Just a gentle reminder that on Thursday November 12, 2009 the Petersen automotive museum will be holding the Trans-Am reunion. If you are or were a racing fan of the late 1960′ and early 70’s THIS IS A MUST ATTEND EVENT!
Please visit the Petersen site for more information.
We will be taking Porsche U27……its gonna be great!
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Damn….getting up early…really early, for car shows is getting tougher. Used to be that 4:30 am wasn’t such a big deal even after a hard night of party….right Jones??? J!!! Now a-days…holy smokes…
Tony and I met at the shop and trailered Porsche U-2-7 to Palos Verdes for the Fabulous 50’s Concours d’ provenance. The Concours is held at the Palos Verdes Botanical gardens in Palos Verdes, Ca; a terrific setting. If you have not had the opportunity to see the gardens; please do.
The show would prove to be yet another milestone for the “Milestone Racing” Porsche 911. Davey
Davey Jordan and his wonderful wife Norma put on a fantastic event. Add other great drivers like; Tony a2z, Scooter Patrick, Jerry Grant and John Morton- and - well…..it is a very cool get together.
Porsche U-2-7 was positioned next to another significant car…another car that our friend a2z had driven to a championship just one year after his Trans-Am title in the Porsche; his 1969 Formula 5000 championship winning Gurney Eagle. The two cars had never been in one place and at one time. Tony said “I still can’t believe that I went from this (a 200 horse power Porsche) to THIS” (pointing at his monstrously fast F5000 car)…imagine going from a bicycle to GSXR…giddy-up! Now trust us here…..the Porsche is no slouch…the car goes very well indeed, but, by comparison…….WHOA!
There were some fantastic cars presented. Dr. and Mrs. Johnson drove their very rare alloy bodied Healey factory race car to the event from
All in all it was a tremendous event and we are looking very much forward to next year.
Today, more good news for U-2-7 was received. The Petersen museum has confirmed its invitation for the Porsche to take part in the Trans-Am reunion event. This is indeed a fantastic achievement and we look very much forward to bringing the car to the Petersen. The car will be on display at the museum from November 9th to December 13th.
More…….
O.C.C.E.
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We took advantage of our press pass this morning to pre-view the Orange County Car Show - opening tonight at the
A few manufacturers have brought some pretty interesting concepts cars and a few new production cars as well. Hyundai brought the very interesting looking Nuvis and Lincoln brought their “C” ….we are not sure if “C” stands for “concept” or Citroen….it is rather interesting and quite frankly it does look like something the French manufacturer would do…..it is just quirky enough…Hyundai also brought their new 7 series, S class competitor: the Equus…..careful guys….this car is pretty damn nice and for a whole lot less money. We must also admit that Buick has done something really nice with its Lacrosse…We hate to admit it, but, it is a damned nice looking car.
Cadillac had something interesting on a revolving table as well; something that they are calling the “Converj” It is a rather interesting looking concept. There are certain lines on the car that are actually quite good. We are still of the opinion however, that the Brand ought to consider making a more elegant statement. The angular design and sharp edges don’t work for us- Cadillac’s cars, in our opinion, simply look like the box they came out of. This is a Marque, that at one time, built some of the most luxurious automobiles in the world. Perhaps if they went back to those very roots, they may attract more buyers; our .02 cents.
Lotus bought a great looking new car called the Evora – loved it! The car has fantastic lines and though aesthetically “similar” to its current smaller brother, the Evora is a much bigger car. Its wheel base is nearly 11” longer and the car is much wider. The car is powered by
Not wanting to be out done by anyone, Gemballa brought what just may be the ultimate “Super Car”. We would have a difficult time believing that anyone could make a Porsche Carrera GT any better than it was to begin with…..but…..The guy from Gemballa says this thing will do 0-60 in just 2.7 seconds. Knowing that the clutch pack on this car is VERY light indeed…we’d wager good money that it would not accomplish that 0-60 more than a couple of times before someone would have to spend $30,000 plus for a new clutch… , but, then again of you have this kind of dough….it ain’t your last $30k is it J
Chevrolet is presenting a rather neat design study in the “Stingray”; neat car….in a Bruce Wayne kind of way…kind of cool actually…
We must make a comment here. Of all the displays, Audi did the best job if creating an inviting and absolutely elegant environment in which to view their product line. All of the cars are white and staged very nicely; it looks sensational. It also speaks volumes about just how serious they are about kicking butt. Audi, as a company, has proven itself to be one class act….what the hell happened to everyone else?
All in all a pretty nice show…and a special thanks to Uncle Don for the Coffee, Thanks Don!
O.C.C.E.
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4:15 in the morning comes quickly – very quickly…..down to the shop to get Porsche U2-7 ready for its first show here in
Since our shop is in
A few days before the event, I had a small dilemma…I had no way of getting the Porsche to the show as the car is by no means street legal and I did not have a trailer available to me. Note: If you live and work in the same city….get to know your local government officials. I made a phone call to a good friend of ours …he is pretty high up the food chain in our city and I told him of our plight. He was at the shop an hour later looking at the Porsche and apparently liking it- a lot! Greg got on his cell phone, called the chief of police and arranged our “escort” for 0 five hundred on Saturday morning.
