1955 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL GULLWING

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing is either at the very top of every discerning persons Top 10 Cars list, or it’s damn close. It’s sometimes bumped from the number one spot by other iconic automobiles like the E-Type Jaguar, the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato or the Ferrari 250 GTO but I’m yet to meet anyone with even a modicum of taste who isn’t enamoured with the 300SL.

The Gullwing was fitted with a 215hp, 2,992 cc SOHC 6-cylinder engine with (advanced for the era) Bosch mechanical fuel injection. The engine was mated to a 4-speed manual transmission and the car had coil spring independent front suspension, coil spring and swing-axle rear suspension as well as 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

From a performance perspective the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was a revelation, it once famously out paced a Douglas DC3 spotter plane in Mexico’s 1952 La Carrera Panamericana and even now in modern traffic, the 300SL can keep up or (quite often) pull away.

This 300SL is headed for the RM Auctions’ Arizona sale on the 18th of January 2013, if you have a spare $800,000 – $900,000 hiding amongst the sofa cushions you might want to register to bid.

Photo Credits: Pawel Litwinski ©2012 Courtesy of RM Auctions

from SILODROME

1962 Parilla 250cc Wildcat Scrambler + 1966 BSA Victor 441cc

1964 Bultaco 200cc Matador

Vidéo : Passion - Dakar XtreM Adventure powered by Michelin

Video: Saint-Bonnet-Le-Froid

Monte Carlo: End of Day 3 – Loeb: one day from 7th ‘Monte’ success! /Loeb à la veille d'une 7e victoire au ‘Monte’!

With three of the 2013 Rallye Monte-Carlo’s four legs completed, Loeb continues to enjoy a handsome lead. The Citroën/Michelin driver has pulled even further clear of Volkswagen rival Sébastien Ogier (+1m47.4s), while Evgeny Novikov (Ford/Michelin) has earned a place in the provisional top three. There was no real drama, but the mixed stage conditions kept the drivers on their toes all day.

Alors que la troisième des quatre étapes du Rallye Monte-Carlo 2013 a pris fin, Loeb occupe toujours le commandement avec une avance considérable. Le pilote de la Citroën/Michelin a encore creusé l'écart sur son rival de Volkswagen, Sébastien Ogier (+1'47"4), tandis qu'Evgeny Novikov (Ford/Michelin) s'est approprié une place dans le tiercé de tête provisoire. Il ne s'est rien passé de vraiment fâcheux mais les pilotes ont dû rester sur leurs gardes en raison des conditions changeantes prévalant dans les spéciales.

Although Friday’s menu included just three stages, the total competitive distance still amounted to 92km, and those tests were all Monte Carlo classics where this rally has frequently been won or lost in the past.

Unsurprisingly, though, the nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb, who is chasing his seventh Monte win this week, didn’t put a foot wrong. He even succeeded in extending his lead over second-placed Ogier by 12 seconds. After posting the fastest time on SS11 and SS13, he was visibly pleased with his day’s work at the end of ‘Sisteron-Thoard’. “I can’t complain,” he said. “It’s nice to have taken a bit more time out of Ogier, but it perhaps wasn’t really necessary…”

The Volkswagen driver lost those 12 seconds in one chunk, on ‘Sisteron-Thoard’, after he was reported to have spun and stalled at an uphill hairpin. “A good day, all okay,” he nevertheless commented briefly at the Stop Control in Thoard.

Ford’s Russian driver Evgeny Novikov continued to impress today and was second fastest on SS12 (‘St Nazaire’). The reward for his effort is a footing on this evening’s podium after easing past Citroën’s Dani Sordo in the afternoon. “It’s fine for us,” he smiled before beginning the long road section southeast to Monaco.

While Sordo dropped third to fourth, Volkswagen’s new recruit Jari-Matti Latvala has gained a place to appear in fifth position. “That was a good stage for us,” he reported after claiming the second fastest time on SS13, behind Loeb. “I am much more pleased with the car now,” he added, and he effectively seemed far happier than we have seen him since the start.

Another driver who has clearly grown in confidence since the start is Monte rookie Mads Ostberg (8^th, Ford), who even picked up his first stage win of the season on the demanding ‘St Nazaire’ test (SS12). “I’ve learned a great deal once again and it was interesting to see how the Michelin snow tyre performed on clear asphalt. It felt a lot better than I would have imagined and that was good for my confidence. This has definitely been my best day so far, and I’m now looking forward to reaching the beaches and the Riviera!”

