California: Super car show this weekend

From KXO Radio: Super car show this weekend

(La Gente to celebrate 2 decades of car shows)…..The Public is invited.
 The show will feature up to 400 lowriders, classic cars, European cars and more. Motorcycles and bikes will also be on display. It will be held Saturday at the I.V. Expo. Gates open at 11:00 am. The 20^th Anniversary Super Show will be covered by major lowrider magazines, including Lowrider Magazine. Lowrider car of the year and Lowrider Bomb of the Year will also be on display. There will be a hydraulic car hop competition. Organizers expect to hand out up to 300 trophies. There will be several musical groups performing and food and memorabilia booths thru-out. Club officials say the Show will be a family event, and kids are encouraged to attend.

Markel To Buy Essentia Insurance

From Nasdaq:  Markel To Buy Essentia Insurance

(RTTNews.com) - Markel Corp. (MKL) said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy Essentia Insurance Co. from OneBeacon Insurance Group LLC.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal is expected to close in January.
Essentia Insurance Co. will continue to underwrite insurance exclusively for Hagerty Insurance Agency and Hagerty Classic Marine Insurance Agency throughout the United States. Hagerty is the leading insurance provider for classic vehicles in the world and host to the largest network of classic car owners. Hagerty offers insurance for classic cars, vintage boats, motorcycles and related automotive collectibles. Hagerty remains a privately-owned, family business

 

Tennessee Trash Car Show: Tradition of turning junkers into show cars continues in Brownsvill

From Jackson Sun:  Tennessee Trash Car Show: Tradition of turning junkers into show cars continues in Brownsville

For 33 years, the Tennessee Trash Car Show in Brownsville has celebrated the art of finding, restoring and showing off classic cars. / Submitted photo

More than 30 years ago, three antique car enthusiasts decided to form a club to grow something they loved: Finding a junker with promise. Today, the Tennessee Trash Car Show in Brownsville is celebrating 33 years of finding, restoring and showing off classic cars, said Tim Sills of Brownsville.
“We just take what somebody might throw away and make show cars out of them,” he said. “Some of our cars have been in magazines, won awards, and some of us go on to work with national magazines.”
The car show will begin at noon Oct. 21 at the Elma Ross Public Library, at 100 Boyd Ave. in Brownsville.
“The show is one of only a handful in the area that has been held consistently for over 30 years,” said Sonia Outlaw-Clark, director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville.
The Trash Car Club began in 1978 when Sills, David Duke and Jim Mayer began fixing up old cars and traveling to area shows across the country, Outlaw-Clark said.
They eventually decided they should organize their own car show and held the first Tennessee Trash Car Show in 1979. They took their name from the classic Tennessee tourism commercial asking people to not litter. Sills said they were taking “trash” cars and turning them into treasures.
“While the actual ‘club’ no longer exists, former members and a few newcomers continue the tradition that raises money for Haywood County charities,” Outlaw-Clark said. “The Multiple Disabilities Class has been the beneficiary of the show’s proceeds for most of the 33 years.”
The car show has donated money to several charities over the years, but most recently they’ve been raising money for the Haywood Multiple Disabilities Class, which is a class for students up to a certain age. It’s part of the Haywood County School System, Sills said.
“We’ve been able to furnish them with money to buy computers,” he said. “We’ve helped them buy hot tubs for physical therapy and other things they need.”
Recently, the car show has been held in conjunction with the annual Hatchie Fall Fest during the third weekend of October. Participants are asked to register between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Oct. 21. Entry fees are $25 per car, and that fee includes an event T-shirt, Outlaw-Clark said.

 

Gallery: The cars are the stars in Forza Horizon .

From the Daily Mail:  Gallery: The cars are the stars in Forza Horizon

Forza Horizon Demo now available
Players can experience the fictional Colorado of Forza Horizon, driving a sampling of cars from Horizon’s stellar line-up across a variety of different event types – from Horizon Festival events taking place on the dusty dirt roads to a climactic street race that find players winding up, around, and over the architectural marvel that is the Finley Dam.

Players who download and play the Forza Horizon demo and then purchase and play the full game online will receive a specially designed 2013 SRT Viper GTS.
 Download the Xbox Live demo of Forza Horizon here

There is also some live action to be had, begining with #EscapeTheGrid, a full throttled four day road trip starting on 23rd October, with 10 supercars competing in a series of challenges en route France to the UK. The convoy will begin their journey at the Paris Forza Horizon Gymkhana competition, and end at Top Gear Live in Birmingham on 26th October, where the winning car will be announced and six of the vehicles will be put on display in the supercar gallery.
Furthermore, fans can interact with and follow the cars by using #EscapeTheGrid hashtag on Twitter. You can also vote for your favourite car on the XboxUK Facebook page. To learn more, visit www.xbox.com/forzahorizon starting 8th October.
Forza Horizon will be available in the UK on 26 October in a Limited Collector’s Edition (£59.99 ERP) and a Standard Edition (£49.99 ERP), both available for pre-order now.

