7 CARS THAT LOOK BETTER IN COSTUME

Yes, some of these are stretching the definition of "costume," but there's no denying the spectacular nature of these racing cars. Be it a road car rebuilt into a race car or a race car clothed to look like a road car, sometimes box flares and production-honed styling melt together perfectly. The stories of why are often different, and range from manufacturers trying to get a leg up on the competition to industrious privateers who really want to shoehorn a Formula 1 engine into their DAF race car. There are thousands of other examples, of course, but these are costumed race cars that definitely improve on the original.

Basically anything ever called a “Super Saloon” The UK had “Super Saloons”, which are easiest to imagine if one took a moment to envision the best support series for the era of “unlimited” Can-Am competition. Super Saloons only had to look like the vehicles they’d been based on, and some were modified Formula cars underneath. The fastest had massive V8 engines underneath pedestrian bodywork, birthing V8-powered DAF sedans and Volkswagen Beetles.

Alfa Romeo 164 Pro Car Like Super Saloons, the 164 Pro Car is a race car clothed to look like a 164 sedan for the aborted Formula S series, replacement for the BMW M1-heavy ProCar series. As you can see, the Alfa had a Formula 1 V10 and with enclosed wheels could top 215 mph. Bernie Ecclestone though manufacturers would be lining up to enter this series, to be held before Formula 1 races, but it never got off the ground. Shame.

Ford SuperVan Ford built three radically-altered Transit vans, the first was made in 1971, based on a production van, and had a few choice parts, including a Gurney-Eagle tuned Ford V8, racing suspension, and 5-speed ZF transaxle. The second was based on a Group C car, and the third was a rebuilt version of the second, only now with a Cosworth HB Formula 1 V8.

Mercedes-Benz 500SLC Le Mans Prototype The pretty successful and apparently likeable German privateer driver Hans Heyer spent most of his time in touring cars, but after experiencing faster machines and earning some solid results, Heyer took on the project of creating a “new” (unofficial) Group C car to enter at Le Mans. A mid-mounted Mercedes-Benz engine makes nearly 600 horsepower, with an “aluminum monocoque chassis designed along ground effect principles”. After the 500SLC? He won the European Touring Car Championship round at the Spa 24 Hours three times in a row, among other successes. The 500SLC is still around today, still waiting for its first Group C race…

Group 5 Lancia Stratos The long-running and hotly-contested FIA Group 5 category spanned many years, but here we’re concerned with the “Special Production Car” category that ran from 1976 to 1982, specifically the significantly altered—turbocharged—Lancia Stratos that competed. With only the hood, doors, roof, and rain gutter shared with production car counterparts, the series is responsible for creating many of the cars we still love today. The “slant nose” Porsches, notably, but also…

…pretty much anything from the Japanese Super Silhouette Series Based on FIA Group 5, from 1979 the Super Silhouette cars were run as a support series in Japan to faster cars. Often held at Fuji Speedway, the Japanese production car-based racers usually had around 600 horsepower and every early-’80s speed trick you’d expect to see

Renault Espace F1 The Ford SuperVan is cool and all, but for the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing, it’s difficult to top the Espace F1. Renault took Ford’s idea and improved on it in every way, working with its Formula 1 program, Williams, RenaultSport, and Matra to construct a promotional vehicle to sell the plebian Espace. Driver? Alain Prost. The engine was more powerful than it had been in F1, and sat inside a chassis (and bodywork!) specially made for this vehicle. Top speed was just shy of 200 mph, and it’d hit 125 mph from a standstill in seven seconds.

How a Near-Death Experience Changed Outdoor Gear Forever

By J. Travis Smith    Photo by Sung Han

Born in 1899, Eddie Bauer grew up living off the land in the Pacific Northwest. After a childhood spent outdoors and six years of experience selling sporting goods at a local store in downtown Seattle, Bauer opened his own retail business at the age of 20. The first sign of his innate marketing talent was his offer of an unconditional money-back guarantee for any equipment he sold, which was well ahead of its time.

