“Thunderstorms hit Southern California”, yet fail to dampen the spirits of those attending the 2014 LA Airport Hilton Hotel Literature and Memorabilia show, and the Phoenix Club’s Porsche show and swap meet…

Posted on March 16, 2014 by digitaldtour

“Thunderstorms hit Southern California”, yet fail to dampen the spirits of those attending the 2014 LA Airport Hilton Hotel Literature and Memorabilia show, and the Phoenix Club’s Porsche show and swap meet.

Below is an example of the crowd present for this years LA Airport Hilton Hotel Literature and Memorabilia show. I was told by friends who had arrived early to be part of the paid “early entry” at 7AM, that they had never seen so many people show up for the early entry, and that the crowds at 9 AM were equally impressive.

One of several display tables with an assortment of driving lights, fog and tail lights.

Vintage Hella tail lights, application unknown. However, the Hella 128 fog lights (as noted by the price tag seen below) were optional on Porsche 911s dating back to 1966. It pains me to see the current asking price for a set of 128s, especially since I sold a pristine pair to a friend back in 1973 for $45.

Several rows over was another table full of favorites; car grill / badge bar commemorative plaques…

all very cool and expensive, with each possessing unique detail and color.

One of the nicest Porsche parts displays present (seen below), showcasing an unrivaled variety of Porsche 356 parts for sale, presented by the firm Stoddard NLA-LLC.

The following day (Sunday) traditionally hosts a larger, outdoor swap meet and car show down in Orange County, at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim. In all of my years of attendance, this was the first time rain would impact the event. The Porsche community however is a hearty lot, so a little rain was not about to affect their show…

An early 911 headlight (below), equipped with a European spec, amber French lens.

One highly visible, glow in the rain Porsche 930 turbo.

One rain drenched Porsche super car; the rare Type 959. Even at rest, the rain sheets right off…

One of the Porsche 356 representatives present, showing no apprehension regarding the morning rain.

Proof that water does bead up on highly waxed surfaces.

Representing the early long hood community, was this beautifully prepared Beige Gray 1968 Porsche 911.

Rear decklid and side stripes with a rally sport inspired graphic treatment; could these graphics be the handiwork of werkcrew founder Bob Tilton?

The equally impressive, rally / race inspired motor.

More proof that Southern California Porsche owners drive their cars in the rain…

and the rest of the car covered by the morning rain.

Several of the early morning arrivals, parked up close to the building and protected from the majority of the rain showers.

A pair of Porsche GTs staged out in the rain; a 1972 911 GT and the rally prepared,1970 914-6…

The real deal; a close up view of true 914-6 GT factory fender flares.

Proof of this vehicles pedigree; a record of its previous participant and survivor status in the Panama / Alaska Rally.

One of the early 911S models on display at this years show…

complete with a recent acquisition by the owner, proudly displayed on the dash.

This burgundy 911S was also one of the few Porsches at the show equipped with a roof mounted, Leitz brand luggage rack.

One of the local RGruppe members, displaying a variety of magnetic vinyl club event plaques on his front hood.

One rain-soaked rear decklid, wrapped in Martini racing graphics.

Below, further evidence of the morning drizzle…

on what initially appeared to be an early 1970s vintage Porsche 911. However, upon closer inspection it became obvious that this car was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Concealed beneath its skin lurked a 1986 3.2 liter, Porsche 911 Carrera having undergone a conversion known as “backdating”. That effort combined with the visually correct, optional front and rear bumper overriders, created a convincing 1970s appearing Porsche 911.

Suspicions confirmed… and itemized.

A convincing re-spray, in period correct Irish green.

One of the apparent casualties of the morning rain; a shrunken Porsche 550 Spyder, reduced in size and now able to fit into the bed of a single cab VW type 2, being displayed by the folks from fibersteel.

