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Standouts from the June show

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  Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

  A Fiat 124 Spider Abarth — Italian styling on a proven roadster platform.

  Did you know?

  Built from 2016 to 2020 on the Mazda MX-5 platform, the 124 Spider uses a turbocharged Fiat engine and its own styling; the Abarth version adds power and a sportier suspension. ('Fiat' is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino.)

• Lotus Elan

  A Lotus Elan, the featherweight that defined Lotus handling.

  Did you know?

  Disc brakes, independent suspension, and a composite body made the Elan hugely innovative for its day. Founder Colin Chapman, ever obsessed with saving weight, famously said 'any car which holds together for a whole race is too heavy.' (Emma Peel drove one in 'The Avengers.')

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  Ford Bronco

  A first-generation Ford Bronco, widely credited as the original SUV.

  Did you know?

  The early Bronco paired sedan comfort with truck capability — a unique chassis, standard four-wheel drive, and a choice of inline-six or V8. By 1973 the 302 V8 could be had with the SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic.

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  Lamborghini Urus

  A Lamborghini Urus, the brand's super-SUV.

  By the numbers

  The first Super Sport Utility Vehicle in the world: a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with 641 hp and 627 lb-ft, 0–60 in 3.6 seconds, and a 190 mph top speed. (Fun fact: the 'urus,' or aurochs, was a large wild ox that roamed Eastern Europe into the 17th century.)

June 2025 car of the month

1969 Austin Mini MK-II

Owned by Thomas Knight

“I brought my daughter home from the hospital when she was born in 1976 in my first Mini.”

I bought my Mini in February of 2014 — kind of a birthday present to myself. It’s a 1969 Austin Mini MK-II. I bought it for the condition of the body and underside from a young man in San Diego. My daughter drove me down to pick it up and followed me home. On the way home the engine spun a rod and started knocking. I managed to find a factory “Silver Seal” GT1300 engine still in the crate — over 40 years old but unused. I stripped it and repainted it the original factory color (BMC “MOWOG” green). I was helping the family with my two grandkids and needed to drive them around, so I put five-point seatbelts in the back for them.

This has always been my only car, but I don’t put a lot of miles on it since I’m retired. It’s not my first Mini — it’s my fourth. I brought my daughter home from the hospital when she was born in 1976 in my first Mini, a 1967 Austin Cooper.

Ever since I bought this one, I’d been looking at a company in England that makes superchargers. I tried different carburetors but could never get it to run the way I wanted; geared for freeway speeds, it lost its low-end power. So I decided to buy myself the blower as a birthday gift this year. I ordered it in early January but didn’t get it until mid-February, then had to get the crank pulley installed — which meant pulling the radiator and engine mount. There was a lot I could do myself, and I installed and tuned the blower with the help of my 18-year-old grandson, Noah. There’s still more to do, mostly around heat: it stays normal on cool or mild days, but I’m wary of hot ones.

I’m so happy I found this car show. Being local means I can talk with people who are actually close by. The biggest challenge is finding a mechanic for the things I can’t do myself — maybe I’ll find one here. All I can say is it’s been so much fun.

Read the full feature on the rides page →

Car club spotlight

Clubs at the show

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  Pacific Coast Corvettes

  Thank you for the continuing support, Pacific Coast Corvettes — LRR loves to hear your group roar in. (And FYI: member Pattie S. makes out-of-this-world brownies — 10/10 would recommend.) Have a club of your own? Come by our next show to be featured.

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