Driver Gifts

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Etc., Porsche, Specialty, Sunday Drive, Racing

Autoblog has been walking the paddock of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca taking in Rennsport Reunion IV for the past two days… but that’s just a small part of the action. Today, we took a long stroll through the various Porsche corrals where the privately owned cars park during the event. While we’re suckers for race machinery, some of the automaker’s street cars are equally spectacular, even in standard trim.

Take a look through our massive gallery of cars, including those from members of the Porsche Club of America (PCA) and Porsche Owners Club (POC). Both organizations are loaded with very enthusiastic owners who take meticulous care of their mid- and rear-engined sports cars. Look carefully and you’ll spot everything from early cars all the way to the latest 997 GT3 RS 4.0 – even a rare RUF Turbo (on a 993 platform).

Our personal favorites include the 930, GT2 RS, RS Ducktails and the early 911-based RUF Turbo Targa. How about you?

Rennsport Reunion IV: Porsche porn in the car corral originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Mazda, Nissan, Sunday Drive, Racing

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the red, white and blue Datsuns of the BRE team were a common sight on American racetracks, competing in Sports Car Club of America events. The brainchild of Pete Brock and driven by John Morton, the BRE Datsun 510s and 240Zs were a winning combination.

BRE came to an end at the end of the 1972 season, but Brock and Morton are now back with a new car. Pete Brock is the honored guest at this year’s Walter Mitty challenge at Road Atlanta. To honor him, Mazda has teamed up with Brock and Morton to run an MX-5 wearing the classic BRE livery during the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup series race that’s part of the Mitty weekend slate.

The Walter Mitty Challenge takes place April 29 – May 2, 2010 in Braselton, GA.

[Source: Mazda]

Pete Brock and John Morton announce new BRE Mazda MX-5 Miata originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Porsche, Sunday Drive

September 19, 2009 would have been Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche’s 100th birthday, and to celebrate his centennial, the Porsche Club of America’s Long Beach Region (PCA-GPX) threw a little party. And what better way to honor Ferry than with a spin in one of the most iconic Porsche’s of all, the 356. About 30 of them showed up for a drive that started at Pacific Porsche in Torrance, California, and ended at the San Vicente Lighthouse in Palos Verdes. However, the event wasn’t all 356s – there were a few 911s, 912s, 914s, 928s and Boxsters, plus one apparently lost Lotus Elise.

About 40 revelers met up at Pacific Porsche where bagels, donuts and coffee helped to get the cobwebs out. It was also nice to get a glimpse of the new 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 – all 3.8-liters, 435 horsepower and $135,000 of it. Even though the GT3 grabbed almost all of the spotlight, it was hard to miss the cool rug in the showroom too. It was made from old interior leather samples that had been passed through the shredder. Now, that’s the sort of recycling we can get behind! After lunch orders were placed and turn-by-turn directions handed out, we hit the road. Follow the jump to tag along.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Porsche club hits the road to celebrate Ferry’s 100th

Porsche club hits the road to celebrate Ferry’s 100th originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sunday Drive

Glendora Mountain Road – Click above for a high-res image gallery

It’s been a while since we did a Sunday drive, but when we had a 2010 Roush 427R Mustang delivered to the Autoblog Garage (see the review here), we figured it would be a good idea to enjoy it on some of our favorite roads in Southern California. For this Sunday Drive, we head to the northeast portion of Los Angeles County, to the city of Glendora and Glendora Mountain Road. Winding through the Glendora Wilderness Park, this route is not only a fantastic driving road but offers incredible views of the Angeles National Forest as well. If that sounds like your ideal Sunday afternoon, follow along with us on our route after the jump.

Want to contribute your own Sunday Drive? Send a Google Maps-formatted route and, if you wish, a story to autoblogsundaydrive – at – gmail – dawt – com.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Autoblog Sunday Drive: Glendora Mountain Road

Autoblog Sunday Drive: Glendora Mountain Road originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sunday Drive

This week, Autoblog steps out of California for the day, heading due east towards Arizona. That’s right, we’re headed to Phoenix, and this is the time of year to do it. It may be unbearably hot all Summer, but the Fall and Winter are the reasons why Phoenicians call the Valley of the Sun home. Trust me. There are plenty of good places to point your car in Arizona and we’ll be taking a look at a few of them as this series progresses. Today, we head due South for a three-hour tour of great roads and rugged terrain.

