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FAMOUS FILM CAR TO BE SOLD IN NYC AUCTION

Much as I love movies I dare not propose myself as a film critic or historian. Conversations with my ex, in which she dazzles me with her movie knowledge, would be ample proof if her walls had ears. Take Casablanca, for example. I know it's a classic, that Humphrey and Ingrid Bergman were the stars, that the song "As Time Goes By" is permanently linked to it, and that Bogart's "here's looking at you, kid" has become part of our vernacular.

But I did not know that his line "...we’ll always have Paris," at the end of the film, is equally well remembered nor (this is truly embarrassing) that a great classic car is linked to Casablanca. Now, thanks to Kurt Ernst's daily blog at Hemmings, I know there was such a car and that it will be offered at Bonham's "What Dreams Are Made Of: A Century of Movie Magic" auction in New York City on Monday, November 25.

The car is a Buick Model 81C trunkback convertible phaeton. With only 230 having been built in 1940, and with its classic pedigree, it would attract plenty of attention on its own, but the movie connection has led to Bonham's pre-sale estimate of $450,000 to $500,000. It was last sold at Christie’s Television and Film Memorabilia and Posters auction in June 1995. The pre-auction estimate then was $80,000. The sale price was $211,500 (including buyer's premium).

Interestingly, the Aztec Brown Buick was used by Warner Brothers (which owned the car until 1970) in High Sierra and other films. The company obviously never guessed that its role in Casablanca would make it famous, and therefore worth a great deal of money. An imaginative film star should buy this beautiful Buick and step out onto the red carpet on Oscar night. Now that would give the commentators something to talk about!

[Photo: Michael Heape, courtesy Bonhams]

WHY YOU SHOULD RUSH TO SEE THIS RACING MOVIE

You've heard about Rush, the new film based on Formula One motor racing. Maybe you've seen the trailers. Now it's come to town and you're wondering whether you should see it. Don't even hesitate, my friend. I've just returned from watching Rush and I'm still on the edge of my seat. This is a great film by any standard and far and away the best motor racing movie ever produced. And you don't have to be a race fan to enjoy it.

Now, I'm not a film critic so I'm not going to pretend that role. All I can do is outline my reaction, which surprised me because the story concentrates on just one racing season, 37 years ago. It's not contemporary F1 racing, it's history. But what history it was, an epic battle between two totally opposite characters, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, who fought for the world title right down to the last race. Hunt was the handsome playboy and woman chaser, Lauda his serious, unsmiling competitor and rival. This is a true story, obviously embellished for movie screens but more or less as it happened.

Producer Ron Howard did a brilliant job of making the races realistic considering that few F1 cars of the period still exist, except those in vintage racing. His technique concentrated on close-ups rather than wide shots; cu's of cockpits, suspensions, driver's faces (and eyes), taken from unusual angles to add drama. The race scenes are very believable, using genuine race cars rather than trying to fool us with digital techniques. The crashes, which happen quickly, are frighteningly real, especially the one that became critical to the story.

Again, not being a film critic, I can't properly comment on the actor's performances except to say they were totally convincing. The Hunt and Lauda characters, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, even looked like the people they were portraying. But what struck me most about this film is the vast difference between yesterday's F1 cars and those that are racing today. The 70s cars seem absolutely primitive in driver safety whereas our modern race cars put a premium on protecting their drivers.

In some ways the earlier cars demanded more because gearboxes were manually operated, hence the heel-and-toe downshifting so artfully revealed by the movie. Today's cars use automatic transmissions with gears changed by paddle levers behind the steering wheel. But then, so much of modern racing is based on computer-generated technology, as is everything else in our lives.

There is a temptation to say that because of the risks and greater driver involvement yesterday's competitors were braver, faster and more skilful. I disagree. To drive a modern F1 car with its tremendous power and speed, wheel to wheel in situations where a mere 100th of a second can make the difference between winning and losing, to set up a car and manipulate the wing angles and other aerodynamic devices, takes tremendous talent. And yes, bravery.

What has changed little, however, is what goes on behind the scenes in F1 racing and for the unfamiliar, Rush will be quite a revelation. So, too, will be the glamour of international motorsport, which makes NASCAR seem bush league by comparison. Indeed, if F1's supreme leader, Bernie Ecclestone, were to spend a half-billion dollars on advertising he still couldn't buy the boost this film is going to give Formula One. Its years of relative obscurity in the USA are about to end.

All that aside, I recommend you see Rush for a very different reason. It's a whole lot of fun, perhaps the most exciting two hours you've ever spent in a movie theater.

