D RIVENWORLD After all... It’s a driven world!
Jan 2016
DRIVENWORLD.COM
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I am lucky. That is a fact. I think I have always known this. I cannot tell you why... but I have. I am not talking about lucky in the sense that I won the lottery or found a LeMans winning vintage race car in a garage worth millions lucky, but lucky in the sense that I know I am lucky. I am sure that I do not fully understand the appreciation for my luck or how far my luck actually runs, but I try to. I try real hard. I have found that most luck comes from other people. As our lives are more intertwined than most people like to admit, think about when some luck came your way. What or who was it that contributed to your luck? I’ll give you an example; I met my wife through a regular customer at Village Coffee Roaster. Boy was I lucky! Thank you JoAnne. How did I find that job? A few friends led me to find that job, they provided that luck. It was luck that the shop was closed on Sundays and there was a real big empty parking lot. Little more luck there. Lucky. I remember the first Motor4Toys, another one of my regular customers offered to help that day...Kathleen has been the backbone of Motor4Toys for twelve years. Boy I was lucky that she is so kind and offered help that first year. Without her... There are so many instances of luck, which occur from other people. Think about it for a second, when was the last time you got lucky? Hey, get your mind out of the gutter, well, I suppose in that case too, it takes someone else. Luck and being grateful. I recently had a conversation with a man about ten years my senior. We got to talking and I think I said “how lucky” I am to be an American and to “live in the greatest country in the world...” He began to tell me how he is grateful for everything in his life. As he was holding a cup of water, he looked at me with so much compassion in his eyes and said, “I am so grateful for this cup of water.” Apparently he was in the military and on a mission some years back, he had no water. It wasn’t the cup he was holding, it wasn’t the story, it was the look in his eyes. A look as if telling me that my eyes are just opening as to how lucky I really am. A look that only perhaps a man who has been at war would know or who has lost so much for others. That look he gave me... Lucky. I am damn lucky to have some very good friends. I mean very good friends. To put up with me, well it takes a lot. When I was on my first date with my wife, I told her that I could be pretty annoying, I forewarned her. I bet if you were to query my friends they would tell you that I can annoy the hell out of you with ease. A gift I was born with. I am lucky to have such an amazing group of friends who are so damn supportive, but, we are supportive of each other. I could say that we are lucky to have each other and we are, but we really do try to support each other as best as we can.
From the Editor
Naturally, nobody is perfect and feather’s do get ruffled, but those same feathers allow us to fly together in the chasing of our dreams. We are lucky to have each other and even if none of us are perfect and many of us have a lot going on, well, we all try to be there. We are lucky to have each other, even with all of our imperfections. It is interesting, the last few months I have been in many conversations whereby the topic of appreciation has come up. A bunch of men talking about how grateful or lucky they are. It was kind of neat to listen to other men discussing how lucky they are in their lives. There was a similar thread that kept coming up. They kept bringing up this country and how lucky the were to be in it, thriving in it. That America is truly the land of opportunity and it offers so much to so many people. In these conversations, the men traded stories of countries they either grew up in, fled from or had visited or worked in. They spoke about the reality of the world and how most people do not realize how lucky they are. As I was the youngest in most of the conversations and the men were very accomplished, I just sat back and listened and tried to learn, I was lucky to be there and hear what I was hearing. I asked why they thought that most people did not appreciate what they had in life and how lucky they were. In just about every instance, they all said something similar, something to the effect of, most people have not suffered or seen suffering that comes from war torn or impoverished areas of the world, or where there is no freedom. Since they have never experienced it, they simply cannot understand it and therefore cannot appreciate how lucky they are, where they are. Growing up, my father hammered into us, how “lucky we were to have a mother who loved us.” If you are a longtime reader, you probably know that my father was raised in an orphanage. By his own admission, he never experienced love until he met my mother and had his children...something he never thought he would have. So, he hammered into us over and over and over how lucky we were to have a mom that loved us and loved us unconditionally. I suppose he would be an expert to know the difference. I have always tried to learn from people smarter than me and let me tell you I love my mom and appreciate the hell out of her and my dad. Thanks for the tip dad, I will pass it on. I suppose it is the going without that makes us appreciate. My mom once told me that she fears for my brother and myself because we have never really suffered. That we have been so lucky and she hopes that we continue to do so, but, lurking back there is that little thing called life that can knock you down pretty hard, if for no other reason than to remind you...how lucky you are. Maybe I am writing this because it was just the holiday season and I am so lucky to be blessed with a wife and kid, with friends and family, with food and laughter. Sure, I have
