Men’s Enduro X – X Games Munich 2013

Taylor Robert wins gold in Men's Enduro X at X Games Munich 2013

- See more at: http://blog.derestricted.com/racing/mens-enduro-x-x-games-munich-2013/#sthash.GgMTHA9C.dpuf

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Claudia Cardinale: Natural inspiration for the double bubble?

What inspired Zagato’s signature double-bubble roof, a naturally curvaceous solution to the problem of creating more headroom? Renaissance domes, perhaps? The hills of Lombardy? Or had the designers simply watched too many Claudia Cardinale movies...?

Although Cardinale is usually thought of as an Italian actress, with key roles in some of the most successful Italian films of the late 1950s and 1960s, her first language was French – and in her earliest films she spoke Italian with a slight French accent. Her feminine beauty, however, saw her fame blossom not just in Italy but across Europe and around the world, and as recently as 2011, the LA Times Magazine named her among the ‘50 most beautiful women in film’. Even if the dates of her film career don’t quite fit with our hypothesis, we like to imagine that she influenced ideas of automotive beauty.

Photos: Getty Images

via Classic Driver

Dirt Quake II by Iron Bird

The official film of Dirt Quake II: a global gathering of crackpot riders flat track racing the most inappropriate bikes, plus Davros, Lord of the Daleks. 
The event was co-organised by Sideburn magazine and the Dirt Track Riders Association and held at the Norfolk Arena, England on 8 June 2013.

Dirt Quake II by Iron Bird from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.

LES ESSARTS ...

 la Grande Bretagne, et ses minis, n'est jamais loin des normands 

 pour l'oeil

 et un p'tit café soigné pour la route !!

LES ESSARTS en images

de belles "pièces" comme cette Ducat "sortie de caisse"

 un Egli Godet à domicile ...celle de Raspoutine.

 cette année c'était une commémoration Barry Shene

 de magnifiques "pisse-feu" ...

 démo de side = bricolage . Le modernisme s'est introduit avec l'apparition des panneaux solaires...faut y croire en Nomandie !

 et une incroyable expo de Motobécane plus neuves que neuves ..même une 350 rouge !!

LES ESSARTS NE VEULENT PAS MOURRIR ...

Les Essarts sont bien morts. Aujourd'hui aucun vestige du circuit normand n'est visible.

Seul ltracé (une route départementale) a été préservé. Même si des aménagements ont eu lieu

les courbes et la physionomie demeure.

Quelques irréductibles ont donc décidé de faire perdurer une âme mécanique sur ces lieux, organisant une démo annuelle (auto/moto) sur la remontée depuis le "nouveau monde" 

 on s'installe comme "autrefois" ici tout est "continental circus"

 la voiture et la dépanneuse sont dans leur jus !

 une démo en Normandie sans Alpines est impossible

c'était simple la mécanique d'autrefois !!

SPECIAL STAGE: RECREATING A GROUP 2-SPEC CELICA

The Group B era during the mid 1980s is often referred to as the golden age of rallying, and for obvious reasons. But it was during the previous decade – the 1970s – that the some of the sport’s biggest advancements were made. On the world stage, this was the time when mildly modified production cars gave way to purpose-built gravel-bashing machines and rallying got serious.

Based mostly out of Europe, the World Rally Championship attracted a wide variety of manufacturers during the early ’70s: Fiat and Lancia were two early dominating forces, along with Ford and its venerable BDA Escorts. Toyota got in on the act in 1972, when Ove Andersson drove a first generation Celica – a model then just two years old – to ninth place on the RAC Rally. Three years later, Toyota Team Europe (TTE) was properly born, and RA20 Celicas in both Group 2 and Group 4 specification became regular starters on the WRC circuit.

Although the early Celica never enjoyed the same success as the later ST165 and ST185 variants which commanded Group A rallying through the late ’80s and early ’90s, solid results at the hands of period rally stars like Hannu Mikola and Pentti Arikkala certainly helped to lift its profile, albeit as an underdog.

And that brings me to Ross Clarke and his 1975 Celica – a car not built to inch-perfectly imitate, but simply capture the spirit of Toyota’s original foray into rallying.

When Ross first decided that he wanted to build a retro rally car, there were many roads he could have travelled. An Escort was the obvious choice, but he wanted to do something different. A Celica in Group 2 – AKA modified production – guise, ticked all the right boxes.

