mercredi 14 janvier 2015
Crime doesn't pay: The fastest police cars in history
Here at Classic Driver, we’re all for law and order – but when the police are equipped with these potent machines, it does seem a little unfair on Burglar Bill.
France: Renault Alpine A110
Even if the films of Louis de Funès suggest otherwise, the French Gendarmerie of the 1960s pursued not only nude swimmers on the beaches of Côte d'Azur, but also speeding motorists. In 1966, the ‘Brigade’ acquired their first Alpine A110, allowing them to keep pace with even the fastest Italian sports cars through the switchbacks.
England: Triumph TR4
The English Police Force was also appropriately equipped to deal with those breaching the speed limits – but we suspect its selection of squad cars went beyond the altruistic. In 1962, Southend-on-Sea’s law enforcement officers were equipped with several Triumph TR4 convertibles, a car more than capable of reeling in bank robbers in their Jaguar saloons. The Triumph proved popular and remained in service for some time – and the open configuration allowed even the tallest constables to retain their helmets in anticipation of a foot chase.
Germany: Porsche 911 Carrera
German law enforcement recognised the merits of its domestic car industry as early as the 1950s, and soon put a fleet of 356s into Highway Patrol service. Subsequently, the protective powers adopted the 911 as a pursuit vehicle: the mid-90s saw Southern Germany’s officers equipped with near-170mph capabilities, courtesy of this liveried 282bhp 993.
Netherlands: Spyker C8 Spyder
With a top speed of 186mph, the 400bhp Spyker used by the Dutch Police Department would have had few worthy adversaries. Unfortunately, it only remained in police livery for a single outing, its purpose being as a promotional tool rather than a pursuing one – Dutch Ferrari owners can now return to a relaxed state.
Italy: Lamborghini Gallardo
Because Lamborghini doesn’t have its own test track, since the 1960s it has tested its new cars on the highways surrounding its Sant'Agata headquarters. Therefore, a good rapport with the local police makes sense – and 2005 saw the Italian marque famously present a pair of Gallardos to the force. Officially, they’re used for duties such as urgent organ transport, but we’re sure the officers have conducted their own ‘testing’ at some point.
Dubai: Aston Martin One-77, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF...
Other countries, other customs. With so many high-end supercars on the roads of Dubai, the police force needed to upgrade just to keep up. Its fleet – already containing a Mercedes SLS, a Ferrari FF and a Lamborghini Aventador – was recently strengthened with a Bugatti Veyron and Aston Martin One-77, if these pictures are to be believed.
Glorious Gulf colours for one-off McLaren P1
A wealthy Canadian has commissioned McLaren Special Operations to dress his P1 supercar in the unmistakable Gulf Racing colours…
The popular powder-blue-and-orange scheme has been worn by several of Woking’s finest over the decades, including its Can-Am monsters, the F1 GTR and the recent MP4-12C GT3. Now Canadian venture capitalist and philanthropist Miles Nadal’s bespoke P1 joins the eye-catching roster, after being sent to McLaren’s in-house customisation division, MSO.
The theme continues inside...
Usually, clients of the squeaky-clean skunkworks demand their commissions are kept private – so hat tip to Nadal for not only specifying the car with a matching interior and an absence of intrusive logos, but also for allowing these images to be shared in the public domain. We wonder if he has a complementary Martini-liveried Porsche 918 and JPS-inspired Lotus Evora in his collection, too?
Photos: McLaren
You can find numerous modern and classic McLarens for sale in the Classic Driver Market.
BSMC GEAR GUIDE #42
In this week’s Gear Guide we feature another fine limited edition open face from Biltwell, recycled furniture by Classified Moto, vintage motocross kit from Reign, Tellason’s classic blanket-lined selvedge denim jacket, whilst Icon offer up some hardcore retro-styled off road gear.
PRODUCT REVIEW FROM THE BSMC’S VERY OWN ALI LATIMER – ICON 1000 ELSINORE BOOT
Our good friends at Icon in Portland Oregon have some great gear, now not all of it fits with the style that we like, after all they have to cater for the masses with their kit, but their 1000 range hits the spot. Here we have their Elsinore Boot, a homage to motocross boots from the past, they just look amazing and that was enough for me, I didn’t care how well they fitted nor how comfy they may be, I wanted them!
I have a Honda Tracker that is kick start only, and I simply won’t ride it in any other boot, I’ve tried kick starting it in other boots, but I found myself limping for a few days after. The Eslinore boots are what I would call usable fashion, they blatantly aren’t out to compete with Aplinestars Tech 10 or any other modern Motocross focused boots, but they do still have a solid base and good shin protection, the 2 main requirements when trying to kick start a 600 tracker!
As for comfort, I can spend the entire day in these boots; on and off the bike, try doing that in a pair of modern MX boots! Back in August I attended and rode in Scramble On! with my tracker, the jumps were much bigger than expected and my poor tracker really struggled, when the suspension ran out… which it did incessantly, my legs had to absorb the rest, thankfully the Elsinore boots managed to help me through, not once did I lose my footing and throughout the day I probably attempted to kick start the tracker a 100 times and the sole stayed strong.
They feature a full length zip on the inside for practicality and then 5 button snap adjustment straps on the outside to ensure a great fit. Both the shifter panel and shin plate are heat pressed leather and they benefit from Internal Ankle Protection, Axialmetric Steel Shank, Goodyear™ Welt Construction and YKK® zippers.
Here’s what ICON say about their own product: The Elsinore’s™ five strap alloy buckle chassis, stamped metal heel plate, and internal steel shank combine for a serious dose of moto-x homage. The traditional Goodyear™ welt construction mates the Icon street specific sole to the magnificent leather upper. A zippered medial entry zipper, borrowed from Paratrooper jump boots, is the only luxury the Elsinore will allow itself. A modern relic from an era when men were iron and tanks were steel, the Elsinore, old-school MX reinterpreted for the urban sprawl.
