Enduro :Enduro: Meo, Salvini and Nambotin confirmed, Philips scored his first double win ; Meo, Salvini et Nambotin confirment, Philips signe son premier doublé

 After a break since the South American trip, the Enduro riders were back to action in Spain but except in the junior class the first hierarchy has not changed. Antoine Meo (KTM) in E1, Alex Salvini (Honda) in E2 and Christophe Nambotin (KTM) in E3 stay in the lead even if both Meo and Salvini had some troubles on the dusty stages; in the junior class Young Aussie Matthew Philips (Husaberg Michelin) took the leadership with a double win.

Après un premier break les enduristes ont repris en Espagne le chemin des spéciales, sans que la hiérarchie instaurée après la tournée Sud Américaine ne soit bousculée, mise à part en junior ou le jeune Australien Matthew Philips (Husaberg Michelin) a pris la tête du championnat. Pour le reste Antoine Méo (KTM) en E1, Alex Salvini (Honda) en E2 et Christophe Nambotin (KTM) en E3 restent aux commandes de leurs championnats, même si les deux premiers nommés ont été malmenés dans la chaleur et la poussière !

After a double win in Chili and Argentine, Antoine Meo was not so successful in Spain as he crashed during the first day and suffered a knee injury. Only fifth on Saturday, he offered a great opportunity to his rivals and Matti Seistola (Husqvarna Michelin) didn’t let this opportunity. The Finn beats Eero Remes (TM ), Victor Guerrero (KTM) and his team mate Juha Salminen, but on Sunday Meo took his revenge and beats Remes, Salminen and Seistola.

Coming back home gives wings to Ivan Cervantes (KTM) who claimed a double win and comes back runner up in the standings. The Spaniard was challenged both days by reigning World Champion Pierre Alexandre Renet (Husaberg Michelin), who did some mistakes and scored a fourth and a third position, and by Alex Salvini (Honda) who finished twice second and confirmed his leadership in this class. Johnny Aubert (KTM) stays in the title’s battle with a third and a fourth place, but David Knight got injured on Saturday and retired.

In the E3 class Christophe Nambotin (KTM) who faced some troubles in South America was back to usual, with an easy double win this weekend. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg Michelin) was disappointed on Saturday with a fourth position, but reacted and scored a second place on Sunday to consolidate his second place in the standings.

Winner one day in Argentina, Australian Matthew Philips (Husqvarna Michelin) scored his first ever-double win in Spain and is the new leader of the junior class. Giacomo Redondi (KTM) and Mario Roman (Husaberg Michelin) shared podium results, Roman coming back in the top four of the series after struggling in South America.

Invaincu en Amérique du Sud, Antoine Meo n’a pas connu la même réussite après avoir chuté le premier jour et s’être blessé au genou. Une opportunité que n’a pas laissé passer

Matti Seistola (Husqvarna Michelin) qui s’impose devant Eero Remes (TM), Victor Guerrero (KTM) et son équipier Juha Salminen. Meo prendra sa revanche en s’imposant le second jour devant Remes, Salminen et Seistola, signant néanmoins la meilleure opération du weekend.

Sur ses terres, Ivan Cervantes (KTM) a renoué avec le succès en s’imposant lors des deux journées de course, revenant du même coup dans la course au titre. L’Espagnol a profité de quelques erreurs en fin de journée de Pierre Alexandre Renet (Husaberg Michelin), qui doit se contenter d’une quatrième et d’une troisième place et passe à la troisième place d’un championnat toujours mené par l’Italien Alex Salvini (Honda) qui monte sur la seconde marche du podium à deux reprises. Si Johnny Aubert (KTM) reste en embuscade avec une troisième et une cinquième place, David Knight (Honda) s’est lui blessé le premier jour.

Champion du Monde E3 en titre, Christophe Nambotin (KTM) retrouve ses vieilles habitudes en signant deux succès et en s’imposant aisément à ses rivaux. Malmené le samedi et seulement quatrième, Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg Michelin) s’est bien repris dimanche en prenant la seconde place devant Aigar Leok (TM ), ce qui lui permet de rester second au championnat.