To see the project through from beginning to completion, Ross enlisted the help of his good friend Neil Allport – an ex-Mazda works rally driver and former New Zealand rally champion with a successful motorsport preparation business in Auckland. Guidance was also given by Ross’s friend and co-driver Alistair Wickens, who in an extremely helpful coincidence, is a former Toyota Team Europe engineer.

Ross found a perfect donor car in a New Zealand-new TA22 Celica LT, and over the course of a two-year period it was transformed from a beautifully preserved and highly original road car, into what is arguably one of the finest classic rally cars in the country. It’s certainly one of the most unique.

Unlike their modern-day equivalents, rally cars of the ’70s bore a very close resemblance to their road-going counterparts, which made things much simpler when it came to achieving the right look. TTE’s Group 2 upgrade to the Celica followed suit, with bolt-on over-fenders allowing for greater wheel arch clearance and wider rims. The front end received a simple, yet effective air dam.

Although Ross had purchased the TA22 already sitting on genuine Minilite alloys, wider 13×7-inch replacements were sourced and finished off in the same golden hue as the works cars. Currently in tarmac rally trim, the wheels wear Toyo R888 semi-slick tyres.

For Ross, one of the most important aspects of the building was ensuring that the Celica had the correct engine under the bonnet. That wasn’t the 1588cc OHV 2T engine the TA22 had come factory-fitted with, but the bigger, Celica RA20-spec 1968cc 18R-G twin cam. RA20s are rarely seen in New Zealand, but after a little perseverance and a lot of luck, Ross found what he was looking for in a 145ps high-output variant from a South African-spec import.

To bring the engine up to Group 2 spec, the 18R-G was completely stripped down and rebuilt, and now features forged pistons, shot-peened rods and a balanced crank, along with a fully race-prepped cylinder head complete with larger stainless steel valves, heavy-duty valve springs, and reground cams to lift the powerband.

On the intake side of the engine, twin OER 45mm carbs fed from a pair of high-flow Facet pumps in the boot and mounted on a port-matched manifold are used. As you might expect, with the butterflies wide open the set-up sings a very sweet song.

On the other side of the engine you’ll find a custom header complete with tuned, equal-length runners, flowing into a 2.25-inch exhaust system that makes all the right noises too.

All told, the engine’s good for a dyno-proven 209hp, which when coupled with a close-ratio gear kit inside the retro-fitted Toyota W55 five-speed gearbox that backs it up, and a 5.3:1 crown wheel and pinion-equipped TRD limited slip differential in the F-series rear end, acceleration is impressive.

That of course is supported by numerous handling upgrades which include Bilstein Group 4-spec coilover suspension, and Alcon disc brakes: 4-pot/265mm at the front and 2-pot/265mm in the rear.

As far as the interior was concerned, Ross was more interested in creating a clean and functional work space, than he was a period-correct cockpit.

That said, the introduction of retro-style Stack gauges – including a rotated tachometer with 8000rpm at 12 o’clock – custom-mounted in the original Celica dashboard, gives the car a real sense of nostalgia.

An essential piece of rallying hardware, the hydraulic hand/e-brake makes quick work of tight hairpin turns.

For the safety of Ross and his co-driver as well as his desire to compete in national rally events, other fixtures, like the multi-point chromoly rollcage and Sparco Evo seats flanked by Willans harnesses, have found their way into the cabin. If this were the restoration of a genuine ex-works machine the modern twist wouldn’t suit at all, but that’s not what this car is all about. It’s been built to be driven – and not softly.

For the most part the Celica sees tarmac rally duty, although Ross has put it through its paces on the gravel before, and at the annual New Zealand round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship no less. Competition is stiff amongst the classic ranks, and although the car lacks pace in the company of screaming RS-grade Escorts, it’s still not the main thrust of what this project was aiming for.

