1983 BMW R80RT - 'CARNERA'

We love the scramblers coming out of Europe at the moment. The latest is this BMW R80RT built by the talented brothers at Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche named 'Carnera'. To most of us this name doesn't mean a thing, but to Italian's, Primo Carnera was one of the greatest boxers Italy has produced – winning the world heavyweight championship back in 1933. "We named it after him because our bike is a big, elegant and like him, it has a boxer engine too" says Andrea. The bike was commissioned by a customer from Tuscany whose brief was simple "create an elegant and bad ass vintage enduro." Well, we think they've built a knockout Beemer.

Emporio Elaborazioni started the build with the rear frame which was chopped and shortened to give the rear tyre greater visibility. Then they worked on the large stock tank. "We don't like this trend of using "boxy" big tank on a slim seat so we cut, and curved it to make the tank more minimal and follow the line we designed." They also added a couple of nozzles and transparent fuel lines to make a visible fuel level on the tank – the external version of what they did with the Mastino XJR 1200. The seat was then custom made to follow the curve from the tank, then covered in Italian burgundy leather.

They really wanted to add some special details to the build. So to add a touch of "vintage" they modified a set of Ducati GT side covers, that look right at home on the bike. In their search for other details, they worked with a leather artisan who added all the leather details to the foot rests, the hand grips, the top of the headlight and the leather insert on the forks.

The classic lucas style headlight has been modified to insert the tachometer in it. The big headlight switch it had, has been turned into a engine kill switch and the actual light switch is on the handlebar. The headlight brackets are two wrenches which they seem to add somewhere to all their bikes – because the wrench is part of their logo design. 

Other modifcations include new enduro handlebars, new brake pump, throttle and aluminium mudfender.
"We closed the air filter with a metal cup to improve the engine design and also put the key lock on it."
To co-ordinate the fuel pipes with the tank level they used transparent tubes again with an aluminium filter. All the electric parts, which used to be housed in the big stock headlight, have been relocated to under the seat.

To finish the bike off and give it a more enduro style they opted for a 2-in-1 exhaust with an artisan muffler which was designed on an old Ducati scrambler type. Then finally the bike was given the stunning vintage themed paint job, using ivory with red and black pin stripes.

The guys at Emporio Elaborazioni have 'pulled no punches' building this sensational bike. They've turned a bulky stock R80T touring bike into a very classy vintage scrambler, which we bet will get the old men along the streets of Tuscany telling stories of their past machines.

[Photography by Simone Giorgi at Fotografo]

from PIPEBURN

Octane Icon: Ferrari F40

By AMOS KWON

It’s easy to marvel at modern supercars — the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Aventador. They’re remarkable automobiles that almost defy logic, packed with technology that can turn just about anybody (short of a ham-fisted, oblivious SUV-driving soccer mom) into a semi-competent driver. But there are some cars that usurp respect and admiration from even these titans of technology. They’re so iconic, so wickedly ravishing to behold, and so pure in their purpose and performance that to own one is to reach automotive nirvana. To see one in the flesh is enough to take your breath away. The Ferrari F40 is just such a car.

MORE DROOL-WORTHY ICONS Porsche 917 | BMW M1 | Lamborghini Countach

What It’s All About

The legend himself, Enzo Ferrari (though he must have realized that his legacy of creating some of the best cars in history would persist long after his death), wanted to depart this world with a resounding statement. At the age of 90, he knew his time was limited. Both Enzo and Ferrari management fully acknowledged that their racing reputation had suffered of late, largely due to poor Formula One performances in the early 1980s. What’s more, the 288 GTO, which had been built for homologation for Group B Racing, never officially competed due to the cancellation of the series in 1986. Enzo was left with five track versions of the GTO, known as the 288 GTO Evoluzione — which was fast, ferocious and perfectly suited for the development of Enzo’s swan song vehicle. This competition version of the 288 GTO gave birth to the F40, so named to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ferrari.

The ultimate goal was to produce a supercar infused with the lifeblood of Ferrari’s racing technology: a track car built for road use. Pairing lightness — for excellent power-to-weight ratio, structural rigidity and racing-pedigree handling — and the very conspicuous absence of creature comforts would lend to a pure, unadulterated focus on driving. Its performance would have to trump the ridiculously fast Porsche 959 and the Lamborghini Countach in order for it to fit the bill for Ferrari. That would be no small feat.

Technical Rundown

Naturally, the car’s body would have to be light in order for it to possess track chops, and naturally, it would have to be designed by Pininfarina, the Italian design house responsible for iconic Ferraris such as the 250 GTO and the 275 SWB. Though the F40 would carry over much of the 288 GTO Evoluzione’s technology, the design of the body was not copied or derived from any previous Ferrari. The body panels would be constructed of Kevlar, carbon fiber and aluminum, producing all-important lightness and rigidity. Ferrari would even go so far as to install a lightweight but extremely strong plastic, Lexan, in the side windows, the windshield and the vented rear engine cover. The first 50 versions of the F40 didn’t even have roll-down windows; rather, they were racing-style sliding Lexan. Not exactly convenient at the toll booth, but then we suppose one could just drive under the gate arm, were it not for the massive rear wing.

