samedi 9 février 2013
VERY HOT !!! Gucci Guilty: The Episode - Intense
PEOPLE : 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Miami Vice
The American TV show Miami Vice set the tone for the eighties. Remember the cars, the boats, the fashions? Like cool duo Crockett and Tubbs, we’ve gone undercover to ferret out some interesting facts. Here’s what we found.
The Ferrari that Never Was
This may come as a shock, but that black Ferrari Daytona convertible never saw the light of day in Maranello. It was a bluff from the start. The coachbuilders at McBurnie took the chassis and engineering of a Chevrolet Corvette C3 and slipped a credible Daytona body over it. Ferrari was not pleased about the success of the fake Daytona Spider, fearing considerable damage to its image. Instead, Ferrari supplied the Miami Vice producers with two white Testarossas, on condition that the Daytona be scrapped. Hence in an episode titled 'When Irish Eyes Are Crying', we see the doomed lookalike blown up. But even the Testarossa was copied (based on a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera) and then used as a stunt car.
Crooked Phil Collins
Miami Vice was famous for the music. With 'In The Air Tonight', former Genesis lead singer Phil Collins hit the top of the charts. He was also given a chance to perform in front of the camera. In the episode 'Phil the Shill', the musician plays the fraudulent game show host Phil 'the Shill' Mayhem. Donning the flamboyant Florida look with gold shirt and matching tie, Collins joined the roll call of famous Miami Vice guest stars such as Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis.
Miami Marina
When not chasing drug barons in the Testarossa, Crockett and Tubbs took to the water in a sleek cigarette boat. Remember the opening credits and Jan Hammer’s theme? And throughout the series, Sonny Crockett lived on a boat. For the pilot he made his home on a Cabo Rico 38 sailboat, to be replaced by an Endeavour 40 and later the 42 model. The speedboat was a Wellcraft 38 Scarab KV (why all the vessels were named 'The St. Vitus' Dance' remains a mystery). Ah yes, Elvis the alligator. Before becoming the best-paid actor in television history thanks to Crockett, Don Johnson had portrayed Elvis Presley in a TV drama.
Fashion Statement
Men in white. And those pastels. Also, never again (surely) will gentlemen be willing to push up their jacket sleeves for sartorial effect. At the time, however, Don Johnson became a symbol of 80s fashion, including the three-day stubble. Originally wary of the Miami candy colours reminiscent of the landmark Art Deco district, Johnson had wanted to project a tough guy in cowboy boots. Producer Michael Mann convinced him otherwise and the look was born.
Miami Sound Machine
It wasn’t just a star turn for Phil Collins. Other artists of the era featured in the show included Glenn Frey and Kate Bush. The throbbing soundtrack to Miami Vice stayed at number one for 12 weeks, making it the most successful in TV history. Jan Hammer, the creator of the theme, was congratulated by the great Henry Mancini, whose music from 'Peter Gunn' (1959) was the previous record holder.
| Related Links You can read our feature on a 'real' Ferrari Daytona Spider in the Classic Driver magazine |
Text: J. Philip Rathgen / Alexandra Felts (ClassicDriver)
Fotos: Getty Images
1914 Dodge City 300 - "The Coyote Classic"
The inaugural Dodge City 300 was held on July 4, 1914 on a 2-mile oval dirt track located northeast of town. This was an officially sanctioned event of the FAM (Federation of American Motorcyclist) and all the usual manufacturer backed teams were present. These included Indian, Excelsior, Pope, Thor,Flying Merkel and for the first time Harley-Davidson.
Harley's last minute entry into the race came as quite a surprise since they had maintained that they did not build racing machines. In fact, Harley-Davidson's Vice President, Arthur Davidson, had written several strongly worded articles against racing as late as 1913. Certainly there had been plenty of racers who had used Harley-Davidson's, but these were always stock motorcycles without any backing from the factory. This seemingly sudden change in attitude was probably due to the boost in sales that Indian and Excelsior enjoyed every time they won a major event. Harley-Davidson needed to win races in order to compete on the sales floor.
