1970 PORSCHE 911S/T COUPÉ

The Porsche 911 is one of those cars that I think all men should own, at some point in their lives. That’s a statement that’ll make people like Jeremy Clarkson begin to hyperventilate, but at the end of the day, the 911 is an icon and it’s an affordable icon if you go shopping for an ’80s or ’90s era model and don’t mind picking up a wrench occasionally.

The Porsche pictured here is a factory prepared Porsche 911 S/T and was raced with some significant success in endurance races in Europe, probably it’s greatest achievement was an all out with at the 1970 Nürburgring 36-Hour Race – an incredible result for a road legal daily driver.

It’s fitted with the numbers-matching, factory specification 2.2 litre engine and has been restored back to its original 1970 colour scheme, the interior has also been restored to its original condition including vintage Recaro seats, a race-spec roll cage and a fully functioning electric sunroof – a rarity on a lightweight S/T 911.

If you’d like to read a little more about the fascinating history of this car, or see some more images, you can click here to visit Bonhams. If you’d like to buy it as a vintage racer, it’s due to roll across the auction block at the Quail Lodge Auction held by Bonhams on the 16th of August 2013, you can click here for the full list of items for sale.

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WRC asphalt action in Germany / Trèves de plaisanterie

Round nine of the WRC is the ADAC Rallye Deutschland which, on paper, could see Volkswagen’s Sébastien Ogier clinch the 2013 title. Maiden world championship victories aren’t out of the question, either, for Thierry Neuville (Ford) or Dani Sordo (Citroën). 

Neuvième manche de la saison, l’ADAC Deutschland Rallye pourrait attribuer le titre mondial 2013 à Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen), voir Thierry Neuville (Ford) ou Dani Sordo (Citroën) remporter leur premier rallye WRC… 

 The season’s first clear asphalt clash in Germany has the makings of being a thrilling affair.

With a lead of 90 points over Latvala and Neuville in the Drivers’ standings, Sébastien Ogier (181 points) will secure the 2013 crown next weekend if he scores 22 more points than his two rivals. Winning the championship with four rounds remaining is something not even Sébastien Loeb has done! For the record, Ogier has already won in Germany (2011) and a victory plus the Power Stage win is worth 28 points.

Thierry Neuville has impressed so far during his first full WRC campaign but few observers would have predicted him emerging as such a regular front-runner. The German-speaking Belgian will practically be on home soil and he is known to be quick on sealed surfaces. After collecting three podium finishes in a row, his first world class win seems to be a matter of time.

Meanwhile, Dani Sordo has been waiting for his first WRC victory since 2006, but he has come close three times in Germany. After the news that he will not be competing in Australia, Dani will undoubtedly be eager to win the 2013 championship’s first real asphalt rally.

Other likely front-runners are likely to be Jari-Matti Latvala, Mads Ostberg and Evgeny Novikov, as well as Mikko Hirvonen who is still hunting for his first sealed-surface success.

Citroën has never been beaten on the Rallye Deutschland and, with the late Philippe Bugalski, it even won the German event before it joined the WRC calendar. The local stages consequently have few secrets for the French make’s engineers. In the opposite camp, Volkswagen has won six of this year’s eight fixtures, but this will be the Polo R WRC’s first asphalt appearance… on home soil. Last but not least, the Ford Fiesta RS WRC is known to be competitive on tarmac.

The 2013 ADAC Rallye Deutschland will start in Cologne on Thursday, August 22, followed by two new stages the same evening. The rest of the route is more conventional, with the usual combination of fast, narrow lanes through the Mosel Valley vineyards and a visit to the Baumholder military ranges on Saturday. For once, there won’t be a super-special in the streets of Trier this year. Instead, the action will end with two attempts at the tricky ‘Dhrontal’ stage on Sunday before the podium ceremony in front of the city’s Porta Nigra monument. Shakedown is scheduled to begin at midday on Wednesday, August 21

A.tout point de vue, ce Deutschland Rallye, premier rendez-vous purement asphalte de l’année, s’annonce passionnant.