He also had a gift for advertising, and he built trust by personifying the brand itself. Bauer made a name for himself in Washington as an accomplished marksman. Along with his wife, Christine Heltborg, whom he wed in 1929, he won state competitions in the individual and couples categories for shooting clay pigeons, all while wearing patches prominently displaying the Eddie Bauer name. The duo’s victories were covered in the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, spreading his name as he came to inhabit ever-larger retail spaces.

But it wasn’t until a near-fatal outing in 1935 that Bauer began to design the jacket that would make his name known far outside of Seattle. Bauer was returning from a fishing trip in the Olympic Peninsula when freezing rain caught him far from shelter. His clothing soaked and icing over, Bauer began to feel drowsy, the early signs of hypothermia. He fired off three rifle shots to signal a friend hiking far in front of him and then fell asleep against a tree. He wrote later that he would’ve been “a goner if my partner hadn’t come along.”

Remembering a story his uncle told him, in which a down-lined coat saved him from the cold during the Russo-Japanese War, he set to work on a down jacket for the cold of the Pacific Northwest. In 1940, he patented his design for the first Skyliner jacket, which he claims was the first visibly quilted down insulated outdoor apparel garment in the US. According to the patent, for 14 years Bauer held the exclusive rights to produce the diamond pattern of the Skyliner, which he later expanded to 10 other design patterns for quilted clothing, effectively making him the exclusive seller of quilted down jackets until the 1960s. While the iconic pattern ensured that everyone knew it was from Eddie Bauer, the jacket became popular for being lightweight but extremely warm due to its revolutionary use of down.

The oldest surviving patented quilted down jacket produced in America is in the collection of the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle. It’s an Eddie Bauer Skyliner from 1936, the first year they went to production. The second oldest is housed on the fifth floor of Lincoln Square in Bellevue, Washington. Just out of the elevators and beside the lobby’s leather-clad waiting area is a glass wall patterned with the silhouettes of game birds. Oversized logs frame an entryway. This is Eddie Bauer’s historical archive: four hallways moving clockwise in time from the company’s founding in 1920, past the Skyliner on display, and onto the present day, framing an interior storage room. Along the back wall, Colin Berg, in white gloves, is unpacking Eddie Bauer mail-order catalogues from the 1940s.

Berg is the first full-time brand historian of Eddie Bauer. A copywriter for the company in the ’90s, he’s been with the company for a total of 17 years spread over close to three decades. During his tenure he became known as the resident expert on brand history and was given the keys to a rudimentary archive, tasked with packing it up for storage. He left the company in 2004, but three years later, after a new CEO took over, he was called back in. He was told to unpack the archive and expand it. It was the beginning of a new era.

Berg’s dead set on putting substance on the “skeleton structure” of the company’s history, a history that has been forgotten by an entire generation. Adventuring millennials have grown up knowing Eddie Bauer only for comfortable clothing, special-edition Fords and house wares, but the company was at one point a legend in American outdoor outfitting. Most just don’t know the history.Berg was brought back to showcase the heritage of Eddie Bauer, an iconic fishing and hunting outfitter that, most notably, outfitted Americans during the golden years of Himalayan ascents, when nations were racing to the top of Earth’s highest peaks. Following those golden years, the company slowly moved away from its roots as an “Expedition Outfitter,” dropping the famous tagline and refocusing on lifestyle products and what Berg refers to as “mall clothing.” Today, Berg gives his short, square walking tour through the company’s history to new hires and industry representatives. Inside the interior room he curates moveable racks filled with hundreds of vintage garments, each with an accompanying story. These garments are collected from past customers and used as a base of inspiration for Eddie Bauer’s current design department. It’s just one part of the brand’s strategy to reinvigorate its technical outdoor roots.

In 1942, as part of the war effort, Bauer provided thousands of flying suits, and later sleeping bags, for servicemen stationed in Alaska and Europe. Business was booming, but Bauer’s use of expensive, specialized machinery for wartime production, along with re-negotiated contracts for his work, led to a low point for the company, and for Bauer personally. “He was running three shifts a day, seven days a week, so he was physically way over expended, as well as economically,” said Berg. “By the end of the war, even though he made all of these pieces and built a tremendous amount of reputation, the economics turned out that he wasn’t particularly profitable.”