UK: Car review: Classic Car Club

From the Guardian:  Car review: Classic Car Club

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Car review: Classic Car Club

Car clubs offer a great way for non-millionaires to go riding in a Roller, E Type or Mercedes 280SL

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• • Emma John
  • The Observer, Saturday 6 October 2012

Emma John in her 1968 Merceded 280SL from the Classic Car Club.

I am driving through London in summer. There is no traffic. The sun is out, the roof is down, and a bus driver who has been edging aggressively close leans out of the window and says: "Madam, I like your car!"
Every part of this scenario sounds false. And yet, thanks to the Olympic summer, it was true: I had uncovered actual pleasure in cruising through the city. It might have had something to do with the transport-chaos scare stories that havecleared the roads of congestion quicker than a vat of Vicks. Personally, though, I put my happiness down to the 1968 Mercedes 280SL I was driving.
I had taken possession of this serene soft-top from Nigel at the Classic Car Club, which houses a batcave of beauties just off the Old Street roundabout. Nigel's stable stretches from vintage Rolls-Royces to modern sports cars; members pay a joining fee and an annual subscription to take them out. It's an (expensive) haven for petrolheads, but they are welcoming to the ingenue like me, who just wants to purr around in something stylish on the odd weekend.
Nigel led me past a Lotus Elan and an E Type to the more amenable touring car he had picked out for me. With its angular body and wide grille, this was a car that looked as smug as I would feel driving it.
I was given a few words on its quirks and asked to "take it slow". Oh-so-gently, I put my foot to the pedal. I went nowhere. I inched the pedal downwards. Still nowhere. Old cars: tsk. Nigel walked over. "You're in neutral."
In a vintage car, I needed a suitably old-fashioned destination. I headed for the South Downs, and for the Old Railway Station outside Petworth. This is a former station converted into a B&B, with the added charm that you can sleep in 1920s luxury in one of the lovingly restored Pullman carriages that grace its sidings. As I pulled up outside, a man in his 50s leaned out of what must once have been the ticket office window. "280SL!" he called out, the oddest greeting I've been given. "Automatic or manual?" "Automatic," I replied. "Ngh," he grunted. "Shame. Very rare to see a manual."
It transpired that Gudmund Olafsson, the Icelandic proprietor of the Old Railway Station, was more of a car enthusiast than a trainspotter. He talked me through my shining silver steed's good points (reliability, comfort) and bad (tricksy roof mechanism, rubbish as a getaway vehicle). Then I set out for a short tour around the countryside – a picnic on the Downs, some rubbernecking at the racecourse and a quick stop for a photo outside the Goodwood estate, spiritual home of classic cars. It was a showery afternoon, so I became adept at getting the roof on and off and secretly hoped this would catch people's attention. In fact, the car got far more glances when I wasn't in it. It sat there, all pleased with itself in car parks, attracting a swarm of interest – men too polite to touch, hovering over the chassis, peering through the window.
I decided I didn't mind being my car's sidekick. I was standing straighter. I was developing a demure smile. I even caught myself sashaying. This new sophistication was, of course, temporary – even a full membership of the Classic Car Club would only get me kitted out like this once a month. But it could be addictive.

The Classic Car Club has branches in London and New York (classiccarclub.co.uk). Membership costs from £1,555. The Old Railway Station (01798 342346, old-station.co.uk has doubles from £92 including breakfast

 

MS: Cruisin' the Coast kicks off with large crowds and lots of classic cars

From GulfLive:  Cruisin' the Coast kicks off with large crowds and lots of classic cars

