1964 SHELBY 289 COMPETITION COBRA

The car you see here is a 1964 Shelby 289 Competition Cobra with the chassis #: CSX 2430 – it’s a Cobra with a remarkable history, even by Cobra standards, and it’s thought to be the last Competition Cobra ever personally driven by Carroll Shelby (in 1984).

On the 18th of June 1964 the vice president of Ford’s Special Vehicle Division stamped approved onto the work order for a fire-engine red “Competition Cobra for Tom Payne” – the price was $9,250 (an enormous sum in 1964 dollars) and there was a handwritten note on the order that just said color it RED.

The Cobra was being built for Tom Payne, a gentleman racer that had seen some success in a variety of both open and closed wheel formulas. Tom had partnered with Dan Gerber to found Gerber-Payne Ford in Fremont, Michigan – although there’s no indication either man was a particularly enthusiastic car salesman. Gerber and Payne were red-blooded racing drivers and the overwhelming majority of their time and effort was expended on race tracks around the United States.

As a factory-specification competition car the 289 Competition Cobra came directly from the Shelby factory with a bonnet scoop, a chrome roll bar, 6½-inch Halibrand front wheels (8½-inch at the rear), flared wings, Koni shocks, front and rear sway bars, competition brakes all around, quick-jack points, side pipes, dual long-range fuel tanks, a Monza snap-open fuel cap, a racing seat, a Sun tachometer, a fuel-pressure gauge, a differential cooler, an engine oil cooler, an electric Stewart-Warner fuel pump, and an aluminium Harrison header tank.

At its heart of the roadster was a full race-specification 289 V8 that had 4 Weber carburettors and a 12:1 compression ratio, it could deliver 400 brake horsepower in race tune – which was more than enough to spank almost any Ferrari ever made and still give many new Ferraris a run for their money.

If you’d like to park this particular Cobra in your garage you’ll need to attend the London Auction on the 8th of September 2014, its estimated value is £1,100,000 to £1,400,000 but that seems like a rather conservative guess given the current white-hot nature of the classic car market.

Click here to read more or register to bid.

                        

Photo Credits: Robin Adams ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions

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‘74 Honda CL360 – Modern Metals

As the saying goes, life wasn’t meant to be easy. It’s the same reason that diamonds and gold are buried deep underground and not just rolling around in the gutter outside your house. All the best things in life take hard work to achieve. Take, for instance, the bike you just picked up off of a complete stranger for a song. If you brought it home and it customised itself, that’d be no fun now would it? No, it’s the challenges that make it all worth while. And trust us when we say that the challenge Doug Devine from Modern Metals faced after he peered inside the engine of this innocuous little Honda would be enough to test anyone.

“Nothing feels better than being able to help out a friend, says Louisville, Kentucky local Doug. “I just so happened to have an abundance of extra space at my shop when Bryan, a buddy of mine, needed some space for his cars. After watching me work on a few builds, he decided to hunt down a bike for himself. He returned from a short road trip with a ‘74 Honda CL360. I thought his find was pretty nice until we couldn’t remove the spark plugs…”

An engine teardown revealed a horror show that had been hiding inside the engine for years; a dropped valve had been left to fester until… well, you’ll see. “Unfazed by the disaster, we discussed what Bryan envisioned for his bike over coffee. Within a few days, I received an invitation for PDX’s The One Motorcycle Show. Knowing that I would only have 40 days to complete this build in time for the event, I asked Bryan if we could get started.”

After stripping down the bike and detabbing the frame, Doug modified the rear seat stays so they were pointing skywards for the seat he imagined in his head. And for the tires he imagined, he ordered a pair of Firestone ANS boots. “I just so happened to have a Honda CB450 tank that fit perfectly with the look of the tires.” David ‘Matchstick’ Brooks expertly applied some gold leafing and stripes along with the black aluminium trim pieces which Doug added for more width.

After fabricating at least four different seat pans and cowls trying to determine the direction he wanted to move in, Doug settled on what you see here and left the upholstering to Ginger at New Church Moto. She really came through for Doug when she produced some old oxblood-dyed horse hide for the seat.