The other top-10 runners who will join him on the 224km drive to the Principality are Hirvonen (Citroën, 6^th), Hanninen (Ford, 7^th), Bouffier (Citroën, 9^th), who lost time with an off on SS11 and a poor tyre choice for SS12, and Prokop (Ford, 10^th).

Le menu de vendredi ne comprenait que trois spéciales mais celles-ci totalisaient quand même une distance de 92 km contre le chronomètre et ces épreuves faisaient toutes parties des classiques du Monte Carlo où le sort de la course a fréquemment été scellé dans le passé.

Sans surprise, le nonuple champion du monde Sébastien Loeb n'a malgré tout pas fait le moindre faux pas dans sa quête d'une septième victoire au 'Monte' cette semaine. Il est même parvenu à accroître de 12 secondes son avance sur Ogier, classé deuxième. Après avoir signé le meilleur temps dans l'ES 11 et dans l'ES 13, il était manifestement content de sa journée de labeur à l'arrivée de ‘Sisteron-Thoard’. “Je ne peux pas me plaindre”, expliquait-il. “Avoir distancé Ogier encore un peu plus est une bonne chose, même si ce n'était peut-être pas vraiment indispensable…”

Le pilote de Volkswagen a perdu ces 12 secondes d'un seul coup, dans ‘Sisteron-Thoard’, où il aurait fait un tête-à-queue avec moteur calé à la clé dans une épingle à cheveux de la montée. “Une bonne journée, tout va bien”, commentait-il néanmoins laconiquement au contrôle d'arrivée de Thoard.

Evgeny Novikov, le pilote russe de Ford, a poursuivi sa prestation impressionnante aujourd'hui et a réalisé la deuxième meilleure performance dans l'ES 12 (‘St Nazaire’). En récompense de ses efforts, il a pris pied sur le podium de ce soir après n'avoir fait qu'une bouchée de Dani Sordo et de sa Citroën dans l'après-midi. “C'est bien pour nous”, disait-il en souriant avant de prendre la direction du sud-est pour entamer le long parcours de liaison qui conduit à Monaco.

Tandis que Sordo chutait de la troisième à la quatrième place, Jari-Matti Latvala, la nouvelle recrue de Volkswagen gagnait une position et était désormais pointé cinquième. “Cette spéciale s'est bien déroulée pour nous”, rapportait-il après avoir été crédité du deuxième temps dans l'ES 13, derrière Loeb. “Je suis beaucoup plus satisfait de la voiture maintenant”, ajoutait-il. Il arborait en effet une expression beaucoup plus réjouie que celle qui se lisait sur son visage depuis le départ.

Pour ses débuts au 'Monte', Mads Ostberg (Ford, 8^e) a lui aussi visiblement gagné en confiance depuis le départ. Il s'est même adjugé sa première victoire en spéciale de la saison dans le difficile tronçon chronométré de ‘St Nazaire’ (ES 12). “J'ai encore une fois appris pas mal de choses et il est intéressant de constater comment les pneus Michelin 'neige' fonctionnent sur un asphalte dégagé. Je me sentais bien plus à l'aise que je ne l'aurais imaginé et cela m'a mis en confiance. Cette journée a été la meilleure pour moi jusqu'à présent et je suis maintenant impatient de rejoindre les plages et la Riviera!”

Les autres pilotes classés dans les 10 premiers qui se joindront à lui pour effectuer le parcours de 224 km menant à la Principauté sont Hirvonen (Citroën, 6^e), Hänninen (Ford, 7^e), Bouffier (Citroën, 9^e), qui a perdu du temps à cause d'une sortie de route dans l'ES 11 et d'un choix de pneus peu judicieux dans l'ES 12, et Prokop (Ford, 10^e).

from best-of-rallylive

Lambretta LD125: Aren't we all just a little mod?

The Lambretta might have been Italian-born but it was the dream transport of any mod, worldwide. Especially popular among the besuited enemies of the rockers were the Li and TV models but the success of the brand is based on its predecessor, the legendary Lambretta LD.

