On the Road: Scottsdale and Escondido

by Willy Vinton
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

I just returned from another trip, which started in sunny, warm Scottsdale, Arizona. My wife, Wilma, and I arrived on Saturday afternoon after traveling all night. Facing a two-hour time adjustment, we went to bed early so we wouldn't be too groggy the next day.

On Sunday morning we headed for the 2nd annual Arizona Concours d' Elegance at the Biltmore Hotel. They have a great setting for a show--a little small, but very friendly and pleasant. We met several people there, including Dennis Wise, the founder of Fountainhead Development. Dennis was showing his 1937 Packard, which ended up winning third in class in the American Open Classic group. This was the first time Dennis had entered a car in a Concours d'Elegance, and he was delighted with his award.

We got to meet novelist Clive Cussler, who was at the Concours with his 1918 Pierce-Arrow. We really enjoyed visiting with him and his wife.

Early Monday morning we headed for Escondido in Southern California to visit Allen Schmidt's Horseless Carriage Restoration and check on our projects. While there I got a chance to drive our air-cooled, single-cylinder 1902 Knox runabout. It will be a great little car to tour in around Fairbanks when it gets here. The Knox is ready to ship, but we'll have to wait for warmer weather before we can put it on a truck to Alaska. I spent Tuesday in Allen's shop working on our American Underslung projects, but will leave that for another blog post.

We headed back to Arizona on Wednesday morning so we could take in the Scottsdale auctions. First up was Bonham's. The only car that interested us was a nice 1934 Lincoln KB Victoria. It went for $410,000, which I thought was a little high for that particular car. There weren't any early brass cars in the auctions, so we didn't buy anything new for the museum. But, we got a chance to visit with a lot of folks and see some really great cars. I still have trouble, though, knowing that someone bid $155,000 for a 1960 Fiat Jolly!

Coming to Fairbanks to see the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and other area attractions? Support the museum by staying right here at Wedgewood Resort. All guests receive half-price admission to the museum!