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Private Notes
“Whenever I see this car, no matter if it’s day or night, no matter from which angle I’m looking at it, I just fall in love,” says Michael von Trzebiatowski, the proud owner of this 1971 Aston Martin DBS.
The TV show The Persuaders is what ignited Michael’s love for the DBS, identifying with the car Roger Moore drove. His brother was drawn to the Ferrari Dino played by Tony Curtis, but when he was able to get one of his own, he got a house instead.
“I bought the Aston Martin, but no house,” says Michael. He really does identify with the car, saying, “It’s a bit portly, good-natured, and robust…Making a great entrance with big fenders on my car—that’s just not my style.”
Understatement is important to Michael, and it’s also OK that not everyone knows about his understated Aston Martin, or even notices it when on the road. Mind you, this isn’t some flash in the pan attraction to this car—it took Michael a decade to find the perfect example for him.
And when it was the right time to fulfill this irrational desire, well…let’s just say that Michael’s brother was kept in the dark for a while about the DBS!
“In Australia, you’ve got several options; cricket, you have football, you have cars, and my dad was a car racer back in the day,” says Jason Humble. “So I was fairly blessed as a kid—I got to spend a lot of time at the race track.”
When it finally came to owning and running his own race car, Humble had fallen in love with small, revvy, mighty, rotary-powered Mazdas.
And few are as small and as mighty as this particular killer bee, a 1971 Mazda RX-2. In Japan, it was known and raced as the “Capella Rotary”. Humble’s car was found in disrepair, and he restored and built the car into the epic vintage racer it is today.
“It’s a real genuine take on what what the car should have been in the day,” he says. Yes, even that insane engine noise is a throwback to 1971.
“We’re the little car that could…or would like to,” Humble says, “We race pretty hard, we race door handle to door handle…I don’t think it’s fair to the car to be expected to be perfect all the time.”
“I’m starting to now embrace embrace the fact it might have a battle scar or two.”
With his meticulous maintenance schedule and preparation, there’s a good chance this RX-2 will be racing for years to come in Australia…even if its usually-perfect bodywork has a small blemish or two earned on the track.
“1969 is really about an era when I grew up,” says Keith Helmetag, “and when I did things like surfing at the beach, hiking in the woods…”
“This car really embodies that outdoors, ‘go for it’ spirit.”
He may just be right: 1969 was a particularly great vintage for Alfa Romeo’s long-lived Duetto “Spider”. With hardly any option but to motor with the top down, the tiny car’s form drops away at each end—a stylistic trick that helps immerse both driver and passenger in the scenery around them.
An artist and designer by trade, Helmetag was also drawn to this particular car’s color.
“In choosing a color, most Alfa Romeos are red. But I’m an eccentric, I like something a little bit different,” he says. “The green really appeals to me because I love nature, I love being outside.”
Don’t think you’ll catch this stunning Duetto tucked away in a garage somewhere: with tastefully applied upgrades, he covers more than 5,000 miles per year, often taking it to meetings and other more practical engagements.
Still, the open road is never far away. “I’ve just gone through another restoration…so the car is ready for another decade or more,” he says.
“I love the aspect of handmade, I love the aluminum work…” says Scott Gauthier, “I love that every one of them is unique.”
“I’ve really been taken by that,” he adds. Once you hear Gauthier—an avowed fan of Italian coachbuilder Zagato—talk about this particular car, it’s clear this little jewel is something special.
You’re looking at the only known surviving 1949 Fiat Topolino 750 MM by Zagato, one of a handful originally built…and a car that even raced flat-out in period at Italy’s harrowing Mille Miglia road race.
It may be from before his time, but Gauthier knows the car inside out: he’s the one who restored it.
“I’ve always loved working with my hands,” he says, explaining how he eventually found himself years later making his own jewelry. “Restoring cars, I think is one of the joys of owning a car… Because of the world I’m in, nothing really scares us. You just can’t look at it as too serious of a thing,” he says.
“It’s just metal, paint, it’s forming, and it’s fabrication.”
Judging by the numerous awards the car has been honored with since restoration was finished, this rare car will likely survive far into the future thanks to Gauthier’s own two hands.
“The Esprit is not a well-known car,” says Spencer Canon. “Car guys know what it is, but they don’t know much about it—it’s a mystery.”
Canon’s profession as the founder and creative director of Ritte Bicycles may not be your first guess, but when you consider that performance cycling is all about doing more with less, well—a Lotus Esprit is the perfect sports car to have.
Designed as one of the first examples of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s revolutionary wedge shape, Canon’s Esprit was from the generation updated by Peter Stevens (who also did the McLaren F1). It looked stunning…when new.
“When I got the car, it just looked absolutely terrible,” he says. Faced with the prospect of fixing a trashed Esprit, Canon realized something liberating: “I had a car that was probably never going to be in a truly original state again, and that gave me permission—in my mind—to do a few things to it that the original designer wouldn’t be upset with…hopefully.”
“If I can save a car from going to the dump or being parted out, then it’s excusable if it’s not painted the original color or has wheels from five years later…” he adds.
Now tastefully updated, painted in striking light blue, and lightened beyond its stock form, this Esprit is finally the light canyon rider that Canon dreamed of creating.
“It was built in Italy…then it went to the Paris auto show, got great reviews…” John Breslow says, “It really became kind of a famous car, all by itself.”
“This is unusual: that someone without great wealth could go and show the great coachbuilders in Italy and Europe his model, and to pull it off—it’s kind of the American dream to be able to do something like that.” Gordon Kelly was a Wisconsin-based designer who had the wish to design his own sports car—and so in the early ’60s had traveled to Europe to make his dream come true.
He wasn’t a wealthy guy—he was just a “normal” enthusiast—and that’s what attracts Breslow to the unique and storied history of this car one-off car.
Breslow’s Kelly Corvette, bodied by Vignale, is a 1-of-1 machine that’s completely unique. Its styling is out-of-this-world, especially for what used to be (and is still underneath) a 1961 Chevrolet Corvette. Thankfully, its rarity doesn’t mean it’s a trailer queen—he’s even done the Copperstate 1000 rally in the car. “It’s one-of-a-kind, it can’t be replaced, so I’m really careful with it…”
“It’s like a van Gogh you can drive,” he says. Complete with all of its history, including a final paint job in 2004 under the now-deceased Kelly, this is one sculpture that should be thundering down the road for years to come.
“My car is a perfect example of me, in a sense of—it’s no frills. When you look at the car, and know it’s about business,” says Savant Young. “I carry the same demeanor myself—when you get locked in a cage with someone else, business needs to be done at that point.”
For mixed martial artist Young, martial arts and cars have much more in common than you may first think. They both enjoy strong, inclusive communities, both have their highs and lows, and both provide a rewarding challenge that can last a lifetime. “It’s a labor of love in both aspects,” Young says.
Young’s car of choice is a 1973 Mazda RX-3, a car he calls Mazda’s “enforcer”, because it was brought out to compete with sports cars from Nissan, Toyota, and Honda. It’s been extensively modified, and from its aerospace-grade braking system to its Toyota pickup truck rear end, it’s prepared to be a thrilling canyon companion. Young estimates the rotary is pushing out an “all business” 400 horsepower.
“There is an emotional connection. I like to be seen in the car, I like people to ask me about it, and tell me stories of how their uncle had one, because that’s how I came across it, it was through my uncle.”
“I work hard Monday through Friday, and I drive my car every weekend,” Young says. “If there’s a car show, I swear I’m probably out there most of the day, drinking beer and cleaning the car. It’s therapeutic…”
“We’ve had Porsches in our family for decades…my father’s had a billion of them, I think,” says Deryck Shakespeare. “But my very first memory [of this car], and my fondest one, is when I put the keys in the ignition and drove it out of my uncle’s garage.”
