LAND ROVER-POWERED FERGIE

Yes, it’s a tractor, a very rapid Land Rover-powered tractor. Mark Saville lets rip in a Welsh field.

What's the story?

Yes, I know this isn’t a Land Rover, nor is it a pristinely rebuilt classic or even a particularly rare tractor, but this wonderful 2.25-litre diesel Land Rover-Ferguson hybrid, created by a fanatical Welsh hill farmer, harp maker and Land Rover tinkerer, displays all the character and ingenuity you could wish for. It goes like the clappers too.

Owner Richard Jones says: ‘I bought the Fergie about two years ago. I’ve had plenty of these lovely little tractors but they’re just too thirsty with the petrol engine these days. As for showing them, with half a million made, it’s not that spectacular to show, to be honest.’

‘Initial plans were V8 power, but then I thought I’ve got a couple of 2.25s kicking about and I knew this one was good, so in it went. This one puts out 62bhp and the original made 20bhp.’

This is the only 2.25 Land Rover diesel-powered Fergie Richard knows of, so there wasn’t anything he could copy. Once he’d decided to mate the 2.25 diesel engine to the Fergie’s gearbox, the hard work really began, making two lumps of engineering fit together properly and work well. The heart of the conversion is Richard’s beautifully made conversion plate.

The final big challenge was refitting the front axle, which mounts directly onto the block via two custom-made brackets.

Our favourite bit?

Mark says: ‘I just had to have a go on this fantastic machine. I wasn’t disappointed. The results are awesome, especially in fourth gear. It sounds like a Land Rover but drives like a tractor. Best of all, Richard says it should be perfectly feasible to fit a 200 or 300Tdi engine to a little grey Fergie. His mate is seriously thinking of doing just that!’

And the verdict from LRO writer Mark Saville?

This is a terrific thing to drive. Richard’s skill and engineering know-how are remarkable. He’s created a unique Land Rover-Ferguson hybrid, which is exactly what he set out to do. This could be the exception that proves the rule – sometimes engine transplants are indeed better than the original. Now, who’s for a race?

Tech spec

Model: Ferguson TVO l Engine: 2.25 four-cylinder Land Rover diesel l Transmission: Ferguson four-speed manual l Tyres: Great for ploughing, not parking

Where can I read more?

The full story was in the January 2014 issue of LRO. Download a digital issue, or order a back issue by calling 01858 438884.  

‘05 Honda XR400R – Benjie’s Café Racers

Written by Marlon Slack.

I’m sure all Pipeburn readers were caught up in the outpouring of emotion that swept the community when Honda discontinued the XR400R. I personally remember lighting a candle and settling into bed early, listening to the radio address from the Pope lamenting the passing of one the tidiest mid-range enduro bikes to be manufactured. No? You didn’t hear about it? Well, you wouldn’t be the only ones who missed the mid-range trailbike’s departure. With its relatively light weight and moderately powerful air cooled single-cylinder engine the Honda XR400 is probably the kind of bike that would suit most people’s riding, but is usually overlooked – but not by the guys at Benjie’s Café Racer, who have spent no small amount of time turning this 2005 model into a beautiful, but practical on and off-road commuter.

For those of you who don’t know much about the XR400, I can’t blame you. Built from 1996 to 2004 it occupied a strange place in Honda’s product line up – between the diminutive entry level XR250 and strong-as-the-balls-of-Thor XR650R. The 400 is often overlooked by many riders, being too large for beginners to fall off, too slow for the Monster Energy drink crowd and too small for Ewan McGregor-esque cross continental expeditions of narcissism. But it’s still a dependable, easy to service bike with a good amount of usable horsepower.

And there’s a few more ponies in this particular example – when they first got their hands on the XR it had already undergone the ‘Super Commuter’ treatment, with 17” Talon wheels, Akrapovic exhaust, 450cc piston kit and hi-lift cams. The guys from Benjie’s Café Racers removed all the faded old plastics and spent no small amount of time planning the best way to turn this practical bike into a neat custom bike.

