Fans of espresso, pizza, and cars made in Maranello, Modena, and Milan crashed the gates in a big way for our monthly cruise-in car show. We were a bit surprised by how many Italian cars showed up as the theme of C&G is more for show. As usual the mix of cars was eclectic and the people who stopped by were ready to engage in conversation.
Many of us have fond memories of crafting cars from LEGO building blocks. Before there were ‘kits,’ items like a wedge-shaped nose piece, a wafer thin ‘chassis’ pieces, and the special blocks that accepted the wheels and tires were must haves. Then there were kits with specially made blocks that allowed you to build a specific car… that looked like the real car.
The organizers of the 2018 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR) will be recognizing Nissan as the first-ever Japanese featured marque. Held annually during Monterey Car Week, which features the world-renowned Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the RMMR is one of the most prestigious vintage racing events in North America.
The kick is up… the kick is good! The 31st Annual Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals Presented by Griot’s Garage kickoff party at our headquarters in Tacoma was a huge success. Although the party was slated to start at 5 p.m., our facilities started seeing action before lunch time with local car club, The Kingsmen, hosting part of their poker run on the premises.
Just as baseball came out of its all-star break in the third week of July, Formula Drift emerged from its summer break doldrums on July 21. The chase for the championship hit Seattle, Washington for Round Five: Autozone Throwdown. With a scant 39 points separating the top three competitors, there was still everything to race for as unsuspecting tires braced for shredding in the Pacific Northwest.
Say hello to the TMC Dumont, a wild prototype motorcycle with a flair for the dramatic. Beyond its scale, the bike’s whopping 36-inch hubless wheels and 300-horsepower Rolls Royce aircraft engine are the big attention grabbers. The motorcycle was built by Tarso Marques, a former F1 drive and renowned custom bike builder from Brazil.
Acute attention to detail, vast technical knowledge, love of everything Porsche 911, and a healthy dose of patience are among the attributes that go into every Singer build. You gotta love these guys. Their company motto is “Restored – Reimagined – Reborn” and when they reimagine it’s with performance in mind.
Mother Nature threw us a bit of a curveball on July 7th. While the surrounding area basked in the glow of a warm sunrise, Tacoma was overcast with a dastardly mist of rain falling. It only lasted 45 minutes and luckily didn’t seem to put too much of a damper on the morning. We had it going on with a great mix of American muscle cars, roadsters, and wicked hot rods on the deck, in the parking lot, and on the concours lawn.
Look out Optimus Prime you have competition on the rise. It’s starting with tires that morph into tank tracks, but who knows where this will end? The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University to create Reconfigurable Wheel-Track (RWT) technology.
Toyota made some history over the June 17th weekend by taking the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race at the Circuit de La Sarthe in France. It was the automaker’s 20th attempt.
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