Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light…

Posted on December 16, 2013 by digitaldtour

As a by-product of the unusually cold, clear mornings that Southern California has been experiencing, mother nature has produced some amazing lighting, which in turn translates to the beautiful highlights and reflections draped across a variety of vehicles present at cars&coffee/Irvine.

The following photos represent yet another opportunity for me to study and record the unique automotive highlights, reflections and illuminated details, as represented by the photos below…

Rear deck lid with punched in louvers in classic “356 Outlaw” style.

An incredible interior produced in saddle colored leather (as seen above). The scent of the leather instantly reminded me of sitting in my grandfather’s 1950’s vintage Mercedes-Benz cabriolet as a little kid, surrounded by its aromatic, red leather interior.

Even the fuel tank located in the front trunk ( below) was finished to the same level of detail as the silver exterior. The finish on the fuel tank shone like a mirror, recreating the images of the sky and cloud cover floating overhead.

A brand new 2014 Porsche 991 coupe, resplendent in Riviera Blue. According to the owner (who arranged for european delivery of this special order Type 991), and upon receipt of his car in Stuttgart, was told by Porsche that this is the only 991 that has been painted Riviera Blue… how cool is that!

Highlights and cloud reflections…

A close-up view of the 2014 Porsche big red calipers and massive cross drilled rotors, wrapped by a 20 inch Carrera S wheel, complete in its painted (optional) Platinum Satin finish.

A view of the optional Aerokit Cup package rear wing, and selected (optional) “Porsche 911” rear badging.

Parked among the group along Porsche row were multiple examples of 1970s vintage 914 models. In this case, the front hood of a restored tangerine colored Porsche 914-6, bathed in reflections.

My next stop would be at the Featured lot, where on this morning I encountered the stunning Jaguar XK-150 roadster seen below, parked amidst a row of Corvettes, and reflecting on its surroundings.

A close up of the XK-150s hood ornament and front grill badging.

On the other side of the Featured lot were these two, brand new 2014 Porsche 991s courtesy of Walter’s Porsche from Riverside. The 911 Carrera 4S cabriolet as seen below, turned out to have been painted a very unique, and special order color. The color in question turned out to be Stone Gray, which was originally offered as a “special order color”, during the 1957 through 1959 Porsche 356 model years.

Another visible cue used for identifying a Type 991 Carrera 4S; the red, horizontal reflector strip, bridging the gap between the rear tail lights, and inset just below the rear deck lid.

Making a rare appearance at cars&coffee was this black (Nero Pastello) Ferrari 599 as seen below. One could not ask for a better color on a 599, for showcasing the incredible reflections wrapping themselves across the striking contours of the bodywork.

Even the side mirrors held surprises for anyone willing to stop and take the time to study the variety of details found across the Ferrari.

The Ferrari 599 stealth fighter at rest, basking in the morning’s light…

Returning to Porsche row, I came across another frequent visitor; this beautiful Irish Green 1968 Porsche 912, complete with reflections defining the contours of its front hood and fenders.

One of the late arrivals to the featured lot seen below. A black Ford GT 40 Mk II recreation, shining like a mirror, enhanced by the spectacular, form defining reflections.

And last but not least, a beautifully maintained, India Red Porsche 911 SC, complete with its German license plate below.

Come to think of it, I did see a large, jolly looking man in a red coat and white beard casually walking through the crowd that morning. Could this license plate be a clue to his identity?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all…

(All photos by the author)

Zagato’s, Spyder’s, Daytona’s, a Classic Alfa, one Porsche 911R Tribute and some 911 friends…

Posted on February 24, 2013 by digitaldtour

Saturday morning turned out to be one of those mornings destined for celebrating the classics. Scattered throughout the parking lot were a number of vintage, automotive treasures awaiting discovery by an unsuspecting visitor. In fact, we even had the first classic of the morning roll up and park right next to where we were standing, and stop just behind my friend Dave’s Porsche 930 turbo. The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 , also known as the Daytona coupe was produced from 1968 through 1973 in limited quantities (only 1284 Coupes were built). The Fly Yellow, Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona coupe (as seen below), equipped with pop up headlights, establishes its vintage as falling within the three-year period from 1971 thru 1973.