The story of how this 1978 Porsche 911 Turbo ended up with Shakespeare isn’t typical, but speaks to the bond between enthusiasts. “My uncle was really ill at the time, unfortunately…Yeah, he was going to die, basically…and he rang me up [from] the hospital and said, ‘Look, wondering if you want my car…”
From that ending, a new beginning: Shakespeare’s young son, Elvis, is now able to bond with his father over their shared love for the Turbo. The younger Shakespeare will need some training, though: these cars aren’t for the faint of heart. Only 28 of these were brought into Australia in 1978, but many haven’t survived.
“A lot of people bought these cars…and didn’t come home,” Shakespeare says, “…these cars ended up around poles, ended up around trees, ended up upside-down…and, the technology isn’t in the car to cope with the amount of horsepower, really.”
It’s all worth, it, though, as long as this cherished family car lives into the future.
“You look at the car and you don’t think, ‘Oh gee, it looks old’…” he says. “What you see is a piece of history that will never be repeated.”
“This car draws people’s attention—mostly its vintage folks—usually 2002 owners, they say, ‘I love your 2002’ and then they realize it has four doors and the whole Neue Klasse’ story comes into play,” says Jim Huff, the owner of this rarely-seen BMW.
What is this small BMW sedan? It’s a 1600 ‘Neue Klasse’, so-named for the “new class” of cars that the company developed to save the company in the early ’60s. This car led directly to the company’s longstanding success in touring car racing, which was literally born from the 1600’s incredible performances by privateer racers in Europe. After stumbling on the car a few times—including in a gift from his wife—Huff decided to find one of his own.
“I was seeking knowledge, and trying to find one,” said Huff. He found this example on Craigslist, saying, “I wasn’t going to walk away without getting that car in some shape or form.”
“This car gets used in several ways. It does highway runs…it gets driven on the backroads of California quite a bit,” he says. “In my own right, with a group of friends that drive Alfas, Porsches, you name it—we drive the backroads alone, once or twice a month. This car’s geared to hang.”
Huff’s future plans for his Neue Klasse? To drive it, of course.
“The adventure began when we left the driveway,” says Larry Shank. “And that’s what was neat about the Jeep and the teardrop; you became part of the country from day one.”
Shank is the proud custodian of this 1953 Willys Jeep CJ-3B and 1947 Ken-Skill Kustom Kamper Model 10, both bought by his father in period and used during their entire lives by his family for exploring the U.S. while on vacation.
Traveling off the beaten path may seem extreme, but he has a different perspective: “You arrive not exhausted but exhilarated; because you’re already there, you’re already on vacation…”
His father taught him how to drive the Jeep and fix the Jeep, and set up camp; their relationship was close and unique, he says. For his father, vacations were a way to reconnect with nature after months at a demanding job at Lockheed.
“You could not go the places he wanted to go unless you had this. There were dirt roads, sandy roads, where a normal car would not make it,” Shank says. “The Jeep could get him every place he wanted to go.”
Even today, Shank’s Jeep explores wherever his son wants to go.
“There’s a certain demand for a driver’s car that optimizes handling weight, exposure to the elements, and that very visceral experience that sort of makes you have to take a shower after driving it—for all the right reasons—you’ve got rocks in your hair and everything else.”
Geoff Wise’s Lotus Super 7 is not only an elemental sports car, but an opportunity for curious onlookers to wonder, “What the–?”
“People will just come up and talk to you,” he says.
In a first for Petrolicious, you’re looking at a ‘kit’ car. In order to get around a hefty import tax on British vehicles imported into the U.S., the car was supplied in part form, along with ‘disassembly’ instructions from Lotus that were intended to be followed in reverse… As a result, many 7s have been developed, customized, and lovingly altered over the years to suit its owner’s wishes.
Wise loves driving, so this 7 has been built for that—can you get a more pure driving experience than this ex-race car for the street? Probably not; the Lotus 7 is a legend for a reason, after all.
“I always wanted a V8, manual, rear-drive—and then there was Smokey and the Bandit,” says Gregg Hamilton, “When I moved here to America, [I realized] this is the only place in the world where I can really own one.”
Wanting something that’s American, New Zealander Hamilton settled on this Pontiac Trans Am—that is definitely not like any other. Using tricks learned from years of working with some of the best World Rally Championship teams in the world—including Toyota Team Europe and Prodrive—Hamilton’s Firebird has been given handling to match its extensive engine modifications.
“I needed something to do, so we found this car on eBay, and flew to Alabama, picked it up at the airport sight unseen…[and] it sort of just evolved into what it is today.”
From its wider bodywork, to custom engine computer, to fully revised suspension and brakes, it’s “about as quick as a Z06 Corvette,” he says. Sound far-fetched? As someone whose day job is spent building and testing Ken Block’s latest projects, we’d believe him.
“I like the mechanical-ness of it. I like the engine bay…I like that you can see the injectors, and plug for ECU…There’s no wheel arches in there, so you can see the uprights and the roll bar,” says Hamilton.
“It’s not always about the drive for me. It’s about the build of it. It’s about tinkering with it…”
“In 1980, I had the chance to drive a brand-new R5 Turbo,” Christophe Guerin says, “and it was such a thrill that I got hooked.”
That encounter, when he was 20, eventually led Guerin back to the Renault 5 Turbo 2 later in life. He certainly grew up in the right part of the world in order to become a car enthusiast: France.
“I was born in Le Mans, 15 minutes away from the legendary circuit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Guerin says. “My father worked at the Renault factory in Le Mans, and he was a handyman, so he gave me his passion for mechanics and repairs.”
What began as studies in a technical college led to wrenching for local rally teams, learning from the masters, and seeing what made cars fast. But a love for the tiny Renault never faded. Finally, after years, he asked a friend to find a good one to buy. “I need one,” he said, “Find a pristine one for me, and make sure it’s red.”
As it happens, the car he calls his “treat” was about to enter his life for good.
“When I saw it coming, it was…I almost dropped to my knees,” he says. “That sound—you can’t forget it.”
“Driving this car through the hills is a great experience. There’s really nothing else on your mind when you’re going through the gears, and onto the brakes into a corner, and then accelerating through…” says Addison Lee. “There’s nothing else that you’re thinking about…it’s almost like taking a vacation after going for a drive in a car like this.”
The relationship Addison has with his 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback is quite special, as it’s been his car since he was a teenager. Just about the only thing on the car that was complete when he bought the car? The Shelby GT 350 look-alike paint, so Addison decided to get some mileage out of that improvement and just hasn’t gotten around to changing it.
His father, Don, helped him put the car together to go to school in, and it’s been in the family ever since. Addison’s Mustang has influenced his career, too: he’s currently a competitor in the SCCA Spec Mustang series. “Cost us a lot of tires, a lot of brake pads,” his father says, “but I know it was the foundation for him being a very accomplished race driver.”
Though Addison’s car is not a Shelby GT 350, it’s been treated to a number of serious performance upgrades, including a 347 stroker with “about 430 horsepower and the same amount of torque,” he says. His racing experience means the car’s suspension and brakes have also been overhauled, so that it handles “a lot better”.
“In my mind, there are few other cars that are as fun to drive,” he says of the Mustang. “The way they smell and even feel is something, for me, that’s hard to beat.”
“When these cars were new, sports cars were still a relatively new thing in the U.S.,” says David Swig. “You could either afford Ferraris and Maseratis, or Alfas and Fiats—my father, Martin Swig, was always on the Alfa and Fiat end.”
