RISING BEAUTY : Moonwalk !

The ultimate full moon shot. Dean Potter walks a highline at Cathedral Peak as the sun sets and the moon rises. Shot from over 1 mile away with a Canon 800mm and 2X by Mikey Schaefer. mikeylikesrocks.com

This shot was part of a bigger project for National Geographic called The Man Who Can Fly.channel.nationalgeographic.com/videos/the-man-who-can-fly/

BMW 2002ti Rally: Whiplash mountain

Rain, nothing but rain. Why must the heavenly floodgates open on the January weekend of the Planai Classic? Every year, this rally season-opener attracts participants with promises of wild rides on snowy mountain roads and icy mountain passes but, when the rain comes, the conditions degenerate into a hydroplaning ballet. 

My mount is the BMW 2002ti rally car and it has far more relevant rallying experience than I do. Built in 1969, the ‘little’ car was successfully launched into the Group 2 class of the World Rally Championship and, with its 4-cylinder in-line Alpina engine, was driven in the 1970/71 rally seasons by no less than Rauno Aaltonen and Sobieslaw Zasada – who won the 1971 Polish Rally with this car. The impressive output of 190HP and weight of just 1,040kg means lots of drifting fun; but without snow, there’s only half the pleasure.



As the rally starts, in Gröbming, the water falls only in a liquid state from the sky but, by the end of the first day’s competition, there’s a slippery mix of snow and ice to contend with. Steep curves see me babbling with unintelligible excitement into the microphone, drawing a distraught look from my team-mate Florian. Fortunately, his stare is quickly interrupted by the start of the night stage.



As I drift around the tight turns on the long route to the Dachstein, the snow-covered road lit only by the wide arc from our headlamps, I'm reminded of the ‘Night of Long Knives’, the famous night stage of the Monte Carlo Rally. The studded tyres make loud scratching noises as they cling to the road surface and we dart left-right, in second gear, through the bends. My head aches – and my back too, as the bucket seat is not entirely comfortable – but a high dose of adrenalin ensures rapid healing.



The experience is immensely good fun but I did become very aware of my limitations as a driver. The Planai Classic is no tourist’s cruise… although, fortunately, the 45 starting teams had enough rally experience on snow and ice that – despite the demands of the night-time special stages – there were no accidents. However, in preparation for next winter, I’ve already signed up for winter rally-driver training with Rally-Professor Rauno Aaltonen in Finland.

Related Links Whether classic cars, rally or sports versions, there are plenty of BMW 2002s in the Classic Driver Marketplace For more information on the Planai and Ennstal Classics, see www.planai-classic.at andwww.ennstal-classic.at/de/

Text: J. Philip Rathgen (ClassicDriver)
Photos: Gudrun Muschalla

Dakar2013, étape 7 : Un peu d’air pour « Peter » / Peterhansel earns himself some breathing space

Stéphane Peterhansel claimed his first stage win of the 2013 Dakar Rally as the event moved into Argentina today. The Mini/Michelin driver saw off Guerlain Chicherit by 39 seconds and – more significantly – his closest pursuer in the overall rankings, Nasser Al-Attiyah, to the tune of almost two minutes.

C'est en Argentine que Stéphane Peterhansel a remporté sa première victoire d’étape sur ce Dakar 2013. Le pilote Mini/Michelin a relégué Guerlain Chicherit à 39 secondes et surtout le 2e du général, Nasser Al-Attiyah, à près de deux minutes.

Etape 7 : Calama-Salta (751 km)

After the wind, sand and dust of Peru and Chile, the Dakar finally breathed in some fresh air at Salta in Argentina, with an overnight halt set against a verdant backdrop. It might have taken competitors and their support crews some time to cross the Andes, but the spectacular scenery made the effort more than worthwhile, going from the greyish sands of Chile to the Andean plains and ending with the Argentine canyons.

