Monterey Reflections – 2010

 

Some changes have taken place with the “Monterey Historics” since General Racing turned the reins over to SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Ass’n of the Monterey Peninsula). They include:

• The official name is now the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
• Official practice sessions started on Thursday – making this more of a four-day event.
• The field of entrants has increased by half. More than 700 cars were entered in 19 separate classes – compared with 450 in previous years.
• Some classes have been re-configured – the two classes of pre-WWII cars have been combined into one.
• Attendance at the Monterey “Pre-Historic Races” that take place the previous weekend are now open to the public (for a price), and have been re-named the Pre-Reunion.

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Video from 2010 Grand Prix de Monaco historique

Special thanks to Alan Patterson and his son Alan III for sharing this amazing on board video from practice at the most amazing street racing circuit in the world...Monaco! Enjoy the sights and sounds!!!

Bizarre 1/43 Scale J2 Model

 

The J2 scale model shown here is from Bizarre (www.bizarremodel.com), which is a maker of very well finished mass-produced resin models. As the name suggests, subjects chosen are among the more unusual cars and marques. The models are developed by Fernando Pinto, and are made in China.

The model is a good representation of chassis J2 #1971 as restored by Wayne Adams .

The model is well proportioned, and offers a good general representation of the car.  The paint finish is good, as is the general detailing for a car of this price bracket (under £40/$60), right down to the leather bonnet and spare wheel straps and the passenger grab handle on the dashboard. 

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Monterey Weekend, 2010

(Click here or the photo above to view the gallery...)

The Monterey Classic Car Weekend has come and gone...Now it's time to look back at the photos to attempt to recapture the sights, sounds, and smells of a billion dollars worth of gorgeous metal, rubber, electrical bits. Unfortunately family obligations limited me to one day at the track, but that didn't keep me from making the most of it. This gallery contains a bunch of photos from the RM auction (Friday) and first annual Motorsports Reunion (under new ownership). You'll probably notice the photos look a little different... they were all taken on my Iphone 4 with the Hipstamatic camera application.

We'll post a more complete review of the Monterey Weekend in a few days, but for now...enjoy the memories!

Old Magazine Covers, Part 4

I'm curious, why don't modern sports car magazines shoot their cars in the dirt anymore? Nothing says exagerated speed like a big plume of dirt...

The June 1950 issue of 'Motor Trend' is a must have if you're a fan of collecting Allard related magazines. Not only is there a great cover photo, but this issue also has a review & cut away drawing of a K1, coverage of the J2 introduction in New York, and a few great Allard distributor advertisements. I picked this issue up on Ebay for $10 (including shipping).

RM Auction Preview - Bob Lytle's J2X #3162

On August 13, RM Auctions will sell Allard J2X #3162 (Lot 230) . To most, this is just another J2X; to me however, this is one of the most important Allards ever made. Ever since I was a kid, my dad would take me to the Monterey Historics; then he bought a basket case Allard K3. From that point on, my dad developed a friendship with All Knowing Allard Nut, Bob Lytle; and I fell in love with his black #65 J2X. For many years I dreamt that Bob would call me up to tell me he couldn’t race at Monterey that year and would ask if I wanted to race his car. Sadly that call never came, and unfortunately my dad and I lost a great friend to cancer this past December.

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1990 Allard Reunion Videos

I just posted a bunch of videos below that my dad shot back in 1990 at the Monterey Historics where Allard was the featured marque. This was the largest gathering of Allards ever, with over 70 cars present and 37 cars racing! To read more about the event, click here.

Enjoy!

Video - Practice, 1990 Monterey Historics

Video - Racing Allards, 1990 Allard Reunion

Video - Tom Lush, 1990 Allard Reunion