New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: cars and cockpits

Rare Austin Healy British sports cars on display at the Lyon Air Museum on June 5

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Editor Posted in Airplanes, automobiles, Entertainment, Historical, Military, Orange County, Santa Ana, Veterans Leave a comment

Press Release, for Immediate Release

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011

RARE CLASSIC COLLECTOR CARS ON DISPLAY

Lyon Air Museum, a premier Southern California showcase for vintage military aircraft and automobiles, will host classic Austin-Healey British sports cars as part of a “Cars & Cockpits” event scheduled for Sun., June 5, 2011, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. at the facility, located on the west side of the runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. (NOTE: Weather permitting).

The cars are owned by members of the Austin-Healey Association of Southern California (AHASC), which first formed in 1974. Members will bring their automobiles from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties. On display will be the Austin-Healey models Sprite, 100 and 3000.

“This special event presents Museum visitors with an exceptional opportunity to view some of the rarest of Austin-Healey sports cars in pristine condition,” said Mark Foster, president of Lyon Air Museum.

“Austin-Healey produced some of the world’s finest cars,” said George McHarris, AHASC past-president. “Anyone who comes to the Museum on Sunday will be able to get that incredible Austin-Healey experience firsthand.”

The Austin-Healey Sprite is a small open sports car originally intended to be a low-cost model. It quickly became affectionately known as the “Frogeye” in the UK and the “Bugeye” in the U.S. because its headlights are prominently and distinctively mounted on top of the hood.

The first Austin-Healey 100s (series BN1 and BN2) were four-cylinder cars. The final “100″ models, 1956′s “BN4″ (2+2 seats) and 1958′s “BN6″ (two seats) were six-cylinder cars. The “100″ name comes from company founder Donald Healey, who selected the name due to the car’s ability to reach 100 mph (160 km/h).

The original Austin-Healey 3000 was built from March 1959 to March 1961 and has model designation BT7 MkI (four-seat version) and BN7 MkI (two-seater). The car is named for its 3000cc engine.

The Austin-Healey marque was established through a joint-venture arrangement set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company, a renowned automotive engineering and design firm. Austin-Healey cars were produced until 1972 when the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end. Donald Healey left the company in 1968 when British Motor Holdings (BMC had merged with Jaguar Cars in 1966 to form BMH) was merged into British Leyland.

The 30,000-sq.ft. Lyon Air Museum opened in Dec. 2009. The facility represents the fulfillment of a dream of Maj. Gen. William Lyon, USAF (Ret), who held the position of Chief of the U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1975 to 1979. Currently, Gen. Lyon is Chairman of the Board and CEO of William Lyon Homes, Inc., Newport Beach, Calif. His passion for aviation history and youth education is the driving force behind Lyon Air Museum. In establishing the Museum, Gen. Lyon sought to create a world-class facility that would be available to the local community and would offer educational exhibits designed to inspire young people. The Museum has on exhibit some of the world’s rarest operational aircraft and vehicles.

Lyon Air Museum is located at 19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana, CA 92707. P: 714/210-4585. F: 714/210-4588. Email: info@lyonairmuseum.org

Hours of operation are daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission rates: General admission–$8; Seniors and Veterans–$6; Ages 5-17–$4; Under age 5—Free. Groups of 10 or more–$1 off each visitor. Pre-arranged school groups—Free.

Media Contact: Ned Madden
Rodheim Marketing Group
949/547-0143

Cars & cockpits, Ferrari Day, on May 1

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Editor Posted in Airplanes, automobiles, Entertainment, Historical, Military, Santa Ana Leave a comment

LATE-MODEL MODERN & CLASSIC COLLECTOR CARS ON DISPLAY

Lyon Air Museum, a premier Southern California showcase for vintage military aircraft and automobiles, will host dozens of late-model Ferrari Italian sports cars as part of a “Cars & Cockpits” event scheduled for Sun., May 1, 2011, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the facility, located on the west side of the runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. (NOTE: Weather permitting).

Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. The elegant Ferrari automobiles on display at the Museum will be driven by members of the Ferrari Owners Club (FOC), FCA SW Region, based in Huntington Beach, Calif. Ferrari owners will be bringing in their cars from across the region. Various types of Ferraris will be shown, including the 458 Italia, 599GTB Fiorano, 599GTO (Grand Turismo Omologato), 612 Scaglietti, California and F430

“This special event has a definite excitement factor because it presents Museum visitors with an exceptional opportunity to view some of the rarest of the fabulous vintage Ferrari sports cars in pristine condition,” said Mark Foster, president of Lyon Air Museum.

