President`s Message - Pebble Beach Sports Car Club

VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
The Gasline
2011 Club Officers
President’s Message
President: Warren Pierce
Vice-President: Perry Cross
Secretary: Sandi Miller
Treasurer: Larry Miller
Treasurer Emerita: Esther Carlyle
Board Members
Vic Carder
Jim Eckhart
Dennis Farber
Bruce Gordon
Monica Nathan
Kathy Pierce
“This is a wonderful example of
our members stepping forward
to plan an event that all the
club enjoys. If the club is to
r e m a i n f u n f o r a l l, m o r e
members need to be willing to
do the same. If we just enjoy
other people's work and don't
help plan events, eventually,
there will be less great weekend
tours."
This quote is from the leader of
another car club that some of
us belong to. It is in reference
to an event plann e d by a
member of said club. No planning
meeting was held, no discussion,
just an individual planning an
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event, taking care of the details,
an d sen ding o ut the invite
info r mat io n. Do e s the la st
sentence of the quote strike a
note in anyone? The pictures
from the event were striking in
the fact that not one SUV, mini
van, or street car was shown;
everyone drove their sports car.
I know, I know, not everyone has
a sports car but a lot of you do
yet nobody drives them to club
events. We are quickly turning
into the Pebble Beach eat and
drink club instead of the Pebble
Beach Sports Car Club.
Cathy Rippey
Robert Smith
Mike Veitengruber
web site:
pebblebeachsportscarclub.com
nominations. All spots are open for
nomination, President, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer, and Four (4) board
members.
Welcome to New Members:
Bill and Mary Hiland. They have MGs
and Bill owns On the Road Again, a
Don’t forget the October meeting British Automotive shop in Morgan Hill.
is officer and board member
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
JULY BBQ AT MUIA’S
Thanks to Carl and Charlotte Muia for hosting
our July event at their beautiful home. The food
was wonderful; the wine fantastic and the
company was great. More than 30 people
attended and had a great time. Members were
given a tour of Carl’s “chop shop”.
Thanks to Maja Willett for the pictures
of the BBQ. To see more pictures of
this event go to Events page on the
website and click on July Event.
AUGUST PRE-REUNION BBQ AT RIPPEY’S
Pebble Beach Sports Car Club’s annual BBQ was held on August 13, 2011 at Cathy and Michael
Rippey's house. Thank you to Perry and Christine for graciously being guests at the BBQ and not
Hosts. The Rippey's enjoyed putting it on this year. The weather was sunny and beautiful. Hot
Dogs, Hamburgers, Chicken Kabobs and a big Thank you to Perry and Christine for the wild boar!!
Potato salad, chili, beans....hors d' oeuvres and lots of delicious desserts. Don’t forget the chocolate
cake and birthday cake for Andrew Willett -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY1 The turn out was good, 25-30
club members and guests. All who attended the BBQ had a great time! Thank you to all you Race
Car fans who attended the BBQ after a long day at the races. The Rippey Family would like to
thank you all for a great day!!!
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VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
2011 MONTEREY
CAR WEEK
BY TONY PROCK
Another successful historic
week has passe d on the
Monterey Peninsula.
Jaguar
was the featured marque at
Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway
a n d M e rce d e s, S t ut z a n d
Ferrari were celebrate d at
Pebble Beach.
The six auto
shows mostly benefit various
local non-profit organizations
and the Concours d’Lemons has
now moved to Seaside.
The
Pre-Reunion seemed to be a bit
disorganized again, trying to
figure out whether to charge an
entry fee to the track or just
the paddock. Activity at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Raceway was
continuous from August 12
through 21.
A number of PBSCC members
volunteere d in the vario us
venues and showed or raced
their cars. Warren Pierce and
L a r r y M i l le r w e r e a g a i n
mechanics at large, helping
where needed at the track, and
their wives, Kathy and Sandi
worked registration.
Monica
Nathan was the nurse in Carmel
and at the track.
Tuesday brought back the full
five blocks of the Car mel
Concours on the Avenue. About
200 classic cars, trucks and
motorcycles from 1940 through
1973 with Ferraris and Porsches
u p thro ug h 1986 an d far
o ut n u m b e r i n g a l l ot h e r
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JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
marques. Many gorgeous cars
were on display on Ocean
A v e n u e a n d s i d e st r e et s
inclu ding a Ford Tractor, a
McLaren racecar and an original
AC Bristol, the one that Carroll
Shelby put a V8 into and called
it a Cobra.