They come in Oiled Brown or Jonny Black, to find a dealer near you get over to Icons website and use their global dealer locator.
REIGN VINTAGE MOTOCROSS SHIRTS
Whether your off-road ride is an old thumper or a screeching stroker, you can look like a 70’s Factory racer in Reign’s vintage motocross shirts. “We’re not remaking vintage gear, we’re reinterpreting it. Old school looks with new school materials and techniques means you get the look of “back in the day” with the ease of just throwing them in the washing machine.”
These are clearly designed to appeal to the vintage enthusiast, but it doesn’t stop there – Reign claim “… a lot of the current designs from the major manufacturers we feel are just flat-out ugly… the ultra-graphic superhero/ kid’s footsie pajama look just isn’t our thing.”
Reign jerseys are designed to be worn off road, and are cut to allow armor to be worn underneath, so there’s typically no need to buy a size larger to accommodate it. Just order your normal size. They also come with vintage correct foam padded elbows.
Micro-birdseye vented, moisture wicking fabric keeps you riding cool. A drop-tail cut in the back keep your jersey tucked in and a wide cuff design allows you to push it up you forearm to securely wear it as 3/4 sleeve style.
These shirts are the business, perfect for this year’s ScrambleOn! and Dirtquake.
http://www.reignvmx.com/
BILTWELL BONANZA HELMET – LE FURY BLACK/GREY/GOLD
The boys at Biltwell have gone and done it again, added another tasty LE design to their already iconic Bonanza line of open face lids. This is stunning, harking shamelessly back to the splendid seventies. Biltwell are the real deal, custom builders to a man, who stuck their collective middle finger up to the corporate motorcycle industry and the posturing peacocks of the mainstream custom scene alike, and carved a niche of their very own. They make functional, handsome and affordable products for the denizens of the new wave custom scene.
The Bonanza’s interior features a custom-shaped EPS safety shell and a hand-stitched removable liner with moisture wicking brushed Lycra panels and open-cell foam padding for breathability and comfort. It has an injection-molded ABS outer shell with hand-painted finish and an expanded polystyrene inner shell. It has a hand-sewn removable brushed Lycra liner with contrasting diamond-stitched quilted open-cell foam padding. It meets DOT safety standards, but is yet to be certified in the EU. It has a rugged plated steel D-ring neck strap with adjustment strap end retainer with rubber accent edging. Sizing runs form XS through to XXL.
This lid will look pretty with almost anything.
TELLASON JAPANESE BLANKET LINED DENIM JACKET
The denim jacket has been the staple of motorcycle culture since the 1940’s and continues today, particularly in the new wave custom scene. A classic denim jacket is a durable and practical garment that serves a biker well in the workshop and on the bike. The Tellason Japanese Blanket Lined Denim Jacket is a classic styled lined selvedge jacket.
Tony Patella and Pete Searson have been like-minded friends since 1990. Their love for durable goods, their respect for where they came from and who made them is found in their brand. “We are 100% committed to the city of San Francisco and will make our jeans here and only here, forever. This place is the home of blue jean culture as we know it and moving production somewhere else to save a couple of bucks just won’t happen. If you know us, you know this to be true…”
Originally known as a self-edge, selvedge is the term used since the 14th c. for a narrow tightly woven band on either edge of fabric parallel to the warp that prevents fabric from raveling. Modern weaving machines produce wide fabric and the weft (horizontal) yarn is cut on every pick (weft insertion). The selvage from antique narrow shuttle looms is formed as the shuttle passes back and forth during weaving. Since the yarn is not cut, the selvage is tightly bound and forms a clean edge. These old shuttle looms predate WWII and run on original wooden parts driven by leather belts creating a beautiful sound while making some of the most sought after denim in the world. Tellason took 16.5 oz Cone Mills White Oak selvage denim and cut, sewed, and lined this jacket in San Francisco, CA.
Tony and Pete are proud of the fact that their garments are not only made in America from American denim, but that the pocketing, thread, buttons, rivets and leather patches are as well. They’ve become friends with their suppliers and feel it is the right thing to do to support them and their businesses as we build our products.
Like any good raw denim product that hasn’t been wet processed or manipulated in any way prior to purchase, this jacket will mould to the body of the rider after just a few days of wear, becoming completely personal and unlike any other jacket in the world, just getting better the more it’s worn. You won’t find a better or more authentic denim jacket than this.
CLASSIFIED MOTOS MOTORCYCLE FURNITURE
Virginia-based builders Classified Moto gives old discarded parts a second life by recycling them into furniture. Instead of throwing unwanted and broken parts into the scrap bin or listing them on ebay, they get creative, re-assembling shocks and wheels into unique lamps and tables. Each custom-designed piece is entirely unique, and although they don’t resemble their original form, they retain the original steed’s cool quality and style.
Each recycled design comes with its own history, so any customer can trace which motorbikes the parts came from. For example the table was fabricated from Japanese components from the ’70s and ’80s. The legs are made from brushed chrome fork tubes, and transmission gears serve as feet to ensure the table doesn’t tip.
Their vintage lamp design incorporates a spring/shock welded to a transmission gear, then welded to a brake rotor, and finished with high-quality Bakelite sockets. Each piece retains original scratches, dings and dents, which add to the vintage patina.
Classified will take special requests for specific parts and styles, so those nostalgic for their glory years bike can ask for parts to be worked into a unique and sentimental design.
You might even want to clean out the dark nether regionsof your garage and send them your old crap and have them create something that looks good and actually works again.
via The Bike Shed
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