Add
Private Notes
Andy Greene's Sports and Vintage Race Cars is a special kind of a place. It's a haven for vintage cars to be maintained and in some cases brought back to life. Andy has a passion for all types of classic cars, but in particular the Ferrari marque that he has specialized in for over three decades. As one of the leading Ferrari mechanics in the country, Andy has worked on some of the cars most of us only dream about seeing one day.
Petrolicious had the privilege to not only shoot one e24 Alpina but two of these incredibly rare machines. The e24 Alpina B10 3.5 is the only one of its kind that exists in the Western Hemisphere and is one of 14 that are known to be left in the world. It is a rare sight to see one of these cruising down the street, but seeing one together with another e24 Alpina is a whole different ballgame.
More often than not, classic car owners deliberate whether to use their cars as daily drivers or keep them as garage queens. Why can't one car be everything? Black Beauty, Jack Olsen's Porsche 911 RSR, gets the royal treatment in The 12-Gauge Garage, but it also proudly wears rubber on the street and the track.
Jack built an enviable shop out of a suburban, two-car garage and worked on it until its engineering, design, and function matched that of the Black Beauty, a Porsche through and through.
Driving can be a personal and intimate experience. This might be due to the swell of freedom it gives us or how every drive engages each of our senses, but there's something about taking a great drive that lingers in our minds at the end of the day and sometimes stays with us even deep into the night, as is the case with Maxx and his Maserati Merak SS. It's no secret we dream about our cars, but what do our cars dream about?
Everyone knows about the Morris Mini, but hardly anyone knows about the Morris Minor Panel Van. We found that Frank Monise Motors still utilizes their '61 Morris to lug parts to and fro. Their shop restores and services British automobiles for their respective enthusiasts, so it's fitting that the company still uses a Morris.
For a supercar, the Testarossa deserves much more respect than it garners. Its beauty has been overlooked by some in favor of the Countach. Now discounted to a fraction of its original price, it waits humbly for a return to grace. Vintage car collector Joe Ventura waits along with it. In the meantime, he's lucky enough to live daily with this beautiful redhead.
Can you recognize the signs of addiction? Do you know how to help a loved one who is Always Looking For Another? For 50 years, the AROSC has been providing support for those suffering from Alfaholism.
Watch how Track Therapy, a key part of their successful 12-step program, has helped members cope with this serious
Alfisti around the world have the same modern day hero. Most have corresponded with this person at some point or another during their Alfa Romeo ownership or prior to the acquisition of one. He is the gatekeeper of all that is true about Alfa Romeo history. As the head of Alfa Romeo's Centro Documentazione, Marco Fazio is the custodian of Alfa Romeo's archives and is the go-to person for the Alfa Romeo Museum.
The griffin, a mythological creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, is the namesake of the Iso Grifo, an automobile with the hood, grill and engine of an American, but the lines of an Italian sports car. This Italian-American hybrid defines Italian muscle.
Manuel Leon Minassian often buys cars that have been neglected or are unwanted by the average buyer, and he is extremely picky as to how he'll bring them back to life. Although he prefers not to mention the exact number of cars he owns, there's one that he holds very close, a 1972 Alfa Romeo Berlina. Customized to his personal satisfaction, the work in this Berlina hints of his childhood as a rambunctious Alfa driver of only 13 years old.
Maybe it is the idea of endless customization possibilities that endears so many to the Beetle, or perhaps it is that behind these cars there are no two owners alike. After many mishaps involving stolen, burned, and wrecked Beetles, Stephan Ruiz has finally found his personal Beetle. Clean is the best word to describe this one-year-only 1967 Beetle, and Stephan wants to keep it that way. Sometimes we change a car, and sometimes we find the car changes us.
Joe Frazar is a true car enthusiast who enjoys driving a little bit of everything the car world has to offer. Joe has lived out his dreams by owning and experiencing over a hundred different examples. His collection constantly revolves as he hunts for new opportunities. Frazer Spowart had the chance to visit with Joe to see what's in his garage, including a beautiful Ferrari 328 GTS and the one staple that will never be sold, his hot rod Porsche 914-6.