It was about rekindling a bygone era of Toyota’s rich rally history, and in that respect the completed car is a credit to everyone who was involved in the build. That said, I for one can’t wait to see how Ross’s next project pans out. Think Toyota, think Group B…

Brad Lord
brad@speedhunters.com

Ross Clarke’s 1975 Toyota Celica TA22

Numbers
209hp

Engine
Toyota 18R-G, 2.0-litre DOHC 8-valve, balanced crank, shot-peened rods, forged pistons, race-prepped Yamaha cylinder head, oversized stainless steel valves, heavy duty valve springs, reground cams, port-matched inlet manifold, twin OER 45MM sidedraught carburettors, Pipercross air filter, high volume oil pump, enlarged sump, oil cooler, external oil filter, tuned-lenth extractors, 2x Facet fuel pumps, custom 2.25-inch exhaust system, World Cup crossmember

Driveline
Toyota W55 five-speed gearbox, close-ratio gear kit, short shifter, Toyota F-series rear end, 7.5-inch/5.3:1 crown wheel and pinion, TRD limited slip differential

Suspension/Brakes
Modified front coilover struts, Bilstein Group 4-spec inserts, custom camber plates, Bilstein Group 4-spec rear dampers, 265mm front rotors, Alcon 4-pot front callipers, 260mm rear rotors, Alcon 2-pot callipers, Wilwood adjustable pedal box, D2 hydraulic handbrake

Wheels/Tyres
13×7-inch Minilite alloys, Toyo R888 205/60R13 semi-slick tyres

Exterior
Group 2 flare kit, Group 2 front air dam, Racetech tow straps

Interior
Stack 10,000rpm tachometer, Stack 160mph speedometer, Stack pressure and temperature gauges, Sparco suede steering wheel, Sparco Evo2 front seats, Willans harness belts, modified dash, custom console

Ferrari 250 GT Zagato Sanction II: The real deal?

“While 'originals' will always be deemed best, it's difficult to see what's not to like about a ‘Sanction II’ car,” says Simon de Burton, as he ponders the pros and cons of such models as this stunning 1957 Ferrari 250 GT long wheelbase TDF, later fitted with a stunning, Zagato–sanctioned body...

The old car market is steeped in jargon, and I don't mean of the technical kind. I mean the sort of pompous mumbo jumbo that is so often used to make a car sound a bit more upmarket, or to make a generally undesirable model seem rare. Rust-ravaged death traps can become 'potentially rewarding restoration projects'; non-runners often require no more than 'gentle recommissioning'; sports cars dulled by auto boxes are described as 'benefiting from the rare option of automatic transmission,' while traders who are really just trying to turn over another bit of stock like to say they are 'privileged to be able to offer... etc. etc'.

But nowhere have the cunning linguists of the classic motor trade worked harder on their vocabulary than in the field of copies. Copy? That really is a four-letter word, so why use it when there are so many alternatives which are far longer, better sounding and more sophisticated? 'Evocation' and 'recreation' are especially popular, and I do like a 'convincing homage' (especially when spoken with an English accent).

The best term of all, however, has to be 'Sanction II', which most of us associate with the four left-over Aston Martin DB4 chassis that, in 1991, were allowed to become Zagato-bodied beauties following a decision by Aston's joint chairmen of the time, Victor Gauntlett and Peter Livanos, to respond to demands to revive the iconic Zagato of the early 1960s.

Just 19 originals were built and today they are each worth north of £5 million – whereas one of the 'Sanction IIs' was sold at Bonhams last year for 'just' £1.2m.

Apart from the fact that 'originals' will always be deemed to be best, it's difficult to see what's not to like about a Sanction II car of any description. As demonstrated, they're less expensive, they look virtually identical to their forebears and (because they're 'sanctioned') they are produced with the blessing and co-operation of the original manufacturer. But best of all, perhaps, modern know-how means – dare we say it? – that they might even be rather better built.

Paradoxically, true 'sanction' cars are invariably rarer than the ones they replicate – not least because it takes a considerable amount of effort and commitment to knock up 'just one more' like the ones they did earlier.

One such rarity is being offered by DK Engineering in the form of a truly stunning, 1957 Ferrari 250 GT long wheelbase TDF which began life with a Boano steel body before, during the 1990s, being fitted with one of two Zagato-sanctioned 'double-bubble' bodies that mirrored the three others made in period.

Underneath, the sanction car is mechanically and structurally identical – but it is, of course, somewhat less valuable than the USD 10 million originals would be, if ever they came up for sale.

We're not saying it's cheap, mind – just 'more affordable', 'accessible' and with 'investment potential'.

Photos: DK Engineering via Classic Driver