“I searched long and hard for the frame color which is ‘Lincoln Ginger Ale’ metallic over a black base coat. I had to source a new engine because the original was clearly beyond repair. I wanted to keep the high pipes but wanted to cut off some old megaphones with an angle to induce a more speedy look. Ben “Bender” Boyle of Benderwerks saved the day when he offered to do the headlight work after dropping by. Thanks also to Kim Boyle of BCM for the tail light, See See Motorcycles for the micro handlebar switches, and Farmers Racer for the orange pack bag.”

Unfortunately, this story doesn’t finish with a first place at the One Show. But gladly it wasn’t through a lack of trying. “We finished the bike just in time and I attempted the cross-country trip to the show, but I was snowed in once I reached Iowa.”

Doug returned home and then called in a few favours from his extended family. “My brother-in-law owns Headliner’s Music Hall, a historic building that houses one of the best music venues in the city. He graciously allowed us to shoot the bike in front of the turn-of-the century artwork.”

Adding new meaning to the term ‘valve grind’

[Photography by Seth Schikler]

via PIPEBURN

INGLORIOUS MC GN250

Essex based Sam Evans’ career was going along rather nicely, as a Junior Race Engineer he was honing his skills playing with glorious 1980′s group B rally cars on a daily basis. But then his head was turned. He happened upon the short film “Cafe Cowboy” by Benedict Campbell, this showcases the Californian Bike builder Dustin Kott of Kott Motorcycles in a sun bleached, black and white montage of welding, riding, moody music and passionate prose. Sam was hooked, multiple viewings could not sate his desire, he craved the lifestyle, the work ethic, the finished product. He set up his shop, Inglorious Motorcycles, and sought to build himself the bikes and the life that the film had inspired. You can watch “Cafe Cowboy” and many other beautiful and inspiring films in the Bike Shed Video Library, but be warned, prolonged stays in the library may completely change your life.

This is the second build that Sam has turned out, the first was a patina heavy, firestone shod 78′ CB400 Superdream which he named the Cali Cafe after his West Coast inspiration. For his second Inglorious Motorcycles build, Sam wanted to make a scrambler, “function over form was the feeling behind this 90′s thumper, Being able to ride comfortably down the streets, but without the boundary of that rocky lane or field between yourself and the beach.”

He procured a 1993 Suzuki GN250 single for the project, “The bike was owned by an old boy down the road, who was the typical keep everything clean and never ride it kind of guy.” With the bike in his workshop, rescued from its clean, unridden stasis, Sam wasted no time in turning it into a dirty little rider, within an hour all the junk had been stripped off and the rear section of the frame had been chopped.

Sam knew exactly how he wanted the bike to look, “The design plan was like most, simple. Loop that rear end, shorten those fenders, get some chunky tires, and bin everything but the essentials.” To guarantee the machine in his minds eye kept going in real life, Sam set about the engine, the head was lifted to check the condition of the piston and rings, and then treated to a complete rebuild. To make the little 250cc engine “look a bit more badass”it received a coat of wrinkle black to contrast with the home polished engine cases and forks.

“After all the fabrication was done it was time to think colour schemes. I’ve always gone on the basis that the best way to make something look classic, is to use old classic colours. So the frame was powder coated in a light grey, and the tank sprayed in a vintage Porsche red. The ‘Inglorious Motorcycles’ logo was then hand lettered on to the top of the tank.” The colour scheme is a complete winner, along with the plush brown seat it adds class to the cheeky, cartoonish proportions of the bike.

All seals and bearings were then replaced and it was time for final assembly. The spoked wheels were painted black and black Renthal bars were fitted along with fork gaiters and the bobbed, mudguards front and rear. Small chrome brat style lighting was added, tying in the chrome shocks, muffler and speedometer, the twin downpipes were mummified in wrap.

“Down the lanes and around town the bike is a little ripper! Its light weight and has enough poke to really have some fun on. Overall I’m very happy with how it turned out, and will be building another in a different colour scheme to keep for myself!”.

Sam has turned his film inspired daydream into reality, building bikes and having a damn good time doing it. He may not have the Californian sun beating down on his efforts but the bikes and his ethos are the real deal. Check out hisInglorious Motorcycles website for more information and we will be sure to share his next build (potentially an XS650 or W650 tracker) right here on the Bike Shed.

