Peter Pleitner has a great philosophy about classic cars ― drive them! Sure, it’s wonderful to see great old cars in museums or car shows, but nothing beats getting behind the wheel of one on a beautiful day and taking off through the countryside. That’s why Peter issued an open invitation to join him on Sunday, July 10th for a drive out to the Gilmore Car Museum’s annual Mad Dogs and Englishmen British Car Faire. My wife, Patti, and I joined him at the Lighthouse Café in Dexter MI at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast along with seven other stalwarts.
We had four open cars and three coupes. Here’s our line-up parked in Dexter (from the far left) — Erin Lindsay Garzaniti’s 1963 289 Cobra (the real thing), Bill Black’s 1960 MGA, Peter Pleitner’s 1965 E-Type Coupe, my 1967 MGB GT, Dean Mericas’ 1965 TR4, Conrad Zumhagen’s 1966 Sunbeam Tiger, and Bill Milliken’s 1967 Ferrari 330GT 2+2. Dean’s co-pilot was John Russell. Conrad’s cockpit mate was a young lady from Japan, who is studying in this country. She is very fond of classic cars, particularly American muscle cars. She was in a perfect vehicle for a British car show — an English roadster with American muscle under the hood.
Photo by Peter Pleitner
Erin Lindsay and Brittany Garzaniti were also along in Erin’s gorgeous 1963 289 Cobra. She bought it in 1999, spent a year having it restored, and after displaying it at LA’s Petersen Car Museum, brought it back here and drives it regularly (see photo below left). It was a warm, beautiful day and perfect for a cruise on the back roads through the Michigan countryside (see phot below right).
On arrival, they gave our convoy a special parking spot behind the Hudson barn. Peter, Erin, and Conrad decided to exhibit their cars. No surprisingly, Erin’s Cobra received a Blue Ribbon!
We thought that Peter got “Lucassed” — people who own British cars understand the verb tense. However, his after-market cooling fan motor decided not to work as we were arriving at the show. By leaving the bonnet unlatched (allowing a one-inch open gap with the safety catch), the Jaguar had no overheating problems on the spirited drive home with the Cobra and the Tiger. We decided to leave a little early with Dean, John, and Bill in a smaller convoy for the drive home. It was a great day and the first time that Patti had gone on one of these expeditions with me. Judging from the terrific time that we had, I don’t think it will be her last!
We decided to leave a little early with Dean, John, and Bill in a smaller convoy for the drive home. It was a great day and the first time that Patti had gone on one of these expeditions with me. Judging from the terrific time that we had, I don’t think it will be her last!
All photos by Patti Valentine except where noted.