A winning comeback for Al-Attiyah / Retour gagnant d’Al-Attiyah

The 2006 Production World Rally Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah produced a winning comeback to rallying’s premier series by winning the WRC-2 class in Portugal, ahead of Finn Jari Ketomaa and Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand. The WRC-3/Junior battle was won by Frenchman Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën), and Estonia’s Sander Pärn came first in the Fiesta Trophy.

In addition to his cross-country rally and Middle-East Rally Championship programmes, Al-Attiyah is also campaigning a Ford Fiesta RRC/Michelin in this season’s WRC-2 which kicked off this week in Portugal. It was the first time the Qatari has competed in this class at world level since 2011. “The level is very high and it promises to be an exciting year,” he said after coming out on top in his superb duel with Finland’s Jari Ketomaa (Fiesta R5) today.

Yuri Protasov was fastest on Thursday’s super-special in Lisbon, but Al-Attiyah emerged in front on Friday, chased by Ketomaa who completed the day in the lead. Their fight resumed the next day until his rival suffered a power steering problem on SS1. “I stopped, did a reset and we were able to continue,” related the Finn after the finish.

Nasser recovered the lead, but the gap between the two men was only 10 or so seconds going into the final stage where Jari Ketomaa finally chose to play it safe. Meanwhile, Pontus Tidemand (Fiesta R5) managed to stay clear of Estonian Karl Kruuda (Fiesta S2000) to secure a footing on the podium.

The top-five was rounded off by Portugal’s Bernardo Sousa (Fiesta R5), ahead of Robert Barrable (Fiesta R5) and Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Fiesta R5). Julien Maurin was eliminated by an alternator problem on the last day.

The first round of 2014’s WRC-3 was won by Frenchman Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën DS3 R3/Michelin) who admitted to starting the week cautiously: “I only pushed on certain stages and my strategy was successful…”

Alastair Fisher led by more than a minute until he went off on Saturday evening’s SS13. Christian Riedemann from Germany took advantage of Koci’s last-day problems (puncture, broken brake disc) to claim second place.

In the Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy, France’s Quentin Gilbert was in front until an accident on the road section leading to Sunday’s first stage. Tom Cave (2^nd, +20.8s) then appeared briefly in the lead but victory ended up in the hands of Sander Pärn. Belgian Ghislain de Mevius was third, ahead of Spaniards José Suarez and Yeray Lemes.

Le Champion du monde PWRC 2006 a fait un come-back gagnant dans la catégorie WRC-2 en s’imposant devant le Finlandais Jari Ketomaa et le Suédois Pontus Tidemand. En WRC-3 et Junior, victoire du Français Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën) et de l’Estonien Sander Pärn en Fiesta Trophy.

Outre le Rallye Tout-Terrain et le Championnat du Moyen-Orient, le Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah s’est aussi lancé à l’assaut du championnat WRC-2 cette saison et sa campagne débutait ce week-end au Portugal sur une Ford Fiesta RRC/Michelin. Nasser n’avait plus évolué dans cette catégorie en Mondial depuis 2011. « Ce championnat est très relevé, la saison s’annonce passionnante », résumait le Qatari à l’arrivée, après un superbe duel avec le Finlandais Jari Ketomaa (Fiesta R5).

Après le meilleur temps de Yuri Protasov dans la Superspéciale de Lisbonne, c’est Nasser Al-Attiyah qui a pris les commandes du WRC-2 vendredi, sans toutefois creuser l’écart sur Ketomaa qui a d’ailleurs conclu la 1^ère journée en tête. Le duel a repris le lendemain jusqu’à un problème de direction assistée sur la Ford de Ketomaa dans l’ES11 : « J’ai dû m’arrêter, faire un reset, et elle a fonctionné de nouveau », nous avait dit le Finlandais à l’arrivée.

