Monterey Review
Last Minute Holiday Guide
magazine
Winter 2014
On stands until February 2015
Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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contents 20
features 20
Forward Thinking
26
Tales from the Garage
30
Denver Sign Cloner
32
Simply Living
36
California Original
40
Garages in History
32
special features 36 6
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44 Monterey Review 59 Fire Supression Guide
departments 8
Publisher’s Note
10
Lance’s Column
12
Phil’s Column
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Garage News
18
Office Profile
52
Barn Finds
56
Automobilia Outlook
57
Auction House Journal
62
Automobile Review
64
Unique Artists
71
Barry’s King Midget
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Car sharing means bonus space for our garage
Blending Passions
62
Superformance MKII Side Slab
66
Artist Profile
71
Personality Profile
72
Book Reviews
76
Buyer’s Guide
79
Matt’s Column
80
Garage Meanings
82
Garage Bazaar
Steve McCool
Ken Lingenfelter
Bologna Italy’s Coolest Little Garage
John Davis
Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Publisher’s
note
Dear Santa… When I was a boy, one of the best times of year was making up the Christmas list. My sisters and I would dive into the Sears catalogue and scour through the pages of toys and trinkets, and jot down the things we wanted. Greedy as we were, the list usually topped about 40 items. We’d lay the list down on the coffee table with the milk and cookies, and hurry off to bed without much hope of sleep to await the merriest of them all to adorn our tree with gifts. Morning would come at a grueling speed, I think I could hear every tick of the clock, but alas, it would arrive, and we’d hit the living room and gawk in wonderment at what had been left. Sometimes a bike, occasionally a personal video game, maybe some books or board games, but always great things were sprinkled before the tree. Mom never allowed us to open the wrapped presents until after church, a practice that was also grueling, but one I appreciate today as maybe it taught us a little self control. Needless to say, the after-church frenzy was a hoot – paper everywhere, smiles, cheers, even tears now and again, but always just a great time. I miss those days a lot, but am enjoying creating new memories with my wife, Michele, and our daughter, Kaitlyn, hopefully memories that she’ll look back upon someday and think what fun these days were. Working for GSM for nearly eight years now, I’ve been very lucky to only have been bitten by the little green monster of envy a few times. For the most part, the garages I’ve been exposed to have given me ideas, hope, and encouragement for my own special garage. Like the old fable about the shoemaker whose children have no shoes because he’s too busy making shoes for the villagers, I don’t have a great garage, but rather a few storage garages sprinkled around Southern California holding the needful things to help create a garage of greatness when I finally get one. This year, I’ll be writing a list for Santa again, the first time in several years. But, unlike the lists of yore, it will contain only one item: a detached garage with room to expand adjacent a house in a nice neighborhood that my family and I can turn into a home. I know, it’s actually a whole lot more than 40 items from the Sears catalogue. But it’s what I’m asking Santa for. In desperate times, we employ desperate measures, eh? In this issue, you’ll find the annual Last Minute Holiday Buyer’s Guide, a tradition around here as this issue arrives in November, barely enough time to get holiday shopping done in time for the impending days. But, I hope it’s helpful in lending ideas. And don’t forget our advertisers; these guys have all sorts of cool things for the car guy in your life. Just please be sure to tell them you saw the ad in Garage Style! In the meantime, thank you for stopping by! We from the Garage Style family wish you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season, filled with warmth, smiles, and good cheer all around. We’ll look forward to seeing you again in 2015, where we’ll be bringing about some more new elements and surprises from television coverage of the garages we feature to GSM branded clothing and signs and more. - Don Weberg
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Garage style
magazine
Editor-Publisher Don Weberg
PERSONALIZED SIGNS
Art Director Web Designer – Coordinator Kari McDaniel Business Development Manager Michele Weberg Columinists Lance Lambert Phil Berg Matt Stone Rodney Kemerer | rodney@garagestylemagazine.com Arts Editor Jeremiah McDaniel Contributors Robin DePry Bob Estrada John Gunnell Dr. Rick Rader Bill Nakasone Terry Doran Mary Wortman Ron Lampley Jim McGowen Specialized Photographers Dale Quinio Tim Sutton Bruno Ratensperger Editorial Intern Alex Garcia Advertising – Public Relations Cindy Meitle 480.277.1864 | cindy@GarageStyleMagazine.com Advertising Doug Holland 910.398.8307 | douglas@hhpr.biz Carmen Price 714.276.5285 | carmen.price1@aol.com
Subscriptions – Address Changes Garage Style Magazine PO Box 92198 Long Beach, CA 90809 GSM@pfsmag.com 888.881.5861 Garage Style Magazine is Published Quarterly by Weberg Media Group, Inc. 271 W. Imperial Hwy. Suite B La Habra, CA 90631 www.garagestylemagazine.com Not responsible for undelivered issues due to late change of address. Not responsible for issues delivered damaged. All rights reserved by Garage Style Magazine, Inc.
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Lance’s
column
Barry’s King Midgets My friend Barry Hilbert passed away a few weeks ago. I can still hear him singing. Participants in the old car hobby share, of course, an appreciation of antique and classic cars. Strangers will become friends within minutes when they meet other members of the old car world. Sometimes one of these strangers becomes a special friend. Barry approached me at a car show many years ago. He watched my television show and knew of my love for orphan and unusual cars. He also had a passion for cars that were overlooked or underappreciated by many participants in the hobby. He introduced himself and proceeded to open a plastic bag that was full of various items related to King Midgets, a car that I’ve wanted since I was a child. Every issue of Popular Mechanics included an advertisement encouraging readers to send 25-cents for a brochure proclaiming the attributes of the “World’s smallest car.” My father’s subscription to the magazine always provided me with hours of entertainment, and the King Midget ad was always gazed upon while my mind’s eye visualized a dashing young me cruising the neighborhood in my new King Midget. Out from the plastic bag came King Midget catalogs, flyers, photos and a three ring binder that displayed the history of the little car from Athens, OH. King Midgets are best described as a very large toy, or an elaborate golf cart. They are “street legal” and the three models manufactured started out looking like a 1930s era Indy 500 race car and ended up looking like a shrunken Jeepster from the early 1950s. Barry excitedly displayed each item as he shared his personal history with the little car. He mentioned that he owned two that he kept at his home. We agreed that someday I’d come take a look at the cars. The following years provided many opportunities to visit with Barry at car shows. We were always happy to see each other and we always engaged in animated conversations about cars in general, and King Midgets in particular. He was very active in the King Midget subculture and would let me know about any events in that small world. While talking at a car show he invited me to look at a portion of his car collection. It was located only a few blocks from the show so we walked there while sharing our car adventures. One of his best attributes was the ability to carry on a conversation. He was not the type to dominate the discussion. He was as good of a listener as he was a conversationalist. Anyone lucky enough to spend time with Barry was given a gift; intelligence. You always walked away from him a little bit smarter than you were when you began the conversation. We walked into his garage where a portion of his collection was stored. There under car covers was a 1959 Thunderbird
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convertible, a 1959 Lincoln Continental convertible and a 1959 Ford Retractable convertible. Unfortunately the two King Midgets were stored at his home, located about 15 miles away. Barry’s diverse appreciation of all cars was demonstrated by his ownership of the Lincoln and the King Midgets. The “land yacht” Lincoln is 19 feet long, compared to the “clown car” King Midget’s length of just under 10 feet. His appreciation of cars, like his appreciation of people,
