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Car Culture Cultivators

The Bridge VII and the Art of Staging Cars

Photos by Kevin Arechiga, words by Vijay Sankar The seventh edition of The Bridge underlined its elegance and exclusiveness amongst the nation’s premier automotive events. Photographer Kevin and I almost missed the last-minute Friday event expansion due to delayed flights, but fortunately managed to capture the best of it. Staged at the golf club that…

Postcards from Rennsport Reunion 7

Four days of the greatest hits from Porsche, and so much more. Take Luftgekühlt, Rolex Motorsports Reunion, The Quail, and combine them into one grand weekend – that’s a nutshell of what Rennsport Reunion 7 was like. Every car on display was positioned with artistic obsession, like we witnessed at Luft9 in Mare Island a…

Monterey Motorsports Reunion Celebrates the History of Racing

One of the best experiences during Monterey Car Week is to witness historic racecars do what they were built for – race hard on track, all week long at Laguna Seca. You can see historic cars firing up, being worked on, and driven as they were originally intended.

‘How to Build a Car’ by Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey’s autobiography elegantly chronicles the design philosophies behind a select 11 Grand Prix cars that he championed over an illustrious career. Anyone with a casual interest in automobiles, motor racing or aerodynamics will find this book to be a sure-fire stimulant.

Holy Grail Hunting: Ferrari 458 Italia

The 458 Italia was born at the tale end of the goldilocks 2000s era, serving as a culmination of the most desirable characteristics in a mid-engine Ferrari. It was a timely return to form for Maranello after a hiatus.

Why Citroën was the Pioneering Misfit of the Car World

Words and photography Vijay Sankar (pink_helmet) … Arriving at the sprawling farm draped over the hilly landscape of Castro Valley, I was greeted by a sanctuary carefully preserving the cream of French automotive avant-garde. It was fitting that the entire locality felt detached from the modern world, seemingly living in its own dreamy bubble of…

Six Questions with Sreten of M539 Restorations

Words and photography by Vijay Sankar (@pink_helmet) When Jason Cammisa decided to host an impromptu meetup with the beloved creator of M539 Restorations—Sreten—we didn’t have to think twice about showing up. Nor did 100 or so others who flocked to that tiny corner of San Rafael on a day’s notice to exchange pleasantries with the…

BMW Z3 M Coupe: The Weird And The Wonderful

All images are from a recent BMW Z3 M Coupe reunion photoshoot held in the Bay Area. Thanks to Rich (@dasblaushu) and the rest of the M Shoe owners for making this gathering happen. Words and photos by Vijay Sankar (@pink_helmet). … Some of the most interesting cars ever made have taken form without express…

The Lamborghini Miura Experience

Words and photography by Vijay Sankar (@pink_helmet) … A solid wall of thunderous wails echoed through the woods lining the Fairfax-Bolinas Road. Flocks of birds were dislodged from mountain sides at the arrival of the exhaust note rocking their world. As much as the visual presence is iconic, the noise of the Miura precedes it.…

BMW E60 M5–The Power of Ten

There is electric throttle response throughout the rev range, and it makes peak power at its manic top end near 8000 RPM. It punches well low in the rev range, but boy does it pay to rev it out to the climax. The motor hits so hard at the top after a linear climb through…

Tales from The California Automobile Museum

VALT Stories is a series that brings together car culture tales worth sharing from the Bay Area. This series embodies everything from photo essays on notable cars to selected narratives of the stewards of automotive enthusiasm in the community. … Gabriel Ionica serves as the Communications Coordinator at California Automobile Museum in Sacramento. He is…

The Sights from Sundays on Solano

Photography by @tinydarkroom. Select photos from Cars and Coffee at our ‘4th Sundays on Solano’ on May 22. Explore and/or purchase many more images from the gallery here. Photography by @tinydarkroom. Explore and/or purchase many more images from the gallery here.

BMW ///M is Still Alive and Well

In search of the soul of BMW, we found that there are still palpable signs of life at the M Division that excite us. You just need to be open new experiences. khj Words and photography by Vijay Sankar (@pink_helmet on Instagram) Caveat: The photos are those of a base M2, but my driving impressions…

The Sights from Golden Gate Cars & Culture

Photography by Tiny Darkroom on Instagram; words by Vijay Sankar Explore and/or purchase many more images from the event at this link. The Bay Area car community is richly diverse in ways that are hard to encapsulate under the roof of one event. The cars, the drivers, the restorers, the artists, the curators and the…

How the Original Acura NSX Changed the World

The NSX is a culmination of the visionary methods of Honda that have led the way in automotive innovations over the decades, democratizing safety, reliability and fun for the masses. It feels, sounds, smells and drives very much like a Honda, and in the best way possible.

UNDERGROUND RALLY #003

VALT AUTOCLUB Underground Rally number 3 #003

5TH SUNDAYS #002 IS HERE

There are 5 Sundays this month, which means we’ll be heading back to Sisi’s Cafe out in Moraga. In case you forgot, this event is a ton of fun. It’s an intimate event tucked away amongst some wooded California hills with a lovely collection of diverse cars in attendance. We ticket these events to keep…

HIGHLIGHT REEL: VALT CARWEEK 2021

To everyone who made it out to our partnered event with Peninsula Cars & Coffee – thank you! We had a blast. Check out some of our coverage below, and head on over to our youtube so you can subscribe for more content like this in the future. See you all this weekend on Solano…

HIGHLIGHT REEL: BLACKHAWK

By Gabriel Ionica I go to a lot of car shows in my free time and I’ve seen a lot of incredible cars ranging from your cousin’s Lexus to that CEO’s Ferrari/Lamborghini. Even having experienced such automotive excellence, nothing could prepare me for what I saw at the VALT Auto Club x Blackhawk Museum show…

VALT FINDS FOR SALE SATURDAY JULY 24

Head out to Saint Mary’s College between 830-1130am on July 24th to check out some sweet VALT Finds that we will be displaying for sale. Check out tickets below to secure a spot at the show! VALT Finds Tent tickets will earn you a staged spot to show your car for sale while Enthusiast tickets…

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