Although Harley entered the Dodge City 300 at the last minute, they had been preparing for their racing debut for at least a year. This started in 1913 when they hired Bill Ottoway away from Thor Motorcycles. Ottoway was a talented motorcycle race tuner and Harley put him to work tuning their V-twin motor which had been introduced back in 1911. The result was a new race ready model named the 11-K
Ottoway personally tuned twelve 11-K models for the Dodge City 300 for use by Harley's five man team: Walter Cunningham, Paul Garst, Paul God, "Red" Parkhurst and Alvin Stratton. Stratton, Garst and Cunningham are pictured below at the start of the race.
By the end of the race, only two of Harley's racers made it across the finish line. Harley did have a strong showing, being tied for first place with Glenn Boyd at the 120 mile mark, but they were not able to keep the pace for the entire 300 miles. In the end, the victory was claimed by Indian and their big 8 valve twin, piloted by Glenn Boyd. Second went to Bill Briar who coincidentally was riding a Thor motorcycle that had been tuned by Ottoway before he left to work for Harley-Davidson.
This was only the beginning of racing for Harley-Davidson who came back to win the Dodge City 300 in 1915. Then to prove this wasn't a fluke, they won again in 1916, 1920 and 1921.
Next year will be the centennial of the first race at Dodge City and they are planning a major event to commemorate this historic race. The Dodge City 300, Inc. has formed as a non-profit entity to host the celebration. Some of the planned events include:
- · AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) Pro Racing Grand National points races
- · AHRMA Historic Motorcycle racing
- · Judged Concours d'Elegance for pre-1925 racing motorcycles
- · Peoples Choice Classic, Vintage and custom motorcycle shows
- · Single Day Gypsy Tours
- · Motorcycle History Symposium and book signings with well known motohistorians
- · Motorcycle Field events (amateur)
- · Motorcycle Trade Show with Vendors, dealers, apparel & gear
- · Historic Motorcycle displays
- · Historic marker dedication - original track site
- · Motorcyclists fun, fellowship, camaraderie and much more...
http://www.DodgeCity300.org/
from .ridingvintage
rallye de Suède Les deux « Seb » s’échappent
Sébastien Ogier et Sébastien Loeb ont creusé l’écart sur leurs poursuivants. On s’achemine vers un doublé tricolore en Suède et une première victoire de Volkswagen en WRC. Pugnace, Mads Ostberg a dépossédé Jari-Matti Latvala de la 3e place provisoire.
Avec 25s2 d’avance, Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen/Michelin) a rempli son objectif : « Je voulais terminer cette journée avec une vingtaine de secondes d’avance. Je ne sais pas si ce sera suffisant, avec « Seb » derrière ce n’est jamais assez ! – mais je pourrai au moins rouler aux « splits » demain. Je ne veux pas faire la même erreur que ce matin dans Fredriksberg où j’ai laissé cinq secondes en autant de kilomètres. »
Sébastien Loeb n’a cessé d’attaquer aujourd’hui. S’il n’a pu réduire l’écart avec le leader, il a creusé le trou sur Jari-Matti Latvala et Mads Ostberg. « Je ne pouvais pas aller beaucoup plus vite. « Seb » (Ndlr Ogier) a fait deux super journées et j’ai perdu trop de temps hier. Mais je n’ai pas abdiqué et croyez-moi, c’est bien plus excitant d’être 2e et d’essayer d’aller chercher la victoire que d’être leader avec une minute d’avance. »
Mads Ostberg a pris la 3e place à Jari-Matti Latvala à l’issue de l’ES14 (Fredriksberg), avant de se faire une belle frayeur dans Rammen (ES15) : « On est parti en luge sur 100 m à fond de 6e ! Pfff… Bon, désormais, les deux de devant, c’est trop difficile. Il faut que j’essaie de contenir « Jari » et il va falloir attaquer. »
Les autres Ford Fiesta RS WRC aux couleurs du Qatar-M Sport WRT – Evgeny Novikov, Thierry Neuville, Juho Hanninen – naviguent en 5e, 6e, et 7e positions et Malcolm les verrait bien dans cet ordre à Karlstad demain après-midi. Henning Solberg, Martin Prokop et Dani Sordo n’ont plus rien à jouer également, si ce n’est de rentrer dans le top-10.