included all shapes and types. I asked Barry if we could tape an episode of the Vintage Vehicle Show that would feature him and his car collection. He enthusiastically agreed and the date was set. Tim Stansbury, the show’s producer, and I decided that we’d feature the Lincoln and T-Bird in the first segment, and the King Midgets in the second segment. The taping went well and, as expected, Barry was a fascinating and informative guest. Several years passed and Barry and I remained friends. We’d meet at car shows and get caught up on each other’s car adventures. Phone conversations were always long, but always seemed too short. We’d meet for lunch two or three times a year, and coffee never tasted better than when Barry was sharing his knowledge and observations. It was during a phone conversation that Barry shared a concern. He was having some health issues that required investigation. He soon learned that his health was failing and his time was limited. He accepted his fate and planned for the end. My wife and I visited him at the hospital and it was there that he announced that I was going to be the next owner of the King Midgets. We cried and laughed together, and Barry said, “I’ve never seen a bigger smile on anyone than I saw on your face when you were driving my King Midgets. I knew then that you needed to own them some day.” A few days later I visited him at his home and we talked for hours. He even sang me a song! He loved the movie “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” and loved to sing “A Wale of a Tale,” sung by Kirk Douglas in the movie. He sang while I laughed and held his hand. Barry passed away peacefully 5 days later. Last Saturday I went to Barry’s garage to retrieve the two little cars, and they now reside in my garage. One of them has a license plate frame that says, “Barry’s King Midget.” That frame will remain on the car while I’m the caretaker. Postscript: Barry and the King Midgets can be seen on YouTube. com by typing in “King Midgets” and “Vintage Vehicle”. - Lance Lambert
Garage
news
Checker Motor Cars Returns After more than 30 years in hibernation, the Checker Motor Cars brand is back. Enthusiast, collector, and businessman Steve Contarino has resurrected the name and opened shop in Haverhill, Massachusetts about 25 miles north of Boston. The renewed business will provide Checker merchandise, parts, brokerage services, and restored vehicles while also providing consulting and appraisal services. People interested in owning a Checker, or even just learning more about them, will benefit from Contarino’s bold endeavor as he strives to bring the community closer together, and bring a higher sense of uniformity, awareness, familiarity, and enjoyment to the iconic brand. It’s been said that over 1-million Checker vehicles were produced, and that roughly 4,000 are still on the road today. Used mainly by taxi companies, the yellow cars with black and white striping became an inseparable symbol of New York, and became a mainstay emblem of American transportation. Prior to the Checker, few other vehicles served as popularly in the American livery industry and none have attained the cult status of Checker. In spite of the Checker’s robust construction methods, and durable, simple equipment, time and mileage have taken a toll on a large number of these vehicles, making parts and service acquisition
difficult, particularly for body parts. Because it wasn’t a mainstream consumer vehicle, information and history is sketchy, challenges Contarino aims to smooth over with his new business. Interestingly Checkers are slowly gaining ground in the collector market. In 2010 the 1962 Checker Marathon Dallas taxi cab used by Lee Harvey Oswald to get away from the scene sold for $35,000 at an RM Auction; just a few months ago, a 1978 Marathon was built by Rocket Surgery Racing to compete in the 24 Hours of LeMons low-budget endurance racing series and Pikes Peak. Formerly a cab in Pueblo, Colorado, the car is fully caged and sports a 383-stroker V8 and proves a crowd pleaser everywhere it shows up. Contarino is sure popularity of these vehicles is on the rise, and looks forward to serving enthusiasts in various capacities, and stresses exceptional customer service will be paramount with his company. www.checkermotorcars.com
Bridgestone To Produce Natural Rubber The Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Arizona recently opened to a ribboncutting ceremony and high hopes. The Center, located on a 10-acre campus, will begin extracting natural rubber from guayule, a shrub native to the Southwestern US. According to Bridgestone, guayule rubber has near identical properties to rubber from the hevea trees grown in Southeast Asia, where a good portion of rubber comes from today. Guayule rubber produced at the Center will be sent to Bridgestone’s technical centers in Akron, Ohio and Tokyo, Japan where engineers will work to optimize the rubber’s performance within Bridgestone’s product line to explore the
full potential for the next generation of tires. The Center will be staffed by more than 30 researchers and technicians, and includes an 8,300-square-foot office and lab building, a four-platform, 3,500-squarefoot shrub prep building, a 5,500-squarefoot, two-level process building for rubber extraction, co-product and solvent recycling, and a 3,100-square-foot mechanical and electrical building. Designed by Louis Perry and Associates of Wadsworth, Ohio, it was built with advanced materials from Bridgestone subsidiary, Firestone Building Products, which contributes to energy efficiency.
MODBargains Snags Three Awards at IMPACT14 MODBargains.com recently took home three awards from the IMPACT14 event sponsored by the Internet Marketing Association, IMA. Receiving the honor of Category Leaders, MODBargains.com was awarded excellence in blogging, website, and
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YouTube usage. MODBargains.com has been serving the aftermarket needs of automotive enthusiasts from their La Habra, California base for just a few years, and has grown substantially since its inception. What began as a college idea has grown into a multi-lift operation serving the aftermarket needs of modern car enthusiasts from exhaust systems to rims and tires and much more. www.ModBargains.com
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Speed: Vegas Gaining Steam World Class Driving in Las Vegas, Nevada recently announced their plans for a major expansion just off Interstate 15 along the south end of The Strip. The 89acre property will consist of a 1.5-mile racing course and a building to house the exotic cars, concessions, offices, and more. Upon completion of this expansion, WCD will embark on a second phase expansion of a motorsport-oriented theme park catering to enthusiasts of all motorsport activities including drifting, off-road, stunt course, an upscale
retail and hospitality complex complete with media, driving simulators, training facilities, and easy visibility of all the activities on the property. Co-founders Aaron Fessler and Tom Mizzone are currently seeking investors to help push WCD Speed: Vegas into full swing. Both boast extensive and impressive business backgrounds, and are working with leading advisors, lending to the overall vision of the expansions’ success and legitimacy. www.WorldClassDriving.com
Car Guy Country Club Petersen Automotive Opens Doors in L.A. Museum Lends Cars to Fast Toys Club opened its doors a brief time ago to an interested clientele, and for good reason. Bringing a country club philosophy of annual dues to partake in levels of participation proved brilliant. “I love so many cars, but keeping them maintained is a challenge,” said Chris Carel, Fast Toys Club founder. “So I decided after some research that bringing something like a car share program to the Los Angeles area might have some interest, and it does.” Fast Toys Club owns several vehicles from full-fledge racing cars to street-friendly Ferraris to spine-tingling vintage Chargers. Buy into a membership program and you receive the benefits of being able to use the cars as much as the membership allows. “You pay a flat rate every year, and you have access to the various cars available,” he said. Various membership levels are available up to $70,000 per year, each packaging a different set of benefits. At the $50,000 membership level members get to enjoy any car in the club; at $70,000 level an expanded plan kicks in where five additional drivers can enjoy the cars. “We can provide a lot of benefits as well, for example when we have a race day at Buttonwillow, the club provides the race car, the transportation, the mechanics, driving coaches, and more,” said Carel. “If a member wants to be chauffeured somewhere, we can arrange it. If a member wants to use a car for more than a week or so, we can arrange it.” www.FastToysClub.com | 888.269.2872
the Reagan Library
The Reagan Library, in Simi Valley, California, will host a number of cars from the Petersen Automotive Museum October 28, 2014 – May 1, 2015. Borrowed from the Petersen’s ‘Hollywood,’ ‘Heads of State,’ and ‘History’ collections, the Reagan Library will give the cars a temporary home while the Petersen closes for extensive renovations. Many of the cars on loan have been kept in the Petersen’s vault, unseen by regular spectators. Some of the cars on display are the 1998 Cadillac Papal Parade Phaeton, the gold plated 1981 DeLorean (one of two built for the 1981 American Express Christmas Catalogue promotion), Elvis Presley’s 1971 DeTomaso Pantera (complete with three bullet holes from where he shot the car), and the Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in “Batman” (1989) and “Batman Returns” (1991). www.ReaganLibrary.com/cars
Amelia Island Concours to Honor Porsche 914 Long in the shadow of the Porsche 911, the 914 will have its day in the sun at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elgance in Amelia Island, Florida. Few people know the lineage of the 914, but it’s the stuff of legend – Ferdinand Piech, Ferdinand Porsche’s grandson, served as 914 project engineer while almost simultaneously creating the Porsche 917 Le Mans racecar; it brought a sleek, modern look to an efficient, entry-level Porsche, taking the reins from the aging, hard-to-tell-from-a-911 912; it was an instant hit with many club racers; it was the first massproduction, mid-engine sports car, and above and beyond all else,
