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RESTORED GTi SPOTTED IN MY GARAGE

Someone, somehow, has sneaked a Volkswagen GTi into the parking garage of my building. I say "sneaked" because most of this condo's elderly residents would regard a Toyota Camry as a performance car. I've made it my mission to find this interloper and hopefully draw him into a conversation and maybe even a test drive, or at least a ride. But wait. This is not your ordinary clapped-out GT1 boy racer. It appears to have been restored to as-new condition and has a BC "collector" license plate affixed.

When the GT1 was launched I must have been looking in the wrong direction because frankly, I don't remember. Yes, I recall the hype about it being the original hot hatch, but my attention was diverted and that's odd because I was a Volkswagen disciple back in the Beetle days, assistant to VW Canada's sales promotion manager and class winner in a modified road racer that doubled as family transport. I still feel an allegiance to the German company that took me from a lowly-paid radio announcer and turned me into a semi-sophisticated junior executive.

The GTI version, launched in 1976, virtually created the hot hatch genre. It was one of the first small cars to adopt mechanical fuel injection for its sports version, raising the power output of the 1588cc engine to 108hp. But that was in Europe. US marketing chiefs couldn't get their tiny minds around the idea of a car called Golf and so the front-wheel-drive VW became a Rabbit. Worse still, they began making them in a Pennsylvania factory with handling specs softened to meet supposed American tastes. Bad idea. That plant is long gone.

The US Rabbit debuted in 1983. The 1.8 liter engine delivered 90 horses through a close-ratio 5-speed box, good for the compact class though far less than what the Europeans enjoyed. Fortunately it had the same precise handling, steering, and shifting, making the GTi a fun car to drive as well as a practical family hauler. The squared front end styling, alloy "snowflake" wheels, and red or blue felt plus leatherette trim, gave it a distinctive appearance; still enough to get my attention as I walked through my garage and spotted the restored white VW.

So where was I when the GTi arrived? When the European version was introduced I was creative director of GM Canada's ad agency, thus my attention was diverted by some mostly boring autos. By the time the GTi arrived in North America I'd become associate creative director of Trans Global Films, producing inflight car commercials for the world's airlines. With Ford of Europe and BMW USA as primary clients, it was easy to ignore the GTi and that's a shame as the dynamic VW was, in a way, a reincarnation of my 1960's racing Beetle. The engine had swapped ends and so, obviously, had my attention. Until now, that is.

Click here for the VW GTi Club of Great Britain  
And here for a list of North American VW GTi clubs

THE MULLIN MUSEUM, AN HOMAGE TO ART DECO AND FRENCH CAR DESIGN

An article in the New York Times Wheels newsletter drew my attention to the magnificent Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. The Times article explains that "Rétromobile, the annual collector car show held in Paris in early February, this year will feature 10 significant French cars from the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif., many of them having not been exhibited in France since they were new." That comment prompted me to view the Museum's Web site for a better look. Now I'm declaring that some day I must visit live and in person. And it's not just about the cars.

Mr. Mullin is a fan of art deco design and the machine age – eras that produced exquisite art and magnificent automobiles. The building was previously owned by newspaperman Otis Chandler who once housed a  collection of vintage automobiles and motorcycles in what is now the revamped museum structure.  After Mr. Chandler’s death in 2006, Mr. Mullin acquired the property, then called “The Vintage,” and began an extensive remodeling. The structure includes a solar photovoltaic roof system to capture energy and a planted "green" roof, making the building less dependent on traditional sources of power.

Peter Mullin also loves the curvaceous lines of classic French cars from the 1930s and has collected rare examples of the finest, from Bugatti to Voisin to Delahaye, as well as significant  and representative decorative art from this same period. The museum includes no less than 30 Bugattis, including several from the once-secretive Schlumpf collection in France.

The interior of the Mullin Museum is alone worthy of a visit. It's a two-story structure, and when the main floor exhibit is viewed from the balconies above it resembles a period Paris Auto Show, complete with car manufacturer's signage. All the furnishings are designed in art deco style, as is the architectural detailing and what appears in the photo to be an elegant bar. If I'm wrong about the latter it's only because I've yet to see it in person, but the Mullin Museum has now soared to the top of my list of great car places that I absolutely must visit.

