Aston Martin DB4 Convertible: Never in the shade

First on sale in 1961, the DB4 Convertible offered sporting intent in an open-top configuration – but only to 70 lucky owners.

The convertible DB4 made its debut at the 1961 London Motor Show, exactly three years after its be-roofed sibling had been revealed to an appreciative crowd at the same venue.

This time, though, the styling had been taken care of in-house, with Touring’s design for the coupé used merely as a starting point; a very pretty one at that.Often serving to improve and confuse in equal measure, Sir David Brown’s preference for ‘constant evolution’ was as present as ever in the open DB4. Though it went on sale at the same time as the ‘series 4’ cars (the ‘series’ were retrospectively defined by AMOC, the Aston Martin Owners Club), the convertible shared some features with the later ‘series 5’ coupés, including the extended section of the rear body. In fact, some of its characteristics – such as the opening quarterlight window – were not seen on a coupé until the DB6.


In comparison with these later cars, the DB4 Convertible also managed to retain a unique side to its character. In subsequent years, that process of ‘constant evolution’ meant the cars put on weight, negating the advantages of the Superleggera construction process licensed by Touring. Also, it has a fruitier exhaust note compared with later straight-six Astons: the DB4’s rasp only had to do battle with two silencers, while DB5s and 6s had four.

Nestle into the short but surprisingly supportive seats and you’re greeted by a thin, large-diameter wooden steering wheel. It’s bordered by simple switchgear and dials inset into a body-coloured dash panel, a touch that's exclusive to the convertible: the coupé had a sombre, black fascia.

While later cars enjoy popularity through refined looks, snowballing power figures and associations with certain film franchises, it’s the DB4 which offers perhaps the most honest experience of the Newport Pagnell six-cylinder cars. With the convertible only accounting for a small percentage of production, it also provides membership of an exclusive club – one whose members thrive on the DB4’s sporting intentions, and do so while basking in balmy sunshine whenever possible.

Related Links Further information on the DB4 Convertible seen here can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Joe Breeze (Classic Driver)
Photos: Simon Clay

Suzuki GSX-R "Back to Black" by KMP

Foto: Facebook (KMP)
via Racing Café

Cape Town to Dublin by Scooter

 

Scooter riding expedition that starts at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2013 - The route takes us up the length of Africa, then through the Middle East and right across Europe - visiting 14 different Children's Hospitals in total - Ultimately finishing at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Dublin, Ireland - an 8 month journey. The trip is been completed to assist with the raising of funds and awareness for the wonderful work done by these amazing life saving organizations

Mister Mysterious

Hyundai Motorsport recently published a press release concerning the first real test of the new i20 WRC in the middle of May. However, there was no official news concerning the driver who was in the Korean car for the 500km run.

Si Hyundai Motorsport a communiqué sur les premiers vrais essais de l’i20 WRC mi-mai, le mystère reste entier sur le nom du pilote qui a parcouru quelque 500 kilomètres au volant de la Coréenne.

We ran down the list of possibilities… Psy? No. After the success of ‘Gangnam Style’, the hyperactive South Korean singer was probably busy promoting his latest hit, ‘Gentleman’. How about Daft Punk? They, at least, have already got helmets… Or what about BBC Top Gear’s ‘The Stig’?

The Hyundai i20 WRC was put through its paces somewhere in France for three days, but Hyundai Motorsport did not disclose the location. So we studied the photos that accompanied the press release… The flat terrain suggests it was a circuit and, on one of the shots, you can see coloured kerbs, and the half-open door of a hangar. The next step was to analyse the photos of the different circuits in northeast France (not too far from the team’s German base) to find a match, and we believe we have identified the venue! No names, though.

There were no clues regarding the identity of the driver, however. Bryan Bouffier perhaps? The Frenchman hasn’t had a test role at Peugeot Sport since the end of 2012, and he knows the ex-Peugeot staff who have been recruited for the Hyundai programme… That said, in the middle of May, he was contesting the Tour de Corse. Kris Meeke was on the Mediterranean island, too, driving the ‘zero’ car…

There is every reason to believe the team hasn’t recruited a current full-time WRC driver. Sébastien Loeb? No. He was busy in the south of France testing the 208 T16 Pikes Peak. Juho Hanninen? He withdrew from the Rallye de Portugal for family reasons and hasn’t been seen in the WRC since Sweden. He’s known for his test driving skills, but above all on gravel. P-G. Andersson? Why not, but not necessarily on asphalt…

There are also a number of ex-WRC drivers who enjoyed a good relationship with the former members of Peugeot Sport. Marcus Grönholm? He was never a big fan of testing duties at Peugeot. Stéphane Sarrazin? He has got a contract with a Japanese carmaker. Freddy Loix? Gilles Panizzi? Or recent WRC stars who still dream of returning to the sport’s highest level? Petter Solberg? Chris Atkinson?

