2008 Packard International Show

With Robert Escalante's invitation, I had the pleasure of attending the 45th annual Packard Grand Salon event today. For the past two years it's been held at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach. The Pageant of Packard's were presented on the upper deck of The Island Hotel... and I have to say, what a sight of beauty that was.

From Packard International Show

Judging began at 10 am for the all the categories in the pre-war and post-war divisions. I strolled through all the cars with last years post-war Best in Show winner, Mark Beythoun. He was giving me pointers on each one-of-a-kind Packard. I had my choice for Best in Show and couldn't wait to see if it was the judges pick too. My pick of course was chosen based on aesthetics and beauty instead of the typical point system. I wouldn't even know what to take points away for anyway... Wanna see my pick??

From Packard International Show

As everyone trickled down to the ballroom for lunch, Lugano Diamonds was on site wetting our visual appetite with two models adorned with beautiful diamonds, precious colored stones, and yards and yards of pearls. The models walked around each table showcasing all the jewelry and giving a mini bio for each piece. My favorites were the 6 carat antique pave setting $47k ring, the 130 something carat aquamarine diamond crusted necklace, and 13 carat solitaire round cut ring for an obscene amount of money. Wishful thinking...

After lunch, everyone anxiously anticipating the announcement of the winners... yeay, my choice won Best in Show post-war.


For those of you that are not familiar with the Packard's beauty see below video for a tour. Robert Escalante had an interview with NBC whipnotic several months ago. Enjoy!!!

Velocity Magazine Reunion at Cars and Coffee

On October 18th 2008 Velocity invited our extended family to Cars and Coffee. As we debuted our 7th issue we showcased all the featured stories that graced the pages of Velocity Magazine. The early morning gathering at the Ford Motor Company in Irvine draws about 200 cars every Saturday. It was different this past Saturday... it was as if the cars drove off the pages of Velocity Magazine.

Since Laura was on vacation, Sarah and I manned the Velocity area selling subscriptions. Steve Emmert owner of Corporate Image Mobile Detail donated a Cilajet exterior polish for our contest drawing. Thanks Steve!

We normally leave around 8ish and the crowd starts to pack things up around 8:30 or 9:00. When I was getting ready to leave Jan Tarazkiewicz, owner of the Pinnacle Pantera (issue 7) asked if I could help him out by jump starting his 1972 Ultra Hall Pantera GT5S. I was driving the HHR Velocity Panel (company car) and thought sure I hope nothing goes wrong cause it's not my car. Well I must have foreseen the future...

We (about 5 of us standing there) open up the hood of the car and didn't see a battery... oh, there it is said Jan... he hooked up the cables to his car first then the Velocity Panel... was that supposed to happen I ask... a yes response from Jan. hmmm, I thought to myself, my Dad used to do this to my first car all the time and that never happened. Moving along, to make a long story short, Jan tried to start the car multiple times and nothing. So, he called his wife, said thanks for the help, and I was about to be on my way... I started the HHR Velocity Panel up and backed up... WHOA I can't turn the steering wheel.

I told the three guys there about the wheel not turning and they didn't know what could have happened. 20 mins later... looks like we blew the ABS fuse which handles the power steering. We kinda did a quick fix so that I could drive it. Genevieve Chappell was on hand filming, check it out below.

Velocity TV - 3rd Episode

Velocity TV - 2nd Episode

Velocity TV - Episode 2 from Velocity Magazine on Vimeo.

Original Mike's - Gasoline Alley

If you haven't been to Original Mike's yet... you gotta go! The food is yummy, the people are friendly, and the portions put Claim Jumper to shame.

Twice a month Original Mike's has a Custom and Classics Car Show. Six different categories are judged and awarded trophies!!! BEST: Hot Rod, Classic, Truck, Muscle Car, Most Unique, and Best of Show.The large shaded patio is perfect for the BBQ lunch, live music, and appetizer menu. Oh, and did I mention FREE coffee and donuts!

Sunday show schedule:
October 12th & 26th
November 9th & 23rd
December 7th & 21st

We cruised over there on Sunday, October 12th to check things out... we shot our 4th Velocity webisode there and picked out a hot Velocity's choice winner. You can catch the webisode on Velocity's website.

Original Mike's
100 South Main Street
Santa Ana, CA. 92701

Velocity TV - 1st Episode

Velocity TV - Episode 1 from Velocity Magazine on Vimeo.

Check out Velocity's 1st webisode. Sunday, September 7th Velocity shot their 1st Velocity TV webisode with TV Host Genevieve Chappell. It couldn't have been a better day... beautiful weather, seaside location, extraordinary automobiles, and great friends.

Held in the world-class seaside location of Big Corona del Mar State Beach, thousands of family, friends and extreme car enthusiasts spent the day viewing over 200 vintage & dealer select automobiles in 14 classes at this judged event. Festivities included live entertainment, food & beverages, unique vendor exhibits, VIP hospitality overlooking the entire show and awards ceremony emceed by Automotive Commentators Dave Kunz (KABC) & Art Gould (KPFK).

All benefiting The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. See you next year at Coastline Car Classic... definitely a show we love to attend!

2008 Pre Party - OC Auto Show

Laura and I sip'n on champagne as we
preview the 2009 rides.






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