A glorious gathering at the 2015 Wilton Classic & Supercar

The 16th Century Wilton House and its majestic grounds proved the perfect environment in which to enjoy Lord Pembroke's annual automotive extravaganza. And the sun even shone...

This year’s event was split over two days for the first time, with Saturday focused on classics, and Sunday dedicated to contemporary supercars. The wonderfully astute Lord Pembroke’s vision for the event, held annually since 2008, is obvious – to exhibit an impossibly diverse range of classic and supercars (reflecting his own automotive tastes and interests) in a relaxed and picturesque environment, in a bid to inspire old and young audiences alike. 

Lavish lawns

Wandering around the immaculately presented grounds of Wilton House, jazz playing in the distance, we were struck by both the sheer variety of vehicles and the extremely high (occasionally concours) standard at which many were presented. As an official media partner, we had the unenviable job of awarding the ‘Best Classic in Show’ trophy, a decision made particularly difficult thanks to the high number of worthy cars on show. Though after hearing its story from the owner, we simply had to give it to the fabulous, dark green 1967 Iso Grifo. 

A gentler pace

With sparsely populated lawns, we were afforded plenty of time to pore over our favourite exhibits, virtually uninterrupted. From the captivating patina of Corrado Lopresto’s Alfa Romeo SZ ‘Coda Tronca’ prototype, making its first European appearance since it was rediscovered in the U.S.A. last year, to a charming little Austin 7, complete with a trailered miniature pedal car that the owner built for his children in the 1980s... and then electrified for his grandchildren in the Noughties. 

Something for everyone

Other highlights included a recreation of that crash from the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, a refreshingly well-used Porsche 2.7 Carrera RS, a Le Mans-finishing McLaren F1 GTR, and one of the best re-assembled Bugatti 73Cs in existence (gathered as part of one of the biggest collections of post- and pre-War Bugattis ever assembled – a spectacular sight indeed). Two Zagato-bodied cars also took our eye: a beautiful Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM Spyder, one of Vittorio Jano's finest designs, and the striking Ferrari 250 GT (which, incidentally, is currently for sale in the Classic Driver Market) – a car which epitomises the 1960s Zagato Grand Tourer.  

Photos: Amy Shore for Classic Driver © 2015

Classic Driver is the proud media partner of the 2015 Wilton House Classic & Supercar. You can find more coverage of the event elsewhere on Classic Driver. 

1977 Honda CB550 ‘Aldo’ by Lossa Engineering

When it comes to Honda CB café racers there’s not a lot of people that have built as many as Jay Lossa and his team at Lossa Engineering in Long Beach California. Jay has lost count of the number of CB’s he has brought back to life since starting his shop back in 2007. He usually starts his builds with “rusty hunks of junk” that cost no more than $500. It doesn’t usually matter what condition they are in because he replaces every nut and bolt anyway. This time around he started with a decent donor CB550 that he picked up for $1300 – which makes it the most expensive donor he has ever bought.

When you own a motorbike shop you tend to have a lot of spare parts lying around the garage, so Jay decided to build a bike with some of these spares. The Firestones were a cancelled order from a customer who changed his mind, so Jay incorporated them into the project. “I built this as an old school looking show bike, not a cornering carving machine” he jokes. “So I feel the tires are ok for that job”. The CB550 frame, wheel’s and all the parts were already powder coated black and the motor was rebuilt and blacked out.

All the tabs were removed, frame hooped, battery relocated under the cowl, bike has been wired with a modern regulator/rectifier, dry cell battery, electronic ignition, Dyna mini coils and NGK wires. Jay also added an Acewell digital gauge and a Lossa mini key set up and starter button.  It also has a H4 headlight and a Lossa LED tail light.

Tom McWeeney from Kustoms Inc had been wanting to paint one of Lossa’s bikes for a while, so Jay thought he would be perfect for this 70’s styled show bike. Tom did all the paintwork with House of Kolor paint. He started with a Orion Silver base and then did a candy apple red over with lines graphics and lace work. He finished it off with some silver leafing and hand pinstriping.  Tom even striped the part under the seat where the upholstery would have covered it up. “So not wanting to hide any of his artwork, I decided to expose the center of the seat,” said Jay. “I did all the bodywork myself and decided not to do knee dents and keep the tank straight and smooth as glass to show off all the artwork.”

