OPENROAD OPENROAD
Presenting Sponsor
5 BEHIND THE WHEEL
America’s Automotive Trust launches two big new initiatives for 2026 and beyond.
16 AAT PARTNER EVENTS: MOTORCAR CAVALCADE
Splendor in the Sun: Motorcar Cavalcade throws a South Florida garden party complete with Packards, Lamborghinis and Bugattis.
38 MILESTONES
Acknowledging the enthusiastic supporters of America’s Automotive Trust.
8 ROADSIDE RUINS OF THE HINTERLAND
Who is that strange guy photographing the junk cars in your backyard? It might be Peter Egan taking pictures for this month’s column. You should probably invite him in for a brandy; it’s cold out there.
28 RPM FOUNDATION: TAKING THE NEXT GENERATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL
An RPM apprentice’s journey at the Fuller Moto Challenge.
12
CLUB AUTO
New members get their leathers!
32 NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
Michael Kristick lives out every car enthusiast’s worst fear.
COVER: The 2018 Pagani Huayra Roadster of Rick and Layla Schuld and the 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter of Jonathon Rey at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
THIS PAGE: A police escort during the Motorcar Cavalcade Speed and Social Rally.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
By David Madeira, AAT CEO
Driving Forward
I’m delighted to share with you our annual Milestones Edition of OpenRoad, in which we acknowledge our faithful AAT supporters for their continued generosity. As a charitable organization we depend on this to sustain our efforts to honor the past, celebrate the present and drive the future of America’s automotive culture. Thank you for your steady support.
As I write, I’m excited to announce two significant initiatives that you will hear a great deal about in the months ahead, ones that will play an important role in fulfilling the mission of the Trust.
First, of major significance to our long-term vision to “drive the future,” we have secured additional land from the City of Tacoma and entered a partnership with the Tacoma Public Schools to construct a Regional Robotics Center on the campus of the LeMay – America’s Car Museum! The Center will focus on robotics and mobility and will serve the youth of the entire region. It provides great opportunities and numerous possibilities to expand our own STEM educational offerings and aid our sustainability.
Secondly, on January 3, 2026, we will kick off “The Drive Home VII: Route 66-A Century of Adventure!” We’ve been endorsed by the National Route 66 Centennial Commission as an official event of the year-long celebration of “The Mother Road” so important to our automotive history and our country. The Drive Home VII – a partnership with the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)– along with the support of The Commission, the U.S. Department of Commerce and The National Park Service, will depart from Santa Monica, CA, and journey along Route 66 for nine days to its terminus in Chicago. We will then journey on to Detroit for a celebration and tenday exhibit at NAIAS. The press and social media coverage from this combined effort should be tremendous.
The Drive Home remains unique in the world of automotive museums as a kinetic “exhibition” beyond America’s Car Museum’s walls, which shares our historic vehicles with folks across America while promoting the use and enjoyment of the automobile. It provides national exposure for the Trust, and offers our partners and sponsors a large stage to share their message. In addition, The Drive Home has been a major catalyst for collaboration and coordination amongst like-minded institutions, such as the NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, the Gilmore Car Museum and America On Wheels Museum.
Stay tuned as we report more on these exciting initiatives and thank you once again for your support!
CHAIRMAN: Michael D. Towers, Partner, Ambassador Wines of Washington – Seattle, WA
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN: B. Corry McFarland, Emeritus, Cedar Management Company – Fife, WA
VICE CHAIR: David L. Madeira, Emeritus, America’s Automotive Trust – Tacoma, WA
VICE CHAIR: William T. Weyerhaeuser, Emeritus Director/Chairman –Tacoma, WA
SECRETARY: Sam E. Baker, Jr., Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker, LLP –Seattle, WA
TREASURER: Trevor Cobb, Founder & CEO, Avantia, A Multi-Family Office –Seattle, WA
BOARD MEMBERS
Rod Alberts, North American International Auto Show – Detroit, MI
John D. Barline, Emeritus, Harlowe & Falk LLP – Tacoma, WA
Dale Bloomquist, DDS, MS – Seattle, WA
Stephen Boone, Emeritus/Retired, Ford and Harley-Davidson Dealer –Olympia, WA
Edward Brooks, Sunset Pacific General Contractors – Lakewood, WA
Nicola Bulgari, Emeritus, BVLGARI S.p.A – New York, NY
Sandra Button, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – Carmel, CA
Keith Flickinger, The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage –Allentown, PA
Alan Granberg, Auto Enthusiast –Lakewood, WA
Dr. Gerald Greenfield, Retired Dentist – Lake Tapps, WA
McKeel Hagerty, Hagerty – Traverse City, MI
Tom Hedges, Emeritus, Co-Owner, Hedges Family Estate – Benton City, WA
Michael Holmes, Holmes Electric –Kent, WA
George Ingle, The Ingle Company –Spanaway, WA
Doug LeMay, Emeritus, LeMay Investments, LLC. – Tacoma, WA
Nancy LeMay, Emeritus – LeMay Investments, LLC. – Tacoma, WA
James Gary May, Hopewell Land Partners – Windemere, FL
T.G. Mittler, Auto Enthusiast –Santa Fe, NM
Michael J. Phillips, Emeritus – Altaira Wealth Management – Clyde Hill, WA
Patrick Riley, BDO – Seattle, WA
Paul Sabatini, Lincoln of Troy – Troy, MI
Steve Saleen, Saleen Automotive –Corona, CA
BOOKSHELF
OpenRoad contributor and Road & Track editor-at-large Peter Egan has a new book coming out this August from Octane Press. “Landings in America: Two People, One Summer, and a Piper Cub” (400 pages, ISBN-13 978-1642341898) is a memoir of Peter and his wife Barb’s 7,000-mile circumnavigation of Reagan-era America in their vintage two-seater light aircraft. “Carrying only the barest essentials – a pup tent, a wad of cash, and a change of clothing – Peter and his wife Barb took off on a six-week, seven-thousand-mile trip around the US in their yellow 1945 J-3 Piper Cub,” summarized Octane Press. “The places they stumbled upon and the people they encountered would change their lives forever. Between musings on being outpaced by the toy-sized eighteen-wheelers beneath their wings and flashbacks to nearly setting a Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s house on fire, Egan captures the essence of a modern pilgrimage. Landings in America is Peter Egan’s homage to the enduring spirit of exploration that has defined his work.” The book is now available for pre-orders from Amazon and other sellers.
