Author: mustangi

Monterey Car Week

by Duane Carling

“Car Week” is certainly aptly named. From Monday, August 14th, to Sunday the 20th there are more car auctions, vintage races, receptions and art shows than one person could possibly attend. Gorgeous cars, gorgeous people, aircraft, boats, food, drink, you name it and it’s at Monterey. You just have to pick which ones you like the best, and mourn the passing of the rest.

On Sunday the 20th I was reading Dan Neil, one of my favorite writers, who writes Rumble Seat in the Weekend Edition of the WSJ. His piece was about Ferrari celebrating their 70th year by showing another 200 MPH super car at Monterey, and all the pride, heritage, provenance and racing bonafides that goes with that. Dan’s premise was “There are some things more important than money.” While I agree with that generally, in the car world that’s a pretty radical concept.

Hold onto that idea.

Tuesday the 15th we showed the GT 350 on the Streets of Carmel Concourse by invitation.

Clint Eastwood was mayor there for a time, so showing an unmuffled, fire breathing dragon with the politically INCORRECT heritage of Carroll Shelby may possibly not land us in jail. Some of the nice policeman even came by and asked us to start ‘er up. Umm….OK.

Wednesday we took our car to a reception at the McCall’s Jet Center.

Want to upgrade your personal jet, or pick up some other new toy? McCall’s Motorworks Revival Event is billed as “one of the most exclusive lifestyle events of its kind in the country.” Some people “of a certain age” remember the 1965 Mustang, on which the GT 350 is based, and are anxious to share their memories with you.

Yes, thanks; but no, I just work here. Fun time, nice people. We’ve been there the last couple of years.

Thursday was a wine reception in the rose garden at the Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley.

It was hosted by the Shelby organization. The big event was unveiling a 427 powered Daytona Coupe built by the Kirkhams out of Provo (as in Utah). The nose has been stretched about 6 inches to accommodate the big block.

Bob Bondurant and Allen Grant, big-time drivers from back in the day

Apparently such a Coupe was built by Shelby in 1964 or 5, but never raced. I thought I’d heard every Shelby story ever invented, but I must have missed that one. All of our friends were there.

Aaron Shelby (Carroll’s grandson) and family

Friday was Laguna Seca track day. Being Ferrari’s 70th birthday and all, they wanted most of the available track time. We were the poster child (literally) last year for our 50th anniversary, so “let’s just show the car and avoid the track wear” was the plan of the day.

Saturday we arrived early (6:30 A.M.) at the Concourso Italiano on the Black Horse Golf Course in the hills above Monterey.

Some really nice Ferraris, Lambos, Masers, etc. Some I’d never seen before, and they all drove in.

More hearing loss and brain damage… oh well. Our car was positioned by the reviewing stand so our ladies got to sit in the reviewing tent. Peter Brock was interviewed by a couple of TV stations standing in front of the car, and again on the stand at noon. Jim Marietta and Ted Sutton (The Original Venice Crew, along with Peter) were whisked back to Laguna Seca for a media event of some kind after lunch.

How we got to be an Honored Marque, after Ford/Shelby whipped Ferrari’s ass 4 years in a row at Le Mans in the 60’s, and then did it again for the 50th anniversary last year is a mystery. Maybe a clerical error. Nice time, good food, and great views over looking Monterey bay. The fog crept in on little cat’s feet at about 4 P.M.

By Sunday morning we were all anxious to leave, but Road & Track had a crew from New York that wanted to do a quick test drive and photo shoot in the hills above Monterey.

We finished about 3 P.M. Fortunately, I know the way across Nevada in the dark. Let ‘er rip ! We arrived home in Farmington Utah about 3 A.M.

Great times, good folks. If there are some things more important than money in the car business, as Dan Neil postulates, this may be one of them. But a few bucks does help, though.

Coming Up in August, 2017

The first car with the IRS system will be displayed at several Monterey, California, locations during Collector Car Week in mid-August. Several of the OVC team will accompany the cars to reminisce and talk about the Shelby.

August 15, 2017

Carmel by the Sea Concours

August 16, 2017

McCall’s Motorworks Revival

August 18, 2017

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca

August 19, 2017

Concorso Italiano

Ralph Arning Pictures

Hi Friends,

I found some pictures of Ralph Arning I thought some of you might be interested in.

