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CALIFORNIA MILLE A TEST OF WILLS, HEART AND WALLET 
29 September 2000

Note: all figures quoted are in U.S. dollars

NAPA VALLEY, Calif--"It wasn't that long ago that this race was all about meeting at the (Golden Gate) Bridge, getting in the cars and going like hell for as long as we could. It's not quite like that anymore," Scott McClenahan says, wearing just the trace of a nostalgic smile. Or was that a mischievous smile?

I'm not quite certain, as we sit chatting in the brilliant spring sunshine of California's Napa Valley. We are savoring the last of a sumptuous breakfast hosted by Arturo Keller, the owner of Pyramids Winery and a man who earned millions making car seat covers in Mexico. Imagine the breakfast buffet in Heaven and you get the picture. Not just the food, either. The Pyramids Winery, barely a boutique operation right now -- though there are plans to begin producing several thousand cases of Pinto Noir and Chardonnay on the grounds very soon -- has its main buildings pitched on a bluff overlooking vineyards in every direction. 

But today we're less interested in grapes than gear oil. Along those lines, the Pyramids is an excellent setting to welcome nearly 200 car fanatics. You see, Keller owns one of the largest private collection of vintage Mercedes-Benz automobiles in the world -- more than two dozen in all. They are spread out among three climate controlled garages, with a full scale auto restoration shop in the middle. Perfect, I thought, when we first arrived and were invited to wander through Keller's collection, which, by the way, is not open to the public. What a way for us to start the first of spring four days (May 1-4) driving in the 10-year-old California Mille! 

For me, it's my first time to the Mille, a 1,000 mile rally of vintage cars that pays homage to the original Mille Miglia. The latter was founded in 1927 and run until 1957 as a highly competitive endurance race driven by the world's fastest drivers in Italy. In 1977 Mille was revived as a rally for collector cars and it is now held annually in the spring. What makes the California Mille particularly unique is that it's the only North American tour officially recognized by the Mille Miglia organization in Brescia, Italy. This time in California there are 69 vintage entries, ranging from a terribly rare 1918 Straker-Squire Brooklands Racer that won 13 of its 19 official starts before 1922, to an equally rare Jaguar "D" Type racer driven by Britain's legendary Sterling Moss at the 1954 24 Hours of LeMans.

Like most of the rally-goers, Straker-Squire father-son owners Richard and Jonathon Proctor of Stockport, England decline to put a price tag on their car. But a fair guess is that it's worth a hundred thousand dollars or so. On the other hand, "D" Type Jag owner Terry Larson reluctantly confesses that he paid 750,000 British pounds for his car, and if he sold it today he thinks he'd get twice that. But Mesa, Arizona-resident Larsen insists we shouldn't look for it on the auction block in his lifetime. Larsen is North America's leading Jaguar restoration expert and he organizes small tours for fellow "C" and "D" Type owners. So this particular car is as much a part of his life as wife Darlene, his co-driver on this rally.

But the truth is, each of the entries comes with its own wonderful story and all of them are valuable -- the stories and the cars. There is the 1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix car that was raced until 1939. It has since been completely restored and raced anew to a fourth place finish last August at the California's famous Monterey Historics. Current owner Rick Rawlins of Newport Beach, Calif., and his co-diver, wife Lucy, are well-known for their serious driving and the 12-hour parties they host in the paddock at the Historics.

My wife, Donna, who is my co-driver in the XKR provided for us by the Mille's sponsor, Jaguar North America (all 370 supercharged horsepower of it, I might add), insists that I find Karine and Brian Dietz of Los Angeles and their 1952 Allard J2X. Their car, which has been in the family for three decades, is a gorgeous two-seat roadster that was completely restored less than two years ago. Painted in stunning bright red, the Allard drips of shiny chrome and obvious loving care. But equally entertaining are the Dietz's matching vintage slickers, scarves, racing hats and goggles. Right out of the movies and a pure hoot to see as they drive past.

