From the depths of space: First ride in the Range Rover LWB

To be taking a test drive not in the pilot’s chair – but perched in the second row – is a little unusual. But it’s wholly appropriate to the latest Range Rover, where an extra 20 centimetres of body length caters solely for rear passengers…

If you voluntarily take a seat in the rear of a car, it’s usually for good reason. Very often, it’ll be because there’s an ‘L’ badge on the car’s bootlid – more often than not, the technical definition of a chauffeur’s car. And although it’s only a minor typographical addition, it could well be the deciding factor behind your purchase.

Three credit cards

After this year’s L.A. Motor Show, drivers and their fleet managers need to expand their spectrum, since the British successor to the quintessential luxury SUV, the Range Rover, is now available as a LWB model. But what’s 20cm - just three credit cards arranged longitudinally? Well, no, it’s like the difference between taking a long-haul flight in Economy... or Business class; all of a sudden, the preferential place in the new Rangie is now that second row. And even British Airways can’t offer you a panoramic roof through which to stargaze.

Between spa and gentlemen's club

The extra space is immediately noticeable and provides welcome freedom of movement for your legs, while those ‘unlucky’ enough to ride up front will find the same spatial arrangement as in the standard-wheelbase version. In the rear, it’s a well-resolved mixture of spa and gentlemen’s club – particularly if you choose the individual seats with multiple adjustment angles and the ability to massage, heat or cool. With these, the recline angle is an impressive 17 degrees (8deg further back than usual), perfect for taking an in-transit nap after a hard day’s work. Those who didn’t meet their deadlines will find an upgraded centre console with USB charging ports and electrically extendable, leather-covered tables – not to mention more light sources than the festive seasonal decorations back at the office.

Destination: Bentley and Rolls-Royce

Whether on the rather dilapidated highways of the West Coast or Beverly Hills’ famous shopping mecca Rodeo Drive, that longer wheelbase seems to amplify the lofty car’s composure. Thankfully, the comfort benefits offered by the extension have little effect on the car’s visual proportions: in fact, even the well-informed would need to look twice to notice the difference. Of course, the compromise comes at the bottom line: even the entry-level 4.4-litre SDV8 diesel comes in at more than £100,000, which pushes it firmly into territory occupied by the finer British marques. The Autobiography trim ensures it’s far from upstaged by its newfound domestic peers; Autobiography Black, with its LED mood lighting and other goodies from the ‘Engineered To Order’ division, places it even further inside the realm of Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

 

Photos: David Shepherd

Classic and modern Range Rovers can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

THE ABCS OF AMA VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS

There are many, many reasons we attend AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The bikes, the swap meet, the racing and the overall atmosphere created by motorcycle enthusiasts is an experience we don’t wanna miss. We were fortunate to have worked with the good folks at the American Motorcyclist Association to help convey the vibe of VMD (see the video at the end of the post). After going through our pics, here’s an alphabetical and photographic rundown of why we love attending this event.

And, if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a vid we put together to give you a taste of the sights and sounds of VMD:

Come and meet us!

Wonder what our monthly meeting looks like?
Here you get a sneak peek, with stolen moments from our september gathering and excerpts from our august run, not necessarily in order but... Who cares?

Thanks to Legend Motors Lille and Seb Cycles who greeted us, the first at the start and the second at the finish, for an evening and a barbecue which will remain in our memories for a long time!

Thumbs-up too to Guillaume who provided the rushes, and to Cedric who undertook the editing of this clip.

And off course, a big thank you to Tyson Boogie for putting all of this in music, by allowing us to use one of their titles which as usual... Rocks!

In this regard and for your information, their 3rd EP has just been released, simply named "THIRD ROUND" it just sounds like a big punch in the head!
Judge for yourself, it can be heard/bought here:
tysonboogie.com/music.html

Come and meet us! from Un pneu dans la tombe on Vimeo.

