Shenandoah Valley Tour

Over the past six years or so we have continued to enjoy Classic Motorsports’ road tours. This past June we participated in another one. This one started in Roanoke, Virginia where we would have lovely hotel accommodations as well as many of our meals. Every morning we would meet in our reserved parking lot and greet our fellow tour-mates. This included 30 cars and just about the same number of couples. Many of whom we had taken previous tours with and several that were new tour friends that we were meeting for the first time.

The makes and models of cars varied as well as the ages. Here are photos of the ones we saw.

We brought along our twenty-year-old Mitsubishi Evolution IX MR SE.

Following a driver meeting at 8:45 we fired up the provided-for Garmin GPSs that were pre-loaded with every day’s adventures. Then we headed for our first stop – Natural Bridge State Park.

An important part of these road tours are the roads that we travel on. Classic Motorsports ensures that, as much as possible, we get to enjoy winding roads and beautiful country scenery on our way to and from each stop.

The natural bridge was an amazing sight. It is so large the Statue of Liberty could fit under its arch without her torch hitting it. While there we not only got to explore the bridge (and drive over it) but we also received a verbal history of how it was created (naturally) as well as how it fit in with the history of the colonies and America.

After our lunch there we returned to our cars and headed to a private car collection in Fairfield, VA.

We arrived early, prior to the rest of the people on the tour, and consequently were able to spend some with the owner of the car collection, Paul Wilson. Above is his house, which started out as an old rectangular farmhouse. Over time he added architectural enhancements to the bland base that he started with. Now, it exudes charm and character. He allowed us to explore tower that is on the far left of this view.

Inside was a beautiful winding staircase that he designed and made himself.

At the top of the stairway was a domed area supported by columns that he also designed and constructed. Here are some shots of the domed ceiling.

He challenged us to guess how he achieved the domed ceiling. We examined it carefully while he told the story of his search for a solution to creating a domed ceiling. He explored many options. From hiring someone to create it from scratch, to looking for dome shapes that he could repurpose. While we mentally struggled to come up with his solution he revealed it to us.

Remember when people in the boonies would put up a large satellite dishes to get TV reception? Eventually these dishes were outmoded not only by far smaller dishes but advances in cable TV. So that left people wondering what they should do with the old monster-sized dishes. And now you can guess what Paul used for his domed ceiling. Brilliantly creative reuse of technology that had become outmoded and worthless.

Our time with him and his house was a great way to start understanding the extent of Paul’s brilliance and creativity prior to seeing his car collection.

From his house we walked over to the barn where his collection is stored.

About the 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C2500SS in his collection. “In the late 1930s the fastest, most advanced, most beautiful sports car in the world was the Alfa 8C2900B, or ‘2.9.’ Nearly all of the 40 or so built survive today, but they change hands rarely, and only a consideration of some $4-7 million. What is a penniless collector to do who wants one badly? My answer (more or less) is to make one” Paul Wilson.

Alfa introduced a “junior” six-cylinder car in 1939, the 6C2500, that shared the 2.9’s independent suspension and huge brakes. Their original cost was twice that of a Rolls Royce in 1947, so few were made and they had rather ugly bodies (even though individually handmade) so 30 years ago Paul found that he could buy three in derelict condition for $1000, so he did.

Paul bult his own bodies taking the best styling and function he felt Alfa should have built and did so out of steel in his own workshop. The results, as you can see are to die for.

When I first saw a Lamborghini Miura parked in Hyannis on Cape Cod one summer my breath was taken away. Below is a wonderful example of one.

When I was in junior high school I fell in love with the Lola T70 race car. Here is the one in Paul’s collection.

As I was mesmerized by the collection of cars in his barn, Paul shared with me that he is often asked what his favorite car is. He admits that he has owned several “favorites” but over time has sold many of them. He does feel that the cars currently in his collection are his favorites.

We had a wonderful time meeting Paul and his collection as well as touring his workshop where he still creates beautiful car body parts by hand.

It was time to tear ourselves away from Paul and his collection and head back to the hotel in Roanoke.