Ashley Rodriguez, an amateur train photographer, has owned over 15 E28s in her lifetime. As a former trained BMW tech, she has spent her time buying and fixing various 5-Series models. She has owned every E28 model available, and as a lover of rare things, she now has her dream car, the M535i.
David Paddison didn't grow up in a car-loving family—he developed his passion for cars with his friends with whom he grew up racing slot cars before graduating into full-sized versions. Today he enjoys collecting classic cars and still looks to the ones he lusted after in his youth as a bucket list of must-haves. His beautiful 1974 Jaguar E-Type is one of those cars. Petrolicious had the chance to spend some time with David and his very special E-Type, one of the last sixty made.
Considered by many to be the most elegant Ferrari ever made, the Lusso has a specific set of rituals that one must complete in order to unleash the fury of the V12 under the hood. James Chen prefers to release that fury in the quiet stillness of the morning when traffic is light and the sun is slowly rising to its magic hour. With few distractions, the empty morning streets of Downtown Los Angeles amplify the two-hundred-and-forty prancing horses that lie in wait for the mash of the throttle.
The Fiat 500 has a long history spanning generations and spanning oceans. One particular Fiat, a Fiat 500D, has made its way over the last 49 years into the care of Annetta Calisi. After being attained in pieces, it was meticulously restored daily over a period of four months. Annetta and her Fiat, Luigi, could not be a better pair, and the lines between the past and the present fade as they both dress the part for every tiny journey they share.
Kevin Reimer, from Vancouver, Canada, is a professional downhill skateboarder, traveling around the world to race down technical roads. When looking for a car to buy, he desired something with similar traction and grip as his skateboards, as well as something that could handle turns at speed. He found his perfect car: a 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R. When he discovered that he and the car had both raced and won on the same course, he knew there was a special connection.
When Holger Schubert created his studio-garage space, he did what any self-respecting, Ferrari-loving, minimalist architect would do: he took his work-of-art BB 512i and built everything around it. As any showcased work of art deserves to be, Holger's car is in the spotlight and on the pedestal that is the studio garage, which was designed and built for the specific purpose of working and living alongside the Ferrari. Holger shares the details of his car and of his enviable space.
BMW perfected the sports sedan. This simple concept, a winning blend of practicality, performance, stealth, and comfort is something we take for granted today, with competitors from across the globe selling their best imitation Ultimate Driving Machines. Somehow, though, none seem to be able to capture the elusive BMW feel, a magic mix of control weighting, feedback, and response—it's difficult to quantify exactly what makes a Beemer so special, but if you've ever driven one, you understand almost immediately.
Many of us got our first taste of a real driver's car in a BMW, maybe in the boxy-yet-seductive shape of a slightly scruffy, second-hand Neue Klasse, E21, E30, or even E36. Our first furtive steps towards mastering throttle control, cadence braking, apex clipping, and oversteer—the most fun you can have in a car, brought to you by Munich's generations-deep dedication to the art of chassis tuning and rear wheel drive.
Across the decades, BMW has created a disproportionately-large percentage of the world's all-time great driving machines, from 1930s-era 328s through the 2002, CSL, M1, M3, M5, and countless others—we want to celebrate them all. Throughout the month of June we will dedicate much of our time and resources to bringing you Bavaria's best, from insightful owner interviews, stories, original photography, fascinating and untold anecdotes, factory advertising, and of course, our trademark video profiles. Stay tuned; it's going to be an exciting month.
In 1989, Randy Balingit-Hartmann bought the first BMW M5 brought to San Diego and has owned it ever since. As someone on the shy side, Randy wanted a car that fit his personality—one that was fast and powerful yet unassuming. In all its unassuming four-door glory the E28 M5 is often overlooked, but this sedan packs the same amount of power as Ferrari 308 GT and if not respected will surprise you in the turns of your favorite road.