So committed was Ferrari to keeping the car light that they spurned carpet, audio equipment and even door handles. But since it would be used on the road and the mid-engine design would build up a large amount of heat behind the driver, air conditioning was mercifully included.

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The car also needed to be both slippery and stable — meaning it needed to handle like a track car while still being able to top out with the best of them. The Pininfarina body had a low front end, huge vents on the front quarter panels to dispel heat from the brakes, an undertray to provide sufficient airflow to cool the car, rear diffusers and a huge but purposeful rear wing to improve airflow and create the proper downforce necessary for supercar handling. The rear quarter panel shark gill exhaust vents emitted waste from the engine itself and the central dual exhaust at the rear dispelled waste from the twin turbochargers. Though they were, of course, purposeful, these also lended to the beauty of the car’s design.

IT’S NOT EXACTLY CONVENIENT AT THE TOLL BOOTH, BUT THEN WE SUPPOSE ONE COULD JUST DRIVE UNDER THE GATE ARM, WERE IT NOT FOR THE MASSIVE REAR WING.

Just a quick glance at the F40 made clear its intended purpose: to be fast, both in straight line and through whatever curves would be thrown its way. Ask any motoring enthusiast today to describe the F40’s looks and you’ll undoubtedly get a response along the lines of form following function. That’s what makes it truly stunning. It was perhaps the first time in Ferrari’s history that a car with such a singular purpose was built for the road; the result looked “clinically beautiful”.

Though its body was purely original, the F40 was powered by a larger displacement version of the GTO’s engine, a 2.9 liter, twin-turbo V8 with 471 prancing horses within. This power, coupled with a weight of only 2,425 pounds, gave Enzo Ferrari the kind of numbers he was looking for. 0-60 came in 3.8 seconds and 120 arrived in 11 seconds, slightly faster than the Porsche 959. Most importantly, however, was the F40’s top speed. It was the first production car to break the 200 MPH barrier, clocking officially at 201.4. The engine was mated to a proper 5-speed manual transmission and made use of the classic Ferrari shift gate. The purity of it all is so good it almost hurts.

Its Place in History

Though the F40 was never intended for the track, it appeared in various modified forms on the racing circuit and saw success. But the real legacy of the F40 lies in the road car. Over a quarter of a century later, it’s still considered to be one of the best supercars ever made, and though the original $400,000 price tag was high (even by today’s standards for a supercar), low mileage versions in excellent condition can command prices in excess of a million dollars. Top Gear’s own Jeremy Clarkson declared it “the best supercar ever made”.

What remains today is a name known worldwide. Enzo Ferrari had the foresight of a true master — and his dream was executed with surgical precision in the creation of one of the best cars the world will ever see. Enzo passed away shortly after the F40′s creation, but went to his grave knowing what he had wrought: an automotive icon.

Tycoon’s Tourer: Packard Eight Sport Phaeton

The Great Gatsby ended tragically, and so did – much later – the automotive brand Packard. But both were key components in cultivating American style in the late 1920s, an era which retains its magical aura to this day…

Originally a car to appeal to corporate tycoons, heads of state, leaders of industry and movie stars, the Packard Eight was a prominent player in American inter-war culture. Even if the brand name is now long gone, in its day Packard dominated the American luxury segment, selling, in total, more cars than Lincoln, Cadillac or Pierce-Arrow. As we know, 1929 was to be a historic year: the year of the great stock market crash and the onset of brutal economic recession, but it was also the most productive year for Packard. Almost 50,000 vehicles were built by Packard before the sun set on 1929 – most were six-cylinder, but well over 8,500 eight-cylinder cars were created, representing the essence of the American pre-War days.

Early in 1929, Packard presented the models 640 and 645 ‘Deluxe Eight’. Thanks to their long wheelbases and quiet, powerful engines, they emerged as touring cars par excellence, and various improvements saw the so-called Sixth Series rise to the top of the desirability stakes. The model was full of innovation: ground-breaking suspension, a servo-hydraulic braking system on all four wheels, and automatic cylinder lubrication (which made the time-consuming process of dry starts unnecessary) brought second-to-none comfort. 

The Sport Phaeton shown here was originally shipped to Los Angeles, where it received a number of cosmetic upgrades, from elaborate chrome hub-caps to dual driving lights. In the course of a subsequent restoration, the car was given tasteful two-tone paintwork, a red leather interior and beige soft-top. With the 120HP eight-cylinder engine and manual three-speed gearbox, the car today offers a formidable touring weapon; it’s easy to imagine oneself sitting behind the huge, sculpted steering wheel, riding fast and high through the countryside.

As did, supposedly, the Great Gatsby, roaring along the roads of Long Island… but we also know that Gatsby died young. The Packard brand that had been founded in 1899 finally met a similar fate, disappearing entirely by the end of the 1950s. Today, this car fits perfectly with the breathtaking imagery of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel: an extraordinary automobile that preserves countless glamorous and beautiful moments of that inter-war era – a piece of automotive history that is best seen cruising coastal roads. Long may it continue to do so.

Photos: RM Auctions

via Classic Driver

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