ACE CAFE RADIO

    mardi 6 août 2013

    THAT’S HOW WE ROLLS: RACING LIKE ROYALTY


    This is a Speedhunters health warning. If you don’t like over the top, full-blown builds on outrageous base models, with a sense of humour thrown in that could shock a stand-up then turn away, go on, go back to everything you know and be content. However, if you want to take a trip into a world where excess is not enough and limits don’t seem to exist, then welcome. This is Finland.
    As part of our Scandinavian theme for July, we wanted to cover as wide of an angle as possible when it came to shooting feature cars. Because of course we want to showcase what’s happening up there, but the region isn’t defined by one country or one event, which is why I was at the Alastaro Drag Strip, a couple of scenic hours drive north of Helsinki. And as I stood there looking through my lens at the approaching shape I started to smile broadly…
    I absolutely love pointless cars and by that I mean the ones that serve no obvious function when you first see them – these are the ones that draw me in. After all, every car that ever rolled off a production line was destined for a wide variety of tasks. Did you ever see an Integra Type R being driven by a grandmother? Of course you did, because anybody could buy them. That’s why when you talk to somebody about their project you’ll generally get a definitive answer, “I wanted to build a track/drag/race/show* car.” But what would you class this as? Really?
    *delete as appropriate
    Sure it says Pro Classic on the plates, but is it more Pro Resto? To be honest I don’t know why I’m asking these questions of you because I get a certain sense of freedom when I look at this Rolls Royce. It’s a proper why not car. The sort that when people ask the question why?, then the only answer is why not? Because if you try and think of a reason, you’ll be hard pressed as to what function it actually serves. But then why wouldn’t you want it to exist? There are plenty of bog stock Rolls Royces in the world, there are plenty of Weld Convo Pro wheels, and plenty of blown big block V8s even. What we don’t have enough of are those elements combined in one package.
    The guys who built this are true craftsmen; running a metal fabrication business called PJP, Petri and Raine produce anything you want in the material. Out of business hours they put the tools to good use though. In fact I cannot recommend highly enough that you take some time out of your busy day and wander through the build shots and other projects the pair have put together, right here.
    That day the Rolls was in action as a return tow vehicle for the Team Rust Model A drag car, all steel and all business. I watched as people caught sight of the big British saloon and then spied the drag car behind it. Can we have all of your attention please?
    Like I said back at the start, nothing is normal with these guys. That 462ci GM V8 with the 14/71 Mooneyham blower sat on top of it was fitted in the back of a Mk4 Escort van before the Rolls Royce, and if I’ve got my information correct after being passed through translation it’s also called the middle of a Skoda Estelle home too. So you can start to see that the team have a different way of  looking at things.
    One thing is for sure – they don’t take life too seriously! Look at the beautifully restored body work and trim.
    Then the Pro Mod carbon scoop on top of the twin Holley Dominator carbs. It’s purely there for looks, but who cares? A normal chrome scoop just wouldn’t cut it now would it?
    As I looked around the Rolls, I quickly realised it’s a massive jigsaw with pieces from different puzzles, making it particularly hard to figure out. Just where do you start with something like this?
    Here’s what prompted that thought process – the leather headlining and yes I know this is the first time you’ve seen any of the interior, which is nothing short of jaw dropping. But just momentarily consider this,: how do you go about getting such a complex cage in, sprayed and then the headlining to fit so snugly above it?
    Now take a look at this. See what I mean? This really is a complete build. How sumptuous does that leather look? The craftsman at local Finnish furniture company Pohjanmaan got involved with the build and stitched it all together – something the guys are eternally grateful for.
    But once again, look at how the metal, leather, wood and carbon fibre all work so well together. And that’s not a line of text I thought I’d ever write to be honest.
