Cudby photos.
mercredi 30 janvier 2013
POETRY IN MOTION: ’80S F1 & GROUP B
this montage shows off some perfect slo-mo examples of the cars in question on the edge and over the edge. Dust, fire, snow, smoke, cheering. Wings and bodywork barely held on. Battling oversteer, barriers, the elements, the crowd. A sensory overload of everything that was great on the tracks and stages of the 1980s.
If you want to see just how dangerous Group B was, go to 1m20 in and the Lancia 037 jumping over a crest and into a sea of people, who organically open up as the car lands before closing in behind. Or at 2m36s when the T16′s tail drift causes fans to nonchalantly jump out of the way. It was expected! You’re up front for the best view, you take your chances.
Olympic gold medallist turned political candidate berates Valentino Rossi
Valentina Vezzali is a six-time gold medallist in fencing - she won a gold and a bronze in the 2012 summer Olympics - has decided to be a politician and is a candidate for the chamber of deputies with the Monti List (Mario Monti ran the technocrat government these last 18 months and is now running for office) for the upcoming Italian general election.
Apparently the new political candidate did not appreciate Valentino Rossi’s view on voting, when he was asked his opinion on the elections during his recent interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport where he said, “I returned to Italy in 2007 but I didn’t vote last time. It looks to me like a negative situation and I might not even vote this time as I don’t have faith in any of them. We’re not doing well and it’s useless voting for one or the other. The system needs changing.”
“I’m sorry that Valentino Rossi has said he’ll not vote” commented Vezzali. “It’s a common thought among young people. The right to vote was obtained by our fathers and grandfathers and has to continue. I believe that anti-politics isn’t the tool to give confidence to the country. Valentino should vote the person that better represents his ideas and values, but he should vote. For a sports personality who is symbol for young people not voting means raising a white flag, or pulling out before the start of a race.”
Source | ansa.it via outdooorblog.it
Photo | motogp.com
via TWOWHEELSBLOG
Healing Wings: Resurrection of the ‘Lisbon SL’
The history of this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is exceptional. Formerly shipped to Lisbon, and boasting a competition history, it is now being completely restored. Classic Driver has been given an exclusive preview.
Behind the unassuming workshop walls sit ageing automotive icons: 300 SL Gullwings and Roadsters from the legendary Mercedes-Benz W198 series. Car connoisseurs Miguel Morais and Mathieu Woehrle founded the company with the aim of meticulously restoring these Stuttgart sports cars back to fighting fitness.
Around 20 of these vehicles are parked in the various workshop areas of M&W Classic, with a very special example currently stripped down to its bare aluminum shell. “This 300 SL is a recent find from Portugal,” said Woehrle. “As well as being aluminium-bodied, it is an even rarer ‘NSL’ version – one of those Gullwings that received factory-approved performance enhancements.”
Mercedes referred to the NSL performance kit as consisting of “special engine parts for sporty driving.” The dated phraseology conceals classic mechanical engine-tuning with sports-tuned exhaust systems and engine parts, which made the brilliant fuel-injected three-litre six-cylinder engine even more responsive. With more than 200bhp in a 1000kg body, the SL Gullwing was the fastest production car of its time.
The original sales invoice from Mercedes-Benz is also intact. With serial number 198040-6500045, and specified in black paint with red leather, the car was delivered on 5 March 1956 to the North German Shipping Company in Hamburg. The buyer, a C. Santos, is mentioned as awaiting delivery of the car in Lisbon, Portugal. The speedometer had recorded a delivery mileage of just 118km and the serial number also appears on the Portuguese import documents of 7 April that year.
“Such complete documentation of a classic Gullwing is just phenomenal,” says Morais. A verifiable history clearly adds to the car’s value – and also makes it far easier to undertake a full restoration. For instance all the optional equipment on this particular model is recorded, such as: ‘Disc wheels with Rudge hubs 985-198’, or an ‘extended steering column SA 944-198’ as well as the ‘Radio-Becker Le Mans with Reims adapter SA 55 041 / 1 with Hirschmann antenna’. A sample of the original paint colour was also supplied.
“This 300 SL was used for racing in Portugal, as we know from in-period race reports and photos,” says Mathieu Woehrle. This makes the car’s history even more colourful although, for the race track, the car was painted in a different, light ivory colour. Since there is such complete documentation on the race specifications of the car, including additional air-cooling to the front brakes, M&W can apply strict standards to the accurate restoration of the engine, transmission, steering, chassis and axles – even the thickness of the body shell is known, and can be maintained.
