The Muff Custom XR 600 film was shown at Bike Shed 2015.
"I was looking for a way to show the texture of the workshop in a way that portrays the builder and the bike becoming one within the space." - Malte Rosenfeld.
Check out the story from the director athttp://www.weareninetynine.co/mot…/muff-customs-xr-600-film/
Muff Custom XR600 from Malte Rosenfeld on Vimeo.
lundi 15 juin 2015
FIA WEC ; Ford Returning to Le Mans in 2016 with All-New Ford GT, Marking 50th Anniversary of 1966 Victory
Ford announced it is returning to one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world with its new Ford GT race car, based on the all-new ultra-high-performance supercar that goes on sale next year.
The Ford GT race car will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – referred to by many as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency – starting next year. Revealed today at the famous circuit in Le Mans, France, Ford GT will compete in the Le Mans GT Endurance class for professional teams and drivers (LM GTE Pro).
The new race car – a further proof point of Ford innovation – is based on the all-new Ford GT supercar unveiled in January. Both the production car and race car will arrive in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford went on to repeat its victory at Le Mans in 1967, 1968 and 1969.
“When the GT40 competed at Le Mans in the 1960s, Henry Ford II sought to prove Ford could beat endurance racing’s most legendary manufacturers,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We are still extremely proud of having won this iconic race four times in a row, and that same spirit that drove the innovation behind the first Ford GT still drives us today.”
The new Ford GT race car will run the full 2016 schedules of the FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, making its competition debut in January 2016 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Florida. The two Ford teams will be operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS). Both series teams intend to compete with a four-car effort at Le Mans. Drivers will be announced later.
The all-new Ford GT serves as the pinnacle product of the new Ford Performance group, a division dedicated to providing innovation through performance.
Set to deliver more than 12 new performance vehicles by 2020, Ford Performance will leverage its racing efforts and expertise to speed innovations on dedicated performance models and performance parts in order to more quickly iterate the latest technologies that can ultimately be applied to the full Ford vehicle line-up.
The performance segment is a growing business for Ford, as the company recognises its customers’ desire for vehicles that offer excellent fuel economy, leading technology and a great driving experience. The Ford Performance line-up includes Ford GT, Focus RS, F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R, Focus ST and Fiesta ST.
“Ford remains focused on three priorities globally – accelerating our One Ford plan, delivering product excellence with passion and driving innovation in every part of our business,” said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. “All three came together to create the new Ford GT. We also know from our rich history in motorsports that world-class competition is a great incubator for even further product innovation.”
The Ford GT race car features a number of innovations Ford believes will not only make it competitive in LM GTE Pro, but ultimately positioned to provide benefits to each vehicle in the Ford line-up. These include state-of-the-art aerodynamics to deliver outstanding levels of downforce for improved stability with minimal drag, advanced lightweight composites featuring carbon fibre for an exceptionally rigid but light chassis, and the power and efficiency of EcoBoost technology.
“As we developed the Ford GT, from the outset, we wanted to ensure we had a car that has what it takes to return Ford to the world of GT racing,” said Raj Nair, Ford Motor Company group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer. “We believe the Ford GT’s advances in aerodynamics, light-weighting and EcoBoost power will make for a compelling race car that can once again compete on a global stage.”
Joining Ford in this project are Multimatic Motorsports, Roush Yates Engines, Castrol, Michelin, Forza Motorsport, Sparco, Brembo and CGRFS. The race car has undergone extensive design and testing within Ford and Multimatic, with CGRFS providing input into the development. Roush Yates is supporting development of the 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 – the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever.
The 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine debuted in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014. Since then, Ford, with CGRFS, has captured significant overall wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Rolex 24 At Daytona. Besides great success in sports cars, Ganassi race teams achieved major victories in the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis 500.
“We’ve won races and championships, but we’ve never run Le Mans,” said team owner Chip Ganassi. “When presented the opportunity to compete with the all-new Ford GT on the world’s biggest sports car stage, and on the 50th anniversary of one of the most storied victories in racing history, how could any race team not want to be part of that? Will it be a challenge? Absolutely, but we couldn’t be with a better partner than Ford.”
