I always had the idea, I finally had the engine block, and now came the hardest part – actually getting it home. There are few problems with that: first, I live in a high-rise condo in the middle of a city, meaning that it pretty much has to be finished …
[Editor's Note – Say hello to our newest Hoon Robby DeGraff. He's getting started in a big way with his tale of discovery in Vietnam. --JG] When we think of the Ford Bronco, OJ comes to mind. When we think of John F Kennedy, we remember his ’61 Lincoln Continental …
The situation we have here is a tricky one. Technically, there are two 917 with their chassis numbered 917-021. Both are recognized by Porsche as having existed, and both have had their histories intertwined. You see, Porsche built number 21 as part of its initial run of 25 chassis in …
Movie making and Hollywood have been intertwined since the start of the 20th century. Director D.W. Griffith, best known for the film Birth of a Nation, was the first person to film a movie in Hollywood. The 17-minute work was titled In Old California, and was shot entirely in an …
So this olelongrooffan is sitting between two buddie’s motorcoaches out at the Daytona International Speedway and I thought I would share with my fellow Hoons my Friday of Rolex24 Week, 2012.
It started with an excellent viewing of some vintage race cars and then
BMW M535i. With an M on the grille.
The second M car photographed today at the very-much-not-a-ghost-BMW-dealership is a dolphin grey E28 M535i. Like the M635CSi in the previous post, it’s an import in perfect condition, but it has been extensively restored to reach its current state. The garage guy said its owner has spent some serious dollar and the car’s faced extensive welding, but the end result is staggering. The slightest little nick on the M badge on the front is the sole imperfection I could find.
BMW M635CSi. Accompanied by an M535i.
As I’m constantly running into things to fix with my Mitsubishi, I’ve now visited the local Mitsubishi garage numerous times. Of course, it might all be a ruse to make it possible for me to ogle at these two absolutely perfect M-series BMW:s. The garage is also a BMW specialist, and the M classics have been stored there for the bad-weather months, only seeing use when it’s actually nice outside.
In these two posts, I’ll show the beautiful Beamers in detail. Here’s the red M635CSi.
The Tyrrell P34 remains one of the most audacious experiments in the history of Formula One racing. Two normal racing wheels sat out back where you’d expect them, but four 10-inch wheels were position up front. That’s six in total, for those of you who dun flunked ‘rithmetic.
Designed by Tyrrell Chief Engineer Derek Gardner, the idea behind the six-wheeled-setup was to increase frontal downforce, the total contact patch, and the swept area for the brakes. In 1976, the P34′s first year of competition, drivers Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler ran the cars to a 3rd place overall team finish. Scheckter even managed to stand atop the podium after winning the Swedish Grand Prix. However, Scheckter also hated the car, and quit at the end of the 1976 season, referring to the P34 as a “piece of junk.”
Tyrrell ran the car for another season with Depailler and new driver Ronnie Peterson. The final team result was a 5th place overall finish. After that, a few teams tried to put together a six-wheeled racer of their own but no other car wound up in competition. In 1983, F1 officials ruled that four wheels would be the maximum number allowed on a racecar, and the possibility of another six-wheeled-racer was officially ended.
Before the Tyrrell P34 went away, however, engineers strapped a camera high above it for a visual analysis of a run around Monaco. The front cowling is off the car, so you’re treated to a more in depth view of what’s happening with that quartet of rubber up front. Click past the break for the clip.
[Source: YouTube | Thanks for the tip, Little Green Dino!]
Gives a new meaning to the word cameraman.
Despite the fact that I do really hate speed cameras (though as long as they aren’t average speed cameras, they can be easily dodged), this video by prankster Rémi Gaillard made me chuckle.
Not even police cars are immune to this reverse Terminator camera: cold steel on the outside, living flesh on the inside.
See the full video after the jump.
It’s time for the Hooniverse News! This is a weekly recap of everything that happened in the automotive world that you should care about without the fluff of a hyper marketing agent or the dullness of an executive in a suit. I also throw in some opinion, just because I can. This week:
Hey there party people, are you clock watchers ready to take a break from the daily grind? Step momentarily out of the rat race? Take advantage of our modern era’s lackadaisical work ethic? Well, then step right up because it’s that staple of Friday productivity killers, the Mystery Car!. Of course, you guys are so good at these that it’s hardly a coffee break’s time before you’ve solved it, so even the most slave-driving of bosses can’t complain too vociferously.
And to make sure you don’t get docked at all, I’m making today’s candidate super easy by having it appear in glorious red. You know, the official color of Italian cars, especially Ferrari? Oops, perhaps I have given away too much. Regardless, you know the rules, make, model, year and engine, nothing less will be accepted, all returns must be accompanied by a receipt.
Okay, start negatively impacting global productivity . . . now!
So as Bradley Brownell, who this olelongrooffan is picking up from the Daytona Beach airport in just a few minutes, related to we Hoons a few weeks ago, this year for the 50th Anniversery of the Rolex24, Joie Chitwood’s team was able to gather up most of the past winners of that esteemed race.
Last night at the Ocean Center Beachside, there was a charity fundraiser with those cars on display and this morning they paraded through the drizzly weather out to the track.
A must-visit Internet destination for photography fans is The Big Picture over at Boston.com. Recently, the photography editors elected to feature images of the 2012 Dakar Rally, and the accompanying photos are simply amazing. Sure, we did a pretty good job covering the event ourselves, but we’ll stand aside and let the visual glory of others shine through… this time.
Head over to The Big Picture to see the gorgeous imagery for yourself.
[Source: The Big Picture - Boston.com | Image: Jerome Prevost/Reuters | Thanks for the tip, IrishZombieMan!]
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, or at least that’s the modern iteration of the Roman poet, Sextus Propertius’ opinion from his poem, Elegies. Alternatively, they also say Absinthe makes the fart grow stronger. Either way, over the decades, American safety and emissions regulations have kept many a desirable auto out of our wanting grasp, and of course that time just makes our ardor all the more unquenchable.
But there is a possible out – a way to finally be together – if only you are willing to bide your time. Any car over 25 years old may be brought into the country without having to comply with Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) as long as they have been bonded at the dock, and have the appropriate HS-7 (PDF) forms. Those under 25 will have to be brought into full Federal Safety compliance, and would probably have to meet your particular state’s emissions standards. Muy Expensivo! Also, like a marriage, it’s supposed to be for life – you bring it in, you keep it – no selling the car to someone else once the new has worn off.
And for those of you living in California, don’t even bother unless the car you want is a pre-1976 model, as that’s the cut-off for smog tests on the left coast. Still, that gives one a lot of leeway and is much more flexible than what was possible back in the dark ages of the ’70s and ’80s. Since you have that new-found freedom, there must be some forbidden fruit that you have always wanted to grab, but couldn’t because of THE MAN, but now might be considering. What car – 25 or older – might you think worth a boat ride from across the sea?
Image: [Wikipedia]
