Volume 6, Issue 4 - July/August 1999

Mineral Springs Ride & Spa

article and photos by carlos amato

on may 29 - 30 a group of 15 ferraris joined us for the mineral springs weekend in the santa ynez valley near san luis obispo, ca. the event took the group through some of the best ferrari driving back roads in southern california, to places only known to those who seriously scout the valleys in search of desolated strips of winding asphalt, preferably with many elevation changes and smooth banked curves.

we started early in the morning at the ihop in valencia, off the 5 freeway. after having breakfast, and disclosing to all participants the detailed plan of our drive to the resort, the group took off. the day was overcast with a light morning drizzle. nevertheless all cars showed up for the drive.

the group included two daytona coupes, one daytona spider, a 288 gto, 250 lusso, a 355, 512 tr, 512 m, 330 gt, 330gt 2+2, 328gts, 308gtsi, 308gtb, mondial coupe, mondial cabriolet, etc....

after about three and a half hours of driving with gusto through some of the most amazing roads in the area, we arrived in santa maria where richard and joanie cole, together with two other local club members and their respective cars, led the group through very interesting back roads to our lunch destination at the famous jocko's in nipomo.

we arrived at the restaurant around noon and found out that one of the cars had a flat tire and got stranded about 20 miles back, in the middle of the santa ynez. when the luggage was removed from the trunk the owner found out that he had no spare. as the group sat down to lunch i volunteered to go back, with a borrowed spare from a 328 we thought would fit the 355. (hey, it was the closest thing available?.) as i proceeded to unload the tire from my car i found out that the 355 was also not carrying the jack and tool kit. fortunately, i had mine, but the tire did not fit and i had to go back and call a flat bed truck. this guy would not make it back to the resort until almost 9:30 that night! (when we said to check all essentials prior to the trip we were not kidding.) then, try finding a tire for a 355 in santa maria on a holiday weekend.... luckily, richard cole was able to provide the 355's owner with a 400i coupe for the rest of the weekend.

the sycamore mineral springs had it all: reserved ferrari parking with security, private spas in each room with hot mineral spring water from the resort well, private masseuse, wonderful grounds to walk around the forest, a great bar, hot tubs scattered up the hillside and even some suites with private garages.

a cocktail party and dinner were hosted in the resort's private room, where everyone shared the day's adventures and some more stories. after dinner those who did not get enough during the day stayed and watched ferrari videos and enjoyed more war stories.

the next morning we got our wake-up calls and a light breakfast delivered to each room. we then met for our morning drivers' meeting where the instructions for the drive to our brunch destination were discussed. once again, richard and joanie cole led the group to the rancho sisquoc winery after filling up at his very own chevron gas station. after a private wine tasting session, we were pampered once again by the fine food of chef rick. with souvenirs purchased and more stories told, it was time to return t

President's Corner

by marv landon

thank you all for the chance to lead the f.c.a. southwest region. we, the new officers and board, along with our committee heads, have a challenge to continue the club's growth and spirit of camaraderie we all have grown to enjoy.

the club's history is quite impressive, 500 members in just a few years, plus financial strength brought by sound management of funds and events.

our calendar is filled with wonderful events ranging from concours to auto repair and restoration garages, museums, ride and drives, track events and school driving opportunities, plus a host of other activities.

as we go through the next two years, i will focus on preserving our financial management, while keeping our club running by sticking to the by-laws. i will support michael yedor, as he leads the way to 2002 where we will host the nationals in century city. this promises to be a world class event under michael's direction and he needs our help.

come and join us the second saturday of each month at 9:00 am, when we plan the club's activities. we meet at the stick & stein restaurant, located at 707 north sepulveda boulevard, el segundo, ca. the club provides breakfast.

one of the best ways to enjoy our cars is with other enthusiasts, and enjoy them we do.

the following is a list of the new board members:

board members

wally clark chairman
marvin landon president
michael yedor vice president
murray cogan secretary
alan woodward dealer representative/treasurer
bill ingles events chairman
marshall leib show promotions
tino mingori rides and drives
walter meyer board member
carlos amato board member

committee heads

tom brockmiller - events chairman
rose cogan - advertising
judd goldfeder - national advisor
kevork hazarian - track chairman
brian quadt - membership chairman
carolyn quadt - membership chairperson
don west - concours chairman
cy yedor - finance chairman
demetri n. zafiris - club office

