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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It is no secret that American cars have never really done much for us. We have admitted in the past however, that certain Corvettes and most certainly the Ford GT are indeed worthy cars- if not great cars; proving that American car manufacturers can (when they want to) build really competent automobiles. Now, we have found a third- The Dodge Challenger 6.1 liter SRT8. Why? Keep reading….

Staying true to our “driving impressions” theme and writing only about cars that we have the good fortune to drive on real race tracks (having to turn both left and right) we had the opportunity to experience what the new Dodge has to offer and we have to admit- it is pretty damned impressive.

The exterior design of the car is right out of the 70’s and if muscle cars were your thing (or, are your thing) the cars aesthetic design is truly from that era and works really well on the new car. It is a great looking car.

Better yet, the car has monster power and enough torque to pull a mile long freight train- or so it seems. Wanna tear up some asphalt- let’s rephrase- a few hundred yards of asphalt? Holy Moses…it goes!

The cars owner, our good friend…let’s call him “Jeff”, brought his 2009 Challenger SRT8 equipped with a real gear box….you know, the one that requires three pedals on the floor, to Spring Mountain Raceway a couple of weeks ago and we had the opportunity to experience how well it would do on a road course.

Keep in mind that Spring Mountain Raceway is a very technical track. There are a number of very slow, late apex- off camber corners that come up VERY quickly, with this car- off of very fast straight sections of tarmac. Add to that the 4,200 pounds that this car weighs and…it is a ride, but, surprisingly; not a handful.

Acceleration in this new Dodge is mind boggling. The car just pulls and pulls AND pulls. Given enough room, one can easily see how 160mph plus is not hard work for this car. We ran out of race track well before that number, but, the car is (as our good friend Caaarl- an Aussie- would put it)….”waaarp speed fast”.

The car is also equipped with huge brakes and thankfully so! The brake pedal feel, modulation and pedal pressure are good, but, typically American. That is not to say that the brakes don’t work well, they could just use a bit more feel. Brake fade however, was never an issue. The car stops very well indeed!

Steering feel is another area that could be improved on. Perhaps a reduction in the amount of power steering assist would help. The steering feel is very, very good and a boat load better than what we would have expected from anything coming out of Detroit.

The handling of the car is pretty darn good given its heft. It is not a car that can be easily thrown around and was never designed to do be. If the driver takes this into consideration and slows the car sufficiently, the car turns in well and stays nicely balanced. Try to throw it into a hard corner too quickly and the car will object with a fair amount of under- steer. Get on the throttle too soon or too quickly and all of that power will force the rear end out. Drive the car smoothly, brake early-keeping the car balanced; squeeze the throttle and the car does everything remarkably well. You just can’t over-drive the car; it is not a 2,000 lb. sports car.

All in all, we really like the car a lot! It would be better suited to a high horse power track like Willow Springs rather than a tight, technical track like Spring Mountain, but, given that the car was not really designed for tight road course action it still did everything very, very well. And, did we mention that this thing hauls ass?? !!!

What the car is; is a very fast, very competent and great looking piece of machinery. It again proves that American car manufacturers can indeed build world class cars when they set their minds to it. The new Challenger may prove to American car companies that the light at the end of the tunnel is not the 5:00 train; though this car pulls like one!

We would like to thank “Jeff” for the opportunity. If you are in the market for a car that reflects that great muscle car era with even better performance, remarkably good handling characteristics and brakes that work…not requiring the State of Main to stop the car…put this car on your list.

O.C.C.E

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When we started writing this blog, we suggested that when we wrote stories about cars that we have the good fortune to drive, we would write only about cars that we have driven on the track. We will stay true to that, but, rather than writing about BMW’s Porsches, or Lamborghinis, we are going to describe what we experienced with a car that many can afford, but, one that impressed the absolute hell out of us.

Last weekend, as an instructor, we attended a Driving Concepts High Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain Raceway in Nevada. The raceway/country club is a story all on its own. It is bloody fantastic and one of the most technically challenging race tracks anywhere; loved it!

We were fortunate to have been paired up with a great student and his car; the car that impressed. By the way…so did the student, the best we have had the pleasure to pass this addiction onto in some time. Welcome to mainlining Sam!

