From Wide-Eyed to Bugeye

Being a part of the collector car world offers a multitude of experiences, from the grand to the familiar. During the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of the absolute high end of the collector car world, which included watching the car-as-art Maserati Boomerang sell as a part of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille Concours. I’ve also had the opportunity to go back to my personal roots and experience how I got started with cars. That happened as I searched out and bought my 8-year-old son Bradley his first car, a Bugeye Sprite. This was my second year as a judge at the Chantilly Concours. Founders Patrick and Sylviane Peter made what was a good event even better — as you would expect from the team that already presents Tour Auto, Le Mans Classic and more. They combine organizational skill with superb artistic taste to present fantasy lands for car lovers — whether it is hitting triple digits on the Mulsanne Straight at midnight in an 80-year-old Bentley or having a world-class display of custom-bodied Citroën SMs in front of the Château de Chantilly. The setting of the Chantilly concours is almost otherworldly, with the palace overlooking the expanse where the cars are shown. On the Saturday morning tour, I was fortunate enough to ride in one of the two remaining Aston DB3S coupes, driven capably by Franco Lupi. These cars are known for the heat they pump into the driver’s cockpit, so we were lucky that it was a cool day. We were further lucky when, as the engine began to falter, Franco reached down and switched the racing fuel tank to reserve. Using the “Around Me” app on my iPhone, we located a gasoline station at a Carrefour hypermarket just three miles away. We were soon fueled up and back on our way. The next morning I was up early, ready for my role as a concours judge for special-bodied SM and DS Citroëns. My co-judges were Michael Bock, Director of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center; Cyrille Duval, Founder and President of French news magazine Le Point; and class head judge Robert Panhard, President of the Automobile Club de France and grandson of René Panhard, one of the founders of the automobile industry. We awarded the DS Best of Class to a 1961 Citroën DS19 Chapron le Paris cabriolet. A 1975 Mylord cabriolet conversion got top honors for the SM group. Best of Show was awarded to longtime SCMer Evert Louwman’s 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster. At lunch, I sat with Peter Mullin, Bruce Meyer and Chip Connor, and we agreed that the Chantilly Arts and Elegance Richard Mille had legs. In just two years, it had succeeded in attracting some of the top cars and collectors from around the world. The setting, the overall organization, the people and the magnificent machines on display result in a world-class event.

Bradley’s Bugeye

What’s the right age to have your first car? The day I turned 16, I got my license at 8 a.m. I was first in line when the DMV opened, and took the test in my grandmother’s 1965 Mustang. As soon as I had my license in hand, I bought a Bugeye Sprite. Far from perfect, it was still worth every penny of the $30 I paid for it. It was a sports car and it was mine. Now, 49 years later, it was Bradley’s turn to have a Sprite. Whenever we come across one, he’s always attracted to the pop-up headlights and smiling-face grille. I found one in Bingen, WA, about 45 miles away from SCM World Headquarters in Portland, OR. An SCMer had owned the car for more than 20 years. It was painted a non-correct shade of British Racing Green and had a fiberglass hood. Along with painted wires, it had an oversized sump, an aluminum radiator, an electric fan and a “hot” 948-cc engine, with high-compression pistons and an upgraded camshaft. “At least 60 horsepower there,” according to the seller. $13,000 later, Bradley had his first car. It needs a gearbox overhaul and some other fixes, but overall it is very sound and I enjoyed the hourlong drive back to Portland. My plan is to have Bradley develop a checklist for the car, so that before we drive it, he knows to make sure the trickle charger is disconnected, and to check the tire pressures along with the oil and water levels. I’m having “rally-style” stickers made that have his name and mine, as piloto and co-piloto, for the side of the car. Yes, I know it will be years before he can actually operate the car. Further, I’m aware of just how foolhardy it would be to send him out in today’s traffic in such a primitive, dangerous car. However, I believe if you want a child to share your hobby, you plant the seed early so they grow up simply assuming old cars are a part of their life. I want him to go into the SCM basement and see “his car” whenever he wants to. I look forward to him going on imaginary trips with his friends in the car. Clearly, this car is as much a fantasy fulfillment of my own as it is the opening of a door for my son. But I’m a car guy, and I can’t think of a better thing to share with him than a Bugeye. It’s what ignited my love for the cars that have brought so many experiences into my life. And just maybe it will do the same for him. ♦