Author: Randy Wells

NEW LEAF ’72T

Thanks to editor Randy Leffingwell and Road Scholars Magazine for showcasing my article on this lightly modified 50K mile 1972 Porsche 911T. It was originally built to special order with Leaf Green paint, tan interior, 5-speed transmission, forged alloy Fuchs, ‘S’ appearance group, tinted glass, and sunroof. Continue reading “”

ROGER GRAGO’S RIDE

It was an honor to produce a feature for my dear friend and fellow early Porsche 911 enthusiast, Roger Grago, who passed away last fall. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who made this possible, including Terrie Grago, Mike Sofka, Scott Hendry, Dan Reese, John Esposito, Dick Moran, and Jeff Zwart. Continue reading “”

FERDINAND PIECH RESIGNS

A grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, Ferdinand Piech became chairman and CEO of Volkswagen in 1993. He turned the company around and added top marques like Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti. Under Piech’s direction, VW bought Porsche in 2012 and in the process became Europe’s biggest carmaker – just four years after Porsche made a failed attempt to buy VW. Continue reading “”

ON THE ROAD TO HWY 61 REVISITED

When Bob Dylan was growing up in the 1950s, Highway 61 stretched from Duluth, Minnesota (his birthplace) down to St. Louis, through Memphis, into the Mississippi Delta, and eventually ending in New Orleans. Along the way, the route passed the home towns of influential musicians like Muddy Waters, Son House, Elvis Presley, and Charley Patton. Blues legend Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil for mastery of the blues. The location? Where Route 61 (now known as the “Blues Highway”) crosses Route 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Continue reading “”

MECHANICAL CAMERAS IN A DIGITAL AGE?

“At a very fundamental level, humans are defined and shaped by their use of tools. Tool use is the basis of human culture, and the tactile experience provided by using a tool is profoundly significant for human flourishing. Ironically, now that people spend so much time in a two-dimensional universe there’s a renewed acknowledgment of the pleasure to be found in the aesthetics and use of beautiful three-dimensional objects. The mechanical camera underlines the quirky, humanistic qualities of instruments created by hand. Continue reading “”

WIM WENDERS FILM ON SALGADO OPENS

“The Salt of The Earth”, which debuted at Cannes last fall and was nominated for an Acadamy Award, will be opening in New York and Los Angeles on Friday. Theaters nationwide will follow in April and May. Directors Wim Wenders and Juliano Salgado made this documentary film about renowned photojournalist Sebastian Salgado. Continue reading “”

JOSEF KOUDELKA

Josef Koudelka: Nationality Doubtful
November 11, 2014 – March 22, 2015
Getty Center, Los Angeles

“An aeronautical engineer by training, Josef Koudelka… became intensely committed to photography by the mid-1960s and quickly emerged as one of the most influential, iconoclastic photographers of his generation. This exhibition—the first U.S. retrospective devoted to Koudelka since 1988 — traces his legendary career with more than 140 works produced over five decades. It marks the first time that the work of one contemporary photographer will fill the Center for Photographs at the Getty.”

Don’t miss it.

Continue reading “”