A Potpourri of Porsche GT3…

Posted on December 22, 2012 by digitaldtour

With winter weather having blanketed Southern California over the past several weeks, washing out each weekends planned car shows, I figured this was as good a time as any to revisit my photographic archive, for inspiration and as potential imagery to use in my next blog post.

One of my favorite cars, and a fixture within many of my previous posts has been the Porsche GT3, along with its performance enhanced brethren, the GT3RS and GT3 RS4.0. However, due to the lack of recent cars shows to attend, now seemed like an ideal time to select some of my favorite GT3 images, as source material for use in my next blog post, showcasing this amazing car. And in regards to my ongoing interest in the Porsche GT3 RS4.0, I’m still pursuing my quest to photograph as many GT3 RS4.0 models as possible, in addition to recording each cars unique serial / build number. And even though my RS4.0 sightings have slowed, I’m still determined to try to capture as many of the 600 total that Porsche produced (my current tally stands at 10 cars). I was even fortunate enough during 2012 to have experienced some seat time behind the wheel of a friends 2007 GT3RS (thanks Matt), which was an eye-opening experience to say the least, especially when compared to my 1986 Carrera coupe.

The following GT3 images were shot at a variety of automotive events, and were all sourced from the digitaldtour archives…

And last but not least: Santa’s sleigh of choice for 2012, staged and awaiting Christmas Eve…

(All photos by the Author)

The ultimate Christmas stocking stuffer…

Posted on December 11, 2012 by digitaldtour

With only 15 shopping days left until Christmas, if you are still looking for that amazing gift for your Porsche fanatic family member or friend, here is the ultimate stocking stuffer. Give the gift that can be enjoyed the entire year, and check out one of the coolest, custom designed 2013 Porsche themed calendars, available from the website werkcrew.com, from its creator, designer/photographer Bob Tilton.

For anyone interested in Porsches, graphic design and photography, Bob’s calendars are beautiful and a monthly celebration of creativity, typography and composition, showcasing a unique collection of Porsche 911s. And who knows, you might even recognize some of the cars and the events where they were captured.

Happy Holidays and Happy shopping…

(2013 calendar imagery courtesy of Bob Tilton/werkcrew.com)

The 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show: Porsche returns to Petree Hall, and the World Debut of the redesigned Cayman…

Posted on December 6, 2012 by digitaldtour

With the opening of this years 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, and Porsches return once again to Petree Hall, I was once again faced with the anticipation of the design layout created for the exhibit space, as well as the content to be found within.

In the weeks leading up to the November 30 opening date, word was out that Porsche had selected the LA Auto Show as the venue for the World debut of their newly redesigned Cayman coupe. There were also speculation regarding whether Porsche would recognize the passing (earlier this year) of Ferdinand Alexander (Butzi) Porsche, and acknowledge his most identifiable automotive designs, in particular the 904 Carrera GTS and the original 911.

Approaching the entrance to Petree Hall, there was no question as to the design and theming for this years show. Visible through the entry row of glass double doors, was the first glimpse of things to come (see below).

A beautifully restored silver Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, with its photographic background, that appeared to have been taken from the start of the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans race…

Centrally located along the entry corridor, leading into the main exhibit area, were two examples of the recently redesigned Porsche Boxster; the lead car a base model Boxster, while the second was a Boxster S. Both cars were dressed in Platinum silver metallic (silver being the predominant vehicle color for the exhibit). The base model Boxster was even unlocked and available to try on for size…

This lead car also served duty as one of several photo opportunities for aspiring dreamers of all ages…

The new, wider width rear spoiler that integrates into the dimensional detail found on each rear tail light as seen on the Boxster S (below).

And positioned directly behind the Boxster S, sat the first example of the featured model for this years show; just one of the multiple, redesigned Porsche Cayman making their world debut…

And sharing center stage were a pair of Cayman coupes…

One dressed in Racing Yellow,

and the other in Agate Gray Metallic.

Panoramic view, with a trio of Pamamera centrally located, just to the left of the Cayman display (below)…

Located directly across the exhibit from the Cayman display, were a trio of Porsche type 991, 911 Carreras; the model shown below being the new 911 Carrera 4S, with two type 991, Platinum Silver Metallic Cabriolets just off to its right.

