Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Watching Paul Newman start and drive a 1914 Puegot at Indy? Awesome!





If you have Netflix you can do it instantly, or you can catch various clips on You Tube. Stick with the ones loaded by wintershollywood, they have the original audio ...

Once upon a Wheel, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413072/ a cool movie that Paul narrated, and got greasy wrenching on a 71 Super Bee, and takes a look at a lot of racing stars, the Unsers, Andrettis, Pettys, and so on. A lot of 1970 NASCAR footage, but also dragsters, snowmobiles and more.

Clips from early 1910 races, land speed racing on the sand and slat, Pikes Peak, Indy, and so on are amazing to watch while Paul talks you through the scenes.

Getting a moment on screen are such obscure and cool vehicles as Buckminster's Dymaxion, http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/07/favorite-sculptor-of-mine-was-first-to.html and the Marmon Herrington Rhino: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/12/marmon-harrington-4-wheel-drive.html

http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Once-Upon-a-Wheel/70002931?trkid=1211018
Celebrity friends such as Kirk Douglas, Dick Smothers and James Garner join Newman at the classic Indy 500, Formula One and NASCAR events. Featured are some of the most legendary race-car drivers of all time, including Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Bobby Isaac, Richard Petty, Al and Bobby Unser and many more.

Some reeally famous people not named in the review, but getting moments on screen are John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Wilt Chamberlain, astronaut Pete Conrad, Glen Ford, and others as the cameras were takne through the pits at the first Ontario Motor Speedway celebrity pro- amateur charity race, which was won by Dick Smothers and Bobby Unser. Motion Picture and televison relief fund was the charity.

Hooniverse love

read about it: http://hooniverse.com/2010/08/27/so-much-awesomosity-from-a-dodge-caravan-2/#more-26589

Amazing, only 2 Dadge Daytona's are still in the possession of their original owners, here's one from Car Lust (cool website)


Once a long time ago, anyone could drive a car about anywhere without restriction.. think they ruined it for us?

What do you think it is? The hood ornament is pretty big, maybe a Stutz?

You've probably read that Mercury has been phased out

But why is it that Pontiac being phased out caused such an uproar, and editorials, cover stories, etc etc etc... but no one is lamenting the Mercury becoming a has been. Why is that? What was the Pontiac name plate to GM, that the Mercury nameplate wasn't to Ford? Both were a bit more luxurious than the parent company name... both had a lot of terrible looking cars (Ventura for one) and both had a couple muscle cars of notable looks and reputation ( GTO, swiss cheese Catalina, Comet Cyclone, Cougar Eliminator)

read about the closing down of Mercury: http://www.carlustblog.com/2010/06/rip-mercury.html

the shark nose '38 Graham, quite a departure from contemporary design of it's time




Source of the images, and a good read about the Graham, and why it's nose was so funny looking: http://www.carlustblog.com/2010/07/graham-sharknose.html#more and http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Graham-Paige/

Awesome artist, a lot of talent! Andrey Gusev








from http://carcreator.blogspot.com/ go look at the rest of this cool portfolio!

