Plymouth San Francisco to New York |
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The last Sunday in April will bring the California Mille to the Fairmont Hotel and Nob Hill for the seventeenth running of this now-traditional San Francisco event.
The all-day free car show will include the 60+ California Mille entries, plus a similar number of historic luxury cars of the type that conveyed people to the Fairmont’s entrance over the years.
The cars will be on display from 10am-5pm, and from 1pm-4pm the Nob Hill Association will have a cocktail party under the hotel’s porte-cochere. Tickets are available for $40 per person by calling 415-673-0614.
Drivers will bring historic race cars older than 50 years from all parts of the US, plus Australia, England and Japan, to savor 1000 miles of California’s most beautiful back roads and time capsule towns.
Audi will join the tour to showcase their new R-8 and TT models. Blancpain watches will be shown at the Fairmont, and featured at a Blancpain-Domaine Chandon dinner in Yountville after the first day’s driving.
Overnight stops will be in Yountville, Eureka, Little River and, finally, at the Sonoma Mission Inn. Wines served at each dinner will come from several respected Alexander Valley producers, continuing a tradition that has honored Oakville, Dry Creek, and Carmel Valley growing areas in the past.
Most of the cars are predictable – Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Jaguars, Porsches – but one may startle you. In the 1920’s, a San Francisco car enthusiast named Louis B. Miller was a rival of Cannonball Baker, a long distance record driver of the time. In 1927, Miller drove from San Francisco-to-New York-to Los Angeles, 7000 miles, in 7 days flat. Not bad, considering the roads of the day – not all paved – and the physical limitations of human endurance and car abilities.
In 1931, Miller set out to break his own record. He chose a 1931 Plymouth 4-cylinder sedan, a sturdy, but cheap and low powered car with top speed under 70 mph. One August morning at 5am, he left the Berkeley pier eastbound (no bridges existed yet). Less than five hours later he was in Reno – pretty good for the steep winding road that was Highway 40 then. It was quite a climb and they had to run in second gear much of the time. By dusk they were at the Utah state line, then Salt Lake City. They picked up US 30 for the hard climb to the Continental Divide, which they reached at daybreak, after traversing pavement so bad the wheels were bent from the pounding. During the second day, they entered Nebraska, encountered dirt and rock roads, and rain. By dawn of their third day they entered Illinois. After 65 hours of driving, they arrived in New York.
It’s hard to imagine the hardships of this drive; dim headlights, a weak little single windshield wiper, bumpy roads, rain, exhaustion. And an average speed of 48 mph! Sounds slow, but try it today in your Mercedes, including all stops. I’ll bet you can’t do it!
After an hour and a quarter servicing the car in New York, they turned west and arrived in California 65 hours later, setting a new transcontinental record. The Plymouth that did this was junked long ago, but we recently found a twin, in the same dark blue color, with only 41,000 miles, owned by its fourth owner, in New York.
We’ve prepared this Plymouth for the 2007 California Mille, to be driven by David Swig, in order to honor the little known accomplishment of San Franciscan Louis B. Miller. My bet is that it won’t miss a beat.
How the Other Half Lives
I’ve never owned a pickup, and never took a trip in one, so when a 2007 GMC Sierra became available, I was curious to try it on a 1400 mile trip to Las Vegas and back.
I don’t know how few pickups are owned by our readers, but it must be about as low a percentage as any magazine reader group anywhere. But about 50% of new vehicle sales in America are pickups or related vehicles.
This GMC was impressive. Leather upholstered, air conditioned, powerful, and comfortable, with all the accoutrements of any luxury car. Although a pickup is essentially a crude design, with a choppy ride on certain pavements, this GMC was executed with an impressive air of refinement. The leather interior was top quality. No wind noise. Quite like a luxury sedan at 80 mph on the freeway. Out in the desert I discovered it would only go 98 mph, but that’s not much of a limitation. For about $35,000, if your needs dictate such a vehicle, this GMC is noteworthy.
Another “Other Half”
Outside the US, people don’t buy many pickups. My daughter lives in France, where families have always been attracted to basic, utilitarian, but comfortable cars. I was interested to drive her new car on a recent visit. It’s a Renault Kangoo. Sort of a tall 5-door hatchback, with flexible seating so it can double as a pickup, but with a roof, so the chair you’re bringing home on a rainy day doesn’t get wet.
Driving the Renault makes you wonder about our priorities. It’s a $15,000 car, with a small diesel motor that produces plenty of power, delivers 40-50 miles per gallon, goes down the road at 80 mph comfortably, and rides very well. It has a radio, heater, 5-speed manual transmission, central locking. No power windows or seats. Rubber floor mats. Plain but durable cloth seats. Simple, style-less, with a heart of gold. I’d have one in a minute in preference to the overblown American pickup!