At an average speed of 121.73kph over the 218km distance, though, stage winner Stéphane Peterhansel certainly didn’t have time to appreciate the view: “We completed the first 100km in 39 minutes (153kph average), but in my opinion, the buggies were quicker. We made up the difference in the more technical section from 130km onwards. The stage wasn’t as rough as I had expected.”

For the second time during this edition of the Dakar, Guerlain Chicherit narrowly missed out on stage victory. The SMG buggy driver wound up just 39 seconds adrift of his compatriot, the multiple snowboard freestyle world champion setting the pace up until the 74km mark.

This morning, Robby Gordon stopped by the roadside, 30km from last night’s halt at Calama with what appeared to be a technical issue with his Hummer. The problem was resolved by his support crew and the American proceeded to set the third-fastest time today, just three seconds quicker than Argentine Orlando Terranova, similarly fourth yesterday at the wheel of his BMW X3/Michelin. “It was a long day of travelling to Argentina, and unfortunately, one of the motorcyclists tragically lost his life,” reflected ‘Orly’ Terranova, ninth overall.

Giniel De Villiers (Toyota) finished the stage fifth ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah – unwell, like 70 per cent of the Dakar circus – who conceded 1m56s to Peterhansel. The Qatari was quickest out of the blocks to begin with, before losing ground.

Peterhansel now holds a 3m14s advantage over Al-Attiyah in the overall standings, with De Villiers continuing to occupy the final podium spot but chased hard by Novitskiy, who admitted to being ‘not fast enough today in the twistier sections’. Behind the Russian, Chicherit (SMG Buggy) is fifth, 1h17m5s in front of his team-mate Ronan Chabot (Buggy).

In the ‘Trucks’ class, Gerard De Rooy (Iveco/Michelin) claimed his second straight stage win – at an average speed of 106kph – to hold an overall lead of 22m08s over Edouard Nikolaev (Kamaz) and 41m25s over Czech Martin Kolomy (Tatra), who has relieved Ayrat Mardeev (Kamaz) of third place.

Après le vent, le sable et la poussière du Pérou et du Chili, le Dakar respire un peu en Argentine, à Salta, avec un bivouac planté dans un écrin de verdure. La traversée de la Cordillère des Andes fut longue pour les concurrents et les assistances, mais les paysages étaient magnifiques, passant du sable grisâtre du Chili, aux steppes de la Cordillère des Andes, jusqu’aux canyons argentins.

A 121,73 km/h de moyenne sur les 218 km de spéciale, le vainqueur Stéphane Peterhansel n’a sûrement pas dû avoir le temps d’apprécier le décor ! « On a parcouru les 100 premiers km en 39 minutes (153 km/h). Mais à mon avis, les Buggies étaient plus rapides. On a fait la différence dans la partie plus technique à partir du km 130. C’était moins cassant que prévu. »

Pour la 2^e fois sur ce Dakar, Guerlain Chicherit loupe de peu la victoire d’étape. Le pilote Buggy SMG a terminé à… 39 secondes de son compatriote. Le « freestyler » tenait le meilleur chrono au km 74.

Ce matin, Robby Gordon était arrêté au bord de la route à 30 km du bivouac de Calama avec visiblement un souci technique sur son Hummer. Le problème fut résolu par son assistance car il a signé le 3^e meilleur temps aujourd’hui, avec seulement 3 secondes d’avance sur l’Argentin Orlando Terranova, déjà 4^e hier au volant de son BMW X3/Michelin. « C’était une longue journée pour arriver en Argentine, hélas endeuillée par le décès d’un motard. », résumait « Orly » Terranova, 9^e au général.

Giniel De Villiers (Toyota) a terminé 5^e de l’étape devant Nasser Al-Attiyah – malade, comme 70% du bivouac - qui concède 1min56s à « Peter ». Le Qatari a bouclé la première partie très rapide en tête avant de céder du terrain jusqu’à l’arrivée.

