zoomvroom Field Trips, Uncategorized

Infineon Raceway: a legendary track.

Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point Raceway, is located near Sonoma,California.  It is host to one of five NASCAR races on road courses.  It is also host to SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) racing and the Toyota/Save Mart 350.  The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is a 350 kilometer (220 mile) race that is held annually at Infineon Raceway.  Some noticeable names who have won the race include Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr.  There are many motorcycle races held there throughout the year.  It also has a ¼ mile drag strip, which is most often used by Full Throttle Drag Racing.  The track hosts IZOD Indycar.  The whole track is a winding, twisting 2.52 mile road course.  For over 40 years, Infineon Raceway has been one of the top tracks in the world.  It also has a lot of great views of Southern Sonoma County and Pablo Bay.  On a clear day, one can see out all the way to San Francisco and to Oakland.  The things that make Infineon Raceway so special are: it is the main track in California (it used to be Riverside International, but RI was torn down to be a shopping mall.), it is in prime rubber-necking country (wineries, great views, etc.), it is close by Sonoma, and a short drive for anybody in the Bay Area. 

The track was conceived when an attorney and a developer from Marin County were on the property for a hunting trip.  The ground was broken and graded in 1968.  The first race happened there in December 1st, 1968.  The property was originally a 720 acre dairy farm.  Now, there are some cows, but it is a 1600 acre track.  Many people still refer to Infineon Raceway as Sears Point Raceway, even though the computer chip company, Infineon, bought the track in 2002.  It was originally named Sears Point Raceway after the nearby Sears Point Ranch. 

In 1969, the track was sold to an entertainment company based in Los Angeles, Filmways Corp., for $4.5 million.  From the time it was bought, to early 1970, a variety of racing events happened there, including: USAC IndyCar races, NASCAR stock car racing, SCCA races, and drag races (not governed by NHRA, but they still happened anyway).

In 1970, Dan Gurney won a 150 mile USAC Indycar race that included some notable names, such as: Al Unser, Mario Andretti and Mark Donahue.  Not log after the race, the track was closed, as a result of Filmways’ losing $300,000 in May of that year.

Even though the track had been closed for three years, Hugh Harm and Parker Archer (investors) agreed to lease the track for $1 million.  Bob Bondurant announced that he was going to move his high-performance driving school from Ontario Speedway to Sears Point Raceway.  Six months later, Bondurant and his partner Bill Benck took over control and management of the raceway from Archer and Harm.  AMA races were popular, but stopped, as a result of rising insurance policies. 

In 1975, a lawyer with no drag racing experience hired Jack Williams, the 1964 Top Fuel Drag Racing Champion, to be his operations chief.  A group that was called Black Mountain Inc., included Bondurant and others, bought the track from Filmways for around $1.5 million.  Not long after, Kenny Roberts did wheelies during the final two laps, waving to a crowd of 20,000 in a AMA-Sonoma Motorcycle Classic.  Five years later, the Long Beach Grand Prix Association joined Black Mountain Inc., in hopes of improving marketing and PR. 

In 1981, the Long Beach Grand Prix Assoc., lead by Chris Pook, decided to rename Sears Point Raceway the Golden State International Raceway. Black Mountain objected, by saying “that Filmways still had ownership of the track; and, therefore, could make the ultimate decision.”  In the end, the track remained Sears Point Raceway, but Bondurant retired from the committee.  Soon after Bondurant retired, an argument happened, and the track was purchased for $800,000 at an auction. 

In 1983, Ford Motor Company became a major sponsor.  As a result, many Ford clubs in Sonoma County were able to rent the track at significantly lower costs. 

Two years later, the track was completely repaved, with help from massive funds from “Pave the Point” fund-raising organization.  Some new shop spaces were also built at the track.  Many of the original shop buildings were either torn down or remodeled. 

In 1986, Harvey Berg took control of the track.  Berg then named Darwin Doll the new track president.  For a few years, Doll was track president.  (He retired around 1990.)

The next year, 1987, the track signed a deal with NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) for a five year contract.  The Dragway was to be used for the California Nationals.  Other shop buildings were needed, so they were built.  Shop space instantly grew to over 700,000 square feet.

