|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Welcome to our fourth edition of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum newsletter. Each month we look to share the latest news and information about the Museum, as well as many automotive events and activities with which we are involved.
This is the start of the car event and concours season in Northern California with many events happening from now - the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival & the Marin Sonoma Concours d'Elegance - through the Fall. After leaving Brazil in early April, the Ferrari Challenge made its annual stop at the Sonoma Raceway. A number of our Museum members and docents joined the hundreds of Ferrari owners and their cars to watch the racing and also run their cars during the mid-day track sessions. The Museum is proud to have seventeen examples of the Ferrari marque currently on display.
On the same weekend we also attended the 23rd Annual California Mille Show Day at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill in San Francisco. On this picture perfect day the 70+ participating cars were previewed for the traditional day long public viewing in front of this historic hotel. This year was a tribute to its founder, Martin Swig, lifelong car enthusiast and friend to many of us around the car world.
Over the past month, the Museum has hosted a number of corporate and organization events and programs that benefit from the diversity the Blackhawk Museum offers as a unique venue in a prestigious location. This has ranged from a top Fortune 500 company holding a 40 person client dinner event, to a new IPO company hosting a 600 person reception as among the over 150 exciting events held during the year.
In early April, the Museum was host to the semi-annual Network of Executive Women event. This 450 attendee speaker panel and breakfast event was sold out with attendees from leading companies throughout the San Francisco Bay area.
In late April, we hosted the International Interior Design Association's 'Design in Motion' Charity Gala benefitting the Wheelchair Foundation. A selection of designers and design teams used a number of the Museum's cars as inspiration to create unique designer bags. The bags were displayed at the Museum with the cars, judged and auctioned to support the Foundation.
Automotive education is an important part of our mission at the Museum, so on May 3 we were pleased to again be the host sponsor of the annual Ford / AAA Student Auto Skills competition. This national competition helps shape the future of the automotive industry by fostering young people's interest in the automotive industry. The winning two-person team from each state is recognized with scholarships, tools, and awards, and, along with their instructor, are provided an expense paid trip to the national finals at the Ford Motor Company Headquarters in Dearborn, MI.
Please join us for our annual Father's Day Car Show on June 16th, or come and visit us at any time. We look forward to seeing you at the Museum during our Silver Anniversary year.
With regards,
Timothy McGrane
Executive Director
25th Anniversary Partnership Opportunities Available |
|
|
 |
|
Feature Museum Exhibit
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Drophead Coupe by Figoni
This beautiful Figoni-bodied car has been on display at the Blackhawk Automobile Museum for over ten years.
The Alfa Romeo 8C2300 was unquestionably the ultimate sports car of its time. Powered by the Vittorio Jano created straight-eight-cylinder engine, the 2.3's record in prestigious sports car events was phenomenal. That record included four straight wins at 24 Hours of Le Mans (1931 thru 1934) plus a close second in 1935, two wins in the Spa 24 Hours (1932 & 1933), three consecutive wins in the Targa Florio (1931 thru 1933), and three consecutive wins in the Mille Miglia (1932 thru 1934).
It was after the racing seasons were over that non-racing customer cars were delivered to various coachbuilders. In 1932 the long chassis versions of the 8C2300 were being delivered to coachbuilders for custom bodies, starting in France, where cars were imported in pieces to minimize duties. This particular example is from the Third Series, and is the seventh of only eight examples of the 2.3 Alfa Romeo with body designs from the famed coachbuilder Figoni.
This car spent its early years in Paris before being transferred to the South of France in 1951 where it was a familiar sight on the Cote d'Azur. In the late 1980's it was acquired by a prominent American collector and was the subject of an extensive three year restoration by a leading marque specialist. Its subsequent owner returned the car to Europe and drove it extensively including participating in events such as the Monte Carlo Rally and the Italia Classica. It was returned to the United States to be on display at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum.
The Blackhawk Automotive Museum is also home to the three legendary Alfa Romeo B.A.T. styling cars created jointly by Alfa Romeo and Italian design house Bertone from 1953 thru 1955.
