Honda CM400 - Flash Rabbit Custom Garage

Another day, another killer Honda build. This time it's a build from a relative new-comer to the scene; Indonesia's Flash Rabbit Custom Garage. Run by celebrity and actor Derby Romero, the shop seems to exhibit all the classic traits of the best builders in this part of the world. Namely, a fresh approach with the guts to do things a little different from the mainstream scene. In this case that translated to a build that took influences from the café, bobber and brat scenes. The results? We'll let them speak for themselves - with a little help from Romero, of course.

“My name is Derby Romero. I was born in 1990 and I'm an actor in Indonesia who really loves classic and custom motorcycles. In fact, I have loved them since I was a kid and now I run my own custom garage called ‘Flash Rabbit’. This all started as a hobby; I had a small workshop at my house and I started designing custom motorcycles and building them for my friends; they were mainly café racers, bobbers and trackers.”

“I guess my passions counted for something, because after a year or so people started to notice my work. It was then about 12 months ago I decided to take this to professional level, because it was something I always wanted to try. The work is still coming in, and now I even have my own team to help run the garage. I'm still working on our website, but it will be up soon.”

“The bike is a Honda CM 400. The first step for us was to get the bike's engine checked. It was still in good shape, but we had to change the clutch plate, redo the wiring and change the carbs to a set of Keihin PE28s. After we were finished with the engine, I started working on the looks. To try something completely different, I decided to combine café racer, bobber, and brat-style influences all on the one bike - and I think it really works. The gas tank is a handmade with curves on both sides for a real café racer character, and then I put the leatherwork on the gas tank and rear fender to match the leather seat, which is a key feature of the bike and which really gave it a bobber feel.”

“Then we chopped the rear frame a bit so the seat would fit perfectly and to make the bike just a bit lower. The footpegs, clubman bars and the exhausts are all handmade. I used a medium size custom light for the front. For the finishing touches, we sprayed a battleship grey color on the gas tank and rear fender, with a light brown leather stripe and leather seat. The grips are also grey. And yes, we used exhaust wrap. We really hope you all like it.”

 via PIPEBURN

Foitek Automobile: Three brothers on their toes

Four-times Swiss Champion (racing and sportscars) Karl Foitek made his name over 50 years ago – and not just in Switzerland. Classic Driver visited the family Foitek at its present company premises on Lake Zurich to admire the exquisitely designed showroom...

When Karl Foitek and his wife opened the Foitek Garage in Zurich in 1962, he had already made a name for himself as a racing and sportscar driver and while the entrepreneur always had a passion for fast Italian cars, brands such as Lotus and Jaguar were also represented in the garage. By the end of the Eighties, his three sons Reto, Frank and Gregor were taking an active role in the company.  In 2004, the Foitek Garage was sold but, in 2008, the brothers opened Foitek Automobile AG in Altendorf. The now 82-year-old Karl Foitek is still a consultant to his boys, providing help and encouragement, and his trophies and photographs give the showroom a special charm.

The current offerings of the family business include modern Ferraris and Maseratis, sitting alongside such rare classics as a 1978 Maserati Kyalami 4.2 with elegant brown metallic paintwork. There’s also the latest Maserati Ghibli to consider, which must raise a few eyebrows: who would have thought, when the Foitek Garage was first conceived, that one day there would be a Maserati with optional 4WD, an eight-speed auto gearbox and a diesel engine?

Photos: Jan Baedeker

To see the cars in stock at Foitek Automobile, see the Classic Driver Market.

Andersson’s 100th WRC start! / Le 100e rallye WRC d’Andersson

This week will see Jonas Andersson join Ilka Minor and Giovanni Bernacchini as the third co-driver this year to notch up his 100th WRC appearance. To mark the occasion, the Swede was presented by Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson with a framed photo of the N°4 Fiesta WRC he shares with Norway’s Mads Ostberg.

Après Ilka Minor et Giovanni Bernacchini, le Suédois Jonas Andersson est le troisième copilote à atteindre le cap des 100 départs en WRC cette année. Pour marquer le coup, Malcolm Wilson lui a offert une photo encadrée de la Ford Fiesta RS WRC N°4 qu’il partage avec Mads Ostberg.

