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 After all, what was one going to do with an out-of-date and no longer competitive race car? 40 years ago, who would have ever thought that there would someday be a vintage racing series?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 Monterey to pick up this fantastic car. The drive up seemed short as Tony told stories about the car and those who helped him to win the 1968 Trans-Am 2 liter championship. If you are anything like me and have a true passion for motor sports; having the opportunity to listen to stories about the greatest time in racing (in my opinion) from those who were actually there and competed is – well pretty difficult to describe.

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 Salinas around 10:30 and hit the hay for a little rest. Breakfast at “Lenny’s” …I keep telling myself never again…I guess they are just too convenient….and we were on our way to Marc’s to pick up the car. Marc and his lovely wife live just past Laguna Seca Raceway…how apropos! As we approached the entrance to Laguna…both Tony and I felt a force pulling us in the direction of the entrance….I think it happens to all race drivers. We both thought….”we really should stop on the way back, but, I didn’t bring my driving gear” In fact when I had called Marc’s wife earlier in the morning for directions she said “you know were Laguna Seca is?…….. and then she instantly said…of course you do….all of you guys do…..as if to say….it is all you guys ever think about. She’s a keeper Marc, she gets it!!!!

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 Toro Place café and met Steve knoll there for a little lunch. Great guy Steve, he and Tony have known each other for years and Steve was also instrumental in the resurrection of the Porsche. Steve has a very cool web-site as well www.laprecord.com check it out!

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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Today starts the leg of another journey- that of a very special car; a journey that started in 1968 and continues today.  In its heyday, Trans-Am racing was perhaps one of, if not the, premier series of auto racing- anywhere. The series pitted manufacturer against manufacturer, Ford, Chevrolet, AMC, Dodge, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercury, Porsche, Alfa and driver against driver; the likes of Gurney, P.J. Jones, Donohue, Folmer, Titus, Bucknum, Minter, Revson, Posey and…our good friend Tony Adamowics; just to name a few.

The series actually created cars, great cars….cars that we could buy…well sort of- cars that manufacturers built so that they could be raced in this series specifically, factory involvement - the likes of which have not been seen since. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday-TERRIFIC! Without the Trans-Am series, there would most likely not be a Z8 Camaro or a Shelby GT350 Mustang. There would be no AAR Cuda’s or a Dan Gurney Special Cougar. Ever wonder where Pontiac got the name? I still wonder how they ever pulled that off.

And, what a series it was. To many, the Trans-Am series was simply the best racing ever; ever! As a 10 year old child, I recall being at some of those races as though it were just yesterday and I was hooked; a life long addiction that I would happily recommend to anyone.

This piece is about a specific car, a very important car, a car that my buddy Tony a2z and I are traveling to Monterey for today to trailer back. The car in which Tony won his 1968 Trans-Am championship (well, kind of) 41 years ago and a car that Tony has recently driven at Daytona and in Portland.

Stay tuned………….

O.C.C.E

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Just a few months ago we wrote a story about our good friend Tony Adamowicz being re-united with his 1969 championship winning Gurney Eagle Formula 5000 car. We were also fortunate enough to have been invited to Tony’s return to the cars office in a test session at Willow Springs Raceway just last year. The very same track that A2Z tested his very first F5000 car…with rather -well, interesting results….you’ll have to look up the archived article here or read about it on Tony’s web site.

The guys at the Riverside International Automotive Museum brought ‘ol number 7 back to life after nearly 40 years. Doug Magnon, Bill and the crew (with guidance from Tony) rebuilt the car to its original specifications. We understand that even the late, great Peter Bryant had his hand in the set-up of the car on occasion - with expected results; a faster car.  The car is fantastic. It is NOT a tribute car, or kind of like what Tony drove in 1969, it is indeed Tony’s old car…..the real McCoy.

Here is where this story becomes even more interesting. A phone call from Tony just a couple of days ago confirmed a great weekend at Watkins Glen for himself and his car. Tony said the car ran great and with the points earned at the Glen last weekend it has been confirmed that A2Z is again Formula 5000 class champion, driving the very car that he won his championship in 40….yes….. F O R T Y years ago!!!!!

