West Coast roadtrip with a movie star, Alfa Romeo Montreal, V8 Porsche 914, and the birth of a steering wheel.
Hi all, as you may have known I've been working on a big project with Sung Kang called the Viceroy 914. Sung may be best known for his role as Han in the Fast & Furious franchise. The Viceroy project is a run of 10 high performance, high end, Porsche 914's. The first part of the project that's reaching fruition is the steering wheel.
I first designed this wheel in 2018 and it had been sitting there just waiting for the right project to come along. Then, randomly, within a week of each other I was separately contacted by both Tactico Racing Atelier and Sung who both wanted to see the wheel come to life. After 2 years of nothing but crickets.
The prototype arrived and after a photo shoot I booked tickets to head down to L.A. to show Sung. The trip coincided with a rally held by the guys at 914World.com so we thought what better way to travel than by road?
There were 4 of us in our group. Sung and myself of course, but also Brendan from Dyme PSI and Shahar who is theVipersguy on social (builds F&F replica cars)
The cars:
-Sungs 914 V8. It has a 327 mounted in the original location, midship. They estimate around 350hp and the car still weighs around 2000lbs.
-An Alfa Romeo Montreal supplied by Hagerty.
Day 1- Wednesday - Leg 1 part 1: I flew into L.A. It was the day after the election so a bit of a risky move. With potential riots etc. But all went smoothly. First stop from the airport was Ericks Garage where Sung was finishing up some 11th hour fixes on the 914. We ended up staying there pretty late and got a hotel for the night.
Day 2 - Thursday - Leg 1 remix part 1: Our goal was to leave in the morning. There was a group of 914 guys we could caravan up with. Plans change, and the 914 had an exhaust leak we needed to take care of. Back to Ericks where we worked on it a bit more. Turns out there wasn't an exhaust leak, but the coil was bad, and the fuel filter was clogged from gunk in the tank. By the time we had everything wrapped up it was 5pm and we had to be in San Francisco. We got in the cars and hit the road.
Day 2 - Thursday night - Leg 1 remix part 2: I was supposed to be picking up a Turo rental just south of San Francisco. GPS put us at around 10:40 if we didn't make any stops. Sung and I were in the 914 and Brendon and Shahar in the Alfa. While Sung drove I tried to organize the plan. It was now too late to get to the Turo pickup point on time. Plan #2 then was to drop me at the nearest and cheapest lodging to the Turo, then the guys would continue on and take my previously booked room in Petaluma CA. The drive went smoothly, and as darkness fell we put the top on and bundled up.
Day 2 cont. - Friday morning - Leg 2: Since we no longer had a time to beat we stopped at Harris steakhouse for some food and talk. It was great getting to know these guys, all genuine dudes. Had some laughs, some serious talks, and three of us at least were entertained by the double-takes people gave us when they thought they recognized Sung. After our feast we got back on the road and this time I was able to get behind the wheel... I got to drive the Alfa the rest of the way to my lodging. And what a glorious drive it was.
We got to my lodging, a Motel 6. I chose it because it was a mere 7 miles from my Turo but I should have looked more carefully at the location, it was pretty rough. When we arrived it was near 2am. We were all tired and road weary so We made Plan #3. The guys would also stay here and drop me off in the morning for the Turo, saving me an Uber ride. They booked their rooms and then had a chat with the security guard.
The security guard was skeptical. He all but assured us that the Alfa and the 914 would be broken into. After some discussion we settled on Plan #4. They would still push further on, and get a place whenever they felt the neighborhood would be kind to the cars. I stayed at the Motel 6 and it was hot trash. I slept in my clothes, al old shirt covering the pillow. Trust level was zilch.
Day 3 - Friday - Leg 3: I woke up early and caught an Uber to my Turo for the remainder of the trip. Turns out the guys ended up pushing all the way to Petaluma and pulled in around 4am. My day was going to be much better, only having to make it to the rally start point by 10am. About a 2 hour drive in my Turo which was a 2014 Porsche Boxster S.
This car is a true spiritual successor to the 914. To the point where it took me a full day to remember that it has heat as opposed to my 914 at home. :laugh:
My drive went off without a hitch and made it on time. The first day of the rally twisted it's way through Napa and wine country. Hitting several good roads and dropping us off at a winery for lunch and some much needed R&R. It was here that we decided to make the wheel public and show it around to the group of 914 guys in attendance. And now, by way of some expertly taken photographs by a close friend of mine Kris Clewell, I get to share the Viceroy steering wheel with you.
This is the Viceroy steering wheel. We partnered with a company named Tactico out of Belgium who make other wheels, run by a couple of Porsche guys. This is 380mm in diameter, has a full-circumference thumb groove, and of course the laminated wood back panel. Sized to the 914, but this would be right at home in several vintage cars. Adapter hubs to fit anything that a Nardi wheel could fit.
The wheel was well received, it's a piece of art you get to hold every time you're driving. We left lunch with full stomachs and hearts.
Day 3 - Friday - Leg 4: The second part of the drive was as good as the first, with a few hiccups in the lead cars adhering to the route. This lead to a few stops while the cartographers poured over the maps.
We finished up the evening with a smaller group visiting the garage of the rally organizer. This will be one fast 914 once complete.
And as the sun set I bid farewell and jumped back into the Boxster for a short drive to my hotel. Much nicer accomodations this time.
Day 4 - Saturday - Leg 5: All that was on the ticket was to drop off my Turo, Uber to the airport, and fly home. I wanted it to be as memorable as possible though so I had planned to stop by the Golden Gate Bridge. I've never been. A friend who saw my post on Instagram suggest to visit the Ridgecrest Blvd up Mount Tam which was neatly on the way.
This was the road to the start of Ridgecrest Blvd. There was zero traffic. And when I say zero, I mean I saw a single car coming down.
When I got to Ridgecrest however, that portion was closed. I didn't have an hour to wait until opening time so I turned around and went back to CA-1. CA-1 is beautiful and the sun was still early in the day. As I neared the Golden Gate it became clear that I couldn't stop. I had to make it to my drop off point in order to get the Uber to the airport on time. It was an awesome experience seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time coming from the north side. You enter a tunnel and right as you exit you're greeted with a beautiful expanse with the bridge rising up. The way it was framed by the surroundings and lit by the morning sun is something that will stay with me forever.
This last day of driving is the best driving I've had in my life. Seeing it as a whole, it seemed as if this is what heaven could be like. Napa was good, but there are some routes in Minnesota that match. The roads on Mt. Tam though, unforgettable. Here are a few pics from the day.
I made it to the Turo return 5 min late. So it was good in the end that I didn't make it all the way up Ridgecrest. My Uber arrived shortly after and an hour later I was walking through airport security. It was a bittersweet moment, reliving the brilliance of the day, the trip, the struggles, the laughs. But I was missing my family and I couldn't wait to get home and wake up my 3.5yr old daughter to give her hugs and kisses. She cried from happiness; me, almost.Mon, 09 Nov 2020 17:27:37 GMT
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