Gallery: Pixar Has the Coolest Car Show You Can't Get Into
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One of the very coolest car shows on the planet is not open to the public. It's definitely not open to the press. And if you're lucky enough to be invited inside, you pass through two gates, past multiple security guards *and* you're assigned to a chaperone. It's called the Pixar Motorama, and for 12 years the people who brought you monster hits like *Cars* and the forthcoming *Planes* have hosted some of the hottest, coolest and rarest moto-porn on the car-crazy West Coast. And this year we finally got in. Motorama is the brainchild of Pixar Animation head John Lasseter and Jay Ward, an art coordinator and character steward who has the enviable title of "Cars Legacy Guardian." He's well-suited to the gig, being a bona fide gearhead and all. "This is a cultural event for Pixar," Ward told us while sitting on the tire of his 1929 Model A. "We get around 80 cars. About 35 employee cars and 40 guest vehicles." Those guest vehicles represent a broad swath of the motoring world, bringing yesterday's classics together with tomorrow's. Jay Leno and the famous Mullin museum park their rides on the lawn alongside the latest lustworthy machinery from the likes of Aston Martin and Tesla. The automakers are no less eager to attend than we were. "We've had a longstanding relationship with a lot of the automakers," Ward says. "McLaren brought the first \[MP4-\]12C concept in 2011 -- it only went 10 mph -- and Audi has brought an R8 to our show every time they have a new one." Personally, we're more intrigued by Ward's cars than Audi's. His collection includes a '57 Pontiac Safari and a '39 Mercury convertible, along with the Ford Model A that got a ground-up rebuild. "I went all the way down to the frame, installed a Cadillac engine and hydramatic, and painted the whole thing myself with a can of Orchard Supply matte black." If you don't work for Pixar, have a relative who works at Pixar or have a friend who works at Pixar, you ain't getting The Motorama is open to Pixar employees, family, and friends, which is a shame given the kind of machinery they have on hand. But just to give you taste, here are the cars from the people who brought you *Cars*.
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It's hard not to start off with our personal Best of Show. It's a 1956 Jaguar XKSS, one of only 16 road-going versions of the D-Type race car. But its pedigree is even more impressive. This is Steve McQueen's XKSS, which he enjoyed so much that he almost lost his license -- twice -- in the first year he owned it. He eventually sold it in the early 70s, only to buy it back, holding onto it until he died in 1980.
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If there's a spiritual successor to the D-Type, the gorgeous F-Type may well be it. The drop-top isn't hitting Le Mans anytime soon, but there's no denying the car's sex appeal, and with a supercharged V8 under the hood the car is destined for the track Jag brings out the coupe version next year.
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A beautifully modified '32 Ford makes Jay Ward's beater '29 look like it was hacked together in a garage. Because it was.
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Jay Leno's 1966 Volga GAZ-21 was another favorite. It's ex-KGB staff car with a small four-banger and three-on-the-tree shifting. It's no less unique than the man who owns it — and just as attractive.
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A long line of classic sleds lined the walkway in front of Pixar HQ. We especially like the Citroen 2CV and a Volvo P1800 coupe.
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VW transporters were disproportionately represented. Maybe it's got something to do with it being the San Francisco Bay Area. Whatever the reason, this beauty, with a completely restored interior and fully functional kitchen, was among our faves.
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What happens when you take the lowly Nissan Juke crossover and shoehorn the GT-R's snarling twin-turbo V6 into it? You get the Juke R (middle), a 550-hp cute 'ute with a roll cage, pavement-ripping all-wheel-drive and more insanity than a psych ward. Nissan is making just five, they cost a half-mill each and they're all spoken for.
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Ward has been trying to get Tesla to attend the show for years, but it wasn't until Lassiter bought a Model S that the House Musk Built rolled through the gate. "That put us on the radar," Ward says. Tesla brought not one, but two Model X prototypes. Because falcon wing doors.
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We love the Chevrolet Volt. We make no bones about this. And we love its sexier sister, the Cadillac ELR. It made its West Coast debut at Pixar. We wanted to take it for a spin but, try as we might, we couldn't find the keys.
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The all-new seventh generation Corvette is so many kinds of awesome. (We're staying out of the square taillights argument.) That said, we're not sure about this particular shade of green...
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Steve Jobs was a Mercedes man, but the new Maserati Quattroporte looked right at home in front of the building bearing his name.
