Autoblog

Just when you thought we were done with our coverage of the classic and collector car events from Montery in the middle of August, here come the videos. We brought a camcorder along for the trip, and a friend or two offered to shoot some additional footage to share with all of you. We've finally uploaded and processed the clips and have them up on various hosts to share. To get things started, here's some video shot by our good friend Duane of SoCalSpeedZone.com. In it you'll see lots of Lambos displayed on, and then leaving, the Bayonet Black Horse GC at the end of the day. For fans of the Bull, this is total car pron. Duane also contributed the Ferrari video we posted with the original gallery a couple of weeks ago. Follow the jump for the YouTube videos or click over to Duane's site for a higher res version.

Click image above for high-res gallery by the author and guest photog Jason Thorgalsen

There are several Cannonball Run-type rallies that take place around the country (around the world in some cases). Fast cars breaking the sound barrier as they hustle from coast-to-coast in search of fame and glory. Well, that's how some of them started, at any rate. Nowadays the rallies tend to be a bunch of rich folks with exotic cars touring the States with a smattering of track sessions here and there to really test the cars and drivers. Luxury hotels and VIP parties mark the nights and moderately fast (in theory) highway cruises mark the days. One of these new age rallies just kicked off on its maiden run from the Santa Monica Pier over the weekend. And it was quite a celebration.

The cars are familiar, some of the faces too, but this rally has a slight twist. Billed as a sort of exotic car vacation run, the Joy Ride Rally has a deeper purpose. Part of the entry fee from each driver goes to support the Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The rallyists will follow a route through the Southwest and end up in New Orleans in about a week, to view some of the damaged areas first hand. We were on hand for the launch from the Santa Monica Pier and tagged along for a bit to get some shots. The police escort was a nice touch, but we had to explain to every single officer that we were indeed part of the entourage despite our lack of a supercar. The cars gathered on the classic wooden pier with a big crowd enjoying the free show.

Follow the jump for the rest of the story, plus video of the departure courtesy Duane Steiner at SoCalSpeedZone!

[Source: Joy Ride Rally]

Updated captions by John


Another one of those small classic car shows that seem to pop up all over the place on any given weekend, the Best of France and Italy show, now in its 6th year, was held this past Sunday. Every year it manages to draw out some of the greatest examples of French and Italian classics that are such a part of the European car scene. But this show is held in America, and more specifically California, so some of the vehicles are very rare sights for showgoers. Held at Woodley Park in Van Nuys, it's a showcase for the best of French and Italian motoring machinery. This is a non-judged show, covering everything from "the rough restoration project to the serious concours offering."

Entrants are encouraged to bring their whole collection, although the organizers point out that even if you don't have a car, there are plenty for sale. Sure there are modern examples of Europe's finest, but the biggest reason to attend this show, compared to similar concours around SoCal, are the oddball creations that always manage to find their way into the field: "The intent of this gathering is to provide a meeting place for those marques that get little attention at the fancier concours." Local celebrities often show up at this event, a stone's throw from Burbank and Hollywood. Leno often brings some wonderfully weird creation and Bruce Meter almost always has some outrageously awesome Ferrari from the '50s or '60s to share. Here we offer a small taste via the photos of our friend Duane at SoCalSpeedZone.com. Full gallery available by following the read link. Enjoy.