KEEPING
DELTAS
DRIVING
Lancia Delta Integrale specialists and enthusiasts
A trip to LA
This is the Evo2 featured in a recent Petrolicious film, click on the picture to watch the vid.
I went to Los Angeles on holiday. California is, of course, beautiful on the coast, but inland of the beaches the countryside is brown and dusty in the serious drought conditions.
While in LA, I wanted to see the red Evo2 featured on Petrolicious. This Delta belongs, I think, to the owner of a shop and clothing brand called Period Correct. The gentleman's name is Bryan Calvero. I had emailed him before our holiday requesting a meeting, but got no response, so in the spirit of journalism, I went there anyway.
Our young host in LA had previously visited Period Correct and seen the Delta in the Period Correct showroom, so the car did exist.
We began by heading south on the hugely conjested LA freeway, to a Costa Mesa industrial area. Period Correct is a modern, well presented shop selling its clothing lines, car models and books, in an ex-Porsche specialist's premises. An interesting Porsche and an older BMW were on display inside, I'm not sure if the cars were for sale, or part of Bryan's collection on display.
However, Bryan and the Evo2 were not at home, the only Lancia on the premises was a boxed model, and that wasn't a wide arch car, it was an Andrews Heat for Hire Delta Turbo.
You need to be a bit careful what you say in LA, but the two lads in the shop were polite if a bit reserved under questioning.
Anyway, Bryan's Evo2 featured in a Petrolicious film, it's a lovely looking car, in perfect condition.
As you can see it's from Japan, the car was imported through Canada, I can't find out who imported it to Canada, or out of that country.
This Evo couldn't be legally imported into the USA at present, it's not old enough yet. This car could never be used legally in California either, because it doesn't have an exhaust gas recirculating system. As our favourite car was never fitted with such a device, it wouldn't pass the CA smog test. Catalytic converters and egr valves are a requirement for modern cars, modern classics included. But I'm sure Bryan knows all this.
So this Evo2 is being run on dealer plates, California DMV states that dealer plated vehicles may be used for any purpose, inc. pleasure, by a licensed car dealer only, I'm not certain of any time limit. So Bryan, or the car's owner, must be a car dealer. I can't tell if car dealing is supplementing the clothing sales, or the other way around.
Our LA correspondent, who's seen the Delta in the showroom, tells me the car has an LAPD supporter license plate surround. This shows your financial support and pride for the LA law enforcement officers, and can mean less attention from the highway patrol.
I would have liked to reach out to Bryan, but he didn't answer our call from his shop. I had a few questions to ask on your behalf, not least the possible profitable sales of Deltas in the USA. So this Evo2 is in Cal, and does drive around the streets, but mostly at night looking at the vid! I'm sure it will be a good investment for the future, but the car will have to make its journeys to any shows on a trailer.
Period Correct showroom LA
Perfect Alpina BMW
Period Correct is a n interesting place.
Period Correct is an interesting place, it's a car showroom and a quality clothing outlet.
It's beautifully fitted out and has some rare and interesting books and models inside.
The vehicles on display change regularly, the cars are always perfectly prepared, and the cars are from the era we know and love.
Bryan is a serious car collector of the highest standard, I wish him good fortune, a link to his website is below.
Porsche in the window
Something outside
Click on the Period Correct sweatshirt
to visit their website.
PERIOD CORRECT
Car culture!!
Saturday afternoon on the LA freeway,
7 lanes each way, all solid with cars!
Although Los Angeles is choking up with cars, and the countryside going brown with climate change, car culture is as popular as ever.
We therefore visited a Cars n Coffee, this was near Costa Mesa, so I hoped Bryan's Evo2 would be there. It wasn't!
As it never rains in LA, these events are always well attended, the cars start to leave at 9am, so an early start is required. Most American classic cars are prepared to a very high standard, many US and Japanese models were on show. Some lovely Italian cars caught my eye too, so I share them here.
It's worth looking at Youtube vids of burnout mistakes leaving Cars n Coffees!
A lovely Lancia Monte Carlo, in Bianchi blue.
Very tidy Alfa
And another
The future!
An electric Beetle
A bad ass Alpine,
still showing its UK plates
There was plenty of American muscle on show, and bonkers JDM cars too.
But we had to move on, we had a lot of ground to cover.
Our Southern California correspondent had an E36 M3 to look at, which he did, and he bought it too! It was my job to drive it back on the freeway to Woodland Hills, a very pleasant task. The car is white, and LA perfect, I'm sure he'll keep us posted with the car's progress
We were staying in beautiful Woodland Hills.
No rain means driveway projects don't need to be put away every night
One more thing!
I know it's off message, but I find long distance US trucking exciting, and romantic too!
Highway 5 runs south through LA to Mexico, there are mountains to climb north of LA. So a heavy loaded big rig will struggle across America, and it's reward will be a massive climb up the hot, steep Tejon pass before it can reach it's destination. Some trucks don't make it, some have to take a rest half way up.
The climb starts south of Bakersfield, I stood in a layby and enjoyed the sight of the heavy haulers grinding up the hill, here's a vid for you to enjoy too!