Even with rain impacting this years event, there was still a huge turnout, illustrating the impact that this event holds for the Southern California Porsche community. And based upon the variety of different foreign accents overheard during the weekend, it’s easy to see the wide reaching pull that this event has on Porsche fans from around the globe.

The next event coming up for the Southern California Porsche community will be the California Festival of Speed, at the Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, California from April 4-6. Let’s all hope for a warm sunny weekend…

(All photos by the author)

If Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…

Posted on June 29, 2013 by digitaldtour

If Imitation is in fact the sincerest form of flattery, Porsche would have been very pleased by one very unique car making its debut on Saturday morning, June 22.

By the time I arrived at my weekly car show, the vehicle in question was already parked along Porsche row, positioned next to another of the unique Porsches in attendance; its neighbor was the white with blood orange striped,1967 Porsche 911R tribute as shared previously on this blog. However, the car drawing the largest crowd was the silver roadster seen below…

I had received some inside information ahead of time, and knew the true identity and origins of this car. And thanks to a friend who had contributed to its build, I knew that this silver roadster had been built as a tribute to Porsches first car, the 1948 356-01.

This tribute / recreation was correct right down to its mid engined configured, healthy cc infused, 4 cylinder motor and transaxle as seen below…

Interior details, complete with its period correct Porsche “Banjo” style steering wheel…

This tribute / recreation even incorporated the correctly positioned cooling slots found on 356-01, located and aligned along the edges of the rear deck lid and engine cover.

The company responsible for this tribute / recreations debut that morning was Vintage Replicar, located in Vista, California, and the only firm that I know of producing a 356-01 recreation. Their website can be accessed using this link.

The fit and finish of this car, both inside and out was excellent, and anyone interested in driving a unique Porsche recreation, can be assured of owing a car that will stand out in a crowd for many years to come.

(Just for comparison, the following two photos were taken of Porsche 356-01, during my first visit to the Porsche factory back in July of 1977).

(All photos by the author)

A look inside O.C.T.O.’s Winter Swap and Display meet for 2013, or dreams of VW Type 2 Transporter ownership…

Posted on March 3, 2013 by digitaldtour

Like swallows returning to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano, Saturday, February 23 witnessed the return of the O.C.T.O. (Orange County Transporters Organization) Winter Meet, Swap and Display to Veteran’s Stadium in Long Beach California.

This year marks my second time attending this event, and I’m sure there were a lot of other people who like myself, came with aspirations of VW Type 2 ownership. And just like last years event, there was a parking lot filled with the prospect of amazing vehicles to suit just about any taste.

And there’s nothing quite like the sense of anticipation, as one approaches a parking lot filled with nothing but Type 2 Transporters as far as the eye can see..

Single cab and double cab row (below)…

A beautifully restored, Dove Blue single cab wearing DunnTech Motorsports graphics…

and its equally impressive engine compartment and detailed motor.

A pair of “his and hers” buses (below). His – a two-toned copper and white, 1964 deluxe, and Hers -a 1967, blue and white 21 split window…

Another two toned, safari windowed bus, representing the “Oil Drippers” car club.

Another of the current automotive trends is matte finish paint. Below are some of the Type 2’s in attendance wearing matte paint finishes, in both monochrome and two-toned schemes.

Parked amongst its normal proportioned peers, was this blue “Shorty” bus, a post 1955 vintage panel van; a very well executed modification, with one very short wheelbase…

Another beautifully restored, two toned Type 2 bus…

complete with safari front windows and side pop-outs (above & below).

Classic banjo styled steering wheel and custom upholstered interior.

And out back, an unexpected surprise: a custom turbocharged motor.

In stark contrast, and located several rows over, was this Dove Blue single cab with its OG finish, yet sporting a set of polished, Porsche Fuchs 5 spoke alloy wheels.

And no Type 2 show would be complete without at least one pre 1955 bus, in the classic two-toned color combination of Chestnut Brown over Sealing Wax Red.