We’ve started our day’s journey at the South Mountain Park Scenic Drive, which, at 16,500 acres, happens to be part of the world’s largest park. At its peak, the drive will take you 2,330 feet skyward and you’ll have an excellent perch upon which to view the fifth-largest city in the United States. All right, we can appreciate the nice surroundings, but we’re here to drive. Let’s got going.

Continue reading Autoblog Sunday Drive: In the Valley of the Sun, Part I

Autoblog Sunday Drive: In the Valley of the Sun, Part I originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sunday Drive

This week our guest writer/driving guide is none other than Jonny Lieberman of AutoFiends fame. Not only has the Loverman put together a route to test your testicular wherewithal, but he’s set the bar for rhetorical prose — all from behind the wheel of a Mazda5. Take it away Jonny!

When most Americans think of Malibu, they probably think of fires and landslides. And they’re correct — there’s lots of those. They might also know about the fantastic roads that crisscross the seaside city and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that separates the beach bum town of about 12,000 from the Valley. Like Mulholland Highway. But what most people fail to realize is how epically weird the area and its inhabitants are. Example: King Camp Gillette bought 588 acres right in the heart of today’s drive just before the Great Depression. Not only did Gillette invent the razor you shaved with this morning, but he believed that all Americans should live in a single city called Metropolis with power provided by Niagra Falls. No, really. Moreover, every corporation would be headed up and run by a single government official. After Teddy Roosevelt declined Gillette’s suggestion, King G moved to Malibu Canyon. When he died, Clarence Brown got the ranch, then Bob Hope took over the property and gave it over to the Catholic Church, which ran a seminary on the property for 25 years. This is before Elizabeth Claire Prophet got her hands on the land in 1978. Who? Her and her late husband founded one of the original crack-pot new age California religions, TSL. And this is just one plot of land. It gets better…

Want to contribute your own Sunday Drive? Send a Google Maps-formatted route and, if you wish, a story to autoblogsundaydrive – at – gmail – dawt – com.

Continue reading Autoblog Sunday Drive: Welcome to Malibu Canyon

Autoblog Sunday Drive: Welcome to Malibu Canyon originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sunday Drive

With over 400 curves and an elevation change that will take you from 3,500 to 9,000 feet over 96 miles, the Coronado Trail holds the distinction of being one of the twistiest and challenging drives in the lower 48. We’ve only heard rumors of the Arizona route and expected a tip to come in sooner or later, and our new friend Cosmin didn’t disappoint.

The Coronado Trail is part of the highway formerly known as Route 666 that crossed Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, and was later changed to Highway 491 (something about mysterious deaths and people stealing road signs). This particularly stretch has now been deemed by the Feds as US-191 and our route begins in Clifton, passes the Phelps Dodge mine – one of the largest open pit mines in the world – and takes us north through Morenci when the fun really begins. According to a few reports, things are intense from Morenci through to Hannagan, where the majority of the turns and elevation changes take place. After that, it’s a more mellow drive to Alpine where 191 ends in a Google-estimated one-hour and 48 minutes.

For those physics enthusiasts in the area, we’re sure your already familiar with the Coronado Trail, and for the rest of us, we might need to make a detour during our next transcontinental trip.

We’ve gotten a handful of excellent roads and routes, but we need more. Send your Google-formatted Maps to autoblogsundaydrive – at – gmail – dawt – com.

Autoblog Sunday Drive: Coronado Trail/US-191 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sunday Drive

It’s that time of year. The warm weather is heading south for the winter, track days are few and far between and staying cooped-up inside leads to a particular strain of automotive cabin fever. What’s a gearhead to do? Easy. Hit the open road.

This our first installment of a weekly feature we’re calling Autoblog Sunday Drives, where Autoblog writers, industry folk and you, our dedicated readers, will submit your own maps and routes for the rest of the world to enjoy. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be laying out our favorite local roads in Google Maps, allowing you to download turn-by-turn instructions for a cathartic jaunt along our nation’s most scenic and challenging stretches of tarmac.

Continue reading Autoblog Sunday Drive: All day away from the Bay

Autoblog Sunday Drive: All day away from the Bay originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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