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proved to be a fun, well-made car affordable to many. “The 914/6 GT was my first real race car,” said Hurley Haywood, five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. “Peter Gregg and I shared the Championship in 1971 in my first year of professional racing. The 914 was really fun to drive and we would kill the big block Chevys and Fords in IMSA. We still have that car in our collection and use it often to give rides to our Porsche driving school customers.” The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for March 13-15, 2015. www.AmeliaConcours.org
Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Office
profile
Blending Passions Text by Don Weberg Images by Dale Quinio
R
obb Talbott is a true renascence man. As a young man he took it upon himself to build a winery. He prepared the land and planted the vineyard; he learned from nil to expert the various types of grapes and how to grow them, where to grow them, when to plant, when to harvest, and all the idiosyncrasies that go into specialty farming. He bought a patch of land in Carmel Valley, California, lush real estate indeed to produce some of the finest grapes in the world, which, in turn, helps Talbott produce some of the finest wines available. Talbott Wines have been served in the White House, were selected by Tony Blair as a personal favorite, and have been giving the French, Italian, Spanish, and other American brands a run for their money for a long time. Magazines, websites, clubs, and experts in the field have long awarded Talbott for their wines. In the grand scheme of things, given the company’s short yet successful history, it’s remarkable that Talbott Wines is still run by the founding generation, and further still, that Robb has remained such a humble, almost reclusive personality. But, while he tends to shy away from publicity, he lights up around bikers – Robb Talbott is a fanatic of all-things two-wheel. From Honda Scramblers to
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Ducati asphalt boilers to BMW cruisers to Harley ground pounders, Robb loves them all. And he’s created a tasting room in Carmel Valley to demonstrate just that. “I’ve enjoyed motorcycles all my life, they’re fun,” he said. “They’re dangerous, and require a lot of respect, but they’re fun.” The tasting room is near the Carmel Valley Village on Pilot Road off Carmel Valley Road, east of its intersection with Highway 1. Set in a charmingly restored vintage building, a gravel car park is shared with another building, but a rustic environment is evident. Talbott has built an outdoor seating area, shaded with trees and surrounded with bushes to give a relaxing, comfortable ambiance. You actually might feel like you’re at home instead of at a tasting room. Motorheads especially feel at home. Inside, comfortable seating areas are here and there, a cooler offers cheeses, spiced deli meats, waters, and sparkling sodas, and a horseshoe bar is where the action is at. Tastings. Lots of them and it seems as though every sip is excellent. Some wines spent time in stainless steel containers, others in oak, and each has its own personality. No ripple. And most importantly are the bikes – everywhere. Talbott has employed stackers to place bikes one atop the other
“I’ve enjoyed motorcycles all my life, they’re fun. They’re dangerous, and require a lot of respect, but they’re fun.”
on the walls, and a stand in the corner houses one of the fastest bikes in the world, one Robb rode a couple of times, and decided that if he didn’t park it, it would kill him. “That bike is sickeningly powerful,” he said. “Blink and you can be doing over a hundred miles per hour and climbing quickly.” The motorcycles run the gamut of European, Japanese, and American, scooters, scramblers, cruisers, and racers. Even people who don’t particularly appreciate motorcycles find the room enjoyable, and return often. GSM
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to oblige. Before they knew it, their home was becoming a parts warehouse for Metros, but when he approached the original taillight manufacturer in England to begin producing the taillights again the Valentines found themselves as the go-to source for all-things-Metro. They dedicated resources to buying original moulds and dyes, and what they couldn’t find, they had produced for them. Soon, the Valentines had a large share of the corner of the Metro market. By the late-1970’s they’d established a location for repairs and restorations of the little cars, and made quite a name for themselves in the hobby. Even their daughter, June, joined in the fun by buying a Metro shortly after acquiring her driver’s license. Jimmy still runs the majority of the business today, with Eve retired and June running the office operations. The business has grown into a major player in the Metro hobby, and yet it’s still fun to the Valentines. Part of their shop and warehouse is their museum, a showroom of sorts. A fascinating treasure trove of all things Metropolitan, they’ve gathered excruciatingly rare examples of the cars including the sole-surviving of two
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original Pininfarina-designed and constructed wagons; the AstraGnome Metro built for the 1956 International Auto Show in New York; a fire truck built for a farm; an original Nash-KelvinatorInternational, or NKI, the original name given to the Metro by Nash before it was called Metropolitan; and the sole surviving of four Metropolitan Westerner convertibles. Each in their own little setting, the most dramatic of which is the dealership scene next to a 1950’s diner. Each car was restored by Metropolitan Pit Stop using their parts and labor, helping to showcase the level of expertise the company maintains. The Pit Stop isn’t bent on creating concours vehicles either – if a client prefers something a little more modern, easy to drive, or personal to their individual tastes, it can be done. More powerful engines, automatic transmissions, aircon, power windows, power steering, power brakes – it can all be done by the Pit Stop. With today’s congestion and gas prices, a Metropolitan might be a great way to go. Sometimes coming full circle lands you right where you should have been in the first place – the future. GSM
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Jim Struck spends up to a year designing some of his signs.
Custom clones of dealership signs fit in garage or office Text and Images by John Gunnell
“N
o one wants to spend $28,000 for a real car dealership sign that’s too big to hang in your garage anyway,” Jim Struck said. “They see my reproductions and they say ‘That’s great’ and ‘That’s what I want’ because you can hang them in your office, put them in your den or give one to your father-inlaw on his birthday. It is just something that it’s time has come.” Struck’s slightly-smaller-than-they-were-in-the-old-days auto dealership and advertising signs bring back memories of a time when Poly Gas was dispensed at many filling stations. “None of the young car enthusiasts ever heard of that brand,” Struck explained. “My designs are inspired by products and cars that were in vogue between the 1930’s and the 1970’s. Take my Marlborough sign for instance – I’m surprised the cigarette police haven’t arrested me yet.” Struck makes all the signs, you might actually call them sign cases, himself. The porcelainalized metal signs are copyrighted and require payment of a licensing fee. “After I pay that, I decide whether to put a neon oval on top or add a clock, like I did on my Buick sign,” Struck pointed out. “Some are very close to the
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original designs, but that Pontiac one over there was redesigned because I could only get it going one way to hang on a door. Most people wanted to hang it on a wall, so I made it with a tank that goes flat against the wall.” Struck makes all of the cases or frames for the signs like fine furniture. “I start with one-inch pine for the base,” he noted. “Then, it’s cut and sanded. It may take me – well, the first one of any design takes me a year to build because I have to lay it all out and find out what works.” The curves are all hand sanded. “It’s like building an old Viking ship,” Struck said. “You put in a block of wood, you cut it, then you put in another block of wood and you cut that one.” Designing a sign in a frame or a case is a matter of trial and error. “First you try a thick piece of chrome trim and then you can see that a thin band works better,” Struck stressed. “You spend time taking the pieces part and putting them back together a different way. You want it perfect. The human eye can detect a 40,000ths of an inch imperfection when everything else is right. That’s why you can see that tiny fly’s footprint on the hood of a show car, though
Above left, a living room space is created in the working garage complete with a wooden buck for creating coin-op rides; above right, the ceiling is imposing and contrasts with the concrete floor; below left, art from racing events and family images create a nice gallery; below right, all around the owner has emphasized a serious interest in rare bicycles.