The backside of the new type 991, 911 Carrera 4S, complete with a retro design touch unique to both the Carrera 4 and the 4S models: the addition of a red horizontal reflector, bridging the void between the rear tail lights.

And situated over to the far left of the exhibit, were a trio of Porsches latest Cayenne SUV’s.

Leading the trio was the new Cayenne GTS; visually distinct due to its lowered stance and 20″ wheels. Immediately to its right, was an example of the new Cayenne Diesel, powered by a 3.0 liter, 24 valve turbo diesel V6. And off to its right an example of the new Cayenne hybrid.

Given all of the design activity and model updates that have occurred at Porsche this past year, along with their very cool styling study; the Panamera Sport Turismo (a plug-in hybrid wagon) debuted at the recent Paris motor show, not to mention the amazing Porsche 918 Spyder lurking in the shadows awaiting final production, 2013 promises to be an amazing year for Porsche. They even announced the return of a factory backed Works racing team, fielding two brand new type 991 GT3RSR’s. And who knows what Santa has up his sleeve this year for Christmas; perhaps you’ll wake up Christmas morning and find yourself staring at a crest similar to the one above, but one adorning the hood of your favorite Porsche…

Happy Holidays.

(All photos by the Author)

Rot,Weiss und Blau: Technicolor Porsches and the return of a unique blue GT3RS 4.0…

Posted on November 24, 2012 by digitaldtour

Once again, while the rest of the country continued to experience the effects of a stormy winter, Saturday morning (November 10) in the early pre dawn hours here in Southern California dawned clear, but as I walked out my back door and headed towards my garage, I was greeted with a chilly embrace. Winter temperatures had finally arrived. So protected from the morning chill by my trusty jacket, I fired up the Carrera, and headed south to Cars&Coffee.

By the time I arrived in Irvine, the temperatures seemed even cooler than when I left my house. Pulling into the parking lot, I quickly looked around to see if my friends (Gene, Ryan, Dave or Jeff) had arrived, since we usually park as a group. No sign of them, so I decided to park with the regulars over on Porsche row. And that’s when I saw it; the blue, Porsche 911 GT3RS 4.0 had returned. So with camera in hand, I was off to take another look at this truly unique car.

As noted in one of my previous posts (see link), this particular RS 4.0 was a special order car, not only for its Dark blue paint, but the graphics delete / elimination of the traditional RS 4.0 exterior stripes and Porsche text usually found on the rear wing.

One exception made to the graphics delete option, and located out back, was the retention of the RS 4.0 badging found on the rear deck lid, just below the rear wing.

However, since the cars last appearance, there has been a subtle graphic added to the rear valence, placed just to the right of the rear bumperette (as seen above and below). The significance of this graphic affixed to this car makes perfect sense, given the owners record of multiple class wins at Pikes Peak behind the wheel of various Porsche 911s.

Parked immediately to the left of the dark blue GT3RS 4.0’s, was this beautiful 1971 Porsche 911E, painted in another of the rare Porsche blues.

Depending upon the lighting that morning, this cars color shifted from the bright blue as seen above, to the darker, blue – gray value as seen below.

This Porsche also happened to be another car that has been absent from this event for some time, but is always rewarding to see in person. A 911E that has been beautifully restored, both inside and out.

And for anyone interested in restoring an early 911, this is a car that needs to be seen in person, to fully appreciate the level and attention to detail employed on this restoration, and the results that can be achieved when done correctly.

Parked towards the opposite end of Porsche row was another unique example, this one a beautiful red1996 993 turbo, wearing a set of RUF wheels, RUF lower front spoiler/valence, and running a sport exhaust system. I learned that this car was the latest acquisition made by Truspeed Motorsports, to be added to their current “for sale” inventory.

Parked across the aisle from Porsche row, was another very cool 911; in this case a Grand Prix white, ’07/’08 vintage GT3, that has been configured for club racing.

The track set up goodies for this GT3 also included a set of the very cool, 19″ GMG WC-GT Monoblock wheels in Charcoal gray (above and below).

Following on the mornings apparent rot, weiss und blau Porsche theme but with a twist, was this pair of Arena Red metallic Porsches, ; a 993 turbo on the left, and to its right, a 986 Boxster.

