DP 911 - Kreidebleich Blitzschnell

I like to kid myself that I don't like the Porsche 911 concept. They've got the wrong engine, it's mounted in the wrong place, older ones have 'challenging' handling, they're derived from a Beetle blah blah yakkety schmackety...

But in reality, it's a imperfect concept that has been honed, tuned, massaged, tweaked and teased over the years into perfection. Well, perfection within the imperfect concept anyway, if that makes sense.

Taking that idea of imperfect perfection, German tuning company DP Motorsport have retrofitted a 1973 911 to lightweight specification.

How lightweight? Try a complete carbonfibre body. As in everything;  bumpers, engine cover, wings, doors, even the whale tail have all been replaced with the lightweight weave, while the windows and light covers have all been ditched in favour of lightweight perspex. The result?  A 1,918lb kerb weight against 2,380 - 2,943 lbs in standard trim.

But that's only half of the story. DP has mixed and matched components from the best of the classic 911 line, fitting a 310 bhp 3.6 flat six from the 993, fuelled, perhaps surprisingly, by carburettors, fitted to a  Porsche G50 transaxle. There's those gorgeous 16" Fuchs wheels on coilover suspension with adjustable antil-roll bars, with the Weissach parts bin pillaged once more for the brakes, from a 964-shape 911.

The interior? Well there's not much of it, with a full roll cage contrasting against black alcantara bucket seats and dash top. The doors have been completely gutted of their heavy window mechanisms to in the quest for ultimate lightness, replaced by more of that perspex, with racer-style sliding vents, handy for when you need to pay uour entrance fee into the Nordschleife. The result may be minimalist, but it does look 'right', to my eyes.

I still don't like 911s. Don't like that I can't afford most of them...

- Amazosan

Crazy Shadow

Digging In The Crates: Bob Baxter's V8-powered Imp

The definitions of the word 'Imp' are various; a mischievous child, a small demon, even a child of the devil. All of those monikers could apply to the car below; a Hillman Imp Californian (the Hillman-branded version of the Singer Chamois/Sunbeam Stiletto), with a mid-mounted Rover V8. Imps are often shown as small and not very attractive creatures; not a problem when you have this car's grunt and F3-inspired suspension to back it up.
The list of components used in the running gear sounds like a Halfords/scrapyard stock list, circa 1980 - Sunbeam Rapier silencers, Standard Vanguard radiator with Simca fans, VW Variant transmission, Triumph Herald springs; while they were off-the-shelf parts then, no doubt 'the kids' now would call this evil Imp old school through and through.
We'd love someone to recreate this car, the use of a Rover V8 and old drivetrain components is entirely optional. Personally we'd shove a 4.4 litre BMW V8 in one, clamp on a brace of turbos and watch as Amazo-san's hair turns white overnight from a drive round the block.

Monaco GP, May 10, 1970

The race was won by Jochen Rindt in the Lotus 49 chassis; the team decided to use it instead of the new 72. Jack Brabham lead the race until crashing on the last corner of the last lap, but recovered to finish second.

Sergio's Finest? - Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta

Its important to differentiate what Sergio Pininfarina collaborated on or guided, and what he designed outright himself. Pininfarina designs were more of a collaborative effort in the 70's and 80's; for example, the 308, 288GTO and Testarossa was mostly the work of the godlike Leonardo Fioravanti, the Enzo (and 996-shape Porsche 911) the work of Ken Okuyama. But that's like describing the difference between Bobby Moore and Sir Alf Ramsey; the man with the vision moulded the team in his image to drive the team towards the ultimate goal.
But having said that, here's one that is totally Sergio Pininfarina, and if he had never picked up a pen ever again after styling this, his legend would still have been complete:
The Ferrari 250 GT SWB.
From here, this particular car came up for auction at Pebble Beach in 2010.