worries like everyone else, but we are all healthy and we are damn lucky for that. But, I do feel lucky, I feel lucky that we pulled off another year of Motor4Toys, for every toy that came in, for everybody who helped, I feel so damn lucky and grateful. But, in the back of my mind, there is a little voice. And it keeps saying to me to be grateful. That we all need to wake up and really appreciate what we have because if we don’t, the lesson can be hard and long. That if we truly appreciate our lives, our loves and our freedom, then we must start showing it. That there comes a time when good men and women need to stand up for what is right and true. For what we believe in and for who we are. No, this is not a political rant, this is a simple statement, perhaps a request as we head into a new year. I think that we all need to really focus on how important our country is and how much opportunity she provides us, our children, our families. Here is what I would ask of you for 2016. Live like you are so lucky for every single day. For every breath of air, for every drink of water, for every hug, every kiss, every pain, every frustration, everything. Live for the now, for the tomorrow for the future that you will lay down for future generations. This is our opportunity to leave a legacy that will provide an illustration for not only those around you, but to instill hopes and values that will move mountains and lift others up from their lowest points. You can do this every single day if you choose. And do it just to do it. Do it when nobody is watching, do it for yourself, for no other reason than it is right. Do the right thing because you are a human being and you are so damn lucky for that breath of air, that you are healthy or that you still have time on this planet. I so believe that to our dying breath, we can change things for the better for the sake of what is good and right and true. In this day and age in America when I now have to be concerned about going shopping at a mall, let us remember that we are human beings and we should act accordingly. And that if we are living in America, we are lucky. And that if you want to create your own luck, your own life, your own legacy, it is not about how much you can acquire, but, by how you live your life. About doing the right thing, not for others but for yourself. But, more so than any time, we need good people to do more, to inspire more by action, to bring more light into our world and to share how lucky we are for everything we have. This new year just remember that you can shape your world around you. You can take a step in a direction to make things a little bit better. One step at a time can change the world, over a life time. If we all took that step, we would all be better for it. And, that is what made this country great in the first place. Be great in 2016 -Dustin
D RIVENWORLD ISSUE 72, Jan 2016
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Dustin Troyan
ART DIRECTOR Connected Media Group LLC
contents
COPY EDITOR Heather Troyan DESIGN Connected Media Group STORIES BY Dustin Troyan Mark Llewellyn Brooks Smith Tommy Mansuwan Mark Llewellyn Greg Grudt
PHOTOGRAPHY Greg Grudt Christan Welch Tommy Mansuwan
Dustin Troyan Tommy Huth
Scott Martin David Rosenthal
Advertising / Marketing Dustin@connectedmediagroup.com (818) 516-5053 www.drivenworld.com www.connectedmediagroup.com www.supercarsunday.com 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: Motor4Toys Photo: David Rosenthal
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The 12th Annual Motor4Toys Charity Car Show
Story + Photos // David Rosenthal, Greg Grudt, Christan Welch, Tommy Huth
Motor4Toys. What can I say other than, THANK YOU! Somehow this little event of ours has grown and grown and continues to grow. Many people have asked me why it is so successful, the answer is easy, because of you. We have turned a simple idea into something really special. There is no one person that makes it happen, rather an entire community that continues to grow and support
the foundation. I had met two ladies who work at Sotheby’s International Reality at the Sunset Office. I told them about Motor4Toys and they said they loved the idea. They did their first office toy drive last year and decided this year to try to grow it. Working with the Westlake Sotheby’s Office, they did a huge Motor4Toys toy drive. When they called me to collect the toys, they were so excited and they told me to bring a SUV. As I headed down to Beverly Hills to their office, I was thinking, “Wow, I am headed to Beverly Hills to pick up toys! How cool!” When I arrived at the office, I was shocked! The entire office had contributed and they had collected 215 toys! Ends up, they had a competition with the Sunset office and the Westlake office. They called it a tie as the Westlake office did about the same amount, but, we all won! It was so beautiful. Then there was the day I was sitting in my office at Lavaggio and a truck
pulled up filled with toys. A Platinum Member at Lavaggio dropped off bags and bags of toys. So awesome. Then I ran into one of “our car guys” and he asked if I took credit cards, I said yes. He handed me his credit card and said, “run it for $5,000.00.” WOW! Then there were the Sundays leading up to the Motor4Toys Car Show. I would be at Supercar Sunday and car guys would walk up and hand me something, smile and say “it is for the kids...” It was always a check and in the memo.... “for the kids.” Whether it was $5.00 or $5,000.00, every cent mattered and every cent helped us to buy more toys. Thank you all so very much. What you have to understand is that this event, this month long toy drive is all of us. That is the magic of it. The beauty of it. That we can tangibly see what our efforts can do when we decide to make a difference. You can see throughout this magazine that there are little stories here and there about the Foundation and what we do. What many people do not know is that we collect toys all month long, not just at the car show. There are so many components, pieces to the puzzle, that by the end of the December, we make such a huge difference, with your help.
