & Lang electric vehicle from the Nethercutt Collection which ended up winning First place in the Innovative Class. One of the spotlight areas that almost looked like ”land’s end” featured beautifully restored and historically accurate Cords and Tuckers. Although the showing of three Tuckers in one place does not seem like a lot, it’s actually a big thing

because there are only 47 of the originally manufactured 51 still in existence. One of the most recent ones sold at auction for almost three million dollars. While Cords are not as rare, the featured 1930 Cord L-29 Murphy Town Car is essentially one-of-a-kind due to the custom coachwork. It won Best and Most Elegant in its class. Walking back toward the clubhouse, the cars kept getting better and better if that’s possible. There were so many Concours condition 1920’s and 30’s American models, each one more amazing than the last: beautiful Duisenberg’s, Auburn’s, Packard’s, Chrysler’s, Lincoln Zephyr’s and Cadillac’s all lined up like they knew they belonged together. Taking a break for a few minutes and trekking all the way up to the top terraces of the clubhouse, the view is like a postcard, between the rolling greens, white sand traps, gleaming vehicles and huge expanse of wide-open ocean and blue skies framed by sprawling cliffs fading into the distance. If you check out Yelp, you’ll find that

the chef has a great reputation, especially for special dinners as well as Buffet Brunch. For this event, some of the dining rooms were open, with the lower one serving a quick lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers. Getting back to what looked like a completely separate North side of the course, we set out through a major selection of vintage Volkswagens in every configuration. From there it was a logical step into “Porsche-land”, with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 911 model. Coincidentally, the next sign going to a higher elevation on the course said, “Ford Mustang’s 1964-1970: the 50th Anniversary” which didn’t make sense until I read the fine print… basically 1964 to 2014, but the PV Concours was specifically celebrating years 1964 to 1970. There Jaguar, Speedsters, Austin Healey’s, and even rare a 1957 Abarth Zagat 750 GT Corsa and pristine ‘57 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. Rounding out the field (literally) were various Post-War European autos including a 1966 Tatra 2-603, 1947 Triumph 1800 Roadster, a couple of Citroens and a beautifully restored 1961 Mercedes 300D. Proceeds from this event benefit the Palos Verdes Art Center, and Palos Verdes Rotary Foundation Charities which includes Harbor Area Boys & Girls Clubs. was also a separate section for Shelby American and Cobra, just to make sure everything was correctly delineated. Since I was still walking uphill, I had to make it to one of the most scenic views from the course where the lucky owners of five beautiful Morgan’s got to display their vehicles. On a little grassy mound just below that was one lonely Sunbeam Tiger with the big Ford V8, looking like it just wanted to vacate that spot and tear around the course flinging Kikuyu Grass everywhere! Opposite the Shelby area was the start of “Italian-country” with Ferrari’s galore including a 2002 Maranello, ’67 GTB/4, ’63 250 GT Lusso and a Daytona. The ’63 and ’67, respectively, won first and second place for the same owner in the Ferrari category. Walking further down the hill to what looked like the SouthWestern border of the golf course, Italian, English and German Sports cars were spread around the area including Fiat’s, Lamborghini’s, Lancia’s, Maserati, MG’s, Sprite, BMW,

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SEMA Show 2014: Where Cars Are Still King Story and photos by Scott Martin

SEMA, the Big Daddy of Automotive Trade Shows grew from a humble beginning with five displays in the basement of Dodger Stadium in 1963 to the 10th largest trade show in the U.S. Along the way, the organization changed its name from Speed Equipment Manufacturer’s Association to the wider-reaching Specialty Equipment Market Association. The early hot-rodding and customizing community definitely had a lot to do with SEMA’s growth as most of the original founding member companies transitioned from family run operations to multi-national corporations. Edelbrock, Cragar Wheels, B&M Transmissions, Valvoline Oil, Shelby and Hot Rod Magazine took part in that first show and with only five cars exhibited. The move to the “new” Anaheim Convention Center the following year was a good choice because the hot-rod and performance parts industry was already growing and continuing in full-swing by the end of the 1960’s. De-

spite recessions and oil crisis, nothing slowed down the progress of the automotive afterparts business and so SEMA grew to the point where they needed even more exhibitor space. Since 1977, the yearly SEMA Show has been happening in November at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Expansion has continued so that this year, November 4th to the 7th, the trade show hosted more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers in 12 unique product sections plus a very large new products showcase. The organizers have also carried on the tradition of providing attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events and networking opportunities. And that’s not counting the individual manufacturer’s and company’s separate product introductions, celebrity appearances plus private and public parties and gatherings. Basically, the show has become a “must go-to” for anyone having anything to do with designing, customizing, showing or just about any segment of the mainstream automotive industry. The major manufacturers are there in force, with Ford taking up almost a quarter of one of the buildings with mostly Mustangs and Ford Trucks. Every parts manufacturer that is used to customize a vehicle is