AUTOMOTIVE FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHES AT MONTEREY

What began as a concours d'elegance at Pebble Beach, to be joined by vintage car races at nearby Laguna Seca, has grown to become the week-long Monterey Festival. Sunday's concours, now considered one of the best in the world, remains the marquee event but there is so much else to see you could miss the big one and not be terribly upset.

The auctions offer cars of such beauty and rarity that collectively they match the concours for spectacle. Concorso Italiano has become one of the finest assemblages of Italian classics to be seen anywhere. The town of Carmel has its own street show of collector cars from 1942 to 1973, known as Concours on the Avenue. For sheer elegance and exclusivity the Gathering at the Quail is the place to be... if you can get a ticket. And if you love watching and hearing great classics on the move, the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance, featuring cars entered in the concours, offers roadside delights. Oh, and did I mention the automobilia show and sale?

And now for something completely different, which, considering all the above, you might think is impossible. World Class Motoring and Islay Events will present the inaugural World Class Automotive Film & Arts Festival taking place at the Golden State Theatre. Frankly, this is something I've long thought should happen somewhere in North America so I'm glad to see it arrive and hope the film festival succeeds well enough to become an annual affair. But don't expect the usual bunch of blockbuster films with cars in leading roles, such as Ronan, Bullitt, or The French Connection. This is the real thing, as you'll note from the following list, provided by the organisers:

Thursday, August 15: GREAT ROAD TRIPS

"Horatio’s Drive; America’s First Road Trip": Two-time Emmy Award-winning director Ken Burns documents the often hilarious journey of Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson as he became the first person to successfully drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York City in 1903. All over a 50 dollar bet.

"32 Hours 7 Minutes – An Outlaw Race": A documentary that takes its title from the US transcontinental speed record, set during the 1983 US Express, a secretive race from New York to California. A successor to the famous Cannonball races, drivers essentially broke the law nonstop, driving as fast as they could to cross the United States. More than two decades later, when suspicions arise about the legitimacy of that record, Director Cory Welles climbs into the back seat of Alex Roy’s infamous BMW M5, attempting to break 32 hours and 7 minutes."

Friday, August 16: A TRIBUTE TO JOHN FITCH

"A Gullwing at Twilight -The Bonneville Ride of John Fitch": Exploring Fitch the man, whose reputation as the consummate gentleman racer persists. The power of this film lies not in reliving the past, but rather its focus on Fitch continually challenging himself, and our outdated notions of what elderly persons can accomplish. —AutoWeek

"Lime Rock Park - The Secret Valley of Racing": An absorbing documentary that captures the essence of automobile racing. The ultimate physical and spiritual backdrop, the Berkshire’s Lime Rock Park is presented with the haunting beauty of an entire New England year. With each changing season from the deep snows of winter to spring rains to sunshine, the viewer is drawn into a deeper understanding of racing’s own seasonal shifts and passions- with large doses of nature, history, action, heartbreak, celebrity, and speed.

The Quest: Corvettes first appeared at LeMans in 1960, but were ultimately missing for decades. "Corvettes at Carlisle" co-founder Chip Miller set a personal goal of finding the 1960 class-winning #3 Corvette, acquiring and restoring it, with the goal of returning it to Le Mans in 2010, with one of the original drivers, legendary racer John Fitch.  Sadly, a chain of heartbreaking events prevented Miller from seeing his vision come to fruition.

Saturday, August 17: LEMANS

Behind LeMans: Offering a rare behind-the-scenes view of the 1970 competition, this film offers three perspectives:
LeMans: The 24 Hours, 1970: An overview of the actual race, using stills and selected footage.
LeMans: The Race, The Movie: A 15-minute documentary that offers insight into the production of the film.
LeMans: Behind the Scenes: A mixture of still photographs and film that focuses on the major players involved and the roles they played in the production.
LeMans: Hollywood legend Steve McQueen stars in this iconic film which offers footage from the actual 1970 competition. The film utilizes the sights and sounds of Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s.

On hand to discuss their works and take questions from the audience will be filmmakers Chris Szwedo ("A Gullwing at Twilight" and "LimeRock Park: The Secret Valley of Racing"); Cory Welles("32 Hours 7 Minutes");  and Michael Brown "The Quest." The majestic lobby of the iconic Golden State Theater will also showcase works from some of the collector car world’s most acclaimed artists, sculptors and photographers, as well the latest entries from noted authors who will be on hand for book signings.

We all have our favorite car movies. For me it's (1) To Catch a Thief. Stars Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and a lovely Sunbeam Alpine. (2) Un Homme et Une Femme, also known as A Man and a Woman, with Anouk Aimée and race driver Jean-Louis Trintignant at the wheel of a very racy Mustang. (3) The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Great shots of McQueen driving a dune buggy plus a beautiful Bentley. Note that all three movies are not about cars, which play a secondary but romantic role. Not, I'll confess, the stuff of automotive film fests.

