Words by Matt Willis

As I write this final closing entry for the 2012 Coronado Speed Festival, I can’t help but think about how quickly it had come and gone. Events these days pass us by so fast, mainly because we’re often trying to snag photos and move on to get all the material we can before the day ends. I guess that’s just part of the plan when the schedule gets busy, especially around this time of year…

This event, in particular, is one that I believe is very important for the automotive community and the future generations of enthusiasts. To be honest, before the attending my first Speed Festival, I didn’t really have an interest in muscle, historic or classic cars. Imports were my thing when I was just getting my feet into the water. They still are, more or less – but I’m not closed minded about it. I have a genuine love and admiration for any well-built car, whether its a Model T, a Lamborghini, a Honda Civic or a late sixties Camaro. It doesn’t matter. If the effort and passion from the owner is there, I can see it. And yes; there is a difference between a car that is just built and a car that is built with effort. There have been plenty of examples of this (primarily in the DIY-express Honda scene) in our culture at any given time. The other part, though, of a “well built” car comes from the sort of human connection between the vehicle and its ownership. These older guys that run their cars here in Coronado; most of them would be at a tragic loss if one of their cars were to get totaled on the track. Some of them wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. And, I’m sure some would just get their checkbook out and find another. But that’s the thing — some of these cars are so rare and historic, you could call them irreplaceable, in a way. It’s not like a child or a family member – of course not. A car that can be built cannot be compared to human life. The sweat, money and toil, though, that these owners probably go through restoring their cars and getting them fit to race on the track just truly sets them apart from other builds.

That’s why I say the Coronado Speed Festival is one of those events you just have to attend; at least once. It will change your perspective and you’ll appreciate the automotive culture more. As a San Diego event, it brings together Fleet Week and commemorates the Navy/Armed Forces, as they play a huge role in our town. And of course, you’ll love hearing the thunder of the cars on the track and seeing some awesome builds.

Moving on…I had considered wrapping up the Coronado Speed Festival coverage late last week, especially with the amount of material we have in-queue to post up. However there was still a lot of material from Sunday, as well as from the drifting exhibition and parade laps, that never made its way into prior posts. So, without further adieu…enjoy the final bit of our coverage from the 2012 Coronado Speed Festival…

Spotted Adam Carolla running his car on Sunday. I’m not a huge fan of him, but he is passionate about cars and he also won the Pro-Celebrity Race at the Long Beach GP earlier this year.

In the first post I mentioned the Navy vs. Marines pit stop competition. The final match took place on Sunday, and the Navy won…

Loved this 930. It was absolutely pristine.

Pre-grid area with the run group 5 cars ready to go.

Matt Powers of the Formula D circuit made an appearance in his 240SX…

…As did Cyrus Martinez with his S13…

Special thanks to Elisabeth Handley, the entire Coronado Speed Festival staff, the past and present members of the USN for their service, and NAS North Island for opening their doors annually to host. Thanks for another great event! See you next year…

Thanks for reading.

– Matt