RPM Executive Director Nick Ellis and illustrator Eileen R. Ewen have produced a children’s book titled “Tucker the Fire Truck” (30 pages, ISBN-13 978-0-615-227849) inspired by the real-life impromptu auction purchase of a vintage fire truck by Nick’s father. An advocate for craftsmanship, Ellis tells the tale of Barrett, a lone firetruck constructor whose finest creation, Tucker, dreams of fighting fires but can’t find a suitable home with a fire department. Just as Tucker is to be shipped off for display at a car museum, he finds redemption in fighting a house fire that he was uniquely equipped to handle. After that, everyone wanted Tucker!
OPENROAD PUBLICATION CREDITS
Managing Editor & Head Writer William Hall
William “Kid” Hall is an automotive journalist based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, whose work has appeared in Hemmings Motor News, Classic Car Journal, RM Shift and Prancing Horse magazines, among others. His personal collection of cars skews classic Italian, with a few ‘70s era Muscle Cars and a growing collection of vintage motorcycles for good measure.
Contributors: Special thanks to Copy
Editor Rock Jenkins. Photos: Jake Welk for Club Auto, and Karl J. Noakes for Milestones.
ADMINISTRATION
Art Direction & Graphic Design: Jennifer Weitzman, jamgd: A design firm located in Madison, WI — having a long history working with the RPM Foundation — they now bring their talents to this publication. jamgd.com
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ALONG FOR THE RIDE
By William Hall Managing Editor
Every car enthusiast believes they grew up in the greatest era of auto manufacturing. But for Gen-X, this was patently untrue. Roughly defined as the generation born between 1965-1980, the Gen-X high school parking lot was populated by the previous generation’s fifteen-year-old Pontiac GTOs, gas-guzzler Hemi Roadrunners and rusty Mach 1 Mustangs. Even if our parents had offered to buy us a new car (fat chance!), we’d have likely demurred. Who aspired to own any of the contemporary Malaise Era cars – like the 1982 Ford Escort, the 1986 Chevy Celebrity, the 1984 Chrysler Lebaron, or a host of other forgettable models – from a decade of automotive indifference?
The era was not without its technical achievements. Crash safety, improved emissions, increased mileage, better handling and luxury appointments were positive steps. Reliability was coming, if not yet fully baked-in, as a generation beta tested nascent fuel injection, electronic ignition and passenger-car diesel engines. There just weren’t any cars to capture the imagination.
That hole blown into America’s automotive timeline persists today. Apart from a couple of outliers, few cars from that era approach what we’d call “collectable” status or value. Even Corvettes of that time are poorly regarded.
From our very first car ownership experiences, Gen-Xers were looking to the past for automotive excitement, not to the present. It’s a mindset that persists with many of us – the last Luddite holdouts in a wholly digital world. As a result, this “lost” carryover generation of the Eighties and Nineties continues to drive 60’s-70’s muscle car demand and soaring prices.
And so, my generation toddled through time happy to row gears in mid-century classics, old pickup trucks and European roadsters, resistant to buying-in emotionally to modern automobiles, which is distinct from the daily grind spent in commuter appliances. For my part, I only purchased my first brand-new vehicle in 2022, pressured by the Covid-induced supply
dwindle and impending fatherhood. My ’21 Toyota Tundra is a big, dumb armored personnel carrier for street battle in the modern world, and it accomplishes everything with cold competence. What it doesn’t do is inspire.
Cracks in my dogma began to appear during the last Drive Home, in which I took a turn in a 2022 Shelby Mustang GT500 and experienced a crisis of faith. I can have 760hp, and get 25 mpg on the freeway? And I don’t have to crawl underneath it and fix it? Ford was finally listening to my generation. My co-driver Rock Jenkins went home and promptly bought a ruby red 2021 Roush Mustang.
Some people may not see the link between driving classic cars in The Drive Home and the new cars at the Detroit Auto Show. Vintage cars, and the warm/fuzzy nostalgia they evoke, are the gateway drug to bringing fickle car consumers like me back into the tent. The common theme is the enjoyment that cars give us, and putting the imagination, inspiration and emotion back into the automotive experience. Yet, automotive heritage remains largely untapped by marketing efforts.
