some very lucky close calls from the 72nd Goodwood Members' Meeting

Duesenberg racer photographed in Buenos Aires sometime 1940s.

Engine compartment of the Duesy racer showing supercharged motor.

Business end of the Audi R10.

A 1964 Rene Bonnet (Matra) Djet II
Posted on November 21, 2013 by Joe MacFarland. From the eBay Stories website:
As we've seen before, great things come in small packages. If you remember our story about Olympian Clarissa Chun from this summer, her petite frame did not stop her from achieving great heights, and an Olympic medal to boot. Today’s remarkable listing did not win Olympic gold, but it could be considered the Mighty Mouse of sports cars.

This car is really quite incredible, although drivers over 6ft tall might be advised to stay away, given the tiny compartment and tight squeeze. Interestingly, René Bonnet decided to call it a Djet instead of simply Jet, because he felt the French audience would mispronounce it otherwise. This got us thinking about pronunciation, generally, and how when you are teaching an American child the difference between a hard “g” sound and a soft “g” sound, one of the best ways is with the words “get” and “budget.” The “dg” sound in budget is similar to the “dj” sound in Djet.

Djet is phonetically correct, but kind of odd looking. But there is nothing about this car that is odd at all!

The seller describes the car in quite some detail, and you may also want to take a look at the post over at the Bring a Trailer site that also talks in detail about this car. Here is what is in the description:

“This car was build at the Bonnet factory and was april 5 1964 for the first time on the road. First owner was Sir Trosch ( Probably Serge Trosch)

Chassis number 1106 and bodywork number 202 .

This car is an Djet II with ” rally ” specifications

As far as we can see it contains the original Gordini Engine.

The original color should be ” bleu cascade bande jaune” (Cascade blue with yellow striping)

This is the only example witch was painting in above mentioned colors, and just 24 Djet II cars were build !!

Engine is unique, not only Gordini but first owner (sir Trosch) had the engine tuned by G. Colombo.

This car was imported to the Netherlands in the year 1967. Meanwhile The Rene Bonnet factory was sold and this car was lisenced under “Matra Djet” So at the Dutch papers this car is a Matra Djet insted of an Rene Bonnet. Clear it is a Rene Bonnet.

Car was restored during the 1980′s and was repainted in this color. It is in the use on a new paint job, although it looks great, but will be even better in original coloring.

Technical condition: chassis treated well getectyleerd, all Electrical parts are working as they should. Engine runs perfect.

Minor is that the clutch or gearbox needs to be synchronized, gearbox shifts not properly but can be used.

Interior is clean and complete.

Car has “Graku Holland” wheels witch are rare and hard to find these days. Some spare parts for the wheels as well.

Manual (maintenance) book and lot of paperwork are with the car.”

In case you are wondering what the car looks like in action, we found this YouTube video of Djets racing around the track:


While we love the car, we do want to note this cautionary comment over on the Bring a Trailer discussion board by user Flying Dutchman:

“As cute as the car appears, I don’t think I’d be tempted to drive a tiny pocket rocket made out of fiberglass with the fuel tank in the front.
Not meant as an incendiary remark, although the car might be…”

Even so, there is a huge interest in this car, given the number of eBay watchers.

So, if you are interested, get bidding! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=231094758756

2012 Le Mans 24 in slow motion!

An image similar to what will be found in Rachael Clegg's 2014 TT Calender.
Order it here! It looks fabulous: http://www.rachaelclegg.com/prints

Text by Rachael Clegg:

"A GOOSE, a budget blonde from Rochdale, several tubs of Swarfega, umpteen gallons of diesel, an Aljazeera journalist and an assistant with a bladder problem – that’s all it took to create this year’s TT calendar. Who needs swanky Pirelli professionals when you have Manx farm animals and a woman with urinary issues?

