Car Clubs, Museums, Organizations and more are encouraged to plan events like parades, driving tours, rally’s, shows and more to celebrate Classic Cars and the Motoring Lifestyle.

The date couldn’t have been any better as TMJ closes in on our inaugural show “Moto Gusto”. Chris Runge, “Moto Gusto” founder is encouraging owners and enthusiasts attending the event to drive their cars up on July 13, 2012 and make a wonderful weekend of it at Arrowwood Resort. The 25th celebration of the boat display and our addition of the classic and exotic automobiles captures the very essence of  “Collector Car Appreciation Day”!

The country of Hungary has roughly 10 Million people. Of that 10 Million there are a total of about 4,500 “Registered” classic cars and bikes. “Registered”, meaning these vehicles are officially a part of what we know and recognize as classics. There are maybe another 5,500 cars and bikes which are not considered classics today. So in total the car scene in Hungary is not considered to be very large.

Nevertheless, one enthusiastic guy, Andras Nosvai (61) has enough energy to organize a classic car event in the capital of Hungary, Budapest. His “Oldtimer Expo” started years ago in a really nice historic railroad depot. Due to incompetent politicians and officials, it was moved to the Budapest Fairgrounds. The change in locations proved to be somewhat chaotic and the event began to suffer.

However, There is another new event which started in 2011. In the occasion of the millenium of Magyar, the 1896 settlement at the heart of the Carpathian Basin, the Hungarians built monuments, parks, bridges, public institutions and of course a bicycle stadium known as the “Veledrom Millenaris”. Keep in mind, 1896 was the year of the Budapest Underground- the first of its kind in the European Continent, was completed.

The old Velodrom hosted races all the way through the early 1970′s until the memories of the stadium faded away. It wasn’t long until Andras Noszvai rediscovered the concrete race track with its banked curves. In his passionate enthusiasm that had driven his earlier events, Noszvai organized his first “Prototype” event in the Spring of 2001 as a test and feeler without any visitors. He immediately reorganized the “Oldtimer Expo” for September 17th,  2001 which attracted 500 visitors. The event continues today and attracted over 1,000 visitors to the concrete oval known as the Veledrom.

The Slovakian “Aero”

Enthusiasts traveled all the way from Austria and Germany to take part in the activities. The motorcycles proved to be more at home on the short oval as the cars seemed to run out of space! 83 Yr old guest star and World Champion Motorcyclist (1962, 64 66) Luigi Taveri courageously drove his 2 cylinder Honda around the oval.

Luigi Taveri on his 2 Cylinder Honda

If you like old cars and bikes, and have a chance to visit Budapest, Hungary next year… You won’t want to miss the Oldtimer Expo at the Veledrom Millenaris. The future of this concrete oval is uncertain and noone knows how long it will exist…

Below “Attila” rides the Motabi at 50MPH

This nice couple drove 2 Motabi motorcycles all the way from Munich, Germany

Event Organizer Andras Noszvai (right) speaks with Luigi Taveri (left)

Motoconfort in unrestored, original and running condition

A rare Capriolo

MV Augusta and Capriolo

This rare 275 GTB Competition (S/N 06885GT) was the very first officially built by Scuderia Ferrari. Early in the cars life it was raced briefly at the Nurburgring and Targa Florio as a prototype. After being acquired by Ecurie Francorchamps the cars was painted yellow and driven by Mairesse and Blanton.

The car went thru a scrutinizing process to be homologated for the 1965 Le Mans. At one point, the car was 500lbs lighter than production cars. After ballasting with weight it met the standards and was accepted into the GT class.

The race wasn’t looking good at the start where Cobra’s and several prototype entrants led the field. However the reliability of Ferrari’s 12 Cylinder engine proved true and by morning the GTB, although overheating was leading the GT class. Due to quick thinking on the teams part, a hole was cut in the the front allowing air to cool the engine. This led to a 3rd overall and 1st in the GT class.  Later it took an outright victory at Nassau.  The 275GTB is rightfully considered as a worthy successor to the 250GTO.

Every year in April, Munich celebrates the “little brother” of the world famous Oktoberfest. This “Spring Festival” usually starts with one of Germany’s biggest flea markets on Saturday and a huge classic car meeting on Sunday. If the weather is fine we can welcome about 1,500 cars and 200-300 classic bikes. Unfortunately, this year the weather was cold and rainy, so the meeting attracted maybe just around 500 cars, mostly from the 50′s to the 70′s. Only a handful of pre-war cars found their way to the “Theresienwiese” which is the meadow where Oktoberfest takes place.

In the background of this picture you can see the “Bavaria” a large bronze sculpture located in the Theresienwiese.

