MG EX 181 Bonneville

August 24, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Frank Osgerby's group 6 special seen at the start of the hill. Baitings Dam 1979

In 1957 the MG Car Company arrived at the Bonneville Salt Flats with an unusually shaped vehicle and legendary racing driver Stirling Moss. The car was called the MG EX 181 and it was entered into the Class F land-speed series for cars with engines between 1.1 and 1.5 litres.

The EX 181′s unique body was hiding a 1.5 litre twin-cam, supercharged MGA engine that had been tuned to run on 86% methanol laced with nitrobenzene, acetone and sulphuric ether. The engine produced a whopping 290hp at 7,000rpm and on the 23rd of August 1957 Stirling Moss took it up to a top speed of 245.64mph (395.31 kmh), taking the land-speed record easily over the previous record holder who held it at 203mph.

MG wasn’t quite finished with the EX 181 and took the car back to Bonneville in 1959 with racing driver Phil Hill, the engine had been tuned slightly higher and now produced 300hp. Phil Hill took the car to a top speed of 254.91 mph (410.23 kmh), easily breaking MG’s own record from 2 years previously.

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Frank Osgerby's group 6 special seen at the start of the hill. Baitings Dam 1979

August 25, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: 1963 Garelli 50cc Record Breaking Racing Motorcycle

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1963 Garelli 50cc Record Breaking Racing Motorcycle

August 25, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Feather Cycles: Owen's Track Bike

≪ Previous: Frank Osgerby's group 6 special seen at the start of the hill. Baitings Dam 1979

In the early 1960s, with the reconstituted Garelli now under the control of Daniele Agrati, it was decided to return to the track in search of world records, which had been one of Garelli's major competition activities in pre-war days. In November 1963 two 50cc Garellis specially prepared by engineer William Soncini, running on alcohol fuel and equipped with large-capacity fuel tanks and all-enveloping 'dustbin' fairings, set eight world records at Monza, including a new 24 hours mark at an average speed of 108.834km/h (67.59mph), which has yet to be broken. The riders were Gianemilio Marchesani, Luigi Pastori, Robert Patrignani, Giulio Parnigotti, Luciano Spinello and GianPiero 'Zubani'. In order to wring every last ounce of speed from the tiny machines, a second set of footrests was fitted on brackets extending back towards the rear wheel, enabling the riders to obtain a lower, more aerodynamic riding position. To facilitate the night-time running necessarily involved in any 24-hour record attempt, a solitary headlight was fitted in the fairing's nose, as may be seen on this machine.

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Feather Cycles: Owen's Track Bike

August 26, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Lucky Seven

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Lucky Seven

August 26, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Porsche 917 Le Mans 1970

≪ Previous: Feather Cycles: Owen's Track Bike

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Porsche 917 Le Mans 1970

August 27, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Husqvarna

≪ Previous: Lucky Seven

On March 13, 1969 at the Geneva International Motor Show, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche unveiled a car that would exceed its creator's wildest dreams and turn out to be one of the most iconic race cars of all time: The Porsche 917.

Project 917 began in June 1968, in response to an edict from the international motor sports authority, known as the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which had announced a class for 'homologated sports cars' with up to a five liter engine capacity and a minimum weight of 800 kilograms.

Under the supervision of Porsche family member and gifted engineer Ferdinand Piech, the FIA-stipulated minimum 25 units of the new race car would be completed by April 1969 so that the 917 could race during the 1969 international season. Initially, Porsche had built six cars and had 'all the bits and pieces to build 19 more for homologation,' according to Rico Steinemann, Porsche's Racing Manager at the time. 'The FIA then decided, no!' All 25 cars would have to be built. As all of the racing departments resources were being utilized, the workers to build the cars would have to come from elsewhere.

'We put together apprentices, messenger boys, bookkeepers, office people and secretaries,' remembered Steinemann years later. 'Just enough people, taught just enough to put together 25 cars!'

After the inspection, all but two of the cars were completely disassembled and rebuilt by the factory race team mechanics.

