NEWPORT, Rhode Island (September 14, 2020) – Donald Osborne, noted classic car expert and CEO of Audrain, LLC., has been hard at work launching a variety of initiatives for the Audrain Automobile Museum as well as Concours and Motoring Week despite the Covid-19-related delay of the new annual automotive destination event, now postponed until early October 2021. It includes working to launch a bespoke motorsport club, Audrain Motorsport, and a new enthusiast magazine and website.
All of this is on Donald’s plate right now, in addition to filming the highly-anticipated sixth season of Jay Leno’s Garage, shooting a new pilot series and showing up recently as the featured guest speaker at Lime Rock Park’s Vintage Fall Festival 38. His own company, Automotive Valuation Services, is also still going strong back in California, continuing to service clients around the world.
Taking it all in stride as he usually does, Donald Osborne reflects on his ‘never-a-dull-moment’ life and living his dream of creating meaningful automotive experiences that he hopes will ultimately perpetuate the passion for automotive history for modern day cultures around the world.
“While so many have felt detached from the community of enthusiasts during this time, it has been especially rewarding to be so involved with activities that have brought so many of us closer and kept the energy of our passion alive,” writes Audrain CEO and automotive historian Donald Osborne. “I’m more excited than I’ve ever been about the opportunities that have opened up in the past months. They will prove to be a great permanent addition to all we’ve all enjoyed in the past.”
Audrain Newport Motor Week 2020 Virtual Seminars
September 10th: “From the Racetrack to the Opera: Marques That Did it All”… with Donald Osborne, Anne Lee, Louis de Fabribeckers & Steve Babinsky. This seminar was inspired and named for Audrain Automobile Museum’s latest museum exhibition to examine which manufacturers and historic circumstances helped in capturing the best of all worlds in sports and luxury, creating some of the most iconic cars of all time.
August 27th: “The Next, NEXT Generation: Automotive Passion Under 15”
Alongside a 17-year old car aficionado named Fernando, Donald co-moderated a panel of three young enthusiasts discussing everything from their favorite likes and dislikes to what they hope to drive as their first car.
Season Six Underway for Jay Leno’s Garage
‘Jay Leno’s Garage’, the beloved hit show on CNBC Primetime (available online as well as on select international networks) is back in production for its sixth season, and so Donald has once again joined his pal Jay in filming all-new content for both of his segments “Assess & Caress with Donald Osborne” and “Behind the Bowtie.”
‘Mansions &Motorcars’
The past few months, Donald has been quietly filming content for another program, ‘Audrain Mansions & Motorcars’, a brand new pilot series produced by Audrain, LLC. that focuses on the bond between the historic homes and culture in Newport, Rhode Island and legendary cars. With eleven episodes already filmed, stay tuned for more information soon on when and where this new and entertaining automotive program will debut.
Audrain Motorsport Launch coming up
As part of Donald’s role as CEO of Audrain, LLC., he and his team have been working on the launch of an exclusive and bespoke motorsport club and are getting closer to the program’s first publicized event, the inauguration of concierge car storage and consulting services in Rhode Island. Stay tuned for more information about international tours and one-of-a-kind, intimate gatherings with motoring legends by subscribing to the group’s newsletter on AudrainMotorsport.net.
Historic Festival 38 at Lime Rock Park
A veteran driver at Lime Rock Park where he enjoyed many laps in his former Crosley Gardner Special years back, Donald returned to the New England institution as the honored guest speaker over Labor Day weekend.
While the racing was held behind closed doors, with participants only in attendance, the spirit of the event was strong. Donald was interviewed in the paddock by noted racing personality Murray Smith and shared his experiences and memories of races at Lime Rock as well as about the current ‘Racetrack to the Opera’ exhibition at the Audrain Automobile Museum. He then rounded out the weekend as a special guest judge for the Sunday Concours in the Park, soaking in the atmosphere of great cars in a memorable setting.
DRIVE: The Documentary
Sunday Night Entertainment’s DRIVE: The Documentary is officially airing on Sunday, October 18 at 9 pm on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Documentary Channel. Tune in and watch Donald as well as the rest of the cast celebrate and discuss the emotional human experience of driving a car versus an impending future of automated cars. Visit the documentary’s web site to view the trailer.
