jeudi 18 avril 2013
Shall I Bring the Car Round, M'lady? Rolls-Royce creates 'FAB 1' Ghost
Rolls-Royce has produced a customised Ghost inspired by FAB 1 – Lady Penelope’s unique car from the 1960s sci-fi television series, Thunderbirds – in aid of a cancer charity.
Unique features adopted by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke team include pink accented umbrellas, ‘FAB 1’ treadplates, and hand-embroidered headrests featuring the Breast Cancer Care pink ribbon logo. Being an extended–wheelbase car, the modern Lady Penelope will also enjoy ample legroom.
For 12 months, it will be available to hire for any special occasion, with all proceeds going to the charity. All you need to do is find a Parker to drive it for you.
The project begins on Thursday 18 April, when a star-studded line-up of drivers will whisk FAB 1 from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
| Related Links You can search for modern and classic Rolls-Royces in the Classic Driver Marketplace |
Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Rolls-Royce
ASTON MARTIN PASSE À L'HYDROGÈNE POUR LES 24H DU NÜRBURGRING.
Aston Martin va innover dans les prochaines 24 Heures du Nürburgring, les 19 et 20 mai prochains- en engageant une Aston Martin Rapide S hybride fonctionnant à l'hydrogène. Cette Rapide S - basée sur l'Aston Martin Rapide quatre portes de série- sera la première voiture de l'épreuve à pouvoir courir sans aucune émission de C02.
Aston Martin a travaillé avec les spécialistes en hydrogène de la société Alset Global. Le moteur de la Rapide S sera un V6 double turbo de 6000 cm3.
L'Aston Martin pourra tourner en fonctionnant soit uniquement en mode essence, soit uniquement en mode hydrogène, soit en combinant les deux sources d'énergie. En mode hydrogène, la voiture ne produira aucune émission de CO2, seule de la vapeur d'eau sortant de l'échappement.
Dr Ulrich Bez, Président de Aston Martin : "Alors que nous célébrons notre centenaire en 2013 et que nous nous repenchons sur un siècle de passion, d'innovation et de style, c'est également le moment idéal de regarder l'avenir avec cette voiture de course étonnante. Aston Martin a une grande histoire d'innovation sur les circuits et, avec notre magnifique histoire de compétition et d'essais sur le Nürburgring, il est tout à fait normal de présenter cette nouvelle technologie exceptionnelle cette année dans les 24 Heures. Travailler avec Alset Global pour dévoiler ce système dans un environnement aussi difficile que les 24 Heures du Nürburgring, cela montre à nouveau à quel point nous avons confiance en nos voitures, notre personnel et nos partenaires. »
Le système à hydrogène comprend quatre réservoirs en fibre de carbone de très haute résistance, contenant au total 3,5 kg d'hydrogène stocké à une pression de 35O bars. Deux de ces réservoirs sont places près du pilote et les deux autres à l'arrière de la voiture. Le système a été approuvé par la MSB, la Fédération Allemande du Sport Automobile.
La vitesse de pointe de la Rapide S est d'un peu plus de 300 kmh et monte de 0 à 100 kmh en 4 secondes et neuf dixièmes.
Citation tirée du communiqué Aston Martin,
Claude Foubert(Endurance-Info)
Bol d’Or : Kawasaki SRC on provisional pole / Kawasaki SRC en pole provisoire
The first qualifying session for the 2013 Bol d’Or saw Kawasaki SRC claim the best average lap time for its three riders (1m39.744s). SERT and BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent (Michelin) are second and third on the provisional grid.
A l’issue de la première séance d’essais qualificatifs du Bol d’Or, Kawasaki SRC est crédité de la meilleure moyenne en 1.39.744. Les « verts » devancent le SERT et BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent (Michelin).
The weather was overcast this afternoon at Magny-Cours when the riders started the first of the week’s two qualifying sessions.
Grégory Leblanc clearly feels comfortable on the N°11 Kawasaki since he posted the fastest lap overall (1m39.200s) on his final flying lap to beat the record established in 2012 by SERT’s Vincent Philippe (1m39.769s). Loris Baz and Jérémy Guarnoni topped the timesheets in their respective mini-sessions (20 minutes) to put Kawasaki SRC at the front of the provisional grid.
Although Julien DaCosta produced the afternoon’s second best lap (1m39.792s), SERT had to settle for second on tonight’s grid with an average of 1m40.135s, 0.391s behind its arch-rival.
BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent (1m40.896s) was third. “We focused on the race,” said the team’s Sporting Manager Nicolas Dussauge. “We haven’t done much running in dry weather so we tried to get in as many laps as possible. Karl Muggeridge needs to familiarise himself with the bike and tyres, as well. He hit traffic during his flying lap, which explains why he was a little slower than the other two…”
GMT 94 (Michelin) was fourth (1m41.128s), ahead of National Motos (1m42.360s).