There are no substitutes for an E30 M3, and for Gabor Mester, no ordinary M3 would cut it. Gabor had his heart set on the specific M3 that started him down the path of BMW: a car that belonged to the parents of a childhood friend. Walking through his friend's garage one day and spotting this M3 instantly turned teenage Gabor into a car guy, who from that day forward took every opportunity to see and even wash the car. The dream of owning it came true after many years (and a bit of convincing).
If you are local to Southern California, chances are you may have run into Jack Charney, his 1957 BMW Isetta, and his one-of-a-kind sweater. This particular Isetta has a story, one that started when Jack purchased it new in 1957, and after feeling the regret of selling the car, nearly 20 years later, Jack found himself led him back that very same car.
It is hard to argue with the pedigree of the Lancia Stratos. Built with one uncompromising vision, the Stratos captured the hearts of many. Phillip Toledano was one of those, and for him, purchasing a car built with one purpose was a dream come true. As an artist, Phil was attracted to the Bertone wedge design and gives us a glimpse of what it is like to live with the fabled Stratos.
There may be no better way of describing the owning of a vintage car than as an island in an ocean of technology. For Pierantonio Micciarelli of Milan, Italy, this island comes in the form of a Fiat 2300 S Coupe. With so many rules and regulations to owning a vintage car in Italy, owning a car like this isn't just a means of transportation but a dedication to style, craftsmanship, and commitment. In a world of technology, this leaves Pierantonio, and many of us who choose the vintage car lifestyle, suspended in time.
Everybody has their “thing.” For John Willhoit, it’s certainly a German thing. For the past 37 years, he and his custom 1971 Porsche 911T have been Stuttgart’s outpost in Los Angeles County. Whether in his shop restoring classic 356s and 911s or on the road thrashing his own rear-engined machine, Wilholt’s German thing is a good thing indeed.
Every member of the Smith family harbors fond memories for the family patriarch’s beloved ’67 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spider. To them, the car doesn’t so much represent Ferrari as it does the memory of Eddie Sr., this extraordinary machine’s extraordinary first owner. Recently, in an act of incredible generosity, the family has jointly decided to part with the car, donating any and all of the no-doubt-considerable amount it will fetch at auction to charity—an act that would certainly bring a smile to Eddie Sr., himself a noted philanthropist.
The Ferrari Dino 208 GT4 is a unique car. Overshadowed by its bigger brother, the 308 GT4, the 208 was originally created to skirt under the Italian tax levied on engines above two liters. What the 208 GT4 lacks in displacement it makes up for in sound and style. For Bradley Price, designer and owner of Autodromo, the opportunity to acquire a practical "super car" of the '70s with its famous wedge styling was too hard to ignore. After a year of ownership, Bradley can consistently be found escaping the city and revving the sweet-sounding V8 along the roads and hills of New York.
The master sculptor Michelangelo famously said, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
Driven by the sole purpose of winning races, Zagato built a legend of creating objects of indisputable beauty born by removing all elements that were unessential. With aerodynamics, lightness, and speed as the ultimate objectives, the coachbuilder bestowed upon us sculpture after sculpture of essential beauty.
When you want to drive your vintage car, how far do you travel to get to it? Possibly into your garage or out to your driveway? For those vintage car enthusiasts in New York City that is the stuff of dreams. Owning a car in NYC is rare, and owning a vintage car is even rarer, but those who do are committed to the lifestyle.
For these three owners, getting to their cars is almost a ritual in itself, and nothing brings more pleasure than slipping behind the wheel of a car that has as much personality and history as the city itself. Like many things in New York City, nothing comes easy, but the challenge makes it all the more worth it.
In 1962, crime in Rome was remarkably under control thanks to the valiant efforts of the local police. To reward the success of the force, the president of the Italian Republic himself asked Enzo Ferrari to assign two very special Ferraris to police duty. One of the Ferraris is almost immediately destroyed. One survives to this day. This is the tale of the survivor.