With a father who was incredibly active in the car hobby, his sons David and Howard naturally picked up his passion for classic vehicles. Now, the two sons regularly tour together, restore, collect, and put their own stamp on the industry they love so much.
Here, two of their favorites: 1959 Alfa Romeo Veloce Zagato, in red, and a 1960 Giulietta Sprint Veloce, in white. The Zagato started life as a racing car, while the white car is mildly upgraded but has been the “driver” in the Swig household for the last 35 years.
“When you get behind the wheel of each, you really see the advancements that were made,” Howard says. “It’s interesting to drive these cars back to back, which essentially have a lot of the same underpinnings, but when you get behind the wheel it can be a totally different experience.”
Our dad was great in a lot of things…but as we get older and get some experience we also see things he could have done better…” Howard says, “…we have a lot of years ahead of us to make it better, and make it our own.”
“We always want what we can’t have,” says Jay Kho. “The Supra, back in the day, you could go to a dealership and purchase one. You could never purchase a Nissan Skyline…it’s like a treasure you never want to let go.”
Born in the Philippines, Jay Kho grew up with a car trading, street racing father who would race his Japanese car, “at Midnight,” he says. Once he emigrated to the U.S., however, Kho became quickly immersed in American and European cars, which were totally foreign to him at the time. After owning a few interesting ones, including a ’66 Ford Mustang, a chance encounter with an imported-but-hidden 1983 DR30 Nissan Skyline became an obsession.
“I grew up in the ’80s, I’m an ’80s kid. Look at this car, and right away, you know it’s ’80s. It’s made in the ’80s. It’s so boxy, just the angular shape to it,” Kho says. After changing the engine to an SR20 and freshening the car as needed so he’s able to enjoy it, Kho’s R30 Skyline is road legal and his pride and joy. Despite its ‘Godzilla’ nickname, he’s modest about its performance, saying the SR20, “…has decent power, enough for me to enjoy it”.
Now that he has his dream car, will Kho sell it? Not a chance—he’s still surprised he has the keys to a DR30!
“It’s something that we could only dream of and aspire to,” he says. “Knowing that you have it in your garage…I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s there…”
“When I was a kid, I was so into cars, I had Road & Track, Car & Driver, I had Autoweek, I had all that stuff,” says Del Necessary. Inevitably, those publications ended up at his mom’s house; “…one day she was like, ‘I’m not holding onto this stuff, come get it,’ and I thought, ‘What am I going to do with all this?’ so I got rid of all those magazines… but I kept all the ones on the 16-valve.”
A few years later, after a chance encounter with a classified ad, he was the proud owner of a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16. Its racing success and subtle engineering advancements are what appeal to Necessary and his wife. “I think it’s a beautiful car,” he says, “…my wife complains it’s a box.”
A lifelong car enthusiast, Necessary has a small stable of classics from around the world, and while the others are all overtly sporty cars, the 4-door 190E is subtly menacing with a factory-fitted aerodynamic body kit. Menacing? Despite having less than 170 horsepower, its 2.3-litre engine was reworked by the British engineering specialists Cosworth, and the entire package was more than enough to challenge the E30 BMW M3 in period.
“Sixteen valve [engines] were kind of peaky, you know, until it got up on the cam,” he says, “…but it definitely kicks in at about four grand, and comes alive.”
He returned it to stock once getting the car, and apart from its European “Evo” wheels, remains as true to original as Necessary was able to get it. Once its daily driver, now, it get exercised regularly—early morning drives through the mountains are what Necessary loves most.
“Sometimes, there are things that are a little bit unorthodox, or a little bit extraordinary in one way or another, that deserve to have their story told so people remember they exist,” says Sam Fankuchen. “This [Commando] gets mistaken way more often for something else than identified for what it is.”
So what is it? A 1970 Jeepster Commando, one of those domestic classics one doesn’t see too often. Over three generations from 1966 to 1971, only about 60,000 were made—and few survive today.
That hasn’t discouraged Sam, however, whose Commando is fitted with a rebuilt and upgraded Dauntless V6 underhood and a number of other aesthetic and performance modifications. He says parts are about $100 for “anything that might break” and the pair have driven just about everywhere in California—way off-road, of course.
“The gauges are not stock, but apart from that, nothing was added. In fact, things were subtracted,” he says. “I stripped out the all the interior and put [truck] bed liner in front to rear so I could just hose it out and not worry.”
Inside, Recaro seats from a Mk1 Volkswagen GTI were recovered in marine leather, making them impervious to the elements (and Sam’s wetsuit). As it sits, the Commando is about as simple and robust as 4x4s get.
“It was harder, more expensive, less safe to drive this thing every day, but I did it because I was committed to the project, I did it so that one day I’d be able to introduce my kids to cars like this,” Sam says. “When you’re looking at the future of our economy here, it’s really important to encourage an interest at a young age…”
“…the next time a little kid sees this car and it makes him really happy, I know it maybe ignited a sense of understanding or appreciation for math and science and mechanical systems, which I think are going to be really important for people to continue to care about.”
“Once you get it on song, get up to 7,000-plus-revs, it was absolutely amazing,” says racing driver Derek Bell, “…and the fact you could brake so perfectly, flick it into a corner, put the power on…it just wanted the hell driven out of it.”
Former Porsche works driver Derek Bell wasn’t just driving any classic Porsche on any road—he was driving the Targa Florio-winning 718 RS 60 on the actual Targa Florio course in Italy. Noted for its 800+ corners, dozens of hairpin turns, and danger everywhere else, the Targa Florio is still a revered, respected, and cherished event in Sicily, where it was held in period.
Bell’s career, however, happened much later and he never did get a chance to drive Porsche’s diminutive giant-killer in period competition. “I never imagined I’d ever drive this car, I never imagined I’d ever drive on the Targa Florio…”
“Here I was having this opportunity to step back in history, if you like, before my time with Porsche. When I realize that, and think about what Porsche has meant to me during my life, and what it’s done for me, I realize how lucky I’ve been to go back before my actual period with Porsche and drive a car that created history in 1960, and even before that.”
Even for an accomplished motorsport veteran like Bell, the former racing car and course presented a number of challenges. “It took me some time to get completely confident with what I was doing, because I’ve never gone through so many hairpin bends in my life,” he says.
“I had a very special feeling that I can’t really put into words, but it was almost choking me when I put it into 1st gear and driving it up the road, and that feel—it’s actually the feeling of freedom,” Bell says, “…because I was on my own, on this amazing course, nobody around, and I was driving through corners that the greats had actually gone ’round those corners.”
Bell had to keep telling himself: “You’re not on just a bit of
“My favorite part about the car…is probably that I own it,” says the owner of this Dinalpin A110, David Griffiths. “I've wanted one of these for thirty-odd years. I finally managed to find one—in America of all places…[and] I'm not going to let it go.”
Growing up in a car family, David was always interested in quick machines but never really saw anything like this tiny sports car until he was in that country for school exchanges—and he was hooked. “I'd see these little French cars buzzing around the countryside, cars we never used to get in England. They were designed for mountain passes. With the engine in the back, you could really push it and throw the car into a turn…it kind of intrigued me.”
Through years of patience and some good fortune, he finally tracked down his dream car—and he’s only the machine’s third owner. When David got the car, it had been sitting, but this enthusiastic driver wasn’t going to let his sports car languish in a garage.
“I needed to get the car running. That was the first step. Then after taking it on a couple of events, I realized it just wasn't going to keep up with anybody…it couldn't get out of its own way.”
Now with subtle upgrades to improve reliability, drivability, and performance, David’s Dinalpin is going to be getting canyon road workouts for years to come.