Vainqueur d’une journée en Argentine, l’Australien Matthew Philips (Husqvarna Michelin) a signé un superbe doublé chez les juniors, s’emparant de la tête du Mondial. Giacomo Redondi (KTM) et Mario Roman (Husaberg Michelin) se sont partagés les premiers accessits, Roman revenant dans le top quatre mondial après des débuts discrets en Amérique du Sud.

Classements provisoires :

E1 : 1.Meo (FRA, KTM), 111 ; 2.Salminen (FIN, Husqvarna Michelin), 90 ; 3.Seistola (FIN, Husqvarna Michelin), 89 ; 4.Remes (FIN, TM), 79 ; 5.Oldrati (ITA, Husaberg Michelin), 64 ; etc…

E2 : 1.Salvini (ITA, Honda), 109 ; 2.Cervantes (ESP, KTM), 100 ; 3.Renet (FRA, Husaberg Michelin), 93 ; 4.Aubert (FRA, KTM), 88 ; 5.Guerrero (ESP, KTM), 58 ; etc…

E3 : 1.Nambotin (FRA, KTM), 110 ; 2.Ljunggren (SUE, Husaberg Michelin), 97 ; 3.Leok (EST, TM), 87 ; 4.Correia (POR, Beta), 72 ; 5.Monni (ITA, KTM), 71 ; etc…

Juniors : 1.Philips (AUS, Husqvarna Michelin), 103 ; 2.Redondi (ITA, KTM), 98 ; 3.McCanney (GBR, Gas Gas), 86 ; 4.Roman (ESP, Husaberg Michelin), 65 ; 5.Kvarnstrom (SUE, Beta), 62 ; etc….

Les meilleurs moments du GP d'Espagne en vidéo :

Jour 1 :

Jour 2 :

Red Baron motorcycle with airplane engine

Frank Ohle is a German engineer/designer who adores big bikes, the bigger the better, and he likes to custom build bikes and one of his creations was a 700 kg motorcyle fitted with and Aston Martin V12 engine that was seen at the Essen Motor Show in 2010.

Ohle’s latest creation is a ‘chopper’ dubbed the Red Baron. The bike bears the name of the famous World War 1 German fighter pilot, because it’s powered a 150hp nine-cylinder Rotec Radial R3600 aircraft engine.

It took Ohle 18 months to create the motorcycle, only he isn’t the first to experiment with a radial airplane engine on a motorcycle

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

BMW K100 BY ROBROCK

This raw and brutal BMW K100 was built, very aptly, by a master blacksmith and metalworker. Faced with a long German winter, Marc Robrock decided to enliven his evenings and weekends and build himself a bike. “After 25 years of riding bikes, I felt I was missing something,” he says. “And life is too short to have un-customized stuff.”

Robrock started to look for a ‘nice’ bike but soon switched direction. “Why take a nice bike and rebuild it? Why not take an ugly one? So I chose the ugliest bike I know: The BMW K100.”

Marc found a 1984 model and stripped it down, removing everything that was not necessary and cleaning what was left. But not too much—he was keen to retain the patina of three decades.

After weeks of grinding, cutting and welding, the K100 took shape. Everything was done with an eye to TÜV approval: no sharp or open-ended parts, small aluminum fenders were added, and the original exhaust pipe retained.

Marc added a new aluminum subframe to support a custom-made seat unit, and mounted the Bosch ignition and tiny gel battery underneath. The rims, forks and a multitude of smaller pieces were sandblasted and powdercoated black. Then the bars were replaced with an aftermarket item, again resized to fit.

Marc calls the machine the BMW K-fé, and it took him five weeks to complete. TÜV certification took longer—six weeks. But the BMW is road-legal.

Now that Marc has all the paperwork sorted, he has just one job left to do—replace the exhaust system.

