All Entries Tagged With: "Connecticut"
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Exotics @ Foxwoods
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Phil Dunphy for ADLX
LET’S see: how to compliment a mostly male gathering of one hundred sports cars at Foxwoods Casino to raise awareness for the ongoing battle against breast cancer?
Well, aside from lunch at the Hard Rock, a crisp autumnal road trip through scenic New London County, Conn. there were some other visual flourishes that added value to the event. Our man Phil catelogues them nicely with his camera.
Decisions, decisions: Lamborghini edge or Ferrari curve?
The rally was set against the world’s largest casino. A colorful backdrop, to be sure.
Models advertising Private Jet Charters were on call that morning.
Apparently, the pain of standing in heels got to more than a few as the morning wore on.
They persevered, nonetheless.
As did the event’s planner, Manolis Christo.
Color coordination was a recurring theme…
…as you might’ve guessed.
For one, Bumble Bee from Transformers blended well in Camaro yellow.
Getting ready to rally.
FerrariChat.com member Lane Baker coordinates route plans. No speeding!
A tall order considering the old rivalries represented here.
But then again, not too tall an order. One hundred cars on Connecticut backroads creates its own special kind of traffic.
Much to some local’s apparent appreciation.
Cheers To Sullivan’s On Chapel Street!
By Gunnar Heinrich
CHEERS to Sullivan’s on Chapel Street in New Haven (that’s in Connecticut for our Australian and British visitors) for hosting the Automobiles De Luxe premiere party this Sunday.
A favorite of the Yale Drama set, Sullivan’s is the spot that Team ADL chose to celebrate episode one’s airing on CPTV, the PBS affiliate for Connecticut.
Anyone in the New Haven area is welcome to come by on Sunday ’round 5:30PM and join in a wee pint.
[Linked: Yelp Listing on Sullivan's]
Lime Rock’s Own: Paul Newman
PLN at LRP in the 70s.
IMG by Hartford Courant
By Gunnar Heinrich
CONNECTICUT is a remarkable place in which to live.
This the third smallest, yet fifth oldest state in the union is a verdant swath of forested hills and shoreline is home to many of America’s treasures. That may have channeled too much Board of Commerce, but it’s true, nonetheless.
Paul Newman was one of those assets that was hidden away in this low key exurb of New York. And Lime Rock Park, a small, twisting bit of asphalt nestled in an undulating valley carved by glaciers is lucky to have had Mr. Newman as both patron and friend.
Mr. Newman of Hollywood fame – Cool Hand Luke, Hud, Hudsucker Proxy, The Hustler- passed on this weekend and did so leaving behind a raceway grateful for his memory.
The actor-racer-philanthropist’s understated demeanor that telegraphed so well onscreen translated off camera for many who observed him.
His racing successes and passion for the sport turned him into something of a man’s man legend in the automotive world. Lime Rock, his home track in many ways, was the beneficiary of Mr. Newman’s passion.
“His unassuming manner meant that Lime Rock Park guests never knew if they might bump into him at the track, getting ready to strap into his GT-1 Corvette and taking the checkered flag on an SCCA race weekend or maybe just rumbling through the paddock in a deceptively fast Volvo station wagon,” The Lime Rock press release said.
“Lime Rock Park mourns the loss of a racer, a humanitarian, a gentleman and a true hero. He will be missed by all. Thank you, PLN.”
Interesting bit: Paul Newman was a Volvo enthusiast and having owned a dealership in Milford, Connecticut called (appropriately enough) Newman’s Own Volvo, Mr. Newman would take would-be (and doubtless star struck) buyers on test drives from time to time.
In 2004, Mr. Newman acted as Celebrity Judge for the Swedish automaker’s For-Life Awards honoring hometown heros.
Paul Newman, part of the Constitution State’s cool roster, added more than a bit of magic to the growing legend that is now Lime Rock Park.
Lime Rock’s Own will be missed.
Greenwich: Notes From Auction & Concorso
By Gunnar Heinrich
JUDGING by the grosso quantity of Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lancias, Maseratis, and assorted other Italian beauties of all vintages (ever heard of a Dual Ghia?), I’m convinced that Mr. and Mrs. Wennerstrom should rename the Greenwich Concours:
“Il Greenwich Concorso D’Eleganza: Rappresentazione Delle Automobili Italiani Più Belle Nel Mondo”
That said, the parking lots for Concours visitors (always a show unto itself) were surprisingly free of Italian wheels but featured, rather, the usual German suspects – including this SL generational trio (R121 | W113 | R230, respectively)
But, if the parking lots were brimming with Teutons and the lawns of Roger Sherman Baldwin park graced by so many Italians, the Bonhams Auction; or sweat-in (damn it was hot!), offered up for sale an assortment of both nationalities plus a large catalog of British makes.
Yours stayed just long enough to spy the Jaguar XK120 that was on the lot (at $40K the car had some wear ‘n tear) and to be awe inspired by a most immaculate 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I saloon, and, lastly, watch a 280SL sell for just over $20K.
It must’ve been the heat as ADL and Co. repaired to a nearby marina bistro for shade and cool libations.
EXCELLENTE
The Greenwich Concours did not disappoint this year. Any gear head in the tri-state area is best served by going there and coughing up the $25 entrance fee.
Reading news bits of the show online, I was sorry to have missed Autoblog’s Alex Nunez who posted a great assortment of shots from the show.
My favorite automobile on display at the event (show and auction) was a 1948 powdery blue on cream Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith convertible made-to-measure by French coachbuilder Franay.
If there were such a thing as the perfect expression of automotive art, that custom Silver Wraith was near-perfection elegantly expressed.
Perhaps the Concours should keep its name en français after all.
Special thanks to Bruce Wennerstrom.
Gallery: Greenwich Concours D’Elegance
By Gunnar Heinrich
WHEN event chairman Bruce Wennerstrom, explained to me over the phone that his Concours would run “rain or shine,” neither of us could’ve anticipated just how daunting the latter condition would prove.
Under a brutal sun – us New English aren’t used to 100+ degree heat index in June – the Concours condition paint finishes on some of the world’s finest rolling stock could easily have doubled for outdoor Webers.
How do you like your New York Strip?
Positioned off of I-95 on the park that overlooks Greenwich, Connecticut’s tranquil harbor, the Concours D’Elegance has run every June since 1996 and is spread over the course of two days: Saturday featured domestic cars and Sunday for the Europeans.
The location (in one of the wealthiest towns in the wealthiest state in the Union) plays a key part to the sublime vehicle entrants as each year the festival of chrome, sheetmetal, and unremitting ego grows larger, more dynamic, and draws more and more people.
As you’ll note in the gallery below, the sheer variety and excellence of vehicular wonder on display meant that this Concours was most certainly worth the heat.