After making the rounds on Porsche row, I headed off to explore the rest of the parking lot. Just two rows over, and parked on the outside end of the row, I encountered this modified 2011 911 GT3RS, with GMG license plate.

After taking a quick visual inventory, it became apparent that the most obvious changes made over a stock GT3RS, were to the wheels and rear wing.

Given the overall width and profile of the carbon fiber rear wing, as well as the taller, red support struts, it appeared these parts had been sourced from the Porsche Motorsports / GT3 Cup Car parts bin (above and below).

A quick inspection of the wheels revealed what appeared to be a set of the GMG, WC- GT Monoblock centerlocks, color matched to the cars red graphics and accents…

As the mornings participants began to thin, this beautiful red, Porsche type 997 GT3 was revealed, parked all by itself…

And what Porsche fan in his right mind would not stop to check out a pristine red, Porsche GT3?

Porsche’s GT3 rear wing, specific to the 2007/2008 models (below). I’ve also heard this rear wing referred to as the “taco wing”, due to the folded contours and profile of the wing, and its resemblance to a taco shell…

These wings also came equipped with a black “Gurney strip”, located immediately behind the dual air intake scoops, to enhance and balance the aerodynamic downforce (as seen below).

It wasn’t until I arrived back home and began looking through my photos, that I suddenly realized the mornings theme obviously had to relate to the range of Technicolor Porsches that I had been fortunate enough to photograph that morning.

(All photos by the author)

“When everything is art, you’ve gotta take it in”…

Posted on November 12, 2012 by digitaldtour

On Saturday November 3, those of us here in Southern California experienced another weekend of extended summer like weather. As a result, those in attendance at Cars&Coffee were treated to a truly eclectic gathering of automobiles.

With such a diverse cross-section of vehicles represented, I really felt as if I were walking through an outdoor art gallery, experiencing row after row of 4 wheeled art and sculpture. And with each new row, the experience resembled that of entering a new and different wing within a museum, and discovering the treasures within. And that was exactly the type of experience that would unfold before me that morning.

My first stop of the morning, with illumination courtesy of the rising sun, was with these two examples of classic, post WWII automotive art; in this case a pair of 1930’s vintage, American bred hot rods…

The 5 window coupe’s motor (as seen below).

The pickup truck even displayed what appeared to be a flying eyeball hood ornament, perhaps influenced by the famous flying eyeball logo /graphic created by California pin striping legend Von Dutch (below)…

Over at the featured lot, I encountered this beautiful British Racing Green Jaguar, with its sculpted curves being accentuated by some amazing reflections, courtesy of the early morning light.

There was no mistaking the origins of this particular model due to its unique design, and the badge on the front hood only reinforced the fact that parked before me was one of the very rare,1957 Jaguar D-type XKSS roadsters.

With the sunrise and reflections both working their magic, the shapes and contours of the front hood and fenders were beautifully displayed, and further illustrated the sculptural impact to the styling of this car.

Even when viewed from behind, the subtle contours of the body along with the angular, almost pinched profile of the side windows were further revealed and accentuated by the early morning sunrise.

Seeing this car in person brought to mind a magazine article I remembered reading years ago about Steve McQueen, in which the author described his ownership of a 1957 Jaguar XKSS. The article had mentioned several specific modifications that McQueen had made to his car. The first was to repaint the car a proper British Racing Green. The second was to add a locking door to the glove box cubby in the dashboard ( the cars were delivered without glove box doors). McQueen turned to one of his friends (Pin striper Von Dutch) for the fabrication of a locking glove box door, to correct the oversight by Jaguar. The third modification made was to have the original interior kept stock, but to have the upholstery redone in black leather, by none other than the Southern California-based drag racer turned custom car upholsterer Tony Nancy. This particular car parked in front of me possessed all of the aforementioned details, so the question remained; could this car be the ex-Steve McQueen Jaguar XKSS?