I guess if we had a tagline, it would be “for the kids...� Perhaps it is that we have our toys, and we never grew up or that we know the importance of dreaming and trying to reach those dreams. That sharing some of our passion with some kid during the holiday season, well that it might put wind in their sails and they might realize that people do care. That they are not alone. That they do matter.
The car show was a huge success. HUGE! With the help of all the sponsors, the car clubs, the volunteers, the LAPD, Anthem, it was so incredible. One of the things we are most proud of is that it is the entire car community that makes this happen. From the exotic cars to 4x4s, to classics and imports, to race cars and motorcycles, we have representation from every corner of the automotive world and more
importantly is the people. The first car showed up at 4am and from there, it was standing room only! We shut down Owensmouth St. for more parking and filled it. Westfield allowed us to park on the backside of the mall, we filled that. It was packed! How many toys did we collect? We are still wrapping up the event and the month long toy drive as I type this. As the car show “kick’s off” the month long toy drive, we don’t end up finalizing numbers until after January. I can tell you that we are on track to do well over forty thousand items. That these toys have been distributed all over the state of California to kids in need. That we, with your support make a huge dent in fulfilling the toys needed to support those who are less fortunate. And that I truly believe that we make a huge difference and yes, that what we do does matter. That we, as a community are inspiring and sharing hope to kids that otherwise may be short on both. Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, from all of us at Motor4Toys, we appreciate everything you have done for us, for the community, for the kids. You all are the back bone of the foundation and you all make the difference. You are all part of something so big, because you have made it so. THANK YOU!
Golf Tips with Tommy Mansuwan When was the last time you have seen a golfer hit all 18 greens in a round? Perhaps when the United States still had the space shuttle program? The point I am trying to get to is that the short game is essential in shooting good scores. Top professionals on the PGA Tour will average roughly 70-75% GIR and even then, they still need a deft touch in order to shoot low scores. The most common aspect of any decent chipper or pitcher of the ball is to have clean contact between the club face and golf ball. When playing with amateurs, more often than not, I will see plenty of chunked chips or bladed shots. The prime cause of this is the lack of body rotation through impact and disconnection of the arms from the body. Just like a good putter, a good chipper should be focused on using the shoulders to move
Pinch the Ball
the club through impact. If you have a fair amount of those misses that I described above, you are most likely not using your shoulders. Whether it was chunked or skulled, the stoppage of your shoulders and core are the culprit of the poor shot. The only difference is if your hands decide to take over (blade) or not (chunk) to compensate. To fix this and sharpen your ball strike, practice chipping with a towel squeezed under your arm pits. This will help promote the use of your shoulders instead of your hands. Start by chipping shots from the fringe and move further once you get the feel. To help with your setup, open your stance while putting your feet close together (reduces swaying). Keep 70% of your weight on the front foot and the ball positioned in the middle. The grip of the club and your hands should be right above the inside
of your left thigh. In effect, you’ll also have a slight forward shaft lean to help you contact the golf ball first. Once your setup is complete, put a towel under your arm and rock your shoulders. At no point should the towel come loose. If it does, then your arms are moving without your shoulders. Chip a bucket of balls with this drill to feel the big muscles working as a unit. Done correctly, your chest should be pointing at or near your target at the finish. As you get better, the contact between the club and ball will also improve. The goal is to pinch the ball without taking a big divot. That is when you will know you have developed a proper chipping stroke. After you master the stroke and contact, feel free to attempt more difficult (or longer) shots. Regardless of the type of shot you are executing, remember to always keep the shoulders and chest moving through the ball. Practice that and you will become a better short game player.
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Car Culture
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Mark Llewellyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Size Doesn’t Matter 1962 “Bug Flea” restored by Backstreet Minibikes
1968 Taco 99
To quote William E. Butterworth, Author of “Mighty Minicycles” (1976 Harvey House publishing), “A minibike is a two-wheeled motor vehicle which is not a moped, or a motor scooter, or a minicycle, or a full-sized motorcycle”. Minibikes came about in the 1930’s by do-it-yourselfers, who would weld together a frame and an engine. They were constructed using mainly adapted bicycle parts. After World War II small gasoline powered engines became a familiar sight. These engines were removed from gardening equipment and made the construction of minibikes easier. In the 1960’s, minibikes were being manufactured in mass production. Many minibike companies emerged, such as Bonanza and Steen’s famous “Taco” minibikes. Some minibikes were actually street legal, but the majority was not. This resulted in many a young man getting his first pre-license experience with the law! Similar to the demise of the go kart, (featured article July 2012 DrivenWorld) the minibike lost popularity due in part to injuries. Furthermore, the Japanese took the idea and incorporated their more powerful small engines and better suspension designs and crushed over the U.S. market. By the early 1970’s, most U.S. minibike manufacturers were out of business.
