AUTO FABRICA TYPE 9

Modes of transport with an engine on display are infinitely more appealing than those locking away their inner beauty, one of the reasons why motorcycles have such kerb appeal. Cars look way better when at least some part of their inner workings made visible through a chink in the bonnet or through a scoop, or better, completely exposed. Moto Guzzi has been knocking out bikes for nearly a century and for half of that their air cooled V-twin engine has powered some of the most iconic and lusted after motorcycles in history. It’s as if designer Giulio Cesare Carcano looked at a radial aeroplane engine and chopped a couple of cylinders out. When mounted in a Tonti frame is there are more visceral blend of mechanicals in a bike?

The talented guys behind Auto Fabrica, Bujar and Gaz, have demonstrated time and again that they have not only an eye for exquisite design but the capability to bring that to life in metal. For this build, Type 9, they wanted a more imposing donor than a Norton or BSA but were keen to maintain a classic aesthetic. This Le Mans MK3 cropped up and fitted the bill perfectly.

Bujar explains the design process, “The donor bike came in and we started design work immediately, after spending a few hours analysing the bike, we noticed there was a slight issue in terms of rear tyre clearence between the seat and frame, we initially thought about introducing a frame loop at the rear like our Type 2 but this proved to be unfeasable, with these issues in mind and the need to create something unique and slightly left-field we begun sketching, Photoshopping and rendering the designs.”

“We wanted to create an almost spoiler esque feel with the rear seat, making the bike look as though it’s moving when standing still, we have become quite obsessed with following lines of frames onto bodywork with all of our builds and this boxy Guzzi base made us approach the design in a different way. The ‘floating’ top surface of the seat hump is 2mm aluminium doubled-up, shaped and then welded to the subframe (also made out of aluminium).”

“The rear light needed to be special to reflect the rest of the bike and we opted for a simple rectangle unit but integrated in an interesting way, the louvered sections either side of the light are aluminium and a styling extension of the engine’s cooling fins which gives a fantastic 80s/90s Ferrari Testarossa feel, this is exactly the look we wanted.”

The AF crew are traditionalists, pushing their craft further with each build, keen to learn metal shaping techniques which a generation or two ago would have been commonplace. It’s great to see the guys developing their own style through a mix of ingenuity and old school methods.

Bujar explains “The tank needed to match some of the styling but also integrate curves to avoid a boxy look. We made it from  2.5mm aluminium and shaped it in-house on the English wheel. The petrol cap is a push and twist aluminium unit which gives the top line of the bike a very sleek feel as there are no protruding pieces. Continuing the minimal approach the cockpit was cleared of all clutter, superseded by a Motogadget Motoscope Mini sunk into a recess in the tank. Considered design.”  

To make the most of this cleanliness wiring to the tiny push button switches is hidden within the custom stainless clipons. Stock Guzzi levers are a design feature in themselves so were vapour blasted and returned to their new home, low down on the rebuilt forks.

“The frame has been cleaned up and de-lugged, suspension wise we have lowered the front 25mm and raised the rear with 340mm Hagon Shocks, we wanted the stance of the bike to have a bit of an ‘ass up’ feel. The tyres are Avon Roadrunners 18 front and back.”

“The rear brake assembly has been redesigned as the standard caliper and mount protrude and weren’t in keeping with the slick look we were after. Now the caliper is mounted off the swingarm and hidden out of sight. Front brakes are Brembo 4 pots from a Ducati which imporved the braking immensely.”

Despite the slender, lightweight body a few more horses were coaxed from the bulletproof 850cc twin thanks to ported and flowed heads and a re-jetted carbs. The now signature sweeping stainless exhausts (sand filled and bent – no mandrel benders in the AF workshop, yet) look as if the engine is a tube extrusion machine rather than a motor. Small baffles are seamlessly incorporated to take the edge off the exhaust note. We had the Type 9 at Bike shed London for our launch weekend and can confirm it sounds fantastic, loud without being obnoxious.

Sadly The Type 9 was removed from our building last week and delivered to its new owner, but not before a thorough road test by Bujar and Gaz and not us, more’s the pity. Auto Fabrica’s bikes may well be jaw dropping to look at, but they need to perform too. Although this bike is not for sale I dare say another will have been ordered to this spec by now.

“Overall the bike feels and rides superb, performance has been greatly improved and lack of weight has helped immensly in the handling department.” 

from The Bike Shed

Trooping the colours of autumnal London in a regal Range Rover

The original Range Rover had its own majestic qualities but, throughout its 25-year lifespan, its image was continually boosted through an association with the Royal Family. We spent a day with a highly original example – in Balmoral Green, of course – and one of Land Rover’s most loyal employees…

Throughout the years, the Royal Family has put a variety of British vehicles to work as Royal steeds – but none have been fitter-for-purpose than the first-generation Range Rover, retrospectively referred to as the Range Rover Classic. In tribute to this stalwart of British heritage, we held our very own late-autumn trooping the colours ceremony in Hyde Park, one of the UK’s eight Royal parks. Our subject: a four-door Range Rover still wearing its original (and rather rare) Balmoral Green paintwork – the same colour Prince Charles specified for one of his Royal Rangies.