For more comprehensive information and ticket information about the Monterey Film Festival click here.

DOWNTON ABBEY AND THE CARS OF BRITISH TELEVISION

I'm a big fan of British TV shows that regularly appear on public television, especially those that depict an earlier period. Heartbeat, recreating the 60s, is one of my favorites, now in a complete re-run from season one, for which I'm grateful as I didn't know the show existed then. More recently I've become enamored with Foyle's War, about a small town detective in England during WW2. Brilliantly acted by Michael Kitchen, it reminds us that crime still existed locally even as men and women were fighting in Europe. The mythical town is located next to an RAF base, resulting in spectacular footage of a restored Spitfire.

And then there's Downton Abbey...

Now in its third season, the award-winning Downton Abbey is watched by millions every week, fascinated by the English upper class life of the post-Edwardian era, by the magnificence of the great old manor house (Highclere Castle in Hampshire), by the scenery, by the costumes, and by a talented cast of twenty. The latter includes the wonderful Dame Maggie Smith as a dowager aunt who gets all the wittiest lines in the show, along with two American actresses; Elizabeth McGovern (who lives in the UK), and Shirley MacLaine in a special guest appearance.

I look forward to this production all week long. And yet one reason why I enjoy Downton Abbey, along with other British period shows, is its use of vintage automobiles. No other country, including the United States, has so many original and restored classics, simply because the English are fanatic about collecting, thus the directors can conjure up just about any vehicle from any period.

The car in our feature photo is a 1911 Renault CB12/16 hp Laundelette, chauffeur-driven of course, a job not always as glamorous as it looks, for the chauffeur's compartment is open whereas the passengers ride in comfort inside. Not that there was any heat coming from the engine; the occupants depended entirely on heavy clothing and blankets to keep warm.

One of the most delightful driving scenes in season three involves an AC sports car (above), with Matthew Crawley driving and his new wife Michelle Dockery as a passenger. In case the brand name doesn't mean anything to you, it was AC that created the AC Ace and Ace Bristol in the 50s, which was upgraded by Carroll Shelby to be reborn as the legendary Cobra. Nice to discover that more than nine decades ago, motoring could be fun. Maybe even more than today with our crowded roads and massive regulations.

The first series began with news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the second series covered 1916 to 1919, and the 2011 Christmas Special covered the 1919 Christmas period, ending in early 1920. The third series, which has just completed the third weekly episode as I write, picks up soon thereafter, covering 1920 through the autumn of 1921.

The producers may have taken some liberties in matching cars with periods, for this 1925 Sunbeam 20/60 appears in the early 1920s, but we'll allow them some slack. It at least represents a time when automobiles began to change significantly, becoming more stylish and certainly safer and more comfortable. Incidentally the Downton Abbey viewer on occasion gets treated to lovely shots of railway trains and stations. I'm delighted to learn that there will definitely be a fourth season with, no doubt, some fascinating cars to match. It's on PBS, hopefully available where you live.

[Photos: ITV]

BUICK ROADMASTER FROM CLASSIC ROAD MOVIE UP FOR SALE

As long as there are cars there will be road movies. And thank goodness for that, for they combine a desire to discover our real selves with travel to far-off places, often with no particular destination in mind. Road movies mix romance, adventure, and the sheer fun of driving with, when they're successful, captivating drama. But here's a curious thought: virtually all road movies with American locations have the participants heading west. When was the last time you saw one where the action moved from west to east?

Fortunately many of the cars that starred in those films survive in someone's collection and may eventually go on the market, usually through vintage auto auctions. Which brings us to the subject of today's blog, a 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible from the 1988 film Rain Man, featuring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. The latter won a 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' Oscar for his portrayal of the autistic "Raymond Babbit."

It's a classic road movie: A mid-twenties Los Angeles car dealer, Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is in the midst of importing four grey market Lamborghinis. The EPA's legal requirements are making this difficult, meaning Charlie could lose a substantial amount of money. Suddenly a trip to Palm Springs with his girlfriend is cancelled when Charlie's estranged father dies. In Cincinatti to settle the estate he discovers that a trustee is inheriting $3 million on behalf of an unnamed beneficiary, while all he gets is a classic Buick Roadmaster convertible and several prize rose bushes.

