2015 Camburg Kinetik TT-L - Up On The Cam - Masterpiece In Metal

by Matt Emery

Photographers: Boyd Jaynes

While this awesome ’15 Camburg Kinetik TT-L (Class 6100) truck may represent the latest in engineering trickery from Camburg Engineering, they see it as another measured step in a journey that began in 1997.
Back then, Jerry Zaiden and Jason Campbell used their experience in both off-road racing and manufacturing to produce suspension systems for upgrading the stock OEM suspension systems to turn trucks into real time prerunners.

For the past few years, they have moved most of the manufacturing in-house thanks to obtaining CNC machines. That means that the parts that many builders purchase, pieces such as hubs, brackets, and related components, Camburg produces themselves. They say that this allows them much greater control over both building the pieces they design as well as being able to quickly bring a new design to the market.

 There’s nine KC HiLites 70-watt carbon-fiber PODs providing illumination for the truck. Six you can see, and three mounted behind the grille.

Those CNCs were working overtime on this killer new rig. Built for the GHA Racing team, it may have a spec engine in it, but it has Trophy Truck–based suspension. That’s why Camburg calls it a Trophy Truck Light.

Beginning with the chassis, which is a Camburg Kinetik TT-L, the Camburg crew added a complete Camburg front end (arm, spindles, hubs and related hardware), then installed the Fox 2.5 coilovers and 3.5-inch, five-tube bypass shocks. The coilovers have been equipped with Eibach Springs. All told, the system produces 24 inches of wheel travel.

It’s no secret that good brakes are a must for any race vehicle, so a set of six-piston Jamar TT calipers with 14-inch rotors now have a place in the mix. In fact, the same brake setup can be found on all corners.

 With 24-inches of travel, the Camburg designed and built front A-arm based suspension system features Eibach spring equipped Fox 2.5-inch coilovers and 5-tube by-pass shocks.

Speaking of all corners, the same combination of 17-inch Ultra Xtreme beadlock wheels and 37-inch BFGoodrich KR2 tires act as rolling stock for each corner of the truck.

Due to the limitation of Class 6100, the Chevy LS3, which displaces a total of 6.2 liters, is stock internally but it still produces a total of 450 horses. This is in part due to the Camburg headers, a K&N air filter, and a set of MagnaFlow mufflers.

Putting the power to the KR2s is done with a Culhane T-400 full-race transmission that features a TCS torque converter. It’s cooled with a CBR transmission cooler, and is connected to the rearend with a shaft from Irvine, California-based Drivelines Unlimited.

 Holding up the Camburg rearend is a Camburg four-link that provides 32 inches of travel. This is done using Fox 2.5-inch coilovers, Eibach Springs, Fox 4.0-inch, five-tube bypass shocks. As with the front Camburg Billet TT hubs and snouts, FK Heims are used.

One of Camburg’s specialties is their rearend housings. The rearend on this 6100 is a Camburg TT Race Housing that’s been fully heat-treated and features Camburg TT Billet Hubs along with TCS Axles. It’s held in with a Camburg four-link suspension system that gives the rearend of the truck a whopping 32 inches of travel. In addition to the Camburg hubs and Snouts, it also utilizes FK Heims and Uniballs.

Again, Fox is the shock of choice but this time in addition to the 2.5 coilover and Eibach Springs, there’s a Fox 4.0, five-tube bypass shock as its mate.

Camburg has also gotten into building their own bodies. This one, a Race Body, is constructed from both carbon fiber and fiberglass. It’s been painted with high-quality PPG paint and then wrapped by Little Shop of Kustoms of Palm Springs, California, in GHA Racing team livery.
What with the nine KC 70-watt carbon-fiber PODs facing forward, there shouldn’t be any problem seeing in the dark. There’s even a few KC Cyclone LEDs placed under the hood and around the truck in various locations just in case some wrenching needs to be done after the sun goes down.

1971 Flat Track Race

The Martini Mustang is Loud & Fast Art

For Steve Strope of Pure Vision, turning his idea into loud and fast art is something very few fabricators can dedicate themselves to. His concept was created from a "what if" moment, where he imagined Ford and Martini Racing teaming up to dominate rally races across Europe. Powered by a 1966 Ford/Lotus Indy Car motor, this fastback Mustang is serious business when it comes to performance. Much like a watchmaker who knows the purpose of each moving part, Steve's design signature can be found hidden in the car's details. As enthusiasts spend hours discovering new pieces crafted for his Mustang, Steve smiles from ear to ear and is envigorated to start his next project. Nothing has been left untouched and everything on this Mustang is meant to set your imagination on fire.