[Photos: Mullin Automotive Museum]

THE AMAZING MILHOUS AUCTION: A ONCE IN A LIFETIME AFFAIR

The Milhous Collection auction by RM in association with Sotheby's, in Boca Raton, Florida, February 24-25, was one I almost overlooked. At first glance it appeared to be just another sale of antique musical instruments with a few classic cars to whet the appetite. I couldn't have been more wrong. The cars are equally spectacular. For example, the 1933 Chrysler Custom Imperial seen above. This one-off Imperial, with body by LeBaron, was the personal car of famed automotive designer Ralph Roberts and his wife. It has been superbly restored with all its designer features intact and in my opinion may be the most elegant of all classic Chryslers.

Though the cars are indeed quite special, mechanical musical instruments are a highlight of the collection. This is one of the world's most notable assemblies of fair and dance organs, orchestrions and theatre organs, centered by an Illions-style carousel from the early 1920s that was custom built for the Milhous Collection. It was constructed over four years with all 42 intricate animal figures built by hand from historically accurate designs. It is truly a one-of-a-kind, fully functioning work of art.

These musical instruments, including rare "player pianos" that played piano music exactly as recorded by the artists, are an amazing example of how mechanical ingenuity produced musical sounds long before electronic instruments were introduced. In addition there is an extensive assortment of petroliana, neon and porcelain signs, and rare and unique gasoline-powered tether cars and models. There is also a large assortment of decorative art pieces from names like Pierre Renoir, Louis Icart and Alphonse Mucha. Several iconic timepieces, including rare tower and street clocks by Seth Thomas and Howard, are included.

The two brothers, Paul and Bob Milhous, had built their collections separately but agreed to combine them in the mid-1970s. After outgrowing four other locations, they constructed the current 39,500 sq. ft. building in Boca Raton, Florida in the mid-1990s. Amazingly, their private collection was never open to the public on a daily basis although it has been host to hundreds of charity events that helped raise millions over the years. You can watch a video, complete with sound, of one of these extraordinary musical marvels, just by clicking here.

CHRISTMAS MORNING BRINGS A TICKET TO SCOTTSDALE

Each year, when Christmas arrives, I find myself wishing I was a child again. Believing there really is a Santa Claus; the excitement of opening all those gifts; the joy of a delicious turkey dinner (hot mince pie for desert, topped by hard sauce made by my grandfather): such was a magic that all too soon disappeared with the cynicism of adulthood. Now, for an aging car writer living thousands of miles apart from family, Christmas has become just another day. Still, if I were to hang a stocking by the end of my bed, I'd go to sleep on Christmas Eve hoping that when I awoke I'd find a round-trip air ticket from Vancouver to Phoenix plus a week's accommodation during January's Scottsdale auction week.

Note that I didn't ask for the cash to bid on two superb classics being offered by Gooding & Co. I'm not that delusional. But it would be a pleasure just to get up close before they go on the block. The 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider seen above is nothing short of exquisite. It features 4-wheel disc brakes, a competition-inspired cold air box with velocity stacks and what many believe to be the most attractive Scaglietti coachwork. Of course the matching-numbers Spider features Ferrari Classiche certification and has, according to Gooding, "excellent provenance with more than four decades of elite ownership among great Ferrari connoisseurs."

Just fanciful copywriting, of course, but I like the added comment: "In a sea of red Ferraris, this white over navy example turns heads for more reasons than one." A sea of red Ferraris, indeed! Gooding estimates a selling price of $3.4 – $3.8 million. Sorry, Mr. Claus doesn't deal in such numbers. Why, I remember last year when he tried auctioning one of his old sleighs and the best offer was a mere $9,000 from a used car dealer in Minnesota.

I may already have seen the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300SL shown above. A "best of show" winner at the Kirkland Concours d'Elegance, it has been restored to perfection by 300 SL specialist Rudi Koniczek, whose exclusive shop is a mere 20 miles from my home and where I've been a privileged guest. The matching-numbers 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is one of only 29 lightweight, alloy-bodied versions built for owners who had racing in mind, though this rare beauty was never raced.

