A sad event, and all the words of praise and fond memories well placed. I'd not known him as deeply as some, but always found him very interested, responsive, knowledgeable and helpful. Those who can attend the 'celebration' this Sunday are bound to say so. Those who cannot will be thinking the same in their hearts. The best to him, his family, and his memory. NE
Janet and I attended the services on Sunday the 15th of Feb for Doug which was billed as a tribute to his life. The event was held at the Riverside International Automotive Museum, one of Dougs many inspirations. It was a beautiful tribute to Dougs life with speakers and a very well done video put together from old family movies and photos. It was an emotional experience, to be sure. The turnout was overwhelming which made parking difficult to find. I would estimate some 500 to 700 people attended. The long line of friends who had come to pay tribute to Dougs passing was over a half a block long and moving very slowly. While waiting in line we were told that the line to get in was moving so slowly because Dougs wife Mrs. Evonne Magnon was personally greeting and welcoming everyone. Evonne was the picture of elegance and grace. An Italian opera singer sang Ave Maria and several other Italian songs which again filled the room with emotional. Many of Doug's Maserati friends were in attendance. Dan Gurney spoke as well as others who knew Doug and shared his passions. A choir sang several songs and a wonderful lunch was enjoyed by all who attended. It was a very nice event and altogether a very appropriate way to say good by to our friend. Ciao, FJM
Thank you for the report Frank, It certainly sounds like it was a worthy tribute and I am glad Evonne is having such fortitude and dignity, he would be proud of her. It must have been a very moving event. Any life ending prematurely is a waste but none more so than his because he had done so much that was positive for his community, for his museum and the legacy of Riverside Raceway as well as other bygone tracks, for Maserati history, with touring rallies, his club involvement, his restaurant, all that with humility, positive energy and always welcoming any newcomer as many have written here and was about to do so much more, a true pillar in so many ways. Godspeed Doug. MS
Thank you for the report Frank, as I was unable to attend,..it is good to know how the service and tribute to Doug was. Thank you.
It is heart warming to see the outpouring of support from everyone. Doug was a force in the community and is missed. I've been working with the Museum and the TMC CA chapter to put together an event in Doug's name. Most likely event is a drive starting at the Museum headed towards Doug's second home in Palm Springs but I'm open to suggestion. It would be in the early fall. Doug's passion for everything Maserati lives on. Feel free to contact me if you want more details. Best Regards, PJY
After we met up with Jack Riddell who runs the Vintage Lamborghini Group and has the highest mileage 400GT (over 250K miles) which he's owned since 1972 in San Diego we then picked our good friends staying in Del Mar, Carl and Cecil Canales. Then we drove up to Riverside and spent the night in a lovely restored old Inn there. Photos | The Mission Inn Riverside Hotel & Spa | Riverside, CA A very nice place. The next morning at the museum we met up with some additional friends who all post here: Bob Huber, Laust peterson and Mike Trivich. All are Espada owners as well! Here's the link for some of the photos I took. https://www.flickr.com/photos/13434495@N03/sets/72157651722209761/ Afterwards we had a nice lunch at Doug's local restaurant where we met his wife Evonne who is running the restaurant. The combination of the Inn, museum visit and lunch at his restaurant makes for quite a lovely excursion. I hadn't seen Doug in quite a few years and this trip makes for a very pleasant remembrance. The Maserati community will certainly miss his contributions. Magnone Trattoria Image Unavailable, Please Login
I am planning to visit this weekend. Can you let me know the address of the restaurant? Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Many thanks for the information. Will be visiting on Wednesday if it all goes to plan. Couldn't see the yellow Khamsin in the photos. Is it still there?
Yes but it was behind the big projection screen you can see in one of the photos that has bicycle the the left of it. There are a couple of interesting cars behind that. I think the museum was still being rearranged somewhat from the memorial event. There are cars at another local in various stages of restoration and some cars such as the Biturbo spyder were probably there. I didn't get every car photographed completely and they were kind of tight. My shots of the XJ220 were out of focus. I was also trying to see the cars and talk with people myself. Hard to do it all sometimes ... Have a walk through the Mission inn if you can as well. They did a very nice job bringing it back except for the crummy paintings of the presidents in the lobby. Looks like a paint by the numbers effort ... You can sit in Taft's chair, a couple of you ... The courtyard is encircled in several stories of rooms with terraces and balconies you can circulate upon. Enjoy. I called ahead to make sure the museum was open.
Hi Hiltsuk, Good point Bob you missed the yellow Khamsin AM120US1046 which Doug and Jay Leno drove on that video segment. The car is behind the temporary screen stage which was in evidence in Bob's photos, along with several other Maser GT cars. Enjoy the visit and please post some photos The restaurant is very good, there is a wonderful wine selection, Doug was a serious wine buff just like Evonne. Please give her my warmest regards. Actually I just sent you an important email about your visit there and your automatic response said you will not read email during your vacation but please do read it it is important thanks! The Mission Inn minutes away is REALLY worth visiting, a complete surprise. It is in fact where movie stars overnighted in the Hollywood heyday when they stopped there half way between Beverly Hills and Palm Springs in Duesenbergs, Cords, Packards etc. I plan to stay there next visit. Best regards, Marc
There are some cars missing one of the prototype cars was also next to the Khamsin behind that screen. I'm not sure if the Biturbo spyder is gone or ? A few of the Detomaso era cars would spice the place up a bit and perhaps Doug was headed there ... A Shamal, 228, GOC and even a Barchetta would be nice.
Had a really enjoyable trip to Riverside last week. The museum is based in an office development on the edge of town and easy to miss from the outside. I went with my wife and 2 girls (none interested in cars) but even they had a good time there. We had the place to ourselves and were shown around by one of the staff. There about about 50 cars there, with around half being Maserati's. From recollection there are a few 3500's, an A6, a Mistral and Mistral Spyder, a Ghibli, an Indy, a Khamsin, a Bora and a couple of Meraks. The highlight is the MC12. Here are my photos which I took in a bit of a hurry. There are quiet of few of the Gransport MCV which is painted the same as the MC12 as I have one as my daily driver and it has given me an idea to repaint it at some stage. Hopefully this link works. https://plus.google.com/photos/107411480261416741676/albums/6137690326941997745?authkey=CI7m6pf87L_7lgE
Hi Hiltsuk, Thanks for the photos, and yes Doug was very proud of the Gransport, the only one painted like that, his special order. The Khamsin is spectacular in yellow Huh!? Just two left of the seven in yellow. I will send you what we discussed when I get back home from Geneva in a few days. Best regards, Marc
Excellent photos, Mike. You have a good eye. The Gransport paint scheme really looks good. Did you get to see the storage area in the building across the street? Even more cars there, most waiting for restoration, but also a few interesting tidbits.
No unfortunately I didn't see that as we had to press on to LA before the traffic hit. Maybe next time!
They still had the stage up but I was allowed to go behind it to see the Khamsin and also they let me walk behind the ropes.
