CAFÉ RACER 76: 07/17/14

Bimota BMW by Oberdan Bezzi

The Bug Movie. Help fund the documentary

The Bug Movie is a feature length documentary film about the most beloved and recognisable vehicle on Earth, the Volkswagen Beetle.

If you are into your old school air-cooled cool Volkswagens then you are probably aware of the work of independent filmmaker Damon Ristau. His award winning documentary ‘The Bus Movie’ from the Firewater Film Company explored the history, evolution and cultural significance of the VW Bus and was a celebration of one of the most iconic vehicles ever produced.

Well, Damon is back at it again but he needs your help. The Bug Movie is his latest project and he is funding it through the crowd-funding website Kickstarter, as he did for The Bus Movie. The goal is to raise $40,000 and he is almost there with $38,793 already pledged.

If you would like to contribute and, in a small way, get in on a bit of movie action then you’ll have to be quick. This project will only be funded if at least $40,000 is pledged by Saturday, July 12th 2014 6:00 AM GST. Here is a sample scene from The Bug Movie to help loosen your wallet.

For those that wish to contribute, you can find the details HERE – The Bug Movie

Irish Drift Championship Round 3. Team Japspeed

Round 3 of the Irish Drift Championship at Mondello Park raises the bar for international drifting. This is Global Warfare

The Irish Drift Championship is one of the hardest fought drift series in the world and everything was turned up to level a million for Round 3, held at Mondello Park, in what is possibly the biggest event in the history of Irish drifting. But with a whole host of international drivers competing, could the Irish maintain their record of ten years without defeat?

The line-up of drivers included Darren ‘Dmac’ McNamara and Dean ‘Karnage’ Kearney, making a welcome return to home turf as well as UK drifters Danny Eyles, David Waterworth and Steve Evans. Phil Morrison, from European Driftworks, was in the mix in the recently finished DW86 with its 7.4-litre LSX in trademark Driftworks orange. As were Jerome Vassia from France and Lluis Lopez from Spain.

Stars from Formula D, Matt Powers and Robbie Nishida, were also on the ground but it was the presence of the legend known as Daigo Saito, the only driver to have won both the D1 GP Championship and Formula D title, that posed the biggest threat to the Irish. They needn’t have worried. Adrian Walsh in the Hankook Hachi-Roku battled it out with Duane McKeever in a hard fought final that saw McKeever take his first win and leave the Irish undefeated on home soil yet again.

Source – Team Japspeed

BMW INTERCEPTOR BY RADICAL DUCATI

The BMW Interceptor you see pictured above and below is the result of a collaboration between our friends over at Radical Ducati and Max Boxer. With a surname like ‘Boxer’ it’d be absurd for Max to ride anything except a vintage BMW air-head, this is a sentiment he clearly shares, given the fact that he now owns one of the coolest BMW customs we’ve ever come across.

This particular build was inspired by the “Joe Bar Team” motorcycle comics from the 1990s, those of you familiar with the comics will remember the policeman Gege and his JBT Interceptor, which he used to chase the hapless Joe Bar Team motorcyclists around town. This cartoon motorcycle was the inspiration for this Radical Ducati custom and it’s so well put together that if actual police rode them, I’d be tempted to join the ~~dark-side~~ force.

Calling this bike a BMW isn’t entirely accurate as it includes parts from a Laverda (fuel tank), Ducati Monster 900 (rotors and brake pump), Suzuki GSX-R (clutch lever), Ducati Sport Classic (forks) and a Derbi GRP 50 (footlever support). These parts are coupled with an original BMW R80 ST and some bits from a BMW R100RS to create a rather unique looking BMW Interceptor that I’d be quite happy to park in my garage. Or living room.

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As with all of the bikes we see from Radical Ducati, this one has a parts list longer than I can reasonably include here. If you’d like to scroll through it you can click here, if you’d like to see some other builds from Radical Ducati you can check out the Ducati 900TT, the Pursang, the Cafe Veloce, the 1098 Racer, and this clever Ducati Monster Kit.

BMW Interceptor BMW Interceptor by Radical Ducati

via SILOFROME

The great proletarian Pullman - Bonhams to auction Mao minister's Mercedes

Among the nearly 40 cars at Bonhams’ Mercedes-Benz Sale is this 1965 600 Pullman, once owned by the former Chinese foreign minister Chen Yi, a close confidant of the Communist revolutionary, Mao Tse-tung…

Black Pullman, white suit

Aside from the obligatory 300 SLs, there’s another lot not to be missed at Bonhams’ Mercedes-Benz Sale. This 600 Pullman was purchased by the Chinese government in 1965 for the former leading general and then foreign minister, Chen Yi. While in office, Chen Yi preferred to travel to his external appointments dressed in a brilliant white suit. His extrovert nature couldn’t have been more suited to the great Pullman limousine, of which there were just 428 built.

On Saturday, the 600 will go under the hammer at Bonhams' and Mercedes-Benz Classic’s collaborative sale, taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Bonhams claims the car is in pristine condition and the estimate is from 150,000 to 250,000 euros.

Photos: Bonhams