The motor received a big bore kit and is now a 608cc, cases were split, all new gaskets, seals, Barnett clutch and a valve job with all new valves were used. “The bike also has a Mega-cycle cam and huge Keihin CR racing carburetors so we can burn off those Firestone tire’s I love so much!” he says.  One of Lossa Engineering’s Yoshi style replica 4 into 1 exhausts were used with one of their reverse cone mufflers and the whole set up was ceramic coated.

A chrome set of Lossa clubman styled bars were used to give it that classic café look, along with Biltwell grips, Tarrozzi fork brace and rearsets. Joker tappet cover, stem nut, axle adjusters and brake stay were used to dress up the standard stock pieces.  The brake caliper has been “polished to perfection” and the stock rotor CNC drilled. Every nut and bolt on the CB has been re-plated with chrome or zinc plating.  Jay finished off the build with some reservoir shocks, gold o-ring chain and Magura master cylinder.

This 1977 CB550 has been given the name ‘Aldo’ and has been completely rebuilt and is now better than new. Jay has fallen in love with this bike but knows he needs to let it go and move on to the next project. “I have too much stuff and can’t possibly ride all of my bikes, so if someone wants to arm wrestle me into selling this bike to them, I will” he says. So if you want a CB550 café racer in show bike condition, contact Jay for that arm wrestle – you’ll win because he does have nerve damage in his arms.

[Photos by Buckhorn studio]

via PIPEBURN

Monster Energy: Ballistic BJ Baldwin Recoil 2 - Unleashed in Ensenada, Mexico

What better place than the city streets of Ensenada Mexico, the home of the Baja 1000, to set the stage for the sequel to Ballistic BJ Baldwin's viral hit Recoil. This short film by Monster Energy follows BJ and his 800hp Trophy Truck as he tears through this seaside Mexican city, ripping over every drop and jump the town has to offer in an attempt to win a bet set by his friend, and international playboy Dan Bilzerian. Will he win? What will he lose? 

Our favourites from Artcurial's Automobiles sur les Champs sale

On 22 June 2015, Hervé Poulain and friends will bring the gavel down on some 70 collectors’ cars, at Artcurial’s eighth Automobiles sur les Champs sale in Paris. We’ve perused the catalogue to bring you the key lots…

Quintessentially French cars in a quintessentially French setting

Aptly, the French contingent has a strong showing. We particularly like the Le Mans Classic-eligibleAlpine A210 sports prototype (300-500k euros); one of fewer than 10 remaining Bugatti Type 13s, in beautifully original condition (150-250k euros); and a very regal Facel Vega Excellence(estimated at 160-200k euros). 

As usual, Porsche is well represented, with three cars among the lots with the highest pre-sale estimates. There's a highly eligible, ex-Walter Röhrl 911 ST, the sixth of just 43 cars genuine cars; a striking blue 2.7 Carrera RS Touring, complete with matching numbers; and a fabulously restored356 Carrera 2000GS. The estimates are 770-920k, 700-900k, and 550-650k euros respectively.

Temptation at every turn

Of the Ferraris, most significant is a circa-9000km F40 (900k-1.1m euros), though there are several other notable cars, including a brace of 512BBs (300-350k and 280-340k euros, respectively), a fabulous blue 308 GTB, estimated at a very healthy 140-180k euros (attesting to the 70s model’s burgeoning popularity in the market), and a silver 360 Challenge Stradale (185-235k euros), refreshingly different from ‘resale red’. Oh, and that 246 GT with the French yellow headlights (250-300k euros) – and you thought the Dino couldn't get any cooler?

Though a little untidy (it’s had just one owner from new), the BMW M1 in an elegant dark blue hue is an attractive proposition at just 100-150k euros. But if you’re feeling particularly brave, the flawed-yet-charming (and supposedly highly original) De Tomaso Vallelunga (220-280k euros) is crying out for some TLC. If we could raise our paddle on one car, though, it’d have to be the exquisiteFrua-bodied Maserati 3500 (400-600k euros). In the same family since 1967, we can’t imagine it’slacked any TLC since then. 

Photos: Artcurial

The Automobiles sur les Champs 8 sale takes place on 22 June 2015, at the Théâtre du Rond-Point, in Paris. You can find the full lot list in the Classic Driver Market.

Mauvais sens ........

Muff Custom XR600

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.

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.”

THE NIGHT RIDER

Midnight in Paris.

Some sleep, some don't.

THE NIGHT RIDER from Joris B. on Vimeo.

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