CAFÉ RACER 76

Release your inner Nicky Haslam at Bonhams' Gentleman's sale

If it's January, it must be time for the annual Gentleman's Library sale at Bonhams – and it is. Right now...

This year's eclectic gathering of manly desirables offers a bumper crop, running close to 1,000 lots that will be dispersed at the Knightsbridge rooms in two sessions, the first tomorrow (Tuesday), the second on Wednesday.

Those who haven't heard of this shamelessly sexist event might be interested to know that this will be its 15th edition, following its inauguration back in 2004 by Geneva-based classic car authoritySimon Kidston who, at the time, was running the Bonhams operation in Europe.

As the title suggests, it's a sale dedicated to all things masculine, from the ubiquitous 'brown' furniture to mantle clocks, ship models, scientific instruments, fossils and cigarette boxes. In other words, just the sort of things that our women folk might not allow us to display anywhere in the house other than in our own private quarters.

First the essentials...

If you haven't already got a 'gentleman's library'/man cave/den/study/office – call it what you will – this sale will certainly encourage you to establish one. Indeed, it would easily be possible to kit out such a room from start to finish with the purchase of a few choice lots, lending a golden opportunity to release one's inner Nicky Haslam.

Starting with the essentials, there's a fabulous four-and-a-half-foot, live steam model of a showman's steam engine on offer at £3,500 - 4,500, with a handsome Cary's terrestrial globe being up for grabs for around £1,500. Then you'll need a decent desk - let's go for a Victorian satinwood job for £3,000 - a chair to go with it (there's a nice 'tub' one on offer) and possibly an Anglo-Indian, ebony and ivory desk stand to go on top.

Guests will inevitably turn up, and they could be comfortably seated on a four-person leather Chesterfield for £2,500 - 3,500, perhaps resting a painful foot on an adjustable gout stool (lot 595).

...then give them something to look at

To give them something to look at, how about hanging a set of four watercolours by intrepid Victorian artist James Atkinson, who painted them on-the-spot in Afghanistan, and perhaps a couple of oils of prize-winning 19th Century cattle?

Aural entertainment, meanwhile, could be had from a 1948 'Wurlitzer' style jukebox (£8,000 - 12,000) and, for added amusement, how about making a display of 31 cabinet-makers' profile planes, a six-inch length of the first trans-Atlantic submarine cable and a large, dissected model of a human eyeball?

There's even an original, wartime poster from the Ministry of Information, carrying the now over-used slogan 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. But at an estimate of £6,000 - 8,000, you'll probably feel inclined to do the latter...

Photos: Bonhams

Your chance to own Steve McQueen's Porsche 911... sort of

Antwerp-based design house Studio Job has paid tribute to the unmistakable shape of the Porsche 911 by creating a limited number of bronze casts, made in-house at its own atelier…

In comparison to its last automotive creation – the Land Rover Defender with which it ‘spoke in tongues’ in 2013 – Studio Job’s vision of the Porsche 911 is a little more restrained, shall we say? Measuring 22 x 9 x 7 inches, the hand-polished bronze cast is based on the Porsche 911S (the model made famous by Steve McQueen in the Le Mans movie). Dedicated to the McQueen car and limited to 100 examples – plus one prototype and 10 artist's proofs – each will be marked with the initials of both the artist and the collector, and delivered in a wooden presentation box with a certificate of authenticity.

Black Douglas bikes are handmade in… Italy?

Arrive at The Black Douglas Motorcycle Co. and you find yourself submerged in the atmosphere of a small workshop of the 1930s – one that built its own bikes. The style of the bikes, the small number of fiercely passionate individuals, the way in which they work and the quantity of bikes produced...

… it's all about using real craftsmanship to create a truly great motorcycle – just as it was for the pioneers of two-wheeled machines more than 80 years ago. We had the chance to visit the Black Douglas workshop and ask Fabio Cardoni, the founder, a few questions.

What is your oldest automotive memory?

When I was 11, I tried my first bike: a Suzuki Gamma 500. It was on a gravel road, the bike was powerful and much too big for me. After about 10 metres, I fell off into the road.

But in spite of this, you were still attracted to motorcycles?

Definitely. It’s like falling off a horse – you need to ride one again as soon as possible, and it was this way for me. When I was 14, I had my first moped: a Honda PX 50. It was really ugly and all my friends laughed at me; I'd much rather have had a Vespa. I saved money for several months to buy my first bike, a Fantic Motor TX 96. At the time I was 15 – and so was the bike. I tuned the engine and felt like a king. And so I began my collection: buying without selling any of my bikes.

You're based in Italy and you're Italian yourself, so why a British name?

Douglas is a name that I happen to like. In Scotland, Sir James Douglas – a hero of the 13^th and 14^thCenturies – was also known as the Black Douglas, and so Benny and I chose this as our brand and Sterling Autocycle as the model name. At the time, we weren’t even thinking of creating a real company to produce a series of bikes.

So how did that happen?