Enter the Subaru STI. Sam’s (yup- he’s the student) Subaru is not stock, but, not much that we drive is. Modifications to the car consist of some great Recaro ASM Limited RS-G Seats (a little tough for this writer to get his fat arse in to) they are wonderfully supportive and remarkably comfortable, and host of other modifications…oh hell, here is Sam’s list:

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This coming weekend Palm Springs will host The Desert Classic Concours d’elegance. Last years inagural event was an absolute sensation!!!!! The press and media were absolutley wowed by the qaulity of entrants and the fantastic venue. The event is held at the O’Donnell golf course, the oldest in Palm Springs and the setting is simply stunning.

This years entry list is even more impressive than last- if that is possible. There are also a few suprises that are to be unvailed for the first time at THIS event!!!!

Make time this coming weekend to attend, it will be well worth the drive, entry cost is only $25.00 at the gate and we promise that you and yours will enjoy a remarkable show.  

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 A few months ago my good friend David Mecey (a very, very competent driver and one hell of a photographer) invited me and some far more gifted drivers to California Motor Speedway. The goal was to instruct and coach Lamborghini owners on how to better drive and understand the performance potential of their cars; in the appropriate place. I have to admit (though not wanting to say anything at the time) that the cars were- well just ok actually; perhaps numb is the better word choice. I just could not see myself walking into my garage and being enthusiastic about driving the car. It didn’t do much for me.

That was then………

Yesterday, David and I spent the day at Willow Springs Raceway with a couple of great guys (let’s call them Bob and Bob) who brought along a Ferrari 360 coupe and a brand spanking new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560. Yes, we were nice to the car….heck it was new.

The New LP560 is light years different than any other Gallardo I had previously had the opportunity to drive in anger and I do mean- light years! The new car delivers 560 horse power (hence the name) is capable of 0-60 times in a scant 3.7 seconds and can reach 124 mph in just 11.8 seconds. The new engine is equipped with direct injection, making the performance difference from its predecessor instantly noticeable. Not only is the engine more powerful, but, according to Lamborghini; fuel consumption and C02 output have been reduced by an astonishing 18%. We drove the car all day and did not have to refuel until leaving the track for the drive home.

This car is extraordinarily capable, verbiage I do not use lightly. Lamborghini has revised the all wheel drive system and improved the suspension design for the new LP and the effects were felt instantly. The car felt far more sure-footed, driver feedback is much- much better and steering feel has been improved significantly. The car is simply far more communicative than what I had experienced in the past- the new LP has truly become a world class automobile.

The brakes… they do stop the car very well indeed, but, they are very difficult to modulate smoothly. There is a great deal of initial brake pedal travel and then…whuump…..you have thrown out the anchor; making it difficult, though not impossible, to be ultra smooth with the brakes and not upset the balance of the car. Porsche seems to be the only manufacturer who gets brake pedal feel and modulation perfect; must be some kind of well protected secret. More initial brake pedal feel and a little less initial pedal travel and the brakes on the LP would be just about perfect. There was never any brake fade and even though we were pretty nice to the car, braking from well north of 100 mph was uneventful- in a very, very good way.

Whereas the previous car felt rather numb and uninspiring, the new LP is a completely different “bull”. It is a car that would now be a pleasure to both own and drive.

I have always enjoyed driving the Ferrari 360, great car, and though the opportunity has not yet presented itself to drive the 430 this new Gallardo was impressive to say the least.
It was an interesting side-by side comparison, but, the Ferrari (as good as it was and still is) is perhaps just a bit dated when compared to the new LP560. We are going to have to find a 430 owner who actually wants to drive their car to make a fair comparison; any takers?

O.C.C.E

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For those of us who have been around for a while, we here in Southern California, used to have a world class race track not too far away from Orange County. Riverside International Raceway was just that; World Class. The names of drivers who raced at Riverside is a virtual who’s -who in racing. Name a few you say? Gurney, Andretti, Jones, Donohue, Revson, Hulme, Mclaren, Follmer, Brabham, Unser, Patrick, Posey, Petty, Allison, Stewart, Stuck, Haywood, Gregg, Hobbs, Redman, Ginther, Shelby, St. James, our good friend Tony a2z- the list could take up pages alone. There is also an extraordinarily long list of great cars that were raced at Riverside as well, including the amazing Porsche 917 turbocharged Can-Am car driven by a certain Mr. Donohue who basically ran away and hid from the rest of the field ….and all by turn 2! We were there, still very young, but there!