Luxury Porsche Cayenne



2010 Jaguar Cars XJ75 Platinum Concept Car Luxury Sports Salon


The new 2010 Jaguar XJ Luxury Sports Saloon Platinum Concept Car celebrates Jaguar's 75th Anniversary, and highlights the uniqueness of the XJ. Jaguar design team has created the Jaguar Luxury Sports Saloon XJ75 Platinum Concept, a one-of-a-kind design project on display at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance Concept Car Lawn.
2010 Jaguar Cars XJ75 Platinum Concept Car Luxury Sports Salon
The XJ75 Platinum Concept Car is the company's first demonstration of the design customisation potential of the striking new XJ luxury salon, emphasising the Jaguar's dramatic interior and exterior styling themes. "The XJ Luxury Sports Saloon is thoroughly modern, and captures the innovative and daring character that our founder Sir William Lyons built into every Jaguar. And the design team clearly had some fun making their first one-of-a-kind XJ design concept car in that spirit."
The XJ75 Luxury Sports Saloon Platinum Concept centre console houses a bespoke clock developed and designed in partnership with the Bremont Watch Company.
An independent British company, Bremont creates beautifully engineered and designed mechanical watches hand assembled in Switzerland.
2010 Jaguar Cars XJ75 Platinum Concept Car Luxury Sports Salon 
"From a pure design perspective, the XJ75 Luxury Sports Saloon Platinum Concept is foremost about emphasising the striking proportion and presence of the new XJ, with a distilled black and white theme, which conjures up the sense of precious platinum," said Jaguar XJ Chief Designer Giles Taylor. "At the same time, the pure sporting character of XJ is brought to the fore by keeping the car's clean graphic approach and further lowering its stance."
Dominated by striking white and black contrast precious metals platinum theme suggests, the Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept is a high-performance 470-hp supercharged engine 2011 Jaguar XJL with new ground-hugging front, rear and rocker panel is fitted.
Performance on the XJ75 Platinum Concept is derived from its 5.0-litre Supercharged direct-injection V8 with 470 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft of torque. Entertainment is provided by a 1,200-watt Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with 20 speakers powered through 15 channels and state-of-the-art sound processing technology.
This XJ75 Platinum Concept Car was designed to both celebrate the marque’s past and acknowledge the increasingly personal nature of today’s luxury cars.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Max Balchowsky, creator of the "Old Yaller" series of handbuilt spare parts racecars that won in races against all the exotic European race cars

Max built the Old Yeller cars that defined this era (1958-1964) of California racing.

The Old Yeller legend began when Max and partner Eric Hauser acquired a Special built by Dick Morgensen of Phoenix, Arizona. Max applied his skills, modifying and upgrading almost every part of the car, and created a potent threat for overall wins.

Old Yeller, an assortment of junkyard debris powered by one of Max's killer Buick nailheads, embarrassed many an expensive European sports car and inspired a generation of hot rodders to go road racing... http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/27709714/95-MAX-BALCHOWSKYS-OLD-YELLER-I

Max pulled the engine, and put it into Old Yeller II, which he'd just built.

Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby also drove Old Yeller II. Gurney declared it "The best handling car I've ever driven". ... http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/MaxBalchowsky1.html
Old Yaller 1 was made from the Morgensen Special and all the work Max did to make it better, but Old Yellar II was all Max.

Max Balchowsky who took on the best in the business with his motoring equivalent of a mutt. From their outward appearance, cars like Old Yeller II appeared crude, but all of the Yellers were well engineered and usually competed for overall victory with much more expensive competition... http://www.supercars.net/cars/608.html

"Built from derelict freeway signs, a Coca Cola sign, Chevy truck parts, whitewall tires, and junkyard parts" .. " winning 8 of 13 outings in 1963-64" .. the engine was built with "special pistons, six Stromberg 97 carburetors on two Crower log manifolds, and an exotic camshaft from Ed Winfield" .... Vintage American Road Racing Cars 1950-1969 By Harold Pace

"Max became good friends with Buddy Hackett and did the setups for the VW known as Herbie for the movie 'Love Bug.' Max is most legendary for the movie stunt work he did for the movie Bullit with Steve McQueen, and he knew Steve well. Max worked with Elvis Presley in several movies, and for Viva Las Vegas, Max used two Old Yeller race cars in the movie (one crashed)."
http://www.ada.org/news/3511.aspx

SPESIFIKASI Proton Satria Neo S2000 | Rilis November

SPESIFIKASI Proton Satria Neo S2000 | Rilis November

After launching the Proton Exora President (premium) in the arena and IIMS 2010, Proton will also launch the Proton Neo S2000 Satrio hatchback engine capacity of 1600 cc 2 doors.

The plan will be launched Proton cars 20 November 2010 in Jakarta next. Cars are imported directly from Malaysia.

"20 November we launched the Proton Neo S2000 Satrio 1600 cc. The plan at the mall," said General Manager of PT Proton circulation Indonesia detikOto Mazlan told last weekend.