Le match était relancé et Nasser a repris le leadership samedi soir. Une dizaine de secondes séparaient les deux hommes au départ de la dernière spéciale où Jari Ketomaa n’a pas tenté le diable. De son côté, Pontus Tidemand (Fiesta R5) a remporté son duel avec l’Estonien Karl Kruuda (Fiesta S2000) pour la dernière place du podium.

Le Portugais Bernardo Sousa (Fiesta R5) complète le top-five devant Robert Barrable (Fiesta R5) et Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Fiesta R5). Julien Maurin a dû abandonner dimanche (alternateur).

En WRC-3, le Français Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën DS3 R3/Michelin) a remporté la 1^ère manche de la saison. « J’ai volontairement pris un départ prudent et j’ai haussé le rythme sur certaines spéciales. Cette stratégie a payé. »

Alastair Fisher était leader avec plus d’une minute d’avance jusqu’à une sortie de route dans l’ES13 samedi soir. L’Allemand Christian Riedemann a profité d’une crevaison et d’un disque de frein cassé pour Koci dimanche matin pour prendre la 2^e place.

En Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy, le Français Quentin Gilbert était en tête jusqu’à un accident sur la liaison menant à la 1^ère spéciale dominicale. Tom Cave en a profité pour prendre les rênes, avant de laisser la victoire à Sander Pärn pour 20s8. Le Belge Ghislain De Mevius complète le podium devant les deux Espagnols José Suarez et Yeray Lemes.

AUDI QUATTRO – THE OFFICIAL STORY

“Audi Quattro – The Official Story” is a look back at the history of Audi’s vitally important all-wheel drive system as documented by Audi themselves. As such it offers previously unseen footage from the very earliest days of Audi’s involvement in motorsports through to their dominant years in international rally competition.

If you have even a passing interest in motor racing, automotive engineering or fast moving things, this film is essential viewing. In fact, you might want to go get yourself a nice German pilsner before hitting the play button.

via SILODROME

Vintage Hare & Hound Desert Racing (1967)...BSA, Greeves, T

OFF ROAD

Message sur le mur by ADRENALINA MX.

PUCES MOTO LES VIKINGS

toujours autant de monde pour les puces motos organisées par Le MC Les Vikings.
Ayant quitté Elbeuf de Reuil, le nombre d'exposants semble plus important. Il est vrai que les Puces sont installées dans les rues et non plus sur un champ de foire...la marche est plus longue et le flot de visiteurs s'écoule plus facilement.
pas d'affaires fabuleuses, la tendance -crise oblige - est à la mobylette...une nouvelle niche
comme en témoigne le magazine masculin GQ ..

 à voir des ateliers qui se lancent dans cette nouvelle vague :
Children of Decadence (Paris)
Tomahawk Mopeds (Los Angeles) - tomahawktuning.wordpress.com
a lire aussi
My Beautiful Mobylette , éditions Ouest France



sinon quelques vieilleries....

HOXTON MOTO CB550

Hoxton Moto, based in East London, are self-described ‘new kids on the block’ with this ‘HM02′ CB550 Brat only their second build. Shaun Fenton and Andrew Hunt, the two guys behind Hoxton Moto, have backgrounds in broadcast TV. Shaun is a cameraman and editor responsible for, amongst commercials and pop-promos, the 1998 self-financed documentary about London motorcycle couriers Mad Dogs which was broadcast on ITV and the Discovery channel.

Shaun and Andrew were bitten by the biking bug early: Andrew’s dad has an eclectic collection of motorcycles which seeded his interest in early Ducatis; Shaun apprenticed at Ricardo engineering where rubbing shoulders with engineers and fellow bike enthusiasts got Shaun “hooked on the freedom and excitement of bikes.”

Hoxton Moto started life as a YouTube channel creating short programmes “for bikers by bikers” before succumbing to the lure of building their own bikes. Shaun’s always been around bikes, doing maintenance and repairs, but 4 years ago at the Vintage Motorcycle 1000 Bikes event at Mallory Park he was inspired by the 1960s TT-winning Hondas to create Hoxton Moto’s first build: a CB400/4-based race replica. “We’ve always had a passion for motorcycles, classic, modern and dirt. I’m torn between the garage and the need to produce TV, but I’ve recently made more time in the shed to build bikes and set up Hoxton Moto.”

