dimanche 2 décembre 2012
CUSTOM MAGIC: MOONEYES HITS YOKOHAMA
The Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show is probably one of the events I look forward to the most each year. I’m still very much an outsider to this scene, and it’s precisely this that attracts me to it even more. There is still that element of surprise to a lot of the cars that participate to this event, as I discover new things, notice new styles and learn – little by little – something about what has to be one of the biggest slices of automotive culture out there.
So, as it has for the last four years, my December starts with a short train ride down to the Minatomirai area of Yokohama, and on to the Yokohama Pacifico exhibition center.
I always choose to cover this show on the Saturday, the set up day for the main event which will be held the following day. Aside from the fact that it allows me to get some clear shots of the cars without massive crowds in the way, what is really cool is seeing it all come together in front of your eyes, from a messy almost empty space into a meticulously organized show floor with beautifully arranged cars and displays.
During the day I continuously alternate by shooting a little bit inside, and then moving outside…
…to see the hustle and bustle as shops and private owners transport…
…or drive their cars to the event. Seeing colorful custom rides of all types cruising down one of the main street in such a modern area of the city is beyond cool.
It’s the only day of the year you might get the chance to see a US-built gasser like this Mercury Comet called “The Rocket,” blasting around disturbing the piece with a dose of unsilenced V8 magic!
The front side of the venue offers some pretty stunning views as cars continue to roll in. This pair of VW camper vans had driven all the way up from Kobe, in the Kansai area of Japan. But that’s not even far compared to some other cars that had made it from as far as Sapporo in Hokkaido, not to mention the special guest cars that were shipped over from the US.
There is so much happening all around, as the perimeter of the building becomes an impromptu shooting location for the ton of media from around the world that flock to this event. No matter where you are, someone is shooting either a car or one of the hundreds of custom bikes and choppers that are also on display.
But it’s at the back where the cool stuff happens. This is where cars like this AC Cobra get unloaded from their transporters and sparked into life, warmed up and then driven into the show’s halls. As cool as it is seeing these sorts of cars on a static display, nothing beats seeing them move…
…hearing their motors burble and scream as they slowly crawl towards their allocated areas.
Inside things move at an impressive pace as people continue to build their displays…
…position cars and start polishing and buffing them for the hundredth time.
This year it was decided to run a special VW theme, with the main center section of the hall reserved for Beetles of every vintage and style…
…including a lot of other fresh VW-based builds. Do I spot some onikyan back there?
You can always expect interesting surprises at a Mooneyes event in Japan and if there was one car I was certainly not expecting to see today was a Toyota 86! This car is a collaboration between Mooneyes and a Toyota dealership in Numazu, and aside from the semi-matte two-tone paint job, it also sported some unique rims.
And what would this show be without some vintage Japanese rarities like some old Crown coupes and pick ups. You can expect to see more of these as the coverage continues.
This slammed Caddy was one of the very last cars to arrive, and it sure got everyone’s attention!
I have decided to expand my horizons a little more in 2013, so you can expect to see more muscle car and custom car goodness from the land of the rising sun.
I feel all the shops out here that create such amazing restorations and customizations deserve to be seen.
Even if I couldn’t possibly call myself clued up in this scene, it’s impossible not to appreciate the dedication and sheer art that goes into creating these cars…
…where everything is based around impressive attention to detail. I’ve got a lot more to come from this year’s Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom show so make sure you check back for more. In the mean time scroll down and download yourselves a few desktops!
-Dino Dalle Carbonare (Speedhunters.com)
Gresini Honda Valencia GP fairing to be auctioned
During the last MotoGP race of the season at Valencia, Alvaro Bautista debuted this very particular livery on his San Carlo Gresini Honda.
The fairing was full of messages from fans who took part in an initiative organized by Gresini’s now ex-sponsor San Carlo, called Super Message Sic, were partecipants could dedicate a brief SMS message to Marco and when they sent their text they also donated 2 euros to the Marco Simoncelli Foundation to help sustain their charity project of building a center for disabled children in Coriano.
