Pacific Coast Dream Machine show review

This well-known car show was held on April 26, 2009 at the Half Moon Bay Airport on the coast of Northern California off of Highway 1. A great deal of variety was the main attraction in the author's opinion. From modern to to classic, aviation to monster trucks and choppers, it had something for everyone. http://www.miramarevents.com/dreammachines/directions.html It is very close to the location for the Mavericks surf competition: http://www.maverickssurf.com/

In years past, easiest way to go was by motorcycle via Highway 1, skipping 92 due to the heavy traffic. Even then cutting lanes was needed due to the excessive lines. This year the motorcycle wasn't needed, but many chose this option. Instead, taking the car from San Jose to 84 to the coast and then northbound proved to be a great route. Not only that, the backup to turn into the show parking area was about 3 cars long, instead of 3 miles.

One unusual aspect, besides the excellent variety of vehicles, was that there was really no perceptible rhyme or reason to where they were placed. So a brand new Dodge Challenger could be parked next to a ratted-out old roadster with scary costumed mannequins in the seats. A bit surprisingly the new Camaro wasn't there, or maybe not since a large dealer locally has only delivered about six as of Memorial Day weekend. But there were imports, classics, you name it. There is something else special about this show too.

The motorcycles did happen to park together and while few, were particularly impressive in the level of customization, even enough to stand out at a custom bike show. A Rat Bike or two provided some humor as well. If you wanted to see a lot of bikes, walk the bike parking area.

While the show was quite spread out around the grounds of the airport, there was a very good and enthusiastic blues band playing at the food area. One tip for next year: Check out the food area at the aviation display before deciding where to get food, they had BBQ there!

Speaking of the aviation display, the warbirds from World War II were on display as well as some others types of propeller aircraft. Unfortunately I can't name them. But you could walk right up to them and touch them. After looking at hundreds of cars, the size of these fighter planes from the 1940s was impressive. The nine-cylinder engine up close behind the propeller looked ominous. One thing had me wondering though - the exposed hoses and wires apparently were pretty safe from air turbulence at 400mph. It just seems even more hazardous than driving without a hood on your car.

There were fly-bys of various planes which is always cool. A P-51 Mustang, flying or parked has got to be one of the most nostalgic and patriotic sights in aviation history. Helicopter and airplane rides were offered as well. However, the twin-engined plane that looked like it was from the 1950s didn't have a comforting engine note to us. Yes, I'm sure it was perfectly safe and the passengers loved it, but to this car enthusiast, the engine note sounded like a cylinder was missing. We decided to stay on the ground.

In the center grass area there was monster truck demonstrations and rides (off road use only, hah!) as well as some sort of a grass-surfing on an engine and snowmobile track type of competition. Falling off was almost inevitable so it looked like a lot of fun and a short "dragstrip" to keep injuries to just face-splitting grins and scuffs from the tumbles.

Vendor displays were varied as well. Cool sunglasses, motorcycle clubs and model cars made sure there was something for everyone. Jason with Crown Deluxe sunglasses had something unique vs. the knock-offs you see at every show: http://www.crowndeluxe.com/

Over the years I've always felt a sense of frustration during and after shows like this. Sure, you probably think it is a form of envy. Actually no, even when I was younger and didn't know I would never own many of the cars I saw, it came from something else. What I was feeling was a discomfort that I couldn't hear and see these cars run. It was like looking at a piece of art and engineering that remained silent and immobile despite an inherent purpose to move, and move fast with a great soundtrack. This show doesn't seem to have strict judging rules, if at all. So when the wide-body Jaguar with the monster Ford 427 cammer motor started up and tossed us all some revs, it made everyone within earshot smile.

Leaving show was easy too despite seemingly well attended. There are some good restaurants just south of the show and it seems watching cars leave belonging to both the spectators and the entrants is becoming a small event itself. One last tip, if you head back south, 92 was backed up heading back east. Take Highway 1, a perfect solution to end the day.

The autotragic Camaro SS

GM has handicapped the new Chevrolet Camaro SS with the optional automatic transmission with 26 less horsepower than the six speed manual version. This is an unusual decision in this day and age. The automatic has come a long way, why penalize a halo muscle car that is making its return after a seven year absence?

The Camaro SS automatic is rated at 400hp and its engine is called the L99 vs. the manual called the LS3. The LS3 is also in the Corvette and the Pontiac G8 GXP. The L99 has an Active Fuel Management System that shuts off cylinders when power demand is minimal. However it also redlines 600rpm lower than the manual and is EPA rated at 25mpg vs. the manual's 24mpg. http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/16/2010-chevrolet-camaro-rated-at-29-mpg-highway/ Granted it is an impressive switch since automatics are almost always rated lower. But the appeal of this car is horsepower. Would buyers of $32k muscle car coupes really care that their automatics get slightly worse mileage than their manual counterparts? No.

"Autotragic" is a moniker for cars with an automatic transmission for several reasons, past and present. Reasons included power loss due to the indirect connection to the engine, sluggish shifting, less gears and in the past, even a lesser horsepower rating than the "stick shift" counterparts. Of course consistency on the dragstrip is an advantage, but it is unsuitable for road circuit racing. Slushbox is another nickname for the automatic tranny...
Even in the nineties, the automatic transmission wasn't exactly a big performance penalty and cars like the Corvette and Camaro. While slower than their manual counterparts, they still had good performance figures. The Toyota Supra twin turbo was also considered a strong performer with what was considered one of the stoutest automatic transmissions on the market.
Today automatics have up to 8 forward gears (Lexus) and the power loss gap has closed from decades past with lock-up torque converters among other advances. Mercedes has only offered an automatic for years in their cars. From the early 350hp or, non-supercharged E55 to the 670hp twin turbocharged V-12 SL65 AMG Black Series http://www.mercedes-amg.com/webspecial/sl65blackseries/ These cars are fully respected and have a lot of credibility on the street and even on the dragstrip.

