CLASSICS TODAY: May 2015

Sunday

CONNECTICUT ON THE 31ST

1928 PACKARD

GREENWICH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE AUCTION

by Bonhams

Greenwich Concours d'Elegance Auction

Greenwich, Connecticut

www.bonhams.com

1-415-861-7500

INDYCAR IN MICHIGAN - RACE ONE

MARCO ANDRETTI, 2ND - CARLOS MUNOZ, 1ST - SIMON PAGENAUD, 3RD

Called 'Duel in Detroit' this race was the first of two. Shortened by bad weather it ran only 47 of the 70 scheduled laps. Carlos Munoz collected his first win in the Indycar series. His teammate, Marco Andretti, came in second giving the team its best finish in quite a long time. Third place went to Simon Pagenaud.

Takumo Sato finished in 11th, one lap down, after running in first for several laps. Tony Kanaan finished 20th after completing only 33 laps due to an accident. His team put him back together and back out on the track. Let's hope there is no rain tomorrow.

Friday

TEXAS ON THE 30TH

1934 FORD CUSTOM

MIDLAND - ODESSA

by Dan Kruse

The Horseshoe

Midland, Texas

www.dankruseclassics.com

1-866-495-8111

CONNECTICUT ON THE 30TH

1924 MARMON WASP

2015 GREENWICH CAR EVENT

by Dragone

176 Post Road West

Westport, Connecticut

www.dragoneclassics.com

1-203-349-8840

photo credit: © 2015 Dragone

GERMANY ON THE 30TH

1948 CADILLAC

UNITED STATES CAR COLLECTION

by Auctionata

ONLINE ONLY

www.auctionata.de

1-855-275-2242

WASHINGTON ON THE 30TH

1978 CORVETTE

CLASSIC CARS AND MOTORCYCLES

by Murphy

18226 68th Avenue NE

Kenmore, Washington

www.murphyauction.com

1-425-486-1246

WASHINGTON ON THE 30TH

1948 MERCURY

SPRING CLASSIC

by Lucky Old Car

Marymount Event Center

325 152nd Street East

Tacoma, Washington

www.luckyoldcar.com

1-206-467-6531

MINNESOTA ON THE 30TH

1939 PACKARD

THEODORE MERICKEL COLLECTION

by Silver

9842 County Road 134

Pine River, Minnesota

www.silverauctions.com

1-800-255-4485

COLORADO ON THE 30TH

1969 CAMARO

CLASSIC CARS

by SAAAS

Douglas County Fairgrounds

Castlerock, Colorado

www.saaasinc.com

1-970-266-9561

Tuesday

ENGLAND ON THE 28TH

1927 CHENARD-WALCKER

CLASSIC CARS AND MOTORCYCLES

by Richard Edmonds

Allington

United Kingdom

www.richardedmondsauctions.com

+44 (0) 1249 444 544

MICHIGAN ON THE 27TH

METZGER FAMILY ESTATE

by Braun and Helmer

3175 Gotfredson Road

Ypsilanti, Michigan

www.auctionzip.com

www.braunandhelmer.com

1-734-368-1733

ENGLAND ON THE 27TH

1935 AUSTIN

CLASSICS

by William George

ONLINE AUCTION

www.i-bidder. com

www.wgandco.com

+44 (0) 870 419 3340

SPECIAL OF THE WEEK

1977 JEEP HONDO

This is an original survivor that runs and drives great. It's and ac vehicle, but the system needs charged. The original radio, lights, etc. etc. all work. Owners manual and warranty card. Sold new in Kalispell Montana. The box has rust in areas in the sides. Box floor is pretty nice. Tailgate has rust. From the cab forward is in nice shape. Floorpans are rust free. Power steering and brakes. I have many more pics I can email. I can help get a good shipping price also. Clear title.

