As we wrap up Classic Car Week here at GTM, some of you might be wondering why a group of petrol-heads like us decided to follow the Classic Car Club of America – Colonial Region, on their 5-day Spring Tour. I can hear you all now: “That’s not a motorsport! It’s not racing!” – well… you’re *wrong.* SCCA actually defines what these folks do as “Road Rally” and it is a sanctioned Motorsport. #classiccarweek
Road Rally is “a scenic drive with a purpose, a chance to enjoy a day with a friend, the least expensive form of motorsport,” according to the website. And I will tell you, it has to be one of the most intense types of Motorsport I’ve ever participated in.
So what makes Road Rally a Motorsport? Aren’t these folks just driving around the countryside and stopping to eat at fancy restaurants? Not quite. As a kid growing up in PCA, my parents used to participate in Road Rallies, and I never appreciated how difficult they can be until now. The rally organizers spend countless hours finding interesting stopping points and test driving the route. There are meticulous calculations going on to keep the route and drivers safe and using as little of the highway as possible. The drivers themselves use all sorts of “gadgets” to help them track time, distance, speed and even fuel consumption – even though the cars are equipped with gauges, they aren’t always 100% accurate. It’s all pretty stressful.
On any given day, drivers are up early prepping their cars and getting ready for an 8:30am start time. The cars line up together and set out for a 10-12 hour trek. This rally was designed as a “hub and spoke” (instead of a “point-to-point”) where a base hotel was used as headquarters and all drivers would return there each night. Thankfully the weather was in our favor with very little rain and cooler temperatures which these cars prefer and which kept everyone from having overheating issues. We averaged somewhere in the neighborhood of 125+ miles per day; which, for cars from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s is a lot!
If you were following us throughout the week on instagram @grantouringmotorsports #ccca2019springtour you will see glimpses from all the places we stopped along the tour. But as a recap, here is the list of spots we traveled to:
- Classic Auto Sport Refinishing
- Motion Promotions – Piper Private Collection
- Virginia Museum of the Civil War
- Southern Kitchen
- Shenandoah Caverns
- Route 11 Chips
- Meems Bottom Covered Bridge
- Backroom Brewery
- Mt. Pleasant Farm – Private Collection
- Boxwood Estate Winery
- Middleburg Tennis Club
- Mt. Defiance Cider Barn
- National Sporting Library & Museum
- The Red Fox Inn & Tavern
- “Peace and Plenty” and other fine Southern Homes
- White Post Restorations
- Burwell-Morgan Mill, Carter Hall & “Bunny” Mellon’s House
- Hunter’s Head Tavern
- Milldale Farm – Private Collection
- Region’s 117
- Early American Auto Repair
Admittedly, modern Road Rally events are considerably easier than what the CCCA does because of the types vehicles being used. Participating in this sport using Classic Automobiles is akin to going to the track with vintage formula cars from the ’50s and ’60s. These cars aren’t race cars, these are luxury vehicles made of the finest materials and craftsmanship of the time. As Matt Y’s recent article summarizes, these manufacturers were the leaders of the world at that time. Struggling to reach 60-mph on the larger roads – unless you have “a real hot rod” like Allen R’s ’33 Packard Phaeton or Gunther H’s ’37 Packard Super 8 – it makes the rally a bit more challenging. Most of the cars on this tour were more comfortable cruising at 35-40 mph – which is close to the speed limits of the roads on the route – and means lots of time on the road. Having been given the opportunity to drive Gunther’s Packard, I learned *quickly* that even though the mechanics of driving a car with an 82 year old manual transmission wasn’t much different than my modern daily, the steering and brakes were something else! #savethemanual.
By the end of the first day I realized that the parallels between other kinds of motorsport and Road Rally are grounded firmly in the “car culture” we all appreciate. The similarities between these adventurers and the trackrats is closer than you’d think. Road Rally’ers are constantly worried about how the car will hold up, weather conditions, making sure the vehicle is in top shape before, during, and after a trip, and knowing which tools and spare parts to have on hand or what stores might carry something they need. Since ethanol-free gas is getting harder to find, even fuel consumption becomes an issue. And if something does go awry (and this week was no exception) the drivers come to each others’ aid in an instant. #fellowship – Where does one go to get a “inner-tube tire” serviced?
So, I heard you’re running out to buy a Classic now? … Ha! – As many of you know, I am of the VW/Audi/Porsche clan, so maybe a vintage Karmann-Ghia or 356 is in my future, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the sophistication and luxury that brands like Packard and Cadillac provide. I did ask many of the folks on this trip why they chose what they have (some with multiple classics). Bob Montague said it best: “People drive what they remember”. But when asked, “What’s a good starter classic?” the answer always seemed to be “get a Model-A Ford“ – even though technically it’s not considered a classic, it is a gateway to other vehicles.
I was fortunate to be able to ride with almost all the drivers and learn their stories: some tragic, some romantic and everything in between. Yes, compared to our normal audience, the demographics of the Classic Car Club are much higher than we’re used to. But their love for automobiles, enthusiasm, the stories and the jokes made it all feel like one of our events. #foreshadowing. This trip did include “some new blood” (people under 60) and was a great opportunity for all of us to share and learn from our respective motorsports disciplines. The CCCA folks were just as interested in HPDE, Time Trials, and Club Racing as I was in their restorations and Road Rallies.
Spending nearly an entire day with Colonial Region president Gunther Hoyt was enlightening as well as entertaining – so many laughs! #getoffmylawn. Alan Becker was a treasure trove of information about the club as well as the history of Packards. I enjoyed chatting with Bob Powell and finally seeing his near complete Powell Pickup. The Perrin’s educated me on the “Knight Engines” and Bob Montague helped me to better understand the significance of many of the places we were visiting in middle-Virginia. Being able to sit with Alan Merkel and listen to him recount the passionate 25 year journey it took to personally restore his gorgeous V16 Cadillac was as awe inspiring as the car. I loved the enthusiasm that the Duke’s brought to every place we visited and how regal it felt to ride with Myles White in his V12 Packard. Thanks again to the Anderson’s for opening their home to us for a tour and brunch. And to Allen “wild man” Richards who was a great bridge between the past and the present. I could go on-and-on and my notebook is full of anecdotes and memories which I will cherish. I certainly can’t capture the entire tour in just one article, but you can definitely learn more by browsing through all the pictures from the event & a handful of videos
I can’t thank all the members of the Colonial Region CCCA enough for being so welcoming, and letting me spend time with them and capture all the different aspects of the tour. We at GTM wish all the drivers the best and here’s to more terrific tours! We hope to see many of you again soon!!
And lets not forget that a special round of applause is definitely needed for GTM’s Mountain Region member Matt Y for putting in so much time/effort into organizing, planning and making this tour a huge success. Thank You again Matt!