Au cours de cette 2e journée, on a perdu le jeune Suédois Pontus Tidemand (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) qui était 5e avant une casse moteur. Matthew Wilson est parti en tonneau dans la 1èrespéciale du jour et Khalid Al-Qassimi (Citroën DS 3 WRC) est sorti dans Rammen (ES15) après un freinage bien, bien trop tardif (voir photo).
En WRC-2, Anders Grondal est toujours leader sur sa Subaru Impreza Groupe N, mais la Ford Fiesta RRC d’Al-Rahji est revenue à grandes enjambées. Le Norvégien n’a plus que 4s6 d’avance. « Il y a peut-être 2 secondes/kilomètre d’écart entre ma Groupe N et sa RRC. Je suis au maximum partout, et même si je connais bien les spéciales demain, je ne sais pas si ça suffira », expliquait Anders ce soir. Michal Solowow espère conserver sa 3e place mais le moteur de sa Peugeot 207 S2000 semble fatigué. Après des soucis de freins hier, Sepp Wiegand (Skoda Fabia S2000) est 4e devant Yurii Protasov (Subaru Impreza R4).
Petter Solberg a remporté le Rallye de Suède Historique au volant de sa Ford Escort Mk2 avec 1min56s d'avance sur Erik Johansson (Audi Quattro) et 2min51s sur Mats Myrsell (Porsche 911 RS)
with best-of-rallylive
Transitioning from Trials to Enduro – Hard Enduro 2013 Flankers
UP ! Official Ram Trucks Super Bowl Commercial "Farmer"
And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say,'Maybe next year,' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse with hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours." So God made the farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the leg of a meadowlark."
It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and brake, and disk, and plow, and plant, and tie the fleece and strain the milk, . Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Dad does. "So God made a farmer."
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say,'Maybe next year,' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse with hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours." So God made the farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the leg of a meadowlark."
It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and brake, and disk, and plow, and plant, and tie the fleece and strain the milk, . Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Dad does. "So God made a farmer."
MID LIFE CYCLES HONDA CB77
Australia has a relatively small population—around 23 million, a little less than Texas. Despite this, the custom scene is thriving, with a remarkable number of skilled builders and a nationwide taste for cafe racers and classics.
Deus is probably the best-known builder, but there are smaller workshops worth seeking out, such asMid Life Cycles. At the recent Australian Motorcycle Expo, Mid Life won the prestigious Just BikesBike Build Off with this lovely Honda CB77 (Super Hawk) cafe racer.
Mid Life’s Michael Catchpole describes the CB77 as a “California custom meets back-to-basics Sixties racer”. It certainly has the classic touches—including Tingate clip-ons, Brooks leather grips and Tomaselli rearsets. The ducktail rear, fork gaiters and old-school chrome are straight out of the 60s too.
The tank is original, complete with badges, but the seat is a fiberglass Ducati 750SS-style unit. A lightweight lithium Shorai battery hides in the tail. After testing different exhaust systems, Mid Life chose a set of after-market pipes—but the chrome was somewhat lacking. “The pipes cried out for ceramic coating in black,” says Mid Life’s Michael Catchpole, and they look much better for it. At the moment the carbs are stock CB77 units, but upgrades will be tested soon.
The headlight is a rare, original piece that Aprilia made in the early 60s for Ducati singles. (“It arrived from Mama Italia in all its chrome-shell-and-Bakelite-switch glory.”) A single speedo from Steve “Carpy” Carpenter is set within the curve of a bespoke billet-alloy triple clamp. And the wheels are genuine Borrani.
The CB77 is up for sale to fund Mid Life Cycles’ next project, and it’s priced “somewhere in the mid to high-teens”. Contact details are on the Mid Life website.