Every year, vehicle technology advances. But a lost generation teaches us that without passion, those cars are doomed to be forgotten. GenXer’s have come a long way, and waited a long time, to be excited again. Detroit should answer their call.
Continued from page 6
Manfred Scharmach, BMW Northwest, Northwest Mini, Seattle Mini, Northwest Pre-Owned Center – Fife, WA
Johathan Shaw, Hemmings –Bennington, VT
Bruce Wanta, Spectrum Controls –Bellevue, WA
Edward Welburn, Emeritus, Sunset Pacific General Contractors –Bethlehem, PA
Jason Wenig, The Creative Workshop – Dania Beach, FL
Drew Weyerhaeuser, Auto Enthusiast – Tacoma, WA
James M. Will, Emeritus, Titus-Will Enterprises, Inc. – Tacoma, WA
Claire Williams, Hagerty – Traverse City, MI
STEERING COMMITTEE
Christopher Brewer, Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance – Hilton Head Island, SC
John Carlson, National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation – Belcarra, British Colombia, Canada
Dominic Dobson, Auto Enthusiast –Seattle, WA
Alan Grant, LARGE Architecture –Los Angeles, CA
William Hall, Auto Journalist –Elkhart Lake, WI
Suzanne Hight, Z Special Events –Mercer Island, WA
Andrew Hogan, Auto Enthusiast –Gig Harbor, WA
Paul Ianuario, Retired Curator of the BMW Zentrum – Duncan, SC
Rock Jenkins, State Farm, Retired –Gilbert, AZ
Leslie Mattson, National Corvette Museum – Mercer Island, WA
Al McEwan, Suite 200 Automobile Collection – Redmond, WA
Glenn Mounger, Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance – Bainbridge Island, WA
Josie Rimmer, DirtFish –Snoqualmie, WA
Ken D. Ross, Auto Enthusiast –Detroit, MI
Blake Siebe, Northwest Auto Salon – Right Away Tire – Lynwood, WA
William Smallwood III, American Mutual Insurance Services, Inc. –Monroe, WA
Jeff Stumb, The Great Race –Chattanooga, TN
Kristen Wells, Avants – Tacoma, WA
Gina Zinn, State Farm – Tacoma, WA
Roadside Ruins of the Hinterland
Words and photos by Peter Egan
Last weekend my old friend Richie Mayer from Sonoma, California, emailed me an Instagram photo of a nicely restored beige 1960 Porsche 356 coupe that had been cleverly converted into a small pickup truck.
The cockpit had been chopped off just behind the driver’s seat and the cargo bed neatly walled in by the aerodynamic curves of the rear fenders. I’m sure this body was customized in a spirit of good fun, but it was so neatly done the car looked surprisingly attractive and practical, almost like a real production model.
It’s always interesting to see what people can do with an old car and a little imagination, but the obvious novelty here was that anyone would do it to a 356 Porsche.
Which is to say these cars have gotten just a bit more expensive than they used to be. I bought a fairly clean 1964 356B about 22 years ago for $14,000, rebuilt the engine and sold it a few years later for the same price, but a similar car would now cost about three times what we paid for our first house.
In response to Richie’s Instagram photo, I naturally feigned a total lack of surprise and implied that this modification was quite common in places other than California.
“A lot of the farmers here in rural Wisconsin,” I told him, “convert their old 356 Porsches into pickup trucks, rather than have them junked. Or else they jack up the back end and use a rear wheel and V-belt to run an outdoor irrigation pump. Same for all the old 550 Spyders. And many of our rusty Alfa 8Cs and Mercedes Gullwings get converted into hay wagons or milk can haulers, often fixed up and sold by Amish craftsmen looking to make a little extra cash. It’s turned into a regular folk industry here.”
Richie wrote back and said, “I’ll be right there.”
I think the Alfa 8C comment got to him. Richie is a lifelong Alfa Romeo buff who, like me, scans scrapyards and backyards wherever he goes, looking for orphaned cars and abandoned treasures in need of resurrection. He’s found and restored several vintage Alfas and calls himself, “The patron saint of lost causes.”
The two of us should probably team up and form the automotive equivalent of PETA. We could call it PETCOC: People for the Ethical Treatment of Castoff Cars.
In any case, this little email exchange got me thinking about the old cars I now see sinking into the turf of the many farmyards I pass while motoring around the backroads here every summer. And it has occurred to me lately that there aren’t quite as many as there used to be.
When I was in high school it was quite common to see three or four wornout clunkers lined up in the weeds next to a barn or woodshed. I suspect they were kept out of nostalgia or for spare parts, or simply because it was too much expense or bother to have a dead car towed away.
Occasionally, you’d even see a few classic American collectables in the mix, such as a beat-up ’49 Merc or a ’57 Chevy. Now, if these cars are still on the property at all, they’re usually parked indoors, elevated to the status of barn finds rather than mere yard finds – as my author friend Tom Cotter of “Cobra in the Barn” fame has noticed.
Part of the current dearth of old sleds may be due to better engineering and vastly improved rust protection in modern cars. They simply get worn out from high miles now – rather than rusting in half – and are generally passed down the food chain of used car lots until they’re so totally shot that only scrap metal dealers want them. And while rust never sleeps, it has at least become more lethargic.