Another oddity about the Camaro horsepower downgrade is its corporate siblings the Corvette and Pontiac G8 GXP both share the same engine but the automatic version has the same horsepower rating. The reason most likely has to due with the technology and hardware for the cylinder deactivation. It sure isn't due to reliability, the G8 and Corvette frame the Camaro in horsepower and weight, and this transmission isn't on the hairy edge longevity. That would be a disaster. Years of Corvette drag racing seem to support this. Currently the "fast list" is on page 205. Look at all the automatics ("A6" means automatic in the list) http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-tech-performance/1893326-c6-1-4-mile-performance-challenge-205.html

What owners of $32k muscle car coupes with a modern paddle-shifted automatics do care about is horsepower. Penalizing the automatic is a mistake. Put the technology in trucks and SUVs if it works in those heavier vehicles, or develop it to equal the manual in horsepower output. But when it comes to the best "bang for the buck" on the market today, don't create the need for an asterik for years to come when potential buyers and owners consider the Camaro SS.

NO to 200mph on the shore. Alameda mile proposal denied

After reading about and seeing what looks like a really cool and fascinating type of racing in Florida, Texas and Utah, I thought, why in the world can't we do it here locally? The airstrip in Alameda, California is under utilized but well known.

Alameda Point is along the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. These are old Naval air strips are where the TV show Mythbusters films many of their vehicle experiments. http://www.alameda-point.com/ and http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Alameda+Point,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.66491,78.75&ie=UTF8&ll=37.785436,-122.317743&spn=0.031814,0.076904&t=h&z=14 The movie Matrix Reloaded had it's highway scene filmed there as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Reloaded

One mile racing is gaining in popularity and notoriety. What is it and why is this happening? I'll explain and give a few theories. A one-mile race is exactly what it says. It isn't so much of a test of the elapsed time like the quarter-mile dragstrip, but rather what speed can the solo running vehicle can obtain. So how fast can a production car go in a standing mile? Less than 200mph for all practical purposes, possibly excluding the Bugatti Veyron and maybe the Koenigsegg CCX. A great Top Gear episode had the Dodge Challenger SRT-8 hitting 150mph, the new Cadillac CTS-V 160mph and the 638hp Corvette ZR1 170mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Why is becoming more popular? I've got a few ideas. First, as I've written before, traction management is an issue with powerful cars. When drag racing, in order to to achieve the best result possible, traction is absolutely essential. Since the one mile is about speed, tire spin and a prolonged, spinning standing start are not as detrimental. It isn't about quickness, it is about speed obtained. Many times the fastest trap speed obtained in the quarter mile doesn't have the quickest or best elapsed time.

Related to traction management, the skill needed to shift quickly is also reduced in importance for a good result. We can't all shift like "Ranger". http://www.rangeracceleration.com/, and access to a dragstrip is sometimes a challenge. Many owners of the cars entered would rather not wait around to get a run in that is abusive to the clutch and tires while having to wait next to a punk kid whose ghetto'd-out Mustang has a challenging and crude profanity for a bumper sticker. I've personally seen it, and you get my point.

Another factor is the magic question, "How fast can it go?" You get a pretty neat answer in one mile. While it isn't the vehicle's top speed, at least bragging rights are documented. Exceeding the speed limit for over 7/8ths of a mile with the "go" pedal buried is pretty cool too. You may have seen the show Pinks! http://www.speedtv.com/programs/pinks with more than a few of these older muscle cars having various mechanical failures. Imagine what would happen if some of these less-than-optimal aerodynamic machines go wide-open-throttle (WOT) for 30 seconds or so instead of 10? The likely change in their overall gearing in itself would be interesting.

If dragstrips are closing due to insurance and the need for land, these airstrips tend to just sit unused except in the case of Mythbusters http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html and a few others. The best organized event that I know of, and the most famous and impressive is the Texas Mile http://www.texasmile.net/ for $195. For those with the money but don't want to run their car or are just curious, for $4,495, you can rent and drive among the fastest in the world in a rolling start: http://worldclassdriving.com/events/extreme_events_200mph and reported here: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090410/FREE/904109993

I thought why not use Alameda Point? No riff-raff at $200 plus for participants, lots of fast and exotic cars in the Bay Area that don't see the dragstrip and rarely see the road circuit at Laguna Seca, Sears Point or Thunderhill. And if liability is a concern, limit it to street-licensed and registered vehicles only. Charge an admission fee and suddenly you have a revenue generator.

Well I wrote to Alameda Point and as the title states, I was denied. Below is the response I received from the Property Manager:

"I have been asked by Ms. Potter to respond to your email. Over the years we have received similar requests for use of the runway. In each case we have had to turn down these requests for a couple of reasons. The first is that the Navy has several environmental remediation projects in process in the area, one of which crosses the runway at the west end. Another reason is the way the boundaries between the wildlife refuge currently supporting two endangered species, the California least tern and the California brown pelican, are demarked by fencing which also take up a portion of the runway area, meaning that none of the runways are available for use in their total length. For these reasons, we cannot approve your request for high speed acceleration tests at Alameda Point.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Mike Hampen"

I followed up with a request for a .5 or .25 mile length for a standard or 1/8th mile dragstrip usage. Both were denied.

Photo: One of approximately eighty Bugatti Veyron Targa Editions at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance. Estimated price, $1.9 million. A good choice for attempting 200mph in one mile?