there, and many of the well-known customizers appear at their exhibit areas to sign autographs and represent the brands. Speaking of celebrities, almost every host of every History, Discover and all the other TV reality car shows were there in some capacity. Meguiars had a large stage set up outside for seemingly continual broadcasting of Car Crazy, with Barry Meguiar interviewing everyone from Chip Foose to Wayne Carrini. (I promised myself I wouldn’t forget and this just reminded me… Supercar Sunday’s favorite Gary Wales and his La Bestioni had the best spot at SEMA because Barry insisted that he park right behind the Mequiars’ stage setup.) Most of you know SEMA as the yearly trade show, but did you know they have offices fairly local to Los Angeles? The city of Diamond Bar

hosts the national offices for SEMA where they recently completed the SEMA Garage. For members of SEMA, the Garage is available for prototyping services, laser measuring and parts design, plus they have full Dyno capabilities and a photography cove. There are a lot of other services which SEMA provides that many are not aware of, including protecting consumer and collector’s rights through its SEMA SAN council, other networks and councils that create awareness for some of the best new auto products, plus automotive education and student internships & scholarships, as well as promoting programs such as National Car Collector Day This year, a new event was added to augment the yearly SEMA Cruise at the end of the event. In the past, the public was invited to see the vehicles as they were leaving because it is a trade-only event, but this year, the vehicles went to a separate area, The LINQ for an event titled SEMA Ignited. All participants in the convention, plus the public were invited to see all the cars, witness the last episode of Overhaulin’ and see the presentation of the Car Designer of the Year Award and their vehicles. SEMA Ignited was very successful, as was the SEMA Show which is true of every year. But the main reason why all this was happening, the reason for SEMA in the first place and the true draw of the annual trade show is: THE CARS! Yes, there is an industry that needs to know all the new technological trends and whom to buy what from, but it’s interesting that the main draw at most booths and/or exhibit areas, were: THE COOL CARS. Well, some companies still hired the obligatory pretty girls to stand next to the cars, but as I said, and as you can see by the pictures here and all over the internet… IT WAS ALL THE GREAT CARS that really got and will always continue to get the most attention at SEMA. Scott Martin is a Calabasas resident, photojournalist, auto broker and frequent contributor to Driven World Magazine. He can be reached at autobrokerscott@gmail.com or 818 430-7266

Golf Tips with Tommy Mansuwan I once had a member of the club I worked at to look at his swing and tell him why he wasn’t hitting it further. Usually in cases like these, it just comes down to the fact that the person just can’t swing that much faster. However, after looking at his move, I did notice one thing that a lot of higher handicappers do (or don’t do). Coming into impact, he would stop his chest from moving through impact and compensate by flipping his hands to finish his swing. This can be a cause of multiple issues; poor contact, inconsistent direction, and loss of distance. Golfers should understand that to maximize your distance, the big muscles need to be firing in sequence. Think of a big league pitcher who throws 100 mph fastballs. Now imagine if that same pitcher were to throw a baseball standing still and using only his arms. That pitch would be nowhere near 100 mph. As a result, make sure the chest and belly button turn through the ball towards the target. A simple way to unsure that your body and club turn through as the same pace is by using an alignment stick to act as a shaft “extender”. In other words, grip the alignment stick together with the grip of the club while having the length of the stick protrude out behind you. The stick should be in a straight line with your club shaft while running below your armpit. Make a few practice chipping motions and you will notice that

the club and body are perfectly aligned through impact. By holding the stick in line with the club, it prevents you from breaking your wrist in order to flip the club. You should also feel a little different sensation as your torso is rotating more with less arm motion. Once you feel comfortable, start hitting pitch shots in this setup. Begin with a 30-40 yard shot and focus on rotating the chest through the ball. At the finish, your belly button should also be pointing in line with the stick along with the golf club towards the target. Slowly work your

