No Margin For Error is a 10 minute mini-documentary covering the 1957 Pikes Peak Race, it was produced by Socony Mobil as a promotional piece but it stands today as one of the best films about the 1957 Pikes Peak we’ve come across.
mercredi 31 décembre 2014
From ski champion to Rolex ambassador – the Jean-Claude Killy story
Jean-Claude Killy wasn’t just a champion skier. Three Olympic gold medals and two World Cup victories made him an international ski hero in the 1960s, but Killy was also fairly successful as a racing driver – and in television and films. There’s even a Rolex named after him…
The heartthrob of Grenoble
Jean-Claude Killy was an outstanding downhill skier and, in the 1960s, the main style icon of the sport. His biggest claim to fame – three Olympic gold medals – came at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, which are better remembered as the ‘Killympics’. Always smartly dressed and fashionable, the then-24-year-old Killy twisted the female athletes in the Olympic village around his little finger. The ice princess and Olympic gold medallist Peggy Fleming recalls, “Jean-Claude was not only a great skier, but also an exceptional romantic. On top of that he’s French, which makes him the perfect man.”
The playboy and the jet-set ladies
One can well imagine how the charismatic downhill star with his French accent flew into the hearts of the jet-set ladies. Even though his reputation as a playboy preceded him, in 1972 Killy met the love of his life, actress Danielle Gaubert, while filming the (not very successful) movie ‘Snow Job’. The couple married a year later and lived happily with their three children (two of them adopted from her first marriage), until Gaubert’s early death from cancer in 1987.
A life in the fast lane
The now 71-year-old Killy lived his life in the fast lane, in the truest sense of the expression – and not just on the snow. Besides skiing, there was his exceptional talent and enthusiasm for motorsport. Ferdinand Piëch, head of the Porsche development department at the time, carefully noted the young athlete’s sporting achievements and engaged him to drive in the 1967 Targa Florio, the great Sicilian endurance road race. Together with the famous Formula 1 photographer and journalist Bernard Cahier, the pairing drove a works Porsche 911 S to victory in the GT class..
From the piste to Le Mans
With this success in Italy proving Killy’s driving skills, he then teamed up with Le Mans winner Jean Guichet to drive again for Porsche at the 1000-kilometre race at the Nürburgring. In their red Porsche 911 T (registration SE 8330) they took 26th place overall – a very decent result in a race that pitted them against the likes of the Ford GT40, Lola T70 and the all-powerful Porsche 908. We also find the name Killy on the start list of the 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours. Together with Bob Wollek, Killy started the race in a Renault Alpine, but unfortunately the team didn’t finish. This was to be the skier’s last major race appearance. From then on, Killy dedicated himself to winter sports, including his work on the International Olympic Committee.
A man and his Rolex
But that's not all: we’ve all heard of the Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ and the Rolex Explorer II ‘Steve McQueen’ – both timepieces named after legends of the 20th Century. But the fact that there is a Rolex called the ‘Jean-Claude Killy’ is less well known. Yet the former professional athlete was in many ways a more important figure to Rolex than Paul Newman or Steve McQueen, who were never officially brand ambassadors, whereas Jean-Claude Killy was the face of Rolex for many decades. Several advertisements see him with various models on his wrist and his relationship with the normally reticent brand was so close that Killy was eventually appointed to the Board of the Swiss watch-maker. Even today, Killy doesn’t seem to give a thought to retirement. As you can probably guess, we’re rather in awe of this versatile hero.
Photos: Getty Images
You can find the classic Rolex Dato-Compax ‘Jean-Claude Killy’ in the Classic Driver watch market.
BIKE EXIF CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE AWARDS 2014
2014 was the year that customs moved into the mainstream.
Nearly every major motorcycle brand has been working with independent builders: some publicly, and some privately. Yamaha and BMW are visibly throwing their weight behind the scene, while the Italians are working behind closed doors.
Indian has enlisted Roland Sands to rework its Chieftain, and more customs are on the way. Triumph is more polyamorous than ever. Even Suzuki is playing the game—recalling Katana designer Hans Muth to rework its Bandit 1250.
For fans of café racers, trackers and scramblers, it’s been a bumper year. And it’s been a great 12 months for Bike EXIF too: in a matter of days, we’ll pass the 100 million page views mark after just six years of operation.
So here’s our pick of the best bikes of 2014, judged by web traffic figures, social media shares and incoming links. Enjoy.
10. Roland Sands x Indian ‘Track Chief’ There’s something just ‘right’ about the classic board track look. Perhaps it’s the symmetry of the wheels. Or maybe it’s because the engine is always the star, nestled into a skinny frame. Roland Sands created ‘Track Chief’ to showcase Indian’s spectacular Thunder Stroke engine, with a nod to Indian’s fine sporting heritage.
