1,000-Mile Arizona Road Rally

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By Mike Silverman via : www.speedtv.com

More than 1,000 spectators applauded enthusiastically on a recent Sunday monring as some 80 exquisite vintage sports, GT and classic cars launched Mille Miglia-style from Tempe Diablo Stadium to start up the 21st annual Bell Lexus Copperstate 1000, a four-day road rally across the mountains, high chaparral and deserts of Arizona.

Sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted participants at the launch, but at the 9:30 a.m. driver's meeting, Copperstaters were briefed on unexpectedly cold-weather conditions approaching their final destination Sunday night in Greer, AZ, where sub-freezing temperatures in the teens were predicted, along with accumulated fresh snow dumped the previous day.

Arizona Dept. of Public Safety Sgt. Bob Bowers warned drivers to "watch for black ice in the shady spots," and advised them to make a "casual, slow ride this morning" to avoid speeding tickets in the small towns encountered along the way. Despite the warning, three cars were stopped by municipal gendarmes before they even cleared the Phoenix metro area Sunday morning... Read more

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The Tour Auto 2011

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This Monday, April 11 held the first day of the 20th edition of the Tour Auto Optic 2000.
All pictures copyright : Pauline Margainaud

Met in the Tuileries gardens, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, some 220 cars (mostly of historic vehicles) suffered throughout the day scrutineering and preparation of competitors in the long road ahead.
A total of 5 stages, from Paris to Biarritz, passing through the circuit 24 times, Poitiers, Circuit Vigeant, Objat, Nogaro, Pau, Anglet, etc..

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How A '62 El Camino Might Have Looked

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By Jerry Slattery
Photography by Jerry Slattery

Depending on how well you know the GM product line, back in the '60s, Chevrolet stopped producing El Caminos from 1961-63. El Caminos started again in 1964. This '62 Chevy originally was a two-door Biscayne sedan. However, some unknown builder did a terrific job bringing the big back window forward and forming the B-pillar angle over the door to meet the original sheetmetal that surrounded the back window.

 The top angle and rear-door angle look very close to a '71 El Camino door profile. The seamless tailgate is also another nice feature on this Biscayne/El Camino. If GM had built a '62 El Camino, it would probably have looked very close to this fine custom example.

For the current owner and trucker, John Davis of Forest Grove, Oregon, this was one cool car he couldn't live without. John likes cars and trucks that are well-built and unique, and this one really rattled his chimes. John thought it was tastefully done, remarkably straight, and looked like it could have been on the Chevy showroom floor.

 One of the first things he did was add new matching gray and black tweed upholstery and matching carpet to the bed, and he added a rear-facing bench seat so friends could ride while cruising the fairgrounds during car shows. A black vinyl tonneau snaps over the pickup bed for town and freeway driving... Read more

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Woodies

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A woodie is a car body style, especially a station wagon, where the rear bodywork is constructed of wood framework with infill panels of wood or painted metal.
After the demise of actual wood construction, manufacturers used simulated woodgrain sheet vinyl — sometimes augmented with three-dimensional, simulated framework — to recall wood construction.

1930s and 40s

As a variant of body-on-frame construction, woodies originated from the early (pre mid-1930s) practice of manufacturing the passenger compartment portion of a vehicle in hardwood. The woodie was popular in the United States and were produced as variants of sedans and convertibles as well as station wagons, from basic to luxury. They were typically manufactured as third-party conversions of regular vehicles — some by large, reputable coachbuilding firms and others by local carpenters and craftsmen for individual customers.


They could be austere vehicles, with side curtains in lieu of roll-up windows (e.g., the 1932 Ford) — and sold in limited numbers (e.g., Ford sold 1654 woodie wagons). Eventually, bodies constructed entirely in steel supplanted wood construction — for reasons of strength, cost and durability.

1950s and 60s

Woodies were produced in the greatest numbers before the end of the 1950s, before safety regulations would effectively have made them obsolete.