This time, the inspiration for their second build started with the tyres: “after viewing many bikes on BSMC, one feature that stood out was the classic tyres”. Firestone Deluxe Champion tyres were the first purchase to compliment the donor bike, a 1977 Honda CB550 K3 bought ‘blind’ off eBay which Shaun describes as “regrettable”. On collection it became quickly apparent that the bike had been neglected over the years with oil leaks, odd wiring, and stripped threads ‘repaired’ with self-tapping screws (never a good sign!). “As I rolled it into the van I realised I’d made a major fuck-up and would have to strip the bike completely and sort the mechanical problems before any design ideas.”

Hoxton Moto set out to create a simple, stripped-back, no fuss, functional machine with a few standout features to make the bike distinctive.

The engine was overhauled including repairing a cracked rocker cover, replacing a bent exhaust valve, a new cam chain, some minor porting, and a complete rewire involving a DynaTech electronic ignition and coils. The original Keihin PD carbs were retained with RAM air pods replacing the air box. The exhaust uses the original 4-into-1 downpipes with a Universal Megaphone Reverse Cone silencer found at an auto jumble: “the sound is noticeable and raw but the neighbours haven’t complained yet.”

The guys stripped the rusted frame and chopped the rear end to support a custom Glen Moger “brat-ish” (comfortable) seat in black leather. The original rims and hubs were painted, re-laced with stainless spokes, and shod with those classic Firestones (4.00-19″ up front, 4.50-18″ at the rear). A Monza fuel cap was welded on to the original tank, which was painted a black, red and white colour scheme with “a hint of 70s Honda throwback.”

The distinctive rear light was salvaged from a BSA Bantam, complimented by a renovated 1940s Villiers headlight and a Veglia speedometer from a late ’80s Ducati SS (which also supplied the mudguard) all held by custom HM brackets. “There’s plenty of grunt in the 550cc engine, but the handling of the Firestone tyres takes some getting used to, especially committing into bends. ’70s braking needs anticipation, but that’s the character of the ride.”

So, what next from Hoxton Moto? “We’re considering building a smaller twin or single cylinder bike. Similar style, but with more mods and more unique features.” You can see Shaun and Andrew’s first build and other short films about bike reviews, workshop tips and custom builds at their YouTube channel, their website or Facebook page

OLD EMPIRE MOTORCYCLES MERLIN

Some of us a boring old farts. Fact. As the custom scene evolves some of the stalwarts and long standing bikers out there are getting boring and moany. They seem to have forgotten what it was like to be young, to be a rebel, to break the rules, do stupid things, to experiment and to be creative. Luckily not all of us are grumpy old farts who want to define (and police) some unspoken set of rules that box people in to pointless custom categories. At the forefront of the ‘Up Yours’ Generation are the rather polite, but free-thinking, Old Empire Motorcycles who build bikes the way they want to. If you don’t get it, tough shit and move on (our words, not theirs).

Their latest build is the very British “Merlin”. It’s clear that some kind of magic was involved as this bike looks like no other, yet it’s also timeless and seems somehow familiar. The base of the build is a now fairly unrecognizable W650 which has been redfined as a ‘gentleman’s cafebrat’ and was built for a customer in Amsterdam.

“After to-ing and fro-ing with emails and Skype we had a good idea on where we wanted to go within the build. Its nice dealing with people who genuinely love our styling and trust us implicitly when designing and deciding where to go, although much was sent over using our build idea sheet it was left to us to ultimately come up with a design to take the W650 somewhere we felt it hadn’t been before.”

