One of the most eclectic car gatherings you can attend isn’t on a costal golf course or auction lot. The best automotive gathering you probably haven't heard of can actually be found in the hills of a Southern California suburb, on the campus of a design school.
The ArtCenter College of Design is one of the world’s leading schools for automotive design, and every year, ArtCenter hosts their Car Classic– an annual car show held on campus featuring a variety of makes and models from the early 20th century to the present.
Each year, the show’s theme changes. This year’s theme was “Built by Hand,” featuring hand built creations, includinh race cars, restorations, concept cars, custom cars and all the way to mass-produced, hand built cars.
Where else would you be able to find a Ferrari 250 Testaraossa Tribute, Hot Wheels’ Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Carship, Datsun 510, 1916 LaBestoni, Porsche 911-powered VW Vanagon and a Pagani Huayra parked just a few feet apart from each other?
The body panels of this Falconer Dodici Roadster do not feature a single weld.
Check out these riveted fenders (and no, they are not Rocket Bunny).
Hot Wheels has always helped turned dreams into reality. For San Diego Comic-Con, they recently built this full sized version of their 1:64 scale X-Wing Fighter Carship.
Under the skin it’s a Formula Ford race car with pushrod-actuated suspension. The 2.0 liter Ford Racing motor won’t get you to the Death Star, but it will get you up to 160 mph. And no, the laser cannons don’t work.
There is a lot more Porsche to this Vanagon than just the badges. Porsche actually made a handful of these vans called the B32, which featured a 3.2-liter flat-6.
This particular van is powered by a 3.6 liter flat-6 from a 993 911.
This Vanagon has a 3.6 from a 993 911, and according to the owner, it can reach up to 145 mph, and it has at several racetracks across California. Good thing it has 6-piston Porsche brakes to slow this brick down.
