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Showing posts from October, 2017

Visiting the Marconi Automotive Museum - a hidden gem

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Imagine a place where you could house all of your favorite cars that have ever come into your possession under one roof.  Make that roof the size of a warehouse with plenty of space to walk around, and have them on display for all of your friends and family to enjoy. Surround them with period-specific decor, and keep everything clean and spotless - not just the cars, but the floors too.  Throw in some background music and bam, it's a bonafide dream garage. What did I just walk into...and how long can I stay? The Marconi Automotive Museum & Foundation for Kids is such a place, and then some.  Founded by Dick Marconi in 1994, he combined two of his great passions - cars and community - to be able to give back to children's charities while giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy his rare and vintage collection. With more than 75 vehicles at a value adding up in the tens of millions of dollars, all the cars belong to the foundation, with the proceeds of admissions ...

OC Auto Show 2017: Recap

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The Orange County Auto Show has always been special to me for several reasons.  First, it happens to be one of the earliest car shows to hit the national circuit and thus signals that we are officially underway with the roll-out of the new model year.  Second, it serves itself up as a nice appetizer to the much more notable Los Angeles International Auto Show that arrives in December, which is about three times the size of the OC show and garners much fanfare.  But most importantly to me, the O.C. Auto show was the first car show I ever went to, when in my childhood my keenly aware father first took my sister and I back in 1994. Gathering up every make and model's brochure I could get my hands on for my collection, I was in heaven. Now over twenty years later I still get that feeling of anticipation and excitement when I enter those hall doors to this day. Auto shows give prospective buyers a chance to compare manufacturers' offerings side by side, all under one roo...