The idea to create an arty / slightly comedic TT calendar struck me on the journey back from TT 2010. Being a total anorak, I’d recorded the sound of an AJS warming up (a wonderful ‘growl’ noise) before the classic lap on my dictaphone, which I then listened to on my return journey. On the same dictaphone there was also a recording of a very funny TT press conference - the combination of the humour, the visceral thrill of a classic engine and the post TT blues, got me thinking….

Within a week I’d decided to create a TT calendar – one that did justice to the quirky history of the Isle of Man TT races by interpreting it in an artistic manner. I researched dozens of unusual tales from the race’s 105-year history and used each tale as inspiration for the images, which I sketched out as I was doing the research. There are enough shots for each of the 37 and three quarter miles of the course – this calendar is part one, if you like.

The calendar nods to my heritage - both my dad and granddad were TT, an obsession with TT history and an interest in images. All the props are genuine, kindly lent to me by Guy Martin, John McGuinness (in whose leathers I was almost arrested), Ian Lougher, my father, a farmer (who lent me the goose) and an eccentric Manxman. Even the jerry can in the Brandywell image has a history – it belongs to veteran TT racer Vin Duckett.

With the exception of Brandish Corner, which was foolishly shot at rush hour, all the pictures were taken at around 4am over a four-week period throughout the TT and Manx Grand Prix. My alarm would go off at 3am - I’d get ready, grab Peter (photographer) and Shaz (assistant) and we’d load the van and I’d drive us (rather badly) to whichever sections we’d planned. But there were always set-backs: weather, very keen speed walkers and on one day the photographer even forgot the camera. It was all very Carry On.

The photographer – who transformed my crude sketches into great shots – is Aljazeera’s Africa reporter and a former BBC foreign correspondent; more at home in a war zone than legging it round the TT course with a woman with a penchant for extreme nudity.

Making the calendar was hilarious – I’ve never giggled as much in my life. "

The evocative black and white calendar features a series of eye-catching images recalling memorable moments from the history of racing around the legendary Isle of Man TT course.

Each photograph is accompanied by a description of the story which inspired the image.

It is the work of Rachael Clegg, whose father and grandfather both competed on the Mountain course, and photographer Peter Greste.

Calendars featuring the Isle of Man TT are always popular, but this is a unique presentation of the iconic TT course.

As Rachael explains:

"I don't know what it was that made me think running around the TT course semi naked at 4am would be a good idea. Privately, I've always wanted to do the TT, my father -- Noel Clegg -- was a TT racer, as his dad was before him. But with no racing panache, and even less road sense, this calendar was the closest I could get."

"I wanted to pay homage to the TT's rich and colourful history and interpret its tales -- some tragic, some bonkers -- with visual images. And as an 'arty' TT geek, it was a pleasure to prepare for. I sat down with piles of books, archive notes and anecdotes from racers and started to sketch enough images for every milestone of the course, using the TT's history as inspiration. This is just part one of the series."

"The photographer, Al Jazeera reporter Peter Greste - who's more at home in a war zone than the sedate haven of the Isle of Man - completely captured the brief: I wanted the shots to look sexy, silly and classy. Despite his worldly experience risking life-and-limb in places such as Mogadishu and Afghanistan, running around the TT course with a budget blonde clearly wore the poor man out."

"I modelled, drove the van, wrote the text, plastered my leg, wrapped myself in bike chain, borrowed a budgie, climbed trees, dodged the public, fraternised with cows and wrestled with a gander. It took four weeks' worth of 3am starts, several tubs of Swarfega, a handful of farm animals and umpteen gallons of diesel but I've never had so much fun!"

"I hope you enjoy it."

When we saw the title to a video that suggested an International Scout II was on the autocross course we had to click it. Why? Mainly because the video was either going to show us a vehicle totally out of its element and a driver having a blast, or it was going to show us a vehicle that was built to haul the mail and blow us away. Consider us blown away because this Scout is flat out AWESOME. Reading a little more, the truck is actually just a Scout bodied creation, but that doesn’t make us love it any less.

