This is my third visit to this annual car show. The last two times, I almost missed it since it's seems to be held on the second Sunday of January, and we get here 'just in time'. I tried not to duplicate pictures that are already on this blog for January 2009 and 2008 so feel free to check those entries if you want. Double clicking on images will enlarge them.
First of all, the show is held at the La Jolla park [pronounced 'la hoya'] which just has to be one of the most picturesque places to hold a car show.
Here's an overview. The two dark uprights are actually fairly tall palm trees, how neat is that? The cars beside the right palm are a row of Rolls Royces with a few Bentleys thrown in for good measure. Some of these RR's have the red insignia which was used when both Mr Royce and Mr Rolls were alive [per early thirties I think...]
They also had a good number of antique motorbikes, this one being the fastest Indian, the one that inspired the movie of the same name. I liked the movie and the bike. Here's the story:
The streamlined side:
The other side:
By the way, that speed record still stands unbeaten!
Here are a few cars of interest to me, a post WW2 Lincoln Zephyr:
a gorgeous French Delage convertible, body by: Saoutchik, one of the greatest French coach builders.
Now it's time for a favourite of mine, the 1939 MG TC, the only car that has run over my foot, but that's another story...
And here's an Hispano Suiza, famous cars for being built by Spain to Italian designs. That means, very expensive, unbelievably complicated, quick, large, expensive to maintain, and even more expensive to restore, but visions of beauty of their day. This is a very early one: note the front windows that open for a very early form of air-conditioning....
Then there are cars that just eek opulence, like this early 70s Rolls Royce. Last year I showed the front picnic tables, this year the back seat lunch counter... [That's me reflected in the rear window, beside the re curtain...]
And now for the trunk of the same Rolls Royce; note the RR wine cooler!
The show had a few 'concept' cars, not antique cars as the show is all about. There was a old 1938 Packard, re-painted about 30 years ago with a sign stating that it was not a 'classic' automobile, it's just a 'nice old car'. The owner felt that 'classic' should be reserved for very special collectable cars, not ordinary old cars that people collect. This guy is appalled at some of the cars being shown at this show. I have sympathy for him, but enjoyed the eclectic show anyway, but I digress...
Here's a Nissan 'show car', note the window opening at the foot of the door:
And of course, every car show deserves a $1.4 million car right? This one is actually made by Volkswagen, has 1000 horsepower and goes like stink. It's a Bugatti Veyron [just Google it for details]. It was on a turn-table and getting a decent picture was difficult because of the crowd of dreamers...
And here's the front end with that classic Bugatti radiator. As a teenager, I stopped in at the Capital Radiator shop on Queen St [downtown Ottawa] and asked if I could buy the Bugatti radiator they had in the window. At first, the mechanic laughed, then he said the owner [Mr Capital I assumed] really liked it and would not sell it at any price. As I grow older, I can see why...
So that's it for 'the' car show. Tomorrow, who knows?
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