In addition to lighter weight, the alloy Gullwings were equipped with a high-performance NSL motor, Rudge wheels, and stiffer suspension. Gooding & Company says it will be the first time in nearly five years that an alloy Gullwing has surfaced for public auction. The auctioneers estimate it will sell for between $2.5 and $3.5 million. Which certainly beats the price of a hot mince pie with hard sauce. Ah, to be a kid again!

[Photos courtesy Gooding & Company. Photographer: Pawel Litwinski.]

THE CAR COLLECTING HOBBY, BIGGER THAN YOU THOUGHT

The next time someone wags an accusing finger at you and suggests that enthusiasm for old cars is merely a niche hobby, try firing back with some convincing new figures from the Vintage Racing League. For example, VRL tells us there are an estimated 10 million people who own vintage, historic, classic and antique cars. That alone is quite remarkable. So is the way those numbers are spread around the globe:

* 4 million in the Americas
* 5 million in the UK & Europe
* 1 million in the rest of the world

Ever wonder how many car clubs exist worldwide? A few thousand, maybe? How about an estimated 100,000? The number of cars owned by the members must be staggering and should awaken any automotive marketer to the possibilities of reaching this vast group of enthusiasts. According to the VRL there are an estimated 100,000 merchants who sell the collector car community $50+ billion in products and services annually. That makes said community an economic force to be reckoned with.

Yet these numbers are, in one sense, misleading. That's because for every vintage car owner there are countless folk who don't own, and may never own, an automobile old enough to qualify and who probably can't afford the cost of buying and maintenance. Count me among them. Much as I love old cars and write passionately about automotive history I do not possess a collector car and even if I did, keeping it running is beyond my means. (I'm not a Mr. Fixit: my reaction when something goes wrong is "call the guy.")

Nevertheless I love the hobby and participate by collecting automotive fine art prints, models, books and other literature, and by attending concours and vintage races. I'm one of multi-millions around the world who support a category known as "automobilia." Some belong to car clubs, many don't, which makes it impossible to attach a number and to be honest, the word itself is meaningless to non-enthusiasts. Tell someone you collect automobilia and they haven't a clue what you're talking about. We need a new way of expressing that segment of the vintage car hobby. Any suggestions?

I'm uncertain about where the VRL got those numbers but even if they're not quite accurate it should be obvious that car collecting and its associated interests, such as concours d'elegance, vintage racing, and automobilia, is far more than a niche. It's huge, bigger by far than most collecting hobbies. So next time you're accused of dallying in a small-time affair, show them the numbers. You may not turn the accuser into an enthusiast but at least you'll get some well-earned respect.

[Photo: Philip Powell]

AN EARLY MORNING WAKE-UP, RACING DOWN THE HUDSON

The dawn was just peeking through when I awoke in my reserved sleeping compartment on board a New York Central train journeying from Toronto to Manhattan. After a quick clean-up I took a seat in the dining car, one that gave me a view of the beautiful Hudson River Valley. The railway tracks were following the river as rails often did in an era when the best route wasn't the shortest.

As the river twisted and turned through shallow canyons and occasionally broke into broader pastures, we were treated to a passing panorama, one that changed to a golden hue as the sun began its climb. With well-mannered, properly dressed waiters serving a tasty breakfast, it became a trip to remember. Indeed, although I've been on dozens of great train rides before and since, this is one that remains in my memory.

Sadly, there are no more overnight trains between the two cities. But why, you might ask, would one want to spend all night on a railway train when the flight time is less than two hours? Assuming you've got an early business appointment it's much nicer to have enjoyed a casual start free of traffic, security checks, and racing to/from the airport. When you arrive you're already in downtown Manhattan, well-fed and mentally stimulated by the river scenery.

Oh, you can still ride an Amtrak train but the journey, which meanders through the Finger Lakes region and Albany, is more like a travel video. It takes almost 12 hours. Best for railfans and tourists.

This blog is not another plea for high speed rail, although I'm very much in favor. Instead it's to draw your attention to a railway DVD from Sunday River Productions that takes you back to a time when magnificent steam engines raced through the Hudson Valley. It doesn't cover the Toronto-New York trains but no matter, they shared a portion of the beautiful Valley route. In the words of the producers:

"It celebrates one of the best-known steam locomotives in history: the high-speed, high-stepping thoroughbred passenger engine, the New York Central Hudson. The first 4-6-4 engine ever developed, they delivered the speed which powered the crack streamliners over the 'water level route' from New York to Chicago. These beauties are seen racing along the shore of the Hudson River, and elsewhere around the system. The great luxury trains of the Central are all here: the  Limited, the Commodore Vanderbilt, the Pacemaker, the Empire State Express, and a dozen others."

