le film de la soirée : Mongolia 2013

1927 AMILCAR CGSS

This 1927 Amilcar CGSS represents remarkable value in the currently skyrocketing vintage car market, sometimes referred to as the “poor man’s Bugatti” the Amilcar CGS and CGSS were exceedingly popular sports and racing cars during the 1920s and early 30s. An Amilcar CGS won the world’s first 24 hour endurance race (the Bol d’Or) and others were campaigned in the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia, further cementing the sporting credentials of the marque.

As the CGSS was designed to race in the sub-1100cc class it was fitted with a 1074cc straight 4 capable of 35hp and a top speed in the 75 to 85mph range, depending on the state of tune.

Production began in France in 1923 with the CGS model, this would be replaced by the CGSS in 1926 which would stay in production until 1929. The primary difference between the CGS and the CGSS was that the latter model had a new chassis that was closer to the ground, offering a better centre of gravity. As a result of this the additional “S” was added which just stood for “surbaisse” – French for “lowered” or “low-slung”.

It’s been estimated that just over 4,700 of the CGS/CGSS were made, at the height of production there were factories building them under license in Italy, Germany and Austria, and sold they were in the USA by Maybach Motors.

It’s possible to pick up a good condition Amilcar CGS/S in the modern day for somewhere in the region of €35,000 to €55,000 ($47,000 to $74,500 USD), which is a couple of orders of magnitude less than a Bugatti of similar vintage.

Read more about this car or register to bid on it here, courtesy of Bonhams.

from SILODROME

RD350 STREAK BY BREW BIKES

If you like two-wheelers of the pedal-powered kind, you probably know about Reynolds 853 tubing. It’s a seamless, air-hardened and heat-treated steel tube with a high strength-to-weight ratio. It’s not something you often see pressed into service on a motorcycle frame, and this 1974 Yamaha RD350 custom is the first of its type to be built in the USA.

It’s the work of master craftsman Steve ‘Brewdude’ Garn, who built it for the Ton-Up exhibition at Sturgis. The featherbed-style frame weighs a mere 20.8 lbs (9.4 kg) compared to the 52 lbs of a stock RD350 frame.

The rest of the bike is pretty impressive too. Garn rebuilt the two-stroke motor with a new crank, Wiseco Pro-Lite pistons, Banshee reeds, 34mm Lectron carbs, RZ350 chambers and an MSD ignition system. It now pumps out around 60 hp compared to the 35 hp of the stock motor.

The tank and front end have been lifted from an R5, with Hagon shocks bringing up the rear. The 18” aluminum D.I.D. rims were spoked by Buchanan’s, and are shod with Avon Roadrider rubber.

As well as the frame, Garn crafted the bars from 853 tubing, finishing them off with Pro Taper grips. There’s an Acerbis light up front, and custom-fabricated LEDs at the back. The fenders are from Hotwing Glass.

The RD350 tips the scales at just 243 lbs (110 kg), which is about the same as a 250cc motocross bike. Fairly obvious where the name ‘Streak’ comes from, isn’t it?

Images by Michael Lichter Photography.

from BIKEEXIF

YAMAHA SR400 CUSTOM BY MOTOR ROCK

Motor Rock is a fantastic, boutique custom motorcycle garage based in Japan, they opened their doors in 2004 and have produced a series of notable and unique bikes since. This beautiful, fully faired Yamaha SR400 custom is one of their more traditional offerings, the bike has been heavily modified from front to back with not a whole lot of the stock SR400 remaining.

That eye-catching fairing is all handmade from fibreglass as is the classic rear cowling, the fuel tank is custom made, hand-beaten aluminium. The more observant amongst you have already noticed that the fairing has an opening behind the wheel to allow some of the already-broken wind off the front tire to cool the 400cc single cylinder engine.

I really like the indicator placement on this build, having them mounted right on the body work is a far more aesthetically pleasing design than having them dangling on little antennae on the front and back. The bike retains it’s stock, vintage looking drum brakes front and rear, they don’t have any trouble slowing her down as the total weight of the bike is relatively light at just a tad under 150kgs (330lbs).

If you’d like to check out more from Motor Rock, hit the link here.

via SILODROME