PROJECT SR250 by moto-mucci

Yesterday our day started at 5am. We packed the car, prepped the bike and headed south to get some shots of Kara and the SR250 at dawn. The plan was to then go back to bed and resume shooting at a more reasonable hour. We didn't. Instead we kept shooting, jumping around to industrial locations all over Chicago. 14 hours later we flopped our exhausted bodies into the seat backs of a bar within stumbling distance of the apartment. We then proceeded to cap the night off. So much weight, both mental and physical, was relieved when I hit that booth. The bike was done. The shoot was done. Everything went as planned. 

Big thanks to Pat Daly for driving in from Detroit to lend his amazing photography skills.

Also a big thanks to Sofia Boutique in Chicago for outfitting Kara for the shoot.

There's been almost 2 years worth of spare time and long weekends that have gone into this bike and it's finally done. Next up - the longevity test, while Kara and I take it and the CX500 800 miles around Lake Michigan.

Here are a few shots I snapped on my phone along the way. I'm stoked to see the real deal come back from editing when Pat's put his final touches on them. Stay tuned!

If you're an "in the moment" kind of lad or gal be sure to follow along on Instagram and Facebook. It'll also be where we post photos while we're on our trip around the lake next week!

from motomucci 

mécanique

‘Container-find’ Stratos to feature at Bonhams’ 2013 Quail Lodge sale

For many years stored away in a shipping container, with only a dusty surfboard for company, this 1970s supercar will be making a dramatic reappearance on 16 August when it’s offered for sale by Bonhams at its 2013 Monterey week auction...

The Lancia, built in 1972, was originally delivered to a German client. Around 10 years later it was exported to the USA and then purchased by a British ex-pat, who saw the car in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He still remembers the 1000-mile drive home to San Francisco, a trip that saw the Stratos passing over snowy mountain passes and through the two driest valleys in the Mojave Desert.

It was then used as an everyday car, handy for the commute down Highway 1 from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. As time went on, the family grew and the Stratos was used less. Eventually, in 1998, it was decided to lay the exotic Italian car up in a container.

With just 50,116 believed-to-be-genuine miles on the clock, this is the car you see now, in ‘container-find’ condition. Needless to say, some reconditioning work is essential before the punchy 2.4-litre Ferrari V6 is fired up again.

The car is just one fine lot in a catalogue of collectors’ cars to be offered by Bonhams at its 16 August 2013, Quail Lodge Carmel Valley auction. Estimate: USD 250,000 – 300,000.

Photos: Bonhams

The very best of 100 years: Aston Martin at Kensington Palace Gardens

It was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Sunday saw Aston Martin’s 100th birthday celebrations take over London’s Kensington Palace Gardens, with a display of 100 important cars from the company’s history. But that was just the start…

Less than a month ago, British meteorologists were predicting not only a sodden summer, but a full decade of moody weather for the British Isles. A few weeks into a heatwave and Aston enthusiasts couldn’t believe their luck as Sunday’s centenary event was blessed with balminess, all the better to highlight the staggering array of machinery.

The best of 100 years

Together with the Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT) and Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC), the company gathered 100 of the best models from its century-long lineage. In most cases, this means ‘the best available at the time…’, but Aston’s loyal aficionados turned up with the full works for each generation.

The pre-War era boasted the likes of Razor Blade, the Headlam coupé and several Ulsters, while important versions of all post-War models were present. Highlights included the high-riding DB2 prototype, the DB2/4 Competition Spider by Bertone and the Bahama Yellow DBS from The Persuaders. The Bulldog, Ogle and CC100 concept studies also drew particular interest with their unfamiliar lines.

Centenary selection - The Chef recommends

As CEO, Dr Bez has had a considerable influence on Aston’s fortunes in the last decade. For the anniversary, he chose his favourites for a ‘centennial selection’. The three 'Bertone Jet' Astons contrasted with each other well, while Bez’s own green DB2/4 looked particularly pretty. World debuts were also seen in the form of Zagato’s pair of Centennial one-offs: one, a convertible, based on a DB9, the other coupé using a DBS as its basis. Of course, the current line-up was also present in full.

Legends of Le Mans

The 1959 Le Mans win was without doubt the firm’s most important racing victory. But alongside the DBR1 that finished second that year was a host of other machines which had a good go at La Sarthe, all packed into a special mini-exhibition. The ‘Project cars’ rubbed door handles with more modern Nimrods and DBR9s, while the ‘VEV’ DB4GT Zagatos added a touch of curvaceous beauty. Nearby, the 1967 Lola-Aston looked about as menacing as they come, wearing dark paint with minimal sponsor interruption.

Shaken and stirred - the Bond cars

Even though James Bond now has as many product placements as the QVC shopping channel, Aston owes a large part of its worldwide ‘gentlemen’s sports cars’ image to 007. The original Bond DB5 and V8 Vantage were obvious favourites, but Bond’s more recent company cars were also well-received, despite needing a ‘little TLC’. Some didn’t quite understand the fuss behind the slain DBS though: “Dear, in what kind of world are we living where you present a horribly damaged car and people seem to appreciate it,” one spouse asked her husband. 

 

Photos: Jan Baedeker

via Classic Driver