If it feels cool and wintry on the Pacific coast and the sun is refusing to shine, perhaps it's time to head for the warmth of Palm Springs? But please - not in just any old cruiser...
The route from Los Angeles to Palm Springs on Interstate 10 is convenient, but offers no great scenery; so what car might you choose to liven up your trip to the desert? You could of course take the traditional classic approach in a quick and comfortable early Mercedes SL, or how about something a little more unusual? And a great deal more angular?
Extravagance meets extravagance
"The result of a clash of automotive eccentrics"
The 1978 Bristol 412 Zagato Targa SII has everything you need for a relaxed road trip, along with a stylishly extravagant appearance ideal for the streets of Palm Springs. Only around 30 examples of the Series II were assembled - by hand, at Bristol in Kensington. With its targa roof, the car gives you the choice of leaving the hardtop at home or storing it in the boot, allowing up to four people to enjoy the blue sky. And as if the British manufacturer hadn't already produced something with sufficient rarity value, the 412 was helped along by Carrozzeria Zagato, known for its extravagant designs: in the seventies, the Bristol 412 Zagato was aptly described as "the result of a clash of automotive eccentrics".
Solid technology for everyday life
However, while the exterior of the Bristol is weird and wonderful, under the skin it harbours a touch of conservatism. The engine is a solid 5.9-litre Chrysler V8 with 225 horsepower, mated to three-speed automatic transmission, entirely sufficient to move the Bristol 412 SII swiftly up the San Bernardino Mountain. Inside the cabin of the fine specimen pictured, you'll find such amenities as a leather interior, air-conditioning, powered windows and a sound system. Incidentally, this Bristol was priced, in its day, just below a Rolls-Royce Corniche.
A little bit of courage might be needed to buy this strange British classic for everyday use; but those who dare will have a convertible like (almost) no other.
Photos: Jan Richter
The Bristol 412 SII shown here and other current offers from the stocklist of Autosalon Isartal can be found in the Classic Driver Market.
The woods of Sweden are a beautiful place. Majestic pines soar towards the open blue sky, straight and proud, reaching for the sunlight. In the summer, the long hours of daylight bathe the area in a beautiful warm glow, and birds sing their songs from their boughs. A relaxing air of tranquility pervades the scene, a feeling of being one with nature and the world around us.
At least, that’s what some people would have you believe. But I’ve seen enough scary movies to know that they’re wrong. No, monsters lurk in woods, hiding amongst the dark trunks, preying on the unwary. And if you needed proof, then you need look no further than these pictures.
Alexander Lundborg’s S13 definitely has the makings of a monster. There’s the internal organs ripped from another, Frankenstein-style, the angry stare of a killer, the howl of a banshee, the smoke-creating capabilities and the rumours of the many tyres that have fallen victim to its whims.
The tale begins seven years ago when Alexander bought the car. An unsuspecting S13, it likely had no idea of the transformation it would be subject to.
But Alexander already had plans for his creation. With so many RB25 swaps being carried out, he was determined to go one step further and furnish the S13 with the beating heart of a GT-R: an RB26.
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And so the transformation began, from unassuming S13 to drift monster. On the exterior, an Origin Streamline kit provided the form to the body…
… with the addition of kouki rear lights, smoked to match the car’s dark persona and specially-mixed JapCrap purple paint, which, coincidentally, only reveals its true colours in sunlight.
Its muscular haunches are provided via Origin fenders, giving an extra 20mm of width at the front and 50mm at the rear.
The extra track created by those fenders is used to house the Work Euroline wheels – 18×9-inch at the rear, and an inch narrower at the front. The chunky wheels add an almost Euro-style flair to the car’s appearance, but a touch of dish and the bolts from the two-piece finish give just the right amount of aggressiveness to make them suit.
Capable of stopping the beast in its charge are the Skyline R32 GT-R front and rear brake set-ups which have replaced the standard fare.
As a drift car, it’s been important to maximise the car’s handling capabilities, so the car has been set up with A’PEXi coilovers, along with an R34 front subframe, Driftworks front knuckles, adjustable rear lower control arms and widened front lower control arms to allow the track to be increased and maximise steering angle for those sideways moments.
It’s all business at the helm. When Alexander takes control, he’s kept from being thrown around by FIA-approved bucket seats and four-point Takata harnesses, and the chassis is reinforced by a full roll cage.