LE MANS Signatech-Alpine KO mais Alpine reviendra en 2016 !
À moins de 90 minutes du départ des 24 Heures du Mans, Alpine créait l’événement devant 250 000 spectateurs réunis autour du circuit sarthois. Nouvelle étape d’une renaissance entamée en 2012, le show-car Alpine Célébration prenait la piste aux côtés d’une emblématique Alpine A110.
Soixante ans après la création du A fléché par Jean Rédélé, Alpine Célébration donne une nouvelle image de la modernité à travers les attributs intemporels du style de la Marque. Elle fait suite à l’A110-50 et à Alpine Vision Gran Turismo, en croisant l’Alpine A450b sur la grille de départ des 24 Heures du Mans, pour franchir une étape supplémentaire dans l’exploration authentique des thèmes liés à la performance, à l’agilité, au style et aux sensations.
La visite du Président de la République Française François Hollande était un autre moment fort de cette journée. Invité dans le stand de l’équipe Signatech-Alpine, le premier Président à assister aux 24 Heures du Mans depuis 1972 s’est montré particulièrement intéressé et enthousiasmé par le projet présenté par Alpine.
Au cœur de l’événement, Alpine a montré ses valeurs
Placée en cinquième position sur la grille de départ, l’équipe Signatech-Alpine profitait d’un bon départ de Paul-Loup Chatin pour s’afficher dans le peloton de tête. La stratégie était ensuite adaptée aux divers événements du début de course.
Une longue neutralisation était à l’origine d’un quintuple relais de Nelson Panciatici. Parti pour un unique ravitaillement avec les mêmes pneumatiques, il bénéficiait de l’entrée en piste de la voiture de sécurité pour faire le plein, chausser de nouvelles gommes et repartir pour trois relais.
Grâce à cette décision, l’Alpine A450b pointait en troisième position lorsque Vincent Capillaire prenait le volant. Régulier et performant, il laissait le baquet à Paul-Loup Chatin, peu après 22h00, toujours sur le podium provisoire.
Vingt-huit minutes après s’être élancé, Paul-Loup sortait de la piste à Mulsanne. Conseillé par son équipe technique, il tentait de relancer le prototype durant plus de deux heures. Sans succès, Signatech-Alpine décidait d’annoncer l’abandon lors de la onzième heure de course.
Bernard Ollivier, Directeur d’Alpine : « Ce fut une journée intense pour Alpine qui a dévoilé l’état de ses travaux pour le futur avec Alpine Célébration. Malheureusement, après des premières heures exceptionnelles en piste pour l’équipe Signatech-Alpine, nous avons été contraints à l’abandon. Mais nous reviendrons ! »
Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Signatech-Alpine : « Nous avions pris un excellent départ. L’objectif était d’être à portée de podium. Les deux premiers étant partis sur un rythme très rapide, la troisième place était une très bonne position pour commencer notre nuit. La stratégie établie pouvait nous donner un avantage déterminant. Mais Le Mans reste une course difficile. Nous ne connaissons pas encore les circonstances de la sortie de piste. Nous allons analyser tous les paramètres. Bravo, néanmoins, à toute l’équipe et à nos pilotes, qui ont fait un excellent travail en début de course et qui ont fait preuve d’abnégation lors des moments difficiles. »
Nelson Panciatici : « Lancer ma course avec un quintuple relais d’emblée était une nouvelle expérience. J’ai pris un immense plaisir au volant de l’Alpine A450b. La voiture était extraordinaire. Nous étions très performants. Une sortie arrive parfois en sport automobile. C’est dommage, car je suis convaincu que nous aurions pu faire quelque chose de bien. »
Vincent Capillaire : « Nous avions fait une excellente entame de course. Chaque pilote était sur un très bon rythme et la stratégie était parfaite. Nous savions où nous allions et nous avions une belle carte à jouer. Ne pas finir est dur quand on pense à l’énergie, au travail et à l’investissement de l’équipe et des partenaires dans ce projet. C’est le sport. Rendez-vous donc en 2016 ! »
