May 2021 003

COLLECTING





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ISSUE 003

38

photo EPIFANIO FOTOP 76

FEATURES 46 COLLECTOR SPOTLIGHT
The cars that you collect — and
30 how you use them — reflect your
own values and pleasures
COLLECTING WITH PASSION
Three collectors — Dr. Fred Miles Collier
Simeone, Steven Harris and David
Eichenbaum — talk about their 88 
passion for cars
IN FOCUS
Chester Allen Sno*Drift Rally 2021

38 Will Weston

COLLECTING SAND REGULAR STOPS
Driver Amy Lerner had never sat
in this Porsche 911 before the 2021 24 
Dakar Rally, but she learned fast
WORLD OF CARS
Sue Mead Monterey Car Week will be epic this
year. If you want to go — and who
46 doesn’t? — now is the time to plan

THE ZAGATO ISORIVOLTA GTZ HONORS ITS PAST 176 
Iso Rivolta is back — in the form of
the Zagato IsoRivolta GTZ — and GIFTS AND GADGETS
there’s a Corvette engine under the Managing your batteries — and
hood your entire car collection

Massimo Delbò Jim Pickering

178 

BOOK REVIEW
“Quattro: The Race and Rally Story
1980-2004” and “Ferrari Formula
1: Car By Car (Every Race Car Since
1950)” take different approaches to
motorsport excellence

Mark Wigginton

182 

FROM THE AUDRAIN MOTORING ARCHIVES
A 1974 photograph tells us a lot
about Nick Begovich and his
relationship with his extraordinary
cars

Donald Osborne

184 

TAILLIGHTS
One of the stages of collecting cars
is when you start collecting new
friends and sublime moments

Chester Allen

cover photo by FRANCESCA LEOCATA

10  Linkage 003 photo by FRANCESCA LEOCATA

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CONTENTS

OPINIONS 172 photo by ANDREW MITERKO

14  EXPERIENCES VALUES 138

FROM THE PUBLISHER 26  106 1986 PORSCHE 944 TURBO
The key to collecting is an — $27,500
emotional connection BEST ROADS MARKET FOCUS Are low miles more important than
Two August drives — one in the It’s a new market for in-person cosmetics?
Donald Osborne Monterey foothills and one on a sales Rob Sass
Massachusetts beach — are perfect
58  escapes from the ordinary Jim Pickering 154 

NOTE FROM EUROPE Stephen Serio 108  ONLINE MADNESS
Brexit is now here, and the tremors Hunting emerging markets on
ripple out to car collectors in the 82 THIS SEASON’S CHURN Bring a Trailer
UK, Europe and the United States What’s coming up for auction —
PRIVATE BUSINESS and when Nick Jaynes
Simon Kidston Donald Osborne and McKeel
Hagerty talk about starting with an AUCTION SNAPSHOTS 166 
60  insurance company and creating
a car lifestyle brand — and, by the 110  YOUNGTIMERS
FUNNY THAT YOU ASKED way, saving driving as we know it BMW legacy and Porsche Slantnose
You might find some great cars — Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale dreams
and great stories — if you search Donald Osborne Jim Pickering
for collectible cars in wealthy Sara Ryan
neighborhoods 170 126 
180 
Jay Leno UNDER THE SKIN Mecum Glendale 2021
The Datsun 240Z is a gorgeous, fun Sam Stockham AUTOMOBILIA
62  car that is emerging as a serious One of Phil Hill’s helmets recently
collectible. Here’s what to look for 142  sold for $193,750 — and once again
AMERICAN MUSCLE when you’re on the hunt showed the power of celebrity
Shop rags, solid cams and Artcurial Paris ownership when it comes to
Stratocasters set the tone for a Paul Hardiman Jeff Zurschmeide collecting automobilia
collector
172 MARKET MOVERS Carl Bomstead
Jim Pickering
BEHIND THE WHEEL 122
64 Stephen Serio and Cam Ingram
talk Porsches, putting collector cars 1965 SHELBY GT350 — $962,500
TALKING FAST on the road, finding adventure in What’s a new data point mean for
The month of May is huge for the car life — and “Ferris Bueller’s the purest Shelby Mustang?
racing — and for McLaren Day Off” Brad Bowling

Zak Brown 174

66 SUPERSTARS
The McLaren 620R is no spa date
BUILDING A STORY — it’s loud and uncomfortable —
How does a poverty-stricken grad but it’s also hot soul on the road
student get a great job at “Car and
Driver” magazine? Meet J. Edgar Elana Scherr
Opel

Rich Taylor

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MOTION CAPTURED
Razzia’s posters for Louis Vuitton
car events are now very collectible

Jacques Vaucher

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS ROUNDTABLE
How will the changes of the past
year impact the next?

Randy Nonnenberg, Bill Warner,
Doug DeMuro and Sara Ryan

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Collect What You Love SO WE’VE ARRIVED at Linkage 003. The journey
continues to be an amazing and rewarding one, with
Cars that fill you with joy are always successful investments — old friends sharing their enthusiasm about what
even if they don’t skyrocket in value our team has created here — and the making of new
friends who have discovered us as they picked up
by DONALD OSBORNE their first issue.