21-WINDOW DELUXE VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 2

The Volkswagen Type 2 is better known by the nicknames it received in the various countries where it was sold, the Americans usually call it the the Bus or Hippie Van, the Brits call it the Camper and every Australian I talked to knows the Type 2 only as the Kombi Van. Following on from their success with the Type 1 (commonly known as the Beetle), the designers at Volkswagen wanted to capitalise on the tried and tested platform of the Type 1 whilst offering significantly increased passenger or cargo carrying capacity.

A simple box design was used to maximise internal space – often leading to the Type 2 being loaded beyond the weight limit that its engineers originally envisaged. The 21-Window Deluxe model was marketed at its introduction as being the perfect vehicle for touring the Alps – although if it were filled to capacity it’s questionable whether it’d make some of the more challenging grades.

As time went by, the 21-Window Deluxe became the most sought after variant and we’ll sorted examples like this red/white two-tone model are valued in the $100,000+ USD range – with many selling for quite a bit more still.

Originally delivered to Rome in 1965, this Type 2 still wears its original Italian license plates from the era. It was recently restored to original condition and repainted in its original red on white with matching interior – if you’ve been looking for a family-sized way to tour the Italian countryside, this could be just what you need.

Click here to read more via RM Auctions.

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ERC : Vaclav Pech s’impose à domicile

Voilà plus de dix ans que le pilote tchèque Vaclav Pech n’avait plus gagné le Barum Czech Rally Zlin. Il a remporté la 44e édition au volant de sa Mini John Cooper Works S2000/Michelin devant le pilote officiel Skoda Sepp Wiegand et Tomas Kostka (Ford).

Septuple Champion de République tchèque, Vaclav Pech n’avait plus remporté le Barum Rally Zlin depuis 2003. A 37 ans, il a enlevé cette 44^e édition, 8^e manche du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA, au volant de sa Mini/Michelin, mettant ainsi un terme à cinq années consécutives de domination Skoda sur cette épreuve asphalte au profil rapide et technique.

Une Skoda Fabia S2000 est tout de même présente sur le podium final, celle de l’Allemand Sepp Wiegand, venu arracher la 2^e place à Tomas Kostka (victime de soucis moteur) pour 2/10^e de seconde. Wiegand comptait 3s3 de retard au départ de l’ultime spéciale. Son équipier et leader du championnat, Esapekka Lappi, est sorti de la route en début de rallye. Reparti en Rally 2, le Finlandais a ensuite remporté trois spéciales. Il reste leader du championnat avec 19 points d’avance sur Wiegand.

Comme souvent, Kevin Abbring (Peugeot 208 T16/Michelin) fut le 1^er leader du rallye. Le Néerlandais a dominé les trois 1^ères ES avant d’être éliminé par un problème mécanique (connecteur électrique). Son équipier de la Peugeot Rally Academy, Craig Breen, n’est guère allé plus loin, abandonnant suite à une sortie de route dans l’ES4.

Après le retrait d’Abbring, le Tchèque Roman Kresta (Skoda Fabia S2000) s’est retrouvé en tête, mais à l’issue de l’ES5, un échappement cassé l’a forcé à l’abandon lui aussi. Nouveau leader, Vaclav Pech a dû attendre la faute de Jaromir Tarabus (Skoda, ES7) pour voir un 7^e titre national et la victoire se profiler à l’horizon.

Au pied du podium au départ de la dernière spéciale, le Polonais Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Ford Fiesta R5) a perdu deux places en 21,41 km au profit de Jaroslav Orsak (Skoda), finalement 4^epour 8/10^e de seconde sur son compatriote Tarabus (5^e) ! Vainqueur du dernier rallye ERC en Estonie, Ott Tanak (Fiesta R5) a terminé à la 7^e place.