Congratuations to Tino Mingori

congratuations to tino mingori.

at the june fca/sw board meeting, bill inglis presented tino mingori with an award to commorate his recent receipt of a prestigious national award.

enscribed upon the presentation:

we the board of directors of the ferrari club of america, southwest region recognize our fellow member, tino mingori for receiving the outstanding honor of being elected as a fellow to the american institute of aeronautics and astronautics. we all extend our congratulations to you in sincere admiration of your career in education and engineering.

Calabasas to Malibu Run and Picnic

article by michael greenwald

photos courtesy bill inglis

a.k.a our third non-stop trip to the beach with nearly eighty ferraris tracing the double yellow line of mulholland drive with the left fron wheel wishing that this could be our daily commute where stop signs and bystanders turn green with envy?

on sunday morning june 27, 1999, the parking lot at the beautiful commons center was anything but common. the parking lot came alive with over 75 beautiful ferraris and about 160 enthusiastic guests which meant that our third annual malibu run and picnic was about to begin. everyone had coffee, juice and a baguette from the corner bakery and enjoyed the incredible collection of beautiful prancing stallions. the early sign ups got their commemorative beach towels. just before 11:00 am the l.a.p.d. and sheriffs arrived to help with traffic and at 11:00 sharp we left the commons.

we enjoyed a beautiful drive through mulholland to kanan and then to pacific coast highway. this year's drive was almost twice as long as last year's. the c.h.p. was at the key intersections to assist us on our drive. before you knew it we were at the historic adamson house with it's lush lawns and incredible ocean views for a great picnic lunch prepared by the fabulous monrose catering. most of us toured the house while our cars were being watched over by the california state park rangers.

what a day?ferraris?great people?great surroundings?a fun drive?and more ferraris. this event would not be possible without a lot of help. our gratitude to our special friends at the l.a.p.d. west valley division, officer joe jakl at l.a. sheriffs, officer dwight mcdonald at c.h.p., ranger lynette falk at california rangers and the rest of my support team. thanks also to marshall leib for rounding up fca members to participate on this drive. without the help of all these committed people this event would never come together.

malibu run number four will be in june 2000, so watch for the details and hope you all enjoyed the day. for any other information or early sign up call michael at 818 368-0096.

Low Flying Ferraris

article by marshall leib photos by earl gandel

the museum of flying at the santa monica airport hosted more than 45 ferraris and 110 participants in a wonderful display of automotive and aeronautical excellence on sunday, august 8. cars were scattered among the museum's beautifully restored warbirds in and outside the hangar. the planes included wwii p-51's, spitfires, a p-47 and a zero.

event chairman marshall leib proclaimed the event a big success, as did museum programs director marilyn mcpoland. ms. mcpoland sent a complimentary letter to marshall, thanking the club and all member-participants, citing the three television stations that covered it, as well as the extensive press coverage the show received.

an unusual but instructive part of the day's activities, which included a catered lunch from burger & pie, was a demonstration by juan macias of indepen dent, specializing in automotive paintless dent removal. (kids, don't try this at home!) singled out for thanks by marshall are cindy landa, shin takei, fred bogardus and toni thomas. also a sincere thank you to john gilbert, museum historian, for his work on making this event successful.

shin takei, wally clark, don west, museum programs director marilyn mcpoland, cindy landa and marshall leib were instrumental in organizing this fun event.

the fca/sw took over the museum of flying both inside and outside by parking among the vintage planes. many spectators visit the museum on weekends, and they enjoyed looking at our wide variety of cars.

News from the FCA Southwest Region - Arizona

dear fca members,

we have updated our fca arizona web site today to include the recent drive and ride to jerome and sedona. we have still photos and videos submitted by jeff bootz. we also received an e-mail from brady dohrmann, a guest who attended the event, and we have a link to his site which has a great review of the whole event with photos. thanks to all who attended and hope those who missed this event will attend the next one probably in september.

best regards,
dave swock
www.fca-az.org