Even as a kid, I thought it was disgraceful how quickly cars rusted out in our salty northern winters and wondered why manufacturers didn’t do something about it. The only upside to this decay was that serious body rust made newer cars relatively affordable to young people. My first car was a $450 Triumph TR-3 that was only seven years old, but beneath its new paint the body shell was already about 30 percent sculpted Bondo, and I was in constant danger of having the driver’s seat fall through the thin latticework of the rusty floor. Some passengers were lost and are still missing.
So yesterday, what with all this old car lore percolating through my mind, I decided to take a motorcycle tour of the countryside and see if there were still any abandoned treasures lurking in the weeds on nearby farms. It was our first truly warm and sunny day of spring, so this was my excuse to take a ride.
I didn’t have to go very far. About five miles west of our house I spotted a firstgeneration Toyota Rav4 with a crumpled front end resting in tall grass next to a faded barn. Parked not far behind it was a generic white 4-door economy sedan that was missing its grille and front bumper, so I couldn’t identify it without the help of artificial intelligence – or walking through the mud for a closer look – and I didn’t really need to. Both appeared to be failed experiments in late braking.
Farther down the road, I came across an apparently abandoned farmhouse (all window shades fully down) with both a deceased mid-Eighties Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus tilting into an unkept yard full of young saplings. Surrounding the front and back porches of the old house were massive piles of empty beer cans, so I suspected the homeowner might currently be in the hospital getting a liver transplant, assuming he or she was still with us.
None of these once-practical but now spent and tired sedans really got my heart going, and it suddenly occurred to me that the only truly attention-grabbing car –or real sports car – I’d ever seen along our local back roads was a rusty Triumph TR-3. Parked about 25 miles south of our home, it was a familiar landmark for members of the local sports car club.
The first time I towed my Bugeye Sprite race car down to Blackhawk Farms raceway in 1973, my fellow H-Production racing buddy Wayne Chapman gave me directions to the track: “Follow Highway 213 about six miles south of Orfordville and turn right on Paddock Road. You can spot the turn because there’s an old TR-3 in the backyard of the house on the corner.”
And indeed there was.
And the Triumph was always there, rusting away year after year, all through our racing years in the Seventies. So of course I had to ride down Highway 213 yesterday and see if it still existed.
My heart sank when I finally turned onto Paddock Road and pulled up next to the small farmhouse. There was no one home, and nothing left but a pile of brush and brown leaves where the old Triumph had once been parked. I was about to turn around and head home when I noticed an old car radiator poking out from one end of the brush pile. The radiator looked familiar.
I pushed a few leaves aside and the upper front A-arm of a TR-3 appeared. Eureka! After 52 years – or maybe many more – the car was still there.
Well, most of it.
The body shell was entirely gone, but the frame, suspension, drivetrain and cooling system were still in place. The engine was missing its cylinder head and covered with a tattered blue tarp, but the core of the Triumph remained, heavily oxidized and half buried. I was elated to see it, and felt almost like Heinrich Schliemann unearthing the ruins of ancient Troy.
But it was also a little unsettling to ponder that rusty skeleton. On the long ride home, I couldn’t help wondering if I might be reaching the age where memory had finally strayed a little too far into the realm of archaeology.
Schliemann, after all, hadn’t actually lived in ancient Troy, nor did he discover one of his favorite old chariots buried in the ruins.
CLUB AUTO
Based at LeMay - America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, WA, Club Auto lives at the heart of car culture and brings enthusiasts together to celebrate their shared passion for all things automotive. Providing members with nationwide opportunities to drive the cars they love while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts is the soul of the Club Auto experience.
Congratulations to our newest Club Auto Founders, who received their leather jackets at the Club Auto clubhouse at LeMay – America’s Car Museum this past March. AAT CEO David Madeira and Membership Officer Kathy King were on hand to make the presentations.
Michelle Robinson and Junior Haro
Leslie and Ed Mattson
Davis Mock and Matthew Berry
Kenny Heng
Bruce, Shirley and Alex Quintance
Kevin and Christopher O’Connor
Randy and Nathan Olson
Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small
Donald and Angel Klein
Andrew and Lisa Cook
Alex Kochis
John and Diane DeYoung
Rob Beck and Pamela Mildenberger
AAT PARTNER EVENTS:
SPLENDOR IN THESUN
The Motorcar Cavalcade is one of the calendar year’s first national concours events, welcoming thin-blooded automobile enthusiasts from northern climes to bask in steamy Miami style and hospitality. Taking place the first weekend of February, the unique mix of both modern and classic motorcars, high fashion and epicurean delights makes for a midwinter garden party like none other.
Co-directed by AAT Board member Jason Wenig and ex-Miami Dolphins wide receiver Floyd Rag, Motorcar Cavalcade fulfills the vision of impresario Warren Henry Zinn, founder of the Warren Henry Auto Group, a south Florida chain of luxury auto dealerships.
“Motorcar Cavalcade is unlike any other car show in the Southeast,” said Zinn. “The day is meant to be a departure from the standard concours shows. Motorcar Cavalcade is relaxed, fun and elegant, where guests can gather to meet like-minded people with a shared passion for automobiles. For judges, we intentionally mix automotive experts with creatives to make an entertaining and subjective evaluation.”
The effect is a low-stress, high-fashion weekend which unites disparate factions of the automotive hobby on the manicured show field of the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa.