Drive Tastefully®

Action Express Racing s’impose à Sebring grâce à Bourdais/Fittipaldi/Barbosa

par Laurent Mercier

On attendait des LM P2 en forme aux 12 Heures de Sebring mais ce sont finalement les DP qui ont trusté le quinté de tête de la 63ème édition de la classique floridienne. A l’issue des 340 tours de course, Sébastien Bourdais, Christian Fittipaldi et Joao Barbosa ont imposé la Corvette DP #5 du Action Express Racing.

Le trio a pris définitivement l’ascendant au cap de la 8ème heure lorsque Joao Barbosa a trouvé l’ouverture sur la Riley-Ford/CGR de Scott Dixon. Seb Bourdais et Christian Fittipaldi ont ensuite fait le job en piste en creusant l’écart. Sous le damier, la Corvette DP #5 a terminé avec un tour d’avance sur la Corvette DP/Wayne Taylor Racing de Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor et Max Angelelli. L’équipage de la #10 est magnifiquement remonté après ses soucis de freins puis une touchette avec un autre concurrent. Le podium est complété par une autre Corvette DP, celle du VisitFlorida.com de Michael Valiante, Mike Rockenfeller et Richard Westbrook. Westy est venu arracher la 3ème place dans les dix dernières minutes avec une belle manoeuvre sur la Riley-Ford de Dixon. Le trio Dixon/Pruett/Hand doit donc se contenter d’une place au pied du podium, devant la seconde Corvette DP/Action Express Racing de Curran/Papis/Cameron. On compte donc cinq DP dans le quinté de tête, dont quatre Corvette.

Dans le camp P2, c’est un peu la douche froide, la meilleure étant la Ligier JS P2/Krohn Racing de Pla/Krohn/Jönsson, seulement 8ème. Olivier Pla avait pourtant donné en dominant de la tête et des épaules la première heure mais la suite a été plus compliquée pour la #57 avec son équipage moins homogène que la concurrence. Olivier Pla restera comme l’homme le plus rapide de cette édition 2015. Guère plus de chance pour le Michael Shank Racing dont la Ligier JS P2 a été fortement endommagée sur une sortie de piste de Ozz Negri Jr. Aucune des deux HPD ARX-03b du Tequila Patron ESM n’a rallié l’arrivée, la #1 pour des soucis de direction et la #2 pour une perte de puissance. La DeltaWing a quant à elle abdiqué sur un problème de suspension.

Contrairement à l’année passée, la catégorie Prototype Challenge a été nettement plus calme. La victoire est revenue au PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports avec Mike Guasch, Andrew Palmer et Tom Kimber-Smith. CORE autosport et Performance Tech Motorsports complètent le podium. On note tout de même seulement trois PC parmi les 25 premiers. PR1/Mathiasen fait la passe de deux après son succès de Daytona. Chez Performance Tech, Conor Daly a été l’auteur d’une magnifique course, tout comme Bruno Junqueira chez RSR Racing.

La course en GTLM a tenu toutes ses promesses même si l’écart à l’arrivée est assez conséquent. C’est finalement la Corvette C7.R de Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia et Ryan Briscoe qui s’est imposée avec près d’une minute d’avance sur la Ferrari 458 GTE/Risi Competizione de Kaffer/Bertolini/Fisichella. Troisième place pour la Porsche 911 RSR/Falken de Long/Henzler/Sellers. C’est au 317ème tour que la course s’est jouée lorsque Antonio Garcia a pris le dessus sur la Ferrari. A noter que chez Risi et Falken, on a dû s’arrêter en fin de course pour remettre du carburant contrairement à la Corvette. Quatrième place pour la BMW Z4 GTE #24 devant la Porsche 911 RSR #911 de Pilet/Lietz/Tandy. Les Porsche ont bien animé le début de course mais la suite a réservé bien des mauvaises surprises aux deux 911 RSR officielles avec des soucis de boîte pour la #911 et de roue arrière pour la #912 de Mako/Bamber/Bergmeister qui n’a pu faire mieux que 7ème. La dernière heure a été fatale au camp Porsche qui pouvait compter sur ses deux autos sur le podium.

