The Trancas Event Thriveth

by Wallace Wyss –

Photos by Richard Bartholomew –

Yes, that’s what some German tourist said at the Cars & Coffee in Malibu, the furthermost one that occurs way way up the Coast at the last outpost of civilization, the Trancas Country market.

Koenigsegg

This event may swell in significance because the Sunset GT Cars & Coffee is faced with termination because of those pesky drivers who insist on roaring off.

Fortunately at the Trancas event there is no crowd at the curb and the Sheriffs often park a patrol car in plain sight to discourage such tomfoolery.

This time the organizer, Andy Cohen, was able to ward off some of the truly drek cars (Chevy four door sedans from the Fifties) because the whole goal is to highlight and showcase the most exotic cars.

Iso Grifo

I hafta say that, in contrast to the two a month Cars & Coffees that take place further South, this one has the right lighting, ocean fog mixed with inland mist, mixed with stunning sun unfiltered, and about 79 deg. F at most.

Among the cars was a short nose Iso Grifo, finished in a similar gray to the one and only prototype, a prewar Rolls Phantom that needed only James Dean sitting in the back to make it look right (Well, maybe you had to see the movie GIANT to see what that’s about. There were two Ferrari 330GTCs, a whole passel of Porsches including the latest models with carbon fiber vents and such.

Cohen himself was showing a Pininfarina series I 250GT in black and a red smooth hood 427 Cobra, the “street model” if you will (some of those came new with 428s).

McLarens are in increasing abundance, indicating a little tarnish on the rose of Ferrari; but then I haven’t driven one hard enough to be convinced.

This event welcomes Rollers and Bentleys and I liked the slab sided Mulliner Park Ward drophead coupe and wish I could have found the owner to ask his opinion of the designer Wilhelm Koren, a Norwegian whose Alfa custom won him a job at RR and that slabside (some of which had “Chinese eyes”) was the only car he did before resigning to be an architect.

This event, if you want to park your car among the most interesting, makes it necessary to be there at 6:30 am because when I got there at 7:00 am all the spots were full.

Bentley Mulliner Park Ward Drophead Coupe

But they always make room for Jay Leno, was driving some contraption, maybe an old prewar race car, possibly of British origin. It had a six but a long long six, and cylinders grouped in pairs above it. He said something about the brakes catching fire on the way. Hey, with Jay, every day driving is an adventure.

I was able to spot a few beautiful starlet trainees and give them jackets bearing my Ferrari Hunters poster. Next time I see them I’ll see if they ignominiously cut off my poster but kept the jacket….

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

Wallace Wyss

THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is the author of Ferrari Hunters, an action thriller novel set in the world of classic Ferraris. He can be reached at Photojournalistpro2@gmail.com