However, these round-the-clock efforts eventually turned Eddie Bauer into a national brand, even if indirectly. GIs returning from the war had experienced firsthand the quality of Eddie Bauer’s products and knew exactly where they were made because of the tag sewn into every garment. The soldiers began writing to Bauer from all over the nation, helping to spur the huge mail-order catalogue business the company became known for. Unlike today’s catalogues, they included a personal, signed letter from Bauer, and the first few pages were written to educate consumers about the benefits of goose down and the ethos of the company

Up until 1950s, Eddie Bauer was associated with hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen, but it was time to become “Expedition Outfitters.” A team of eight American mountaineers, three of them from Seattle, came to Eddie in the fall of 1952 with a request for a mountaineering down parka. The best in the world were made in France, and the group wanted an American-made parka for their attempt at the first ascent of K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain. The resulting jacket was named the Kara Koram, after the mountain range, and became known for its life-saving quality after the team failed to reach the top due to disastrous weather but showed great heroism in saving all but one climber’s life, including a save infamously known as “The Belay.” The group and Bauer’s equipment became known worldwide.

The rest of the 1950s were characterized by continued attempts at first ascents, and the Kara Koram was used all over the world. It wasn’t until 1958 that an American team, clad in Eddie Bauer down, made the first ascent of one of the world’s fourteen 8000-meter peaks, Gasherbrum I, and they summited the peak wearing another Bauer innovation: down parkas with ripstop nylon. The material had been used in sleeping bags for 2-3 years and, at the suggestion of the climbing team, Bauer used it as the outer shell of his parka to keep the weight low but maintain durability. This material was then used in the most extreme parka ever made by Bauer, the Mt. Everest Parka, in 1963.

The year 1971 marked a drastic turning point for the company. The same year an Eddie Bauer team summited Everest for the third time, and three years after Eddie retired, the company was sold to General Mills, and it was the beginning of a three-decade-long redirection of the company’s legacy. “By the ’80s the leadership that came in had MBAs, they were trained merchants, not outdoorsmen,” said Berg. “Retail space was starting to move out of downtown shopping districts into suburban malls, where the style of retailer is more homogenous.”

Even consumer attitudes began to change. “The company wanted to use an old photograph of Eddie,” said Berg, referring to a photo released in the early 1980s in which Bauer posed in front of his Seattle storefront with a deer he had hunted. “They were nervous about dead animals and were starting to migrate into the lifestyle brand ethos, away from the rugged outdoors. So they airbrushed the deer out. This was before the days of photoshopping. Afterward, Eddie was just standing there by himself.”

I

n 1988, Spiegel, Inc. acquired Eddie Bauer and continued the movement to focus on customers who remained indoors. Eddie Bauer no longer sold hunting or fishing equipment. It no longer outfitted mountaineering expeditions. Instead it developed the All Week Long and Eddie Bauer Home lines, abandoning tent sales and the Sports Shop to save retail space. A short bout of success was followed by a decline in sales, and Eddie Bauer was taken over by Eddie Bauer Holdings in 2005. For the first time in 35 years, Eddie Bauer was an independent company. This marked the dawn of a new era, one defined by a movement back to the roots, and a proud representation of the brand’s heritage.
A Skyliner for a New Generation

This limited edition of the Skyliner silhouette, created in collaboration with stylist Ilaria Urbinati, combines the latest in urban sportswear trends with 700-fill premium down insulation covered by a cotton/nylon shell coated with a StormRepel DWR finish. Buy Now: $250

If the response from the outdoor world is any indication, First Ascent proved to be more than just a well-executed marketing stunt. In its first five years, the new gear line won 13 industry best-in-class awards and completed 53 pioneering expeditions strapped onto the backs and hands of world-class guides and explorers. Last year, this magazine included Eddie Bauer’s Sorcerer Pack in our GP100 awards, while Men’s Journal also awarded the pack their 2014 Gear of the Year Award.Under new CEO leadership in 2007, Eddie Bauer started a top-secret mission called Project Summit. The company assembled a guide team to help build gear that would be used by world-class climbers, along with novices. In May 2009, accompanied by a film crew, Eddie Bauer’s guide team climbed Mount Everest completely outfitted in the new series, First Ascent, the first public debut of Project Summit and a relaunch of the company as a world-class mountaineering outfitter.