One fairing will be on display at the Marco Simoncelli Museum, while the second side fairing is currently being auctioned on e-Bay with all proceeds from the winning bid going entirely toMarco Simoncelli Foundation.(from TWOWHEELSBLOG)
RAC Roger Albert Clark Rally 2012
result:
1.McCormack (Ford Escort MK2) en 2:48.06
2.Bannister (Ford Escort MK2) à 0.17
3.Onions (Ford Escort MK2) à 10.15
4.Easson (Ford Escort MK1) à 10.30
5.Moon (Ford Escort MK2) à 11.03
6.O'Connell (Ford Escort MK2) à 11.05
7.Stouf (Ford Escort MK1) à 11.15
8.Taylor (Ford Escort MK2) à 12.20
9.Griffith (Ford Escort MK2) à 12.56
10.Woodcock (Ford Escort MK2) à 14.18
Aston Martin Racing prend pied aux USA
La structure de Kevin Buckler devrait ainsi délaisser ses traditionnelles Porsche pour aligner des Vantage GTE, GT3 et GT4 aux 12 Heures de Sebring, en Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, dans le championnat Grand American Rolex Series ainsi qu'en Pirelli World Challenge Series.
« Nous sommes très heureux d'avoir signé ce partenariat avec TRG. C'est une équipe qui présente un réel potentiel, qui a déjà démontré par le passé qu'elle avait toutes les compétences pour gagner des courses et qui nous aidera à atteindre nos objectifs aux États-Unis », a expliqué John Gaw, directeur d'Aston Martin Racing.
Les Vantage GTE et GT4 engagées par TRG disposeront de la motorisation 4,7l V8 de 420 ch, tandis que la version GT3 qui évoluera dans les championnats Grand-Am Rolex et Pirelli World Challenge sera équipée du V12 6 litres de la marque.
Cette saison, l'Aston Martin Vantage V8 officielle confiée à Stefan Mücke et Darren Turner s'est classée deuxième du Trophée des équipes GTE-Pro dans le championnat du monde d'endurance, avec pour meilleur résultat une victoire décrochée aux 6 Heures de Shanghaï, lors de l'ultime rendez-vous de l'année.
samedi 1 décembre 2012
Marco Simoncelli museum and memorial to be inaugurated
With TWOWHEELSBLOG
The city of Coriano has decided to dedicate December 8th to the memory of Marco Simoncelli. Next Saturday will also be an important date as they will inaugurate and open to the public, inside the Palazzo della Cultura, the museum “La storia del Sic” (The History of Sic) and also finally inaugurate a permanent memorial near the steps- on the left side - of the church where Simoncelli’s funeral was celebrated.
The memorial dubbed “Il podio del Sic” (Sic’s podium) was designed by architects Alice Bianchi and Daniele Montanari and promoted by the Associazione 58Boys who raised the funds, and will now offer visiting fans from all over the world a proper place where to pay their respects.
The ‘podium’ is simple seat designed to loook continuous and fluid, reminiscent of a track, a turn and a race and in middle three blocks of different heights. The top step is dedicated to the late rider and the stele was designedin collaboration with Aldo Drudi.
The photo source is the stunning 350 square meter murales designed by street artistDavide Eron Salvadei (see video after the jump) that adorns one of the walls of the Coriano sports building, that has be renamed “Palazzetto dello Sport Marco Simoncelli.”
Honda GP250R Café Racer
By guest writer Ian Lee.