14  Linkage 003 I continue to pinch myself for my great fortune.
Our theme this time out is “Collecting.” It means
so many different things to people that you’re bound
to find opinions and experiences in these pages with
which you can immediately connect and others that
will baffle you completely. And isn’t that the core of
what collecting itself is all about? What fascinates one
person and leads to obsession is incomprehensible to
someone else.
And thank God that is the case.
How dull life would be if we all liked the same

things! However, there are, in some circles, rules for look at becomes yours — then what does it matter
collecting. As a consultant, I have often been asked that the day after you buy it someone else is only
by prospective clients, “What should I collect?” This willing to pay half of what you did?
question is often accompanied by a query on what
cars might appreciate most rapidly — and most Has the car changed? I don’t think so. It will still
assuredly — during the next short-term period. deliver the thrill you’ve always sought — provided
that thrill is not primarily financial return.
I learned many years ago how to deflect both
questions. I firmly believe that the key to collecting It’s also about what a car does for you. I have, for
anything comes from an emotional connection. If my entire enthusiast life, been a serial collector. I
there is a car, painting, piece of furniture, vintage toy have never had either the funds or the space to build
or book that I have always wanted to have in my life a large collection, so when I want to scratch a new
— something that makes me smile and brings me joy automotive itch, something already in my garage had
— to know that object is nearby or can be seen, read, to go to make room.
sat on or driven is enough “investment” for me.
I haven’t viewed this as a particular handicap,
After all, if the car you’ve wanted since you were 12 especially since most of my life has been spent in the
years old, one that has been the stuff of your dreams Northeastern United States, where the reality of “car
for decades, one that makes your pulse race just to season” gives you a small window of time to regularly
drive all the cars in a large collection.

One memorable group of cars

When considering my past “collections,” one
period stands out in my mind.

It was around 2006, and I owned a group of four
cars. Each car had its own very distinct character —
very much “horses for courses.”

For adventurous driving, there was my vintage
race car — a wonderfully characterful 1950 Crosley
Hotshot-based build called the Crosley Gardner
Special. It was terrific fun in VSCCA events. The car
was not very expensive (and not very fast), but it ran
with a great pedigree and documentation.

For vintage driving, I had my 1953 Lancia Ardea.
While it was a post-war car, it was the last of a line
that had been introduced in 1939, so it had very much
the feel of a pre-war model. As it was a Lancia — with
Lancia’s advanced engineering — it was as modern a
small car as could be imagined for the time.

When I wanted the wind in my face, it was the turn
to take out my 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring Spider.
Elegant, smooth and a delight to drive, it was the
quintessence of “La Dolce Vita” motoring.

Finally, when the need for speed called, the
answer was my 1969 Lamborghini Islero. It was a
sophisticated, rare and beautiful V12 grand touring
machine. I could drive it a genuine 130 mph with
absolute security — in proper and safe conditions, of
course.

Each car gave me pleasure, and they were all a
thrill to own.

Find you passion and nurture it

As of this writing, the fleet is certainly a varied
one, including a 1953 Jaguar Mk VII saloon, a 1960
Fiat OSCA 1500 Pinin Farina coupe, a 1981 Ferrari
400i Automatic, a 1987 Fiat Panda 750CL and a 1999
Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 5-speed.

I suppose I’m still looking for a different flavor in
each of my motoring companions, and I suppose
that is the unifying thread of my particular collecting
passion. Whatever your collecting passion might be,
find it, believe in it and hold it fast.

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003

Chairman

NICHOLAS SCHORSCH

Publisher/CEO

DONALD OSBORNE

Executive Editor

CHESTER ALLEN
[email protected] 
[email protected]

Managing Editor

JIM PICKERING
[email protected]

Art Director

NORA JAMES

Editor at Large

JAY LENO

Columnists

SIMON KIDSTON, JIM PICKERING, JAY LENO, CARL BOMSTEAD, RICH TAYLOR, ZAK BROWN, JACQUES VAUCHER

Contributors

GARY AXON, BRAD BOWLING, MARTIN BUTTON, SANDRA BUTTON, B.MITCHELL CARLSON, BEN CHESTER, MILES COLLIER, MASSIMO DELBÒ,
WES EISENSCHENK, ALEX FINIGAN, MAX GIRARDO, PAUL HARDIMAN, PIERRE HEDARY, NICK JAYNES, DAVE KINNEY, SUE MEAD,
DOMINIQUE PROVOST, SARA RYAN, ROB SASS, BILL SCHEFFLER, ELANA SCHERR, NICHOLAS SCHORSCH, STEPHEN SERIO, SAM STOCKHAM,
JUDY STROPUS, THOR THORSON, CHAD TYSON, MARK WIGGINTON, JEFF ZURSCHMEIDE

Photographers

WILL WESTON, TOM SHAXSON, DEREK WALLER, NIC WALLER

BUSINESS ADVERTISING

Chief Operating Officer Advertising Executive

BENJAMIN MERCER KATEE WALLER
[email protected]
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
CONTACT US
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Mailing address: 256 Maple Ave., Newport, RI, 02840
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Publishing Consultant