An example of the rare, European fluted headlight lens (above & below)…

One of my personal favorites from the show was this amazing, 1958 Dove Blue single cab (as seen below).

Another example of the very cool European fluted headlight lens.

This particular single cab was fully equipped with safari front windows, a single driving light, wood slat roof rack and rear bed rack…

A beautifully restored interior, right down to its three spoke steering wheel…

And once again, another Type 2 wearing a set of polished Porsche Fuchs 5 spoke alloy wheels, but in this case running a wider wheel set up front, instead of the traditional (narrower) 4-1/2″ X 15″, 5 spoke wheels.

Period correct details, right down to the combined brake light / tail lights, and rear and side gates with the stamped panel reinforcement details…

Another of the beautifully restored, mid 1960’s vintage, two-toned buses, fitted with dual wooden slat roof racks and wrapped in a flawless, mirror like paint finish, perfect for reflecting its surroundings.

As the license plates notes (see below), this is another 1966 vintage, two toned bus (Velvet Green over Pearl White), fit with a pair of fully functioning Safari front windows and side pop outs. Equally impressive is knowing the amount of time needed to produce these type of visual results and flawless paint finishes as displayed.

The second of my favorite buses from the show was this spectacular 1966 model (as seen below), complete with front safari windows and its unique two toned paint. The owner when asked about the paint colors, shared with me that he had stayed brand loyal, and specified a 2004 VW color for the pale blue lower panels, and a 2009 VW color for the pale cream panels (nose, roof and dash).

Seeing this bus, and appreciating all of the hard work and efforts put into creating such stunning results, is what provides inspiration for those of us with dreams of Type 2 Transporter ownership.

This unique color palette even carried over into the interior, with the owner using a light tan upholstery, complemented by the light cream colored piping accents found on the seating.

Another perfect choice of wheels as seen below; Polished Porsche 5 spoke Fuchs alloys, mounted front and rear.

And for the finishing touch; a dash mounted hula girl, serenading and watching over the occupants…

On the way back to my car, I happened to pass by this pale gray colored single cab, and in the process, caught a glimpse of a silvery object resting in the rear bed.

As I approached, It quickly became apparent that the silver object in the rear bed was in fact a scaled down version of a Porsche 550 Spyder.

After talking with the owner, I learned that this single seat replica was in fact an electric-powered, and potentially a very cool ride for a small child.

And what an ironic way to wrap up my morning spent at the O.C.T.O. Winter meet; at the weekly car show that I usually attend, there is a high percentage of Porsches in attendance, with a handful of vintage VW’s present, and now here at an all VW Type 2 show, what should I encounter but a scaled down replica of a Porsche 550 Spyder. Go figure…

(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)

A cornucopia of cool cars that is Cars&Coffee / Irvine…

Posted on February 1, 2012 by digitaldtour

Webster’s dictionary defines cornucopia as “an inexhaustible store”: ABUNDANCE. This is a perfect description of what Cars & Coffee is each week; an inexhaustible store of very cool cars. From week to week, one never knows what make or model of car might appear.

And this past weekend was no exception. One gentleman even drove his Porsche 917; a recreation of the 1970, red and white Le Mans winning Porsche Salzburg 917 short-tail. The only noticeable absence was the 4.5 liter, flat 12 cylinder motor. However, in its place was a potent flat 6 Porsche power plant, based upon the growl of its exhaust note…

Representing two rival Italian manufacturers on Saturday morning were these stunning cars parked nose to tail; an aubergine colored Ferrari California, and a brand new black on black, Lamborghini Aventador…

The Lamborghini Aventador has to be one of the most visually stunning cars on the road today. In gloss black, and when combined with the contours, line and facets of the body, the Aventador could easily pass as a ground based stealth fighter, developed as a spin-off and befitting of military technology. The lighting further accentuated the multi faceted body panels, which made that car appear to have stripes…