America’s Automotive Trust is proud to partner with Motorcar Cavalcade for all four years of the event, and invite its membership to display at or attend next year’s show on February 1, 2026.
Photos courtesy of Motorcar Cavalcade
Jason Wenig (right) poses for a selfie with an exhibitor at Motorcar Cavalcade.
OpenRoad Interview: Jason Wenig
“Soul Feel,” The Perfect Martini, and avoiding The Dark Side.
OR: Four years of Motorcar Cavalcade. Congratulations! What have you learned?
JW: Well, it’s really interesting. When you start something – it’s an entity, a product or a brand, whatever you want to call it – you have expectations of what it should be. You put markers down the side of the road to keep that car on that path. Well, my goodness, how this event has evolved in ways I couldn’t predict, but when I see how it’s gone, how pleased I am. You start with this concept of what you want it to be, but humans took that and did their own thing with it. Which I think is the most beautiful thing you could possibly ask for.
Connecting it back to the whole concept of the event – art and evolution – isn’t it fascinating that while we’re celebrating that in the automobile, we’re allowing the art of this event to evolve as well? It’s evolving through those who come and experience it. The feedback I’ve gotten this year was extraordinary, but also different from previous years. I heard over and over again about the “soul,” the “vibe,” the “feel,” from people who have been going to concours events for ten or twenty years. Old school people, young people. People completely jaded by the automobile, to total neophytes who didn’t know what to expect. They all have this sense of peacefulness when they describe the event. No one talks about the caliber of the cars. They talk about the soul and the feel of the event. That’s extraordinary.
Of course, we keep getting better and better cars. But to me, almost every other event out there feels like an attack, like something negative is happening. The biggest this, the largest collection of that, the most important example of X, Y or Z. Look, there’s a group of us who’ve been around in this hobby and industry a long time, and while we feel honored and thrilled to be around these cars, we’re just not that impressed with it anymore, in the context of that value system.
Through non-solicited feedback on the soul and vibe of the event, without referencing “this car is incredible, this car did this,” is the evolution of Motorcar Cavalcade I’m witnessing, and it brings me remarkable joy.
OR: Can you give a specific example of something that surprised you on this journey?
JW: Yes, specific to year four, I feel that the highest honor that a concours can have is to get a monster collector with a monster car to come to your event theoretically unsolicited. You’re not begging them to come, you’re not enticing them. They come because they feel it and want to be a part of it. The vindication you get when the person who had the opportunity to go to any event in the world, and theoretically can win a major award anywhere they go, but chooses to go to our event that technically isn’t going to have the cachet of a Pebble Beach award. They’re coming for the pure spirit and joy of what we’re doing. We’re happily surprised and very honored by that.
A flawlessly-restored and highly optioned 1970 Plymouth GTX owned by Robert Lopez took top honors in the Muscle category. This GTX is the very same car featured in Plymouth’s sales brochure from 1970 (inset).
OR: Yes, the 2025 field had a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8c2300, and a one-off 1952 Ferrari 342 America Cabriolet Speciale, two very special and top tier concours-winning cars that were not obliged to win Best of Show. Instead, a stunning 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series I, with an incredible ownership story that touched many people, took top honors.
JW: I’m so glad you brought that up. If you talk to a director of a concours event, the standard reply to that result might be, ‘I’m surprised that a (fill in the blank) non-restored, rebodied or non-numbers matching car took Best of Show this year,” implying that some subtle apology was needed. My response is not who won Best of Show, or whether it was justified or represents the show properly, but that I’m proud that the collectors wanted to be at our event.
OR: Any special moments or vignettes that stick out in your mind in the process of growing this concours?
JW: Some of the bigger things like that are on the back end, or internal side of the operation. The sheer weight, the politics, the landscape of running the event…these are the
Godzillas in the room that most people don’t fully understand. It’s exhausting. It’s very, very hard. I’m traumatized by it. (laughing)
There’s a story with an exhibitor who came on early in the show’s existence. He and I had all kinds of communication problems. We were just not seeing eye-to-eye. It became ridiculous. I wanted to kill him! (laughing) But because I really wanted this individual to attend, I had to learn my lesson and modify how I could achieve that, by not worrying about the trophies and a lot of the other stuff. Long story short, he became one of my best friends. We laugh about it now. Every time we see each other we hug.
What happened in that relationship is ultimately the brand dream for the concours. It’s about converting the trophyhounds – the guys who are perceived to just attend shows for the recognition – and opening up the concours world to other people. So this was my romantic moment that I want others to have also, about overcoming the wrong perspective. In Melville terms, he was my white whale.
OR: Any new changes coming for MC in 2026?
JW: I’m still doing the post-mortem on 2025. So we learn a lot. 90% of that, from a management perspective, is related to the dollar figure. We need to fix this; we need to fix that. We develop the event physically and tangibly by post-mortems.
For example, we’ve discovered how much people really enjoy watching the trophy ceremony, so we need to put tents or shade sails facing the stage. We will put high-top tables along there; no more low tables. We want people up and engaged. There’s something psychological, some feng-shui behind that, which I take very seriously. When you’re sitting down, hunched over your food, back turned to those outside of your circular table, it seems cold and elitist. When you’re sitting at a high-top, you’re cool; you’re hanging out at the Friday happy hour bar. What I want is that socialization of people facing the awards ceremony. So these things are by design. A developmental thing, which is right on brand, is upping the whole awards ceremony engagement.