We believe the name of the mystery driver figures somewhere in the above list. Don’t hesitate to let us have your ideas via Facebook or a comment…

Première hypothèse : Psy. Mais après Gangnam Style, le remuant sud-coréen était surtout occupé à faire la promo de son nouveau tube, Gentleman. Les Daft Punk, alors ? C’est vrai qu’ils sont déjà casqués…

La Hyundai i20 WRC a effectué une séance d’essais de trois jours en France mi-mai, mais impossible d’en savoir plus auprès de Hyundai Motorsport. Alors, on a enquêté à partir des photos diffusées dans la presse. Le profil ultra plat de la base nous a fait penser à un circuit. Sur l’une d’elles, on pouvait apercevoir des vibreurs de couleurs différentes et une porte de hangar entr’ouverte. On a passé en revue les photos de tous les circuits du nord-est de la France (proches de l’Allemagne) et on a fini par trouver ! C’était le circuit de….. On attend vos réponses sur nos réseaux sociaux.

En revanche, rien sur le pilote. On a donc fait le tour des popotes dans le paddock du Rallye d’Acropole… Bryan Bouffier ? Il n’est plus pilote d’essais pour Peugeot Sport depuis fin 2012, mais il connaît des ex-Peugeot aujourd’hui chez Hyundai… Reste que mi-mai, il était en Corse, jusqu’à preuve du contraire… Kris Meeke y était aussi au volant de la voiture 0.

On suppose qu’il ne s‘agit pas d’un pilote évoluant à plein temps en WRC. Sébastien Loeb ? Il était sur les pentes du Mont-Ventoux dans la 208 T16 Pikes Peak. Juho Hanninen ? Forfait au Portugal pour des raisons familiales, on ne l’a pas revu en WRC depuis la Suède. On connaît ses compétences comme pilote d’essais, avant tout sur terre. PG Andersson ? Pourquoi pas oui, mais sur asphalte…

Qui alors ? D’anciens pilotes WRC ayant des liens avec d’anciens membres de Peugeot Sport ? Marcus Grönholm ? Humm, il n’aimait déjà pas trop les tests chez Peugeot… Stéphane Sarrazin ? Il est en contrat avec un constructeur japonais… Freddy Loix ? Gilles Panizzi ? D’anciens pilotes WRC qui rêvent de revenir ? Petter Solberg ? Chris Atkinson ?

Allez, la bonne réponse est parmi les noms ci-dessus… On attend vos suggestions sur facebook, twitter…

IOMTT: Conker Fields with Richard Mushet

Photos: © 2013 Richard Mushet / Mushet Photo – All Rights Reserved

Richard Mushet is a British photographer who has been known to cover motorcycle racing in it’s many forms. You can view his site here, and follow his Facebook page for more frequent updates over here: MushetPhoto.

via asphaltandrubber

The Story of the 501 Jean

Since its invention 140 years ago, the 501® jean has taken on a life of its own as a beloved icon of culture and style around the world. From old to young and punk to prep, the 501® is one of the most democratic fashion items ever created, defined by the people who wear it. This film highlights the major evolutions in design of the 501® and its influence on culture throughout the decades.

The Levi's® 501® jean. The uniform of progress since 1873.

Kenji Shibata / Seevert Works

We’re proud to showcase Kenji Shibata’s Japanese motorcycle paintings.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR GALLERY VIEW  

+ Source: Seevert Works

Etape 1 : Novikov emerges as surprise leader / Novikov leader surprise

With two stages completed, Russia’s Evgeny Novikov (Ford/Michelin) tops the order in Greece, 30.3 seconds clear of Dani Sordo and 39.1s ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala. Ogier, Ostberg and Hirvonen have practically no hope of winning the 2013 Acropolis Rally.

Après deux spéciales, le Russe Evgeny Novikov (Ford/Michelin) est leader du Rallye de l’Acropole 2013 avec 30.3 secondes d’avance sur Dani Sordo et 39.1 sur Jari-Matti Latvala. Ogier, Ostberg et Hirvonen ont déjà perdu tout espoir.

There was a surreal atmosphere at the end of SS2 which was run in darkness. The mountain was swept by a strong, cold, unrelenting wind which whipped up clouds of dust that bit into the faces of those of us who managed to locate the Stop Control.

We nearly arrived late after getting caught in a big traffic jam caused by a breakdown truck carrying Ogier’s N°8 Polo R WRC down a narrow track back to the service park. At least that allowed us to learn directly from co-driver Julien Ingrassia that it was a fuel pump problem that halted the Frenchman on SS1.

We finally reached the Stop Control of SS2 in time. It was something of an ‘old school’ control, with just two marshals, a telephone link to the flying finish line, a table, two chairs and two small lamps which did their best to illuminate the stage-time board which was flapping in the gale.