But the recent success hasn’t blinded the company to the lessons of the past. Rather than rest on the laurels of recent accomplishments, Eddie Bauer has been hard at work devising new ways of building on its role as a leader in the world of outdoor outfitting. We visited Eddie Bauer’s HQ in order to get a firsthand look at first iteration of its next game-changing project: EB Custom, in which adventuring consumers, either online and in select stores, are able to fully customize the award-winning MicroTherm jacket. We’ll be revealing more about the project soon, and even a little something of our own creation to keep GP diehards warm.

lecture.........

WTCC Race of Thailand : cinq raisons d’être excités / WTCC Race of Thailand: five reasons to get excited

Pour la première fois depuis sa création, le Championnat du Monde FIA des Voitures de Tourisme se produira en terre Thaïlandaise. Voici cinq raisons d’être excité à l’aube de ce baptême sur le Chang International Circuit.

1 : Des équipiers chez Citroën en lice pour la place de vice-champion WTCC
Alors que José María López est quasiment assuré de remporter le titre WTCC, ses équipiers Yvan Muller et Sébastien Loeb sont engagés dans une lutte farouche pour la deuxième place du championnat, le premier possédant pour l’heure 39 points d’avance à son arrivée en Thaïlande.

2 : Le WTCC apprécie les longues lignes droitesLa plus longue ligne droite du Chang International Circuit mesure un kilomètre, offrant au virage n°3 une formidable opportunité de dépasser.

3 : Sritrai marquera l’Histoire du WTCCIl aura fallu un peu plus d’une décennie pour qu’un pilote Thaïlandais se présente sur la grilles de départ du WTCC, mais ce sera désormais chose faite pour Tin Sritrai qui représentera son pays, lors des deux courses à Buriram, au volant d’une Chevrolet du Campos Racing Chevrolet.

4 : Course au crépuscule, une première pour le WTCCLa deuxième manche, dimanche, sera la première de l’Histoire du WTCC à se dérouler au crépuscule. Le gage d’un magnifique spectacle télévisuel.

5 : LADA, délesté, veut survolerLe trio de LADA Vesta TC1 évoluera sans poids de compensation en Thaïlande. Nicky Catsburg (en photo), Rob Huff et Nicolas Lapierre peuvent donc ambitionner de solides résultats.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship heads to Thailand for the first time this week. Here are five reasons to get excited ahead of the action getting underway at the Chang International Circuit.

1: Citroën WTCC team-mates fight for the runner-up spot
While José María López is pretty much assured of his second WTCC title, team-mates Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb are engaged in a close battle for the coveted runner-up spot with Muller ahead of Loeb by 39 points prior to Thailand.

2: The WTCC likes long straightsThe longest straight at Chang International Circuit measures 1000 metres in length, making the subsequent Turn 3 a prime spot for overtaking and plenty of action.

3: Sritrai to make WTCC historyIt’s taken more than a decade for a Thai driver to make his WTCC debut but Tin Sritrai is about to make history for his country when he contests the Buriram double-header in a Campos Racing Chevrolet.

4: Twilight will be a WTCC highlightSunday’s second race will be the first WTCC counter to be held in twilight, which should make for a stunning television spectacle.

5: Weightless LADAs aim to flyThe trio of LADA Vesta TC1s will run without any success ballast in Thailand. Based on the potential shown so far in 2015, more strong results are expected from Nicky Catsburg (pictured), Rob Huff and Nicolas Lapierre.

Un pas de plus vers la victoire pour Breen / Breen moves one step closer to ERC Rallye du Valais victory

Craig Breen se rapproche un peu plus de la victoire au Rallye International du Valais suite à sa performance durant la deuxième étape.

Accompagné par Scott Martin, le pilote de le Peugeot Rally Academy 208 T16 a dominé cinq des sept spéciales qui figuraient au programme, pour accroître son avance de 15’’4 à 55’’9. Les routes humides, fraiches et recouvertes de feuilles, ne rendaient pas la conduite évidente et pourtant Breen a montré une incroyable aisance.