Located in Montana........1-406-297-7384

Monday

INDY 500

What a nice race. Just for the naysayers, Juan Pablo Montoya won as only he can do. He got bumped back to 30th place and was first across the finish line. His teammate, Will Power who was the odds-on favorite came in a very close second, 1/10 of a second behind. Charlie Kimball, who suffers from diabetes placed third. I couldn't be happier for him and Montoya.

Montoya won the 500 back in 2000 and then left the series for NASCAR. If he hadn't done that he would be a household word today.

Some others that I like to follow ended up like this. Ed Carpenter was taken out in an accident in lap 112 and was placed at 30th. Tony Kanaan, who was running with the front runners, had a solo accident after leading for 30 laps on lap 151 and was placed at 26th. Takuma Sato had an accident in the first lap and had his car repaired and returned to the race 3 laps down. He ended up on the finishing lap in place 13, now that is some driving.

FORMULA ONE IN MONACO

A strange race in all. Nico Rosberg was very happy to have won in his own neighborhood. Not just his country, but the streets that he walks on. Sebastian Vettel was a very happy man, and he said so, to come in second. The not so happy Lewis Hamilton came in third. He had a right to be unhappy because his team called for a pit stop with what seemed like enough time to do before the end of the race. He led the whole race, but during that pit stop both Rosberg and Vettel passed him. He was dumbfounded and rightfully so. Not enough time to catch them before the end.

Saturday

BELGIUM ON THE 24TH

1969 McLAREN M6

THE SPA CLASSIC SALE

by Bonhams

Spa Francorchamps Circuit

Francorchamps

Belgium

www.bonhams.com

+33 1 42 61 10 11

FORMULA E IN GERMANY

Sitting here with the whine of the electrics still in my ears. It is still interesting to watch. The winner this week is Lucas di Grassi which puts him at the top of the points list. In second place was Jerome d'Ambrosio and third went to Sebastien Buemi. Next race on to Russia.

Friday

ROUGH ROAD TO THE INDY 500

JOSEF NEWGARDEN

HELIO CASTRONEVES

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE
Hopefully not, but it looks like there could be some high-flying vehicles at the Indy 500.

RENZO ZORZI........1946 - 2015

Zorzi began his racing career in Formula Three in 1972, driving various cars with little success. In 1974 he switched to a GRD, and won the Monaco Formula Three race in 1975. This helped him towards a couple of races for Williams in Formula One, before his sponsorship funds ran out. In 1977 he raced with Shadow, backed by their Italian sponsor Franco Ambrosio.^[1] Despite finishing sixth at the 1977 Brazilian Grand Prix and earning a World Championship point, he was dropped from the team after five races and replaced by Riccardo Patrese.

He was indirectly involved in a horrific accident during the 1977 South African Grand Prix, after he retired his car when a split fuel pipe caused an engine fire.^[1] While Zorzi dealt with the fire with his on-board extinguisher, two fire marshals ran across the track and one, Frederick Jansen Van Vuuren, was struck and killed by the car of Zorzi's team-mate Tom Pryce, who was also killed.

Zorzi later raced in sports cars and the Aurora AFX F1 series, driving an Arrows.

After retiring from racing, he ran a Pirelli driving school in southern Italy.

