June 2016 Issue of Driven World Magazine

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FROM THE EDITOR A

S

L E T T E R

B Y D U S T I N T R OYA N

ummer is here! I love this time of year. Longer days, the California sun, the beach and car show season! You gotta love car show season.

It seems that everyone is doing a car show now. Tons of different groups, clubs, car dealerships, churches, shopping centers, law enforcement, businesses within the car world, just about everyone.

It is interesting that the non-car world has found value in having car shows in or at their locations.

It could be paring up with the car community for a charitable endeavor, a school doing a car show fundraiser or as a way to launch a new business or raise awareness of something you are trying to promote.

Cars, people and social media have become a driving force in many people’s business plan.

If you go back only a few short years, social media did not play such a big role in the car world. Way back when, to go to a car event, you had to know someone “in the know.” To create a car event, you had to “pound the pavement,” passing out fliers, putting up posters and calling the presidents of car clubs. Often you would go to another car show and put fliers in every car that had an open window.

If it was a big car show, you would leave in your car and have a dozen fliers or advertisements for upcoming events and/or products and services.

As technology advanced, the car forums were the next big platform. This was pretty much manufacturer specific or model specific. The car forums played a huge role in the advancement of the socialization of the car world. Now, people from all over the world could share their cars, build stories, problems, pictures, updates and so forth with other enthusiasts. It sounds strange to say, but the car forums were a pretty tight knit community. Online community that is.

The car forums were the medium that really started allowing people to get larger groups of people together without having to “pound the pavement.” With one post, thousands of eyes might see what you were doing or want to do and then jump in. Often the car forum would have a “regional forum” where guys would ask specific regional questions like where to go for a particular service or where to buy a car. It was the next step in bringing people together on a larger scale, with a lot less effort than conventional standards. A lot less personal in some ways.

On these car forums, a person would pick a specific name and often you would see the same person on different car forums. Almost qualifying them as a “car guy,” or they just had more time to spare on the computer. Either way, you would end up at a car event and an introduction would be something like..., “My name is Dustin, on the forums I am known as S4Dustin...,” the other guy says....

“Oh sure, my name is Steve and I am known as Carracer1,” and then you knew exactly who you were dealing with. If there was a group of you it was kind of funny, everyone had two names. Their real name and their “forum name.”

Then there was the guys that had collected emails of car enthusiasts over the years and would do a mass email about an event or what is going on in the car world. Email blast after email blast about upcoming events, past events, cars for sale or other relevant car guy info. That was a huge form of communicating for many of us.

It seemed like such a small community back then. Everyone knew everyone and what forum or board they were on. These car forums which became multimillion dollar advertising platforms were the largest form of mass automotive communication ever, in my opinion. But, they were geared toward car guys. Guys that lived and breathed automotive.

It was interesting to see how the car forums would provide the “neighbor with knowledge.” We all know that guy that can somehow fix everything. If you had a question on how to rebuild a carburetor or a rear-end, what were the stock parts on a vintage car, how to do this or that, guys would chime in and tell you exactly how to do it. Some would even go as far as to document with pictures and illustrations. They would also include part numbers, phone numbers to the best part stores and even the manager’s names of those parts stores. It was incredible.

If you needed to fix something, all you had to do search for it on the forums and it would be there! Or these guys would come up with tips and secrets to save you money. The wealth of knowledge was astounding. It was a car guy nirvana.

You could often see how much of a car guy someone was by their signature on their avatar. They might have their car or cars listed with a list of mods or previously owned cars. Guys would often include pictures of all the cars as well.

An intimate look into the lives of a car guy.

If a particular thread was outstanding, the administrator would “stick it” to the top of the forum or, someone from another forum would email blast it out and it would get posted on other car forums.

And for some time, that guy would become internet famous. A reference point for thousands of people.

It was interesting to say those were intimate times. Somehow they were. Perhaps because guys were chatting with a “group” for years, you built relationships with these fellow enthusiasts which then crossed over into real life.

This online chat has forever changed the face of the car community. Mobilizing different people from different places went from fliers to clicking enter.

Then it was like fast-forward, in a blink of an eye, Facebook and Instagram changed the face of the car guy again. It was like hitting a 200 shot of nitrous.

Now you could mobilize a group of people that you did not know, never met and do it by the hundreds, maybe thousands.’Instafast’. The car community has changed again.

“We all know that guy that can somehow fix everything”

With this shift came excitement, opportunity and challenges. Being able to reach so many people so quickly and with anonymity to some degree also meant that you did not know what or who you were including and inviting to an event or to be a part of your vision. For a little while it got pretty crazy where the car community norms and values were pushed aside for sheer volume of people and cars. It was the ‘Wild West’ and all over the U.S., there were challenges within the car community.

Things have since simmered down and as more and more people organize car shows and events they are quickly learning that it is a challenge on many different levels. But one of the biggest challenges is to keep the attendees from doing stupid stuff. There is also a ground swelling of people who are tired of car shows being ruined by people being discourteous, disrespectful and just plain stupid.

For those of us who are frustrated by discourteous people, for those of us who earn a living in the car world or benefit from it in some capacity, or, if you fashion yourself a car guy, then I say it is imperative that you do nothing to jeopardize the thing that you love. I would much prefer that we contribute to build our community stronger and share the passion and inspiration and friendship which is truly the essence of what we do, live and share. It is our job, our responsibility, our duty.

As the medium of communication, organization and definition of the car guy and car community continue to change and evolve we will continue to have new entrants. New people who might be there for all the right reasons, but might not understand how things work, our car community norms and values. How passionate we are and how much we look forward to our car shows. Therefore it is our job to help to educate these newbies and show them courtesy and respect.

To let them understand why we do it the way we do. It is safe to say, we have all been there once too.

So, as car show season officially begins, I assert to all of you to lead by example. This is our community. This is what we do. If you love something, you protect and cherish it. If you didn’t build it, you have no right to ruin it. If you are a guest, act accordingly.

If you promote an event, promote safety and rules. And LEAD BY EXAMPLE! Enjoy car show season!

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CONTENTS

drivenworld ISSUE 75, JUNE 2016

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

EVENT COVERAGE

10 Ferrari Marque Day

Takes Flight to Santa Paula

14 9th Annual Ferrari Concorso 2016

16 Cars & Cigars

Hosting TMPCC & Vista Lincoln of Oxnard Black Label at Lavaggio

20 Greyston Mansion Concours 2016

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

22 Air Lift Suspension Adjustable Ride Height

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dustin Troyan ART DIRECTOR James R. Stanley Jr. COPY EDITOR Heather Troyan DESIGN Connected Media Group STORIES BY Dustin Troyan Mark Llewellyn Mike Grudt Tim Gaspar Armen Mansouri McCullough PR Alan Smithee Tommy Mansuwan Jim Hunter Jay Santos Steve Perry PHOTOGRAPHY David Rosenthal Greg Grudt Gabriel Gutierrez Jim Hunter McCullough PR James Stanley Steve Perry

30 Classic Motors INC

Los Angeles & San Francisco

32 Fast Toys Club

Los Angeles & San Francisco

ADVERTISING / MARKETING dustin@connectedmediagroup.com (818) 516-5053

www.drivenworld.com

www.connectedmediagroup.com www.supercarsunday.com

INFORMATION & LIFESTYLE

12 Insurance Insight Policy Coverage

27 Service

With Armen Mansouri

29 Golf Tips Practice

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 highnet-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.

PERSONAL FEATURES

18 Car Culture

Pinewood Derby

28 Reader Submission From Hot Rod Jay

33 Cody Miles Air Lift

35 Classic Car Community A Journey

On the Cover: The Classic Motors Family Photo: Gabriel Gutierrez

Southern California’s Largest Aircooled Porsche Dealer The Nation’s Largest Porsche Inventory 21301 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills, CA 91364 autogallery.porschedealer.com 844.866.6762

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FERRARI MARQUE DAY TA K E S

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F L I G H T

T O

S A N TA

PA U L A

STORY & PHOTOS BY JIM HUNTER

riving west/northwest from Woodland Hills is kind of like venturing into a storybook. Clumps of vegetation that appear borne from strokes of an animator’s brush dot the gently capped rolling hills. Spare but finely groomed two lane thoroughfares connect sub-divisions that skirt and divide the canyon preserves below Simi Valley. Their ebb and flow over the rolling hills reveal vantages north to the western edge of the Santa Susana range and soon transition into single lane highways past Moorpark. Narrow ribbons of beautifully undulating asphalt rise and twist up and over rugged ridges down into the rich valley of the Santa Clara River.

