Signs of things to come. Later we found 35˚F temps and 7" of snow

After a drive to Long Island to pick up cars, and Philadelphia to drop off an incredible Velocette Thruxton motorbike, we finally made it to Hot Springs, Virginia and the colossal hotel resort, The Homestead. The hotel is rich with history and while lobby alone is massive, a series of parlor rooms runs its length such that any small group can get away and feel as if they have their own private space. (Gallery after the jump)

We set up to begin a series of mechanical, electrical, and other repairs on a few vehicles before the rally began. Checking the charging system on one of the nicest Lamboghini Jalpa’s we’ve ever seen, repairing the Electromotive ignition on a Porsche 914/6, and the drivers window on a 330 GTC.

The Dish...

There were also a few repairs that didn’t surprise us. A beautiful 356 came by with a seat back that had become unscrewed. It was recently restored and the seat was likely “temporarily” installed without a good tightening. A quick hunt around the 30 or so screws that hold the interior door panels and the sill trim on showed many more screws that needed a final twist. A really nice 250 GTE came by with some carbs that the Ferrari dealer had been tuning. Unfortunately the dealer hasn’t been tuning carbs on new Ferrari models since the early-eighties, so we balanced them and dialed in the mixture.

The Homestead with a Porsche courtesy car out front - a Cayman R no less

Driver's Meeting led by Rich Taylor of Vintage Rallies.

A Ferrari Bonaldi Brake Booster for rebuild will only stop you in your tracks in it’s current condition – not working – but in very nice cosmetic shape.

A rare Ferrari 275 GTB and GTB/4 Egg-Crate Grille Brandoli reproduction isn’t easy to come by and is in good condition.

Marchall 660 Fog Lights for Ferrari 250, 225, 212, 166 will actually look at home on a variety of other cars including Porsche 356, Mercedes 300, etc.

The trim ring on the correct style Carello headlight assembly is so small and fine that you cannot have one imperfection on the body. The assembly needs to fit up to the aluminum perfectly. Also, there is not a very good way to hold the assembly into the body so it really needs to “snap” into place as well as using a fastener.

These lights really make the car look good though!

Once painted, the reflection of the paint work on the trim ring will make any minor gaps disappear so we will not be too hard on ourselves.

When we stripped the paint from the headlight area we found that the aluminum was very thin from over zealous filing and sanding so there was not much good material to work with. Eben made a hammer form for setting up the new aluminum sheet that will accept the headlight bucket.

Headlight trim ring fit is so important on a classic car so great effort was taken to make sure everything looks great prior to paint work. We think that the front end of the car looks so much better with the correct classic headlights. Now, how well will the paint match?

Anyhow, I have spent probably 15 hours inquiring about a set of proper headlights with corresponding buckets and trim rings. I have emailed photos back and forth to a specialist and made sure that I can get a set of fog lights to match the headlights. After all, I cannot get Marchall type 434′s with Carello Fog lights!!

I finally located a set of Carello headlight to go with the original Carello 6″ fog lights. I am so excited for them to come in. Once we get the parts we can finish off the nose of the 166 Touring Berlinetta and make sure everything fits perfectly prior to painting.

I also ordered a set of Marchall Type 435′s with buckets/retainer/outer trim for the 212 race car project and another set for a 212 Vignale coupe project. I think I just spent $15,000 on lights for these cars!

I am in the process of locating a pair of taillights for the 166, the car had some cheap plastic lens while using the original trim bezel. I was impressed at how well a DOT approved trailer light looked on this car. Photographed is an original taillight and original Marchall type 434 headlight.