One of the first things they tackled was the front end of the bike – and there’s a surprising amount of work that goes into getting an enduro bike set up with a stance like this. The standard long-travel XR forks were swapped for a pair from an early model Honda CBR600 which, while lowering the front end and bringing the wheel closer to the frame, yielded its own set of challenges – the steering stem had to be modified, a new front axle fitted and a new brake caliper mount had to be milled.

The lower front end raised the Honda’s tail like a flirty moggie so a new, flatter rear subframe was manufactured to bolt into the existing mounting points. A flat tracker seat was fabricated out of carbon fibre, with LED brake and indicator lights mounted on a small brushed aluminium plate. The upholstery was finished in durable Alcantara suede, double-stitched in gold to match the tank.

And Benjie’s Café Racer didn’t go the easy route with the tank either – deciding to make their own teardrop-shaped polished aluminium number from scratch. Finished with an understated black and gold scallop and a tidy little gas cap they also made themselves it looks beautifully proportioned and light – and as someone whose attempts to build an alloy gas tank resembled something like an after grog bog from Wall-E I’m especially impressed. Their fabrication skills didn’t stop there – the bars were bent out of 7/8 stainless steel and the front number plate was also made in-house out of aluminium, strategically cut to allow air flow to the oil cooler. The oversized header pipe is also their creation – left with a brushed finish with exposed welds.

The guys from Benjie’s Café Racers have taken a humble XR400R enduro and made an ordinary bike really special. They’ve shed a lot of weight, replacing parts with aluminium and carbon fibre bits of their own fabrication and managed to keep the lines flowing beautifully. And the finish is fantastic too, with just the right mix of polish of measured restraint. This XR looks to be a bike that would not only looks gorgeous but would be terrific fun to ride – which can be a rare mix on the custom bike scene.

[Photos by Ben Chan and Dante Dizon]

via PIPEBURN

The Porsche-built racing car that didn’t race for 34 years

The beauty of this Porsche 914/6 GT is that it’s a proper, factory-built race car, but it never raced in period – and hence it’s quite possibly the most original 914/6 GT in existence. You can judge it for yourself at Rétromobile, where it will appear on the stand of FA Automobile…

Waiting in the wings

So how is it that a Porsche-built racing car never took to the track? The intriguing history of this Canary Yellow car, chassis 9140431571, began when it was ordered by Portuguese Porsche importer and distributor Messrs AS Motors Sociedade. Yet after the car’s completion in April 1970, and for reasons that aren’t fully known, it was never delivered. Instead, it was retained by thePorsche factory and converted to full FIA Group 4 (914/6 GT) specification – with the race model’s characteristic bulging wheelarches and powerful, highly developed 2.0-litre engine. 

This was the year, after all, when the lone 914/6 GT entered at Le Mans – supposedly a poor cousin of the 917s on which all Porsche’s attention was focused – blew every 911 into the weeds and finished an astonishing sixth overall (and, unsurprisingly, first in class).

Finally given the chance

No doubt the model’s stunning Le Mans result was at least partly responsible for the decision by team managers Richie Ginther and Alan Johnson (of Bozzani Porsche-Audi Inc. of California) to buy the unraced example still owned by Porsche, in June 1971.

But still the Canary Yellow car didn’t get to race, and the following year it disappeared into a static collection. We have to move on more than 30 years, to an era when originality has become the holy grail of the collecting car world, until the as-new, mid-engined Porsche finally gets the chance to run on track. In what must surely be the car’s most exciting year to date, 2004 saw it entered in both the Tour Auto and the Le Mans Classic – fortunately, at a time when the team behind it aren’t going to casually swop engines and body panels.

Every component original

Today, it retains every original component from its 901/26 racing engine (number 6400636) and competition gearbox, to the suspension, interior – and even the paintwork. If anyone doubts its authenticity, the current owner has a copy of the factory bill of sale to its first owner, listing the car’s from-new racing specifications. And there’s every reason to think that its recorded 11,395km is accurate, too.

You can enjoy seeing the car in the metal – arguably the world’s most original Porsche 914/6 GT – on FA Automobile’s stand (P090) at Rétromobile 2015 in Paris.

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver © 2015

You can find several Porsche 914s for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

FLYING TIGER SUPER90; it's mine !!!