YART (Michelin) followed in eighth place with a 1m42.859s, while Honda TT Legends was 3.115s slower than the Kawasaki SRC. Suzuki Junior Team pocketed provisional pole in the Superstock class (1m42.577s) and figures in seventh position overall.
The night-time practice session starts this evening at 9pm to round off Thursday’s programme. The second qualifying session begins on Friday morning at 11am, and it could well be wet.
Le temps était toujours gris en fin d’après-midi au dessus du circuit de Magny-Cours quand les pilotes se sont élancés pour la première séance d’essais qualificatifs.
Grégory Leblanc, très en forme, au guidon de la Kawasaki n°11, a claqué le meilleur temps absolu de cette première séance en 1.39.200 dans son dernier tour. Il bat ainsi le record de 2012 établi par Vincent Philippe (SERT) en 1.39.769. Loris Baz et Jérémy Guarnoni, respectivement meilleur et troisième chrono de leur session, permettent à Kawasaki SRC de se placer en première position sur la grille provisoire.
Malgré la seconde meilleure performance attribuée à Julien DaCosta en 1.39.792, le SERT pointe à la seconde place en 1.40.135, à seulement 0,391 seconde des polemen provisoires.
BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent est crédité du troisième temps en 1.40.896. « Nous avons travaillé pour la course » explique Nicolas Dussauge, manager sportif. « Nous manquons de roulage sur le sec et avons besoin d’engranger un maximum de tours. Karl Muggeridge doit se familiariser avec la moto et les pneus, il a été gêné dans son tour qualif, ce qui explique qu’il soit un peu moins rapide que ses coéquipiers. »
Le GMT 94 (Michelin) se place à la quatrième place avec un temps moyen d’1.41.128 devant National Motos (1.42.360).
Le YART (Michelin) est huitième (1.42.859) alors que le Honda TT Legends est relégué à 3,115 secondes de Kawasaki SRC. Le Suzuki Junior Team décroche la pole provisoire dans la catégorie Superstock (1.42.577) et s’intercale à la septième place au général.
Les essais de nuit à 21 heures vont clôturer cette première journée. La seconde séance qualificative est prévue demain à partir de 11 heures où la pluie pourrait s’inviter.
from motoracinglive
KYUSHA HEAVEN: BROWSING THE YOKOTA COLLECTION
In yesterday’s post I took you guys on a little trip through the M. Yokota Museum in Gunma, Japan. Today I’d like to follow that up with a more detailed look at the vintage automobile collection, which is one of the museum’s biggest drawcards. From rare sports cars and competition vehicles to more family-friendly vehicles that brought motoring to the masses, this might well be the most complete collection of classic Japanese vehicles anywhere in the world. Let’s take a look…
I mentioned in my first story the effort that’s gone into sourcing and restoring the museum’s car collection, and the result is a brilliant assortment of vehicles that really tell the story of Japan’s automobile explosion during the 1960s and 1970s. After browsing through the museum’s toy displays, you get to the car area which is divided into three different display areas, each with its own distinct theme.
The first section is dedicated to kei cars, which are of course still sold in massive numbers today. The early versions of these small displacement micro vehicles helped serve as an entryway into automobile ownership for many people during the time of Japan’s postwar economic growth.
One of the things that impressed me the most about the was the museum was the way these less exotic models were treated with the same authenticity and appreciation as Japan’s more glamorous nameplates.
And while something like this 1967 Daihatsu Fellow Truck might not carry the same sex appeal as a 2000GT or Nissan Fairlady, the contributions of these early kei cars and trucks made to the growing Japanese auto industry were no less important.
When it comes to vintage Japanese trucks though, there’s nothing quite like the early Daihatsu Midget. These distinct looking three-wheeled pickups were a common sight on Japan’s roads during the ’50s and ’60s. A symbol of an industry on the rise.
Before Mazda became known for its rotary engines, it broke into the automobile market with small machines like the Carol 360 – a popular kei car in the mid to late ’60s.
Honda’s contributions to the world of compact motoring are well represented at the museum with cars like the Honda Z, the N360, and the Vamos.
I particularly liked this ad for the Honda Z showing the car at Orange County International Raceway sitting alongside a pair of front-engine rail dragsters. It’s pure early ’70s, and completely awesome.
It’s not just Yokota’s cars that are fascinating to see, but the period-correct displays many of them are set in. Here, for example, we have a ’67 Daihatsu Fellow placed in a vintage garage scene.
Here’s a 1965 Mazda B360 pickup displayed as if it was loaded up with early television sets – more signs of Japan’s economic and technological rise.
It’s the little touches like this that really help bring the nostalgic experience to life.
Moving to the next area now, we have the ‘Family Car’ display. This where you find some of the larger, more powerful machines of the era, along with models that should be a bit more recognizable at an international level.
With all of these historic machines in one place, you also get a great insight into how far Japanese cars evolved in such a short time. You can watch as the stubby, simple cars of the early ’60s quickly give way to the sleeker and more powerful machines of the late ’60s and early ’70s.