Here’s Ralph with Peter Brock at the Willow Springs test:

Here he is again, with IRS at Willow:

Finally, here he is with yours truly, Jim Marietta, and Randy Richardson at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant where Mustangs are assembled.

Hope you’re all having a great Mother’s Day!

Thanks again for hanging around our blog.

Duane Carling

 

 

The latest from our friends at Autowerks.tv

Hello friends

I thought you might like to see what our partner in the OVC effort, Andy Unger, is up to. Andy has helped us a lot. This episode of AutoWerkz will be of interest to my car friends.  Please take a look at what he’s doing.

Thanks

Duane Carling

 

INTERNET RADIO AUTOMOTIVE SHOW, DRIVERS TALK RADIO,

PARTNERS WITH AUTOWERKZ MEDIA LIMITED TO PROVIDE PREMIUM AUTOMOTIVE CONTENT

 

LAS VEGAS – (May 9, 2017) – Drivers Talk Radio, an online radio show hosted by automotive expert and championship race car driver, Rick Titus, has partnered with AutoWerkz Media Limited, an online global television network that focuses on automotive, motorcycle and motorsports programming. The collaboration enables Titus and Drivers Talk Radio to provide premium content for the network’s television channels and online network, allowing members of AutoWerkz the access to relevant, premium content they may not have otherwise seen.

 

“AutoWerkzTV is the premier channel in the automotive world and we’re thrilled to be aligned with the network,” said Titus. “We share values of providing premium content that inspires and educates, connecting viewers globally through a passion for all things automotive.”

 

AutoWerkz Media Limited consists of two channels, AutoWerkzTV and AutoWerkzTV Racing, available exclusively at autowerkz.tv, an online proprietary broadcast technology platform that allows viewers 24/7, commercial-free television programming on any device.

 

AutoWerkzTV offers a wide variety of automotive, motorcycle and motorsports programming, from the rock bouncers of the “Southern Rock Racing Series” to the finest Italian mobile works of art from the “Concorso Italiano” and the “Concours in the Hills.”

 

With the most recognizable names in the industry, episodes include Dennis Gage’s “My Classic Car” and Stacey David’s “GearZ.” In addition, Nathan Adlen presents new car and destination reviews in “About An Hour.” In depth interviews can be found on “Legends of Racing” featuring Peter Brock, Bob Bondurant and Arie Lyuendyk (among others).
AutoWerkzTV broadcasts both original programming, as well as content created by partner curators, like “Drivers Talk Radio.

 

“At AutoWerksTV, we’ve partnered with trusted experts, friends and colleagues in the automotive industry who boast tremendous integrity and experience and Rick Titus is a prime example,” said Andy Ungar at AutoWerkz Media Limited. “With his history and vast automotive knowledge, Rick and the Drivers Talk Radio team provide content that is aspirational, inspirational and educational, making them an invaluable member of our global community.”

Drivers Talk Radio reviews the newest vehicles in the automotive marketplace, discusses the most controversial automotive topics and conducts live interviews with the industry’s movers and shakers. For more information and a calendar of upcoming shows, please visit driverstalkradio.com. Find Drivers Talk Radio and Rick Titus on Facebook , Twitter, LinkedIn  and YouTube.

For more information on AutoWerkz TV, visit autowerkz.tv and Facebook.

 

About Drivers Talk Radio/Rick Titus

Hosted by automotive expert, Rick Titus, Drivers Talk Radio is a broad-reaching program that discusses the automotive industry in an informative and entertaining fashion. The show includes interviews with the industry’s top movers and shakers, discussions of the most controversial automotive topics, current reviews of vehicles and products and consumer tips. In its 13th year of production, Drivers Talk Radio has won 20 prestigious International Automotive Media Conference (IAMC) awards and has reviewed more than 400 vehicles.

 

# # #

 

Contact:  

Quillin Advertising, Public Relations & Social Media

Melanie Devries

D: 702-506-0828

mdevries@quillinlv.com

 

Ford Helps Your Baby Sleep

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably been frustrated trying to get the baby to sleep, only to to take her out for a ride. Once in the car, she falls asleep.

