I’ve never been a fan of watching football so when I heard about the Anti-Football Run last year through our friends at Bring A Trailer I knew exactly what I wanted to do on this New Year’s Day. I woke up at 6:30am to make the 70mile drive to Sausalito by 8am–the starting point of the run. Stay indoors in the warmth of a cozy bed or jump in the roadster and partake in a vintage car rallye? Let’s do this!

 

Arriving in downtown Sausalito I was greeted to the sights and sounds of classic cars everywhere. I was truly a kid in a candy store. Parked the roadster, registered and got my route sheet: 120 miles of fun ahead!  The parking lots and streets were lined with impressive machinery so I will highlight a few cars. Please check the extensive photo gallery as I probably snapped pics of your ride!

Being a J-Tin fan I was totally stoked to find two fellow Datsun Roadsters. The silver car is Mike Young’s lovingly restored 1967 2000:

 

Yes, in a sea of Euro and American iron there were a few little Japanese gems like these MKII and MKIV Supras. Sadly, I did not spot any Z-cars or 510s 🙁

If you are a fan of Alfas this year’s showing was impressive. A handful of Giuliettas, even a Sprint Speciale, a bunch of GTVs and Berlinas.

Red, White and Blue. I love Italy:

 

 

BaT alumni sinister black 911 and RS:

 

I love vintage BMWs and 2002s were abundant.  My favorite was this brilliant E9 with modern wheels that somehow looked perfect.

 

Crowd favorites had to be the Lamborgini Miura and Gullwing Benz. This Jag however drew attention as well. I will save my personal favorite for later 🙂

 

Not just for sports cars! Michael E of Luche Libre Racing fame ran his FJ and check out the Archer and VW!

 

And finally the “quirky” and “never seen one before” cars:

 

The best part of this gathering? It’s not just another car show for the idle…everything here gets driven, so onto the run!  I was fortunate to tag along with the BaT group who hinted at starting the run a bit earlier to avoid traffic. So here I am ready to go in my little Datsun in midst of an E9, 2002, 911, Boss 302, and Dino 246.  Good company indeed.

 

Words really fail to describe the sights, sounds and smells of the journey to the coast, inland and back to the starting point. Briefly, our route took us towards HW 1 to Stinson Beach, inland to Olema and winding back to Petaluma for coffee before heading back to Sausalito.

 

Exhaust burble, backfire and crackle filled my ears. Infinite ocean views, rolling hills and valleys captured my sight. Fresh pastures, shadowy eucalyptus and smoky exhaust (courtesy of a Dino Spyder) all stimulated my senses. I spent the entire trip chasing a mesmerizing Dino 246, not a bad place to be 🙂 After making a 100mph+ pass to overtake traffic the Dino and Datsun enjoyed some spectacular driving. Epic.

 

After some white-knuckle and sphincter-puckering antics we stopped at the Petaluma Creamery to take a breather—and some pictures of my favorite car of the day, the Ferrari Dino 246:

 

The little Datsun couldn’t help but share some of the Ferrari’s spotlight:)

 

The roadster was well-received by folks. Many seemed fascinated by the hardtop and called it “classy”. “Ready for rallye” was a new one to me.

 

Once the BaT cars re-grouped we decided to make a run to the Golden Gate together. I don’t know why but it seemed like a race to the bridge and it was exhilarating! We mixed it up with a few other Anti-Footballers…an off-white BMW sedan blazing through traffic comes to mind.

 

I snapped this cool shot of the E9 at speed, this Bimmer cruised effortlessly at 100mph+:

 

Huge thanks to David Swig for carrying his father’s tradition in great fashion. This was a memorable event that every classic car owner should attend to start New Year’s on the right foot! Thank you to the great folks at BaT for letting me Enjoy The Ride with you…absolutely good times.

Check the gallery for more pictures!