Category: Cars

This is Annie & Steve Norman’s post-war Bentley, shot at a rest stop on the Northwest Classic rally. I find the presence of my hand and camera in the reflection a bit distracting, but it’s the price I pay for shooting with a very wide angle lens.

I think it is a Jaaaaaaaag.

This shot was taken on the Monte Shelton Rally, can you name the cars?
(no points for the RV though!)

This photo either requires cropping or some judicious use of photoshop to clean up a cluttered and distracting background, but here I present it in raw form. Taken on the 2007 NW Classic Rally this is a view of a 1960 Aston Martin DB4, piloted by Duane Crandall and navigated by Bill Vilardi. Duane’s Aston is a true “driver” that has a well-worn patina that looks as comfortable on the car. Akin to a well-worn pair of jeans or a beloved baseball mitt, this level of wear is in many ways something that makes the car even more beautiful to those of us who really love cars. Museum-quality shiny brightwork has its place… namely a museum, and seeing impossibly perfect cars on the road is always a bit jarring, akin to seeing a middle-aged person wearing clothes better suited to a teenager.

I always perform a good spring cleaning of the Jaguar after I’ve completed all the winter projects that accrued over the driving season (this winter includes a rebuild of the tachometer, fixing the passenger side window, updating the dashboard lighting, and a close inspection and perhaps rebuild of the rear brakes) but a cleaning really can’t ever restore away true patina. My car has road rash, oil leaks, and wear here and there. Duane’s car pictured here is the same; with signs of loving use, but it will never be mistaken for a showroom-fresh car, which is what it is not. This car is approaching fifty years of age.