The first of May brought Supercar Sunday’s extremely popular Ferrari Marque Day. Always special, the variety of models and chassis that made this year’s show was spectacular, a good mix of old and new alike, from Enzo’s era through Montezemolo’s to present day.

If the sheer volume of Ferraris on display would wet the enthusiast’s appetite; an accompanying drive would provide the feast, so the Ferrari Owners Club teamed with Dustin to reprise last year’s run from Ferrari Marque Day to Santa Paula Airport. As Supercar’s attendance was varied and spectacular, so too, was the collection of Ferrari chassis that took to the roads from the festive Woodland Hills venue, transforming a static display into a mobile, living, gallery of automotive adventure.

The route would offer scenic vistas and ample exercise for any enthusiast, but especially for the Ferrari driver. FOC drives provide members a chance to share in the magic of driving their Ferrari among equally inspiring examples of the breed. The Santa Paula run was no exception and featured a pair of identical twin 2008 F430 Scuderias owned by Supercar regulars Jon Johnson and Dan P.

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Jon, who had owned two Ferraris prior, purchased his Giallo Modena Scud in May of 2008. “Before the Scud, I had a Stradale, and Dan had a GT3. We had some memorable runs together. 2015 rolled around and I had to talk him out of buying a new Porsche Turbo. I told him the Scud was a much more special car.”

Dan followed Jon’s advice and not long after acquiring his identically liveried ‘08, they had the occasion to park the two cars together in Beverly Hills.

Dan recalls, “When we came back, there were tens upon tens of people taking pictures with the cars – all over them. It was scary (for the cars protection) and hilarious (the crowd was huge) at the same time.” Jon recalls, “Dan couldn’t believe how many people were gathered around our cars taking pictures . . . I think this changed his mind about the Scud.”

Dave and Debbie Schinnerer joined the drive in their fascinatingly liveried Grigio Scuro 599 GTB with HGTE (Handling Gran Turismo Evoluzione) package. The car is a ‘08 model, which Dave acquired second-hand after initially considering purchasing new. The HGTE package was added at some cost by the original owner, but Dave is reaping the performance benefits and has found the car to be a nice addition to his ‘08 360 Spider. The combination of the dramatic Grigio Scuro against a striking red interior commands enthusiastic attention.

We arrived in Santa Paula with time in pocket to relax before visiting with Tom Sneddon’s friend John Richards, a gentleman who at his wife Sally’s call has undertaken more adventures since retirement than most do their entire lives. John kindly opened his hangar for the benefit of the club and entertained us with his stories, ranging from taking Sally from Alaska to Argentina on their BMW motorcycle to his starting a sprint car career at the age of 69! “I have had a lifetime interest in airplanes, motorcycles, and cars but did not get into

racing cars until I was 69 years old. I was so old I went over and talked with the promoter (Ventura Raceway) and told him I had to start with Sprint Cars as I was too old to start with Pony Stocks then move up. As a result I drove Sprint for 8 seasons!”

Santa Paula Airport has long been home to adventurers like John, and that spirit is embraced by the Aviation Museum, who encourages car clubs to play a central role in their summertime “First Sunday” program. Designed to educate and promote the rich history of this enduring SoCal fixture, the airport opens the old hangars that line the taxiways and house collections of vintage aircraft, automobiles, and motorcycles alike, inviting visitors to meet and chat with their owners who have lived to tell their tales.

Finally lunchtime arrived and the group assembled in Flight 126 Cafe’s

private dining room looking out to the runway.

And as if the day was not already complete, an unexpected bonus came in the form of Marine Major Doug Pinkerton USMC and his awesome AH1-Z Cobra Attack Helicopter, “Zulu Cobra.” Those who chose to stick around after lunch were given a chance to pose with their prancing horse before the Cobra, making for some fairly impressive souvenirs of the day. Major Pinkerton and his co-pilot also entertained with some dramatic fly-bys as they departed shortly after 2 pm.

For the second year running, the pairing of Supercar Sunday’s Ferrari Marque Day to the revival of the Santa Paula Airport Run brought friends and like-minded enthusiasts together to share their Ferrari passion. As the day wound to a close, I could not forget John’s words, “in anything we get involved with, the real deal is the people we meet.”

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INSURANCE INSIGHT P O L I C Y

H

C O V E R A G E

B Y T I M G A S PA R

omeowners insurance covers all sorts of things. Someone falls in your pool and sues you?

Probably covered. Your Chihuahua bites your son’s friend? Probably covered. Your gym bag with your new Air Jordans, tennis racket and iPad is stolen from your car? Probably covered.

But what about your watch collection? You’ve accumulated a number of high end watches that you keep in your sock drawer (seriously, don’t keep that stuff in your sock drawer). Is insurance going to cover these if they get stolen or go up in flames with your house? What about your wife’s engagement ring or your Babe Ruth signed baseball? Will your home insurance cover these and if so, for how much? The answer is, “it depends.” And the good news is, what it depends on is completely under your control.

You can cover jewelry, art, collectibles, etc. on something called a “schedule” on your home policy. A “schedule” is an itemized list of all the stuff you want covered for it’s full value in the event of theft, fire, mysterious disappearance, etc. By scheduling your valuable items, you are protecting yourself in two very important ways:

1. An “off the shelf ” homeowners policy has limitations, or sub-limits, on items like jewelry, art, collectibles, etc. The sub-limits range depending on the carrier and the item but, in general, the limits are not high enough to cover an item of significant value.

2. Even if a policy does provide coverage, without a “schedule” the carrier has the right to determine value after a loss. This means an insurance company can say they think your Rolex was only worth $2,000 when you know it’s worth $10,000. By scheduling your valuable items for specific dollar amounts, you are ensuring that the items are covered at their full value.

The additional cost to “schedule” items can vary quite a bit. Generally, art and collectibles are relatively inexpensive to insure (about $50 per year for every $10,000 in coverage). Jewelry, on the other hand, is more pricey (about $150 to $200 per year for every $10,000 in coverage). Discounts may apply if you have a built-in safe, keep items in a bank vault, have an alarm or avery large pitbull (just kidding).

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9TH ANNUAL FERRARI CONCORSO 2 0 1 6

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STORY BY MIKE GRUDT | PHOTOS BY GREG GRUDT

he Ferrari Club of America Southwest Region holds an annual car show on Colorado Boulevard in the Old Town section of Pasadena. My son Greg and I recently attended our seventh annual visit to the show and each year we look forward to experiencing the beautiful examples of Italian craftsmanship.

This year again they did not disappoint as we were able to view over 140 various Ferrari examples. The weather was also a typically warm sunny Southern California Spring day. It was a perfect setting for the largest local “all Ferrari” gathering.

We arrived early to get clean shots before the expected 10,000 attendees filled the streets. Upon are arrival we were surprised to see some fellow car photographers who must have thought there was a “dawn patrol” at this event and arrived at 5:30 AM. It just goes to show you that car enthusiasts are a diehard group. This show is open to the public and many people probably just happened to be in the area at the right place and time to get their fill of Ferraris and had no idea this event was taking place.

Many of the entrants were still waiting to check in so we stayed at the west end of the venue as they entered the street for their assigned parking spots. We always enjoy watching the cars actually drive and not just viewing them on display. The older Ferraris always had a lot of mechanical sounds as they slowly idled by. These were not the parts falling off sounds we have all probably heard (on somebody else’s car) they just had a unique vintage air about them. I am sure you know what I’m referring to.

As we worked our way down the street there was a group of the Ferrari Supercars in

that unmistakable Rosso Corso color gathered as the guests entered the event.

One noticeable empty spot between the F40 and the Enzo (which would be for one of our favorites, the F50) remained empty. I’m not sure what happened, but there weren’t any F50s at this event. One member of the supercar group was the “Best Car on the Street” award winner this year. It was an immaculate 1985 288 GTO that could easily pass for showroom new.