Loaded Gun TSY Tramp Bonneville

Great things happen when talented people cross paths and beers get drunk. In this particular instance I'm referring to Jon Patrick, the man behind The Selvedge Yard and Kevin Dunworth owner of one of my favourite custom workshops, Loaded Gun Customs. Together the two have combined their ideas to create the Blackbird "Tramp", a heavily modified '73 OIF Triumph Bonneville which I have been given the honour of revealing here on the blog. Rather than giving you the usual technical build breakdown I asked JP to fill us in on how the bike came together to which he replied...

JP from TSY and his Bonneville "Tramp"

"So, Kevin Dunworth of LGC and I ran into each other for the first time at Thor Drake’s The One Motorcycle Show up in Portland back in February. After I checked into the hotel, I oriented myself and figured out how to walk to the space where the show was setting up and poked around. There wasn’t shit going on, so disappointed I headed back to the hotel where I ran into my buddy Scott Toepfer. We made plans to meet up at the Doug Fir for a cold one, and best as I can recall that’s where Kev and I met for the first time. He was super-friendly, and easy to talk to, and made me feel good about my decision to come out West. Kev and I ended-up hanging out most of the weekend, which was cool with me. The guy is a walking encyclopedia on bikes, and I dug it. I had a great time with Kev, and learned a lot about bike builds, and felt like I had a pretty solid friend in him. I remember us throwing some ideas around about collaborating on a bike build together (after a few beers, I might add…), but at that point it was just talk. Knowing how goddam busy I am right now, and the fact that I suck at keeping in touch, it could’ve easily all fallen apart once I got back home. So, I decided to buck-up for once, and see if we couldn’t do this. Kev is a super cool guy and the idea of collaborating with him, and how easily the whole thing came together, felt like a gift from above."

"Not long after I’d gotten back home from the show, I saw a pic on Instagram that Kev posted, and I had this gut feeling that the build was really going to happen. He was piecing together a black OIF Triumph with parts from around the shop, and damn if it didn’t speak to me instantly. This would be my bike. It was not much more than the frame, seat, bottom end, and wheels at that point, but the vision definitely was there. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I became obsessed with her right away— looking at those tiny Instagram pics over and over. I posted a couple comments on the pics—“I like it!” quickly became something like, “This bike is KILLIN’ me.” We began a little running dialogue going back and forth on Instagram and email, and Kev reached out to me for some black selvedge denim for a little tool bag he wanted to make for the bike. I knew I could make that happen for him, and while we were on the phone talking about the denim, I jumped in with, “So the bike, how much would something like that cost?” Once the words left my mouth there was no turning back. Kev and I both knew the deal, and agreed to finish the final design of the bike together, and do what we had talked about back in Portland."

"The old 1950’s Triumph Blackbirds hold a special place in my heart, and this bike felt like a modern manifestation that I’d had in my head for so long. I loved that it was a mix of old and new. The old OIF frame, the skinny Trackmaster tank, the 5-speed racing bottom end with the ’69 head, the black anodised Sun wheels with Avon rubber, the long drag pipes, it was fucking beautiful. This was my Blackbird finally coming to life. It was a tough lil’ street tracker, and a true tramp at heart, in the best Charlie Chaplin sense. So, I officially christened her the “Tramp” and we worked with Kev’s striper, Jason Wharton, on the lettering design. Flat black tank with gloss black lettering was the direction, so that it would have a cool contrast, while being sleek and sexy. Having Jason’s hand-painted strokes in the “Tramp” lettering was an old school detail we knew we wanted. Kev and I also knew that an old Bonnie tank (this one painted gloss black) would be needed as well if I wanted to go further than barhopping around town. I spent a couple days at Kev’s shop so that other details like pegs, covers, headlight, etc. could come together quickly, and it did because a good 90% + of the design was already there. The headlight was the final detail. I wanted to keep it all chrome, instead of blacking out the cover. I saw it like a shiny piece of jewellery amongst all the black, and in the end we all love how it stands out." 