In 1988, the first NHRA-sanctioned drag race happened at Sears Point Dragway.  The winners were: Mark Oswald, Harry Scribner and Joe Amato.  Over 32,000 spectators showed up to watch Joe Amato edge out Dick LaHaie by one hundredths of a second.  Also, Berg fired Doll, and brought in an IBM executive, Glen Long, to be the new track president. 

NASCAR made its début in the Sonoma Valley in 1989, with Ricky Rudd taking home the trophy.  Rudd had a very good win at Infineon Raceway, but at the Atlanta Journal 500, his car stalled, and he went slamming into a pit of a competitor; killing a tire changer. 

In 1991, the Skip Barber Racing School replaced the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving at the track.  In its 3rd year at Sears Point Raceway, the NASCAR race drew out more than 70,000 spectators. 

Three years later, the track needed a way to keep track of who was leading.  To do that, they needed to build a scoreboard.  A 62-foot-four-sided electronic scoreboard was built in the middle.  Also, a medical facility and 18-nozzle gas station were built. 

In 1995, the NASCAR Craftsman Pro Truck Series was added to the tracks’ already extensive list of races.  Also, some luxurious VIP tower suites, and a two story driver lounge/medical facility.  Another notable thing that happened was IMSA and Trans-Am races returned to the track.

The next year, O. Bruton Smith & Speedway Motorsports, Inc.  bought the rights to the track, with an option to buy the whole track within three years.  (They bought the track 2.5 years later.) 

The Jim Russell Racing School asked O. Bruton Smith if they could have their world-famous driving school at the track.  On a personal note, I would LOVE to take the Jim Russell go-karting class at IR!  There’s always hope for sponsorship…  The Skip Barber Racing School went to Laguna Seca Raceway.  (Now called Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.)  The reason that it has Laguna Seca in it’s name is because it is built on an old Lagoon (Laguna in Spanish); every spring and fall, the Laguna Seca is drained because of flooding fears. 

In 1998, a new straightaway called “The Chute” was added to the tracks already long course.  The Chute spans 890 feet, and will be used only for NASCAR races.  The Chute is a long straightaway that comes out of turn #8.  The amount of laps for the Save Mart/Kragen 350 increased by 50%, from 74 to 112.  That meant that the drivers might fall asleep during the race!

The next year, in 1999, a new series was added to the major event schedule; the American Le Mans Series.  The ALMS series marked the return of sports cars racing at Sears Point Raceway.  Also, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series went on hiatus, so the track could get started on the Modernization Plan a lot sooner.  That was a good thing, as the track needed a big overhaul. 

In 2000, the track got approval to start on its Modernization Plan.  When the plan finished, it had cost $70 Million.  What was included in the plan was: hillside terraced seats, garages for competitors, and wider roads for less internal traffic. 

In 2001, the plan went into action.  Fans were then able to experience amazing races at a state-of-the-art facility.  Also, some improvements were made to the track, including: a miniature chute at turn 4a, and more run-offs at many of the turns.  Those small improvements lengthened the NASCAR course from 1.949 miles to 1.99 miles.

 Sears Point Raceway announced that it was being renamed Infineon Raceway in 2002, as part of a ten year strategic plan with Infineon Technologies.  The Infineon Raceway Karting Center includes a 16 turn, sweeping part of the track.  Also, the dragstrip was finally separated from the track.  Out of the 1320 feet of dragstrip, 660 are a concrete launch pad. 

In 2003, Robby Gordon won in his class, and broke all of the previous lap times.  (His record has only been beaten twice!) Also, four more garages were added to the already large number (40).  The medical facility was also remodeled. 

Four wins for Jeff Gordon at the 2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350.  Wow! Also, a new event was put on the schedule; it was called the California Outdoor Sports Championships.  It included: slalom courses, road racing, and mountain cross.  There were also many other events that took place there.  That must have been fun to watch!

The year 2005 was a big year for Infineon Raceway, the IndyCar Series returned to the Sonoma Valley, after a 35 year hiatus.  Tony Kanaan claimed the trophy, in the Dodge/Save Mart 350, Tony Stewart got the checkers.  During the NASCAR Weekend, the Infineon Raceway Wall of Fame was unveiled.  Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, and Warren Johnson were all inducted during the NHRA Weekend.  Speedway Children’s Charities distributed $546,606, which brought the total from the past three years to $1.3 million! 