    So this is how they did it: starting with a standard Rolls Royce Shadow, the pair cut the entire floor out leaving something similar to a remote control car body, just a skin. They then fabricated a full tube chassis.
    Which allowed them a free rein when it came to the complexity of the tube – the only limitations being the outline of the bodyshell. So this crazy, over-the-top amount of bars could be expertly welded together without hindrance. With the entire chassis sprayed in the colour you see here, the headlining was then trimmed in an otherwise unfinished bodyshell. It had been prepped for paint, but the final primer and top coat hadn’t been applied. But of course the two parts had to be put together then to carry on…
    You can see the front end of the new chassis here, with the frame horns coming up towards the engine where they then tie in to the front suspension mounting points before passing through that mass of interior tube and then emerging…
    At the back end, forming that all important cage. Another thing that I really like about the colour-matched cage is that it’s very much a feature of the build. The Rolls will never run a seven second pass in the form it is today, but the cage makes you feel like it’s possible.
    The mix of components confused me at first, wildly modified with driver restraint cage and crazy gear specific shifters for the TH400 auto box. But no monster tach on the dash, or aftermarket steering wheel for example. So I tried to look at it as though I’d spent countless hours, evenings and days working on it like the guys did.
    That’s when it becomes clearer why you’d keep certain elements relatively untouched: firstly it looks good and actually adds to the overall impact because it adds to the air of ‘factory standard’. Secondly because it also keeps the budget down: as I was told by plenty of friends as I shot around the Rolls Royce, the pair are normal people with normal depth pockets. This is very much about skill and observation, not masses of money.
    There are no wild colour choices here, but there is a very subtle two-tone scheme going on. The original mid blue colour was replaced by the heavy metallic Ruby, which when you get up close adds to the custom effect.
    So okay it’s never going to be confused with stock.
    At the back the 12x15in Weld Convo Pro wheels and Hoosier tyres see to that.
    With the Mooneyham blower trying to suck the famous flying lady’s wings off.
    On the move the Rolls attracts so much attention. I know this isn’t really surprising but given that we’re at a major Finnish drag racing event and there is some seriously impressive machinery here, it’s the way that attention manifests itself that strikes me.
    People simply stop what they’re doing and wave or even applaud – they love it. Gene Winfield even fell under the influence and made a beeline for the Rolls at a custom show last year, signing the centre panel.
    I know of at least two other custom Rolls Royce Shadows in the world: one in the States which deviates even further from original than this one and a drag-specific one in the UK. What I don’t think either of those do though  is keep the Crewe (where they were made) spirit so intact. There’s just something about the way the guys can cut out the inner rear arch to expose the Hoosier tyre, yet make it feel natural, that works for me.
    The exhaust note might be loud, but the chrome trim around the wing exit point is a very considered detail and smacks of restrained quality.
    I can’t remember seeing such a successful mix of styles, materials and finishes in just one build. You’d have to combine a whole car show to get them usually.
    But that’s what the Rolls is I guess… a whole car show in one bodyshell. It’s whatever you want it to be, whatever you need it to be for you. Drag, show, luxury.
    But if you’re still in any doubt as to what the point of the Rolls Royce is, I’ll try and help lift you from your misery. It’s a smile maker. We don’t need no stinking nitrous… Well not inside the luxurious interior at least.
    An original ’80s brick mobile phone and fake gold bars as wheel chocks? Are you getting it yet?
    Plain and simple it will stop you in your tracks, make you point, laugh, smile, applaud and want to know more. Then when you look at it closer you’ll realise that unlike a whole load of other very specific project cars, with the Rolls you can do so many things. It’s a tow car today but it could also be a drag car. Yet it also works perfectly as a show car. You want to run down to the shops? Okay so maybe that’s pushing it… just.

