Ivan Mauger, The Aces Speedway Team
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Rockstars' garage: Janis Joplin Psychedelic Porsche 356
Janis Joplin expressed her opinions through her music and her 1965 Porsche 356convertible that Dave Richards painted for her. Her car represented symbols that both defined her as an individual and the period in which she lived in. When looking at the car, one is mesmerized be the bright colors and the great details that can be seen. Dave Richards used vivid colors like yellow, orange, pink and turquoise. The car’s hood has varieties of butterflies and small blue flowers (might be Forget-Me-Nots flowers).In the middle front, there are two faces, one looking to the right and the other to the left. In the middle of the two faces, there is an eye looking straight ahead. It is a gods-eye symbol that the band has identified. Also there”tms a missing chrome line on the left side of the car. Janis identified herself very much with her astrological sign. It might be a woman”tms body with veins running through it or thin rivers of blood. On the left side of the car, there are little brown shapes. Janis Joplin Porsche 356 represents that idea too. Finally, the one symbol that represents Janis Joplin is the sun with the Capricorn sign in the back of the car with the letter J on top. However there is a missing mirror on the right side of the car.
Several replicas of Janis’ beloved 356 have been built over the years. The original (itself restored several times) sits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
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MV Agusta Team
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Honda CB900 Bol D'or 1983 by CRD
The Honda CB900F was never the prettiest of bikes. But with a solid 95 bhp on tap, it offered a big performance jump over the CB750. It was mostly aimed at the European market, where it was known as the Bol D’Or—after the famous endurance race.
The Spanish shop Cafe Racer Dreams has now revealed the potential of the CB900F with this exquisite custom. It’s been given a hefty upgrade in dynamics, too: as well as the Ducati SS fairing, it’s now sporting the front end from a Monster S2R and assorted Ducati brake components.
It’s the personal ride of Pedro ‘Pery’ García, the founder of CRD, and technically the first bike out of the Madrid stable. Being the ‘shop bike,’ it’s been endlessly modified over the past three years—but perfection has now been achieved.
The rebuilt engine is hooked up to a sinuous 4-2-1-2-4 exhaust system made by GR, with K&N filtration up front and rejetted Keihin carbs to match. The Tarozzi clip-ons seen on the first incarnation have been replaced by modified Renthal Ultra Low bars, sitting behind a simple Motogadget instrument. The tank is original, but subtly modified to match the new seat unit, which fits snugly onto a modified rear subframe. The tires are Bridgestone BT45 front and back, fitted to 18″ wheels.
The look is clean and simple, with striking red and silver paint and a classic racer vibe. A concealed battery, now hidden in a box under the swingarm, adds to the minimalist aesthetic.
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Alain Delon in "Girl on a motorcycle"
Shot in just two short weeks, Jack Cardiff managed to take a relatively unknown French erotic novel (at least unknown outside of France), and weave it into a Stream of Conciousness motorcycle diary for the 60′s Beat generation. It’s not the slickest of productions, and much of the supporting dialogue was fairly crudely dubbed over the material shot in Europe, but somehow Cardiff pulled off something quite unique and dream-like. The sexual intensity is palapable in every scene, but quite confounded the British censors, who couldn’t quite see where and what to cut among the giddy solarised dream sequences, and fast paced editing. The American release was a quite different story, the late 60′s censorship drive Stateside had a field day with it’s scissors, and cut scenes left, right and centre. To polish of the hatchet job, some silly sod changed the title to ‘Naked Under Leather’, which I’m sure confused the viewer no end.. a porno movie, with the sex cut out.
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1929 Sunbeam Silver Bullet
In June 1929 Coatalen’s thoughts again turned to recapturing the world land speed record. Segrave’s original record set in 1927 had only lasted for 11 months, as it was beaten by his arch rival Malcolm Campbell in February 1928. Campbell’s record soon fell to Ray Keech, an American. In March 1929 Segrave was back at Daytona with his very futuristic Irving-Napier Golden Arrow. He easily broke Keech’s record at an amazing 231.446m.p.h. and was subsequently knighted for the achievement.
All of this must have been on Coatalen’s mind when he summoned Sunbeam’s chief designer Hugh Rose to Paris to receive a set of drawings for a new land speed record contender. Kaye Don was engaged to drive the car which would be known as the “Silver Bullet”.
The car was powered by two specially designed 12 cylinder, 24litre lightweight engines, each capable of developing 490b.hp. at 2,400r.p.m.