A 1952 C-Type
J a g u a r, o n e o f o n l y 5 3
constructe d garnere d much
attentio n.
Seven of o ur
members were at hand to help
stage the cars that morning.
Wednesday had the Little Car
Show in Pacific Grove, filling up
two full blocks of downtown
Lighthouse Avenue. Limited to
1601cc in engine size, cars
ranged from a 1930 Austin
Seven to a number of 2012 Fiat
500s.
Cars from the US,
Germany, France, Italy, Great
B r ita i n a n d J a p a n w e r e
represented. One of the more
unique vehicles was a 1954
Citroen AZU 2CV truck whose
owner, Larry Steffen, came
equipped with a model of the
Eiffel Tower. Fiat was the best
represented with about a dozen
vehicles of various ages and
configurations.
The US was
represented by a number of
Cro sleys an d an Am e r ican
Austin. Our President, Warren,
showed Kathy’s MGTD and Bill
Kirkwo o d bro ught his Elva
racecar, which created a lot of
interest.
Other unusual cars
i n c lu d e d a t h re e - w h e e le r
Morgan, early Japanese Honda
and Suzuki mini cars, a DKW, a
three-wheeler Reliant and two
I s atta s, a s w e l l a s a
Messerschmidt whose six-foot
plus tattooed driver appeared
taller than the car was long.
Thursday started with the tour
of the Pebble Beach Concours
cars, which went on a 60-mile
tour over the back roads of
M o nte rey, thro ug h Car m el
Valley and down to Big Sur and
back. The cars then assembled
on Ocean Avenue in Carmel for
lu nch befo re retu r n in g to
Pebble Beach. You could see
the pride in the owners’ faces
as they piloted these gorgeous
vintage autos with passengers
filling all available seats. I was
most impresse d seeing the
oldest car, a 1893 Benz, coming
back from Big Sur, having
already traveled most of its
route, while a number of tow
trucks still headed south to
rescue newer vehicles.
Thursday was also the start of
the many auctions, which set
new sales records, leaving one
to question if there really was
a recession. Between the five
auctions, thirty-two cars sold
for over $1M, with a 1957
Ferrari Testa Rossa at the
Gooding Auction setting a new
world record by selling for
$16.4 M inclu din g a $1 .5 M
Buyer’s Premium. Sheryl Crow’s
Mercedes 190SL fetched $143K,
complete with an autographed
Gibson guitar, benefiting Joplin,
MO, Schools Recovery Fund. At
t h e R M a u c t i o n , a 1 93 7
M e r c e d e s 5 4 0 K R o a d ste r
topped the block at $9.680M.
While all auctions had a little
bit of everything, the various
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
auctions did seem to specialize
in types of vehicles, or style,
i.e. if you were looking for a
muscle car, the best auctions
were Meco m an d Russo &
Steele.
At the raceway, the drivers and
crew enjoyed a British themed
barbeque with English Ales
Brewery of Marina setting up a
beer tent. Although British pub
grub has a dubious reputation,
the Ban g e r s & Ma sh an d
Sheppard’s Pie served did not
rise to that level. However, the
Spotted Dick was spot on.
PBSCC’s Larry and Sandi Miller,
Perr y an d Christine Cross,
Warren Pierce, Louise Iredell,
Kathy Rippey, Myrna England
and Tony Prock set up the
three outboard drink stations.
After icing all the beer and
having served for about 30
minutes, we were told to hide
the beer, including Newcastle
B ro w n, b e ca u s e s o m e o n e
decided that English Ales was
to be the only place serving
beer. So, we served a lot of
soft drinks and water.
Ole
A n d e r s o n a n d D o n Te v i n i
stopped by our booth.
Friday had more events than
one could attend. Starting with
the Concorso Italiano at the
Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, which
celebrated everything Italian,
wine, women, style and cars –
but not necessarily in that
order.
In Carmel Valley, a
select 3,000 ticket holders
atte n d e d T h e Q u a i l, A
Motorsport Gathering, which
includes wine, gourmet food
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JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
and ancillary activities, including
the Bo nham & Butte rfield
auction.
At $400 per ticket,
and mingling with celebrities,
e v e r y o n e co u l d f e e l li ke
glitterati. Also in Carmel Valley
at the Rancho Canada Country
Club, the BMW club hosted The
Leg en ds of the Autobahn,
featuring some of the top BMW,
Mercedes and Porsche cars.
Friday was also the start of
practice and qualifying races at
the track and the start of more
of the five scheduled auctions.