Peterhansel compte désormais 3min14s d’avance au général. De Villiers est sur le podium provisoire, toujours sous la menace de Novitskiy « pas assez rapide aujourd’hui dans le sinueux » d’après lui. Derrière le Russe, Chicherit (Buggy SMG) est 5^e à 1h17min05s devant son équipier Chabot (Buggy).

Le Hollandais Erik Wevers a signé le 7^e temps sur son Ford HRX, alors que Carlos Sousa (Great Wall) et Lucio Alvarez (Toyota) complètent le top-10 du jour.

En Camion, Gerard De Rooy (Iveco/Michelin) a remporté sa seconde victoire d’affilée (106 km/h de moyenne aujourd’hui). Il est leader du général avec 22min08s sur Nikolaev (Kamaz) et 41min25 sur le Tchèque Kolomy (Tatra) qui a pris la 3^e place à Ayrat Mardeev (Kamaz) à l’issue de la 7^e spéciale.

Classement étape 7

1. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), 1h47min27s – 2. Chicherit/Garcin (Buggy SMG), +39s – 3. Gordon/Walch (Hummer), +1min08s – 4. Terranova/Fluza (BMW), +1min11s – 5. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota), +1min32s…

Classement après étape 7

1. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), 16h23min43s – 2. Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Buggy), +3min14s – 3. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota), +44min03s – 4. Novitskiy/Zhilstov (Mini), +48min54s – 5. Chicherit/Garcin (Buggy SMG), +1h17min05s…

24H DUBAI, H+7 : UNE BMW Z4/SAUDI FALCONS AUX COMMANDES.

Sept heures de course aux 24 Heures de Dubai, et les A6-Pro commencent à prendre les choses en main même si une A6-Am est toujours en course pour la tête. La BMW Z4 GT3/Saudi Falcons by Schubert de Claudia Hürtgen pointe en tête avec une cinquantaine de secondes d'avance sur la Porsche 911 GT3-R/Stadler Motorsport de Marco Seefried. La Porsche tient bien le rythme en haut du classement malgré quelques belles frayeurs de certains pilotes de l'équipage. Une autre A6-Am est dans le tiercé de tête avec la Ferrari 458 Italia/Dragon Racing de Matt Griffin. Il convient de rappeler que les autos roulant en A6-Am doivent rouler dans une fenêtre de temps bien déterminée (entre 2.05 et 2.07). Les Code 60 ont une nouvelle fois rythmé la course sachant qu'à chaque fois le Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon n'est guère verni puisque pas moins de quatre tours ont été perdus par Bleekemolen/Edwards/ Al Qubaisi/Schneider. Pourtant les pilotes de la #1 cravachent fort si bien que Sean Edwards est remonté jusqu'au quatrième rang, à un tour. L'autre Mercedes/Black Falcon est deux places derrière. Quant à la seconde BMW Z4/Saudi Falcons by Schubert, elle est hors du coup, étant à son stand depuis un long moment. Une autre Ferrari 458 Italia se comporte bien puisque AF Corse peut compter sur la #16 de Lorenzo Casé pour jouer placée avec une 5ème place à l'issue des sept premières heures. L'Aston Martin Vantage GT3/Craft AMR poursuit sa route tranquillement, Stefan Mücke étant 7ème, tout juste devant l'étonnante Lamborghini Gallardo/JLOC que l'on a vu un moment aux avant-postes. Le passage au châssis Reiter Engineering semble avoir donné des ailes au team nippon. Sur les deux McLaren MP4-12C au départ, seule la #17 du Lapidus Racing tient le choc avec une place dans le Top Ten. Après un très beau début de course, le Gulf Racing Middle East connaît des problèmes de boîte de vitesses, la #26 étant tombée dans les profondeurs du classement.

