Seen But Not Photographed: Ferrari 3000 GT

I saw a new Ferrari that looks like an old Mitsubishi 3000 GT, which had been designed to look like a Ferrari.  Why is Ferrari still in the car business?  They run a theme park.  They used to lead in style, but did they ever lead in anything other than winning races?   Now, Ferrari is just a logo and some cans of red paint.

2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, Extended Coverage

This was not only the best parody, but the only parody.

Events Surrounding the Concours d'Elegance, Pebble Beach 2013

What an event, complete with the gratuitous use of French!  There were lots of great antiques, hot rods, and many other cars whose owners thought they belonged.  Here's an incoherent series of notes on what happened, because we neither have the time, nor the budget to do any better.

He said, "We're broadcasting live," while taping several takes.  Maybe NBC was doing some of it live.  In any case he did a good job of entertaining the crowd between takes.  "Back to you, Doug!"


Language Usage:  One big difference between British and American English is what gets Anglicized and what doesn't. Every event is filled with ads for future events. The ads in Monterey are for events all over the world.  I saw one for a, "Concourse of Elegance."   Had the term been fully Anglicized, it would have been an, "Elegance Concourse."  Lowering the register for Americans, it could have been an, "Elegance Contest."  Anglicizing various expressions makes their silliness more readily apparent.  Would anyone buy watches because of Cartier's musts?

Best Refreshments:  Hyundai/Kia.  They had two displays, one for each car company.  The company covered both kinds of weather that could happen at the show.  Hyundai was prepared for the North Coast, with hot chocolate, which is perfect on a cool foggy day.  Kia was ready for summer, with a lemonade stand.  Last year was Kia weather.  This year, it was Hyundai.  Covering both bases was a masterstroke.

Biggest Surprise:  A free ride from the Chrysler shuttle.  All 8 of us piled into a luxury minivan.  Attention to detail abounds.  There was a leather interior, an analog clock and seats that collapsed and came back up without landing on the passengers' feet.  Watch out if they get a reputation for reliability.

Biggest disappointment:  The Concours d'LeMons parody is still worth seeing, but the stench of corporate sponsorship is already there.  A 1977 Trabant made the show and ruined it.  It was great to see it, but it had a for sale sign with a long whine about California regulations. He couldn't be selling it because it was unreliable when new and ostalgie in Northern California is in short supply.

Bentley:  There was an old racing Bentley driving around.  It looked like a giant '32 Ford highboy, but with a big, high framed radiator.  On new Bentleys, you can see that updating old ideas doesn't always work.

Rolls-Royce looks as bad as Bentley.

Upstarts from Coventry:  How does Jaguar get away with selling heritage?  The SS90 showed up in 1935, long after the Brass Era.  I have heard Jaguar owners say that they prefer something with a pedigree, unlike a Lexus made by Toyota, an older company which also produced its first cars in 1935.  As such, Nissan was founded in 1934, with a history of car production going back to 1914.  Chevrolet, Buick, Ford, Cadillac, FIAT and even Mack Trucks have much longer pedigrees than Jaguar.

Most Fun:  The FIAT 500 Abarth. Lots of them were buzzing around.  Everyone wanted one.

Lamborghini:  A tragic origami accident.

Absent:  All of GM besides Cadillac, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mazda.

Free Advice from the Other Half:  Ferrari should build something simple that looks like what they made in the 1960's and sell it in the $70,000 range. 

Food for the Crusher

Car shows are for arty people who either don't like conventional art or the art world.  While few say anything good about the art world, the judgement of art itself is subjective.  In any case, museums and other arbiters of such things have, on occasion, put vehicles within their hallowed walls.  The idea of cars being valid as art got me thinking along different lines.

Are exotics and classics valid as cars?  Ferraris and the like often get full restorations after 30,000 miles.  How bad does a car have to be to need that?  I suppose the prancing horse emblem is appropriate.  They're like Thoroughbreds, useless, expensive animals pampered and nursed to no end that occasionally enter races between injuries. The owners of exotics are a flashy, stressed bunch.  With forced joy, they drive around and talk to each other in loud voices.  The drama in the back of their minds is on their faces as they wait for the next spectacular breakdown and accompanying bill.  Even for high rollers, it's a bit much.

The events around Monterey have gone from being a gathering of local hobbyists to a forum for retentives. Perfectionism runs wild.  Bolts that no one can see are lined up perfectly.  Some people even color sand.  If you color sand you're in one of three categories:  A. You're working in the business.  B.  You own a Deusenberg.  You might take it to someone in the "A" category.  C. You need a life.

Classic cars are often large weights that sit on plexiglass disks and generate income for auto transporters.  They just go from their heated garages to car shows and back.  A classic on the road is exciting. A bunch of them lined up can be too much of a good thing.  Too many of the same ones is a used car lot.  Like exotics, classics can be treated to frame-up restorations every ten years.

To answer the above question, exotics and classics are valid as cars.  The DMV has spoken. Such things rival boats in generating hard work and loss of resources.  Most people work to bring money in, but that's otro cantar.