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Scudera Ferrari
 The car stuff started once we were in Italy, about three weeks into the trip. We had to rent a Mercedes E320, the only car available that would hold the luggage, for our trip from Bologna to Maranello, and the Ferrari factory.
Our friend, journalist Graham Gauld, put me in touch with Brenda Vernor, who was secretary to Enzo himself. She was very helpful and got us an appointment with Jacopo Gessa of the Ferrari Maserati Image Service at the factory. We had a good visit and showed them some of the Ferrari and Maserati photographs we brought. They have plenty of Ferrari pictures but were interested in seeing more of the Maserati pictures.
 Could not swing a factory tour, unless we wanted to buy a Ferrari. Maranello is what you would expect being that the Ferrari factory is located there. Everything "Red" and prancing horses everywhere. The town motto is "Made in Red-Maranello". Our hotel was across the street from a three-story high column representing Enzo's achievements.
 From Maranallo we motored east to Modena to the Museo Stanguellini. I engaged in some animated semi-conversation with a delightful old gentleman named Vicario Arturo, who is the caretaker of the Museo. I guess they do not get a lot of visitors as he wanted to be sure I saw everything in the Museo. After making a trade of a book on Stanguellini for a couple of my vintage Stanguellini pictures, we were off to Milan and the train station.
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Our Dinner with Graham
 After a good night's sleep, I contacted my friend Graham Gauld, a pre-eminent automobile journalist, to meet with him for lunch.
He took Carole and me to The Automobile Club of Monaco, not the AAA type we have here, for what turned out to be the very best meal we had on the entire trip.
The restaurant had a dress code, jacket and tie. Having left these behind in a weight-trimming plan, I had neither. Graham very graciously brought them for me. The tie has the Ecurie Ecosse emblem of the Scottish Jaguar team on it.
Before we parted company I presented him with a 16" X 20" photograph of Jim Clark and Dan Gurney in the pits at Riverside in 1963. He gave me the tie, now a cherished possession.
 After our dinner with Graham, we walked some of the Grand Prix course and saw some of the familiar sights around the course. We did find time that night to do a spot of gambling at the famous Monte Carlo Casino. Not at all like Vegas, but very opulent. Definitely not like Vegas; they charge you 10 Euros just to get in. I tried to peek in around some curtains but they were quickly closed. We paid the dues and entered. Much to our surprise we come away with about 90 Euros of Price Albert's coins. We got lucky at one of his few slots.
Graham also went far beyond the call of duty by leading me to San Remo to return the car. He said it was only 15 minutes down the road. True, but it's 45 minutes up to the road and another 45 minutes down to San Remo.
Major problem now was the car rental office moved and no one knew where to. Several phone calls in Italian by Graham did get results. He then, by chance, spied the office a short distance down the street. Another problem solved to the tune of 4 hours, but who knows how long it would have taken me without Graham's Italian language skills and knowledge of San Remo.
Many thanks to you, Graham.
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The Watkins Glen Experience
Once settled in the RV back in the states, I carefully looked for eastern car stuff. Knowing we would be in the Finger Lakes region of New York, it was a no brainer to spend time at the cradle of sports car racing in America.
 As my friend, Michael T. Lynch, points out in his book, American Sports Car Racing in the 1950s, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix October 2, 1948, organized by a local resident, Cameron Argetsinger, marked the first post-WWII road race in the United States.
As we drove into Watkins Glen I did not realize that I was actually following part of the storied course itself. We went down the main street and turned right just past Watkins Glen State Park and went up a hill to find our night’s lodgings at an RV park.
The main street was where the start/finish line is located and the right turn is where the course headed out of town to follow its 6.6 miles of open road. Later we traced the complete course following the directions given to me by Bill Green and Mark Steigerwald of the International Motor Racing Research Center.
 Along the course there are sign posts identifying key points such as, Cornett’s Stone Bridge, School House Corner and Milliken’s Corner. I spent a long time at Milliken’s Corner where Bill Milliken flipped his Bugatti after coming down a tricky downhill straight into a sharp left then sharp right onto Main Street. That scene is now the background on my computer.
 You can feel the history along the entire 6.6 miles and almost see a Bugatti or Alfa or Maserati become airborne after crossing the railroad tracks at the four-mile mark.
The Research Center and a tour of the circuit are a must see if you are anywhere near Watkins Glen, New York.
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The Indianapolis Surprise
When we were in Indiana on our final trek west, I could not be that close to the great speedway without seeing it up close and personal.
The one time, "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," may have lost much of its spectacle, by not having all the current drivers together, but I’ll tell you "The Lady" herself is a truly awe-inspiring sight to see.
It comes as a surprise as you are driving on what seems to be a normal business street to all of a sudden be in the presence of this great gray structure. It is enormous and seems to go on forever.
You can almost hear the voice of Sid Collins from "The Pagoda." To think of all the legends that have raced there, and to be able to take a tour on the track itself was a very emotional time for me.
One reason for this is that I have never missed listening live on radio, or watching it live on movie or TV screens for the last 60 years straight. I even caught the beginning of the 2006 race in a pub in Dublin, Ireland on our trip. Our room did not get the TV channel that showed the race, so I went down to the hotel pub and convinced the barman to put the race on their set for me. Carole and I then watched the entire race over a very long dinner.
But the real surprise to me at the speedway was their great museum. A lot of historic roadsters, of course, but the real surprise was the non-Indy cars that were there. There are several Ferrari sport cars, the Bill Krause Riverside winning Birdcage Maserati and the great Mercedes Benz W196.
 And lastly, while touring the Gettysburg Battlefields, we came across a covey of Cobras. Of course, I heard them before I saw them. Those deep-throated rumblings were unmistakable. The group was lead by Wayne Patterson of Yardley, PA.
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Three more pictures to end with:
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| The railroad crossing on Watkins Glen original road course |
Carole and me at the Cliffs of Teelin, Slieve League, County Donegal, Ireland
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And the two of us at my favorite architectural wonder, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home "Fallingwater" near Mill Run, Pennsylvania |
I hope you have made it to the end. If you have, many thanks for your effort and interest. I am not a wordsmith but have tried to give you a little feeling for our very special trip with the highlights of the Ferrari Factory, Monaco, Goodwood, Indy and Watkins Glenn.
Web Designer Lisa Kuhn and I are planning an up-date to the web site in the near future. I will be sending out a note to let you know when we have completed it. We will be putting up more pictures at that time.
Until the next time, keep the dreams alive,
Allen R. Kuhn
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