Team Seattle Alex Job Racing a raflé la mise en GTD grâce à la Porsche 911 GT America de Alex Riberas, Mario Farnbacher et Ian James. Le trio de la #22 a devancé l’Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3/TRG-AMR de Davis/Davison/Nielsen et la Ferrari 458 Italia GT3/Scuderia Corsa de Sweedler/Bell/Lazzaro.

Le classement de la course est ici

 

via Endurance-info.com

WSSP ; Wilairot triomphe chez lui en Thaïlande en Supersport / Wilairot delights home crowd with maiden WSS win

Le Thaïlandais a remporté la première course organisée au Chang International Circuit.

 
Après avoir rêvé durant des années de courir à domicile, le Thaïlandais Ratthapark Wilairot (Core’’ Motorsport Thailand) en a enfin eu l’opportunité cette année suite à l’introduction du Chang International Circuit au calendrier du Championnat du Monde Supersport et a dépassé toutes les attentes en décrochant la victoire devant ses nombreux fans.
Engagé dans la lutte pour le podium après un départ en septième position, l’ancien pilote 250cc/Moto2 a profité de l’abandon de Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) dans le 14e des 17 tours pour passer en tête et s’imposer avec près de deux secondes d’avance sur Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) et PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres), séparés de 0.032s à l’arrivée.
Deuxième derrière Sofuoglu sur la grille, Cluzel n’avait pas mis longtemps à prendre le contrôle de la course et était bien parti pour s’imposer en solitaire, comme en Australie lors de la première manche, mais a été contraint de finir sa course au stand en raison d’un problème technique sur sa F3 675.
Son coéquipier Lorenzo Zanetti a lui aussi abandonné après être tombé dans le huitième tour, peu avant la chute de Kyle Smith (Pata Honda World Supersport Team), qui occupait la quatrième position et n’a lui non plus pas pu reprendre la piste.
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) a pris la quatrième place, devant Ratthapong Wilairot, le frère cadet du vainqueur, qui faisait lui aussi le bonheur du public local.
Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini), Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing), Martín Cardenas (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda), Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) et Gino Rea (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda) complétaient le Top 10, devant le pilote local Decha Kraisart (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team).
Grâce à sa première victoire dans la catégorie, Wilairot mène maintenant le classement général avec respectivement six et onze points d'avance sur Sofuoglu et Cluzel.

Action packed WSS race has crowd on their feet until the end.
Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand) has won the second round of the World Supersport championship coming home ahead of Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpre) who were second and 3^rd in a photo finish at the end of an enthralling 17 lap race that had the packed grandstands on their feet with each lap completed.
From the start it was Kenan Sofuoglu that took the holeshot, the Turkish rider keen to make up for his mistake in the opening round of the series, but by lap 5 a group of five that included championship leader Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Kyle Smith (Pata Honda World Supersport Team), PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) and local hero Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand) were locked together, much to the delight of the local fans.
Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) crashed out of the top 8 at turn 5 on the 8^th lap, the Italian was unable to continue. Kyle Smith slid out of contention a lap later, the British rider who was on the podium in Australia clearly annoyed with himself.
Jules Cluzel who had been leading for most of the race retired with 3 and a half laps to go leaving Wilairot to claim an emotional first race victory in his home country.
American Jacobsen tried in vain to close down the slender lead of his Thai rival, having to make do with 3^rd at the flag to secure his first podium of the year ahead after being passed on the final turn of the last lap by Sofuoglu who took 2^nd..
Frenchman Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) scored his first points of the season, finishing a lonely 4^th ahead of a jubilant Ratthapong Wilairot (A.P Honda Racing Thailand) who like his elder brother, had the grandstands on their feet as he fought off a fierce attach from Italian Roberto Rolfo (Lorini Honda) who was 6^th.
Martin Cardenas (CIA Landlords Insurance) became the first Colombian in the history of the series to score points in the World Supersport championship ending the race in 8^th
Wilairot now heads to Europe with a 6 point lead over Sofuoglu in the overall standings.

WSBK ; Le doublé pour un Rea intouchable en Thaïlande / Rea dominates again to claim double Thai victory

Le pilote du Kawasaki Racing Team a conforté son statut de leader du classement général avec une troisième victoire en quatre courses.


