Pebble Beach Concours

MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023

CGC’s Jim Palam presents highlights from events that fill the most exciting week on the concours and historic racing calendar, MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023.

“Suddenly, as if by magic, the cars appeared!” I have to admit that I was like a kid at a magic show when I took in the sights, sounds, pomp and pizazz of MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023. How the organizers, presenters, participants and attendees managed to all come together to revel, rejoice, race and reward in the relatively limited confines and congested roadways of Monterey and Carmel is at times mystifying. Top photo, Kode61 Birdcage Concept; Left, Dea Wison, President, Ferrari Club of America, Sacramento Chapter.

For those who have attended Car Week you know that you’ll need a bag of tricks and another bag of money to secure accommodations anywhere within 50 miles of Monterey during Car Week. Even though I have more than ten years of practice for this “Room Booking” trick, things did not go as planned when upon my arrival I discovered my motel was well, not the kind of place you’d stay if you care about your health, safety and relationship with the Almighty!

I won’t bore you with the details but the upshot of this discovery forced me to cut my Car Week stay from five days to two. The good news is that those two days included time at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to check out the Heritage Corvettes participating in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and the 70th Anniversary of the Corvette – and a gorgeous day at beautiful Pebble Beach to cover the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. So, clear your mind of all things dull and tedious – because it’s time for a little MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023.Renowned Austrian sports car restoration expert Egon Zweimüller was up before sunrise to drive the loud and fabled ’64 McLaren M1A past the tony Pebble Beach Lodge and onto the show field at the Concours D’Elegance. I chose this grainy photo for this caption because it shows Egon’s high quiff hairdo and sideburns – an homage perhaps to Elvis Presley who drove the M1A in the 1966 motion picture Spinout.” This car was awarded the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy at Pebble, the award for the most significant car of British origin.What a thrill to rise before sun-up for “Dawn Patrol” and watch historic and fabled cars from bygone eras roll along the entrance road and onto the manicured Pebble Beach show field! This is no illusion I thought as I watched this blue, 2-seater Delahaye 135 CS Competition Spéciale cruise-by. Only 17 examples of this 1930s era racer were ever built. It features a shortened chassis, a powerful in-line 6 cylinder, 170 horsepower motor and race-carved bodywork by Figoni.When you build your own car, you have the freedom to design whatever strikes your fancy, and the freedom to name your creation any name you want. Lou Fageol was a bus and truck builder who built a spectacular, streamlined car dubbed the “Supersonic.” That car debuted in 1949, toured the auto shows and ended up stored on the family’s farm. In 1952 Lou’s son Ray reimagined the car with a new body and wrap-around windshield and named the rebuilt car by combining his name and his wife Pat’s name. Fast-track to August 20, 2023 where the Pataray rolled up onto the awards ramp at Pebble Beach to take the Class V: American Dream Cars of the 1950s 3rd Place award.If you’re a “Boomer” you might remember the post-war decade of the 1950s as a truly magical one. In the design world anything was possible and almost everything took on a streamlined, space-age look. This 1953 Kurtiss Sorrell SR-100 Roadster is a great example of 1950s zeitgeist, with its “Looks Fast Sitting Still” sweeping lines. After grabbing this shot during Dawn Patrol the Sorrell grabbed first place in the Class V: American Dream Cars of the 1950s Class at Pebble.Designing sleek automobiles certainly was not just a 1950s paradigm. The 1921 Rumpler Tropenwagen is considered to be one of the first serially produced aerodynamic cars to be manufactured. Take a look out your window now and there’s a good possibility you’ll spot something sleek, albeit likely chiseled as well. When I first got to Laguna Seca on Saturday, I spotted this streamlined beauty atop a trailer making its way to its exhibition spot in the paddock. Corvette historians will recognize the Bill Mitchell helmed, mid-engine, gull-winged 1976 Aerovette. Targeted for a 1980 production run, the Aerovette’s magic just wasn’t there in the eyes of Corvette Chief Engineer Dave McLellan, who instead gave a green light to a new front-engine C4 Corvette for 1984.Was GM’s Vice-President of Design Bill Mitchell a motorsport magician? A staunch supporter of Zora Arkus-Duntov, he was the guiding force behind head-turning Corvette racecars when GM was not officially racing, including the 1959 Corvette Stingray XP-87. Its chassis was influenced by the Mercedes 300SL. Power was originally from a high-performance 283 V8. The car achieved 155 mph on a test run with Dick Thompson behind the wheel. Check out my short video of the XP-87 and two other Heritage Corvettes as they were staged for an exhibition run at Laguna Seca.