We have been racking our brain trying to recall if anything like this has EVER happened in the history of Motor Sport……….the answer appears to be a resounding NO.  Tony has always been an American racing icon- now, to his long list of accomplishments he can add a new remarkable benchmark; one that no other racing car driver has ever achieved- anywhere, anytime or in the history of the sport….  

At no time in the history of automobile racing has a single driver and a single car been reunited to win a championship racing series 40 years after it happened - the first time! Until now……. Listen carefully Tony and you will hear the applause. Fantastic!

There have been a number of great racing champions in the last 100 or so years. What Tony and the guys at RIAM have accomplished however; is truly monumental and an absolute milestone, one that may never be repeated; by anyone.  

O.C.C.E.

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Last night we had the opportunity to fulfill a life long dream- driving at Le Mans. Yes, that Le Mans. Under the famous Dunlop Bridge, reaching speeds of nearly 2 hundred miles per hour on the Mulsane, through Indianapolis corner, the Porsche curves, feeling every bump and road irregularity- all in a race prepared Ferrari F430……FANTASTIC!  Then we drove back home to North Orange County and were in bed 40 minutes later. Huh???

Did we fail to mention that this was all done in what is perhaps the world’s finest driving simulator?

As we write this, just a few hours later, we must admit that we are just a bit sore…..it is THAT realistic!

This fantastic bit of kit is the same system used by Formula One teams to train their drivers, test car set-ups, tire compounds, suspension settings, wing angles, etc, etc. all without having to turn a wheel on a real car or race track. The system is so remarkably good that even road surface changes can be made to simulate wet weather conditions.

The simulator itself rides on hydraulic actuators about 5 feet above the floor. The driver feels everything that the car does….road imperfections, (the Le Mans circuit is run on mostly public roads) braking and acceleration G’s, cornering G’s…drive over an FIA curb and the car (simulator) feels and reacts the very same way….un-bloody-believable!

We could have driven this thing for hours and hours………and hours!

This is not a toy…..we’ll get back to that. This system is (in our opinion) an absolute “must have” for every professional race team in the world. If one were to add up the cost for a single test session: renting a track, transporting the car, all of the needed equipment, flying in the race team, hotel bills, tire costs, rental cars, etc. etc. etc. this system could save a team thousands and thousands of dollars in a single season and without the fear of damaging the car, engines, transmissions, add infinitum.

We could go on and on about how much more this system has to offer, but, we think you get the point; technical applications and data acquisition are nearly endless. In fact, so much so, that all of the testing performed by the Acura ALMS team to develop their new P1 car was done with this system; before the car ever physically turned a wheel.

We simply must take the time to thank all the great folks at Cruden America for inviting us to experience their fantastic product. Chuck Nelson and his whole group are an absolute class act. It was also great seeing Roberto Guerrero after some 20 years and meeting racing legend Jack McCormack for the first time. Cruden has some very serious credibility to go along with a very serious product.

Not a Toy….the simulator is not a toy, it is a fantastic tool. However, since you must be asking…….HOW MUCH? It all starts just south of $300,000.00….we are pretty sure that we are going to need a credit card with a much higher limit!!!  If however, one were “well healed” and had the space…..Story goes that one rather well off customer has custom ordered the simulator to have his very expensive and rare Ferrari mounted to it- affording him the opportunity to drive the car in anger for miles and miles, on the greatest race tracks in the world and never actually turning a wheel in the car itself…HOW COOL IS THAT?? !!!

Anybody have an extra $300 large lying around?

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“Show me the Car Fax”; the advertisement seems to play thousands of times per week. The ad also seems to elude to “don’t buy a car without seeing it” but, is it accurate?

In concept, Car Fax can be a fantastic tool; a resource where consumers and dealers alike can research a vehicles history and help them to better determine if a car has never been damaged or if there are any title issues with a car that they are considering purchasing, terrific concept- really. It is a tool that we freely admit to using often, we just don’t rely on it fully, nor should the consumer.

