Let the Luxury Commence: Gordon McCall's 2006
The following comes from Autoblog's newest blogger, Frank Filipponio, who is on location at Pebble Beach!
------------------------------------
Although several smaller events are happening around the Monterey Penninsula for days before the publicized festivities get started, Gordon McCall's Motorworks Revival at the Jet Center has come to be viewed as the official kickoff party for the Pebble Beach car set. Being wined and dined while surrounded by some of the most choice selections from all of the top-name shows and auctions, rubbing elbows with billionaires and even the less fortunate multi-millionaires at the Monterey Airport is quite an experience, and somehow Autoblog wangled an invite to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the action.
In these days of orange-alerts and airport security hassles, it's odd
to find yourself wandering freely around hangars amidst fighter jets,
bombers, and helicopters from several eras, not to mention the latest
offerings from some of the world's top jet manufacturers. Although you
can't bring chapstick on a commercial flight, the jet set was
gleefully imbibing Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne. Host Gordon
McCall and Lexus (and Bentley and Breitling and Bugatti and...), put
out quite a spread, with several local restaurants and caterers
supplying enough finger food to keep a milipeed busy for hours.
Although the participants include some of the better-known names in
the automotive kingdom (Bobby Rahal, Phil Hill, Bruce Meyer, Steve
Saleen, Reeves Callaway, Jim Glickenhaus, and Danica Patrick, to name
drop a few), the cars are the stars here. The adjacent Christie's
Auction catalogue is proudly displayed along with a selection of
models from Roush, Hennessey, Bugatti, Bentley, Spyker, Superformance,
and Lexus. In fact, Lexus used this stage to present the new 460 and
460 L as well as the über hybrid 600hL.
Soon the light faded and although the party had just kicked into high
gear, the champagne and sushi had done us in. Time to catch that limo
back to the Lodge, for tomorrow we have a 5 am wake up call for the
Pebble Tour. Can't wait to see what's in the swag bag they handed out.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Torz 2:43PM (8/17/2006)
Please more pictures of the 904(in the background of the last pic)! Someday it will be mine.
Reply
Josh 2:50PM (8/17/2006)
You need to tell your boy to learn how to use periods, it makes for a very long winded awkward sentence when you don't use them, it just keeps going, sure the comma helps, but you have to squeeze a period in there somewhere, you know for the sake of it, the two sentence posts are a little to insane for me, I've had a long day at work, give me some quirky one liners Frank! Look, not a single period, I could work for autoblog!
Reply
rwdmtparkingonly 2:59PM (8/17/2006)
I'm not sure if it was balls or stupidity, but that's pretty amusing that Toyota is showing a Celica Funny Car as part of Pebble Beach. A 2000 GT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_2000GT would have been MUCH more appropriate, but maybe it would have embarrassed the Lexus SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition.
Reply
Also on the scene 3:38PM (8/17/2006)
I'm writing this from my office in downtown Monterey, about 100 yards from the RM Auction inventory lot (chain link fence around the main plaza).
The've got everything under the sun, gobs of Cobras or clones, a Saleen S7, even a BMW Isetta and a couple VW vans, but bright yellow McLaren F1 has the place of honor out front this year--next to a red Ferrari F40. (Last year they had a Maybach in this location.)
Not to mention similar cars just driving the streets...
The new blogger guy better get good photos--or maybe I'll do myself tomorrow!
Reply
Steve C. 3:50PM (8/17/2006)
Hey Torz, the 904 is for sale. Christies estimates the final gavel price will be $450,000 - 550,000.
http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/search/LOTDETAIL.ASP?sid=&intObjectID=4761511
Reply
Tom 3:57PM (8/17/2006)
What the heck is that car in the second picture? The grill says Ferrari, but...
(what, you were looking at the woman?)
Reply
Jay 4:02PM (8/17/2006)
The car in the second picture is a Ferrari 575 GTZ. See http://www.fast-autos.net/vehicles/Ferrari/2006/575_GTZ/ for more info.
Jay
http://crystalcovecarshow.blogspot.com
Reply
Jay 5:33PM (8/17/2006)
Err... I guess you could look here for it as well :)
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/22/zagatos-ferrari-575-gtz-unveiled/
Reply
Jordan 6:16PM (8/17/2006)
Nice writing Frank! I am actually quite fond of your punctuation. Keep up the good work!
Reply
Torz 9:00PM (8/17/2006)
Thanks Steve, but unemployment doesn't pay that well. That car just makes me weak in the knees.
Reply
Hugh 10:51AM (8/18/2006)
Wow, Zagato makes some seriously terrible looking cars. In recent memory, I cannot remember a Zagato body that looks better than the original that the car is based on. That Ferrari is hideous. The curves are not good, due in no small part that most are not fair curves (simply: curves that look like they could naturally flow into one another). Also, as usualy with Zagato, the proportions are all off: The snout ahead of the headlights is way too long and low, and the tail lights are way too high. The car is extremely unbalanced.
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/22/zagatos-ferrari-575-gtz-unveiled/
We all know how poorly Zagato executed an SUV:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/28/modellista-offers-toyota-harrier-zagato/
When will people stop paying ridiculous amounts of money to have this company essentially ruin the look of their car? Look at any newer Zagato based vehicle (especially from the side). In order to Zagato-fy the car, they basically just extend the overhangs. Long overhangs simply make the car look heavier, less balanced, and less able to maneuver quickly.
Sorry for the rant, but these "mistakes" are extremely glaring to me as a designer, not to mention someone who appreciates the style of Aston Martins and Ferraris. Take it from a designer; Zagato does terrible work.
Reply
Em 7:51PM (8/22/2006)
In response to rwdmtparkingonly's post #3...
The car was there because the owner/driver Jeff Diehl is a good friend of Gordon's.
Reply