Proton Neo S2000 Satrio hatchback 1600 cc engine brings the Campro CPS was asked as a racing engine by Proton. Protons enter the two variants namely the transmission of both automatic and manual.

Mazlan explained, the price of Proton Satrio Neo S2000 is 1600 cc in accordance with the concept promoted. Proton Neo S2000 Satrio 1600 cc automatic cost Rp 198 million, while Proton Neo S2000 Satrio 1600 cc manual will priced USD 188 million.

"The price is very competitive and appropriate, USD 198 million for the automatic and manual USD 188 million," said Mazlan.

Mazlan hartchback two door car believed there were no rivals in Indonesia. Because different specification promoted by the cars on the market four-wheel Indonesia.

"This car is no match for him in Indonesia. Specified car in RI does not have the same with our cars that will be marketed. And the buyers are also very segmented," Mazlan believes.

2008 Edo Competition Lamborghini Gallardo SLE

With the modified Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera edo competition Motorsport has now added a second high-profile Italian racer to its tuning program after the Murciélago LP 640. Like its bigger brother, this sports car with the bull in its logo excels through its highlighted racing genes and more aggressive appearance after being modified at edo competition.

The most remarkable feature is the sensational acceleration. edo competition achieves these figures thanks to the installation of a massive air box, high flow catalytic converters which are a completely new design and a recalibration of the engine electronics. All components together raise the power output to 560 hp (411 kW) at 8,250 rpm. The power increase of 30 hp / 22 kW boosts the top speed by about 6 km/h (4 mph) to 320 km/h (199 mph). Another highlight: The sound volume of the modified exhaust system can be adjusted via remote.


The sporty concept of the edo Gallardo Superleggera is rounded off with 19“ three-piece racing wheels with an artificially-aged cast center-section, hand-polished outer rims and 39 stainless steel screws.

The front wheels are shod in stock-sized or (on request) 245/35 ZR 19 rubber while 305/30 ZR 19 Dunlop Sport Maxx tires are used on the rear axle. With this solution edo competition enables its customers to reuse the factory tires on their new wheels.

edo competition treats the masculine stance of the Gallardo Superleggera to an additional testosterone injection by lowering the suspension by a good 15 mm and through the use of corner-weighting. With these upgrades, the Lambo sticks to the road so firmly and unflappably that it would take an earthquake to upset its poise.

Verdict from the July 2008 Autobild comparison test „Edo Gallardo / MTM R8“: „The edo Gallardo Superleggera is the more harmonic and better balanced car. Very quick, great to control and of the finest quality in all aspects”!

Engine V10
Power 560 hp / (411 kW) at 8250 rpm
Max. torque 540 Nm (398 ft-lb) at 6800 rpm

Performance
Top speed est. 320km/h (199 mph)
0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) 3.7 s
0 – 200 km/h (0 – 124 mph) 11.7 s

Features

Power increase to 560 hp via 200-cell high flow catalytic converter, carbon fiber air box and ECU recalibration
Exhaust sound level adjustable at the simple push of a button
Optional : 19“ three-piece racing wheels with an artificially-aged cast center-section, hand-polished outer rims and 39 stainless steel screws. Tire dimensions as stock or on request front: 245/ 35 ZR 19, rear 305/ 30 ZR 19 Dunlop Sport Maxx
Custom painted wheels on request
Tire pressure monitoring system displaying tire pressure and temperature for each wheel
Suspension lowering by 15 mm incl. corner-weighting
Side turn signals, smoked

Sunday, August 29, 2010

The winner of the 1907 Paris to Peking endurance race


The 1907 ITALA mod. 35/45 HP won the prize of a magnum of Mumm champagne. The race went without any assistance through country where there were no roads or road-maps. For the race, camels carrying fuel left Peking and set up at stations along the route to give fuel to the racers. The race followed a telegraph route so that the race was well covered in newspapers at the time. Each car had one journalist as a passenger, with the journalists sending stories from the telegraph stations regularly through the race.

