Greenwich Concours/Pebble Beach

Good to see you back! Won't be at either of those events, well maybe Pebble, if so will try to find you.

Shawn Miller

Has anyone done the Pebble Beach tour on the thursday before the concours? What's it like?

HI, I am also glad to see you back. I stopped looking here for a long time as I couldn't stand some of the discussion, but now that things are back to normal...

I hope to see you at Pebble. I went on the tour at Pebble in 98, which was the first year it was done. We had a great time. It was first class, like most everything at Pebble. I restored my car to drive as nice as it looks, so I thought this was the perfect place to drive it and demonstrate that. It was a little over 50 miles and was varied, some slow, particularly around 17 mile drive, and some highway and some up and down fairly decent hills to really make sure the cars were actually roadworthy under normal conditions and in real world traffic. You might want to keep well ahead of the two wheel brake cars on the downhills. That year Stirling Moss was driving a big vintage Ferrari and left before us and we didn't see him again until we stopped for lunch. He was gone! There was an awesome group of cars on the tour - just amazing, Bugatti, Duesenberg, Isotta, Pierce 66, Hudson Speedster, Ferrari... We spent all day on Saturday cleaning up the car afterwards, (and won our class on Sun - did it help? It didn't hurt!) but not everyone does that much cleaning. Dirt from the tour is excused by the judges. (I judge there now) But if you are going to show at Pebble, you probably want to do some cleaning for the appreciative crowds. If you complete the tour you get a very nice big green ribbon which you display on the car on show day. If driving the car doesn't make you uncomfortable, I would say do it. I have not been on the tour since then, but perhaps I can answer other questions you might have. Feel free to email me at packard12s@hotmail.com.

Dave

Thanks for the info. As long as I'm put with the faster group I think I'm going to give it a go. The following link has pics of my MK-IV. I think this is the first time that GT-40ies will be judged. I'm really looking forward to it and meeting you and others. My Duesy is coming along and will soon shed it's trailer queen status and become a regular driver. It will be nice driving it with brakes that work!

Best

Jim

This link runs from bottom to top. It also has photos of the new Ferrari Enzo.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/21/234231.html?1051089710

Dave

I will be doing the Pebble Tour on thursday 8/14 as well. Anyone else?

Duesy info

www.greenwichconcours.com

J446:

Enjoyed the Ferrari link. Perhaps I'll get used to it, but the Enzo looks a bit too techno for me. No problem, I don't think my name is on the waiting list. I think your Mark IV is handsomer, it has much more classic (heresy!!)lines. Form does follow function.

Like most racing cars, the Mark IV looks much smaller than the street cars in the picture.

Bill

Albuquerque, NM

In real life the Enzo looks better than in pics but it is very high tech almost airplane like. 67 was the last year race cars still had curves. (See attachment} In real life race cars of that era do look very small. Race cars from the classic era are monsters by comparsion! Not too many know that Duesenberg was the first american co. to build a car that won a Grand Prix.

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Jim

This is not a great photo, but it may be the last Duesenberg to be activly raced before restorations were thought of. Jim Hoe is shown while running in 4th place at Watkins Glen in 1950. Legend has it that he bought the sedan on Long Island, removed the body with an ax and drove the chassis home to Weston Connecticut where it was converted to a racer. It was sold in Hemmings 20-25 years ago. Where is it now?

Interesting photo. I do wonder where that car is now. Will you come down to Greenwich?

Best

Jim

HI, I hope you will enjoy the Pebble tour. I know that my whole group did. The whole Pebble experience is awesome. I look forward to seeing your car there too - that must be a really exciting drive. Someday I will beg a ride in that! I liked the photos from the Ferrari outing, but I have to agree that I like your Ford's lines better than the Enzo. I saw the Enzo at the Chicago auto show and I would have to get used to the angular "stealth fighter" lines. It definitely seems to be an F1 car with fenders (especially the nose), and as much as I like F1, I can't say that the current cars are beautiful. What body is on your Duesenberg? I would welcome you to join the CCCA - I know that you met up with a less than welcoming member here on the website, but it is a great club with some wonderful exotic cars and incredibly interesting people and we would like to have you involved. I like custom cars and have two one offs and 2 low production series customs. I also like multi cylinder cars and have some 12 cylinder Packards and a Cad V16. I've never owned a Ferrari (I like them a lot), but used to be into Porsches, and have found classics and the CCCA people more fun. I think it is great that you drive both the sports and classic cars - driving them is perhaps what I enjoy the most. Dave

I've been fortunate enough to see both of Jim's cars,the Mark IV at Lime Rock Park and J446 at the AACA event last year. Breathtaking, is the first thing that comes to mind,J443 is black, about a mile deep, and just oozes good looks.Greenwich is only 45 minutes down the road, but I've never been able to get to the show, maybe '03 will be my first year.

J446: Seeing the pictures of your MK-IV and that it is yellow in color, makes we want to ask the following question. While at the Zippo Grand Prix last September for two days there was a GT40 there that was yellow. Was this your car at the Glenn? It was very interesting the year before to see three of the six Cobra Daytons at one time. That sunday my grandson and saw history beeing made at the Glenn. Two Daytona Coupes racing out on the track at the same time as well as a couple of GT 40's. While I find the GT 40's intersting cars and admire what they did racing, I find the cars that Jim Hall and Hap Sharp built very inovative for the time. I would have liked to seen what this team would have done in that time frame with full Chevy factory support.

Packard 53

The yellow GT40 you saw wasn't mine It was likely a MKI. The MK-IV were the last GT40ies and only ran at 2 races. J4 driven by Mario Andretti won Sebring in 67. J5 driven by AJ Foyt and Dan Gurney won LeMans in 67 and my car J6 finished 4th at LeMans driven by Bruce McLaren and Mark Donohue.

Jim Hall was a very inventive engineer as well as a great driver. His cars were very interesting. Their only downfall was their "automatic" transmition.

I had the honor of driving my MK-IV "against" Jim and his Chapparal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 98. It's an experience I'll never forget.

Best

Jim

Jim, I've seen the Goodwood coverage on TV, and that has to be the worlds greatest Vintage event! It may merit a thread of its own, how do all the cars get tere? Do all the cars from the states go over together or on their own. Pebble Beach and Goodwood are apples and oranges, but I think Goodwood would be a lot more fun.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the worlds great events. It features cars of all Vintage for a hillclimb and a Concours as well. Over 100,000 people show up and the cars, exibits, and drivers are very accessable. Cars that participate is by invatation and before 9/11 they had a sponsorship from Luftansa that enabled them to fly your car over at no cost to you. These days it's a little more complicated. They are a wonderfull group and put on the Goodwood Revival in Sept as well. They have a web site. So far I've gone twice, with my MK-IV and hope to go again next year.

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Jim

Lordy, Life must be good on Long Island! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I enjoy reading your comments Jim. Wayne

Just got back from Wide World of Cars where my Deusy is being readied for the road and the Greenwich Concours. The brakes finally work, the engine purrs, all of the lights, switches and instruments work. The reporcinalized manifolds look great. Now all I need is some warm, dry weather!

Best