ERIN OLSON

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WORLD OF CARS

Monterey
Car Week

BEFORE 2020, IT was › The Little Car Show, a › Legends of the Autobahn, › Concorso Italiano, one of
outlandish to think about a year charming event at the Monterey Car Week’s fun the star events of Monterey
without Monterey Car Week. start of Monterey Car — and free — garden party Car Week, is scheduled for
Week, is scheduled for for Audi, Mercedes-Benz August 14, 2021. For more
In 2021, it’s impossible to think August 11, 2021. For more and BMW, is scheduled for information, visit www.
about missing it this August. information, visit www. August 13, 2021. For more concorso.com
marinamotorsports.org information, visit www.
As COVID-19 restrictions legendsoftheautobahn.org › Exotics on Broadway is
ease, Monterey Car Week is › The McCall’s Motorworks scheduled to park a fleet of
preparing for an epic rebirth Revival, one of Monterey › Werks Reunion, the Porsche supercars in Seaside during
from August 7-15. We like to Car Week’s hottest tickets, Club of America’s concours Monterey Car Week on
think of Monterey Car Week is scheduled for August 11, and party during Monterey August 14, 2021. For more
as a bunch of world-class 2021. This year is the 30th Car Week, is scheduled for information, visit www.
collector car auctions sprinkled anniversary of the “Jet Party.” August 13, 2021. For more exoticsonbroadway.com
into a lineup of world-class For more information, visit information, visit www.
car shows, vintage racing and www.mccallevents.com werksreunion.com › The Pebble Beach
concours. Concours d’Elegance,
› The Rolex Monterey › The Quail, A Motorsports the peak of Monterey Car
Monterey is going to be off Motorsports Reunion at Gathering, another star Week, is scheduled for
the hook this year. Now is the WeatherTech Raceway event during Monterey August 15, 2021. For more
time to make reservations Laguna Seca is scheduled Car Week, is scheduled for information, visit www.
and buy tickets to big events. for August 12-15, 2021. For August 13, 2021. For more pebblebeachconcours.net
Here’s the current schedule of more information, visit information, visit www.
car shows, vintage racing and www.co.monterey.ca.us peninsula.com
concours:

› The Monterey Motorsports
Pre-Reunion at
WeatherTech Laguna Seca
Raceway is scheduled for
August 7-8, 2021. For more
information, visit www.
co.monterey.ca.us

› The Carmel-By-The-Sea
Concours on the Avenue,
often considered the kickoff
to Monterey Car Week, is
scheduled for August 10,
2021. For more information,
visit www.carmelconcours.
com

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LEFT The Quail is one of the most exclusive — and
decadent — destinations of the week
BELOW McCall’s Motorworks Revival showcases the
best in vintage race cars, aircraft, California wine
and gourmet food

ABOVE The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, held on
Thursday of Car Week, is where you can see show
cars prove their abilities
LEFT A ticket into the Rolex Monterey Motorsports
Reunion gets you access to the pits, surrounded by
the echoes of vintage racers driven in anger

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BEST ROADS

Two August
Escapes

The twisty Laureles Grade and the sandy beaches of
Chappaquiddick Island are perfect escapes

by STEPHEN SERIO

NOTHING BEATS AUGUST.
There is a sweet spot section in the month of

August that allows me to appreciate the wildly
different applications of automobiles and what I
consider to be two perfect roads — and by roads, I’m
going to include beaches.

August has always involved going to the Monterey
Peninsula. My California hippy Zen highlight of
summer (Part One) is the drive on the Laureles Grade
as sunset approaches.

The Grade is a shortcut between WeatherTech
Raceway Laguna Seca and the Carmel Valley Road,
and I never consider Monterey Car Week on The
Peninsula complete without a blast up that 1,200-ish-
foot climb and down again.

One year, my timing was so impeccable that I did
the back-and-forth blast four times without being
slowed once by a hulking Winnebago or crawling
farm truck. I had the road to myself. Wash, rinse, dry,
repeat. I was behaving like a child with no line on his
favorite ride at Disneyland — over and over and over.

Perfect sweeping curves, unrepeatable switchbacks
and steep elevation changes don’t even begin to
scratch the surface of this magnificent bit of road
engineering — and the utter bliss that comes when
navigating it.

As with many things in the life, my first time will
always be the most memorable (and the quickest
blast), as it was in an EB110 Bugatti. That was a howl.

The slowest crawl involved begging and pleading
with a Morris Minor pickup truck to make it to the
crest without overheating. It made it! I’ve completed
that journey in (but not limited to) a Lotus Esprit S4S,
BMW 2002 tii and multiple Porsche 356A Speedsters.
Anything with two or four wheels will suffice, as it is
more about the road than the buggy.

