2009 Infiniti Essence

Showstoppers & Red Lights

Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 17—the date of the first Marin-Sonoma Concours d’Elegance, at the Marin Civic Center. This has the makings of a very significant show. Organized by the tireless Charlie Goodman, it will benefit Hospice By The Bay, of Marin. On May 16, there will be a pre-event drive through scenic western Marin, with an elegant picnic lunch from Il Davide of San Rafael included (go to marinsonomaconcours.org if you’d like to join the drive).

Geneva Motor Show

In spite of the well-known troubles in the auto industry, there’s still plenty of interest in exciting cars.

Each year the Geneva Auto Show is a gathering place for the world’s industry leaders. Because Switzerland produces no cars, it’s seen as neutral ground, where all brands meet on an equal footing.

This year, Infiniti (from Nissan) stole the show with its Essence design concept. Infiniti, which lagged Lexus when both were introduced twenty years ago in the U.S., is making up for lost time. Many experts see Infiniti as BMW’s biggest challenger. In a recent British road test comparison, the Infiniti G37 bested facing models from Audi and BMW!

The Infiniti brand is now being sold in Europe and in Russia. So, success in Geneva is noticed worldwide. The bold, coherent design, plus a 592-horsepower gasoline-electric power source, and a Louis Vuitton custom-fitted luggage set enable the Nissan Essence to earn the label “showstopper.”

The loser of the show is an ungainly looking SUV from Aston Martin. It’s called the Lagonda, reviving a fine old British name. As beautiful as most Aston Martins are, this Lagonda is hard to understand. Perhaps it will meet the demands of emerging markets in Russia and Asia.

We once reported on the Rolls Royce Phantom in this column.

Rolls Royce 200EX

You don’t see many of those in San Francisco because they really are a bit pretentious—a difficult fit in our market. But, a new, slightly smaller, and gentler looking Rolls Royce was shown at Geneva. The 200EX isn’t so much cheaper—that’s not the intention. But it’s more of an owner- rather than a chauffer-driven car. It’s handsome, but less imposing than the Phantom. Still a V12-powered car, it won’t delight the eco-minded. But it will find a market worldwide.

Concours d’Elegance

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, in Florida, is one of America’s top car shows. Winners are selected in two categories: Elegance and Sport. The Elegance winner this year was a 1931 Voisin C20 Demi-Berline, an extremely rare example of an obscure French make. The Sport trophy went to a 1923 Miller Special 122 Supercharged race car. Harry Miller was a Los Angeles race car constructor who was widely admired—and copied. One of those inspired by Miller was Ettore Bugatti, in France—a fact that makes some Bugatti fans uncomfortable.

Buick Blackhawk

On display at Amelia Island, but not entered for judging, was the Buick Blackhawk. A few years ago, the people at Buick wanted to create a special design project that distilled the essence of Buick. Several outside designers were interviewed. Steve Pasteiner, an independent designer in the Detroit area, was chosen to build the car he had designed.

On a modern V8 Buick chassis, it’s a retractable hardtop convertible that uses elements of design from Buicks of 1939 and 1940, but manages to look quite contemporary. So, it’s practical, but also a show stealer. Steve might build you one, for about the cost of an entry-level Ferrari.

Collector Car Auction

The auction house RM conducts a sale during the Amelia Island weekend. In spite of some economic nervousness, the Florida sale produced good results. Some examples include:

A beautifully restored 1911 Ford Model T roadster brought $33,000. The Model T was selected a few years ago as the most important car ever, because it put the world on wheels.

A sign of calm in the market for older Ferraris was marked by the sale of a very nice 1964 33GT 2+2 for $82,500. This was particularly interesting in light of the sale, six lots later, of a 1949 Cadillac convertible for $99,000.

A choicer Ferrari model, a 1959 250GT California Spider, made $1,975,000. Originally one of the most beautiful open cars ever made, these cars are civilized and exciting to drive, too.

Before you get all excited about the value of the family heirloom car in your garage, you must remember that all these auction cars are like new—or better. Often, the value of a fine old car barely covers the cost of a comprehensive restoration.

Red Light Cameras

There’s been a lot of talk in San Francisco about red light “runners” and red light cameras. The track record of other jurisdictions in this realm is instructive to understanding what’s really going on.

An Australian company, Redflex, is a major supplier of these cameras. The company typically makes a deal with a city in return for a cut of the revenues. When cities agree to shorten the duration of the yellow lights—and a number have been caught doing just that—revenues soar. Accidents also increase, especially rear-enders. Reports of these accidents have often been downplayed.

Here in California, courts that have found red light programs that violate the applicable laws have agreed to have their decisions unpublished, in order to prevent mass refunds.

In Georgia, a new law that mandates a one-second increase in yellow light duration caused revenues to plummet. There’s also evidence that requiring a reasonable duration for yellow lights decreases accidents. The Georgia law caused an eighty percent drop in violations in one major town.

In Arizona, it might be hard to clean up the red light camera scandal because there’s a ten percent surcharge on all traffic violations that goes to the “Citizens Clean Election Fund.” In 2008, $7 million was disbursed to lawmakers and candidates from the Fund.

If you’d like to know more, visit TheNewspaper.com. You may be shocked to learn how much deceit there is in such “law enforcement.”

Martin Swig is a former San Francisco new-car dealer who now presents the internationally-celebrated California Mille and other historic car events. As a free service to Gazette readers, he’ll offer suggestions on how to dispose of a cherished car. Call him at 415-479-9950.