Though Riverside went the way of “progress” some years ago and was unfortunately gone by the time we started driving competitively - we had been there many, many times; watching our hero’s and as a crew member for Tommy Kendall and Max Jones in 1985 when he and Max shared a championship season in the IMSA Firehawk series.

Though the raceway is gone, there is a gentleman who simply refuses to let it die. Doug Magnon is preserving the history of the great raceway and has done so by sharing its sensational history with all of us at the Riverside International Automotive Museum. This is a must see venue for automotive and racing enthusiasts and just a short jog out the 91 freeway from Orange County. Inside the museum, is a wonderful collection of memorabilia and a terrific grouping of automobiles; including some fantastic Gurney Eagles, one of which, is the very car that our good friend Tony Adamowicz drove to his 1969 Formula 5000 championship and in which he is now competing again; some forty years later.

This gets even better! On March 27th through March 29th, the museum will be holding a Charity Film Festival and Gala Event. A vast number of auto racing legends which had raced at Riverside Raceway will be in attendance. The list is so long that it is just easier to direct you to the web-site. If you share the same passion as we do for motorsport, this is a must do event! The opportunity to rub elbows with the truly great hero’s of auto racing, is a once in a life-time experience that simply can not be missed! Tickets are available on-line.

Please order you tickets NOW as they are limited. See you there!

O.C.C.E

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Santa does not really have a Sleigh does he ???

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We meet some wonderful people in life, but, on very rare occasion we are given the opportunity to meet and become friends with truly unique and gifted people.
People, for me anyhow, who I wish I were more like. People who we admire for their intellect, their sense of humor, their wit and their numerous talents.

These people are indeed a rare commodity. They are the few- and through the years we always remember them for the better- never the worse. They will always go the extra mile and for no particular reason; they just do. They always find a way to make you smile, their greeting is always sincere and you just like knowing that you know them…it feels good! You can’t help but like being around them. They are rare indeed and when they are gone they are missed ever-so-much.

Steve Walsh, one of these people and we will miss you ever -so- much.

I am pretty damned certain that the old man up stairs has the coolest racetrack anywhere…do a quick one for us lad!

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There was a time that American automobile manufacturers built some of the finest cars in the world. Duesenberg, Lincoln Cadillac, Pierce Arrow, Packard - to name a few, engineered and manufactured some of the best cars the world had ever seen.  “Made in America” meant something; particularly when it came to manufacturing automobiles. Engineering, design, pride, craftsmanship- what happened to these key components?  

American car manufacturers quit building cars, good cars, quite some time ago; though the opportunity to do so has always been available to them.

For what-ever reason or rational, American car companies have been hell-bent on engineering and manufacturing second rate, disposable vehicles and relaying on the American public to keep them in business. “BUY AMERICAN” was the motto; a motto that the American public embraced for years.

There was a point in time however, that the American public had- had enough. They wanted more for their hard earned dollar, they wanted reliability; they wanted value, “Buy American” lost out to value and quality.

It is not as if the “Big Three” could not see this coming. But, rather than looking ahead, planning strategies and engineering competitive products; a conscious decision was made - not to. Let us repeat that - A CONCIOUS DECISION. Who has been making these decisions? We will look into that a bit later.

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To many of us “car guys”, motorcycles may have been our first mode of transportation-they were to us anyhow.

With rising fuel costs and traffic conditions getting worse by the day, motorcycles can be a terrific alternative; particularly in a mild climate like ours here in Southern California.

So, it is no wonder that we again pondered ownership of another BMW two wheeler….it is right about now that we should concern ourselves with having our goodies smashed by our significant others; wielding a rather large wooden mallet….

But hey, It can’t hurt to just look- or can it?

The Cycle World international Motorcycle show is just around the corner. It will be taking over Long Beach December 5th through the 7th at the Long Beach Convention Center. Fuel efficient motorcycles and scooters may be the hot trend this year and for many more years to come. This mind bending show will feature hundreds of the latest bikes and choppers and will also feature stunt shows, demo rides and more….

No-where honey….just goin’ to Starbucks to meet the guys for a few hot ones….won’t be late..last time we used similar words, we rode home on an $18,000 oil filter…

Special Thanks to Shelbi Okumura for the “heads-up”

O.C.C.E

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