The 1957 Jaguar XKSS driven by Jerry and Katherine Neil of Brookfieldd, Wis., is also a treat. It is not so much pretty as rugged, as this race car was originally meant to be. 

"We're serious car people," says Jerry, whose garage also houses 10 other collector cars with a total value of well over a million dollars. That IS serious. No surprise that they drive in three or four major rallies every year, always looking for tours with like-minded folks. 

But everyone here is most definitely serious; they have spent $US4,700 for the right to drive this Mille. That buys them a route book, not to mention five nights of luxurious hotel accommodations, three gourmet meals each day, mechanical assistance and a California Highway Patrol escort. But it doesn't pay for fuel, repairs or whatever preparations went into getting their cars ready. And for most, that represents no small investment.

Unless, of course, you are Bruce Carnachan, whose car "is not restored, just maintained." By Bruce himself. His powder blue 1954 Jaguar XK120, with "274,000 miles on the clock and still going strong," is his everyday driver back home in Glendale, Calif., where he lives with wife and co-driver Charlene. When Bruce invites me to pilot the XK120, I'm thrilled.

As I climb behind the wheel, Bruce tells me the 120 is the car he uses to pull Ferraris with. "Nothing unreliable about it," he says, alluding to the notoriously poor reputation of Jags for much of the last three decades. Then he adds: "This car can go. I've run it to 134 miles per hour (on tracks) at El Mirage and 129.6 mph at Riverside."

My biggest challenge driving the 120 is to get the ball of my foot on the clutch pedal. This is an act that, in this low, narrow cockpit, requires me to bend my left leg in several unnatural directions at once. Bruce, a retired shop teacher, driving instructor, police officer and veteran who served as a tail gunner in China during World War II, seems to take real pleasure in telling me about his roadster.

"Bought it in '57 for $2,200 from an insurance adjuster who paid $3,875 for it brand new in '54. Driven it everywhere -- in rallies, at Laguna Seca (raceway) -- and never spun out. Although one time back in '63 I thought I was going to put it in the creek when I got a (tire) puncture on Elizabeth Lake Canyon Road (in Southern California)."

Somehow I manage to avoid putting Bruce's car in a creek myself, even though it starts to rain as we approach Redding, Calif. at the end of a first day which started at the luxurious Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Redding's Red Lion Inn, where we will spend the night, is a step down from the Fairmont, the site of our pre-rally dinner and driver's meeting. What a sight it was to see all the cars, mostly roadsters, lined up outside the hotel's front door. Bugatti's, Alfa Romeos, Jaguars, Ferraris, Porshes, MGs, BMWs, Bentleys and more, virtually all from the '30s, '40s and '50s. 

But at this moment, I'm thinking of just one vintage car and how proud I am of keeping Bruce's XK120 safe on rain-slick pavement. The car's skinny tires and long nose were the least of my worries, though. The bigger challenge had to do with my head poking out above the windscreen. In order to drive through the rain without being blinded, I had to tuck down low enough to kiss the steering wheel - which is about the size of a Hula Hoop, and lacks power assist. Thanks, Bruce.

And so the days go by. Up at 7 a.m. for a lavish breakfast, on the road by 8:30 a.m. for another 250 miles of driving. Day two takes us through the Shasta-Trinity National Forests, south to Red Bluff, then east to the port town of Eureka, a commercial and lumbering centre in California's northwest. One of the more interesting local sights is Fort Humboldt, at one time headquarters for Ulysses S. Grant, before he became head of the Civil War Union Army, then later president. Day three takes us south to Mendocino County and the wonderful Little River Inn. I could spend a week or a month at this inn, with its astonishing view of Pacific Ocean waves crashing against the shore. If you go, bring golf clubs to play the delightful nine hole course just behind the inn. Finally, our last day takes us back to the Napa Valley, where that night we will dine on catered gourmet dishes at Domaine Chandon, a winery well-regarded for its champagne. One thousand miles, the vast majority of it on twisty back roads with little traffic.

