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Ducati Works Twin 250 1961
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CPH Street Night Bike
Aurumania CPH Street Night Bike Limited Edition Hand-built intensely black single-speed street bikes that makes a dramatic, attention grapping statement whenever it appears and wherever it gets seen. Every immaculate hand-crafted detail is as black as night - with the sole exception of the iridescent 24-carat gold-plate wheel spokes.
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Darracq #10 Vanderbilt Cup Winner 1906
According to The Motor Way the Darracq’s frame was constructed of “sheet iron” and used Tuffault-Hartford shock absorbers. This supported not only the engine but a 30 gallon barrel style gas tank and an 8 gallon water tank.
During the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Wagner's Darracq led all ten laps, winning the race with an average of 62.7 mph.The honeycomb radiator contributed heavily to its odd appearance as described in the newspaper accounts. Unlike its 1905 predecessor’s square box style radiator, the 1906 version was more of a triangle with two sides jutting out from the uncovered engine like the blade of an ax.
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Mickey Thompson's Challenger 1
In the late 1950s, motorsports tragic legend, Mickey Thompson, designed a bullet that stepped out of the realm of land speed's "typical" setup by introducing a quad-motor configuration encased in a beautifully blue-hued bonnet. Christened Challenger 1, the chromatic streamliner had the front two engines facing backwards that drove the front wheels, as well as a rear pair of motors facing forwards that drove the rear wheels. Four separate manual transmissions were hand-shifted in unison by one set of controls, and a maze of cable and drive systems that would give a network cable specialist at NASA a seizure snaked throughout the bowels of the car.
As the creator and driver of the Challenger 1, Mickey Thompson had to wear an oxygen mask inside the car, as the fumes from over 1,600 cubic inches of engines directly in front of him burning racing fuel inside an enclosed body would have been lethal to even his motorsports superhero status, not to mention the forward view for the driver was limited because the configuration only allowed for a laid-back lounge-chair position with the driver's feet directly above the rear transmission. All in all, the Challenger 1 would push Mickey to the limits of comfort and skill in his driving talents.
In terms of the overall construction of this beast, despite the complex mechanical spaghetti of Challenger’s inner design, the fluid compound curves of the nose cone sweep back into elegant wheel shields and the long parallel hood scoops that feed air into the engines had an elegant profile that repeated in the driver’s canopy and parachute housing in the rear.
Challenger I carried Mickey Thompson to a new land speed record of 406.6 mph in September of 1960. A mechanical problem on the return run kept Thompson out of the official record book, but perhaps more importantly for him, he had captured the unofficial title of Fastest Man on Earth, and became the first American to cross the 400mph barrier.
The beautiful bold build and extensive engine ingenuity of Mickey Thompson's Challenger 1 puts the streamliner in high acclaim here at the shop, right along with Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America, and again confirms the supremacy of the American trailblazers in the infant stages of Land Speed Racing.
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The Sheenes & Mr. Bultó
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Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster
The Douglas XB-42 began as a private venture by the manufacturer, and was not originally conceived in response to any official requirement. In early 1943, Douglas designer Ed F. Burton began a company-funded study to determine the feasibility of designing a twin-engined bomber having a maximum speed in excess of 400 mph and capable of carrying a bombload of 2000 pounds to targets within a 2000-mile radius. Burton's team came up with the idea of mounting the engines entirely within the fuselage and using a completely clean wing.
An unsolicited proposal was submitted to the USAAF in May of 1943. The proposal attracted the attention of the Bombardment Branch of the Engineering Division of the Air Technical Service Command, and on June 25, 1943 a contract was issued for two flying prototypes and one static test airframe. The aircraft was considered as an attack aircraft at the time, and was assigned the designation XA-42. Almost immediately thereafter, the USAAF began to consider the Douglas proposal as a possible high speed bomber which could match the range of the B-29 at only a fraction of the cost. On November 26, 1943, the designation of the Douglas design was changed to XB-42.
Progress on the XA-42/XB-42 was quite rapid under the supervision of Ed Burton and Carlos C. Wood, Chief of the Preliminary Design Division, and the mockup was inspected and approved in September of 1943.