Pour se débuts en compétition, la VDS GT 001-R a connu une belle première partie de course avant d'être retardée par des problèmes de freins puis de boîte de vitesses. Le lauréat de la GT Academy Wolfgang Reip s'est pour sa part fait une belle frayeur en se faisant taper par une roue d'un autre concurrent à plus de 200 km/h. Dans la catégorie 997, le Crubilé Sport a connu bien des déboires dès le départ, mais tout est rentré dans l'ordre puisque la Porsche de Glenmor/Ayari/Crubilé/John of B est deuxième de sa classe, alors que le Boutsen Ginion Racing est troisième en SP2 avec sa Renault Megane Trophy pilotée actuellement par Renaud Kuppens.

 

by Laurent Mercier(Endurance-Info)

Dakar2013– Leg 7: Pain leads, but Despres in trouble

The bikers have completed the first part of this year’s two-day marathon stage. The test was won by the USA’s Kurt Caselli (KTM/Michelin), chased by Chaleco Lopez and Olivier Pain who continues to top the leaderboard. Cyril Despres dropped 13 minutes.

Leg 7: Calama-Salta (802km)

The start of SS7 was in the middle of a vast plain populated by lamas and vicunas grazing on the sparse yellow grass, at an altitude of some 3,500 metres. To reach it, they first had to cover a 417km road section and crossed the Andes via a mountain pass at an altitude of more than 4,800m, just as dawn was breaking.

Baja specialist Kurt Caselli, who has replaced Marc Coma at KTM, was fastest up to the first passage control, ahead of Olivier Pain. However, Chaleco Lopez eventually succeeded in splitting the American (who claimed his first ever Dakar stage win today) and the Frenchman who continues to lead the rally for Yamaha/Michelin.

Thursday’s action saw second-placed Cyril Despres close to within 2m22s of Pain, but the favourite was slowed by gearbox trouble today, dropping 13 minutes. Worse than that, though, French KTM rider’s mechanics won’t be able to make repairs this evening since no overnight servicing is permitted during ‘marathon’ stages. He will therefore have to rely on his own skills and tools. Despres is 14m7s off the lead tonight.

Frans Verhoeven (Sherco) was third-fastest today, ahead of Ruben Faria. Lopez has fought back to second overall, 6m6s short of Pain, while Casteu is still third, just 31 seconds behind the Chilean.

The seventh day of the rally tragically saw the death of Thomas Bourgin who was involved in a road accident on the road section to the Argentine border. Everybody at MotoRacingLive would like to extend their sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Stage 7 classification:

1, Caselli (KTM), 1h51m31s. 2, Lopez (KTM), +1m23s. 3, Pain (Yamaha), +1m23s. 4, Verhoeven (Sherco), +1m30s. 5, Faria (KTM), +2m30s. Etc.

Provisional standings after Leg 7:

1, Pain (Yamaha), 17h28m17s. 2, Lopez (KTM), +6m6s. 3, Casteu (Yamaha), +6m37s. 4, Faria (KTM), +9m42s. 5, Despres (KTM), +14m7s. Etc.

Mono Cylinder Cafe

BRMC Art 

based on Honda GB400

Shin Metal Works

based on Yamaha SR400

1907 dashcam footage is one of the oldest available

This is one of the oldest footage captured by a dashcam. The short clip shows the life in Vancouver, Canada on May 7, 1907.

In 2008 Australia's National Film and Sound Archive released some footage which at that time was considered to be from Hobart, Australia. Upon further investigation, it was established the film was recorded in Vancouver, Canada.

A Seattle filmmaker by the name of William Harbeck jumped into one of the local streetcars and started filming the busy life of the city. Later on, Harbeck was commissioned to document the launch of the Titanic which led to his demise when he was only 44 years old.

On a side note, here is an even older dashcam footage recorded on April 14, 1906 in San Francisco, just four days before the massive earthquake and fire.

Source: autoblog.com

Aston Martin fête ses cent ans !

Le 15 janvier prochain Aston Martin fêtera officiellement ses cent ans. La marque britannique organisera tout au long de l'année 2013 plusieurs événements pour célébrer dignement un siècle d'automobiles « made by Aston Martin ».