Ferrari introduced their pop up headlight detail on the 365 GTB/4 beginning with the 1971 model year, due to their previous design (headlights set behind a fixed glass lens, utilized from 1968 -1970) becoming illegal due to new safety regulations established within the United States for 1971.

A glimpse of 365 GTB/4’s 12 cylinder, 352 HP motor up front…

The Fly Yellow Ferrari and its opened hood reflected in Dave’s Porsche 930 turbo’s polished intercooler (above), and the parked 1984 930 turbo and Ferrari Daytona Coupe (below).

On this morning, Dave decided to shadow me as I explored and collected my weekly photos. Our first stop would be over at the featured lot, but on the way we came across one of the events hidden gems. And in this case, a truly rare find; a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 race car (below).

One of the very unique aspects of this car; its supercharged, dual DOHC straight 8 motor, displacing 2.6 liters. This supercharged configured motor powered this race car back in the day, while being campaigned under the Scuderia Ferrari banner (thus the Ferrari badging displayed on the sides of the cowl).

So after checking out the Alfa Romeo, we continued our trek towards the featured lot, where we encountered a pair of classics parked side by side. First up was the charcoal gray and red striped, 1955 Zagato Fiat 8V “double bubble” coupe.

The Zagato bodied, Fiat 8V (which in Italian translates to “Otto Vu”), was created as a two-liter, V8 powered sports car, for the sole purpose of competing against Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari,who already had two liter race cars. Fiat needed to produce 200 examples of the 8V model in order to qualify for homologation, but unfortunately were faced with insufficient demand for their 8V. As a result, Fiat offered up chassis for these cars to the coach builders of the day. Due to their participation in a joint venture, Zagato ended up purchasing a total of 32 chassis. And of those 32 examples, four were delivered from Fiat with partial bodywork already installed. These four cars received further modifications by Zagato, creating what came to be known as the aluminum “double bubble” roof, including further modifications to the vehicles windows to integrate all of the elements together.

Fiat officially ended production of their 8V model in 1954, having begun building 8V’s in 1952, culminating in a total of 114 vehicles being produced. However, it took an additional two years to complete production on all of the remaining vehicles. But it was during 1955 that the 8V really made its mark. As raced by Elio Zagato (the Coach Builders son), he and the 8V became the winners of the 1955 Italian two-liter championship, and continued their winning ways together through 1959. (The 1955 Zagato 8V, Double Bubble Coupe shown here is chassis # 084).

Parked immediately to the left of the Zagato, was the 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, painted in a brilliant blue, and complete with a hard tonneau cover (below)…

And yes, it’s the real deal; an honest, factory built Porsche 550 Spyder race car…

Heading back towards Porsche Row, I noticed an early white 911 with a single orange racing stripe and gathering a crowd, so off we went to check out the car.

As I walked around the car, I could hear the owner discussing some of the features found on his car. I learned that the car had been built using the 1967 Porsche 911R as a template, and that the owner actually fabricated the fiberglass front fenders, hood and rear decklid himself, maintaining the original visual aesthetic, as well as the lightweight performance theme of the original 911R.

The custom fabricated, 911R inspired, lightweight fiberglass rear deck lid with the underside left raw and unpainted, revealing the true nature of the substrate (above).

A glimpse of the high output, Weber carburetted boxer flat six residing out back, and according to the owner, a motor delivering approximately 300 HP; well in excess of the original 1991 cc, 210+HP produced by the original 911R back in 1967.

A collection of early 911’s on Porsche Row (above and below)…

A pair of Porsche 911S models reflecting on the morning…

Nick’s beautifully prepared silver European spec, 1970’s vintage 911S…

and its beautifully detailed and potent, 2.7 Carrera RS spec motor.