The 9,300 mile race was kicked off by a challenge by a newspaper "What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?"

It was held during a time when cars were fairly new, and went through remote areas of Asia where people were not familiar with motor travel. The route between Peking and Lake Baikal had only previously been attempted on horseback. The race was won by Italian Prince Scipione Borghese of the Borghese family, accompanied by the journalist Luigi Barzini, Sr. He was confident and had even taken a detour from Moscow to St Petersburg for a dinner which was held for the team, and afterwards headed back to Moscow and rejoined the race. The event was not intended to be a race or competition, but quickly became one due to its pioneering nature and the technical superiority of the Italians' car driven by Count Scipione Borghese, winning by three weeks. These sporting successes helped sales dramatically, the company continued to grow. The company experimented with a range of novel engines such as variable stroke, sleeve valve, and "Avalve" rotary types

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_to_Paris and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itala

Italy's National Automobile Museum in Turin (or Torino I'm not sure, I can't read Italian)

the wood buck for an Alfa Romeo Guiletta Sprint









Fiat Turbina

the winner of the Paris to Peking race
If you are ever near Torino, it looks like a must see to me! http://www.museoauto.it/home/

2012 Morgan Sports Cars EvaGT

Morgan was one of the first car companies to see the advantage of a bonded aluminium chassis to give rigidity but also to save weight. The 2012 Morgan Sport Car EvaGT uses a further developed version of the bonded aluminium chassis of the Morgan Aero SuperSports, a chassis that successfully competes in International GT3 Sports Car Racing. Compliant with European and US safety approvals.
2012 Morgan Sports Cars EvaGT
The Morgan Motor Company  has been making new cars all along. Morgan used the unveiling of the EvaGT sports car to again commit to releasing a brand new model every two years, with new niche markets in mind. It says the EvaGT is a four-seater coupe with a bit of “automotive theatre” aimed at young sporting families, while it also has plans for “a fun weekend vehicle” and, most intriguingly, an “electric sports car”.
The Morgan Motor Company is the last survivor of these British sports car manufacturers. Morgan sports car has a history of successful collaborations with German suppliers BMW, Siemens and Bosch. But Morgan also works with a number of young engineering companies in the United Kingdom and with world class British university research departments.
2012 Morgan Sports Cars EvaGT 
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is one of the most prestigious automotive events of the year, and is drawing the attention of more and more high-end manufacturers. Count Morgan among them, as the company has just debuted the stunning Morgan EvaGT 2+2.
The Morgan Motor Company is in a good position to respond to this challenge because the company is small and flexible with a proven track record of fast development cycles. It currently manufactures one of the greenest sports cars in the world, the Morgan Four Four Sport. Morgan sports cars achieves this result with the use of the new Ford 1.6 Sigma engine coupled with a light chassis. Morgan currently has a young well qualified technical team working towards a potential 5 engineering PHD's, who will make full use of research departments at the University of Oxford, Cranfield and Birmingham City to tap into a technical knowledge network to make more efficient cars. This team is helping to develop a high torque electric motor twice as powerful as others of the same weight and size and a powerful lithium phosphate battery with a higher charge density to achieve the most efficient performance for weight so far.
The turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six from the BMW 335i sits under the sculpted hood and produces a healthy 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels by either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual. Morgan sports cars expects a scamper to 62 miles per hour to take 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 170 miles per hour. With its top speed at 170mph, Morgan sports cars Eva GT returns an impressive fuel economy of 40mpg UK, equals to 7.0lt/100km and 33.3mpg US, and has CO2 emissions of 200g/km.
The first public view of the 2012 Morgan sports cars EvaGT will be at the 60th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, California, USA on the 15th August 2010. The Morgan Motor Company will be taking orders worldwide with a request for a deposit of £5000 from prospective clients for an allocated build slot. The first 100 cars of a limited run are planned to begin production mid 2012 and the "on-road" price will be competitive for a car of this class.