1967 Taco 22
Custom made 3 Wheel Trike with 5 HP engine
Recently there has been a re-birth of the nostalgia of the minibike era…Taco minibikes are being reproduced. Small companies are making a business out of restoring and reproducing classic minibikes. For the guy who has everything, here is one more thing that you have no business operating, but is guaranteed to bring a big smile to your face! www.LeonsTransmission.com
Coupon good for discounted entry cost of just $5.00. Beautiful vintage automobiles and Americana. 2230 Statham Blvd., Oxnard, California 93033
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Supercar Sunday Marque Schedule The 2016 Schedule will be available online at www.supercarsunday.com
Supercar Sunday is presented by: THE AUTO GALLERY The 2nd Sunday is Nissan Marque Day with Universal Nissan Supporting Sponsors include: Coastline Motorsport SuperchargersOnline.com Century Specialized Towing & Transport
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The Motor4Toys - Auto Gallery - Chaparral Toy Run What could be better, getting classics and exotic cars together to head over to a school in Calabasas that is doing a toy drive to help other children...that is what I call a win! For almost a decade,Motor4Toys has partnered with Chaparral Elementary School in Calabasas during the holiday season. What started as a traditional “toy drive,� asking the kids to bring toys to donate, evolved into something really, really cool! What you have to understand is that the kids had been so very kind and generous for so many years that we felt we needed to show them how much we appreciated their kind efforts as well as the support from the parents and Chaparral Elementary. We decided to bring some cars along with us when we came to pick up the toys at the
conclusion of the toy drive. The first year we brought the cars, it was the Classic Chevy Club and some of the Cobra guys. The Tri-Fives and the side-piped Cobras were a huge hit. The rumbling of the cars on the school playground was so cool! The kids pulled out their phones and the car show at the school was instantly all over social media. It was such a win! Sharing our passion for the cars and charity...the kids did such a fine job and the car guys, so cool to participate. So fast-forward, we do the toy drive car show another year with the classics and the
hot rods. More car guys come and it is so magical. We all have such a great time because the kids are in awe of the cars. The uncorked
motors, the smell of gas, we started a tradition of revving the motors for the kids. The kids scream and shout...and cover their ears! It is so much fun. So...you always want to make something cooler right?! We had been doing the car show - toy drive at the school for a few years and it was always a huge success. The kids loved it, the school loved it, the car guys loved it. And, we would collect a LOT of toys for needy children. It was beautiful. But, how could we show the kids that we were so grateful for their kindness? Then an idea, what if we could bring a couple exotic cars along with us to the school? That would be cool! The Auto Gallery as an automotive group is incredible. In my opinion they offer more support of the car community than anybody. Supporting events like Supercar Sunday and Motor4Toys, they are always there when we need them. John Kerley, Director of Fixed Operations at the Auto Gallery is also a car guy and is one of the most passionate men I know...I had asked if he could bring out two exotic cars and that we could utilize the Lamborghini North Los Angeles Dealership as our meeting location. John, who generally speaking is hugely busy told me he would call me back and let me know. I was hopeful as I just needed two cars. When John called back, he said that when the Auto Gallery does something they do it 100%. He said he would bring at least ten cars! What you have to understand
is that these “School Toy Runs� take place during the week, so it is a huge commitment from the Auto Gallery. But, they always step up! So that year we rolled into Chaparral with about twelve classic cars and twelve exotic cars. The kids, well, the kids went crazy! It was so beautiful and so over the top and they deserved it. What a community! The following year, we headed back with even more cars and the Auto Gallery brought out one of the rarest and most exotic hyper-cars, the Pagani Huayra. Just imagine over $10 million dollars of cars pulling up at your elementary school! This year was no different. We met at Lamborghini North Los Angeles to get the caravan together. The latest and greatest Lamborghinis and McLarens present, a dozen or so classic cars and a whole bunch of happy car guys. As we headed out and were en route to Chaparral, it was a rolling car show for all the other drivers on the road. Many people were asking us what we were doing while we were
stopped at. When we told them, they all had the same response....”how cool.” When we arrived at the school, it was so beautiful. Apparently the parents are car enthusiasts too, because there were so many parents present, it was a family affair! As we parked the cars, the Auto Gallery and the Chevy Guys let the kids climb in the cars and get pictures. The kids had such a great time and so did we! Sharing the cars with them, letting them experience the cars, answer their questions, we were all kids that morning! The toy drive was a huge success. The kids brought in hundreds of toys for underprivileged children and they were so happy to do so. Many of the kids have experienced the toy drive and car show for a number of years and they said they look forward to it every year!
