In 1915 at the Pan Pacific Exposition, of which our Palace of Fine Arts is the only surviving structure, there was a big auto race that drew the cream of international race cars and drivers.

There may or may not be a connection, but in 1916 Sid Colberg was born, and for the next ninety years, has been involved in every important automotive event that occurred in San Francisco.  He was recently honored at the California Mille’s Nob Hill kickoff at the Fairmont Hotel.  KRON4 interviewed him, and he was presented with a birthday trophy.

Sid was instrumental in starting this now-traditional city car show, bringing together the Nob Hill Association, the Fairmont Hotel and the Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance to stage a show he and his wife, Alice, can view from their living room window. He’s had several birthday celebrations, but I’m sure he won’t mind if the Nob Hill Gazette joins hundreds of others in wishing him a Happy Birthday.

Sid doesn’t do the car racing and rallying anymore, but he would have enjoyed the recent No Frills, Iron Bottom Motoring Tour.  It’s a spoof on our California Mille, foregoing comfort and luxury, and emphasizing the joys of back road motoring.  On a recent No Frills, we stopped at the De Rose Winery near Hollister to visit with Pat De Rose.  The car connection is that Pat and his colleague Tony Cedolini keep their collection of Graham-Paige automobiles there.  More interesting is the fact that this winery has existed since 1851—maybe the oldest continuously operating winery in California.

It’s a great stop the next time you go to Monterey—only about fifteen miles off Highway 101, on Cienega Road, southwest of Hollister.  De Rose is a No Frills winery, like what you might have found in Sonoma or Napa half a century ago.  The terraced vineyard is dry farmed, depending solely on rainfall.  Grapes from the old vines are hand-picked.  Some of the vines, which can last over 200 years (!), date from the winery’s early 1850’s origin.  This combination of factors plus the winemaking expertise of Pat and his son Alphonse produces some wines you’ll find well worth the detour.

The winery is located astride the San Andreas Fault, so the US Geological Service maintains seismic sensors in the winery building.  These sensors are read electronically from Parkfield, the seismic center 75-100 miles away. There’s lots more substance than glitz at De Rose winery, as a visit to their tasting room will confirm.

Toyota Update

If you want to stay informed about new car offerings, you’ll be paying a lot of attention to Toyota this year.  The 2007 Toyota Camry is the latest version of the best selling passenger car in the US.  I had the chance to drive a hybrid version to LA and back.

I’m not so sure the hybrid, which only gave 32 miles per gallon (at high speeds), could ever justify itself economically.  You could save over $4000, sacrifice a little fuel economy, and buy a price leader Camry for about $20,000.  That way, you get all the quality in a bland, but serviceable, package.  Or, you could opt for a Lexus GS350, a top-drawer car based on the same fundamentals as the Toyota.  For $33,000 base, or $45,000 in the electronic-laden car I test drove, you could have a car as good as any made—albeit one that requires a 400 page owners manual plus a 283 supplement that explains the navigation system.

The RAV4 is an example of Toyota planning.  Launched about nine years ago, it was an early small SUV.  It hit the market with almost no competition, although Honda with their CR-V appeared not much later.  After several years in which Toyota and Honda defined, and came to own that market segment, GM and Ford responded.  As with hybrids, Toyota and Honda were first, and all the others responded too little, too late.

Today’s RAV4 is the third generation.  It’s quite a package, a seven seater with a 269 hp V6 motor.  It seems about as big as a twenty-year old Jeep Cherokee, and, good as it is, it’s not small and handy like its predecessors.  The Honda CR-V, reviewed very favorably here a few months ago, has been more true to its roots.  Your space needs may lead you to a different conclusion; so you’ll have to test drive each of them.

The last Toyota test driven is the Scion tC.  Although this is a Toyota product, like the Lexus, it’s offered as a separate brand.  Another example of Toyota’s thinking.  After the debacle of the Edsel brand in the late 50’s, no one wanted to introduce a new automotive brand.  The stalemate was broken by Honda in 1986, with their up-market Acura.  In ’89, Toyota introduced Lexus, Nissan started Infiniti.  Still later, Mercedes-Benz revived Maybach.  Only the Maybach has not prospered.  But Lexus is the top-selling luxury brand in the US.  Infiniti and Acura are doing well.  All three are highly respected brands, consistently scoring at the top in various surveys.

A few years ago Toyota sensed they were in danger of becoming “your father’s Oldsmobile”, because younger buyers preferred Hondas.  The Scion was launched to recapture the youth, and have they ever! I wish cars like the Scion were available when I was a kid.   Cheap ($17,000). Stylish, powerful and economical, on the leading edge technologically, this is a brilliant car.  The Scion isn’t alone, either.  Honda has a Civic coupe that is every bit as desirable and price-competitive. When you see one of these cars on the street, notice who’s driving it.  You may see proof of the old industry maxim—“you can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but a young man will never buy an old man’s car”.