A Range of Royal duties

As explored in a previous Classic Driver feature, the Royals used Range Rover Classics to fulfil a number of duties over the years, whether visiting the Grand National or an African game reserve. The go-anywhere-in-style nature of the cars, along with their simple yet iconic design and status-symbol personas, meant they ticked all the boxes on the Royals’ (rather lengthy) list of requirements – thanks in no small part to Roger Crathorne, whose crucial development work on the car was just one of the highlights in a glorious five-decade career at Land Rover, which came to a close with his retirement last year.

Right place, right time

“Luckily, just as I qualified as an engineer, it happened to be the time that the team was being selected to develop the Range Rover,” Crathrone recalls. “I was the youngest member of the team, so I couldn’t believe my luck. Suddenly, experimental parts started arriving for a vehicle that was internally known as the Alternative Station Wagon – this was long before the ‘100-inch Station Wagon’ or ‘Velar’ codenames had been coined. From then until 1972, I was part of the team developing the Range Rover; a few years later, we began work on the Defender replacement… a project you might have noticed is still ongoing.”

50 (or so...) shades of green

As regal and exclusive as our Balmoral Green example with its contrasting decals and subtle side-stripe might appear, the Royal Family by no means restricted themselves to a single shade, as Crathorne remembers vividly. “They generally went with whatever colour was around at the time, as long as it was green. There was a variety of hue variations and name changes for the colours over the years – as well as Balmoral Green, we also had shades named after the Windsor and Eastnor Castles, and the Ascot racecourse. When we held the first preview events in 1970, the team responsible for supplying cars to the Royal Family suggested the Queen should have a Range Rover straight away. When the aide-de-camp came to visit the factory to look at the car for the first time, the only one we had available was a Masai Red version – he immediately said there was no way the Queen would drive a bright red car. We had to get it resprayed Lincoln Green, which was the green of the day.” 

The Queen’s touch

However, the regal influence on the Range Rover wasn’t limited to its colour palette, as Crathorne recalls. “When the ADC looked around the car in more detail, he noticed the tools were exposed in the boot; he said there was no way they could be left like that, as one of the Queen’s corgis might get injured if one of the tools slid into it. We ended up making a cover for the tools, and that was a feature we incorporated into all customer cars once full production began.” As such, one could say even the most humble Range Rover Classics had the Queen’s touch, however indirect her role in the design process might have been.

Loyal servant

This little-known anecdote adds yet another facet of imperial desirability to the original Range Rover, which established itself as a collector car several years ago and continues to gain popularity. Match that to an original colour scheme fit for a queen (or, more specifically, the future king…), and this example would provide your garage with grace of the more practical variety – no doubt becoming your own loyal servant.

Photos: Amy Shore exclusively for Classic Driver © 2015

This highly original, 1985 Range Rover Classic in Balmoral Green is currently for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

The Eames Office comes to London

We’ve long been fascinated by the American designers, Charles and Ray Eames – and not just for their furniture, photography, film and architecture. It’s the thought of the hub of creative activity that defined the fabled Eames Office…

Another day at the office

It was at the Eames Office that the husband and wife team – and those that worked alongside them – generated an incredible energy that embraced a fun-filled ‘trial and error’ approach to design. Now, until 14 February 2016, the Barbican Art Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition titled ‘The World of Charles and Ray Eames’. 

Photos: Eames Office LLC

You can find more information about ‘The World of Charles and Ray Eames’ here.

oldies ...

Sacha Lakic's Honda CX500 Cafe Racer

Sacha Lakic riding his cx500 Cafe Racer on the track - 

New Yamaha XSR900

Yamaha continues to evolve its Sport Heritage range, never standing still. Now a new chapter (3) has arrived with the second model that lives and breathes the Faster Sons philosophy, the all-new XSR900. It was Roland Sands’ stunning triple concept, the ‘Faster Wasp’ launched earlier this month that further validated the philosophy. The concept shone with classic retro style blended with cutting edge technology and a strong race influence, inspiring the concept of the XSR900.

One Vespa Leads To Another

                                                      

When he was six years old, Peter Maas nabbed his grandfather’s garage key and snuck into his own future. Inside the shop, he found himself captivated by the shelves of carburetors and spark plugs, and old pictures of his grandpa’s TT racing days at Assen. From that moment on, Maas was obsessed with old things, and especially with old things that motored about on two wheels.