In the center section of the event on Colorado Boulevard between city blocks there were five Ferrari 250 models. I’m happy if I only see one at a show. One of these Ferrari classics, a 1962 250 SWB received the “Best of Show” award. Another was a Ferrari I always enjoy seeing was the LeMans winning 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB SEFAC owned by Bruce Meyer.

He actually drives this rare vintage car to local events (not a trailer queen). In this same center area a unique 550 Barchetta in a Yellow with medium blue interior color combo that I have never seen was displayed.

Progressing down the block we enjoyed the numerous Ferrari’s in almost every model and color combo ever available. There were a few Speciales and Speciale Apertas, but no 488s or 599 GTOs. We heard through the pipeline that two of the extremely rare Ferrari F60 models (only ten built) were recently delivered locally. No such luck eyeing them that day.

There were many familiar faces and one in particular was Magnus Walker the noted Porsche 911 tuner/racer. I watched as he got stopped every five feet or so for a handshake or selfie taken with a fan. I asked him if he knew this was not a Porsche show. He laughed and said he just enjoys cars and car people… just like we do.

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H O S T I N G

T M P C C

&

V I S TA

CARS & CIGARS L I N C O L N

O F

O X N A R D

B L A C K

L A B E L

AT

L AVA G G I O

S T O R Y B Y A L A N S M I T H E E | P H O T O S B Y J A M E S S TA N L E Y & D AV I D R O S E N T H A L

O

n Saturday April 30, 2016 Lavaggio hosted a very special event For those who may not know, the Television Motion Picture Car Club is called, “Cars and Cigars,” with the Television Motion Picture Car the world’s only car club for those who work in the entertainment industry. It is Club at their world class automotive detailing facility in Agoura a private club for those who work in the television, motion picture, music, radio, Hills, California. sports and motorsports industries. Their members include Emmy winners, The idea came about from Dustin Troyan, who approached TMPCC Oscar winners, Grammy winners, Taurus Stunt Award winners and more.

President Ken Latka and asked Their members have worked in front of if the club might want to hold the camera and behind the scenes on one of their members meets at hun-dreds of popular television shows Lavaggio. Ken was definitely and motion pictures. Some of their onboard, because he had been members design and build the vehicles invited to the inaugural Fantastic you’ve seen on the big and small screen, Friday’s event in 2015 and he while others are the stunt and precision knew his members would enjoy drivers who have lent their driving seeing Lavaggio in person. So skills to such films as the Fast and with the blessing of Lavaggio’s Furious franchise, the Batman movies, owner Mr. David Delrahim, Ken the James Bond films and many more. and Dustin started putting all The cars bring the members together, the pieces in place. but the people in the club are what Dustin got Tony Fiori from make it so special.

Vista Ford Lincoln of Oxnard The event at Lavaggio brought out onboard and Tony agreed to a parking lot full of TMPCC members be the main sponsor of this and their vehicles. It was an additional very special get together. Tony treat to see a special Black Label MKZ suggested that the event include sedan and two Black Label MKX sport a Launch Party for the new utilities that Tony Fiori and Vista Ford Black Label Series of Lincoln Lin-coln of Oxnard added to the mix. vehicles, so the event became even more special thanks to the Vista connection.

To give you an idea of some of the vehicles on display, they included Travis Raina Ring of Delux Escapes also came onboard to help sponsor the event and Escalante’s 1967 Ford OSI 20m ts. The car is considered one of the most to tell everyone about some very unique “Cars and Cigars” events that will be beautiful Ford’s ever produced and it is one of only four OSI’s in the United 16 States. Stunt coordinator and action director Andy Armstrong brought his held in Havana, Cuba in September and October.

2008 Mercedes AMG 63 CLK Black Series that comes with a warning letter from the manufacturer to keep the traction control on at all times. TMPCC President Ken Latka brought his one of one 2015 Mr. Norm’s GSS Hall of Fame Edition Dodge Challenger that was featured on the April 2016 cover of Driven World Magazine. Larry Weiner, the designer of the Mr. Norm’s cars brought a 2015 Mr. Norm’s GSS Hurst Edition Supercat Challenger.

The car has a Kienne Bell supercharger and is capable of 1200 horsepower.

TMPCC’s Director of Celebrity Relations Glen McGuire brought his award winning 1966 Pontiac GTO tri-power in midnight blue. TMPCC’s Legal Counsel, the Chairman Emeritus of the Petersen Automotive Museum and entertainment attorney Steve Young brought his latest acquisition, a beautiful black 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air. Mike Curtis of Overhaulin’ and American Hot Rod fame arrived with Michelle Furtado in a super cool two tone beige and white 1956 Bel Air. The former editor of Motor Trend and television personality Matt Stone brought his rare 2002 Mercedes Benz SL500 Silver Arrow Roadster. Radio personality Randy Kerdoon of the Kerdoon Files (and Talking Cars) on KNX1070 brought his 1964 Dodge Polara with day two mods, and that is just a small taste of the forty vehi-cles that were on display at the event.

It was a wonderful and memorable evening. At the end of it all, Ken said that Dustin and Lavaggio did such a fantas-tic job hosting the event, that he hopes it becomes an annual affair. That pretty much says it all.

For more info: TMPCC.ORG + LAVAGGIO.NET

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Car Culture

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Mark Llewellyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinewood Derby If you were a Cub Scout as a kid, chances are your pack participated in the “pinewood derby”. The “pinewood derby” was the creation of Don Murphy, cub master for Pack 280C of Manhattan Beach in 1952. Don wanted to race with his son in the “Soapbox Derby” but his 8 year old son had to be 10. Don came up with an idea, “I wanted to devise a wholesome, constructive activity that would foster a closer father–son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition.”

Don had been a model maker his whole life, so his idea came naturally. Don’s idea caught on with the pack leaders. They invented a two lane, 31 foot race track complete with a battery powered finish gate. The winning car would set off a light and a door bell to indicate the champion run. When Don saw the looks on the faces of the families involved, he knew he had created something special.

Kits were developed to give to the scouts to build their racers. Over time, classes and rules were developed to keep the racing fun.

In 1954, the “pinewood derby” grew into a city wide “scene”. The Los Angeles Herald Examiner sponsored their own “pinewood derby”. It was administered through the “Los Angeles Parks and Recreation” department. Over 300 people attended the finals at Griffith Park!

- Fact A pinewood derby car is limited to 7” in length, and has weight restrictions as well.

Several variations of wheels have appeared over the years.

It is estimated that over 50 million kids worldwide have built “pinewood derby” cars since 1953.

Don Murphy was honored with a presidential proclamation by President George W. Bush! Don passed away July 9th, 2008 at the age of 90. He has left a legacy by creating a part of Americana that has touched the hearts of children and adults alike.

Coupon good for discounted entry cost of just $5.00.

Beautiful vintage automobiles and Americana.

(Above) 2 pinewood derby cars on display at “Leon’s Transmission Car Corner” at the Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard.

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2230 Statham Blvd., Oxnard, California 93033

murphyautomuseum.org (805) 487-4333

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GREYSTONE MANSION C O N C O U R S

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2 0 1 6

STORY BY MIKE GRUDT | PHOTOS BY GREG GRUDT

y son Greg and I recently attended the 7th Annual Greystone Mansion Concours d’ Elegance in Beverly Hills.

This was our fifth visit in as many years and we enjoyed viewing the classic autos and motorcycles from the past century. This is one of the premier local car events and is one we always enjoy attending. The cars are parked in rows sorted by make and era and the motorcycles are displayed on the grass adjacent to the parking area.

There are many cars in a fairly small area that doesn’t seem overly crowded.

I didn’t count, but I read there were 138 entrants expected to be shown this year this year. Anyway, there were a lot of nice vehicles to admire.

Vehicles featured were the old American classics from the early 20th Century, European cars from a few years after that, all the way up to good old muscle cars of the 1960’s. I can’t mention every car so I’ll stick to a few that were unique or less common at car shows. There was a 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux owned by Bruce Meyer, a 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 MK II Fixed Hood Coupe, a 1968 Ghia 450 SSE and a 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS “Corsa”. This event is not only about the cars it is also about the venue.