Each V12 engine weighed less than 1,000lbs and had an angle of only 50 degrees for the V to keep the engine as compact as possible.
The front engine drove the water and oil pumps, and the rear engine drove the supercharger. They were started by compressed air and cooled in a strange way.
The car had an ice tank which would be filled with 5½cwt. of ice on each run. Water was pumped through each engine block and re-circulated via the ice tank and a mixing tank.
Pedal operated brakes were used and everything was housed in a light aluminium body with an overall length of 30feet, a width of just 3feet and a height of only 3feet 8inches.
The car weighed in at about 4½ tons. By mid November the engines and transmission had been fitted into the chassis and tested at the works.
The car’s first public appearance was at the works during a reception given by Louis Coatalen and Kaye Don on 21st February, 1930.
Those present included
C. B. Kay, the Production Manager, Hugh Rose, the designer, and many of the men who built the car.
On the 26th February the car left Southampton, bound for New York.
On board the ship were Kaye Don, his sister Mrs. Rita Livesey, Henry Wilding, who was in charge of the car, and a team of 5 mechanics.
The car arrived at Daytona on March 8th and preparation work quickly got underway. Unfortunately there were too many teething troubles including a fire problem, and after 18 unsuccessful runs and much work on the car, the record attempt was abandoned. The team returned to the UK on 22nd April, but all had not been lost as the car set an American record for the flying 5 miles of 151.623m.p.h. on March 18th.
This was an end to Sunbeam’s land speed record attempts. The “Silver Bullet” was sold to Jack Field, a Southport hotelier and garage owner. He unsuccessfully attempted to solve the car’s problems, and after much effort it was eventually scrapped.
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Rex OHV Super Sport , 1936
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Gilera Delivery
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O Rei
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Fast Boy Cycles : TF5
Even in the face of major obstacles, Ezra Caldwell has been unable to keep away from the jig and out of the kitchen. His latest build, a well-heeled, single speed dark horse, is another example of Ezra’s love for creating bikes that are perfectly suited to riding around his beloved New York City. Each of them are burly, stylish, strong and sophisticated.
You can find out what TF5 stands for on Ezra’s blog, Teaching Cancer to Cry, which has existed as an electronic journal documenting his battle with the disease. TF5 is a fillet-brazed frame, similar in tone to the ‘Nose Bikes’ that have been keeping him busy. The cockpit consists of a pair of custom handlebars with wooden extensions, leading to a gentle curve that finishes at the rear wheel. The dropout design is Ezra’s own, originally to streamline ‘interior mount’ disc brakes on his ‘Nose Bikes’. Two drive side dropouts have been used, as the customer requested a front brake only. A custom seat clamp and top cap reflect the brass accents.
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Gilera Record
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1953 Ferrari 340 Mexico
Alberto Ascari was a man in a hurry. In a relatively short Grand Prix career between 1948 and 1955, he became Formula One World Champion in 1952 and 1953, winning nine consecutive races on his way to the 1952 title.
Ascari also finished second in Mexico’s La Carrera Panamericana in 1951, teamed with Luigi Villoresi in the second of two factory Ferrari 212 Inter Berlinettas. After eight stages totaling 2,096 miles, on road conditions best described as wretched, the pair were only eight minutes behind winners Piero Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti. Ferrari had achieved a one-two finish, ahead of 33 American sedans, with varying degrees of factory support.
Carrera Panamericana in 1952
Clearly, 1952 was going to be a factory fight to the finish, and Ferrari built four cars specifically for the event. That year, the race was divided into sports and stock classes, with 26 cars entered in the European sports-car category. Mercedes would bring two 300 SL Gullwing coupes and a roadster, and there were entries from Jaguar, Gordini, Lancia and Porsche.
The factory Ferraris were named “Mexico” for the event. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Vignale, the 77.5-inch hood was one of the longest ever to grace a Ferrari, while the unique fenders extended beyond the oval grille in what is one of the most wildly attractive Vignale designs to date. Built as lightweight “340 America models,” with a small-diameter Tuboscossia chassis, the cars were powered by the Lampredi-designed, 4.1-liter, V-12. With 280 horsepower on tap, the Mexicos were capable of 0-60 mph in six seconds and had a top speed of 174 mph – extraordinary performance both then and now.