(Postscript: After publishing this post, I received an email from the owner of the XKSS one week later, wanting to clarify the origins of his car. I learned that it is in fact an XKSS re-creation, and not an original model. The amazing fiberglass body was created by Realm Engineering, located in the U.K., and is mounted to a Reynard Racing chassis, specified with Jaguar running gear. Power is produced by a 4.2 liter Jaguar motor, pumping out 300 horsepower, and is transferred to the rear wheels via a Tremec 5 speed transmission. Seeing this car in person puts the automotive re-creation industry in a whole new light).

My next stop would be to Porsche row, for my weekly visit.

A trio of early Porsche 911s, with the outer two displaying the optional Lietz roof racks…

Caught in the middle; the white, 1972 911 RGruppe GT 2.7 coupe, complete with its unique, rear quarter window graphic.

The early 911 triplets as seen below (foreground to background)- 1969 911E, 1972 911 GT, and 1973 911E.

Located several rows over to the East, and down the aisle from the weekly Mercedes-Benz 190SL enclave, I discovered this trio of classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The first example (as seen below), in red and black, turned out to be a pre-war 1936 Mercedes-Benz 230 W-143 Cabriolet B; a spectacular and beautifully restored, touring car.

Sandwiched in-between the other two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, was this Ivory colored, 1930s vintage two-seat roadster with red interior, also appearing to have been restored.

Parked immediately to the right was what appeared to be a model 260D, W-138 series sedan, also sporting a two toned paint finish, in green with black fenders.

What made the 260 D model unique was that the D designation represented a diesel engined vehicle, and made this particular model the first diesel engined, series produced passenger car. And according to the Mercedes-Benz records, only 2000 of these vehicles were built between 1936 and 1940, at which time their production was stopped due to the war. All three of these cars literally looked like they had just rolled off of a Mercedes-Benz showroom floor.

As I continued my trek through the “gallery”, a white, early model Porsche 911 caught my eye, so I walked over to get a closer look ( see below). I had seen this car arrive earlier that morning, and remembered a comment made by a friend standing over on Porsche Row regarding its exhaust note. He stated that this particular car sounded exactly how a Porsche 911 engine should sound; Tight and clear with a smooth idle, and without any extraneous noise or valve clatter. And anyone who has been around or is familiar with Porsche 911s, will know the specific sound I’ve described.

I soon realized that there was something familiar about this car; I had seen it before, but could not remember where. It was then that the owner came over and introduced himself, as I was photographing the motor. I quickly learned that this car had been previously owned by one of the two founding members of the Porsche car club “RGruppe”, and after being shown an article written years ago in Excellence magazine about this very car and two other 911s, it hit me. That was where I has seen this car before, having read the same article, and obviously it had made an impression.

As a result of this cars previous ownership, this car was equipted with many of the cool, go fast Motorsports purposed, Porsche factory parts. This car would become a visual blueprint used by many a Porsche owner who aspired to building their own unique version of an RGruppe inspired, pre 1974 Porsche 911.

Up front, an example of the custom finished, Porsche factory, 911R inspired “Deep 6” Fuchs alloy wheel.

Race inspired, door mounted Talbot mirror…

Shown below is the performance inspired interior; from the 911R styled, light weight door panels and pulls, to the Recaro sports seats for the driver and passenger, a Prototipo racing steering wheel (complete with the proper patina), and the removal of the radio, with a filler panel added and the void covered over. Even the speedometer and tachometer have been rotated to the left, to allow for the monitoring of critical vehicle speed and engine RPM at a glance; each gauge had been set in order to peg its orange needle at the twelve o’clock position).

A 1969 Porsche 911S, 2.2 liter motor with mechanical fuel injection (as seen below)…

Even the rear deck lid was given the RGruppe treatment. The stock, factory dimensional rear badging was removed, and replaced by adhesive backed vinyl graphics, once again taking inspiration from the early Porsche 911 race cars…

My last stop of the morning was to check out this stunning Orange, 2007 Porsche GT3RS. With the crowds and cars having thinned, I was able to move around and photograph the GT3RS without interference.

The lighting by mid morning created some incredible highlights, reflections and shadows, and created the visual impression of an airbrushed rendering.

A study of light; Ground plane shadows, highlights to define shape and contour, and an ultra reflective carbon fiber rear wing…

Form follows function; the GT3RS rear wing. Purpose built for speed, generating downforce and capturing hidden reflections (see below)…

My last shot of the morning and one of my favorite from the November 3rd event. The sunlight really brought this color to life, and showcased the collective styling cues unique to the GT3RS, re-stating the obvious: There is no substitute.