A unique aspect of this event is the opportunity to tour the Greystone Mansion that was built by the Doheny family in the 1930’s. I have toured this mansion five times and saw something different during each visit. There are so many 20

rooms and the wide range of city views was amazing. In the basement there is a two lane bowling alley and adjacent to this area there is a billiard room that just recently received an antique pool table owned by the Doheny family since new.

I spoke to the docent in the area and she said the bowling lanes are for duckpin bowling. This game uses a smaller solid wooden ball without finger holes and the ball return is completely made of wood. I never realized that during previous visits. I wonder what I’ll find out next year.

There were a few high end vendors of products and services and the Auto Gallery brought a few McLaren’s including a nice gray limited edition 675LT built for track use, but street legal. Another vendor we see each year at this event has a 1/32nd scale slot car track set up for guests to try. When I grew up I had an HO slot car track at home and I visited a number of local tracks that were mostly 1/24th scale. I’m so fortunate that I was able to take Greg to the last local slot car track in our area over twenty years ago when he was about eight years old. Most kids today only play video games and they have never experienced the sensation of cars going around a track. When we crashed we actually had to walk over and put our cars back on the track, we didn’t just start the game over.

All in all this was a great event we enjoyed on a warm Sunday afternoon in May.

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AIR LIFT SUSPENSION A D J U S TA B L E

R I D E

H E I G H T

STORY & PHOTOS BY AIR LIFT

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or most rare and collectible vehicle enthusiasts, the elegance, or aggressiveness, of a vehicle’s visual aspect is what initially draws your attention. But in the end, it’s the vehicle’s performance and handling that actually make your heart flutter. In fact, Popular Mechanics recently reported that your vehicle’s suspension system is “probably the most crucial factor in the day-to-day enjoyment of your car.”

And while we greatly enjoy enhancing our vehicle’s appearance with the myriad options available — tricking out some rides while delicately restoring others to their original splendor — refining your car’s suspension capabilities can vastly improve handling and performance, while lending a sense of wizardry to the vehicle’s characteristics.

Imagine rolling out your 1966 Ford Thunderbird Town Landau Coupe at a car show. The long elegant lines of its unitized body are about to draw the first admirers of the day. You touch the interface of your Air Lift Performance 3H air suspension controller and your T-Bird smoothly drops into a showwinning slam stance. It’s a bit of magic that enhances an already stunning ride.

In another scenario, the car show grounds you’re attending are somewhat

uneven at the show. For the vehicle’s optimum presentation, you’d like to raise one rear quadrant of the car, while slightly lowering another. Again, with the touch of a button it’s done, smoothly and efficiently.

But these scenarios don’t describe the complete advantages of an air suspension system. They’re designed to do much more than deliver the WOW factor. In addition to stance, Air Lift Performance air suspension systems support the full weight of your vehicle, affecting ride height, handling and ride quality, while its digital control systems offer multi-function control in a streamlined, hand held controller or mobile app.

Enter Air Lift Performance Air suspension is not a new concept. Air Lift Company actually first developed air suspension technology in 1949. At the time, post-war automotive fascination prompted growing families to drive cross-country, usually loaded down with kids and luggage, in Ramblers that were dangerously sagging and swaying.

That trend caused GE Engineer Claude Pemberton and Oldsmobile Toronado developer Don Perkins to develop a suspension that could support

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a family in an overloaded vehicle, and also improve ride quality and safety. Thus the men launched Lansing, Michigan-based Air Lift Company.

“Air Lift Performance has been advancing those technologies since day one,” said Devin Pringle, Air Lift Performance marketing manager. “Our engineers have opened the door to previously unimagined versatility and adjustability, not to mention record-setting performance.”

Many Suspension Options Impressive suspension functionality certainly hasn’t always been the case.

For years, enthusiasts looking to improve their vehicle’s suspension had few options: lowering springs, coilovers or air suspension.

In coilover suspension, part of the system is a steel coil spring that goes over the shock or strut. They offer adjustable damping and, in some cases, ride height.

Today, performance air suspension provides all the same benefits as coilovers, but with greater versatility and adjustability. In an air suspension system, the coil is upgraded to an enclosed flexible rubber membrane, known as an air spring. These air springs can be inflated and deflated at the touch of a

button, allowing for instant adjustability to tune stance, ride height, handling, and ride quality.

Air suspension allows you to easily adjust ride height on-the-fly with the touch of a button. With air suspension, you also have the ability to: - Slam it down for an aggressive show stance lower than any coilover; - Raise it to clear road obstacles such as speed bumps or steep angle transitions; - Enhance ride quality for comfort using damping and air pressure adjustments; and -Create a track-ready set-up with stiff damping, progressive-rate air springs and, in many cases, adjustable camber.

Drive it. Show it. Track it.™ The type of suspension you choose depends on how you want to drive.

Air Lift Performance systems allow you the versatility to drive it, show it or track it.

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Performance Series A performance series suspension is the best choice if you’re looking for high-performance driving, or you want many added features and adjustability.

“Everything about Air Lift Performance Series kits is geared toward maximizing the vehicle’s suspension to achieve lowest drop, best ride, lowest weight, most adjustability and incredible handling,” Pringle said.

Performance kits feature lightweight monotube shocks/struts with 30-level adjustable damping. Adjustable camber plates are integrated into most struts for perfect alignment or wheel fitment and are engineered with high quality spherical bearing upper mounts, providing instant damper response and precise steering feel. What’s more, Performance Series shocks/struts have threaded bodies with adjustable mounts; this allows you to alter the factory set heights to better suit your situation without sacrificing suspension travel.

In addition, Air Lift Performance provides everything needed for easy installation. Once installed, Air Lift Performance Series suspension kits can be fully appreciated when the vehicle is in motion: the broad range of damping combined with progressive rate air springs allows a comfortable ride as a daily driver. But, with the twist of the damping knob, the track-ready suspension is now poised to cut a fast lap.

“These kits are great for users who want to be able to drive their car daily and then be able to take it to a show and lay it out,” Pringle said.

An important feature of all Air Lift Performance kits is that they are rigorously tested in Air Lift’s engineering lab followed by high-caliber performance validation on the track. This ensures Air Lift Performance equipped vehicles look and operate exactly how they are designed to perform.

Multi-Function Digital Air Controller Systems

The show-day scenarios above are easy to achieve with Air Lift Performance’s digital control systems, especially its new multi-function 3H, which offers both height and pressure control. Air Lift Performance also offers the pressure-only 3P, the AutoPilot V2 and the manual system.

The 3H and 3P systems feature a digital controller with a thin film transistor display. With highly detailed visual interfaces, the controllers offer four-corner active height and pressure readings as well as tank pressure; and give you immediate access to individual air spring control.

The 3H system includes a combination of pressure- and heightsensing technology, including the use of height sensors at each corner, enabling it to achieve the correct height without radical differences in pressure. With five presets and a micro USB port, the 3H controller enables you to use a free mobile app during show mode, so you can turn your vehicle off and continue to control the air management from your own device or via the controller.

What’s more, with a fully integrated manifold, updated system software can be sent directly to the manifold and controller via the mobile app and Bluetooth connectivity in the manifold. Built to last, the controllers are encased in an anodized billet aluminum machined case that is mountable and configurable for horizontal mounting in the vehicle.

Slam Series Another option is the Air Lift Performance Slam Series. These air suspension kits are designed to give you a slammed stance without the harsh ride quality often experienced with lowered coils. Slam kits are designed specifically for the vehicle make and model, so depending on the application, they can include either a double-bellows or a sleeve-style air spring to support the load of the vehicle.

For example, Air Lift’s Dominator series is a high-weight capacity air spring for up to 600 psi. It was developed for full frame vehicles such as the Chevy C10 or for use on heavier street rods.

A Slam Series strut or shock features twin tube construction coupled with fixed damping, tuned for the specific vehicle. Slam is also available with a nine-level adjustable damping. As with the performance systems, on-board air control mean road hazards aren’t a problem. The vehicle can be lifted to clear a speed bump or get easy access to a trailer, and then laid back down in its preferred stance.

Air Lift Company 2727 Snow Road Lansing, MI 48908 800-248-0892 www.airliftcompany.com

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*Must present ad at time of vehicle write up for offer to apply. Can only apply one of the two service offers above. Cannot be combined with any other offer 06/30/2016. or applied to past services. Other restrictions may apply. Limit one coupon per customer. Vintage service expires 1/31/2015.