While the 917 retained Porsche's traditional horizontally opposed, air-cooled 'boxer-style' engine configuration, the 4.5 liter, 520 HP 12-cylinder engine was bigger than any engine Porsche had built. The frame, designed more for durability than the light weight, was constructed of TIG-welded aluminum tubing (later switched to magnesium), while the fiberglass re-enforced resin bodywork weighed in at a total of 93 pounds.

The 917 shape underwent constant evolutionary changes, with Porsche engineers developing different body configurations to best meet the demands of the varied circuits on the World Championship calendar. The so-called short-tail, or 'Kurzhack' bodywork, was designed for his downforce tracks such as Watkins Glen and Brands Hatch, while the original 'Langhack' long-tail bodywork was further developed to optimize straight-line speed and stability on the long, ultra-high speed tracks like LeMans with its 3.5 mile long Mulsanne Straight.

Success was not immediate for the 917. After initially dropping out of its first three races due to technical problems, the 917 success story began in August 1969 at a 1000-kilometer race at the Osterreichring with a victory by Jo Stiffert and Kurt Ahrens.

This series of victories in 1970 began with the Daytona 24 Hours and continued at Brands Hatch, Monza, Spa, the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the Targa Florio, the epic 24 Hours of Le Mans, Watkins Glen 6-Hour and once again at the Osterreichring. However, the season's high point was the long-desired overall win at the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, a trophy that Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood brought home to Zuffenhausen on June 14, 1970. The number 23, 917K short-tail model, painted in the red and white colors of Porsche Salzburg, successfully fought off the combined factory efforts of Ferrari, Matra and Lola, but also battled horrible weather conditions during hte race. The 917 had fulfilled its charter by not only winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but by also winning the World Championships of Makes.

The 1971 season was once again dominated by the 917 as Porsche defended their World Championship of Makes' crown by winning eight out of the ten races on the schedule. For the second year running, a Porsche 917 was victorious at the Le Mans 24-Hour race - this time with GIJs van Lennep and Dr. Helmut Marko driving. They set world records with an average speed of 222 km/h and a total of 5,335 kilometers driven, which are records that still stand today.

When the European FIA regulation for '5-liter sports cars' expired at the end of the 1971 season, it brought the 917's world of Makes' championship career to a close.

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Husqvarna

August 27, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: de Havilland DH.103 Hornet

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de Havilland DH.103 Hornet

August 28, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Isle of Man Sidecar 1967

≪ Previous: Husqvarna

The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was later used successfully as a strike fighter in Malaya. The Sea Hornet was a carrier-capable version.

Designed under a team lead by R. E. Bishop with C. T. Wilkins assisting as a private venture for a long-range fighter destined for the Pacific Theatre in the war against Japan, Specification F.12/43 was written around the type. From an early stage it was also envisaged that the Hornet could be adapted for naval use, operating from aircraft carriers. As a result priority was given to ease of control, especially at low speeds, and good pilot visibility. Construction was of mixed balsa/plywood similar to the Mosquito, but the Hornet differed in incorporating stressed Alclad lower-wing skins bonded to the wooden upper wing structure using the then-new adhesive Redux. The two wing spars were redesigned to withstand a higher load factor of 10 versus 8.

Apart from the revised structure, the Hornet's wings were a synthesis of aerodynamic knowledge that had been gathered since the Mosquito's design process, being much thinner in cross section, with de Havilland designers adopting a laminar flow profile similar to the P-51 Mustang and Hawker Tempest. The control surfaces consisted of hydraulically operated split flaps extending from the wing root to outboard of the engine nacelles; as in the Mosquito, the rear of the nacelle was part of the flap structure. Outboard, the Alclad-covered ailerons extended close to the clipped wing tips and gave excellent roll control.

The Hornet used "slimline" Rolls-Royce Merlin engines with engine ancillaries repositioned to minimise frontal area and drag. It was unusual for a British design in having propellers that rotated in opposite directions; the two engine crankshafts rotated the same direction, but the Merlin 131 added an idler gear to reverse its propellor's rotation (to clockwise, viewed from the front). This cancelled the torque effect of two propellers turning in the same direction that had affected earlier designs (such as the Mosquito). It also reduced adverse yaw caused by aileron trim corrections and generally provided more stable and predictable behaviour in flight. De Havilland tried props that rotated outward at the tops of their arcs (as in the P-38 Lightning),but this configuration blanketed the fin and reduced rudder effectiveness at low speeds, compromising ground handling; on production Hornets the conventionally rotating Merlin 130 was on the port wing with the Merlin 131 on the starboard.

