Who could resist that invitation from the seductive lady seated on the hood? Certainly not me if I owned a muscle car! The spectacular Muscle Car 1000 is being organised by Russo and Steele, perhaps better known as collector car auctioneers. It begins on Sunday, October 4, 2009 at the Grand Del Mar, nestled amidst Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve in San Diego. Next day the group rallies to Coto de Caza to view General William Lyon's 100-car collection of classic automobiles, then continues to Palm Springs for the first of two nights at the La Quinta Resort and Spa. Which, by the way, will be the site of next year's Palm Springs Concours d'Elegance. On day three our muscle car enthusiasts will visit the Joshua Tree National Monument for lunch, followed by a Concours d'Elegance at La Quinta Resort. Assuming they're still upright and smiling they'll then be treated to a public viewing and wine tasting presented by several local wineries.

Inasmuch as muscle cars are best-known for flat-out acceleration, it's perhaps appropriate that on Wednesday they can rally to Irwindale, California for a few hours of drag racing at the track followed by a night of pampering and star-gazing in Beverly Hills. Time to cool the tires, if not the drivers. On the fifth and final day there's a private tour of the Nethercutt Museum where over 250 American and European automobiles dating from 1898 to 1997 are on display (I suspect this may be an eye-opener for muscle car owners who think it all began with the Pontiac GTO). Lunch happens at the Ronald Reagan "White House," repository of the Reagan Library and the Air Force One Pavilion where the Presidential aircraft is on display. Cars and drivers then rally to Santa Barbara for one last evening at the Four Seasons Biltmore. Tune those Carter carbs, check the Hurst shifts, flex your V-8 muscles, then sign on here for a fabulous drive.