Tex K. Otto, FOC Southwest Regional Director, estimated that 40-50 vehicles will be on hand.

“Ferrari has been producing cars for road and track for more than sixty years, combining passion, design and technological perfection,” Otto said. “Anyone who comes to the Museum on Sunday will be able to get that incredible Ferrari experience firsthand.”

Lyon Air Museum is located at 19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana, CA 92707. P: 714/210-4585. F: 714/210-4588. Email: info@lyonairmuseum.org. Hours of operation are daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission rates: General admission–$8; Seniors and Veterans–$6; Ages 5-17–$4; Under age 5—Free. Groups of 10 or more–$1 off each visitor. Pre-arranged school groups—Free.

On the first Sunday of each month, Lyon Air Museum hosts a different automobile “club” for a morning of cars and cockpits. Vintage, exotic, and otherwise very rare vehicles line the museum parking lot for a casual grouping and viewing. The car events are FREE to the public for viewing, and there’s coffee and breakfast snacks available for purchase. Lyon Air Museum is open during the car events, with several rare vehicles on display along side the fully-operational bombers and war-time aircraft.

Vintage cars and cockpits, at the Lyon Air Museum, on March 6

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Editor Posted in Airplanes, Arts and Culture, Cars, Entertainment, Historical, Military, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Cars & Cockpits – BMW, on March 6 at the Lyon Air Museum

CLASSICS INCLUDE BMW ‘BLUMAX’ 1969 E9 2800CS WITH WORLD RECORD 417,000 MILES

SANTA ANA, Calif., February 25, 2011—Lyon Air Museum, a premier Southern California showcase for vintage military aircraft and automobiles, is scheduled to host dozens of rare BMW sports cars as part of “Cars & Cockpits Day,” scheduled for Sun., March 6, 2011, from 10 a.m. to noon at the facility, located at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. (NOTE: Weather permitting—rain would cause cancellation of the event.)

The classic BMW vehicles will be driven by owners from across Southern California, including Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Bernardino counties. One enthusiast is even flying in from Vancouver, British Columbia. Also participating will be rare cars from the collection of Santa Ana dealership Crevier BMW, as well as two new special BMW preview models. Crevier BMW is the nation’s top seller of BMWs by volume. Gourmet food trucks will also be stationed at the Museum ready to serve hot refreshments.

“This special event has a definite excitement factor because it presents Museum visitors with an exceptional opportunity to view some of the rarest BMW cars, like the early coupes,” said Mark Foster, president of Lyon Air Museum.

One such vehicle is a two-door, six-cylinder 1969 E9 2800CS model owned by Murray Fowler, 82, of Costa Mesa, Calif. The car (license plate “BLUMAX”) has the unique distinction of being the highest mileage BMW of its type in the world with 417,000 miles on the odometer.

“I bought BLUMAX from the original owner thirty-nine years ago and, except for the wheels, most of the parts are original,” said Fowler. “Technically, my E9 is un-restored while remaining in very fine show condition.”

According to Fowler, BLUMAX is the 16th E-9 from among a total of 3,721 built on order from Hoffman Motors for the North American market. The E9 platform was very successful in racing and helped to establish BMW’s status as a sport driver’s car.

BLUMAX was delivered to its original owner—a young U.S. Army officer from San Marino, Calif. stationed in Germany—at the Munich factory on October 1, 1969. Since Fowler took ownership, the coupe (which he also used as his primary business car in Orange County for a few years) has travelled across the U.S. Canada and Mexico numerous times. He estimates that he has driven more than 500,000 miles in the BLUMAX and similar autos. Fowler and BLUMAX are featured in a video produced by BMW (and available on YouTube) that is part of a series called “Unscripted” in which everyday owners talk about their life and passion with BMW vehicles.

Lyon Air Museum is located at 19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana, CA 92707. P: 714/210-4585. F: 714/210-4588. Email: info@lyonairmuseum.org. Web: www.lyonairmuseum.org.

Media Contact: Ned Madden
Rodheim Marketing Group
949/547-0143