Portfolio - Places

In no particular order and for no particular reasons, here's some shots I thought were interesting.

Windswept pine on the edge of the Spyglass Hill golf course, Monterey

Seals basking at low tide off the Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey

The most famous lone pine in the USA, 17 Mile Drive, Monterey

The Big Sur coastline, California

I have spent a lot of my 12 years in the USA in California, which is why it features so prominently in this selection.

However, whilst in France for the Vingt Quatres Heures du Mans in 2002, we lunched at La Petite Auberge in the village of Malicorne-sur-Sarthe.

Whilst the lunch was memorable, so is the scenery, and just across the Sarthe River from our restaurant was this beautiful old mill. I have spent a lot of time in France over the past 35+ years, and many of the greatest times were at events based around visits to Le Mans.

Another great Le-Mans-connected dinner, was a pre-race media event in 2003 held in the basement service centre of the Bentley dealer in London, Jack Barclays. Our chef was Gordon Rasmay and he and his staff delivered an excellent menu, from a makeshift kitchen in the lube bay!


Gordon's typical vernacular certainly made Derek Bell and the guests laugh!

Portfolio - Jerry Seinfeld

If beautiful cars attract beautiful women, there's also lots of celebrities who like to celebrate their love of fine cars, and there's no greater Porsche fan in that circle, than Jerry Seinfeld.


Here he is at the 2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida, with a truly vintage Porsche from his large collection. This vehicle, chassis number 356/2-040 'Gmund', was built in the spring of 1949, and is the oldest original-condition Porsche in the world. It is one of less than 50 hand-built, all-aluminum cars produced in Porsche's first 'factory' - a converted sawmill in Gmund, Austria.

Needless to say, the media is always on the lookout, 'Star-spotting', but at Concours events they seem to be prepared to let celebrities enjoy the show.

I think it's also a comment on Jerry Seinfeld's self-confidence that he doesn't have 'minders'.

DETAILS OF CHASSIS #0040 (Courtesy of www.conceptcarz.com):

Chassis #040 was immediately put into service by Porsche as a highly documented development car, and was used as a rolling 'testbed' for factory experiments with aerodynamics and mechanical components, many of which were later used in the very successful 356 SL racecars at LeMans. Special racing features incorporated into this vehicle was a stronger aluminum engine (the standard cars used magnesium), raised shift linkage, and the first use of hydraulic brakes in a Porsche.

Sold in 1953 by Louisa Piech (Ferdinand Porsche's daughter and the sister of Ferry Porsche) to Otto Mathe, the well known 'one-armed' racer from Innsbruck, Austria. In 1996, after Mr. Mathe's passing, it was sold to Austrian enthusiast, Franz Rathkolb. It was purchased by Jerry Seinfeld in 2003.

Since Mr. Seinfeld became the owner of #0040, the car has been returned to perfect mechanical and running condition without disturbing any of its stunning originality. The car is now regularly driven on all the best sports car roads of California and New York, as was intended by its manufacturer.

World's Most Valuable Car?

Note I didn't say the most expensive, although I doubt there are bigger pricetags. This is the very famous 'first' Rolls-Royce, called the "Silver Ghost" and it was introduced in 1906.


Currently it is owned by Bentley Motors, and lives at the Crewe works. Rolls-Royce made almost 8000 of these cars, which were originally fitted with a 7-litre, six cylinder side-valve engine, producing 48hp!

The insurance forms have it valued at GBP£40 million (AUD$63 million)!


I took this photo on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, California.

Portfolio - Cars and Ladies

What can I say? One of the pleasures of hanging around great cars, is their attraction to beautiful women. There's also the women who are happy to be seen with cars at car events. It sure dresses up the mechanicals.

You may never have heard of Stola, but that's okay. This company just builds concept cars for mainstream car companies, and occasionaly, like this occasion, they design a concept 'on spec' which might one day appeal to a mainstream car maker. So, here is a concept with no badging. Stola is based in Italy, and their models always portray great style and elegance.

Check out the Alfa Romeo 4C!

The Minder for the Lambo girls brought their fur coats to keep the snow off them

The Geneva Salon always seems to draw the most attractive women to 'dress' the displays - and Lamborghini and Alfa Romeo, always bring the most beautiful Italian women. The car by the way, is the Competizione 8C concept.

Remember the Geneva Salon occurs on the first Tuesday in March, so when you're waiting for a cab to take you back to the city at the end of Press Day, you're usually in a long line, getting snowed on.

Funny, all the great shots are courtesy of Italian companies? For the sake of international diplomacy, here's a shot of the latest Toyota Auris (Corolla to Aussies).

Then, away from all that European elegance, there's the 'Spring Break' in the USA. Now, the 12 Hour Race in Sebring is usually held in the North American Winter (similar time to the Geneva Salon), but when the bikini parade happens in the Sebring RV parking lot - everyone is thinking about 'Spring Break' - right?