It takes a lot of driving, work, and a little bit of luck to achieve nearly a million miles in one car. Guy Newmark has been driving one car for forty-five years, a beautiful blue 356, and he has no thoughts of driving any other. After a million miles, Guy finds himself almost sad when he pulls the car into the garage, so he sometimes invents errands in order to keep on driving. With a car still as fun to drive as the day it rolled off the assembly line, this is easy to see why. Drive Tastefully®
Vintage cars require serious but rewarding commitment. The pre-war variety, however, demand a level of commitment bordering on devotion. With parts nearly impossible to find and expertise becoming rarer by each day, living with and driving a pre-war car means intimate involvement in every aspect of your car’s maintenance and upkeep. Roberto Vesco has been collecting, restoring, and driving pre-war cars for more than 35 years, but the satisfaction and joy that he experiences as a result is unparalleled.
Josh Withers is no stranger to BMW airheads. After building his own 1973 BMW Cafe, Josh was commissioned to build one in a similar vein for someone he never met, except through countless phone calls and emails. After two years of obsessing over every detail of this 1972 BMW R75/5, Josh completed the project and finally met what he considers his modern-day "pen pal". Josh, a photographer by day, spent many hours through nights and weekends breathing life back into this airhead that was considered dead. Like many who currently have or had a project of their own, Josh gives us insight into what keeps him obsessing, creating, and building. Ride tastefully.
Before the summer is completely over, we'd like to take you for a short ride along the Adriatic coast in the town of Rimini, Italy, where Federico Fellini was born. His unpredictable approach to life is something that lives on in the people of Rimini. Annalisa and her car are examples of this. She could have chosen to drive any of the more popular, high-performance cars among the ones that her father had in his collection, but she chose the Bianchina, because is the one that brings smiles to peoples' faces.
The name Jeff Zwart resonates with loyal Porsche 911 enthusiasts on a personal level. If you’re not familiar with his name, you’ve certainly been enjoying his work, because Jeff has been one of the key creative minds behind Porsche’s advertising campaigns for over 20 years. He has filmed and photographed everything from motorsports to the latest production models, coffee table books, posters, and art pieces. Click through to watch the video and to download some Petrolicious wallpapers of the two featured cars.
Owner, Jordan Melville, dives into his love for Saab, detailing how he brought this Saab 900 SPG back from the brink of the wrecking yard to experience the car as if it were brand new.While modern day Saab struggles to keep their cars on the road, Jordan’s 900 SPG keeps the flame alive.
Owner, Dave Scholz, shares his connection with a Japanese cult classic that could easily be regarded as the 911 of Japan. Its iconic beauty, modular mechanics, and desirability inspired Dave to heed to Datsun’s famous racing campaign of the ‘70s, “Dare to be different.” American heads were spinning when the 1970s ultimately snuffed out their beloved horsepower-drunk muscle cars. As the world watched them squirm for performance, Japan was busy developing the 240Z to bring a new thrill to American roads using balance, harmony, and technology.
Respected architect Jonathan Segal poetically describes what the 1973 Porsche 911 2.7L RS meant both to Porsche and its drivers. Jonathan's career as an architect has developed his pursuit for purity in the structures he creates. One look around Jonathan’s studio and garage, and you’ll know this isn’t just a man cave for rusted signs and pin-up girls—it's a forum, allowing each car to communicate to their viewers. Jonathan's signal-yellow RS demands an audience and it incites him to drive to the redline every time.
For Steve Strope of Pure Vision, turning his idea into loud and fast art is something very few fabricators can dedicate themselves to. His concept was created from a “what if” moment, where he imagined Ford and Martini Racing teaming up to dominate rally races across Europe. Powered by a 1966 Ford/Lotus Indy Car motor, this fastback Mustang is serious business when it comes to performance. Much like a watchmaker who knows the purpose of each moving part of a watch, Steve’s design signature can be found hidden in even the minute details of the car.