That morning was so incredible for all of us present. The sense of community and sharing was the big “take away.” Sharing the cars, the kids bringing the toys, the children singing and the toys for the kids. It was so beautiful. A very special thank you to Chaparral Elementary School, the parents, the kids, the
faculty! To the Chevy Club and the other hot rod guys, you are always there for us! And to the Auto Gallery, what can we say, you guys go further and for the right reasons! Until next year and let’s cross our fingers for a toy drive with the entire school district.
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Brook’s Book Review Sports Car and GT racing in the early 1960s is hardly a subject needing more exposure. It is, in fact, difficult to see many new ways in which the era can be brought back. So
Story by Brooks Smith
you’ll forgive me if I wasn’t too excited when I first picked up a copy of Great Cars 1 Jaguar Lightweight E-type: The autobiography of 4 WPD, by Philip Porter. E-types aren’t really my favorite cars (I know, we’re not supposed to say things like that.), and somehow even the exceedingly exotic Lightweights have never managed to interest me terribly. It is perhaps a credit to this book then, that not only did it remain interesting, and find a truly different angle from which to present GT racings most covered epoch, but it actually managed to change my opinion on the E-type in general, and specifically these 12 original Lightweights. The fact that it manages this by relating the story of one specific car 4WPD/Buy 1, originally an early production roadster, which was almost wholly transformed as the prototype for the Lightweight series. The car’s appearance at so many national meets, illuminates the precarious nature of the FIA GT and Sports Car series at the time, while its success and failures against Cobras and GTOs, along with its ever evolving form, show us Just what
Jaguar were up against with their new road going GT. This, combined with bios for many of the drivers, team leaders, and other personnel involved, give us an interesting window into the era at large, without ever straying far from the central subject. And then there are the photos. Hundreds of them. I’m not sure where authors continue to find a seemingly never-ending stream of new photographs from fifty years ago, but I hope the supply never runs out. This book happily uses more than its fair share of them, along with an entire chapter of new, post-restoration photos, reproduced to stunning effect. The book isn’t inexpensive at $119.95, but its presentation is beautiful, and its text is exhaustive, informative, and quite enthusiastic. If there’s a downside, it’s that Porter’s enthusiasm sometimes borders on fan boy hyperbole, but it’s infectious nonetheless. The book appears to be part of a forthcoming series. I eagerly await the next one. Book kindly lent for review by Autobooks-Aerobooks, and is available for purchase at www. autobooks-aerobooks.com.
The Petersen Story + Photos // Greg Grudt
On Sunday, October 19, 2014 the Petersen Automotive Museum closed the doors for what would be a yearlong remodel with a price tag of $125 million dollars. On Thursday, December 3, 2015 the Petersen Automotive Museum opened their doors for a sneak preview to journalists and working media. After parking your car in the structure and walking into the newly remodeled building, you are immediately greeted with a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse parked near the window.
The morning began with a brief press conference with guest speakers such as prominent car collectors Peter Mullin and Bruce Meyer. Afterwards the ribbon was cut and the large crowd poured into the museum lurking into 25 different galleries covering three
floors. Refreshments and light snacks were served upstairs on the rooftop pavilion and the Drago Brothers provided the media with a special cooking demo. For those of you who remember the old Petersen Museum will remember Johnny Rockets. Johnny Rockets has been replaced by the Drago Brothers Restaurant which is scheduled to open early in 2016. The first exhibit that you walk into is the Mullin Grand Salon and it truly will knock your socks off. You are immediately immersed into a world of European preWWII automobiles. Many of the cars featured belong to Peter Mullin who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. For those of you that are not aware, Peter Mullin has a beautiful museum in Oxnard, CA of his own. Stepping into the Mullin Grand
Salon felt as though he brought his Oxnard Museum and placed it inside the Petersen Museum. His Oxnard, CA museum is still in operation and not to worry Mr. Mullin has enough cars to display in Oxnard and the Petersen simultaneously. Cars featured in this gallery among many of the other galleries in the museum are rarely seen out in public and come from many different private collectors. Many are also owned by the Petersen Museum as well. One of my favorites in this gallery is the light blue 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic which was the 2003 Best in Show Pebble Beach winner. Upstairs in the Automobiles
in the Movies exhibit, you will find well-known cars ranging from Walter White’s Pontiac Aztec featured in Breaking Bad all the way up to the 1989 Batmobile. There is something for everyone in that gallery. The Petersen Automotive Museum teamed up with Disney/ Pixar and has a very unique digital experience from the movie Cars. Kids of all ages can walk around with iPads and design their own virtual racecar with the help of Disney Cars characters. The museum also features a state of the art gaming center with the latest Forza Motorsports 6 racing simulators. These high end simulators allow you to race your favorite exotic cars on virtually any track in the world. I can see this being a popular exhibit especially for the kids and the younger crowd. When most people think of a car museum, they think old antique and classic cars. However, one of the newest cars in the museum is the brand new 2017 Ford GT, which is parked next to an original Ford
