In my teenage years, I was already a car nut. I built models and slot cars with all types of body styles. My favorite and fastest was a Ferrari 250 GTO. I raced at every slot car track in the Houston area in '64 and '65 and even won a few. Ferrari's were the dominating marque in sports car racing up to that time and the '56/'57 Testa Rossa was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen in magazines. I saw a '58 pontoon-fendered Testa Rossa at a sports car race around a vacant lot, which has since become the site of the Astrodome. The car looked amazing and the driver even drove it to lunch at Prince's Hamburger Drive-in.
At that time, Cobra's were taking over the championship mantle but there were very few cars on the road. I saw my first one in '65 at a slot car track in Pasadena (Texas). Wow, it was love at first sight. You couldn't get a slot car Cobra body, though. I always wondered what would happen if a Cobra and a Ferrari Testa Rossa met on a twisty road. I never really expected that the dream could come true.
My long time friend and Porsche fanatic, John Lutz invited me to a car meet on New Year's Day. Sure, it meant getting up early and driving a few canyon roads through the brisk morning air. It was a beautiful sunny day, though and the two heaters kept the bride and I warm enough. The Arntz was running great; the new eBay-sourced MSD 6AL was setting a smooth rhythm.
I didn't know what to expect at this event. There were about 100 cars there with groups arriving and departing all the time. I parked next to John's blue Targa in a group of Porches. Later, I meet a couple of guys with Cobras. It was the variety of cars that was amazing. Every type of Porsche was there, including a vintage 904. There were lots of Ferraris, vintage cars, classic cars and every muscle car that you could imagine.
There were a few standouts. A glistening black Jaguar XKE coupe looked absolutely perfect and a Mercedes Gull-wing had a constant stream of admirer’s ooohing and ahhhing. I met some fascinating people, including Sammy Malouf. He has a shop that specializes in Panteras. We had a long talk about the best engines to use in the cars. (He likes to use small block Chevy's).
I got time to talk with owners of every dream car I've ever had including the Porsche 904 and the TVR. And then, in the back of the lot I found a red '57 Testa Rossa! It was unrestored and in well used condition. The owner ran lots of vintage races with it and was happy to point out its strong and weak points. His said that the 12-cylinder version was nose heavy and he spoke very highly of the 4-cylinder engine in the same car. He turned the steering wheel to show the wear pattern on the front tires (the tread on the outer edges was gone). The V12 is very compact, only about 16 inches wide and 30 inches long. He got out his lead hammer and started beating the knockoffs. When I asked if he was leaving, he said that the run was about to start.
Everyone got in their cars and started up the engines. They pulled out in groups, many waiting for their friends. That made it easy for me to catch up to the Ferrari. The musical medley of engines running up Pacific Coast Highway was soul stirring. It was a perfect day, cruising along the ocean, smelling burnt
oil from the blue 904 ahead and hearing the quartet of megaphoned sidepipes from the thorobred next to me. Filling up the mirrors was the gorgeous black TVR. Our little group was running at a faster pace than many others and after a few miles we were running on our own. Not having a map of the prescribed route, I was content to follow, for a while. We turned up the challenging Potrero Road and I knew it was about to get interesting.
Potrero has some really tight kinks and a couple of them are off camber. I've always felt a little exposed when driving the Cobra. My shoulders are above the cockpit of the car and the top of my head is above the windshield. The Driver of the Ferrari is a little taller than me; I'd guess 6' 3". His whole upper torso was above the cars body except for the nacelle, which was up to his shoulder level. His entire head was above the small windshield and he wore a vintage white racing helmet like you see on old pictures of Phil Hill. The Easterly run up Potrero is a horsepower course and the TVR and Porsche were falling back. The Testa Rossa was a moving art form and the driver was not afraid to push it hard in the curves. I was running right with him and on one of the off camber hard lefts we both slid the rears out. I have not heard a V12 scream like that since the F1 races of the 70s. It was hard to keep my mouth closed because I was grinning so big. I didn't want to swallow any bugs, though! After a hard right onto a straight, we both kept the throttle down and I pulled out to pass. It was a moment of glory I will never forget. The two red cars side by side at full throttle and my 356 inches of small block pulling ahead decisively. As we ripped by the 40 MPH signs at warp speed my wife let me know she was not too happy. I backed off and pointed out the local landmarks including Kelsey Gramer's incredible home and ranch. As we came to the end of Potrero, it was time to make a decision. Left leads to the 101 freeway, right leads to the notorious Decker Canyon. Not having a course map I got behind the Ferrari and hoped he would go right. He DID!
Decker is the worst of the Malibu canyon roads. It's almost two lanes wide and the center stripe is mostly missing. The pavement is pretty rough and there is a fair amount of loose gravel. The turns up and down the hills are so tight that you think about shifting to first! There is hardly any straight between the kinks. The view of the Ferrari at full tilt was truly awesome. As hard as he and I were pushing, we were now on the TVR's turf. He caught up quickly and stayed nailed to my tail. The little car was hitting the switchbacks perfectly and I could not shake him. I later found out the driver had won a couple of SCCA Solo2 National Championships and it showed! At the top of Decker we turned off to the open part of Mulholland Highway. I waved bye bye and opened up all four Holley throats. By the time I had dashed through the high-speed section of Mulholland, I was getting a bit lonely. I figured that everyone would meet at the Rock Store, a local hang out for Bikers and sports cars. I slowed down to park there, but could not find any room. The big parking lot was packed with motorcycles. We got lots of thumbs up and appreciative noises. I was stopped on the side of the road when the Ferrari, Porsche and TVR showed up. They waved me on and we drove up to Cornell Road and Paramount Ranch.
Paramount Ranch is mostly used to film Western movies these days. The old set includes the standard buildings, saloon, bank, jail, hotel, stable and many others that can be configured as needed. Years ago there was a race track around the property. The cars parked in rows in an open field and I saw a few that I had missed before and got to speak to the owners. I have always wanted an XK120 and got to spend some time with one and it's owner there. As we were getting ready to leave, a few more cars pulled in. Here came Jay Leno driving an enormous classic car. As he pulled up next to the Cobra he said, "Lets chain them together and see who can pull the farthest"! He showed us his Hispano Suiza and it's 18-liter engine. This thing was over twenty feet long and the engine was as big as a coffee table! After a little more car talk, the wife had had enough. It was off to home with memories that will last a lifetime.
I took two rolls of pictures and will post some when they're developed and scanned. I know, I need a digital camera!
Paul