Grand Opening - Specialty Sales Classics' new Facility

Specialty Sales Classics is proud to announce the Grand Opening of our newest facility in Fairfield, CA.

We are located at 300 Chadbourne Road, Fairfield, CA; across from Jelly Belly Candy Company.

Please click HERE to learn more.

Specialty Sales would like to wish you and your family a happy, healthy and memorable holiday season.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

Just a couple of our most recent happy customers.

From time to time we get photos from and/or of our customers and will start sharing those on our blog.

World's largest auto mall has a race track on top

Those ambitious Turks in Istanbul must be planning to sell a lot of cars. They're building the gigantic Autopia Europia Auto Mall, the biggest in the world, giving you a full race track on top to test cars before you drive one home.

Under construction now, the five-story, 708,661-square-foot building will have room for 200 car galleries, displaying 2526 different kinds of vehicles. Meanwhile, 24 banks will be standing by to help you pay for that dream machine, and 56 bars, restaurants and cafes await for you to think over your purchase.
It's so big, the illustrations suggest using Segways to navigate the monstrous structure. The optimistic Turks expect 6 million visitors to Autopia Europia every year. Does this mean the recession is truly over?

2011 Mercedes SLS AMG: First Drive

The 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG is the first clean sheet design from AMG and the new flagship for the entire company. As a modern re-interpretation of the 300SL it's also a return to the fast, striking Mercedes of yore.

Full Disclosure: Mercedes wanted us to drive the SLS AMG so badly they flew us out to San Francisco and put us up in a fancy hotel on the ocean. Also, I got in really late so I missed dinner and helped myself to a free Snickers bar and a bottle of OJ from the minibar. I know that's not a healthy diet, but these are the sacrifices we'll make in order to bring you car reviews.
From the first moment you get into the SLS there's no escaping the improbably long nose. The nearest equivalent car I can think of that sits the driver so far from the front axle is the 2009 BMW Z4, but where that car's been described as a clown shoe, Pulitzer Prize-winning auto hack Dan Neil says the SLS looks like "a hairbrush." Unlike that car, the SLS is also wide (76 inches) so guiding it out of a parking lot is a daunting task, requiring placing the front wheels with guestimation versus vision. Open the hood and there's a good foot of clear space between the radiator and the airboxes mounted just in front of the engine. Good packaging this is not, but this long nose lends the understated super car the only visual drama it really has; the abbreviated cabin and low roof help to emphasize just what the big Merc is packing up front. The cabin is also further midship than it feels, with the relatively large 22-gallon tank sitting between the seats and the rear axle.
At speed, those awkward proportions cease to negatively impact the driving experience and the SLS actually manifests some steering feel, mostly felt over bumps and cat's eyes rather than in corners, but that's OK, because the car is heavily biased toward oversteer so it's only really the rear you need to feel. Actually, let's take a quick step back. The 9.5" wide front wheels wearing 265/35 low profiles and 11" rears with 295/30s don't really have an issue with grip. The problem is the 6.2-plus-change-liter (ignore the badges) V8 and its 571 HP just makes pushing the limits of what's possible way too easy.

Heavily modified over the standard AMG V8 that's in everything from the C63 to the S63, this M159 6.2-and-change (same capacity as all the other M156 engines) breathes much freer thanks to an all-new intake system, more aggressive valve timing, tubular steel headers and a de-throttled exhaust. It also switches to dry sump lubrication so the engine can be mounted lower in the chassis. In addition to that 571 HP at 6,800 RPM, it now develops 479 Lb-Ft of torque at 4,750 RPM, delivering the unique mix of high-revving power with low-RPM torque. That's also a healthy increase over the 525 HP the M156 normally develops and all it has to motivate is a 3,571 Lbs curb weight gull-winged bird of prey (703 Lbs lighter than the SL63 and 326 Lbs lighter than the SLR thanks to an aluminum chassis and body). Weight distribution is 47% front, 53% rear (unintuitive by look, but makes sense when you consider the aforementioned extra crumple zone space), aiding traction but still failing to overcome the fast-revving engine's ability to easily overcome the rear.

Driving an oversteer-biased car at a corner-biased track like Laguna Seca, like we did yesterday, is actually kind of refreshing. Where most cars would understeer into turn 2 and push the front around turn 11 and onto the back straight, the SLS is aggressively trying to step out the rear, even on a constant throttle. Credit for recovering the slides goes to the almost unbeatable stability control system. While you can push enough buttons to make it say "ESP-OFF", that doesn't fully shut down the system, with it still moderating acceleration-related wheelspin and re-engaging automatically the second you tap the brakes. While the SLS is a fast and engaging car even with all the nanny systems fully on, we of course mourn the loss of full driver control. My planned photo for the top of this review was a doors-up burnout, but sadly the car just wouldn't spin up the rear tires from a standstill.