The legendary 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta SEFAC Hot Rod

The 250 GT SWB Berlinetta was the ultimate Ferrari GT for years since its 1950s prototype debuted, with a shape so pure and well balanced that Sergio Pininfarina called it "the first of our three quantum leaps in design with Ferrari." One of only 20 cars built, this SEFAC (Scuderia Enzo Ferrari Auto Corse) chassis 2845, was sold new to Count Volpi under the manager's infamous Scuderia Serenissima (Volpi's own racing team). It has an extraordinary racing history that includes a very impressive Third Place at the Tour de France, finishes at the 1000 Km de Paris and Daytona 3-hour Continental as well as multiple Italian hill climbs and vintage races throughout Germany.

He's Hee-eere

1968 Chevy G20 Gasser Van - eBay Bad Boy

'When this Chevy Van found its way from Ohio to Mackey’s Hot Rods in Huntington Beach, CA, it was covered in equal amounts of aqua blue paint and rust. Brian Mackey saw through it all, though, and set out to transform the van into a World War II aircraft-inspired hot rod. Over eight short weeks, the crew cut out all the rust, completed hours and hours of body work, sprayed plenty of coats of paint inside and out, and primed the van with tons of brand new auto parts (plus authentic aircraft parts) from eBay.
The van is a tribute to Mackey’s close family friend, Richard “Spider” Smith, who flew the planes that inspired the van’s look. You’ll find the names of Spider and his wife Betty on either side of the van, right next to gorgeous hand-painted and -lettered graphics by Sonny Boy Paint. Fittingly, the van is being auctioned to benefit the Semper Fi Fund.'

From here (yours for a paltry $23k guv'nor if yours was the winning bid) build pics here.

Built To Triumph

'I Am Nomad, I Am Perfect'

A vehicle that seems to have slipped through the cracks and fallen into obscurity. A design exercise from 1968 for the Royal College of Art by Peter Stevens (THAT Peter Stevens) that he called the Nomad; a no-nonsense, go-anywhere car that could be easily manufactured and maintained in a Third World enviroment. Powered by a VW flat-four and with 4WD, the Nomad would to my mind have made a great tool for a developing country, but alas it seems only  one, maybe two examples were built.
The full story is contained in the magazine scans below, but who's got the skills (and courage) to build a replica?

Top Trumps Car Of The Day - Volvo 780

"He's Got To Be So Macho"

This may be the coolest truck you've never heard of. Who called it a Macho Power Wagon? Dodge did. I don't know who's idea it was in 1977, but painting a mid-70s 4WD truck like a 1960's muscle car, equipping it with big off-road tyres and a 440ci V8 (catalyst-free dues to a loophole in the emissions regs)  was a stroke of marketing genius. The Macho was released under the 'Adult Toys' range, along with a van and a sports wagon.

The Macho was based on the Dodge D-series range that was introduced in 1972 and introduced a contemporary look more in keeping with the rest of Dodge's range than it's predecessor. it was long-lived, as it it was face-lifted in 1980 and ran until 1993 with minor changes. They were built with more galvanized steel than their predecessors (as was Mopars' ongoing programme at the time) to help stave off corrosion; as a result they survive in large numbers. 1972 also saw the introduction of the 440ci V8 engine as a standard option for the light trucks.

There were also a number of special editions with great names; the Li'l Red Express (aping a fire engine, with exhaust stacks, wheels, and gold pinstriping), the Warlock, the Adventurer, the Midnite Express (a weird one that, considering it was released the same year as the film - a unfortunate association?) and the subject of this post, the Macho Power Wagon. Lets just dwell on that name; you can just imagine the likes of Chuck Connors or James Arness (oh OK, maybe Burt Reynolds), replete with denim or check shirt attire, medallion, cigarette on the go and fully-stocked rifle rack in the bed. A creek swimming, moonshine sippin', deer skinning, beer drinking, Johnny Cash listenin' S.O.B. A man with a 'tasche you could lose a hand in. A man that smokes Marlboro Red Tops so strong the passengers get a buzz off them and whose idea of a light lunch consists of a whole Deer and a coupla six packs.
Where do we sign up?

Er, ahem, this great restored example sold on eBay recently for $7,500 recently:

And a guide to being macho here.

A Quick Trip To The Shops