Images courtesy of Thomas Riese. Marc is at Robrock.de [German language only].

frm BIKEEXIF

The Cold Dish Cheat Sheet: Eat Well, Stay Cool

TRAVEL + CULTURE : EATS

By SCOTT PACKARD

on 5.14.13

Certain dishes simply fit a particular season. The availability of produce, tradition, and, in large part, what our bodies are craving all play a role in this. Rich, warm foods help prepare the animal (that’s us) for winter’s scarcity and cold weather; cool, moisture-rich dishes fill a similar practical need in summer. Ingredients that can be pulled straight from the fridge, or better yet, your porch or yard, and mixed together retain more of that fructifying wetness to replace sweat in the heat of a summer day. Abandoning the extra warmth that comes with the oven or stovetop is a nice bonus.

But we’re more than simple beasts here (most of the time), and we know you, too, are looking for higher threshold for your palate. The primer below isn’t simply delicious recipe ideas for cold dishes: we look into the “methodology” of each hot-weather fare, along with optional accompaniments and alternatives to make your (picnic) table sing.

MORE GP FOOD GUIDES: Rib-eye Three Ways | The Complete Guide to Espresso Drinks | Don’t Try Vertigo Pepper Candy Unless You’re Nuts

Dipping Right In

Chef Marcela Valladolid’s Salsa Asada

Yield: 2 cups

8 plum tomatoes, cored
1 large shallot, peeled
2 serrano chiles, stemmed
1/3 cup chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, shallot, and serranos to the dry skillet and char on all sides 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the charred ingredients to a blender, add the broth, and process until smooth. Return the salsa to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes until salsa turns a bright red color. Season with salt and pepper.

There are plenty of beloved options here. Salsa is a popular “go-to”, but hummus and guacamole are some other versatile no-cook dips that will dress a range of foods, from chips to vegetables. With hummus, the mighty chickpea, a.k.a. garbanzo bean, is basically turned to mash in a food processor or blender. Dried chickpeas definitely serve as the basis for a superior hummus; however, they require cooking. If you decide the heat is worth it, add a bit of baking soda for a softer, creamier blend, but otherwise stick to canned beans. And don’t worry about the skins — the difference in texture (miniscule) is not worth the labor, nor are the complaints of the loved ones pressed into the job. With extra tahini (sesame seed paste, which is often difficult to find but available at upscale markets), a little water, and the slow addition of olive oil, you can get a smooth, silky dip.

Guacamole is essentially avocados mashed up with salt and a little citrus juice, lime or lemon — your choice. Hugely popular at everything from Superbowl parties to 4th of July picnics, guacamole has transitioned from SoCal surfer condiment to mainstream American fare. The additives go from basic, like onion, garlic, cilantro and tomato, to the extreme, with sour cream, bacon, and even mayonnaise (blech) creeping into Midwest variations. A little (or a lot, for those who like it hot) chopped jalapenos, stripped of seeds and veins, will give your guac just the right amount of heat to sweat out the toxins of last night’s sins.

Summer Salads

Chef Eduard Frauneder’s and Chef Wolfgang Ban’s Kale Salad

Serves: 8

2-3 tbsp pumpkinseed oil
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Juice from one lemon or splash of bottled lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion sliced thin
1 carrot grated
1/4 cup Granny Smith apple (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.)
1 4 oz. container of gorgonzola cheese
1 bunch of kale (washed, dried, chopped)

Combine first five ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together. Add onion, carrots, apple, nuts, and cheese. Mix so they are all coated with vinaigrette. Add kale and mix thoroughly.

Kale is the leafy green of last season: an uber-lettuce loaded with phyto-chemicals and flush with hope as a duly appointed “super-food”. That’s all fine, but it actually tastes good raw (which protects all the healthy chemical goodness from the destructive heat of cooking), provided it’s sufficiently macerated in an acidic dressing. Mix the chopped leaf, stripped from the hard center stem, with walnuts and shaved Parm before lightly coating it with vinaigrette of your choice, store-bought or homemade. It you’ve got the time and motivation for a homemade dressing, go with one of the lighter acids, like Champagne or sherry vinegar, to preserve the flavor of the kale while cutting the bitterness of the green. Lightly season with salt and fresh pepper, then serve.