“My first motorcycle was a Honda CBR600,” says Sarah Lahalih. “Part of the reason that I ended up with the bike that I’m riding today, the CB, is because I kind of struggled riding that 600 as my first motorcycle, as anyone would, without any proper instruction.”
“But I knew that from the first time I was on my own motorcycle that I would ride forever.”
Her “terrible” and “uncomfortable” 1973 Honda CB175 may be a humble classic machine, not to mention, “a little unpredictable and totally impractical,” but there’s good reason for why Sarah loves this bike.
“I’d been riding for almost two years without really knowing how to brake or corner, I finally took the course, it was really empowering for me—life changing—and so I went on to become an instructor for that course, and then quickly went on to open my own school, which I owned and operated for 10 years in Chicago.” In the meantime, she’s trained instructors to build motorcycle training courses for the U.S. military personnel, she’s a writer, an expert witness for motorcycle accident cases…and races them as well.
Her other passion? Boxing. A champion boxer for “three or four” years before losing a match, she sees many similarities between the two.
“I love the movement of both of them,” she says, “…but from a personality standpoint, every activity I’m involved with involve moments of complete composure until moments of rocket launches…those moments of glory”.
“Boxing and motorcycling are both really vulnerable activities because of the potential to get hurt,” Lahalih says. “It kind of teaches you how to be uncomfortable. If you’re willing to be uncomfortable, the reward is you get to drive and ride really awesome machines.”
“Some day, down in the future, whoever ends up with this car when it leaves my garage—they may choose to restore it,” says Dave Adams. “…but I hope if and when that happens, they do it with the correct lens so it’s not over-restored.”
This 1957 Aston Martin Mk III is actually the prototype for the Mk III range, and was not only used for official testing and design duties, but had also been entered into the Monte Carlo Rally. As Adams explains, the Mk III represented a huge number of both endings and beginnings for the marque.
“When Ian Fleming wrote Goldfinger in 1957, the gadget-filled Aston Martin, it was a Mk III. The movie was made in 1964,” he says. “Sean Connery drives a DB5, but James Bond drives a Mk III.”
Adams has been working with classic cars since he bought and old Jaguar while a student in high school, and through years of learning, gaining experience, and importing classic cars—since the ’70s—he’s built a life around motoring. His beloved Mk III has remained in Adams’ care since he bought the car in England, and he knew from the get-go that this prototype was a special car.
“I would call it a nice used sports car,” he says. “I sort of think it’s been art directing itself over these years…to me, this car’s perfectly awful—I love it the way it is.”
We’ve been blown away by the positive response to our film featuring the 1960 Targio Florio-winning Porsche 718 RS 60 being driven tastefully by Derek Bell. But’s time to come clean, however: we’ve been holding a little bit of footage back.
Ever wonder what this lightweight mid-engined Porsche looks and sounds like from the driver’s seat? This is our uncut experience featuring one of Derek’s runs in the car, and once the Porsche is up to temperature it’s clear the car is begging to be driven faster and faster. The pair weren’t out to set speed records, but keep in mind how quickly they’re traveling given how harrowing and narrow the roads in Sicily are.
“In my case, when I started looking for BMWs, I gravitated toward the 1991…the 1991 coupé is the last coupé they made in the E30…” says Delia Wolfe. “The 318IS is the ‘baby’ M3; it doesn’t put out as much horsepower or torque…but it was the spiritual successor, if you will, to the 2002.”
“It has everything you’d want in the 2002,” she says. Delia is the proud owner of a 1991 BMW 318IS, one of the last of the simple, mechanical, engineering-driven driver’s cars the Munich firm built its reputation on. “I found it down in Aptos, near Santa Cruz, somewhat sad and neglected—but I fell in love, because it reminded me about my 2002, and my Tii. And those cars were the cars I grew up on, those were the cars I loved first.”
Wolfe has been able to repair and restore her car—she’s a BMW mechanic, restorer, and expert—since 2008, with it remaining tied to commuting duties as well as just about anything else, from flinging it through a twisty road or embarking on a longer road trip.
“The E30 has its own cult following. People found that you could modify them with very little money, and that the cars were durable, and that there’s all kinds of places to exercise your passion,” she says. “There’s lowered and ‘stanced’ E30s, then you’ve got E30 spec racing, there’s a rally series…people run drift cars—every facet of racing seems to have a place for the E30.”
“When you choose a car, you should choose carefully,” Wolfe says. “If it’s not the right car for you, don’t keep it…[but] I have to admit, I have got a kind of a jaded view in favor of the E30.”
“If I have a big smile on my face,” says Spike Feresten. “I know I’ve made a wonderful decision…and this car delivers it every time.”
Spike says a lot of that’s due to the car’s sound, “…just a hair under illegal; inside, it’s a one-car Trans-Am race”. He’s not joking: his beloved 1968 Porsche 911L is actually a factory race car built in period for Trans-Am competition. That’s right: he’s able to drive this ex-race car on the streets and through L.A.’s famous nearby canyons.
“I never knew I was destined to be someone who craves the experience of a street legal race car. I don’t mean racing on the streets, just driving a race car on the street!” he says. “That’s the whole car experience, living a life beyond my wildest car dreams.”
Through a series of coincidences, the car is famous for other reasons—not only was it raced in period by comedian “Dickie” Dick Smothers but it featured in period Porsche advertisements, and was even a prized poster on a friend’s wall.
“What do you mean, it’s got a title? I could put a license plate on that, and just, drive it and pick up groceries? For me, that’s irresistible.”
“These Fords are rarely altered,” says Thorsten Seitz. “Everything has already been done already…For example, VW, they don’t even know what else to improve on their Golf to stand out from the crowd…”
“I like economy cars from Ford,” he says. “Let’s put it this way, I’m not someone who speeds. Rather, I drive on the freeway like a retiree…”
Seitz’ collection of Fords really is impressively humble, as is his mechanical know-how. Whether it’s bringing a Cortina back from the dead or keeping an Escort on the road, his love for these mechanically simple classics running is to be applauded. So, too, should his taste in modification.
“On old cars, many put exhaust tips, mud flaps, or some chrome trim that doesn’t belong there,” says Seitz. “No, I like to keep it very simple.”
“There are people who do it differently, but everyone has to come to terms with himself. I just know that I don’t waste my time on things that aren’t worth it, it’s as simple as that.”
“We were left behind the rally because we broke a differential unit,” says William Medcalf, continuing: “…after fitting the differential unit we loaded the car up with out kit and we drove the car non-stop for 66 hours…”
“Drove it from Ulaanbataar to Biysk, in Russia, on our own, unsupported, across the Gobi Desert…”
You’d think that this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for William, but it wasn’t. In fact, he’s been around these big Pre-War Bentleys since he was a child. A typical vacation for his family was a nine-month road trip, undertaken in this same car.
Thankfully, he’s an owner who believes that these big cars are at their best when being driven hard. “Anything with wheels should be raced. Everything with wheels should be driven to the limit.”
“The best way to see a car is coming sideways through a chicane,” he says.
A trained machinist who knows vintage Bentleys better than just about anyone else, William has devoted his life to uncovering the surprising secrets of these famously durable and sporting cars.
So if you’re in a remote corner of the world and see a Pre-War Bentley catching you like you’re stuck in neutral, our advice is to give William a wave through and marvel at one of the most epic vintage tourers.
“It’s a car enthusiast’s collection, right,” says John Campion. “I don’t have cars because I want to impress anybody. If you don’t know what a rally car is, you’re kinda like, ‘That’s a dirty car, there are cracks on it’… But I find the passion I have for these cars goes back to the individuals who drove them.”
