Two revolutions of my 360 degree ink sketch which was started when I visited the famous British Bike workshop in September 2014 for 2 days. The remainder of the ink sketch was done in the studio taking a further 4 days of sketching.
6th Street Specials 360 Degree Ink Sketch from MARTIN SQUIRES on Vimeo.
jeudi 12 février 2015
MOTO BORGATORO
Moto Borgatoro is a short film by Roberto Serrini about renowned custom motorcycle builder Peter Boggia, and it’s a far cry from the more self-oriented shorts you’ve probably seen about custom bike builders. In this case, Peter was reticent to do the film at all and if you watch till the end you’ll see him explain that he thinks that motorcycles are essentially handbags for men, and that people who sit around talking about bikes on camera are douchebags.
Visit Union Garage NYC here.
Red Bull Global RallyCross 2014 Highlight
Stir up your inner 12-year-old with the De Tomaso Mangusta
Rare, exotic, downright scary – the De Tomaso Mangusta’s memory might have been left in the Pantera’s smoky wake, but purists and discerning collectors alike will attest that the first true De Tomaso supercar is the pick of the bunch…
If at first you don’t succeed...
The Mangusta’s roots belong in the humble Vallelunga, a mid-engined, four-cylinder sportscar introduced by Alejandro de Tomaso in 1963. Unfortunately it never took off commercially but, undeterred, De Tomaso had another go, retaining the midship layout and backbone chassis, but instead opting for a brutish Ford V8. Cloaked in a new – and brilliantly proportioned – Italian body, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Ghia (of which De Tomaso had become president), it was christened the Mangusta, or ‘mongoose’– supposedly the only animal unafraid of a cobra. High sights, then.
Chassis flex was held as the Mangusta’s most serious pitfall and, when combined with a 32:68 weight distribution, it led to its notoriously unwieldy handling. However, find a properly set up, unmolested example and your efforts will be rewarded (though naturally, we wouldn’t take any liberties). Rust-prone, impossibly low and rather cramped inside, the Mangusta’s not for everyone. But quirks aside, there are few other cars that can stir up your inner 12-year-old quite as much – just look at that split rear clamshell!
Survival rate
Unlike many other performance cars of the day, U.S. legislation spared the Mangusta any compulsory extra impact protection, meaning that the elegant '70s shape remained intact worldwide. Around 400 Mangustas were built between 1967 and 1972, and it’s estimated that some 250 remain on the roads today, making them a very rare sight indeed. As is the case with almost all collectable classics, provenance is everything when it comes to these cars. Boasting its original paintwork, stickers, upholstery and engine, this Mangusta – set to go under the gavel at RM Auctions’ Paris sale on 4 February – could be just the ticket. And trust us, you’ll be the talk of whichever event you rock up at, regardless of the number of Panteras present.
This article is part of the series 'Cars we Love', in which we bring you our favourite classics and modern classics, every Saturday morning.
Rally Sweden (WRC): De la soupe au Shakedown / slushy shakedown
Le Shakedown du Rallye de Suède 2015 a été remporté par Sébastien Ogier (VW/Michelin) devant Robert Kubica (Ford, +0s2) et Mads Ostberg (Citroën, +0s3). Il fait très doux ce matin dans le Värmland et la neige fond.
Malgré des températures positives en journée, les conditions s’annonçaient parfaites pour ce Rallye de Suède car les nuits étaient relativement froides. Mais, cette nuit, le thermomètre n’est pas descendu en dessous de 0°C et il faisait +2°C ce matin à 8h00 lorsque le Shakedown a débuté.
Sans surprise, la piste de 3,99 km s’est rapidement transformée : « Ca se dégrade », racontait Elfyn Evans, un des premiers à revenir au parc d’assistance après deux passages. « Pendant les recos, les conditions étaient parfaites au Shakedown, comme sur les autres spéciales. »
« Malgré tout, les temps s’améliorent au fil des passages », expliquait à son tour Kris Meeke (DS3 WRC). Les prévisions météo norvégiennes annoncent des chutes de neige demain vendredi près de la frontière suédoise, là où va se dérouler la première étape du rallye.
« Les conditions évoluent très vite », soulignait son équipier Kris Meeke qui veut réaliser un bon résultat ce week-end après sa mésaventure monégasque. « Il semble que la meilleure position soit le plus loin possible des premiers. Ca ne plaît pas à tout le monde, mais ne vaut-il pas mieux gagner le Monte-Carlo et ouvrir la route ici, même si c’est un handicap ? Je connais peu monde qui préfèrerait terminer 10e à Monaco pour profiter d’une bonne position ce week-end ! »
Sébastien Ogier, le vainqueur du Monte-Carlo, n’était évidemment pas satisfait de sa position : « La glace se transforme en soupe. Etre premier sur la route va être un désavantage ».