« C’est vraiment bien de n’avoir aucune pression. Ca permet d’apprécier davantage les spéciales, confie Breen. Nous avons signé pas mal de temps scratch sans connaitre le moindre souci sur la voiture donc je suis content. J’essaie juste de conduire bien au milieu de la chaussée et de ne pas prendre trop de risques. Nous avons une avance assez confortable et notre objectif sera de rester concentrés demain afin de repartir avec la victoire. »

Olivier Burri pointe toujours au 2^e rang sur sa Citroën DS3 RRC. L’octuple vainqueur du Rallye du Valais a dû lever le pied à cause de soucis d’interphone et d’un mauvais choix de pneus. Plutôt que de venir contester le leader Craig Breen, Burri subit surtout la pression du rookie Alexey Lukyanuk. Le Russe, qui a lui aussi rencontré des problèmes d’interphone, est 3^e après cette deuxième étape, à 13’’8 de Burri. Pour sa première participation, Lukyanuk a même signé le meilleur temps de l’ultime spéciale de la journée.

François Delecour reste installé en 4^e position. Le Champion FIA R-GT a calmé le jeu ce vendredi après avoir heurté une façade de maison, endommageant au passage une des suspensions arrière sur sa Tuthill Porsche 997. Les spéciales en gravier de demain devrait en revanche être moins favorable au Français.

Florian Gonon (Lugano Racing Team Peugeot 207 S2000) auteur du meilleur temps sur l’ES7 Caserne, est 5^e à la nuit tombée. Comme Burri, le vainqueur de l’édition 2014 –catégorie Production Car Cup- est menacé par un rookie : Emil Bergkvist. Le Champion ERC Junior réalise de très beaux débuts en quatre roues motrices. Le pilote de l’ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team apprend au fil des spéciales tout en augmentant son rythme.

Un autre débutant s’est également montré surprenant : Nikolay Gryazin. Pour sa première participation sur une Skoda Baltic Motorsport Fabia R5, le jeune russe est 9^e malgré des soucis de pneus rencontrés la veille.

Bruno Magalhaes, Jonathan Hirschi (tous deux sur 208 T16) et Miroslav Jakes (Citroën DS3 R5) ont heurté le même pont dans une section particulièrement glissante de l’ES6. Magalhaes a pu achever la spéciale avec une suspension endommagée mais le Portuguais a tout de même perdu l’équivalent de cinq minutes avant de regagner la confiance. L’addition a été moins salée pour Hirschi : seulement deux minutes suite à un changement de roue. Auteur d’un saut spectaculaire dans l’ES9, il espère que rien d’autre n’a été abîmé sur sa voiture sachant qu’il souffrait déjà de problèmes de pression d’essence. Le voici au sein du top 10. Jakes a quant à lui dû se retirer.

Raul Jeets avait déjà connu des soucis de moteur sur sa MM-Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5 ce jeudi mais au début de la deuxième étape il a cette fois rencontré des problèmes d’allumage. Sa voiture refusait de démarrer. Mais l’Estonien espère résoudre ces problèmes électriques et devrait être au départ ce samedi en vertu du Rally2.

Craig Breen has taken another big step towards winning the 2015 Rallye International du Valais, after a dominant performance on leg two of the Swiss round of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Co-driven by Scott Martin, the Peugeot Rally Academy 208 T16 driver set the fastest time on five of today’s seven stunning mountain stages, to increase his overnight lead from 15.4 seconds to 55.9 seconds. On cold north-facing roads, filled with patches of damp fallen autumn leaves, recording a perfect trouble-free day was no mean feat, although a confident Breen is making his awe-inspiring performance look easy.

“It’s nice to do a rally with no pressure and just go out and enjoy yourself,” said Breen. “We’ve had a lot of stage wins and no problems with the car, so I’m happy with that. We’re just driving in the middle of the road and not taking any risks. We have a nice cushion, so the plan is to keep our head down tomorrow and take the win.”