The ‘L’ in LD stood for luxury, a reference to the full-sized leg shields and side panels and it was this series – launched in 1951 – that was really the start of the popular success story of the ‘cute’ two-wheeler. Originally equipped with a 125cc engine, it was replaced three years later by a more powerful 150cc unit, but even the air-cooled single-cylinder 125cc engine developed almost five horsepower. Not too bad in a scooter that weighed only 70kg or so.


But it was the more sophisticated design of the Lambretta LD that really made it a winner: thanks to the bodywork, mud and dirt from the road was no longer a problem. And, let’s face it, a mod is only a mod when sitting behind the handlebars of a Lambretta.

Related Links The pictured Lambretta LD will be offered by Bonhams in Paris on 7 February 2013; see theClassic Driver Marketplace for more details A selection of two-wheelers with interesting histories can also be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Charis Whitcombe(Classic Driver)
Photos: Bonhams

Leon Camier and Jules Cluzel ready to start tour de force testing

This weekend at the Almeria circuit there won’t be only Tom Sykes and Loris Baz with their Kawasaki’s, but also present will be the Crescent FIXI Suzuki team with Leon Camier in his season with the British based team and World Superbike rookie, Jules Cluzel who was the 2012 World Supersport runner-up.

The Suzuki’s last test was at Aragon in October with Camier finishing third overall and team decided to skip the November test at Jerez with the rest of the SBK teams, so the two days at Almeria will be a proper shakedown test for the riders and their Suzuk GSX-R’s after the winter break before they head to Jerez next Tuesday for another test and before they ship up everything and head to Australia for two further tests ahead of the season opener at Phillip Island on February 24th.

Leon Camier said, “I’m really looking forward to the test and seeing the progress the guys have made in the winter. I know that they have refined the bike quite a bit and that is has more power than last year, so I’m really excited about riding it. We will also have the new 17inch wheels to test, so it will be good to see how the bike behaves with them. I’m sure, that with everything the crew has done back at the workshop, we will be a lot nearer where we want to be. I’ve managed to do lots of riding during the break, including some Enduro and push-bike trials, and I’m off to do a bit of dirt-track before I go to Almeria, so that should sharpen me up nicely for the two tests.”

Jules Cluzel was confirmed by the team and the end of October, after John Hopkins announced that he was taking sabbatical from racing to try to solve his hip issues, so Almeria will be the French rider’s first contact with the Suzuki Superbike.

“I’ve had over two months of waiting to ride the FIXI Crescent Suzuki GSX-R and am now really excited that the time is here to get out on track. I don’t really have an idea of what to expect from a 1000cc machine, how it will feel and handle and mostly how much quicker it will be, but I know I am really looking forward to whatever happens. I have done lots of training through the winter to get fitter and stronger and I had an operation to cure my arm-pump issues and that has been a success, so I feel really good and ready to go. I’ve ridden at Jerez before, but have never been to Almeria, so it’s a good place to start my experience on the bike, as I don’t know the track or the GSX-R, so I can take it steady to start with and get to learn both,” said Cluzel.

Team boss Paul Denning said, “The FIXI Crescent Suzuki team has been working relentlessly since the end of last season to produce a faster, sharper and more competitive GSX-R1000. These two tests in Spain will give us the opportunity to understand what we have achieved, but at the same time we need to manage our expectations and treat them as shakedown tests – the laps in Spain will provide Jules with his first kilometres on a Superbike and allow Leon time to get back up to speed after a long winter break. The atmosphere in the team is very positive and the attention to detail that the guys here – and our partners at Yoshimura and all our technical suppliers – have put into the bike has been extremely impressive. Without turning a wheel, we know that the technical platform of the 2013 FIXI Crescent Suzuki is much stronger and it will be nice to start working with it later this week.”

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti: Star of Detroit 2004

Nine years ago, at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, Ferrari revealed the striking 612 Scaglietti, a four-seater coupé with a 315km/h top speed...

The new car, with its Pininfarina-styled bodywork echoing the famous 1950s ‘Ingrid Bergman’ Ferrari 375 MM, was the first of a new generation of Ferraris with even more power (533bhp from its 5748cc V12) and robotised-manual, six-speed transmission, although a traditional manual was still an option.

It replaced the 456 GT and has only recently been superseded by the 4WD FF.