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W I T H

SERVICE A R M E N

M A N S O U R I

STORY BY ARMEN MANSOURI

can buy. The car culture has taken this country in a single wave and there seems to be no end to what our love and passion for cars can go to.

What is it about a car that drives us (no pun intended) to accept a machine that is nothing but metal, paint, gears, sprockets, valves, rubber, and fluids to become a part of our family? Is it the fact that each car has a personality? And does that personality of the vehicle attract to our own? Let’s look at me for 2 minutes. I am a free type; an independent that shook my father’s hand kissed my mother goodbye at the age of 18. I enjoy open space, I enjoy being able to go anywhere, anytime. Restrictions and I do not go hand in hand. The jeep wrangler provides that! Nothing beats a drive in the open country with the top down doors off on a hot summer night listening to some good ol’ rock n roll music as I “jeep” along to my destination. Another personality trait of mine is I love attention! I guarantee you, if I go to a party and all I know is the host, by the night is over I will have 5 new best friends! The jeep wrangler provides that for me. Top down, doors off, lifted suspension, oversized tires on the 101 freeway in Los Angeles screams LOOK AT ME NOW! There are so many different personality types in the world and so many different types of cars. It’s no wonder why we treat our cars as an extension of the family. Working in the service drive for Porsche and Lamborghini for 8 years now, I have come to learn a lot about my clients. Many of my beloved clients treat their cars as part of the family. They are multiple car owners, so it’s not that they are worried about their one car, but more of “How is the patient doing?” “How was the check up?” “Will she be ok Doc?” A few will get upset if it is not washed properly. And to be blunt here, I do not blame them! Would you want to take your pet to the vet and have it come back a claw missing? Of course not, and why would my clients treat their cars any other way.

Now, there are the clients that need to have the flashy car to show the world that they have money. Why? Because money makes money. Show the world you have money and they will trust you, follow you, and want to be you.

Regardless of the type of vehicle, it is more of the value of the car. Real estate agents will want to show up in BMWs or Audis; to show the clients that they can sell homes, buy homes and get the client the best deal or the best service.

You aren’t going to buy a house from someone that shows up in a beat up 1995 Nissan Sentra now are you? What does that car tell you about the real estate agent? The pure image of wealth shows success, and success is something we all want. We will trust the ones that have become successful in getting us what we want.

This may not be the case all around the country. Demographics could play a key part here. I am writing this from Los Angeles; and nobody walks in LA (You sang that line didn’t you?) 15 years ago our conversations went something like this: “Do you know Bill?”

“I don’t think so, what does he drive?”

“He drives the red Acura” “Yes! I know him; he was in the office last week!”

And frankly, this conversation type still exists today. Now, nothing has changed; we still discuss people by their extended life, their car! Our cars have become our offices on the road, our home on the road, our private sanctuary, our place of peace or our place to destroy the world. (For the ones reading this who endure the wonderful 405 freeway in Los Angeles) We drive what we want, because we drive on whom we really are. CEOs and Entrepreneurs drive what they have earned. Entertainers drive what they feel they deserve, because some need to continue to entertain us in other forms other than music of movies. (Thank you Justin Bieber for the high speed chase on the freeway a few years back) High profile individuals in wealth need to prove to their clients that they can make their dreams come true so they show off by wealthy cars.

The rest of the world drives what they can afford, but we drive who we are.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We are the ones that invented the cup holder, so why not take advantage of who we are and remind ourselves that our cars, are a part of our family. Next time you walk by your vehicle and neglect saying Good Morning, remember, it has feelings too!

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e love cars. It is that simple, our vehicles have become an extension of our lives. Every single one of us can relate a part of our history to a car we have owned. My first car was a Nissan 240sx. I became the coolest kid in high school when I started driving to school in that car! My popularity sky rocketed and in return I treated that car like my best friend. I later fell in love with Jeep Wranglers. As a young independent 19 year old with $6,000 in my pocket I walk into a Jeep dealership and buy the most independent car I can think of. The open concept of that vehicle provided nothing but freedom and independence for me. That was and is still my thing. Other people have their own “thing”. We have people that love American Muscle cars; the pure muscle and sheer power of horsepower to the wheels. We have individuals that will own nothing but Japanese Imports and tune them to their own liking. We have many that will drive nothing but European engineering that requires the finest materials money

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READER SUBMISSION F R O M

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was trial and error, but I always managed to figure things out. I also started to hang out at Steve’s house watching and learning about rebuilding and performance on their vehicles. The one thing that really stuck in my head was how they would tell me how important it was to have the right tools for the job. Now remember this, I was only about 10 years old and very impressionable.

Over the next few years, I started to collect different tools. Some were given to me by Steve and his dad, and others from my parents.

After a few years, I collected enough tools to warrant a tool box.

I searched our garage and was able to find an old fishing tackle box and used it for my tools. It definitely was a satisfying feeling to know that I had the skills to use all the tools that I had in there.

By the time I had my first car, I had quite the collection of auto tools. I also had a nice collection of electrical tools that were given to me from my mom. She recognized that, and for my 16th birthday she bought me my first tool box tool chest set. I picked it up at the local auto store and was quite proud of it.

Over the years and countless cars, I still have that tool box set. It’s packed with every type of tool you can think of and is really a chronological blueprint of my skills as they evolved over time. Tools used for simple maintenance to full fabrication and race engine building. It’s sandwiched between three large tool chests in my garage but it’s still my main one.

Each time I go into the garage and I see it, I still remember the day when my mom gave me that little red tool box.

believe that each one of us has a destiny.For each step we take, it leads us to the next. Yes, we sidestep, but ultimately, we end up where we’re suppose to be.I was fortunate that at a young age, I was given the opportunity to see where I could go.

It all started with a loud roar....

My next door neighbor Steve, had just fired up his 56 Chevy Bel Air. He’d been working on it through the afternoon getting it ready for the evening’s festivities. Now the 56 wasn’t a show car by any means. It was primer gray, straight and ready to race. He would race anybody who was willing down Burbank Blvd between De Soto and Canoga.

If you grew up in the West Valley in the 60’s and 70’s and raced, then you would know that any day of the week at midnight, that was the place to be.

Steve learned his auto skills from his Dad who was a carb mechanic at the long gone GM plant in Van Nuys. I was lucky to live next to them and have the opportunity to learn about cars from them both.

My dad did plating for aerospace and my mom did electrical work for one of the first printer manufacturers in the valley. I inherited their skills and was a natural at anything mechanical or electrical. If you add in everything I’ve learned from Steve and his dad, you could clearly see that I was destined to be a gear head. Growing up, I was always taking things apart to see how they worked. I started with my mechanical toys and worked my way up to electronic ones. From there I went to skateboards, bikes, mini bikes, gocarts and helping my dad work on his cars. Since my dad only did general maintenance on his cars, I started to do repairs for him. It

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GOLF TIPS P R A C T I C E

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STORY BY TOMMY MANSUWAN

hether playing a money game with your friends or maybe the Club Championship at your course, I am sure most of you have got into at a situation where the nerves start taking over. Your hands start shaking, the body starts to feel tight, and your breathing becomes quick. Sound familiar? It should as it is part of the game. No matter what level you are playing at, everyone feels the pressure. The difference is that the top players in the world welcome this pressure and practice for it. So the question becomes how can weekend players practice for the anticipated tension?

Here are a few ways to change up your routine on the driving range so that you’ll be prepared for the competition on the course.

When you get into a tight situation, the external factors typically start to take over your thoughts and control your mind. “Don’t hook it” or “Don’t hit it in the water” can be pretty common thoughts whereas a top tier player would have a specific target in his mind and envisions his shot going towards that. To practice this, take 10 balls and pick out 10 different targets on the driving range. Do not hit to the same target twice but you can circle back around. Stand behind the ball, pick a target, and turn around so that your back is now to the target. At this point, visualize the

shot in your head and see the ball landing at the target.

Once you get the image, turn around and hit the shot without looking at the target. By doing this, it’ll help you focus on the intended shot and target rather than any external factors. Switch the target and club after every shot while varying the distances as well.