Après le Rallye Deutschland, le Français Stéphane Lefebvre a remporté la catégorie Junior pour la seconde fois en huit jours. Au volant de sa Peugeot 208 R2, et malgré une crevaison et une casse de différentiel, il a devancé l’Allemand Marijan Griebel (Opel) et le Polonais Aleksander Zawada (Peugeot). Favori à domicile (même s’il réside loin de Zlin !), Jan Cerny a lui aussi connu une crevaison et termine 6^e. Il perd sa place de leader du championnat au profit de Lefebvre, désormais en tête des Juniors en WRC et ERC !

La catégorie 2-roues motrices a été remportée par Adam Kobliha (Renault Clio R3) et le Tchèque Martin Brezik (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) s’est imposé en Production. Les débuts de la nouvelle Subaru Impreza JRM de Mark Higgins furent écourtés (moteur).

La prochaine manche ERC se déroulera à Chypre (19-21 septembre) sur un parcours mixte terre/asphalte.

jeu de jambes

SuperMoto : Thomas Chareyre (TM-Michelin), nouveau leader / Thomas Chareyre (TM-Michelin) takes command

En remportant les deux courses de l’avant-dernière épreuve du championnat du monde Supermoto FIM en Estonie, Thomas Chareyre (TM Racing Factory – Michelin) reprend les commandes du classement général et compte 14 points d’avance sur son principal rival, Mauno Hermunen (SHR - TM – Michelin).

Auteur de la pole position, Mauno Hermunen n’a pas réussi à concrétiser son avance et a dû s’incliner à deux reprises face à Thomas Chareyre.

Prenant le meilleur départ de la première course, Mauno Hermunen a mené les deux premiers tours avant de céder aux attaques de Thomas Chareyre. Le Français a alors enchaîné une série de tours rapides pour se forger une avance de plus de cinq secondes sous le drapeau à damier.

Qualifié en troisième position, Ivan Lazzarini (L30 Racing – Honda) n’a pas quitté cette place jusqu’à la ligne d’arrivée. Derrière, Adrien Chareyre (Aprilia Fast Wheels – Michelin), en lutte avec l’Italien pour la dernière manche du podium au classement général, a dû concéder sa quatrième place au Tchèque Pavel Kejmar (833 Racing Team – Husqvarna) à quatre tours du drapeau à damier. Le Français termine cinquième.

Mauno Hermunen a signé le meilleur départ de la seconde manche mais c’est Thomas Chareyre qui a bouclé le premier tour en tête. Le Finlandais a mené le tour suivant avant que Thomas Chareyre ne reprennent définitivement les commandes. Poussant un peu trop fort dans un virage, Hermunen est parti, une première fois, à la faute au 10^ème  tour. Il a pu repartir en cinquième position avant de commettre une nouvelle erreur cinq tours plus tard qui l’a contraint à l’abandon.

Ivan Lazzarini en a profité pour se hisser à la deuxième place et marquer des points supplémentaires dans la course au podium. Thomas Travnicek est troisième devant  Pavel Kejmar et Adrien Chareyre.

Grâce à ce doublé, Thomas Chareyre compte désormais 14 points d’avance sur Mauno Hermunen. Ivan Lazzarini a consolidé sa troisième place avec 20 points d’avance sur Adrien Chareyre. Le titre se jouera dans trois semaines en Italie.

Résultats :

Course 1 : 1. CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA-TM) 20:06.337; 2. HERMUNEN Mauno (FIN-TM) 20:11.765; 3. LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA-Honda) 20:23.887; 4. KEJMAR Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna) 20:25.907; 5. CHAREYRE Adrien (FRA-Aprilia) 20:28.033; 6. RAVAGLIA Christian (ITA-Honda) 20:29.560; ….

Course 2 : 1. CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA-TM) 20:15.298; 2. LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA-Honda) 20:18.601; 3. TRAVNICEK Tomas (CZE-Yamaha) 20:20.358; 4. KEJMAR Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna) 20:25.690; 5. CHAREYRE Adrien (FRA-Aprilia) 20:29.378;…

Classement général : 1. CHAREYRE T. 271 points ; 2. HERMUNEN 257 pts ; 3. LAZZARINI 235 pts ; 4. CHAREYRE A. 215 pts ; 5. KEJMAR 178 pts ; ….