Avec 181 points au championnat Pilotes et 90 d’avance sur Latvala et Neuville, Sébastien Ogier a besoin de marquer 22 points de plus que ses deux rivaux pour coiffer la couronne mondiale à Trèves. Un sacre à quatre épreuves de la fin de saison serait un record qu’il enlèverait à Loeb… Rappelons qu’une victoire « maxi bonifiée » équivaut à 28 points et qu’Ogier s’était imposé en Allemagne en 2011.

Qui aurait cru que Thierry Neuville, pour sa première campagne complète en WRC, soit l’un des agitateurs du championnat ? Le Belge à l’accent germanique jouera à domicile le week-end prochain où il retrouvera sa surface de prédilection. Après trois podiums consécutifs, il semble mûr pour remporter son premier rallye WRC.

Dani Sordo est quant à lui plus que mûr ! L’Espagnol attend ce premier succès depuis 2006 et il l’a frôlé à trois reprises en Allemagne. Après sa non-titularisation pour l’Australie, Dani sera sans doute motivé comme jamais pour remporter le premier rallye asphalte de la saison.

Cette liste peut paraître bien exhaustive, mais on n’exclut pas pour autant Jari-Matti Latvala, Mads Ostberg, Evgeny Novikov ou encore Mikko Hirvonen d’un premier succès sur asphalte.

Côté Constructeurs, Citroën n’a jamais perdu au Deutschland Rallye et avait même gagné le cette épreuve (avec « P’tit Bug », un an déjà…) avant qu’elle n’intègre le calendrier mondial. L’asphalte allemand, certes atypique, n’a donc plus de secret pour les ingénieurs de la marque. De son côté, Volkswagen a remporté six des huit rallyes WRC 2013, mais la performante Polo R WRC va découvrir cette surface, qui plus est à domicile. On n’oublie pas bien sûr les Ford Fiesta RS WRC que l’on sait très compétitives sur asphalte.

C’est à Cologne que sera donné le départ de l’ADAC Deutschland Rallye 2013 jeudi (22 août) soir avant deux spéciales inédites. Le reste du parcours est classique avec les routes étroites et rapides du vignoble mosellan et les pistes bitumées du camp militaire de Baumholder samedi. Pas de Superspéciale dans les rues de Trier cette année : le rallye se conclura par deux passages dans la « piégeuse » Dhrontal dimanche avant le podium devant la Porta Nigra. Le Shakedown est programmé mercredi 21 août à 12h00.

HONDA CB400 BY CLASSIFIED MOTO

Classified Moto is one of the breakthrough builders of the past couple of years. John Ryland’s stubby, purposeful aesthetic has attracted a legion of fans (plus the media attention to match) and the order book is full.

Ryland grades his bikes according to the amount of work involved, and this 1981 Honda CB400T is one of the last of his ‘Level 1’ builds—bikes with an upgrade in looks but minimal mechanical modifications.

It’s one of two CB400s commissioned by Eric Douat, who wanted a bike with a rugged look that he could ride around town but take off the hardtop if need be.

“Eric wanted something light and manageable,” says John. “Luckily we were able to jump on a pair of 1980s Hawks that fitted the bill. This one will stay with Eric in Miami, and the other will live 1,300 miles up I-95 North, in Brooklyn.”

The CB400T is not the easiest of bikes to customize. “I realized I was fighting the awkward curves of the frame, and decided to rework the back end. Financially it didn’t make a lot of sense, but it did completely change the look of the bike. Worth it, aesthetically, I’d say.”

John’s colleague Alex Heath welded up a strong and simple subframe, and then relocated the shock mounting points and fitted Progressive Suspension Series 12 items. Up front, the fork tubes were shortened a little to match the stance of the back.

The wheels are stock Comstars, but now powder coated in a textured satin black to match the frame. Chunky Kenda Big Block tires help with the rugged look, and yes, those are fenders. “We rarely use them, but the owner requested them,” says John, “and I have to admit they look fine! So do the signal lights.”

