Joe Duray

Best of France and Italy, 2025

November 17, 2025 By pete

A 1926 Bugatti T40 Roadster.

The 2015 Annual Best of Italy and France Show

Story and photos by Joe Duray

The 53rd Annual Best of Italy and France Show was held on November 2. It is probably the oldest car show in Southern California, and occurs annually on the first Sunday of November in a beautiful park in the San Fernando Valley.

It is special in that any car or vintage is allowed to show if it was built in either Italy or France. It is a car show for car owners. There is no car judging, and the cost of registration is minimal. This brings out a large array of cars. This year, approximately 350 cars were on the green. There is no cost for spectator admission.

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San Marino Car Show, August 25, 2024

September 9, 2024 By pete

Jay Leno’s Monteverdi

Story and photos by Joe Duray

What Makes the San Marino Car Show Special?

Hopefully as a car enthusiast, you have many local car gatherings to attend. Southern California is particularly blessed with a plethora of such events. These can range from being held in a carnival to an informal setting (or anywhere in between) that contain a mixture of various time periods, design styles and manufacturers. Some events range from simply one-make to ‘bring-what-you-got gatherings.

The annual San Marino Car Show is special, as it is a bit of a mixture of the best of all above. It is well organized and impeccably managed. [Read more…] about San Marino Car Show, August 25, 2024

ArtCenter Design Invitational 2023

November 6, 2023 By pete

Joe Duray, left and the author with Joe’s 3500GT Maserati.

Story and photos by Brandes Elitch

On October 28th, the Art Center in Pasadena hosted the ArtCenter Design Invitational for their alumni, famous designers, and guests, including a small display of show cars of the past, today, and the future. This has been an annual event, which began in 2002.

The Art Center itself is 75 years old. The Automotive Design Department was founded in 1948. The mission is to develop creative leaders and innovators in art and design. Their vision is to create a new model for art and design education in the 21st century, which they characterize as: “Learn to create and influence change.” I think it is fair to say that this is the most famous design college in the world. [Read more…] about ArtCenter Design Invitational 2023