Here’s something which may interest  US readers: The inner city of Munich is closed to cars which do not pass emission laws. To show if the car is allowed to drive into the city, it will display a sticker on the windscreen. The stickers are either red, yellow or green. If the sticker is red, it is no longer allowed into the city, if it is yellow or green it is allowed. Very soon, only green will be allowed. Until today, motorcycles did not need a sticker. Of course, no classic car would pass emissions to drive into the city so they can get a special “Historic” registration plate which ends with the letter “H” or Historic. And, all cars with the historic registration are exceptions to the ban. As you can imagine the sticker idea is very silly. But the state or city can raise money as every sticker costs about $4.00. By the way, nobody in Munich ever saw somebody who actually controlled this, we wonder how other larger cities are handling these rules?

Shown here is one of the rare “Works BMW RS”, this is Walter Zeller’s 1956 record bike. Zeller became Vice World Champion (after John Surtees and his MV Augusta) on this bike in 1956.

This picture shows the original BMW “Boxer” engine. The engine was laid out lengthwise in the motorcycle. You can imagine that this lead to heat issues with the rear cylinders. BMW changed this design very quickly.

Shown here is a 1962 Facel Vega “Facellia”

Claus Mueller
Classic Media- A Division of CMCompanies GmBH
Facebook: Old Timer Hobby

Hall 3 of 12 at Techno Classica

Techno Classica and Retro Classics

For me the two events landing on the same date seemed like it could be a competition initiated by Retro Classics as Techno always would be the major show. Of course both organizers claimed that the shows happening on the same date was just chance. I don’t agree.

Both events claimed to be sold out as for exhibitor space. The huge number of classic car fans in Germany should allow two shows without any problem for either of them.

Techno Classica has always been one of the major classic car shows of the world. Compared to this, Stuttgart’s Retro Classic is very nice and yes, it is huge but more of a regional event.

The official facts provided by the organizers are showing that Techno Classica in Essen attracted 181,400 visitors and over 1,200 exhibitors from 30 countries. 2,500 cars for sale and 220 exhibiting classic car clubs.

In comparison Retro Classics in Stuttgart claims 65,000 visitors, over 1,200 vendors and 3,000 cars.

Maserati’s on display at Retro Classics. The Location Stuttgarts Fairgrounds.

My personal estimate would be that Techno Classica was about twice the size in space and 5 times the visitors. Techno Classica also attracts a large international collector scene. Stuttgart , seems to exaggerate a bit and the visitors were mostly regional. So, if I had 100 points to give away. I would give 80 to Techno Classica in Essen and 20 to Retro Classics in Stuttgart.

Next years dates are: Techno Classica- April 10th, 2013 and Retro Classics- March 7th, 2013. If you have to choose, go to Essen! If you are around anyway, don’t miss Stuttgart!

State of Art display at Essen

1966 Porsche 906 For Sale at Techno Classica

Claus Mueller


Claus Mueller, born in Munich, Germany, has been working in the classic car scene since 1985, when he organized his first swap meet held in a Bavarian beer garden near Munich. 7 Years later the event got a new name, Classic Mobil and moved to Munich’s famous Olympic Hall where it continued to grow for the next 15 years and became the 2nd largest classic car fair in Germany. Today Bavaria’s most important car show is The Oldtimertage Fueerstenfeld. It features a mix of Concours d’Elegance, swapmeet, classic car meet with 1200 cars, and auction and of course wonderful people.

In the 1990′s Claus organized readers tours for Germany’s major classic car magazines. Claus says “This was a wonderful job because I love classic cars, bikes and the United States. I met avid collectors, classic car guys, dealers, event organizers and again a huge number of really great people. To date I have crossed the Atlantic more than 100 times, always trying to combine travel with attending classic car events.”

And speaking of attending classic car events, in the past few years Claus has attended the Hershey Swap-meet, Monterey and Pebble Beach, The Quail and Laguna Seca several times. This year he saw Amelia Island and strolled through museums like Petersen, Blackhawk, Imperial Palace, Mullin, Ford, Tampa Bay and over 20 others. A highlight was viewing Jay Leno’s Collection! Claus drove the California Mille and the Carrera Nevada. Claus says he can check these events off his dream list!

More than twenty of these magnificent Iso cars are expected to be on the field including examples of the Iso Rivolta GT, the Iso Grifo, the Iso Fidea, the Iso Lele and the Bizzarrini GT 5300, which was originally developed by Iso under the technical leadership of Giotto Bizzarrini. This may be the largest gathering of these classic automobiles ever in North America.

Piero Rivolta said, “It gives me great pleasure to see the many classic car enthusiasts around the world who love and cherish these Iso cars that we made so many years ago. I know my father would be honored and proud to see this.”