The Retro Auto Pavilion opened
today in Pebble Beach and went
through to Sunday, featuring
rare co lle ct i b le s a n d
memorabilia.
T h e a n n u a l Pac i fi c G r o v e
Concours Auto Rally was again
held on Lighthouse Avenue.
O v e r 2 0 0 car s li n e d t h e
downtown bu siness district
stat i n g at 1 : 0 0 p. m . –
everything from American and
English antiques to classic and
the newest in sports roadsters,
coupes and sedans. As usual,
Corvettes again outnumbered
all other marques. Perry and
Christine Cross brought their
Cor vette, Lar r y an d San di
Miller their Bugzuki, and Bill
Gee and Tony Prock came in a
TR3B and a TR4A. Steve Fields
brought his two boat tail Alfa
Spiders.
While Ferraris this
week were numerous
everywhere on the Peninsula,
the PG Auto Rally had some
cars rarely seen on the street.
Among antiques, there were a
1913 Oldsmobile Phaeton, a 1922
Willis Roadster and two early
Rolls Royce roadsters.
More
modern sports cars included
five Porsche Spiders, a 1963
(split window) Corvette Coupe, a
Fo r d G T 4 0, a n d a Pa n o z
Esperante.
Many of us also
recognized the few Detroit
products from the ‘50s and
‘60s. At 6 p.m., the cars left on
a to u r aro u n d t he o ce a n
thro ugh Pebble Beach an d
Carmel, returning to Pacific
Grove for a tri-tip and chicken
barbeque and awards.
Saturday was the start of 17
scheduled weekend races at the
Rolex Motorsport Reunion.
The Mecom auction was in full
swing during the day on the
Del Monte Golf Course behind
t h e H yatt H ote l a n d t h e
Gooding Auction started that
night in Pebble Beach.
The
Concours D’Lemons moved to
Seaside this year across from
city hall. This is the antidote
for other shows, featuring many
past unloved cars – Vegas,
Pintos, Gremlins, etc. There was
a MGB with a spare engine
strapped in the passenger seat
space, a camouflage painted
stretch limo with faux leopard
skin seat covers, once owned by
Roseanne Barr, with a license
p late “A R M A G D N ” , a n d a
Porsche 924 $500 racer with a
wooden whale-tail, illuminated
by flamingo lights. If you were
not tired yet, you could go to
the Barnyard at 4 P.M. at the
mouth of Carmel Valley for the
annual gathering of Ferraris,
Maseratis and Lambos.
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Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca featured the Rolex
Motorsport Reunion races on Friday through
Sunday. Friday saw a number of practice and
qualifying heats with the full races on Saturday
and Sunday. Jaguar set up a very nice heritage
display with the 1950 XK120 that Phil Hill drove
to victory at the old Del Monte Forest course
and a number of other Jaguars driven by Phil
Hill. Yes, believe it or not, the Jaguar E-Type is
now 50 years old.
Our club was well represented on both race
weekends: drivers at the Pre-Reunion were Jim
Weissenborn - MGA Byers, Jimmy Domingos Formula Jr, and Ole Anderson's Byers Volvo with
Paul Perry driving. For the Reunion races we
added drivers Jason Len – XKE, Scott Brown MGA and Ed Lamantia – MGA
The winner at the 2011 Concours d’Elegance at
Pebble Beach was a 1934 Voisin C-25 (French.)
The 18th Fairway at the lodge featured 225
collector cars an d M otorcycle s fro m 14
countries. Club member, Kevin Larkin was showing
his beautiful Doretti (see below). For the 50year anniversary of Ferrari 250 GTO, 21 of 36
cars ever built were on show. Concept cars were
again displayed at the Lodge’s putting green and
Mercedes, Ferrari and a number of other
marques demonstrated historical vehicles and
their latest models.
As usual, a number of
celebrities mingled among the crowds, with much
“arm candy” wearing four-inch stiletto heels
aerating the fairway.