The aircraft that finally emerged was powered by a pair of 1325 hp Allison V-1710-125 liquid-cooled V-12 engines installed completely inside the fuselage immediately aft of the pilot's cabin. Air for the cooling radiators was provided by narrow slots cut into the leading edges of the inner wings. The centerline of each engine was about 20 degrees to the vertical and the engines were toed in a few degrees to the vertical. The power was transmitted via five lengths of shafting to a pair of contra-rotating propellers installed in the extreme tail cone. Each of the three-bladed contra-rotating propellers was driven by its own engines, the left powerplant driving the forward propeller and the right the aft. A lower fin and rudder was fitted underneath the tail to prevent the propellers from striking the ground during nose-high takeoffs and landings.
The tricycle undercarriage had main members which retracted aft into large wells in the fuselage sides. The extremely-clean laminar-flow wing was mounted at middle fuselage. It had double-slotted flaps on the inboard trailing edge, with ailerons on the outboard trailing edge.
A remotely-controlled General Electric turret with a pair of 0.50-inch machine guns was to be installed in the trailing edge of the wing between the ailerons and flaps. The guns were normally housed inside the wing underneath snap-action doors, but when extended into firing position, they could cover an area extending 25 degrees to either side, 30 degrees above, and 15 degrees below. They were controlled remotely by the copilot, who had a sighting station at the rear of his cockpit. It was true that this field of fire was rather limited, but it was assumed that the bomber's high speed would prevent any enemy fighter attacks except from the extreme rear. A gun were mounted in a fixed position on each side of the forward fuselage for head-on defense.
The crew consisted of three, with a navigator/bomb-aimer in the glazed nose section, and a pilot and copilot/gunner in a side-by-side cockpit with small separate canopies.
The first XB-42 aircraft (43-50224) was completed in May of 1944. The XB-42 took off for the first time on May 6, 1944, with test pilot Bob Brush at the controls. As a safety measure, the initial flight was carried out entirely over Palm Springs Army Air Base. The performance of the XB-42 was outstanding. Speed was within a percent of that predicted, and range and rate of climb exceeded expectations. The XB-42 was as fast as the Mosquito B.XVI but carried twice the maximum bombload (8000 pounds versus 4000 pounds over short ranges or a bombload of 3750 pounds versus 1000 pounds over a range of 1850 miles). Moreover, the XB-42 carried a defensive armament of four 0.50-inch machine guns in two remotely-controlled turrets whereas the Mosquito was unarmed. However, the twin "bug-eye" canopies of the XB-42 were found to interfere with pilot/co-pilot communication, and the aircraft suffered from yaw, excessive propeller vibration (especially when the bomb-bay doors were open), poor harmonization of control forces, and from poor efficiency of the cooling ducts.
The second XB-42 prototype (43-50225) flew on August 1, 1944. It was powered by V-1710-129 engines. Shortly after its first flight, the twin bug-eye canopies were replaced with a single canopy as was proposed for production versions of the aircraft. In early December of 1945, 43-50225 was flown from Long Beach, California to Bolling Field near Washington, D.C. at an average speed of 433.6 mph. However, on the 16th of December, the aircraft crashed near Bolling Field and was destroyed. Fortunately, the crew managed to parachute to safety.
By this time, the USAAF had decided that the XB-42 would not be put into production, since the end of the war had made it possible to wait for the more advanced, higher-performance jet-powered bombers that should soon be forthcoming. The surviving XB-42 was allocated to various test purposes.
One of these modifications resulted in the replacement of the -125 Allisons by a pair of 1375 hp Allison V-1710-133 engines. In addition, two 1600 lb.s.t. Westinghouse 19XB-2A axial-flow turbojets were installed underneath the wings. With these changes, the aircraft was redesignated XB-42A, and flew for the first time at Muroc Dry Lake, California on May 27, 1947. A total of 22 flights with the XB-42A were carried out by Douglas flight test crews, accounting for a total of 17 hours in the air. A maximum speed of 488 mph was achieved during the tests. On August 15, 1947, the XB-42A made a hard landing in the tail-low position, damaging the lower vertical stabilizer and lower rudder, and the aircraft was returned to Santa Monica late in 1947 for modifications of the jet nacelles.