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_txd4kuCEg Known in racing circles as “The Lightweight Corvette”, 125 Grand Sports were originally planned to be built in the early 1960s; only 5 are currently documented. However, there was a 6^th! So yes, I was excited and yes, it was magical to discover the fabled 1963 Corvette Grand Sport #003 sitting in the Heritage Corvettes exhibition tent at Laguna Seca. There’s lots of racing lore surrounding these Grand Sports, the most valuable Corvettes in private collections. These vicious Vettes were built to face off in the GT Class against the then dominating Shelby Cobras.There was another magic-maker at GM in the heydays, Zora Arkus-Duntov, who joined Chevrolet Engineering Research and Development in 1953 as an assistant staff engineer. Not only was he an exceptional engineer, Zora was also a racecar driver who applied his track experience and vision to help build the Corvette’s performance legacy. One of the many Corvette racecars that Zora and his team produced was this bad-to-the-headrest-bullet, magnesium shell, fuel-injected Corvette SS, known within GM as the XP-64. With Juan Manuel Fangio behind the wheel during a practice lap at Sebring in 1957, it turned a 3:27.4 lap. Unfortunately, there were suspension and overheating problems by lap 23 and the XP-64 failed to finish the race.While the words “historic” and “vintage” are used in association with the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion that fires-up during Monterey Car Week at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, it’s an illusion to think you won’t see historic and significant racecars running at high speeds around the fabled and freshly-repaved 2.238- mile road course. Then again, there are the Ragtime Racers, a dedicated group of vintage race car owners who charge their 100- year-old machines around the 11 turns and through the Corkscrew to thrill the spectators. The bright yellow No. 7 Lexington is a fan favorite.It’s hard to not notice yellow cars, but it’s almost impossible to ignore a rare and fast Porsche 906E Weinsberg Coupe finished in black and yellow, caution stripes – even if its roof is just 38.6 inches from the ground. This year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance featured a carefully curated display of historically significant Porsches from 1948 to 1973 that included sports and competition cars – like this ready-to-race 1967 906E Weinsberg Coupe from the famous Ingram Porsche Collection in Durham, NC. The 906Es were revised for the 1967 racing season with a change to Bosch fuel injection. Total production was 54 cars.OK, I could have selected a red Ferrari for this spot, but you’ve seen plenty of them, right? So, I’m sticking to our yellow car formula one more time to bring you this stunning, 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione which was beckoning on the lawn in front of Casa Ferrari at Pebble Beach. Now there’s a complicated history for this car with multiple owners since 1960, race entries at Le Mans, Goodwood and Montlhéry and a well-documented restoration. It was originally identified as a 1931 GT and later rechristened as a Comp/60, chassis 2021 GT. That’s the easy part of its provenance; it gets way more complicated. So, I’m just going to finish with stating the obvious: it is one of the most beautiful sports cars ever produced!There’s a certain etiquette that one needs to follow when attending a high-end Concours. It’s markedly different from the behavior on display at the Piggly Wiggly Cars & Coffee! One needs to dress well, be mindful of your language and by all means, do not get in front of a judge who is inspecting a show car. In this shot, owners, judges and car caretakers gather for a “Concours Klatsch” alongside the Peter Mullin Museum’s 1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Note that there are no containers of coffee in this klatsch!The 2025 Mustang GTD is a street-legal, track-ready Supercar that was revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours, and it got lots of attention. You’ll need around $300,000 to buy one and for that you’ll get a true Supercar, that will be initially built by Ford and finished and fine-tuned by the racecar magicians at Multimatic in Canada. According to Ford, “Every line drives unrelenting, aerodynamic performance on the streets — and the track — for a corner-obliterating, pulse-raising experience.” It’s powered by a supercharged 800 horsepower, 5.2L V8 mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. This setup is, according to Ford, “…tuned for monstrous potency on pavement.” Look out…Speaking of Mustangs, I couldn’t help but draw a connection between this beautiful 