So should you find yourself in need of some artistic inspiration on a Saturday morning, come take a stroll through the automotive galley known locally as Cars&Coffee. You won’t be disappointed…

(All photos by the author)

Like a deer in the headlights…

Posted on November 2, 2012 by digitaldtour

In sharp contrast to last weeks cool, gray and wet Saturday morning, this past Saturday morning dawned clear and crisp. And with the improvement in the weather came an abundance of amazing cars.

Driving through Porsche row I was greeted by a diverse collection of models already assembled and in place. As my headlights swept over the cars, I caught a flash of color, graphics and a collection of driving lights to my right. As I passed, I realized that parked side by side were a pair of Porsche 914-6; one a Tangerine colored street car, while the other in Signal Orange, was a purpose-built, Porsche Factory 914-6 GT race car, complete with hood and bumper mounted driving lights, Motorsports inspired graphics, and an ultra – trick motor. After parking and quickly consuming my breakfast, I grabbed my camera and headed to Porsche row to check out the pair of 914-6 I had seen earlier.

With the sun yet to reveal itself, and with one single pop of my camera flash, these car lit up like glowing embers in the darkness (as seen above).

Further down the row and illuminated by the early morning light, was this beautiful 1970 Lime green Porsche 911E complete with vintage roof rack…

One of my friends happened to walk by while I was looking at this Porsche, and asked if I had seen the white, right hand drive, Shelby 427 Cobra parked over in the Featured lot. I replied that I had not, so off I went in search of the mystery Cobra, especially since I had never seen one configured for right hand drive. As I approached, I could make out a Wimbledon white car gathering a crowd, and sure enough, here was the Cobra. As I moved closer, the owner and his son opened up the cars gloss black hood, to reveal an immaculate, big block Ford 427.

Obviously, with the car being configured for right hand drive, and based upon the graphic on the nose (LOV I), as well as the pair of amber-colored headlight lenses, my assumption was that this must be an English model. This seemed like a correct assumption, given that the nose graphic seen on this car is the English equivalent of a U.S. license plate. As I rounded the back of the car and approached the driver’s side, I noticed a magazine opened and resting on the rear fender. There on the pages, were photos of this very car (with the same LOV I ID), being driven in competition.

As my friend Dave and I stood looking at the car, we overheard a discussion regarding the car’s history, and learned that it had been successfully raced by the team of Bob Bondurant and David Piper in England back in 1966 at Brands Hatch, where the pair finished in first place.

As the morning progressed, the Cobra drew not only people but a trio of 1950’s and 1960’s vintage Porsches, as witnessed by the photos below.

To the Cobra’s left, a blue 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, and to its right, a blue 1957 Porsche 356A coupe, and just out of frame, a departing Red 1957 356A Speedster with a rare black, hard top option.

After leaving the Featured lot, I headed back to the main lot to look for new photographic subjects…

One of the hidden treasures relegated to the overflow lot, due to Saturday mornings overflow crowd, was this beautiful two toned, red & white 1958 corvette convertible…

Since the event was now bathed in full sunlight, I decided to return to Porsche row and take a second look at the pair of Porsche 914-6 that I had seen under darkness several hours earlier.

From all outward appearances, the black colored headlight bezel would lead one to believe that this race car could be a 1973 model, since Porsche installed white bezels on the 914 models from 1970 -1972. However, because this is actually a 1971 914-6 GT factory race car, maybe they used the black bezel for the sake of aesthetics (to match the black trim of the driving lights and front bumper)? For a brief back story on Porsche 914 headlights, please use this link, for details from one of my previous posts.

Looking back on the mornings encounters, I realized that an underlying theme to this post and to a majority of my photos had been car headlights. And all it took was this signal orange Porsche 914-6, and its abundance of illumination to set the stage…

(All photos by the author)

Celebrating 9/17/2012; the one year anniversary of digitaldtour.com

Posted on September 17, 2012 by digitaldtour

Today marks the one year anniversary of the debut of my blog, digitaldtour. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the positive feedback and support that I have received during my first year of writing, and sharing my photographic passion for Porsches and all things automotive through my blog. During this past year I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible people who I can now count as friends, and I really appreciate them taking the time to share their automotive stories with me.

