What happened to the Mulholland "King of the Hill" RSR?

[pieterk]

Jeff, and notfarnow,

Was the VW/Porsche dealership in Santa Monica? Do you remember the year it opened?

The father of a good friend of mine--whom I'm also friends with--was the parts dept. manager at one of the original VW/Porsche dealers here in LA in the early/mid 60s, but I always forget if it was downtown or in Santa Monica.

Dennis Suter is his name.

Originally posted by notfarnow
I know this is before the era of this thread, but didn't Phil Hill have some history with International Motors when he was first getting started in TCs and XK120s?

[47Hammer]

Wasn't that dealership in Hermosa Beach?

[notfarnow]

Pieter, I'd be the last person to know. I'm just a fascinated spectator on the other side of the continent.

I read that someone from International Motors captured tons of 50s era racing footage on 16mm. Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Gurney, Shelby, Balchowski (SP?) at various SoCAl tracks & events. Going to be released on DVD.

[pieterk]

Originally posted by 47Hammer
Wasn't that dealership in Hermosa Beach?

That would have been Vasek Polak's, right? Maybe that was the first? According to this, it was, in 1959.

All well before my time, so I really don't know though.

[pieterk]

Jake, do you know who's compiling the footage and producing the DVD? Is it a local group?

Do they want any help? (I'm an editor after all!)

In fact, if anyone should happen to have any actual archival footage from Mulholland or elsewhere relevant to this thread, let's put something together.

[Jeff Hail]

Originally posted by pieterk
Jeff, and notfarnow,

Was the VW/Porsche dealership in Santa Monica? Do you remember the year it opened?

The father of a good friend of mine--whom I'm also friends with--was the parts dept. manager at one of the original VW/Porsche dealers here in LA in the early/mid 60s, but I always forget if it was downtown or in Santa Monica.

Dennis Suter is his name.

International Motors was known as Roger Barlows International Motors and was on Sunset. Race car driver Ken Miles was the Service Manager back then and yes Dennis later was the parts manager. They sold Healeys, MGs, Jags and then the story gets weird. von Neumann was a salesman at Barlows and had a stake in it. von was also racing MG's, Porsche's and Ferraris then. Porsche was having much wins and offered him an "official" dealer on the west coast. When that Barlow deal dissolved von Nuemann opened up Competition Motors. In 1957 a Ferrari franchise was also opened up there. Update: International was selling competition Porsche cars in the South Bay before road going versions were available) -then von Nuemann opened Competition. (smart guy)

In the middle of this madness Vasek Polak opened up his Porsche dealership in Hermosa Beach in ( I think 1959). Vasek previously had owned his own independent repair shop in Hermosa. He was was also a mechanic for von Nuemann. Vasek was awarded the Porsche dealer by von Nuemann/ McAfee's ties with the factory. Vasek moved his dealership in 1969' to 356 S. Sepulveda Blvd in Manhattan Beach.

My aunt claims that is where the original von Neumann dealer was. I thought was Manhattan Beach. She is 93 and mind is a bit fuzzy. (looks like she was right after talking with Carl Thompson)

Another Porsche dealership popped up and that was Continental Motors. All the same guys (von Neumann, Weill, Goldfarb, Hoffman) were in on this one to. If I am correct this was the downtown L.A. location. Trans Ocean Motors was another with Fullmer. Tom Nuckles Porsche was in Pasadena.
In 1971 von Neumann pulled out of the dealerships altogether.

Chick Vandagriff's Hollywood Sports Cars has been often confused with Competition Motors (Dealer on Cahuenga and mech shop at 1219 Vine Street). Competition Motors also had a second building in the Valley on Ventura Blvd.

Some of the this information may be vague and names crossed but its as close as I can get. I love listening to my aunt about this history but she gets confusing and my head is spinning.

[Jeff Hail]

Originally posted by notfarnow
I know this is before the era of this thread, but didn't Phil Hill have some history with International Motors when he was first getting started in TCs and XK120s?

This thread is amazing, by the way. We're in the middle of a snowstorm here, and I'm reading about Mullholand racing as though my neighbors are having a chat. Great stuff.