Inspiration. It can come from so many sources, and affect different people in different ways. Some people take no notice of inspiration. Some people use just their surroundings for inspiration. And some people actively seek out inspiration, grabbing it by the collar and headbutting it into submission. Darrell Steinberg from DS Restorations (DSR) is one of the latter. After more than 25 years in automobile restoration, Darrell decided he needed a change, and a challenge. A long history with motorbike riding, with no further thought than fueling them up and riding them, gave Darrell a basic idea of where he could start. The challenge brought up the bike we feature here today, the DSR GP 250R Café Racer. Built mainly around CRF250R components, with inspiration drawn from numerous bike builders, it’s proof that sometimes it’s worth it to challenge yourself, you never know what might happen…
Darrell hit Google hard in the design process of the GP 250R, searching through ‘thousands of project bikes’ before coming to any decisions about build style. Drawing inspiration from bike builders such as Ron Woods, Roland Sands, Richard Pollack & Marcus Motos, Darrell decided that he knew what he wanted to build. In his own words: ‘the bike had to be a new twist on an old style, nothing show bike fancy, something you want to ride. I wanted the old-timers as well as a 20 year old to think this bike is cool’. Now research was done, Darrell was a man with a plan.
Starting with a CRF250R donor bike, the engine was taken out and fitted to a custom aluminium subframe. Manufactured into the frame is the bracketry for the fuel cell, fuel tank cover, seat, rear fender, air cleaner, and rearset uppermounts. All normal bike stuff, I am aware, but the custom subframe allowed Darrell to not be restricted to CRF250 parts in the build. While playing around with aluminium, the radiator shrouds, lower body panels, fenders and fork covers were also manufactured, with mucho lightness making the bike light in weight, to fulfil it’s sporting credentials.
Bodywork is all custom, with the front fairing, fuel tank cover, seat, rear fender, body side panels and air intake all being produced in house to suit the bike. Each individual panel was made of wood, foam & body filler, refinished, molds made and the current panels being cast from the molds. A lot of effort, but handy should any of the parts need to be reproduced at any point. Using inspiration from his childhood (and from Jack Phinn’s 450 flat tracker), Darrell modelled the fuel tank cover on the Honda Elsinore tank, a bike much sought after when he was a kid.
The CRF250R suspension has been fitted, albeit tweaked by RaceTech Suspension, using their super single setup, triple clamps and fork lugs, a Durelle Racing shock height adjuster has been fitted to the rear. A Honda CBR600 has donated it’s calipers to the build, mounted on custom mounts, working on Brake Tech iron rotors. The hubs are Talon supplied, the Sun rims wrapped in 17 inch Michelins.
Taking care of the exhaust side of things is an Arrow Special Parts titanium dual system, modifiedby Darrell to just have a single outlet. This is due to Darrell’s belief of how ‘fat’ bikes look with two mufflers at the rear. Cooling duties are given to a custom radiator, using AN fittings and hose, to add to the racing image the bike gives off.
Visually, the bike looks like a healthy mix of bike styles. Spoked rims, the Elsinore style tank cover give the bike an old school look, mixed with Moto2 styling, and a hint of Ducati OEM aesthetics rounding it out. To take the initiative to challenge himself, to research his butt off, to have the ability to do the majority of work himself, has allowed Darrell to produce this rolling work of art. Using dirtbike components, with his skills learnt over his time working with cars, the dSR 250R GP is a new age café racer, hand built to please anyone’s eyes. It’s amazing what inspiration can do.
Check out DS Restorations Facebook page for lots more build pics.
Pur Sang Type 35B – Driving Report
Report by Rick Carey, Auction Editor (http://www.sportscardigest.com)
Think about a really good, solid, exterior door latch and lock, the precise snick as levers, springs and bolts slide into place.
That’s the Pur Sang Type 35, an assemblage of meticulously cast, precisely machined, artfully formed and carefully fitted parts that communicate exactly what they’re doing, exactly what they’re experiencing, back into the driver’s hands, eyes, ears, feet and backside.
Even the most fire-breathing, tire vaporizing modern supercharged road-burner is refined, comfy, cushy and loaded with power assists and computerized driving aids. Computer-designed mounts for anything that rotates, vibrates or reacts to the road isolate the passenger compartment and the driver from vehicle dynamics.