1956 Ferrari 250 GT’s roof louvers and the mid-1960s Mustang GT Fastback’s louvered roof detail. I was also a bit concerned about identifying this Ferrari based on the show placard that offered only the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT designation. I could not find another 1956 250 GT that has these high, straight and peaked rear fenders – until I found just one 1956 GT that was a prototype for the famous 14-louver 250 GT competition car. If my research is correct, this is the one-off 1956 Ferrari 250 Europa GT Scaglietti Berlinetta. Ferrari experts are encouraged to chime-in.The sweeping Art Deco lines of this striking 1937 Peugeot Darl’Mat Pourtout Roadster owe their sexiness to custom sports cars builder Emile Darl’Mat, coach- builder Marcel Pourtout, designer Georges Paulin and their collaboration with Peugeot. Emile had a very supportive relationship with Peugeot and as such they gave him the resources to develop his own sports car. The Darl’Mat had successful runs at Le Mans in 1937 and 1938. A total of 104 Darl’Mats were built in coupe, convertible, roadster and competition roadster styles. It’s estimated that there are 30 remaining today.Ferrari has built over 220,000 cars since its founding by Enzo Ferrari in 1939. The company built its first car in 1940 but it wasn’t until 1948 that we got the first Ferrari road car – the Ferrari 166 Inter. What’s impressive is not the number of cars but the consistent excellence and excitement built into the brand. The first thing I did when I entered the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was check out the Ferrari Monza SP1, a forerunner in Ferrari’s limited edition “Icona” (Icon) line. An Icona showcases modern aesthetics and technologically advanced components to deliver the highest performance possible. The SP1’s V12 engine produces 785 horsepower. Top speed is 186 mph. Thrills, are no doubt unlimited!When this beautiful deep blue convertible rolled past me during Dawn Patrol at Pebble Beach, I at first thought it was a 1950s vintage Italian car sports car. Well, I was right about the decade but I later learned that this is a 1954 Edwards America Convertible. One of only 5 built, the Edwards America was conceived by West Coast sportsman and industrialist Sterling Edwards who hired legendary fabricator Phil Remington and engineer Norman Timbs to make his American Sports Car dream a reality. The bodies were fiberglass, the Rocket V8 motors and transmissions were from Oldsmobile. The design and coachbuilding were exceptional but production costs were astronomical by mid-century comparisons. Sticker prices ran between $5,000 to $8,000, but unfortunately, few buyers ran to the showroom.As I’ve mentioned in previous CarGuyChronicles reports, one of the reasons I love going to automotive events and carguy gatherings is the opportunity it presents to meet fascinating people. During my shortened, two-day stay to produce MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023, I met dozens of wonderful car owners, celebrities, racers, crew members, journalists and support personnel. One of the nicest guys I met is Meguiar’s car care products company CEO Barry Meguiar. He, his wife Karen and friends were standing next to me at Dawn Patrol. Just about every other car driver that passed by yelled out “Hey Barry!” and he knew them all by their first names. Many will also remember Barry as the always smiling host of the successful TV show Car Crazy.Car Guy Celebrities are hard to pigeonhole. They come from all walks of life; all parts of the world. Some are wealthy, some are struggling – but all share a passion for motor-powered vehicles. I can’t think of a better car guy contrast than the always smiling, always natty Barry Meguiar and one of the other car guy VIPs I met ‘Urban Outlaw’ and Porsche disciple, Magnus Walker. Magnus is hard to miss: his long dreadlocks cascading down from his straw hat, his long legs covered in worn denim. We met under the Heritage Corvettes tent at Laguna Seca and struck-up a friendly conversation. For a great look into Magnus’ life and Porsche collection, check out Tamir Moscovici’s film Urban Outlaw by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdvPwr_77A0 A quick shuttle ride from the Pebble Beach Lodge and the Concours is Concours Village, which is billed as a premier location for manufacturer displays. It’s also where you go for speaker panels, automobilia treasures, retail concessions, Will Call and the Media Center. It was here, in the Maybach pavilion that I discovered the monster-truck-size PROJECT MONDO G, the ahh, well, uhm, moon vehicle? OK, I’m not sure how to categorize this creation, but it is a show car collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and fashion-forward puffy garment maker Moncler. I think if we’ve learned anything since Carl Benz applied for his motorized vehicle patent back in 1886, it’s that innovation and progress will sometime confound, sometimes amuse – but almost always amaze. You could say it’s something magical!

MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023 Words & Photos © Jim Palam, https://www.jimpalamphotos.com/

For more information on MOTORSPORT MAGIC: MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2023, please visit https://www.seemonterey.com/events/sporting/concours/

2023 PEBBLE BEACH: BEST OF SHOW!

Fit for a king, a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster won the ultimate concours honors: 2023 PEBBLE BEACH: BEST OF SHOW!

The winning 540 K Special Roadster was originally ordered in May 1937 for Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan, and delivered in September of the same year. The King opted for a Special Roadster with a Sindelfingen body, a highly elegant sculpture exuding performance and speed. It is characterized by the high side line of the doors, curved body contours with a recessed radiator and a flowing rear end with concealed spare wheel. After only five changes of ownership in seven decades, the current owner purchased the vehicle at auction during the Pebble Beach Automotive Week in 2022, for $9.9 million.

This victory is the tenth “Best of Show” title for a Mercedes-Benz vehicle since the start of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1950. This means that Mercedes-Benz is now the most successful brand in the history of this crowning event in the classic car calendar. It prevailed over a field of Best of the Best classics, winning 2023 PEBBLE BEACH: BEST OF SHOW!“The 540 K Special Roadster winning 2023 PEBBLE BEACH: BEST OF SHOW! at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance crowns the immense commitment of RM Auto Restoration and Mercedes-Benz Heritage to the restoration of this outstanding vehicle. We are proud to have contributed to this success story with the unique expertise of our Classic Center and the archives. The intensive and good cooperation with RM Auto Restoration during the past months has made this success possible”, said Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage

This 540 K Special Roadster was ordered by the Afghan royal court in 1937, and delivered in the autumn of that year. Further history: in the mid-1940s, the French-educated monarch brought the vehicle to the Afghan embassy in Paris. The supercharged sports car arrived in Great Britain in 1950 as a gift for his son-in-law, and was sold to a US collector in 1953. Throughout its long and varied history, the 540 K Special Roadster has always been maintained and preserved in authentic condition. To date, the vehicle has only very few miles on the clock.The current owner of the 2023 PEBBLE BEACH: BEST OF SHOW! vehicle is Jim Patterson. The winners of the “Best of Show” at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2015 (Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Worblaufen Cabriolet, built in 1924) and 2010 (Delage D8 S de Villars Roadster, built in 1933) also come from his collection. The most recent Mercedes-Benz automobiles as winners of the “Best of Show” award were Arturo and Deborah Keller’s Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier in 2021 and Bruce McCaw’s Barker-bodied Mercedes-Benz Type S Touring Car in 2017.A total of 760 chassis for 500 K and 540 K models of the W-29 Series were produced at the Untertürkheim plant between February 1934 and November 1939. 354 had the five-liter engine and 406 the 5.4-liter engine used from 1936 onwards. Nine body variants were available; they were completed at the Sindelfingen plant’s special vehicle workshop. About 60 units of the variants with roadster bodywork were produced.

For more information about Mercedes-Benz Classic, please visit https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/classic/

MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2022: PEBBLE BEACH.

The 71^st Concours d’Elegance delivers a lavish smorgasbord of show & go at MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2022: PEBBLE BEACH.

David Stivers, the Chief Executive Officer of the 71^st Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance reminds us in the event catalog’s introduction letter that this historied and lauded event is an ‘Elite Competition’. Yes, it’s a showy-show known as much for its champagne flutes and celebrities as it is for its priceless coachwork and racing pedigrees. But it’s also clear to everyone attending that this gathering of the Best of the Best is indeed a full-blown competition – be it for event tickets, parking spaces, judges’ approvals or media’s spotlights!

Having covered Pebble Beach multiple years for Car Guy Chronicles I’ve learned that you have to get there very early to get shots of the cars before they are surrounded by spectators and judges. So, I arrived with the heavy morning dew, just as a parade of show cars were making wide turns into the entry gate, and the Prancing Horses were still draped in plastic covers on the Concorso Ferrari field on the First Tee.

This year’s heavily attended Concours celebration included Centennial Celebrations for Lincoln and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – as well as additional features on vintage era McFarlands, Talbot Lagos, Alfas and the 90^th Anniversary of the iconic ’32 Ford. Across from the ’32s was a fascinating display of cars with Unorthodox Propulsion Systems.

Now Car Guy Chronicles Editor and Publisher Martyn Schorr typically gives me free reign when covering motorsports events for his popular blog, but this year he did ask that I “Find the GT40s & Mark IVs” – since these elusive Le Mans survivors keep a pretty low profile (no pun intended) during typical car show seasons. I’m happy to report that I did find a very special Mark IV and my photo of it with a racing celebrity is in this report! So, without further ado, we are excited to present to our loyal and new readers, 16 standouts and highlights from MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2022: PEBBLE BEACH.