The first thing to sort was the stance, which was lowered at the front by using a set of Ducati USD forks. The blunt end was raised an 1’’ or so using a set of custom Hagon shocks to get a more acute angle of attack. Although the stock rims were both already 18’’ the guys installed a wider front  to accommodate the same size Coker tyres front and back for a proper brat look.

“There was a great deal of design and workshop time invested in getting that minimal rear cowling just right so the lines flow perfectly and the little led rear light sunk in just right.”

The reason we’re impressed is because builds like this are all about the details. The original tank retains its front mounts but Alec & Rafe raised the back to get the top line running from the yoke down the tank into the seat and off the rear cowling. The custom seat pan acts as the electrics box cover and handmade gussets also help keep everything flowing and in proportion. The tank has indents which have been fitted with leather scallops while the bottom of the tank has a welded in skirt hiding the ugly box section top tube.

“We managed to keep all the controls stock but with the addition of some hand dyed leather wrap and some scotching. Front lighting comes in the form of a big bates headlight and peak, and the customer asked for mini led indicators which we mounted as discreetly as possible. We also decided to work with our friends at Smiths again to make up an OEM Grey faced kph speedo which looks mighty fine integrated into the custom top yoke.”

The engine was in a real state cosmetically, so it was sent off to be blasted by MP Sodablasting, but the aluminium was so badly tarnished the crankcases has to be painted in high temp satin silver. The barrels we painted satin black before the fins were polished back to the metal. The casings were fine scotched, and the carbs were rebuilt and fitted with custom air filters. It must have been a pain to sort but the end result is very pleasing to the eye.

The exhausts were hand made from tubular bends TIG welded together before being heat wrapped, for practical rather than cosmetic reasons. A stainless guard may still be required to protect the rider’s leg. “Mini baffles take the edge of what is a fantastic sounding engine.”

Old Empire are also very picky about all their finishes. The frame and swingarm were powdercoated satin black, while all the plating was chromed before being scotched for a satin/brush final finish, and then there was the paint. “The paintwork deserves special attention and it has to be seen to be properly appreciated. Greg from Black Shuck Kustoms went about lead loading the tank where it needed it, then removing the powder coat from the relevant panel work on the frame to leave a bare metal brushed finish, and then after that it’s a bit of a mystery how he achieved the fantastic dark green smokey bare metal high gloss finish with gold pin striping, but whatever, it suits the bike down to the ground and has to be seen to be believed.”

We really like this build, and can’t wit to see it in the flesh at the BSMC III Exhibition in London this May 24th & 25th. Alec & Rafe are also very pleased with their handiwork. “This may be one of the finest builds we deem to be an OEM bike in terms of aesthetics and functionality. Bike by bike we like to think we are improving continually.”

Thanks go to Black Shuck Kustoms, MP Blasting, Audrey Upholstery, Mark Bunning and Demeanour customs. You can see more builds from Old Empire Motorcycles in the flesh  at the BSMC Event, or check them online on theirBike Shed OEM pages, or on their Website plus you can see how they work up their concepts Here.

For those of you who prefer lists to narrative, here’s the spec again.

MERLIN SPEC.

