BESTIAL : Ghe-O Rescue

The ultimate extreme offroad fire environment rescue solution, for more: www.ghe-o.com

1958 CZ Cezeta 501 :: By Austin Paintworks

Matt Musial and Bill Twitchel own and operate Austin Paintworks in Austin, Texas. When they first sent me photos of this Czech made scooter called a Cezeta I was completely dumbfounded. About ten seconds later – I wanted one.

“It was a common joke amongst Cezeta riders that the exposed front tank with built-in headlight formed an explosive warhead and detonator for the torpedo, though in practice the Cezetas proved no more likely to catch fire than any other motor scooter, even in serious collisions.”
– wikipedia

A true labor of love, the restoration of this Cezeta took two months with around 350 man hours put into it.

Bill did extensive body work on the Cezeta. Tons of nooks and crannies to deal with. But the construction was solid, or how Matt put it, “Built like a brick shit house.” The trailer came to them afterwards, really beat up and it required extensive rust removal. With the trailer the it approaches ten feet in length. Even when carrying two, the Cezeta can do 45 mph with ease. Matt says the scooter is so bizarre-looking that he actually worries about people keeping their eyes on the road when he cruises by them on the road.

“The Cezeta looks like something Judy Jetson would drive up on. If it didn’t have wheels it looks like it could fly.”
– matt musial

+ Source: Austin Paintworks

Here For Your Soul -The Devil’s Own Tow Truck

Imagine you’re the Devil. Keeping all those badasses in line that have descended through the gates of hell is hard work. Now imagine how annoying it would be when occasionally one of them breaks out of purgatory and returns to walk among the living? Now that’s just plain bad for business. You’re the original sinner, right? Something has to be done. People need to know who’s the boss…

What’s needed here is a mercenary who can go and catch those errant souls and return them for an eternity of lockdown. What would he drive? Only the baddest, toughest tow truck known to man, woman or beast. A vehicle that would make Chuck Norris quake as it pulls up.

Which is exactly what I found in Finland last summer. Whilst driving back  to the UK in a Mk1 Cortina I’d bought, I stopped in for some Friday night cruising in downtown Helsinki. There I stood wide-eyed, while the amazing atmosphere of a couple of hundred like-minded gearheads was shattered as this Chevy-cabbed creation rolled into view.

I say shattered because that’s exactly what it did. There are strict laws in Finland when it comes to modifying cars, but older commercial vehicles? Well it’s almost a free rein when it comes to those, which is why you may have noticed the alloy radiator dominating the front end view of the six-wheeler. Peering inside, I catch sight of the AutoMeter gauges as the waft of methanol lingered in the slow summer evening air.

Glancing up at the row of battered and dusty sunglasses gave me the idea that this would be the perfect vehicle for collecting souls – as though they’d been left there as trophies.

I managed to convince the owner it would be a good idea to meet up over the weekend so I could take a closer look. Amazingly, the truck has been finished for nearly three years and he’s never let anybody shoot it before. I’m not sure quite what swung it for me, but I’m sure glad he agreed. The cab had sat around for ten or fifteen years – hence the weathered look – and those four rear wheels are full-size lorry items. Just check out the clearance on the front pair! The virtually non-existent rear suspension means rubbing isn’t an issue.

There are old oil cans and a box of bits on the back, but what’s obvious is that none of this is contrived. Far from it – this is the real deal. The owner has been been and done it, raced it and blown it up. This is how he’s lived his life for a long time and there’s no reason to change now because somebody came along and gave it a label.

There’s only one area I’m not allowed to show you and that’s under the bonnet. Normally this would mean a no-go for me and I wouldn’t have pursued a shoot, but really? Look at this thing. How could I walk away? The owner waited until I didn’t have a camera anywhere near me and briefly lifted the bonnet. I can assure you this thing is the real deal. A blown methanol big block? Rumours have it over 1000hp is on tap.

So instead of showing you the engine, as our driver went to leave I shot a short video.

There are a couple of things to look and listen for: first up is the pair of almost unnoticeable fire bursts that leave the exhausts just after start up. Then there’s the engine tone of course, then the haunting noise of the towing hook clanking on the metal spar after he guns the engine. Make sure you listen until the end too – that last blast of acceleration is over a half mile away by the time it echoes back. Badass? 100%. Please excuse the shaky camera action, I had the wrong lens on for filming and this was a case of take what you’re given… Now are you a believer?

Because there are souls out there that need collecting. Adios.

Bryn Musselwhite

MATTEUCCI GARAGE OCEAN WAVE

Marco Matteucci is a graphic designer, photographer and image retoucher. Staring at beautiful things for hours on end and working out how to make them even more beautiful is his gig, the world of bikes is all the better for it as he has turned his attention to the custom scene.
Matteucci Garage has produced two stunning bikes thus far, one of which featured on the Bike Shed last year so we are aware of his attention to the aesthetic. The other is the rather well executed, matt-black Moto Guzzi V35 Imola, ‘Black Boot’. I hope that the bikes are as good in the flesh without the veil of the retoucher’s stylus. His latest creation, Ocean Wave, looks to be cellulite free, with lovely lines and a tidy rear-end.

The base is a 1983 Yamaha XJ550, not exactly supermodel material so Marco set to work with the strip-down before the usual trimming of tabs, subframe shortening and working out how to make ugly bits and electrics disappear. The handmade tail section houses the battery, leaving the underseat triangle clear. Rear indicators are neatly mounted to the subframe tube ends, with a thin LED stop light in the centre. A slender number plate holder arcs out from the underside for when legality overrules style.
On top double density foam has been covered with top grade leather before being hand burnished and aged. The only part of the bike that doesn’t look box-fresh. Nice touch.

The four cylinder motor breathes through stock Mikunis and the now ubiquitous cone filters. A chromed and highly polished 4-into-1 exhaust looks the part, keeps the Carabinieri happy and lets people know Marco is not far down the road.
Puny stock forks and a solid brake disc pogo’d their way to the parts bin and were replaced with sexy-looking Marzocchi upsidedowners. In case you’re wondering, the near colour match to the frame is no coincidence. Keeping the front end ‘local’ wasn’t difficult with Brembo providing a 320mm floating disc and 4-pot calliper. A pair of Pirelli Scorpions continue the homegrown theme and are a good blend between classic Cafe Racer rubber and the wish-there-was-a-desert knobblies as fitted to some bikes.

Machined aluminium grips are matched to a modern speedo, a small line of LEDs take care of the dashboard’s simplicity. Clip-ons look right and suggest sporting intentions. The blue-tinted, oval headlight is different from the norm, squinting slightly and keeping the front looking neat.

Marco lives and works on Italy’s East coast and he wanted his efforts to reflect that with the paint job. To resemble a cliff-top ride the “dark titanium” frame contrasts with the matt and gloss blue. The overall look is sure to land Marco with orders for further builds and The Bike Shed with another feature.