Beginning as a “lucky” immigrant to the U.S. in 1984 with $26 in his pocket, Campion has worked hard for the last few decades and is finally able to indulge in the vehicles most meaningful to him. From a Lotus Cortina similar to the Ford Cortina his father bought new in period to World Rally Championship rally-winning group B cars, his collection is definitely filled with fog lights and Martini stickers.
“I grew up in Ireland in the late-’60s and early ’70s, and had a fascination with all things mechanical,” he says. “My father was a mechanical kind of guy, and we grew up restoring old tractors and steam engines—so once I started making a few dollars, I started purchasing cars, and went through the wholy myriad of cars and ended up where we are today, which is predominantly cars from my youth—rally cars.”
He makes no mistakes in recognizing his limitations as a driver, because piloting some of the fastest all-road vehicles ever conceived takes a steel will and full committment— “I drive the car for 15 minutes, and I’m exhausted…” he says to convey how amazing Group B pilots were in period.
“Group B drivers were the best of the best of the best…” he says. “But it’s still humbling to drive the same car as these rally legends; to be able to show the cars, drive the cars, and get a wider audience for these cars.”
“If you own them and don’t show them, and you own them and don’t drive them, and own them but don’t share them…it’s a rich man’s folly.”
“I’m an architect, and I’m very design-oriented. I think it’s a classic that everybody likes; you don’t need to be a car aficionado to like this car,” says Miguel Rodrigo. “I’ve driven it very hard from border to border twice with no problems whatsoever…”
And that’s how Miguel describes his beloved Jaguar E-Type, a vehicle prized not only for its rarity, but for its beauty, performance, and, now, years of happy motoring memories—including its role in staging Peru’s version of the Cannonball* rally.
After a number of entrants dropped out, the field flew away from the start, with Miguel and his E-Type finishing four hours ahead of second place, not bad for a race across Peru in a vehicle he’d bought at a U.S. auto auction.
“The fun part is the traveling, not getting to Point B,” he says. “Sometimes, people only think about getting to Point B, but they don’t have the enjoyment from the whole process of traveling.”
“This bike is about history, it’s about my dad…it’s about what started a life-long passion for motorcycles, it’s what launched a career,” Tom McComas, “…and it’s why I’m a Hollywood stunt man.”
In 1963, the first thing Tom’s father—also named Tom McComas—did when he was discharged from the military was to buy a BMW R60 motorcycle. This motorcycle. It was at times colored black, orange, and had a sidecar, which is how Tom Jr. began to experience the “euphoric feeling” he enjoys to this day.
“When I’m riding it and I look down and see the speedometer, it takes me back to 13, 14, 15 years old and having snuck the bike out, riding it on the North Shore of Chicago…it’s a trip, I can’t describe it,” Tom says.
“For him to have the bike makes me feel that it couldn’t be in better hands,” says Tom Sr., “…and I have total confidence that Tommy is going to love the bike as much as I do.”
“Wherever I drive, there’s a part of him riding with me; if it wasn’t for my dad and this motorcycle…motorcycles have been with me ever since, because of my dad.”
“My general rule for cars that I purchase and drive is the aesthetic has to have a unique design, and there has to be a performance piece,” says TJ Grewal, owner of this Alfa Romeo Montreal sports car. “I’d never ever seen one in person, but I just knew that I was in love with the design.”
“The first time I ever saw a Montreal, was this one.”
His relationship with his cars is somewhat different from most, as they seem to dovetail with his other big hobby: photography. What started as capturing landscapes for TJ quickly turned into honoring his small but growing collection. “The professional side of life pays for everything else—this is the creative outlet. I want the car to be the hero, I want it to feel timeless.”
“It went really quickly from fooling around with a constant light in the garage at a home to this setup, it was like, [snaps fingers] this is what I’m going to do…”
For the Montreal, its 2.6-litre V8 with about 230 horsepower is “really happy around 90-100 mph” says TJ, with the car a perfect companion for a laid-back drive on a winding road.
“That car isn’t just me, it’s all the people I’ve interacted with to get to this place,” says John Benton. “I bought this car at 23 years old, I didn’t have all the answers…My car is the result of all those little journeys, here and there…”
Now, John has his own shop that caters to classic Porsches, but it’s really about how he got to this point—a journey happened in his beloved 912.
“I’ve heard people say that my car is me. You know, when they see it, when they drive in it, they’re like, ‘Man this car’s you, it’s so obvious’,” he says. “That wasn’t my intent, but it’s neat to hear from people—even strangers—you know, ‘you built this car, it’s so obvious’,” he says.
His car had been found, driven, taken apart, repaired, restored, and loved over his many years of ownership, and the 912 really was his companion. “It was my daily driver…and weekend race car…” with modifications to suit both. Now, its heart is a “Very high-revving, twin-spark 1.7-litre, fuel injected 616 motor…” but to list off specs would do a disservice to Benton’s passion for these machines.
“Everything I know put into a car…” he says. The only thing missing is his friend and former business partner, John Coffee, who died earlier this year…but not before completing his opus, a Datsun 240Z prepared for the Peking-To-Paris Rally. “John just hit a home run,” says Benton “…it’s his legacy.”
“The design of the car is definitely timeless. The body style, you see it evolving in new cars,” says Bryan Calvero, saying of his 1994 Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II, “…it was definitely ahead of its time.”
How does a U.S. citizen buy a car that never ended up coming to North America? Well, for Calvero, a lifelong love for European sports cars pushed him to find his perfect Delta.
“I grew up in L.A. County, in a small city called Cerritos, and the car culture in that city was predominantly Japanese cars, you know, Honda Civics, Integras, CRXs,” he says. “I’ve had a deep passion into European sports cars, thanks to my father.”
What began as collecting every European model car he could get his hands on, Calvero moved onto books, magazines, events…and then his dream: to own a European sports car. “Learning about the pedigree and the race history about the (Delta) was only like kinda the icing on the cake,” he says. “I love cars with a great story, with a great race pedigree.”
“I get a lot of people…they don’t know if it’s old or if it’s new, or modern,” Calvero says. “[but] you get that certain crowd that loses it when they see it.”
“From what I can remember,” says Loïc Maschi, owner of this Fiat 850 Sport, “at 6 months old they gave me a toy car, and I fell for it, that was the beginning of it. I’ve always had a passion for cars and especially for vintage cars, I used to make reports on car shows, races…I couldn’t picture myself driving a modern car.”
“I fell in love with it, and I drove home with it,” he says of the first encounter with his brown classic car. But it wasn’t as easy as it seemed: the car needed a lot of work. You know, the type of work that requires a full restoration.
Loïc’s adventure is fascinating; friends, family, and newfound friends all helped push him to finish the work to complete the restoration, a restoration that went through several twists and turns as he found his own limits as an owner-enthusiast-mechanic.
The story of how this little car was finished in time to be shown at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance concours must have been spurred on by love: “…it’s my first car,” he says.
“I think you all know you can love your first car.”
Wake up, walk down to the garage, and hop in your Ferrari: if there was a 288 GTO a few paces away, wouldn’t it be more effective than caffeine? This is our new series, Morning Coffee, and it just had to kick off with a furiously turbocharged supercar that people recognize more from posters...but not after you see this.
The Ferrari 288 GTO was the company’s first real production engine to use turbocharging for outright performance, with byproducts including wastegate swooshes, flames spitting from the exhaust, and 400 horsepower. Lighter than the 308 series and utilizing advanced components like Kevlar in its construction, it’s a Group B car that simply was never able to compete in anger.