Pasta Salad is not strictly no-cook — you’ve got us there. However, prepared early in the day and allowed to chill in the refrigerator, it will preclude a hot mess in your kitchen. Variations on theme are endless, whether Italian, Asian, or Mediterranean, and potential ingredients range from simple (tomato, broccoli, black olives, nuts) to the arcane (broccoli rabe, dandelion greens, watermelon radishes). With meat or without, pasta salad is a filling dish that can serve as a central player of a meal. Swap out the pasta with a whole grain like bulgur, quinoa, or freekeh, and you have a protein-rich salad that will fire the engine without overheating the cabin.

Watermelon, Watermelon

Rosa Mexicano’s Agua Fresca

Yield: 8 quarts

10 lbs seedless watermelon
8 cups cold water
1 lb sugar

Remove the rind of the watermelon and cube into 3-inch pieces. Blend the watermelon chunks and sugar in small amounts in the blender with a small amount of water to a thin puree. Strain the puree in a fine chinois. Refrigerate until chilled.

Watermelon, in addition to being the quintessential summer fruit, is also rich in the phyto-chemical citrulline. So what? Citrulline is converted to arginine in the body, which boosts nitric oxide and relaxes blood vessels: the same effects of Viagra, without a prescription or a trip to Mexico. Tossed with a vinaigrette, some onion and a salty cheese like feta or goat, watermelon makes for a refreshing summer salad. Skip the balsamic vinegar — the watermelon brings enough sweetness to balance the salt of the cheese — and go with a rice wine or Champagne vinegar.

Agua Fresca, a popular Mexican drink, is also light and refreshing. A cubed, seedless watermelon, blended with enough apple or grape juice for your desired thickness, makes a delicious (and pink) frothy beverage. Add raspberries, kiwi, or strawberries for a touch of tartness, and you’ll be tempted to pass on high-fructose sodas for this healthier alternative, never mind those other “uplifting” benefits.

To-may-to, To-mah-to

Num Pang’s Gazpacho

Serves: 4

Soup
1 16 oz. can of tomato juice (preferably organic)
2 kirby cucumbers
2 red bell peppers (stem and seeds and ribs out)
3 vine ripened tomatoes
1/2 clove of garlic
1/4 jalapeno
10 picked and rinsed thai basil leaves
20 picked and rinsed cilantro leaves
4 tbs rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Garnish
1 carrot (shredded)
1 tbs sugar
S/P
4 tbs white vinegar

First, combine the garnish ingredients, mix, and let stand for an hour while you prepare the gazpacho. Add all the gazpacho ingredients to a blender and pulse until the mixture is still a little chunky. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper and vinegar. If it’s still too thick, add a touch of cold water. Garnish with pickled carrots and basil croutons.

Tomatoes are THE summer vegetable (they’re botanically a fruit, but have been decreed a vegetable by Supreme Court decision), zucchini being as prolific but not as appreciated. Gazpacho, the cold Spanish soup, is the perfect way to take advantage of the red, pulpy fruit. Blending seeded tomatoes and cucumbers, (preferably Armenian or English of the latter) with finely diced onions, bell peppers, salt, red wine or sherry vinegar gives you a nice base. Whether you strain the mixture to remove the tomato skins, as Thomas Keller suggests, or drop the tomatoes into a little hot water and peel them beforehand, as my wife insists, both agree that garnishing the soup with chopped cucumber, onion, and pepper after blending in some olive oil makes for a more hearty, satisfying texture.

Basil flourishes under the same conditions as tomatoes, making it the natural culinary companion in everything ltalian from marinara to tomato salad. One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes, caprese, pairs the harvest with mozzarella di bufala (that’s domesticated water buffalo, not American Bison), olive oil and balsamic vinegar, finished with salt and fresh cracked pepper. The acid of the tomato pairs with the peppery bite of the basil and the salty tang of the cheese for a perfect combination.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Laurent Cantineaux’s (Bonito, St. Barth’s) Salmon Ceviche

Serves: 4

1 lb. Scottish salmon filet
1/2 oz. jalapeno or spicy chili
1 red onion
1 cup lime juice (or Grape or Passion fruit juice)
2 oz. fresh cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cucumber, diced
12 cherry tomatoes
1 green apple
1 oz. black sesame seeds
Salt

Get the freshest fish you can buy. Remove the skin, and cut the filet in half-centimeter dices. Keep in the fridge. Peel the cucumber, remove the seeds and cut into dices the same size as the salmon. Keep in the fridge. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves. Keep fresh. Cut the apple into little matchsticks (with a mandolin), or cut in very small dices. Remove seeds from the chili. Finely slice the red onion and chili, then wash them in cold water and dry. Coarsely shop cilantro leaves. Save some on the side for garnish.