It would be impossible to present just one extraordinary classic Ferrari from the large and impressive Concorso Ferrari field on the First Tee – but there was something drawing me to this plastic-draped Ferrari Daytona SB3. Design of this young Prancing Horse was inspired by the sports-prototype racers that won the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours race. The inset photo showing the undraped car is courtesy of Ferrari.

The early bird catches the Packard! One of the many advantages of arriving early at Pebble Beach is catching elegant icons of motoring history rolling quietly and confidently in front of The Lodge before entering the show car field. A small but alluring detail of this ‘30 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster is its Goddess of Speed hood ornament. This rumble seat roadster is owned by Joseph and Margie Cassini III of West Orange, NJ.The judges voted – and this year’s Best of Show honors went to the long, sleek and boattailed ‘32 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo! Duesenberg chassis 2509 was shipped to famed coachbuilder Joseph Figoni who, with the artisans at Sadovich’s Motors Deluxe of Paris, created this timeless piece of rolling art. And roll it did, with Sadovich driving the car in the 1932 Paris-Nice Rallye before delivering it to its first owner, Peruvian sugar heir Antonio Chopitea.

As promised, here is what many race enthusiasts consider one of the most important Mark IVs ever raced. It’s the 1967 Le Mans winning Mark IV (Chassis J-5) that was driven by A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney to Ford’s second consecutive win at the 24-hour classic. Built by Kar-Kraft, the car is powered by a Tunnel Port 427 and sports a NASCAR-style steel roll cage – plus the infamous “Gurney Bump” in the driver’s door to accommodate Dan’s tall frame. The car was donated to The Henry Ford Museum in 1972. Oh, the dapper gent pictured in the middle is none other than Tom Kristensen, the daring Dane who holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine!

An homage to its CC8 Supercar launched in 2002, the Koenigsegg CC8⁵⁰ is a being promoted as ‘The fastest and most powerful manual production car in the world.’ While capable of generating 1,385 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre Jesko V8 when running E85 fuel, the buzz at Pebble Beach seemed to be more about its nine-speed gated six-speed manual shifter. That’s right, nine speeds when switching between drive modes – which also includes a fully automatic option. Confused? Don’t worry, as there will only be 50 examples built to commemorate the 50th birthday of company founder, Christian von Koenigsegg.

This beautiful beast is the #7 Bentley Speed 8 that was driven to victory at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans by drivers Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith. Finishing in 2nd place right behind it was #8 Bentley Speed 8 driven by Mark Blundell, David Brabham and Johnny Herbert. Considerable changes were made to the 2003 prototypes over the earlier Speed 8s to improve handling with a redesigned suspension and clever reshaping of the cockpit, rear wing, and air intakes for improved aerodynamics.

If you stripped-away the hand-painted racing graphics on this ‘51 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT you might overlook its racing heritage and provenance. But then you just might notice its lowered roofline or its credentials designating it further as a Pinin Farina Competition Coupe. This smile-inducing Lancia was in fact created specifically for and raced in the 1951 Carrera Panamericana and was a road test car featured in Road & Track magazine in 1952.

Judgement Day: It doesn’t matter that your very rare and drop-dead gorgeous ’53 Siata 208S Bertone Spider is the very first 208S prototype from Siata, or that it was one of the stars at the 1953 New York Car Show. The judges ain’t fooling around and they want to see those brake lights light up and hear that horn honk! Some of the judging criteria may seem trivial but Class Judges at Pebble Beach are acknowledged experts on specific marques, and they are focusing not just on styling and elegance, but on originality and authenticity as well.

Entered in the Unorthodox Propulsion Category this rocket-tailed ‘63 Chrysler Turbine Ghia Coupe features an A-831 engine that could operate on alternative fuels like kerosene, jet fuel, peanut and soybean oil or tequila! A total of 55 cars were built, 46 were reclaimed and destroyed, 3 were kept and 6 were distributed to auto museums across America. This example is from the Stahls Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, MI.

Maybe it was my growing up in a factory town in New York City, but I have always loved the look, smell and feel of vintage machinery. When I spotted this unrestored ‘09 Stanley E2 Runabout it was love at first sight. It is one of only 475 ever built and it cost $850 when new. This wonderfully worn and wrinkled, wooden-body Steamer is in full running order and retains its original black leather seats. Brothers Francis and Freelan Stanley founded the Stanley Steamer Carriage Company in 1901.

