Text and photos by Wallace Wyss –
Yer faithful servant was there the second weekend of January, admittedly at a point when Los Angeles County is in the grip of the Plague. The location is the Malibu Village Shopping Center at Cross Creek and Pacific Coast Highway.
Monteverdi and Jay Leno
Finally someone hired security guards to rope off 2/3rds of the parking lot. I would say there was room in the parking lot that is left for only 15 cars. But across Cross Creek there was a satellite lot that held some 30 cars and some who arrived late parked there.
Coming from the Inland Empire, it’s always nice to be by the ocean and I enjoyed the event, though pandemic sticklers have tried to throttle it down despite the fact that most participants are six feet apart and masked.
One car I saw for the first time is a Monteverdi, this one driven by Jay Leno. His usual competitor, Bruce Meyer, was absent. Meyer has the pick of the cars at the Petersen Museum to bring, often though coming in a car from his own collection. The Monteverdi is a Swiss make using off the shelf Chrysler V8 engines, a would be competitor to Iso and De Tomaso.
Monteverdi
There was one mid-size BMW that seemed to be world class in the number of scoops, vents, airfoils, ground effects, yadda yadda. I think it epitomized “boy racer” but I would like to know how much actual track time he has on it considering all the accoutrements.
There was also a Mustang Mach E, Ford’s lower cost competitor to the Tesla Model X.
In sum, the show was worth going to only because all car events seem to have been postponed. Now the powers that be seem intent on squashing this last vestige of automotive enthusiasm in Los Angeles. They want us waiting in line for buses every morning of our lives…)
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is a fine artist specializing in collector cars.
The author wore his Bizzarrini-themed jacket, honoring a marque for which there is scant memorabilia.
The pictures in this article were shot during the last few informal Cars and Coffees at Malibu Village, hence some cars are pictured not at the mid-January event like Bruce Meyer’s E-type roadster and the view of the large parkng lot not yet roped off as it is now.
Editor
I ALWAYS LUSTED AFTER A MONTEVERDI. OR A MASERATI GHIBLI, OR AMERICA. THEY ALL LOOK SIMILAR. BUT THE MONTEVERDI WOULD BE A LOT CHEAP[ER TO MAINTAIN. AND A LOT FASTER THAN EITHER MASERATI.
THE HYLAN. ( I DON’T KNOW THE SPELLING) MONTEVERDI WAS REALLY RARE. HOW MANY OF ALL THOSE MONTEVERDI’S DID THEY MAKE?
The event at Cross Creek road and PCH is blocked off by numerous roadblocks and hired guns. The merchants want your money but won’t let sports car people in. So much for good PR…
Is this cars and coffee still happening every Sunday? If so, at what time?
Thanks in advance!