Each time I used my Sterling, people went crazy over it: thumbs up, pictures, lots of questions and, most often of all, “Where can I buy one?” So I thought, “Okay, so there are people interested in it... why not create a company and start producing it?” We established the company in 2011 and we’ve been working on the project ever since. I wanted to build it the right way; as it was done in the past.

What were your aims for the bike?

I wanted to make sure that even if the bike was a series model, customers could choose from a large number of options to have their own unique Sterling. And even more importantly, I wanted something handmade in Italy, with no plastic parts on it, and fully road-legal.

What are the main difficulties when you build an apparently ‘period’ bike?

As we didn't want any plastic on our bikes, we had to source a great many parts, as we needed metal parts that had been approved for European sale – and that’s not easy. Many people put the EC marking on their parts but, when you ask for the certification, you stop getting any answers from them. We’re using modern materials for the frame and the mechanicals, and it’s always difficult to find the right supplier for every tiny part, so that you have the right item in the right style. We didn’t want the bike to be 100% period correct, and nor did we want to replicate a specific model. Rather, we were aiming to recreate the feeling of a flat tank motorcycle, without the hassles that would come with a real vintage piece. We wanted it to be an everyday, usable bike. It seems that we succeeded.

Are you planning some evolutions for the Sterling?

Yes, in 2015, we want to create the Sterling Imperial as the top of the range – with a 350cc engine. It’s going to be 100% handmade in Italy, engineered specifically for us. We already have the prototype ready and we’ll start testing it soon. I want a 350cc engine because of the torque, as we need it to compensate for the weight of the engine and the sidecar that will also be presented this year. The next step will be an electric Sterling, with a 150km range at about 80km/h.

Are you also selling bikes in the US?

We don’t have a bike that satisfies American regulations at the moment. We can only sell the Sterling in kit form to the US market. We are also planning to develop other models based on Harley-Davidson V-twin engines that will be sold as kits.

What type of bikes will these be?

We have two running prototypes: the ‘Sunday Morning’ (a scrambler) and the ‘Solace’, which looks like a 1940s motorcycle. Both have Harley Sportster engines.

What are the ultimate bikes for you?

The Brough Superior SS100 for its perfect lines, and the Black Douglas Sterling Imperial with the versatility of a 350cc engine.

Do you have a dream bike?

Yes, a Brough Superior SS100… so I can feel like Lawrence of Arabia.

And is there a bike you'd like to try, if only for a few minutes?

The Husqvarna Proof 2000 prototype.

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver 2015

ORIGINAL CAFE RACER: ADAM GRICE’S KILLER TRITON

Adam Grice's immaculate Triton cafe racer build.

The term ‘café racer’ has become so abused, it’s lost virtually all meaning. (Okay, we’re occasionally guilty too.) So let’s go back to square one, and check out a bike that fits the description to a T.

This drop-dead gorgeous Triton belongs to Englishman Adam Grice, who saw the light after getting tired of modern Japanese sport bikes. “I was watching Cafe Racer on Discovery Channel, and found myself hooked on the cafe scene,” he tells us. “After months of looking for the right bike, I finally stumbled across Brenda.”

‘Brenda’ is hardly the most glamorous name. But maybe that’s the English sense of irony at work. Adam’s Triton has the perfect aristocratic pedigree: a 744 cc Triumph T140V engine from the mid Seventies snuggled into a ‘wideline’ Norton featherbed frame.

Straight away, Adam knew that he’d have to get the spanners out. “The bike was all there, but running rough. And it just didn’t look right. It had straight bars, a little fly screen, and fiberglass fuel and oil tanks. Plus a strange battery box sitting halfway along the rear fender.”

On the up side, the Triton already had the desirable short Norton Roadholder forks with external springs, 18-inch alloy rims, and a few Dresda bits—including the swingarm and engine mounts.

Adam also lucked out with an SRM Classics clutch, a Boyer Brandsen ignition, and a Hayward primary belt drive kit. The oil filter was from a Norton Commando and there’s a Norvil front disc conversion. “Not period, but works a treat,” he notes.

He’s rebuilt the engine with a multitude of new parts and Amal Mark 1 concentric 930 carbs, complete with bell mouths. “It had high compression pistons, but the previous owner had reduced the height of the ten head bolts. God knows why—it cost me two blown head gaskets. So I replaced the cylinder barrels and head, and reverted back to standard pistons for reliability.”

With the help of a mate called Shorty, Adam has also installed an alloy five-gallon Manx tank, which conceals the ignition and coils underneath. The oil tank is also in the Manx style, with the front squared-off to increase the space between the tank and carbs.

Other goodies include a Manx seat, a Norvin top yoke, and stainless mounts to hold the classy Smith instruments. Magnificent English names have provided other parts: John Tickle for the headlight brackets, and Barleycorn Engineering for the rearsets, seat loop and rear fender. The only concession to modernity is the lithium-ion battery hiding under the seat hump.

Much as we love the current trend for scramblers and trackers, a traditional café racer like this exerts an irresistible pull. Maybe it’s time for the loop to go full circle?

Images by Ian Daisley—ProBikeART. For more stunning trad cafe racers, check out our piece on the Top 5 Tritons.

via BIKEexif