The big GT (it was 4902mm long) soon became the favoured vehicle for Ferrari owners with families. In common with the 599 GTB, which was launched at the 2006 Geneva Show, the 612 Scaglietti offered blistering acceleration above 250km/h. Performance-wise, the cars were dramatic improvements on even the already potent 575 Maranello.



Handling and braking on the 612 Scaglietti was on a par with the company’s two-seaters, too, with carbon composite material discs an option and – later – standard equipment. 

Inside, the hand-built nature of the car was such that no two are likely to be the same. Later in its life the 612 Sessanta (2007) was offered as an edition limited to just 60 pieces to celebrate six decades of Ferrari. The car came with 19in forged aluminium wheels, black chrome exhaust tips and a three-position electrochromatic glass roof.


Nowadays, a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti can be purchased for as little as £50,000 – 60,000 from an independent dealer, with official Ferrari agencies offering warrantied cars for a touch more. The car offers stellar performance that will eat a DB9 or Vanquish for breakfast, genuine practicality for four (with a small boot, though) and dramatic styling from Pininfarina.

Related Links The 612 Scaglietti seen in the pictures is currently being offered by Auto Salon Singen; to see the full advert, click here To browse the rest of Singen's inventory, click here. Both modern and classic Ferraris can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace.

Text: Steve Wakefield (classicDriver)
Photos: Auto Salon Singen

MOTOR ROCK : W650 CUSTOM

The Kawasaki W650 was and still is, an unashamed Triumph rip-off. Evolving out of previous Triumph/BSA copies, the W650 has become a true master of disguise, appearing in many the custom build and frequently embarrassing the trained bike-spotter (Gee! That’s a nice Bonnevi…..wait a minute!)

This one however, from Japanese builders Motor Rock, simply wasn't satisfied with being a blue-collar Bonneville clone; it wanted something more. This plucky young Kawasaki decided to have a crack at being the mythical Vincent! Thankfully however, it hasn’t done a very good job of it and while its Vincent influences are clear, it’s actually been transformed into a stately, well-proportioned grand-tourer in the British and Italian style of the '50s and 60s. In the end, its a become a damn sight more original than a Triumph copy, copying a Vincent and we rather like it!
 

Now, my Japanese ain't what it used to be and info on the Motor Rock site is thin on the ground so the only details I can provide for the build are what I can see in the photos which isnt going to be particularly enlightening because I know bugger-all about the intricacies of the W650. Its safe to say though that the frame, particularly the rear has been completely transformed. The traditional dual shocks have been moved in under the seat a la Vincent, the rear guard has been mounted to the swingarm allowing a close fit between the it and the tyre. The seat has been modified to mimic a 1960s Italian item and the tank is from god-knows-what.The work is impeccable- have a look at the quality of welding on the swingarm below to see what I mean.

Photos: Motor Rock 

via wideopenmoto

Yamaha kicks off 2013 season with slick teaser video

The latest edition of Ducati’s Wroom at Madonna di Campiglio will be capturing a lot of headlines and space in the next few hours - and following days - with interviews, images and videos of the Ducati and Pramac teams, but Yamaha Factory Racing team has decided to do a little of their own 2013 pre-season campaigning of their own, and if we weren’t slightly jaded we’d wonder about their timing.

So following the ‘Welcome Home Vale! video with all of Valentino Rossi’s past successes with Yamaha before his two year unsuccessful stint with Ducati that they released earlier this month, they have now turned out this very slick video of reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and his returning team mate with some teaser shots of the new 2013 YZR-M1.

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

Passion - Dakar XtreM Adventure powered by Michelin

The word ‘passion’ comes from the Latin passio which means ‘suffer’, ‘endure’. It is an ingredient you need in abundance if you want to reach the finish of the Dakar, probably the world’s most punishing rally. Passion is what is fuelling the surviving competitors, service crews and volunteer staff alike as we approach the end of the event’s second week.

