By Izu Okpara
There are worse ways to spend a Saturday. Particularly one that begins among some of the world’s finest automobiles.
At the Marconi Automotive Museum in Orange County, the morning’s assembly was taking shape. Stuttgart was well represented, joined by Woking, Gaydon, and a few other distinguished addresses. Conversations were underway, wrists were extended for the obligatory photograph, and somewhere overhead, an aircraft appeared to be getting an earlier start than the rest of us.
Before long, the procession was moving through the streets of Orange County toward Glendale.
WORTH THE DETOUR
Within its walls, a Martini-liveried Porsche 918 Spyder held court alongside an impressive collection of machinery. Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini. Different temperaments, all perfectly at home in the company. George, our host and the owner of The Reserve, had prepared a welcome that extended well beyond the automobiles.
Breakfast burritos were excellent. The cappuccinos weren’t far behind. Cigars made their appearance, conversations grew less hurried, and the morning became considerably more comfortable than anyone’s original departure time might have suggested.
There was also a young gentleman in attendance who appeared somewhat underqualified for the cigar portion of the proceedings.
Standing beneath an assembly of outstretched wrists and raised cigars, he looked up with an expression that seemed to ask what, exactly, these adults were celebrating. Then again, given his enthusiasm for supercars, perhaps he was simply taking notes. Twenty years from now, he may well be the one organizing the gathering.
His mother, it seemed, was getting him started early.
Eventually, the engines reclaimed everyone’s attention. The procession regrouped, made its way through the city, and headed toward Willow Springs.
The scenery changed. The pace, considerably less so.
Some details deserved a closer look. Others were rather difficult to overlook.
THE SECOND ACT
For those who attended the inaugural Willow Springs Reimagined in 2025, the return carried a certain familiarity. The historic circuit, long associated with some of California’s most memorable motorsport moments, was continuing its next chapter.
The 2026 edition offered plenty to hold one’s attention.
Porsches waited in the paddock. A McLaren Solus GT looked spectacularly unconcerned with the conventions of road-car design. On the circuit, tires surrendered their grip in dramatic clouds of smoke. And among the machinery was a Martini-liveried Lancia, its familiar stripes recalling the Porsche 918 Spyder encountered hours earlier at The Reserve.
Different eras. Different disciplines. The same unmistakable colors.
From the grandstands, the spectacle unfolded against the unchanging backdrop of the California desert.
By then, the photographs had accumulated. So had the conversations, the miles, and a few stories that would probably improve with each retelling.
The first Willow Springs Reimagined had given everyone a reason to return. The sequel made a rather convincing case for a third.