GT40 Mark III. It was very cool to see the two together, now if only they had a 2005 Ford GT on display as well. There is a fantastic mix of cars throughout the museum ranging from 1886 all the way to the present day. Another spectacular exhibit was
the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery which featured a 1980 Porsche 935 K3, 1969 Porsche 917K, 1980 Porsche 936/80 and 1986 Porsche 962. Seeing all of these Porsche racecars together is one spot is just amazing. Lastly, the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery also known as the Precious Metal (Silver Room) was filled with ten highly sought out vehicles ranging from a 1959 Corvette Stingray racer to the ultimate super car the 1995 McLaren F1 valued at over ten million dollars. I probably should also mention that the 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe, which was the 2014 Pebble Beach winner, is also featured in this gallery. Two other notable Pebble Beach
winner’s including the 1937 Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet and a 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Arlington Torpedo also complemented the Precious Metal exhibit. On Monday, December 7, 2015 the Petersen Automotive Museum was officially opened to the general public. Overall the Petersen Automotive Museum is a place for the entire family. Whether you like cars or not, the architecture, the atmosphere and ambience alone is worth the visit. The museum had been opened for twenty years, therefore it was definitely time for a remodel. The museum’s goal after renovation was to welcome back repeat visitors. I definitely feel that they have achieved this goal as I will be a repeat visitor as I am sure many others will be as well. I highly encourage you to visit the newly remodeled Petersen Museum in the near future. A general admission adult ticket is just $15.00. Oh and don’t leave your camera at home!
Motor4Toys and Harmony Story + Photos // Scott Martin
It’s great when you can have one charity supporting another charity. That has been the case with my two favorite charitable organizations over the last four years. The motoring community contributes to the wildly successful Motor4Toys with the 12th annual event this year generating thousands of toys for kids in need. The generosity of the principals of Motor4Toys has made possible a donation of approximately 600 of those toys to United In Harmony every year since 2012. The Harmony Holiday Party is an annual event that brings over 300 children from homeless families to the Watts-Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club for a celebration of the Holidays. Thanks to this new tradition of sharing, Santa has been able to give each child a large stuffed toy to bring back to the shelter where they temporarily live. Through various donations and fund-raisers, the kids also take home a bag with other toys, books, gifts and clothes. While there, the kids have a great time with face-painting, decorating cupcakes,
dancing to a DJ, doing arts and crafts and having their photos taken with Santa. Lunch is also served, with teen-aged volunteer counselors helping the children through the food line and all the different, fun stations.
During the year, Camp Harmony hosts over 700 needy children at the Holiday Party plus Winter and Summer camping sessions in Malibu. Kids leave the camp with a new sleeping bag, pillow, clothing, toiletries, toys and art supplies after spending their days doing sports, arts & crafts, hiking and beach-going. United in Harmony has become a great builder of character for hundreds of volunteer counselors over the years. Students who complete 9th grade or above serve as one-onone mentors, positive role models, and counselors to the campers. Volunteers, 18 and over, assist in the daily activities at Camp Harmony from helping to setup camp, officiating soccer games, helping in arts and crafts to storytelling at campfires. Many of them say that the experience has changed their life and quite a few have continued coming to camp as Unit Heads and then adult volunteers and even Board members. For more information: Unitedinharmony.org and Motor4toys.com
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The Gearhead Diaries
Brooks Smith
Well, it’s a new year, and of course A lot of the ideas seem to center around the some people still insist on resolving to better structure of cars, which is no great surprise, I themselves in ways they’re unlikely to stick guess. to. Personally, I’ve never been terribly big on Thing is, I’m pretty sure life goals the practices of resolutions, life goals, and aren’t supposed to be things you can go theDrivenWorld like, but thatQtr may because as a car and buy. Which 2:36 I guess Pgbev1•2015-10-02.qxp_Layout 1 10/5/15 PM brings Page 1its own
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enthusiast, the things I resolve to do, make no sense whatsoever. In short, most people don’t see “Own a car with De Dion suspension” to be a major personal marker in life, and I’m doing it wrong. It goes on like that. “Own a car with a space frame chassis.” “Own a car with dual radius rods.” or “with a backbone chassis.”, or “a proper transaxle gearbox.”.