ENGLAND ON THE 23RD

1955 MERCEDES BENZ 190 SL

THE MAY SALE 2015

by Silverstone

The Wing

Silverstone Circuit

United Kingdom

www.silverstoneauctions.com

+44 (0) 1926 691 141

ITALY ON THE 23RD

VILLA ERBA

by RM / Sotheby's

Lake Como

Italy

www.rmauctions.com

+39 02 9475 3812

ENGLAND ON THE 23RD

1992 COBRA REPLICA

CLASSIC CARS & MOTORCYCLES

by Mathewson's

Mathewson's Motor Museum

Thornton Le-Dale

Pickering, North Yorks

United Kingdom

www.mathewsons.co.uk

+44 (0) 1751 474 455

ENGLAND ON THE 23RD

1926 ROLLS ROYCE

CLASSIC & VINTAGE CARS

by Hobbs-Parker

Ashford Market

Orbital Park, Ashford

United Kingdom

www.hobbsparker.co.uk

+44 (0) 1233 506 266

SCOTLAND ON THE 23RD

1939 ENGLISH FORD

CLASSIC CAR

by Morris Leslie

Errol Airfield

Errol, Perth

Scotland

www.morrisleslie.com

+44 (0) 1821 642 940

Tuesday

SPECIAL OF THE WEEK

1957 PONTIAC

Paint,Interior,Chrome,Undercoated by dealer. 48,000 miles. 347/270 hp 4 barrel, hydra-matic, pb, ps, wonderbar radio, power antenna, dual exhaust, illuminated fender ornaments, new tires, battery.

Located in New York........1-585-323-1286

Sunday

ED CARPENTER TAKES A TUMBLE

ONE OF MY FAVORITE DRIVERS

Wednesday

DENISE McCLUGGAGE.........1927 - 2015

DENISE AND STERLING MOSS BACK IN THE DAY

Denise McCluggage was godmother to all of us who write about cars. Reliable, caring, funny, kind, attentive, daring, adventurous, and a million other flattering adjectives aren’t enough to capture her character. She was always a fine writer, a great editor, and had a genius for friendship. And when she raced, she was fast. She was born in 1927, wrote about cars and the people who raced and loved them for more than 60 years, and passed away May 6th.

She was born in Eldorado, Kansas, and made it out to California when she attended esteemed Mills College in the Bay Area. After graduation it was an easy step to the San Francisco Chronicle and her first newswriting job. She soon fell into the region’s active sports-car scene. “It was Barney Clark who first took me to [Kjell] Qvale’s store,” she told Matt Stone of Road & Travel Magazine. “And one day I saw something there that I quite simply had to possess. Had to!” What that was, was an MG TC.

In 1954, she had moved over to the New York Herald Tribune and soon after that found herself a sportswriter at a time when women sportswriters were a true novelty. In addition to racing, she covered skiing, parachuting, and a few other sports that were extreme then—and still are. She tried almost all of them. But racing is what grabbed her.

By 1955, she was driving a Jaguar XK140MC in local events on the East Coast. And from there she moved into a Porsche 550 RS Spyder with which she regularly won “ladies’ races” and proved an indomitable competitor in races that weren’t gender-segregated. At the 1957 Nassau Speed Weeks, she finished ninth in the TT, fourth in the Governor’s Trophy, and eighth in the Memorial Trophy. There’s a photo of her at the TT, in the 550 RS, her hand on her signature polka-dot helmet. Incidentally, the guy who won that race was named Masten Gregory. Stirling Moss finished 25th and John Fitch wound up 29th.

Back in the world of journalism, during 1958 she worked alongside Don Stewart and Tom Swantek in founding the biweekly newspaper about racing called Competition Press. It would eventually evolve into today’s Autoweek. She remained connected to the publication the rest of her life.

She was tight with everyone who mattered in racing right up until yesterday. She played football against Carroll Shelby, was one of Dan Gurney’s biggest boosters, and Phil Hill wrote the introduction to her book By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping. Even as she shrunk with age, she was proud that she stood taller than Danica Patrick. And if you weren’t involved in racing, you probably knew Denise, too. She had a life so full of legends that new ones would have to shove old ones aside to gain attention.

“In memoir, autobiography, or biography, truth is present in various percentages,” she wrote on her own website. “As Barbara Kingsolver said, Memory and Truth are relatives but not twins. The same can be said of Fact. Memory and Fact grow more distantly related as time intervenes. And even Fact and Truth often seem to be born of parents barely acquainted. That’s why fictionalized biography often has more ‘truth’ than a diligently researched biography trailing footnotes through its pages.”

Wikipedia says she was married to the actor Michael Conrad of Hill Street Blues fame for a year. Friends of ours have been posting Denise stories on Facebook involving Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, and turning down the chance to be on Top Gear. There’s no reason to doubt any of them. With Denise, even the exaggerations were always likely true.