This video shows how Ford is trying to help ease that frustration.

Gettin’ Our Kicks On Route 66: Summer 2016 Tour

Thanks to all our blog fans out there.  We’re up to 76,637 views as I write this.  That’s up from 72,349  20 days ago.

The news for today is the Original Venice Crew will be building another GT 350  this summer.  We’ve been invited to Monterey in August, and the Henry Ford in Dearborn would like us to stop by whenever we can get there.  Some other invites are in the wings, so now all we have to do is build it…!

A recap of last summer’s tour

The great folks at Galpin Ford in Van Nuys set us up with a new F-150 crew cab LIMITED (very hard to find) to tow the car and the enclosed trailer.  A new Expedition with every option served to haul the crew and gear.

Our first stop after leaving L.A. on Route 66 was Winslow Arizona, where we stood on a corner for the Eagle’s iconic tune.  Fun.

Next, we dropped in on Jack Hoare.  Jack was Shelby’s engine builder for all the competition cars.  In all the races they NEVER LOST AN ENGINE. We were there about 1 hour and in that time Jack drank a water glass of whiskey and smoked a small cigar. Not very healthy, but at 84, who’s going to argue?

When we got to Tulsa (isn’t that a country song?) we were special guests for the Shelby and Ford Nationals where we WON their vintage race in our first time out.

Shelby’s chief tester Vince La Violette  was our driver, and he loved the handling of the independent rear suspension (I.R.S.) car.  A great way to debut Klaus Arning’s computer designed suspension, after it was lost for over 50 years.

Our next stop on the Back to the Beginnings Tour (A.K.A. Jim & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) was the Shelby American Annual Convention, S.A.A.C 41, at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course near Columbus OH.  Great to see a lot of old friends and some great cars.

Heading north on Hwy. 44, past Indy to the Flat Rock MI plant where Mustangs are assembled, and the hospitality of Ralph Arning, Klaus’ son.  Great group.

L-R  Duane , Ralph Arning, Jim Marietta, Randy Richardson

 

 

Since The Henry Ford is nearby, we stopped there to show the car, and to stay at the historic Dearborn Inn.

Now for the long blast home across this great wide country.  The Fords didn’t miss a beat. One day on the return leg Jim & I towed 1,000 miles in about 12 hours (don’t do the math) and we still felt great.  We decided we’d just stop in to see our friends at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park.  What a great time.  Bill Rhinehart and crew dropped everything to make us feel welcome.  Even made a movie about our visit.

We finally turned in the vehicles at Galpin Ford, after leaving the race car at a shop near San Francisco for some minor repairs.  Vince really pushed it to the limit to keep those rascally Bow Ties and Hemis in his rear view mirrors.

Well, it’s now time to build another one.  Hope to see you at a race or show this summer.  Watch this space for tour dates.

Thanks,

Duane Carling

 

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Shelby Story

One day, Charles Fox, author of “Shelby’s Folly and the Riverside-to-Riverside Madcap Midnight Mambo”  was driving the car seen below.
In 1967 some genius at Goodyear thought there was a market for a whitewall (!) tire that could be driven safely on the street at 200 MPH.  Shel was Goodyear’s west coast race tire distributor, so they asked him if he’d build a one off test vehicle, and offered to pay him to do it.
Shelby was building the 1967 Mustang based GT 350 with the 289 small block, and the GT 500 with the 428 big block at the time.  The 427 race engine used in NASCAR and the LeMans winning GT 40 was available and bolted in.  With a little love it could make close to 500 HP.  Ol’ Shel hisself drove the car at Goodyear’s test track in Texas and it got close to 200 MPH.  Shel got to keep the car, and loaned it to the writer knowing he’d “test” it and write about it.
I once owned a supercharged 1967 GT350 that would clear 140 MPH.  One early morning I drove from Battle Mountain, Nevada, slowing for the town of Carlin, to Elko in 45 mins.   That’s 100 miles, a lot of it on 2 lanes. There were no speed limits outside of towns (wouldn’t wanna break no laws) and premium fuel was 30 cents a gallon.