The two-up seat was custom made in house and upholstered by Richmond’s Roy Baird in a textured marine vinyl. The tank is from a 1976 Honda CB360T, nickel plated with copper Classified Moto badges. The front end is very clean, with superbike bars, a Bates-style headlight, vintage “root beer” grips and a small analog gauge. A compact and powerful Shorai lithium ion battery is mounted on the swingarm.

The engine internals are stock, but the air now goes in via two UNI filters and out through a 2-into-1 exhaust with a modified silencer. A gold D.I.D X-Ring chain breaks up the black-on-black.

“This Honda will be the last Level 1 bike we offer as a made-to-order custom,” John notes. “From a design standpoint, it’s sometimes harder to come up with something both we and the customer are psyched about.”

Despite the relatively simple nature of the mods, it’s still a killer build guaranteed to stop the traffic and work well on rougher roads.

And Comstar wheels have never looked so good.

Images by Adam Ewing. Visit the Classified Moto website to see more of Ryland’s builds

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FIA-spec Shelby Cobra: A ‘wartime veteran’

‘Wartime’? We are, of course, referring to the famous Cobra-Ferrari wars of the early 1960s. Pitted against a horde of semi-factory Ferrari 250 GTOs in the 1964 World Championship was just a handful of Shelby Cobras. This is one of them.

In period, as a Shelby entry, it competed at Sebring, the Targa Florio, Spa and the Nürburgring. It was also hillclimbed in late 1964 as, in those days, some rounds were part of the World Championship.

The car, chassis CSX 2301, had been delivered by AC Cars to Shelby American at the beginning of 1964, unpainted as a ‘race car with wide rear wings’. The American team then prepared it to full FIA racing spec with a hot 289 motor and cutback racing doors. A coat of Viking Blue and a maroon identification stripe completed the transformation to factory Shelby racer.

In Europe, although under the direct control of Phil Remington and Al Down at Shelby American, the cars were run with the assistance of Briton John Wyer, then in overall charge of Ford Advanced Vehicles. He was the man responsible for building and selling the new Ford GT40. So it was Wyer’s responsibility to dispose of two Cobra roadsters, now surplus to requirements, at the end of the 1964 season.

One of them, CSX 2301, was sold to Harpenden-based Radford Racing as a car to use in 1965. It was to feature in many British races, including several at Goodwood, as well as World Championship forays abroad to Monza and Spa.

Sadly, in May 1966, a serious, fatal crash at the Ilford Films 500 at Brands Hatch effectively wrote the car off. Some parts and its core identity, though, were kept by John Sparrow of Radford Racing and were subsequently sold to Brian Angliss (of Cobra Parts Ltd.) in October 1977. Angliss rebuilt the car completely.

Since then, it has been driven enthusiastically by owners in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany, competing in last year’s Goodwood Revival in the colours of Radford Racing.

Today, the beautifully prepared car is for sale at Swiss dealer  Flat-Six Classics with an exhaustive history file that includes extensive documentation confirming the car’s pedigree.

Photos: Flat Six Cars, Bonhams

More cars from Flat Six Cars can be found in the Classic Driver Marktplace.

BONNEVILLE: CHASING THE 300MPH CLUB

Bonneville is a place ruled by numbers. Whether it’s the length of the course or the speed you’re trying to hit, the displacement of your motor or the jetting of your carb; numbers drive everything on the salt. The magic number this morning was 314.511 – the speed (in miles per hour) which the Dauernheim-Biglow-Davis AA Gas Lakester team (aka Team 608) needed to beat to become inducted into the 300mph Club.

The team’s driver, Don Biglow, has already earned his way into the Bonneville 200mph Club, scoring the exclusive red hat as his trophy. The thing is, now he wants a blue one.

Blue hats are a bit more difficult to get, as you have to achieve a speed higher than your class’ current post-300mph record. In the case the AA/GL division which Team 608 competes in, that’s 314.511mph. To give you an idea of the number of blue hat-inductees, the Bonneville record book has three and a half pages of members in the 200mph Club while the 300mph Club takes up less than half a page.

Still, being in the 200mph Club is nothing to scoff at. It’s just that salt is addicting, and given the opportunity racers will always keep pushing for more.