2001 KAWASAKI W650

HEAVILY MODIFED FRAME

DUCATI USD FRONT END

DUCATI BRAKE CALIPER/DISC

DUCATI TRIPLE TREES/ MODIFIED TOP YOKE

COKER 18’’ TYRES FRONT AND BACK

CUSTOM OEM LEATHER BATTERY SATCHEL

ORIGINAL CONTROL UNITS

HEAVILY MODIFIED TANK W/LEATHER PANELS

CUSTOM SEAT WITH/TRIPLE DIAMOND STITCHING

NEW LENGTHENED SHOCKS

CUSTOM TAILLIGHT

WARNING LED LIGHTS

SMITHS/OEM GREY FACED SPEEDO

DUCATI CLIP ONS

CUSTOM ELECTRICS BOX

CUSTOM WIRING LOOM

SCOTHED ALLUMINIUM RIMS/HUBS

FULLY REBUILT WHEELS WITH S/S SPOKES

PAINTED AND SCOTHED AND FULLY SERIVCED ENGINE

CUSTOM FILTERS

CUSTOM TWIN EXHAUST W/ MINI BAFFLES

BATES HEADLIGHT W/PEAK

LED INDICATORS FRONT AND BACK

BROOKS CUSTOM DYED GRIP WRAP

No resistance for Ogier in Portugal! / Ogier trop fort au Portugal

Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen/Michelin) won the Vodafone Rally de Portugal for the fourth time today. The Frenchman took the victory by a margin of 43.2 seconds over Mikko Hirvonen (Ford), while Mads Ostberg (+1m12.4s) was third for Citroën.

After claiming the super-special which kicked off the week’s action in Lisbon on Thursday evening, Ogier relinquished the lead the following day to Dani Sordo (Hyundai), and then to Hirvonen (Ford), following an overly conservative strategy on Friday morning (two spare wheels) and a poor tyre choice in the afternoon.

The world champion completed Day 1 in third place, 6.5s adrift of Hirvonen, but responded with a string of five fastest times from six on Saturday (including the VW Polo R WRC/Michelin’s 200^thstage victory) to pave the way for today’s success.

This is his third victory of the season and his fourth from six visits to Portugal. It is also Volkswagen’s eighth straight WRC win which equals the record held by Citroën, and the Polo R WRC has gone unbeaten since last year’s Rallye Deutschland.

As in Mexico, the championship’s fourth round produced a high number of victims, especially after the horrendous weather crews encountered during recce, as well as because of the damp conditions that marked the first two legs when Elfyn Evans (Ford), Robert Kubica (Ford), Jari-Matti Latvala (VW), Ott Tanak (Ford) and Kris Meeke (Citroën) all crashed at least once.

Meanwhile, Hirvonen (Ford/Michelin) produced a surefooted performance and even momentarily led for the first time in almost two years. He completed Friday in the lead, ahead of team-mate Ott Tanak, but the second leg proved more complex for the M-Sport pair and, while the Finn held on to second place, the Estonian threw away a possible podium finish by going off.

Instead, third spot ended up in the hands of the 2012 winner, Mads Ostberg, who collected another world class podium in his Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin. The Norwegian was challenged for some time by Dani Sordo (Hyundai) who even earned the Hyundai i20 WRC’s first stage win to emerge at the top of the leaderboard after SS3. However, the Spaniard was eliminated by a transmission problem on the final morning’s run out to SS14.

Andreas Mikkelsen (4^th, VW) and Henning Solberg (5^th, Ford) rounded off the top-five which featured three Norwegians! The VW driver passed his compatriot on Sunday morning to secure fourth place.

Thierry Neuville won SS6 in his Hyundai i20 WRC and ended up sixth overall, ahead of Ford privateer Martin Prokop.

The WRC-2 battle saw Nasser Al-Attiyah (Ford/Michelin) claim maximum points, ahead of Finland’s Jari Ketomaa (Ford) and Swede Pontus Tidemand (Ford).

Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen/Michelin) a remporté pour la quatrième fois le Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Le Français s’est imposé avec 43.2 secondes d’avance sur Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) et 1min12s4 sur Mads Ostberg (Citroën).

Premier leader du rallye après avoir remporté la Superspéciale de Lisbonne, Sébastien Ogier avait dû céder sa 1^ère place à Dani Sordo (Hyundai), puis à Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) le lendemain en raison d’une stratégie de course trop conservatrice (2 roues-de-secours) le matin et d’un mauvais choix de pneus l’après-midi.

Classé 3^e à 6s5 à l’issue de la 1^ère étape, Seb n’a mis que deux spéciales pour reprendre la 1^èreplace samedi, avant d’augmenter son avance à coups de meilleurs temps. Le Champion du monde a gagné cinq des six spéciales du jour et offert au passage une 200^e victoire de spéciale à la VW Polo R WRC/Michelin.