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BEST ROADS

Plan to stop once or twice on this magical dash. crawling along the miles of dunes, marshes, ponds and
Take advantage of the handful of scenic pullouts — trails that eventually lead to a desolate and human-free
and peacefully zone out at the splendor of the Carmel beach. If there are a few folks casting for fish, so be it, it
Valley below you. Quietly take in all of what California adds to the color.
has to offer in its serene natural beauty. Bring a cigar,
stop, sit and enjoy life. My main reason for owning any car is to create
memories for me, my friends and family. Nothing
On the sand compares to the simple joy of escaping to the beach
and enjoying that period of the day when it’s your
Now, Part Two of this August nirvana driving company, the ocean breeze and the sound of the
adventure involves being 3,250 miles away from waves crashing. The accompanying laughter, food and
Carmel and on the tiny island of Chappaquiddick Muga Rosé just adds to the mix.
on Martha’s Vineyard. This is where I choose to
decompress after car overload week in Monterey. The traffic… well, there is no traffic. Occasionally,
the local plovers decide to nest on the beach which
Follow these simple directions on how to unplug forces some rerouting — a mild inconvenience to say
and escape from mankind should that need ever the least. Oh, and depending on the previous winter
start to overwhelm you — and you’re in this part of storms, the beach may have actually eroded. Mother
Massachusetts. There is one prerequisite, and that is Nature always has the last word, but who likes the
a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. Mine is a 1960 Series II Land same old thing when off-roading?
Rover (sometimes substituted by a 1989 Range Rover).
I’m afraid that this cost of entry is not negotiable. Driving endlessly on the sand is therapeutic and
necessary for me. My only lament is that summer
Now, proceed to Edgartown and get on the always ends, and it’s not a year-round drive — at least
45-second ferry boat ride to Chappy. Disembark and until I retire one day.
point the vehicle towards the Dyke Bridge (made
infamous by Ted Kennedy in 1969). Now, properly Sometimes the best drives are not the longest
cross the bridge (unlike Ted Kennedy in 1969). or the fastest. In this case it’s all about variety
and relaxation. From the Carmel Valley to
Now, deflate the tires to 12 psi and head for the Chappaquiddick, Godspeed my fellow enthusiasts,
sand. In my view, nothing compares to an hour of enjoy the road — and the beach.

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Stages of Collecting

Three
Journeys of
PASSION and
OBSESSION

These three collectors have taken
different roads in the glorious, crazy
world of cars

IIbyCHESTERALLEN

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A car collection can be
one car — or hundreds.
Collectors — and
collections — evolve
over time. Here’s a
snapshot of three
avid collectors — and
where they are at this

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Stages of Collecting

A lifelong
vision realized

DR. FRED SIMEONE didn’t plan on creating one So, Simeone began finding — and buying — racing
of the world’s best car museums — The Simeone sports cars that had competition bloodlines. Today,
Foundation Automotive Museum — when he among the 70-odd cars in the museum is a 1958 Aston
bought a special collector car in 1970. He didn’t Martin DBR1, a 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa, a 1953 Jaguar
plan on buying racing sports cars for 50 years — and C-Type, a 1956 Jaguar D-Type, a 1956 Maserati 300S
amassing a spectacular trove of rare, special cars. and a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM.

But a 1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing — purchased Telling a big story
for $3,500 — was an early glimpse of a vision that
Simeone nurtured and grew for decades. Simeone realized that the cars in his collection told a
story — the story of technological innovation, style and
“My start — in medicine and collecting — was my racing — in cars that you could drive to and from the
dad,” Simeone said. “He was a general practitioner and track. He also realized that story was worth sharing. So,
had an office in our house, so when he had spare time, he created the Simeone Automotive Museum in 2008.
we played with cars.”
In Simeone’s vision, the cars together tell that
Simeone’s dad wasn’t wealthy, but he collected cars story of competition during a special era, so keeping
before they were collectibles, so they were inexpensive. the cars together was — and is — key. Racing sports
cars tell stories about technology and design, about
So, Simeone grew up with cool cars — such as his competition at the famous tracks — such as Le Mans
dad’s Auburn Speedster — before they were cool. As or Sebring — and about the lives of the famous drivers.
he didn’t have a lot of money growing up, Simeone
collected free sales brochures from car dealers. He The cars have far more value — in terms of history
continued collecting brochures most of his life, and and education — together than they do apart, Simeone
the Simeone Museum now has one of the largest car said.
brochure collections in the world — and some of them
go back to 1892. It’s also important to have mostly original cars.
Keeping the cars in running order — and driving them
Simeone bought many of the cars in his collection regularly — is part of the theme, although no Simeone
— they are all now in the Simeone Museum — in the Museum cars hit the track these days. These racers do
1970s, when they were considered old, clapped-out get laps around the museum’s big parking lot.
cars.

“The Sunday New York Times classified ads were
where you went to find great cars back then,” Simeone
said. “That’s where I found my Gullwing — it had
38,000 miles and Rudge wheels.

“I drove it to school and parked it on the street.”
Simeone eventually became a world-class
neurosurgeon — an intense occupation — and that
changed him from a car nut to a focused collector.
“I loved my work, but I learned that I needed a
release from my work,” Simeone said.“ I realized I
needed a passion — something that would distract me
and help me put my work aside at the end of the day.
“My passion is for racing sports cars — especially
ones that competed in races.”

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A few tips photos © MICHAEL FURMAN for SimeoneMuseum.org

Simeone doesn’t really buy collector cars these days   Linkage 003  33
— “I can no longer afford to buy the cars that belong
in the museum, but we do get donated cars” — but he
has this advice for collectors entering the game:

Define your motives. Is it the experience of
driving a particular type of car — or does a
particular design aesthetic appeal to you?

“For example, The Nethercutt Collection is
about luxurious, classic cars,” he said.

Have a theme for your collection.
“Having a theme in your collection is important

— otherwise the cars are just eye candy,” Simeone
said.

Don’t worry about which cars appreciate
the most.

“If you get a car you really love, you never lose
whether it goes up or down in value,” Simeone
said.

Now, 51 years after buying that Mercedes-Benz
Gullwing — which is now in his museum — Simeone’s
car collection is now his life’s work.

“In 2008, we opened the museum,” he said. “I did
my last operation on a Friday, and we opened the
museum on the following Monday.”

