Big Bear City, CA, August 20, 2010, 5:00 pm – Owner/Pilot Bob DeFord tells K-Bear that this Spitfire replica took 8 years to complete and that each part was made by hand consuming a great deal of time, energy and money, but he added it was a lot cheaper than buying the original WWII British fighter.  After his short visit to Big Bear he took off, winging  his way to Camarillo then Santa Maria for their annual air shows.  Every one wished him well and no doubt he was invited back to Big Bear for the next Big Bear City Airport Airfair.  We hope to see this fantastic plane here again.

The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will pay tribute to all that is Alfa Romeo, celebrating the centennial of the Italian auto manufacturer founded as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. The Sunday, August 15 gathering along Carmel Bay will showcase vehicles ranging from a 1910 A.L.F.A. 24 HP to the just-unveiled Alfa Romeo Pandion show car created by Bertone to mark the centennial, and will include a display of rarely seen cars from the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo (the Alfa Romeo Museum) in Arese, Italy.

“Alfa Romeos have gained prominence in recent years and are treasured by enthusiasts and loved as true driving machines,” said Sandra Button, chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “We’re pleased to have assembled such a significant group of Alfas for this year’s Concours, amazing vehicles crafted by gifted engineers and designers that have helped shape 20th century automotive technology and racing history.”

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

 

 

Long Beach in the spring and you can smell the race fuel and rubber in the air.  Tax time is behind us so shift gears to the streets of Long Beach just like Helio Castroneves did after beating tax evasion charges.  Open wheel cars are the main attraction during Grand Prix weekend April 16 17 and 18, with Indycar center stage Sunday the 18^th.  Indy lights on Sunday, American Le Mans Saturday afternoon and World Challenge racing late Sunday any one of these races alone would make a great weekend in Long Beach but combine that with Drifting, Celebrity racing, concerts, venders, expos and Southern California weather and you have a must do event.   It all began in the fall of 1975 with Brian Redman winning the race in a Formula 5000.  Over the years the big attraction has always been fast open wheel street track racing including Formula one, CART and now Indy cars.

This type of auto racing is more than just a gathering of fast cars, fast drivers.  Because street racecourses such as the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach stirs a

buzz of adrenalin into downtown that is real and hard to resist.  The list of racer’s include Briscoe, Dixon, Tagliani, Danica, Castroneves, Weldon, Sato, Franchitti, Kanaan, Power, Andretti and Rahal not to mention the rest of the field and teams.   This event is worth the price of the ticket because it’s great car racing, great people watching, great energy and a whole lot of top-notch fun, food and entertainment all wrapped up in a Monaco-Marina setting with yachts and the Queen Mary as the backdrop.  What can I tell you auto racing doesn’t get much better than this? 

Last year Dario Franchitti won at Long Beach and then the championship for Target Ganassi Racing. He is a very good at Long Beach along with teammate Scott Dixion. But remember 08’s winner Will Power along with his Team Penske teammates Ryan Brisco and Helio Castroneves can win there on any given day.  But the field is deep and with names like Andretti, Patrick, Kanaan, Tagliani, Weldon and so the competition will be tough and the racing anything but dull.

Porsche, Audi, Mazda, Cadillac, Corvette, Jaguar, Viper, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Panoz, Honda, Peugeot and Lola are names that evoke a passion for sports cars and you’ll find that passion boils over into the streets Long Beach, you can’t get away from it and when Sunday evening arrives and it’s time to go home just remember the Grand Prix is just a year away.

Daredevils, Pyrotechnicians and FX TV at Big Bear Choppers This Week

You may have seen some motorcycles ripping it up in front of Big Bear Choppers this week. As it turns out, special segments for the FX Network’s “DVD on TV” are being film in Big Bear Choppers’ parking lot on Fox Farm Road in Big Bear Lake. The special segments, which also include “DVD on TV” hosts Dave Holmes and Jennifer Lothrop, were filmed yesterday and will continue through this evening. The clips from Big Bear Choppers, which include two daredevil motorcyclists and pyrotechnicians today, will air when the FX Network broadcasts the Nicolas Cage movie “Ghost Rider,” the 2007 film about a stunt motorcyclist based on the Marvel Comics character. This segment will likely air on FX television later this month but, in the meantime, you can check out the action at Big Bear Choppers into this evening.