Prochaine épreuve : Italie, Jesolo, 21 septembre

Thomas Chareyre (TM Racing Factory-Michelin) won both races at the penultimate meeting of the 2014 FIM SuperMoto World Championship in Estonia. He has consequently gone 14 points clear of chief rival Mauno Hermunen (SHR-TM-Michelin).

Hermunen failed to capitalise on starting from pole position and was beaten in both Estonian clashes by Chareyre.

The Finn led the first race for the first two laps but eventually had to let Chareyre pass. The Frenchman then posted a run of quick laps to cross the finish line with a lead of more than five seconds.

Ivan Lazzarini (L30 Racing-Honda) started from third on the grid and held that position to the flag, despite the best efforts of Adrien Chareyre (Aprilia Fast Wheels-Michelin) to finish on the podium’s third step. In the end, the latter was deprived of fourth by the Czech Republic’s Pavel Kejmar (833 Racing Team-Husqvarna) who relegated the Frenchman to fifth with four laps remaining.

Hermunen produced the best start in the second race, too, but Thomas Chareyre completed Lap 1 in front. The Finn recovered the lead next time round but Chareyre recovered the lead when Hermunen made a mistake through a turn on Lap 10. He re-joined in fifth spot before making another mistake and retiring five laps later.

Lazzarini took advantage to climb to second and earn additional points in his bid for a top-three championship finish. Thomas Travnicek was third, ahead of Kejmar and Adrien Chareyre.

Thomas Chareyre’s double whammy weekend has taken him 14 points clear of Hermunen in the championship. Lazzarini has strengthened his grasp of third place, 20 points clear of Adrien Chareyre. The title will be settled in Italy in three weeks’ time.

Final positions:

Race 1:1, CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA-TM), 20m6.337s. 2, HERMUNEN Mauno (FIN-TM), 20m11.765s. 3, LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA-Honda), 20m23.887s. 4, KEJMAR Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna), 20m25.907s. 5, CHAREYRE Adrien (FRA-Aprilia), 20m28.033s. 6, RAVAGLIA Christian (ITA-Honda), 20m29.560s. Etc.

Race 2:1, CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA-TM), 20m15.298s. 2, LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA-Honda), 20m18.601s. 3, TRAVNICEK Tomas (CZE-Yamaha), 20m20.358s. 4. KEJMAR Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna), 20m25.690s. 5, CHAREYRE Adrien (FRA-Aprilia), 20m29.378s. Etc.

Championship standings:1, CHAREYRE T. (271 points). 2, HERMUNEN (257). 3, LAZZARINI (235). 4, CHAREYRE A. (215). 5, KEJMAR (178). Etc.

Next round: Jesolo, Italy (September 21).

Trois Hyundai en France et Espagne / Three Hyundais for Australia, France and Spain

Fort de son doublé en Allemagne, le constructeur sud-coréen va engager trois i20 WRC/Michelin sur les deux dernières épreuves à majorité asphalte de la saison 2014, les Rallye de France et Rallye d’Espagne. Bryan Bouffier et Hayden Paddon rejoindront tour à tour Neuville et Sordo.

Hyundai Motorsport poursuit sa stratégie d’engager trois i20 WRC par rallye pour sa première campagne mondiale. En Australie, Thierry Neuville, Chris Atkinson et Hayden Paddon seront au départ.

Au Rallye de France (2-5 octobre), Hyundai Motorsport va reconduire la même triplette qu’en Allemagne avec Neuville, Dani Sordo et Bryan Bouffier qui évoluera cette fois sur des spéciales qu’il connaît mieux : il avait remporté le rallye national de doublure en 2010.

Trois semaines plus tard, de nouveau trois i20 WRC/Michelin seront au départ du Rallye d’Espagne (23-26 octobre) avec Neuville, Sordo et Hayden Paddon, qui avait disputé cette épreuve l’an passé au volant d’une Ford Fiesta RS WRC (8^e).

After coming first and second in Germany, the South Korean make will take three Michelin-equipped i20 WRCs to the year’s last two asphalt rounds in France and Spain. Neuville and Sordo will be joined by Bryan Bouffier in Strasbourg, then by Hayden Paddon in Catalonia.