9. ‘Recall’ by Ton-Up Garage This BMW from Portugal just radiates old-school glamour. The story is romantic, too: the bike was reunited with a family that owned it decades ago, and the rebuild banished years of rust and neglect. It’s a ground-up overhaul, with discreet upgrades like new fenders, a custom exhaust and low-rise bars. And possibly the most glorious vintage-style paint job of any bike we’ve seen this year.
8. Mule Triumph Café Roadster Richard Pollock is the king of trackers: he’s built over 100 so far. But every now and then he tries something different, such as this roadster with a café racer vibe. Like all bikes that roll out of the Mule Motorcycles workshop, it’s a high performance machine and not just a pretty face. The forks are from a Yamaha YZF-R1, the six-piston brakes are from Beringer, and the wheels are top-spec Sun alloys. Most riders will view this bike from behind.
7. ‘Urban Cavalry’ by Rough Crafts There’s a sinister, sci-fi look to this Harley-Davidson Dyna. It’s from Taipei-based Winston Yeh, a former Roland Sands protégé making a name for himself with murdered-out Milwaukee metal. ‘Urban Cavalry’ is based on a 2014-spec Dyna Street Bob, but it’s running Kawasaki sportbike forks and a custom alu swing arm. Power gets a boost from S&S ‘Super G’ carburetion and a titanium exhaust worthy of a Formula 1 car.
6. ‘Tramontana’ Triumph Scrambler Imagine if Triumph’s own chassis development gurus decided to build the ultimate off-road Scrambler. That’s exactly what happened here, with five Spanish engineers at a loose end after signing off the Tiger 800XC prototype. ‘Tramontana’ is an essay in mechanical engineering, with revised geometry, massively increased suspension stroke, ultra-light Excel rims, new ergos and a weight loss of 40kg.
5. ‘Voltron’ by ER Motorcycles The Slovenian workshop is one of the fastest-rising stars on the custom scene. Named after a giant robot from an old animated TV series, ‘Voltron’ is a clever, retro-futuristic mash-up of styles and eras. It’s a mishmash of vintage BMW parts, including a 1964 R69S frame, an R80 engine and front end, and a classic ‘Toaster’ tank. In the hands of most builders the result would be an unholy mess, but this one strangely works.
4. Magpul ‘Ronin’ If Batman rode a Buell, it’d look something like this. The Ronin is a limited-production machine costing $38,000—the same price as a Harley CVO Limited tourer. The weak points of the 1125 have been eradicated with the ruthless precision you’d expect from a gun maker: the Rotax engine is now cooled by a high-flow radiator, and the Showa forks have been replaced by an alloy linkage that gives the bike a menacing, hunched-forward look.
3. Senna Tribute by Marcus Walz German builder Walz is a familiar face in the Formula 1 pit lane: he’s customized motorcycles for Seb Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard. He’s now paid tribute to another well-known F1 rider, the late Ayrton Senna. Never mind that Senna was usually seen on a Ducati: this Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk I is all about power and style, with an engine punched out to 1040cc and a paint job reflecting Senna’s famous helmet designs.
2. BMW R1200S by Café Racer Dreams Six months ago, CRD’s brutal boxer took out the top honors in our half-year roundup. And it’s still hanging in there, attracting a torrent of web traffic. The mesh exoskeleton and apocalyptic looks must have something to do with it, but there’s some very neat fabrication happening too—like a completely new rear subframe and seat unit, and adjustable Öhlins suspension front and rear.
1. NURBS by Krugger The BMW K1600 has six cylinders, seven computers, multiple drive modes and adaptive headlights. It’s not a bike that anyone in their right mind would want to customize. But for Fred “Krugger” Bertrand, the K1600 was just another challenge. And it delivered the Belgian his second AMD World Championship.
The Art Deco bodywork wouldn’t look out of place in the next Tron movie and the straight-six engine is suspended in a completely new frame. The Duolever front suspension is heavily modified too, with only the original shock remaining.
And the oddball name ‘NURBS’? It means ‘Non-Uniform Rational B-spline,’ a concept used by engineers to create freeform surfaces in car and ship design.
It’s a tour-de-force of custom bike building, and a worthy winner of our annual Bike Of The Year.
Congratulations, Fred.
We’d also like to say thanks to the photographers who captured these machines for us all to enjoy. And it’s worth mentioning a few builders who very narrowly missed the cut, notably Huge Design, Clutch Customs, Daniel Peter, Speedtractor, UCC and Maria Motorcycles.
