Today I had the pleasure of attending an informational meeting about the New England Auto Museum. The New England Auto Museum is a non-profit organization that has been created with the goal of opening a first class facility that preserves, interprets and exhibits automobiles and automotive artifacts in Southern New England.
During the meeting the directors of the organization outlined their goals and plans. They emphasized their ambition to go beyond a collection of cars on display. The organization was very proud of its focus plan to bring students and auto enthusiasts together to celebrate the automobile, and educate guests regarding the significant role of the automobile in New England and in the wider world from a historical, technological, social and cultural aspect.
The organization has a presence on Facebook so please 'Like' the page to stay informed with what's going on with the progress of the organization. The organization also has a rudimentary website (http://neautomuseum.org) now but will be relaunching with a more comprehensive site within a few weeks. The current site has information about donating to the 501(c)(3) charity.
In addition to being extremely informative, the the meeting itself was a lot of fun. The room was full of avid auto enthusiasts and collectors. Bob Sharp (of Bob Sharp Datsun/Nissan and Paul Newman fame) attended and spoke briefly. The venue for the meeting was Dragone Classic Motorcars in Westport, Connecticut which was full of fantastic cars and memorabilia. So I spent my day talking cars with avid collectors while sitting next to a 1907 Fiat Targa Florio racer.....does it get any better than that?
Regardless, I'll most likely featuring more information about the museum's activities and events in the near future. For now, here are some pics I snapped while walking around Dragone's showroom:
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.
Honda has published a video called The Challenging Spirit of Honda which highlights the company's jump from motorcycles to the first RA270 F1 chassis in 1962, to the RA272 chassis that won the 1965 Grand Prix to the current state of the F1 program in order to set the table for Honda's return to Formula One......even though it is still more than a year away.
Unfortunately the video is only in Japanese, but the footage if great and is capped off with the the 2015 engine screaming on a test stand....which needs no translation.
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."
Its been a while since I posted something on here. I'm making progress on revising the front suspension on the Mercury Cougar so you'll be seeing it on here soon (thanks to my new GoPro). But I wanted to take this opportunity to write about something that's happening that car guys may not pay attention to but probably would appreciate....the Tour de France. The Tour de France is the cycling's most famous grand tour. The Tour goes on for three weeks, during which the riders cover about 3,500km in a rough circuit of the country. It is divided into 21 days of racing, with each day's 'stage' lasting up to five and a half hours and covering up to 225km. Some stages are relatively flat, some tortuously mountainous. Each stage has its own winner and offers points for the first 15 riders across both the finish line and and intermediate line around halfway through. But forget trying to understand what all the colored jerseys mean and the controversies surrounding the riders. The event is a bicycles race.....yet we never talk about the the bicycles. The amount of engineering and design that goes into these two-wheeled wonders is remarkable and could easily be appreciated by any gear-head Perform some web searches on racing bikes over the years and you'll see an evolution on par with F1 technology (and ingenuity). Current models employ all sorts of exotic materials and composites and leverage the most advanced aero technology . Long before swoopy carbon fiber frames became the rage handmade frames made from light steel tubing joined by intricate lugs were works of art. The old two wheeled-racers used the same methods as their 4 wheel counterparts to shave weight...like drilling holes where possible. In my opinion, current and historic racing bicycles have the same purpose-built beauty as any race car because the guys who built them were both part scientist and part artist with the same desire.....to go faster than the other guy. Here's a couple photos illustrating what I'm talking about...
Fast bike tech back in the day (a far cry from you clapped out Huffy)...
Fast bike tech today (these bikes cost more than your car)...
If you haven't heard, Porsche is on a mission to return to Le Mans in 2014 with a LMP1 prototype. With an amazing history in the endurance race I simply can't wait. Porsche has put up a Mission 2014 micro site with tons of awesome videos and news.....see you all next year!
Am I the only guy this happens to? When I walk by a magnum of champagne in a liquor store I immediately have visions of shaking it and spraying it all over the place? I can't be just me! This silly tradition started (or at least was popularized) at Le Mans! The 24 Hours of Le Mans was the venue for the first known instance at a major race of a winning driver celebrating by spraying champagne instead of drinking it. When Dan Gurney won the 1967 race with co-driver A.J. Foyt, the two drivers mounted the victory stand and Gurney was handed a magnum of champagne. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO Henry Ford II, team owner Carroll Shelby and their wives, as well as several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo. Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby, establishing a tradition re-enacted in victory celebrations the world over for the next 40+ years. Gurney autographed and gave the bottle of champagne to a Life photographer, Flip Schulke, who used it as a lamp for many years. He later returned the bottle to Gurney, who keeps it at his home in California.
Another silly thing Le Mans gave us. The races traditionally began with what became known as the Le Mans start, in which cars were lined up alongside the pit wall. The starting drivers would stand on the opposite side of the front stretch. When the French flag dropped to signify the start, the drivers would run across the track to their cars, which they would have to enter and start without assistance, before driving away. This became a safety issue in the late 1960s when drivers would ignore their safety harnesses, a recent invention. This starting method inspired Porsche to locate the ignition key switch to the left of the steering wheel. This allowed the driver to use his left hand to start the engine, and his right hand to put the transmission into gear.
June 22 will mark the 90th year of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans in French). With the the current cable providers, streaming over the internet, and social media it shouldn't be difficult to follow the race. Just like with the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans is more than just a race. The machines, location, history and pageantry make it an event.
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.