So if you enjoy classic trains and maybe yearn to go back to those romantic years of travel, here's your chance to travel the Hudson valley behind an engine that took its name from the river. For a mere $29.95, an inexpensive way to ride the rails. Bring your own breakfast.

DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS WITH AUTOMOTIVE ART

I'd intended to end the Christmas gift suggestion blogs on Monday, prior to my cruise ship article. However a newsletter from CarArt.com, revealing some extraordinary works in a series entitled Dreaming of a White Christmas, by renowned artist Ken Eberts, changed my mind. True, I started the Christmas series two weeks ago with a painting from CarArt, but I'm a huge fan of automobile and transportation art.

The work shown above is a superb example of how snowy backgrounds can add romance and nostalgia to a painting. Ken calls it "Grandma's Christmas Visit." His combination of a 1952 Mercury Monterey station wagon with an aluminum-clad streamlined train in the background can bring tears to your eyes if you were a kid in those years. At least you won't have to cry over the price. It is available as an 18" X 24" giclée on watercolor paper, for a most reasonable $300.

You'd have to be very, very old to relate to this scene, which Eberts calls "Buster's Trip to the Mountain," but it's a reminder of what driving was like back in 1911, when the Model T struggled to get through the snow. No all-weather tires in those days although early automobiles did at least have ample ground clearance and were less likely to get hung up on a ridge. You'll note that Buster's car is topless and even bundled up in his special winter driving outfit he'll be happy to be met with a warm glass of grog. The 12" X 16" giclée on watercolor paper will cost you a mere $200.

Finally, I must admit to loving Ken's "In the Air There's a Feeling of Christmas." Featuring a 1947 Hudson Commodore Eight, it's a scene that I can relate to, especially with the nearby streetcar and the Woolworth's "five and dime" in the background. Not much different than what, as a teenager, I might have observed during a Toronto winter's day. Again as a giclée on watercolor paper, size 18" X 24," it's available for a most reasonable $300.

Perhaps, this time next year, CarArt's Peter Aylett might persuade Ken to release these, and others in the series that I haven't included here, as Christmas cards. They'd be hugely popular, guaranteed.

CAR GUY FINALLY GETS HIS OCEAN LINER

If you're reading this blog on the day it was published (Dec 14, 2011) and wanted to get in touch with me, you'd have to send a message to an ocean liner. I'm enjoying my very first cruise, from Los Angeles to Encenada and Los Cabos, Mexico and return, on board that beautiful ship shown above, the Sapphire Princess. What's significant is that I waited so long for it to happen.

Back when I was a mere 10-year-old, Kelloggs would print reproductions of ocean liners on the back of corn flakes packages. They were meant to be cut (along the dotted line), folded, and attached using tabs. The result was a 3-dimensional cardboard model of a Normandie, Queen Mary, Bremen, or other famous liners. Also on the box was a brief but colorful description of the featured ship. As a kid whose family had associations with the sea (my uncle Phil was a Canadian naval officer, my grandfather was an artist specialising in renderings of clipper ships) those liners appealed to my overactive imagination. I grew up believing that a voyage from New York to Southampton on a liner was the ultimate, most romantic way to travel from North America to Europe.

But things were changing because of the war and when hostilities ended (don't you just hate that phrase?) changes came even more quickly and I was also changing, from teenager to young man. Trips across the ocean were far less important than pursuing pretty women or racing canoes, the latter being my main sport in those years. I never quite gave up on images of great ocean liners but with jetliners beckoning neither I nor anyone else had much interest in travel by sea. (Excepting, of course, those thousands of immigrants who sailed to Canada and the US because they couldn't afford air fares.)

