Tag: Adventure

Hanging out at the 2021 LA AUTO SHOW!

I’ve always said that following your passions will lead you to interesting places! As my luck would have it, following my passion for automobiles has led me to the stage at the 2021 LA Auto Show as the recipient of the Hispanic Motor Press Foundation Scholarship Award!

The Hispanic Motor Press Foundation Scholarship is a scholarship dedicated to supporting young Hispanics pursuing a career in journalism focusing on the vehicle and transportation industries, with emphasis on the technology of the motor vehicle.

I applied to this scholarship because even though I’m not technically studying journalism, I am a transportation design student who does automotive journalism on the side as a hobby. This blog is the perfect example of that! Well, I’m happy to say that I was picked as the winner and I was presented with the award on stage at the LA Auto Show!

Of course, this wasn’t the only highlight of my day. This was the first time I had ever been to the LA Auto Show! So naturally my shutterbug instincts took over and I was snapping away at every interesting display or concept car I crossed while hunting down designers and other industry insiders to talk and network with!

So, please enjoy these photos from the 2021 LA Auto Show! Also I wanted to give a very special thanks to the following individuals!:

  • Ricardo Rodriguez-Long
  • Jon Rosner
  • Aaron M. Sanchez
  • Jose Vargas Ulloa
  • Chris Benjamin
  • Angelica Willard

Thank you so much!

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Bringing a Westfield Eleven Home

We set out into the darkness…

…RV loaded, trailer empty, and bodies caffeinated for the road ahead. Previously, we were partying with friends at the new Supercars and Salsa event we helped start. Now, we were on our way to Oregon for the promise of a Westfield Lotus Eleven; clad in black and red-lipped. After months of searching, a close friend of mine was realizing a dream; bringing home a vintage Lotus race car and completing a collection. This was not the first time a car like this found its way to us. On the other hand, this time was special because of the car we would be getting.

The car was a Westfield Lotus XI (Eleven); a car that could easily pass for the real thing at first glance. Westfield had built these replicas in the early ’80s as a kit, along with their version of the Lotus Seven. Using parts from an MG Sprite or Midget, the builder can recreate the magic of racing in the late ’50s. Furthermore, Westfield was also notable for the legal battle with Lotus regarding the rights to building the Seven and Eleven; a battle which resulted in Westfield ending production of their Eleven and Seven kits in the late ’80s. Today, a “pre-litigation” Westfield Lotus is a sought-after substitute for the real thing. This particular example was special, as it was the dream car of a man who would end up racing and caring for the car for 34 years. This man’s name is Don Erickson.

From Michigan to Alabama

We met Don on the street a short walk away from his house. He must have seen the RV/Trailer combo and the road-weary party walking around in slight confusion. Don was a tall, lanky gentleman with piercing blue eyes and a strong handshake. He led us up to the hill toward his house, where I noticed his mailbox painted a sporting red color. When I looked into the open garage, I could see the rear of a ’50s race car.

Our group made our way into the garage, and while everyone was gawking at this low-slung amalgamation of fiberglass and steel, I asked him to tell me the story of the car. He told me to wait a moment and went back into his house to retrieve something. I was sitting in the passenger seat of the Eleven playing with the toggle switches when he returned with a magazine. As soon as I saw the cover, I gasped. I was holding an issue of Road & Track with a white Lotus Eleven, dated March 1957.