Hyundai Motorsport’s policy of entering three i20 WRCs for each event will continue in Australia where Neuville, Chris Atkinson and Hayden Paddon will be on duty.

For Rallye de France (October 2-5), the team will field the trio we saw in Germany, namely Neuville and Sordo, plus Bouffier who will be on more familiar ground (in 2010, he won the ‘national’ event organised in parallel to the main rally).

Three weeks’ later, in Spain (October 23-26), the three cars will be in the hands of Neuville, Sordo and Paddon. The latter contested this event last year in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC (8^th).

TWENTYNOTHINGS KZ750

There’s a common theme running through our scene, yours not ours as in ours, you know what I mean. People out there in all walks of life are loving what they see on Bike Shed, Pipeburn, BikeExif etc and figure, why not have a crack themselves. The bug bites, the virus sets in and despite the antidote of family, children, perfectly good jobs and life’s general constraints, rational and logical grown ups everywhere are wondering how they can scratch a living by building bikes. Yup, I can hear the groan now from the old guard and well established; but why the heck not? The world needs more carpenters, welders and mechanics so why not customisers too. We’d all be better off not having to look at hum drum, plastic clad monotony on our roads.

Chris Langer and Yana Tzanov, Newfoundland natives based in Ontario, Canada are two such sensible guys who are infected with the custom virus. They run a design studio in Toronto so at least they have something to to keep beans on the table while they indulge this new found passion.

This 1979 Kawasaki KZ750 B Twin was found on a farm, needing a little TLC to say the least. But before this could begin Chris and Yana made the most of Canada’s short summer, fitted new tyres, a pair of drag bars, a fresh battery and enjoyed 4 weeks of riding before wetness and cold arrived. To be fully prepared for the winter strip down a workshop manual was purchased and many hours of Pinteresting, Googling and searching ensued until a shared vision was mapped out; a raw and simple Cafe-Tracker would be the goal.

In a now decidedly chilly garage the engine was removed and the rest of the bike stripped down to the frame, which had pillion pegs, unwanted brackets and lugs ground off, and the new rear loop welded in before painting. Whilst at it the engine was given a coat, with the fin edges shaved afterwards for a more pro look. Carbs and stater motor are rebuilt but the engine was low mileage and sound so a service and tune up all that was required.

DimeCity and TownMoto came to the rescue with multiple deliveries of upgrade parts; Mini gauges, rear shocks, bar end mirror, switchgear and headlamp are all lighter, better made and cooler looking than stock parts, as are the Emgo Shorty Mufflers.

Knee indents have been formed into the original tank, beneficial to ergonomics and to maintain visual flow through to the seat. Titanium silver metallic paint is snazzy yet subtle at the same time, with Chris’ design handiwork on the side in place of original decals.

The wiring harness had been chopped, bodged and extended a few times since ’79 so hours labouring over a soldering iron and accompanying electrical schematics were needed, with perseverance all conquering. The same diligence is on show with the saddle, an old leather jacket offered a new lease of life as a very fine looking, and ready patinated seat pad. Added to somewhat of a rarity on customs these days, carbon fibre. Using a shop bought kit of weave and resin the guys have fabricated a very tidy tail and seat pan, top marks, especially as this is their first attempt, not helped by freezing garage temperatures nearly halting curing of the resin.

After much hard work, long cold nights, lessons learned and good times had; Chris and Yana are over the moon with their KZ.

“For a 35 year old bike, she rides a bit better than expected. When we replaced the suspension it increased the height of the back-end by 2 inches, giving more pitch in the front, it makes the bike handle corners and turns much better.
She has quicker handling and is much more responsive than she was pre-build. The engine idles well and just sounds amazing… not too loud and she has a unique rumble.. and it’s a comfortable ride.”

With no cure for this customising virus, the guys are eager to start their next bike which I’m sure we’ll feature in The Shed before too long.

via The Bike Shed

Analog Motorcycles - Indian Continental Scout

Shot on northeastern Illinois country back roads for the release of Analog Motorcycles' newest creation, the Indian Continental Scout. A completely custom designed and fabricated motorcycle in the vein of a replica racer, featuring an original but hand built 1949 Indian motor and a Track Master frame.

pensive