Because of the revised induction arrangements of the Merlin 130 series, the supercharger and carburettor air intakes could be placed in the leading edges of the wings, outboard of the nacelles. Other versions of the Merlin, which used "updraft" induction arrangements, required that the intakes be placed in a duct below the main engine cowling. The main radiators were also mounted in the inboard leading edges of the wings. Internal fuel, to a maximum capacity of 432 Imp gal (1,964 l) (F 3) was stored in four self-sealing wing tanks which were accessed through detachable panels forming part of the lower wing surfaces.

To assist airflow over the wing, the engine nacelles were mounted low, which meant that the undercarriage legs were reasonably short and the pilot's field of view was improved. The single-legged undercarriage units were simpler and cleaner than those of the Mosquito, using the same de Havilland-developed, rubber-in-compression energy absorption system. The main wheels were also smaller and lighter.

To further aid the pilot's field of view the unpressurised cockpit was mounted well forward in the fuselage and was housed under an aft sliding, perspex blister canopy. The three-panel windscreen was designed so that refraction through the panels meant that there were no obvious blind spots caused by the corner tie-rods; all three panels were bullet-proof laminated glass. An armour-plated bulkhead (hinged near the top to provide access to the back of the instrument panel and the rudder pedals), was part of the nose structure, with the pilot's back and head being protected by another armoured bulkhead built into the cockpit. Below and behind the cockpit floor was a bay housing the built-in armament of four short-barrelled 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano V cannon, with 190 rpg, firing through short blast tubes.

Fuselage construction was identical to the earlier Mosquito; a balsa wood "pith" sandwiched between plywood sheets which were laid in diagonal panels. Formaldehyde cement was the bonding agent.The fuselage halves were built on large concrete or wood patterns, equipment was fitted in each half and they were then joined along the top and bottom centre lines using wooden reinforcing strips. The entire fuselage was then tightly wrapped in fine aviation fabric which was doped in place. The tailfin which had the trademark, gracefully curved de Havilland shape, was an integral part of the rear fuselage. On Late Mk Is and future production aircraft, a fin fillet was added to the base of the unit.

The horizontal tail unit was an all-metal structure, again featuring the distinctive de Havilland shape later repeated on the Chipmunk.

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Isle of Man Sidecar 1967

August 28, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Rockstars' Garage: Keith Moon's Rolls Royce

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Rockstars' Garage: Keith Moon's Rolls Royce

August 29, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Sarron, Silverstone 1985

≪ Previous: Isle of Man Sidecar 1967

Keith Moon, late drummer of The Who, died in 1978 and left behind a string of urban legends as a result of his erratic and comical behavior. Largely under the influence of drugs Moon is said to have blown up his drum kit on stage, allegedly damaging guitarist Pete Townsend’s hearing in the process, and then befriended a tramp in Soho before checking him into London’s Hilton Hotel and drinking with him until the early hours. Moon apparently then forgot all about the tramp, until the hotel phoned his record label over two weeks later to ask what they were supposed to do with the old man and who was paying the bill. The record label picked up the tab.

Despite being regarded by many as the finest drummer of his generation, Moon’s good-natured disruptions lead to his band mates barring him from the studio when the vocal parts were being recorded. One legend suggests that at the end of the recording of “Happy Jack” Pete Townsend can be heard shouting, “I see ya” in the background as he spots Moon sneaking in to let off fireworks. Whether any of these legends are true or not only those close to the band would know. But the one that is perhaps the most famous Rock urban legend of all time is definitely not true. According to author Steve Grantley (The Who by Numbers) Keith Moon definitely did not drive his Rolls Royce into the swimming pool either at his home, as is sometimes suggested, or at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan, where it is also reported to have happened during the drummer’s twenty first birthday party. “What he did do though,” says Grantley, “is reverse it by accident into his garden pond one morning and then had to ask the AA to tow it back out for him.”

This would come as a surprise to English band Oasis, however, who have perpetuated the myth by featuring a photograph of a Rolls Royce submerged in the pool on the front of their 1997 album “Be Here Now,” and Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson drove a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow into the water in June 2005 as part of a TV stunt.