In a large mixing bowl, gently toss together the salmon, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, 3 ice cubes, lime juice, onions, cilantro and salt. Remove with a stainless steal spoon and check seasoning. Transfer salmon cerviche to a cold soup bowl or martini glass for plating. Garnish with apple sticks, reserved cilantro leaves and sesame seeds.

To be fair, it’s not strictly a fish: previously cooked crustaceans flash-frozen can be easily thawed and added to cocktail sauce for an insanely popular dish that bypasses the stove or oven. Using either shrimp or crab and a jarred cocktail sauce is the easiest preparation, though making your own cocktail sauce is the mark of a serious gourmand. Jacque Pepin’s sauce is basically ketchup, horseradish, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and lemon juice, just a shade away from being a damn fine Bloody Mary. Kill two birds with one whisk.

Ceviche (a.k.a. crudo, poke, or tartare) is raw fish simply marinated in citric acid until the protein is denatured, losing its secondary and tertiary structure as if it were cooked. Unlike cooking though, which kills bacteria and parasites, an acid marinade requires the freshest fish, handled under the most stringent hygienic conditions. Depending on the fish, the denaturing can take place in minutes or as long as a few hours, with more delicate fish taking less time than more meaty ones, like shark. The basic components are fresh fish and the juice from limes or lemons, with onion, garlic, coriander and other ingredients making an appearance depending on the region. Served on crackers or eaten straight, it’s the new sushi

from Gear Patrol.

Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak shown in race livery

Lets hope it doesn't need wings

Peugeot has released the first picture of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak in racing livery.

Decked out in Red Bull dubs, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak has a carbon fiber body and a tubular steel frame chassis. The car is also equipped with a sport-tuned suspension, high-performance brakes and custom magnesium alloy wheels with Michelin tires.

Power is provided by a twin-turbo 3.2-liter V6 engine that develops 875 bhp (652 kW). It is connected to a six-speed sequential transmission and an all-wheel drive system that enables the 875 kg (1,929 lb) race car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 1.8 seconds.

Sébastien Loeb will drive the car in the Unlimited Class and tackle the grueling 20 km (12.4 mile) long course that features 156 turns and a 1500 meter (4921 foot) elevation change.

Source: Peugeot 

via Worldcafans

RAT FINK’S ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE: THE VOLVO HEMIZON

Ok, I’m going to be completely straight with you. Before this shoot, I didn’t know a huge amount about gasser cars. So this was an incredibly cool experience. It also transpired pretty quickly that this wasn’t actually a gasser – simply a car that has elements of the style. Actually this car has lots of styles going on. So what is this Volvo thing, then? It’s a baptism of fire! That’s what it is!

Take a good look at this picture above. The car you see, is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the wildest vehicles I have ever got to spend some time with. Cars are sometimes considered to be pieces of art by some, but there’s no doubt in my mind that this jaw-dropping Volvo Amazon with Hemi motor deserves a place in the history of time. I genuinely think that this will strike a chord with each and every one of you.

One thing’s for sure: whether you’re a lover or a hater of this vehicle on face value, you can’t help but get drawn in by it. You immediately want to take a closer look. The first feelings for me were mainly that of confusion. I mean, what the hell is going on? That jacked-up front end, those mega-wide rear tyres and the monstrous intake up front… it’s a sight to behold. I mean, this thing looks hungry! It’s a scary looking contraption. I say contraption because it’s not technically a Volvo model any more. The Chrysler Hemi motor sees to that. So what is it then if it’s not a Volvo?