That same system acts to control wheelspin on a hard launch, contributing to a manufacturer-reported 3.8-second 0-to-60 MPH time, eventually reaching a limited top speed of 197 MPH.
That engine also feels far more alive than in any other AMG application. It pops and burbles on the overrun and, mated to the seven speed dual clutch gearbox, is fast to rev and shift. It's also somewhat awkward in any of the three automatic modes, somehow always managing to be in the wrong gear, no matter the setting. The manual paddle shifter improves that, but compared to competitors, are a little slow to shift. Mercedes claims the transmission takes as little as 100 milliseconds to shift, but in practice it feels far slower, with a pronounced delay between a pull of the paddle and the transmission actually doing what you told it to.
The seven-speed rear-mounted transaxle is connected to the engine, as is the fashion these days, by a rigid torque tube containing a carbon fiber drive shaft. This arrangement maximizes the connection between the rear wheels and the engine, while minimizing the torque's impact on the handling and reciprocation mass.

I came into this drive expecting a luxury grand tourer that was also fast, but instead found a track-oriented super car that is also luxurious. On the road, the limitations of this incredibly fast car are relatively easy to reach, yet hard to live up to. It's also firmly sprung, always loud (both from road and engine noise) and fairly cramped. The SL63 would probably make an equally fast, yet more refined, spacious and comfortable road car, but the SLS would literally drive circles round that car on the track. Still, this combination of outright performance with extreme luxury is relatively rare. The 911 GT2 is harsh and edgy on the road, a 599 is way more expensive, as is the even-faster Lexus LFA. On the opposite end of the spectrum the Audi R8 does luxury a little better but track performance is a little less involving. At an estimate $200,000, the SLS carves a performance-oriented, luxury-capable niche all its own, something that's aided by the classy, restrained looks and the visual drama of the doors.

Mullin's French car Nirvana opens in Oxnard

The Mullin Automotive Museum, a facility that will pay homage to the art deco and machine age design eras (1918-1941) that produced exquisite art and magnificent automobiles, will officially open its doors for the first time in Oxnard, Calif., Spring 2010. And the grand opening party was something not to be missed.

The dramatic facility will be a three-dimensional celebration of the pre-World War II Belgian/French decorative arts movement, long described as Art Deco. Sharing the more than 50-thousand square-feet of exhibit space will be one of the finest collections of coach-built automobiles, furniture and art from the Deco era; including considerable work created by the Bugatti family.

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Oxnard is located on Highway 101 about an hour north of Los Angeles, and the Mullin is a new must see destination for any SoCal enthusiast or visitor.  Some will recognize the structure as that of the late Otis Chandler's automotive and wildlife museum; true enough, but it has been architecturally and mechanically transformed into something entirely new.  Solar electrical and other systems, once fully completed and operational, will make the Mullin fully independent of the local power grid.  Walking the main floor paints a scene that recalls a Paris Auto Salon of the 1930s.  All but a few of the cars are French, and the signage, lighting, and decor are French art deco all the way.

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Many of Peter and Merle Mullin's cars are restored to concours winning condition, but several dozen are in original, if not "barn find" condition; very cool, and of course this allows the viewer to enjoy their original surfaces, upholstery, and plating.  One of the most startling exhibits is the Brescia Bugatti, pulled from Italy's Lake Maggiore. 

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At Bonhams Paris Retromobile auction, The Mullin Automotive Museum added to its treasures, a 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia Modifeé relic with a legend and a heart. It had only recently been exhumed from its watery grave at the Swiss end of Lake Maggiore, where it had been left to decompose for 73 years. Even so, it brought in 260,500 Euros ($368,300), most of which will go directly to Fondazione Damiano Tamagi, a foundation developed to prevent youth violence and support the families involved.

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The remains of the handsome little boattailed speedster will be exhibited in the museum as it left the lake, suspended on a pair of yellow nylon straps. Lake Maggiore will be present in life size photos of the car as found at the lake bottom and also as raised up from the water. The image will be mounted in front of an enormous pair of glass plates between which will be a volume of water put into motion by a steady flow of bubbles.

The Brescia exhibit will include a panel documenting the car’s story. Bugatti chassis number 2461, a sporting 16-valve 1500cc chassis carrying an elegant boattail body, was delivered new in Paris on April 11, 1925. After several French owners, it passed into the hands of Marco (Max) Schmuklerski, a Zurich-born architect of Polish descent. He took the car from Paris to Ascona, Switzerland, on the coast of Lake Maggiore where he used it for about three years still registered on its Paris plates. When he decided to return to Zurich, the Swiss government finally demanded the car be reregistered and import duty paid. That amount totaled more than the value of the car, so Schmuklerski left without it. The Swiss officials attached a chain to the Bugatti and rolled it off the end of a local pier, where it hung unclaimed for many years. Finally, the corrosion destroyed the chain and the car came to rest 170 feet below.

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It remained there, undiscovered, until August 1967. After its rediscovery, the car became a popular dive target for members of Asconas sub aqua club. On July 12, 2009, the treasure was finally rescued from the lake by Jens Boerlin and his comrades from the dive club. Local dignitaries and members of the Bugatti Club Suisse were in attendance and the dive club decided the proceeds of its sale will benefit a charity in the name of the late Damiano Tamagni, one of the club's divers, who died in 2008 after being the victim of a juvenile gang attack.