    Bryn MusselwhiteInstagram: Speedhunters_bryn
    bryn@speedhunters.com

    PJP Pro Classic Rolls Royce
    Engine462ci GM V8, Mooneyham 14/71 Supercharger, full teflon belts, 2×1150 Dominator carbs and 200bhp nitrous
    TransmissionTh400 auto box, three lever shifter, Strange shafts
    Suspension/BrakesQA1 suspension kits, BMW E36 components, Wilwood Drag lite discs and calipers
    Wheels/Tyres15×6 (front) and 15×12 (rear) Weld Convo Pro wheels, Hoosier drag slicks
    InteriorFull custom leather retrim, original Rolls Royce steering wheel, full drag spec cage
    ExteriorStandard with a hole cut in the bonnet for the supercharger and two in the front wings for the exhausts, two tone metallic paint

    The 10 Best Backpacks for Every Adventure


    best-hiking-packs-gear-patrol-lead-full
    By AUSTIN PARKER
    From easy day hikes to multi-day treks, a good pack on your back can make carrying a load a joy (relatively speaking), especially if you draw the short straw and have to carry the extra beer on a five day expedition through Zion National Park. The perfect pack is a simple one: it carries everything you need and nothing you don’t. In practice, this is much harder than it seems and involves careful planning and design. Beware of the old trap. If you have the space, you’ll try to fill it with something. Whether you’re throwing gear together for a short hike to your favorite fly fishing spot or taking a month-long stroll down the Continental Divide, less is more. With that in mind, we’ve picked the best backpacks to put a few miles on this season. Features like load distributing-straps, rainflys and easy access to hydration all made the cut. Heavy materials, unneeded space, and dead weight? Not so much.
    HIT THE TRAILS 5 All-American Summer Adventures | GP Climbs Mt. Rainier | Conquering the GoPro Mountain Games

    Geigerrig Rig 1210

    Geigerrig-Rig-1210-Gear-Patrol
    Best Hydration Pack: Geigerrig is a relative newcomer to the pack world, but their innovative hydration bladder has been drawing praise and awards since its introduction. The dual-chamber bladder — designed to be pressurized and able to spray (as opposed to requiring sucking) initially drew us in; the pack design has made it our new favorite. Featuring 1,200 cubic inches of space, it can easily swallow all the gear you’ll bring for a day on the trail. The in-line filtration system means you’ll never run out of water in the backcountry: just dip the bladder in a stream or pond, pump up the pressure chamber, and the water is forced through a filter that removes 99.9% of cryptosporidium and giardia. The 840-denier ripstop nylon body and double-stitched seams will keep this pack in your arsenal for years to come. The coup de grace? The bladder is reversible and dishwasher safe. No more funky smells or cleaning by hand.

    CiloGear NWD 30L Work Sack

    CiloGear-NWD-30L-Work-Sack-Gear-Patrol
    Best Ultra-Light Pack: If you’re looking to shave every single ounce off your pack (guides call these people “weight weenies”), look no further than CiloGear. Their non-woven-dyneema is the same ultra-light material that the military uses to wrap their ballistic armor plates. Though it’s very labor intensive to manufacture, the end result is a backpack that can handle 40-50 pounds of gear and tips the scales at just under two pounds. Removable compression straps, hip belt and foam frame sheet allow you to further dial down the weight for those trips when an extra pound can mean the difference between making distance and bailing back to the car. If you’re planning on moving fast and light in the backcountry, you won’t find a better pack to take you to the summit — and farther — than the CiloGear Work Sack line.

    GoLite Jam 50L

    GoLite-Jam-50L-Gear-Patrol
    Best Weekend Backpack: GoLite prides itself on using environmentally friendly materials and processes to turn out some of the best backcountry gear on the planet. Their devotion is evident in the redesigned Jam 50L. Using a combination of dyneema for weight savings in crucial areas and ripstop nylon for elasticity and compression, the Jam series is not the compromise in weight and comfort that many lightweight packs are. The ComPACKtor system ensures your gear stays packed down whether you’re just out for a quick summit day or carrying enough for a long weekend through the Tetons. At 50 liters, it has more than enough space to pack a few creature comforts on your weekend getaway. After all, backpacking is supposed to be fun, not a forced march.

    Arc’teryx Nozone 75

    Arc-teryx-Nozone-75-Gear-Patrol
    Best Gear Hauler: If your backcountry adventure is going to last longer than a week or you’ll be carrying specialized gear (mountaineering, pack rafting, BASE jumping, etc.) a 60-80 liter expedition-sized pack should be on your shopping list. The Arc’teryx Nozone is purpose-built for carrying huge loads of mountaineering and ski gear, along with everything you’ll need to set up a backcountry base camp. Arc’teryx packs have been hauled up mountainsides from the Canadian Rockies to the Himalayas, and the company’s attention to design is apparent in the Nozone line. A-frame connection points for ski gear, ice tools or just about anything you need to lash on the outside are capped off with dual haul loops for dragging the pack up cliff sides. The Arc’on frame system will save your back no matter how heavy that rack of climbing gear is. The bottom line? If you’re hauling a few weeks worth of technical gear, there’s no other pack that is designed for every eventuality.

