It's the little decisions we make and influences of history along the way that determine who we are, what we do and what we create.
For this owner of a custom 1974 Honda CB360 cafe racer / flattracker, incorporating various elements from his own dirt bike and family history of speedway racing resulted in a build of the perfect ride. For more info on this story visit http://www.storiesofbike.com
Well, over the years, there cannot be many cars that divide opinion more than those made by Bristol. The Blenheim, however, introduced in 1993, is an offering from the company that steps firmly on the right side of that fine line separating acceptable, individual styling from the downright ugly...
We think so, at any rate. A few years ago, Classic Driver took a Blenheim to Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire. We collected the silver four-seater from the famous Bristol showrooms in Kensington and drove it to one of England’s prettiest areas, the Cotswolds — thus doing all the city townhouse and country retreat stuff typical of a Bristol owner. The big car was as easy to thread through London traffic as it was along narrow Oxfordshire lanes, and the Chrysler V8 offered a surprising turn of speed when given a good prod.
Sit the Blenheim alongside an Aston Martin V8, a Jensen Interceptor, a Maserati Quattroporte or a BMW coupé, though, and there will be few that would rate the Bristol at the top of the tree. That’s despite its colossal price when new, and the fact that few will have actually driven one. Which is a shame, as they really are a rather satisfactory experience – in this writer’s opinion, easily the equal of a non-Vantage Aston Martin V8.
This car, available from Classic Driver dealer Graeme Hunt, was built in 2000 and has covered just 15,000 miles since. As the advert points out, this is a 150mph car, built to the exacting requirements of Bristol’s then long-term owner Tony Crook: space for four, a tight turning circle, more-than-adequate performance and the mass of the car’s mechanicals within its wheelbase.
As far as its looks are concerned, it’s a matter of taste. But given that you are unlikely to see a Bristol on the roads very often, why not enjoy the full visual experience when you do?
At the recent Silverstone round of the World Superbike Championship, current WSBK Champion Max Biaggi - now a commentator for the Italian TV - was invited to drive the newAlfa Romeo 4C on the historic British circuit, and you just know Mr.Biaggi is not the kind of man that would miss out on such a good opportunity to have some serious fun. The little Italian sports car is the official safety car for the World Superbike series and we usually see it dressed in red, but this time around it was given a special white livery with a 3-color stripe - resembling the Italian flag - crossing it all throughout in an attempt to emphasize its sportiness.
However, here is a nice video documenting the event, with Max Biaggi explaining - in Italian - how a rider should approach the most significant corners of the British circuit. If you don’t speak Italian just don’t worry, he isn’t really telling us any undisclosed secret about it.
The Alfa Romeo 4C is powered by a new 4-cylinder 1750 cc turbo petrol engine producing around 237 horsepower, with direct fuel injection, dual continuous variable valve timing - an innovative aluminum block with specific intake and exhaust systems - and a revolutionary scavenging control system that gets rid of any turbo lag. Thanks to engine and a curb weight of just 950 kg , the Alfa Romeo 4C can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds before hitting its electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
