27th Annual Monterey Historic Automobile Races

But some, like the Argento (silver) Ferrari 360 Modena parked near a Lotus Europa racer, was someone's street car. Lucky them.

A pair of Lola T70 Sports Prototypes were joined by pair of Elva Sports Racers, one Lotus powered the other BMW engined.

Legendary BMW CSL, 320 Turbo and 2002 racing sedans were in the paddock, while in the Vendor Area BMW Motorsport showed off street and race cars like the Z08 and it's 507 inspiration, and an upcoming M3 alongside a 3 Series GT racer.

Carrol Shelby's latest Series I cars were also on display in the Vendor Area, with and without body panels. Rocker arm suspension and welded aluminum chassis are interesting. These together with composite bodywork help keep the weight down. As we know from the Elise vs Renault Spider, however, bonded Aluminum is a lot lighter than welded Aluminum.

Steve Saleen's S7 Sports Prototype was also in the Vendor Area across from the BMW tent, though I missed spotting it.

Touring the paddock at Laguna Seca, we happened to spot Sun International's Type R Elise surrounded by admiring Golden Gate Lotus Club members. We all took copious pictures and engaged in myriad "what if"s while admiring Tom Cahalane's handiwork. Tom earned a great reputation for the quality of his Renault R5 Turbo imports a few years ago, and he also helped organize local R5 Turbo club activities. R5 Turbos were in the Corral and one of Tom's Cosworth Escort rally cars was parked infield, so Tom had some history present too.

Tom's Type R Elise features a very neatly installed Honda B18C5 engine and transmission from an Acura Integra Type R. The gear ratios specified are standard for the Type R, but the horsepower is up from about 195 to 200. Tom reports his Type R has a lighter flywheel also. We all marvelled at the quality of the visible engine mount, which appeared to be of factory quality. The entire installation was very nicely done, including what was visible of the custom halfshaft installation. Tom expects to certify the car for road use in the U.S. at an asking price of about $55,000.

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