This July, the 2013 Convention of the North America Alfa Romeo Clubs meet in the Sonoma Valley wine country. We welcome all Alfa owners to visit the Museum while they are in the Bay Area.
The published history and the 'legendary' status of the Alfa Romeo 2.3 is covered in a number of books about Alfa Romeo, but we would like to thank Simon Moore and his definitive tome "The Legendary 2.3" for assistance in the history of these cars and use of the archive photo.
Photo credit: Griff Borgeson via Simon Moore Collection |
|
|
Events - Ferrari Club of America - Concorso Ferrari - May 19
The Blackhawk Automotive Museum will be showcasing two Ferraris from the Museum at the upcoming Concorso Ferrari event in Pasadena on May 19.
At the show, will be the 1954 Ferrari 375 Mille Miglia Ghia Coupe, ex 1954 Turin Salon and 1955 New York Motor Show car. One of the exceptionally special 375 MMs built, this car was the last Ferrari to be bodied by Ghia, and was originally owned by Bob Wilke, one of Ferrari's important patrons and longtime Indianapolis 500 winning sponsor.
Also being displayed by the Museum, at Concorso Ferrari, will be the 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Spyder that was personally owned by Phil Hill and driven by him to win the 1953 Pebble Beach Road Races.
Hosted by the FCA Southwest Region, this open to the public event features 150 vintage, classic and contemporary Ferraris along three blocks of Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena. If you are in Southern California that weekend, please stop by and see us at this very enjoyable Southern California car event. |
|
Events - Blackhawk 'First Sunday's Cars & Coffee'
Blackhawk Museum together with Blackhawk Plaza, the East Bay's premier shopping experience, hosts a monthly Cars & Coffee event for car enthusiasts throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Held on the first Sunday of each month, and starting at 8am and going to 10am, the Plaza and the Museum welcome all car owners and enthusiasts. Thank you to the 133 car owners, and the many attendees, who participated in our May 5th gathering.
|
|
Events - CCCA Re-Discover America CARavan - May 23
The CCCA CARavan, leaving New York on May 4th and finishing in Tiburon, CA on May 26, commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the first CCCA CARavan and the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the Lincoln Highway. The Museum is looking forward to welcoming the participants of this unique Classic Car motoring adventure.
The Blackhawk Automotive Museum would like to extend our congratulations to The Classic Car Club of Southern California on the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of their founding. The first So Cal Meet was held in 1955 at the Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel and the 1st Annual Award of the Paul Cerf Memorial Trophy went to founding board member Phil Hill (noted at the time of Pan American Road Race fame) for his 1931 Pierce-Arrow LeBaron Phaeton.
______________________________________________________________________ |
 |
|
Lecture Series ~ Saturday, July 13
"Art Deco and the Automobile" - J. Michael Hemsley
J. Michael Hemsley retired from the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1994, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2001, and from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2008. As a freelance journalist, he has reported on motorsports events at all levels of the sport and has written about automotive history and, especially, Alfa Romeo automobiles.
He is currently writing a book on all types of vehicles whose design was influenced by or reflects the Art Deco style. The working title for the book is "Art Deco and Transportation." With the establishment of Vintage Roadcar magazine in 2012, he began writing a regular column called "Art Deco and the Automobile" for the magazine.
The July Lecture Series date follows the AlfaCalifornia2013 Convention in the Sonoma Valley Wine Country. |
|
|
About The Blackhawk Automotive Museum
The Blackhawk Automotive Museum, located in Blackhawk Plaza, Danville, California, opened in August 1988 to fulfill its mission of ensuring that significant automotive treasures blending art, technology, culture and history would be exhibited for public enjoyment and educational enrichment. Founded by a partnership between benefactor Ken Behring and Board president Don Williams, the Museum houses a rotating collection of 90 one-of-a-kind custom coachwork classic cars, limited production and concept automobiles across two galleries in a spectacular 100,000 square-foot multi-level architectural masterpiece. The Blackhawk Automotive Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and is open year round, 10am - 5pm Wednesday through Sunday and most major holidays.
To Imagine.... To Dream.... To Inspire....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
