Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
First Porsche Race Car - 1953 / 550 Prototype
Porsche's purpose built 1953 aerodynamic racing rocket, the 550-01 was powered by a 1498 cc mid-engine. This iconic road racing car is currently on loan to the High Museum in Atlanta and is featured in their exhibit, The Allure of the Automobile.
read more here
The Porsche 550 Prototype is the first of two 550 prototypes built and is the first race car built by Porsche. The company’s wild success in the racing arena, and resulting sports car market, began with this car. The first 550 completed for competition in 1953, after just a year of development which started in 1952, won in it’s initial outing.
That same year, the two Porsche 550 Prototypes, 550-01 and 550-02, ran neck and neck for the entire 24 hours of Le Mans, crossing the finish line at the same interval at which they had started. Le Mans scoring officials awarded the win to 550-02.
The end of the racing season brought a relocation for the cars to Mexico where they raced in the 1954 La Carrera Panamericana. After that, the cars vanished with only 550-01 resurfacing years later in a Mexican warehouse.
read more here
read more here
The Porsche 550 Prototype is the first of two 550 prototypes built and is the first race car built by Porsche. The company’s wild success in the racing arena, and resulting sports car market, began with this car. The first 550 completed for competition in 1953, after just a year of development which started in 1952, won in it’s initial outing.
That same year, the two Porsche 550 Prototypes, 550-01 and 550-02, ran neck and neck for the entire 24 hours of Le Mans, crossing the finish line at the same interval at which they had started. Le Mans scoring officials awarded the win to 550-02.
The end of the racing season brought a relocation for the cars to Mexico where they raced in the 1954 La Carrera Panamericana. After that, the cars vanished with only 550-01 resurfacing years later in a Mexican warehouse.
read more here
Northern Light - 1958 Porsche Abarth
The Carrera Abarth GTL of Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund, a Porsche rich in Scanidnavian racing history.
Story by Peter Linsky Photos by David Gooley from Excellence - The magazine about Porsche
You may have never heard of Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund, a quiet Swede nicknamed “CeGe.” He was well-known for hosting a long-running (1956-1970) program on Swedish Public Radio about cars and driving safety, a subject taken quite seriously in Scandinavia. But he was known for something else, too: speed. To say Hammarlund was successful as a racer would be an understatement. Consider his record in 1961 and 1962, as noted by Swedish racing enthusiast and historian Tomas Karlson: Eleven GT starts, eleven wins, and two Swedish national GT championships. His weapon for all those wins: this rare 356B Carrera Abarth GTL. Though Hammarlund drove for Swedish VW/Porsche importer ScaniaBilar in his spare time, his main job was to run the public relations office at the Swedish arm of British Petroleum, according to Swedish automotive magazine Racing. He first wet his competitive feet in 1949, hillclimbing at Alby with a home-built, American-style midget with Ford V8-60 power; he posted top time. He then entered trials and rallies as part of Scania’s Volkswagen team. It was at this point that he met a rather talented mechanic named Willy Dolling. “Because of my knowledge of VW and Porsche motors, I was asked by CeGe in April of 1953 if I could prepare and maintain his racing cars,” says Dolling, now 80 years old and retired in Stockholm. With the help of Dolling, Hammarlund and Erik Petterssen co-drove a brand-new, Dolling-prepared 356 Carrera coupe to an overall win in the 1954 International Swedish Rally, also known as the Rally to the Midnight Sun. Hammarlund and his Porsches were quickly established as the favorites, no matter where they appeared. “Between 1954 and 1959, CeGe competed in 28 races throughout Europe,” recalls Dolling. “Of these, he won 26, came second in one, and fourth in another. In 1959, a Scandinavian Grand Touring championship was created with seven races per year. CeGe won every one of these races every year up to and including 1962.” Hammarlund’s talents were not limited to Porsches. He co-drove a Ferrari 375MM with Allan Borgefors to a good placing in the 1000km 1956 Swedish Grand Prix for sports cars, right behind the factory entries. He also had several rides in a Maserati 450S. Even so, some of his most memorable successes came in Porsches. He won the GT class with his 356 Carrera at West Germany’s Avus Ring on September 16, 1956, the same day Porsche factory driver Richard von Frankenberg survived his famous crash in the “Mickey Maus” RS 1500 Spyder, which saw von Frankenberg leave the track at the top of the high banking. Hammarlund also claimed a GT win at 1958’s Grand Prix of Sweden, a few years before he moved on to greater success with the Abarth Carrera GTL.
Ferrari P4/5 - Pininfarina
The Beast of Turin: For about four million bucks, a famed Italian design studio turns out a one-of-a-kind super-Enzo.