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Sarron, Silverstone 1985

August 29, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Superbike duel

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Superbike duel

August 29, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Ducati Meravigliosa by South Garage Cafe

≪ Previous: Sarron, Silverstone 1985

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Ducati Meravigliosa by South Garage Cafe

August 30, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Brazilian Scooter Racing

≪ Previous: Superbike duel

This 749 café racer is done by the creative people from South Garage Motorcycles in Italy, the bike was tastefully painted in silver, accented by the candy red details and a vintage graphics on the seat unit. The exhaust is a 2-in-1 unit with a motoCross looking muffler, while the rear stop light goes along with the vintage cafe racer theme. The belt covers were removed to expose the raw mechanics of the Ducati 4 valve engine.

Brazilian Scooter Racing

August 30, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Sarron, Silverstone 1985

≪ Previous: Ducati Meravigliosa by South Garage Cafe

Between 1961 - 1967 there was an annual racing event held in one of the suburbs of Sao Paulo, Brazil facilitated by the local council closing off roads. Speeds of up to 120km/h were attained watched by crowds of 15,000.

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Sarron, Silverstone 1985

August 31, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Ted Kieper's Jump

≪ Previous: Brazilian Scooter Racing

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Ted Kieper's Jump

August 31, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Jean Claude Jaubert

≪ Previous: Sarron, Silverstone 1985

Ted began his racing career in 1962 competing in Nevada desert races riding a '57 650 Triumph. Real speed! Imagine dodging boulders and cactuses at 80! He began his business career in 1963 with Competition Cycle Center in Las Vegas catering to racing bikes. It continued in Milwaukee when he rented an old service station on South 22nd and Greenfield Avenue in 1967 to have a place to work on his racing motorcycles.

To support his expensive racing habit, Ted began repairing motorcycles for the public. He was traveling to races all over the Midwest and it was getting hard to make ends meet. He had just left his two year (1965 - 1967) job at Harley-Davidson Motor Company as a factory mechanic, so he needed to earn some money. Through the Fall of 1967 and Winter of 1968, Ted drove a taxi cab at night 7 nights a week. He operated the motorcycle shop 6 days a week.

In March of 1968, Ted placed a radio ad on WRIT in Milwaukee for motorcycle repair and tune-ups and became the 1st Milwaukee area motorcycle business to advertise on the radio. It brought him instant credibility and business. By the Fall of 1968, he was looking for a larger building which he found on South 27th and National. By 1972 Ted had to build an addition to the building to house his 21 employees.

In 1968 Ted raced a 500cc BSA Gold Star flat tracker for Bob Hansen (Team Hansen) all over the country. We won races, stopped at most Dairy Queens and had fun and are still friends.
In summer of 1970, Kieper performed as the opening act in the Motordrome at Summerfest in Milwaukee after their regular rider disappeared. He rode his dirt tracker and it was way too fast but still lots of fun.

In the early '70s, he was traveling with his motorcycle thrill show which included Ted jumping over cars for 2 years. They did county fairs, drag strips and car races. A movie called "Death Riders" 1976 was based on that thrill show. The year after, he quit. He was tired of traveling with other people. He did have a lot of fun and met some great people.

In the fall of 1982, Ted started a computer business which grew rapidly and in 1990 he sold the motorcycle business. He loves helping people and he's truly lucky to be able to make a living at his two favorite hobbies- motorcycles and computers.

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Jean Claude Jaubert

September 1, 2013, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Benelli 248cc Grand Prix Motorcycle 1958

≪ Previous: Ted Kieper's Jump

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Benelli 248cc Grand Prix Motorcycle 1958

September 1, 2013, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Mike & Ago

≪ Previous: Jean Claude Jaubert

Italy's oldest surviving motorcycle manufacturer, Benelli was founded in Pesaro in 1911 by the six Benelli brothers, starting out as a general engineering firm repairing cars and motorcycles before turning to the manufacture of automotive and aircraft components in WWI. The firm diversified into the field of powered transport immediately after WWI, offering a two-stroke 'clip-on' power unit for attachment to a bicycle, and it was this 98cc engine, installed in a purpose-built set of cycle parts, that was used for the first proper Benelli motorcycle of 1921.