Vainqueur de la toute première course WorldSBK organisée en Thaïlande, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) s’est à nouveau imposé depuis la pole position lors de la seconde épreuve de dimanche au Chang International Circuit et compte désormais 18 victoires à son palmarès.
Co-leader du classement général à l’issue de la première manche en Australie, le Nord-Irlandais a cette fois-ci dominé sans partage et signé au long du week-end la pole position, les deux victoires ainsi que le meilleur tour de chacune des deux courses. Rea n’a en plus jamais quitté la première position en courses.
Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils), son principal adversaire à Phillip Island, n’a pas pu rivaliser sur la nouvelle piste thaïlandaise et a de nouveau pris la seconde place dans la deuxième course, à près de cinq secondes de l’intouchable Rea.

Privé de podium par une chute dans la première course, Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) a rectifié le tir et décroché la troisième place avec une confortable avance sur Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils), quatrième pour la seconde fois de la journée, et Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team).
Le Champion en titre Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), son coéquipier Michael van der Mark, Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing), David Salom (Team Pedercini) et Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Team) complétaient le Top 10 à l’arrivée, devant Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team).
Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) a pris la treizième place tandis que Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) a été obligé de déposer sa moto en bord de piste en raison de soucis techniques. Christophe Ponsson (Grillini Team) a lui aussi abandonné.
Tombé une première fois dans la première course, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team) a de nouveau chuté et a dû se contenter du point de la quinzième place.
Niccolò Canepa et Larry Pegram du team Hero EBR n’avaient pas pu prendre le départ de la course en raison de problèmes moteur liés à la chaleur.
Avec trois victoires et un seconde place en quatre courses depuis le début de la saison, Rea mène le classement WorldSBK 2015 avec dix points d'avance sur Haslam et déjà 45 sur Sykes, son coéquipier. Guintoli, le tenant du titre, est à 54 points du leader avant la troisième manche qui aura lieu en Espagne, au MotorLand Aragón, du 10 au 12 avril.


3 manufacturers in the top 3 in race 2.
The second WorldSBK race of the day at the Chang International Circuit saw another lights-to-flag victory by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), who claimed his 18^th career win and extended his lead in the championship to 10 points in the process. The third double of his career Ulsterman capped a perfect weekend for the Ulsterman, who was dominant all weekend long as he also claimed Pole Position and recorded the fastest laps in both encounters. Incredibly enough, he led every single lap of racing, too.

Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), who was keen to make up for the error that cost him a race one podium made a lightning start, shadowing Rea for the first half of the race before succumbing to fellow British rider Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils), who notched up his second consecutive 2^nd place of the day.
Other KRT rider Tom Sykes had a fairly uneventful race to claim 5^th just behind Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils), who scored another solid result in his debut WorldSBK season in 4^th. The Spaniard pushed hard to overtake the former champion with two laps to go, eventually completing a successful manoeuvre into turn 3.
Clutch problems for the reigning World Champion Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) saw the Frenchman having to start from the rear of the grid after missing the sighting lap. He would have an incredible first lap that saw him complete the first lap in 12^th. He would eventually finish 6^th after getting the better of team-mate Michael van der Mark, who made up for his retirement in race one by finishing 7^th.

A group of four riders fought hard for the majority of the 20-lap race for the remaining top ten spots. Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati) took 8^th ahead of David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), with Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Superbike Team) finishing just outside of the top ten in 11^th.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Superbike Team) suffered his second crash of the day early in the race but fortunately as in race 1 he was able to remount, eventually scoring the final championship point with 15^th.
Team Hero EBR riders Niccolo Canepa and Larry Pegram didn’t participate in race 2, both suffering engine issues caused by the extreme heat.
In terms of the overall championship standings Rea leads the way with 95 points out of a possible 100, 10 ahead of Haslam as the series heads to Aragon in Spain in three weeks’ time.

The highlight sales of the 2015 Amelia Island auctions

All three major auction houses set out stalls at a rather wet Amelia Island this year. Buyers’ spirits certainly weren’t dampened, though – and while Bonhams will be satisfied with a 79% sell-through figure for an inaugural auction, RM christened its Sotheby’s tie-up with a near-100% success rate...