Paul-Loup Chatin : « Tout se passait bien. L’Alpine A450b était parfaite et j’étais en confiance. Au freinage de Mulsanne, j’ai tapé dans les freins et j’ai instantanément perdu le contrôle pour aller heurter le rail à droite. J’ai tout essayé pour repartir. En liaison avec l’équipe, j’ai fait une cinquantaine de manipulations et une centaine de tentatives pour redémarrer durant plus de deux heures. Je ne comprends pas comment c’est arrivé. La voiture avait un comportement exceptionnel et tout le monde avait fait un très bon travail. J’aurais aimé aller au bout et prendre encore plus d’expérience. »
A BMW bike fit for Lawrence of Arabia
If Lawrence of Arabia had crossed the desert by motorcycle, rather than by camel, he’d almost certainly have opted for this intriguingly modified BMW R100GS…
Utilitarian cool
Aside from the obvious khaki colour scheme, modifications include a pared-back sub-frame and exhaust system, dynamic engine tuning, chunky off-road tyres and – hipster alert – a handlebar-mounted Leica camera. Incidentally, this bike is currently offered for sale in the Classic Driver Market. It might appeal primarily to urban hipsters, but if you are planning a trans-Saharan adventure, this could be just the tool for the job. How it fares in guerilla train-wrecking raids, on the other hand, is another question altogether.
Photos: Autosalon Stich
You can find this bike and many others offered for sale in the Classic Driver Market.
The advocate’s devil – a very special MGB GT V8
An MGB that accelerates as quickly as a Ferrari? Anything’s possible, as we've learned this week from our reader, Rolf Jäger. The Munich-based lawyer owns this MGB GT V8, from which RPI Engineering has coaxed a devilish 275bhp…
As luck would have it...
The story began in March this year, when Jäger attended Retro Classics in Stuttgart with a friend. He had no intention of purchasing anything, until a track-prepared MGB on one exhibitor’s stand caught his eye. “After taking a closer look and having a very informative chat with its owner, my interest became concrete,” says Jäger. “However, I pointed out that my intentions were not so much directed at fast lap-times, but more at everyday adrenalin.” And after an early experience with an MG Midget as a trainee lawyer in London, anything but a restored vehicle was out of the question. “The seller pricked up his ears,” he says. “He had something very special in his collection, but would first need the blessing of his wife, as it concerned their holiday car.”
The virus takes hold
Three days later, more information reached Jäger. Said holiday car was a right-hand-drive MGB GT V8 from 1976, with its performance essentially doubled by RPI Engineering in England from a humble 137bhp to a scintillating 275bhp. The owner also had the photos you can see here, taken by advertising photographer, Mario Brunner. “When I saw the performance specifications, I was infected, and convinced this was the car,” he says. Had his hand not been in plaster due to a ski injury several days before, he would have gone to test the car immediately. While the hand healed, Jäger extensively researched the history of the monstrous MGB, only succumbing to the ‘virus’ more and more severely.
To Munich...
The time had come: the evaluation and first test drive were all that stood in the way of Jäger signing on the dotted line for the MGB. Having travelled to Munich, he had ample opportunity to familiarise himself with the special features of the coupé, such as the four-speed overdrive gearbox, manually switchable cooling fans, stainless steel exhaust system and thoroughly optimised chassis. Meanwhile, the 4.6-litre Rover V8 was developing around 275bhp at 2,750rpm.
When the wolf wakes...
Acceleration from 0-100km/h takes about 5.2 seconds, around the same time as the Ferrari 512 BB of the same year. This begs the question of how the car handles. “It's very civilised,” laughs Jäger, “if you don’t wake the wolf in sheep’s clothing…” There’s more to this MGB than its muscle-car performance, though. Details such as the contemporary fabric roof awning with wind deflector, leather heated seats with red piping, the map light from Hella, and the sheepskin carpets; they all add so much charm to the little MG. We imagine Jäger would have signed for the car with his blood, if he’d had to.
