Tim Lappen

I am a third-generation Los Angeleno so I have cars in my blood and on my brain. I grew up going to (and sometimes racing at) San Fernando Valley Raceway and Lyons Drag Strip (Long Beach) as well as Ascot Park (the dirt track in Torrance). I drove anything that I could get the keys to (and some which I figured out how to hot-wire – all with the owners’ permission, of course). When I was at Palisades High School (Pacific Palisades – West Los Angeles), I wrote the “Car of the Week” column (1964-1965). Some weeks I wrote about my friends’ cars but other times I was able to talk local dealers out of giving me a car for a few hours. (Talk about a different time in the world!) And what dealers cooperated? How about a GTO, an Olds 442, a Buick GS and more? I also got to drive (with the rep) a Mustang GT350 at the Shelby headquarters near LA Airport and was able to interview the owners of other unusual cars, like the Chrysler turbine car. I even met and wrote about Craig Breedlove, who had just broken the land-speed record at Bonneville in his “Spirit of America”. Fun times. Flash forward a few (several?) decades and I now work as an attorney with a specialty in representing family offices. Many of my clients (and friends and other contacts) have amazing car collections and I occasionally get to drive some of their cars, especially when I help a client buy something special. For example, in the last few years, I have driven most of the superfast models made by Bugatti (a few times!), Mercedes, Bentley, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, BMW and more. I have participated in track days (I have met many dealers) with Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley and Cadillac (I had a CTS-V for almost a week). I will write about those cars in future posts. As a member of the Checkered Flag 200 (the main support group of The Petersen Automotive Museum), I participate in events about a dozen times a year. We organize or attend car shows, rallys, garage tours and more. It’s a great group of people. I also am into motorcycles (I have had a slew of Triumph Bonnevilles and currently have a 1979 T140E, which I’ve owned for over 30 years) and a BMW R11RS sports-touring bike. I am a self-trained mechanic who and I worked as a boat mechanic before going to college. I probably have put between 50,000 and 75,000 miles on motorcycles and intend to ride for many more years.

Posts by Tim Lappen

Haute Auto: 2016 Lamborghini Huracán Spyder

Thank you, Lamborghini, for your rolling gifts to the planet, all pointy, angular and snarling. And thank you for making them so distinctive that the car spotters of the world, even those who haven’t risen to the level of a true carniscenti, know instantly that they’re looking at one of Sant’Agata Bolognese’s offspring.

Sunday Reads: An Inside Look at the 2016 McLaren 675LT Coupe

Take an inside look at the 2016 McLaren 675LT Coupe with car aficionado, Tim Lappen.

An Inside Look at the 2016 McLaren 675LT Coupe

“My” McLaren 675LT arrived liveried in Napier Green. Let me describe that color. It’s bright green, I mean REALLY bright green. Ten minutes after it arrived, I got a call from the International Space Station, asking me to cover it during the day.

An Inside Look At The New 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S

FIRE UP THIS BABY AND YOU GET A SOUND BEST DESCRIBED as the Mating Call of the North American Male

In Inside Look At The 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S

An intimate look at the Haute new 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S. There’s a new shooter in town!

Scouting The Scottish Highlands With The 2016 Bentley Continental GTs

Sometimes after only hearing a few words you’re fully committed to the experience. And, so it was with me, after hearing “Bentley” and “Scotland” uttered in the same sentence.

Take A Look At Jay Leno’s Hot Wheels

What revs Jay Leno’s engine? A 250-vehicle haven and a sizable helping of humility.

Jay Leno on Cars, the Concours & Comedy

With Jay Leno, what you see is what you get.

The 2015 Bentley GT Speed Convertible: Fast Elegant and Open

BENTLEY IS A VERY INTERESTING MARQUE. CONCEIVED by its founder, W.O. Bentley, its first car hit the road in 1919, guid- ed by a concept to provide both elegance and performance

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