It’s a Hemizon! The huge Hoosier stock car slicks have been installed for one purpose and one purpose only: BURNOUTS! And that’s what this car is all about: going crazy! With that in mind, and like many Scandinavian builds, form is dictated firmly by function and the wheel fitment is proof of this. As I read that last sentence back it almost seems more sensible to use the term body fitment, rather than the usual wheel fitment descriptive. It looks to me like the bodyshell is almost an afterthought to the rolling chassis, but I can assure you that is not the case.

No, in fact, everything was an afterthought to the engine. I want to talk you though the car’s heart – its crazy soul – much more but I’ll come to that a little later on in this feature. First let’s explore the roots of this gorgeous-looking shell.

The owner and builder of this car is interested in things of the metal variety. Always has been. And it shows. Henrik Larsson is his name and he’s the owner of Larsson Customizing. Henrik’s a super cool guy with a great sense of humour. When I asked him why he liked gasser cars – he simply laughed and said that he’s not really into them! Or at least he wasn’t until this build. Henrik’s passion is Pro Street Cars and hot rods. But he has a very open mind.

A mind so open in fact, that he allowed Emanuel Sandél, who works for Larsson, to bring some gasser craziness into his thought process to create this hybrid of tuning styles. And crazy this build most certainly is. But it’s almost more stunning than it is crazy. It’s stunning in more than one way as well. Yes, it’s a visual assault, but it’s a visual assault that was almost never to be. Why? Because it was pulled from the junk yard. It was almost crushed. “There was no trunk, no fenders, seats, windows or any of the parts that made it a car. Just a shell,” Henrik explains.

So the shell itself has been brought back from the dead. The Hemizon is actually a zombie! If you’re familiar with gasser cars you will know that weight reduction is often employed to allow for fast quarter mile times, and items like fibreglass body panels and plexiglass windows all play a part of this build.

Often the new lightweight glass would be coloured for added stupidity. Henrik admits, laughingly, that the green hue can make you feel a little bit nauseous and disorientated after a long time of being in the interior. As you can see, the innards of the Hemizon are as radical as the exterior. The interior in Henrik’s creation almost looks poisonous though! But nothing is quite as intoxicating as the motor…

There are four pipes poking out of the wings and towards the sky, which suggest that this car has a serious bark.

Taking a step back and working your way around the vehicle brings the enormity of the motor into full view. It’s something to be impressed by.

And here is the imposing power plant. The size of it is actually considered to be small. Yes, you read that right – this is a 331 cubic inch Chrysler V8 Hemi motor from 1954. The engine was purchased from a customer who was removing it from his race car. At the time Henrik had no clue what he was going to fit the motor into, but he knew he had to have it. Why? Quite simply because of the noise it made. That, to me, seems like a perfectly good reason!

For quite some time, the 331 Hemi sat on a stand in the corner of Larsson Customizing. It wasn’t left unused though. Oh no. Every Friday, Henrik and his team would get some fuel and start it up on the stand to listen to the V8 roar into life and sing angrily until the fuel ran out.

“We love Fridays!” smiled Henrik. “What about the shop upstairs?” I asked. “They hate Fridays!” he laughed. So it was motor first and everything else later. It’s a plan that you’ve got to admire.

Facing the Hemizon square on is kind of scary. It looks hungry.

The super big intake could potentially eat you.

To hear this car start up is insane. To see the Hemizon move is a beautiful experience. It’s art in motion.

This ’54 lump is also kind of special because it’s the last year Chrysler made that motor. It’s also the only year that the extended bell housing wasn’t employed on the 331.

The pre-’54 motors had extended bell housings which could be more challenging to fit into other cars. The power output is beefed up by an old GMC 6-71 blower with on-the-top double Edelbrock 650 carburettors.

The power’s not huge: 400-500hp is expected once it’s fully developed. But it’s the brutal delivery that’s impressive. Just the bark of the motor displays how incredibly instant the throttle response is. This of course, makes this motor perfect for laying down rubber.

The front axle is an old hot rod set-up combined with some drag racing parts from 1960 which include some very skinny wheels of unknown origin.