is a major attention getter, and has proven well worth all the effort. Adding to an otherwise church-like look to the space, Blue Nelson acquired 100-year old circular chandeliers of wrought iron from a retiring bank in Lompoc, California, each weighing the substantial side of 400 pounds. One by one, he loaded a chandelier carefully onto the roof of his 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD station wagon and brought them home to Los Angeles, refinished them, and hung them up on the beams. “It’s funny how when these chandeliers came home all of my friends vanished,” he chuckled. “Getting them up to the ceiling was going to be a challenge without people, but I got to thinking, ‘No, I can do this.’” And do this he did. He used the beam as a fulcrum, tying a tow strap to the chandelier, over the beam to the front bumper of his 1946 Chrysler Town & Country. When each end was tied securely in place, he backed up the Chrysler and the chandelier just eased up into the air. When it was where he wanted it, he set the brake, climbed the ladder and set up the chains and wiring. Easing off the brake, the strap lowered the chandelier until the chains took over supporting the massive iron contraption, and
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that was it. Untie the strap, job done. “It actually took more time than effort,” he said. “The car and straps did most of the work, and thankfully they did it well. I just secured the chain, set up the wiring, and that was it. It was time consuming, but the overall result is really nice.” The walls received new glass block windows, a nice, uniform coating of plaster, and lost construction method look was achieved. No drywall here – old school. The concrete floors were ground to create a more uniform color and level surface, and massive wooden doors that would do any monastery proud were built, along with all the hardware to hang them and secure them. Blue Nelson pretty much made everything himself. “Really, there weren’t a lot of new items bought to build this place,” he said. “I recycled a lot of pieces and elements, like the wood and the chandeliers. If I couldn’t find it, I made it, or someone made it for me.” In the end, he’d created a garage that had a split personality – a showroom on one side of the “L” shaped building, a working space on the other. At last, he had a place to bring his very respectable fleet of Porsches, VWs, Chryslers, and ancient
and Scarab race cars from the 1950s and ’60s, and still enjoys them today. Interestingly, these cars are Holy Grails in racing circles, and yet, Orosco races them competitively at historic events with relative frequency. He just returned from racing both of his Scarab F1 race cars, along with his oldest son Patrick, in the Goodwood Revival, where he and Patrick were given the Best Team Performance award. “These cars are historic in many respects, and part of maintaining that legacy is keeping them on the track and continuing their competitiveness,” he said. “It’s one thing to restore these cars to their former grandeur, but quite another to place them in the top five on a major international race meeting like Goodwood or Laguna Seca.” Three years ago, Don created Monterey Speed and Sport for the sole purpose of manufacturing and marketing the highest quality after-market speed equipment for the Ford Flathead engine. His Eddie Meyer, Elco, Smith, Ord and eighteen other products are revered by the discerning collector and restorer worldwide. When he’s not working on Monterey Speed and Sport projects, he’s working his day job at DBO Development Company, developing commercial and multi-family real estate around California. Most recently he’s been working on Motor Sports Monterey, a personal project of Don’s that will give motoring enthusiasts and supporting services a place to call home in Monterey. Plans include restoration facilities of all kinds, classic car storage facilities, and user-friendly common areas in an attractive, convenient and affordable setting. His current corporate office is just down the hall from his car collection, which is housed in a large, modern facility with a slightly nostalgic feel going back to the mid-20th century. Barn doors that swing out, a polished gray concrete floor with charming oil spots here and there, exposed roof trusses with subtle track lighting, and, of course, the cars themselves, all nod to the way things were. There’s cleanliness to Don’s garage that brings you back to the new millennia, but overall, there’s a sense that yesteryear has been captured. “Most of the cars in here have been restored by my staff. Some
were just bought and cleaned up a little bit, and some are waiting to be restored,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the garage; it’s not a museum by any means, but it’s clean and enjoyable, and people like it.” Across the lot from the garage is another 7,500 square foot facility, one much more in tune with restoration activities than display. It’s here that the hearts and souls of Monterey Speed and Sport and DBO Motor Racing are omnipresent. Steel shelves are filled to the brim with parts and pieces, odds and ends, needful things that may become necessary for a future restoration or ongoing current projects. Large work benches and tool boxes make up the work floor, and bucks and stands are available along with English Wheels, lathes, mills, shears, brakes, beading equipment, power hammers, and more. Don has had a staff of up to four craftsmen in the past that have kept things moving when needed, and he can bring in additional reinforcement to move things along as projects require. For the most part the space is a small factory, one that is capable of creating a vehicle from scratch or taking on the seemingly impossible restoration challenge. “We’ve got a state of the art heated paint booth, fully compliant
Above, vintage racing cars and original hot rods are jaw dropping; below left, Restored early 1940’s Fords pack a Flathead V8 punch; center, Orosco has collected innumerable bits and pieces over the years for early Fords.