And parked over on the opposite side of the parking lot, was one of Porsches more recent classics; the 2011 911 GT3 RS in gray with red accents, graphics and wheels…

So regardless of your preferences for the Classics, rest assured that on any given Saturday morning, you too can come face to face with the rare and previously unseen examples of your favorite classic…

(All photos by the author)

Heart of the Sunrise, part 2…

Posted on February 1, 2013 by digitaldtour

For those of you brave enough to venture out into the pre-dawn, cold and crystal clear winter mornings to participate in the weekly event known as Cars&Coffee, your reward is twofold; not only are you assured of finding a great parking space, but you will be treated to an amazing light show, courtesy of the rising sun. And what better object to capture the heart of the sunrise, than the contours and sheet metal found on your favorite make of car.

Obviously for me, Porsches illuminated by nothing more than the dawning light were an experience and photographic opportunity that I could not pass up. And it didn’t hurt to have a pair of willing subjects…

Nothing like coming face to face with a real factory built, right hand drive, fully restored 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, backed by a 1991 Porsche 964 Turbo…

Moving over to Porsche row, I encountered a first time visitor to Cars&Coffee; a brand new, black 2013 Type 991 Porsche 911 Carrera, as seen below…

complete with discreet Martini graphics and black Ruf 5 spoke alloy wheels…

With the sun continuing to rise, I made my way over to the featured lot, which on this particular morning was home to one very rare, Ferrari 275 GTB/4…

According to my research, the Ferrari 275 GTB/4 was built from 1966-1968, with only 280 examples of the 275 GTB/4 (4 cam V 12 model) created.

Up front and positioned low within the chassis, resting beneath the front hood, was the Colombo, 4 cam 12 cylinder motor, complete with its six, dual choke Weber carburetors.

After shooting the Ferrari, it was time to explore, and look for my next photographic subject. Passing by Porsche row, I noticed that tucked in next to a silver 1957 Porsche 356 4 cam Carrera, was another German treasure, but not a Porsche. Instead, it was a pristine, beautifully restored blue 1965 Volkswagen Type 3 Notchback, as seen below.

In keeping with the Porsche theme, at least the Notchback rolled on a set of Porsche 5 spoke Fuchs alloy wheels; up front, on what appeared to be a set of the increasingly rare and hard to find, 4.5 X 15’s, and on the rear, a set of the wider 6 X 15’s.

Once again, Audi was well represented, with a bevy of R8’s scattered throughout the parking lot, each acting as a canvas, displaying some incredible early morning hood art…

As I completed another lap of the parking lot in search of additional photographic subjects, returning to my starting point on Porsche row, I came across two non-Porsches flanking the red Speedster as seen below. Parked to its right was a green Chevrolet Chevelle muscle car, and to the left, a Fly yellow Ferrari F430 Scuderia.

A quick once over of the Ferrari revealed an abundance of carbon fiber pieces as well as what appeared to be a custom exhaust system. (This assumption was confirmed when the owner returned, fired up the car and drove away; definitely not a stock sounding F430 exhaust).

Even the side mirrors had received the Carbon fiber treatment as seen below…

So should you feel motivated to get up early on a Saturday morning to attend Cars&Coffee, you too will be greeted by some spectacular cars and views similar to the one above. Let’s just hope for a dry, rain free weekend…

(All photos by the author)

A decidedly 1960’s themed morning…

Posted on October 4, 2012 by digitaldtour

Saturday morning saw Porsche row at Cars&Coffee filled shortly after 6 AM. By the time I pulled in at around 6 AM, there were only a half-dozen spaces remaining, scattered throughout the row. And as I was making my way over to the catering table for my weekly donut and OJ, those remaining space were reduced down to just two. By 6:15, the entire row had been filled, but not entirely by Porsches. The last two cars were a Mini Cooper and a sunbeam tiger, both friends of the owner of the Mini that was already parked when I arrived. While finishing my donut and talking with several friends, we noticed a red sports prototype pass behind Porsche row and come to a halt on the outside end of our row. From what I could see of the car under the early morning darkness, it looked to be a mid 60’s vintage Ferrari race car (perhaps a P3 / P4 model), so the next question was what is it, and is it the real deal?