"This “Tramp”, that was born between Kev and I, will be by my side for the rest of my life. I’m still scratching my head at how one drunk-ass night in Portland led to the perfect bike. It was just too unreal how in-sync we were on the design details, and I couldn’t be happier, or prouder for that matter, of our lil’ “Tramp”. I thank my brother Kev, and my friend Scotty Toepfer, for flying down on the redeye to photograph her. It’s seriously like a Goddamn dream come true that I never saw coming." 

JP and Kev unveiled the Tramp to an approving crowd at the issue 9 release of Iron & Air magazine last month in NYC. The bike has also made an appearance on the pages of I&A issue 9 with more great images by photographer Scott Toepher. To wrap up the story of the Tramp I've included a full list of the work done on the bike below (thanks Kev!). Be sure to head over to both the Selvedge Yard and Loaded Gun Customs websites to treat your eyes to more cool content and awesome custom bike builds.

'TRAMP' TECH SPECS

Year/Make/Model: '73 Triumph Bonneville 

Build time: 3 Months by Loaded Gun Customs

Engine: Triumph T120V with Twin Mikuni and a JRC Engineering Side Drags Chrome exhaust

Transmission: Hand Sanded Stock 5 Speed

Frame: OIF Triumph with Triumph forks and Hagon HD shocks

Wheels: Front 19"/rear 18" Conical laced Sun Rim With Stainless Spokes both wrapped in Avon rubber

Brakes: Front and rear drum with hand made levers one inch longer than stock a drilled ventilation

Fuel Tank: Track Master replica

Handlebars: Vortex Aluminum Clip-ons

Lighting: Bates Chrome headlight and LED Cat Eye taillight

Hand Controls: Aluminum Joker Machine with Renthal Moto GP grips

Electrical: Custom Harness by LGC with Pazon Ignition and Andrews Coil

Painter: Kevin Dunworth with graphics by Jason Wharton

Upholstery: Lances Top

Selvedge Denim Bag Fabrication: Nancy Dunworth

The Selvedge Yard     |     Loaded Gun Customs     |     Images by Scott Toepher

Special thanks from Kevin: Thanks to my Wife Erin for understanding all the time I spend on the road and in the Shop, My father Dave for his tool handing skills, Phil Miller (M&J Racing) for final tuning our bikes, Donwan Harrell at PRPS for providing the Selvedge Denim,  all my friends and fans for always supporting me.  And Brett and JP for giving the opportunity to be part of this amazing experience…. 

Want to grab some cool custom motorcycle gear and accessories?
Head over to 100mph.com.au

from http://www.returnofthecaferacers.com

Ken Okuyama Design Kode9: Enzo designer's lightweight sports car

You might not have heard of designer-cum-car maker Ken Kikoyuki Okuyama but you will certainly know his work. As head of design at Pininfarina, he penned such icons as the Ferrari Enzo and Maserati Quattroporte. Now, he’s presenting his own lightweight sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show…

Okuyama always had a fondness for special edition projects, overseeing the design of the Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 and the Maserati Birdcage 75^th. Born in Yamagata in 1959, he also designed motorcycles, furniture, houses and trains. In 2007, he established his own studio and in 2008 presented his first sports car: the KO7 roadster, based on Lotus Elise R underpinnings. 

A message to the industry

At the bustling Tokyo show, Okuyama has unveiled a new model named the Kode9. Unlike the KO7, it’s a closed-cockpit sports coupé, with elegant lines reminiscent of 1960s Italian racing cars. The car bridges the gap between the minimalist design philosophy of the 20th Century, and the technological mastery of the present day. “The Kode9 is my message to the auto-industry,” comments Ken.

Straight from the 3D printer

Thanks to the Kode9’s aluminium chassis and numerous carbon components straight from the 3D printer, it weighs a mere 890kg. It’s powered by a four-cylinder motor producing 370HP. Fully adjustable suspension and powerful brakes ensure maximum control, be it on the track or cruising the streets of Tokyo. In a tie-up with TAG Heuer (Okuyama’s other love), each car is fitted with an Okuyama-designed chronograph and an exclusive leather bag. 

More information can be found at kenokuyamadesign.com.

arts mécaniques