Stages of Collecting
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Constructing an
Ode to Porsche

VISITING WITH WORLD-RENOWNED architect “I have 18 cars in California, and I go driving just
Steven Harris is like sitting down with a restaurant about every morning at dawn with some friends.”
tasting menu.
One favorite California drive is from Palm Springs
Interesting topics and thoughts — from house to Santa Cruz — seven hours behind the wheel —
design to desert vistas to chicken soup to painting from the desert to the central California Coast.
to structural glass — arrive every few minutes. But
all other topics fall away when Porsches roll into the Harris takes his Porsches on long tours — from
conversation. the epic Peking to Paris Motor Challenge to the
Copperstate 1000 to the Colorado Grand.
Harris’ joyful obsession with the Porsche 356 and
the Porsche 911 started when he was just 8 years old. “I’ve been caught out driving the Carrera roadster
with ice and snow coming over the windshield,”
“My uncle had a 356, and I still remember what it Harris said.
looked like, what it smelled like — everything about
it,” Harris said. “That started an emotional connection Harris rarely shows his cars, although some of
with Porsche cars, and l love them.” them will be on display at the Saratoga Automotive
Museum this summer. Many of his Carreras will be
Harris’ first Porsche was a 1960 356B roadster. He shown at Lime Rock over Labor Day weekend.
now owns 50-odd Porsches, but his greatest passion
is his collection of Porsche Carrera RS cars. Lessons learned

“I now have one of every Porsche Carrera RS Following your passion teaches you a lot about
made,” Harris said. yourself, and Harris has learned a few lessons during
his decades of collecting and driving Porsches.
Actually, Harris has a vast number of Porsche
Carreras — including the last 356 Carrera GT The biggest lesson is collecting cars because you
Speedster to leave the factory. love them and they help you meet fascinating new
friends — not because you hope to make a profit
What is it like to own one of the best Porsche down the road.
collections in the world?
“Passion resonates in a very deep part of you,”
“People collect different kinds of cars for different Harris said. “Collectors should buy what they know
reasons,” Harris said. “Some people obsess over and what they want — cars are not a commodity or
having the first or last cars made, some people obsess consumable.
over wild or crazy cars.
“As an asset class, my cars have done very well, but I
“I’m obsessed with Porsche.” have no intention of selling — this is not why I do this.
Harris also feels a strong historical and I’m good at buying, but I’m not good at selling them.”
performance connection to Porsche, as they’re some
of the best driving cars from the 1950s through now. Harris has no plans to create a Porsche museum,
“They’re light and handle beautifully,” Harris said. and he considers himself a temporary caretaker of his
“They’re still great drivers now. In my ’57 Speedster, cars. However, he hopes that his Carrera RS cars will
you don’t have to drive fast to have fun.” stay together after his ownership ends.

They’re all drivers “I’m mostly interested in driving my cars — how
they smell and sound on the road,” Harris said. “Some
Harris doesn’t collect cars that were built before he smells can transport me back 30 years, so cars are a
was born, and most of his cars are driven — often. time machine of sorts.”

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Stages of Collecting

Having Fun DR. DAVID EICHENBAUM’S collecting story began
and in childhood, as his father always had one or two
Developing interesting cars.
a Focus
“My dad was my car buddy,” Eichenbaum said.
36  Linkage 003 “He had a mid-year Corvette, and in 1993, he got a
’83 Ferrari Mondial — which I later learned was a real
dog, but it was cool as hell to me at the time.”

So, Eichenbaum grew up in a world of cruise-in
nights and trips to National Corvette Restorers
Society events. He bought interesting cars, but
he didn’t really start seriously collecting until his
medical training was completed. Eichenbaum is now
a noted eye surgeon and medical researcher.

Eichenbaum is 44, and, at first glance, his
Generation X status pegs him into the new wave of
collectors, who are buying up the 1980s and 1990s
cars they coveted as kids. He has a few big Porsches,
including a 1989 Speedster, a 1989 930 Flachbau and
a ’92 964 Carrera RS.

He also owns a 1991 BMW M5 — his daily driver for “This is the most beautiful of all closed post-war
almost a decade — and a 1992 Dodge Viper. sports cars, and this one has a great story from brand
new,” Eichenbaum said.
But his focus is changing.
“For my age, I’m a little early to move into older Future goals
cars,” Eichenbaum said. “But I really like older cars…”
The jump to older cars actually started about 10 Eichenbaum wants to keep growing — and
years ago, with the purchase of a 1958 Fiat-Abarth 750 learning — as a collector.
GT Double Bubble.
“It was the first really good collector car I bought “My collection is more of a variety pack than a
on my own, and I always wanted a coachbuilt sports collection so far,” he said. “I lack focus, and my friend
racer,” Eichenbaum said. “I could barely fit into it — Martin Button is always telling me to buy fewer —
it’s tiny, but it made beautiful noises. and better — cars.”
“It was a very passionate car, and it introduced me
to the world of really good collector cars — which I But some themes are starting to form. Air-cooled
aspire to own and be around.” Porsches remain a favorite group of cars, and he
So, the past few years have brought some special wants to add to his group of coachbuilt sports cars.
cars into Eichenbaum’s collection, such as a 1960 He also wants to add a mid-year Big Block Corvette to
Ferrari 250 GT PF coupe, a 1928 Chrysler 72 roadster his garage.
that ran in the 1928 Mille Miglia and a 1955 Lancia
Aurelia B24S Spider America. And he has a bigger dream.
Learning about these cars has been fun. “My all-time aspirational cars are even-numbered,
“No matter how much you think you know, there’s coachbuilt 4-cylinder Ferraris,” he said. “They are
a lot you don’t know,” Eichenbaum said. “I like different than 12-cylinder Ferraris, and they mean a
learning new stuff.” lot in the history of competition.”
One learning experience was his “best car” — a So, there is a lot of fun ahead for Eichenbaum.
1964 Alfa Romeo TZ, which underwent an extensive He wants to keep his collection small enough
restoration to bring it all the way back from an for regular driving, and he wants to keep his young
in-period racing crash. family involved with the car life. Eichenbaum’s car
photos often feature his entire family grinning and
gallivanting around a car. Trips to the Amelia Island
Concours d’Elegance are family trips, and his wife
and kids are happy, smiling car people.
His biggest goal is to be like his dad — a guy with
kids who love cars.
“My son is 4 years old, and he’s not going to
remember when he first started liking cars,”
Eichenbaum said. “He loves cars now — he was born
loving cars.”