Everything’s been shifted rearwards in order to try and improve the weight balance too. The driver’s seat sits ten inches aft of its original position, while the steering column has been extended in length by six inches.
The original gearstick has been replaced with this funky curved number, and a hydraulic handbrake has been fashioned from the same awesome material as the screamer pipe. More on that in a second…
Of course, there’s always room for a Speedhunters sticker!
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Ah, there’s that piping again! I have to say I’m absolutely in love with that screamer pipe. It’s got the functionality of a train funnel, the volume of a foghorn and the looks of a machine gun barrel. Where the ammo is measured in psi. Love it.
Of course, the heart of the build lies in the engine bay. The RB26 lump was taken from an R33 GT-R but runs a relatively mild state of tune, with standard internals, bigger Bosch injectors and an uprated intercooler all being controlled by the MegaSquirt ECU.
The main hike in power comes from the Precision turbo, mated to a black steel manifold, Tial blow-off valve and of course…
… that screamer pipe. As you can probably imagine, it sounds angry, producing a guttural howl like a tortured soul keen to vent its displeasure. Rather fittingly, in Alexander’s own words, it’s “loud as hell”.
Any exhaust gases not vented that way does so through the side-exit, heat-wrapped exhaust.
The power is transferred to the wheels via an RB25 gearbox and welded stock diff, and thanks to the RB’s grunt, the set-up sees nearly 500hp at the tarmac end – easily enough to scare any unwary onlookers. Alexander owns a Seibon carbon bonnet for when the screamer pipe is detached but mentions that it’s rarely used. Which is just fine by us.
Over the years, the S13 has evolved from a street car to a dedicated drift machine built for the Swedish PowerDrift series. It’s been used hard and for a single purpose – to have fun. But it seems it’s not been fully tamed, and this summer – after our photoshoot with the car – it threw a rod straight out the side of the block.
Alexander’s not been deterred though – his only consideration now is whether to get another RB26 or whether to change things up a bit and go for a 2JZ-GTE instead. It’s a perfect example of how the car has progressed – slowly improving all the time. A monster fed by Alexander’s imagination.
So for the moment, this particular monster has been crippled. It’s retreated to its lair. The woods are once more safe to roam, and the Swedish people’s eardrums safe from assault by screamer pipe.
But don’t get too complacent. With plans to make the S13 more powerful than ever, who knows what could be watching the next time you’re out in the countryside. If you’re out for a stroll in the Swedish woodland next year and a roar fills the air, then perhaps you should watch your step. Because it seems monsters really do exist.
STAINLESS STEEL GAS TANK STAINLESS STEEL COWL SHORTENED EXHAUST CUSTOM GAS CAP CLIP ON BARS SINGLE SWING ARM DISC BRAKE FENDERS FRONT INDICATORS HEADLIGHT BRAKE LIGHT
Ten year anniversaries are always worth celebrating in style, so when it came to the tenth year of the GTR Owner Club’s existence, a special plan was put into place. Teaming up with the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), Britain’s oldest motoring organisation, a plan was hatched to position none other than a GT1 GT-R into the rotunda of the RAC’s esteemed Pall Mall headquarters.
What might have initially sounded like a simple proposition would prove to be anything but though. The process started early in the morning – 5am early – as the car’s owner, Shaun Lawless, the GTROC Chairman and organiser of the plan, John Fuggles, and a helping of friends started off the process by unloading the car.
One thing soon became apparent – this was going to be a tight squeeze! So tight in fact that it seemed that the mirrors of the GT1 car, which don’t fold in, wouldn’t make it through the front doors. There was only one thing for it – take the GT1′s doors off!
It wasn’t just the car doors though – out came the revolving doors of the entrance way. With ramps in place and the car hooked up to a winch, it was now time to manoeuvre the car through the entrance.
Breathe in! The car began its entry.
The car inched its way up the ramp, with Shaun’s brother at the wheel and Shaun directing proceedings. But if the doors had been tricky, the marble columns at the entrance of the rotunda were going to require some serious precision manoeuvres.
Yep, just a bit tight.
Eventually the car squeezed its way in and the doors could be put back on.
The result of all that hard work was a stunning sight. The ex-race car took pride of place in the central rotunda of the distinguished club, sitting pretty in time for the annual general meeting which was to be held at the venue. It might only be a temporary furnishing for a few days, but some things are just worth the effort. Now if I can just figure out how to get one into my living room…