Want to see the winners from previous years? You’ll find them here.
Start 2015 on the right note: sign up for the Bike EXIF email to get the latest customs in your inbox as soon as they’re published.
via BIKEexif
Rubicon Trail
AEV Explores the legendary Rubicon Trail in Northern California. Joined by a few of our international dealers (Germany, Japan, South Africa), we set out on a 3 day expedition experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the Rubicon - unlike anything else
. AEV On Location : Rubicon Trail from American Expedition Vehicles on Vimeo.
. AEV On Location : Rubicon Trail from American Expedition Vehicles on Vimeo.
mardi 30 décembre 2014
MODIFICATION MOTORCYCLES 749S
Being fully aware that we haven’t shown you a Ducati custom build for hours, even days… I felt it was time to fulfil the need for your Italian exotica fix; ok so Ducati’s might not be your vice, but they’re certainly a major addiction for several BSMC crew, myself included. One of the great things about a modern Ducati is that they go like stink, sound like thunder, turn on a rail and stop on a dime, all that and they have one of the most charismatic frames of the motorcycle world, this all adds up to the perfect ingredients for a modern day Café Racer.
This build comes from a team of new builders in Paris and they go by the name of Modification Motorcycles, we very much hope to see them at our first international event in April at Le Carreau du Temple. Modification Motorcycles consists of 3 main guys, Raphael, aka Raph, Alex and Florian, yet like any seasoned builder, they know how important good suppliers and specialists are, such as their regular saddler, Raph’s friend Raphael who built the exhaust and then their 2 painters, one for the ceramic coating of the tank, and another one for the multiple layers of painting to obtain this « titanium » taint.
So onto the donor, a 2006 749s, personally owned by Raph since 2010 and used on the road back then before spending the last 3 years as his track bike, it was a solid companion and being owned outright; a perfect donor for a flagship custom to help build company awareness and showcase what they can do. Raph had an idea of how he wanted to build his modern Ducati Café Racer; but after looking on the net for additional inspiration; he found that bike builders South Garage had already shared his thoughts and even built it; so a new concept was needed, but sometimes new isn’t always the best way to go, in fact we quite like old… at least old school, so the iconic Ducati Café Racer from the early 900ss was to be the main inspiration, the fairing and seat unit were ordered and upon arrival the rear frame was modified to accommodate the lithium battery within that iconic seat unit, exhaust mounts were removed and the whole frame was lowered to give a parallel line to the ground, something most trellis frames require.
The front fairing has been mounted on the bikes race fairing mount, reshaped, adapted and strengthened where required to sustain rigidity no matter what speed the bike reaches. Thanks to using the 749’s race fairing mount, it meant that the guys could easily mount the original gauges and keep the bikes genuine mileage, the OEM gauge might not be the most elegant out there, but it has everything the rider needs to know in a well laid out way. The original bike was slatted when released as Ducati moved away from the 916 and 996 iconic front view to an above and below lamp, it was a bit Marmite… actually, more people hated it than Marmite, but in a nod to that design element of the original 749, Raph and the boys chose to replicate the up and under lamps, but externally and using industrial lamps, one for dipped beam whilst the other is main beam.
To finish off the fairing, CBR600F4 mirrors were mounted, Raph didn’t want bar end mirrors that are seen on 90% of custom builds and he wanted to have a clear view behind him, a clean and sporty look and the benefit of retracting them in, not everyone likes them, but Raph often rides in Paris, having mirrors that work is vital.
The frame tells everyone it’s a Ducati, and there’s no colour more Ducati than red, the rest of the bike is made up of various silvery tones, the steel tank was buffed to a perfect shine ahead of being ceramic coated, this way it’ll keep its sheen without the fear of rust messing up the aesthetics, titanium paint covers the plastics including the front mudguard fins, which appear more as fork guards or aerodynamic spoilers than an actual splash guard.
The exhaust is a piece of art, as mentioned earlier this was built by Raphs friend Raphael, it has been made from Stainless Steel and buffed to a high finish, the system is located low and close to the swingarm, and a single Spark Chrome megaphone gives a great modern classic look, I bet she’s loud, yet tremendously enjoyable, after all; Ducati L twins seldom sound crap once they’re released from their standard silencers!
When it comes to riding her, Raph says that she’s full of punch, very loud and very aggressive in high revs. All of the original bikes character has just been enhanced to produce a meaner and bolder version, now known as the 749M. She’s fast and not that easy to ride, she needs a lot of guts to get into turns, but once committed she remains stable at whatever speed, any firm hand when using 1st or 2nd will have the front end pointing to the sky, which is great for longevity of a front tyre!