Upon turning sixteen, Maas bought himself a Vespa PK50. From there, one Vespa led to another and, today, he finds himself buying, selling, and restoring Vespas for a living in the Netherlands. He can now frequently be found stirring up the autumn leaves from atop his all-original GS160, an Italian-production model that exemplifies the voluptuous metal construction of the 1960s-era Vespas, Maas’s favorite.

Out of a mischievous childhood moment, Maas created a life that allows him to share his passion for vintage Vespas with others. In this video, he shares it with us.

Reconnaissance of the route - 2016 Dakar

Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi Wins Dubai International Rally 2015

Sheikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qassimi clinched his third Dubai International Rally win ahead of Qatari drivers Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Khalid Al Suwaidi who bagged second and third place honours respectively. Mohamed Ben Sulayem, President of Automobile and Touring Club UAE (ATCUAE) and FIA Vice President, presented the trophies to the winners at the ceremonial finish that took place at Meydan.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qassimi and his co-driver Chris Patterson in their Citroen DS3 RRC, finished the 12 stage rally in 1 hour, 58 minutes and 41 seconds.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qassimi dedicated his victory to the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and extended his thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his continuous support.

Al Qassimi’s first day lead of 1 minute 44 seconds was cut short by Al Kuwari in the second day’s stages, with the Qatari closing the gap to 57 seconds. However, the Abu Dhabi team leader held on until the very end to bag a well-deserved win.

Al Qassimi added: “After leading the race on the first day, I decided to change my strategy to a more defensive one as I didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on the car, and I was able to maintain the lead without any serious problems.”

Speaking on the close competition and battle for the title, second place winner Al Kuwari said: "I was able to lead all the stages on day two, but the tire problem I faced yesterday affected the final result, as the time I lost made it hard to catch up with the leader.”  

The winner of the third place honours, Khalid Al Suwaidi said: “I wasn’t expecting to win third place as it has been dominated by Sheikh Abdulla Al Qassimi from the start of the rally, but the problems he faced with his steering wheel in the final stages gave me the opportunity to climb from fourth place and achieve the best results I have ever managed here in Dubai.”

In group (N), Lebanese racer Nassib Nassar successfully cruised to first place, while Sheikh Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al Qassimi won second place in his first Dubai International Rally outing ahead of Emirati Mansour Bin Jabr, who fought his way back to third place after he was forced to retire in the final stage of day one.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE National Olympic Committee, the Dubai International Rally is one of the main attractions of the third edition of Dubai Motor Festival. The 12 rally stages stretch across 1,000 kms, with up to 255 kms of special stages.

 Final Standings of Dubai International Rally 2015:

1- Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi - Chris Patterson - Citroen DS3 RRC

2- Abdulaziz Al Kuwari - Marshall Clarke - Ford Fiesta RRC

4- Khalid Al Suwaidi - Giovanni Bernacchini - Ford Fiesta RRC

3- Sheikh Abdullah Al Qassimi - Joseph Matar – Ford Fiesta RRC

5- Rashid Al Ketbi – Karina Hepperle - Ford Fiesta R5

6- Nassib Nassar – Rony Maroun - Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9

7- Mohamed Al Mutawaa - Stephen McAuley - Citroen DS3 R3

8 - Mansour Bel Helei - Khalid Al Kendi - Citroen DS3 R3

9- Saeed Bin Towq - Allan Harryman - Citroen DS3 R3

10 - Sheikh Mohamed Al Qassimi - Gaby Khoury - Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9

Hiroshima Hero: Meet Japan’s Wildest S13

When you have a car as immensely popular as the Nissan S13 is, it can be pretty fascinating to take a look back and see exactly how that came to be. Sometimes cars made waves from the moment they hit showrooms. Other times it’s taken years or even decades before enthusiasts realize the true potential of a car. As for the good old S13, its history also depends on what part of the world you’re talking about.

Here in the US for example, the Nissan 240SX lived a quiet, unassuming life for more than a decade after its introduction. It wasn’t until the drift explosion of the early 2000s that enthusiasts and wannabe drifters starting buying S13s up by the dozen. Prior to that point, most of the 240s you’d see on the street were virgin examples driven by old ladies. After the drift boom, it’s rare to see an S13 that isn’t coated in multiple shades of primer with body panels barely hanging on.

In Japan the story went a bit differently. There the Nissan Silvia and its cousin the 180SX were a big deal from the moment they were released. If you flip through the pages of a mid ’90s Option magazine or pop in one of those great VHS tapes, it isn’t uncommon to see Japanese guys out there drifting Silvias and 180s that were just a few years old at the time. As the drift movement in Japan continued to grow, the S13 would become the quintessential dorisha - a label which it’s held to this day.

