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Porsche drive to celebrate Ferry's 100th birth anniversary
(Sep 20, 2009)
September 19, 2009 would have been Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche's 100th birthday and to celebrate his centennial, the Porsche Club of America's Long Beach Region (PCA-GPX) threw a little party. And what better way to honor Ferry than with a drive in one of the most iconic Porsche's of all: the 356. About 30 of them showed up for a drive that started at Pacific Porsche in Torrance, California and ended at the San Vicente Lighthouse in Palos Verdes. However, it wasn't all 356s -- there were a few 911s, 912s, 914s, 928s and Boxsters, and an apparently lost Lotus Elise. About 40 revelers met up at Pacific Porsche where bagels, donuts and coffee helped to get the cobwebs out. It was also nice to get a glimpse of the new 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 - all 3.8-liter, 435-hp, $135,000 of it. And even though the GT3 grabbed almost all of the spotlight, it was hard to miss the cool carpet in the showroom too. It was made of old interior leather samples that had been passed through the shredder. Now that's some recycling we can get behind. After lunch orders were placed and turn-by-turn directions handed out, we hit the road. Driving a Porsche 356 is a bit like walking a puppy. Passersby smile and want to talk to you, but it's slow going because they want to play but they pull you in every direction at the same time, and of course, you have to mind the leaks. It's also a whole lot of fun. Keeping a group of 30 such cars together on a 40 mile drive can be extremely difficult. Throw in a route that includes approximately 493 turns, other motorists who could care less about your convoy, an insane number of cyclists, and narrow, winding mountainous roads with grades that strain the plausibility of mounting them in a conveyance that had barely enough horsepower to attempt the feat when it was new some 40 years ago, and it all adds up to a memorable day. The route took the group up through the streets of Palos Verdes, California, one of the wealthiest towns in the world. Looking at some of the houses along the way it becomes pretty obvious what all those statisticians are talking about. Mansion is an overused term, but these houses can wear the title well. A wonderful mix of old and new, modern and classic, we could easily imagine ourselves commandeering one to act as AB HQ West. And did we mention the view? That clinches the deal. We were lucky enough to land a seat in a 1960 T5 356B Cab, so we were able to soak it all in as we followed the parade of humming and belching rolling anachronisms. While the T5 was a great steed, one of the newer cars also caught our eye. It was a 928 S4. Not that it isn't a handsome car, but what had us drooling over it was the wonderful sound booming out of its headers. Sounding all the world like a Trans-Am racer, we suspect that it was hiding a few horsepower secrets under its long bonnet. The cars, roads and people were all incredible and in the end it was a great way to toast Ferry, without whom none of it would have been possible.: Album was created 2 months ago and modified 2 months ago; No comments; View album

Cars & Coffee 9/19/09
(Sep 19, 2009)
Kind of a flat show today. Might have been because of Rosh Hashanah. Happy New Year! Highlights: DBS Volante, 2010 GT500, 2010 Lincoln MKT, Alfa Zagato, classic Benzes, Camaros (COPO 427!) and that wicked little Fiat 850 "barchetta!" Oh, and a wolf.: Album was created 2 months ago and modified 2 months ago; 1 Comments; View album

17th Annual Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance
(Sep 13, 2009)
The Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance returned to its picturesque setting at Trump National Golf Club this Sunday and we're glad to say we once again made it out there for the event. Thankfully the recent Southern California wildfires missed this area of Palos Verdes, so the 17th installment of this annual concours went off without a hitch. Well, it was cloudy all morning, but that hardly dampened everyone's spirits. This classic car gathering is one of our favorites not only for the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and the well manicured golf course setting, but because of the quality of cars on hand. It's like a scaled down Pebble Beach, with several of that show's alumni in attendance. This year's featured marque was Maserati, but all of the Italian brands were extremely well represented. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Iso, Bizzarrini, De Tomaso and Lancia all had strong fields, as did Italian motorcycles, which were a new class this year. There were even a few Cisitalias, Fiats, Oscas and Siatas on display. On the non-Italian side of things, there were customs, horseless carriages, brass era cars, British luxury cars, American luxury cars and a lot of other stunning vehicles. Personal highlights included the Italian race cars - Maserati Birdcage, Monopostos and 200 SIs, Iso Griffo A3/C, and the legendary Lancia Stratos (a genuine HF team car done up in Alitalia colors). The Moto Guzzi Lodola and Vespa GS160 stood out in the bike field, but it was really nice to see all of the Maserati, Ferrari (not related to Enzo), Moto Guzzi, Ducati and Benelli cycles as well. Other 4-wheeled stunners included the Pinin Farina Series I Cab, ATS 2500, Lancia Flaminia Zagato, Cisitalia Nuvolari, Ital Design Manta, Alfa 1900 CSS, Luigi Chinetti's old Lamborghini Silhouette, '50 Merc, '54 Chrysler and Plymouth Ghias, Rolls Woodie, Vauxhall, Delahaye and Lagonda sports cars, Franklin, Wills and Panhard pre-war cars, and Steve Tillack's display of everything from a barn find and bare bodies to a glorious Ferrari formula car.: Album was created 3 months ago and modified 3 months ago; 1 Comments; View album

Cars & Coffee 9/12/09
(Sep 12, 2009): Album was created 3 months ago and modified 3 months ago; No comments; View album

Brian and Carrie
(Sep 5, 2009): Album was created 3 months ago and modified 3 months ago; No comments; View album

Brian and Carrie highlights
(Sep 5, 2009)
The Wiklem wedding from the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, CA: Album was created 3 months ago and modified 3 months ago; No comments; View album

Cars & Coffee 9/5/09
(Sep 5, 2009): Album was created 3 months ago and modified 3 months ago; No comments; View album

Supercar Sunday 8/30/09
(Aug 30, 2009)
So nice to get back to this wonderful show after nearly a two year absence. Some truly amazing cars made it well wort the long drive. Long rows of Mustangs, Challengers, Porsches, etc. were dotted with the random Veyron, Montclair, Talbot-Lago, Biturbo, Starion, and the like. Nice gathering of old Mercedes Gullwings and convertibles, as well as a bunch of Tesla Roadsters, and even a cluster of "fake" supercars. Went for a little drive afterward too, which reminded me all too well how much I love Ferraris. Traffic back home was a bear, but understandable when I passed the burned-out hulk of a stretch Hummer limo.: Album was created 3 months ago and modified 3 months ago; No comments; View album

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Frank F.

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