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

[Ofishbein]

Originally Posted by Banning

While waiting for company , I downloaded the photos from the last two Euro Sundays now being held at the Northridge Mall after everyone was chased out of the Mall at Topanga and the 101. That's a whole 'nother story.

It looks like these photos were taken at Woodland Hills at Topanga Canyon - not Northridge.

The long-time gathering in Calabasas was shut down by the center's landlord, and then various people tried to resurrect it at several others locations around the valley (behind the Northridge mall, Ventura Blvd, etc.) but nothing seemed to stick. Dustin and The Auto Gallery finally arranged for the Topanga site and it looks like the one that will prevail. All the old regulars have shown up - even Jay Leno.

[StreetRacer]

i grew up in Van Nuys. Hung out at Bob's thru the sixties and street raced. nothing could compare!

[TooTall]

A little vintage diversion from our modern day worries.

Paramount Ranch Road Races, 1956, in color!

More Unseen 50’s SCCA Footage: Paramount Ranch 1956 | The Chicane

And.......

Torrey Pines 1954,

More Unseen Racing Film: Torrey Pines 1954 | The Chicane

And....

Riverside 1957

Unseen Film of Riverside ‘57 – A Chicane Exclusive! | The Chicane

Cheers,
Kurt O.

[Noah930]

Water main break, just east of Laurel Cyn and Mul.

[TRE Cup]

Hey Kurt!
we visited the paramount ranch course during our Santa Monica Mountain tour last year. There is a video floating around with some details of it. The ranger there is a car enthusiast and gave us a nice talk and even led us on a lap of part of the course. The bridge section has filled in with too much sediment from the years of erosion. The bridge itself is weak and may not support too much use. The big banked turn is still there next to the western town studio set.

The ranger would love to see the track resurrected, but that has a snowball chance in H of that happening ! There is a really bad movie with some racer and his pet parrot (real life buds; he tried to include that bird in a lot of his movies!). Anyway some of the footage is real cool and includes Old Yaller (the race car), BuMerc (glass 300sl body on buick motored special) , as well as other 50's racers.

There has also been some discussion lately on Vacaville up near Gilroy. A combination drag, oval, and road course track. Its still there , rotting away. There are some on line videos floating around of that too.

Hey, you got a 75 and older running car? Come join us on the Targa California Rally Tour April 8-10. We have a LOT of fun !

all the best
Dave

[TooTall]

Hi Dave!

The crappy movie is called "The Devils Hairpin" with Cornel Wilde. I have it on DVD or I should say I have a bad VHS copy that has been put on DVD. It's a real groaner. I've been to Paramount a couple of times for Fabulous '50s events. One year Ken Miles son Peter showed up in a borrowed 550 Spyder. The ranger is a cool guy. I think he said he had a '52 Pontiac or something. He let me stage a shot of the track with a TR2 and a Beck Spyder. Sharon's Dad raced at Paramount and Torrey and Palm Springs and even once at Pebble. I keep scanning this stuff and photos I find to see if I can spot him.

In the Paramount footage at around 2:16 there is a red coupe that looks like a Cisitalia. It is in fact a Doretti with an Allied body built by a guy named Bill Binney. That car sat for years in a front yard in Nor Cal. A buddy of mine heard about it and called me and well long story short a friend of mine bought it sight unseen. It's pretty rough but it's absolutely the real deal. They're still out there.

I'd love to do the Targa but none of my pre '75 cars are together. No surprise there 'eh.

Best to all,
Kurt

[Nostril Cheese]

The Paramount Ranch mention made me think of something I saw a few days ago...

here's Vasek getting sideways in a Spyder..

Vasek Polak by Joe Rusz

Don't know if this has been posted here, but I found it interesting as I grew up around Agoura.

http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/ParamountRanchHome.html#Paramount%20Ranch%20Homepa ge

[LateBrakeU2]

Originally Posted by TRE Cup

we visited the paramount ranch course during our Santa Monica Mountain tour last year. There is a video floating around with some details of it.

Who is that masked man?
YouTube - The Ventura Show presents Santa Monica Mountain Porsche Run

[Brillo]

Originally Posted by LateBrakeU2

Who is that masked man?
YouTube - The Ventura Show presents Santa Monica Mountain Porsche Run

Weren't the participants suppose to get a DVD?

[TRE Cup]

Oh yes, we were supposed to get dvd copies !. Along with other stuff, but the guys at WCM really blew their limited budget on the Ventura Show. Then with the spectacularly poor job at promotion of the events, rumours have it that a lot of people went unpaid since receipts were really low.

[Netspeed]

I helped volunteer at the show and I was surprised at how slow it was.

[Tedman]

Kurt O.- Thanks for posting the Paramount Ranch Road Races film link. I too grew up in Agoura and have always harbored a fascination with the Paramount track. I've managed to collect several of the original programs. Here's some scans of the entry list from the race program. Some pretty famous driver's participated in that inaugural race.

[TooTall]

Tedman,

Thanks for that. I have a number of programs from that era, I think I have two of the three from the Paramount events. My wifes Dad raced back then, Merl Francisco, usually ran a MGTD in E Mod (Flathead V8-60 powered). He usually ran with number 60 or 160. Where in Redondo are you? I'm in the north end near TRW.