By the time my interest in ocean liners was revived they had been renamed "cruise ships." The original Queen Elizabeth had made her last voyage from New York (I watched that sad departure from atop a New York skyscraper), and the sleek SS United States, which broke the Transatlantic speed record, known as the Blue Riband, was at Norfolk, Virginia, awaiting refurbishment and a new life. Sadly, that never happened. Since 1996 she has been docked at Pier 82 on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The original RMS Queen Mary had at least been preserved and docked in Long Beach. I did get to spend a fascinating afternoon aboard the Queen Mary at its permanent berth, but it was the closest I'd come to life on an ocean liner.

You may ask why it's taken me this long to book passage on a cruise ship. Blame it on the policy of all cruise companies that the tab must be based on two people sharing. Travel as a single and you'll pay from 150-200% of the advertised price. And, to be honest, though I'm at ease as a single traveler, I hate vacationing alone. So when the opportunity arose to travel with friends at a discounted price I grabbed it.

With just two stops at Mexican ports this is not the most interesting of cruises but I don't care about that. And I don't care how many thousand passengers are aboard or whatever minor inconveniences may result. For me, having waited since I was a kid, the experience of traveling on a ship of such size and magnificence makes it all worthwhile. The rest is just a bonus. And I'll still call it an ocean liner.

ELIMINATE MODEL CAR CLUTTER WITH A PERIOD DIORAMA

I've always believed that dioramas add much to any display of model cars (or trains, for that matter). Shelves full of cars are nice enough but the inevitable clutter makes it difficult to appreciate individual models. A diorama (which is a 3-dimensional setting) with two or three cars is more interesting because the background puts the models in context with the period in which the cars originally existed.

But not all of us are handy with cutting knives and metal shapers and paint brushes so we must rely on ready-made dioramas. along with figures and objects to help the collector personalise his or her own setting. The one highlighted in the photo above is an example that I personally like. It reveals a US 66 gas station similar to those that existed from pre-WW2 years through to the 60s and maybe even beyond. (Note the "Beer" signage. Not something you'll ever see again, at least not in my patch.) This diorama is done in 1:24 scale. The cars and figurines are not included in the price of $99.95 which at first glance seems a bit expensive, but this is high quality merchandise that even includes the station's night lighting.

The diecastbymail.com Collectors Guild site, located in Kingston, Ontario, offers several others, including a car wash, a burger stand, a body shop, and various figures and objects. Any of these would put a smile on a collector's face this Christmas and help diminish that model car clutter.

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT BOOK: "AUSTIN-HEALEY"

Everyone loves the Austin-Healey. At least, I think they do. After all, what's not to like about a beautiful, powerful vehicle that epitomises the British sports car? And that's why this stunning book, "Austin-Healey," should make a welcome Christmas gift for any enthusiast. I haven't read it yet but the book received a rave review in Classic & Sports Car magazine, which selected it as the Book of the Month. According to the reviewer it will appeal equally to readers with a casual interest and those seeking a reference for important classics.

But this is more than just an Austin-Healey book. Author Jon Pressnell (who's written many articles for C&SC) has included articles and full histories of related Healeys: Jensen-Healey, Nash-Healey, 'Alvis-Healey' and even the earlier Riley-engined cars. And, as expected, plenty of stories about the "big Healeys" and the delightful Sprites. According to the magazine Pressnell has interviewed everyone worth talking to with connections to the marque. Of course there are surprises, such as the Climax-powered, plastic-bodied Super Sprite and the fact that Superman comic strip hero Clark Kent had an Austin-Healey.

I doubt, though, that in his research he would have discovered the Fred Hayes modified Austin-Healey driven in Canadian road racing during the early 60s. Hayes was a big guy who liked to drive big cars (including, later, the Bill Sadler-designed Comstock Special) and the Healey just wasn't quick enough for him. And so he installed a 6-cylinder GMC truck engine. At the time I was upset by the fact that Fred would replace an engine that I thought of as "exotic" with something that came from a truck but I had to admit the car was fast, at least in a straight line. Oh, and I must now admit that the Healey's own big six came from lowly BMC stock.

All that aside, Jon Pressnell's book appears to be a great read, one I'd be happy to have on my own shelf. As for you, dear reader, you should either treat yourself or order a copy immediately as a Christmas gift. It's a hardback, 270 x 210mm, 176 pages, with 125 colour & 50 b&w illustrations. You can order it online from publisher Haynes for £25.00, although "Austin-Healey" is also available through North American distributors.