R.S. Williams - From apprentice to expert

Before setting up his own business, Richard Williams served his apprenticeship at Aston Martin under the tutelage of Sir David Brown – giving him the expertise to become one of the foremost Aston experts in the world.

Tucked away behind a leafy suburban street on the outskirts of London are the premises of R.S. Williams Ltd, his eponymous company this year celebrating 45 years of specialising in Astons. The cries of those with reservations as to the suitability of the suburban setting would soon be drowned out (literally) by the calibre of cars here: the first of five DBR1s built sits outside, waiting patiently for a routine checkup having been piloted around the 'Ring by Sir Stirling Moss the previous weekend.


At the heart of ‘RSW’ (both in physical and business terms) is the workshop, which includes dedicated areas for machining, milling and dyno-testing. Beyond its famous restorations and engine conversions (up to 7.0 litres for the V8), the outfit also crafts its own parts – either serving as improvements on the originals, or to replace those parts that can no longer be sourced. It’s worth remembering that Williams ran both the Nimrod and AMR1 Group C projects on behalf of Aston Martin, so he knows a bit about performance engineering.


Aston also entrusted RSW to build the famous ‘Sanction II’ DB4 GT Zagatos; a similar faith is put in the company by its loyal clientele (which included the eccentric Peter Sellers). At the time of our visit, the DBR1 was joined by a DB4 GT being returned from race to road specification, and a rare DB6 Shooting Brake undergoing a full restoration – these big-money projects being all in a day’s work at RSW. While enthusiasts will often have all their cars serviced at one place, RSW regularly sees one of ‘their’ cars pass through many owners over the years, the appreciation for high-quality work being passed along through stewardship.


Also operating as a dealership, RSW’s stocklist comprises cars of a similar quality. Rather than turning around any car that comes his way, Williams hand-picks cars by scouring his wide range of contacts, only keeping five or six for sale at one time. “We don’t sell Astons,” he says. “People come here and fall in love with what they see.”After serving the Aston community for more than four decades, it’s funny to think how differently things might have turned out for Williams: before starting his apprenticeship at Feltham, he almost found himself in a similar role with AC.

Related Links R.S. Williams' stocklist can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

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

Long-term parking: The Castle of the Lost Alfas

As an ‘urbexer’ – or urban explorer – Tim Knifton travels the world in search of decayed and abondoned environments. While exploring an old castle in Belgium recently, he was able to photograph this fascinating fleet of dilapidated Alfa Romeos.

Tim describes his pastime as “urban exploration or the capture of unseen, derelict places and documenting decay that many people would not have the chance to see”. Here he explains the story behind his discovery last November:
“One of the places that was definitely on my list to visit in Belgium was the ‘Lost Alfas’ – six Alfa Romeo 1960s sport cars left to rot in the bowels of an abandoned castle somewhere in Belgium.”


“After several attempts at walking across fields, and exploring barns and courtyards, we reported back to the others that the castle was over the gate but there was no clear way to get to it, so one of our guys headed off to find an alternative route. Within five minutes the access was found and we made our way down the driveway in the emerging light of sunrise towards the castle.”
“On arrival at the castle, we ventured through the grass and found an archway underneath. It looked promising, so we pressed on a little further and discovered the cars”. Tim underlines his insistence on preserving history, with the motto “take photos, and leave only footprints.”


The cars in question look to be a pair of Giulia 1600 Spiders, a Giulietta 1300 SS Super Sprint and a 1300 Sprint. Since Knifton’s adventure, the castle has been permanently sealed, meaning the unfortunate yet oddly captivating Alfas might be entombed forever.

Related Links See more of Tim Knifton's captivating photography on his blog:www.timster1973.wordpress.com Plenty of Alfa Romeos can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Classic Driver / Tim Knifton
Photos: Tim Knifton

BMW R65 - Hook Motors & Totti Motori

Written by Ian Lee.

Solid. If I was going to use one word to describe the BMW R series bikes built in the 80’s, that is the word I would use. From all angles you can see it’s packing some bulk, even from the rear, with it’s horizontal heads sticking out wide. As today’s feature bike from Hook Motors shows, they also make a solid base for a scrambler type build, it’s aesthetic giving the idea that if you can’t find a way around, you could just wind on the throttle and punch your way through. Fat offroad tyres, exhaust & handlebars all give the effect of something you could take to the trails on a Sunday, and be able to ride it home afterwards with little issue. Or in the words of Hook Motors "Designed for hill or dirt roads alike, this special motorcycle feels light and manageable. This bike is meant to be ridden hard". Amen to that.

In their latest collaboration with Totti Motori, the midsize Beemer bike has been put through the wringer, with few components coming through untouched. To give the Teutonic powerplant some boost, the engine has been rebuilt, with ‘more punch than the original offering’. A scrambler style exhaust has been fashioned up, exclusively for this bike, with mucho black pipewrap used, ending in two Thruxton style silencers. The original electrical has been replaced with a full custom harness to suit the aesthetic mods, and to neaten up the look of the build.

As mentioned, the bike has been touched up majorly, but the thought put into the work involved is pretty impressive. The fuel tank has been split in half, broken up into two different compartments, one for fuel, the other side containing electrical componentry and the brake hydraulic arrangement. This was done to ‘allow Hook to have a very clean motorcycle’. The seat is a Roberto Totti special, perched above the custom rear frame. Both front and rear fenders have been specially made for this build, keeping with the BMW lines, while adding to the dirtbike character of the BMW.

This bike is a unique take on a classic BMW, the scrambler styling meaning extra effort like running the custom exhaust, but you have to agree that it is worth it in the end. A mix of the original steadfast German styling, with unique build aspects, make for a bike that you can admire, yet ride like Hook & Roberto Totti intend it to be ridden. This can be seen in the choice to run the original BMW rims, but wrap them in Continental Enduro rubber. A solid base for a solid build, it shows what can happen when you think outside the box.

 from pipeburn

Max Biaggi to test the Ducati GP13 at Mugello

from Twowheelsblog

This upcoming Thursday and Friday, Ducati riders will be back on track at the Mugello circuit for a private test to prepare for the Catalunya GP in two weeks time.

Besides the contracted riders and Michele Pirro who will be filling in for Pramac’s Ben Spies for the next few races, Italian website GPOne.com is reporting that Max Biaggi will also testing with the team and riding a Pramac Ducati thanks to Paolo Campinoti.

The retired MotoGP rider and six-time world champion hasn’t been on prototype since the end of 2005 and has never rode on Bridgestone tires, but apparently his trip to Mugello on Sunday to watch friend Jorge Lorenzo ride to victory payed off in more ways than one.

Biaggi has been itching to get back on a bike since he retired last year and became a Superbike commentator for Sportmediaset. The Roman Emperor was not only linked to a wildcard ride at Monza, but Ducati Alstare owner Francis Batta tried to get him become test rider for the 1199 Panigale, but that was apparently was shot down by the bigwigs in Ducati, to the dismay of the Belgium manager.

Back in April of 2008, Ducati wanted Troy Bayliss Max Biaggi to test and give their feedback on the GP8 when Marco Melandri was having his problems with the 800cc machine, but both riders turned down the invitation wanting to concentrate on their own Superbike championship and then they had retired Sete Gibernau to test the machine - which prompted the Spaniard to make an ill-fated comeback the next year that lasted just six rounds (he skipped two because of collarbone injury) until his Grupo Francisco Hernando team decided to pull out.

Biaggi’s Ducati test has gotten half of Italy salivating over the thought and the wish of his comeback, and you can expect several camera crews and photographers to immortalize the test for posterity, along with stop watches to see how the Black Corsair fares on lap times.