Olivier Burri remains second in his Citroën DS3 RRC, the eight-time Valais winner slowed slightly with more intercom problems and some tyre selection issues today. Rather than challenging Breen for victory, Burri is coming under extreme pressure from Valais rookie Alexey Lukyanuk. Despite his own intercom problems, and taking too harder compound Pirelli tyres in the morning, the Russian Performance Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5 driver is third tonight, just 13.8s behind Burri. On his first Rallye du Valais, Lukyanuk even set fastest time on the final stage today and was truly spectacular over the famous Valais jump.

The slippery and twisty mountain roads are ideal conditions for nimble four-wheel drive cars, but defying logic is the star of the alpine roads, FIA R-GT champion François Delecour. His Tuthill Porsche 997 has been sideways for much of the day, and he’s had to take a slightly more gentle approach this afternoon, after clipping a house this morning and damaging the rear suspension. Delecour remains an incredible fourth overall, and whilst the gravel sections tomorrow are likely to be a huge disadvantage, the laws of physics haven’t influenced his stunning stage times so far!

Florian Gonon set fastest time on SS7, the short Caserne stage, located next to service park in Sion. Last year’s ERC Production Car Cup winner is fifth tonight in his Lugano Racing Team Peugeot 207 S2000. Like his follow countryman Burri, Gonon is coming under pressure from a Valais newcomer, in this case Emil Bergkvist. The ERC Junior champion is enjoying a fantastic debut in a four-wheel drive car, learning on the first passes and increasing his pace in the Saintéloc Racing Peugeot 208 T16 on the repeat runs through the stages. The talented ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team driver is sixth tonight, just 5.7s behind Gonon.

Another youngster going very well is Nikolay Gryazin. On his first event in a ŠKODA Baltic Motorsport Fabia R5, the 18-year old Russian driver is ninth, after tyre problems (including a puncture) yesterday.

Bruno Magalhães, Jonathan Hirschi (both 208 T16) and Miroslav Jakeš (Citroën DS3 R5) all hit the same bridge on a particularly slippery section of SS6. Magalhães completed the stage with suspension damage, and having lost over five minutes drove to rebuild his confidence and knowledge of the Swiss stages in the afternoon. Hirschi continued after changing a broken wheel and losing two minutes. He flew high over the famous jump on SS9, and completed the day in 10th but with fuel pressure problems, and hoping the heavy landing hasn’t damaged anything. Unfortunately for Jakeš, he retired at the bridge.

Raul Jeets has struggled with engine problems in his MM-Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5 all event. Yesterday he was forced to turn the anti-lag system off and run in road mode, and today the car cut out near the start of Leg 2’s opening stage and refused to restart. With 44% of the stage distance planned tomorrow, the Estonian is hopeful that the electrical problem can be fixed and that he’ll return under Rally 2 rules.

surf and ride sri lanka

« SURF & RIDE » trip moto et surf au Sri Lanka /Mars 2016

Ce voyage original vous emmène dans le Sud du Sri Lanka au guidon des mythiques Royal Enfield pour un voyage de plus de 1000km entre plages et parcs nationaux. Empruntez les petites routes le long de l’océan indien pour un voyage authentique à la rencontre des Sri Lankais. Chaque jour, vous partez pour des sessions de surf, le matin ou l’après-midi, en fonction de l’étape d’arrivée. Du spot de surf mythique d’Arugam Bay à la région montagneuse des plantations de thé, en passant par la baie de Weligama, l’itinéraire est varié et intense. Un voyage moto différent qui s’adresse à tous les passionnés d’aventure et de glisse. Trip tranquille et complet, qui peut-être parcouru en duo-moto ou véhicule jeep d’accompagnement.

Dates dispos du 6-16 mars sur place...

ROAD TRIP MOTO
et surf sur les spots mythiques de l’océan indien

Liberté sur l’ocean indien
HEBERGEMENTS
originaux…Spots de Surf, Plantations , réserves,

ambiance aventure
VOYAGE découverte, itinérant et sportif.