Mads Ostberg’s co-driver Jonas Andersson is taking part in his 100^th WRC event this week. The 36-year old reserved Swede made his world class debut in 2002 alongside his compatriot Per-Gunnar Andersson (no relation), with whom he went on to collect two ‘Junior’ titles with Suzuki.

His first ride in a World Rally Car came with DTM star Mattias Ekström on the 2006 Rallye Deutschland 2006 (11^th). Jonas competed again with ‘P-G’ in 2008. Their difficult season in the works Suzuki SX4 WRC harvested fifth places in Japan and Wales.

When a programme failed to materialise with P-G in 2009, Jonas was recruited by Mads Ostberg for the Acropolis Rally (7^th, Subaru Impreza WRC). The pair has remained together ever since and, in 2012, they took their first world class win together, in Portugal.

Following in the footsteps of Ilka Minor (in Mexico) and Giovanni Bernacchini (Greece), Jonas is the third co-driver to reach 100 WRC starts this year. He joins fellow Swede Arne Hertz (133 starts) in the list of 21 co-drivers who have attained that landmark figure, the most active of whom is Frenchman Denis Giraudet (176^th WRC outing this week!).

“My father used to take me to watch rallies when I was a kid,” recalls Jonas. “When I was about 14 or 15, I started to hang around with the local motorsport community. I was 15 when I did my first event as a co-driver! Notching up 100 WRC starts wasn’t part of the plan, though – I just wanted to enjoy myself. Then, when I was 24, I contemplated buying my own car and competing as a driver. That’s when P-G called and asked if I wanted to do the Swedish Championship with him. I said ‘yes’, because the thought of co-driving at a high level sounded like a much better idea.”

We asked his current driver Mads Ostberg what he believes Jonas’s chief quality is: “He’s obviously very experienced, but I think the main thing is the special way he reads the pace notes; the way he alters his voice to match the type of corner. It’s almost like singing and I find that makes the information he gives very easy to absorb.”

Garçon discret malgré une carrure imposante, le copilote de Mads Ostberg dispute ce week-end le 100^e rallye d’une carrière mondiale entamée en 2002. Jonas Andersson (36 ans) a débuté aux côtés de son compatriote Per-Gunnar Andersson – sans lien de parenté – avec lequel il a décroché deux titres Junior chez Suzuki.

Ce n’est pas « PG » qui lui offrit sa première expérience en World Rally Car, mais la star du DTM Mattias Ekström, au Rallye Deutschland 2006 (11^e). Jonas est remonté dans une WRC en 2008 pour un programme officiel sur la Suzuki SX4 WRC aux côtés de son homonyme. Une saison assez compliquée, conclue par deux 5^e places (Japon, Grande-Bretagne).

Sans programme avec « PG » pour 2009, Jonas a débuté aux côtés de Mads Ostberg au Rallye de l’Acropole sur une Subaru Impreza WRC (7^e). Depuis, le Norvégien et le Suédois ne se sont plus quittés et ont remporté ensemble leur première victoire mondiale, le Rallye du Portugal 2012.

Après Ilka Minor au Mexique et Giovanni Bernacchini en Grèce, Jonas Andersson est le troisième copilote à entrer dans le « club des 100 » cette année, lequel réunit 21 membres. Un autre Suédois, Arne Hertz, y figure avec 133 rallyes. Ce « club des 100 » est toujours présidé par Denis Giraudet (176^e rallye WRC ce week-end).

« Mon père m’emmenait régulièrement voir des rallyes quand j’étais môme », se souvient Jonas. « A 14 ou 15 ans, j’ai commencé à m’intégrer dans le milieu du sport automobile. J’avais 15 ans quand j’ai disputé mon premier rallye comme copilote. Avoir 100 rallyes WRC n’était pas vraiment dans mes plans, je voulais juste m’amuser ! A 24 ans, j’avais envisagé d’acheter ma propre voiture pour la piloter. Et puis « PG » m’a appelé pour faire le Championnat de Suède à ses côtés. J’ai dit oui car être copilote à haut niveau était une bien meilleure idée. »

Nous avons également demandé à Mads Ostberg ce qu’il pensait de Jonas : « Il a beaucoup d’expérience, mais pour moi, sa principale qualité, c’est sa lecture des notes, sa voix. C’est comme s’il chantait et j’enregistre parfaitement bien tout ce qu’il me dit. »

la grande roue ........