Enzo Ferrari pinned his hopes on Alberto Ascari/Giuseppi Scotuzzi, Franco Cornacchia/Luigi Villoresi and Luigi Chinetti/Jean Lucas, who represented Ferrari’s American operation. Giovanni Bracco was entered in a lighter 250 MM Berlinetta and very nearly pulled off a win. A 340 Mexico Barchetta roadster was entered for American Bill Spear, but he did not start.
Ascari and 0226 AT
The Mexico Berlinetta presented here – s/n 0226 AT – is remarkable for its matching-numbers originality and the comprehensive provenance that accompanies it. S/n 0226 AT was originally sold by Luigi Chinetti to Allen Guibertson of Dallas, Texas for the princely sum of $14,500. Chinetti also arranged for Ferrari team drivers Ascari and Scotuzzi to race the car in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. The intensely competitive Ascari had been a runner-up the year before and had already disobeyed team orders to make certain of his first Formula One World Championship. He was a fiercely competitive and highly talented driver, to say the least.
Starting in 14th position, Ascari set a blistering pace and worked his way up to sixth by the 50-mile mark, where he passed Speed Age magazine writer Vince McDonald, camped by the side of the road. Here’s what McDonald saw:
“50 miles out (from the start), just over the first series of hills, the road wound down into a valley, across three narrow bridges, then back up into the hills. A blinding blanket of fog lay over the valley and it was here that we awaited the racing pack.
“At 7.25 a.m. the first car could be heard, as it screamed through the turns and down into the soup, hit the first, second and last wooden bridge with a deep rumble and disappeared. The fog was so thick that only by standing on the edge of the road and straining hard could the first car be distinguished – a Mercedes.
“Almost immediately the other two Mercedes-Benz went through, then the fog began to lift and the next car came off the bridge, a Ferrari driven by Efrain Ruiz Echeverria of Mexico City. Santos Litona Diaz in a Jaguar was next, with Alberto Ascari, who had started in 14th place trying desperately to pass on a bridge that was hardly wide enough for one car.”
The pace was clearly fast and furious. In a race that claimed more lives than would be acceptable by any modern standards, Ascari passed nine competitors at blistering speeds before his race came to an end prematurely as he lost control over loose stones and collided with a rocky ledge.
With John Fitch disqualified in his Mercedes, the Chinetti/Jean Lucas Ferrari Mexico salvaged third place for Ferrari, while Jack McAfee finished fifth and Phil Hill and Arnold Stubbs were sixth. In all, there were only 39 finishers from 92 starters.
Ascari’s car, s/n 0226 AT, was shipped back to Ferrari and Vignale for repairs, then returned to Guibertson in Dallas in the spring of 1953. Guibertson sold it to A.V. Dayton, who entered it in the July 4th SCCA race at Offut Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, driven by Carroll Shelby and Jack McAfee, who finished second. Just one year old, 0226 AT had already been driven by some of the greatest international racing legends in the world.
On October 25, Dayton entered the car in the Sowega SCCA races in Atlanta, Georgia, where, driven by a Mr. Duncan, it was sidelined by electrical problems. Dayton sold the car back to Chinetti before the end of the year.
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Yvonne Craig as Batwoman 1960's
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Prince of Speed
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Saunders-Roe SR 45
In the early 1950s, the Saunders-Roe S.R.45 Princess was the largest flying boat ever built in Britain and, indeed, one of the largest aircraft ever conceived in history. It could carry 105 passengers in style and the comfort of spacious sleeper cabins on two decks within a pressurized hull. Fine seats, stand-up bars, a lounge and spacious bathrooms were part of the deck plans. All of the comforts of “modern air travel” were envisioned, making the plane the crown jewel of airline travel. Further, the Princess would have linked Britain with the Far East since the aircraft boasted a non-stop range of over 5,000 miles. Amazingly, it could have cruised at 39,000 feet of altitude. Yet the Princess was doomed from the start, finding no buyers despite its extraordinary capabilities. Caught at the crux of change, it was the pinnacle of flying boat designs launched into the dawn of the new, land-based jet age.
The Saunders-Roe S.R.45 Princess was an engineering marvel. Not only was the design huge, nearly rivaling the scale of the rather less capable Spruce Goose, but it also featured new generation turboprop power plants. The Princess was fitted with ten Bristol Proteus turboprop engines, eight of which were coupled in tandem to drive counter-rotating propellers, while the remaining two outboard engines each drove a single prop. The Proteus engines produced over 3,000 hp each and thus, the aircraft would have produced a combined 30,000 hp.