The next drill might have people staring at you on the range but is effective at simulating tournament pressure. Run in place or do jumping jacks for 15 seconds and then hit a shot. You’ll likely have a higher heart rate while feeling a bit weak in the legs. Learn to slow everything down by taking long deep breaths and focusing on the shot. Hit another 10 shots this way as you work your way up to 30 seconds of running. If you feel 15 seconds is too long, go ahead and start doing five seconds of exercise before each shot.

I once had a highly respected sports psychologist tell me that in order to improve for tournaments, I had to work on the tough stuff. Hit the chips I hope to never see on the course in practice or the big slice I may need to get around a tree during my range session. After awhile, hitting the same repetitive shots in practice will do nothing for your growth and could lead to a plateau in your game. Change it up and work on different scenarios to improve. Otherwise, why practice?

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CLASSIC MOTOR INC

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adi, You have a great story. You are globally recognized as a Rolls Royce and Bentely expert and one of the premier dealers for preowned English, exotic, classic and rare cars. Your showroom in Van Nuys is filled with rare cars and everybody in the industry knows you.

Fadi, tell us about your dream to come to America and your hope to live out that dream!

is 1 of 2 in the world. I frequently search for limited production cars all over the world so you can almost always find something pretty rare in my warehouse such as a Rolls Royce Corniche S 1 of 25 or a 1999 Bentley Continental SC 1 of 72 worldwide are a few examples.

Tell us about your family, is your wife into cars too? Is it a family business?

Do your two boys help out at the dealership as well? I’ve been married to my lovely wife Jennifer for 14 years and we have 2 sons Ethan and Aiden. She is very much into cars, sometimes she even knows more than me, ha-ha. We do run the company together, and I do feel like that has added to our success. There is something special about having a family operated business. Both of my boys love cars and can often be found working around our shop.

I understand when you got to America, you had little money and started working in a fast-food restaurant sweeping floors.

How did you go from there to a successful entrepreneur? Hard work, patience and keeping goals are key. I came here from Lebanon speaking no English and with no money. You have to be willing to work from the bottom to make it to the top. I’m a strong believer that no job is beneath you, you need to do what you have to to keep moving and making progress. I use those same values in my day to day life today.

Did you meet your wife because of your involvement with cars? Yes, actually funny story her mother used to service her Jaguar in my service department, so we would often see each other. One day I got to talking with her and asked her if she would like to go for a ride on my Harley sometime and she said yes!

Naturally I took her on a ride up the coast and we have been together ever since.

The car business, how did you get into the car business? How many years have you been a car dealer? I got my first sales job working as a sales person in Downtown LA garment district. That’s when I knew sales was my niche. I saved up as much money as I could. I met and partnered up with California Custom Coach, building and selling replica Ferraris and Auburns. While there I met a guy who was known for selling Rolls Royce and Bentleys and he approached me to join him and invest. Let’s just say I did, and never looked back. I was hooked on the marquees and later started Classic Motor Inc. on my own.

So cars have been very good to you, what would you tell a young person interested in pursuing a career in the car business? Honesty will get you far in this business. Car dealers often get a bad rap for being dishonest so do your best to prove that stereo type wrong and you will build a trustworthy reputation, and customers that will stick with you. Also remember mistakes will happen especially when dealing with specialty cars, “make them right and you’ll sleep good at night”.

What is the best piece of advice you would give anyone about how to be successful and to fulfill that American dream? Dedication and patience are so important. Good things often take time to build. It’s easy to get frustrated or detoured from your dream when things don’t seem to happen fast enough or the way you want, but you have to stick with it. One of my favorite quotes is “When things don’t happen right away just remember, it takes 6 months to build a Rolls-Royce and 13 hours to build a Toyota”

How many cars and what types of cars do you generally have at your dealership? Rolls Royce and Bentley of all years and models are our specialty, but we usually always have a few vintage European collector cars or other exotics. We also do service and restoration on Rolls-Royce and Bentley so we stay very busy with that as well. I would say we have about 20-25 cars on average at any time.

Do you sell just in the United States? No we sell worldwide. In fact many of our clients from around the world we never even meet. We have a vast cliental in Europe and the Middle East.

Do you keep cars for yourself ? You know for the longest time I didn’t. Every car I owned was always available for sale, but over the last few years I’ve been hanging on to a few cars here and there to enjoy personally. Currently I have a 1952 Bentley MK VI Drop Head Coupe aka “Daisy” the 1959 Rolls Royce James Young I mentioned earlier aka “Carrma” and a Bentley GTC for more regular driving.

I understand you have sold-to many celebrities and owned many celebrity cars, can you give us a few examples? Yes we do buy and sell-to many top celebrities but to maintain their privacy I can’t mention names. However, we do also frequently rent to the television and film industry so chances are if you see a Rolls or a Bentley on film it probably came from us.

Parting thought, what is the best advice you can give to readers? What do you think is the most important thing in life? Most important thing to me is family, surrounding yourself with good people and friends and creating memories. Oh and let’s not forget some fun, fast and amazing cars!!

What is the rarest car that has ever been in your dealership? Currently, I personally own a 1959 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud I James Young Coupe which

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FAST TOYS CLUB

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Toys Club does offer private VIP track days for its members and exotic cars only. Limited to about forty cars, you get all the track time you want while not having to worry about others on the track not appreciating your exotic.

The grand opening showcased the ever growing fleet of exotics that Fast Toys Club offers. Noting the newest, the McLaren 675LT, 1 of only 500 made, the crowd erupted into applause at the unveiling. Parked close by was a Ford GT, Ferrari 458 Spider, Lamborghini Huracan, Corvette Z06, Ford Mustang Boss 302S, Caterham CT03 Formula 1, just to name a few.

Fast Toys Club offers two convenient locations: Los Angeles 2330 S. Sepulveda is the new Fast Toys HQ in LA, where we display and manage our entire LA fleet (street cars and race cars). We are very close to the action since we are few miles away from Beverly Hills and LAX, at the intersection from I-10 and 405.

San Francisco 71 Stevenson St, in SF, right in the center of Financial District.

For more information on Fast Toys Club, Membership and Track Days please visit: www.fasttoysclub.com

ast Toys Club, the fastest growing exotic membership club in California if not the United States has opened two exciting new locations. The grand opening of the new Los Angeles location was a star studded event of the “who’s who” in the exotic car world. With a full media presence, Fast Toys Club hit a grand slam.

For those of you in the car world who wish to experience the ownership of multiple exotic cars, but don’t want the hassle of all of the challenges that come with it, Fast Toys Club is the solution to your needs. Boasting almost forty cars between the Los Angeles and San Francisco locations, you have your choice of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Vipers, Race Cars and even a McLaren 675LT. Of course they also offer more pedestrian vehicles for entertaining clients, but you get it. Life in the fast lane at your fingertips, without the work.

Fast Toys Club has taken care of all of the maintenance, registrations, insurance and other annoying factors that go along with owning multiple exotic cars. If you want a stable of cars to choose from, here you go. If you want to drive a Lamborghini to San Francisco and then a Ferrari back to Los Angeles, done.

If you are a track enthusiast, yes, you can take them on the track. And let’s not forget about the wide array of race cars that Fast Toys offers. And yes, Fast

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CODY MILES A I R

L I F T

STORY & PHOTOS BY MCCULLOUGH PR

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t all started when Air Lift Performance 2015 Redline Time Attack Champion, Cody Miles, first began modifying his 2007 Subaru STi in 2014.

He hadn’t yet participated in a time attack competition when he started searching for suspension parts online. Miles came across an Air Lift Performance video that showed cars driven hard on air suspension. He was hooked on the idea of being able to do it all with one suspension system, but he wasn’t convinced bags would be up to the task of what he had in mind for the car.

A few clicks later and Miles came upon another video — this one showed Air Lift Performance directly comparing its product to coilovers on track with hard data to stand by its claims.

“Anyone can sell a product with aggressive claims that simply tell the consumer what they want to hear,” Miles said. “But going through the effort of real-world testing to allow the results to speak for themselves is what really pulled me toward giving air suspension a shot.”