    Dakine Sequence 33L

    Dakine-Sequence-33L-Gear-Patrol
    Best Photo Pack: Hauling photography gear through the backcountry is a time-honored tradition. Ansel Adams carried his camera through Yosemite for decades. Rather than look like a tourist with a fanny pack and multiple lens bags around your neck, take a look at the Dakine Sequence. With a laptop sleeve that can double for a hydration bladder and removable, padded camera block, you’ve got enough space to fit all the gear you need to get that perfect sunset shot of El Capitan.
    Simple Pack, Minimal Gear
    Best-Hiking-Packs-Sidebar
    A gear layout is a time-tested tradition from infantry grunts packing for a patrol in a combat zone to backpackers cramming the last few ounces into their hiking packs for a trek down the Appalachian Trail. An experienced packer can quickly make the decision on what gear is essential — and what stays behind. After spending time leading backcountry groups in the Wasatch, Uintah, La Sal, and Wind River Ranges, I developed a pretty good eye for that rare breed of hiker who can manage to fit 50 liters of gear in a 30 liter pack. At the same time, learning to pare down my packing list became almost an art form.
    A simple pack with minimal gear took on a new sense of urgency on an ominous day during late summer in 2004. I guided a large group of Boy Scouts into the 20 Lakes Basin area of the Wind Rivers. The first day on our trek in, the worst-case scenario happened. Four boys decided to race to the next lake and got separated from the group in some of the roughest terrain in the country — and at a time when we had been warned about grizzly incidents in the region. Another group leader and I got the main group to a safe campground and then shaved everything but the essentials — safety gear, emergency rations, and water supplies — from our small day packs and set off into the twilight in search of the missing boys. After 29 hours of travel, and nearly 50 miles of hiking, half of it above 10,000 feet, we were lucky enough to find the four boys, and none of them had become bear bait. Traveling fast and light like we did was no longer just a matter of convenience, but one of life and death. Fortunately, my pack and my gear list were dialed in and I knew what was needed to spend an all-nighter on a search and rescue mission.
    Unfortunately, my favorite pack, the Ultimate Direction SpeeDemon, hasn’t survived (although after carrying it for eleven years, to seven countries and three continents, it has better stories to tell than my worn out ski touring boots), but I’ve kept the lesson of “simple pack, minimal gear” to heart since then.

    Osprey Escapist 30

    Osprey-Escapist-30-Gear-Patrol
    Best Mountain Biking Pack: Seeing the backcountry from the saddle of a mountain bike is as rewarding as a long trek — and can take half the time. Osprey’s Escapist line is designed to fit better on a bike than when hoofing it, and the subtle differences will save your back and legs for those long climbs on the Porcupine Rim and Kokopelli or just a quick afternoon ride on your local trails. Using a perforated EVA foam Osprey calls Biostretch, the shoulder straps and back panel are so well ventilated you might just forget you’ve got a day’s worth of gear on your back. The pack sits close enough to your body that you won’t notice any shift in your center of gravity, especially important if that soft landing is a little more sandy than you thought and going over the handlebars becomes a reality. Enough pockets and organizers to carry all the spare tubes, tools and snacks you’ll need will keep you on the trail far longer than you thought possible.

    Deuter Traveler 80 +10

    Deuter-Traveler-80-plus-10-Backpack-Gear-Patrol
    Best Travel Pack: The Traveler is an 80-liter gear hauler with air and train travel in mind, but it also features a small 10-liter detachable daypack for those excursions off the beaten track. Adventure travel doesn’t have to be all about military-style duffel bags and uncomfortable “ergonomic” bags. The rigid structure of the main bag will easily support loads up to 60 pounds, so feel free to pack a few extra souvenirs and trinkets on your train tour across Europe. When you’ve settled into your hotel and the mountains around Chamonix or Zermatt are calling, just detach the daypack and disappear for a few hours on the trail.

