November 29th, 2007, Features
We again, thank all of you who participated in the O.C.C.E. “YOUR FAVORITE” contest.
The votes are in and the winner of the first O.C.C.E. contest is….NISSAN STEVE!
Congrats on a great article Steve!
Steve will receive a Steve McQueen Le-Mans tribute jacket for his efforts. The Jacket is not only cool, but will also be personally autographed by Tony Adamowicz …”Tony A2Z” one of the finest Americans to ever drive a race car!!!
We would like to thank Tony and A2Zracergear for their generous donation to the winner of this contest.
Thanks again for playing, we will do another contest soon…..it should prove interesting…..get ready….as we can see, the prize may be well worth the effort!!!!!!!
Congratulations Steve, listen carefully and you will hear the applause…..
O.C.C.E.
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On a perfect crisp and sunny November morning, the Noble M400 looks just right standing in pit lane, an apropos setting for a car that on paper should be quite something to drive. There is still nothing quite like anticipatory anxiety. Having driven more than just a few fast cars in my day, this was something that I was really looking forward to.
On Paper. Designed by Lee Noble of Mclaren fame, one could expect a lot from the car. 0-60 comes in just 3.2 mind boggling seconds; hardly enough time to start and stop the watch, add to that a reported 1.3 g’s in lateral acceleration and this was going to be fun. According to magazine accounts, the Noble M400 is one of the quickest cars ever tested, leaving behind the Porsche GT3, Corvette Z06 and Ford GT. With only 220 cars imported into the U.S. the chances of pulling up next to your self is nil; I like that! Here in Orange County even Ferrari’s are prosaic.
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David “The Wine Guy” is a good friend of ours, we have known him for years. It is also a given that drinking & driving do not mix; ever. But, when friends get together and share stories about great cars and their passion for them, a great wine can somehow become appropos. David Bunnell also happens to be the New Car Sales Manager at Sterling BMW in Newport Beach. He is a great car guy and he knows a thing or two about wine…….in the appropriate place and at the appropriate time.
Having just returned from Paso Robles with my wife Marta, and it being our first visit to the central coast, I must say that Paso Robles is an excellent find! Napa has or course been the giant in the US wine world, and is not shy when it comes to its wine pricing. Paso Robles on the other hand is a bargain for not only wine value, but the over 170 wineries are offered as well. We had time to visit several of the more popular wineries and we were not disappointed. Admittedly reluctant to make the 41/2 hour drive north to central California, we were not at all disappointed. In fact, it will no doubt be a favorite destination for us now. The traffic was near non existent, the countryside was beautiful, the locals were friendly; you’re getting the idea. We actually had pulled alongside a country road to make a cell phone call (imagine that in the OC), and had been offered help from 3 different locals, thinking we were in need of assistance. That no longer happens in today’s world in southern California. We had locals who actually said hello to us, just passing by on the street. We will be back to Paso Robles sooner, rather than later.
So here it goes, my pick of the litter,and as hard as it is to find the winner among some excellent competition, we have chosen for this months pick, a winery called:
Justin Vineyards & Winery
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Year: 1964
Make: JAGUAR
Model: E-TYPE SEMI LIGHTWEIGHT ROADSTER
Custodians: Dr. and Mrs. Greg Johnson
Jaguar E-Type 880115 was ordered directly from the factory in late 1963 by Toronto-based Hugh Sutherland to compete in the 1964 Le Mans 24-Hour race. Hugh Sutherland, with accomplished drives for the Aston Martin factory team at Le Mans and the Austin Healey factory team at Sebring, ordered this specially prepared competition Jaguar at the factory with a steel monocoque, 3.8 competition engine with high compression head, lightened flywheel, competition clutch, close ratio gearbox, racing specification cool-ducted larger front brakes and special offset wheels. Hugh also arranged with the factory to fit his newly delivered car with additional “Lightweight” specification aluminum bonnet, hood, boot-lid, and doors as well as a 5-speed gearbox as evidenced by considerable documentation and correspondence with the factory. The car was delivered at the factory and registered with the factory numbers”6321WK” (a registration number usually found on factory team cars). 6321WK was accepted for Le Mans in 1964, Sterling Moss partnered with Hugh for the drive, however Mr. Sutherland’s sponsorship for the race did not materialize and he was unable to take the car to the La Sarthe event. Without sponsorship the lightweight body panels would have to wait until later for installation. This was finally done when the car was restored by Hans Glaser in Southern California. In 1964/1965 6321WK subsequently returned to Canada with Hugh where he had occasion to race the car at club events. After passing through a few ownership changes the car was eventually purchased and restored by Mr. Glaser. Once restored the car was purchased by Roger Wilbanks and then to John McCaw (Cavilino Holdings). John had a considerable amount of race preparation done to the car, all within period specification, with much of the work performed by Bruce Canepa. The car was purchased from John McCaw in 2004.