Le 15 janvier un "photo call" sera organisé au "Henniker Mews" de Chelsea en présence de l'Aston Martin A3 - véhicule le plus ancien de la marque encore en circulation - et de l'Aston Martin Vanquish - ultime super-GT de la marque, et une plaque commémorative sera dévoilée dans ce lieu hautement symbolique où s'installa Aston Martin en 1913.

Puis du 15 au 21 juillet, une "centenary week" - semaine du centenaire – proposera nombre de festivités aux propriétaires et supporters d'Aston Martin, incluant des portes-ouvertes au quartier général de Gaydon ainsi que des essais et des manifestations officielles. Une "birthday party" comprenant plus de 1 000 invités se tiendra à Londres le 20 juillet, suivie le lendemain d'un concours du centenaire dans le centre de la capitale britannique.

Une balade placée sous le thème de James Bond sillonnera par ailleurs l'Angleterre et le Pays de Galles - incluant des lieux familiers au personnage de Ian Fleming - et un rallye d'une durée de six jours sera organisé sur le sol européen.

Enfin un logo a été créé spécialement pour ce centenaire, représentant 99 points positionnés en ellipse autours du symbole de la marque, et auxquels s'ajoute en lettres rouges un symbolique nombre "100".

Happy Birthday.

Samuel Morand (motorlegend.com)

Classic Driver’s Guide to the Moon: The moon buggy

If you’re searching for an unusual barn-find, untouched and ripe for restoration, you might want to consider an LRV. Three of them are known to exist, all with extensive history files and plenty of provenance. The only drawback is that they are on the Moon. 

And it’s a case of buyer collects. 

The LRV (Lunar Roving Vehicle) – more commonly known as the moon buggy – was developed for the American Apollo programmes in the early 1970s. Three buggies were built, for missions 15, 16 and 17, and after they had fulfilled their tasks they were left to gather moon dust, far from home. 



Road-test-wise, we doubt we’d be particularly impressed by the battery-powered LRV’s performance figures, but the four-wheeled, two-seater buggy would no doubt have plenty of traction. Luggage space, meanwhile, seems sufficient for plenty of weird equipment and lunar samples. 



Aside from the difficulty of transporting your LRV to the restorer of your choice, however, another drawback is the price. We have to assume this would be ‘Estimate on Request’ – from NASA. As a rough guideline, when the first Boeing-built LRV was delivered in 1971, the purchase price was put at around $38 million.

Text: Charis Whitcombe (ClassicDriver)
photos: Getty Images

Australia ; BMW GS SAFARI

170 riders on a 5-day adventure through NSW, the 2012 BMW GS Safari was a great success. See the BMW R 1200 GS in action along with other models from the legendary GS range.

Video Documentary: Kevin Schwantz – World Champion 1993

Kevin Schwantz – 1993 Motorcycle World Champion and one of the sport’s most exciting, hardworking and loved riders.

With wins in Australia, Spain, Austria and the Netherlands, 1993 was the year in which he finally took the world championship title. It was a tough win, however, with his long-time rival, friend and general legend, Wayne Rainey, crashing out of the world title fight in a stack during the Italian Grand Prix that would see him paralyzed from the chest down.

This documentary goes behind the scenes with Schwantz after his championship season to see what makes him tick and how the season went down.

 from motorsportretro

WAOUUHH ! THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS RIDE

One mistake and it's a free fall to your death. Motology's Adam Riemann rides one of the scariest Himalayan trails you'll ever see.

1912 INDIAN FACTORY BOARD TRACK RACER

Early racing motorcycles like this 1912 Indian Factory Board Track Racer exemplify a minimalist, bare necessities racing philosophy that you just can’t help but love. This particular Indian is fitted with an overhead 8-valve 61 cubic inch v-twin with a Bosch magneto, a Hendee carburettor, 28 inch wheels, no brakes and no throttle. Speed was controlled by turning the magneto on or off with a button on the handlebars and if you wanted to stop, you put your feet down.