Too bad then, but not now: all 288 GTOs made are street-legal, and can be fired up in much less time than an espresso. Does your idea of a morning jolt have a Prancing Horse on its flanks?
“We in Palm Springs embrace the mid-century modern design aesthetic, says Scott King. “We bought the first car,” says Sandy Edelstein. “We thought it was going to be a really big deal, really difficult to buy, an old collector car, and after we bought it, it really wasn't that big a deal and so it was like, "Maybe we should buy another one’?”
It’s clearly evident that a passion for automobiles runs deeply with the duo, beginning when, as Sandy says, “Those were the days when the new cars always came out every September and they would put paper up on the windows of the dealerships. You'd go try to look in between the cracks in the paper to see if we could see the models and as soon as the paper were down, my dad took me and my brother to all of the car dealerships in town and we saw all the new models and sat in them. That was definitely where I got it from.”
From a single collector car, another one came along. And another. And...well, from a Mid-Century Modern or “Jet Age” 1959 Mercury Park Lane to a 1992 Acura NSX, the pair’s collection is best described as intelligently eclectic. Each has its virtues. “We'll pile people into the Mercury or the Lincoln and give them a tour of the local sites and people are just thrilled to be in those cars and it sort of adds to that experience of seeing what's happening in Palm Springs, around town, and what things were like in the past,” Scott says.
“It's really cool to be able to get out of a 59 Mercury and get into a Acura NSX and then get into a Cadillac Seville and then get into a Mercury Bobcat and then get into an Alpha Romeo,” says Sandy. “It's really wonderful to experience the full breadth of automotive cuisine.”
“This isn’t pure nostalgia, it’s not as if I want to get back to 1955, I just think there’s something—there’s an analogue world that’s coming to an end,” says Jeff Martin. “Everything’s sort of automatic, and you push a button and download an app, and…there’s nothing like that going on with the Alfa.”
Alfa Romeos have been a fixture in his life since childhood, when a friend of his father’s showed up to the house in one. “The sound of the door, the sound of the key turning the ignition on, the sound of the e-brake being released, the sound of the carburetors springing to life, the sound of the precise shift from 1st to 2nd—that click, that you know you’re seated right there—the sound of the cams chattering in a low gear…”
It’s as much an aural delight for Martin as it is one to the eye; the “Italian DNA speaks to me,” looking like it was from, “another dimension”—but when he finally could afford his dream car, found one, had it restored, and took delivery…an errant motorist destroyed the car before he could enjoy it. The new one that he found to replace it?
“These hippies that lived up at Santa Cruz, they put it in the Recycler, and I bought it from them…” Martin says. “It just purred down the road…the moment I’m loving my drive down the 101, the gas tank falls off, showering sparks up its back…”
Now, on the road and driven regularly, the car “speaks to” Jeff in a way that’s both unique and rewarding in his life.
“Racing, it’s not about the race—it’s about the trip” says Taz Harvey. “I mean, the trip is fabulous. Going down there, living in Mexico for two weeks, it’s an adventure.”
Beginning with a well-handling Datsun 510 for the La Carrera Panamericana, Harvey realized after a few years of strong results that a faster car was needed to challenge for outright stage victories—and maybe eventually—a win.
“The natural progression was the Z,” he said. This one actually came to him—some customers at the dealer he was at wanted to trade it in on a used pickup truck before converting it from an automatic-equipped street car to a 240Z ready for road rallying.
“It has about 220 horsepower at the wheels—for 2,400-lbs, it gets with the program pretty good…” Harvey says. “On crowned roads in Mexico, when you’re going 100 mph, you’re constantly putting in steering input. That’s what makes it exciting…you’re really going fast.”
Last year, Harvey and co-driver Rudy Vadjak finished first in Histórica B and sixth overall.
“My passion has always been cars,” starts Hans-Michael Gerischer, saying, “Cars always influenced me and kept me moving, and it’s really the only passion I could never let go of.”
Heavy words, and even moreso when you consider Hans-Michael’s choice of car: a Porsche 911 (964) that he’s grown to love, cherish, and update since he moved on from driving the Volkswagen Beetle—a fundamentally similar car.
“If you fix up Volkswagen Bugs and tune them, I mean the basic idea, the fundamental construction, is very similar,” he says. “Eventually, you reach the limits of the Beetle. So I decided to move on, and I bought a Porsche.”
When you’ve spent your entire live infatuated with cars—first pining over them, then driving and fixing them—and settle on the 911, the journey makes sense. For this particular 964, it began as a daily driver, “and then, it more and more became a hobby car”.
Learning to drive it during trackdays before starting to modify his car, Hans-Michael took a reasoned approach: “Eventually, my driving skills improved to a level where the driver was better than the car. This lead to improvements on the car”.
Amazingly, his love for the car turned into a business called manufaktur964, where 911s are restored and built to a customer’s wishes—with his personal 964 a living showcase for what’s possible.
Since buying his Turbo, the two haven’t stopped changing, with it being built to his exact standards for driving to, around, and from track days: “I’ve had this car for 21 years, and I never found something else that, for me, was worth replacing it with,” he says.
“It’s just simply my car, end of story.”
“Around 2006, I drove down to the Half Moon Bay. The car was standing for years in a barn on a pumpkin farm,” begins Klaus Kutscher, Restoration Expert at BMW Classic. “It was really rough. A lot of parts were missing…” he says. Even finding a BMW 507 is an achievement, but true ‘barn find’ cars often require a Herculean amount of work to get right. This particular car had a saving grace, however: “We searched the VIN number and realized that the car belonged to Elvis.”
That’s right: when Elvis Presley was based in Germany for the U.S. military, he drove this very car as his daily driver, even buying a second to give to friend Ursula Andress. As you could imagine, Elvis driving around Germany in a white BMW 507—of which there were roughly 250 examples made—wasn’t difficult to spot. “He loved the 507,” Kutscher says.
“The car was normally white, and all his fans made kisses with lipsticks on the car, so he was mad and he painted the car red after that,” with Kutscher confirming the legend. It’s stories like those that helped to keep the restoration moving, even as the true measure of the task began to present itself.
“The dashboard was cut and they had other instruments also in the car. They cut the frame. The car was painted twice, then black, and then after that again in red. Then the car [had] …a big accident.”
Responsible for restoration at BMW Classic, the car presented both an opportunity to preserve history, as well as showcase the talents of his team in front of some serious crowds. After recently making its full public debut during Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as the centerpiece of BMW’s 100-Year anniversary celebrations, the car will undoubtedly be active and present at classic car events for years to come.
“We always want to keep the car in this condition. That means in perfect condition. Now you can see the result looks, for me, beautiful, more than beautiful.”
“Cars, for me, were not a part of my life before, living in Scotland—I didn’t even own a car,” says Owen Miller. “I came down to South America looking, basically, for work as a geologist. When I moved here, I bought a ’65 Mustang, and it sort of, all sort of went from there…”
Working as a geologist in South America for the last 22 years now, Miller quickly gained an appreciation for what sort of classic cars he really enjoys—big American ‘boats’. After owning a number of different cars, a friend said to him, “You need a Cadillac,” to which he replied, “Well, yeah, of course…who doesn’t?”
“When I park that car, I turn around and have a good long stare at it,” says Miller, who’s definitely not tired of his 1973 Cadillac Eldorado. “It brightens other people’s days, that’s the main thing about it.”
But first, finding a Cadillac in Peru? Good luck—“There’s no Cadillacs here, I imported it.” As huge ’70s luxury liners are very much a rarity in Peru, the car still stops traffic, onlookers stare, and people are in appreciation for the old American convertible.