Le pilote VW a néanmoins réalisé le meilleur chrono du Shakedown (1min59s) devant Robert Kubica (Ford) et Kris Meeke (DS3 WRC). Suivent les Polo R WRC de Mikkelsen et Latvala et la DS3 de Mads Ostberg à 2s7. La séance a été interrompue pas une sortie de route de Michal Solowow (Ford).
Alors que les pilotes WRC sont obligés de boucler trois tours de Shakedown, ils ont tous effectué au moins quatre passages. « La surface change très vite, il est difficile de comparer les chronos. Mais c’est très important de rouler dans différentes conditions avant le départ », notait Didier Clément, directeur technique de Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT.
Les équipages vont désormais prendre la direction de Karlstad pour les conférences de presse, opérations promotionnelles, puis la cérémonie de départ et la Superspéciale à partir de 20h08.
This morning’s shakedown was won by Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen/Michelin), ahead of Ford’s Robert Kubica and Citroën driver Mads Ostberg. The top three places were filled by three different makes which points to an interesting fight this weekend. Significantly, however, there is little ice left on the short sample stage because of the current mild weather.
Sans surprise, la piste de 3,99 km s’est rapidement transformée : « Ca se dégrade », racontait Elfyn Evans, un des premiers à revenir au parc d’assistance après deux passages. « Pendant les recos, les conditions étaient parfaites au Shakedown, comme sur les autres spéciales. »
« Malgré tout, les temps s’améliorent au fil des passages », expliquait à son tour Kris Meeke (DS3 WRC). Les prévisions météo norvégiennes annoncent des chutes de neige demain vendredi près de la frontière suédoise, là où va se dérouler la première étape du rallye.
« Les conditions évoluent très vite », soulignait son équipier Kris Meeke qui veut réaliser un bon résultat ce week-end après sa mésaventure monégasque. « Il semble que la meilleure position soit le plus loin possible des premiers. Ca ne plaît pas à tout le monde, mais ne vaut-il pas mieux gagner le Monte-Carlo et ouvrir la route ici, même si c’est un handicap ? Je connais peu monde qui préfèrerait terminer 10e à Monaco pour profiter d’une bonne position ce week-end ! »
Sébastien Ogier, le vainqueur du Monte-Carlo, n’était évidemment pas satisfait de sa position : « La glace se transforme en soupe. Etre premier sur la route va être un désavantage ».
Le pilote VW a néanmoins réalisé le meilleur chrono du Shakedown (1min59s) devant Robert Kubica (Ford) et Kris Meeke (DS3 WRC). Suivent les Polo R WRC de Mikkelsen et Latvala et la DS3 de Mads Ostberg à 2s7. La séance a été interrompue pas une sortie de route de Michal Solowow (Ford).
Alors que les pilotes WRC sont obligés de boucler trois tours de Shakedown, ils ont tous effectué au moins quatre passages. « La surface change très vite, il est difficile de comparer les chronos. Mais c’est très important de rouler dans différentes conditions avant le départ », notait Didier Clément, directeur technique de Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT.
Les équipages vont désormais prendre la direction de Karlstad pour les conférences de presse, opérations promotionnelles, puis la cérémonie de départ et la Superspéciale à partir de 20h08.
This morning’s shakedown was won by Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen/Michelin), ahead of Ford’s Robert Kubica and Citroën driver Mads Ostberg. The top three places were filled by three different makes which points to an interesting fight this weekend. Significantly, however, there is little ice left on the short sample stage because of the current mild weather.
After everybody reported that the 2015 Rally Sweden stages were in pristine condition during recce despite the recent spell of mild weather, the theory was that the icy surface would survive as long as the temperature fell below freezing point at night.
Unfortunately, the temperature remained positive throughout last night and the thermometer indicated +2°C when shakedown started at 8am this morning.
Unsurprisingly, the surface of the 3.99km test soon showed signs of damage. “It’s cutting up,” reported Ford’s Elfyn Evans who was one of the first drivers to return to the service park after his first two runs. “During recce, the conditions on the shakedown test were perfect, like everywhere else.”
“As you can expect, the stage is ‘cleaning’ a lot,” confirmed Mads Ostberg (Citroën DS).
The Norwegian might take some comfort from the fact that local television is forecasting snow for Friday along the nearby border with his home country, which is exactly where the majority of Friday’s stages are located…
“As we saw on shakedown, the conditions are evolving very quickly,” noted Citroën team-mate Kris Meeke who is looking for a strong result this week after his Rallye Monte-Carlo misfortunes. “It looks like the best start position will be as far down the order as possible. That might not suit all the drivers, but wouldn’t you rather win the Monte and be first on the road here, even if it is a handicap? I certainly would. Not many people would want to be 10th on the first round in order to benefit from a good position in Sweden.”