Based on design specifications offered by Saunders-Roe Ltd., the British Government requested that three of the giant seaplanes be built specifically to serve BOAC’s trans-Atlantic route between London and New York. The three Princesses were together constructed in the largest hangar in the Saunders-Roe company, located at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Even then, the planes were so huge that they had to be winched down to ensure that the 54 foot high tail cleared the hangar doors. Only when the prototype Princess was outside of the hangar could the engines be fitted. Thereafter, the plane was issued the tail number G-ALUN and readied for its first test flights.
On August 22, 1952 , the Saunders-Roe S.R.45 Princess prototype G-ALUN was taken out by the company test pilot, Geoffrey Tyson. Once motoring around on the light waves off the Solent, Tyson reported that the conditions were perfect for a test flight — and likewise, the Saunders-Roe management thought it would be a public relations coup to fly the plane earlier than planned. A more extensive set of taxi-trials were skipped over and the plane made its first flight, lifting off the waves and orbiting the Solent. It reached 225 mph while the cameras rolled and the first flight covered 120 miles of distance flown, ending in a perfect touchdown back on the Solent.
After landing, Geoffrey Tyson described the Princess as handling like a fighter plane, not like a huge airliner at all — a perfect public relations coup. The plane was stable, light on the controls and had an abundance of power. After its first flight, the prototype returned to the carefully outlined test program and was soon issued a type certificate. In short order, Saunders-Roe was advertising the giant flying boat to as many airlines as it could, reaching even as far as Australia’s QANTAS with offers for it to be an early launch customer. Meanwhile, with faltering support from BOAC, the other two aircraft in construction at the Cowe hangar were held back. In 1953, the Princess was brought to the Farnborough Airshow in an attempt to drum up business. It even made a surprise flyover to the amazement of the crowds.
Despite the best efforts of the marketing team, the projected high operating costs of the Princess drove off the few buyers who might have been enticed to consider the giant flying boat for their line operations. Put simply, ten engines and a huge hull that had to be constantly maintained against salt water corrosion carried a huge cost. Furthermore, by the early 1950s, commercial airlines were abandoning seaplane operations. They opted to acquire land-based jets as being more cost-effective. Ultimately, even the giant aircraft’s original buyer, BOAC, abandoned the project entirely. BOAC and the Government of Britain made an ill-fated decision to proceed not with the Princess but with the de Havilland Comet. That fateful decision would not only spell the end of Saunders-Roe as a fixed wing commercial airline manufacturer but also result in the disaster of the Comet.
Certainly the Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess would have set a new standard for luxury air travel. Certainly it would have driven airlines in a different direction, for at least a while longer away from land-based airports toward seaplane bases around the world. Yet also certainly the Princess would have been a maintenance and fuel hungry nightmare. It would have been non-competitive from the start. With the failure of the Saunders-Roe Princess, the era of the seaplane and flying boat had come to an end. Today, as we sit cramped in the “cattle car” section of the modern airliners that ply the routes between Europe and the United States and Asia, we can look back with wonder at the luxury that would have been within reach aboard the Saunders-Roe Princess.
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Sebastian Nachtmann wins International Six Days Enduro 1961
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Little Bill flying
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Rockstars' Garage: Jimi Hendrix's 1969 Corvette Stingray
Some stars just don't mix well with cars. When you're a young musician and the career is taking off, loads of time is gobbled up doing performances, interviews and touring. Leisure time is scarce and that means little chance of indulging in toys like muscle cars. However, James Marshall Hendrix, known world wide as Jimi Hendrix, owned a few hot muscle cars. His first one was a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette.
It was 1968 and the Jimi Hendrix Experience band was on a tour of America promoting their second album; Axis- Bold As Love.They were in Cleveland, Ohio when Jimi and bass player, Noel Redding, went car shopping. Their publicist, Mike Goldstein, helped them by taking the band to the hot dealerships in the city. Drummer, Mitch Mitchell, recounted the story in his autobiography, The Hendrix Experience .
"This was the first time any of us had any money to spend, so Jimi ordered a Corvette Stingray and Noel ordered a Mercury Cougar which he never took delivery of." That Corvette was sent to somewhere in New York State where Jimi was. Leon Dicker, attorney for Yameta Corporation, Jimi's music publishing company, related the hilarious event of Jim's first ride."Jimi didn't have a driver's licence. He drove his vette down a one way street and was cited for that offence and not having a licence.The next day, he had to return to touring in Indiana so his car was shipped by Micheal Jeffery to New York City where Jimi Hendrix lived.