    The North Face Hot Shot

    The-North-Face-Hot-Shot-Gear-Patrol
    Best Outdoor Commuter Pack: Built to hold your laptop and any work or school material for the week, The North Face Hot Shot is so much more than a simple book bag. Pulling its features from more technical packs, the Hot Shot is equally at home traversing campus on the way to that pesky biology class or crossing the wilderness in search of your favorite climbing spot. The airmesh back panel will keep you cool and dry; bungee side pockets and a daisy chain on the back help secure any extra gear you may need on that long trek from your backcountry cabin back to civilization and your 9 to 5.

    Sea to Summit Carve 24L Dry Pack

    Sea-to-Summit-Carve-24L-Dry-Pack-Gear-Patrol
    Best Dry Pack: TPU laminated nylon and the same rugged seal system that Sea Summit builds on all their dry bags make the Carve 24 the perfect pack for summer or winter water sports. With a design heritage hailing from the shores of Australia and a testing ground on expeditions from the mouth of the Ganges to the highlands of Nepal, Sea to Summit dry bags set an industry standard. The slim design fits easily into the storage compartments on a kayak or whitewater raft and also lends itself well to canyoneering and hiking in wet spaces. The top-loading main chamber is rugged enough to stand up to a lifetime of hard use. Aluminum buckles won’t degrade, even after a few seasons of hard use on the river or at the beach. Convenient shoulder straps are quickly adjustable, so they remain comfortable over a wetsuit or life jacket.

    Salomon Skin Pro 10+3

    Salomon-Skin-Pro-10-3-Gear-Patrol
    Best For Traveling Light: So your backcountry miles will be more of a race than a casual stroll? You’re planning on carrying just the bare essentials? The Salomon Skin Pro 10+3 has enough room to carry the bare necessities on your next adventure race or trail run without the bouncing and shifting that most packs have when you’re bounding like a gazelle. Stretchy mesh panels move with you and allow your load to hug your back and sides so you can crank up the mileage and stay comfortable. 800 cubic inches of space is just enough to carry an extra layer, first aid kit, and snacks for the day so you can hit the trail confident you’re ready for whatever the backcountry throws at you.

    Jasin MC’s CB400 Cafe/Brat


    Jasin CB400 1
    We are seeing a lot more of the later, mid eighties CBs being customised these days. The wheels may be pressed rather than wire spoked, and the tanks may have a less classic shape, but the engines are a little more pokey and reliable, plus you get the benefit of disc brakes and best of all, the donor bikes are cheaper too.
    Jasin CB400 2
    This tastefully built cafe/brat-style hybrid CB400 is a 1983 bike and was build by Adam Jasinski under the new brand name, Jasin Motorcycles.
    Jasin CB400 3
    They were previous known as ATJ Project MCs. Adam has worked on the CB platform a few times over now, and seems to have found his groove with 80s Hondas, and this is our favourite so far.
    Jasin CB400 4
    This bike was hanging around in the garage for a while as Adam and his crew had other bikes to finish, but eventually they got around to the build they’d wanted to produce for a while; blending a cafe style bike and seat with Brat-style crosser bars and riding position.
    Jasin CB400 5
    The wheels, tank and front suspension were retained from the original bike, wile the frame was chopped at the rear to accommodate the cafe style short seat, which was hand made in black leather with yellow stitching.
    Jasin CB400 5a
    The tank was remodelled and painted in a brownish bronze & off white. The front headlamp and clocks are from a 1971 Kawasaki Ltd 250, with yellow details added to complement the seat stitching.
    Jasin CB400 6
    The exhausts were renovated no-brand items while the airbox has been removed and pod-style air filters fitted, providing a much better sound track between 5000 and 9000rpm and decent acceleration. The rear light and grips are from a 60 year old BSA (purists, look away) with vintage style mini indicators.
    Jasin CB400 7
    It’s a lovely bike and we’re really grateful to Adam for sharing it with us. We look forward to seeing Jasin MC’s next build.
    from the BIKE shed