caveat in that, while many readers of Driven World could simply purchase the required equipment (An Alfa Romeo Milano satisfies at least two of the above conditions), I’m a writer, which is another way of saying I work in retail, and most of my investment capital is tied up inn frozen pizza because I’m fancy and shop at Trader Joe’s. So I suppose from a certain angle
simply getting to the financial point where I could scratch a couple items from the list could be seen as a resolution, but I’m not convinced. There should be a permanent benefit to a resolution. A person should become greater for the effort. Also, all of the above sounds hard, and I haven’t figured out how to do it yet. “Really sort out left-foot braking” or “Finally nail a heel-toe gear change.” might be more in the spirit. It’s not like it’ll make me a better person, but becoming a more complete driver is at least growth in a sense. Granted, it might also lead to the purchase of a new transmission for my Spider, but that’s probably less than buying even a rusty Alfetta. So what then? What’s a gear head to do in terms of arbitrary annual growth and self improvement? Is there anything short of giving up our wasteful, sinful hobby, and replacing hooning about in cars with say, stamp collecting? Is there a way to appreciate the automobile on a new level (Anyone else just get queazy?)? Maybe I’m aiming too high. Perhaps I could buy an Austin 7 chassis, and begin building the Special I’ve been thinking about for years. That comes with all kinds of new skills and requires the development of patience and attention to detail. I like that. I also like that it comes with a cool sporty car in the end. That assumes of course that I actually develop those skills and traits. I’m just as likely to come out the other side having burned down my garage, perforated an expensive block with a torque wrench. I’m not eager to be left staring at what looks less like a car, and more like an erector set left in a pile by some giant 9 year old. Still, it will be mine. And there’s the idea to consider, that if you want to truly understand a thing, you should probably start with its simplest form. The littlest Austin is about as simple as cars get. The learning curve will also go on, as the primitive nature of the beast will require that I develop all the rev-matching, doubleclutching, and counter-steering techniques that modern cars get by without. So that’s it! I resolve to find a 7 chassis, and begin my journey toward a deeper understanding of the motor car, and driving. Long, and financially perilous it may be, but in the end, it will not only make me a better car guy, but perhaps also a better writer, and a better person. Of course, or esteemed editor, Dustin, would probably rather I resolved to make my deadline at least once…
The Petersen Preview Day
Story + Photos // Scott Martin
December 6th, 2015 was a great day for L.A. The 12th Annual Motor4Toys Charity Car Show & Toy Drive drew thousands of car enthusiasts and their vehicles to Warner Center and generated thousands of toys for kids throughout Southern California. Plus, the Petersen Automotive Museum opened its doors to a sell-out crowd for their preview day before opening to the public on Monday the seventh. A lot of people drove directly from Motor4Toys to The Petersen so they could experience the greatly anticipated changes to the exterior and interior. After being closed for massive renovations over a fourteen month period, everyone associated with the Petersen had worked nonstop over the final four weeks to showcase the new trend-setting designs that will make The Petersen a major landmark on the landscape of Los Angeles.
Peter Mullin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, started the festivities with an enthusiastic opening speech and Congressman Ted Lieu giving his endorsement of the changes and the museum’s new role as gateway to Museum Row and the Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard. Then the official Ribbon Cutting took place with Mr. Mullin, Congressman Lieu, Director Terry Karges and board members including long-time museum supporter and Founding Chairman, Bruce Meyer. The entire museum was open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, including all the new galleries, exhibits and entertainment areas. Although everything was amazing to look at, the most popular attractions seemed to be Disney Pixar’s “Cars Mechanical Institute”, Forza’s Motorsport Racing Experience, the BMW Art Cars in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery, the “racing room” called Howlin’: Vehicles From the Nearburg Collection, plus the old (1968 GT40 MkIII) and the new Ford GT supercar sitting face-to-face. “Beyond amazing” is my personal description of Peter Mullin’s and Bruce Meyer’s galleries entitled ‘Rolling Sculpture’ and ‘Precious Metal’ respectively. New galleries feature state-of-the-art lighting, digital displays and immersive learning stations. Throughout the day, there was a series of casual but extremely informative talks by such notables as Jay Ward from Pixar and John Clinard speaking about the new Ford GT.
A lively food demonstration was put on by the Drago brothers who supplied the tasty appetizers during the day and will be opening Drago, the in-house restaurant, in about April of 2016. Unique libations were courtesy of The Auto Gallery and seemed to be a big hit with everyone. The new museum features three themed floors. Visitors are encouraged to start their experience on the History floor and work their way down to the Artistry floor. By experiencing the museum this way, visitors are said to be able to better appreciate the impact and application of the automobile. There is also an event area on the 4th floor or roof, plus, of course, the Vault which will reopen on January 2nd, 2016. For hours, directions and information regarding the new Petersen Automotive Museum, visit www.petersen.org
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The 12th Annual Motor4Toys Toy Run
Story by Mike Grudt Photos by Greg Grudt
The annual Motor4Toys Toys R Us run was a huge success. If you are unfamiliar with this tradition, it was suggested over ten years ago by Justin Friedman. He thought it would be a lot of fun to get together with other car enthusiasts and cruise over to Toys R Us the week before the Motor4Toys car show and buy toys as a group. For over ten years we have left Supercar Sunday as a group, arranged VIP parking for the cars at Toys R Us and then flashmobbed buying toys! It is always so much fun. A tradition for so many of us! There is something quite fun about walking into a toy store with so many friends and buying toys for children in need. Everyone has so much fun, smiling, laughing, hugging as we walk through the store picking out our favorite toys. It is truly magical. After we are done shopping, we take a big group photo to commemorate the event and it is then an all out social media blitz for the Motor4Toys Car Show the following week. What a great tradition! Thank you to everyone who came along and we will see you next year!