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Garages in history
Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue Studebaker Building Text By Rick Rader Images by Rick Rader or as credited
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saac Asimov one of the most prolific American writers and one of the masters of hard science fiction not only described my hometown but captured it as well. “Night,” he wrote, “was a wonderful time in Brooklyn in the 1930’s. Air conditioning was unknown except in movie houses, and so was television. There was nothing to keep one in the house. Furthermore, few people owned automobiles, so there was nothing to carry one away. That left the streets and the stoops.” For teenage boys growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930’s one of the things that “carried them away” while sitting on the stoops (staircases on the front of homes and apartment buildings) was seeing a Studebaker drive by. The Studebakers in the1930’s defined regal, classic, and elegant. From the 1920’s to the 1930’s, the South Bend company had originated many style and engineering milestones, including the record-breaking Commander and President, followed by the 1939 Champion. It was only appropriate that these elegant automobiles were sold from an elegant showroom. The Studebaker garage and dealership on Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue did not disappoint. Bedford Avenue, especially between Empire Blvd and Atlantic Avenue, was known as “Automobile Row” and boasted elegant showrooms featuring Chrysler, Buick, Pontiac, Ford, and GM products. None held a candle to the Studebaker building; which is probably why it is the only one that remains intact from that era. According to Montrose Morris, “The building was designed by New York architects Tooker & Marsh in 1920. Aside from its large and elegant design, the building is notable for the Gothicstyle ornamentation, and for being entirely clad and ornamented in white glazed terra-cotta tile, all manufactured by the Atlantic Terra-Cotta Company, the country’s largest terra-cotta works, with factories in Staten Island and New Jersey.” Historians say that Studebaker stopped selling cars at the dealership in 1939 and in 1941 the owner of the building contracted with New York architect Irving Cohen to change the configuration of the garage. They removed the large plate glass showroom windows and the first floor, mezzanine, and second floors were redesigned. By the time World War II ended a dress shop (Loehmann’s) occupied the first floor, offices were erected on the mezzanine level, the second floor was used for shipping sweaters, and the third floor housed a furniture showroom offering furniture manufactured on the fourth floor. And despite stories of greedy real estate tycoons turning their backs on creating affordable housing (especially in areas adjacent to mega money areas like Manhattan) the once famous and formidable Studebaker palace underwent a renaissance of its own. The New York blog “The Brownstoner” reported, “In 1999,
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Museum of City of New York
Scouting New York
the building was sold to a developer, and in 2000, he converted the building into affordable housing with 27 apartments for the formerly homeless, and people with special needs.” Its current use is a far cry from the well-heeled visitors in the ’30s marveling at the flowing lines, accessories, and mechanical ingenuity of the cars from South Bend. One could imagine that it might have pleased the five Studebaker brothers, realizing that they started out as blacksmiths and foundry workers, men not known for being comfortable in starched shirts and pressed
trousers. In 2000, the Studebaker building was granted landmark status and will remain a “must see” for visitors, tourists, architectural students, and auto historians for generations to come. GSM Some highlights of the building include: Moving wheel Studebaker logo Studebaker script Concrete elves supporting shields Concrete Studebaker “S’ above the entrance
Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Friday – Sunday : The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca
This event features multiple classes of historical racing vehicles that are grouped with their era contemporaries, and competitively raced at the Laguna Seca track. The staff favorite was the TransAm race (Saturday) and the Can-Am race (Sunday). Yeah, we’re Americans and we like (no love) stock block engines designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. The Trans-Am race consisted of the pony car “ground pounders” such as the Boss 302 Mustangs, Z/28 Camaros, AMC Javelins, Dodge Challengers, Pontiac Firebird TAs, and Plymouth ‘Cudas. This race harked back to the golden area of American Sedan racing of 1967-1972. Lots of noise, fender bending and aggressive driving made for a good show. The Can-Am race of Sunday was equally as good. These are the old Can-Am racers of the late 1960’s to early 1970’s that were based on a very liberal rule book. The designers were given near total freedom to use any combination of engine, transmission, suspension, and body shape to realize their performance objective. Ironically, the overwhelming majority of the cars were powered by modified “stock block” American V8 engines (especially small block and big block Chevrolets). The sounds of thunder filled the track and fans were given a great show.
teeth at Concorso in 1999 as a freelancer covering Monterey for a few magazines. He entered his 1979 Fiat 124 Spider to join the 100 Years of Fiat that year, and still considers CI one of his favorite events. In fact, when Don launched GSM, CI was the first event through which he introduced the magazine in 2007.
Saturday: Concorso Italiano
Saturday and Sunday: Gooding & Company Auction at Pebble Beach
Just as the name implies, this event is a celebration of all things Italian. The most respected marques from Italy including Ferrari, Maserati, Bizzarini, Apollo, Iso Grifo, Abarth, Fiat, etc are all there to savor and enjoy in an atmosphere of music, food, and fun. This event has undergone a major change for 2014 to both its location and day of occurrence. It has moved from the golf course adjacent Laguna Seca to the Black Horse Golf Course and it now takes place on Saturday (as opposed to Friday). The change in venue and scheduling date did not affect its quality of presentation or the large crowd of attendees. If you like things Italian, this is your event. Don Weberg, publisher of GSM, cut his automotive journalistic
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Gooding & Company: This event takes place at the Equestrian Center of Pebble Beach and is the only auction that takes place on final Sunday evening of the Monterey week. There was a stellar line up of classic cars and the big kahuna of the Gooding auction was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider (lot #18) that sold for $15,180,000 including buyer’s premium. Just last year, another 250 Ferrari California (all aluminum body, one of five produced) SWB Spider sold for $11-million. In just one year, this car has escalated in value by 38-percent. This car has certainly proven to be an appreciating asset and begs the question, “How long can this upward spiral in pricing continue?” The $38.1-million dollar
sale of the 1962 Ferrari GTO at the Bonhams auction did serve notice that a downward spiral for arguably the most desirable car in the world has already taken place. Only time will tell where the market correction will fall. One of the most highly touted cars of the auction was lot 23, a 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale, “Tre Posti.” Expected to bring $25-million dollars, this car, a three-seater (driver in the middle) one-off show car from the Chinetti Collection, had the pedigree, but bidding stopped at $22-million with no sale.
Sunday: Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance
Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari. The best of show award went to the 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe owned by John Shirley. This car was originally owned by the royalty of cinema during the mid 1950’s, producerdirector Roberto Rossellini and his actress wife Ingrid Bergman. This is a “one-off” body formed by the great body builder Sergio Scaglietti. Scaglietti was rumored to be an artist who didn’t know how to draw. Instead, he mentally saw the body design in his head and used trellis wire to form the image in a three dimensional form. Body panels shaped in aluminum were placed over the trellis to complete the final form. Long before computer CAD and CAM programs or 5 axis machines were used to create and shape automobile bodies, Scaglietti sculpted his form with vision and his hands. He was an automotive styling maestro and I’m glad one of his creations was honored at Pebble Beach with the highest award possible. Although the entire Pebble Beach lawn was filled with exquisite cars from all genres and all eras, my favorite group was the collection of Ferrari Testa Rossa race cars from the 1950’s and the 1960’s. These are the sports racing cars that defined Ferrari as the competition powerhouse of th e era and to see 20 surviving examples was total automotive excitement. These are the cars that American race fans saw the likes of Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, Richie Ginther, and Jack McAfee drive at the local tracks such as Riverside, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Torrey Pines, and Elkhardt Lake. They seem more beautiful today than they did in their heyday – a testament to the Italian sense of design especially during this era. “The best of the best” is the most appropriate description of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This event is internationally recognized for showing only the finest examples of the most coveted collector cars in the world. Each and every car accepted for judging has already been pre-qualified for being at the pinnacle of provenance and concours preparation. Attending this event is more than just attending, it’s surreal.
Events We Did NOT Attend
Despite the GSM staffers running rampant, there were some events that we were unable to cover: The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival Event at the Monterey Jet Center, the Micro Car Show in Pacific Grove, Legends of the Autobahn, and Concours d’LeMons. We hope that next year we’ll have better luck – as Don is working toward presenting an event Monday evening after the Garage Tour, plans are to have more staff availability during the week, and See a video of this on garagestylemagazine.com potentially cover these and other events as they emerge. Monterey Car Week is an ever-evolving landscape of things to do! GSM
Monterey Car Week is the place to be with a slick car. This year Garage Style made the scene in a 2014 Dodge Charger SRT8, and found that it was quite the attention getter. Finished in dark metallic blue with purple hues and an interior of caramel and black, it had a handsome but very muscular presence. At one point in downtown Monterey it was parked between two modern European performance sedans, and it was interesting how much attention the Charger actually drew. People liked the car, were interested in the car, wanted to talk about the car. On the road, the Charger never disappointed with our photographer, Dale, at the wheel, the car turned in 27 miler per gallon, and was able to traverse from Monterey back to Orange County, California on one tank. Impressive indeed for a car with over 400-horsepower and weighing around 4,000-pounds. During the Garage Tour, the Charger was a hit - everyone remarked at the interior and the paint, frequently talking about how much car could be had for the money. Fully equipped, the Charger had heated and cooled seats, heated and cooled cup holders, a moonroof, power seats, navigation, rear camera reverse assist, and a multi suspension setting that changed the cars attitude from boulevard cruiser to track brute. By switching the car to “Track” mode, the suspension hunkered down, stiffened up, and let you know about every pebble on the road. The brakes became exceedingly active, the accelerator became more responsive, and the exhaust burble became more noticeable. Switch it back to “Auto” and the car becomes considerably more docile, riding smoother, offering gentler brakes, a more polite throttle, and a quieter note from the exhaust. For just over $50,000 the car offers drivers a plethora of luxuries and capabilities, and even surrounded by the best in the world at Monterey, the Charger SRT8 was more than well received - it was interesting to the crowd.