In 1950, Plymouth discontinued their woodie station wagon. Buick manufactured its last woodie in 1953. By 1955, only Ford and Mercury offered a woodie, evoking real wood with other materials including steel, plastics and DiNoc (a vinyl product). Ford offered its wood models as the Country Squire trim level in numerous model ranges from the 1940s to the 1990s.


The British Motor Corporation (BMC) offered the Morris Minor Traveller (1953-71) with wood structural components and painted aluminum infill panels — the last true mass-produced woodie. Morris' subsequent Mini Traveller (1961-69) employed steel infill panels and faux wood structural members.




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Hot Rod Revival

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Bob Cannon shares his photos and memories...
"I drove the '32 all through college but finally had to sell it because of the cost of traffic tickets I was getting. Back then there was no sharing of citation information between cities, so if you got your 3rd one in Pasadena, you didn't race anymore in Pasadena, and so on until you ran out of towns. But there were lots of places to street race in every nearby town.."

























New England Nostalgia
Nostalgic photos from around New England, including Orange and Sanford Airports and CT Dragway.




























'The Way It Really Was'
An incredible collection of Nostalgic Bonneville, Drag Racing, Dry Lakes and California Hot Rodding photos. Just a small sampling of the never before seen footage, photos, interviews and sounds on The Dreams of Legends' new DVD 'The Way it Really Was'.





























Hartford Autorama 50's - early 60's
The 1950's were a time when hot rodding was in it's prime. These pictures show the true hot rods of the era. Cars that were cut down, hopped-up and all hand made using any innovations that were available to make them go fast. Thank You to Ron San Giovanni for allowing HRR the use of these Photos... and much more at : www.hotrodrevival.com




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The Sunday Movie

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http://MuscleCarFilms.com

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Emerson Fittipaldi

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Emerson Fittipaldi (born December 12, 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who has won championships in both Formula One and Cart, in addition to winning Indianapolis 500 twice.


Aged 14 Fittipaldi was racing motorcycles, and aged 16 hydrofoils. While racing one day, his brother Wilson took off at 70 mph (110 km/h) and landed upside down - they both decided that although he had survived, they would no longer race hydrofoils and moved onto to racing karts.


The pair moved to racing Formula Vees, and built up a company with their parents. In his second season in single-seaters, Fittipaldi won the Brazilian Formula Vee title at 21 years old. He left for Europe in 1969, with the ambition to convince team owners of his talent in three months. After some podiums and his first victories in Formula Ford, Fittipaldi was previously trained and then subsequently engaged by the Jim Russell Driving School Formula Three team.


Fittipaldi continued to win, drawing the attention of Colin Chapman, who was looking for a driver to support the Austrian Jochen Rindt in the 1970 Formula One season. The team's No 3 driver, he ended up becoming No 1 driver after Rindt was killed at Monza and John Miles left the team. Thrust into the spotlight by leading F1's top team, he proved up to the task and won for Lotus in its first race post-Rindt.


In his first full year as Lotus' lead driver in 1971, Fittipaldi finished sixth in the drivers' championship as the team further developed the previous season's Lotus 72. Armed with what was arguably the greatest Formula one design of all time, the Lotus 72D, Fittipaldi proved unstoppable in 1972 as he won five of 11 races and easily won the F1 Drivers' Championship from Jackie Stewart by 16 points. At 25 he was then the youngest champion in F1 history. It appeared he might do it again in 1973. But after three wins from four attempts with the 72D, he began to struggle in the new 72E that was unveiled mid-year. It resulted in the reverse of the previous year, Stewart beating Fittipaldi for the Drivers Championship by 16 points; though the combination of the 72D and E's points earnings were enough to gain Team Lotus the 1973 F1 Manufacturers Championship.


Fittipaldi left Lotus to sign with the promising McLaren team. Driving the highly efficient McLaren M23, he had three victories in 1974, reached the podium four other times, and beat out Clay Regazzoni in a close battle for his second championship. The following season, he notched two more victories and four other podiums, but was second to a dominant Niki Lauda. However, at the height of his F1 success, Fittipaldi shocked everyone by leaving McLaren to race for older brother Wilson Fittipaldi's Copersucar-sponsored Fittipaldi Automotive team.


