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!

Feel the fire: Ferrari 458 Italia

Since I was a child, I do know that Ferrari is the hottest car on planet! However I thought the word “hot” was used literally until now. The new 458 Italia is a great replacement of F430. It is offering a new experience for Ferrari drivers. From steering wheel to elastic diffusers under the front bumpers, 458 Italia is full of surprises.

Like every Ferrari, 458 Italia is offering something very special. This hot can burn you down! Not literally. Unfortunately 458 Italia has some issues with fire and nearly ten of them caught fire. I know that Ferrari can burn you but I never thought it will be burn you like a meat inside a hamburger. Actually this is really weird, nowadays cars supposed to burn you with driving pleasure not with fire.

Current condition of 458 Italia reminded me a slogan from an advertisement campaign which will fit really well. Feel the Fire (Burger King)!

I don’t think anything would fit better than this to Ferrari 458 Italia. Actually 458 is a proper supercar, unlike other brand it is giving you everything. Passions, love, excitement and heat, lots of heat! This is the definition of a supercar. You have to feel the fire!


Pictures' Copyrights
Worldcarfans, Ferrari and Telegraph

Monday, August 30, 2010

Alfa Giulietta: Hard to pronounce but worth to drive!

I really don’t like to talk about test drive experience of mine. It is a limited conversation, I cannot discuss about other subject that easily. And also you can drive the car and have your own opinion.

However I am breaking this principle for Alfa Romeo Giulietta. This new Alfa Romeo is a replacement of 147. And it is nearly impossible to pronounce it properly. Nissan Qashqai was the hardest brand to be pronounced but Giulietta replaced its place :)

This new Alfa Romeo is a competitor for VW Golf, Ford Focus, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes A Class, Seat Leon. But it is totally different its competitors. I do know that you will be thinking, this is an Alfa and it will definitely break down. Hopefully that’s old story, Alfa is not a catastrophe anymore.

Giulietta is a new chapter for Alfa Romeo, it is not cheaply built. You can feel the renaissance! And Alfa’s desire to erase its bad reputation. Hopefully it is really good car. It is not a luxury like an Audi A3 but it drives much better than an A3! The DNA button next to gear lever, is a civilized version of Ferrari’s manettino. You can choose between Dynamic, Normal and All Weather. And magic happens with Dynamic!

The magic happens inside the corner, mostly front wheel drive cars have very high tendency to under steer and hit to tree directly. This is very usual and expected behaviour from ridiculous front wheel technology. And you don’t push throttle inside a corner but with Dynamic mode, you can push inside the corner with Giulietta.

I don’t care about other things, I don’t care whether it has xenon headlights or park sensors. The engine, electronic and drive train have a great harmony and you don’t pay attention to the rest. Giulietta is one of the most enjoying car I have driven for long time. Even though it has four doors but you never feel that you are driving a family hatchback!

I would like to thank you Richard Aucock for the beautiful Giulietta photo :)






 
Pictures' Copyrights
Alfa Romeo and Richard Aucock

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 2 litre Proton Super 2000 engine is derived from the 1.8 litre engine fitted to Proton’s Waja model and has been further developed by MEM’s engineers to produce a reliable 278 bhp @ 7600rpm with a usable power band from 5,500 to 8,500rpm.

Combined with the best 6-speed sequential 4WD Super 2000 transmission currently available, (the “532” version from market leaders Xtrac), the car sets new standards for engine performance and driveability.

The fuel system innovates too with a quick-change fuel control cassette, (which includes all the fuel pumps, filters and valves), attached to the MEM-designed FIA FT3 safety fuel cell to aid rapid maintenance.

Alcon provides the braking power with their latest Super 2000 alloy 4-pot calipers and ventilated discs which combined with the Neo’s low overall weight of 1150kg gives astoundingly short braking distances. The ventilated disc sizes are independently maximised for both Gravel, (15” rims), and Tarmac, (18” rims), but for both simplicity and cost the brake calipers are common to both setups thanks to a simple mounting arrangement.

MEM’s engineers have designed the suspension with a relatively conventional layout of wishbone and MacPherson strut, which means it will be easy and relatively cheap to maintain whilst remaining super-reliable. However, the design has cleverly maximised damper travel to such an extent that the bump stops are the only part that stops the body sills hitting the ground on full bump travel! This translates into achieving both an ultra-low tarmac setup with go-kart levels of body roll and a long-travel gravel setup with enormous ability to soak up the biggest bumps.

With various anti-roll bars available for both front and rear and with MEM’s 25 years of rally experience, the suspension setup can be easily fine-tuned for any rally surface or type.

The latest technology is used in the electrical systems with a state-of-the-art Multiplexed wiring system capable of managing the entire car’s electronics from a central unit ideally placed in the centre of the car in-between the driver and co-driver. Apart from the weight saving reduction that this achieves, it is simple to operate and, with automatically resetting circuit breakers, this is technology and reliability at its best.

The result of all this is a car which not only has well-proven technical advances and novel design but also has simplicity where appropriate to ensure the best possible combination of performance and reliability.

"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.

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.

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/

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Racing Messerschmitts!





Thanks to "A Unionist" for the video link! You don't have email on your profile, so I couldn't thank you properly, but I sure appreciate this video!