With a pledge to keep it for as long as possible, it’s clear the car has made a lasting impression and Miller will be motoring with it for years to come. If you see a white Eldorado convertible in Peru, be sure to wave as the pair glides by.
“I was a bit skeptical about the color in the beginning, but I kind of like it now. It stands out, definitely,” says Torfi Sigurjonsson of his Speed Yellow 928. With a small list of cars to collect, the brightly-colored Porsche was actually #2. “On the top of the list was the E500, which I bought 2006, and this is a US model. I bought it in New Jersey.” Torfi’s day job? Airline pilot.
“I was hooked on aeroplanes since I was a small kid. Nothing else was an option, other than being a pilot. I'm quite lucky really, to have a job,” he says. “It's a hard competition to get a job with the national carrier like Icelandair, but I made it there, I've been there for now 26 years.”
Torfi agrees that there’s a connection between fast aeroplanes and fast cars—least of which their aversion to the winter months. But he doesn’t own his vehicles for speeding, saying, “It’s a nice feeling just to drive around, not too fast. You know of all the power in there, and knowing that you have it is a good feeling. You don’t have to be going 200-plus [kph].”
With a busy working lifestyle and a dedicated hobby, no matter what, Torfi will always make room for the machines he loves. “I try to keep my life not too complicated, but I have this car fetish. V8 fetish. You only have one life, so I try to make the most out of it.”
“You picture, back in ’69, the guy that got in here, i mean, he had the coat and tie, thin cigarette in his mouth and driving this luxurious thing—to him, it was a Bentley of the time,” says Emin Kureghian. “Today, I get in, slam the door shut, turn it on, step on the gas; it’s not going anywhere and I have a laugh.”
“They were pretty generic cars, there wasn’t much to it,” he says. He’s right: the car here sports a carbureted 4-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, skinny 14-inch wheels and tall tires, all a far cry from what BMW offers its customers today. Acquired at a charity auction after being in long-term storage, the car is unrestored but has been cleaned up and turned into a fine driver.
Designed in-house by BMW, its spec sheet isn’t what matters: “It’s kind of a hybrid between the 02 and the newer coupes. It’s got lines from both—if you take a good look, you can see both sides of the story.”
“The fact that it pulled [BMW] out of a sales slump is really something, like a whole new generation...almost like the E30 of its generation.”
If Emin restores the car, it’ll be taken back to its original color, but for the time being, he’s just driving it tastefully, safe in the knowledge he’s been able to keep a part of history alive.
“I’m part of the cause, so to speak—to me, it’s home.”
“I searched for a car to compete in the Mille Miglia. It was quite a long process to find the right car…so I searched, but there was one problem, how to convince my wife?” says Michael Stehle. “I convinced her to come with me…I showed her the car…‘Wait, wait, let’s start the engine’— ‘OK, you can start the engine’,” she said back. Once this ex-Works 1952 Ferrari 340 Spider by Vignale had cleared its throat, the verdict was in: “OK, you can buy this car,” his wife said.
In the early 1950s, this was Ferrari’s supercar. This very car drove the Mille Miglia in 1952, with Enzo Ferrari appointing his top driver Piero Taruffi to race it—leading for much of the race before being felled by transmission troubles. Still, it would race in a number of other period events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Targa Florio, always placing well against other top machines.
“This car, you can like it or you can love it; but in my opinion, it’s a pure racing design, it’s reduced to a minimum,” Stehle says. “In comparison to Pininfarina, this coachbuilder tried to make the car more beautiful, maybe, but Vignale was just functional—I fell in love with the shape, it’s the minimum of design.”
His first time driving the car was at the Mille Miglia, and that at first, it wasn’t easy to drive—more than 340 horsepower and a very lightweight body made him cautious until he grew more familiar with the car and, eventually, began to overtake his fellow drivers. But when the car was stopped during his first Mille Miglia, it was the Italian people’s unmatched respect for Ferrari that was perhaps most surprising.
“They kiss the body, they want to see inside, because they appreciate the car so much,” Stehle says. “In 1952, this was the most important car for Ferrari at that time, they didn’t make too many cars; they didn’t have too much money. So they invested time, money, and all the effort in this car.”
We've been lucky over the years to have had the chance to not only see a few Alpine A110s in the metal, but to actually drive them. As an office we've had this saying for a while that "you don't really drive an A110, you wear it." It's somewhat of a running joke that has been tough to describe to outsiders. Any time the marque or model was mentioned, that phrase would come out and we'd all chuckle. That was until we decided to make a short film, the latest in our "Morning Coffee" series about what that experience is like.
The cockpit is so intimate, so snug, so perfectly purpose built that it's akin to applying a wetsuit to yourself to go surfing. There's a certain ritual to the way you have to prepare to get in the car, to turn the key in the ignition, the whole thing is just so personal.
This one is owned by our friend Jürgen Clauss, the man behind AlpineLab: “Sometimes, when stepping into my garage, and looking at my cars, I am surprised that it is already 30 years and the Alpine hasn’t worn out yet,” he explains from his German workshop that specializes in these small French sports cars. “I still like to look, drive, and work on these cars every day,” he says, “To me, it was always unique, always something special; you even had to have certain ergonomic prerequisites to drive an Alpine.”
When we first met with Daniele Spataro we were immediately enamored with his humble approach to collecting cars that much of our community has forgotten to the sands of time. How often do you run into someone who even knows how special a Fiat 1100 103 Vignale is, let alone owns one in as-new condition? We asked him to tell his story in our latest film, which you can also enjoy below.
My first vintage car was a Fiat 100 Turismo Veloce from 1955 that I restored by myself at the age of 18. Because of it I developed a passion for these cars. In time this passion brought me to collect some derivatives of the 1100, like the "Barchette Da Corsa", "Stanguellini" the Volpini and so on.
I live in Sicily and here you can still find the famous "barn finds" In people's garages and barns. I found several unique cars abandoned in barns, or in haylofts. To this day you can still find cars like that. The same happened with this unique car which is the 1100 Charmant Vignale derivated from the Fiat 1100 103. Only 12 were built, the body was built by Alfredo Vignale who usually only produced a set of 12 for each type. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, who was one of the most important and prolific car designers in the world. Michelotti found his right-hand man in Vignale. Michelotti would design the cars and Vignale with his artistry would complete the body work. This car was built in 1953, one of the first of this type produced, it is really fun car to drive, but the singularity of this car is that it is essentially brand-new.
I found it in Messina 4 or 5 years ago. Perfectly preserved, the odometer read 6,012KM since 1953. It was originally purchased by a wealthy lawyer in Messina, who picked the basic version and not the Turismo Veloce one because this version was more sober in body and accessories. So, since he was a discreet gentleman he picked this basic model but, when he ordered it he asked for some peculiarities, because he wanted this car's custom details not b
As we continue our exploration of Icelandic car culture, our next stop is with a very special friend of Petrolicious, Sigfús B. Sverrisson. To call Sigfús a "fixer" is an understatement. He was a tour guide. A Sherpa. A Chef. An Innkeeper. To say that our filming expedition to Iceland would not have been possible without Sigfús is a massive understatement. We profiled his stunning C3 Corvette in all its glory, and we interviewed him about how it found him.
"When I bought this car I had my eye on the 82 Corvette because I liked the way they had changed the design and by removing emblems, logos, stripes, you get a really clean looking car and the flow of the lines, the white colour on this car, I think it’s lovely. The reaction to this car, you know, when people see it they smile and they look at it and they wonder if they know Corvettes at all. They wonder what’s different with this Corvette because it looks different from other Corvettes and that reaction is the one I enjoy. The bewilderment.