And tucked in below the louvered rear glass window and beneath the diagonal chassis cross bracing is the Aventador’s V-12 motor, along with the rear suspensions exposed, transverse mounted shock absorbers with their bright yellow coil springs visible across the back…

And then out of nowhere, this vintage Ferrari roadster appeared, obviously undergoing a restoration, yet still being driven and enjoyed…

Representing the long hood Porsche 911’s was this beautifully prepared, early 1973 911E coupe…

The silver car seen below is a 1960 Beutler-Porsche; a very rare model according to the owner and his wife, and one of only five produced. As the license plate frame states: A 2+2 Porsche 356, complete with standard sized rear seats, instead of the smaller rear jump seats normally associated with a Porsche 356 coupe. After returning home and doing some research, I learned that the Beutlers were actually two brothers from Thun, Switzerland, with a common desire to create a 4 seater Porsche. So in 1958, they purchased a new 356B and began making modifications to the chassis, in order to lengthen its wheelbase, which would allow sufficient room for a full size rear seat. Once completed, the car was shown at the Geneva auto show in 1959. However, due to limited interest, their first attempt was considered unsuccessful, and the car became a one-off. However, they did try a second time, and with some simple restyling (specifically to the rear fenders), were successful in creating the Beutler-Porsche model as seen below.

And parked several rows over from the silver Beutler-Porsche was this pair of Grand Prix white, Porsche 997 GT3’s, with the model in the foreground configured for serious competition…

Representing the English manufacturers this week were a pair of British racing green, Jaguar 4.2 liter E-Types; one roadster and one coupe.

The hood with badging and emblem seen below, all belong to a beautiful, creamy white Jaguar XK 150 coupe, which was parked just two cars over from the green E-type coupe…

And representing Volkswagen type 2 transporters was this restored 1967 yellow dual cab, complete with a black canvas bed cover …

Located just several cars over and to the drivers right from the yellow VW crew cab, were these two stunning Mercedes-Benz models; a red,1955 300SL Gullwing, and a black 190 SL roadster, each capturing reflections from one another…

And last but not least was this beautiful red and white, 1959 BMW Isetta 600 in showroom condition. According to the owner, this model is even more unique and rare than the standard BMW Isetta, due to its 2+2 configuration, and which includes a side door for accessing the rear seat. Power is from a two-cylinder, 582 cc motor, and the car rolls on a set of 4.80 X 10″ tires. Ironically, the owner (who stands at least 6′-4″), was able to climb in, close the front hinged door, and drive off to enjoy the rest of the warm, sunny Saturday morning…

(All photos by the author)

Every day you’ll see the dust (too much, the magic bus)

Posted on October 6, 2011 by digitaldtour

Yes, the Type 2 transporters (VW buses) in all of their permutations can be magic. From the Split Screens, Bay Window buses, panel vans, single cabs, dual cabs, Kombi’s, and every other model in between, there is literally something for everyone.

To witness this magic firsthand, one simply needs to locate one of the local VW bus clubs and attend one of their shows. You can be guaranteed of seeing an amazing cross-section of models in just above every condition; the recently discovered “barn -finds”, or the solid, original buses with OG paint (with just the right amount patina), to the fully restored, factory correct time capsules ( accurate representations with the proper paint color / combinations), period correct interiors, with the proper upholstery materials and trim, right down to the bone stock, original motor. Then there are the two remaining groups that may be frowned upon by the purists; owners of the fully customized, personal interpretation of what a transporter can be, or the owners of the borderline “OG / I found it in a field after 40 years, rusting away” transporters. Personally, I have a hard time understanding the latter groups philosophy of not restoring and preserving (if possible) these older rusty transporters.

Regardless of your personal preferences towards type 2 transporters, you are assured of finding an example that will meet or exceed your expectations at any of the local shows in your area. These photos are just a small representation of the type 2 transporters found here in Southern California. Now it’s your turn to look for your magic bus…