For more images and an excellent, detailed description of the build, visit the Just Bikes website.
from BIKEEXIF
The 2012 SEMA Show
Featured events started around sunset
A quick tire warm up before lining up at the start.
Sverre Isachsen of Subaru X Puma Rallycross Team with his 2012 Subaru WRX STi
Stephen Verdier of Motorcity Disney XD with his 2012 Hyundai Veloster
Brian Deegan of Rockstar Energy Metal Mulisha Ford
Toomas Heikkinen of Bluebeam/OMSE with his 2012 Ford Fiesta
Starting Line Up
Liam Doran of Monster Energy-Citroen Racing with his Citroen C4
Timur Timerzyanov chasing Tanner Foust
Toomas Heikkinen of Bluebeam going around the front curve pavement area
Brian Deegan with his 2012 Ford Fiesta
Bucky Lasek of Subaru X Puma Rallycross with this 2012 Subary WRX STi
Tanner Foust of Rockstar Energy Etnies Ford with his 2012 Ford Fiesta
Timur Timerzyanov of Best Buy Ford Fiesta with his... you got it, 2012 Ford Fiesta
Rhys Millen of the Hyundai Rallycross with his 2012 Hyundai Veloster
Rhys Millen high up on the gap jump
Rhys Millen chasing Timur Timerzyanov
Brian Deegan doing a solo
Tanner Foust on the jump over Timur Timerzyanov
Taking off from the line
Glimpse of David Binks' eBay Motors ride
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That basically wraps up my first day at SEMA. A lot of GRC goodness. We will bring you a second part, sometime this week, on what went on the exhibit halls and the outdoor show cars.Tanner Foust's Rockstar Etnies FormulaX Ride
You can view the rest of the photos HERE.
Ervin L (el_venn)
venn@maydaygarage.com
Yokohama Tyres // 52 : The chase for a record… from Maiham-Media.com
Yet another masterpiece by Luke Huxham. The spirit of Japanese Time Attack couldn’t be expressed in any better fashion.
Yokohama Tyres // 52 : The chase for a record... from Maiham-Media.com on Vimeo.
Yokohama Tyres // 52 : The chase for a record... from Maiham-Media.com on Vimeo.
Petter Solberg: back to his roots! / Petter Solberg se marre en « Historique »
For the first time since he failed to find a drive for 2013, Petter Solberg is rubbing shoulders with his former world championship rivals in Sweden. But instead of driving a privately-run WRC car as he did in 2010 and 2011, the ex-champ is enjoying the snow in a Group 4 ‘historic’ Ford Escort!
N’ayant pu trouver un volant d’usine pour 2013, Petter Solberg n’a pas souhaiter engager une WRC « privée » comme il l’avait fait en 2010 et 2011. Ce week-end, il s’éclate au volant d’une Ford Escort Groupe 4 en rallye Historique.
The ‘historic’ service park is at the opposite end of Hagfors Airport's runway to the top WRC teams’ expensive motorhomes. Yet Petter Solberg’s small area is still a natural draw for fans.
His facilities are minimal: a black marquee sheltering his pristine (brand new!) Mk2 Ford Escort, a five-seat van with tools and equipment and four mechanics. It reminded me of the first time the Norwegian was pointed out to me as a promising 24-year old in a windy service park on RallyGB, in 1998.
Earlier this afternoon, we found him in his van, chewing on a raw carrot and keeping out of the cold with his co-driver/wife, Pernilla Walfridsson… “Please, come in. Find some space!”
We wondered what question he had been asked the most often this week… “Am I enjoying myself?” he smiled. “And I am. The Escort’s a great car. Okay, it’s not a WRC, and the steering is really hard, but it’s fantastic fun. I span on this morning’s stage [third fastest]. I lost maybe 25s. The crowds appear to be interested in the historic cars, too. They seem to be waiting for us after the other guys have been through.”