The middle of Porsche row was occupied by several very cool, mid sixties vintage Porsches; one a pristine red,1966 911, and immediately to its left, a white, 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera race car, both frequent visitors to this event.

And surrounding these cars on both side were a mix of early 1970s vintage 911s , Porsche 356 and one spectacular 1970 914-6.

Hidden away towards the west end of the row was yet another surprise; a blue, 1950’s vintage Porsche 550 Spyder, one of several late arrivals to Porsche row…

Another of the late arrivals, but relegated to parking out on the last row of the lot, was another rare, 1960’s vintage Porsche; the green 356 Carrera 2 as seen below…

And rounding out the assemblage of late arrivals, was this always impressive and historically significant, blue 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS as seen below…

For those unfamiliar with this particular car, this is 904-002, a car not only designed by Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche, but the one that served as his personal car, with many unique design features found only on this car.

Now back to the mystery Ferrari; while still under the cover of darkness, I made my way towards where it had been parked.

Walking around the car, it sure looked like the Ferrari Prototype race cars I had seen in magazines from back in the 1960’s.

It had the Ferrari badging, gold Campagnolo wheels, and a weber carburetted Ferrari motor with racing exhaust feeding into dual mufflers, all visible through the rear window.

Purpose built interior with a gated shifter (above and below)

Another somewhat deceptive clue was the license plate; 67 330 P4. So the question still remained: was it really a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4? So off I went in search of an answer. After talking with several people knowledgeable about Ferrari’s, I learned the following: No, it was not an actual Ferrari 330 P4 race car, but a really cool re-creation, apparently using all Ferrari parts from a donor street car. An ideal alternative to owning a six figure, Ferrari race car, but one with the ability to be driven on the street. Kind of like the ultimate Ferrari project car…

Seeing just one of these 1960’s classics is a treat, be it Porsche or Ferrari, but leave it to Cars&Coffee to deliver automotive diversity in quantity each and every Saturday morning, and for me that is what keeps me returning each week.

(All photos by the author)

Porsches, Poodles with attitude, an Ultima Can Am and a 1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT…

Posted on September 2, 2012 by digitaldtour

Saturday morning, August the 25th dawned cool and clear as I set out from my house towards my final destination, Cars&Coffee / Irvine. These early morning conditions were a welcomed break from the heat wave conditions being experienced by Southern California. However, it was the low coastal cloud cover and light drizzle that I encountered as I neared Irvine. These conditions came as a surprise, and would wind up setting the tone for the rest of the mornings activities.

Regardless of these damp conditions, by 6:30 AM the parking lot at C&C was already filling up, with many of the participants eager to share their stories from the previous weeks Monterey Motorsports Reunion events.

Porsche row was once again well represented by a bevy of early 911s…

The morning’s dew cloaking Porsche row…

Parked amongst its Porsche siblings, was this 1973 911E in Gemini Blue (shown below), with only 52,000 miles showing on its odometer. This particular car turned out to be for sale, and represented by one of the local Orange County automotive brokers ; the firm autokennel. Even more surprising was the asking price -$99K. Its been amazing to see how much these early 911s are appreciating in value, in addition to the increasing difficulty in finding a clean example for sale…

As I’ve noted in previous posts, I began attending Cars&Coffee back in 2008, and have observed over time an increase in the number of participants bringing their pets (primarily dogs) to the show each week, thus my “poodles with attitude reference”. Unfortunately, not every pet is well-trained or behaved; the worst example I’ve seen was a dog that decided to relieve himself on a freshly polished custom chrome wheel, attached to a stunning hot rod. Unfortunately, the dogs owner appeared oblivious to the carnage that his dog had just rendered to the wheel finish, and the two of them simply walked away. The other down side with some of the untrained pets are the land mines they leave behind for the unwary pedestrian, both on the parking lot surface and planted medians that divide the parking lot rows. (This condition reminds me of navigating the sidewalks of Paris, France during the summer months, when they are visited by the owners and their pets out for their daily walk).