The remainder of the XB-42 modification program was cancelled in August of 1948, and the XB-42A was struck off charge on June 30, 1949. It was turned over to the National Air and Space Museum. For several years thereafter, it was kept at the National Air Museum Storage Facility in Park Ridge, Illinois. In April of 1959, the fuselage of the XB-42A was moved to the Paul Garber restoration facility at Suitland, Maryland, where it is stored awaiting a possible future restoration
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Helmut Fath and Alfred Wohlgemuth 1960. BMW R50/2
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Miles Davis' Lamborghini Miura
Miles Davis was a cool dude, no doubting that. Take jazz music’s main man and pair him with the supercar maker of the 1970’s, Lamborghini and you’ve got a hell of a combo. Miles Davis loved Italian sports cars and especially the beautiful Lamborghini Miura which he famously crashed in 1972 breaking both his ankles. Davis would belt along the highways, often it was said outdoing the police cars. Just how well a black man driving a Lamborghini would have gone down in that era one wonders but Davis gave some insight into race relations in an interview with Playboy magazine in 1962..Between 1966 and 1972, Lamborghini built what has come to be known as the "Holy Grail" of its many famous sportscars: the legendary Miura.
Named after a Spanish ranch famed for its ferocious bulls, the Miura's (pronounced me-you-rra) flamboyance and engineering astounded the public when it was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1965. It quickly became the supercar of choice for the coolest of the cool and richest of the rich - members of royal families and two of the world's most famous and stylish musicians owned one, for starters.
Miles Davis is said to have driven his Miura around with a .357 Magnum stashed under the seat and enjoyed outrunning police cars while terrified passengers like Jimi Hendrix held on for dear life. He crashed the car in 1972, breaking both ankles in the process, and immediately ordered another.
Miles Davis is said to have driven his Miura around with a .357 Magnum stashed under the seat and enjoyed outrunning police cars while terrified passengers like Jimi Hendrix held on for dear life. He crashed the car in 1972, breaking both ankles in the process, and immediately ordered another.
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The World is flat
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Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone by Medaza Cycles
The 2013 AMD World Championship were held for the first time in Europe, at the Big Bike Europe Expo in Essen, Germany. The entries came across from 23 countries and the place was jam packed with 122 machines appearing in five different classes.
The freestyle class featured 66 bikes competing for the title of 2013 World Champion, but Medaza Cycles Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone aka Rondine ticked all the boxes of the championship and was awarded this title.
Picking a winner amongst 66 bikes wouldn’t be an easy task, especially when you have to be the best in design, innovation, and engineering. The Iris duo was right on the trophy with this build. Their custom craft featured a one-off frame to support the single-cylinder, 1971 Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone 500 engine.
This custom Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone features hand-formed aluminium bodywork. A one-off girder front end incorporating heavily modified V-Rod swingarm which brings the unusual style to this build. The Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone 500 mods include capacity increase to 580cc, lighter weight valves, pumper carb, lightened flywheel and modified lubrication system. A one-off permanent magnet alternator and external oil lines in stainless.
Other modification includes a one-off exhaust, handlebars, electrics box and rear sets in stainless. Also a one-off external flywheel and embossed aluminium hubcap. The finished Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone aka Rondine rolls on modified V-Rod 19-inch front and rear wheels and One-off brake disks and caliper mounts.
With this build Medaza cycles has raised the bar for the next AMD World Championship.
(Via: http://motorivista.com)
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Ferry Brouwer on Bultaco sprinter
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The Avus
For the neophyte international race fan, today we bring you a bit of historical background in the world of motorsports origins. The Automobil-Verkehrs-und Übungsstraße, or AVUS, was first proposed as a motor sport track on the western part of Berlin in 1907, to double as a test track and racing course. The unique aspect of the AVUS was that it was the antithesis of safety and sanity for racers. At the height of its popularity, it had two 9 kilometer straightaways with two tight return curves, with the north turn featuring a 43º bank built exclusively of red bricks...dubbed the "Wall of Death". The track would prove to be the epitome of Herbert Spencer's "Survival of the Fittest" in the world of early-20th-century motorsports.
Intended for construction in 1907, a lack of finances delayed the start of construction for six years, and construction was halted in 1913 for the same reason. During the Great War, Russian prisoners were employed in AVUS' construction, but the track was still unfinished by 1918. The remaining work was completed and the circuit opened in September 1921.
On 11 July 1926, the track hosted the first ever German Grand Prix, won by Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz, in front of 230,000 spectators and in appalling weather conditions. Three competitors were killed in a crash on the North Curve.
The track very quickly faced stiff competition from the newly-built Nürburgring in 1927 and efforts were made to make the AVUS the world's fastest track. The already-dangerous North Curve was was turned into a steeply-banked turn made of brick. It became dubbed the “Wall of Death ” as it had no retaining barriers and drivers that mis-judged the turn could easily come off the track. No major races were staged after 1937 as the track was now deemed too dangerous for the new, very fast, Grand Prix cars. After the Second World War, the circuit was shortened with the introduction of a new South Curve at Hüttenweg, making it now just 8 kilometers in length, cutting it in half.