Don’s steed is this Gas Lakester, powered by a 582ci Chevrolet V8 motor.

The Lakester was designed and built specifically for this task, and he knows it well. Don’s been into the high 200s and knows the car has more to give.

But he also knows that the salt can be fickle, and the timing and conditions must be perfect for him to get his blue hat.

Of course behind every great driver is a great team. These guys are called to the salt from New Jersey every year.

Fortunately, they let us tag along for a run this morning –an event that turned out to be so much more epic than we could have imagined.

This was the highlight of our weeklong adventure to Bonneville, so we decided to share it with you guys first.

Our morning started early, meeting the team at their pit to witness everything it takes to get a car down the course at Bonneville.

The guys got right to work, first putting the car in the air to check that the tires were the same circumference, to avoid any pulling as the car rockets along.

Next they fired the engine for one last check that everything was working correctly.

Don jumped in and blipped the throttle while eyeing the gauges. The crackle of a big race engine is a great way to wake up in the morning!

In short order the car was loaded onto its custom-built trailer and we were headed to the start.

It’s first come first served out here, so there’s always a sense of urgency to get in line.

Once we were there things slowed down a bit.

Don changed into this driving suit…

… and took a minute to ready himself for the task at hand.

I would imagine I’d be pretty jittery if I were about to strap into a land speed car, but Don’s been racing for 40 years and was calm as can be.

In addition to making the final preparations with the car, the crew also helped the driver into his HANS device and helmet.

They stood by as he squeezed into the tight cockpit…

… then gave him a hand with the restraints.

Once Don was strapped in there was nothing to do but wait.

We made small talk and watched the other cars and bikes take off.

The car inched it’s way up to the start. To be honest the wait could have been much, much longer but since these guys are running in the 300mph range they get to cut in line.

Another critical task for the crew is keeping the driver cool once he’s in full race gear. An umbrella is an absolute necessity.

I guess it just feels like a long time when you’re anticipating a potentially record-setting run.

Once they were up front the crew started the car using quick connect battery cables and the push-truck’s battery.

A mean sounding engine always attracts bystanders, even if it’s just at idle.

The starter came over and gave Don’s safety equipment a very thorough check. I was impressed by the professionalism and concern for driver safety.

At last he was off. I snapped this photo then ran to the chase truck so I could get a ride to the end of the salt.

The owner and builder of the car, Bob Dauernheim, was at the wheel. As we chased Don we listened to his progress over the radio. When we heard 299mph at the four mile mark things started getting exciting!

Don had five miles to make his run, then two more miles to slow down, so it took several minutes for us to get to the end of the course. We came across a few other teams as we looked for the #608 Lakester.

We finally found him, with Larry clicking away.

Larry had jumped in our rental car with his 400mm lens to get some shots of the car at speed.

We were hoping to see the parachute come out, but on a course this long it’s tough to tell when and where the driver will pull the lever to slow down.

So we didn’t get the parachute shot we planned for, but Larry’s position gave him the chance to capture what would normally be a solitary moment before the chase truck arrived.

Don took a little rest on the back tire…

… then wrapped the spent parachute around that fantastic fighter jet-style wing.

Once the crew jumped out of the chase truck they started helping with the car…

… but Don couldn’t just stand there and watch.

He took the lead and got the car loaded back onto the trailer.

As car guys on the younger end of the sport, Larry and I really look up to veterans like Don and Bob. These guys have such a drive, one that I hope I can hang onto like they have.

In his seventies he’s still out here going 300mph on the salt chasing records.

Once we got back to the pits the team immediately tore into the car…

…while Don studied his time-slip. 299mph at the four-mile mark was his strongest pull yet, but the salt was rough at the end and he had to shut the car down. If conditions were better he feels he could have hit the magic number – 314.511mph. Last we heard he’s going to try the other long course tomorrow morning. The car is running great, so it’s really only a matter of track conditions at this point.

The blue hat will be his, the salt just needs to let him know it’s time.

Words and additional photos by Keith Charvonia