After examining the Air Lift Performance data, Miles ordered the complete 3H-controlled air suspension system he needed. When it arrived, he found the install instructions clear, and every component included and clearly referenced in the instructions. When he required advice on specific details, he called Air Lift Performance.

“Everyone was always happy to help out and assure that I was on the right track,” he said. When he wanted exert advice on details, he spoke directly Air

Lift Performance engineers who helped Miles work through the specifics of his system.

Once the system was installed, Miles identified immediate improvements in his car’s performance.

“My bumpers were planted on the ground when I wanted to turn heads, safely above aggressive driveways when I wanted to keep my oil pan in one piece, and sailing over rumble strips at 100 mph when I wanted to set lap times,” he said. “My car truly gained the ability to be anything I wanted it to, based on whatever the pavement ahead of me had in store.”

In his first championship win, Miles was among a group of more than 100 drivers — and the only car on air suspension. His first place finish that day was only the beginning. He won Street Class for the 2015 season of Redline Time Attack — the first time that series has been taken by a car on air suspension.

Miles continues to do it on air and win.

In late May at Global Time Attack at Road Atlanta he shattered the Overall Street Class four-year standing record against all FWD and RWD competitors by a full second, with a lap time of 1:31.2. He also finished first by over four seconds in the AWD Street Class.

Miles is looking forward to continuing his partnership with Air Lift Performance throughout the 2016 Global Time Attack series.

“The constant drive to push the envelope and create a product that no one else can is something that sets the engineering team at Air Lift Performance above the rest.” He said. “I couldn’t ask for a better team to be working with.”

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fter Reading Dustin’s letter from the editor in the March edition of Driven World, in which he asked readers to submit their car related story, I wondered to myself if I had a story to tell. It seems like everyone I meet at Super Car Sunday has one. I enjoy hearing them all. The more I thought about it, I began to realize that I too, had a story. Then I asked myself if anyone would want to hear it, let alone read about it. I thought about how much I like hearing the stories of all the great people I meet on Sundays in the Woodland Hills Promenade parking lot. So I thought what the heck, and decided to respond to Dustin’s solicitation to submit a story. I hope that there are elements that readers can relate to, and find entertaining, interesting, or amusing.

As I began to think about the roots of my interest in cars, I began to realize how far it went back. With a grandfather in the auto parts business, and a father that was a hot rodder, mechanic, and automotive machinist, it appeared to be in the family bloodline. Throw in my dad’s brother, a fellow hot rodder and drag racer, and there was little chance that I would emerge from my childhood with anything less than a life-long interest in cars. As a kid I built dozens of model cars from the Revelle, Monogram, and AMT kits. I went completely nuts when Mattel introduced Hot Wheels, and amassed a collection of over 100 cars. (54 of which survive to this day). I loved Aurora HO slot cars too.

But at age 9 the game changed in a big way for me. My mom and dad asked me out of the blue if I had any interest in having a mini-bike. I was completely thrown off by this question and for a brief moment felt like I would soon awaken from a dream. What was going on? It seemed like my parents had been substituted by imposters. I hadn’t even thought of lobbying my parents for something so elaborate, let alone my mother’s intense opposition to anything remotely like a motorcycle. Once I gathered myself, I asked them what was going on. Was this for real? If so how was this going to happen? They explained to me that my dad had come across someone with a mini-bike that had been ignored in the corner of their garage, and he had purchased it for $30.00. My dad explained that it did not run and needed a lot of work. He wanted to know if I was willing to help get it going. Heck YEAH! So my first restoration project began. At that point my dad was in the swimming pool business and had his office in a room attached to the garage. At the back of that narrow rectangular room, through a doorway without a door, was a small work area with a workbench, where my dad rebuilt pool motors, filters and pumps.

That’s where are work would begin each night after dinner. He removed the 3HP lawn mower motor from the frame of the mini-bike and began to

disassemble it, explaining what the parts did and teaching me their names.

For the first time saw a piston, crankshaft, valves, a cam, and the inside of a carburetor. It was so cool to see what was on the inside of that motor, and begin to understand how it all worked. We sanded all of the chipped paint off the frame and spray painted it a bright lime green metallic color. My mom sewed a new seat cover up from a furry leopard printed fabric. Soon the day came to install the motor and fire it up. Anyone who has disassembled a motor, put it back together, and hears it run for the first time knows what that indescribable feeling is like. I was hooked.

From mini-bikes, I graduated to motorcycles, honing my mechanical skills as I went. Back in those days, I didn’t have enough money to pay someone to repair my bike so I had to learn or give it up. No way was I going to give it up.

“My parents paid for an economy paint job at Earl Scheib for $29.95.”

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As age 16 approached I had been saving money from mowing lawns, taking out trash cans and babysitting. I was laser focused on buying a used Datsun pickup, and I had the $600.00 saved up to get it. Once again my father intervened. He knew of a pool man in need of a new truck, and had a 1963 Ranchero to sell.

He only wanted $200.00 for it. My dad really, really, really encouraged me to buy that car/truck or whatever it was. I caved into the pressure. It was a disaster.

Instead of a cool Datsun TRUCK, I had this Ford Falcon with a bed in the back. It was 10 years old. The original tan paint job was oxidized to a “patina” that would be the envy of a rat rod builder. I wasn’t impressed. The interior might have been brown at one time. I would have to describe the seat cover color as foam, as in foam stuffing. Get the picture? Then there was the smell, mildew and eucalyptus.

Patina for the nose! We discovered the source was the damp pile of eucalyptus leaves composting under both sides of the bench seat. My second restoration had begun. My parent’s insisted that I pay for my car, gas and insurance. At least I had the $400.00 that I did not spend on the Datsun of my dreams. I was so ashamed of this mess I didn’t even tell my friends that I got a car. Much to my surprise, once we got this embarrassment home my parents jumped all over it. My dad and I took it to my grandfather’s auto parts store and raided the shelves. He showed me how to do a complete break job. He

arced the shoes and showed me how to rebuild the wheel cylinders. My dad also bought me a new set of tires. My mom got on the sewing machine and whipped out seat covers in black vinyl with tuck and roll. They cut new seat foam and Dacron padding. While the seat was out, we excavated the leaves and all the rotten carpet and padding. We cut a new piece of black carpet and put new padding under it. The door panels came off and were painted black with special vinyl spray paint. All the metal was sprayed gloss black and the dash top was painted with the vinyl spray. With all that done, It was time to paint the outside.

My parents paid for an economy paint job at Earl Scheib for $29.95. What color you ask? Why lime green of course, to match my Kawasaki dirt bike. At that point I understood why my dad had pushed so hard for me to buy that Ranchero.

It was a car he could get parts for, could work on, and the big secret was how much help and money they would put into it once I had bought it. So now that the car was something I could show my friends, I was able to appreciate one thing it had over the Datsun BIG TIME. The 260 V8. with it’s 2 barrel carb, coupled to a 2 speed Ford-amatic, pulled away from my buddy’s Datsuns and Chevy LUV’s with ease, especially with the bikes in the back.

The ride wasn’t bad either. With new shocks and tires, it was a lot more comfortable than those kidney busting Japanese trucks of the early 70’s. I had it going on. Cleaning pools for cash, riding motocross on weekends, and an occasional date on Friday or Saturday night with my own car, all at 16 years old.

I drove it for about a year and a half, until something changed. A high school buddy of mine, who happened to also clean pools for my dad’s company, turned up at my house in a 1967 El Camino. It was yolk yellow, with a 275 HP 327 and a powerglide transmission. It had a nice exhaust rumble from the dual exhaust. He let me drive it. I was done with the little Ranchero. It was a real car/truck, whatever. It had power, a great sound and could handle so much more in the bigger bed. I was on a mission to get one. As luck would have it, one of my closest friends worked in a gas station (when they used to pump gas for you).

He knew of a guy looking to sell an El Camino.