The Iso Rivolta GT was created by three of the great automotive people of the 20th centure. Giorgetto Giugiaro styled the car when he was with Berton, and Giotto Bizzarrini was responsible for the chassis design and overall engineering. It is powered by a Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine. Renzo Rivolta, however, set the design goals for the car. It had to be a sports car that could transport four people in comfort. These Iso cars have become highly sought after by collectors around the world.

About Iso S.p.A.
Iso began manufacturing scooters and motorcycles after WWII. Iso moved on to small trucks, the Isetta mini-car (made famous by BMW who licensed the design from Iso) and eventually Grand Touring (GT) cars, which featured Italian styling and American engines of which the Iso Rivolta GT was the first followed by the Iso Grifo.

Renzo Rivolta died at the age of 58 in 1966 and his 25 year old son, Piero Rivolta, took over the Iso company — The youngest major car company CEO in history.

About the Bizzarrini owners club can be found online here.

The club was founded in December 1980 under the leadership of Winston Goodfellow, a well known car historian, enthusiast and former Pebble Beach judge. Don Meluzio is the president of the club today and can be reached at DMeluzio@aol.com

Scripps Park in the California coastal town of La Jolla, near San Diego, is best known for being home to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography from 1909. A new upstart is also welcomed once a year, as it also provides a home to the La Jolla Concours D’elegance.

Now in its 8th year the show continues to grow and attract attention, but with a nod towards the first show, the feature for 2012 was Italian cars. The event incorporated a weekend of activities, with a book signing Friday evening, a tour Saturday, the requisite party Saturday night, and the Concours on Sunday.

Saturday’s driving tour made full use of the variety of greater San Diego area’s attractions. Tour participants met in the 1,200 acre Balboa Park, site of the 1915 California Panama Exhibition and the 1935 California Pacific International Exhibition. The drivers’ meeting was held at the park’s automobile museum, where instructions were reviewed and credentials were readied in preparation for the first stop.

Naval Air Station North Island on the Coronado Peninsula of San Diego Bay was the first stop on the tour. Participants shared tarmac space with Sikorsky MH-60Rs of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75. Helicopters and cars were accessible for the respective pilots and crews to exchange stories and enthusiasm. The destination for lunch was the more luxurious Grand Del Mar Resort, just up the road from the defunct Torrey Pines road race course.

Sunday’s Concours in La Jolla proved to be a rewarding day for a few of Saturday’s tour participants. It also brought out a few surprises as cars that couldn’t take part in the tour came out. Among the race cars on display was the 1964 Cooper Shelby King Cobra, a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS, a 1969 Ford GT-40 Mk 1, a Joan Peron sponsored 1954 Ford Carrera Panamericana car, and looking ideal for the Southern California sunshine, a 1966 Bizzarrini P538 Le Mans Roadster. Uncommon Italian cars were on hand too with a 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta, a 1975 Lamborghini Urraco P250, a Lamborghini 350 GT, an Iso Rivolta GT and a Ghia bodied Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS. Other notable cars included a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster, the 1911 ‘Blitzen’ Benz and a stunning Saoutchik bodied 1954 Pegaso Z-102 roadster.

In addition to the awards given out to the best cars, a handful of restorers were recognized for improving the art in groundbreaking ways. Best in show went to a 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6B Kelnner Landaulet, which was also a tour participant. Reserve best in show went to a 1956 Maserati A6G-2000 Allemano.

Overall the event, once again, was fantastic. The scenery changes every year and enthusiasts are always met with a new blend of vintage and exotic automobiles, all displayed seaside in beautiful La Jolla.

To view the full 2012 La Jolla Concours d’Elegance photo album from John Wiley Click Here.

After a short 4 years of production lasting from 1945-1949 only 45 examples of the H.R.G. Aerodynamic model were produced. Three of those being shipped to the US.

This particular Aero model was owned by Florida driver, Phil Stiles. It was raced at Watkins Glen in 1950, and at Palm Beach Shores. After this the car was slightly banged up and the front end was due for a facelift. This is when the fenders were chopped.

Time went on and as with many old race cars, this H.R.G. was in rough shape and was forgotten about. The badly damaged car was found by Gary Ford, its current owner, lying in a farmer’s field in Pennsylvania in the 1970′s. Many years later while discussing the car with Ian Dussek of the HRG Owners Club, it was revealed that this is the very car Ford watched race as a child at Watkins Glen.

The car was recently restored to its current condition. Gary opted to leave the front clip how he saw it last race some 50 years earlier, with the forward sections of the fenders cut off.