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Barn
finds
Can a “Barn Find” Find Fame and Fortune? Text and Image By John Gunnell
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any “barn find” cars need restoration to reach their real market value. However, Mike Yager, of Mid America Motorworks, decided to do something else with a barn find Corvette that he purchased. He turned the dilapidated sports car into “a million dollars worth of publicity.” The car was a very desirable 1957 Corvette that would be worth well into six figures if it was brought back to its original showroom condition. Yager, however, is in the business of selling Corvette parts to restorers and knows that restoration work is an expensive commodity. Instead of restoring the red roadster, he made it into a promotional item for his Corvette parts and accessories business. Thirty-five years of sitting in a barn had not been exactly
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kind to the Corvette. The front bumper was missing, the tires had badly deteriorated, many of the car’s non-fiberglass parts were rusty and the whole car was so dirty that it would fail any White Glove Test in a minute. Even the old, homemade trailer it sat on was rusty. Yager left the car “as is” and used it on the cover of a book that he wrote called Mike Yager’s Corvette Bible. Realizing the popularity of barn find cars in today’s hobby, he used the ‘57’s image on the cover of his Mid America Motorworks mail-order catalog. Then, it appeared in his advertisements in dozens of magazines. Finally, he showcased it at his own Corvette Funfest event in 2010, when this photo was snapped. GSM
The 20th Annual
Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island The Golf Club of Amelia Island
March 13-15, 2015
Honoring
Sir Stirling Moss, OBE Celebrating the 60th anniversary of his Mille Miglia victory and Mercedes-Benz World Sports Car and Formula 1 Drivers Championships Featuring Stutz Automobiles Benefitting
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Foundation For Advance Tickets & Event Information, visit
www.ameliaconcours.org Photo Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
automobilia
automobilia
outlook
outlook
Helmet Hobby Signed helmets are becoming valuable investments. This collector has been collecting signatures on one helmet for decades Text by
Don Weberg
Images courtesy of
Ron Kellogg
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n the world of collecting Automobilia and Petroliana few things are taboo. Enthusiasts seem to love every element remotely associated with the automobile, travel, adventure, and certainly, racing. Even non racing enthusiasts are enchanted by racing, often times of particular intrigue are the racers of yore. Ron Kellogg has been enjoying cars for decades, and in fact has owned roughly 10 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwings, and 14 Ferraris of various vintages, not to mention other vehicles that have come and gone over the years. His garage is a treasure trove of amazement – from a Veyron rim and tire set to a collection of Lalique from the late Bill Harrah collection to a couple of Hemi engines to oodles of art, magazines, books and more. All well organized and kept, Ron’s place is more of a library of artifacts than a garage. “I’ve always loved cars, and have owned a number of them over the years,” said Ron. “I’ve always liked having unique vehicles, cars that weren’t likely going to appear just around the corner.” Based on this, Ron owned the Gurney Eagle that won the 1975 Indy race, a car that he had Bobby Unser race at Palm Springs and at Long Beach as a pre-race honor to Dan Gurney and the Eagles that he built. Having spent a lifetime collecting, Ron enjoyed various motoring events around the world, in particular the events at Monterey during August, Pebble Beach and Laguna Seca among his favorites. Through the years, he’d attend events and quietly had in tow a simple Bell racing helmet. When he met a driver, he’d ask him to autograph the helmet, and none declined. As it sits now, at least 24 signatures adorn the white helmet, many scribed by drivers who’ve long since crossed the eternal finish line. “I never thought about money doing this, it was just something I enjoyed gathering the signatures and talking with the drivers,”
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he said. Drivers who’ve signed the helmet include Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, Cy Yedor, George Fullmer, Jim Hall, Jack Brabham, Roger Penske, and many more well-known racers. Stemming from just a little hobby, the helmet has gained a bit of a cult status, friends who were with him at the signings remembering how happy Ron was to be growing his collection of drivers he admired. “I was there a couple of times when I got to see a driver autograph the helmet,” said Bob Estrada, friend of Ron Kellogg’s and contributor to Garage Style. “Ron had such a good time talking to the drivers and watching them sign the helmet.” In the world of Automobilia, it can’t get much better than this. “You know, I’m getting older, and I’ve had my fun,” he said. “I’m slowly beginning to thin out my collection, and the helmet is available. But it isn’t something I’m anxious to sell, the memories attached to it and the enjoyment I get just looking at it are really amazing.” GSM
Fighting Chance
Be Prepared – like the Boy Scout Motto Text by Alex Garcia
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t’s always a good idea to be prepared for fires – they can happen anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. A simple rechargeable battery left plugged in can overheat and catch fire – old car electrics are a breeding ground for short circuits and potential fires. To help give you a little piece of mind, we’ve talked with a couple of manufacturers to find a few solutions to help protect your investment.
Fire Fight Products
A dry powder chemical fire extinguisher is caustic, corrosive and will damage most materials on a vehicle. Have a foam system handy and ready for you to protect your vehicle investment. 321.299.5707 | www.FireFightProducts.com
SS20
The SS20 is a foam 16-ounce personal fire protection system providing 10-15 seconds of water-based, organic-foam fire suppressant. Have them handy all over the shop, in the toolbox and your vehicles.
SS45
A 2-liter hand held foam system should be hanged and ready for use in every garage. Containing the same water-based, nontoxic, non-corrosive suppressant used by the SS20, it provides more fire fighting power due to the larger capacity. Hang it in your home garage, mechanic shop or take it with you to the car show.
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H3R Performance
The H3R HalGuard “clean agent” extinguishers do not leave a messy residue behind. UL-Listed and made in the USA, the dry-chemical extinguishers come in red, black or chrome, and add an elegant touch to any garage or vehicle. H3R also offers quick-release billet aluminum and “Extreme Duty” mounting brackets, and their Universal Fire Extinguisher Seat Mount that adjusts to fit a wide variety of automobile seats. 800.249.4289 | www.H3R.com
HalGuard
A HalGuard fire extinguisher contains Halotron 1, a “clean” extinguishing agent that turns into a gas, leaving no damaging residues behind. They are available from 1.4-pound to 150-pound wheeled extinguishers for large garages and shops.
MaxOut
MaxOut dry chemical fire extinguishers effectively fight fires without conducting electricity back to the operator, and are highly rated for common combustibles like paper, rubber, wood and some plastics. It is the perfect extinguisher for an automotive environment, but is also ideal for the home, office, and marine use as well.
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that will accommodate the slightly wider tires fitted onto chrome wire wheels. One of the improvements made by Hi tech was that the foot wells were tweaked so that the taller North Americans can now sit more comfortably. Also, Superformance MKII Roadsters offer pedals made for short, medium and long legs. Side fender air vents are also fitted. Superformance’s attention to every conceivable detail doesn’t stop at the body and chassis, but is evident in the cockpit as well. Little details, like the replication of the glove box knob and the correct use of gauges, make this car stand out from the others. A side screen pocket is fitted behind the seats on the rear bulkhead, and door map pockets are incorporated in the doors. And, Superformance provides lush carpeting for a comfortable feel on the road. An original would have probably been a 289 with a B.W T10 4-speed. Today, the recommendation would be a 289/302 based engine with a more modern Tremec T5 or similar transmission. The Shelby Cobras were based on an aging, but light and strong, British roadster, the AC Ace. AC cars were at this stage trying to source different engines with the Buick/Rover V8 being one of them. Initially, the 260 cubic inch small block Ford was adopted and after 75 cars an upgraded 289 was fitted. Some significant body changes took place with this modification. Front fender louvered side air vents were fitted and the nose altered to allow more air in. The chassis was also tweaked by Alan Turner at the AC cars factory. Heavier gauge tubing with extra cross bracing was used, and because the rear brakes had been moved from inboard to outboard, the differential area could be modified and strengthened as well. The first 126 frames used the same front suspension tower as the Ace, but when the change to rack and pinion steering took place, a different type of front shock tower was used. This allowed for further strengthening.
