Tag Archives: Danville

A Quick Walk Around the Museum

After Hobbo had finished his talk and was setting up for autographs, I took a quick wander around the main floor of the museum.  Some exhibits were gone to make space for the presentation but there were still plenty of cars on show.  Things have been rearranged since my previous visit which I wrote about here.  I knew that time was tight for me and I would need to go but I did get a few shots of some of the cars before calling time and heading home.

Ferraris

The David Hobbs talk wasn’t the only thing going on at Blackhawk when I was there.  Prior to the presentation, there had been a gathering of Ferraris and Alfa Romeos in the parking lot.  I didn’t realize that this had been planned so I turned up for the opening hour of the museum and was surprised by the cars outside.  I did spend a few minutes wandering around and checking out some of the Ferraris.  As an 80s kid, I couldn’t help being attracted to the Testarossa.  What a beast of a car.  The others were cool too.  Many of them look better but something about those side fins is cool.  This one had mirrors on both sides.  I always loved the large single mirror fit but I guess you don’t see many of those.

Hobbo Tells a Tale

I made a visit to the Blackhawk Automotive Museum on a Sunday morning.  They had a speaker booked and this one was David Hobbs.  Hobbo has been announcing motorsports on US TV since the 70s and is part of the current NBCSN Formula One team.  His talk covered both his days as a racer and his time in TV and he was obviously a popular choice.  The place was packed out.  They were suggesting there were three times as many people as they had ever had before.

The initial seating was not enough.  They brought in flip out chair and then any chairs they could find to try and get a seat for everyone but some ended up standing throughout.  It was not short either as he has plenty of anecdotes to work with.  Timing was a bit “flexible” in the end.  Hobbo has a habit of saying stuff on air which might make the network a bit nervous and his public speaking is an extension of that.  I watched a few people flinch at some of the language he threw in but most people seemed to be lapping it up – me included.

After the talk and the Q&A, he posed with a GT40 based Mirage in the collection that he had raced at Le Mans.  Then he set up to sign autographs and memorabilia that the audience had.  A line formed that stretched across the foyer and beyond.  I imagine the museum did well out of the event and it was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

Blower Bentley

B11I8568.jpgCars and Coffee at Blackhawk Automotive Museum gets all sorts of interesting cars.  One that was particularly interesting on a recent visit was a Blower Bentley.  This is a great combination of huge power with minimal controllability.  Stick a huge engine into a car in a time when suspension design and steering were in their infancy and you don’t have the opportunity to kill people at all!  This example is beautifully looked after and seems to have a very original appearance.  I am not an expert but I know people who are and they weren’t critical of this car so I assume it is an unusual and well maintained example.

Latest from Cars and Coffee

B11I8565.jpgI have had a few visits to Cars and Coffee over the last few months.  Plenty of cool vehicles to check out and justify getting up early on a Sunday morning.  This time I figure I will just share a bunch of pictures of what has been there.  Of course, these are but a small fraction of the total number of cars appearing but they caught my eye.

Contrasting Cars

AU0E8744.jpgOne of the fun things about going to Cars and Coffee at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Danville is the variety of vehicles on show. You get things from one extreme to another. One of the first vehicles I saw after parking was a Lamborghini Aventador. This is a serious piece of supercar technology. There was also a McLaren to take a look at. Compare this with an old Datsun or a selection of old VWs and you are poles apart. However, they are all loved by their respective owners.

AU0E8758.jpgMy enthusiasm for the Honda/Acura NSX was satisfied by three of them lined up together over in one corner. A very nice thing to find on one side of a big event. This proved to be a popular edition of Cars and Coffee. Over 800 cars were noted by the organizers. I got there a little early and it was already getting very full. Supposedly some people were there from 5:30am. That is enthusiasm for you.

Rolls Custom Effort

AU0E8282.jpgA Rolls Royce is some people’s idea of the pinnacle of motoring. I have ridden in a couple and, while they were comfortable, they never really floated my boat. Cars and Coffee had two examples that I was looking at and the comparison was amusing to me. One was a brand new car that a dealer had brought along to show off. It was fitted with all of the latest toys and certainly would help relieve you of a chunk of your bank balance. However, the current Rolls styling is not to my taste and they look rather inelegant.

AU0E8184.jpgAt the opposite end of the spectrum was a far older model that has been customized. Apparently, this had been a labor of love for a guy but he had sadly passed away. Not had been finished off by his family but they had then sold it on. It is a strange vehicle for sure. The classic Rolls shape is clearly identifiable but the cut down bodywork and the lowered suspension are a big deviation from the norm. I have no idea how much it cost to modify and I’m sure the value was to the guy rather than anyone else but it is a great example of creativity and commitment. I hope he was happy with it.

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More Cars and Coffee

AU0E8202.jpgOther than the stuff that has got its own post, there were a bunch of other cool looking cars at Cars and Coffee. Here are some of the others. Hard to believe that some of these are also ran subjects! Normally they would get more attention!

Volvo Restoration

AU0E8221.jpgMy recollection of Volvos as a youth was of boxes on wheels. They never struck me as impressive cars and the interiors seemed to match the exteriors in their boxiness. I even have a less than favorable memory of driving a 740 through France overnight to try and make a morning ferry (which we did). It was not always thus. The P1800 was quite a smart looking car and a TV star in the original version of The Saint.

AU0E8222.jpgThis example showed up at Cars and Coffee. It was in excellent condition. Whether it has been kept well or restored beautifully (or even a bit of both) I don’t know but it looked great. It wasn’t the only example around either. However, it did stand out as the one to see. I have no idea what they are like to drive but that wasn’t the point at an event like this.

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NSX

AU0E8129.jpgSupercars are seemingly coming along all the time these days. The latest Ferrari, McLaren or Lamborghini seems to come out with slightly more power, greater technology, performance statistics and pricing to match with a frequency that makes it seem hard to believe that there are enough customers out there for such things. It was not always thus. While there were some high performance motors around, they seemed a bit more rare. For me, there was one that always stood out. The NSX.

AU0E8109.jpgBuilt by Honda and sold under that brand in Europe and as an Acura in the States, it was a technological marvel at the time. Supposedly Ayrton Senna was involved in its development and it was supposed to be amongst the best. It never sold in huge numbers but they continued to build them for many years. They would show up in movies occasionally – Pulp Fiction includes a good example – but they were not as glamorous as something like a Ferrari or a Lambo. I loved them though. I would still like to have one but now they are passing from being expensive and new to being collectable and even more expensive. I’ve no idea if they are fun to drive or not but I like to think they are. When I came across these examples, I spent a little time enjoying the idea of roaring through the mountain passes with no worries other than having fun.