Another interesting observation I’ve made is recognizing distinct personalities exhibited by many of the dogs present each week. A classic example of this was the “Poodle with attitude” (as seen below)…

After walking through the event, the owner returned to his car, opened up the door for his dog to climb in. The dog jumped in, sat down on the front seat, leaned back and then proceeded to put its paw up on the owners arm just as they were leaving; quite the hilarious sight…

Parked right next to the “poodle with attitude” car, was my friend Matt’s Porsche; his incredible 2007 viper green GT3RS…

Another of the friends that I have made since attending Cars&Coffee is the owner of this British Racing Green Ultima Can Am, as seen below…

During a conversation that morning with my friend Eric, I happened to mention that the very first time I saw an Ultima Can Am was on the Cable TV Show “Supercars Exposed”, being driven by the host of the show, Tanner Foust. I told Eric that the car in the show sure looked allot like his car, to which he replied “it should, because that was my car featured on that episode”. Talk about a small world…

At this point of our conversation, several people approached Eric to ask about his car. Through Eric;s discussion, I learned more about the car, and that he had purchased this car in kit form, and proceeded to build it component by component from the ground up.

And because the car was classified as a” rolling chassis”, it did not come with a motor or transmission. So Eric had to source both; He had a friend build up the potent V8, which includes the unique Hilborn fuel injection system (seen above and below), and for a transmission, he ended up sourcing a transaxle from a Porsche 911.

Parked out on the very last row of the lot, was a Ferrari that I had seen drive into the event earlier that morning, but at the time did not have a clue as to its year or model designation. I had been looking for this particular Ferrari for the better part of the morning, and finally located it due to the large crowd of people gathered around it. Still not knowing the build date year or even the model designation, I decided to photograph the car in hope of finding some type of identification, or to overhear a conversation regarding details. One of the most striking visual features is its two-tone paint treatment; the basic body color in white, and on this particular car its painted, teal colored roof (as seen below)…

Regardless of this vehicles age, the chrome plated bumper, grill trim, driving lights and headlight bezels all appeared as if brand new…

Even the Borrani wire wheels appeared like fine Italian jewelry…

By the time I made my way around to the passenger side of the car, I began hearing conversations regarding some background details on this car. Several of the C&C regulars, obviously well versed in all things Ferrari, acknowledged that this particular car was in fact a 1955 250 Europa GT, and added that it had also been a participant in the 2011 Mille Miglia event (the participant decals were displayed on the windshield, placed low on the passenger side). Confirmation of these discussion was found within the interior, in the form of a commemorative placard from the 2011 Mille Miglia event, that was found resting on the passenger’s side, teal colored carpet (see below).

It was hard to believe that this car had in fact competed in the event, since it was in flawless, museum-like condition.

When I returned home later that morning, I decided to educate myself further regarding this particular Ferrari model, so imagine my surprise when I googled “1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT”, and up popped an image of this very car! A classic example of the automotive depth of treasures that reside right here in Southern California, and why each weeks Cars&Coffee event holds the promise of another new discovery…

(All photos by the author)

The devil’s in the details…

Posted on August 6, 2012 by digitaldtour

How many times have you looked at a particular make or model of car without ever stopping to take notice of the many smaller, unique features or design details that collectively combine to define each car, and create sufficient visual interest to grab your attention?

Saturday, July 28th was one of those mornings where I suddenly found myself drawn to a study of these lesser details, rather than obsessing about shooting each car as a whole.

The following photos represent that mornings shift in visual perspective…