U2-7 is a full blown race car….the car has straight exhaust and megaphones and at idle, will curl the toes of your db meter. I knew the car was loud….but……I had yet to hear the car at full song….well anything above 3,000 revs anyway. Officer Larry shows up….on time…gotta love these guys. I explain to Larry that we have no lights…it is still dark; he suggests that I follow him. We plan the route very quickly, I fire up the car….he jumps a bit….I laugh but, there is no way that he can hear me. Off we go…a left turn lane light turns red…his light bar comes on and we are through…down Orangethorpe, right on Rose and up the hill. Hey, it is up hill…..a bit of throttle in second gear….ok, perhaps a little more than just a good bit….5,500 revs and there is no way that anyone within 6 miles of the car is still sleeping…..I do mean NO WAY! Up-shift into third at 6,000 and cruise up the hill…..NICE; the car sounds bloody wonderful! The exhaust note is reverberating off of a cement wall and down the long 16th fairway at Alta Vista Country Club; GOOD MORNING! There is nothing like the music that an air cooled Porsche motor makes; it is simply symphonic! Well, it is to me- I am not sure what the rest of the city thought…
The show itself goes great and U2-7 gets a great deal of attention. The car is quite a bit different than most of the other cars there. In fact, there are only 4 other domestic cars at the show; a fantastic Porsche speedster, a very nice Jaguar XKE, a brilliant Healey and a FIAT 500….everything else is foreign. J
The drive home was exciting too- Officer Chris followed on his “motor.” At a light, he pulls up next to me and with a huge grin, yells…”it is loud, but it sounds great”. People in other cars are looking…they stare; they wonder what the hell is going on. Here is this full blown, very loud race car being followed by the Police….the cop pulls up next to the car at every light ….says something, but, does not pull it over…the expression on the face of other drivers is absolutely priceless….it really does become quite funny. Chris follows me into the shop and I thank him for his time. I explain to him that it feels far better being followed than pursued…..he laughs and goes on his way.
We would like to thank the City of
Another milestone for the Porsche…a police escort on city streets…..NOICE!
O.C.C.E
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Not many race cars from the past have survived to tell their tale. After all, what was one going to do with an out-of-date and no longer competitive race car? 40 years ago, who would have ever thought that there would someday be a vintage racing series? I am not sure that too many would have had the vision to believe that old race cars would someday become collectable. Had that been the case, I contend that good old Mr. Penske, a pretty sharp business man, and countless others would have held on to more of them; right Roger? I can think of a couple of Porsche 917’s that I’ll bet you wish you would have tucked away in the corner of a garage somewhere, a certain 512 Ferrari as well…
This is the case with Tony’s 2 liter Porsche as well. No-one knows where the original car ended up; chances are it is no longer intact. The car that we have been describing is a “Tribute car” a recreation if you will, but, a recreation that has been done so extraordinarily well and to such exacting standards that few – if any – would know.
Marc Zurlinden (Race driver, Porsche Guru, builder and manager of this magnificent project) said; “When the project commenced, much the way Tony’s second car of that season came to life, this car started out as a sort of junk yard dog.We did everything to this car that was communicated by the three men (a2z, Tilton and Breslauer) and what we could additionally glean from the Pete Luongo Photos. We treated this project hoping that this car would become the accepted stand-in for the missing original, unmistakably authentic by any scrutinizing viewer, and equally effective on the track.”
A rather interesting side note here: The original car…the original- original was wadded up into a ball at Daytona….the second car, “the junk yard dog”, with some bits and pieces from the first – well, from what-ever was salvageable, is the car that did all the winning.
Marc’s dream of resurrecting the famous 1968 Championship winning Porsche was starting to take shape and with the help of the guys who actually built, campaigned and drove the winning car, his dream would become very real indeed.
A roller chassis came from Dave Bouzaglou at TRE. Marc built a rotisserie for the chassis and the chassis was stripped of all of the under-coating and seam sealer. The rotisserie would later be used for body work and paint as well.
As the chassis work was being done “Tony and Mac were coming through with mountains of detailed information as they recalled the car” says Marc. Marc also notes that the “Blueprint” of the car (information provided by Tony, Mac and Don) became intriguing to him because “as these guys developed the car, many of its modifications were utilized for years to come.”
Stay tuned…..
O.C.C.E.
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The story behind Porsche 911 U-2-7 continues. Tony and I headed to
Tony’s recollection of the car is pretty amazing for a car that he last saw almost 40 years ago, but, remember- not only did he drive the car, he had helped build it and maintain it. Note: drivers did more back then J His recollection of all the little bits- the details, are what make the story of the car so interesting. For example how “Milestone Racing” came about…..seems there was a milestone marker on the highway outside the gas station where the car was built and maintained…too easy!
The modifications made to the car for it to become not only competitive but also a Championship winner; were recalled by Tony as though the car were built just yesterday. This will become even more important later in this story.
On the way up to Monterey Tony and I stopped at Mrs. J’s house….some of you may recall that Paul Merigan and I stopping there on the way to Pebble Beach year before last, but, Tony had not yet seen this amazing home- the place is just fantastic and nearly impossible to describe….really! Mrs. J is an incredibly gracious host and after a little tour of the gardens and a snack we were on our way again. Thanks Mrs. J!!!! If you should ever need a chauffer…………….
We arrived in
After a little struggle getting the car on the trailer….we should have brought a different one…we were on our way. We stopped at the
About halfway home we stopped for a milkshake and a piece of pie at Jack’s on route 46. Jack’s is the diner where the James Dean memorial stands….something tugged at me to take the Porsche off the trailer ….weird huh?
The car is in the shop, cleaned and detailed.
Stay tuned….
O.C.C.E.
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