So, regarding what to expect for 2026, when I say, “more of the same,” that’s not a cop-out answer. I mean listening to people who talk about the event and thinking about the things you do. While other events may be primarily concerned with the traditional expectations of the concours world, how do we stay on brand and not get enticed to the dark side, and how do we continue to deliver on that “soul feel” and what actually caused that to happen? That is the analysis.
It’s like saying, “I think we just made a great Martini” and then saying “OK, so now let’s change it!” Why? There is nothing more elegant than a perfect Martini…we’re not going to change or push on the things that are working!
OR: I think you’re dead on about the micro-management of these details. It does matter to the experience.
JW: Look, conceptually we all want to meet people. The barrier is that it’s hard. There’s always that moment of human nature where you’re afraid to say something to someone in fear of not getting the response you want. That said, the car world can bring people together, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end result. When the details and feel of something is right, our ability to share moments and create camaraderie and ultimately friendships succeeds. That’s our goal, to create the perfect event – like our Martini. If we do that, then the rest is magic.
RPM FOUNDATION
By Nick Ellis RPM Foundation Executive Director
Taking the Next Generation to the Next Level
An RPM Apprentice’s Journey at the Fuller Moto Challenge
For many young people interested in automotive restoration, opportunities to work alongside the industry’s most skilled craftsmen are rare. Hands-on learning, especially in the intricate world of metal shaping and fabrication, is a crucial yet often inaccessible part of the journey. That’s exactly why the RPM Foundation exists – to provide young restoration enthusiasts with the training, connections and opportunities they need to turn their passion into a profession. This February, apprentice Lindsey
Stone had the experience of a lifetime at the Fuller Moto Metal Shaping Challenge in Atlanta.
This unique event brought together the country’s most talented fabricators and metal shapers, tasking them with an ambitious goal: building a custom car body entirely from scratch in just one week. Traditionally, this type of work takes thousands of hours, but with the integration of modern technology – 3D scanning,
digital blueprints, and computer-aided shaping – the process was streamlined, pushing the limits of what’s possible in vehicle fabrication.
The centerpiece of the challenge was a breathtakingly ambitious project: a 19-foot Fleetwood-inspired custom “road monster” powered by a V16, siamesed-V8 engine concept. The goal was to blend old school craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, and the team of expert builders used everything from hand tools to advanced CNC machines to bring the vision to life.
As the first-ever apprentice of the RPM Apprenticeship Program, Lindsey has already proven herself as a dedicated and skilled learner. Based in Detroit, she has spent the past year working at the Jack Frost Auto Museum, learning the delicate art of restoring
historic vehicles. Before joining the RPM Apprenticeship Program, she was balancing an unpaid internship while working as a waitress full-time just to stay afloat. Thanks to RPM, she has been able to dedicate her time and energy fully to her training.
Lindsey’s positive attitude, enthusiasm and passion for the craft made her an obvious choice for RPM to involve in the Fuller Moto project. Over the course of a week, Lindsey worked side by side with the leading fabricators in the country, learning firsthand from these craftspeople. The intensity of the build, combined with the collaborative environment, created the perfect setting for handson learning.
One of the most valuable aspects of this experience was the opportunity to receive direct mentorship from industry leaders.
Whether it was instruction in TIG welding, learning new methods for shaping aluminum or understanding the nuances of working with large-scale body panels, Lindsey was constantly surrounded by experts willing to share their knowledge.
“I’m at the cutting edge of all this new technology, and I just thank the RPM Foundation for letting me be a part of something so incredible,” Lindsey said. “I’m learning huge things like how to TIG weld, but also other things that I’ll use every day.”
In an era where many traditional restoration skills are in danger of fading away, it’s more important than ever to ensure that young people like Lindsey have access to training, mentorship and hands-on experience. That’s why the RPM Foundation is committed to expanding the RPM Apprenticeship Program. Lindsey’s experience at Fuller Moto is a prime example of how immersive,
high-level learning opportunities can fast-track a young professional’s growth in the field. And she’s just the beginning.
The program has already expanded from one apprentice to twelve in less than a year, with host shops across the country welcoming eager apprentices into their ranks. But for the program to continue growing, more funding is needed. Every apprentice we place is a future restorer, a future fabricator, a future leader in the world of vehicle preservation.
The Fuller Moto Metal Shaping Challenge was more than just an event—it was a living classroom, where the past and future of vehicle fabrication converged. For Lindsey, it was a week that changed her career path forever.
Opportunities like this aren’t just valuable—they’re essential. If we don’t invest in young people who are passionate about this craft,
these skills will fade away. But if we give them the chance to learn, to work, and to grow, we ensure that the art of vehicle restoration thrives for generations to come.
The list of Lindsey’s mentors for the week of the Fuller Moto Metal Shaping challenge:
Chip Foose
Will Lockwood
Bryan Fuller
Chris Rusch
Jesse Spade
Chastin Brand
Jesse Greening
Justin Webster
Jeremy Bumpus
Jackson Conn
Thom Speed
Mike Wagner
Mark Prosser
Bryan Heidt
Ryan Carr
From winning at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance to stolen within 12 hours.