Portfolio - True Patina

Having been to my fair share of Concours events over the past 35 years I have come to appreciate the unrestored vintage cars, as opposed to the highly-polished, over-restored trailer queens. Some of those cars look better than when they emerged from their various factories.

One such car stands out in my book, a 1926 Bentley. It's owned by my good friends from San Francisco, Frank Gabrielli and his lovely wife Leah. We've spent a lot of time together at various Bentley Drivers'Club events, and they've been kind enough to loan it to me on a couple of occasions for Bentley press introductions - to help underscore Bentley's great heritage.

I first saw this car in 1999, and marvelled at its age, condition and genuine patina. None of its owners have been tempted to 'restore' it. Its history is fascinating.

The car was sold by Jack Barclays in London, and originally owned by World War I pilot, Captain Clive Gallop, who was an integral member of Bentley Motors. He was hired by W.O. Bentley after the Great War as an engineer and charged with developing the huge 4 cylinder, 3-litre engine. It was unique at the time, having four valves per cylinder, an overhead camshaft and twin spark plugs.

Gallop helped prepare this car (KM 2321) for the 1926 Le Mans. It was listed as the Reserve Team Car, should they need it for the race, if disaster befell the race cars in practice. As it turned out it never raced, but did in fact complete the required number of practice laps with Gallop at the wheel.

Now the kicker! This car is exactly as it was following its attendance at the 1926 Les Vingt Quatre Heures du Mans. Nothing has changed! It's never cleaned, in fact I'm guessing that a lot of the dirt on the floor is French soil from the Valley of the Sarthe! The Bentley is notable for its shabby appearance, but as Frank Gabrielli says, that's the essence of its character.

Of course Frank and Leah have spent the odd thousands of dollars over the years to ensure that it's mechanically sound, and they drive it regularly. They are a fun couple, and there's always a rush to sit at their table at BDC dinners.


Thanks to the Gabriellis this is an original Bentley.

Valé - Patrick Paternie

Every day I celebrate the fact that my life has included great friends among the many good people I've met over the years. One of those is an automotive journalist called Patrick Paternie.

Patrick was a journalist par excellence - a great writer, who was versatile, knowledgable, honest and reliable. He was a true car enthusiast and he travelled with me many, many times on various product introductions for Bentley Motors. We walked the circuit at Le Mans, drove through the mountains near Santa Ynez, toured the Italian and Swiss Alps in a Bentley Arnage convertible, and generally enjoyed ourselves, and each other.


Patrick was also a true gentleman. He dressed well, had an eye for fashion and trends, was a discerning art lover and wonderful husband to his wife Linda, who he helped survive a battle with the big C. He talked often, with great pride about his son Patrick, and you knew on meeting him that he was genuine, and a man to be admired and respected for his achievements.


Patrick, 65, succumbed to a heart attack this past weekend, at the Willow Springs race track just outside Los Angeles. He and Linda had gone to race his vintage 1968 Porsche 911, so I guess if you've gotta go, that's the time and place to be.


We had a wonderful mutual affection for each other, and my final face to face meeting was last year at the Geneva Salon, where we sat down to a coffee and chat on the Alfa Romeo display. It seems an entirely appropriate place for me to remember him. So long, Patrick, I'll miss your smile, your sense of humour and your friendship. Didn't we have fun together.

Egads! A Bentley SUV!

So, after many false rumours and car magazine hype over the last eight years, Bentley has announced an SUV concept at the Geneva Salon. Reaction ranges from ‘ghastly’ to ‘great’ - but let me tell you, regardless of the purist view this vehicle will sell like crazy to new Bentley aspirants - especially in China and the Middle East. Plus more than a few current owners as well.

Also, I think Bentley’s timing is excellent. The brand has matured to the point where it can extend into niches like this, and capture another dimension of Bentley ownership.

Ten years ago this idea would have horrified Bentley owners, employees and purists, but that was ten years ago. Volkswagen Group has been supportive and patient and has backed Bentley’s trials and tribulations throughout the GFC, and it deserves to realise improved returns on investments it has made in the brand.

Bentley was a pretty wobbly enterprise back in 1999 when VWAG Chairman Ferdinand Piech made his first visit to Crewe to assess the Group’s new acquisition. Thanks to Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen’s sensible guidance, and VWAG’s continued support, Bentley made it through the GFC and with great new products like the V8 Continental and the Mulsanne it now looks to be on the springboard to better sales, regaining the ground lost via the economic downturn.

When you add rapidly-growing markets like China, Russia and the stalwarts like the USA, the EXP9 F SUV looks, in my opinion, like the new chapter in Bentley’s history that the current Chairman, Wolfgang Durheimer, was talking about at the splashy intro in Geneva.

As far as I’m concerned the purists need to understand that this is a business, not just a dream factory for diehards.