Le Français remporte donc sa 3^e victoire de la saison et son 4^e Rallye du Portugal en six participations. Il s’agit de la 8^e victoire consécutive de Volkswagen en WRC qui égalise le record détenu par Citroën. Les Polo R WRC n’ont plus été battues depuis le Rallye d’Allemagne 2013.

Comme au Mexique, cette 4^e manche mondiale a piégé de nombreux concurrents, sans doute à cause des conditions météo épouvantables rencontrées en reconnaissances lors de la prise de notes, et des pistes humides les 1^er et 2^e jours. Elfyn Evans (Ford), Robert Kubica (Ford), Jari-Matti Latvala (VW), Ott Tanak (Ford) ou encore Kris Meeke (Citroën) n’ont pu éviter la (les) sortie de route.

Mikko Hirvonen (Ford/Michelin) a réalisé une très belle performance. Lui qui n’avait plus mené un rallye WRC depuis près de deux ans, a conclu la 1^ère journée en tête devant son équipier Ott Tanak. La 2^e étape fut plus compliquée pour les pilotes M-Sport, mais le Finlandais s’est accroché à la 2^e place du classement général, alors que l’Estonien a quitté le podium sur sortie de route.

Vainqueur en 2012, Mads Ostberg (Citroën) a signé un nouveau podium mondial au volant de sa Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin. Le Norvégien a remporté son duel avec l’Espagnol Dani Sordo (Hyundai), qui avait offert le 1^er meilleur temps à la Hyundai i20 WRC et pris la tête du rallye (après ES3) avant de se retirer dimanche matin sur la liaison menant à l’ES14 (transmission).

Andreas Mikkelsen (4^e, VW) et Henning Solberg (5^e, Ford) complètent le top-five qui compte trois pilotes norvégiens ! Le pilote Volkswagen a pris le meilleur sur son compatriote dimanche matin. Thierry Neuville a remporté une spéciale (ES6) au volant de la Hyundai i20 WRC et termine à la 6^e place devant le pilote « privé » Martin Prokop (Ford).

En WRC-2, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Ford/Michelin) a tenu bon face au Finlandais Jari Ketomaa (2^e, Ford). Le Suédois Pontus Tidemand (Ford) monte sur le podium.

The most beautiful watches from Baselworld 2014

Over 1,460 exhibitors from 40 countries are currently showing their latest timepieces at the Baselworld watch show. Classic Driver presents the most exciting debuts from the world's largest watch and jewellery fair…

Breitling for Bentley GMT Light Body B04 

The 11-year partnership between Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling and British car-maker Bentley will this year focus on lightweight construction. Some would argue that while Bentley’s machines are fast and luxurious, they are far from lightweight – however, the V8-engined Continental GT surely played a part in inspiring Breitling to follow the lightened theme. Although its exact weight hasn’t yet been revealed, the Light Body B04 makes some heavyweight design statements: a broad bezel with knurled, radiator-grille-like motif; ergonomically streamlined pushpieces; a black rubber strap; and asymmetrical lugs. Timezone hoppers will appreciate its ability to adjust the hour hand in one-hour increments without affecting the minute hand. The dial, now bearing an openworked circular pattern, reveals glimpses of Breitling’s in-house chronograph movement, the B04.

Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Power Control

Anyone who has kept up with Chopard’s recent offerings will surely be familiar with the Swiss watchmaker’s Mille Miglia collection. The three latest additions celebrate the Monaco Historic GP, an idea from company co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, himself a keen competition driver and classic car collector. Our favourite feature is the power reserve indicator, which sees a fuel-gauge-style needle touch ‘empty’ when in need of a recharge.