A pre-War American flavour at Bonhams’ inaugural Amelia sale

For its first auction at the Amelia Island extravaganza, Bonhams plucked several high-value eggs from the pre-War American basket, a move that paid dividends. A 1930 Cord Model L-29 Town Car sold for an impressive $1.76m, with a 1908 American Underslung Roadster charting a near-identical result (give or take $20k) a few lots later. Finally, a 1932 Stutz DV-32 Super Bearcat convertible (just) breached the million-dollar barrier at $1.01m. Among the post-War contingent, a 1952 Alfa Romeo 1900C Sprint Coupé made $415,800 against a predicted top estimate of $250,000, and a 1980 Ferrari 512BB doubled its $150,000 top estimate comfortably, with a $359,000 result. The $605,000 BMW M1 contributed towards a sale total of almost $14m – not bad for a new auction, particularly given the disappointing weather and less-than-extravagant location.

The going was (mainly) good for Gooding

Gooding & Company was able to sell almost $27m-worth of its wares on the Friday but, despite the live appearance of Sir Stirling Moss, the headlining Maserati 200 SI he once raced failed to find a new owner. However, the Café Mexicano-liveried 1974 Porsche 911 3.0-litre RSR made almost $1.24m, while the 993 GT2 made a healthy $973,500 – a new benchmark for the rare model. Elsewhere, one dedicated Ferrari enthusiast paid almost $1.16m for the modern-classic 599 S.A. Aperta, of which only 80 examples were built; its ancient ancestor, a four-cam 275 GTB, made a slightly-shy-of-estimate $3.3m. The 1999 Ferrari F355 Spider Serie Fiorano, which boasts the performance enhancements of its Challenge circuit-car cousin, sold for almost double its low estimate at $198,000; however, the modest $440,000 result for the 575 Superamerica shows that not all the modern, limited-series Ferraris are soaring in value at the rate many expect they should.

New name, new records for RM Sotheby’s

At RM’s first auction with the Sotheby’s name permanently attached, a swift response to the underwhelming beginning-of-year sales was actioned, with a near-100% sell-through rate. While the top-billing Jaguars struggled with somewhat ambitious estimates (the XJR-9 going for $2.15m against a $3 - $5m forecast, and the D-type selling post-sale for $3.68m against a predicted $3.75m - $4.25m), there was a clear appetite for the ‘new-classic’ Ferraris. An F512 M fetched a healthy $462,000 (estimate: $325,000 - $375,000), a 365 GTC/4 sold for $495,000 (estimate $300,000 – $375,000), and a 512 BB made $418,000 (estimate: $325,000 – $375,000).

Other highlight results saw a Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet reach a World Record $6.38m, while the semi-competition Shelby Cobra went for $2.1m. The ‘garage-find’ Daytona proved its romantic worth with a solid, beyond-estimate $770,000 result – but by far the biggest surprise of the sale was the 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB, which sold for a mind-boggling $682,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $200,000 - $275,000. Either the new owner really wanted the rare manual gearbox in its chromed and gated splendour – or simply mistook the ‘B’ for an ‘O’.

The Porsche Turbo price phenomenon is realised

There was something in the air that suggested big money for air-cooled 911 Turbos was on the cards at the Amelia auctions, and the spoils were ultimately shared all round. Gooding claimed a coup by selling a 993 Turbo S in the rare shade of Ocean Jade for a heady $440,000, some $40,000 over the already lofty estimate. In the same sale, its predecessor – a 1994 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 – was sold for $330,000. Over at RM, a 1988 slant-nose Turbo convertible made $363,000, while a coupé from the previous year, in the same colour but without the flat front, made $220,000. Completing RM’s Turbo trio was a low-mileage, eggshell-coloured 930 (Chiffron Yellow, actually) that sold for $253,000 against a $175,000 high estimate. Bonhams, meanwhile, scored $210,000 for an Arena Red 993 Turbo with fewer than 15,000 miles on the odometer.

Photos: Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Co.

Ducati 900 SS ‘Monkee #74′ – Wrenchmonkees

Written by Martin Hodgson

Fast approaching 100 custom builds the Wrenchmonkees of Copenhagen, Denmark know a thing or two about turning factory machinery into one off specials. But where many rely on a multitude of bolt on parts and big dollar components WM use their vast expertise to bring to life the often hidden soul of factory bikes, make them bullet proof street warriors and then offer the parts developed along the build to their ever growing customer base. It’s not only a smart business strategy but it also results in bikes like build #74, a brilliant retro tech Ducati 900 café racer with all the charm of the 70’s and the high tech of today!