The lightweight front axle is complemented by a small fuel tank which keeps weight down. Interestingly, Henrik is talking about fitting the radiator system at the rear to allow for a further transferring of weight.

As previously mentioned, Henrik’s passion is metalwork and the art of creating panels and parts. He showed us how it’s possible to make pretty much any body part for a car with just four tools. We’ll bring you an in-depth shop tour story detailing this impressive skill. But in the meantime I just want to show some appreciation for the lovely way this metal body has been crafted. It’s so raw and yet so well executed. Don’t take this the wrong way, but there’s something kind of sensual about metalwork like this. It’s honest and true.

Speaking of honesty and truth: Henrik opted to leave this classic piece of rot that almost all Amazon’s suffer from. The cars collect salt and the result of that is this corrosion just about the headlights. These particular headlights are convex items from the older Volvos. Henrik installed these because they look cooler.

The rear axle is an 8.75 Chrysler item from 1950-1960 and the back end is pretty sparse as you can see. There’s still a bit more development to go on out back. The language barrier was a bit of an issue, but from what I can gather from Henrik, his main objective is to do the very best burnouts possible!

The inside of this car is a beautiful array of metalwork fabrication. These door cards have been hand-rolled by Henrik to create what can only be described as a kind of faux-leather diamond quilt. Albeit made from sheet metal. They’re stunning and completely unique. I’ve never seen anything like it. The skill involved to create such perfectly crafted panels like this is very impressive. A dying art? Maybe so. But at least there’s people like Mr Larsson who are still extremely passionate about sheet metal. So much so, that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vehicle with so much creative fabrication. Nothing is rushed with Larsson; everything is very thoughtful.

And so to the driver’s seat. This is where Rat Fink’s Zombie Nightmare takes place. Rod and Henrik joked that this car would be a super-intense dream gone wrong for Rat Fink. During his sleep Rat Fink would experience a succession of images, concepts, emotions and sensations. He’s supposed to be in a hot rod, but in actual fact he’s in this Volvo’s driving seat. This car breaks the rules and it’s so wrong – this nightmare drive shouldn’t be happening to Rat Fink!

This car is so off-key it just shouldn’t work. On paper it doesn’t add up. But Henrik Larsson’s managed to pull this off perfectly. It seems to me that the Scandinavian people love to break with convention. Whether this is on purpose or not, I haven’t worked out yet. I don’t know if these guys are even aware of the rules to be honest, or maybe they just don’t like them.

To me, though, this car isn’t a nightmare at all. It’s a vehicle that rhymes with sensory overload. I absolutely love the way Henrik and the team at Larsson Customizing have brought the shell back from the dead. I admire the skill involved and the fabrication work. And I’m very excited to see this car used with no mercy whatsoever. It might be Rat Fink’s Zombie Nightmare, but for me, and anyone that’s into fantastic stupidity in its greatest form, this Hemizon is positively dreamy.

 Henrik Larsson’s Hemizon

ENGINEEarly Chrysler Hemi 331 from 1954-1955, GMC 6-71 supercharger, double Edelbrock 650 carburettors, exhaust through front fenders.

DRIVELINEThree-speed automatic transmission (TH350) from GM/Chevy with adaptor to fit from hotheads early Hemi parts.

SUSPENSION/BRAKESCustom rear shocks and fully custom front end set-up from hot rod/drag car.

WHEELS/TYRES15×10-inch Slot Mag wheels (rear) with NASCAR slicks, custom wheels and drag car tyres (front).

EXTERIORVolvo Amazon body, complete new floor, custom firewall, trunk floor, all manufactured one-off by Larsson Customizing.

INTERIORFull custom interior by Larsson with a really old steering wheel of unknown origin.

Words by Ben Chandler
Twitter: @Ben_SceneMedia
Instagram: @ben_scenemedia

Photos by Paddy McGrathTwitter: @PaddyMcGrathSH
Instagram: speedhunters_paddy
paddy@speedhunters.com

From Hanworth Park to Les Hunaudières: Aston Martin's ‘Feltham years’

When David Brown bought both Aston Martin and Lagonda in 1947, it took a few years before the company’s staple product of the 50s, the DB2 and 2/4 series, made it to production. In the interim, the company made a handful of four-cylinder ‘Aston Martin Two Litre Sports’ – renamed retrospectively ‘DB1s’. These were road cars, although one was raced by a privateer at Le Mans in 1949. 