We can confirm that, because we went to watch them over the famous Colin’s Crest. True, some of the sights were quite comical, like the Austin Healey 3000, the Alpine A110 and several others sliding slowly off at a tightening downhill right-hander. But some drivers were clearly skilled, and the faster rear-wheel drive Escorts – including Petter’s – were a delight to see! Only after the Norwegian had entertained them did the spectators start to disperse.
Despite Petter’s polite protests, Pernilla – herself a strong driver – admitted to having trouble with the pacenotes. There is no recce, so we all use the notes prepared by Bruno [Berglund, former world class navigator]. I am scared of being late with my calls, so I announce everything very quickly,” she revealed. “I think I was at the stage’s halfway point before we even completed the first kilometre!”
The ‘historic’ rally ends on Saturday, so the couple will be able to watch Sunday’s ‘Swedo-Norwegian’ SS17 (Mitandersfors) which passes right in front of their “farm”. “We live 800m from the border as the crow flies,” points out Pernilla, “and 2km away by road. There should be plenty of people there. It will be fun.”
Any more historic rallies planned with the Escort this year? “That would be nice,” nods Petter, “Perhaps the Midsummer Rally, near here, in August. But my European rallycross and X-Games calendar is quite tight this year. We’ll see…”
Le parc d’assistance des « Historiques » se trouve sur la piste de l’aéroport d’Hagfors, à l’opposé des motor-homes du WRC. Mais les fans étaient venus nombreux saluer l’ancien champion du monde.
Sa structure est assez minimaliste : une simple tente noire sous laquelle se trouve sa Ford Escort Mk2 flambant neuve, un Van avec outils et équipement, et quatre mécaniciens. Ca me rappelle la première fois que j’ai vu Petter, un jeune pilote de 24 ans très prometteur, sur un parc d’assistance du Rally GB, en 1998.
Cet après-midi, nous l’avons rencontré dans son Van, « mâchouillant » une carotte crue. « Vas-y, rentre te mettre chaud », m’a-t-il lancé.
Quelle question on lui avait le plus posé depuis le début de ce rallye ? « Si je m’éclate ? Oui, bien sûr. L’Escort est une super voiture. Ok, ce n’est pas une WRC et la direction est très dure, mais c’est fantastique. J’ai fait un tête-à-queue ce matin dans Vargasen (3e temps), j’ai perdu peut-être 25 secondes. Il y a vraiment des passionnés de rallyes historiques, ils nous attendent dans le froid après les concurrents du « moderne ».
En milieu de journée, nous étions allés voir les « anciennes » à Colin’s Crest. Pour certaines, c’était assez comique, comme l’Austin Healey 3000, l’Alpine A110 et quelques autres en perdition dans un droite serré en descente. Mais certains pilotes étaient généreux et les Ford Escort en particulier, dont celle de Petter, furent un régal à voir passer. Et ce n’est qu’après le passage du Norvégien que les spectateurs ont commencé à quitter la spéciale.
Sa femme Pernilla, ancienne pilote et copilote ce week-end, admettait avoir quelques soucis avec les notes. « Les reconnaissances étaient interdites en Historique et nous utilisons les notes prises par Bruno Berglund. J’ai toujours peur d’être en retard alors j’annonce tout très vite. Je crois que j’en étais déjà à mi-spéciale alors qu’on n’avait pas bouclé le 1er kilomètre ! »
Le rallye Historique se termine samedi. Petter et Pernilla pourront donc voir les WRC dans l’ES17, Mitandersfors, qui passe devant leur cottage. « On habite à 800 m de la frontière à vol d’oiseau et à 2 km par la route. Il devrait donc y avoir beaucoup de monde, ce sera chouette. »
D’autres rallyes Historiques au programme cette année ? « Ce serait bien. Peut-être le Midsummer Rally, tout près d’ici en août. Mais le Championnat d’Europe de Rallycross, le Global Rallycross et les X-Games vont bien m’occuper. »
How to Buy a Vintage Watch
Consider the watch above — a 1966 Rolex GMT-Master. The painted markers are discolored, cracked, and have long since lost their luminescence. The rotating bezel doesn’t ratchet; the tinny steel bracelet has hollow links and the acrylic crystal is scratched. Set alongside a modern Rolex GMT-Master II, with its ceramic ratcheting bezel, sapphire crystal, solid bracelet and 100-meter water resistance, there shouldn’t be much of a contest. The new watch is the one to get, right? Wrong.
