hummer h2. dubai, uae. when enough is enough

It’s difficult not to have a soft spot for the Hummer H2. Following in the enormous footsteps of the gargantuan H1, the H2 wasHummer/General Motor’s attempts to make (ahem) a more civilised urban cruiser. This despite its military-spec origins.

And it seemed to work. Many quickly stumped up the $60,000-ish asking price – including the Governator of California – and soon cities were visibly shaking as wave after wave of the former-armed forces vehicle rolled through.

Very soon, no stag do was complete without a stretched H2.

Yep, you’ve got to love the Hummer, simply because it is completely ridiculous!

In the Middle East, we’re no stranger to examples of this brute. But while the Hummer could never be described as ‘subtle’ (on average, the mobile edifice measures nearly seven-feet both tall and wide and weighs a portly 3000kg), this example from Omanis one of the more outlandish we’ve seen in a while.

These for instance are 30-inch alloys. Let’s just put that into context: that’s six more than the Ford Mustang we discovered outsideLiving Classics recently, nine more than the Audi S8 we were escaping in, and a full 13 more than the Ford SVT Raptor.

Now we’re all for customisation at crankandpiston as you know, and we’re not averse to the sinful black intermixed with chrome look being exhibited on stonking great wheels.

It’s just that we’re more used to seeing it on a Harley Davidson.

HONDA S90 CAFE RACER BY DEUS EX MACHINA

The Honda S90 is one of those bikes that doesn’t get the cafe racer treatment nearly often enough. The ultra lightweight motorcycle was manufactured by Honda between 1964 and 1969, it was fitted with a 4-stoke, air-cooled single cylinder engine capable of 8hp and capable of just over 60mph (with a light rider).

The S90 (or Sport 90) weighs in at 86 kilos (190lbs) but seems lighter somehow, it can be picked up without straining and this makes it rather easy to park in tight spaces. A friend of mine in Hanoi had one for years that he called “Piglet”, the first time I had a go on it I underestimated the capability of the little beast and so managed to accelerate with such force that the front tire lifted 8 inches off the ground, propelling me into Vietnamese traffic with absolutely no directional control at all.

After I’d changed into new trousers I spent the day bumbling around town on Piglet, I came to the conclusion that the little Honda S90 is one of the most fun urban motorcycles ever created.

This cafe racer version was created by Deus Ex Machina, they’ve added custom built polished clip on handle bars, a converted ignition from point to CDI, a custom Japanese exhaust, a Daytona speedometer, a Polaris taillight and a Suzuki GT front headlight. The engine and carburettor has been rebuilt meaning it should now be just about capable of circumnavigating the Earth before needing any mechanical attention.

If you’ve been looking for the perfect urban cafe racer for a city like Melbourne, New York or London, this might just be your horse. Click here to visit in in the Deus Ex Machina showroom.

Rallye du Var – Cédric Robert vainqueur, Kubica abandonne

Cédric Robert retrouve la victoire deux ans après son dernier succès au Var.
© DPPI / Alexandre Guillaumot

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Cédric Robert profite de l'abandon de Robert Kubica pour s'imposer devant Romain Dumas et Craig Breen. Le Polonais avait remporté les dix premières spéciales avant de sortir de la route.

Robert Kubica a dominé ce Rallye du Var en remportant les dix premières spéciales de l'épreuve. Le pilote de la Citroën C4 WRC était en position de leader durant les deux premières étapes et disposait de près de six minutes d'avance sur la Peugeot 207 S2000 avant de sortir de la route dans la pénultième spéciale de la journée. Cédric Robert décroche une victoire inespérée, son dernier succès remontant à deux saisons sur cette épreuve, et remporte ainsi le titre honorifique de vice-champion de France des Rallyes.

Cédric Robert s'impose avec près de deux minutes d'avance sur la Porcshe 996 GT3 RS de Romain Dumas. Craig Breen complète le podium sur sa Peugeot 207 S2000. Le champion S-WRC a profité de la crevaison de Gilles Nantet dans la dernière spéciale pour arracher la dernière place du podium. Le champion 2011 échoue en septième position derrière Julien Maurin (Ford Fiesta WRC), Charles Zuccarelli (206 WRC) et Jean-Charles Beaubelique (Focus WRC). Mathieu Arzeno parvient à s'imposer en Citroën Racing Trophy mais c'est Quentin Gilbert qui décroche le titre. Romain Salinas décroche la victoire et le sacre de la catégorie Twingo R2.

Découvrez le compte-rendu du Rallye du Var dans le prochain numéro d'AUTOhebdo, disponible dès mardi en version numérique pour iPad, PC et Mac, et dès mercredi.

Jacques-Armand Dupuis(AUTOHEBDO)

  Rallye du Var  - Classement final

1957 Maserati 150 GT Spider: A race-bred prototype

Some cars are born of a meticulous and methodical design process. Others simply develop in the heat of competition, and ‘just happen’ as fast road cars. This singular Maserati is one of the latter.

In the form you see here, the pale ivory roadster is the coachbuilt prototype of a planned series of Maserati road cars. Just as suitable, one would imagine, for occasional hillclimbs and road races as for touring the Côte d'Azur. 

The fact that the production run never happened (the Modenese company chose instead to develop the less competition-focused 3500 GT) makes the story more fascinating, and this very car – to be offered at auction by Gooding & Co. at Scottsdale next January – all the more valuable. 

So how did it come about? 



In that mid-50s period, Maserati was best known for its 250F Formula 1 car (everyone’s idea of a 1950 GP single-seater) and a variety of fast, reliable, small-capacity sports cars for gentlemen drivers to enjoy the Targa Florio, the Mille Miglia, Le Mans and the other great road races of the period. 

This car started life as an A6GCS sports-racing car. It enjoyed an active time on the circuits in 1954, before being modified by the factory to serve as the prototype for the three-litre 300S, Maserati’s contender for the World Sports Car Championship, a model subsequently to be driven by Jean Behra and Stirling Moss.



The next stage in its life was to be reconfigured mechanically and rebodied by the company’s traditional coachbuilder of racing cars, Medardo Fantuzzi, into the car you see here: a pre-production prototype for a high-performance road car. Sadly, the competition-bred car was just too expensive to build. 

Having been the subject of a painstaking restoration by marque specialist Steve Hart, the car is now in sparkling condition with its original, matching-numbers engine, A6G/2000 gearbox, 250F Grand Prix-type brakes and striking coachwork by Fantuzzi. 

With the tuned motor producing a snappy 195bhp and the small car weighing just 860kg (1900lb), this is likely to be one brisk performer. 

One can only think of what might have been, had Maserati decided to build a series of 150 GTs. Then again, it makes this car all the rarer - $3,000,000 - 4,000,000 rare, to be precise. 

A selection of classic and modern Maseratis can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace Gooding & Co.'s 18-19 January 2012, Scottsdale, AZ sale: www.goodingco.com. Text: Steve Wakefield

Photos: Mathieu Heurtault - Copyright Gooding & Co.