Many different types of cars run at Bonneville, but Bob chooses a car that you wouldn't ever expect to be racing at all, let alone down a strip of metal-eating salt: a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. Now fetching over a million dollars, the 300SL is a car that you mainly see at a concourse or in a museum—not trying to break land speed records at Speed Week. For the last 12 years Bob has been bringing his Gullwing to the salt in an effort to break records and cure his "salt fever." Bob likes to say, "Enjoy your toys," and this is a motto we can stand behind.
One might not expect a small Wisconsin town in the middle of the state to make much of a distinction on a map, but Spring Green bucks this trend. First, Frank Lloyd Wright built the local and well-known landmark, Taliesin, and second, Ringbrothers set up shop. Brothers Mike and Jim Ring have been building cars together since 1994 and have been responsible for creating some of the most talked-about custom muscle cars of the past few years. We took a look at where they started and went for rides with their '65 Mustang "Producer" and '64 Fairlane "Afterburner".
With its many curves, elevation changes, and natural beauty, the Italian countryside is a perfect place to own a vintage car. Many dream of legendary cars roaming these roads, and when Donato Maniscalco was ten years old, his car of dreams was a Porsche 911. Years later that dream was realized when he purchased a 1968 Porsche 911t. Instead of keeping his collection of cars and his 911 in a garage, Donato observes the rich history of Italian motoring and regularly participates in rallies and drives.
The Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA), was founded in 1973 and has become the largest vintage racing organization on the West Coast. VARA is comprised of many different vintage cars, so come race weekend it isn't unusual to find various 2002s, 510s, 240Zs, Corvettes, GTVs, and many more cars. Racing hard and racing clean is what VARA members strive for, and it is easy to see the camaraderie during a race weekend as members share knowledge, parts, and an all around good time.
For many, the "golden age" of motoring began in the late '60s and concluded in the very early '70s. It is easy to get caught up in the cars of that time period and overlook significant cars that came both earlier and later than this sweet spot of time that produced cars we all love. From time to time, we step outside of this realm to the explore the cars which stretch into as far as the early '90s—cars that will be talked about for years to come, like the Nissan Skyline and the BMW E30 M3. The MR2 is one of these cars.
What comes to mind when you hear the words "Italian motorcycle"? Ducati? Moto Guzzi? What about Gilera, Benelli, or Laverda? Italy has a rich motorcycle history and has been producing unique and beautiful bikes for years, but here in the United States many people aren't familiar with Italian brands outside of Ducati and Moto Guzzi—many are not even familiar with the smaller single-cylinder offerings of these two brands. Hugo Gallina, owner of Vintage Italian Restoration in Southern California, has been building and restoring Italian bikes out of his garage for years.
When Ferrari wanted to race in Formula 2 with its new V6 engine named after Enzo Ferrari's son Dino, Ferrari faced a problem. They needed to build enough cars to satisfy the homologation rules, so Ferrari turned to Fiat for help. A deal was struck with Fiat to build the Dino Coupe and Spider, and with this, Ferrari got its chance to compete in Formula 2. Danny Soukup always loved the way the Dino Spider looked, so for decades he worked his way into a position to buy the car of his dreams. He shares the new perspective into life that his car has given him.
Recreating a factory race car from the 1960s is no simple task—for Jason Len and his 1964 Jaguar E-Type, the challenges were no different. The hours and materials to build something of this magnitude far exceed any dollar amount that could be recouped from the finished car's sale, but this is irrelevant for Jason. To him, the idea of owning and recreating this car is simply about chasing a dream. He devoted his life to Jaguars, so when it came to deciding whether or not to build the car, there was no other choice that could be made.
Andy Greene's Sports and Vintage Race Cars is a special kind of a place. It's a haven for vintage cars to be maintained and in some cases brought back to life.