The change from worm and sector to rack and pinion transformed the handling of these cars. At the same time the bottom control arm pick up points were able to be repositioned. Originally the 3” tubing was all arc welded whilst the body framework, consisting of ¾” and 1” steel tubing, was gas welded. 1 ½” tubing was used to strengthen the scuttle area. Today we use state of the art technology that has vastly improved on these methods, although hopefully none of the charm has been lost. The John Tojeiro designed 3” tubular rail and cross member ladder style chassis, with front and rear suspension towers welded to it, started off life under a Cliff Davis 2-liter special in 1953. The little red Ferrari 166 barchetta look-a-like body placed on top of this chassis proved to be a formidable force in the local club racing events... so much so that AC cars decided to buy the design when it was offered to them. The first Aces used a Weller-designed ohc engine and then later the more efficient Bristol BMW based 2.0-liter unit. When Bristol stopped producing these in 1961, AC tried various other options including the 2.6-liter Ford Zephyr engine tuned by Ken Rudd. This motor was fitted for a short while and because of the extra weight and horsepower, strengthening of the chassis and slight body changes were done. The nose and hood line were changed, (lowered) improving aerodynamics. From these changes the Ace 2.6 evolved. It was at about this point that AC’s owner, Charles Hurlock, was approached by Carroll Shelby to use a Ford V8 in the Ace chassis. The result was the AC Cobra in 1962. Production of the Ace ended that same year, but the AC – and later Shelby – Cobra went on to win Le Mans and become the fastest “production” car in the world. It also become one of the most recognizable and admired sports cars of all time. GSM
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Because There is a Difference Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Artist
profile
Steve McCool Text By Bill Nakasone Images Courtesy of Steve McCool
S
teve McCool has managed to merge his massive artistic talent with his love of cars to produce an amazing portfolio of automotive art. Born with innate talent, Steve has spent his whole life mastering the multitude of artistic mediums from oil, acrylic, gouache, line drawing, water color, etc. His pieces are visually striking but he does not subscribe to a set cookbook procedure. Says Steve, “The technique I use in each of my pieces will vary. I let the subject matter guide how I approach each new creation”. Steve spent the majority of his adult life as a General Motors master mechanic. He would wrench all day long and decompress in the evenings by creating art. After 20 years of working as an automotive technician, he decided to pursue art on a full time basis. He broke into the field of automobile illustration / graphic art and did a number of pieces for Evergreen Speedway and other racing venues. A lot of his work was centered on apparel design and event posters. This soon morphed into doing work on
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designing the logo application / color scheme on NASCAR race cars. Steve was very successful in motorsports illustration but wanted to create his own line of automotive art. Three years ago, Steve started producing pieces that satisfied his own personal taste. Says Steve, “I started to produce works that I personally liked or that had some meaning to me. I’ve been fortunate that my work has been embraced and appreciated by many”. When I was visiting with Steve, he was doing some personal work for two very important clients: Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen and Roland Leong. Two of the kings of the drag racing sport have chosen Steve McCool as their artist of choice. Steve’s subject matter is varied from muscle cars, low riders, classic Cadillacs’, and everything in between. However, the one common denominator that they all share is a strong visual impact combined with a technical brilliance. Steve McCool can be reached at www.stevemccoolart.com or smcdesign@ comcast.net.
Lingenfelter has also been producing modified Camaros with body kits to emulate early Firebirds, complete with striping, bird, and so on. They’ve also been busy working on squeezing more from the already powerful Corvette, focusing heavily on handling and exhaust capabilities. While their core business is performance and engineering, Ken spends a good deal of time working on the collection. “My day job belongs to Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, but my night job is maintaining the collection,” said Ken. The collection, home to about 250 vehicles, is a gathering of vehicles largely centered on GM products such as Corvettes, Firebirds, and Camaros, joined by a number of exotics such as a DeLorean, a Bugatti, and a number of Porsches and Ferraris. Lingenfelter opens the collection to various charitable causes helping them to raise money for Alzheimers, cancer, veterans, and much more. “We like sharing the collection with anyone, but if we can help a cause, all the better,” said Ken. The mission for the collection right from the beginning is charity work. Giving back is a major component to the Lingenfelter family, and the Lingenfelter Foundation was established primarily to assist children’s charities. Lingenfelter provides the collection venue to charities free of charge, but should the charity insist on paying something, the Lingenfelter Foundation collects the money. “It’s been a great way to give back to so many worthwhile causes, not only do we provide an interesting venue where
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Book
reviews
Great Racers, Iconic Cars, a Sentinal Race Ayrton Senna All His Races By Tony Dodgins This definitive record of Ayrton Senna’s racing life provides detailed coverage of every single race in which he competed, including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 1, in addition to one-off appearances and tests in other categories, such as the World Sports Car Championship and Indy Car. The engaging text features insightful new material drawn from interviews with many of Senna’s rivals and colleagues and is accompanied by a rich array of high-quality period photographs. This lavish book provides a fitting tribute to a Formula 1 legend whose legacy today extends far beyond the world of motor racing. The fabulous photographs in this book were captured through the lenses of Sutton Images, where brothers Keith and Mark Sutton between them followed Senna’s meteoric career from the very beginning. Their contribution starts with his very first race win and ends with poignant images from Imola ‘94.