The first motorcycle races were held on bicycle velodromes, these velodromes were eventually purpose built for board trackers and grew exponentially in size. Indian Motorcycles were the first to open their own home town, wooden plank motordrome in Springfield, this provided them with their own test track and their works rider Jake DeRosier became one of the very first motorcycle racing superstars around its bends.

Read more via The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

from SILODROME

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2013

Ajouter une légende

The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction 2013 will be held January 13-20 at WestWorld of Scottsdale, Arizona. More than 1,000 classics, exotics, muscle cars, hot rods, resto-mods and more will cross the auction block at no reserve during the 42nd annual automotive lifestyle event.

The 2013 auction marks the return of the company’s 5000 Series, which includes the Salon Collection and features approximately 50 automobiles. Ranging from prototypes, muscle cars to classics, these vehicles will be offered to sell on Saturday, January 19th beginning at approximately 5:00pm.

Among the Salon Collection offerings, Barrett-Jackson will offer a variety of other vehicles that carry Hollywood history, including the 1966 Original #1 Batmobile (lot #5037) by customizer, George Barris, as well as Clark Gable’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe (lot #5001) and a 1919 Pierce Arrow (lot #5028) built for the famous silent movie comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.

Another notable entry is the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning Race car at Lot #5041. Called the he most victorious Corvette in history, the race car was campaigned by Tony DeLorenzo, Jerry Thompson, Don Yenko and Gib Hufstaeder to a near-perfect record in FIA GT and SCCA National racing. Lorenzo and Thompson, the primary drivers for the Owens/Corning team, racked up victories in the 600 horsepower Corvette, including wins at the 1969 and 1972 SCCA National ‘A’ Production Championships, 2nd Place in GT at the 1969 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race and 1969 and 1970 GT class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona race in Daytona Beach, Florida. This car, along with its team car, secured victory at 22 of 22 SCCA/FIA National Events from 1969 to 1971, with the 1968 L-88 winning 12 of the events.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning Race car

This L-88 has held center stage at the 50th Anniversary of Corvette celebration at Pebble Beach in 2002, and the Amelia Island Concours in March of 2008. Later that same year, it was a part of a special display of Sebring race cars at the Quail Motorsports event, and a featured part of the Corvette Racing Tribute at the famed Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It was also the featured vehicle at the Corvette Hall of Fame in 2009, at the National Corvette Museum.

Barrett-Jackson plans to honor the late Carroll Shelby, who died in May 2012, with a party commemorating what would have been his 90th birthday on January 11. From the gala to a group of approximately 30 Shelby cars that will cross the block, the Scottsdale event will honor the automotive legend.

“Carroll Shelby was an American icon whose influence will continue to shape the automotive landscape for years,” stated Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “The ’67 Shelby GT500’s were a major milestone for Shelby American with its big block power and larger platform. Low-mileage survivor cars like this one from Stephen Becker, who is a recognized Shelby expert, are often cited as desirable collectibles. Not only do they provide a way to keep Carroll Shelby’s legacy alive, they are important pieces of history.”

A survivor ’67 GT500 (Lot 5024) will be sold on January 19, 2013. With only 9,841 miles on the odometer, it may be the lowest mileage ‘67 GT500 in existence. It is loaded with a 428 Police Interceptor engine and a dual four-barrel carburetion. The car has its original paint, wheel, tires and drive-train. It includes all original documentation including New Jersey license plates and a 1970 inspection sticker.