It is important to understand that not all service work or damage to a vehicle is reported to Car Fax, in fact, we have been surprised as to how little information actually makes it to a report that one pays for- and quite dearly we might ad. Service and repair facilities-even dealerships- do not always report when a car has been serviced. Copies of the cars maintenance records may be a better source of information.

We are not exactly certain how Car Fax collects all of its data, though we are pretty certain that had a vehicle been involved in an accident and a police report not filed or an insurance company not contacted; no information regarding that particular repair would be listed. We have inspected many cars on which we had run a Car Fax report and though the report was “clean” prior accident damage or paint work was most certainly evident.

Consumers are certainly concerned about anything that could potentially increase their expenses. Reporting an accident to an insurer could raise insurance premiums, therefore, many consumers will simply pay for accident damage “out of pocket” This could also mean that the same damage was - or never will be- reported to Car Fax and/or other vehicle history reporting agency’s. We are not singling out Car Fax here, as there are other reporting agency’s who offer this same basic service. Car Fax however, does seem to advertise their service more than others and our point here, is that no vehicle reporting agency is the holy grail of vehicle history truth and just because a vehicles history report may come back as “clean” does NOT insure that the car is!

A good friend of ours was recently considering the purchase of a Porsche. He wisely paid for a Car Fax report and it came back as “clean”. Perhaps even more wisely, he paid to run a report from another like company and the report came back as the same vehicle having had previous frame damage. Smart man that “Luke” J

We are not suggesting that Car Fax or any other vehicle history reporting agency should not be used, as we have previously stated; we do use their services…though more for title information ( lemon law, buy back or salvage issues). In this respect we have found Car Fax to be very valuable tool indeed.

What we are suggesting however, is that no vehicle history report from any agency that provides this type of service should be used as the sole reason for buying/not buying a vehicle regardless of how appealing the advertising may seem; have the car inspected by a trustworthy facility.

O.C.C.E

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It has been a while since we have posted anything new on this site; we have been busy reading.

While in Monterrey last year for the week-long car enthusiast events; including Pebble, Quail, Gooding’s, RM, the Concorso, etc, etc, etc….our good friend Tony a2z introduced us to a very, very nice Englishman by the name of Peter Bryant.

We knew the name, but, were not quite certain why. Peter was cool and his typically dry British humor refreshing. Peter was one of those fellows that, when one met him, was instantly likable. As we were having lunch at the Quail event, we discovered who Peter was. This guy was one of the finest and most ingenious designers of the fastest race cars of the time- Can-Am cars-the light came on….THAT Peter Bryant!

A few months later, we had the good fortune to spend more time with Peter at the Desert Classic Concours. Peter’s book about his life in racing had just been published and he was gracious enough to have autographed ours; right there on the spot. Having had the opportunity to speak with Peter at length that day was amazing. The people he worked with, the drivers that he knew and had driven his cars- it was a trip though what was, in our opinion, the best days of the sport we all love so very much.

 Sadly, Peter passed away a few short weeks later. What we would give now to have been able to meet Peter sooner; a facinating man with an amazing story.

When we returned from Palm Springs, we placed Peter’s book on the edge of our desk and though we occasionally thumbed through it, it was not until recently that we actually sat down and read it…Note to a2z- “Have you read the fookin’ thing?”:)

This book is an absolute must read! The forward is written by Jackie Oliver and the stories of Peter’s life in racing just amazing; an intoxicating read to say the least. Buy the book,  poor yourself a nice long single malt Scotch and re-live the real days of motorsport; you’ll love it!

O.C.C.E

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We have to admit, helping others learn how to drive well has some wonderful fringe benefits. As a high performance driving instructors we are allowed the fantastic opportunity to drive some really great cars; never having to actually pay for them- good work if one can get it. We are also afforded the pleasure of meeting some of the best people, not only students, but, other instructors as well. Every now and then we get to drive their cars too; enter David Mecey and his Porsche Cayman S.

