They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

 Recently I had a chance to visit the Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles.  Lots and lots of cars, but these got my attention the most.

First, a concept car from Alfa Romeo, based on the aerodynamics (and possibly Sci-Fi) of the mid-50's:

Less Sci-Fi but every so graceful, three from the 30's, a De Lage, a Delahaye, and a Bugatti:

Such elegance.  Autos today seem so gross in comparison.

Zandvoort--and the Historics

Mention Zandvoort to someone and they have no idea what you are talking about.  Zandvoort is a town on the coast of Netherlands known as a beach vacation spot.

More importantly to me, a famous race track.  Zandvoort has hosted sports car racing since the '50s, and is now the host of the Dutch F1 Grand Pris.  But I was there for the historic sports cars...  three days of racing cars pre-2000.

I'm not sure how to start this blog entry.  There were so many historic cars.  I finally gave up taking pictures, I was overwhelmed.  This yearly Zandvoort event is the absolute granddaddy of historic racing.  Cars from all over Europe, particularly the Brits.  Let's just start with some vintage BMWs and a row of MGs...

Some of the oldest cars, an alfa and some I couldn't identify...

A rare Maserati racer and a newer McClaren...

There were a couple Shelby Daytona coupes that wiped out the competition in their class.  Here's one of them, and also, in a different class, a Lotus Elan, one of my favorite cars.

Posche, BMW and Mini had big tents setup, with swag available.  At the Porsche tent, I was invited to have my photo taken.   How could I refuse!

And if you needed more proof I was there...

There was a race for enduro cars, prototypes.  Here's one...

The most popular races were the F1 and F2 cars of a more recent vintage, late 70's to 2000.  Here are some examples (by the way, they were LOUD!)...

This formula car used the famous (and in my mind the greatest engine of all time) Coventry-Climax four cylinder DOHC with dual Weber carburetors.

James Hunt's Hesketh was also on display, and ran in one of the races...

Before the next race was snack time!

My favorite cars, and I just couldn't believe the site of all the entries, so many, so many, were the 60's and older F1 cars.

Amazing to find a classic Maserati F1 car... look at that engine!

Built by the Maserati brothers, the OSCA was pure bread racing machines.  If you never heard of OSCA, find out more here.

And then to find shark nosed Ferraris!!!  

Well, that's just a sample of the cars I saw.  Three days of vintage wonder and exciting racing.  But Zandvoort had other charms.  Like dinner with Dutch friends...

The town itself had a few quirks.  I avoided the casino, I wonder why...

And name another town where you can find one of these shops!

As a beach town, the views over the North Sea are wonderful.  And the beach is lined with restaurants.  And the sunsets are beautiful.

One bucket list item off the list.  But the event was so great, I want to go back again.

A Man and His Castle

 

A Stop on Route 66

 I often travel to SoCal via the Mohave desert...  through Kelso Junction then south under I-40 and eventually hitting a junction with old Route 66.  From there, it's 5 miles west until the next junction at Amboy.  This "town" has always seemed abandoned, but this February, there was some action going on... a functioning gas station and lots of restoration to the old "motel".

Roy's is happening again, sort of...  Nice Lincoln on display.   The cabins are now spiffed up, but I don't think they function yet...  The stylish lobby area is filled with fifties memorabilia and is fun to explore (from the outside, no way in yet).

An official van is another indicator of some restoration going on.   Don't know what the future will bring, but good to see this stop along Route 66 preserved.

And for a little meditation as you leave town...

From Amboy, it's a drive straight south to 29 Palms...  and Utah Street which leads to the highway to Palm Springs, or, for more adventure, across the highway to an entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.

Cool Car Ad

 

Some Travel Notes from the Holidays

As we have for several years, we flew to Maui at the beginning of December.  This year was special since my son and daughter-in-law joined us.  Besides all the usual activities, involving the expenditure of lots of money, I finally got my wish to do a hike around La Perouse Bay.  The trail is the beginning of the King's Highway and is generally known as the Hoapili Trail.

Crossing miles of lava field was no treat, but I got some good pics of the steep shoreline.  First is the "kids" on the trail...

Then a couple features along the trail...

As you hike around the point, the southwestern most point of Maui, another bay comes into view, and the trail continues for several miles to the town of Hana.

On the way back, I ran into a herd of mountain goats.  These were dark colored, and blend in with the surroundings so are kinda hard to see.

Speaking of spending money, I got talked into a dinner cruise on a large catamaran.  And it was worth it, calm water, whale spotting, a nearly full moon, good food and drink...  really quite special.