When people first see it, they have a moment of confusion, because it's challenging to look at. But we wanted to create a piece of art, something timeless, so that you appreciate it more the longer you look at it." Jason also styled the new Ferrari 599. He's working exactly where he wants to be. Next, Ken Okuyama, the design director of Pininfarina. Ken is an engaging, magnetic character, who speaks with great intelligence and intense humour. "The thing about Pininfarina," says Ken, "is that the company lets you, as a designer, take credit for what you've done. You sign the sketches. It's why I joined - you don't get that so much in big corporations. "There is something in the air here. You can feel it, like you can at Oxford or any other great university. Though the people change, the same atmosphere remains." Ken has given his understudy Jason the space to express himself clearly with this car, helping with some guidance on occasion, but not interfering.
read more @ topgear.com
and @ caranddriver.com
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Spectacular 1992 Mazda RX-792P
On the heels of the 1991 GTO championship, Mazda decided to move to the very pinnacle of North American sportscar racing, the IMSA GTP.
This car, the RX-792P, was powered by a 650hp four-rotor engine, as used in the Mazda 787B, the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans winning car
RX-792Ps showed well in the series that year, never reaching the top step of the podium, tough. Even tough it never won a race, the RX-792P was by far the most spectacular looking of the wild factory-supported GTP cars.
This car, the RX-792P, was powered by a 650hp four-rotor engine, as used in the Mazda 787B, the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans winning car
RX-792Ps showed well in the series that year, never reaching the top step of the podium, tough. Even tough it never won a race, the RX-792P was by far the most spectacular looking of the wild factory-supported GTP cars.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
1973 Porsche 917/30 Can Am
Chassis: 917/30-006
With the 917/30 program coming to an abrupt end at the end of 1973, three of the six designed frames were never completed in period. Chassis 917/30-006 was already at Penske's workshop ready to be built up as one of the 1974 team cars when the Can-Am entry was axed. In 1982 the existing parts were acquired by legendary Porsche dealer Vasek Polak and he set about assembling sufficient parts to complete the car. He finally succeeded in 1995 and shortly after sold the car. Since then it has been regularly raced and is seen here at the 2009 Monterey Historic Races where Porsche was the featured marque.
read more @ ultimatecarpage
photos MoVilla/Saysomething.us and Wouter Melissen
Engine | |
Configuration | 912.52 180º V12 |
Location | Mid, longitudinally mounted |
Construction | magnesium alloy block, aluminium alloy head |
Displacement | 5.374 liter / 327.9 cu in |
Bore / Stroke | 90.0 mm (3.5 in) / 70.4 mm (2.8 in) |
Compression | 6.5:1 |
Valvetrain | 2 valves / cylinder, DOHC |
Fuel feed | Bosch Fuel Injection |
Aspiration | Twin Eberspacher Turbos |
Power | 1100 bhp / 821 KW @ 7800 rpm |
Torque | 1112 Nm / 820 ft lbs @ 6400 rpm |
BHP/Liter | 205 bhp / liter |
Drivetrain | |
Body | glass-fibre reinforced plastic body |
Chassis | aluminium tubular space frame |
Suspension (fr/r) | double wishbones, coil springs, shock absorbers, anti roll bar |
Steering | rack-and-pinion |
Brakes | ventilated discs, all-round |
Gearbox | Type 920 4 speed Manual |
Drive | Rear wheel drive |
Electric Car Speed Record at Nordschleife by Toyota
Toyota’s TMG EV P001 just became the first electric car
to shatter the 8-minute barrier at the Nurbirgring racetrack in
Germany, with a blazing new time of 7 minutes and 47.794 seconds. Toyota Motorsport GmbH knocked an entire minute off the speed record for an EV at the ‘Ring’. The car handily beat the Peugeot EX1′s
already amazing April record of 9 minutes and 1.338 seconds, which
shows that the technology behind electric vehicle motors is really
taking off.
Billabong Pro Teahupoo Tow In Session
The famed Tahiti surf break, Teahupoo, has produced some of the most epic waves the ASP has ever seen for any event with the Billabong Pro Teahupoo tow in session to go down in the surfing records books as one of the most insane sessions ever surfed.
Watch this video created by the team at Billabong which shows the Billabong Pro Teahupoo tow in session. You won’t believe it is humanly possible to surf on these slabs of water. Absolutely insane!!!
read more here
excerpted from softboards.net/billabong-pro
read more here
excerpted from softboards.net/billabong-pro
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
1968 Penske-Sunoco Camaro
- First car built for the 1968 Penske team, by fabricator Ron Fournier.
- 2nd place at 24 Hours of Daytona driven by Mark Donahue, Craig Fisher and Bob Johnson.
- 2nd place (4th overall) at 12 Hours of Sebring driven by Joe Welch, Bob Johnson and Craig Fisher.