NïghtmarëScënarIø
NïghtmarëScënarIø
Michael Kristick was born into Lancia automobiles. His father, 91-yearyoung Mike Sr., is a longtime collector and parts supplier for the Italian marque known for its innovative engineering and rally competition dominance. Between the pair they account for nearly a half-dozen vintage Lancias, and they “always seem to find room for another,” according to Michael.
So when he discovered a race-worn 1964 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina coupe during a visit to the Lancia Consortium in Pittsburgh in the mid-Nineties, he was intrigued. Purported to be one of only 13 factory-built competition specials, the car was sold new to Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti and raced under his North American Race Team (N.A.R.T.) banner. The current owner was running out of storage space, and the idea of the tatty car being lost concerned both Kristicks.
At first glance, there wasn’t much to fall in love with. But looking beyond the rusty roll cage and torn racing seats, Michael saw the factory-fitted 35-gallon fuel tank with external racing filler, special downdraft Weber carburetors and a performance tuned engine from the Flavia Zagato. Faded livery and stickers from the car’s last known competition at the 1971 Mexican Rally International De Las 24 Horas only added to the mystique.
Agreeing to purchase the Flavia, the inevitable question then became, what’s next? “I never knew what to do with it…whether to restore it or keep it original. Finally, after a dinner with renowned Lancia restorer Walt Spak, he gave me some advice, saying, ‘Why don’t you just leave it alone?’ And while the car was made to run and drive, and I rebuilt the charging system, that’s pretty much what I did,” said Michael.
So in 2023 when the veteran Lancia appeared in the pits at a Lime Rock vintage race it caused quite a stir. “The Cobra in the Barn” author and Hagerty media contributor Tom Cotter was one such admirer, and he invited Michael on the spot to display the Flavia in a special “Cars of the Barn Find Hunter” class he was curating for the 2024 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Despite many years in the hobby, it would be the Kristick’s first time displaying at the prestigious Amelia Island show, and they were thrilled. Father and son loaded the Lancia into Michael’s 24-foot Pace enclosed trailer, pulled by his white 2005 Ford F350 diesel dually, and headed south on the 12-hour drive from Pennsylvania to Florida.
The pair placed the Lancia on the lawn the day prior to the show amidst a fascinating class of survivor cars. A visibly rusty 1967 Ford Country Squire wagon, complete with faux wood paneling, a 428 V-8 engine and factory 4-speed with console, was a fan favorite and has since become a darling of the internet. Next to it was a heavily patinaed 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang, wearing worn paint that had somehow eluded Earl Scheib for the last 5+ decades. Also in the mix was Cotter’s own survivor Cunningham C-3, powered by a Chrysler Firepower V8 engine, one of only 30 made.
The day of the show, seemingly from nowhere, the Flavia’s first owner Luigi Chinetti Jr. appeared. Michael recalled, “He walked up, put his hand on the car, and said, ‘This is my old car. I’ve missed you.’” What followed was a fascinating oral history of the Lancia’s early race days. “I wish I had a tape recorder,” Michael said. “It all happened so fast. This is the car he took his SCCA drivers license test in at Lime Rock racetrack. He had lots of anecdotes about its early history with his father’s North American Racing Team.” Upon parting, Chinetti presented Michael with a N.A.R.T. lapel pin.
Luigi Chinetti at Lime Rock, 1966.
Photo: Joe Corbett Archives
Chinetti reunited with his old car at Amelia Island.
But the biggest thrill was still to come. Against stiff competition, the Lancia was awarded second place in its class behind the Shelby GT350, and was featured in Hemming’s Motor News as one of “The 11 Cars Which Captivated Us At The 2024 Amelia Island Concours Weekend.”
“We had a great time. We met and talked with a huge amount of people. It was an absolutely amazing experience. It was the highest of high points,” said Michael.
Unfortunately, the high was about to fade to a tragic low. Exhausted and elated from the day, the Kristick’s retrieved their trailer from the Fernandina Airport and loaded the Flavia onboard, returning to the Holiday Inn Express at Jacksonville Airport around 7:30 PM. After a quick dinner nearby, they returned to their room around 9:00 PM and settled in to prepare for an early departure the following day.
The next morning at breakfast, Michael noticed a police officer walk into the hotel lobby and approach the desk attendant. “I overheard the deskperson say they thought there was some activity in the parking lot last night,” said Michael. “For a second, I had a flash…I sure hope my truck is okay.”
Heading out to the parking lot, he found that his truck, trailer and the rare Lancia were missing.
“At first you’re in disbelief. Did I forget where I parked it? Your mind plays tricks on you. Then I saw the truck’s broken door handle on the ground, and it hit me. It was stolen.
“I met my dad coming down in the lobby and told him ‘Everything’s gone. It’s all gone.’ My dad was in shock.”
Michael walked back into the hotel and spoke with the police officer, who immediately got on his radio. In less than two minutes a detective pulled up in another car. As he was retrieving paperwork he said to Michael, “I hate to tell you, but I can fill these forms out in my sleep. We do this all the time.” The police officer explained that there are usually two scenarios, “It’s either local thieves just trying to steal something, or the worst case, where thieves steal a truck and trailer and drive it directly to Miami and into a shipping container. Once those doors close, you will never see it again. It’s usually shipped to Central America or the Middle East, or the islands in the Caribbean.” Michael thought, “My gosh, it’s really all gone.”