“This is all of utmost importance,” the restorers agree – and Morais and Woehrle know their stuff. Though the restoration could take up to two years, eventually this Gullwing will fly again.
| Related Links Read our M&W Classic dealer portrait Many Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwings can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace. |
Text: Mathias Paulokat(ClassicDriver)
Photos: M&W Classic
Wally 'Better Place': Carbonfibre sailing yacht
Few companies have had such an impact on their industry in such a short space of time as Wally, founded in 1994. But the pioneering yachtbuilder has continued to push the boundaries, and has recently revealed ‘Better Place’: the world’s largest carbonfibre-hulled sloop.
With its cutting-edge construction and sleek, sporting lines, the 50.5-metre ‘Better Place’ claims to bring the sailing yacht into the 21st Century. Its contemporary design isn’t limited to the hull, though; the deckhouse has floor-to-ceiling windows, and an emphasis on ‘inside-out living’ throughout the interior spaces ensures an ‘airy’ atmosphere while preserving privacy.
‘Better Place’ can sleep 10-12 guests, while the saloon has seating for a group of up to 20. Meanwhile, a few steps down from the main lounge and master suite is a 30sqm terrace-on-the-sea, ideal as a lounging and swimming platform or for tender-boarding. There’s also a below-deck Jacuzzi.
Assisting the main source of propulsion is a diesel-electric Siemens engine, capable of a 14-knot top speed – and with its comparatively light displacement (250 tonnes), ‘Better Place’ should prove effortless for the 10-man crew to handle.
| Related Links More information on 'Better Place' and other Wally vessels can be found at www.wally.com |
Text: Joe Breeze (Classic driver)
Photos: Wally
1959 BMW Isetta Whatta Drag with 730 hp Chevrolet V8 engine
1959 BMW Isetta Whatta Drag, 1600, 29.01.2013
A heavily modified 1959 BMW Isetta will be auctioned by RM Auctions on February 16.
The one-off Isetta is powered by a supercharged Chevrolet V8 engine producing about 730 hp (544 kW) transferred to wheels through a two-speed manual gearbox. It has dual-circuit disc brakes with an AP balance bar, while the suspension is taken from an M3. The front wheels are wrapped around in B.F. Goodrich G-Force tires, while the rear custom 18x13 inch drag racing wheel has a Sumitomo HTRZ II tire.
Although developed to be fully functional, the vehicle is strictly for show and shouldn't be used on roads or track because the "massive amount of torque produced by the Chevrolet 502 motor can be dangerous if driven improperly."
The 1959 BMW Isetta Whatta Drag is expected to fetch between 75,000 - 100,000 USD.
Full details in the press release below.
Source: RM Auctions
from worldcarfans
ROAD WARRIORS 2, Isle of Man TT . 200mph = 320kmh
That onboard camera at the end is seriously intense!
‘North West 200′ N.Ireland – ‘Southern 100′ and Isle of Man TT.
Grand Prix Racer - Manx Grand Prix Trailer
After TT3D: Closer to the Edge documentary on the IOM Tourist Trophy, hard core road racing fans will now be able to add another movie to their DVD collection, with the new documentary ‘Grand Prix Racer,’ which is based on the 2012 Manx Grand Prix event.
‘Grand Prix Racer’, will be holding its world premiere on the Isle of Man on Monday 4th February - and it will broadcasted on ITV4 on Tuesday 5th February at 20:00 - and then be made available on DVD on March 4th - and was produced by Isle of Man-based Greenlight TV and was shot before and during the 2012 Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man, getting behind the scenes of the event and also features some of the leading characters and race officials that are involved with the meeting.
The Manx Grand Prix races will take place this year on Wednesday 28 and Friday 30th August 30. Practice and qualifying commences on Saturday, August 17 and runs through to Friday, August 23 and in their 90th year the races have received ‘FIM International’ status, replacing the event’s previous ‘European Open’ status.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
There’s a large gap between blasting down fire roads and racing the Dakar. This gap is not
suitable to be crossed without knowledge or experience. Luckily, there are ways to experience
the ADV riding without all the perils. This solution is the Wilderness Collective.