According to the description on the video the Scout body is mounted on an S10 chassis that used to wear the cab of a 1947 Chevy truck. If we’re remembering correctly, we have shown video of that old truck getting it done on these pages before. We really dig the Scout body on the chassis even though it is just kind of window dressing. The other SCCA racers at this meet must have been loving the show that this screaming small block powered truck was putting on.

The engine is a 350 and the trans is a World Class T5 box. The truck has RideTech triple adjustable coil over shocks, swaybar PosiLinks, billet tie rods adjusting sleeves, and RideTech strong arms lower control arms anchoring the front end. As you’ll see in this video, the combo flat out WORKS!

It's not easy being the new kid, especially at the high-performance prep school. With a few notable exceptions, Ferrari doesn't really make bad cars. Many are among the best performers of their generation, and here comes the 2014 F12 Berlinetta, ready to pick up that torch from the Enzo with claims it'll be even quicker than the iconic, all-out supercar that once held several records in our testing books. The new kid thinks he's tough. It will come as no surprise to the auto-literate that the F12 is a very quick car. Let's get right down to it: The Ferrari F12 hits 60 mph from a standstill in 3.6 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at a screaming 131.7 mph. It stops from 60 mph in just 106 feet and pulls an estimated 0.99 g on the skid pad. In the ranks of supercars, those are pretty good numbers, but they also provoke questions. A 3.6-second 60-mph time isn't all that great for a 731-hp car with 509 lb-ft of torque. There are several other rear-drive sports cars that will do that with significantly less power. Certain Corvettes, Porsches, McLarens, and even the odd Mustang come to mind. The stopping distance also falls into the realm of very good but not great. An 11.3-second quarter-mile run is even a few tenths slow for the power. The odd figure out is the incredibly high quarter-mile trap speed, which I'll get to in a second.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/exotic/1309_2014_ferrari_f12_berlinetta_exclusive_first_test/#ixzz2fl3QabcT

Pilgrimage and paying of homage.

1970s Tyrell F1 at www.canepa.com.

Oswego dragway 1970s.

Ford HO 406 C.I. Big block sporting the three deuce intake. These were the engine raced in Fairlane Thunderbolts as well as NASCAR.

'63 Jaguar E-type series 1: i finally found my perfect match (and he doesn't snore)!

A.J. Foyt Contends Today's Drivers "Couldn't Carry Our Helmet Bags."

Fangio and Maserati 250F.

Citgo power in a small package!

1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta 'Competizione' by Pinin Farina.

The guys from Eastwood show you how to chop the top on your ride. Episode 1 of 2.

Pretty much all my friends look like this!

It’s been a rough year for Lola. Six months ago the venerable British racing car builder was forced into administration and a search for a buyer for its Cambridgeshire facility came up short. A skeleton crew was retained in Huntingdon but nobody was interested in acquiring the company’s wind tunnel or fabrication and carbon shops. In recent weeks it appeared that Lola’s hopes of survival had come to an unhappy end.



But a formal announcement is soon expected that the Lola name will continue in business amid a new partnership between Lola’s longtime American sales agent and distributor Carl Haas Auto and Canadian automotive and racing car parts manufacturer Multimatic. Under the new arrangement Multimatic will manufacture Lola-branded components and parts at its headquarters in suburban Toronto while Carl Haas Auto in Chicago will serve as the sales and distribution house. We expect Multimatic will also design and build a new range of Lola Le Mans or Daytona prototypes.

Multimatic was founded in 1984 and is based in Markham, Ontario, northeast of downtown Toronto. The company has established itself as a leading supplier of components, systems and services to the worldwide automotive industry. Last year Automotive News ranked Multimatic 81st on its list of North America’s top 150 suppliers to the industry.

A racing division called Multimatic Motorsports was formed in 1992 and has built and helped field a variety of successful Le Mans and Daytona prototypes and GT cars. Multimatic-manufactured cars won the LMP675 class at Le Mans in 2000, the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in 2003 and the Sebring 12 Hours GT2 class in 2006.