GULFPORT, Mississippi - Cruisin' the Coast filled every nook and cranny of downtown Gulfport earlier than expected Sunday morning. Though the View the Cruise event wasn't scheduled to begin until 2 p.m., Cruisers filled the main street by 10:30 a.m., and by noon almost all the parking spaces designated for the event were full.
"We've got everything plugged up," Len Krapcha, volunteer with the Mississippi Coast Watchers said.
Krapcha, whose club specializes in antique military vehicles, said the 16th annual Cruisin' the Coast started smoothly with smiling faces and 22 volunteers.
"It's easy when you've got good people just here to have a good time," said Krapcha.
Sandra McKiernan of Vancleave arrived at View the Cruise at 11:30 a.m. hoping to get a good spot for her 1955 T-Bird. McKiernan and her husband own 4 classic cars, and they've come to all 16 Cruisin' the Coast events.
"This is our week," said McKiernan. "It gives us a chance to enjoy each other's company, to talk about classic cars."
McKiernan is part of the Coast Cruisers team, and she said she looks forward to Saturday night's "megacruise," where her club will fill the parking lot of Edgewater Mall and give away prizes.
Curtis Smith of Porter Texas stopped to look at McKiernan's light-blue T-bird, and asked her how much it cost. After hearing the price, he exclaimed "You stole that car!" McKiernan laughed and told the story of how she found her dream car by accident in Gautier. "This is the car I've always wanted," said McKiernan.
Smith, who's visiting the Gulf Coast with his son and his parents this week, came in a 1960 T-Bird for his 4th year of Cruisin' the Coast. Smith began restoring cars with his father as a boy, and he and his son are continuing the tradition as they fix up a 1963 Falcon Ranchero.
"We love coming down here to look at all the beautiful cars, and getting ideas for our own cars," said Smith. Smith is excited for tomorrow's Long Beach Parade for cars 25-years-old and older.
The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and will roll from Long Beach High School. Krapcha and his crew are also excited about tomorrow's parade. "It's not all work," said Krapcha.
He and the Mississippi Coast Watchers plan to parade through the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Tuesday.
Fold out chairs dotted with umbrellas lined the streets of downtown Gulfport as car enthusiasts gathered around their favorite vehicles on Sunday at View the Cruise.
Larry and Debra Reach of Mobile, Ala., spotted a car from their past on the streets of downtown Gulfport, a bright green 1953 Chevrolet.
"We actually owned one of these," said Larry Reach. "This was our transportation." The Reaches have been to about 6 Cruisin' the Coasts, and plan to come back next year.
A small crowd formed around Danny Davis' neon orange 1969 Camaro, as car enthusiasts traded tips and tricks for caring for classic vehicles.
"You're always working on them, tweaking them out, and getting them up to your standard" said Davis, who has been coming to Cruisin' the Coast since 1999. "It's just absolutely super. The cars, the people, the weather, it's wonderful."
Owner of a 1949 limelight green Mercury Allen Cole of Bay St. Louis thinks "this will be the biggest year yet," for Cruisin' the Coast.
Philip Jones of Baton Rouge, La., was looking at the "unusual" car, and said this is his first time back to Cruisin' the Coast since Hurricane Katrina.
"It's really coming back," said Jones.
Leon and Denise Hagwood wanted their 1981 Corvette to represent the spirit of the Gulf Coast. It's special paint job includes the Biloxi lighthouse, casinos, shrimp boats and dolphins.
Many folks stopped by took take photos of the car, and the couple even had offers from people looking to buy the car from them.
Danny Royals and his daughter Danielle stood roadside as cars poured into View the Cruise on Sunday, and took pictures of their favorites.
"This Sunday is the best event of the whole week," said Danny Royals. "It's perfect." 

 

CA: Under the hood: Classic car show is Sunday

From Coastline Pilot:  Under the hood: Classic car show is Sunday

About 185 classic cars will line the Festival of Arts grounds and adjacent property for the ninth annual Laguna Beach Classic Car Show this weekend.
There will be 28 different classes of vehicles from different time periods or manufacturers at Sunday's car show, hosted by the Laguna Beach Rotary Club.
Classes include Jaguar sports cars and Healy sports cars, along with American and foreign cars manufactured as early as 1931.
A Model-A will be featured at the event. Harry Bithell, chairman of the show since its start in 2003, said the Model-A is unique in that it won the rare Henry Ford Award.
For the first time, a 1931 Cadillac Coupe will also be on display. Bithell said the car just completed a three-and-a-half-year restoration, and there are only four such models in the world.
The car show, which Bithell expects to have more than 1,000 attendees, will also feature a variety of food trucks.
"This is one of the finest shows in California," Bithell said. "People will see cars at the [Laguna Beach Classic Car Show] that they wouldn't see at other shows."
Admission to the car show is $10 for adults, $3 for children younger than 12, and free for active duty military personnel with ID.
A portion of profits from this event will go toward the Rotary Club's annual effort to donate to local charities.
The car show will also be prefaced by a "cruise" down the coast from San Clemente to Costa Mesa on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The cruise is scheduled to end at Mercedes Benz in Laguna Niguel.
coastlinepilot@latimes.com
Twitter: @coastlinepilot
If You Go
What: Laguna Beach Classic Car Show
When: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road
Cost: $10 for adults, $3 for children younger than 12 and free for active military personnel with ID.
Information: http://www.LagunaBeachCarShow.com.