Hublot Big Bang Unico FIFA World Cup Official Watch

If there were a world championship for the longest watch name, Hublot would surely have it sewn up. With Hublot the official time-keeper of the forthcoming World Cup in Brazil, the Geneva-based watchmaker has launched the accompanying timepiece – which not only boasts a 9-word name, but also a new complication that sees the traditional dial relegated to an inset position at 6 o’clock. For football fans, the match time is of a higher priority; hence the main focus is a display that has the minute and second hands sweeping through a circular arc of 45 minutes (one half of a football match, of course), with an additional 15 minutes for extra time. The push-button at 2 o’clock differentiates between the match period (shown on the display window at 12 o’clock): whether first half, half-time, second half or full-time. 

Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph

Last year, Longines celebrated its 180th anniversary. This year sees the Swiss manufacturer pay tribute to its classic chronograph wristwatches, first seen in 1913. As with its ancestors, the Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph is equipped, as the name suggests, with a sole push-piece to control all functions. Ingeniously simple and highly elegant, it is available in three versions: one rose gold, and two steel models with seperate design themes.

Tudor Heritage Ranger

In addition to a dress watch and a diver's watch, Tudor has now launched an interpretation of a vintage watch – the Heritage Ranger. The first Tudor Ranger came to market in 1967 and, just like its classic counterpart, the new Heritage model is inspired by the sporting military watches of the 1960s and 1970s. The hour markers and hands have luminous green highlights, thanks to the attention to detail demanded by Tudor CEO Philippe Peverelli. The timepiece will be on sale from July, with prices ranging from 2,290 to 2,380 euros. We can say with confidence that the Heritage Ranger offers the best value for money of any new product shown so far. 

Dietrich 1969 OTC-A01

Very few watch designers manage to step out from behind the shadow of the conglomerates for which they work. However, designer (and Ferrari enthusiast) Emmanuel Dietrich has done just that. Under the name Dietrich 1969, the Frenchman – who is credited with several well-known watch models – has presented his first independent timepiece: the OTC-A01. Behind the cryptic name, which apparently stands for ‘Organic Time Companion’, you’ll find a modern watch that looks to have been taken from a car dashboard in the year 2020. You’ll be charged 1,250 euros for the privilege of this foresight.

Hundreds of classic and modern watches can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

1968 BIZZARRINI 5300 GT STRADA ALLOY

The story of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT reads like a political thriller set in ancient Rome – there was intrigue, deception, political posturing and even a death before a small number of the cars were produced. Shortly after the last car rolled out of the workshop the Bizzarrini went bust and was relegated to working as a consultant – as he had done for both Ferrari and Lamborghini in the years before the 5300 GT came to be.

The Bizzarrini 5300 GT essentially a started life as an Iso Grifo – a car that had been designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and Giorgietto Giugiaro for Renzo Rivolta in 1963. Bizzarrini was famous for his obsession with weight distribution and as a result of this obsession he liked to position the engine as far back in the chassis as possible. In the Iso Grifo AC3/C this meant that the engine was so far back you had to access the distributor through a door on the dashboard and the pedals were positioned about halfway down the engine block – leading to the car being compared unfavourably with an oven.

There was much discord between Rivolta and Bizzarrini, the former wanted to focus on building road cars and the latter only wanted to go racing. By the time Renzo Rivolta died in 1965 Bizzarrini’s relationship with the executives at Iso was so strained that he decided to leave and pursue his dream of having his own name on an automobile.

Production of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT began in 1966 and continued till 1968, due to the somewhat Italian bookkeeping it’s not known how many cars were built but most automotive historians estimate the number between 100 and 149. Of these, it’s thought that approximately 70 were build with the full aluminium alloy body – these cars are the most highly valued by collectors and their prices at auction have been seeing a significant bump in recent years.

The Bizzarrini 5300 GT you see here recently underwent a full concours restoration which included to installation of a discreet air-conditioning system – an essential addition for a grand tourer. In 2011 it sold for €400,000 but it’s estimated that it’ll fetch roughly 20% more than that when it rolls across the auction block with RM Auctions on the 10th of May 2014.

If you’d like to see a Bizzarrini in action you can click here. You’ll be glad you did.

Photo Credits: Tim Scott ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions

via SILODROME