Sam Cabiglio of Big Bear City Recognized For His Porsche Expertise

Sam Cabiglio of Big Bear City, California is an expert on many thing’s that are related to automobiles, but what makes him very special is his connection and knowledge of Porsche and Porsche racing history.  Check out the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Porsche Video with Sam Cabiglio. Besides being a collector of  sports cars and collector cars he has developed a business finding special cars for car collector clients around the world.  With offices in Long Beach, California and now in the Monterey Bay  area of California he has found special cars for the likes of Jerry Seinfeld.  Some of Seinfeld’s collection of rare Porsches includes the 600 horsepower 1969 917 Porsche used and owned by Steve McQueen for the famous race movie “Le Mans” staring Steve McQueen.  And if that wasn’t enough, Seinfeld also owns the 1970 Porsche 908/03 named the “Giant Killer” because it’s compact agile size, light weight and ability to dominate races at Nurburging in Germany and Targo Florio in Italy.  It went on to help Porsche clinch the 1970

championship halfway through that race season.  Then the “Giant Killer” raced for much of he 1970’s with an astounding and hard to imagine, 1979 Le Mans finish of 2nd place overall.  Both cars were show at the Rolex Historic Races on Saturday August 15 and at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday August 16, 2009.  Of note is that the 908/03 won 2nd place in the racing Concours race category.  Congratulation Sam and Jerry for a great weekend in Monterey and showing off these beautiful cars.

Wings Over Big Bear Air Fair 2009 Thrilling and Popular Aircraft and Car Show

The weather was perfect and the large crowds of over 7000 attendees were entertained with a great collection of vintage and modern aircraft at the Wings over Big Bear Air Fair.  The vintage lineup included the folding wing F4U Corsair, B-25 Mitchell, P 38 Lighting, P-40 Warhawk and a P-51 Mustang, all from the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino.  Other highlights included the Big Bear Lake Antique Car Club and the Big Bear Cruisers collections of vintage automobiles.

All day and into the evening there was a constant stream of arriving and departing aircraft giving rides around the Big Bear Valley. The co-winners of the People Choice Award went to two helicopter exhibitors and it was well deserved as the crowds seemed to constantly surround the west end of the airfield where the Royal Air Force Merlin and Navy Seawolf were perched.  Tom Woehl, who accompanied the finely restored Seawolf HC-1, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his flying skills during the Vietnam War.   The Best of Show Award went to The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing owned and operated by Si Robin.

Two sisters, Kelly and Kimberly Annadike, flew in from Compton with their instructor Isaac Beteta complete with plenty of great flying stories to share.  Both gregerious aviators hold two world records for young African American flyers.  Kimberly flew from home airport Compton to Newport News, Virginia at age 15 in 10 days of cross county flying.  Older sister Kelly was the youngest African American to fly four different planes solo on the same day, she was 15 at the time.  “Disappointing” was how she described her accomplishment as she intended to set the record with seven different planes on that day, but the poor weather conditions kept her record to just four different airplanes.  Their visit was highlighted with a perfectly restored 1944 Stearman PT-13 Biplane “Spirit of Tuskegee” used in World War II to train young African American flyers.

Much to the surprise of all the participants at the fair was an accidental landing gear malfunction on a Piper Arrow which came to a skidding belly slide stop on the runway.  It took a few moments to clear the plane from the runway but even this incident helped demonstrate that sometimes the worst outcome of an aircraft accident can be a badly bruised ego.  The day was complete with vintage aircraft fly-by’s, Skydivers, vender booths, great static displays, a fantastic variety of food, an inexpensive entry fee of $1.00, perfect weather and a very memorable Big Bear event.  The next Big Bear Air Fair will be the summer of 2011.

Car Enthusiasts Call Monterey and Laguna Seca Home Every August

Car enthusiasts descend on Monterey, California for the annual Auto week, August 10th to the 16th. this year.  Events include the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca and the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach plus many other car events and car auctions.  For more information check out this link Monterey Car WeekCar enthusiasts descend on Monterey, California for the annual Auto week.  Events include the Rolex Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca and the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach plus many other car events and car auctions.  For more information check out this link Monterey Car Week.

A historic 1952 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racing Car that was driven to victory in 1952 by the legendary Phil Hill to claim the Jaguar C-Type’s first North American racing victory will be sold at RM Auctions Sports & Classics of Monterey event, to be held August 15thin Monterey, California.