Further Shelby automobiles on offer include:

• 1968 Shelby EXP 500 – Dubbed “The Green Hornet”, the newly-restored Shelby Prototype represents a rolling history of what was happening within Ford and Shelby American in the heyday of the American muscle car era.
• 1965 Shelby GT350 Fastback – Highly documented and highly detailed with correct numbers and codes. Verified by Howard Pardee, SAAC Registrar for 1965/1966 GT350s and fully documented in the 2010 Shelby American Registry. Previously owned by Ford Motor Company and used in their Performance Heritage Tour.
• 2012 Shelby GT500 50th Anniversary Super Snake – The first of two prototype 50th Anniversary GT500 Super Snakes, this car was used at auto shows, featured in magazines and was a big part of the Shelby American displays during the company’s 50th Anniversary celebration.
• 1968 Shelby GT500 Convertible – This 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible is finished in Wimbledon White with black deluxe interior. It has undergone a rotisserie restoration. It is one of only a few convertibles ordered with factory air.
• 1968 Shelby GT500 KR Convertible – Originally ordered with the 4-speed, 3.50 Traction-Lok axle, power steering, power front disc brakes, glass backlite, tilt-away and 428 CJ engine. Documented with a Marti Report and listed in the Shelby Registry.
• 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback- This is Sammy Hagar’s 1967 Shelby GT500 that he owned from 1989 to 2006. Listed in the Shelby Registry, this car was rebuilt in 1992-93. Features a solid lifter 427 tunnel port motor and Detroit locker.

The 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Shooting Brake (Lot #5006) was formerly owned by the famous Earl of Moray, a descendant of King James V of Scotland. It was rebodied in the 1950s with Shooting Brake coachwork and it was subsequently acquired by Charles Bickley in Florida who commenced a thorough restoration in the late 1980s and displayed the car in his Woodie World Museum. Since then it has been restored once again in Brewster Green. Offered at no reserve, it has been shown in Rolls Royce Owners Club Events, participated in Classic Car Club of America CARavans.

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was purchased new by Clark Gable at Mercedes-Benz of Hollywood, California. Gable ditched the standard steel wheels for the racing Rudge knock-offs the car wears now. From the Bob Howard Collection.

Known as the “Arbuckle Pierce-Arrow,” this 1919 Pierce-Arrow 66 A-4 Tourer is one of the only custom-bodied Pierce-Arrows ever built. The car was designed and built at Don Lee Coachworks of Los Angeles for the film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. A restoration began in 2004 and was completed in 2007, resulting in a First in Class win at the Pebble Beach Concours, followed by First in Class wins at both Amelia Island and Meadowbrook. The “Arbuckle Pierce-Arrow” was also the star of the California Design Exhibition at the Peterson Automobile Museum in Beverly Hills in 2009.

A 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible (Lot #5025) is one of only 11 ever made. It features the last factory-assembled 426cid Hemi V8 engine, with two 4 barrel carburetors, 727 automatic transmission, Super Track Pak package with Dana 60 rear end, 4.11 ratio gears and a power convertible top. This was also the only model year the ‘Cuda sported four headlights and fender gills.

Offered with reserve, this 1947 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport has a 2-seat coupe coachwork by Franay on a short chassis. A complete restoration was performed in 2004. The Talbot is finished in its original black paint, red leather interior with black piping and is completely original with all its original body panels, engine and chassis.

The 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Convertible was designed by Virgil Exner and bodied by Ghia. The chassis used for this build was a new off the production line 1956 Chrysler 300 with a special modified engine with two 4 barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and a ton of chrome in the engine compartment.

To kick off the week, Barrett-Jackson will again host “Barrett-Jackson Night” at the Scottsdale Pavilions January 12 with a car show, discounted ticket sales and giveaways. In addition, the annual “Drive the Dream” charity gala, with invitation-only tickets available through Childhelp will take place Saturday, January 12; Family Value Day benefiting COX Charities will be held Sunday, January 13; and the invitation-only Opening Night Gala will take place on Monday, January 14. The week continues beyond the auction block with a variety of car and lifestyle activities including the Barrett-Jackson Garage presented by Peroni, live demonstrations, Ford and GM Ride ‘N Drives and other entertainment.

For more information or to purchase event tickets, visit www.barrett-jackson.com or call (480) 421-6694.