But even those early sedans look quite cool when they are in stripped down race trim. Can’t you just picture this 1962 Nissan Bluebird racer sliding around the track on its narrow tires and steel wheels? I can dig it.
Needless to say, the Nissan Skyline is represented quite well in this display. Even if they didn’t build quite the same legendary reputation as the later GT-R models, early Skylines, like this ’67 GT model, proved to be extremely successful both on the road and the circuit.
There’s a Hakosuka on hand as well, but this one isn’t the GT-R or even the 2000GT model. This particular 1972 hard top model is actually powered by the 1500cc four-cylinder that made just 88 horsepower.
Here’s a car that you certainly don’t see too often – a first generation C30 Nissan Laurel from 1968.
It would take an entire building to show all the early iterations of the Toyota Crown, but here the nameplate is nicely represented by this S40 series sedan from 1967.
Meanwhile, the more affordable end of Toyota’s 1960s lineup is defined by cars like this ’68 P20 Publica.
In recent decades the “one box” van has been the primary working vehicle of choice in Japan, but back in the ’60s you’d also have pickup truck versions of cars like the Crown and Corona that were popular for business use.
Ah yes, the Toyota Corolla. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? When this brand new model hit dealerships in late 1966, I wonder how many people could’ve predicted the Corolla would go on to become one of the world’s best selling vehicles of all time?
One of the more obscure cars that caught my attention in this area was this 1974 Mark II GSS. The GSS denotes that this was the hot model equipped with Toyota’s potent 18R-G twin cam engine.
Equally interesting was this ’72 Honda 1300 Coupe coated in a color that could have come from Mopar’s catalog. This was Honda’s largest model at the time and was powered by an air-cooled 1300cc SOHC four-cylinder engine.
Lastly, we have a tidy little Mitsubishi Galant that’s been restored and built for racing use. It’s a unique little machine, and also a nice prelude to what you find in the third and final area of the collection.
Saving the best for last? It certainly seems so in this case. Although it’s called the ‘Sports Car’ section, this is essentially a hall of fame featuring all of the exciting machines Japan built during the ’60s and ’70s.
In addition to the collection of production cars, there’s an equally impressive group of racing cars here – many of which still see action on the track when they’re not on display.
Some of the race cars, like this Subaru 360, have been driven by Yokota-san himself at various historic car races in Japan.
It goes without saying that the Toyota 2000GT gets some prime real estate in this area. It is after all the car that served as the inspiration for the entire classic car museum idea. This is actually one of two 2000GTs in the collection. The other is the red one you can see in the opening image of the first post.
But in addition to the iconic models like the 2000GT, the room also includes lesser known cars from Japan’s smaller brands. This 1967 Daihatsu Compagno Spider is a fine example.
One of Isuzu’s great contributions to the motoring world is also represented by this beautifully restored Bellett 1600 GT-R.
Representing the three diamond brand is this beautiful ’71 Galant GTO MR – one of Mitsubishi’s hottest cars of the era.
Another one of the unappreciated cars of the era – the front-wheel-drive Nissan Cherry X-1 R, complete with factory fender flares and twin carb’d 1200cc engine.
As you continue to look around the room, it’s like doing a roll call of Japan’s greatest cars. Nissan Fairlady Roadster? Check.
Mazda Cosmo Sport? Check.
Honda S800? Present.
Toyota Sports 800? Absolutely.
Another one of the greats – Nissan’s 510 Bluebird 1800 SSS coupe. Unlike most of the cars in the collection which have been thoroughly restored, this car has been left untouched since it rolled off the assembly line back in 1972. A survivor through and through.
Moving to the center of the room, you find some of Nissan’s most legendary vehicles of all time. For starters, there’s a beautiful ’71 KPGC10 Hakosuka GT-R.
Along with the even rarer KPGC110 Kenmeri GT-R from 1973. Skyline otaku will of course know this is one of just 197 examples built before the gas crisis put the GT-R nameplate on hold.
Rounding out the S20 trifecta is one of the 419 Fairlady Z432s that Nissan built with a high-winding race-bred twin cam six.
The 432 is joined by a few other examples of the S30 Fairlady, including this immaculate ’72 240ZG.
The showroom-spec 240ZG sits directly across the aisle from this works race car counterpart. If this doesn’t make you want an S30, it might time to get your head checked.
Equally awesome is this B110 Sunny 1200 Coupe in full 1972 TS race trim. I just can’t get enough of race cars from this era…
I’ll sign off with another one of those impossibly cool race cars from the early ’70s – a KPGC10 GT-R works replica in Nissan’s iconic blue and white livery. I’d say it’s a fitting place to wrap up the Yokota Museum experience.
I’m not quite done yet though. I’ll return tomorrow with a little slice of local Gunma history that I think you guys will find very interesting.
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