TURTLE GARAGE: CARGUY MOVIES.

Posted on March 22, 2020 by MartynL

Philip Richter blogs about great carguy films to watch during the COVID-19 crisis. We agree with his choices at TURTLE GARAGE: CARGUY MOVIES. With COVID-19 changing life worldwide, our main concerns are staying safe and staying healthy. Social distancing and self-isolation has become the new standard, with more businesses shifting to remote working every day to stay solvent. That can be mentally stressing and one way that car enthusiasts can lighten the load is by watching automotive-themed fil...

HOWARD MINTZ: RAMBLIN’ MAN!

Posted on March 20, 2020 by MartynL

Orphan car brand aficionado and Sarasota Café Racer HOWARD MINTZ: RAMBLIN’ MAN blogs about his vintage 1950s Nash Rambler station wagon, then and now. It’s Déjà vu all over again (with apologies to Yogi Berra and John Fogerty)! Last month my good friend John McKeon was enjoying the Venice (FL) Museum and Archives Facebook page when he came across an old photo of a car crossing the intersection of Nokomis and Miami Avenues. What caught his eye was a ‘52 or ’53 Nash Rambler Station Wagon, with ot...

DUNTOV’S DREAM: MID-ENGINE CORVETTES

Posted on March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 by MartynL

Chevrolet has come a long way – actually 67 years - since Zora Arkus-Duntov built the first mid/rear-engine Corvette. That was in 1953 when #856 EX-54’s stock Six was removed and the body and chassis modified to accommodate a prototype Cadet II engine and transaxle. Unfortunately that car is long gone, but the Matunes showcase the modern Corvette transformation from front to mid-engine, culminating with the incredible C8. Zora saw the future in the past. Recalling the pre-war Auto Union GP cars,...

’32 FORD: BLUE PLATE SPECIAL

Posted on March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 by MartynL

Veteran hot rod journalist Pat Ganahl uncovers a treasure trove of hot rod features, originally submitted in the 1970s to iconic magazines like Rod & Custom and Rod Action. ’32 FORD: BLUE PLATE SPECIAL is one of the best examples of 1970s rodding. Pat Ganahl blogs about a California blue-plated ’32 Tudor that’s picture perfect. Neal East and Jack Stewart were two of the most prolific West Coast based freelance automotive journalists, specializing in hot rods and customs back in the day. In ...

CHIP’S CHOICE: CORVETTES AT CARLISLE

Posted on March 18, 2020 by MartynL

Celebrate the Best of Bloomington Gold and honor a special man, Chip Miller, and special cars at CORVETTES AT CARLISLE 2020. Corvettes at Carlisle may be the largest all-Corvette themed weekend in the world, but Bloomington Gold, held each June in Indiana, is known as the Grand Daddy of Corvette events. For one summer only, the two brands come together to showcase a very special display: CHIP’S CHOICE: CORVETTES AT CARLISLE. Spanning August 27-30, Corvettes at Carlisle presented by Top Flight A...

SILVER SALUTE: AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS

Posted on March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 by MartynL

The Matunes help us celebrate the silver anniversary of what has become THE ‘show of shows’ on the international Concours calendar, and honor Roger Penske. Few cars invoke the feeling of the Grand Sport Corvette, the only ’63 Corvette coupe (five or six built depending on who you ask) not to have a split backlight! There is just something about its brutal, purposeful lines and the untapped potential it represented that captures the imagination. Not surprisingly, Roger Penske fit into its history...

GT40: FORD THAT BEAT FERRARI

Posted on March 4, 2020March 4, 2020 by MartynL

Now in its third and updated edition with almost 500 pages, more than 850 photos and weighing in at over five pounds, this must-have book is actually a research library dedicated to the road racing history of GT40: FORD THAT BEAT FERRARI. When John Allen and Gordon Jones authored the first edition in 1985, Ford GT40 racecars and road models and Mark III variants were just expensive vintage cars, not platinum-priced collectibles as they are today. With GT40s trending thanks to the film Ford v Fer...

SARASOTA: EXOTIC CAR FESTIVAL 2020

Posted on March 1, 2020March 1, 2020 by MartynL

In just four years, the Ferrari Drivers Group Sarasota continues to produce truly premier car shows in Florida. The 4th Annual show also celebrated Ford winning Le Mans in 1966 thru 1969 and the Oscar-winning Ford v Ferrari. Best of all, 100% of proceeds from its event weekend goes to charity. The SARASOTA: EXOTIC CAR FESTIVAL 2020 produced by Joe Brielmann and Jurgen Otto, principals of the Ferrari Drivers Group Sarasota and members of the Sarasota Café Racers, benefited The Flight To The North...

CORVETTE: CHASSIS THAT ZORA BUILT

Posted on February 22, 2020February 22, 2020 by MartynL

Part 2 of Scott Teeters’ excellent Corvette history series dives deep into Zora Arkus-Duntov’s finest moments, starting with the iconic split-window Sting Ray. When the ‘63 Sting Ray made its public debut in September 1962, it was a total, “WOW!” And it wasn’t just the Corvette’s stunning new looks; it was the all-new CORVETTE: CHASSIS THAT ZORA BUILT. By late 1959, Zora Arkus-Duntov, http://www.corvettereport.com/founding-fathers-pt-4-corvette-godfather-zora-arkus-duntov/ was in charge of Corve...

PENSKE: HAT TRICK AT BAHAMAS SPEED WEEKS

Posted on February 18, 2020February 18, 2020 by MartynL

An unprecedented reunion of Roger Penske’s three Bahamas Speed Weeks winners – Porsche 718 RS 61 Spyder, Corvette Grand Sport, below, and Chaparral 2 – will be celebrated at the Silver Anniversary Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. As the calendar wound toward the final month of 1960 the entire road-racing universe looked to Bahamas Speed Weeks, a week long party, race meeting and celebration. It drew racers from all disciplines of motorsport, from NASCAR to go-karts; sports car champs to Indy 5...