Sébastien Ogier, the man who took top prize for Volkswagen in the Principality, was clearly disgruntled with the change in conditions: “The ice is melting fast. Being first on the road is going to be a disadvantage…”
Although teams are only obliged to complete three passes in shakedown, they all went out for at least four attempts to see how their respective machines performed in the slush. “The surface is changing very quickly, so it’s difficult to compare times. But it’s very useful to have experience like this because you tend not to look for poor conditions during pre-event testing,” said Citroën DS engineer Didier Clément.
Unfortunately, the temperature remained positive throughout last night and the thermometer indicated +2°C when shakedown started at 8am this morning.
Unsurprisingly, the surface of the 3.99km test soon showed signs of damage. “It’s cutting up,” reported Ford’s Elfyn Evans who was one of the first drivers to return to the service park after his first two runs. “During recce, the conditions on the shakedown test were perfect, like everywhere else.”
“As you can expect, the stage is ‘cleaning’ a lot,” confirmed Mads Ostberg (Citroën DS).
The Norwegian might take some comfort from the fact that local television is forecasting snow for Friday along the nearby border with his home country, which is exactly where the majority of Friday’s stages are located…
“As we saw on shakedown, the conditions are evolving very quickly,” noted Citroën team-mate Kris Meeke who is looking for a strong result this week after his Rallye Monte-Carlo misfortunes. “It looks like the best start position will be as far down the order as possible. That might not suit all the drivers, but wouldn’t you rather win the Monte and be first on the road here, even if it is a handicap? I certainly would. Not many people would want to be 10th on the first round in order to benefit from a good position in Sweden.”
Sébastien Ogier, the man who took top prize for Volkswagen in the Principality, was clearly disgruntled with the change in conditions: “The ice is melting fast. Being first on the road is going to be a disadvantage…”
Although teams are only obliged to complete three passes in shakedown, they all went out for at least four attempts to see how their respective machines performed in the slush. “The surface is changing very quickly, so it’s difficult to compare times. But it’s very useful to have experience like this because you tend not to look for poor conditions during pre-event testing,” said Citroën DS engineer Didier Clément.
Model-maker creates thriving 1:24-scale town for cars
Elgin Park is a lot of things: a 1950’s utopia, a fantastical world, and an optical illusion. Artist Michael Paul Smith’s imaginative town – composed entirely of miniatures – delighted audiences worldwide when his photo series went viral. For the first time, the documentary Elgin Park dives into the life of this charming, reclusive artist to reveal the dark inspiration behind his work.
Elgin Park from Animal on Vimeo.
The Elgin Park book is available for preorders at animalmediagroup.com/shop/elgin-park/. All preorders will be shipped to arrive by June 21st and each will be signed by the creator of Elgin Park, Michael Paul Smith.
ELLASPEDE BMW R65
Nearly every custom shop has probably had BMW’s venerable R series grace a bench at some point, and the platform has provided a canvas for so much mechanical creativity that last year there was a danger of reaching peak-boxer. Leading to some fairly outlandish attempts at standing out form the crowd. Personally, I’m not a huge BMW fan but the odd one floats my boat, this one from Ellaspede seems to cope with engine’s visual bulk in a clean, simple manner and looks positively nimble standing still. I may have become less horizontally opposed.
Owner of this early 80s R65, Sandy, had purchased a project bike with much work already done, clipons, a subframe in scaffold bar proportions, keyless start and a monoshock set-up. As is often the case, it turned out better to start again. Sandy wanted a café-style bike that he and his son could tinker with and enjoy, rather than spend time trying to dial in a someone else’s handiwork so enlisted the services of the Ellaspede workshops in Brisbane, Australia.
Once stripped down the subframe revealed some interesting geometry, not lining up well with the rest of the frame, so required modifying to suit. A narrow seat pan was bent into shape and upholstered with black vinyl and a light blue stitch.
The headlight is an aftermarket 7-incher, with a flexible LED strip out back, frenched into the frame. Indicators are Posh Chamfers, direct form their own store, and a new Acewell 2853 gauge replaced the ageing digital unit. To ensure reliability a full re-wire was undertaken with aviation grade wire.
The rear end tended to buck over bumps so the shock was given to a local suspension expert for an overhaul. They tweaked the preload and the resulting ride is much more compliant and reassuring.
The front mudguard is the original but trimmed down, whilst the rear is a custom made unit. An Ellaspede Ninja Starmounts the number plate at the rear. Wheels were cleaned and painted black and fitted with a pair of fresh Bridgestones, a 130/80 being the largest size the shaft drive swing arm would allow, which makes for a sporting look.
