Rene Dreyfus, great Pre WWII Grand Prix champion and world-class restaurateur, famously entitled his autobiography My Two Lives. The late Don Ricardo could have just as appropriately employed this same title for his most interesting life story. Although his background includes activities from semipro basketball to tool and die making, the Two Lives he is most known for are big band leader, and … [Read more...]
About Matt Stone
Happy Anniversary, Honey! 1958 Mercedes-Benz 180D
Stewart Reed is an American transportation designer of some note. He’s designed several significant cars, including one for dune buggy pioneer Bruce Meyers plus a Bugatti for noted art deco and French Curves mega collector Peter Mullin. He still maintains a personal design consultancy for special projects, but his main gig now is Chairman of the Transportation Design program at Art Center (College of … [Read more...]
What’s in a Name?
Car names have always fascinated me. Brands yes, but particularly model names. There have been countless quirky ones over time, and many that have stood the test of time. Did you know one of the names under consideration for what became the Edsel was “Utopian Turtletop?” Whatever that is. Shelby’s Cobra was and remains perfect for that iconic roadster. So many of the Italian car names have … [Read more...]
Drowning in the Red See
William H. Swanson is a serious and committed driving enthusiast and car collector, with something more than 40 superb top-end exotics and classics in his real and metaphoric car barn. And only his Ford Model A and Super-Duty pickup are painted anything but red. The now-retired former CEO and Chairman of global technology giant Raytheon is a busy man, fettling, maintaining, and fortunately driving his … [Read more...]
Bond Cars Are Forever
Like so many of us, I saw Goldfinger for the first time in a big-screen theater back in the early 60s; I distinctly remember jumping out of my seat when James Bond pressed that little red button, mounted on the gear shift lever of his Aston Martin DB5, simultaneously popping the passenger side roof panel off the car and sending one of Goldfinger’s henchmen flying through the now open roof panel, clean out of the … [Read more...]
Bologna Italy’s Coolest Little Garage
Everybody starts somewhere. For Maserati, that beginning was epicentered at Via Pepoli 1 in Bologna, Italy, in December of 1914. Via Pepoli is a cobblestoned street that winds its way through the oldest sections of Bologna. The buildings are a typical mix of storefronts, apartments, commercial and industrial uses, with the odd gallery, museum, or trattoria thrown in among the rest of it. In other words: … [Read more...]
Preservation, Barnfind, or Parts Car?
I very much enjoy a true “preservation” car that’s deeply original and wears the honest patina of use, love, care, and enjoyment. Yet I’m equally disappointed at a concours, auction, or other events when I see a vehicle presented in the preservation class, category, or definition; when in reality it’s a barely running, smoking, glued together pile of dust and rust that looks like it just surfaced from the Black … [Read more...]
Inside the Judges Room at Pebble Beach
Like you -- I imagine --I am really jonesing to get off of couch arrest and get back to the automotive shows, events, and races that we’ve all missed for about a year. For me, attending the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance every August is much like the proverbial swallows returning to Capistrano (as the saying goes) every year for mating and migration. As I write this, plans are proceeding apace for the whole … [Read more...]
Riding with Mario
No matter how good a driver you are or think you are, I’ve learned that you really discover how marginal a driver you might be when you ride with or get schooled by someone really good. Or superlative. Or legendarily world-class – like Mario Andretti. I’ve been in the right seat with a lot of great drivers, four-time Trans-Am champ Tommy Kendall (very sharp guy, and really understands the physics of … [Read more...]
When NASCAR Challenged at Le Mans
Having American cars race at world stage endurance races isn’t novel or unique. Before the all-conquering Ford GTs, American cars at Le Mans included Cadillacs, a mixture of Corvettes and Mustangs, the odd Camaro, and Panoz. 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the unfortunate loss of 'The Intimidator,' Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who himself was a competent road racer. We take a moment to recall that back in 1976, a … [Read more...]
Time Changes All – R.I.P. De Tomaso Modena
The car I identify the most with would have to be my 1972 DeTomaso Pantera. I loved that car, and it is immensely missed. Although selling it at the time made a lot of sense, on reflection, it was probably a mistake as I can’t afford to repurchase it or one similar to it now. But it pleases me that these prized vehicles have advanced in terms of enthusiast and market respect, value, and desirability. My … [Read more...]
Bring Back the Real Trans-Am
Some of the best sports car racing ever to come out of America The Trans-Am series has come and gone numerous times, yet it was never better than it was during the heyday of the SCCA’s original incarnation, which most classify as 1966-72 or so. I’ve often asked myself what makes that era so magical, but it just – is; the cars were great fun, the driver names and talent big, and the racing action … [Read more...]
Steve McQueen’s Le Mans: A Golden Birthday for a Golden Film
Can it be? Steve McQueen’s motorsport magnum opus movie turns 50 this year. The film Le Mans was released in theaters on June 23, 1971. Certainly a heyday on the world stage of motorsport, most particularly big game sports car and endurance racing. This is the actual 1970 Porsche 911S that Steve McQueen, as Porsche driver Michael Delaney, drove in Le Mans' opening scenes; it was also … [Read more...]