It was hardly a world class organization and the double champion regularly struggled, even failing to qualify for three races in his time there. Despite this, he remained with the team for five seasons but only managed a best finish of second. Emerson Fittipaldi decided to retire from racing at the end of 1980. He has since said that his last two years in Formula One were very unhappy: "I was too involved in the problems of trying to make the team work, and I neglected my marriage and my personal life", although at the time he cited the deaths of many of his colleagues as his reason. He was only 33, but had been racing in Formula One for a decade. He had failed to finish seven of the last ten races that year and had several times been outpaced by his Finnish teammate Keke Rosberg (a future champion himself). He moved into the management of the team alongside his brother. The team struggled on for another two years with minimal sponsorship, going into receivership at the end of 1982.

Want to see more : www.emersonfittipaldi.com

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1957 Chevrolet MP car

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'57 Chevy is the nickname of the 1957 Chevrolet, introduced September, 1956 by General Motors. It was available in three series models: the upscale Bel Air, the mid-range "two-ten", and the "one-fifty". A two-door station wagon, the Nomad was produced as a Bel Air model. An upscale trim option called the "Delray" was available for two-ten 2-door sedans.


A fourth designation was also available in limited quantities, the Chevrolet "El Morocco", a custom hand-built Chevy mimicking the Cadillac of the era. It is a popular and sought after classic car. These vehicles are often restored to their original condition and sometimes modified. The car's image has been frequently used in toys, graphics, music, movies and television. The '57 Chevy is an auto icon.

Initially, General Motors executives wanted an entirely new car for 1957, but production delays necessitated the 1955-56 design for one more year. Ed Cole, chief engineer for Chevrolet, dictated a series of changes that significantly increased the cost of the car. These changes included a new dashboard, sealed cowl, and the relocation of air ducts to the headlight pods, which resulted in the distinctive chrome headlight that helped make the '57 Chevy a classic.


Fourteen-inch wheels replaced the fifteen-inch wheels from previous years to give the car a lower stance, and a wide grille was used to give the car a wider look from the front. The now famous '57 Chevy taifins were designed to duplicate the wide look in the rear. Bel Air models were given gold trim: the grille, front fender chevrons, hood, and trunk script were all rendered in anodized gold. The base engine was an inline 6-cylinder called the Blue Flame Six. The engine was smooth running and more fuel-efficient than the V-8. Carburetion came from a single one-barrel carburetor.

Body choices for 1957 included 2 and 4-door sedans (identified by the "posts" between door windows), the two-door hardtop (also known as a sports coupé; the car has no post between the front and back window when the windows are lowered), the four-door hardtop (also known as a sports sedan), the utility coupé, a two-door sedan with a package shelf instead of a rear seat, the delray "club coupe" which was a 210 model 2 dr sedan, two styles of two-door station wagon, the top-of-the-line Bel Air Nomad with a sloped pillar behind the hardtop door and sliding windows at the rear seat, and the basic Handyman with an upright sedan B-pillar and a C-pillar where the four-door wagons have one, available only in 150 and 210 trims. The four-door, six-passenger station wagon, the four-door, nine-passenger station wagon (both called Townsman in the 150 series and Beauville for the Bel Air version), and the convertible. Unlike most competitors, the Chevrolet four-door hardtop featured a reinforced rear roof structure that gave the car added rigidity and a unique appearance in silhouette. The 1957 Chevy was called by some a "Baby Cadillac" because of many similar styling cues to Cadillacs of the time.


Although not a production model, the 2-door wagon could be had with Bel Air trim (not Nomad). I know because my Dad had one. It had been ordered with 283 power-pak and 2-speed powerglide.

There were many options available, most of which were designed to make the car more comfortable and luxurious. Air conditioning was offered though rarely ordered, as was a padded dash. Power steering and power brakes were available, as well as a signal-seeking AM radio and power antenna. Power windows and power seats were also available. A rear speaker could be purchased which required a separate volume knob to be installed in the dash, beside the radio — this rear speaker was touted as providing "surround" sound. An "autotronic eye" was offered; it was a device that bolted onto the dashboard and sensed the light from oncoming traffic, dimming the headlights automatically. One unique option was an electronic shaver, connected to the dash.