David knows a thing or two. Not only about driving, as he is one of the finest instructors and racers one will ever meet and just a damned nice guy, but, David also has a keen eye for aesthetic appeal- more on that a little later…

Porsches have a certain feel to them, a feel that can be difficult to describe, but, few cars have it. Before one even starts driving a Porsche, something simply feels right; the car fits well. As a driver, the seats are welcoming and supportive; everything is right where one thinks it ought to be and there is no fluff-nothing un-needed, just a well designed and ergonomically correct office in which to work.

The Cayman S is also a GREAT looking car. The body lines take us back to an era in racing where Porsche produced fantastic looking cars; the 550 spyder, the RSK the R60-bloody great looking cars AND race winners.

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The ability to write a check for a very expensive high performance car does not mean that the talent to drive it comes with the ability to afford it. Case in point; this last Wednesday, in the early morning hours two “gentlemen” made a conscious decision to race their high performance cars on public roads. The out-come, (almost inevitable and most certainly predictable) left one driver dead, his unfortunate (and most likely unwilling passenger) injured and luckily only so-in that the Ferrari that he was driving is now in two very separate pieces.

The driver of the second car (a Porsche from what was reported) left the scene of this fatal accident. He- had also made a conscious decision to race on public roads and is therefore, in our opinion, as culpable as the driver of the Ferrari. It has also been reported that the driver of the Porsche has had numerous previous driving violations and citations- more on that later.

Rather than a Dennis Miller rant - going on and on about how racing on the street is an obvious danger to many more than just those participating, not to mention just bloody stupid-we thought it better to offer observations from years of legal racing and the teaching high performance driving skills to owners of cars just like this one and at the same time offering sound suggestion to those who are fortunate enough to acquire them.

One could argue (we will) that the largest percentage of drivers who own high performance cars have no real clue as to their cars performance potential nor do they possess the needed skills to drive the car well. Ego (not always bad) and ambition may have put them in the fortunate position to acquire the car. Ego (always bad) tells them that because they can afford the car, they have somehow and miraculously become a great driver and in many cases; just overnight.

There are but a handful of truly gifted drivers with natural God given driving talent; they are paid a great deal of money to race cars for a living; on race tracks! For them, the ability to control an automobile at speed is somehow natural. For the rest of us it is a learned skill. Let us repeat that- FOR THE REST OF US IT IS A LEARNED SKILL!!!!!

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Over the years we have been to many a Concours d’elegance; more than a few have been very prestigious events. What has always attracted us, are the fantastic automobiles that are displayed in what are normally very attractive settings. Pebble Beach is an event that we have attended more than just a couple of times and one would have to argue a great setting- a golf course we have yet to play, but, an eighteenth fairway that we are very familiar with; more on Pebble later.

What we want to try to describe to you here is the simply fantastic event held just last weekend in Palm Springs; The Desert Concours. Masterminded (brilliantly we might add) by Paul Merrigan, his wife Holly and his amazing, though very tired, band of volunteers. Paul and Holly- listen carefully and you will hear the applause of many-strike that-thousands!

This years Desert Concours was but the second of hopefully many, many more to come. As impressive as the inaugural event was, this year was simply stunning. The cars and their “custodians” were absolutely top drawer. The collection of automotive history gathered in one place, at one time and at a venue that is-well; perfect, is something that those who attended will have very fond memories of for years to come. We most certainly will!

The list of significant cars is long, so long that we just don’t have room here to talk about them all. Some of the most memorable cars to us were (and not in any particular order) a fantastic Ghia bodied Chrysler, If Chrysler were to build anything like it today, they would not need financial assistance from the government; again. An amazing and perhaps the most important post war race car ever built; a 1947 Cisitalia D46. A Maserati “monoposto”….WOW! Another instant favorite was a very, very rare Delahaye….oh my goodness. To imagine driving this perfectly curvaceous roadster somewhere in the south of France- our mind wonder’s back to the real days of motoring; and is perhaps one of the reasons that a Concours event is second only to driving a race track; to us.

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