It’s tempting to celebrate Denise McCluggage as the first female this or the first woman to do that. But why understate her influence? She lived how all of us can aspire to: enthusiastically and robustly.

Take some time today to pay her the greatest compliment any writer can get: Seek out her work and read it.

DENISE AND STERLING MOSS RECENTLY - BOTH WELL INTO THEIR 80'S

WITH HER FOOT STILL IN IT AT 80 YEARS OLD

GEORGIA ON THE 17TH

CLASSIC CARS AND TRUCKS

by Four Seasons

Four Seasons Auction Gallery and Antique Mall

4010 Nine McFarland Drive

Alpharetta, Georgia

www.fsagallery.com

1-404-876-1048

PENNSYLVANIA ON THE 16TH

ANTIQUE AND VINTAGE AUTOMOBILE SALE

by Cabin Fever

1860 Weaverton Road

Douglassville, Pennsylvania

www.cabinfeverexpo.com

1-800-789-5068

ENGLAND ON THE 16TH

1966 VOLKSWAGEN

ASCOT

by COYS

Ascot Racecourse

Berkshire

United Kingdom

www.coys.co.uk

+44 (0) 208 614 7888

PENNSYLVANIA ON THE 16TH

1964 AVANTI

PREMIER AUTOMOBILE SALE

by Morphy

2000 North Reading Road

Denver, Pennsylvania

www.morphyauctions.com

1-877-968-8880

Monday

INDIANA ON THE 14TH

1969 TRIUMPH TR6C

INDY

featuring The Shreffle Collection

by Mecum

Indiana State Fairgrounds

Indianapolis, Indiana

www.mecum.com

1-262-275-5050

SPECIAL OF THE WEEK

1957 CHEVY

327, 3-speed stick, metallic red, runs well

Located in New Jersey........1-848-203-6591

ENGLAND ON THE 13TH

CLASSIC CAR & BIKE SALE

by Brightwells

Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire

United Kingdom

www.brightwells.com

+44 (0) 1568 611 122

INDIANA ON THE 12TH

1974 USAC DIRT TRACK RACER

SPRING CLASSIC

featuring The 1958 Fuelie Collection

The Danny Hill Collection

The Don Davis Collection

The Rick Baker Collection

The Mike Yeager Collection

The Mike Guarise Collection

by Mecum

Indiana State Fairgrounds

Indianoplis, Indiana

www.mecum.com

1-262-275-5050

FORMULA ONE IN SPAIN

SEBASTIAN VETTEL, 3RD - NICO ROSBERG, 1ST - LEWIS HAMILTON, 2ND

The podiums are looking the same...just the positions are changing. Nico Rosberg was off to the races from the very beginning. Nobody was going to touch him. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, came in second instead of first like he has been known to do lately. Third went to Sebastian Vettel.

Felipi Massa came in sixth and Nico Hulkenberg came in 15th. Rumors are still floating around that Hulkenberg will be going to the World Endurance series. This would be a good move for him because he is an excellent driver and is wasting his time in the rides he gets in Formula One.

Sunday

INDYCAR IN INDIANA

Will Power wins his first of the season! Graham Rahal was second again and that should make him happy. Third went to Juan Pablo Montoya.

Tony Kanaan came in 7th and Takuma Sato was 9th.

FORMULA E IN MONACO

The 'plug-ins.' With the sound of a wound up mix-master they were off and running in Monaco. My friends in Monaco couldn't take it and left town. Today's race was only 47 laps, a touch over one hour with each driver getting two cars with a switch around lap 25. Sebastien Buemi, from Formula One and the World Endurance Championship, was the winner. Lucas di Grassi, from the World Endurance Championship, came in second. Nelson Piquet, a one Formula One driver and now from Brazil as a stock car racer, came in third. I am happy that he has a drive since he was kicked out of Formula One for crashing his car on management orders. Didn't set well with Formula One, the fans or his father who was a three time Formula One Champion.

