We were frankly astounded that the prospect of a gutted Tokyo Motor Show didn't get any maker, save one, to trot out some of their historical home runs. Even if they didn't want to go in for a nostalgia-fest, a few brands could have at least peppered the show with some of Japan's seminal machinery. After all, if you're not going to give us anything really new and exciting, you could at least let us have some fun with the past.
But no. The only historic machine at an automaker's booth was a vintage Suzuki Alto near the new Alto Concept. Otherwise, nada. The other vintage machinery – a 1917 Mitsubishi A, a Toyota GT HYBD (a Sports 800 gas-turbine hybrid), and a Honda Accord CVCC – were in the "motor lounge" seating area. A big, fat raspberry is all we have to say to that.
As much as we enjoy piloting modern machinery, there's something special about vintage vehicles, and that something is the pure, unvarnished connection between man and machine. But it's not always good. Things get dicey when the driving experience is a little too vintage. Despite our supreme adoration of the racing greats of yesteryear, clawing at the wheel, pulverizing the brake pedal, dumping buckets of sweat onto the leather seat and having our sphincter perform kegels isn't always our preferred flavor of fun. Some days, we're just not that hardcore. So the vintage vehicles we've come to love most aren't genuinely vintage at all – they're classic bodies wrapped around modern mechanicals. The Rizk RA is a prime example, and now there's this: the Superformance GT40 MkI, a car so raw that if it were edible, they'd slap "organic" on it and sell it at Whole Foods.
As it turns out, "old GM" still matters to someone -- and in this case, we mean really old. The Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance in Westport, Connecticut wanted to include Pontiac in this year's showing, so it went looking for the most ancient example it could find. Of the 12 Pontiacs they tracked down from 1926, the brand's inaugural year, the very oldest resided in Minnetonka, Minnesota: a 1926 two-door coach.
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Even though it's essentially run just for fun, the track action at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca can be downright menacing during the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Just ask the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa driver who had a severe pucker moment on Saturday. Sure, the cars survived relatively unscathed, but some drivers may probably going to have second thoughts come Monterey 2010.
Given our current economic and environmental attitudes, it is conceivable (if unlikely) that historic racing might not last far into the next decade. What a pity it would be for vintage racing to go away, but quite honestly, this event could easily continue as nothing more then a classic motorsports car show. The cars themselves certainly draw more than flies – and even at rest, they look so amazingly fast and stylish that simply touring the paddock can be enough entertainment for all but the most jaded fan.
When they pick a featured marque at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, they really go big. For instance, all of the Ferrari TR59 race cars ever made were gathered together this year.
For Bentley's racing class, the organizers managed to corral the largest gathering of historic Bentleys ever in one place at one time. Reaching all the way back to the 1922 Bentley 3-Litre Park Ward Tourer that finished fourth at the inaugural Le Mans 24 Hour Race, the display included memorable sports cars all the way up to the 2003 Bentley Speed 8 that led a Bentley 1-2 in the fabled French endurance race. There were 3-liter cars, 4-1/4-liter cars, and 4-1/2- liter cars, Blowers and Speed Sixes. Altogether, there were 13 cars in class, plus another 26 in the various other classes, and of course the debut of the new Bentley Mulsanne as well. For lovers of all things Coventry, it was pure nirvana.
From the second we arrived in Monterey last week, we noticed one thing: there were Porsches everywhere. From the fleet of 30 Panameras that Porsche brought out, to the hundreds of owners that made the trip to Northern California, we couldn't seem to drive for more than a few seconds without passing one. The epicenter of the Porsche party, though, was at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the vintage races.
Named as the featured marque for 2009, Porsches made up nearly one third of the competitors and made up most of the field for groups like the 1964-1971 FIA Mfg. Championship Cars and the 1981-1990 IMSA GTP & FIA Mfg. Championship Cars that were packed with Porsche 906s, 908s, 917s, 956s, and 962s. We also enjoyed seeing the earlier models like the trio of 1960 RS-60s, a couple 550 Spyders, all the 356s, and the oldest Porsche on the track, a 1949 Porsche 356 SL. Even some of the display cars like a 1998 GT1 that raced at Le Mans were able to get on track during some parade laps that honored the late Bob Carlson, the former PR director for Porsche NA, and Bob Snodgrass, a principal for the Brumos racing team.
When it was announced that Porsche would be the featured marque at this year's Monterey Historics, we knew we were in for a vintage racing treat come August. That time has nearly come, and we can't wait to see the dozens of Porsches that will be at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend. One third of the 450-car field will bear the Porsche shield, many of which are already at the track to prepare for the upcoming three days of racing. As is tradition, the Porsches gathered on the straight between turns three and four for a group photo. As you can see, the collection of legendary racecars is unbelievable. Along with the Porsches that will be on track, special models will be on display from the Porsche Museum in Germany, and hundreds of owners have also traveled to Monterey to join in the festivities. Be sure to check back over the next few days for full coverage and high-res galleries of the races.
This is no way to treat a 1963 Corvette split-window coupe. Found in Washington by one of Google StreetView's drones, there's actually no barn to this barn find, just a car left sitting in the gray mist that folks in the Pacific Northwest call "weather." This Corvette had a 12-year shelf life, and then according to the owner, it's "been veggin' on the spot since '75." If you are interested, it's one of the fuel injected models and comes with an extra engine and other parts. Of course, if it's been sitting there for 34 years, it could fall to pieces when you try to move it... and you'll probably find more than a few dead (or perturbed) animals lurking thereabouts. But that wouldn't stop you, would it?
It is neither a Mercury Grand Marquis nor a DeSoto, but perhaps it could be considered a kind of royalty. Furniture maker Steve Heller wanted to build a car of his own design, and possessed of a love of Fifties car details, he swiped the things he liked and built what he calls the "Marquis de Soto." It can also be called the New York Times Collectible Car of the Year. The Marquis is based on a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis. The Marquis' wings have been poached from the rear of a 1957 DeSoto, along with 1959 Cadillac taillights, the front fenders and lights from a 1958 Lincoln, 1955 Cadillac bumpers, a 1965 Buick Skylark hood, chrome from a 1957 Buick, and a grille glommed built from two 1957 Corvette pieces. Heller spent 20 years collecting all the parts – he makes furniture using vintage car doodads – and spent four months building the car in back of his furniture shop. We dig it... but we dig it even more when it was just wearing primer. It has The Riddler written all over it.
Rust never sleeps, and classic British cars are some of the tinworm's favorite snacks. Lack of a roof on many classics (to effectively seal out the weather) doesn't help floors or unibodies stay rot-free, and proper restorations can run into serious money. Rather than pony up for endless hours with the nibbler and the rhythmic zot, zot, zot of a welder, a wiser starting point might be a reproduction body. Yes, the whole thing. Some vehicles are lucky in that they have a strong enough following to warrant an unbelievably cool aftermarket that will do things like purchase original tooling and dies to turn out factory parts long after said factory ceases to exist. British Motor Heritage, Ltd. has been making reproduction bodies and body parts for a variety of classic British automobiles since 1988. Much effort and money has been expended to obtain original tooling, technical data, and jigs, and it's got us thinking about building a project car in Neff's garage. Owners of MGBs, Spridgets, and Minis can get an entirely new body from one of BMH's approved specialists either in primer or fully painted, and the prices run between $7500 and $13,000 – a bargain for a rust-free body shell fully painted and like new.