Preceding these somewhat billowing-bodied convertibles was the famous ‘Spa Special’ – the first Aston Martin produced post-War (using elements of the design from the just pre-War ‘Atom’ prototype) and one that won its first race when driven by St. John Horsfall and Leslie Johnson at the 1948 Spa 24 Hours.It was to be a long, hard road from victory at Spa in 1948 with a car of, let’s just say, ‘arresting’ looks, to the finest racing performance of the marque to date, first and second at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959 with one of the most beautiful racing cars ever built, the DBR1.

During that period, the modern-looking six-cylinder DB2 road car developed from a two-seat coupé and convertible into the world’s first hatchback (the DB2/4 and DB2/4 Mk II), with its final version, the DB Mk III, remaining in production some eight or nine months after the all-new DB4 was introduced in 1958.The nose of the 1957 DB Mk III echoed Frank Feeley’s styling cue on the DB3S sports-racing cars earlier in the decade, the famous ‘arch’ for the grille used on every Aston up to and including today’s Rapide S.The 24-hour race at Spa in 1948 was to prove significant for the company in more ways than simply Horsfall’s marvellous victory. It was there that Brown noticed John Wyer running fellow Aston competitor Dudley Folland’s pit “pretty efficiently”. In 1950, looking for a team manager for the new DB2 racing cars, Brown engaged Wyer “just for one season”. The result was nine years of trials and tribulation on the circuits of the world, culminating in that magnificent one-two at Le Mans in 1959.Contemporary advertising (your author has a reproduction poster celebrating the ’59 success on his office wall) proudly showed the link between racing and road-going Aston Martins. Running the DB3, and particularly the DB3S and DBR1, the team under Wyer’s superlative direction won race after race at home, frequently scoring high places abroad but always handicapped by a small-capacity engine compared with the opposition.
With very fine drivers of the calibre of Brooks, Salvadori, Collins, Shelby, Parnell and, most of all, Stirling Moss, the fine-handling Astons were a close match for the more powerful Ferraris and Jaguars. Highlights? Eventual 24 Hours win aside, Moss/Collins were brilliant at Le Mans in 1956 to finish second overall in DB3S/9. The team triumphed at the 'Ring 1000km three years running, in ’57, ’58 and ’59. In 1959 it won the World Championship.Wyer and arch adversary ‘Lofty’ England of Jaguar enjoyed a close rivalry. More than once, mechanics sweating over an expiring car in the pits would come under the shadow of one or other team principal, innocently enquiring, “Nothing trivial, I hope?”So, Aston’s ‘Feltham years’ should be remembered for the production of a true Grand Tourer, the DB2 and its successors, cars that defined what a post-War Aston should be: stylish, comfortable, never showy but always fast. The period was also a golden time for motor racing, with the quintessentially British, metallic mid-green Aston racing cars a regular sight in the UK and beyond.
During that decade, special-bodied Astons appeared, too, by Allemano, Bertone, Ghia, Vignale and Touring. It was an exciting time.While some early DB4s were built at Feltham, it was inevitable that with the acquisition of the Tickford coachworks in Newport Pagnell in the mid-50s, production that was then spread around Middlesex, Yorkshire and Buckinghamshire should be relocated there. The move took some years to complete, and the 1962-1963 'Project Cars' were built and race-prepared by Design, Development and Experimental at Feltham.Two eras had ended – the company’s ‘Feltham Years’ and ‘Racing with the David Brown Aston Martins’.
The 1960s, ‘Bond’ and, at the end, an inevitable change of ownership were to come with the company now settled at Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell.

Related Links You can find Aston Martins from pre-War days right up to the new Vanquish in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Steve Wakefield Classic Driver
Photos: Aston Martin and Aston Martin Heritage Trust, with thanks to Tim Cottingham of www.astonmartins.com