In 2006, Jeff Gordon continued to dominate the NASCAR field, with his fifth win at Infineon Raceway.  Marco Andretti won in the open-cockpit racing class.  He was also the youngest driver to ever compete at Infineon Raceway, let alone win.  He was 19 years old!  Infineon Raceway sold the racing school to a London bus company called Emotive Group.  Infineon Raceway was named “Business of the Year, 2006” by the Sonoma County Chamber of Commerce.   

Juan Pablo Montoya made history at Infineon Raceway when he competed in the 2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350.  He was the third foreign-born driver ever to compete.  He placed 32nd in the qualifying race.  Montoya reset the record for the biggest improvement from qualifying to the race.  The event also debuted the Car of Tomorrow race on a road course.  Jeff Gordon and his teammate, Jimmie Johnson didn’t pass pre-race inspection, and were forced to start at the back.  John Force, Tony Schumacher, Greg Anderson, and Matt Smith also claimed victories.  Andretti Green Racing had a bad day: Dario Franchetti sustained damage to his car on lap #69, when he accidentally hit his teammate Marco Andretti.  That would not be good for anybody, let alone a professional racing team.  The track also hosted the fourth and final Cougar Mountain Classic road cycling and mountain biking event.  Matt Mladin, Ricky Rudd, Gary Sclezi, Bob Piccinini, and Joe Huffaker were all inducted into the wall of fame.  The Wall of Fame is a large wall at IR, where copper plaques with driver’s faces and their achievements are displayed.

In 2008, Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Sprint Car Cup on a road course.  His victory marked the first Toyota victory in the Sonoma Valley.  Also, Ken Klapp and Doug Kallita were inductees for the wall of fame.  (Ken Klapp and Doug Kallita are famous race car drivers [retired now, but still famous], who made a 1-2 finish at Daytona Speedway in ’08.)

Kasey Kahne copied Kyle Busch on the same road course.  The win was also the first for the team owner, Richard Petty.  Dario Franchitti won FIVE different IndyCar classes, he went home with first place overall at the end of the season. 

Last year, Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR Sprint Car Cup at Infineon Raceway at the Toyota/Save Mart 350.  Rick Hendrick was inducted into the Infineon Raceway Wall of Fame because of his 5 Sprint Car victories at Infineon Raceway.  A Team Penske driver, Will Power completed a weekend that most can only dream about.  The previous year, he had broken his back on the 75th lap of the Indy Races.  He also received the Mario Andretti Road Championship trophy from Mario Andretti himself.  Ron Capps won in the Funny Car NHRA Nationals at the 23rd drag racing event of the year.  Josh Hayes of Yamaha won the West Coast Moto-Jam, and taking a back-to-back win at the AMA Superbike Nationals. 

Infineon is not all about fun, and they have made improving the lives of others a priority.  The Speedway Children’s Charities is an organization that is dedicated to making better lives for kids who are in financial distress, medical distress or educational distress.  The Sonoma Chapter has distributed over $3.7 million to over 140 qualified youth groups, since 2001.  Much of the money is gathered on major race weekends.   

Go Green, and GO HIPPIE!  The Infineon Raceway “Go Green” program sends over 50 tons of recyclable material to the recycling plant every year.  It also prompts visitors to IR, to recycle whatever possible.  More than 73 million tons of recyclable materials have been collected since Infineon Raceway started the program in 2004! During major race weekends, Infineon Raceway recycled more than 67 tons of recyclable material.  Over 140 million tons of recyclable materials have been recycled in the past four years!  To continue their “Go Green” efforts at the track, Infineon Raceway has added over 3,000 sheep to their “stables” to naturally maintain the grasses around the facility. 

Since I live near Infineon Raceway, I see a good bit of advertising going on for the raceway.  Yes, the economy has been tough, but Infineon Raceway is still in action!  For many years, people have traveled hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles, just to see a weekend race.  Every year, there is always something new and interesting at Infineon Raceway.   

I would like to put out a special thank you to Jen and Infineon Raceway.  You can look forward to coverage from Infineon Raceway over the summer.  I have attached the Infineon Raceway website for you to enjoy.  Hopefully, I will see some of you there!   

http://www.infineonraceway.com/

zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips

Where Were You in ’62?