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2021 DAKAR RALLY

COLLECTING SAND —

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— AND RESPECT
— at the 2021 Dakar Rally
Amy Lerner and her vintage rear-wheel-drive Porsche 911
make their mark in Saudi Arabia
by SUE MEAD

photo EPIFANIO FOTOP

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2021 DAKAR RALLY

photo EPIFANIO FOTOP

STAGE ONE: JEDDAH to Bisha, a course of nearly Learning the ride on the fly
600 kilometers (373 miles). The opening special
of the 2021 Dakar Rally promised the challenge “I had driven the 1982 Porsche 911 SC a scant 11
of stringing one valley to another, while avoiding miles the day before in a prologue — otherwise, I had
navigational hazards and stony sections that could not been behind the wheel of this gorgeous vintage
wreck tires. race vehicle that I had purchased sight unseen from
Stephane Henrard, of Belgium, only 10 weeks prior,”
There was nothing in the race book notes that Lerner said. “It came with a storied history of desert
could prepare Amy Lerner and co-driver Sara racing, and although one of the two mechanics that
Bossaert for a mechanical failure that would render was part of the ‘package’ was very knowledgeable and
their race vehicle without power two-thirds of the experienced as support for this vehicle and desert
way through the first day of competition. racing, I had no idea whether Ulysse Dujardin would

“We were partway through the last of three
regularity zones on day one of the Dakar when the
Porsche lost all power,” said Amy Lerner. “The engine
was still running, but the RPM needle was at idle.
There was clearly something wrong, but I had no idea
what; we hadn’t hit anything, so I was completely
thrown. We were in a wide open, flat area, where I
wasn’t worried about anyone running into us, so I let
the vehicle roll to the side of the track.

“I opened the rear engine compartment and saw
that there was a loose belt. I didn’t know why, but I
did know this: I knew that we weren’t going anywhere
under our own power; I knew that help was behind us
somewhere on the race course, as I had joined with
two other teams and hired an assistance team with a
truck that ran the course at the back of the race pack;
and I knew that it could pull us back to camp. But, as I
tried to calm my co-driver’s nerves about the fact that
we had broken down in the middle of nowhere in the
middle of the Saudi Arabian desert on our first day of
competition, I began to wonder whether I had bought
a lemon.”

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photo EPIFANIO FOTOP

have the ability to fix this problem and whether he “I grew up loving antique cars, like Model Ts and
would have the parts on board his Mercedes 4x4 woodie wagons, and worked with my Dad from a
mechanic’s truck to get us underway by the start of young age on his collection of vintage vehicles,” said
the second stage the next day. Lerner, who only knew a bit about the Dakar when
she was young. “Growing up in the U.S., the Dakar
I wondered whether Sara and I would have a two- didn’t receive as much coverage as it does around the
week vacation in Saudi Arabia — instead of 12 days of world. However, when I saw a story in the New York
competition — or would we be able to finish the next Times about the Ralleye Aicha Gazelles in 2010, it
4,440 miles of racing in the all-new Classic Class of made me want to do it — and so I did!
this legendary rally.”
“It was in my preparation for the Gazelle Rally
Chasing a dream that I met and trained with Rod Hall — and that was
life-changing.”
The Dakar had been on Lerner’s “dreams list” for
a number of years, especially since she won Overall In addition to Baja racing and other international
Production and the Dakar Challenge at the 2013 competitions, Hall had competed in the Dakar.
Australasian Safari Rally. In fact, the prize was a free Lerner drove Hall’s Baja-winning ’68 Bronco in the
entry for the 2014 Dakar, but Lerner wasn’t able to 2017 Mint 400. In 2018, she went back and joined a
participate in 2014. team competing with a utility terrain vehicle, but she
hadn’t raced since.
Although Lerner, now 55, had also competed in
four Gazelle Rallies in Morocco and twice in the Mint Taking a fast shot
400, her everyday world does not involve off-road
racing. The announcement of an all-new Classic Class at
the 2021 Dakar changed everything. Only two weeks
Lerner, a mother of two children, has raced shy of the registration deadline of Oct. 31, 2020,
through a rich life with a wide variety of pursuits, Lerner threw her helmet into competition for one
including ventures in finance, real estate and of the most-rigorous races on the planet, found her
documentary filmmaking. dream vehicle and put together a team.