Huge thanks to Raph and the team over at Modification Motorcycles for sharing their build, next up for them is an old timer BMW flat twin, we are certainly looking forward to seeing their unique touch on an old Bavarian.
via The Bike Shed
Dakar 2015 : Stéphane Peterhansel veut y croire
Le recordman absolu de victoires au Dakar relève un gros challenge pour l’édition 2015, en rejoignant Peugeot et en découvrant une nouvelle voiture, la DKR 2008 et ses deux roues motrices.
Que les autres équipes se le tiennent pour dit, Peugeot a toujours terminé sur la plus haute marche du podium lors de ses quatre participations au Dakar, de 1987 à 1990. 25 ans après, pour son retour dans la compétition, la marque au lion a recruté trois stars des sports mécaniques : Cyril Desprès, Carlos Sainz et Stéphane Peterhansel. Avec comme mission de faire de leur voiture, la DKR 2008, la première deux roues motrices à motorisation diesel à remporter le Dakar.
Contester la suprématie des Mini ne sera pas chose aisée, sans compter que la DKR 2008 est certes une voiture performante et très nerveuse qui pourra tirer son épingle du jeu lors d’étapes de désert ouvert, mais le projet n’en est qu’à sa première année et il sera difficile de dominer l’épreuve d’entrée. Comme Stéphane Peterhansel, qui compte six victoires en moto et cinq sur quatre roues, l’explique dans la vidéo, l’objectif sera tout de même de jouer les premiers rôles, même si la victoire reste le but premier de tout compétiteur qui se respecte. L’essentiel sera donc de gagner de l’expérience et acquérir une meilleure connaissance de la voiture afin d’essayer de remporter le Dakar dans les trois années à venir.
Le défi sera de taille pour Stéphane Peterhansel et Peugeot ! Départ le 4 janvier !
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Shooting in style: The best retro-look cameras
The market for high-resolution digital cameras in retro styles from the 50s and 60s is booming. Here are some of the best, as well as a selection of classic accessories…
Those who frequent events such as the Goodwood Revival or the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Estewill understand the problem: you’ve invested many an hour choosing an appropriate, stylish outfit, only to leave the house with a chunky, plastic-looking SLR on your shoulder. But there is a solution. Since the rise of the hipster movement and smartphone apps such as Hipstamatic and Instagram, major camera manufacturers have returned to their roots, creating modern-day cameras with the appearance of classics from the 50s and 60s. The following cameras will not only ensure your style isn’t tainted, but that your photos are just as (pin) sharp.
Leica M Anniversary Edition ‘100 years of Leica photography’
Leica has made the transition from analogue to digital rather successfully; in fact, the company’s current cameras are perhaps as coveted as they have ever been. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Leica has released a limited run of 500 of the legendary M rangefinder. The Max CMOS image sensor in full-frame format, 24 megapixels and impressive lenses make the Leica the first choice for today’s serious reporters and photographers. But be warned: those switching from a point-and-shoot or SLR should be prepared for more complex controls.
Nikon Df
Those who miss the ease of the Nikon F3 or FM will be pleased with this camera. With the Df, Nikonhas produced a no-frills, purist’s SLR, which dispenses with such frivolities as video shooting and other additional modes. It also has a traditional shutter-speed dial, infinitely easier than having to scroll through cumbersome menus.
Fujifilm X-T1
With its retro design and mechanical controls, Fujifilm’s X series has already earned a large following. Released earlier this year, the X-T1 boasts a mirrorless system with an APS-C sensor that ensures high levels of ease and efficiency. The excellent viewfinder, high image quality and weatherproof housing make the X-T1 a compact SLR alternative for professionals.
Olympus OM-D E-M10
Large electronic viewfinder, high-performance 3-axis image stabiliser and autofocus, built-in flashand WiFi – the Olympus OM-D E-M10 feels right up to date, despite its chic vintage looks and mechanical feel. The camera is robust and ergonomically designed, and can be combined with the Prime lenses from the OM-D series.
Sony A7R
A full-frame sensor with up to 36 megapixels in a compact camera? Such systems with minimal space were barely conceivable until the introduction of the Sony A7R. In addition to the impressive picture quality, lightweight body and numerous manual controls, with its Zeiss optics, the higher quality Leica M-system lenses can also be used.
Camera accessories from Hard Graft
The British leather and felt manufacturer Hard Graft has identified the photographer as a target customer, producing a number of attractive belts and bags that will make any retro camera a little bit easier to use, while still satisfying the aesthetes.
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