In Memoriam Eric Bernardy Eric Bernardy was a CAR GUY. He frequently attended Super Car Sunday and loved to talk cars with just about anybody. He was a walking encyclopedia of automobile history, Italian, German, English, muscle cars, hot rods; he probably owned more cars in his lifetime than I could count; Mercedes sedans, Land Rovers, Porsches and Ferraris, it seemed he was always buying or trading something. However there was one that was his favorite, a red 365GT 2+2 Ferrari touring car. It was because of this car and his affiliation with the Ferrari Club that we became friends. It was after a drive to Santa Barbara hosted by Justin Freidman that we met in the parking lot of the Bacara Hotel. While admiring the engine bay of that 365 we struck up a conversation. Soon we were both doing driving events, going to the track and getting together to watch Formula 1. One of our favorite activities was attending the L.A. Auto Show every year, it’s sad that this November he won’t be there. Eric was one of those guys who ignored all other sports except motor racing. He loved Grand Am, Champ Car, Indy Series, F1, Lemans, Daytona, Super Bike - you name it he would record the races and watch them over and over, probably one of the most well versed guys I have ever met on the subject of auto racing. Once on a visit to Tom Malloy’s collection we went down a row of vintage Indy cars from the 60’s and 70’s, Eric new the drivers, the finishing position and the mechanical details of every car on that floor. Eric was one of the most well versed guys on the subject

One Piece Turn

way up the range. After awhile of hitting these shots, the body should naturally turn a bit quicker resulting in further distance. In order to practice full shots, you will need to ditch the stick and work on feel. Start by swinging at half speed while focusing on extending the club after impact. Get the body turning to the left but feel the club head stay as low to the ground for as long as you possibly can after impact. This should make you feel as if you are not releasing the club. However, if your big muscles move through the shot, your club should rotate naturally. The move you are feeling is just a longer version of the drill with the alignment stick. Whereas before you would stop with the club pointing down the fairway, you now want the club finishing at the top. Practice with these drills for a couple weeks and you should start seeing a slight increase in distance. Although you probably aren’t going to hit it 300 plus yards, there should be a little difference the next time you play with your buddies.

Mark Process Photo by Steve Steinhardt

of motor racing of anyone I have met, he had an torcycle crash. Although there are many theories amazing memory for racing statistics and motor- about what might have happened, it is really not sports history. I always told him that he missed important, the end result is we lost a friend. Eric his calling, he should have been David Hobbs. was a good guy with a big heart, honest and gener And, he loved driving. Every year we ous to a fault, he was always there with a smile and went on a number of drives together; Mikey’s a “hey bro” greeting, sometimes over the top and Run, the Bastille Day run, the Mullin Museum, a little verbose, but always genuine and down to the Drive to Ojai, the Long Beach Grand Prix earth. I am going to miss you brother, along with and my annual Sideways Tour. Many people your enthusiasm and dedication to the FCA and the who drove with him thought he was sometimes car hobby, we lost one of our own and our world is out of control, but I knew his style and he was a a little less fun without you Eric. As another friend very good driver at speed. We also attended a put it, he is now in a place with no speed limits few track events together where Eric showed me and no CHP to slow him down. RIP 1967-2014 a number of valuable driving techniques. He was always up for a drive to anywhere, Eric Judging at the Pasedena as long as there were some Ferrari show on the left. challenging roads, the destination was rarely important. We also attended a few of Tom Brockmiller’s FCA Judging Seminars and we both became concour judges working the FCA’s Concourso Ferrari two years in a row. Again, Eric’s knowledge of Ferrari history and keen eye for detail greatly assisted my judging team, his participation in concour judging will be sorely missed. Eric died a few weeks ago, a victim of a mo-

The Murphy Auto Museum presents

R H I C S & T M S AS Celeb AR

r y a a t d ion i l o H & Food Drive

�C

�C 50/50 RAFFLE MEMBERSHIP RAFFLE PRIZES REFRESHMENTS

$5.00

ENTRY WITH 2 NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS

�C

12-4pm SUNDAY H T 4 1 DECEMBER

Entry is $5.00 this day (kids 12 and under free) when you bring at least 2 cans, or boxed, non-perishable food items. All the food will be donated to FOOD Share, Inc. providing food and support to the hungry of Ventura County.

Take your holiday family photos with the Museum’s decorated Holiday Trucks: A ‘63 Red & White Chevy Truck & ‘46 Green Dodge Pickup View our current exhibit “Big American 8 Cylinder Power” Thank you to AAA of Southern California, our corporate sponsor for this quarter’s exhibit

www.murphyautomuseum.org 2230 Statham Blvd, Oxnard, CA | 805-487-4333

MORE LOCATIONS SPOKE, TO SERVE YOU YOU WE LISTENED At The Auto Gallery, we like to listen to our customers. Our 2013 Customer Satisfaction Survey results told us that the number one complaint amongst our owners was the lack of convenience of our service locations.