[Source: Barrett-Jackson]

with sportscardigest

JMR Customs Honda CB450

Decisions, decisions. What colour should I make the tank? Or should the tank be bare metal? How do you coat bare metal so it doesn't rust? What tires should I choose? Should I choose the same front and back tires or should they be different? How low should it be? If I lower it, will it change the handling? What rims should I use? Should I keep the standard headlight? Do I use pipewrap or not? Do I need fenders? Will the bike attract the cops? Should it be clean or ratty? Will it look weird or will it look cool? Customising a bike involves so many questions. All of them seem insurmountable, yet you somehow know that what makes a great bike is just the final sum of all these tiny little decisions. Hold back on them and you'll get a bike that blends into the background like a turd at a chocolate festival. Go overboard and you'll spend your weekends ignoring the chuckles and the rolled eyeballs as you arrive at your local hang. But get it right...

Soon the water pipe became jealous of the exhaust pipe's fancy fiberglass outfit

“Hello, my name is Josh Mott. I’m 22 years old and owner of JMR Customs in Boise, Idaho. I’m a 3rd generation mechanic, racer, and bike builder. I’ve been racing for 10 years in many disciplines such as: flat track, arenacross, endurocross, and desert racing. Currently I’m in the National Hare & Hound series.

From a very early age I’ve helped my dad (Randy Mott) repair, service, and build custom motorcycles. Notable achievements include building a 1200 Sportster that ran an 11 second quarter mile and restoring a 1964 Greeves Challenger. I find a great deal of influence from custom styles: café, street trackers, bobbers, and basically any one-off custom motorcycle.”

“This 1982 CB 450 Honda Nighthawk was originally picked up to part out and sell on eBay. It was roached beyond belief. It had bent forks, a wiring harness that was stripped, and a missing fuel tank. Out of curiosity I thought I’d check the compression and spark to see if it had some sort of working order. It had 175 psi in both cylinders and had spark. I decided to clean the carbs and it fired right up.

I had an idea that I wanted to put a motocross front end, lowered down, on a café style build. I had a 2006 YZ250 Yamaha front end sitting at the shop waiting for a project at the time, it was perfect. I ended up lowering the forks 7 inches to get the right height. As I finished this portion of the build, I then had the idea to mount a mono shock. I used a 2005 TT-R 250 Yamaha shock because it fit really well in the small space I had to work with.”

“The fabrication work included many modifications. I cut the whole back half of the frame clean off to begin the custom portion. I had the older Champion flat track frames in mind where the frame was exposed right below the rear fender. I wanted the seat portion to sit within the frame.

The overall bike length looked shorter than I preferred so I cut the frame by the headset and raked it from the stock 28 degrees to a custom 34 degrees. I center mounted the fuel tank which involved cutting the top of the tank out. While I had the top of the tank out, I mounted a sleek, flush mount gas cap. Custom exhaust pipes were made to fit some after market Ducati mufflers I had, making the bike sound like an older Triumph. The wiring harness was custom made before I installed the motor. I have a key switch flush mounted on the right side of the frame and a start button on the left. There’s a little switch dashboard mounted under the coil and tank. There’s a high/low beam and a switch that turns on all the lights. I made a box that’s mounted underneath the motor - it holds the battery, starter solenoid, fuse box, and regulator rectifier.”

Down on their luck, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles considered stealing the bike for drug money

“I pulled the motor all the way down to replace the cam chain, rings and gaskets. While I was in there I cleaned up the intake and exhaust ports in the head. A Magura hydraulic clutch for a KX 450 was installed to replace the stock component. For a speedometer, I used a Trail Tech Vapor and made a mount that was clean to hide all the wires.

I’m very stoked on how this bike came together. It’s very unique in the sense that there’s really no name for what type of build it is. It has elements of café, motocross, and street tracker all in rolled into one. Anyway, thanks for looking.”

from PIPEBURN