What a Great Drive! What an Amazing Museum!

Photos by Jon Milledge and Chuck Robertson

On March 17, local BMW enthusiasts had our first outing of 2012, a trip to the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar at the north end of Los Angeles.  There was light rain throughout the day, but we encountered only one cloudburst heading East from our brunch stop in Fillmore. 

The Nethercutt Museum is housed in two buildings, with most of the car collection housed on the west side of Bledsoe Avenue.  This is the main entrance where 125 cars are on display, most from the 1920's and 1930's.  They can be viewed any time the museum is open, 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Tuesday through Saturday.  There is also a small side room with half dozen modern classics like as an early 1950's Mercury coupe and a 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo. 

  The Special Collection is housed in a 4 story building across the street and accessible only by guided tours at 10:00 and 1:30.  It houses another 35 cars, with 15 of the finest in a "grand salon" setting on the second floor.  On the fourth floor is a collection of mechanical musical instruments, most of them orchestrions from Europe.  They are the equivalent of our nickelodeons, and very entertaining as each is demonstrated.  The grand finale' is a short concert by the Wurlitzer theater organ, one of the largest anywhere.

 The Nethercutt is the pride of the Nethercutt family, founders and owners of Merle Norman Cosmetics.  Merle Nethercutt Norman started the business in her Santa Monica home, and was joined by nephew Jack B. Nethercutt who eventually bought the company.  It has stayed in the family and is run by his son Jack II, who was active in sports car racing in the 1950's and 1960's. 

  One more thing - admission is free, with not a single word about donations.  A tip of the cap to the Nethercutt family for preserving and sharing their collection of timeless classics. 

Chuck Robertson Photos Below

Laguna Seca Pics

Here are a few photos from the Porsche Rennsport gathering two weeks ago at Laguna Seca.  Dave Bundy and I went up Friday and had a great time.  Unlike many vintage races, nearly all the cars racing were really FAST! 

 

There was an unfortunate collision between an ex-Penske ALMS Porsche Spider and a GTP 956 from the 80's.  The Spider ran up the inside of the 956 who didn't see him, the result being the 956 ran off into the tire barrier.  Not much damage to the Spider who was able to continue.  There were numerous "near hits" involving GTP cars due to the limited visibility and in some cases inexperienced drivers.

 

Cheers, Dennis 

October 22 Parkfield Tour-by Dennis Harrold

The Central Coast Touring group had a great day on Saturday with perfect weather and smooth roads.  Our destination was lunch at the V6 Grill in Parkfield, the day starting at the Donut Derelict car show in Arroyo Grande.      
Ten of us caravanned to the mission in San Miguel and met another 7 from the northern territory.  From there we enjoyed an hour of spirited driving on the mesa, eventually taking Vineyard Canyon Road to Parkfield. 
 Our lunch was excellent, and we took our time catching up with the news and checking out our rides when we finished.  The more adventurous took Hwy 41 and 229 through Creston back to civilization, while some had other plans for the afternoon.  I suspect that Parkfield will be an annual stop for our group.

The Latest BMWCCA Drive

Here are pictures from the BMWCCA drive on September 18 to Jalama Beach, an almost perfect day.  We were fortunate to have Jerry Zach in his blue Z3 join us from Monterey, and it was great to have Rich and Barb Bacon with us again. 

Our next drive is on October 22 to Parkfield. 

My red 330i may be up for sale in case anyone is interested.  It is a 2006 with the 255 HP version of the N52 that has the 3 stage intake.

Dennis