Yesterday was the first Caffeine & Carburetors event of 2014. Caffeine & Carburetors is a gathering of automotive enthusiasts that meets in New Canaan, Connecticut about six times a year. The home base for the event is Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee. Doug Zumbach began hosting these gatherings in 1995. These Sundays start around 8 am to gather and enjoy a cup of coffee followed by a leisurely drive through the countryside.
This event is definitely gaining popularity. Between the buzz leading up to the event and being blessed with a sunny, crisp Spring day after a long cold winter over 700 cars turned out for a great automotive exhibition. The town of New Canaan also did a great job to embrace and support the event.
So what makes Caffeine & Carburetors so special (compared to other shows and cruise nights)? First of all the focus is enjoying the cars (i.e. driving). There are no sponsorships or awards. Furthermore, while C&C does have an an emphasis on foreign sports cars, everything in the automotive world is represented. So you will come across everything from a Model A or 1920's Rolls Royce to the latest Ferrari or Lamborghini.
The remaining events for 2014 are scheduled for :
May 4
June 15
September 7
October 5
November 2
Here are just a few photos I took from the event:
Dyson Porsche IMSA 962 (The first customer Porsche 962, chassis number 962-101)
There's a ton of excitement swirling around the upcoming F1 season. The main reason is this season will require each team to debut an all new car to comply with the heavily revised 2014 regulations....including turbo V6 power plants and new aero regulations. It already appears that the 2014 car designs (click here to see them) will vary dramatically and that success hinges on which engineering team was able to balance practicality and creativity while taking on the new rule book. Basically, this season epitomizes everything NASCAR is not (see previous rant here).
Ferrari have officially unveiled the F14 T, the car the Italian team hope will bring them championship glory this year in the hands of new driver pairing, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. In line with the heavily revised 2014 regulations, the Scuderia’s new challenger is powered by a 1.6 liter, turbo V6 power engine and features a new-look nose, quite different to that seen on other 2014 cars so far.
For the past two decades I've been amazed as historically angular F1 designs transitioned into sleek and curvy sculptures that seemed to be zoomorphic at times. I guess the 2014 F14 T design continues to amaze me for the same reason.....but not in a good way. I can't be the only person who thinks the new F14 T looks like an aardvark.
But it doesn't end with Ferrari. The McLaren MP4-29 and Williams FW 36 appear to be styled after the speedy anteater:
Can't wait to see the other designs and how the season plays out.
Every Labor Day weekend I like to take the family to the park......Lime Rock Park that is. In previous posts I've touched on my jealously of automotive enthusiasts who live in regions of the country that have thriving car scenes and/or rich rodding and racing histories like SoCal. However, as much as I complain about being a car guy in snowy, salty New England there is one thing we have that should be on every American car guy's bucket list.
Recognized and revered for its scenic beauty and its place in motorsports history, Lime Rock Park is one of the oldest and continuously operated road racing courses in the country. Since it opened in 1957, Lime Rock Park has played host to nearly every great road racing driver, car and series, establishing a rich tradition as the Road Racing Center of the East.
Lime Rock’s history is inextricably entwined with that of sports car racing’s. In its 55-year existence, almost all of the sport’s greats have raced here: Andretti, Moss, Gurney, Posey, Rodriguez, Hobbs, Hill, Donohue, Ward, Fitch… the list of great drivers who’ve raced here is literally endless, from the drivers in the industry changing Formula Libre race of 1959 through the stars of the 1960s, 70s and 80s in Can-Am, Camel GTP, F5000, Trans-Am and Atlantic.
Lime Rock is not your typical motorsports venue...to call it a 'race track' is a horrible injustice. Lime Rock Park rests on 350 acres of rolling Berkshire Mountain foothills creating a natural amphitheater, delivering a truly unparalleled experience for viewing world-class racing. Lime Rock Park is just that - a park. Fans are encouraged to bring their picnic blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the grassy hillside viewing, an attribute unique to Lime Rock. Without being restricted to grandstand seating, fans take full advantage of its complete access.
Labor Day weekend hosts a very special event at Lime Rock Park.....the Lime Rock Historic Festival. With over 300 historic cars and a top-notch concours (with over 1000 cars), the Lime Rock Historic Festival is one of the premier auto events in the country. Noted not just for close racing, the festival brings together a wide variety of cars and historically significant cars. For instance, a few years ago the event hosted a 1939 W154 Mercedes Silver Arrow that had not seen a track since 1939!!!