Then engineers spend incalculable man-years and unimaginable hours of high-powered computer time refining power steering, power brakes, bushings and suspensions to restore road-feel, adding back the responsiveness lost in user-friendly design and packaging.
The isolation becomes apparent when driving the Pur Sang Type 35, a nut-and-bolt reproduction of a 2.3 liter supercharged single overhead camshaft Bugatti Type 35B built in a self-contained enclave in Argentina using artisanal methods and craftsmen akin to those employed in Molsheim by Ettore Bugatti three-quarters of a century ago.
The connection between the driver and the Type 35 – and between the Type 35 and the road – is tactile, immediate, intimate. Every control quivers in anticipation of the driver’s input. There is no slack, no play.
In March I had the chance to drive Pur Sang’s 8C 2300 Monza at Amelia Island. It was just a few miles and I craved a longer experience. The chance came at Pebble Beach with the Type 35.
Pur Sang’s Commercial Director for Anglo Markets John Bothwell brought the Type 35 to Monterey on a crisp Tuesday afternoon. Our goal was to drive it from the transporter parking lot at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center to Laguna Seca where it would rest overnight before joining the procession to Gordon and Molly McCall’s Wednesday Airport Party.
John drove down to Cypress Point for some stationary photos, but more importantly to demonstrate the technique of driving an uncompromising old-style car with straight cut gears.
Oh, and a shift pattern that’s upside down with first gear back and to the left.
Pur Sang Bugatti Type 35B
Our route to Laguna Seca was indirect, not only to avoid the Monterey crowds but also to experience the Type 35 on roads for which it was intended: narrow, winding and largely free of traffic.
Setting off from Cypress Point we negotiated Seventeen Mile Drive past The Lodge. It was an ideal chance to become familiar with the Type 35’s controls, light but also precise and with nearly negligible travel.
This is an on-off car. Clutch, gearbox, brakes, even the engine, work through a nearly imperceptible control range that reflects the Type 35’s heritage as a racing car of superb accomplishments.
Pur Sang’s Commercial Director for Anglo Markets John Bothwell (left) with Rick Carey
Bugatti favored his own clutch design. It’s small. The pedal has a throw so short from off to on that it’d barely take up the slack in a modern Corvette’s or Mustang’s pedal travel. It’s more like a switch, working precisely with the tiny straight-cut gearbox that nuzzles up to the driver’s and passenger’s legs.
Even with the nearly unmuffled eight-cylinder exhaust just behind the occupants’ heads the sound of gears – in the transmission and in the gear trains to the single overhead camshaft and supercharger – is the Type 35’s dominant note.
It’s music.
The gearbox is the aforementioned crisp, solid, accurate analog of a quality door latch. It’s in, or it’s out. There’s no in-between. When it works, it’s as satisfying as a perfectly drawn draft beer.
Pur Sang Bugatti Type 35B on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California
Heading up the hill to the Route One Gate the nightmare became real: one of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance cars had emitted its coolant at the top of the hill, slowing traffic to a crawl past it.
John said, quietly, “The clutch doesn’t like being slipped, and once it heats up, it doesn’t work.”
Fortunately the Pur Sang Type 35 has an electric radiator fan, and it was a cool day in the Del Monte Forest, keeping the driver cool, too.
The technique is simple. Sit, in neutral with the clutch engaged. Wait for a gap to open up, then close up to the car ahead and repeat the process. The queue behind us were blessedly understanding and soon caught on to the sequence.
The experience deserves a sidebar on Monterey week. Residents who don’t understand “Monterey” decamp for somewhere not populated by strange old cars and their drivers. Those who remain, understand. Visitors cherish the experiences, like seeing a parade of Mercers rumble by or following a cranky Type 35 up the Seventeen Mile Drive hill.