Rencontre avec les populations, la faune et des espaces magiques.
SPOTS MAGIQUES et accessibles l’océan à 28°c

Les spots du Sri Lanka, sont principalement situés sur la cote sud du pays, avec une saison plus marquée pour le surf en mars sur la partie sud/ouest, les chances d’avoir du swell sur le sud/est sont plus minimes, mais la Région d’Arugam Bay fera l’objet d’un stop, plus sauvage et paisible, et une petite virée à moto dans la partie orientale de la réserve de Yalla est sublime.

IMAGES

https://www.facebook.com/nomadelatitude.pierryminette

CONTACTS:

nomade-latitude@hotmail.fr
06 07 28 20 69 Pierry MINETTE
http://www.nomade-latitude.com/ACCUEIL.html

Programme détaillé et tarifs, sur demande.
vidéo présentation:
Surf&ride Sri Lanka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWxXprQ-g6c

Blingstar Desert Free Ride

This Porsche 911 T belonged to Steve McQueen’s mistress

While it might not have starred in the film itself, this 1971 Porsche 911 T was used as a production car for the racing thriller Le Mans, and was subsequently gifted to Elga Andersen – Steve McQueen’s love interest both on and off the silver screen…

Supplied through Jo Siffert’s Swiss dealership, this 911 T was one of four 911s used by the production crew for ‘Le Mans’ – Steve McQueen’s seminal racing thriller that, ultimately, became one of the most troublesome and challenging endeavours of not just his career, but his life. McQueen and Elga Andersen’s short-lived affair during the film’s production was well documented by the tabloid media. We wonder if any frolics between the two took place in this very car? The McQueen link might be a little tenuous (perhaps an attempt to cash in on the hype that so sensationally accompanies the famous actor), but the story of this Porsche 911 T is nice enough. It’s a very clean example, too, showing just 46k kilometres on the clock, and boasting its original leather interior and chromework. It will be offered by Christie’s at ‘The Exceptional Sale’ in Paris (4 November 2015), estimated at a healthy 250,000-350,000 euros. 

Photos: Christie’s Images Limited 2015

Exceptional Porsche 356 exhibition to star at Prototyp Museum in Hamburg

The Porsche 356’s success justified the production of the 911. Now, the Prototyp Museum in Hamburg has chosen to celebrate the cult classic with a dedicated exhibition, featuring some very special variants…

The exhibition in Hamburg will tell the success story of the Porsche 356 from the very beginnings, from the Austrian Gmünd prototypes, through the many coupés, convertibles and Speedsters, to the end of production in 1965. Thanks to some special loans from both collectors and the Porsche Museum, the range of cars on offer will be eclectic, to say the least. Stars will include the 356 Speedster GT, the 356 America Roadster, and the sensational 356 B Carrera Abarth. With such a selection, it goes without saying that the exhibition is an absolute must for any Porsche enthusiast.

‘356 VIP – Very Important Porsches’ will run from 13 November 2015 until 27 March 2016, at the Prototyp Museum in Hamburg. You can find more information at prototyp-hamburg.de. 

casquée.....

Icon 1000 Slow Burn

Built for a life outside the perimeter, Slow Burn was well versed in a hit & run lifestyle. She had been stripped of every extraneous component, every luxury deemed unnecessary in these turbulent times. Her reinforced frame, high-clearance exhaust, and firm suspension allowed operation deep into the bush. The oversized Hella rally light provided just a touch of hope in their darkest hour.

Craig Breen en tête du 56e Rallye International du Valais au terme de la première journée / Breen takes early ERC lead after clean sweep of Valais stages

Les concurrents engagés dans le 56^e Rallye International du Valais affrontaient aujourd'hui trois épreuves spéciales entre le parc d'assistance de Sion et le Haut-Valais. Craig Breen et sa Peugeot 208 T16 R5 a remporté Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains), Crans-Montana et Anzère pour se forger une avance de 15"4 sur son plus proche rival, le Suisse Olivier Burri, l'octuple vainqueur de l'épreuve valaisanne, au volant d'une Citroën DS3 RRC. Autre protagoniste du Championnat d'Europe des Rallyes de la FIA, Alexey Lukyanuk (Ford Fiesta R5) occupe la troisième place provisoire. Le pilote russe a concédé 22"9. 