It was a 1966, freshly painted midnight green. I would find out later it was changed from metallic red to that color to throw off the LAPD, who knew the vehicle well and gave it a lot of unwanted attention. It had a black interior, with a console and a 4 speed close ratio Muntzie transmission. Although it was sprung for and badged for a big block 396, it had a hot 327, which had been bored 30 over with the engine build. With a Holley 650 dual feed carb, sitting on an Edelbrock manifold, a Duntov 30/30 corvette cam, Mondello heads, headers and glass-pack mufflers, and a 12 bolt posi rear end, it was quite a leap from my little Ranchero. I drove it and bought it on the spot. It looked so cool with

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slot mags, 7 inch in the front and 10 inch in the rear. The back end of the car was raised up enough to keep the tires from rubbing on the wheel wells. It had front and rear sway bars and cornered respectably. I brought it home and went through it cleaning it in and out. I even found a bunch of ET slips from Lyons Drag Strip in the glove box. Most of them were under 12.5 seconds, with a best of 12.11. Man I thought this is badass. Little did I know that it was only the first sign of trouble. The first few months were great. It was an adrenaline pumper. It was fast, loud and exhilarating. It was even scarier than a Maico 500 I had the opportunity to ride. As the deadline approached I took it to a trusted mechanic my dad went to high school with, who had a smog station. To pass it had to have the ignition retimed and a thermal sensing valve had to be installed in the vacuum advance line. The open crank case vent at the rear of the block was removed and a freeze plug installed. A PCV valve was then installed. I was glad to get out of there with a smog certificate, and without a smog pump. Well that’s when things started to unravel. Although it remained just about as fast, it seemed to go out of tune frequently. It also developed the nasty habit of just simply not starting.

It seemed to me that the high performance parts were just not clicking with the emission controls. It was like a beautiful girl you fall madly in love with only to be treated like dirt at times. When it was running it was great. When it would quit on my pool route it was just awful. Oddly it always got me to class in college and got me back home. I can’t explain that except that the mechanic who did the smog stuff was across the street from the Santa Monica College’s Parking lot. Seriously. As time went on it developed into a vicious circle. If it broke down, it cost money to fix.

But I wasn’t making any money unless it was running. After about a year, with mounting pressure from my dad to get a reliable car I was sort of forced to sell it. I proposed selling half of it to my dad as a hobby we could share but he declined.

Luckily I ended up selling it to a guy answering an ad in the newspaper. He lived in Sweden, and was planning to drive it to New York to ship it. He asked me if there was any reason that it wouldn’t make the trip.

I said New York is about 3,000 miles away. Heck that’s just one oil change interval, sure it would make it. He was very excited and paid me $1,250 for it. That was $50 more than I paid for it, but hundreds lees than it cost me. I remember the intense feeling of ambivalence as I watched him drive away. I realized I would probably never drive a car so thrilling again. At the same time I was glad to see the problems go. So I slipped behind the wheel of my new 1975 El Camino, complete with car payments. It was slow, had funky big bumpers, and was pretty boring by comparison. It was comfortable and reliable as the day is long. It had AC, power steering and road quietly and smoothly as if on a cloud.

It would serve me well for 13 years and 330,000 miles.

Over the years, my memories of all the hassle and excitement of owning that 66 El Camino faded away, or so I thought. Since selling it, I would find myself awakened three or four times a year by an adrenaline fueled dream about that car. Sometimes it would be about the rush of driving it, sometimes about the frustration of being stranded by it. The truth was that I did not have the budget or the mechanical expertise to keep it. On some level I felt defeated by it. I think that is why it haunted me. I did have a moment in 1990 that really refreshed the memories of my 66 El Camino. I had just arrived at my parent’s home. Coincidentally, just as I got out of my car, my uncle (my dad’s brother David) drove up and parked in the driveway in, you guessed it, a 1966 El Camino. You got one! I exclaimed. It was marina blue just like the 66 Chevelle he had once owned. I was envious but could not even let myself entertain the idea of buying one then. After all, I had a 2 year old daughter at that time and there was not enough left in the budget for a classic car. The memories again faded. However, the dreams continued. Many years passed by. We had another daughter. My world, away from work, was filled with gymnastic lessons, soccer, dance performances, and all the things little girls are into. Fast forward to about 2 years ago. My girls are grown up. One is married. The other is nearing the end of college. I found myself in a very different place in life. My interest in one day owning another 66 El Camino was creeping back to the surface. I realized that it was actually a possibility. So the hunt was on. Over the next 6 months, I began learning as much as I could about how to buy a classic car. I researched part availability, what to look out for in a prospective purchase, even shipping costs. I looked at cars on the internet to get an Idea of prices. A few dealers I contacted got back to me with a few very nice 1967’s. But it was to be a 66 or nothing.

Of course I consulted my uncle, who I was sure would never let his go. He gave me some advice and offered to take a look at one if I found one worth getting serious about. I did not even consider asking him if he wanted to part with his.

A couple weeks later, I was having a conversation with my dad and he said Dave is looking to sell his El Camino. I wasn’t sure about that because it never came

up between us. Maybe it was because I told him I was looking at ones with a 4 speed manual transmission, bucket seats, and the console like my first one. So I gave Dave a call. To my surprise he said he was looking to sell it. Perhaps the opportunity to pass it along to a family member had something to do with his decision. Nevertheless, I paid him a visit to take a serious look at it. He started it up in his garage and the sound of and American V8 filled the air. It had that unmistakable idle that let you know there was a performance cam involved. It had a bench seat and automatic transmission. Other than that, it was just what I was looking for down to the SS badge on the grille. It was even a factory air model. Best of all to me, no serious rust. We went over it bumper to bumper.

He showed me the disc break conversion, the matching numbers big block 396, the Hotchkis suspension components, and told me about the transmission swap from a Powerglide to a 700R4. This car was set up just the way I would have done it. I quickly realized I would probably never again be able to buy one under such ideal circumstances. I asked him what he was looking to let it go for. He gave me a great price and I bought it on the spot. That was in October of 2014, almost 40 years to the day that I sold my first 66 El Camino. When we signed the paperwork and finalized the sale, Dave said to me “You know how they say the 2 best days a boat owner has are the day he buys it and the day he sells it? Well, this isn’t like that”. I knew that feeling. But I said “look on the bright side. You have visitation rights, and if you need to drive it just give me a call”. After all who can I trust more with it? So after 40 years, almost to the day, I once again became the owner of a 66 El Camino. I feel very fortunate to have that opportunity. After all how many times do people get the chance to own the type car that they wish they could have kept when they were younger?

I am also fortunate to live two miles from the Supercar Sunday event and all of the great car enthusiasts that I meet there. I have attended almost every Sunday since becoming a classic car owner. A funny thing too, since I acquired my 66, the dreams of the old one have stopped.

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1986 FORD MUSTANG SVO

Engine:: 2.3L 4 Cylinder Turbo Transmission: 5-Speed Manual Miles: 5,700 Asking Price: Ask for details

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I N F O R M AT I O N

1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD

This rare SVO Mustang, last year of the 4cyl-turbo SVO has got to be the lowest mileage SVO on the planet with 5,700 original miles. Always kept inside, this is a brand new car! The interior is perfect, the exterior, the drivetrain. This is a rare chance to own a very special, limited edition Mustang SVO with very low miles. This collector car will go up in value!

Engine:: 2.3L 4 Cylinder Turbo Transmission: Automatic Miles: N/A Asking Price: $65,00000

1972 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Engine:: 350ci LT1 V8 Transmission: N/A Miles: N/A Asking Price: $41,00000

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1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS

Engine:: 468ci V8 Transmission: Automatic Miles: N/A Asking Price: Ask for details

A very nice, numbers matching LT-1. Clean title, rebuilt motor, new tires, original saddle interior, Lojack, registered and running like a top. Original color was Ontario Orange, repainted to C6 Atomic Orange.

Not original motor or trans. It has a 468 Big Block with 12.5 to 1 Compression. Forged crank, Chromoly rings, studs on the bottom end, solid cam. Ported and polished heads matched to intake. Carb Shop 960 Carb with Nitrus plate. Trans is a B&M Turbo 350 with 3500 Stall and a TCI Convertor. Rearend is a 12 bolt posi with 4.11 Richmond Gears. Car is running and registered.

FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK PROJECTS

1969 Mustang Mach 1 351C • 4-Speed. Engine was rebuilt and then car sat.

1970 Mustang Fastback 428 Cobrajet • Q-Code. Numbers Matching. Automatic.

1965 Mustang Fastback Roller • No Engine, no transmission, no interior

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1969 Mustang Fastback Roller • No Engine, no transmission, no interior

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