Canoga Park Woodland Hills

Calabasas

5 LA LOCATIONS FOR SERVICE DROP OFF Beverly Hills

Santa Monica

CALABASAS

CANOGA PARK

WOODLAND HILLS

BEVERLY HILLS

SANTA MONICA

To make sure we remain your first choice in servicing and maintaining your vehicle, we’d like to let you know that you can now drop your car off at any one of our sales or service locations, regardless of the brand, and we’ll do the running around so you don’t have to.

CHOOSE THE LOCATION THAT’S CONVENIENT FOR YOU With sites in Calabasas, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, you now have a choice of location to use.

SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY To make your next service appointment and arrange a drop off point that best suits you. Call Irene Velazquez at (818) 932-1707 or email irenev@theautogallery.com. FACTORY AUTHORIZED | 888.557.0366 | THEAUTOGALLERY.COM

Story and Photos by Greg Grudt

The Auto Gallery McLaren Maserati Service Center The Best Kept Secret There is a little known secret amongst rare and exotic car owners...The secret is that The Auto Gallery Maserati-McLaren Service Center in Canoga Park is the place to take your vehicle. On any given day you can stroll into the Auto Gallery Service Center and you will see... Well, you never know what you are going to see. But, it is going to be exotic and it is going to be rare. The secret is this: The Auto Gallery services every rare and exotic car ever produced. As a matter of fact, this includes good old fashioned American Muscle Cars too. Recently The Auto Gallery went through a transition whereby they no longer hang the Ferrari Logo on the wall. Many Ferrari enthusiasts

wondered what that meant for their servicing needs... Would the Auto Gallery still service their Ferraris? The answer is undoubtedly yes! The Auto Gallery continues to service Ferraris as an independent service center and the only thing that has changed is the lack of a marque on the wall. It is all the same technicians that have collectively over 150 years of experience, the same technicians that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve grown to love and trust over the years. The same service advisors that know you by your first name, the same managers that know how to operate a successful shop and the same owners who demand excellence. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll let you in on another secret which is important to many of us within the car commu-

nity; From top to bottom just about everybody in at The Auto Gallery are real deal car guys. Not only do the technicians wrench on your cars, but, they wrench on their own as well. You may not know it, but you might have bumped into many of them weekly at Supercar Sunday, annually at Motor4toys and at just about every other car venue in Southern California. To me, there is something magical about that. Not only do they work for a great organization, but they live the car dream along side of us. So, if you are looking to keep your rare, exotic, muscle or high-line car in perfect running condition, give the Auto Gallery a call, tell them Dustin sent you, it is where I take my cars.

Pasadena Art Center College of Design Car Show

Story by Mike Grudt Photos by Greg Grudt

Some people enjoy spending a nice autumn Sunday morning parked in front of their television set watching football games. I suspect the majority of you reading this publication fall into the group with my son Greg and I, which is spending our weekend time outdoors at car shows. Since we have “t-shirt” weather to enjoy year round in So Cal why stay in the house? We enjoyed a recent October Sunday at

the annual Pasadena Art Center College of Design Car Show. As always this is far from the largest car show, but it may just be the most unique show of the year. The theme this year was “Street to Screen” to celebrate the Hollywood connection between cars and films. They had some great vehicles and a number of high profile car personalities. There were a few different Batmobiles and George Barris was present to talk about the 1966 Batmobile he built for the 1960’s television series. It is always great to see and hear this iconic car builder and admire his beautiful and very unique vehicles. The other Batmobiles were from the feature films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), and a Batmobile tour car from 1963. That car even had a small white dog in

the passenger seat with a Batman cape on. I don’t know if the tour car had a dog riding along back in the day or if this dog was somehow related to an original dog. Anyway it was a cute little dog, but it wasn’t scary or imposing like one would expect sporting a Batman look. There were three vehicles that were associated with Steve McQueen films, a cool 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback (Bullitt), an immaculate Porsche 917K racer (Le Mans) and a modified Meyers Manx Dune Buggy with a Corvair motor (The Thomas Crown Affair). Oh, and by the way (or BTW if we were texting) the Meyers Manx was built by Bruce Meyers (plural). He built the original fiber glass bodied Meyers Manx dune buggy on a shortened VW frame in 1964. Bruce also brought an orange 1964 stock (VW powered) Meyers Manx with a personalized license plate with “1ST MANX” which I assume is the first one he built. He was present at this show and Hot Wheels just released a model of one of his cars for the 50th anniversary. Speaking of Hot Wheels, there was a full size 2003 Hot wheels Deora II and a 2014 Hot Wheels Darth Vader car. The designer of the Darth Vader car was at the show and signed some nice litho prints of this car for the attendees. Jay Leno brought his Chrysler turbine