Her movie,”One More Win,” which chronicles Although Lerner had raced 4x4 Jeeps with
the life and legacy of famed off-road racer Rod automatic transmissions, when she found the vintage
Hall, garnered international recognition and won a 3.0-liter 911 SC with a modified suspension, larger
number of awards, a second-place audience award fuel tank and enhanced safety equipment, she was
at the Breck Film Festival, and a collection of other hooked. She had owned two 911 models — a ’93 and
prizes. ’94 — and had always regretted selling them.

Yet, Lerner loves cars — especially classic Lerner stored images in her mind and heart when
automobiles.

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2021 DAKAR RALLY

“ I fell in love with off-road racing because it combines
travel and adventure in really cool places — and it’s
extremely mentally and physically challenging.”

2021 Dakar Rally by the Numbers

Dates: January 2-15, 2021
Start/finish: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Distance: 7,658 km (4,758 miles)
Total vehicles at start (motorcycles, quads,
cars, UTVs, trucks and classics): 310
Total at finish: 206
Total Classic vehicles at start: 24
Total Classic vehicles at finish: 24
Website: www.dakar.com

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photo E. VARGIOLU Formula One racer Jacky Ickx and rally driver René
Metge led a team of Porsches through Africa in the
1984 and 1986 Dakars — and won. She fell in love
with the beauty and history of the rear-drive 911,
with its 5-speed manual prepared by Henrard Racing
as a tribute to Ickx, plus it came with an impressive
pedigree of having competed successfully in three
desert races, including Stephane Henrard’s victory in
the Dakar Classic in 2013.

Lerner had no idea that the Porsche would go
on to become the belle of the ball during the 2021
Dakar and receive global notoriety that would reach
millions.

When Lerner tapped architect and friend Sara
Bossaert, from Barcelona, Spain, to be her co-
driver, she trusted that Sara’s zest for learning and
adventure would make her a great fit, even though
the competitive navigational sailor had no experience
in seas of sand.

Bossaert had never even been in a rally or
off-roading.

Lerner’s first race against the clock was to set up
the historic, desert-prepped Porsche with Recaro
race seats; source the right fitment of BFG tires from
Europe; order race suits, helmets, race radios and
Matrix recovery tracks, along with extra tools and
spare parts for the 911 — plus collect gear and goods
for the team’s 20 days on the ground in Saudi Arabia,

Then Lerner had to get the three team vehicles
(including a motorhome) on the “Dakar boat” that
left the port of Marseille, France, on December
3, 2020 for Jeddah. Making sure that all six team
members were free of COVID-19 and adhering to
Dakar’s strict rules for pre-testing and participation
during the pandemic was also a challenge, but Lerner
was motivated.

While COVID-19 was a worry before and during the
rally, Dakar’s ASO organization established protocols
that allowed the event to proceed in a safe manner.

When Lerner arrived in Saudi Arabia for the 12
days of competition on a stunningly beautiful — but
tough — course through desert sands and rock-
littered tracks of backcountry, she had never actually
seen her race car.

She was about to start a grueling race in a car she
had never driven.

Running in the Classic Class

Lerner climbed into the 911’s left seat for the
prologue the day before she began her 5,000-mile-
long off-road challenge. While the terrain of the
Classic Class was not as rigorous as the main course
— it bypassed massive dunes and the toughest tracks
chosen for vehicles with more horsepower, taller
suspensions and modern-day AWD and traction

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2021 DAKAR RALLY

photo EPIFANIO FOTOP

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photo C.LOPEZ photo EPIFANIO FOTOP

technologies. However, the 24 competitors in the Lost and found
Classic Class regularity rally had the challenges of
a time/speed/distance rally imposed over a wide It was on Stage 10, from Neom to Al Ula, along a
variety of off-road topography. There were more than stretch of the course with superlative landscapes and
300 teams in the overall rally. breathtaking views, that Lerner lost the Porsche’s
exhaust system on a hilly, rock-littered track. Rocks
“The Classic Class ran on a parallel course to the under the 911 just stripped the exhaust off the car.
main rally,” said Lerner, “and was only for vehicles
that were built prior to the year 2000 — and that had Lerner was unaware of this misfortune — until
either raced in rallies previously or a model that raced seeing the look on Dujardin’s face as she pulled the
back in the ‘80s or ‘90s.” 911 into the bivouac at the end of the day. All were
dismayed, and there was no extra exhaust. However,
These vehicles shared some of the same starting within a short time, the assistance truck pulled into
and ending points and the same bivouacs with the the race camp, with mechanics hoisting the Porsche’s
main rally each day. The Classic Class course also exhaust in the air.
demanded that the drivers and co-pilots find the
mental and physical endurance that all other Dakar “Hey, does anyone know who this belongs to?”
competitors faced. The Classic Class teams also called out Didier from the back of his support truck.
faced the added ardors of motoring in older — and Didier found the exhaust along the track. After
sometimes less-dependable models — without many hours of welding that night, Lerner and her
instantly available spare parts. team headed out again in the morning, as they were
approaching the end of the world’s longest and most
Those challenges are exactly what drew Lerner and arduous rally.
other vintage rally buffs to this year’s event.
Once again, Lady Luck would shine on Lerner’s
Lerner’s aspiration was simple. Team AL Rally and her ’82 Porsche 911 SC. She had
“My goal was for Sara and me to improve each day; hoped to finish and did — with a Second in Class
for our experienced mechanics, Ulysse and Marc, to and 15th place overall podium finish in the Classics.
keep the car running strong; and to simply finish this What she didn’t expect was the fanfare for the vintage
epic rally.” Porsche, which was one of the most popular — and
Despite a steep learning curve for piloting a photographed — vehicles at the 2021 Dakar. Press
rear-wheel-drive race car with a manual transmission from around the globe rewarded Lerner and her team
over steep and varied off-road terrain with hazards, for her perseverance and passion.
Lerner’s competence grew greater on each stage of
the rally, as did the Bossaert’s navigation skills. And this team isn’t done yet.
Plus, when Dujardin had an extra “pulley” that Even before their strong finish, Lerner and
was needed to fix that loose belt on day one, Lerner Bossaert had begun planning to return for the 2022
gained confidence in her chief mechanic. Dakar Rally.