That said, you occasionally feel that some people have more passion than others. Take Robert Van Pelt, for example. Aged just 19, the Dutch biker is contesting the Dakar for the very first time on a Honda which is entered in the so-called ‘Malle-Motos’ class, where no outside servicing is permitted. “My father has done the rally several times in the same class, but this year he is competing in a truck. I caught the virus for motorbikes and for this incredible event from him. Needless to say, I’m exhausted, but I’m also determined to make it to the finish,” promises Robert who is currently 43^rd overall.
The 10 Michelin tyre fitters who are following the Dakar are just as passionate about their mission. Nicolas, Ceric, Laurent, Philippe, Alexis and their colleagues have worked late into the night every day since the start. “Between us, we fit or remove more than 250 tyres each day. The figure even reached 600 during the ‘rest day’ at San Miguel de Tucuman,” remarked one of them between two gulps of water, while his colleagues were busy manhandling big truck tyres. “We tend to finish at around one or two o’clock in the morning. We’re very tired, but we will keep going all the way to the end…”
The 200 or so officials who make sure that the rally runs smoothly have passion to spare, too. Pascal used to take part on the event on two wheels but now he runs the bivouac ‘In’ and ‘Out’ time controls. Meanwhile, his colleagues who look after safety on the stages, or who man the passage controls and road section time controls spend hours every day waiting for the competitors in conditions ranging from dust and sandstorms to heavy rain and scorching sunshine.
“It can be a round-the-clock job some days,” notes Pascal. “This year, the last competitor to show up at San Miguel de Tucuman was the rider of the N°286 quad bike who arrived at 6am. We’re up and running in time for the departure of the first biker and, at the next overnight camp, we wait until the last competitor arrives. There are 10 of us in our team and we work as two or three groups. Once the last biker has left, one of the groups takes the plane to be ready for when the first competitors arrive at the next bivouac, and so on… We don’t get much sleep, but we should make it all the way to Santiago…”
One person who won’t take part in the finish festivities is Etienne Smulevici who was excluded from his 31^st Dakar in Arica after missing too many ‘Way Points’. Even so, he has promised to come back in 2014. That, too, is what we call passion!

Ben Spies excited to be part of Ducati family

After missing out on his first Ducati debut at Valencia due to his shoulder injury, Ben Spiesfinally became a full member of the Ducati family when he took part in last night’s unveiling ofPramac Racing Team’s GP13.

Pramac which will have factory support from Ducati and the team also has two new sponsors,Ignite Asset Management (a New York-based, alternative-asset-management firm led by a group of hedge-fund industry veterans and supported by private investors with a passion for motorsports) for Spies, while team mate and MotoGP rookie Andrea Iannone will be sponsored by Energy T.I., an energy company.

Hopefully ‘ignite’ will also be the key word that will help set Spies on fire after his horribile 2012 season with Yamaha.

“I am excited to be a part of the Ducati family. This is something I’ve wanted from the beginning of my racing career. My team and I have our work cut out for us and new goals to meet, but we’ll benefit from factory support and Audi coming on board. Ducati has four strong riders with different styles, which should improve the Desmosedici and bring it back up to the top where it belongs,” said Spies

Pramac Racing will play a key role in the development of the Ducati Desmosedici GP13, and Ben Spies’ experience and talent will be essential to the project and Francesco Guidotti said that Pramac he is honoured to have have Spies as part of their team. [Ducati had previously turned down Spies when he knocked on the Italian manufacturer’s door back in 2008 - the American then turned to World Superbikes in 2009 as a stepping stone to MotoGP].

“Pramac Racing Team is honoured to welcome Ben Spies, who has enormous talent and a spectacular riding style. We’re expecting a big challenge, but thanks to the important support of sponsor Ignite Asset Management and our new status as a Ducati factory-supported team, we are sure we will live up to expectations. With Ben, we’ll endeavour to speed up the development process on the bike to achieve our objectives as soon as possible. We’re enthusiastically looking forward to the 2013 season.”

Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse MotoGP Project Director added: “We’re very pleased with the agreement we’ve reached with Ignite Pramac Racing Team for 2013, which has the Francesco Guidotti-run team taking on factory-supported status, with an even closer link to Ducati’s racing department. This is also demonstrated with the presence for the first time of Pramac Racing Team at Wrooom, the fantastic event taking place in Madonna di Campiglio. We’re very confident that Ben Spies will be able to use his talents to help us with the development of the bike and to achieve the results we’re after more quickly, and we thank the sponsor Ignite Asset Management for its support on this project.”

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

it's cold outdoor !

Watch the highlights from the 12 th stage of Dakar won by Nani Roma (Mini-Michelin).