Half the fun of going to the Lime Rock Historic Festival is the ride there. Nestled in the northwest corner of Connecticut in the rolling Litchfield hills the venue is surrounded with everything one would associate with the iconic New England countryside. For instance your route may take you over the the picturesque covered bridge in Cornwall a few mile south of the track. What makes the approach to the event so interesting is its pretty typical to come upon (or they may pop up in your mirror) some vintage or exotic sports car as you wind through sinuous roads cutting through colonial era towns and farmland. I can write for ever about how strongly I feel about Lime Rock Park.....but honestly, one really needs to experience it to appreciate what has been called "the secret valley of racing."
The Monaco Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, May 26th. The Monaco Grand Prix is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. Monaco, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans are often considered the Triple Crown of auto racing. Formula One races are already a spectacle unto themselves. But when you bring the show to one of the most glamorous places on earth in conjunction with a massive dose of history and tradition the experience is just off the charts. That is why simply attending a Monaco Grand Prix as a spectator is on my bucket list.
Below in the pre-race intro aired by the BBC last year.....from birth to Monaco:
I haven't been posting for a while. I've basically been waiting for some descent weather to visit New England so I can start getting out and reporting on the local scene. However, I just spent the last week in Las Vegas on a business trip. During my trip I managed to spend a little bit of time enjoying myself.....turns out Vegas is a fairly car guy friendly place.....
I had some time to kill to so I checked out http://www.fantasycarrentals.com right by the airport. Other companies offer exotic car rentals in Vegas (such as Hertz) but Fantasy Car Rentals has a great selection ranging from vintage American cars to modern European exotics. They will also pick you up at the airport or hotel and drop you off afterwards. Since I was on a budget and the weather was fantastic I ended up with a convertible Camaro SS.
A view from Fantasy Car Rentals
Another view from Fantasy Car Rentals
First stop was Red Rock Canyon. Its amazing that a place like Red Rock is within 30 minutes of the strip and yet the completely polar opposite of what the strip is. Its a great drive out there and the 13 mile scenic loop is breathtaking. The speed limit in the loop is 35 MPH so it is in fact a scenic loop and not a high speed circuit. I didn't do the Hoover Dam or Lake Mead on this trip because I did that on a previous trip (in a rented Cobra!).
On my way back from Red Rock I decided to swing by Count's Kustoms. The speedshop owned by Danny 'Count' Koker and made famous by shows like Pawn Stars and Counting Cars. The people were extremely friendly and they have a section of the shop dedicated to displaying some of Danny's collection. Free, laid back, and about a mile from my hotel on the strip.
Next morning I headed north to where Las Vegas Motor Speedway is located. The area of the speedway is a car guy's paradise. In addition to the race track, the area hosts a dragstip and a few companies that specialize in exotic car driving experiences such as http://www.exoticsracing.com. The area also houses an industrial complex loaded with racing teams and automotive related businesses. My favorite is the headquarters of Shelby American Inc. The facility includes a museum area. The contents of the display is always changing and includes some of the most famous cars ever produced from the first Cobra CSX2000 to prototypes of the Series 1, Shelby GT-H, Terlingua, GT500KR, and others. Shelby also runs a free tour of the shop at 10:30AM Monday through Saturday.
I arrived at the speedway area early one morning during the week (so I could take the Shelby tour). When I pulled off the highway exit and entered the track complex I was immediately met with the sound of a race car circling the speedway, Shelby moving cars around their lot (including a Shelby 1000) and a herd of exotic sports cars coming up the street on their way to the lot location where they operate their driving experience business. Just for an extra helping of testosterone, fighter jets from nearby Nellis Air Force Base would make intermittent cameos overhead! Freakin' awesome!
Another thing I did not do on this trip to Sin City was visit the Auto Collections at the Quad Resort & Casino (which used to be the Imperial Palace). I went there last year and did have to get some work done on this trip.
But there you have it.....Vegas from a gearhead's perspective.
This came out a while ago but I had to post it anyway. Scuderia Ferrari actually pulled several near-priceless Formula One veterans out of storage and flew them around the world to film them running hard through the streets of Rome , Rio , New York , Hong Kong and Monaco. And there are no special effects or dubbed sound here, just original 14,000+rpm cars tearing up the streets... as the genuine audio will attest. Do put on your headphones and/or crank the volume and enjoy that symphony of cylinders.