Head to a Japanese drift event some 20 years later and you’ll find that the Silvia and 180SX are still the most popular cars by far. And in the past two decades, the cars have gone through many different styles. First there were stock bodies and 15 inch tires spun by nearly stock motors. Then came larger wheels, more horsepower, more aggressive body parts and well, more aggressive everything. The base cars might be the same, but today’s style has evolved into something that those pioneering drifters might not even recognize.

And when you want to see what Japanese drift car style is in 2014, it’s hard to come up with a better example than the blue 180SX you see here. I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve seen this car. It’s popped up at many different events over the last couple of years, and has spread across social media feeds and blog sites like a wildfire. At the moment, it just might be the internet’s most well-known S13.

I personally first encountered this car and its owner, Mr. Shuichi Nakagawa, a couple of years ago at the M&L night meet in Osaka. Both he and his buddies from Team Review and Bad Quality hail from Hiroshima, and last month I finally had the chance to go to Hiroshima and hang out with these guys on their own turf.

I’ll have more later on my Hiroshima adventures, but for now let’s stay focused on ‘Nakkan’s’ radical 180SX. First things first – Nakagawa is not a car builder by trade. He’s a true privateer, and when he’s not drifting and fooling around with cars, he can be found at his day job as a metal worker. More specifically, he works at one of Hiroshima’s massive shipbuilding facilities in the same area where the legendary Japanese battleship Yamato was constructed during the 1930s.

The Land of Joy in Rio de Janeiro

2 minutes and a half of pure Land of Joy!
Just spent a couple of days in Rio de Janeiro with some friends and their Urban Enduro, Classic and Full Throttle.
Between beaches, music, sun, rain and laughs this amazing city infected us with its good vibes! 
What's better than riding with your buddies?!

The Land of Joy in Rio de Janeiro from Scrambler Ducati on Vimeo.

Bad 1980s hair days return with Agnelli’s unique Testarossa Spider

In the 1980s, no encouragement was needed to sport a questionable hairstyle, which was perhaps why Ferrari never offered a drop-top Testarossa. However, at the behest of then-President of Fiat, Gianna Agnelli, a sole Spider was made – and will be offered at Artcurial’s Retromobile sale next year...

The unique Ferrari Testarossa Spider was built specially for Agnelli, who requested an open version of the emblematic model he loved, complete with silver paint that referenced the periodic table abbreviation it shares with the first two letters of his surname. Blue stripes and a white roof (this was the mid-1980s after all…) further differentiate it from its coupé cousins, and the numerous conversions it inspired. It will carry a 680,000 – 900,000-euro estimate when it crosses the block.

First, but by no means least...

Also consigned early to Artcurial’s Rétromobile sale on 5 February 2016 is another significant Ferrari: the final 250 GT SWB built. Boasting matching numbers and coming from the estate of Swiss collector Antoine Midy, its custodian since 1989, the left-hand-drive stunner will be offered publicly for the first time ever.

Photos: Artcurial

The lotlist for Artcurial’s Rétromobile 2016 sale in Paris on 5 February will be live on Classic Driver soon; in the meantime, you can find plenty of other ultra-desirable classic Ferraris for sale in the Classic Driver Market. 

Duo.........

6 HEURES DE BAHREÏN ; WEBBER, BERNHARD AND HARTLEY CROWNED CHAMPIONS

Webber, Hartley and Bernhard crowned champions

Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard celebrated being crowned the 2015 FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Champions after a thrilling Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain today.

Driving the No.17 Porsche 919 Hybrid, the trio finished in fifth position after recovering from technical problems which saw them lose many laps in the pits. With the sister No.18 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas winning the race from the No.7 Audi Sport Team Joest car of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer, it ensured that the No.17 Porsche drivers enjoyed a five point advantage in the provisional championship standings.

The No.26 G-Drive Ligier of Sam Bird, Roman Rusinov and Julien Canal took the silverware in both the LMP2 Drivers’ and Team’s championships in style with a late charge to victory. Sam Bird overtook Nick Tandy’s KCMG ORECA in the closing stages to confirm a fourth win of the season.

The LMP1 Privateers class saw a clear victory for the No.13 Rebellion Racing R-One-AER of Dominik Kraihamer and Alexandre Imperatori.

The LMGTE Pro class was won convincingly by the No.92 Porsche Team Manthey entered Porsche 911 RSR of Frederic Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet. In what was an ultra-successful day for the team, Richard Lietz celebrated becoming the champion in the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers, as he came home in fourth place today alongside team mate Michael Christensen.

LMGTE AM went the way of the No.98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 of Pedro Lamy, Paul Dalla Lana and Mathias Lauda after a late race battle with both the Abu Dhabi Proton Porsche and the Dempsey Proton Porsche.

SMP Racing’s Ferrari 458 Italia, crewed by Victor Shaytar, Aleksey Basov and Andrea Bertolini came home fifth in class to collect enough points to take the class titles.