The Lake Maggiore Brescia will be an addition to a larger forthcoming exhibit of unrestored historic cars called "The Schlumpf Reserve Collection." At the core is the Shakespeare American collection purchased by the Schlumpf brothers, industrialists of the Alsace region of France, in the early 60s. Peter Mullin recently purchased virtually all of The Reserve Collection and will exhibit 30 of his favorites in as-found condition before a 90-foot diorama of the warehouse in which they were discovered. Now, the little Brescia will be included with these unrestored cars in juxtaposition with museum’s Pebble Beach Concours winning automobile restorations. The idea is to illustrate the work required to make a barn-find car into an award-winning showpiece.

Peter Mullin is very excited about his latest found object and still more enthusiastic that his resources can have a real effect in the hands of Fondazione Damiano Tamagi. It has long been suggested that the great cars have lives but Bugatti Brescia 2461 has proven to have a heart.

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The entire facility was designed, built, finished, and filled with great care and taste, by people who "get it" and thankfully are willing to share their hard work and good fortune with the rest of the world. 

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 The Mullin Automotive Museum

1421 Emerson Avenue

Oxnard, CA 93033 www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com

Read more: http://blogs.motortrend.com/6633904/classic/mullins-french-car-nirvana-opens-in-oxnard/index.html#ixzz0p9sc1c82

Pebble Beach Concours 2010 Features Lakesters and Bonneville

The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will feature a Hot Rod Lakesters and Bonneville Racers class, honoring the spirit and innovation of land speed racing. Held Sunday, August 15th, the 60th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2010.

In the halcyon days of dry lakes racing, during the years just before and after World War II, young men with little money but remarkable intuitive engineering and a lot of enthusiasm built cars in their backyards that rivaled the performance of the best in the world. Before the term hot rod had been coined, they built some very hot cars.

The Spurgin-Giovanine roadster was such a car. Chuck Spurgin and Bob Giovanine loved working with their hands, building things, making things better. They enjoyed working together and they enjoyed being part of a close knit community. The car they built and raced so successfully was recently discovered intact after four decades parked behind a home in the California desert. This diminutive, hand-built racecar has been painstakingly restored and will be part of the Hot Rod Lakesters and Bonneville Racers class at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 15. Current owner Ernest Nagamatsu has brought the car back to its 1940s racing trim and, even more importantly, back into the families of the men who originally built it.

“Helping to bring this long lost and legendary racecar back into public view has been a terrific experience,” said Dr. Nagamatsu, a dentist from Los Angeles. “But connecting with the families of the men who built and campaigned the car, and giving them a chance to see first-hand what their dads cared so much about, has been magic.”

“This car was a dinner table legend in my family for 60 years,” said Karin Edla-Spurgin, daughter of Chuck Spurgin. “Its resurrection has allowed our families to connect in a remarkable way with the passion that drove our fathers to build something so successful. Ernie and his team share the same camaraderie that my dad and Bob did. No ego, just the pleasure of working on a project and enjoying the fruits of their labor.”

“My earliest memory is pleading with dad to go with him and the car to the races. I wasn’t even in kindergarten,” said Curt Giovanine, son of Bob Giovanine. “A few years later, when the car had been retired and was stored in our garage, I’d bring school friends over. We’d sit in it and pretend we were racing. One friend used to say, ‘This is the fastest car on four wheels!’ It sure seemed like it to us.”

The hot rod, a uniquely American form of automotive enthusiasm, continues to draw appreciation today and around the world, even from those who know little about cars. The form-follows-function design, the cars’ youthful swagger and the historic sense of community that was integral to early hot rod culture all continue to connect powerfully with people.

Many consider 1948 to be the peak for California dry lakes racing because that year saw the most entrants and some of the toughest competition. In 1948, the Spurgin-Giovanine roadster broke the existing world record in its class at the six consecutive Southern California Timing Association meets and was the year’s overall High Points Season Champion. It was also “Hot Rod of the Month” and on the cover of the March 1949 issue of Hot Rod magazine. The car was unusual because it was powered by a highly modified four-cylinder Chevrolet engine when virtually all other successful competitors ran Ford or Mercury V8s.

“This car epitomizes hot rod ingenuity, and its story is one of community and family. It’s still drawing people together,” said Dr. Nagamatsu. “Curt Giovanine discovered he had the original 1948 header for the car, as confirmed by weld marks shown in photographs from the 1948 season. He said to me, ‘This header belongs to the car,’ and he gave it to me. This reflects the spirt of the project and the car. As one of the most important and significant hot rods ever raced, I’m honored to share it with families of Bob and Chuck and to have it included in this year’s Hot Rod Class at the Pebble Beach Concours.”

The Hot Rod Lakesters and Bonneville Racers class at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will include cars built and raced between 1927 and 1953, the year’s when this form of racing developed and flourished. The 60th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will also honor the 75th anniversary of Jaguar and the centennial of Alfa Romeo, feature Pierce-Arrow, and showcase Italian designer Ghia. Special classes will focus on the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, the centennial of the Indianapolis 500, and Prewar American Motorcycles.

For more information, visit www.pebblebeachconcours.net.

[Source: Pebble Beach Concours; photo credit: Ernest Nagamatsu]