Speaking of vintage machinery, and with apologies to those who issued my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, if I had to choose between an image of the Mona Lisa or of this ‘30 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe engine to stare at for an hour, I’d hands down choose the gas burner! This impeccably restored, priceless piece of automotive history is owned by Meg McCarthy and Craig Kappel of Chatham, MA.

I bought one of the first wedge-shaped, mid-engined Fiat X1/9s delivered to New York City in 1974. At the time I had little knowledge of Carrozzeria Bertone or Gruppo Bertone, the Italian automobile styling and coachbuilding company behind its design. So, what a thrill it was to discover this ’69 Autobianchi 112 Bertone Concept Car on the field at Pebble Beach. This is the prototype car that was the inspiration for the X1/9. At time of its development its design was also influenced by race boats of the era, so there are no doors and the headlamps are mounted high on the side posts of the rollbar. The only instrument in the car is a speedometer styled as a nautical compass.

The slogan for the new Maserati MC20, is Race Audaciously into a Brave New Future. Now I’ve been an advertising word and image crafter for over four decades now and I understand that an impudent lack of respect is sometimes the way companies and brands roll. Time will tell how Maserati’s lightweight, butterfly-winged, mid-engined, 621 horsepower, 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds Super Sports Car will perform in the marketplace and on superhighways. If you’re the audacious type and want to take bold risks, be ready to lay down about $250,000 for a fully-equipped MC20.

For us Car Guys who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s there’s still nothing quite like a classic ’32 Ford roadster. When Ferrari collector Kirk F. White decided to authorize the build of a perfect ’32, he assembled a team of the best fabricators and artisans around. Under the guidance and vision of Pete Chapouris III of So-Cal Speed Shop, his A-Team built this stunning Brookville steel-bodied gem. The current happy owners of this ’32 Ford are Rob & Melani Walton of Scottsdale, AZ.

Six cowboys in white hats drive in to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2022 in a turquoise convertible and order a good time! Congratulations and kudos to owners Ray Kinney and Jeff Wildin of Dallas, TX who made a big splash of color and fun on the show car entry road in their ‘56 Lincoln Premier convertible. Powered by a 368-cubic-inch Lincoln V8, this showboat is painted in rare and rich Taos Turquoise paint – the same color that was used in advertising materials for the new Premier model. And just how much are Ray and Jeff fans of the Pebble Beach event? Just check out the license plate!

Words & Photos © Jim Palam: https://www.jimpalamphotos.com/

Over the years the Pebble Beach Concours has raised over $32 million for charities. $2 million more is expected to be added once the 71^st year’s contributions are tallied. So once again, Car Guys come through!

For more information about MONTEREY CAR WEEK: PEBBLE BEACH, please visit https://pebblebeachconcours.net/cars/features/

LOYAL FERRARI 308 GTBi OWNER

Ed Cashman was still in the U.S. Navy when he saved up to buy his first Ferrari: a ‘81 308 GTBi, purchased new from a North Carolina Ferrari dealer. A LOYAL FERRARI 308 GTBi OWNER, he still owns it!

For 41 years, Cashman’s 308 has seen its share of admiration among car enthusiasts and won numerous regional and national car awards. It was displayed in 1994 at the Ferrari Club of America National meet in Monterey, winning Best in Class, and then invited to show on the 18th Green at the Pebble Beach Concours. Cashman said he had the help of two friends transport both his 308 and ‘71 365 GTB/4 Daytona, by co-driving them from Philadelphia to Monterey in five days. That adventure was well documented in a special op-ed in the Monterey County Herald by Dan Altiotti, one of the co-drivers of Cashman’s prancing horses. Cashman has since replaced his GTB/4 with a more-modern, stunning 2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello.

Reminiscing, Cashman said the Ferrari Club of America meet in 1994 was a truly memorable event that he attended with his 308 GTBi, sharing the warm camaraderie with fellow Ferrari owners and enthusiasts, including big Ferrari names like Piero Ferrari and Sergio Pininfarina. It was an event filled with Ferraris from day’s past that could best be described as a family reunion of the Maranello workforce!Now living in Venice, FL, Cashman and his 308 are still cruising together with ease and summer holiday vibes. Mother Nature gave rain the day off for a sunny Monday afternoon photo shoot. His 550 Maranello rested comfortably in its stable.