  Linkage 003  45

ISO RIVISORIVOLTAISBACK
Zagato revives the Iso Rivolta
brand — complete with
Corvette power — with a little
help from the past
by MASSIMO DELBÒ

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VISOBLATCKA

Photos by FRANCESCA LEOCATA

  Linkage 003  47

ISO RIVOLTA IS BACK

IN 1962, ISO Rivolta started designing a sports car the prototype Iso Grifo A3/L — the L meaning Lusso.
equipped with a Chevrolet V8 engine. Company At the same time, the Iso Rivolta stand showed the
founder Renzo Rivolta was still running the show, with
the help of his son, Piero Rivolta. A3/C, where C means “Corsa,” which is the Italian
word for race. The A3/C had an interesting style
With the help of Giotto Bizzarrini, a former Ferrari — from the pen of Carrozzeria Bertone’s Giorgetto
engineer, Iso Rivolta developed a new model — one Giugiaro.
sportier than their first Iso Rivolta coupe. There were
discussions on the car’s purpose. For the Rivoltas, it The Iso Grifo A3/C looked wild, with rows
had to be a refined, comfortable gran turismo car. For of rivets on its unpainted alloy panels. The car
Bizzarrini, it had to be a racing thoroughbred. sported a Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine and a
more-aerodynamic body than the A3/L. The body
Two different cars was designed at Bertone but, in this case, it was
manufactured at Piero Drogo’s Carrozzeria Sports
The dilemma was solved at the 1963 Turin Motor Cars in Modena.
show, when the Carrozzeria Bertone stand showed
Two of the A3/C cars went racing for the next

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couple of years in a team directly managed by Giotto — and the cars are now skyrocketing in popularity
Bizzarrini and privately backed by Iso Rivolta. These and value.
two A3/C cars won honorable results, including class
victories in the 1964 and 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. Iso Rivolta is back

The A3/C would directly lead to the Bizzarrini 5300, Fast forward to 2021, and the Iso Rivolta brand is
which was built from 1964-68. The Rivolta family sold suddenly back, with the Zagato IsoRivolta GTZ, which
their company to an American investor in early 1974. continues the same sublime concept of a stylish
Shortly after that, Iso Rivolta closed. Italian car with American-made grunt. The IsoRivolta
GTZ uses the modern Corvette Z06 powertrain.
The Iso Grifo grand tourer was built from 1965
to 1974, and 412 cars — with an array of different Marella Rivolta, daughter of Piero, and her
Chevrolet or Ford engines — came off the line. husband, Andrea Zagato, who runs Carrozzeria
Zagato, are leading the rebirth of Iso Rivolta.
Collectors have recently warmed to vintage Iso cars
— especially the gorgeous, fast and reliable Iso Grifos “The idea was to create a car representing the Iso

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ISO RIVOLTA IS BACK

Rivolta A3/C spirit, said Andrea Zagato. “Something an 8-speed automatic transmission (with paddle
that matches perfectly with the century-long sport control) or a 7-speed manual.
and racing soul of Carrozzeria Zagato. With the
IsoRivolta GTZ, we wanted to stimulate all the senses. The manual transmission is far better for the GTZ
We are particularly proud of the results, as the GTZ, concept. As for the car’s weight, Zagato used carbon-
penned by Zagato’s Chief Stylist Norihiko Harada, has fiber panels, and the car weighs about 3,500 pounds.
a modern style mixed with some classic touches —
directly inspired by the 1960s A3/C. “We started from a Targa car and, to homologate
it a coupe we had to install — well-hidden around
“The performance linked with the Corvette Z06 the cockpit — a full roll bar,” Zagato said. “Its weight
drivetrain paired with the skills of our craftsmen for almost zeroed the saving we had on the body panels,
the interior and the assembly of the full composite but we achieved a lower center of gravity.”
body perfected the package.”
A blast from the past
To make the IsoRivolta GTZ still faster, the original
Corvette Z06 6.2-liter V8 engine was bored out to 6.8 To emphasize the heritage of the GTZ, a replica
liters. The car hits 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and hits A3/C was found for a photo session.
a maximum speed just shy of 200 mph. As for the
transmission, the choice is left to the owner, as he or “It is a Sanction II car,” said Federico Negri. “My
she picks the donor Corvette Z06. The choice is either father and I built it in our shop, Il Bottegone. We have
specialized in restoring Iso Rivolta since 1974, as my
father Roberto was the factory test driver. About 10

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