Life, that fickle mistress, can turn on a dime and in March of 2010, Eric Bess experienced something that many across the US were facing. With the economy in a slump, Eric found himself without a job after a round of layoffs at Kawasaki Motors. He’d worked for Kawasaki for 8 years, first on the road for Consumer Events, then in Quality Assurance as a tech and test rider. With motorcycles woven deep into his fibre, there was little chance of getting away from them so, glass half full, this was the opportunity to take his own path.

The day he was laid off, Eric made a critical decision: he no longer wanted someone in control of his future. Dead-set on this, he decided to open a motorcycle shop back in his home state of Missouri. So just a few months on from the unwelcome news, the independent Flying Tiger Motorcycles was appropriately born on the 4th of July 2010, situated in a small 900 sq ft shop in Maplewood, Missouri.

The initial plan was to restore and sell vintage bikes, but that slowly evolved as customers looking at the finished vintage bikes started asking if Eric would work on their bikes.

As Flying Tiger Motorcycles grew, Eric wanted the shop to be a place where you didn’t have to have a certain type of bike to come in the door. After visiting numerous shops over the years, they seemed to have one thing in common: exclusivity to brand and types of riding.  “We are an enthusiast shop where two wheels of all kinds are welcome” Eric says. “There will never be any kind of attitude given here. I like to think of us as a place for people that don’t have a place. Somewhere that everyone can feel comfortable and be treated fairly. If they are not, I want them to tell me.”

The shop has grown to become a staple in the vintage and custom scene around St. Louis. Since 2010, it has moved to the building next door and now occupies about 6,500 sq ft that includes a showroom housing Royal Enfield Motorcycles, as well as Genuine Scooters. While the majority of work during the riding season is service and repair, restoration and custom work is what everyone enjoys most. At anytime you can walk into the shop and see a classic Goldwing, a 60’s Triumph, or a modern scooter on a lift. However, winter is the time for builds and the shop has several in the works with many more in wait.

We’ve previously featured Flying Tiger’s take on a heavyweight Harley Cafe Racer and can now present the other other end of the two-wheeled scale.

Eric tells us, “This little 1965 Honda Super 90 came to us as an older restoration that sat for years as an in-house display piece. Though the previous resto was done many moons ago, the work proved to be good quality. Our customer wanted a build similar to one by Deus Ex Machina, but I was not overly excited about modifying such a nice bike. We worked it out where the build could be done without modifying the frame or other irreplaceable/hard to find parts.”

Maintaining the option for originality tends to make a build a darn site more difficult than just whipping out the grinding discs. So once up on the bench, the stock seat, fenders, taillight, and bars were taken off and carefully boxed. New seat mounts utilised existing fixings to carry the tail section and license plate holder. The whole lot can be removed with just two bolts that previously secured the rear fender. Rich Phillips covered the seat pan in simple black leather, while the elegant paintwork was shot by shop friend Darren at Liquid Illusions. The pinstriping picking up the classic solo-hump seat shape.

With the original S90 high rise bars looking at odds with the new found Cafe style, finding more appropriate scaled down bars provided a challenge to maintain both functionality and proportion. A set of NYC Café bars made for a scooter were chopped down and a cut was made for the internal throttle slide hole. The bars were then drilled them for internal wiring and finished off with a black powder coat.

An old set of fenders were sourced and trimmed down, and the rear crowned with a small taillight allowing the Flying Tiger logo to flourish on the hump. Small but perfectly formed, I believe is the expression.

Once back together, the diminutive ride then just required some love and attention with Autosol and she was ready to ride. No need for bubble tires, or pipe wrap here, the sympathetic updates let the original styling speak loudly and inject a little more sport into the S90’s step. Less can definitely be more.

As Eric says; “By no means is the S90 fast, but it is very nimble and fun to scoot around the city on. Simplicity was the key here.” Were I more homunculus than humongous your couldn’t stop me swinging a leg over, alas I’m happy to just sit back and admire the ’60s charm oozing from every inch.

Plaudits for the photos must go to Jonathan Reed and be sure to keep an eye on the Flying Tiger Site and FB pagefor their upcoming work. And take a look at this finely crafted film-ette starring Eric’s BSA and taking a closer look at his beloved and bewinged Tigris.

via PIPEBURN