Pur Sang Bugatti Type 35B on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California
Once past the gate instead of taking the 270 degree loop onto northbound 1 we cut left onto Aguajito Road, a blissfully empty road that dips and winds through the Del Monte hills. It’s not the Targa Florio, but on Monterey week it’s as close as it gets.
Here the Type 35 shows its stuff: precise steering, wheels proudly out and in view, brakes that used judiciously with quick double-clutching downshifts for engine braking make it abundantly clear why Ettore Bugatti’s cars – and the concept that guided their evolution – were so successful for so long. Not to mention why they are still so highly regarded decades later.
Light, precise, accurate. Every piece working in gratifying sympathy with every other and integrating the driver as an essential cog in the machinery. The Type 35 runs best in the low three gears. Schooled in big displacement torque monsters the novice driver tried fourth gear a time or two. John Bothwell leaned over and gently mentioned, “Fourth is for open roads.”
Lesson learned. The Type 35 loves to rev and runs happily in a range far higher than the Challenger SRT that brought us to Laguna Seca.
It’s not a hard car to drive. The engine has power throughout its range. The brakes work smoothly and efficiently.
Its eight tiny cylinders sound glorious.
After dipping through hills and canyons Aguajito Road runs back into Route One just before the Route 68 turnoff and the traffic to Laguna Seca and Salinas. We avoided a few traffic lights (thank you, CHP, for being absent), then negotiated another jam using the Seventeen Mile Drive technique before turning into the track.
There’s a lovely, winding hill up to the track off 68. Traffic was down in the valley.
The Type 35 earned many laurels on hills like La Turbie above Monaco and Shelsley Walsh in Britain. The approach road to Laguna Seca showed the Type 35 at its best.
Pur Sang’s engine is nearly 50% more powerful than Bugatti’s Type 35. Dyno tested before delivery, they deliver 170-180 brake horsepower. The Type 35 weighs something like 1500 pounds wet. Even carrying a hefty driver and passenger it’s still under a ton and a weight/power ratio of around 11 pounds/horsepower.
Pur Sang Bugatti Type 35B on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California
By the time we reached the turnoff to Laguna Seca the funky upside down shift pattern, short clutch throw and no-nonsense steering were becoming familiar and it just flew up the hill, an exhilarating culmination to an afternoon’s experience that was way too short.
It isn’t a Bugatti. There’s an alternator hidden under the floorboards driven off the driveshaft and the aforementioned electric fan. The engine runs plain bearings for simplicity and long life – although purists can have Pur Sang assemble a built-up roller/ball bearing crank like Ettore preferred.
Argentina’s closed economy makes it impossible to import components. In the world economy that’s silly, but for the Type 35, its Bugatti-based counterparts and the lovely Alfas like the 8C 2300 experienced in Amelia Island it means that everything, right down to the frame rails and tires, are made holistically in Pur Sang’s self-contained atelier or to its specs from Argentine suppliers.
It’s a window back into a time when automobiles were built by artisans, not automatons.
The cost of re-creating history is not cheap, but it is, roughly, 1/10th the cost of a Molsheim-built Bugatti or a Milano-built Alfa 8C.
And, if the cornering power of the Pur Sang Type 35’s straight axles and narrow tires is misjudged and the fabulous hollow forged front axle is bent against a barrier, it doesn’t have to be fastidiously reconstructed to retain its original Molsheim markings. It’s just a car.
But what a car.
Purely, simply, emphatically mechanical, there’s no interruption between the Type 35’s driver, engine, clutch, gearbox, brakes, suspension and tires. It’s direct, immediate, tactile and fantastically full of feedback.
The Pur Sang Type 35 is the antithesis of the modern automobile. And that is good.
For more information contact Pur Sang’s Commercial Director for Anglo Markets, John Bothwell, atjohn@pursang.us or (949) 698-6603. You won’t be disappointed.
[Source: Rick Carey; photos: Sports Car Digest]
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