2013 Z Car West Coast National Car Show - Motorsport Auto

Every year since 1996, Motorsport Auto holds a Datsun/Nissan car show in Orange, CA.  Z car owners of any generation Z are welcome to enter their vehicle in the show, and attendance is free to everyone.   This year, the show was held in front of Motorsport Auto's facility.  An entire block of West Collins Avenue was closed for the event. 

Coronado Speed Festival Part 3, Show and Shine

For our last installment of the Coronado Speed Fest of 2012, we will take a look at the vehicles which arrived for the second day of the car show.

Coronado Speed Festival Part 2: Race Cars in the Paddocks

The Camaro and Ford Fairlane are just a few of the cars which participated in the historic Trans-Am series race.

In part 1 of our coverage of the Coronado Speed Festival, we showed you some of the many different cars which showed up for the car show on Saturday. 

You can view part 1 here:  Coronado Speed Festival Part 1

For part 2 of our coverage, we will show you the various race cars we saw as we browsed the paddocks.

Coronado Speed Festival, a Gathering of Vintage Cars from All Makes Part 1

The Coronado Speed Festival allows attendees a chance to view many vintage vehicles from pony cars to exotic speedsters.

Squeak, squeak.... Vroooom!  Braap, braap braap, braap.  The priming of carburetors followed by the lumpy idle of a high lift camshaft actuating valves breaks the early morning silence.  It is a soundtrack you will become familiar with as you walk the aisles past the various types of vintage cars lining the paddocks at Naval Base Coronado.  As part of its Fleet Week program in appreciation to the troops serving our country, the military holds an annual "Race at the Base" aka Coronado Speed Festival which takes place over an entire weekend.  The race course is setup at the airfield on the base, and this year marked the 15th time the event has been held. 

Tech: Name That Engine Exhaust Sound

V12 engine of a Lamborghini.

Vroom, Vroom!  The familiar rumble of a modified car starting up or revving its engine will usually turn a few heads in the direction of the sound.  For many car enthusiasts, adding a freer flowing exhaust is one way to increase the joy of driving their vehicle.  Being able to hear the exhaust note of the engine helps to facilitate the sensation of sportiness in a vehicle, and to some drivers it is enough to take the place of their radio on drives through back country roads.  Cars come in all sorts of engine configurations, displacement and in either turbocharged, supercharged, or naturally aspirated guise.  In the city you have most likely heard inline 4 cylinders, V6 engines and V8 engines on the road, but some of the other popular configurations are the rotary (Wankel), flat 4 and 6 engines, and inline 6 cylinder engines. 

California Cruisin': Woodies by the beach!

It's winter time and the air is chilly and the days are short, so why not warm up with some thoughts of spring and summer?  Sunshine, barbeques, and surfing come to mind for those of us out here in California.  It's also a time when many auto enthusiasts go cruising: Meeting up with people who have similar interests and going for a drive.  California has a large number of auto clubs with thousands of motoring fans who cruise every year and hold meetings at various locations throughout the state.  By pure chance, I stumbled across one that was taking place the same day after a national Datsun Z car meet in Orange County last year.  I had decided to take the scenic route home and was driving down the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  It was near Dana Point, at the Doheny state beach that the rumble of V8 engines caught my attention.  Here's what I came across:

One of many Woodies on display at the Doheny State Beach meet.

Woodies are a type of vehicle with as you guessed it, are partly constructed with hardwood, generally the doors.  These vehicles were very popular during the 1930s-50s before safety standards rendered them obsolete.  There were cars produced during the 60s with graphics imitating the look of the actual woodies.  However, even cars as recent as the PT Cruiser had simulated graphics on the side of the car emulating Woodies which shows how they still influence the style of contemporary cars.