I would also like to thank everyone who has subscribed to my blog or has simply taken a moment to read one of my posts or check out the accompanying photos. I hope you will continue to find my blog of interest and worthy of a return visit.

As I stated one year ago, the launch date of my blog was significant in that it shared a series of numbers commonly associated with the Porsche 917K, which has always been one of my favorite Porsche race cars, and is still synonymous with the classic Porsche race cars of the 1970s. So imagine my delight at the opportunity to come face to face with this beautiful, 1969 Porsche 917 K at Porsches Rennsport Reunion IV, as seen below…

So here’s looking forward to a second year of blogging, and the cool cars and stories just waiting to be discovered and shared…

(All photos by the author)

The 12th Annual Uptown Whittier Car Show: Cool Cars displayed under Heat Wave Conditions

Posted on August 24, 2012 by digitaldtour

This past weekend saw the return of the 12th Annual Uptown Whittier Car Show, held in the midst of the current heat wave that descended upon Southern California, and Saturday’s weather was no exception. By the shows start at 9 AM, the temperature was already racing towards 90 degrees ( 32 degrees Celsius).

My first encounter of the morning was the hot rod flamed, black 1956 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupe race car from a local shop; Whittier’s own VW Gold MIne, as seen below…

Parked just down the street from the Karmann Ghia, was this sole representative from Stuttgart; a white 1964 Porsche 356 SC coupe.

Further down the street was this beautiful 1930s vintage Chevrolet sedan; with a visible case of extreme negative front camber…

I did overhear the owner talking to a friend about the car’s airbag suspension, thus the extreme camber angle when the car is lowered.

Out back, the car even included a period correct, fold down luggage rack, positioned just above the rear fuel tank…

Further down the street was another classic; a Black, 1954 Cadillac Coupe De Ville (as seen below).

Hanging out with the other Cadillacs parked along Cadillac row…

Parked around the corner, and located at the far end of the street, was this white, fiberglass bodied twin turbocharged roadster (below)…

Race inspired, purpose-built interior (above and below)…

Turbocharger and polished exhaust pipe (above and below)…

Twin turbocharger symmetry (below)…

Parked directly across the street was this beautifully prepared, candy red 1932 Ford highboy roadster, complete with flames…

While shooting the car and studying some of its unique details, I met the owner who was nice enough to share some of the details behind the building of this hot rod. I learned that this car is actually a showcase for the owner’s business, which just happens to be a paint and body shop (Bravo’s Auto Body), specializing in custom paint, and that is located in nearby Pico Rivera.

Obviously, all of the body work, paint and flames were produced in-house by the owner himself, Manny Bravo. The body panels were as smooth and flat as glass, which was the perfect medium for catching reflections.

One of the hidden and easily overlooked details on this car is its quick change rear end; fortunately the owner mentioned this fact to me, so I crawled under the car to get this shot below.

While in the process of shooting the right side of the car (below), the owner asked if I had noticed anything odd about the paint and flames on this side of the car. As I looked closer, the owner suggested l take a look at the opposite side in direct sunlight. Once I walked over to the driver’s side, I immediately understood what he was talking about. Apparently, between the painting process and the materials used, he was able to apply both the red paint and the flames in a way that depending upon the lighting, the contrast between the background and the flames will shift. When the car is viewed in shadowed lighting, the red background reads as a dark value and the flames appear lighter in color. However under direct lighting conditions, the flames read as the dark value, whereas the red background reads as the lighter value. Definitely an interesting effect…

Further south down the street, was this root beer brown metallic, 1934 Ford 3 window coupe.

Parked over on the west side of the street was this bright orange, 1930s vintage Ford highboy roadster, built along the lines of a 1960’s AA/Fuel altered race car, complete with a big block, fuel injected motor, and included a period correct “Moon speed equipment” fuel tank secured just ahead of the front axle…

Overhead view of the Kinsler fuel injection venturi /”stacks”…

Located further down the street was this white 1955 Corvette coupe, represented by the owner as an original condition, unrestored vehicle…

Arranged out back in its trunk was a period Coca Cola display, which included a vintage Corvette advertisement…

Parked across the street and located south of the Corvette, was this lite blue Chevrolet Thriftmaster Deluxe with canvas side and rear shades.