Vintage watch buying is enjoying incredible popularity, thanks to a community of savvy collectors, great internet resources for both learning about and buying old watches, and a nostalgic yearning for quality products from an era before planned obsolescence. Old watches also represent great value, the chance to wear a piece of history and, if you’re lucky, a good investment. Not to mention, they just look cool.
Why Vintage?
If you have $2,000 to spend, you could drive down to Bloomingdale’s and walk out with a quartz TAG Heuer or Longines that would serve you well for many years. Or you could buy a 1962 LeCoultre Memovox with an in-house manufacture movement featuring a mechanical alarm complication from one of the most respected names in watchmaking. The latter watch will be more unique, garnering a lot more looks and compliments than a TAG that half your co-workers are wearing; on top of that, you’ll know that you’re wearing a piece of history that is still as reliable today as it was 50 years ago.
Our Three Favorite Vintage Watches
OMEGA Speedmaster Professional
This handwound chronograph was the first watch worn on the Moon and a must-have for any collection. Prepare to spend more for a “Pre-Moon” example.
Rolex GMT-Master
Developed by Rolex for Pan Am airlines, this watch was the first to display two time zones simultaneously. Overlooked for years, this model’s value is going up quickly.
Heuer Autavia
The real deal from the pre-TAG days, the Autavia was Heuer’s automotive + aviation watch. The Viceroy versions were offered as a cigarette brand promotion in the 1970s and can be found at reasonable prices now.
And while we don’t recommend buying a vintage watch as a retirement strategy, there is some merit to holding onto material investments as part of your portfolio. You can plop $20,000 into a mutual fund and hope your fund manager isn’t a crook, or you can find a 1973 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the legendary watch that single-handedly saved one of the most storied brands in haute horlogerie. There are no sure bets in vintage watch investments, but recent auctions have proven that certain brands and some specific references are reliable — certain Rolexes and almost any Patek Philippe, for example. Oh yeah, and last time we checked, you can’t wear a mutual fund.
To us, the most interesting vintage watches are those that were developed for a specific purpose: the so-called “tool watches”. Rolex made its name building such timepieces, like the Submariner (diving), the Milgauss (nuclear research) and the Explorer II (spelunking) — vintage examples of which are consistently top picks among collectors. Because timepieces used to be legitimate pieces of kit, many of these great old tool watches were actually bought and used for the purposes for which they were designed, which only adds to their mystique, value and stories. That GMT-Master? Designed in 1954 for the first transcontinental pilots of Pan Am airlines.
It’s no coincidence that most brands are releasing new watches that trade on the designs of their forebears. The timepieces of the 1950s and ’60s were simply gorgeous. Tonneau cases, bombe lugs, domed crystals and gilt dials all marked the ascendancy of the wristwatch, which reached its zenith around 1970. The Omegas, Heuers and Jaegers from those decades set the standard for design — one that is still followed to this day. And despite the fact that many older watches are considered too small for the modern wrist, by the late ’60s, diameters consistently approached the 36-40mm sweet spot that fits most men well even today.
How to Do It
If we’ve managed to sell you on the merits of buying vintage, now it’s time to caution you. The vintage watch market is rife with fakes, so-called “frankenwatches”, and unscrupulous sellers. Do your homework. Talk to collectors, join web forums and ask questions; learn about the watches you’re interested in. Post photos and solicit feedback. Spaces like the Vintage Rolex Forum and theMilitary Watch Resource are great places to elicit help. Sites like On the Dash and HODINKEE often focus specifically on vintage timepieces and are perfect places to glean knowledge on a daily basis.
What Should People Expect From a Vintage Timepiece?