That is the theme of the movie, “American Graffiti”®.  I literally went back in time, when I went to an American Graffiti® tribute parade on Sunday.  I saw so many cool old muscle cars from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, my eyes popped like popcorn, and my brain melted and oozed through my ears!  The rumbling El Caminos roared down the road, the Mustangs trotted down the street, and the belching T-Buckets and hotrods were hot enough to kill you! 

My favorite truck was a Ford Model A pickup that had no roof!  It had ghost flames, a Chevy 400 small-block V8, and an umbrella!  Not just any umbrella!  It was also the gearshift!  Ha Ha!  At one point, the umbrella dislodged itself from its position in 2nd gear, and flew onto the windshield!  It was a good thing that it shoved the transmission into neutral!  Even though it stalled the truck, it was funny!  The driver was as cool as ever.  He just had his passenger get out and fix the umbrella.  Then, the truck started up again.    

But, the car that I really wanted was a Shelby Cobra!  The body is made by Shelby American in Las Vegas, and then transported to a facility in Fresno, where the engine and all the other parts are put in.  My friend’s dad signed up to (possibly) win a red Cobra that was stripped down.  I want the other one, which is white and blue.  They both have 427 engines, mated to a Tremec 5-speed manual.  The red one makes about 460 horsepower, the other makes 550.  They know this because they dyno-test the engines.  When the Shelby rep turned on the blue and white one, it sounded a bit slow at first, but then became faster, until it was idle speed.  Of course, idle speed is at a mere 2000 rpm.  The red one only has 875 miles on it, but that’s because it only comes out of the trailer, into the trailer…  And the occasional parade…  The other, meanwhile, has about 6548 miles on it.  That’s because it was driven to Vegas to be signed by Carrol Shelby!  The rigs that they used to tow the Cobras were a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 with a twin-turbo Cummins diesel!  Maybe it could win a drag race in towing…  The other was a 2004 Ford Excursion with the Powerstroke diesel.  The Excursion was stock, except for a Borla exhaust system. 

But, back to the point.  There was an old Chevy business coupe that had the radio on.  This might seem normal, except for the fact that there was a song playing that sounded like somebody was murdering a cow with a butter-knife!  It sounded like:  Moowuocuouaouw…  And, the owner had stopped the car because of a stalled T-Bucket!  So, it went on for about 5 minutes! 

All these old cars were working fine, but a newer car wasn’t.  On the way out of Petaluma, there was a young man in a Honda Civic hatchback.  He was in the middle of the intersection when it stalled!  He kept jamming the tranny into reverse, 1st gear, reverse, 1st gear…  Well, you get the idea. 

Heading home on Highway 101, we saw a lot of the classics coming back from the parade.  Many of them were loud, and I saw many drivers wearing earplugs.  It was like a whole second parade!  

Here is the website.  Even though the cruise ended three days ago, I still thought that you might want to look around on the website.  http://www.americangraffiti.net/index.html

I NEED that Cobra NOW!  It is awesome!  Al the summer jobs in the world might not be enough to pay for it!  I could dog sit from here to eternity, and not have enough money!  But, then again, they’d probably charge a ridiculous price for it!    

Trivia moment!  Did you know that the Cobra 427 was the fastest car of its day?  It could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds!  VROOM!

zoomvroom Field Trips, Uncategorized

Vroom-Vroom-Zoom-Zoom, Off We Go!

Wicked (epic) Weekend Fun!  It was a dream come true, a ride in a Porsche 911 Carrera (with a former race car driver)!  Early Sunday morning, I went for a ride on the back-roads ofNorthernCalwith Jerry Gladstone (check my post “A Racer’s Life”).  About twenty minutes into the ride, we encountered some curves that challenged the car.  From then on, you can guess what fun I had!  When it got a bit chilly out, Jerry turned on the “Grand Old Porsche Heater smell”.  The heater coolant smell comes in to the cabin and makes it smell! PU!