The summer of '68 was a busy one filled with tours and special one night festivals across USA and Europe. Hendrix finally got a chance to do some driving after his roadie, Gerry Stickells, drove it from New York City to Los Angeles, California where the band was staying at an apartment in Benedict Canyon. Mitch Mitchell continues the story from there, "One Saturday night we went to see Cream and had a party back at the house. The party didn't break up until 5 am and at 7 am I got to sleep. I'd heard Jimi's voice, 'Guess what, I've just crashed my car.' I thought I'd dreamed that and went back to sleep. Several hours later, I discovered that it was true. How the hell he survived I've no idea. He'd completely demolished the car. Luckily, he'd turned right and hit some rocks. If he'd turned left it would've been over the edge of the canyon which is a 300 foot drop."
Mitch's account checks on every angle except for the date. Since Cream was on tour that fall they played Oakland California on October 4th. The party was held afterwards which would suggest the car perished sometime on October 5th. The problem is Oakland California is across the bridge from San Francisco which is over 200 mile away from Los Angeles. A check of Cream's farewell tour reveals they also played the Inglewood Forum in Los Angles on Oct 18th and 19th. It seems to me Mitch's post concert party had to be either one of those dates which means the first Hendrix Corvette was totalled on October 18th, 19th, or 20th, 1968. The first Corvette was bought at Blaushild Chevrolet in Cleveland, Ohio and was ordered March 26th. It was a dark blue metallic coupe. No details on the drive train are known. The insurance company processed the claim and a replacement car was ordered. This second car was also a Corvette.
Another completely different story of Hendrix's first Corvette has made the rounds but it is suspect on a couple of details. Famous photographer, Ron Raefaelli, was with Hendrix in Maui, Hawaii. Rafaelli claimed Hendrix crashed his car there. The Experience did play dates in Honolulu and vacationed in Maui but they were only there for two weeks. It's unlikely the car was shipped to Hawaii for two weeks only to be sent back when the band continued to tour. A more likely event is Hendrix renting a Corvette while on the island. There is footage of Ron Rafaelli and Hendrix together in a silver Corvette but this was shot in Shokan, New York in 1969 and that was Hendrix's second Corvette.
Hendrix's replacement vette was a Cortez Silver coupe with either a 327 or 350 small block V8 and automatic transmission. Inside was a molded steering wheel and aftermarket Japanese cassette player. The interior color was either black or gunmetal silver vinyl. Musician Al Marks, recalled moving Hendrix's second vette from a no parking zone to somewhere on the Record Plant's property one night when Hendrix was there recording tracks for Electric Ladyland. "I was scared to move his car because I couldn't drive a stick shift. However, it was an automatic and the passenger seat was littered with cassettes for the player in the dash." Hendrix lived in New York City in 1969 when he wasn't touring. He drove it around town and later in the summertime he moved to a secluded house in Shokan, New York where he rehearsed a band to perform at Woodstock Music Festival. He also was seen driving the car in Harlem for the Harlem Street Festival where he played a benefit concert. After August 1969, Hendrix went on tour again to pay for mounting bills related to the construction of Electric Ladyland Studio, his dream project.
Hendrix died in London on Sept 17th, 1970 after an arduous European tour. The car was sold by his manager, Micheal Jefferys to pay off massive bills owing against the Hendrix Estate related to construction. Hendrix's NYC apartment was whisked clean of personal effects within two days of his death. There is a strong chance this Corvette still exists today. I have shown a 1968 vette in Cortez Silver above for reference. Hendrix's interior appears to be either black or dark gunmetal. His car would also have the Stingray script and 1969 door handles. To recap, it was Cortez Silver with automatic transmission, a/c, tinted glass 327 or 350 V8 engine molded steering wheel with gunmetal grey or black vinyl interior. The original windshield will have a parking permit dated 1969 and 1970. A good title search could turn up this car if you knew which company name it was registered under. It could be Bella Godiva Music, Yameta Music Corporation, Yameta Publishing or Micheal Jefferys. Seeing as to how quickly the apartment and personal effects were seized as well as the general murkiness of Micheal's overseas tax dodge set ups, Jefferys likely owned the car on paper. Hendrix never got actual royalty checks when he was alive. He just contacted Yameta Corporation for cash on major purchases and sent all bills to same.
By:Patrick Smith
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Ducati Corse
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Chuck Booth's difference of opinion
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More Pages to Explore .....