Located just to the north of the lite blue Chevrolet Thriftmaster Deluxe, was this two toned Tri-5 Chevrolet Bel Air / Nomad wagon…

Parked over on the east side of the street was this pristine, 1955 Chevrolet Panel in sea foam green and white, and in better than new condition…

Reflection in the side of the black 1963 Lincoln Continental parked to the left of the drivers side…

And parked just several cars north of the 1955 Chevrolet panel, was this beautiful 1963 Buick Riviera. Looking at this car brought back fond memories of my dads black on black 1964 Riviera…

The last car I photographed from the show was this amazing copper-colored, 1950 Ford coupe; lowered suspension and complete with a chopped top, shaved door handles, frenched headlights and smoothed bumpers front and rear. Obviously a lot of time was spent block sanding the entire body, as the finished paint simply glowed, displaying flawless, distortion-free reflections. By far one of the nicest customs in the show.

Ironically, these photos are just a small sampling of the many cars assembled for this years show. Given the huge spectator turnout, there seemed to be something for everyone, regardless of the high temperatures. Hopefully next years show will witness another collection of equally cool cars, but hopefully under much cooler conditions.

(All photos by the author)

Hot Rods, Hamburgers, Customs, Olympics and Coca Cola…

Posted on August 11, 2012 by digitaldtour

What better way to celebrate the end of the week, than with a car show on a Friday evening? Or for those of you like me ( my wife describes me as car obsessed), how about encountering a car show totally by accident? Well, that’s exactly what occurred last Friday evening, as my wife and I were driving home after going out to dinner.

As we were exiting the mall, I spotted a coned off section of the parking lot that appeared to be full of custom cars, classic Chevrolets and hot rods, all in close proximity to the Ruby’s diner (http://rubyscruise.com) located towards the west side of the mall. Since my wife had some shopping to do for her mom, she dropped me off so I could check out the cars, and would return when she was done. So off I headed into the middle of this unexpected, surprise (at least for me) car show. As I made my way through the aisles of the parking lot, checking out the diversity of cars in attendance, I realized that I recognized several of these cars from other cars shows. And just when I was wishing I had my camera with me, my wife drove up. By the time we arrived home, I had decided to grab my camera and head back to the car show before I lost the remaining daylight. Within 15 minutes, I was back at the mall, with camera in hand, ready to capture the cars gathered for the evenings event.

My first subject for the evening was this beautiful matte green, 1932 Ford 5 window coupe as seen below…

One of the most unusual and obvious features on this car is the engine; in this case, the owner chose to install a 401 cubic inch Buick “nailhead” motor as seen below.

After walking around the car multiple times, shooting it from a variety of angles and focusing on specific details, the owner approached and we struck up a conversation.

I asked if he had shown this car down at Cars& Coffee in Irvine, since this was one of the cars that I recognized. It turned out that I was correct; the owner had shown this car only once at Cars&Coffee, back in March…

His car looked just as good on this night as it had the first time I saw it. The build quality and detailing found throughout this car is spectacular…

Next up was this beautiful, plum-colored 1932 Ford sedan…

Mounted up front ahead of the grill, and secured onto the period correct California license plate, was this vintage Olympic Games of Los Angeles, circa 1932 badge (as seen above and below)…

And located out back, applied onto the rear body work, was this design accent celebrating the artistry of pin stripping…

Parked just up the row at the opposite end, was this black 1963 Lincoln Continental, as noted by its license plate.

The black paint on this car was flawless; every surface smooth as glass and acting like a mirror, reflecting all of its immediate surroundings.

Located just across the row, was this stunning example of a true American classic; a flamed, chop top Merc. And what was even more amazing was that this car appeared to have been driven to the event, and not brought in by trailer.

Every surface and detail on this car was flawless, and obviously a lot of time and effort had gone into the building of this custom show car.

But even cooler was seeing that the owner actually drives this car, and had brought it to the show to share with others; a true celebration and tribute to the Southern California car culture.