Photos: Mario Brunner
GOING DUTCH: BOY JANSSEN’S XT 600 DESERT SLED
Most custom bikes lead pretty easy lives. Even scramblers and dirt trackers are likely to spend more time on road than off. But this tough Yamaha XT 600 is the real deal—built to follow a rally team through North Africa.
It belongs to Boy Janssen, who recently swapped the streets of Amsterdam for a quieter life in the Dutch countryside. “Some people thought we were crazy, but the move made perfect sense for us,” he says. “We’re in the middle of the best back roads, and living in a house with a workshop.”
Boy is now building bikes full time, and the XT 600 is the first bike to roll out of his new Pancake Customs workshop. It’s already had a good shakedown: in April, Boy handled spannering duties for the Black Ram team during the Libya rally.
“The first thing to go was that awful XT 600 subframe with the integrated muffler, and the fuel tank. I really like the Triumph desert sleds from the 1960s, and that was my inspiration for the rear end.”
After testing several different tanks, Boy found a neglected DT400 unit—and it’s a perfect match. Right behind is a custom seat with a practical heavy canvas cover, built by local specialist Silver Machine.
It’s an ‘extreme desert challenge‘ that’s held in Morocco rather than Libya, with seven brutal stages running over 2,400 kilometers. “There was some space left over in our 6×6 truck,” says Boy. “As a bike builder I didn’t want to take a stock bike, so I started this project.”
“The first thing to go was that awful XT 600 subframe with the integrated muffler, and the fuel tank. I really like the Triumph desert sleds from the 1960s, and that was my inspiration for the rear end.”
It’s now much cleaner, with a simple metal fender tucked under the new rear frame loop.
After testing several different tanks, Boy found a neglected DT400 unit—and it’s a perfect match. Right behind is a custom seat with a practical heavy canvas cover, built by local specialist Silver Machine.
All the electronic components are now hidden under the tank, and connected with a new wiring loom. It’s a battery-free setup.
Up front, Boy has shaved the top triple tree and positioned the bars a little bit lower than usual. He’s also made a frontplate housing two compact lights—a modern take on the desert sled look.
Like the other mods, the exhaust system is simple and effective—exiting under the seat and out of harm’s way in case of a crash.
The Yamaha XT 600 engine is usually bulletproof, and this one was no exception. After a thorough check and a few adjustments to suit the foam pod filters, it was good to go.
Like the other mods, the exhaust system is simple and effective—exiting under the seat and out of harm’s way in case of a crash.
The only thing left was to fit Heidenau K60 rubber and apply a fresh layer of flat black powder coat. It’s now the perfect machine for ripping up the dunes—or the dirt tracks of rural Holland.
Pancake Customs | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Berber Theunissen
RM Sotheby’s to auction jaw-dropping Pinnacle Portfolio in Monterey
Comprising a Ferrari 250 LM, a McLaren F1, the first and last Bugatti Veyrons built, and the final Ferrari Enzo (among many others), the Pinnacle Portfolio, to be offered by RM Sotheby’s at its Monterey sale, is the most significant and valuable private collection ever to have come to auction…
Warranting an extra day at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale (13-15 August 2015), the Pinnacle Portfolio is a major coup for the auction house, given the quality and significance of the collection. From 1950s and 60s sports and racing cars to contemporary supercars, it has been assembled with clinical precision, comprising the very best examples, irrespective of price. One of the finest, most original Ferrari 250 LMs and the very last Ferrari Enzo to be built – then gifted by Luca di Montezemolo to the late Pope John Paul II and currently showing a scarcely believable 180km – can attest to that. As can the Lamborghini Reventon, Miura P400 SV, Maserati MC12, Toyota 2000GT, Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy ‘Gullwing’, etc. etc.
Keep an eye on Classic Driver in the coming weeks as more information about this ultra-special collection comes to light.
Photos: Patrick Ernzen for RM Sotheby's
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