- Podium finishes for Sam Posey for the balance of the season.
- Raced successfully in Europe in Group II sponsered by Sunoco Belgium. Won 18 of 20 races, 1969-71.
- Continued racing in Europe until 1987 when it was returned to the US for restoration.
- Belgium vintage racing in 1999.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
1972 Brian Redman and ArturoMerzario Ferrari 312 P/B
Brian Redman, one of the greatest all-round racing drivers in the history of our sport, was re-united with the legendary Ferrari 312P/B at Pebble Beach past weekend (August 19, 20, 21). Here, in his own words, he recalls that brilliant car and his life and times at Ferrari.
Friday, August 26, 2011
1971 Trans Am AMC - Javelin
This car is a unique piece of Trans Am history. It was built in 1970, driven by Mark Donahue and finish second in the points championship. In 1971, Penske sold this car to Roy Woods racing, and they updated the sheet metal to 1971. In 1971, the car was driven by Vic Elford, Peter Revson, Milt Minter and George Follmer. In 1972, Roy Woods again campaigned the Javelins in AMC red, white and blue colors, and won the Trans-American championship with George Follmer and Roy Woods, as the drivers.
This car was restored as driven in 1972.
This car was restored as driven in 1972.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
SUPERHEAVY
For 18 months, Mick Jagger has been working on a secret album with Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley and AR Rahman. Super Heavy is the fitting name of this heavyweight musical collective, who plan to release their debut "fusion" album in September.
"It's a bit odd," Jagger told Rolling Stone. "A different kind of record than what people would expect." It's certainly a motley crew: one Stones frontman, one Eurythmics founder, one English soul singer, plus Bob Marley's youngest son and India's most famous film composer. But Jagger promised that Super Heavy's music is "not all weird and strange". Fans, he said, "will find most of it accessible". read more
text excerpted from www.guardian.co.uk
"It's a bit odd," Jagger told Rolling Stone. "A different kind of record than what people would expect." It's certainly a motley crew: one Stones frontman, one Eurythmics founder, one English soul singer, plus Bob Marley's youngest son and India's most famous film composer. But Jagger promised that Super Heavy's music is "not all weird and strange". Fans, he said, "will find most of it accessible". read more
text excerpted from www.guardian.co.uk
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Laird Hamilton
Laird Hamilton has been a surfing hero since the 1980s, solidifying his reputation as the king of big wave surfing when he conquered Tahiti's Teahupo'o Reef at its most perilous in August 2000. As an innovator, he pioneered many new activities including kitesurfing, tow-in surfing and hydrofoil boarding. He's on the board of directors at H2O Audio, makers of pro-level waterproof iPhone and iPod cases, and has his own signature line of Surge waterproof earphones, proceeds of which are donated to the Beautiful Son foundation for autism education.
source: www.gizmodo.com
Monday, July 18, 2011
Scientist Swims -Au Naturale- with Belugas
Call her Natalia. Her story is like Ishmael's in "Moby Dick," but with more nudity and fewer harpoons and peg legs.
Natalia Avseenko, a Russian scientist, allegedly stripped naked and swam with two white whales in the Arctic to tame them before they were sent to an aquarium.
Her frigid tale was reported in the Daily Mail , which said she survives the dangerously cold waters through meditation and her background in yoga.
It's necessary for her to bathe au naturale, because marine biologists believe the beluga whales do not like to be touched by artificial materials, the Mail reported.
The aquatic ballet took place in the Murmansk Oblast of the White Sea off the coast of Russia, the British tabloid said. With sub-freezing temperatures at -1.5 Celsius or 29.5 Fahrenheit, the Daily Mail claimed that Avseenko held her breath underwater for more than 10 minutes.
Yet the newspaper didn't report what she did during the icy encounter to domesticate the mammals for their future lives in captivity.
source: www.huffingtonpost.com
www.dailymail.co.uk
Natalia Avseenko, a Russian scientist, allegedly stripped naked and swam with two white whales in the Arctic to tame them before they were sent to an aquarium.
Her frigid tale was reported in the Daily Mail , which said she survives the dangerously cold waters through meditation and her background in yoga.
It's necessary for her to bathe au naturale, because marine biologists believe the beluga whales do not like to be touched by artificial materials, the Mail reported.
The aquatic ballet took place in the Murmansk Oblast of the White Sea off the coast of Russia, the British tabloid said. With sub-freezing temperatures at -1.5 Celsius or 29.5 Fahrenheit, the Daily Mail claimed that Avseenko held her breath underwater for more than 10 minutes.
Yet the newspaper didn't report what she did during the icy encounter to domesticate the mammals for their future lives in captivity.
www.dailymail.co.uk
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