Yes-Phil was sponsored by I.M. Phil made the original Testarosa famous. His winning car went on to sell for something like 6.5 million at auction.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Jeff Hail
Yes-Phil was sponsored by I.M. Phil made the original Testarosa famous. His winning car went on to sell for something like 6.5 million at auction.

Just went back through some of my old Road and Tracks... when Phil Hill was starting out, he was a wrench at I.M. That's very early on... back when he was racing an Alfa 2900 and driving to races in his aunt's big old packard.

pierterk,
Jeff mentioned the name Roger Barlow, I'm pretty sure some of his 16mm footage is in that DVD I was talking about... the name rings a bell. I read about it online or in one of my magazines. I'll do some googling to see what I can find on that. Again, that stuff was 50's era.

[Jeff Hail]

Originally posted by notfarnow
Just went back through some of my old Road and Tracks... when Phil Hill was starting out, he was a wrench at I.M. That's very early on... back when he was racing an Alfa 2900 and driving to races in his aunt's big old packard.

pierterk,
Jeff mentioned the name Roger Barlow, I'm pretty sure some of his 16mm footage is in that DVD I was talking about... the name rings a bell. I read about it online or in one of my magazines. I'll do some googling to see what I can find on that. Again, that stuff was 50's era.

Yes- same Roger Barlow. Producer, writer, director, photographer, exotic car dealer. This guy had his hands in everything. Roger was big on 16mm film especially for car racing.

He regularly wrote for Autoweek Magazine up until his death in 1990

Check this out, fun read

[Jeff Hail]

Hard right turn onto a side street......

Vasek Polak actually made a movie. Well he was the vehicle coordinator for this picture. That looked like a Four Wheel Drive 917 since it had about 12 inches of ground clearance. I thought it was corny. Then again it was a Canadian film.


"It is the future. Evil fascists have forced everyone to recycle and drive electric cars, and have oppressed all those poor people who want to drive Ferraris and smoke cigarettes. Hero Lee Majors, an ex-racing car driver, decides to make a statement by pulling out his old 917 race car and driving cross-country at 150 mph (he siphons gas from old gas station pumps). Taking along a young computer hacker, he drives for the Holy Land the Free State of California! Of course, the Powers That Be try to eliminate him by hiring Burgess Meredith to shoot him down with a fighter jet, which, too, are virtually extinct"

[lfot]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[lfot]

more HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[lfot]

I started a new thread for anyone that wants to go on a Mulholland run this Sunday. Look at it as a pre-run for Milt's guided tour.

Mulholland run this Sunday afternoon

[Jeff Hail]

Originally posted by lfot
more HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Long day at work today catching up from all the posting.
I saw this and just busted up....First thing that came to mind was
Oscar Goldmans voice from the Bionic Man "we can rebuild him, we can make him better, faster....bup bup bup bup bup bup"

http://www.barbneal.com/wav/tvthemes/6mdman.wav

Touch'e lfot !!

[VZ935]

Is the Seville you are talking about the same one that is in the Randy Newman video for his song " I Love LA " ? at about 2 min into the video there is a ferrari 308 and all of the sudden a Seville pulls around him and flashes two big grill mounted driving lights ... the car was also in some magazines and was referred to as the " juggernaut" Here is a link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-b9RkGjmc

[Jeff Hail]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by VZ935
[B]Is the Seville you are talking about the same one that is in the Randy Newman video for his song " I Love LA " ?

Thats it Van. The Evil Seville with huge flairs and the steam roller Hoosiers.
Good find.

[Jeff Hail]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/330979-mulholland-end-end-post3109969.html#post3109969

New Thread
Mulholland Drive End to End , Barham to Encino Hills Drive
in pictures

[Pat_in_L.A.]

Wow, I need to get caught up on my reading regarding this thread!

[lfot]

Check this thread for pics of our 4 Porsche/1 Chevy Malibu Mulholland run! Good times.

Mulholland run this Sunday afternoon

[hpv]

Great Tale Victor, I had similar expirinces on Muholland with my BRE 510
and Lotus Elan, we keep compiling these stories and here comes the book. HPV Thousand Oaks,Ca