Cars For Sale
1961 Ford F100 Unibody Rare CA black plate truck, only built from 1961-63. 460 Motor with 80,000 miles, c6 trans. Lowered with
Offering this 1932 Chevrolet all steel Hi-Boy roadster built by Gene Vredenbergh, retired executive from General Motors. Featured in the Aug. 2002 Street Rodder Magazine. This is a full custom frame and chassis. Steel EMI body with rumble seat converted to trunk by Dick “Magoo” Megugorac. Custom hood by Magoo. The engine is a Chevy 4.3L V6 fitted with a B&M Blower, Holley 600CFM Carb, GM Splayed-Valve Covers (for Indianapolis competition), Crane Cam and Isky roller Rockers. Transmission is a ‘88 Chevy Camaro 5-speed. Custom interior
adjustable air shocks in rear. New battery, radiator, tubbed in rear. Asking: $18,500. Contact: Dustin@connectedmediagroup
and lift off top by Mike Harper Interiors. Custom Dash, VDO gauges, Ron Francis wiring. Budnik Wheels and Goodyear Tires. The undercarriage is as detailed as the rest of the Hi-boy. All records. Asking $50,000.00 Contact: Dustin@connectedmediagroup.com
1957 Ford T-Bird. Full Custom. No expense spared. Pro-Touring inspired, the very best parts, the best paint and bodywork. This supercharged T-Brid is a ready for
weekend trip or a visit to your favorite car show. Asking $75,000.
2005 Lamborhgini Murcielago
If you have ever dreamed of owning a Lamborhgini, here is your chance. Offered at $160,000.00, this is the cleanest example on the market.
Offered by original owner. This Lamborhgini has never been abused. Always serviced at the dealer, all documents are available. This car has never been on the race track. The sound system has been upgraded as well as the exhaust. A full custom interior to match the paint and wheels.
For more info: Dustin@connectedmediagroup.com
For more information, please contact: dustin@connectedmediagroup.com
Car Classic 2015 Visions of the Future Story + Photos // Greg Grudt
On a typical late October eighty degree plus Sunday afternoon in So Cal we attended the annual Art Center College of Design Car Show in Pasadena. This is the only car show that I am aware of that is held on a college campus. Guests are offered full access to the various classrooms and workshops to view numerous drawings, 3D models and renderings and probably the future look of automobiles. Many of the graduates are quickly hired by the major design studios and virtually every car manufacturer employs them also. I was really amazed by the quality of the work displayed by the students, especially the 3D foam models. Have you ever tried to work with foam? The detail was just amazing. The theme this year was “Visions of the Future� and few examples along this line were the 2014 Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo, a 1987 Oldsmobile Aerotech (28 years old and it stills looks futuristic) and a 2015 Blade by Divergent Motors built using 3D
printing components. Of course there was a “Back to the Future” replica DeLorean to celebrate 10/21/15…Back to the Future Day. There was also K.I.T.T. Knight Rider replica car. Another unique feature of this show was the presence of a Mooney M10 airplane. I don’t recall ever seeing an airplane at a car show. The plane was constructed of composite material and looked great painted dark silver with red striping. I sat inside and the cockpit would rival any current supercar interior. If I wasn’t looking out of the windows six feet in the air I would have thought I was sitting in a car. It seriously made me want to get a pilot’s license…back to the show. A number of very unique vehicles were on display at the show. A few of note were a 1947 Tatra T87 (I’m starting to see these rear engine V8 Czech cars more often at shows), the Hirohata Merc designed and built by George and Sam Barris (this 1951 influenced many custom car builders), a 1935 Bowlus Road Chief aluminum trailer (designed by the builder of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis) and Jay Leno brought his amazing 1,076
HP 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. There was another Tatra, two Auburn Boat tail Speedsters, a 1938 Hispano-Suiza and other unique examples from the car world. This show is not the largest, but it always has a select group of rare and unique vehicles that
can’t be seen together at other events. You owe it to yourself to visit next year and make sure to visit the student displays in the classrooms. You will be very impressed and will most likely see prototypes of future vehicles.
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