John Surtees My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels By John Surtees and Mike Nicks Published to mark the 50th anniversary of John Surtees becoming Formula 1 World Champion, in 1964, this long-awaited book is a photographic memoir by the only man to have won World Championships on motorcycles and in cars. Containing nearly 300 photographs from Surtees’ own collection as well as from the world’s finest motorsport picture libraries, this major book presents a complete visual record of Surtees’ life accompanied by fascinating commentary written in collaboration with co-author Mike Nicks. Royalties from sales of the book will go to the Henry Surtees Foundation, which was set up to honour the memory of John’s son Henry, who was killed in a freak accident at Brands Hatch in 2009. Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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PORSCHE 911 TURBO - THE AIR COOLED YEARS 1975-1998 Andreas Gabriel The first Porsche Turbo was built in 1971. To enable it to participate in the American CanAm racing series, Porsche developed an exhaust gas turbocharger version of the 917 race engine. This 12-cylinder, 5-litre air-cooled power unit delivered a breathtaking 1000 bhp. Only three years later the first Porsche 911 Turbo went into production. Since then, the five lower-case letters on the back of the car have electrified sports car fans throughout the world. The 911 Turbo was the embodiment of sheer power, potency stamped out of sheet steel. This book is a tribute to the air-cooled Porsche 911 turbo models. It was made possible with the cooperation of Porsche and their archives and internationally recognized Porsche expert Norbert Franz. For the first time a complete record by the numbers of all the 911 Turbo cars built has been published. The book also records the small series like the 964 Turbo Convertible, the 993 Turbo Convertible and the only seventeen 911 Turbo “Package Cars� from 1994. All these and many more are available at: Autobooks-Aerobooks 2900 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505
818-845-0707 www.autobooks-aerobooks.com
Specialized Restoration Of All Classic British and European Sports Cars From The 50s-60s-70s XKS Motorsport is a division of XKs Unlimited
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Buyer’s
guide
Last Minute Holiday Guide The Holidays are right upon us – here are some last-minute, quick ideas that’ll get you some great gifts for the car enthusiast in your life! Soft-Door Closure Device Available to Aftermarket
Expensive cars often have the ability to close a door softly or finish closing the door in the event it’s left ajar. The technology is now available through the aftermarket, thanks to SLAMSTOP. Tested for 30,000 cycles, or about 10 years, the product is guaranteed and works on traditional doors as well as sliding doors. Having this technology available to any vehicle, including vintage cars, should prove positive in many ways, not the least of which is the safeguard it provides door hardware such as latches, window mechanisms, and so on. Hidden inside the door, the SLAMSTOP is virtually undetectable, and also works in reverse – it will close a door if it comes open while the car is in motion. 818.850.7760 | www.SlamStop.net
Zymol Royale Glaze
Originally formulated to protect the finish of a 1920’s Bugatti Royale, Zymol Royale Glaze is suitable for all paint types and colors, and contains 70-percent Brazilia-Florida No. 1 White Carnauba Sap by volume. Zymol has long crafted fine waxes and polishes using natural ingredients to feed and nourish paints and finishes, lending to superior protection, ease of use, and spectacular results. This container is an exceptional gift as it is refilled by Zymol for life at no charge. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! 352.540.9085 | www.Zymol.com
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Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Bell & Ross
The BR 126 Sport Heritage Flyback is a timepiece recalling a bygone era of elegance, adventure, and travel. Designed to pay tribute to the watches worn by civil aviation pilots during the 1960’s, the Flyback, with its crisp image of brushed steel and gold-plated elements tempered by a soft, golden leather strap, lends an elegance in utilitarian design. Limited to 500 units, the Flyback is a fantastic timepiece for those who appreciate elegance and durability. www.BellRoss.com
Meguiar’s
Keeping a vehicle clean is part of enjoying it, and Meguiar’s is aiming to make it a little easier with their allinclusive bucket. Available exclusively through Walmart, the kit contains the bucket, Gold Class Car Wash, Quick Interior Detailer, Ultimate Quick Wax, Perfect Clarity Glass Cleaner, Hot Shine Tire Foam, and a Sponge. All inclusive, the kit retails for $22.97, a bargain considering all the products included.
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Matt’s
column
Bologna Italy’s Coolest Little Garage
E
verybody starts somewhere. For Maserati, that beginning was epicentered at Via Pepoli 1 in Bologna Italy in December of 1914. Via Pepoli is a cobblestoned street that winds its way through the oldest sections of Bologna. The buildings are a typical mix of storefronts, apartments, commercial and industrial uses, with the odd gallery, museum or trattoria thrown in among the rest of it. In other words: charming. The Maserati brothers were Carlo, Bindo, Alfieri, Mario, Ettore and Ernesto (say that all together fast and it could be the name of an Italian law firm). All but one were deeply involved in the motor and racing trade even as youngsters, so it only made sense that the brothers would ultimately join forces and hang their own shingle. In that compact shop, which couldn’t be more than 2000 sq. ft., they modified and prepped a variety of different cars for racing. Officine e Fabbrica Maserati only stayed in this tiny locale for about five years before moving to larger quarters, ultimately building its large factory in Modena in 1939, but Via Pepoli #1 is where what we today know as the carmaker Maserati was born. What are now brick steps leading into the space from the somewhat rustic street were originally a ramp that enabled cars to roll in and out of the shop, which sits a bit below street level. All of the original machine tools and work benches are long gone, but the folks that currently own the building are friendly with Maserati, thus the latter can lease and decorate the space for events and parties as and when they desire. As with most residential and commercial spaces in Italy, the shop has its own small courtyard, (plus a little kitchen space and a built in bar). The narrow street that is Via Pepoli has changed little in the ensuing 100 years, and looking at it today, you can easily imagine it full of race cars being tuned and fettled for record runs or some grand prix or endurance event or another. And, oh, by the way, it’s in Bologna, one of central Italy’s most charming and engaging cities. So yes, I’d love to take this space over, fix it up into an automotively themed apartment, fill it with some tools and an old Maserati or two, and just live like an Italian, for oh say, the rest of my life. In as much as many great companies and just as many great rock bands were born in small shops, garages, and dorm rooms, so was Maserati. Luckily, this magical little gem of a place still exists, and anyone can drive or walk by and recognize the doorway and an address from which great automotive things sprang forth.
— Matt Stone
Garage Style Magazine Winter 2014
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Garage
meanings
In the Garage with Cindy Meitle
John Davis, Co-Founder and Co-Manager of Club Auto Sport John Davis Co-Founder and Co-Manager of Club Auto Sport, a car-centric facility located in San Jose, California that houses dozens of custom garage spaces occupied some of the most recognized sports car and exotic car collectors in the world, along with numerous car dealers and other companies that speak to this audience. John loves to work on his various car projects, travel with his family, do a little stand-up boarding at various beaches, and is quite passionate about historical car racing. Years back, John’s friend Rubin Jurman owned a scrap metal yard in San Jose, and every time a truckload came in with scraps, he had his employees sift through it and set aside the unique locks, keys, tools and door knobs. John purchased the collection from Rubin 10 years ago. In 2008, John decided to place his business TMFC, Inc. (Too Much Fun Club) within the Club Auto Sport structure of garage spaces. He opted to use many of the items as décor. Along with numerous Davis family collectibles, cars, and various valuable artifacts, he decided to register the garage space with the museum association. Now, the TMFC Museum is a registered non-profit museum. What is your favorite item in this garage space and why? Back in the day, my dad John Davis Sr. (Jack) was an automobile mechanic, mostly working with the Cadillac marque, and I have a lot of his special tools. His Snap-On tool box that I use on a regular basis is my favorite item. Now, my son and I work on many car projects together and it’s special to use my dad’s tools. What one item have you always wanted in your garage that you hope to one day acquire, and why do you want it so much? I have two 1958 Cadillac El Dorados. One is a Biarritz and the other is a Brougham. They are two of my favorites. We have to work on them to keep them in top shape, as they are both drivers. If my Dad were here we could tap into his knowledge and even have him help out. So, the answer is to have my dad in my shop helping with restoration on these cars. What’s the strangest item in the garage? How was it acquired and why does it remain in the garage?
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Each item that I possess is very unique in its own way. I have a collection of locks, knives, and tools from all over the world. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t ask myself, “I wonder how many people have touched or used these locks, knives or tools.” What are you doing most of the time when in your garage? My 22 year old son Cole Davis and I have restored two cars. Our first was a ’66 fastback Mustang. It took us two years to totally restore it. It was finished for his senior year in high school. He was off to Stanford University for college and we decided to do another project. He chose a ’67 Lincoln Continental. It has taken us 3 years but it’s 95% finished. I spend a lot of time working on finishing the Lincoln. Did you spend much time in the garage growing up? What are your memories? I wasn’t in the garage much at all, even though my dad was an auto mechanic. I was either mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, or working on a chicken ranch. My first car was a ’54 Oldsmobile. I guess my memories in the garage would be of my father working on cars. Give me a quote about the garage and how it makes you feel. We have several events throughout the year in this garage space that has become “the museum” and without a doubt, the overwhelming response from clients is, “This is the most eclectic museum I have ever been in. I need to come back because there is too much to take in all at once.” Hearing this feedback makes me proud of this museum and makes me happy that I’m making other people happy.
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