Parked several rows over behind the Merc, was this black on black, 1950s vintage Ford F-100 custom truck…

complete with a Ford Motorsport / SVO V8 engine tucked in between the front fenders…

and once again, another black paint job that shone like a mirror…

And parked over in front of the diner, amongst the other hod rods on display, was this raspberry colored coupe with polished aluminum velocity stacks rising skyward through its front hood…

Back over across the lot, and half way up the nearest row, was this black vintage Pontiac coupe with red interior…

complete with rear trunk badging as seen below…

Below are several of the classic Chevrolet sedans that were present; the first being this beautifully presented, pale green 1950 4 door Deluxe, parked next to the black Pontiac…

followed up by this spotless, late 1940s vintage blue 4 door, with period appropriate chrome front grill and accessories…

Another of the cars parked out in front of Ruby’s was one of the many 1960’s muscle cars in attendance; in this case a black, 1969 Camaro Z-28, showing off its spectacular paint finish…

As evidenced by the reflection above, parked immediately to the right of the Z-28, was this bright red hot rod; a 1932 Ford highboy roadster complete with flames…

And its ultra clean engine compartment.

Classic flames and stamped louvers…

complete down to the pinstriped accents…

As the sun set and the neon signs and architectural trim lit up, it was time for one last photo to capture the spirit of the event…

So should you find yourself in Whittier on a Friday night (from May through October) with some time to burn, just look for the Ruby’s Diner in the Whittwood Towne Center, and you will be rewarded with a local car show that weekly celebrates some of the nicest hot rods, classics and muscle cars from throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

(All photos by the author)

On a clear day you can see…Stuttgart

Posted on July 28, 2012 by digitaldtour

Sunday morning, July 15, 2012 started off slightly overcast, as the Porsche 356 Registry began staging cars for their yearly Concours event, once again held at the Lantern Bay Marriott, overlooking the harbor in Dana Point, California.

By 8 AM, the full range of 356 models gathered had been assembled and aligned in rows on the lawn. After the last 356 had been staged, the remaining Porsches queued up awaiting entry onto the grounds (911s, 912s, 914s, etc.), were allowed onto the lawn and staged just to the west of the 356 Concours display…

Around 9 AM, the judges were called and assembled for their last-minute instructions, at which time they donned their event – issued green polo shirts. Armed with clipboards, scoring sheets and stop watches in hand, they all headed off in teams towards the gleaming rows of Porsche 356s, patiently awaiting their turn to be judged.

The first row of the event had been reserved as a showcase for the days most rare and unique examples of the 356 model. Situated within this row were examples of 4 cam Carrera 2s, in both Coupe and Cabriolet form, a sole example of the ultra-rare 1952 Glockler Porsche, and several amazing examples of highly modified 356 models, commonly referred to as “outlaws”.

The rare #44, 1952 Glockler-Porsche special; #3 of only three “Glockler special” cars produced as seen below…

Amidst the unaltered 356 model Porsches, were several examples of highly modified Porsche 356s, referred to as “Outlaws”. The title is due in part to the level of modifications / alterations made, and the cars departure from a “100% Stock” configuration.

Now it was time to check out the remaining rows of 356s…

An example of the 1955 Porsche 356 “Continental”coupe as seen below. The Ford Motor Company apparently took exception to Porsches use of the “Continental” name, and as a result, Porsche stopped using the name on its 1956 models.

After making my way through the multiple rows of Porsche 356s, it was time to check out the “other Porsches” that had shown up in support of their 356 siblings…

By 1:30 PM, the judging had been completed, scores tallied, and the awards presentation began. One by one, as each of the class winners was announced, the winning car and owner would drive up to the front of the show area, where they were presented with their trophies.

The silver 1957 “outlaw” speedster shown below won first place in the “outlaw class”; an even more impressive result given that this event was the cars debut, and very first concours competition…

The class winners from the event on display below, each representing a specific class and model year.

And after observing this impressive gathering of Porsche vehicles, both vintage and newer models, it’s easy to see why Southern California is often referred to as Stuttgart West, as witnessed by the incredible diversity of Porsches found at this event.

(All photos by the author)

digitaldtour

A photographic journey through the Southern California car culture

Category Archives: car shows / special events

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On a clear day you can see…Stuttgart