Friday

ROGER PENSKE TO THE AUTOMOTIVE HALL OF FAME

AT LEAST THEY MADE IT WHILE HE CAN ENJOY IT

Fifteen Indianapolis 500 wins, hundreds of professional race wins overall, dozens of national championships, all in a wide range of motorsports, from Formula 1 to Trans-Am, Can-Am and more. Even the best drivers can but dare to dream of such a record; as an owner, though, Roger Penske made all that happen and more, and it’s in part for those accomplishments that the Automotive Hall of Fame will induct him into its ranks this summer.

Which is not to say that Penske has only seen racing success as a team owner. In his teens, the Ohio native began refurbishing older cars and selling them for a profit, and he quickly graduated to buying and selling last year’s race cars and in turn figuring out how to keep them competitive. By the time he entered Lehigh University, he’d owned Jaguars and Mercedes-Benzes, and soon he traded one of the latter—a gullwing, no less—for a competition Corvette so he could go racing himself, as he related to Jim Donnelly inHemmings Muscle Machines #111.

Though he mostly raced sports cars—he took an SCCA national championship, and Sports Illustrated recognized him as its racer of the year for 1960—Penske also suited up for at least one NASCAR race and both the 1961 and 1962 United States grands prix.

One of his shining moments behind the wheel took place at the 1964 Bahamas Speed Week, where, according to his International Motorsports Hall of Fame bio, he “won the Nassau Tourist Trophy in a Corvette Grand Sport, then drove a Jim Hall Chaparral in relief of Hap Sharp and won the Nassau Trophy over Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt,” following up those feats with a last-lap win over Foyt and Walt Hansgen to take the Governor’s Trophy.

Perhaps more significant than his racing success was his ability to secure sponsorship from Du Pont for his Buick-powered Cooper Formula car in 1962, something unheard of in sports car racing at the time, and a move he would repeat again and again in the years afterward, bringing on major sponsors such as First National City Bank, Sunoco, Marlboro and Verizon.

Penske quit racing as a driver in 1965, turning down an offer to drive in the Indianapolis 500 to focus on the Chevrolet dealership in Philadelphia he was then running, his start in building the business empire that carries his name today, one that includes hundreds of dealerships and that has owned stakes in Detroit Diesel, VM Motori and Ilmor Engineering and that nearly managed to buy Saturn outright from General Motors. He never left racing, however, transitioning to a team owner who has entered cars in just about every top-level professional racing series and who has worked with some of the world’s best drivers, including Mark Donohue, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti and the Unser family.

Already inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame, and the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame, Penske will be honored by the Automotive Hall of Fame both for his role as chairman and founder of Penske Corporation as well as for building Team Penske Racing “into one of the most successful automotive sports teams in history.”

“We are pleased to honor four individuals whose entrepreneurial spirit helped create today’s global automotive industry,” William R. Chapin, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame, said in a statement announcing the selections. “Each made their unique vision a reality through tenacity and creativity. It is the story of the automotive ndustry from the beginning and the Automotive Hall of Fame is proud to share that story.”

Joining him on this year’s roster of Automotive Hall of Fame inductees will be Elwood Haynes, automotive pioneer and Haynes-Apperson co-founder; Luca di Montezemolo, the former chairman of Ferrari; and Ratan Tata, founder of Tata Motors. The Automotive Hall of Fame will also present Rodney O’Neal, former CEO and president of Delphi, with its Industry Leader of the Year award.

A.J. Baime, author of Arsenal of Democracy and Go Like Hell, will speak at the induction ceremony.

This year’s Automotive Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place July 23 at the Detroit Mariott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. For more information, visit AutomotiveHallofFame.org.

NOTE: Penske deserves all the honors they can give him. I remember racing as a young man and today he is the man with the Midas Touch. Good for him.