We have had the good fortune to know Greg and his lovely wife for years. They have successfully raced a number of vintage cars for some time and all of them; historically significant. Some years ago we had the pleasure of going for a ride with Greg in his factory Jaguar C- type race car; amazing!
This is a significant car with an amazing history. Available for purchase at $600,000.00 U.S.
Contact: Klaus Kindor kk@occarenthusiast.com 714-745-0416
O.C.C.E.
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November 11th, 2007, Uncategorized
This 1964 Jaguar E-TPYE Semi-lightweight was originally factory ordered for the 1964 24 hours of Le Mans.
An extensive restoration has been performed and the car is in “turn key” condition.
Extensive history, documentation and spares are included in the sale of this spectacular piece of automotive history.
$600,000.00 OFFER PENDNING
Contact: kk@occarenthusiast.com
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If $300,000 to $400,000 large is not an obstacle, then this is the car!
I had the auspicious opportunity to drive the Porsche Carrera GT at California Motor Speedway a few months back and the impressions are still long lasting.
An adjective that adequately describes this car, simply does not exist, in any language; I have failed to find one.
My student for the day, Darren (an extremely pleasant and successful young man from the San Diego area) drove the car to the speedway and I was terribly excited and flattered to have been selected to be his driving instructor for the day.
Having heard all of the negative comments; “it’s twitchy, tail happy, a monster” etc, I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first, even after having raced a number of very fast cars over the years; besides, it was not my $400,000. In a very short period of time however, I felt myself absolutely comfortable with the car, it simply does exactly what you ask of it, albeit, very quickly indeed
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November 6th, 2007, Features
We met with Nick Smith, managing director for Dettaglio Luxury Driving Experiences U.K. and his U.S. partner Scott Herberg of Distinctive Driving Tours today; a couple of great guys with marvelous driving packages, available both abroad and here in the U.S.
Nick and his company have been putting driving packages together for his clients in Europe for years and Detagglio is recognized as the premier driving tour operator in Europe.
We really would have a difficult time imagining anything much better than heading to London with a group of friends, all picking up Ferrari’s and heading for Le Mans, Goodwood, Monaco. Everything is pre-planned; get in the car and go! WOW, what a vacation! Nick and his company can even arrange access to race events and full hospitality packages….rumor has it, he can get you on Kimi’s boat for the Monaco Grand Prix, impressed? We sure as hell are!
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November 5th, 2007, Features
Year: 1954
Make: Buick
Model: Skylark
Custodian: Donnie Crevier
History
Just 836 Buick Skylarks were built in 1954 compared to the 1,960 Skylarks manufactured in 1953. All were equipped with leather, full power options, Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels and special ornamentation; all where convertibles.
The 1954 Skylarks featured elongated wheel cutouts which were available in contrasting color to the body. In 1954 the Skylark was based on the all-new shorter chassis Century / Special and not the Roadmaster/ Super chassis however, the cars did share the same powertrain; the highest output of the Buick line up.
The model designation for the ’54 Skylark was “100” – unique to the model.
The metal work on the ’54 was unique though not as labor intensive as that of the ’53. The rear deck lid took on a barrel look and the rear tail lights were molded into the rounded tops of the rear fenders, giving the car its graceful lines.
The car:
This particular Skylark is number 638 of 836. Finished in Raven Black with Red leather and is in beautifully restored condition; having won the prestigious AACA Grand National first place award.
We had an opportunity to drive the car last weekend to the Cars and Coffee event in Irvine, it did get some attention and rightfully so. This really is a fantastic car and when new in 1954 sold for the substantial sum of $4,355.00. If you have not been around that long, ask your folks what a home cost back then.
O.C.C.E.
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David Mecey is a great friend of ours and one of the finest high performance driving instructors that a student could ever climb into a car with. He is also one of the most accomplished photographers in the business. Here are a few of his thoughts when it comes to cars that we have driven on real race tracks…..Here’s looking at you David…
Coming from a background of being a hard-core BMW enthusiast and
driver, had you asked me 5 years ago if I’d ever be caught in another
marque, I’d probably have said no. But in the last few years with BMW
changing a number of items in their list of needs for their cars
adding weight and technologies which the enthusiast has no need, I’ve
begun to look elsewhere for the car for me. Now I say this not to
belittle what BMW is doing, but I do feel their direction is taking
them down a path that makes them less of an enthusiasts’ car and more
a car for the masses. Good for the bottom line yes, but not so good
for we few that prefer a car that’s nimble and quick on its feet and
able to stay that way without feeling our brakes go away while doing so.
As we all know, weight is a bad thing for a car you’re going to be
putting on a racetrack. And though most people will never see a
racetrack other than on SPEED channel, there are more than a few of
us out there who do. And when we do, we like to put our cars through
their paces which leaves no room for extra weight and technology
doing our work for us.
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