After a while, we started to share some funny stories.  His first car was given to him by his dad.  Something broke in the transmission and he couldn’t afford to fix it, so he sold it and bought an MG TC!  He has had an: MG TC, Mazda Miata, Porsche 912, and three other Porsches.  The Porsche that I rode in with him is his fifth! It is a 1997 993 Series 911 Carrera.  It is the quietest 911 that he has owned! The Flat-Six makes about 300 horsepower and makes a great howl/scream!  Jerry says that the six-speed manual is precise and easy to shift.  He can’t use 6th gear, as the car will pick up speed until it reaches its 171 mph top speed! VROOM! The 993 was the last air-cooled 911 generation to be produced.  The Recaro sport seats grab you like crab’s pinchers and hold you firmly.  There is a small switch that may look like nothing, but it controls how much down force is going to the rear wing, which pops out.  At one point, there was a small dip in the road that we simply flew over.  It was just like in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” when the parking attendants drove the Ferrari.

Zooming through country roads at high speeds, we quite often got the thumbs up from bicyclists going very slowly.  When we were at a stoplight because of road construction, Jerry put the Porsche in neutral and revved the engine to 7000 RPM! Somebody in a BMW Z4 held his hands over his ears!  That got Jerry and I laughing like maniacs!

The hand-brake, he calls “the stick”!  It looks like a small black stick with grooves in it!  When we got out and went into the garage, he told me “inhale the grand old Porsche smell!” The smell can only be related to leaked oil and radiator fluid!  It smells almost as good as food to me!

Thanks for the fun ride Jerry! I talked about it so much that my mom and dad finally told me “We’ve already heard about it ten times!”  Maybe Jerry will let me drive his Porsche when I am old enough…

zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips

The Cars You Can Only Dream of Owning!

Remembering my promise to write a post on the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A., I don’t want to keep you in suspense any longer.  Today I discuss the supercar exhibit at the Petersen showing through October.    

When it is wet and rainy out in L.A. (which it almost never is), fancy car sightings are about as rare as seeing an elephant in front of your house!  That left my Grandpa and me few choices to car spot.  We decided to go to the Petersen Automotive Museum to gawk at the supercar and hybrid/alternative fuel exhibits.  The hybrid exhibit was cool enough, but the supercar exhibit was even cooler.  The hybrids and alternative fuels cars included a: Toyota Prius, Ford Focus Electric, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell and a classic Chevy truck converted to coal power.  Those cars could be cars of the future! (Minus the Prius! Which is car of the present.) What about that old Chevy? Coal power is terrible for air quality and is fossil fuel dependent. 

Meanwhile, the Supercar exhibit.  Perchance to dream… Let me tell you what mine eyes saw within that treasured vault.  The cars included a: 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica, a 1968 Bizzarini Manta, a 1988 Porsche 959, a 1990 Ferrari F40 and 2006 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, just to name a few.  Those makers are some of the most well-known supercar makers that are around today (with the exception of Bizzarini).  BOOYAH!! (Thanks, Uncle Bob!)

The Porsche 959 was the fastest car of its day, with one even hitting 202 mph! Much of the technology that was inside the 959 was so good that it has been used on all the Porsche 911 Turbo’s!

The Bizzarini Manta was a one-off (one-off means that the vehicle is just a crazy idea made into reality by some random person) car that was converted from a Le Mans prototype into a street car.  About 30 were made total, only about 8 remain today.

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is the second fastest production car in the world.  The fastest is its big brother, the Veyron Super Sport.  The Grand Sport can hit 253mph and go from 0-60 mph in just 2.8 seconds.  The Veyron Super Sport can hit 268 mph and go from 0-60 mph in just 2.6 seconds. 

The definition of a supercar is:

1.  It must have all or many of the latest technological goods equipped on it. 

2.  It must be very easy to drive at high speeds.

3.  It must have very good performance to actually be a supercar.

4.  It must have a very high top speed.

5.  It must have a very high price tag (just joking!)

6.   At least one must be sent to me! (Just in case that I ever crash, I will have extras.)

Some of the cars that I would have liked to take home from the exhibit are the: Porsche 959, Ferrari F40 and the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.  Okay…I wish I had a souvenir such as a Porsche 959…

Unfortunately, the website shows a lot of cars, and we only saw about 15 cars in the exhibit.  We thought that we would be there for most of the afternoon.  We were bummed out! We saw a security guard and asked him “why are there so few cars in the gallery?”