On the outside, the GTBi has sharp lines, later giving birth to numerous successors starting with the 328. Its styling is as sleek as it is sexy, measuring 174.2 inches long and 67.7 inches wide. Sporty side quarter-windows and air scoops enhance the overall view. What must not go unnoticed is its very rare Blu Sera Metallizzato exterior, sparkling like full moon light under the Florida sun and serene as the midnight shores of the Gulf.

According to Cashman, the GTBi is a pleasure cruiser, sporting a 179 cubic-inch V8 that can power his 308 to a top speed of 149 mph. Equipped with dual overhead cams, the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injected V8 delivers 214 horsepower with 181 pound-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm.

Only 44 inches tall, a ride in the 308 feels like being in a go-kart, which coincidentally LOYAL FERRARI 308 GTBi OWNER Cashman also described the drive as, “the 308 itself is one with the road”. From ignition to cruising on Venice Avenue, the GTBi was a smooth and comfortable ride, the kind of Ferrari that you would take out on a date night to a five-star restaurant and have guests at the valet gossiping whether that’s Magnum’s Tom Selleck behind the wheel!

Looking inside, the GTBi’s plush leather buckets are as tan as Sam Neil’s khakis from Jurassic Park! Though one can only imagine what an overland journey in this tight two-place sports car from Philadelphia to Monterey may feel like when sitting in the driver’s seat. Climbing in the driver side feels like being surrounded by an Italian-influenced Swiss watch. The gauges are functional, easy to read, and the interior looks race-ready.

Ferrari has been building fine GTs and sports cars since Enzo Ferrari built the Columbo V-12-powered 125-S in 1947. Cashman’s 308 GTBi is no exception. No wear or tear, this model has traveled 3,000 miles from Philadelphia to Monterey, won numerous car show and concours awards throughout its journey, and remains in mint condition.

With years of consistent attentive maintenance, LOYAL FERRARI 308 GTBi OWNER Cashman says the 308 is not the fastest Ferrari he owns, but loves going out for a cruise or to shows whenever he can. If this Blu Sera Metallizzato Ferrari 308 GTBi can be described in one word, then perhaps Bellissimo has a nice ring to it!

Words & Photos: Dan Fisher

To check out the latest Ferrari luxury sports cars Hybrids and Supercars, please visit https://www.ferrari.com/en-US/auto/car-range

AB JENKINS, MORMON METEORS & BONNEVILLE

The Selvedge Yard blog celebrates AB JENKINS, MORMON METEORS & BONNEVILLE racing.

By the late-1920s and early-1930s, the formerly elusive 100-mph mark was old news. Magnificent short-wheelbase ‘32 Duesenburg SJ Speedsters with supercharged 320-horsepower, DOHC engines could top 120 mph. Factory racer and devout Mormon Ab Jenkins set a number of records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, averaging over 150 mph in a streamlined and supercharged Model J Dusey. In 1935 Jenkins returned to the Salt and averaged 135.58 mph for 24 hours, setting a record that stood for many years.

Jenkins’ custom-bodied Bonneville record-setter was modified after the record runs and became the legendary Mormon Meteor. The ’35 Mormon Meteor, originally built for Ab Jenkins who set International Land Speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats is owned today by Cincinnati, OH collector, Harry Yeaggy and considered priceless. In 2007, the Mormon Meteor participated in the Pebble Beach Tour and took Best of Show honors at the prestigious Concours.

“This is the story about two men, father and son, their racing cars, their lives and the Salt Flats where they ran their most famous trials. Ab Jenkins was the son of Welsh immigrants, first a carpenter by trade and then a prominent building contractor who grew up with the automobile and found a new career in driving cars fast but safely.”

“Ab was sponsored by the Studebaker Automobile Company, Auburn, Cord and Dusenberg, Goodrich and Firestone tires, the Mobil Oil Company, General Petroleum, the DX Oil Company, Pennzoil, Kendall Oil and several accessory and insurance companies over his 33-year career. He spent nine years demonstrating Studebaker’s superiority over the highways from coast to coast and on timed climbs up scores of notable hills, as well as racing competitively on the board tracks on the 1920s.”

Continue reading about AB JENKINS, MORMON METEORS & BONNEVILLE @ The Selvedge Yard, https://selvedgeyard.com/2022/06/22/the-mormon-meteor-iii-the-jenkins-boys-of-bonneville-racing-on-a-ribbon-of-salt/