A couple of years later Benelli had a 125cc model in the range, and it was one of these, bored out to 147cc for the 175cc class, on which youngest brother Antonio ('Tonino') Benelli made his racing debut. By 1927 Tonino was racing a 172cc Benelli equipped with single-overhead-cam engine, winning almost as he pleased to take that year's Italian Championship. The sohc 175 was superseded by a short-stroke twin-cam version from which was developed the first racing 250 of 1935. By this time Benellis were winning classic races outside their native Italy, but an accident to Tonino, which caused his retirement from racing, set back the factory's competition program for the next couple of years.

Benelli was back in force for 1937 and the new 250 duly demonstrated its potential when Martelli won that year's Milan-Taranto long-distance classic. Two years later came the marque's most famous victory, when lone Benelli rider Ted Mellors won the 1939 Isle of Man Lightweight TT.

Its factory destroyed by the Allies and then looted by the Germans, Benelli took time to re-establish itself after the war. Fortunately, the racing machines had been hidden away and survived intact, providing the Italian concern with a valuable springboard from which to renew its Grand Prix campaign. Rivals Moto Guzzi secured the first post-war 250cc World Championship in 1949, but Benelli struck back the following year when Dario Ambrosini became champion at the end of a season that included wins in Switzerland, Italy and the Isle of Man. Sadly, Ambrosini's death in 1951 effectively put an end to Benelli's international efforts and it would be 1959 before the firm returned to the Grand Prix scene.

For the 1959 season Benelli developed a new, short-stroke (70x64.8mm) 250 engine that produced 33-35bhp at 10,200rpm. Despite the increase in power over its predecessor, the new Benelli 250 faced much stiffer opposition than before; by 1960 MV and Ducati were fielding twin-cylinder machines in the 250cc class and Honda had just stepped in with a four, leading Benelli to the conclusion that a multi-cylinder design was the only realistic option. Nevertheless, the 250 single did achieve one major success when Geoff Duke rode to victory in the 1959 Swiss GP, one of his last wins before retiring. Other riders who rode the works Benelli singles at this time included Dickie Dale, Silvio Grassetti and Jack Murgatroyd.

The new Benelli four's arrival having rendered the single obsolete, two were sold at the end of 1961 to British sponsor/entrant Fron Purslow, whose rider John Hartle contested several events until sidelined by injury. Mike Hailwood took over the ride, scoring a debut win on one of the Purslow Benellis at Mallory Park in May 1962, and was lying fourth in that year's Lightweight TT in the Isle of Man when the engine blew on the final lap. Percy Tait, Allen Dugdale and Ralph Bryans all rode Purslow's Benellis, but the writing was on the wall for the aging singles and their retirement lay just around the corner.

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Mike & Ago

September 2, 2013, 2:30 am

≫ Next: Cooper Bike T200

≪ Previous: Benelli 248cc Grand Prix Motorcycle 1958

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Cooper Bike T200

September 2, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Joe

≪ Previous: Mike & Ago

The Cooper T200 is inspired by the classic lightweight steel racing bikes of the 60′s, and combines timeless styling with the latest materials and technology. Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.

The T200 Reims combines style and beauty with the convenience of 5 gears.

Cooper bikes use their Engineering expertise to create bikes that are designed and manufactured to meet the high standards demanded by our customers. Cooper bikes ensure that all components meet or exceed the latest CEN test standards, and only work with trusted, established industry specialists and component suppliers to deliver the perfect package. The Reims perfectly combines this modern Technology and Engineering with classic style and elegance.The beautiful lugged and brazed frame uses Reynolds 531 Mg Mo butted steel tube to ensure lightweight strength and durability. Cooper Engineering Team worked with Sturmey Archer to design a unique crankset, and combined it their timeless 5 speed rear hub to provide outstanding performance maintaining a classic, clean look. Mavic Open Sport rims and Tektro brakes provide the stopping power. The classic Brooks swallow saddle and Brooks leather bar tape guarantees quality and comfort .Finished in Cooper green with white stripes – matched perfectly to the original F1 Championship cars of 1959, the Championship 50 is a modern day classic.

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