The company builds the carbon chassis and suspension for Aston Martin’s One-77 GT cars and built and developed the Mustang Boss 302R for Ford Racing. The Mustang is a top competitor in Grand-Am’s Continental Sports Car Challenge and Mutimatic runs its own team in the series with drivers Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster. Multimatic Motorsports is run by Larry Holt who also serves as vice-president of Multimatic Engineering. Peter Czapka is the president and CEO of the parent company.

Carl Haas Auto was founded in Chicago by Carl Haas in 1961 and has been located in Lincolnshire, Illinois, half an hour north of downtown Chicago, since 1985. A former amateur sports car racer, Haas established his business as a dealer in Elva sports cars and Hewland gearboxes. He became Lola’s American agent and distributor in 1967 and was renowned for many years as the USA’s top sales house for sports/racing and formula cars.

In fact, Lola’s biggest successes came in America where Carl Haas Auto sold thousands of Can-Am and Formula 5000 cars, Indycars, Formula Atlantics, Super Vees, Formula Fords and Sports 2000s. Among Lola’s astonishing record of accomplishments are 181 individual Indy or Champ Car victories, including three Indy 500s, as well as eleven CART or Champ Car titles and seven consecutive Formula 5000 and Can-Am championships between 1974-’80.



In 1983 Haas formed Newman/Haas Racing in partnership with actor/racer Paul Newman and the team immediately established itself as one of the best in CART Indy car racing, winning championships for Lola with Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Cristiano da Matta and Sebastien Bourdais. But IndyCar’s decline and a lack of sponsorship resulted in Newman/Haas closing its doors at the end of last year.

In recent years Lola has built a batch of cars for the Jim Russell School plus a handful of Formula 3 and Grand-Am cars. But the company has focused on building LMP1 and P2 cars working with Nissan, MG, Honda, Aston Martin, Dyson and others. Lola chassis have won the LMP2 category at Le Mans five times since 2000 and took last year’s ALMS LMP1 and P2 constructor’s titles and the LMP2 manufacturer’s title in the European Le Mans Series. But P1 and P2 cars represent a small market nothing like the high volume of cars a constructor needs to build in order to make a successful business.

Of course, over the last ten years the spec car plague has entirely overtaken every form of worldwide open-wheel racing below Formula One. As this phenomenon took hold Lola missed the boat perhaps because the company’s most recent owner Martin Birrane never embraced the spec car mentality.



Two years ago Lola joined competitors Swift, Bruce Ashmore and Delta Wing in making sales pitches to IndyCar to design and manufacture this year’s new spec car. But all were rejected by IndyCar in favour of Dallara. It was a serious blow for Lola leaving the company without any remaining market for open-wheel cars, a sad indictment of the great spec car plague.

In recent years Lola made a serious effort to diversify beyond racing with Lola Composites expanding into defence, aerospace and renewable and wind energy industries, but none of it could save Lola from bankruptcy. Thanks to Multimatic and Carl Haas Auto, the Lola brand will continue in business. We hope Lola not only continues but thrives.

Here we have ‘The Maestro’, Juan Manual Fangio, drifting around Monaco in a Lancia D50, the car in which he won his fourth of five World Championships. 1956 was never going to be Fangio’s happiest year, even if he did take the title. The legendarily laid-back veteran was always suspicious of Enzo Ferrari’s machinations, but knew that his team presented him with best chance of retaining his crown. This film was shot in 1970 – some 12 years after his retirement – but as you’ll see, Fangio doesn’t exactly take it easy. The slow motion footage at the end is especially impressive, showing just how smooth his style was.

Motor Trend comparison between Ford Mustang GT500 and Dodge Challenger SRT-8. This is for those of you complaining that the Camaro SS should have been stacked up againt these two. When (or if) the Z28 comes out then we'll see who the true muscle car king is.

NASCAR girls salute our military. God love 'em!