The money is being directed to a mental institution, home to his autistic brother Raymond, whom Charlie didn't know existed. Numbed by learning that he has a brother and determined to get what he believes is his fair share of the estate, Charlie takes Raymond on what becomes a cross-country car trip (due to Raymond's fear of flying) to Los Angeles to meet with his attorneys. Since much of the film takes place during the journey, a lesson in humility and understanding for Charlie, the Buick features in most of the scenes.

Two Buick Roadmasters were used in the making of the film and one is being offered in an online sale by Heritage Auctions. The Iconic 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible features a beige exterior, red leather interior, straight-eight 320-cubic-inch Fireball engine, a 2-speed Dynaflow automatic transmission, and a modified rear suspension to hold the extra weight of the camera equipment plus the cameraman (who sometimes had to shoot while sitting in the trunk). Judging by the photos it is in excellent, perhaps restored, condition. You can bid on it now but the seller has a reserve, which won't be revealed until December 07. The auctioneers are estimating a selling price of $80,000.

Dustin Hoffman won a 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' Oscar for his portrayal of the autistic "Raymond Babbit." And that makes me even more embarrassed to admit that I, a person who enjoys watching movies, never saw Rain Man. Never knew it existed or if I did, had no idea I was missing a great road movie. (A bit of minor trivia: While in Los Angeles ten years prior to Rain Man's release, I was involved in the production of a GM commercial. One morning I was alone in the elevator of an upscale Westwood hotel, coming down for breakfast. It stopped at a lower floor and in stepped Dustin Hoffman. He smiled but we never spoke.)

I'm hoping the cable company has Rain Man in its library of available downloads. I could never afford the beautiful Buick but this is one road movie I should never have missed.

OWN THIS JAGUAR FOLDER AND BECOME A MAD MEN FAN

If Mad Men was a reality show the catalog above would have been created by the mythical ad agency which, in the just-completed season 5, had acquired the Jaguar account. As a former agency creative director whose advertising career began in the late 1960s, I can relate to this show.

I can image how delighted the staff must have been, for an automotive account could be a showpiece for the agency's creative talent. But oh, how I'd love to admonish the agency's creative director, Don Draper (played by John Hamm) when, in a fit of anger, he complained that the Jaguar account wasn't big enough to satisfy his image of the agency's growth. What Draper wanted, he roared, was the Chevrolet account.

I worked on Chevrolet with its agency in the late 70s, and again in the mid-80s as a freelancer, but in the period that Mad Men's latest episode imagines, I was with Ford's ad agency in New York and London. And given the opportunity I'd tell Don Draper that having a major US car account is not worth the trouble. Corporate politics, people protecting their jobs, and endless battles between suits and creatives meant that great advertising was rarely the objective. Survival was.

Whatever agency types that created this 8-page color folder surely had great taste and you can buy it from McLellan's Automotive History for just $45. McLellan describes it this way: Cover shows frontal view of blue Jaguar "at speed". Nine photographs show exterior and interior of Jaguar XK-E Series 2 Roadster and 2+ 2 Coupe and XJ 4-Door Sedan, with emphasis on XK-E. Includes discussion, specifications and four side view drawings.

Was my ad agency experience like Man Men's? In a way, yes. Just don't ask me about the affairs, the drinking, the sex. TV exaggerates. A little.

VERTICAL MOBILITY IN BROOKLYN: RESTORED WAREHOUSE FEATURES CINEMA WITH GOURMET CAFE

Few cities are better at rejuvenating old buildings than New York. And that, of course, includes Brooklyn. A two-storey, mid-century warehouse in the district of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has been transformed into a three-screen cinema with a cafe and bar. The Nighthawk Cinema is a recent project of Caliper Studio, which packaged it in, as Wallpaper Magazine relates, "a custom zing panel facade with 2,000 hand cast glass disks, backlit by low voltage LED lights".

It includes three floors of residential apartments above the cinemas, bar, café and commercial kitchen below.

Well, that's architecture talk, but here's some of what the Nighthawk offers: "We are a new cinema that offers an experience like no other in New York. We have a street-level neighborhood cafe where you can enjoy cocktails or gourmet concessions anytime. In addition, we feature table-side food service inside our three theaters for each film."

Wow! An entirely new way of enjoying the movies, far better than my usual dinner on the couch while watching a lousy TV show. In fact, it seems like a contemporary version of the old show-and-dinner formula that made the nightclub scene so exciting. Or a dinner-and-a-movie-evening-out except that it all happens in one place. No need to eat dinner, drive to the cinema and hope to find a parking spot before the first reel rolls.

