Spotted - Lamborghini Espada

"Not for sale" says the sign on the windshield of the Espada sitting front and center at the Italian car service shop near my office. I wonder when was the last time it saw the open road.  :-(

Spotted - 1932 Alfa Romeo Tipo B (P3)

This Alfa, the first P3 built, was campaigned by Tazio Nuvolari in the 1934 Monaco Grand Prix. One year later it won the Millie Miglia for Scuderia Ferrari. A locally-owned car, it is a true joy to see it every time it makes an appearance in local events. Last year we got a chance to see a later model racing in a local vintage car racing event.

Spotted - Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Spider

Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, nothing less than a super car of it's day. This one, a short wheelbase version (I read one of about 20 examples built) showed up in Redmond last Saturday to everyone surprise. A spectacular machine and a truly rare sight!

Engines - Alfa Romeo 8C 2300

Since we have been on an Alfa theme lately here is another stunning engine from my photo collection. This time from the renowned 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 "Rimoldi".

A couple more photos of the car are available in a previous post...

Alfa of Tacoma

Walked by during my lunch break today and glanced thru the window. A special place indeed...

Engines - Alfa Romeo 2600

1960's Alfa Romeo 2,584 cc straight "six" (145 bhp / 108 kW). A thing of beauty.

Spotted - Morgan Sports Three-wheeler

Not exactly a car but more than a motorcycle. Another surprise we saw last Saturday at the weekly car gathering in Redmond Town Center. Looks like a lot of fun.

Spotted - TVR 2500M

There were plenty of British cars at the Exotics at Redmond Town Center gathering this morning but this TVR 2500M caught my attention as it is pretty rare to see one around here.

2012 Kirkland Concours d'Elegance

Last Sunday we found ourselves back at LeMay America's Car Museum (ACM) in Tacoma, Washington. This time for something really special, the 10th annual Kirkland Concours d'Elegance. This event has really become a tradition around the Puget Sound region and the ACM is its new home. A very different venue than the traditional Carillon Point location but the museum complements the car shows really well and offers a more down to earth location than the Utopian East Side. The brass-era and pre-war cars really caught our attention and having a chance to hear those engines was the icing on the cake. Here are some of our favorites rides.

Something for every taste.

Spotted - 1968 Lamborghini Islero

Another classic Lamborghini in the bag. As one of a handful of cars (125), this is a pretty rare sight. Chassis number 6282 made an appearance last Sunday at the 2012 Kirkland Concours d'Élegance. Based on the mechanicals and tubular chassis of the 400GT it is a more subdued design than it's predecessor.

Spotted - American LaFrance Fire Truck Series 900

When I was a kid when you thought of fire apparatus, you though of an American LaFrance Series 900. If you were given a toy fire truck for Christmas, chances were that it would resemble a Series 900. It's rounded front end with quad headlamps and large turn indicators made it instantly recognizable. That is why when I drove by this used car lot the other day, I just had to stop to take a look. This one looks like the slightly better equipped Series 1000. Low, wide and sleek, these trucks were the bread-and-butter of many fire departments in the United States. Power came from a variety of sources, including seven Continental engines ranging from 175 to 330 horsepower and a 215-horsepower American LaFrance V-12.