Watching vintage racing is the next best thing to taking your kit car on a track and putting it through its paces. If you haven't finished your replicar and you have nothing worthy of driving fast, you need to attend a vintage racing event in your area. One such spectacle takes place in sun-drenched San Diego, California, at the 1.6-mile racing course on the taxiways of Naval Air Station North Island. On the northern tip of Coronado Island, U.S. Naval aviation had its birthplace. During the Indian summer October weekend, over 225 vintage sports cars flew on land for the 2006 Speed Fest.
In addition to some multi-million dollar vintage racers tearing up the tarmac, a number of kit car companies showcased some awesome machines in the Vendor Village. Thunder Ranch entranced us with its Porsche replicas and a Cobra 427SC. Including a Ferrari Testa Rossa and a Porsche 904, Thunder Ranch displayed posters of these re-creations that are near completion. Superformance's booth was filled with Ford Racing replicas, which included the Superformance Daytona Coupe, 427SC, and SPF GT40 Mk II. Shelby American showed up with its contingent of continuation vehicles, all built to make us yearn for much more discretionary income in our pitiful savings accounts.
After drooling over this automotive finery, we had to take a break and imbibe a couple of fresh lemonades at the food court. We were sufficiently refreshed to view the Car Club Corral's 1,800 cars and the 66 car clubs that participated in the festivities.
KIT CAR's last stop was the prized Classic Car Collection under an immense tent. The collection included:
* 1952 C-Type Jaguar (VIN # XKC-030), considered the most raced car in auto racing history, with 178 races to its credit and many podium finishes
* 1953 Aston Martin DB2 Arnolt (VIN # 502)
* 1960 Abarth 850 Record Monza Zagato(VIN # 653772)
* 1949 Fiat Topalino 750 Mille Miglia Zagato (VIN # 168-191)
* 1957 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato(VIN # 2179)
* 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing
* 1938 Talbot-Lago T23 Cabriolet(VIN # 93001)
* 1952 Lancia B52 Ghia (VIN # B52-1055)
* 1955 OSCA MT4 (VIN # 1167)
* 1953 Maserati 150S (VIN # 1673)
* 1954 Fiat 8V Zagato Elaborata(VIN # 022)
* 1937 Maserati 6CM (VIN # 1540)
* 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis Drophead coupe (VIN # 57736)
To contrast with all the vintage race cars on hand, both going fast and in repose, there was also a large display of all-new Chrysler and Mercedes Benz automobiles. Daimler/Chrysler again sponsored the spectacle.For any automotive enthusiast who enjoys the sights and sounds of vintage racing, the Coronado Speed Festival is a must-attend celebration of all things automotive. The event culminates the U.S. Navy's open house week of celebration. Whether or not you support the War, it's imperative our country honor the young men and women who are keeping our nation safe. For this reason alone, the Speed Festival is an event KIT CAR wouldn't miss.
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 Howard Matloff drove his #35...  Howard Matloff drove his #35 '70 Martin BM8 with adroit precision while Rug Cunningham and his way cool '74 BMW 3.5 CSL gave close pursuit. |
 Looking very British, read:...  Looking very British, read: smart and suave, in his righthand-drive '64 Lotus 30, Jay Embree could keep up with the more powerful race cars along the twisty bits. On the straights, however, horsepower ruled. |
 Some of the vintage speed...  Some of the vintage speed machines had most righteous paint schemes. Jules Moritz's #12 McLaren MBE/D was a perfect example of brilliant paintwork. |
 Tom Byrne's bright blue '64...  Tom Byrne's bright blue '64 Brabham BT-8, #61, ran as brilliantly as it looked. |
 John Goodman's #1 '72 Sparling...  John Goodman's #1 '72 Sparling Special must have had a superior suspension setup for the U.S. Navy airbase road course, or perhaps he's an expert racer. He was consistently in the front of Group Seven. |
 If any sort of sports car...  If any sort of sports car can make schoolbus yellow look swift, it's a safe bet a '68 McLaren M6B could. Robert Ryan drove his #2 car onto the track for his first practice run. |
 Though he started behind many...  Though he started behind many of the Shelby GT350s, it didn't take long for John Goodman, in his #9 '64 Cobra, to overtake many of the cars in the field. Christi Edelbrock, in her #55 '66 GT350, wasn't too far behind. Yes, that's the same Edelbrock you're thinking about contacting for some must-have components for that replica project in your garage. |
 A cadre of cool Cobras was...  A cadre of cool Cobras was ever present in the Solar Turbines Cup Group Six classification. Here, James Lustman had his #51 '63 Cobra 289 in front of Phil Gallant in his #12 '64 Shelby Cobra Sebring. Fred Galloway, in his #17 roundelle-filled '63 Cobra, waited for one of his competitors to make a miscue. |
 In front of an ultra-rare...  In front of an ultra-rare Porsche 914, Fred Yeakel's #8 '64 Cheetah was a crowd favorite the entire weekend. Does it remind you of the EcoCat? |
 There were also a couple of...  There were also a couple of spectacular racing B production Corvettes, including Bruce Leven's #86 '64 Corvette convertible. |
 In A production, Tommy Thompson's...  In A production, Tommy Thompson's 396ci V-8, big-block-powered '65 Corvette could bury the #74 Sunbeam Tiger, owned by John Morton, in the straights. In the corners, however, the Tiger could brake deeper into the turns and catch the Corvette. |
 Group Seven, the Cunningham...  Group Seven, the Cunningham BMW Cup-sponsored class, included Porsches like James Edwards' #31 '75 RSR and Ranson Webster's #63 '73 911 RSR. |
 Through the S's came a swift...  Through the S's came a swift #65-clad Sunbeam Tiger circa '65 owned by Tom Sakal. He was in front of some Cobras, another Tiger, Lorraine Gruys' #155 '64, and the #15 '66 Shelby GT350 owned by Ken Adams. |