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JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
CARMEL CONCOURS ON THE AVENUE
On Tuesday, August 16th, the Carmel Concours was held once more in beautiful downtown
Carmel. A bigger crowd than ever helped to make this top-notch event a great success. Many thanks to honorary PBSCC members Doug and Genie Freedman for their inspiration
and hard work in presenting this event to the appreciative public. PBSCC members working
hard that day: Dennis Farber, Bill Kirkwood, Rick and Sandi Verbanec, Tony Prock, Monica
Nathan, John Hanson, Sandi Miller, Tom Gano, Bruce Gordon, Warren and Kathy Pierce. PBSCC cars on display: Bill Kirkwood's Elva racer represented by his son Alex (a new PBSCC
member) who showcased the racer in a concise and informative interview with Concours
emcees; Eddy Bennett entered 2 Jags - an XKE and a 120, with the XKE taking a class
award. PBSCC in the crowd: Marily Post, Anna Davi, Jim Balesteri, Steve and Wendy Fields,
the Willetts, Robert Smith, Pam Kirkwood, Kathy Hayworth and daughter, Caroline and her friend
Joe, and Mike Veitengruber.
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VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
LITTLE CAR SHOW IN PACIFIC GROVE
Awards going to the following PBSCC members: Kathy and Warren Pierce,
MGTD; Bill Kirkwood, Elva racer; Jim Nero and Michael Adamson for their deux
chevaux
CONCORSO ITALIANO
Taking honors at the Concorso Italiano, Pete
Vasquez with his rare Stagilini. Awards given
to this unique car: 1st in its class - then, most
impressive: Best in Show!! Congratulations to
Pete for this prestigious honor!
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For more pictures go to the PBSCC
website and click under the event.
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
PACIFIC
GROVE
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
CONCOURS AUTO RALLY
Club members attending this event were Perry and Christine Cross, Sandi and Larry
Miller, Bill Gee, Tony Prock, George Jaksha, Steve Fields, and Peter and Andrea Tweedt.
PREREUNION AND REUNION SIGHTINGS:
PreReunion and Reunion sightings: racers: Scott Brown, Jim Weissenborn, Ed Lamantia, Jason Len, Ole Anderson,
and Jimmy Domingos; working: Dennis Farber, Bill Kirkwood, Mike and Kathy Hayworth, Lynda Ponsi, Sandi Miller,
Kathy Pierce, Mike and Warren Pierce with Pierce Manifold truck, Larry Miller, Monica Nathan, Frank and Tina
D'Aquanno; having fun: Don Tevini, Jacque Booth, David and Mary Pozzi, Perry and Christine Cross, Phyllis
Anderson, Dea Anderson-Rouiller Karol Andrews, Gary Anderson, Gary Horstkorta, Tracy Drummond, Tami Farber,
Don, Andrew and Allison Willett, Jay Leno, Del Meyer; race pictures:
Dennis Gray and Pam Shatraw, editor Victory Lane magazine.
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VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
PBSCC HAS ITS PLACE AT BAJA CANTINA
Kathy Pierce’s PBSCC
poster has found a home
at Baja Cantina. Stop by
and check it out.
Thanks to Maja Willett for the pictures
of Baja Cantina and Carol Andrews for
the picture of the poster!
For more pictures of any event
go to the PBSCC website and
click under the event.
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VOLUME 59, ISSUE 3 !
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, 2011
Calendar
October, 2011
Once again PBSCC members volunteered to work the
Cherry’s Poker Run check-point. Members working were:
Perry Cross, Sandi and Larry Miller, Kathy and Warren
Pierce, Jim Eckhart, Del Meyer, Bill Gee, Vic Carder.
Robert Smith, Monica Nathan and Dean Craig, and Avril
Nero stopped by to say hello.
Many beautiful cars
passed by our checkpoint including club members Anna
Davi and Jim Balesteri, Emmett Linder, Carl Muia and
Cathy and Michael Rippey. This year the Club provided 28
dozen cookies! Other members volunteered at the car
show in Pacific Grove: George Jaksha, Tony Prock and Del
Meyer. Below: Mike Rippey’s 1930 Model A that won a
merchants award. Frank D’Aquanno’s Camero also won a
merchants award.
10 - Membership Meeting and
Nomination of 2012 Club Officers and
Board Members
16 - Autumn Classic Morgan Hill, All
British Car Event
22 - Tour of Blackhawk Museum
31 - Board Meeting
November, 2011
6 - Tentative tour of MBARI
14 -Membership Meeting and Election
of 2012 Club Officers and Board
Members
19 - Toys for Tots, Wine and Hors
d’oeuvres
December, 2011
10 - Holiday Luncheon and
announcement of 2012 Club Officers
and Board Members
Contributors
Kathy Pierce
Sandi Miller
Maja Willet
Karol Andrews
Tony Prock
Cathy Rippey
If we’ve missed anyone at
an event, we are truly sorry.
Please let us know and we will
acknowledge you in the next
Gasline.
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