A non-championship Formula 1 race was hosted in 1954 and then in 1959, the first Formula 1 German Grand Prix which was won by Tony Brooks. By the early 1960′s Grand Prix were no longer raced on banked circuits and by 1967 the banking on the AVUS had been dismantled. Racing continued, but with only National Touring Car and Formula 3 events, and the track was shortened yet again. Despite some safety measures being introduced, the North Curve continued to claim lives and cause serious injury.
Racing was discontinued in 1998, and the track officially closed in 1999. Today, the race control tower is still in existence, now used as a restaurant and motel, and the old wooden grandstand is protected as an historic monument.
(Via: http://www.redaceequipped.com)
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Beverly Hills Motordrome
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Sting like a bee
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Suzuki RK67
This amazing piece of machinery was the last of the purebred 50cc Suzuki racebikes built in 1967. And it’s a technological as well as aesthetic masterpiece: the engine was tuned to an extraordinary 350hp per liter. The RK67 motor was a two-stroke, water-cooled parallel twin, and the Japanese factory managed to squeeze a remarkable 17.5hp out of it, with a redline of 17,300rpm. To keep the bike in its extremely narrow power band, Suzuki fitted the bike with a 14-speed gearbox. The RK67 also sported an aluminum frame, and tipped the scales at a skinny 58kg (128lbs): in the hands of Suzuki’s three factory riders, top speed was a healthy 176kph (109mph).
The 50cc class was first run in 1962, with Suzuki immediately setting the pace. But strong competition from Honda during the mid 60s forced Suzuki to develop micro-masterpieces like the RK67. In 1967, German rider Hans-Georg Anscheidt won the 50cc World Championship aboard the RK67, and with teammates Yoshimi Katayama and Stuart Graham, helped Suzuki lift the manufacturer’s crown too. Then the FIM announced in 1967 that it planned to limit future 50cc racing engines to a single cylinder and six transmission speeds. So Suzuki stopped the development of its next model, the 3-cylinder RP68, and withdrew from the World Championship at the end of 1967. However, Anscheidt ran the RK67 in the 50cc class in 1968, as a privateer—and once again won the Championship. A fitting swansong to one of the most remarkable racing motorcycles of all time.
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Eduard Carol,Castelltersol Hill Climb Race 1970
Photo: Carol Family Coll.
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Less is More bike
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F.W. Freddie Barnes and his Zenith
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Daniel Musso,Llavallol Circuit
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Pierre Veyron
Born in 1903,Veyron’s initial career plan did not include racecar driving – instead, he enrolled in the university to study engineering. But his friend Albert Divo, himself an ardent motor sport aficionado, persuaded him to give racecar driving a try. Divo introduced Veyron to the industrial magnate André Vagniez, who offered him financial support. In 1930, Vagniez made true on his promise and purchased a Bugatti 37 A for Veyron, which the young driver raced to his first big victory in the Grand Prix at Geneva.
In 1932, Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean, by now director of the construction team, offered Veyron a job – the ideal position for young Pierre, as it allowed him to combine his passion for racing and engineering. As test driver and development engineer, Veyron helped to optimize the racecars. He continued to enter races as a company driver, winning many of these including the 1933 and 1934 Berlin Avus races with the Bugatti Type 51 A. He applied his engineering skills in particular to developing the Type 57 car, which sold well and soon became a financial boon to the company. The zenith of Veyron’s racing career was his victory together with Jean Pierre Wimille in the 25-hour Le Mans race of 1939.
During World War II, like many of his Bugatti coworkers, Pierre Veyron joined the French Resistance against German occupation. His Resistance group was led by the racecar drivers Robert Benoit and “Williams”, both of whom were eventually captured by the Nazis and killed in concentration camps. In 1945, Veyron received the Cross of the French Legion of Honor for his meritorious deeds during the occupation. After the war, Veyron entered a number of races, but his main commitment now was to his family and a small company he owned which specialized in oil-drilling technology. In 1970, Pierre Veyron died in the small town of Eze, situated between Monte Carlo and Nice, and as a racecar driver was only remembered by a handful of experts and Bugatti enthusiasts – that is, until his name was selected to grace the company’s outstanding production-line vehicle.
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