It’s like we were stopped by the police the other day, my wife and I when we were out on an 80s date… I hadn’t gotten a ticket for like, 25 years or something, and he was writing the ticketing he was going, “er, I know this is a corvette what’ a Corvette? Is it like a Dodge?” For that I should’ve gotten off. I’m not as young as I used to be, that’s for sure. But in here I think it’s still there, thank god.
My grandfather founded one of Iceland’s largest companies, importing Volkswagen, Landrover, later on Audi, so i’ve been around cars since I was born. When I was four, I could tell just by the lights what kind of car, what year, everything. I had hundreds of toy cars. If you look at the family album I would always have a toy car in my hand, everywhere. I made the most beautiful noises playing with them, of course. They’re probably antiques by now, like I am.
I do remember vividly when I saw my first Corvette, and that was on a tr
Matt Jacobson is a simple man with specific tastes. He spent years tracking this car down, and we recently sat down with him to hear the full story:
I always loved the car. It’s so elegant, it has this look of an Italian sports car of the era with all the VW underpinnings, and that extra foot, or however little bit longer it is than the regular Karmann Ghia platform. It’s very well-proportioned. The rear end is evocative of a round tail light BMW 2002. And, it has this bubble top roof that sits on very narrow B pillars that make it look like the hard top of a Mercedes 300SL Roadster.
I had been looking for an original or mostly original example and since the car was never originally imported to America, very few were around, And, most of the ones I did see had been lowered and modified. Petrolicious actually has the most complete write up on the Type 34 and while there is a small community of Type 34 collectors online, the details are pretty sparse. ISP West in Carson, is owned by Alex Pagado, has really done the most to build interest in Type 34 VW’s. He knew I was looking for a Type 34, and didn’t want to show me his personal car that was hiding under a cover in his shop. He loved it and didn’t want to sell, but we ultimately figured that out. Without Alex’s VW knowledge and inventory, I wouldn’t have been able to put together such a great collection of early, unrestored cars.
As a kid there were a lot of Karmann Ghias around, and they just never spoke to me. I have a greater appreciation for them now, but they lack the lines of the type 34. The type 34’s are often referred to as “razors” because of that sharp crease around the belt line. I think it just makes it so elegant and beautiful, and the regular Karmann Ghias don't have that. I'm starting to look at Karmann Ghias differently. I've seen some great ones around, but they just haven’t done it for me.
Jean-Luc Outreille is a simple man with a simple passion: Classic Alfa Romeos. We recently joined him to collect the full story of his Ochre Superstar:
Alfa Romeo is, for me, the brand which represents, in all model variations, sport. The car that interested me, the car I liked, was the Alfa Romeo Bertone Coupé for its lines, its attitude on the track. It runs on three wheels, generally, it raises a wheel.
I always told myself that one day I would have one.
My name is Jean-Luc Outreille, and I drive an Alfa Romeo Bertone Coupé GT1300 Junior 1968.
Why am I passionate about cars? I think it couldn't have been any different because my maternal grandfather was a mechanic, at FN, at Minerva. He worked in Scotland at Rolls-Royce.
He returned, finished his career as a mechanic at General Motors, here in Mons. My paternal grandfather was executive chauffeur from 1928 to 1974.
And in my early childhood, there were not many cars, not a lot of cars. And when I was five or six years old, we drove executive cars, cars from the factory where my grandfather worked, and I drove when I was a child in Ford Fairlanes, Ford Falcons, Ford Galaxies, Citroen Tractions, DS, Jaguars, from the factory. My father didn't spend all of his career... but he began it as a gas station manager.
I was born in a gas station. I'd bathed in the smell of gasoline since childhood. We attended circuits. Chimay initially, I think, Francorchamps, Nivelles, when the Nivelles circuit opened.
The car I liked was always the Alfa Romeo Bertone Coupé in GTA, in 1300 Junior, in 1600. I became interested in becoming a future buyer in the late 70s. Unfortunately, they were often in very poor condition. They were used cars. So I held on to this dream.
And one day, I saw an ad on the internet, I waited, I thought, I said to myself: "Don't be hasty, we'll look at others.” But it was still there. Its color was yellow, Ocher yellow.
I went to see it, and from the moment I saw it, I could
If you are someone who lives in the greater New York area, cares about classics, and haven’t heard of Dominick European Car Repair, we have to assume you are lying about one of the aforementioned.
Like Ben & Jerry’s is to the Vermont Ice Cream Community, Dominick European Car Repair is the cornerstone of the New York Classic Community. Since Dominico Spadro, a Sicilian immigrant, opened its doors "back in the days when these exotic vintage cars were just cars" (1961) they have been helping Petrolistas across the North East keep their classics on the road. In addition they've built a worldwide following for their world class campaign support on rallies like The Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Colorado Grand and more. They are, without questions, legends of the classic world.
Jorge Nicolini is the proprietor of Museo de Autos Antiguos Colección Nicolini, Lima Peru’s only classic car museum. His 365 2+2 GT is a tremendous sight to see in a town like Lima, so when we had the chance to tell his story alongside the story of that car we had to jump at it. It is our pleasure to share this film, alongside with his first hand telling of his story below.
Well, this is a passion. Really, I have this passion. I have had it since I was a boy, since I was young. So for me, what I like is to buy a car that is in bad condition and be able to restore it, to bring it back to life and to be able to use it, to drive it, to travel in it.
My name is Jorge Nicolini, and I am the owner of the Automobile Museum here in Peru.
The Ferrari that I have is from the year 1968. It’s a V12, a 365 2+2 GT. It belonged to Mr. Bertolero. He bought it new from Italy. He brought it to Peru in the year 1968. It was a car that was made for family use. It was for 4 people. It was a sports car with 12 cylinders, but a family car. I mean, it had all the pretense of a sports car. 800 of these models were made.
Well I have liked cars since I was a child. I have followed the car races in Peru since childhood. As a child I was given a pedal car with inflatable tires, an English car, an Austin. You could open the hood and see 3 spark plugs.
For me, that car was the best. But my family, my dad and my uncle they were reps for Packard and Mack trucks in Peru. So, as a young boy I was always going to the shops, looking at the new cars, the new Packards.
I would get in them, and get in the trucks. So I started a long lived passion for cars. But I have also been a cart racer. I have been the Pan-American Champion here in Peru. I have raced in Chile, I have raced in Argentina I have raced in all of South America.
I have even raced in the United States. I went to the last Italian Championship, but unfortunately because of a problem in my ribs I could not race.
Th
The latest in our "Morning Coffee" series comes in the form of the iconic DB4 GT, gloriously lipsticked in white and driven in anger by its owner, Paul Michaels of Hexagon Classics. Introduced in the fall of 1959 the DB4 GT was a high output, low weight variant of the DB4 that was revolutionizing the company built by the car's namesake, David Brown.
The wheelbase shorter, its skin replaced by aluminum, its rear seats removed, the DB4 GT was the car that would bridge the gap from the early design touring language of the DB4 into what would become the notorious car issued to 007, the DB5. In total, 75 DB4s would be completed in GT spec, with of course another 19 handed off to the team at Zagato.
The engine though is truly where the GT shone in comparison to its non-GT brother, bringing an output of 302hp and a max speed hovering around 151mph. The cars were, in period, very fast. As Paul Michaels illustrates in our short film, they can indeed still hold their own on a crispy Sunday morning.
The example we are looking at here was ordered from the factory by none other than Thomas Sopwith (yes, that Sopwith), and is one of only four in existence to be what is considered "Build Sheet" spec DB4 GT Lightweights designed to take on Ferrari's 250GT SWBs on the GT circuits of Europe. Needless to say, it's a very special car.