In case you're wondering, marque1.com has not changed its direction in order to promote movies. We're still a classic car site that also looks at ways of making cities a better place to live while (hopefully) reducing urban sprawl. My wish is that the Nighthawk returns the favour by including the fabulous F1 documentary "Senna" in its list of upcoming films. And that About.com's car czar Bob Schulties, who lives in Brooklyn, is in the audience. Are you listening, Bob?

CITROEN TRACTION AVANT SPEAKS FRENCH IN BROOKLYN

It's could have been a scene right out of a French movie. A 1955 Citroen Traction Avant parked in front of a classy cafe. Except that this is Broadway, in Manhattan, not Paris. The car is the proud possession of Alain Daumus, whose restaurant, the River Cafe, is in Brooklyn. Daumus emigrated from France last year with his wife, Magali, and their daughters, Léa, 5, and Julia. The car, the mess it was in when he bought it, how it was restored and how it arrived in the United States, makes for a fascinating and amusing tale. You can read it (and I highly recommend that you do) by clicking on this New York Times Wheels newsletter.

When introduced in 1934 the Traction Avant was a technological leader. It featured unibody construction long before most of its competitors. Though not the first car to have front-wheel-drive it was the first to be mass-produced. Front suspension was by torsion bars. The floor was low and the roof high, offering more room for the passengers. As the Times article suggests, this was perhaps a reason that Charles de Gaulle, listed at 6-foot-5, favored it. And of course the long hood and sweeping fenders gave it the look of speed. That it lasted until 1954 in spite of its pre-war styling says much about the car.

The Traction Avant appears in films with gangsters, Gestapo agents, the French resistance, communist political police, and detectives like the famous Maigrette. It has an amusing role in the Cary Grant/Grace Kelly hit, To Catch a Thief. It appears as General Charles de Gaulle's presidential limousine in The Day of the Jackal. It has a role in the brilliant French film Diva. And who knows, it may be seen in your town as Daumus and his wife plan on touring America. But first? "I’ve always dreamed of driving down Broadway," said Mr. Daumus.

[Photo Credit: Tony Cenicola, New York Times]

Life Without Television? Thank Goodness for the Internet

This Saturday evening and for several to follow, I am miserably unhappy. My 42" widescreen Philips TV has failed me. The "menu" screen suddenly interrupted a favorite show and refused to go away. I've since had a conversation with a well-mannered service rep somewhere in the American midwest who had me on hands and knees, scrambling to find and unhook the power cord amongst the spaghetti of cords and cables so we could attempt a "reset." Alas, that didn't work and he subsequently put me in touch with a Philips authorised service rep in Victoria, BC who can't get here until Wednesday, hence I'm limited to watching DVD movies on the computer, reading books, and viewing The Kings Speech at the local cinema. Good timing, that one.

Depending on what you think of television as a medium of entertainment and information, you may either regard me as a pathetic soul who finds solace in the lowliest form (otherwise known as a couch potato), or you agree that watching TV is perfectly acceptable and much to be desired. As a geezer who was born before television was even thought of, and who grew up through radio, movies with sound and colour, live TV, and the Internet era, I'm willing to defend the medium against its detractors. Friends, you never had it so good.

Thanks to the combined miracles of television and the computer, I will still be able to watch Heartbeat, my favorite show for the past several years. Based in the 1960s, Heartbeat is about a British village cop shop. The characters (see above), the music, the cars, and the railway station will delight anyone who can relate to the period. Amusingly The Knowledge Network (BC's provincial public service television system) has chosen to go back more than a dozen years to rerun Heartbeat from the beginning, so I'm catching up on what I missed. Try doing that with the old-fashioned media.

Historic Model T Film Reveals a Revolution in Car Making

The Model T is such an icon, such a legend, that we sometimes take for granted the role it played, not just in automotive history, but in helping develop North America. It changed lives, it changed lifestyles, it changed our national economies. The Model T also revolutionised the way cars are built, which is why the video I'm recommending here is a "must see."

This rare film was taken in the Ford factory, with footage of workers doing many of the small, repetitive details that were part of their jobs. They were happy to have those jobs but the dozens of women lined up at their worktables must have been bored with the routine. Don't miss the shots of wooden wheels being hand-built for, lovely as those wheels seem today, it took a lot of effort to create something that a stamping machine and paint vat would later accomplish in seconds.

Finally, note the finished cars coming out of the Highland Park factory. Suggesting the many variations available, they reminded me of the 100th anniversary celebrations in Indiana that I was privileged to attend a couple of summers ago. With nearly 1000 T's on show, I was astounded by the variety of body styles, racing and sports versions, and commercial variants that came out of the Ford factories. Complete with an informative voice-over, the brief but revealing film is worthy of your time.

[Photo Credit: writedesignonline.com]