Owning a vintage timepiece is a lot like owning a vintage car, without the oil leaks. There is a reasonable amount of preventative maintenance that should be factored in (most non-complicated timepieces require a basic checkup and tune every couple years), but then again, a new piece should really get the same treatment as well. The most important thing in buying a vintage timepiece is to buy from a trusted source to negate the chances of winding up with a basket case, or worse — a fake.
It is also important to note that vintage watches will never be as accurate as a modern piece (particularly quartz), but that doesn’t matter. Owning a mechanical timepiece is about experiencing the measurement of time, not just telling it. And much like crank windows and carburetors, there is an undeniable charm that resonates throughout the experience.
Expect to form a relationship with your vintage watch — they each have a character all their own, something that soulless, mass-produced modern watches (and automobiles) lack most of the time. It may take a little more effort to keep running properly, but again, like a vintage automobile, it repays you in spades when you take it out for a spin.
– James Lamdin, Analog/Shift
Once you’ve educated yourself, get hands on. Condition is the biggest differentiator in vintage watches and can mean the difference between a $4,000 watch and a $7,000 one — an investment-grade piece and an also-ran. You might be surprised to learn that, when buying a vintage watch, original condition is paramount. Does the lume on the dial match that on the hands? If not, chances are the hands or dial have been replaced. Are the edges of the case smooth or sharp? It’s better to have a watch with its original finish, despite the scratches that come with age, rather than one that was polished to death.
Check the serial number for the watch’s age and, if possible, make sure that the movement number lines up with the case vintage. “Frankenwatches” are those with mismatched or replaced parts, pieced together to make a complete timepiece or improve its appearance for the unsuspecting buyer. These can mean great bargains if you’re just looking for a cool old watch to wear, but you should always know the truth about what you’re getting.
The best piece of advice we can give is to buy the seller before you buy the watch. Get references, ask for a “proof photo” of the watch you want to buy (a photo taken of the watch on that day’s newspaper, with a handwritten note with the seller’s name) and talk to the seller on the phone. There are numerous watch sale forums online, but there are also reputable individual dealers, both local and online. While they tend to be more expensive, they also tend to sell better products — watches that are serviced and authenticated. Analog/Shift and Matthew Bain Inc. are good examples of dealers that can help you, for the right price.
Just to be clear after this lofty endorsement of vintage, we’re not against modern watches. In fact, if you’re a regular reader of Gear Patrol, you know we love all the new and shiny timepieces from brands big and small. They’re well-built, rugged to the point of imperviousness, accurate and beautiful. They are, after all, tomorrow’s vintage watches. But a bite from the vintage bug is like going back in time — and it’s hard to come back to the present.
from gearpatrol
Casey Stoner returns to motorcycle racing for the Aussie Speed Showdown
Retired two-time MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner will be returning to motorcycle action next month (March 9-10) when he’ll compete in the Top Gear Festival Sydney hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, James May, The Stig and Australian co-host Shane Jacobson.
The race dubbed ‘The Aussie Speed Showdown’, will see Stoner pit a Honda CBR1000 against Formula One Grand Prix winner Mark Webber driving his 2013 Infiniti Red Bull Racing F1 car and four-time V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup with his new Red Bull Racing Australia V8 Supercar, around the North Circuit at Sydney Motorsport Park (formerly Eastern Creek).
Stoner will also be challenging three-time V8 Supercar Champion Craig Lowndes in a unique ‘Fish out of Water’ contest that will see the ex-MotoGP rider behind the wheel of Lowndes’ Red Bull Racing Australia V8 Supercar and the V8 star riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike.
Clarkson said, “Stoner versus Webber versus Whincup; three of Australia’s fastest men will take to the track in the petrol equivalent of a bare knuckle brawl only Top Gear Festival would dare.”
Shane Jacobson said it is like staging the motorsport Olympics, “Personally my money is on Webber to wipe the field and take out gold. But then again no one should be too worried as we don’t actually have any medals - what we do have is a heap of cars, lots of petrol, loads of people, and two big tracks which all equals a massive amount of fun”
with TWOWHEELSBLOG
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