Another dash-mounted item was the traffic-light viewer, a ribbed plastic visor that was installed just above the speedometer. Because the roof extends so far into the windshield, it is hard to see overhead traffic lights from the driver's seat. The traffic light viewer captured the reflection of overhead traffic lights so that the driver didn't have to lean forward to see past the edge of the windshield.

1957 was the first year that Chevrolet ever offered fuel injection as an option. A 283 in³ engine fitted with solid lifters and fuel injection was rated at 283 hp (211 kW). Solid lifters were designed to allow the engine to achieve higher RPMs, but proved a tad too temperamental for non-racers. To accommodate more casual drivers, a 250 hp (186 kW), hydraulic lifter version of the fuel injected engine was also offered.


Fuel injection continued as an option throughout the early 1960s. However, most mechanics of the time didn't have the experience to keep the units running properly. This prompted most buyers to opt for conventional carburetion. A single four-barrel carburetor rated at 400 c.f.m. coupled with a dual-exhaust package was known as the "power pack". Two four-barrel carburetors could also be ordered. The "dual quad" engine could be ordered with hydraulic lifters producing 245 hp (183 kW), or with solid lifters producing 270 hp (201 kW). The dual quad configuration required a special breather assembly that has been nicknamed the batwing breather. The prices averaged around 2000 dollars during this time period. Standard carburetion on V-8 models came from a single two barrel carburetor, coupled with a single tailpipe.


1957 was also Chevrolet's first offering of a turbine transmission, known as the Turboglide. It was a design concept that Buick had developed with their Dynaflow transmission. However, due to a reliability reputation caused by its complexity, most automatic transmission buyers shunned the Turboglide in favor of the two-speed Powerglide that had been offered since 1950. At the time the Turboglide casing was the largest cast aluminum component ever put into mass production. But it never recovered from the reputation in 1957 and the option was discontinued in 1961. Manual transmissions were limited to three-speed, column shifted units (with synchromesh in second and third gear only). An overdrive unit was available as an option on the three speed manually shifted transmission cars. There are rumors that a handful of 1957 Chevrolets left the factory with Corvette 4-speed, floor-shifting transmissions. No concrete documentation exists to back this claim up.

all pictures via : blog.hemmings.com





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Detroit Symphony: The Dodge Super Bee

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by Eric Johnson



The original Super Bee was Dodge’s low-priced muscle car and little brother of the Plymouth Road Runner. The Muscle Car was priced $3,027. During the period, both divisions were competing to be the "Chrysler Performance Division". Various young and talented designers were dispatched to the project of creating a name and identity for the Dodge version. When all was said and done, the name Super Bee and a new logo were created around the Dodge "Scat Pack" Bee medallion.



Although the two cars are nearly identical external appearance - the Super Bee was slightly heavier (approx 65 lbs) and rode on a 117-inch (3,000 mm) wheelbase compared to the Road Runner's 116-inch (2,900 mm) wheelbase - the Super Bee sported actual diecast chrome plated "Bee" medallions. These three-dimensional medallions were prominently mounted in a raised position in the grille/hood area and the trunklid/taillight area of the car throughout the first three years of production and added a touch of class and panache. The interior of the Super Bee borrowed the race car–inspired and more sophisticated gauge and speedometer dash cluster from the Dodge Charger while the four-speed cars received an actual Hurst Competition-Plus shifter with Hurst linkage, compared to the budget-minded Road Runner's less expensive Inland shifter and linkage.