Still in shock, the Kristicks rented a car from the airport and began the long drive home to Pennsylvania. “We were almost through the state of Georgia when we got a phone call. It was a police officer who said, ‘I have good news and bad news. We found the truck, but there’s no trailer and we don’t know about the car. Can you come back down and take a look at it?’ So we turned the rental car around and headed back to Florida.”
About an hour later, the police called again. “He said, ‘I have some good news. We found the trailer. But the car is not there. Keep on coming down and as you get closer I’ll give you an address as to where we are at.’”
Another agonizing half hour went by. “He called again and said, ‘We found the car.’”
The Kristicks went to a neighborhood of single-family brick homes from the 1950s, which was now in disrepair and boarded
Michael Kristick (left) and Mike Kristick Sr. (right)
Photo by Shawn Miller
up. When they arrived, the police informed them that there had been an altercation, and to not touch anything until they could complete their investigation. Six to eight police cars were lined up and down the road, spaced out about every 100 yards. Michael felt as if they were being ambushed; as if someone might come out and start shooting. The police nervously kept saying to him, “We need to finish up and get out of here.”
When they were finally cleared to access the truck, it was found pulled up in the front yard of a house, mere feet from the front door. The trailer, with every latch broken, was semi-hidden along the side of another house. He hooked up the trailer to the truck, and the trailer tongue would no longer lock onto the receiver ball. Moreover, the F350’s large passenger side door handle was completely busted out, allowing the thief’s hand inside the car to unlock it, flipping the keyless entry to avoid the alarm system. The ignition switch had been pulled out with a large coarse screw pounded in the keyhole and attached to a slide hammer. The rest of the column was broken away allowing the thieves to merely push an internal rod to start it.
The police estimated the entire operation took less than two minutes.
“We went to retrieve the car, about a mile away. It was on the side of the road in about three feet of grass. They had turned off the switch on the dash for the electric fuel pump, and so it basically ran out of gas,” explained Michael.
An individual was arrested nearby and later sentenced to a 3-year jail term, but the police don’t believe he acted alone, and they told Michael they were glad he didn’t walk out of the hotel and catch them in the act. They said that if he had, it could have very well been a homicide investigation instead of just theft.
And the motive for the theft? The police believed the thieves were after motorcycles, since Daytona Bike Week was the next week and there are hundreds of motorcycles stolen each year at that event. Whatever the case, Michael doesn’t believe he was targeted. “I think the thieves just saw the opportunity and would not be denied,” he said.
Trying to find some levity in his traumatic story, I asked Michael what he thought the reaction was from the thieves who stole the trailer – which could’ve held a Duesenberg, a Ferrari, a Cobra – only to open it and find a rusty, dented car with a name they’d never heard of and likely couldn’t pronounce. Laughing, he said, “I would have paid to see the look on their faces! They probably said, ‘What the hell? A LAHN-SEE-YA?’ But then again, maybe that’s why I got it back.”
Hard-Earned Tips from Michael to “Harden the Target”
• Don’t put stickers on the outside of your truck or trailer that might give a clue as to what’s inside. Plain Jane is the way to go. Blend in.
• Only stay in hotels with secure parking and ones that a local friend could personally recommend. Pay the extra money.
• Ask event organizers about security measures in parking lots or offsite parking.
• Use a wheel lock or boot if possible.
• If you’ve had your car stolen and post it on social media, be careful of scammers with fraudulent offers to assist in finding the car.
• When attending an event for the first time, the learning curve is steep. Do some advance research on the logistics, including location, lodging and event history
RECOGNIZING THOSE WHO HAVE INCLUDED AAT OR ITS ENTITIES IN THEIR ESTATE PLANS
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CONCOURS CLUB
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Concours Club Director
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ArtsFund
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With The Drive Home returning to a January launch date, OpenRoad looked at some of the automotive marketing of the past that touted, and even glamorized, winter driving.
What is referred to as “lifestyle” advertising in this case served two purposes; simultaneously evoking the luxury and exclusivity of ski resorts like Cortina or St. Moritz, while inferring the car was proficient at the pedestrian tasks of cold weather operation and traction.
Nonetheless, some of these examples really push the envelope of believability. The Italians in particular want to convince you that taking an Alfa Romeo Spider, a Lancia Montecarlo or a one-off Ferrari 330 Michelotti Spider on your next ski trip seems like a perfectly sound idea. Which is fine if your ideal holiday is sitting in the lodge drinking cocoa while waiting for the flatbed to come get your car down off the mountain.
Of course, the American car companies had their own projections. Not even skiing can make a Chevrolet Vega seem glamorous. And did Plymouth really rename the Duster to the Aspen to make some ski resort connection? At least in that car you could get a fold-down rear seat to stow your skis.
America’s Automotive Trust, the Detroit Auto Show, and the National Route 66 Centennial Commission are proud to announce The Drive Home VII: Route 66 – A Century of Adventure.
A once-in-a-lifetime cross-country drive celebrating the 100th anniversary of the legendary Route 66.
This commemorative event will begin on January 3, 2026, in Santa Monica, California, and span the full length of Route 66, arriving nine days later in Chicago, Illinois on January 12. The vehicles will then be on display at the world-class Detroit Auto Show beginning on January 14.
Follow along at: americasautomotivetrust.org/thedrivehome
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