"The Drive" before the Palo Alto Concours

The event before the event. It has become a common occurrence amongst car show madness in California, in this case, the Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance. Held every June in or around Stanford University, the show incorporates an actual driving tour of the surrounding area. Not every car that appears in the show participates in this event, but the joy of seeing the selected cars as they were intended (going, stopping, turning) is more satisfying than seeing them dolled up on the university grass come Sunday.

The day began early at the Bloomingdale's parking lot. A Ford GT supercar parked next to a Jaguar E-type prepared me for the mixture that was to come. Event organizer Dave Buchanon eagerly anticipated the field as a wide assortment of vehicles pulled into the staging area. Porsche 356's, Corvette Stingray convertible, a Packard coupe and an Austin Healy once driven by Carroll Shelby and now perfectly restored, sat nestled next to a Ford Model A...waiting for our California Highway Patrol escorts.

We were told this was not a race (!) and the CHP were only to assist through busy intersections and guide the way along our route, but when they arrived in black and white Porsche's (one a Cayenne S and the other a new Cayman S- both adorned with full CHP livery) and their great white shark (a white Z28) we got the idea they were also prepared to stretch their legs along the way.

For my navigator duties I was paired with Scott "Kit" Krieger and his K-code fastback Mustang. Kit has a small collection of blue oval cars including a few genuine Shelby creations of which he has raced competitively. Kit's easy going attitude was a welcome change from the typical stuffiness found at events with "d'elegance" at the end of the title. Also, Kit had done "the Drive" last year and hailed from Hillsborough and knew the route from memory- all that was left for me was to sit back, take photos and listen to the endless comedy coming from my companion behind the wheel.

The drive began with a round-about through the Stanford campus, up Page Mill road and out westward into the hills separating the metropolis from the isolated coast. Our Mustang sported a stiff manual transmission, no back seats, racing harnesses and other competition inspired details like cotter keys for the hood and plexi-glass windows. We blazed through Atherton and kept close company with a Porsche 356 cabriolet behind and a big block Corvette ahead. The route connected a series of well paved switch-backs with Swiss Alp inspired rock barriers and expansive views of the South Bay. We climbed steadily to the summit where we were consumed by an unexpected barrier- bicyclists. Apparently the road would need to be shared with a huge bicycle race, leaving many cars hopelessly stuck behind groups of cyclists taking up the entire lane. For the heavy clutched muscle cars, like our Mustang, drivers were forced to work over time. Passing was nearly impossible until we crested the summit and drove down into the mix of fog and sun near La Honda and onto Pescadero.

We sped past rustic barns and worn down farms, Kit setting up turns nicely and carving a much better line than the Corvette we followed. In Pescadero we stopped at Duartes restaurant to pick up some artichoke soup that Kit couldn't resist, but the waiting crowd suggested we should motor on. We hooked a right onto Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean and passed the perfect Austin Healey which had broken down on the side of the road. Kit blasted through gears and fog on our way up and over one of the numerous elevated bluffs our route involved. We kept a good pace since the group was well ahead of us now. Our unexpected stop in Pescadero had taken us out of the running. We roared north to San Gregorio where Kit stopped at a yard sale and bartered for an odd horse pillow. The seller wanted $10 and claimed he could get fifteen. Kit, determined to talk the price down- but probably not to buy, lost us another 10 minutes. I never left the car. Onto Stage Road, a short but sweet ribbon of pavement that loops back to Highway 1. Kit really let the Mustang stretch its legs, passing a wide truck on an impossibly tight straight. The rear tires struggled for traction on the cambered switch backs. Next stop, Half Moon Bay.

Kit turned on to the "historic" downtown strip and we were immediately consumed by tourist-trap traffic. Nothing we could do but check out the crowds of baby strollers and desperate couples, attempting to justify their long drive to "the beach". Right turn on Highway 92, past the pumpkin patches and greenhouses, over the mountain and across the San Andreas Fault. We followed a quick road along the dam, under 280 and into Hillsborough. Kit took numerous side roads and tried to remember where old friends and respected neighbors of his youth once lived. It felt like being in the south, large plantation style homes with white pillars lined the wide, clean streets.

We somehow wormed our way to Burlingame and plopped right back into the drive parade, a quirky Triumph TR2 showing the way. Our destination was the world famous, but never mentioned, "Candy Store". This private car club tries to imitate a prestigious yacht club, but important cars replace boats. The brick building sits on the edge of an industrial area in Burlingame and once served as a Cadillac dealership.

There are no signs or markings to give it away, but this building houses one of the most significant auto collections I've ever seen. In the lobby area sits a Ferrari 275GTB/4, a Lancia Aurelia spyder, a very nice Alfa Romeo 2800, a Mercedes 540K and an 8 liter Bentley. Combined value of just these cars is somewhere over four million dollars...no wonder they don't want anyone to know about this place! The red brick walls lend a nostalgic feel and once in the main hall you really get the sense this building has been here a long time. We were there to rub elbows, eat lunch and marvel at a few incredible cars. Event organizers arranged a catered lunch and a small auction and award ceremony. The food was great and the cars amazing. I sat closest to one of my all time favorites, a red, short wheel-base Ferrari 250 California. On my left was another rare Ferrari; the 250Nembo, and on my right a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. Across the large room a fast back Bentley Continental and an open top Delahaye collected dust. There were Mercedes Gullwings, a modern Indy racer and old brass era cars; something for everyone.

At the end of our lunch I said goodbye to Kit and the Mustang, he was heading north and I south. I hitched a ride in a Ford Model A and chugged along miles and miles of El Camino Real toward Palo Alto to where the day began, catching glimpses of myself in this iconic auto in shop windows along the way. The slow ride gave me time to reflect. The contrast from the roaring Ford I started in- a direct descendant of the car I ended in- was extreme. There was no comparing the two except the fact they both wore a Ford badge. The Mustang was the young whipper snapper, eager, brash, and strong, while the Model A was delicate and noble- still demanding respect for not only the years it has endured but also for the entire rally behind us.



*Warren Madsen 6/06*