Guy Martin calendars in SIDEBURN webshop

These Guy Martin 2013 calendars are so lovely I had to get some for the webshop. We got them straight from Guy.

They are beautifully illustrated and masterfully printed, in England. Features illustrations of Guy's favourite things, The Britten; Snap-On tool chest; Rolls Royce Spitfire engine; stripped GSX-R1100 engine; Scania 143 truck; Transit van; Lego combine harvester; Nokia 6310 phone; Volvo Amazon kustom; Orange MTB; Saab hot rod; 2004 GSX-R1000 race bike.

It comes free with £20/€20 Dainese voucher to be used online. You could buy a £20 hat and get the calendar for free. It's money off, not a percentage. It's a no-brainer!

Also has a signed photo of Guy and a skull and spanners sticker.

£13 plus post. We post these anywhere in the world. G

Iceland: A Skier’s Journey

These guys make interesting short travel documentaries with great photography.

In Iceland’s rough and remote Westfjords region, Chad Sayers, Forrest Coots, and Chad Manley step back in time to revisit a way of life that lasted 1000 years. With the guidance of local friends Siggi Jonsson and Runar Karlsson, they traverse the storied landscape via sailboat, kayak, and ski, exploring what it would have been like to survive there for so many generations. Each ski run begins and ends with seaweed underfoot, while waterfalls, lichen-clad couloirs, and stories of humans past make up the in-between.

Presented by Arcteryx.com & The GORE-TEX® Brand

Director/Producer: Jordan Manley
Story editors: Chad Manley & Daniel Irvine
Translator: Asi
Narrator: Chad Sayers

Skiers:
Chad Sayers
Forrest Coots
Chad Manley

A Greek Gift: The Aristotle Onassis 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400S

The 1966 hit ‘In the Days of King Otto’ might not have topped the charts outside Greece, but it was a big success for the rally-driving singer Stamatis Kokotas. In the early 70s, Kokotas received a present from his friend and fan, the Greek shipping millionaire Aristotle Onassis. 

It was a metallic brown 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400S, the car you see here, and one which will be auctioned by the British house Coys at its 4 December, London sale. 

If any car could personify the jet-setting lifestyle of the time, it was the Miura. Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966, one of Bertone’s finest-ever designs (it was from the pen of Marcello Gandini) could stop traffic in the best streets of New York, London or Paris. 



Ironically for a company noted for its refusal to compete in motorsport until recent times, the company’s engineering team of Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani and Bob Wallace created a mid-engined supercar akin to a contemporary Ferrari Le Mans entry. But it took Maranello until 1973 - after Miura production had finished - before its equivalent (the 365 GT4 BB) went on sale. 

With a transverse-mounted, 3.9-litre V12 producing around 375bhp in P400S configuration, the car had the performance to match its low-slung, striking looks – although it would take a brave man to use it to the full. 

Kokotas could well have been such a person, as he was a highly capable rally driver and enthusiast for fast cars, running an extensive collection in the 1970s, all funded by his singing career. 


Onassis was both a friend of Kokotas and a fan of his music. It was typical of the man worth countless millions that he should share his riches with a likeminded artistic Greek. 

As a P400S, this car benefited from upgrades such as electric windows and an improved engine. It also had the optional air-conditioning – essential in such a hot climate. Unique to it, though, are the engraved alloy air vents, passenger grab handle, gear lever, electric window switches and ignition switch surrounds. The steering wheel boss also has further bespoke etchings. 

The well-known ‘eyelashes’ around the headlamps were made from alloy, and underneath the unique-shaped grille sits a battery of driving lights. 

This car, clearly, means business. 


Today, the 'barn-find' car with a matching-numbers engine (straight from display as an exhibit at the Lamborghini factory) is one of the remaining Miuras yet to be restored. It comes to the UK for the Coys sale after some 42 years in storage in the underground car park of the Athens Hilton. 

Metallic brown with tan leather, and an association with one of the richest men in the world, it encapsulates the spirit of the time. It's estimated at GBP 320,000 - 370,000 and will require further investment to restore it to its former glory. 

But imagine the satisfaction as the project takes shape and the completed car takes a bow at Pebble Beach or an owners’ tour. As Onassis once put it: “After a certain point, money is meaningless. It ceases to be the goal. The game is what counts.” 

Related links Further details of this rare car can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace You can view all the cars to be offered by Coys at its 4 December, London sale in the Classic Driver Marketplace Text: Steve Wakefield

Photos: Simon Clay / Coys

BAT Facts: Understanding the extraordinary Bertone-bodied Alfa Romeos of the 1950s

You might well have seen them at Pebble Beach or Villa d’Este, but what exactly were the futuristic curled-wing wonders known as the ‘BAT cars’? Let us be your guide. 

What’s in a name; are we talking about the Caped Crusader? 

Well, no. ‘BAT’ is not a reference to Gotham City; it stands for ‘Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica Alfa Romeos’. 

So how did they come about? 

Bertone was commissioned by Alfa Romeo in the early 1950s to produce a series of striking concept vehicles designed to explore the effects of drag on a vehicle. It was all very space-age and took place at the same time as Carrozzeria Touring made the Disco Volante (‘flying saucer’). Bertone’s Franco Scaglione masterminded the design project, building all cars on Alfa Romeo 1900 SS chassis.



And were they successful? 

In terms of low drag, yes. A drag coefficient of of 0.19 was recorded for the very best and, despite the modest 1900cc, four-cylinder engine and extravagant bodywork, a top speed of over 120mph was achievable. Publicity-wise, the cars created a storm wherever they were shown. And still do. 

So, BAT 5, BAT 7 and BAT 9 - how many were made?

Between 1953 and 1955, one car per year was revealed at the Turin Motor Show. Three cars in all. Legend has it that the ‘5’ came about as it took five attempts before Scaglione was happy with the final result. 



And what happened to them afterwards? 

In the period immediately after 1955, all three were bought by American entrepreneur (and business partner of Nuccio Bertone) Stanley Harold ‘Wacky’ Arnolt II. He drove BAT 5 on the road for many years. When the collection was split up, BAT 7 was raced and fell into quite bad disrepair, and BAT 9 served as a ‘gate guardian’ outside a General Motors dealership in Michigan. All very sad. 

So where are they now?

Thankfully, in good hands, in a single collection. All three were restored in the UK prior to a magnificent unveiling at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. They occasionally make other visits to the concours lawn, and have been seen at the Goodwood Cartier Style et Luxe, the Louis Vuitton Bagatelle Concours d'Elegance, Paris and Villa d’Este. 

Text: Classic Driver