Truthfully, when I think of the rally now, I realize the days went by in a blur. So much gorgeous California scenery -- the redwoods, the coastline-- so many conversations, so much rolling automotive history. Truly overwhelming. No wonder at least half of my fellow drivers had done the California Mille twice or more. Even today, little pieces of the trip revisit me at quiet times, or when I'm bored in some business meeting or other. 

For instance, there was Gino Munaron, who drove for the great Enzo Ferrari himself in Formula 1 racing. Gino told me all the history of the Italian Mille, and he should know. His father drove in the first Mille in 1927 and Gino himself drove it several times just after the war, and also several times more recently in the modern Mille Miglia. His favorite memory? Sterling Moss winning the 1955 rally in just over 10 hours, averaging 98 miles an hour over twisty, mountainous, broken Italian roads.

My favorite memory of the California Mille is of the Proctors, who came all the way from England to nurse their 1918 Straker-Squire the full 1,000 miles. No mean feat, that. Most mornings they started late, after working into the night making repairs. Donna and I even helped them in a roadside search for a tire that spun off their left rear rim as they rounded a corner. We had to find the tire; it was the only one they had, and a replacement could only be bought in Britain. After a 45-minute search, we spotted the tire in a tree, by the way. And there was the magneto (now known as an alternator or generator in modern cars) that kept causing endless problems, though it ultimately survived.

"It was touch and go there for awhile, so we are feeling rather cheerful that we did it," said Jonathon Proctor, beaming a Jack Daniels grin late on the last night.

Here's to you, Jonathon, and all you other Mille rally drivers.

IF YOU WANT TO GO RALLYING

June 7-10: 2000 La Carrera Nevada
A vigorous, three-day, 1000-mile driving tour of North & Central Nevada, honoring the La Carrera Panamericana. Open to any historically correct production car, foreign or domestic, built in 1954 or before. Entry fee $US2,000 per car.

September 14-23: 2000 Cannonball Baker Classic
An eight-day tour on the "blue roads" between New York and San Francisco. Open to any car built in '71 or earlier, plus the actual cars that participated in the original "Run" between 1971-79. Entry fee $5,000 per car.

October 12-15: 20000 California Mini Mille
A three-day, 700-mile tour through the central section of California. Open to any and all interesting cars built before '72. Entry fee $US2,000.

April 29-May 3: 2001 California Mille
Open to cars appropriate to the Mille Miglia, i.e., 1957 vintage or older. Also to American cars of that same era that might have run in an American Mille had there been one. Entry fee TBA.

For entry forms or further information about the California Mille or similar driving events, contact Dan Radowicz at 415-2892-2703 or 925-736-8462. Or by fax, 415-292-2790 or 925-736-2823.

WHERE WE STAYED

Fairmont Hotel
950 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA
415-772-5000
415-781-4027

Red Lion Inn
1830 Hilltop Drive
Redding, CA
530-221-8700
530-224-6629 fax 

Eureka Inn
7th and F Streets
Eureka, CA
707-442-6441
707-442-0637 fax

Little River Inn
N. Highway 1
Little River, CA
888-466-5683
707-937-3944 fax

Villagio Inn and Spa
6841 Washington Street
Yountville, CA
800-351-1133
707-944-0937 fax

The Details:

Travel: Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from the rally starting point, for both themselves and their cars, including airport transfers.
Weather: Unpredictable, so dress in layers.
Luggage: Luggage trucks carry participants' bags from hotel to hotel.
Mechanics and towing: A mechanic travels with the rally, but will provide only 30 minutes of help to get a failing car back on the road. A flatbed truck sweeps the route and transports any undriveable car to the next significant town, where the owner is expected to arrange for the car's transportation. Organizers, through sponsorship from Jaguar Cars, offer a limited number of loaner vehicles for participants to finish the route.
Support vehicles or crew: Rally drivers are not allowed to provide their own support vehicles or crew.
Security: Provided for all vehicles at all scheduled overnight stops.

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