A guided tour with 10 of your soon to be closest friends, hundreds of miles of wilderness, and
gourmet cooking along the way, the Wilderness collective offers a stepping stone into breaking
the tedium of daily life and getting out into the wild. Even though the trip is not exactly roughing
it, the enjoyment of getting out there on two wheels is still there.
Interested? Check out their site here: http://wildernesscollective.com/
Every adventure starts with suiting up. The gear utilized for this expedition was the ICON 1000
Elsinore Boot, and theICON Variant Helmet.
Ducati 750 SS: Bella Figura
With an engine note as moving as an opera by Verdi, and curves as beguiling as Sophia Loren’s, the legendary Ducati 750 Super Sport is an all-time favourite among Ducatisti.
‘V-twin’? Shouldn’t that be an ‘L-twin’? Yes. In Ducati lore the slanted-forward, 90-degree twin is most commonly referred to as an L-twin. With ‘desmo’ valve-gear (no springs; the valves are opened and closed by cams according to desmodromic practice), the engine produced around 72bhp at a high-for-the-capacity 8,800rpm. Around 400 750 Super Sports were built.
As a whole, it’s undeniably an attractive machine. But take some time to examine the details. The clear strip set into the fuel tank so the level can easily be seen, for example. It was expensive in its day, and nowadays examples such as this one, to be offered for sale at Artcurial’s February Rétromobile sale, top collectors’ ‘must-have’ lists.
However, like ownership of palchi (boxes) at La Scala, 750 Super Sports ownership has a price: 60,000-90,000 euros, for this example.
| Related Links For further details on this 1974 Ducati 750 SS, Lot 210 at Artcurial's 8 February Paris sale, please see its full description in the Classic Driver Marketplace You can also browse for other Ducatis in the Classic Driver Marketplace |
Text: J. Philip Rathgen(ClassicDriver)
Photos: Artcurial
AWKWARD CAR PHOTOS
at Petrolicious, we spend a lot of time looking through photos of cars on the internet, in books, and in magazines. In these photos, it is very common to see people posing in front of their prized automotive possessions.
Posing for pictures with cars is something every car enthusiast has done at one time or another, but for some reason we seem to come across an outstanding number of images wherein individuals lay on, sprawl across, stand on, or pose in otherwise completely awkward positions in relation to their vehicles.
We assume that most of the pictures below were part of larger photo shoots, but we have to wonder why some photographers insist on positioning individuals in the most unnatural and un-carlike ways? Here are some of the best awkward car photos we have come across recently.
Which photo is your favorite? | |
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 pour voter from .petrolicious |
Building the New Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante: Part 2
Classic Driver has been granted full access by Carrozzeria Touring to the stages in the construction of the first production Disco Volante, prior to its launch at the 2013 Geneva Show. In Part 1, we saw how an Alfa Romeo 8C is prepared for its new bodywork. Now, it’s time for the hand-beaten panels to be fitted to the carefully prepared chassis.
The donor Alfa Romeo 8C coupé has been stripped back to its component parts. Using the ‘reference cage’ and a mock-up buck in high-density resin, the craftsmen at Carrozzeria Touring have prepared the chassis to within the finest of tolerances to accept the new aluminium and carbonfibre panels.
As we said before, this is Italian metalworking technique passed down from generation to generation. No ‘English wheel’ here – it’s all beaten, sometimes by hand, but mainly with the aid of a power hammer, to faithfully follow the lines of the mock-up.
Each panel is carefully eased next to its neighbour, then welded and smoothed down, by men with years of experience.
You can now see the completed shape of the car in aluminium, its carbonfibre bonnet and the aperture in the roof where the glass sunroof will sit.
When the full ‘body in white’ is completed, it will then be carefully checked for alignment, with all panel gaps and shut-lines painstakingly measured and adjusted.
It’s then time to trial-fit the glass, prior to fabricating the hard metalwork of the interior. From there, the entire body needs to be prepared for painting… stages we look forward to telling you about next time.
For further information on the 2013 Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante visitwww.touringsuperleggera.eu, or email info@touringsuperleggera.eu.
| Related Links The website of Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera www.touringsuperleggera.eu 'Building the New Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante: Part 1' in the Classic Driver Magazine 'Five questions to Louis de Fabribeckers, Head of Design Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera' in the Classic Driver Magazine 'Geneva 2012: Disco Volante 2012 by Touring Superleggera' in the Classic Driver Magazine |
Text: Steve Wakefield (ClassicDriver)
Photos: Carrozzeria Touring
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