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You might recognize the name Justin Lapriore. His photo of $150M worth Ferrari GTO’s from the Mayport Ferry at Amelia Island has gone somewhat viral. Justin has a knack for truly capturing the essence of an event and his recent videopost on Vimeo shows that. Justin gave us the pleasure of being the first to post this great production.

Thanks Justin and keep up the great work!

Saturday’s seminar was the “Great Endurance Drivers” which featured Vic Elford, Brian Redman, Sam Posey, Derek Bell, David Hobbs, Jim Hall, Joe Buzetta, Gerard Larousse and Hurley Haywood as the speakers. The moderator was Tim Considine.

There was standing room only as this panel drew quite a crowd. Around 750+ people.

It’s amazing to hear the drivers individual perspective on certain races and often even better to hear the response from other drivers who may remember that race quite differently. The speakers shared fond memories of battling through Le Mans and Sebring, two of the most grueling courses.

It seemed that most drivers had to throw a jab or two at David Hobbs for being the “slowest” driver on the circuit. But, Mr. Hobbs was quick to point out his safety record. Which was flawless for his entire career! Hobbs returned the critics with quick and witty comments. You would hardly think these men were fiercely competitive with each-other at one time…

Everyone took the sarcasm in good stride. Including Brian Redman shown on the screen here.

Mr Redman told the story of how just prior to the Targa Florio (1971?) a Porsche Engineer explained to him in a thick German accent “If you must have accident, Do not crash the right side of car.” Needless to say, Redman crashed 23 miles into the race on the right side of the car. The fuel tank burst and the car was burning. He escaped the car but was on fire himself. The spectators tried to fan the fire out only making it worse. It was 45 minutes before medics came to his rescue. He was burned all over and taken to a “Care Center”. Days went by before friends hired a private jet to get him into a burn treatment center. As he explained, his good friend Alain De Cadenet came to visit him while in the treatment center and without anyone else to help him (including nurses) De Cadenet was the poor gent who had to help Redman use the restroom. The two still joke about it to this day!

Vic Elford clued us in on how he was able to memorize extremely difficult and long distance race courses like the Targa Florio. He said having a photographic memory allowed him to picture and remember every turn. He could visualize loose gravel and spots in the pavement where he would lose or gain traction. He said, in his opinion, driving the beastly 917 came easier to him than it would other drivers because of his experience in rally cars. The rally driving required a driver to drive sideways quite often, which typically means you’re in trouble in road racing. He said this sideways driving was to his advantage with the 917.

Having a few of the rare racing cars displayed just a few feet from the panel brought out interesting stories. A panelist would glance down at a car and you could see memories coming back to them.

Just before I took the following picture, Derek Bell explained to me  how the Gulf 917 had to have the small extra window cut into the forward roof section so that he could see around the bank at Daytona. He said without that window it was a bit scary not knowing what was up ahead of you!

Mr Bell shared some truly amazing moments telling us how after Brian Redmann and Vic Elford had worked the kinks out of the 917 he had the leisure of cruising the Mulsanne Straight at 200mph under the stars. He said you sat inside this little capsule and that 60 seconds on the Mulsanne allowed you the time to wipe the sweat off your brow and regroup before getting back to racing the 24 Hr Le Mans. The other drivers thought he was mad as their experiences were quite different with the 917!

Aerodynamics pioneer, Jim Hall, told some interesting stories of driving The 24 Hour Le Mans race in the rain. He described driving through torrential downpours where there was so much rain on the track that it made its way into the cockpit of his Chapparal race car. His car was so many laps ahead that Jim Explained, according to their calculations he had nearly an hour to spare as he went into the pits. The cockpit by this time was a bathtub! He exited the car and the next driver was jumping in when Jim stopped him before he drenched himself. They apparently had plenty of time to drain the bathtub!

Below is  one of  Jim Hall’s earlier creations, the 1965 Chapparal 2

Hurley Haywood has been with Brumos Porsche since the early days. He has been team to some of the greatest names in racing history with many victories. Yet, with all of Hurley’s success he is quick to point out that in every race he has always believed it was the team that created the victory, not just one man. With fond memories of Le Mans and the beatings that Sebring can dish out on a driver, The 12 Hours at Daytona is actually Hurley’s favorite race of all.

Sam Posey spoke so eloquently while harassing David Hobbs and his “slow driving” techniques. Sam had the audience roaring with laughter on several occasions.  Both Gerard Larousse and Joe Buzetta added  to the seminar with their stories focused more on the technical side of driving.

On a final note, Vic Elford was presented a pair of Ciccio shoes from Antonio Lombardi. Vic was very excited to receive the fashionable and presumably rather rare Italian footwear.

To wrap things up here are a few more photo’s from the Great Endurance Drivers seminar at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Happy Motoring~