At least the wind meant the crews weren’t handicapped by hanging dust on the stage. “There was actually more dust inside the car than outside,” commented Andreas Mikkelsen whose digital gear display was blocked on ‘3^rd’. “I didn’t know which gear I was in, so I just tried to keep count in my head.”

The Norwegian’s Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala showed up four minutes later: “That’s was fun, but I had a problem with understeer…”

The Finn’s time of 18m3.5s was not bettered by his compatriot Mikko Hirvonen: “I had a bit of a scare when I went onto two wheels. I calmed down a bit after that,” reported the Citroën driver who was delayed by a steering problem on SS1.

Another victim of SS1 was Mads Ostberg who didn’t appear to have recovered mentally from the blow at the end of SS2. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville is enjoying a good start to the weekend. “I hit a big rock but it didn’t damage the car,” said the Belgian who is fourth overall this evening after completing the first night-time gravel stage of his career.

Evgeny Novikov followed up his fastest time on SS1 with another on SS2 (18m0.7s): “I made a few mistakes under braking and I think I could have been quicker.” Despite his comment, the Russian managed to increase his lead over Dani Sordo by almost 10 seconds. This is the first time in his career that he has led a WRC rally and he currently has a useful cushion of 30.3s over Sordo and 39.1s over Latvala. Neuville (+51.1s) and Mikkelsen (+1m14.6s) follow in fourth and fifth places.

The WRC-2 standings are still led by Robert Kubica (Citroën/Michelin), despite a spin at speed on SS2. Protasov is second (+38.2s) and the championship leader Al-Kuwari (3^rd) is almost a minute behind.

L’ambiance était surréelle à l’arrivée de l’ES2 dont le départ était donné de nuit, à 21h26 pour la première auto. Un vent fou et froid balayait les crêtes au-dessus de Corinthe, soulevant un nuage de poussière qui fouettait les visages des plus téméraires, ceux qui avaient réussi à trouver le point stop de l’ES2.

Avant d’y parvenir, nous nous sommes engouffrés dans les embouteillages causés par une dépanneuse qui ramenait la Polo R WRC n°8 au parc d’assistance. Du coup, nous avons eu confirmation du problème de pompe à essence directement de la part de Julien Ingrassia.

Demi-tour. Le point stop se situait à quelques kilomètres de là. Un point stop à l’ancienne avec deux commissaires, une liaison téléphonique avec l’arrivée lancée, une table, deux chaises et deux loupiottes qui tentaient d’éclairer un tableau des temps malmené par le vent.

L’avantage pour les pilotes, c’est qu’ils n’ont pas été gênés par la poussière. « Il y en avait plus à l’intérieur de l’auto qu’à l’extérieur » nous a même avoué Andreas Mikkelsen, dont l’afficheur digital était bloqué sur le chiffre 3. « Je ne savais pas sur quel rapport j’étais, alors j’essayais de les compter. »

Son équipier Jari-Matti Latvala est arrivé quatre minutes plus tard : « J’ai pris du plaisir malgré un fort sous-virage. » En 18min03s5, le Finlandais n’a pas été battu par son compatriote Mikko Hirvonen : « Je me suis fait une belle chaleur, un deux-roues magistral. Ca m’a calmé pour la suite… » a déclaré le pilote Citroën, relégué à près de six minutes du leader après un problème de direction dans l’ES1.

Autre victime de cette 1^ère spéciale, le Norvégien Mads Ostberg (jante cassée), qui n’avait visiblement pas retrouvé le moral dans l’ES2. Thierry Neuville fait quant à lui un beau début de course au volant de sa Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin. « On a touché une grosse pierre, mais la voiture a bien résisté », a expliqué le Belge, 4^e ce soir, à l’arrivée de sa 1^ère spéciale nocturne sur terre.

Après son meilleur temps dans l’ES1, Evgeny Novikov a confirmé en réalisant le temps scratch dans l’ES2 en 18min00s7 : « J’ai commis quelques erreurs sur des freinages, on aurait pu aller plus vite. » Le Russe a tout de même augmenté son avance sur Dani Sordo de près de 10 secondes. Ce soir, lui qui n’avait jamais mené un rallye WRC, vire en tête avec une avance déjà conséquente de 30s3 sur Sordo et de 39s1 sur Latvala. Trois marques différentes sur le podium provisoire. Neuville et Mikkelsen sont en couverture, 4^e et 5^e à respectivement 51s1 et 1min14s6.

En WRC-2, Robert Kubica (Citroën/Michelin) est toujours leader malgré un tête-à-queue dans une partie rapide de l’ES2. Protasov est 2^e à 38s2 et le leader du championnat, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, est à près d’une minute.

sérénité