Cheers,
Kurt O.

[Trundle]

Damage closes portion of Mulholland Drive
February 19, 2010 | 8:52 pm
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has ordered the closure of Mulholland Drive in both directions between between Bowmont and Skyline drives because of roadway damage.

Officials say the expected rain from this weekend's storms could further undermine the road.

Mulholland will be closed indefinitely and officers are redirecting traffic around the closure.


How nice it would be if it got re-paved

[Banning]

Originally Posted by Ofishbein

It looks like these photos were taken at Woodland Hills at Topanga Canyon - not Northridge.

The long-time gathering in Calabasas was shut down by the center's landlord, and then various people tried to resurrect it at several others locations around the valley (behind the Northridge mall, Ventura Blvd, etc.) but nothing seemed to stick. Dustin and The Auto Gallery finally arranged for the Topanga site and it looks like the one that will prevail. All the old regulars have shown up - even Jay Leno.

Don (Blew911) and Ofishbein, You were correct. Photos were from new location and not the Northridge Mall. Sorry it took a while to get back to this but had pressing matters to deal with first.

On Sunday November 1st, 2009 myself and Doug H. took a drive to Topanga and the 101 to see all the cars at the Euro Sunday Event.
Doug is a friend that I met thru someone that was a big contributer to this thread early on (SSB). Doug was a regular on Mul in the 70's.

I had been to this car gathering many times before for the past few years but when we arrived this time...what a shock!
No Exotic cars in the Parking Lot. Just one lonely Police car. We knew something was up.



Then we saw this sign that had been posted recently. More mystery.



Into the Village Coffee Roaster we went in search of answers. This used to be a kind of center for the car show. It was here that I met the organizer of Euro Sunday years ago.
Inside it was empty. Business was flat. The pretty young lass behind the counter told us what had happened.

She said that two Sundays before this one, the "Property Managers" had already put up the signs and when one hour was up, cars started getting towed.
Tempers started flaring obviously.
Many threats were made, I believe there were arrests, and some nice cars were taken away.
If I had been at that event with the Carrera I'm not sure how I would have reacted. Probably would have made the evening news.

She said that the owners of the building probably are not even aware of what is occuring at their own building, and that the "Property Managers" were acting on their own volition.

She added that all the shop owners in the Mall are suing the owner with a class action suit due to their income dropping significantly due to the new rules.



Back to the Parking lot. Only one car barely resembling a hot rod, an old Camino with two old Mul Racers inside.


Before leaving, I talked to the Police Officer in the Black and White.
He told me he didn't like to see what had happended and was there to keep the peace. We noticed some of the "Property Managers" trolling around the parking lot. They looked pretty bad-off. Holes for sure.

The Cop was very nice and willing to tell all. I spent a few minutes talking to him. He let me know that the event had moved up Topanga Blvd. and that I could go there to see the show if I wanted to. I thanked him and went on my way.
What a shame that this location can't be used anymore...so close to Mulholland Hwy.

[Trundle]

from LAT

Stretch of Mulholland Drive closed indefinitely due to erosion
February 21, 2010 | 3:51 pm

A stretch of Mulholland Drive eroded during rain storms earlier this month remained closed Sunday due to fears that upcoming weather could further undermine the roadway, officials said.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation closed the busy road in both directions between Bowmont Drive and Skyline Drive citing the approaching rain, which is expected to continue Sunday night into Monday morning. The road will be closed indefinitely, said Cora Jackson-Fossett, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works.

Westbound Mulholland east of Coldwater Canyon Avenue had been closed since Feb. 8, after heavy rains began washing away silt from under the road surface producing a depression 35 feet wide and 10 feet deep, Jackson-Fossett said. The Public Works Department is seeking about $600,000 in emergency funds from the city to repair the damage, Jackson-Fossett said.

-- Carla Rivera

[Heel n Toe]

Chris, in your discussions re: the parking lot, was there any mention of the property owners trying to make sure it didn't turn into a ricer hangout? Or have ricers perhaps gathered there at night and they had to make the ruling 24/7?

The fact that sign has that block saying NO LOITERING made me wonder.

Also, when there were car shows/gatherings there, did the participants generally park in the spaces most distant from the store entrances so mall customers had easy access? Maybe this could be worked out with yellow tape separating the parking lot in half down the middle, leaving the spaces closest to the mall open.

[slodave]

John, I have not been there in a while, but the show was there for years, then it was shut down due to testosterone. Too may people burning out, doughnuts what have you. Then the show was brought back and things were tame again for a while. The last few times that I was there, I noticed way too many guys doing stupid things in the street again. I think there were only a handful of 'ricers' if any at all. Right around the corner is a place called Old Calabasas. A great place to walk around after a big lunch at the Sage Brush Cantina. Directly across the street from the lot, is the Motion Picture & Television Hospital, a retirement community for our aging actors. I'm sure they were not happy either....

Just my observations...

[SSB]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

News just now announced that the hill has fallen down taking a substantial section out of Mulholland between Beaumont & Skyline.

RIP old friend.

[lfot]

Closed Indefinitely | NBC Los Angeles