He said “Some of the owners wanted their cars back.  My job is just to guard all of them.  Sorry”

It was still a very cool exhibit.  I am attaching the website of the Petersen with the supercar exhibit for you to read.  http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?docid=1081

I have already done a biography on Robert E. Petersen. 

Here is the link to my Petersen post.  Feel free to read it.

https://unmuffled.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/making-dreams-come-true-this-is-not-a-marketing-exercise-for-disney/

zoomvroom Field Trips

My field trip to the Ferrari/Maserati dealer in L.A.

I am entering early as I am on a field trip.  Guess where?  I am in the City of Cars.  You know it – it’s Los Angeles!  Car stories and viewings have been slow as many people here don’t like to drive their Ferrari’s in the rain.  And it has been really rainy down here.

My Grandpa and I were driving along, having just come from the Petersen Automotive Museum for an exhibit on supercars.  I told my grandpa Jack to turn into a driveway so we could see the cars in the Ferrari dealership.  On a whim, we went in.

The salesman told us “Go ahead and sit in the cars! We don’t mind having to clean them.  That’s what polish is for!”  (I guess that he thought that my grandpa Jack was a potential buyer!)  Nice! Or for lack of a better word, EPIC!  We asked him if he was sure.  His reply was “Go right ahead!”

So, we got to sit in a brand-new Ferrari 458 Italia, the car that I am saving up my money to get!  Meanwhile, my grandpa Jack was sitting in a Maserati GranTurismo S coupe.  That was the car that I tried to convince him into getting, I guess that it didn’t work!  There were only about 10 cars in the showroom total, most were Ferrari’s!  There was an actual potential buyer looking at a Ferrari 599 GTO with the Handling GTE package.  WOW!  It had the optional Matte black paint finish.

I can’t afford to get it by myself, but I will split the cost with somebody!

I promise to do some future stories from this trip down in LA.  One of them will be on the Petersen Automotive Museum’s supercar exhibit.

zoomvroom Book reviews and good reading, Car Culture, Field Trips, Uncategorized

Making dreams come true. This is not a marketing exercise for Disney!

What if you could start a business that includes all of your interests, and then later in life, start a museum?  Could you imagine starting a museum that has many of the things that interest you in it?

If you could do that, then you would be Robert Petersen.  Robert E. Petersen was quiet, but very determined and also extremely successful.  A happy, creative and insightful man, he started the Petersen Publishing Company and the amazing Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. 

Robert Einar Petersen was a native of Southern California who was born in 1927.  His mother died when he was 10, leaving his Danish father to take care of him.  His father was a mechanic and often took Robert to work with him.  At age 12, Robert knew how to weld and fix an engine- any engine at that.  After graduating from Barstow high-school in the early 1940’s he went to work in the Hollywood movie studios as a messenger boy.  After a brief Army Air Corps stint of just one year, he started a publishing company. 

In 1948, he started Hot Rod Magazine, which was all about the growing hot rod culture.  He sold copies of Hot Rod at local speedways, such as Riverside International, for 25 cents apiece.  It was a way for him, and the others that worked alongside him, to give helpful advice to teens and have fun.  He was instrumental in creating the first hot rod show.

In 1949, he created Motor Trend, a magazine that was focused towards the production car enthusiasts.  Production cars are cars that come off a production line and are not custom built.  In addition to Motor Trend and Hot Rod, he created about six more magazines, such as Teen and CARtoons.

He is firmly remembered in the business world as a success story.  He was actively into sport shooting, and was the Commissioner for sport shooting in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.  He had to construct a sport shooting range on the site of an old dairy farm within a month. 

In 1994, one of his lifelong passions came true; he and his wife Margie Petersen created the Petersen Automotive Museum as an educational museum.  Most of the cars inside the 300,000 square foot area are from his own collection. 

He was the president of the Los Angeles Boys & Girls club for many years and was on the national board for the boys and girls clubs throughout the U.S.  He also supported many charities for children until his death. 

The Directors of the Petersen Automotive Museum said “What made him so special was that he gave every ounce of his energy and abilities to his dreams.  He was a quiet man who truly became an American icon.”  The Directors also said “He made his living doing things he loved and he found success at every turn.  The way he lived his life, always looking for ways to give back in return for the success he enjoyed, made you proud to count him as a friend.  The museum is now his legacy.” 