In many ways the Ducati mid-level sportsbikes of the 1990’s make the perfect base for a custom build. Quality suspension and brake components, the brilliantly torquey L-twin engine and Ducati prestige make the bare bones very appealing. But dressed up with gordy plastics of the era and with power figures dwarfed by modern sportsbikes they are often overlooked.

But now being reasonably priced in the second hand market builders like WM are making use of the good and throwing away the bad. And the 900ss features the brilliant air cooled L-twin that is classic Ducati, sure the peak power figure isn’t huge, but the torque in mid-range is exactly what a Café bike should be about. Fitted with K&N pod filters and WM’s own off the shelf ‘Stainless Classic Mufflers’ it’s got the bark to match the bite!

There is no denying the beauty and simplicity of a Ducati tubular trellis frame, but the subframe fitted to the 1990’s models is truly a mess and with the plastics removed there is simply no way to make it look good. So WM heavily modified it to leave only the absolutely necessary amount of metal and resigned the rest to the scrap bin. The front Showa upside-down fully adjustable forks have been retained, although they are now 40mm lower. While the satisfactory Showa rear shock has been ditched from the standard swing arm in favour of a truly amazing adjustable Öhlins unit.

The original body work has not aged well on 80’s and 90’s Ducati sportsbikes in the eyes of the majority, a problem not even legendary designer Pierre Terblanche could rectify. So WM simply tossed them aside in favour of their own designs. Chasing the look of the SS bikes of the 70’s a replica front fairing now adorns the build.

While a one off front fender built by WM and a Ducati 900 SS 1995 tank further simplify the overall appearance. Completing the retro tech look are an off the shelf WM seat cowl that can be adapted to a vast array of models and finished with a beautifully stitched custom seat. The look is completed with an elegant and purposeful WM custom paintjob that leaves the mechanicals on full display.

Lighting is a mix of old and new, a classic look 5 3/4″ headlight pokes through the fairing, while LED rear light, LED turn signals and a Motogadget turn relay further enhance the understated look. The LED additions required a partial rewire of the Duke, while an Odyssey battery ensures she fires to life first press of the button, classic looks don’t mandate a heavy kick! Quality TRW clip-on´s feature Biltwell Kung-Fu grips and hold in place Magura 195 brake and clutch master cylinders that feed steel braided hoses.

Marchesini wheels are the perfect addition to any Ducati build but they are almost lost when faced with the visual smack in the face that is the Avon Rain Extreme tyres. The result is beautifully crafted 70’s inspired build with an urban warrior practicality that begs to be thrown around the back streets. And you could do exactly that, with its Öhlins, Brembo, Marchesini and Avon equipped quality this Wrench Monkees Ducati masterpiece is for sale, contact them now to find out how build #74 could be parked in your garage!

via PIPEBURN

Embark on a world tour with classic cases from Bertoni

Since 1949, the Bertoni family has manufactured elegant leather luggage in Varese, Italy. The current 'heritage collection' now, very creatively, combines the classic look with modern patterns...

Italian luggage, Indian pattern

Leather trunks might not be the most practical form of luggage, but rarely can you transport your belongings around the world more stylishly. The Italian luggage brand has now reinterpreted its most elegant suitcases with a range of stripes, Navajo motifs, and intriguing colour splatter designs – the latter known simply as “edgy art”.

For more information, see bertonivaligeria.it. 

Snapshot, 1994: Move along, there’s nothing to see here

What looked like a tragic pile-up involving several especially well-dressed young people was in fact a promotional campaign, with which Diesel caused a sensation in the early 90s. Photographer Pierre Winther was responsible for setting the scene…

In 1993, Diesel jeans engaged photographer Pierre Winther to develop a new visual language and to reposition the brand. In cooperation with advertising agency Paradiset from Stockholm, Winther developed the ‘Successful Living’ campaign, in which he placed young models in some grotesque and provocative scenarios. The colourful, ironic and controversial photo series captured attention everywhere – and helped Diesel to its huge worldwide success. Now, a new photo book evocatively titled ‘Nothing Beats Reality’ showcases Winther’s revolutionary editorial and advertising campaigns, for companies such as Diesel, Dunhill and Finlandia.

Photo: Pierre Winther / TeNeues

Further information about ‘Nothing Beats Reality’ can be found at teneues.com.

Détente .......