Quatrième aux commandes de sa Porsche GT3, le Champion FIA RGT 2015 François Delecour pointe à 40"5 de l'homme de tête et précède la Citroën DS3 R5 du Tchèque Miroslav Jakes, la Ford Fiesta R5 du Suisse Pascal Perroud, les Peugeot 208 T16 R5 du jeune Suédois Emil Bergkvist (21 ans) et du Portugais Bruno Magalhães, la Peugeot 207 S2000 du Suisse Florian Gonon et la 208 T16 R5 d'un autre Suisse, Jonathan Hirschi. Les six derniers pilotes de ce top-10 provisoire sont séparés par moins de 12", le passif de Hirschi s'élevant à 52"2. Parmi les ténors, Bryan Bouffier manque à l'appel. Une sortie de route sans gravité dans la première épreuve spéciale a contraint le Français à un abandon définitif.

Sans surprise, le Hongrois David Botka (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) a pris la tête du classement de l'ERC2 avec la 15^e place du classement général à la clé, tandis que le Roumain Alexandru Filip (Renault Clio R3), 40^e au général, mène le bal dans le cadre de l'ERC3. Quant au Suisse Michaël Burri, 27^e au classement général, il s'est emparé du commandement du Clio R3T Alps Trophy avec 23"9 d'avance sur le Français Jean-Pierre Gatti. La Bulgare Ekaterina Stratieva (Citroën C2 R2) tient solidement les rênes de la Coupe des Dames en 64^e position au classement général.

Craig Breen has taken an early lead on the Rallye International du Valais, after recording his first clean run through the opening leg of the Swiss round of the FIA European Rally Championship. The Peugeot Rally Academy driver set fastest time on all three opening stages, to lead overnight by 15.4 seconds.

The Irishman lost all hopes of victory last year when he picked up a puncture on the Anzère test, and despite admitting to being “paranoid” in his attempts to avoid another flat on his run through the same stage this time, three faultless stages today have given Breen and co-driver Scott Martin the advantage as they arrived back in Sion for the first overnight halt.

Despite lacking some match-practice and a mid-loop intercom problem, eight-time Valais winner Olivier Burri is second in his Citroën DS3 RRC, and poised to attack Breen’s lead on tomorrow’s seven stages.

The Swiss mountain Tarmac roads are nothing that Alexey Lukyanuk has seen before, and a cautious experience-gaining pace has paid dividends, as the Russian is third overnight in his Pirelli-equipped H-Racing prepared Russian Performance Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5.

The slippery hairpin filled Alpine roads are hardly ideal territory for a powerful rear-wheel drive car, not when pitched against nimble four-wheel drive machinery, but magic things happen when François Delecour gets behind the wheel of a Porsche 997. The new FIA R-GT champion is fourth overnight, admitting to driving “maximum everywhere”.

 Jakeš recovered from gear linkage problems in Free Practice to hold fifth in his Gemini Clinic Rally Team Citroën DS3 R5.

Emil Bergkvist has made a very impressive start on his R5 debut. The 21-year old Swede is driving a Michelin-shod 208 T16 run by Saintéloc Racing as a prize-drive for winning the ERC Junior title, and is a fantastic seventh overnight – one place ahead of Bruno Magalhães in an identical car.

Others haven’t enjoyed such a good trouble-free start. Raul Jeets had an engine problem with his MM-Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5, which forced him to turn the anti-lag system off and run in road mode for virtually all three stages. Jonathan Hirschi damaged the front of his Peugeot 208 T16 after braking too late for a tight downhill corner. Nikolay Gryazin successfully completed his first ERC stage in his ŠKODA Fabia R5, but the 18-year old Russian lost a minute with a front right puncture on SS2. Antonín Tlusťák also picked up a front right puncture on his Fabia S2000 on SS3.

Having been second fastest over the Qualifying Stage, Bryan Bouffier ran wide on a fast right hand corner on the opening stage – hitting a wall and retiring his Peugeot 208 T16 with a broken left rear wheel and smashed brake disc.

Top 4 Drivers on SS2

La Vidange #2

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