He died on Friday, March 23rd, 2007 after a short but valiant battle with cancer at age 80.  His wife Margie survived him.

Overall, Robert E. Petersen was a man of few words, but loved to pursue whatever he wanted to with a passion.  He was also very much into hunting and having a good time.  Robert E. Petersen gave back as much as he got out of life.  What a lucky man!

If you would like to read more from the Petersen Museum website, then I hope you will enjoy the link.

http://petersenautomuseum.com/

zoomvroom Car Culture, Field Trips, Uncategorized

Only in L.A. (or the unbelievable cars of Beverly Hills, CA)

 Where in the world can you see a few celebrities and lots of fabulous cars on any given day?

  1. Los Angeles, California.
  2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
  3. All of the above.

 None of the above answers are wrong, but personally, I would go with number 3.  Why?  Because there are many rich and famous in both Los Angeles and Dubai, so you can’t go wrong with whichever answer you choose.  But for today’s blog entry I am discussing something closer to me, geographically speaking.  Beverly Hills and the well known streets Beverly Drive, Canon and (of course), Rodeo Drive.

 So today I experienced a miracle, possibly from heaven.  I was sitting outside at a Beverly Hills Restaurant on Canon Drive, enjoying blue skies, near 80 degree weather and watching the world drive by (just like in the movies).  My mom asked me if there was any thing special parked on the street.  I responded with a negative.  Just the usual- a brand new Mercedes-Benz S400, a Jaguar XJ and a couple of Lexus’s (what IS the plural for Lexus?  Lexcii?).   And a Range Rover.  Nothing special.  My mom told me I was jaded.  I didn’t know what jaded meant, so I looked it up.  The definition for jaded is “dulled by surfeit.”  That means dulled by too much.  Sure, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a very nice car, but I have seen soooo many that it is just another MBZ.  So I guess my mom was right about my being jaded.

 Then, a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe (just a fancy name for a convertible) pulled up not 10 feet away from me.  That was a mesmerizing sight.  Then I saw THREE Rolls-Royces. Yes, that’s right!  T-H-R-E-E, all the same model and color!!  All within the hour and a half it took to eat.  Only in L.A.!

 I wanted to change the picture that TypePad had put up on my blog, so I went across the street and took some pictures of the Rolls-Royce.  Then the owner came up to me and asked if I was taking pictures of it.  Uh oh.  I replied, yes, and he said to click away as he was not going anywhere in a hurry.  I thanked him and was greatly relieved.  It could have gone entirely the other way.

 I also saw/heard about three Ferrari F430’s going down the street, but too fast for me to catch a picture of them.  Surprise!!  I also saw one getting towed.  That makes for a bad day!

 I saw quite a few Maybach’s.   Maybach is owned by Mercedes-Benz, so they look similar to an S-Class.   Many of the Maybach’s were being driven by the owners in t-shirts and shorts – this is L.A. after all!  It is truly amazing how many Porsche Panamera’s I saw today.  I estimated about 55-60, many of them white and a few chauffer-driven with the owners talking in the backseat on their iPhone 4G’s.  One can also see plenty of Bentley Continentals in a parking garage.  Bentleys are a dime a dozen here.  Okay, well maybe I exaggerate a bit! But really, only in L.A.!

 My Grandpa told me that there is a red Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport that parks regularly on Rodeo Drive.  We looked, but no luck.  I did see a Plymouth Prowler though.  He told me a story about a tourist who was having his picture taken in front of the Bugatti and left his fingerprints all over it.  The owner came out of a store steaming/screaming mad!  That would have been something to see!

 On the way up to my Grandma’s house in the Canyon, we pass by a house that parks their Maserati in the driveway sticking out onto the street, and their Porche on the street (which is narrow and twisty).  They do this because they park their Bentley Arnage and Rolls-Royce Ghost in the garage!  Only in L.A. do you park your Maserati on the street! Up the street, their neighbor parks his Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 on the street.  Before it used to be a Bentley Continental.  Maybe it was too slow for him.  Can you believe it?  Really, only in L.A.!!

 One day I will tell you about the game my sister and I play where we count the number of times we see a given car over the course of a day.  We have come up with some wild numbers.  You know what I am going to say.  Only in L.A.  And really, you’ve got to love it!  I LOVE L.A.

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