Every year the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego opens it gates to thousands of car lovers. Ground-pounding vintage Trans Am racers and other delicious cars take to a makeshift track on an active naval air base. Just be wary of the occasional F18 Super Hornet takeoff.
This Navy Desert Patrol Vehicle didn’t participate in any races, but it would’ve had a fairly large .50 caliber advantage. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
A former Richard Petty Charger and a few Trams Am race cars await the day’s activities. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This Chevron B26 was extremely quick. Nearly lapped the entire field every time it was on track. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This Bud Moore Ford Mustang Boss 302 was definitely one of the coolest cars in attendance. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
As was this AMC Javelin. Pretty sure one guy owned both cars. I’m very jealous of this man. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
N.A.R.T. Ferrari 312P hangs out in the shade with its huge NACA ducts. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
There was some excellent metal in the parking lot too, like this gorgeous Nissan Skyline R31. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Corvette Stingray chases down a Shelby Mustang GT350 on track. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Shelby Mustang GT350 pulling into the pits. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
By now you’re probably noticing a trend. There were lots of GT350s around. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
A Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” attempts to take flight. Love the way these cars look with the bumpers removed. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
About as menacing as a Mini Cooper can get. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Trans Am racers hit the track for the first time. I was really wishing I had brought earplugs at this point. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
And now for something completely different. The Robby Gordon Formula Off-Road Stadium Super Trucks were as nuts as their name is long. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Three sets of jumps were brought out on track. Landings weren’t always pretty. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Gumby is my co-pilot. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Maybe the Porsche 356 was called the 711 in an alternate universe? [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ was as pretty as it was quick. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Mini Cooper cornering hard on to the start/finish straight. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Plenty of Alfas around too. This Giulietta Spider was among the cooler examples. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
The under 2.0-liter cars put on a great show. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA was a fixture in under 2.0-liter racing. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
As was the BMW 2002. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
One of several Chevron racecars on hand. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
A grab-bag of vintage racers head into turn one with the Pacific Ocean serving as the run-off area. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This McLaren M6A definitely fell into the cars I’d like to take home category. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Very tidy Porsche 911 racer negotiates the rough concrete surface. The airfield surface gave the track a bit of a Sebring feel. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
The N.A.R.T. Ferrari 312P sounded absolutely glorious. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
More to see in the parking lot. All three members of the Southern California Lamborghini Espada club made it out. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This BMW 1600 Touring was effortlessly cool. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Porsche 356 mingling with some of its younger siblings. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This 550 Spyder was very close to the track, meaning it was in danger of having one of Robby Gordon’s flying trucks land on it. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This Abarth 600 was an absolute screamer. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Even though it was painfully slow and didn’t sound quite right, this Ferrari 308 GT4 still passed the cool test. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This E-Type based Jaguar Low Drag Coupe replica was probably one of the most desirable cars around. It sounded as good as it looked. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
This Ford Torino got smoked by the more modern tube frame stock cars, but was far more fun to watch slide around each and every turn. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Big surface stripes served as reminders that you were standing on an active military air base. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
Trans Am race did not disappoint. The AMC Javelin and Mustang Boss 302 battled for the entire session. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
The Mustang finally gets by on the back straight. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
A Camaro streaks by as the sun finally begins to set. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
…and a Mustang does the same. [Photo: James Wolfcale]
In case you needed a reminder, the AMC Javelins won both their championships with Roger Penske running the show. [Photo: James Wolfcale]