All these niceties did add to the higher purchase cost of the Super Bee compared to its Plymouth cousin and ultimately affected its sales numbers over the years it was produced. The 1968 model only came as a two-door coupe and two engine options, the base 335 hp (250 kW) 383 Magnum, and the 426 Hemi rated at 425 hp (317 kW). The Super Bee included a heavy-duty suspension, an optional Mopar A-833 four-speed manual transmission, and high-performance tires. Outside, a stripe (with the bee logo) was wrapped around the tail.
In1969 a new optional twin-scooped air induction hood was now available and became known as the "Ramcharger". The Super Bee's "Ramcharger" hood featured forward-facing scoops which were far more efficient than the Road Runner's "twin vents" which merely lay flat on the hood, not forcing air in to the carburetor(s) as the Super Bee's. The 1969 model year gave Chrysler customers several engines to choose from. The base 383 hp (high performance), 440 Six Pack, and the 426 Hemi.

Engines:
- 1968–1970: 383 in³ (6.3 L) Big-Block V8, 335 hp (250 kW)
- 1968–1970: 426 in³ (7.0 L) Hemi V8, 425 hp (317 kW)
- 1969–1970: 440 in³ (7.2 L) Big-Block V8, 390 hp (291 kW)

Production:
1968: 7,842–7,717 (383), 125 (426 Hemi)
1969: 27,800–25,727 (383), 1,907 (440 Six Pack), 166 (426 Hemi)

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RSK (Type 718)

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via : hillmanimages.com


Porsche Type 718 RSK
The further development of the 550 with much nicer lines but the same form factor was the Type 718 RSK which first appeared in 1957. It had the same wheelbase as the 550A but a lower body. The earliest versions had vertical fins on the rear fenders.

- Chassis 718-005
- First in class 3rd overall, driven by Behra/Herrmann at the 1957 Le Mans.
- This car was originally fitted with fins.

Models still racing:

- The rear suspension was coil over dual action Koni shocks.
- Tubular steel frame with aluminum body skins.

Monterey Historics, 2000.

No. 17. Eduardo Baptista. Seen at Monterey Historics, 2001.

You must take time to visit this fabulous website, you're a Porsche lover or not but this guy is amazing.
All pictures copyright hillmanimages




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David Brown

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Sir David Brown (10 May 1904 - 3 September 1993) was an English entrepreneur, managing director of his family firm David Brown Limited and one time owner of shipbuilders Vosper Thornycroft.
Brown was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. After attending Rossall School he started work as an apprentice in the family business, David Brown Gear Company Ltd. He became managing director in 1931, on his uncle Percy's death. In 1934 the company built a new factory on a site at Meltham, on the south side of Huddersfield. Brown, who also owned a farm, started building tractors with Harry Ferguson there in 1939, but they disagreed over design details, which led David Brown to design his own version.

During the Second World War his new heavier tractor, called the David Brown VAK1, was produced, with over 7,700 units eventually sold, making Brown into a wealthy man. Harry Ferguson went to America and did a deal with Henry Ford to incorporate his system in the Fordson N series, before setting up Ferguson tractors. In 1972, the David Brown tractor interests were sold to Tenneco International (Inc.), and were rebadged as Case.



In 1947, Brown saw a classified advertisement in The Times, offering for sale a High Class Motor Business. Brown acquired Aston Martin for £20,500 and, in the following year, Lagonda for £52,500, followed by the coachbuilder Tickford in 1955. He subsequently concentrated all the Aston Martin manufacturing at the Tickford premises in Newport Pagnell.



The legendary 'DB' series of Aston Martin cars, including the Atom, the DB2, the DB3, the DB4, the DB5 (famously driven by fictional character James Bond), the DB6, and the DB7 - Aston's most successful model yet - were named after Brown using his initials. Ironically, while at the helm of Aston Martin, he actually used a rival product, a Jaguar XJ Series I, as personal transport. Aston Martin was sold off in the 1970s when the company was in financial difficulties.



He was a natural adventurer who owned race horses, played polo, raced cars and motorcycles, and was a qualified pilot. He was knighted in 1968.



He married three times, to Daisy Muriel Firth in 1926, Marjorie Deans (his secretary) in 1955 and to Paula Benton Stone in 1980. He had two children, David and Angela, both of whom entered the family business. Angela married George Abecassis the racing driver. Sir David Brown died in September 1993 in Monte Carlo, 8 years before David Brown Ltd was acquired by Textron Inc.


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