Mechanically the motor was sound but for good measure the Bing carbs were re-jetted for the foam filters and stubby mufflers. Painted barrels and starter cover break up the monolithic look of the 650 twin and match the rest of the black paintwork.
The rebuilt forks function perfectly well but as anyone whose built on of these will know, the fork legs can look a bit unfinished without something in the old reflector rebate. A reference to one of Sandy’s travelling tales was machined from aluminium, painted black and inserted to complete the personalisation.
The paint scheme was a combination of Sandy’s thoughts and the experienced eye of the Ellaspede crew. The subtle yet striking two-tone blue harks back to 1970s Martini racing liveries and looks jolly handsome. (Knee pads will complete the theme, when they arrive).
Sandy and his son Alex are thrilled to bits with the result and have already covered a good few kilometres on their new steed. The guys from Ellaspede haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel and by keeping things simple have produced a well proportioned, classy looking bike. To see their previous work and to buy some of the parts featured head to thewebsite and for updates on what’s on the bench check Facebook.
via PIPEBURN
‘Master of Motion’ Dexter Brown holds charity exhibition in London
For many years now, Dexter Brown has been a favourite of automotive enthusiasts, largely due to his ability to convey a sense of speed in his paintings. In February, the artist will hold an exhibition of new works at Bonhams’ New Bond Street HQ in London…
A free hand
Collectively titled ‘Art in Motion’, the new series of works was born from a totally open remit, which allowed Brown’s natural talent for expressing dynamism to remain the focal point.
“It’s quite something to be given such a free hand,” says Brown. “For some reason I just had this thing again about the cars. I started to think about films and TV programmes that have cars in, and that made me drift sideways to actors and actresses I’ve always admired.” As such, the artworks depict the likes of Steve McQueen, Peter Fonda, Paul Newman and Katherine Ross, alongside the machines with which they once shared a screen, big or small. Each painting from the exhibition will be for sale, with 50% of the proceeds going to Combat Stress, a charity for war veterans suffering psychological after-effects.
Photos: Dexter Brown / Bonhams
The ‘Art in Motion’ exhibition will be held between 16 and 27 February 2015 at London’s New Bond Street headquarters.
Bonhams New Bond Street
101 New Bond Street
London
W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
101 New Bond Street
London
W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
Fils de champions…
Carlos Sainz Jr (21 ans) va débuter en Formule 1 cette année dans l’écurie Toro Rosso, alors que Tom Blomqvist (22 ans) a signé chez BMW pour disputer le très relevé championnat DTM. Tom est le fils du Suédois Stig Blomqvist, champion du monde 1984 et septuple vainqueur du Rallye de Suède.
Stig Blomqvist est le recordman du nombre de victoires au Rallye de Suède avec cinq succès en WRC (1973, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984) et deux avant la création du Championnat du monde des Rallyes (1971 et 1972) sur Saab et Audi. Il a disputé 35 des 63 éditions de cette épreuve et sa dernière participation – hors rallye historique - remonte à 2006 sur une Subaru Impreza STi, pour ses 60 ans !
Tom Leonard Blomqvist est né en 1993 à Cambridge. Il a vécu en Grande-Bretagne avant de s’installer en Nouvelle-Zélande à l’âge de 6 ans. Contrairement à son père, qui a grandi près d’Orebro et qui a fait carrière en rallye avant de goûter au circuit (champion de Suède Touring Car 1990), Tom a choisi le circuit et la traditionnelle filière karting/monoplace.
Après 8 titres remportés aux antipodes entre 2003 et 2008, Tom est revenu en Europe pour disputer les championnats britanniques et suédois de Formule Renault 2.0. En 2010, il devient le plus jeune champion britannique de Formule Renault 2.0 à 16 ans (3 victoires, 12 podiums) et est éluAutosport British Club Driver of the Year.
Tom poursuit sa carrière en Formula 3 en Allemagne et à travers l’Europe avant d’intégrer le Red Bull Junior Team en 2013. L’an passé, Tom Blomqvist a terminé vice-champion d’Europe de Formula 3 (6 victoires) et a signé chez BMW pour disputer le championnat DTM 2015.
Il a découvert la BMW M4 en essais début décembre 2014 sur le circuit de Jerez de la Frontera (Espagne), là où un autre fils de champion du monde de rallye, Carlos Sainz Jr, était en tests la semaine dernière au volant de sa Toro Rosso STR10. Au cours de la 3e journée, il a bouclé 137 tours et réalisé le 6e meilleur temps. Cette saison, Carlos aura pour équipier un autre « fils de », Max Verstappen, fils de Jos, ancien pilote de F1. Bon sang ne saurait mentir…
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