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!

Spotted - 1938 Graham Custom

I think it is easy to understand why the 1938 Graham Custom was not a sales success...

BTW, this one is located at the LeMay collection warehouse...

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1950 Talbot-Lago T-26 By Saoutchik

I see a little bit of Jaguar XK in this one...

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1932 Stutz LeBaron Bearcat

This elegant Torpedo Speedster with a body by LeBaron was captured at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It is one of only four cars built on the DV-32 chassis. I particularly like the unusual low cut doors which allow a bit more elbow room. Something that tend to be in short supply on some roadsters of this era.

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1949 Porsche 356 Gmund Coupe

This 356/2 Coupe is the 45th Porsche built. The first 52 Porsche’s were hammered out over wooden bucks by four employees in the little saw mill in Gmünd, Austria. It is powered by an 1100 cc, 40 hp air-cooled engine, with two Solex carburetors. This car won 1st place on the Postwar Sports Closed class this year. This car was painstakingly restored by Road Scholars for Hans-Peter Porsche. It was truly special to see a real Gmünd coupe...

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1913 Stutz Bearcat Series B

In 1913 Stutz incorporated a 6 cylinder engine into their lineup. This new engine displacing 426 cubic inches was built by Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Company. Imaging yourself pushing this thing to it's limits...

Spotted - 1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton

This car is one of only five Newport Phaetons built, one of only two built with the retracting headlamps, and one of the first concept cars built by Chrysler. It was great to see it up close this past summer. More about the story of the Newports at the Ridestory site.

Spotted - 1929 Royce-Hispano H3 Aero-engined Special

A massive 18.5 liter H3 V8 with 360bhp and just under 1000lb/ft of torque is the calling card of this unique automobile. A power plant derived from Hispano-Suiza's H3 line of aircraft engines built under license by Wright Aeronautical Corporation in 1922. The chassis? A Rolls Royce 20/25 (source). This car is one of the most unique "classics" to roll in front of my lens this year. I read it took 10 years to make this project come together. It can only be rivaled by the other "special" that we saw that day. That one however is another story...

Spotted - 1951 Nash Statesman Airflyte

It looks a bit cartoonish but it is still cool nevertheless. The covered wheels wells are part of it's appeal. This one was spotted at the 2010 Harnish Auto Family car show in Puyallup, Washington.

Blackhawk Spotlight - 1930 Ruxton

This 1930 Ruxton is one of my favorites of the Blackhawk museum in Danville, California. I like the way it sits low on the chassis and it's unusual paint. There are no less than 8 color bands on this paint scheme. Not the kind of thing we associate with pre-war sedans. However, the secret sauce of this beautiful car is that it is front-wheel-drive. An arrangement that allows for the lower body silhouette. A 100 hp in-line 8 cylinder Continental provides the power. One of only 298 cars, it was built by both the Moon Car Company of St. Louis Missouri and the Kissel Motor Car Company of Hartford, Wisconsin under contract for the New Era Motors of New York City. Less than 20 examples are believed to survive.

Blackhawk Spotlight - Hispano-Suiza H6C Tulipwood Torpedo

This 1924 Hispano-Suiza must be one of the most stunning classics I have ever seen. The wood work is amazing. The beautifully curved fenders and copper elements complements the torpedo body very well. This H6C powered chassis was sent to Nieuport Astra Aviation in the early 20's. There, a lightweight body (160 pounds) was built of tulipwood held together with brass rivets. A 200 hp 8 liter straight "six", servo-assisted brakes and a 46 gallon fuel tank stored in the tail complete the package. The car was commissioned by Andre Dubonnet with the goal of competing in the 1924 Targa Florio where it finished 6th. It was later modified for road use.

Blackhawk Spotlight - Cadillac Series 37-90 Cabriolet

Hard to believe this dramatic shape is a Cadillac. A V-16 Series 37-90 to be exact. This massive chassis was sent to Carroserrie Hartmann in Switzerland in 1937 with the goal of building a massive cabriolet in the style of the famous Figoni et Falaschi coachbuilders. I think they accomplished their goal. What do you think?

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1954 Hudson Italia Touring Coupe

An interesting Italo-American hybrid built by Touring of Milan on a Hudson Jet chassis. This one is the last one of the series of 26 cars built.

Click on the images to enlarge

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster

I saw this beauty in a magazine not too long ago. Really special to see it "in the metal". There are plenty of details about the history of this Edsel Ford's speedster at the Ford Media site. You can also take a look at the interview done by Jay Leno during the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1915 Mercedes Model 28/60 HP

I was attracted to this beautiful Mercedes 28/60 town car by its interesting headlights. I never realized that some owners back then had summer/winter coach work that could be swapped over the same chassis. Apparently this one started life as a touring car and later on the owner had a town car body built for the winter. That is a vintage Louis Vuitton luggage set on the roof. I really can't do it justice here so go check out the video at Jay Leno's Garage for more on this unique car...

Spotted - 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer

Great color combination on this 1955 Royal Lancer shown last week the Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals. Check out the size of that original air conditioner compressor!