car and he held sort of a question and answer session with Chip Foose (a Design Center Alumnus). A funny moment occurred when Jay walked past a yellow McLaren P1 (not his car) and someone asked if that was his car. He turned and said, “These yellow McLarens are everywhere”. He got some laughs from those of us in the area, but it was probably funnier if you were actually there. There were many classic, unique and rare cars present that really aren’t seen at most car shows. In keeping with the “Street to Screen” theme, one unique vehicle I enjoyed was a 2010 Porsche Panamera Camera Car. I got to see a Porsche Cayenne cam-

era car a few years ago when I visited my daughter on the set when she was working with the 2nd Unit on Fast & Furious (4) up in the hills above Castaic. That was an SUV so there appeared to be sufficient room for the occupants and the equipment. The Panamera in Pasadena had a modified rear area and the camera operator sits in the former trunk space and the DP (Director of Photography) sits in the back seat with a monitor. There is a long boom mounted to the roof of the car with a remotely controlled camera on the end. The amount of

electronics and technology packed into that car was just amazing. The exterior of the vehicle was completely blacked out so there is no reflection during the filming as they follow other vehicles to film driving scenes. As always Greg and I had a great time and enjoyed the cars and talking to other enthusiasts. Please enjoy Greg’s photos and others online at: www.exoticcarfotos.com.

www.drivenworld.com

That’s our Brooks by Brooks Smith

Would I rather be driving right now? It’s a harder question to answer than it used to be. “Yes,” was, for decades, the only answer you would get, unless I was driving at the time. But the world is changing. The hobby is changing. And more and more, I’m forced to accept that I am changing with them, mostly for the better. On the surface, it would seem to be the middle of a long, slow decline. The automobile being destined to go the way of the horse. These days, when I’m anywhere near home, you’re likely as not to see me on my bicycle, rather than behind the wheel. Sad sight indeed, no? Well, no. Not really. It’s been expressed, by people better able than I, that going the way of the horse might just be the best idea the car ever had. I’ve said here before that using my bicycle has freed me to have a more interesting, more charismatic, and more focused car. I’m in better shape, and loving my motoring more than ever. So when I tell you that I’m writing this from a train that’s taking me from a visit with my parents in Northern California, back to Glendale, it’s with only a couple of reservations that I pronounce that I’m currently fine where I am. And not just because my Alfa Romeo is currently experiencing a crisis of fuel pressure. Those two reservations? First is the lack of actual rail service. So long has travel by

Rolling Along train been out of fashion, that the infrastructure to get from one end of the state to the other simply isn’t there. Travel by train on the West coast also means travel by bus, which is less satisfactory. The second issue is of course the public part of public transportation. Most, in fact nearly all of the people you encounter will be just like you, trying to get from point A to point B, but you will encounter them at much closer proximity than in your car. This is actually less a drawback than a mixed blessing. If I had taken my old Spider on this trip, I’d at best be halfway through drumming down the interstate, in late Spring Central Valley heat. A good road trip is still one of my favorite activities. But sometimes, a trip is just a very long commute, and commuting is something I’m less and less interested in doing with my car these days. As I write this, I’m looking East, out the train’s window. The scrolling flatness of the Valley is in full evidence; three separate dust devils are twirling their way across the landscape, and in the distance, the silhouettes of the High Sierra peaks stand sentry in the haze. Were I driving, I’d have missed this, my eyes facing the road (and the temp gauge) in concern for safety, my mind at least two thirds on the task at hand. Of course, potential mechanical calamity aside, I’d also be on

time, which I’m not. I was late getting in on the way up as well, but on the flip side, I arrived rested and ready for action. And the first thing I got to do was drive my family’s car up a series of mountain roads. It may seem antithetical, but it’s actually a perfect illustration of the idea that a tiered transport system saves driving for when it’s at its most enjoyable and least frustrating. It’s not perfect, and in many ways I don’t really like it. But it’s also not as terrible as I always assumed. And the more it gets used, the better (at least in the short term) it’s likely to get. It has to. More people will quickly tax the current feeble but underused infrastructure. New routes and new services will have to be created. And in all likelihood, greater use is on the way, whether it’s everyone’s favorite form of travel or not. Driving everywhere is likely to become a luxury, rather than the norm, and air travel is unlikely to get much cheaper than it is now. For rail, on the other hand, there’s almost nowhere to go but up. That may make the gearhead in me sad, but given the world in which we live, it’s probably a good thing. And it saves your car (both physically, and legally) for the time you really enjoy with it.

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