It would be nice to purchase a car and then have the company post a billboard alerting the residents of the city that you have bought one! Even better if the company tells slow drivers to move over for you! This is exactly what has happened after an R8 GT was sold to a customer in Lake Grove, IL recently. Massive win.
source: Audi Exchange
A while ago, my friend Bradley and I took a trip to Gullwing Motors and saw a green Lamborghini Espada parked outside within a chained in parking lot. One of the primary reasons for that trip in the first place was to see that Espada as well as 2 Alfa Romeo Montreals they were selling.
I happen to think that the Espada is truly one of THE coolest ‘supercars’ to ever grace the streets….effortlessly cool even. I’ve always thought of it as Lamborghini’s response to the muscle car—-a muscle car built with the DNA of a supercar. It is low slung, beautifully designed, with a plush mega-italian interior, and a presence that few cars can aspire to have. If you park an Espada next to any of the modern supercars; i know which one you’ll find me staring at non-stop!
Fortunately David Lang found my little blip about that car on IEDEI and reached out to me with more information about the unique and interesting Espada we had seen that day at Gullwing—–and about the Espada that HE bought! So rather than wondering “whatever happened to that green Espada?”…..we have an interesting story and an update!
David:
“When the car arrived from Gullwing Motors it had been in storage approximately 5 years, or more and had no brakes and a badly running engine. The engine was tuned with new spark plugs, several vacuum leaks were repaired and fresh gas was added to make it run very well.
(here’s a photo of David’s Espada i’d taken when I went to Gullwing motors in 08/2010)
“The engine appears to have been a new crate unit (no numbers stamped on the ID pad) and has a Tuned Port Injection (TPI) system installed. It is a 1985-86 350ci engine that would have been used in Corvettes or Camaros of the day. The transmission is a Borg Warner 5 speed with a hydraulic clutch. The shift leaver was adapted and is original to the car. The original exhaust system was also adapted and is in the car as is the balance of the running gear and brakes. Overall the installation of the engine, TPI and tranny appears to have been professionally done to almost perfection. I say almost because of what I discovered when I drove the car the first time. It overheated even with the hugh, original radiator and double fan system. The radiator was checked by a local shop and found to have been rebuilt. It needed no service. After explaining to the specialist what it came out of and the engine conversion he told me to change the thermostat and check the water pump for proper rotation. I found that the pump had been running backwards due to the use of V belts instead of the serpentine belt the engine was designed for. I replaced the pump with one designed for clockwise rotation and problem solved. The car had been operated for 25 years with the wrong pump! That explains the low mileage of 43000 on the car. I”m guessing but I suspect the engine and tranny have less than 5000 miles on them and operate as new.”
(current photos of the car to follow)
“Work yet to be completed include paint stripping and repaint to a dark factory blue color from the original mint green and doing some electrical repair to obtain working headlights and original air horn. The body is very straight with just two very small rust holes in the bottom, front corners of both doors. The glass, bumpers and trim are near perfect. I have removed the awful bumper overriders and remounted the outside mirrors from the front fenders to the doors as most are. The mirrors are original too. The car apparently had good care most of its life but was neglected for the last 5 or so years while stored.”
“With new tires, the car drives very well. It tracks straight, rides smoothly and quietly and feels like it is glued to the road. With the engine and tranny change, I believe about 400 pounds have been lost from the front giving the car a close 50/50 weight distribution and a lighter feel to the unboosted steering.”
I, for one, am really glad this Espada has been rescued by an owner who is enthusiastic about his beautiful classic. Thanks to David for writing!
thanks to Jon for the tip on this great tribute to the legendary Porsche 917.
Amazing how similar these 2 cars were in Ur quattro and M3 form. Apparently the fender flares were even made by the same company (Bauer)—–however the Ur quattro was introduced to the world at least a good 5 years before the M3. Dare I say that BMW was heavily inspired by the Ur quattro when styling the M3’s bodykit…..however obviously adding their own touch with a large rear wing.
I’d take the one on the right…..but you knew that didn’t you!
These photos may look like they are from 1968, however they are not. They were photographed by Atelier Olschinsky in 2011 at the Red Bull Ring. Quite lovely, as well.
via The Chicane
definitely (along with the RS3) the best sounding production road car under $100k. There’s nothing like the 5 Cylinder gurgle. This car is tuned to 485hp. Slick video too.
Thanks to Skaala for posting this!
Stirling Moss is a living legend, that Ferrari in the photo is pretty damn (overpriced) sexy, and that leather racing bag by Caracella is pretty wicked looking.
So why does this photo seem so tacky/cheesy? Overkill maybe? Artificial-ness? I think the car and the bag are just too ‘matched’…a plain blue Ferrari would have worked much better. Is the problem Sir Moss’ shoes? HA! Is the problem that the presence of a Ferrari make things instantly uncool? I’m not sure—and maybe you won’t even agree with me. I believe this is evidence that things don’t add up as they should sometimes.
Would there be any better way to take one’s ferociously cool Lancia Aurelia B20 GT coupe to get restored, than to take a road trip to Italy to get it sorted out? Well maybe—-it would be to be driving with a B24 Spyder alongside I suppose!
article: Octane
The DRIVE collective have finally launched with their first full video; a tribute to the Nurburgring 24 hour race. Fantastic stuff, and i can’t wait to see more from them!
From the best international magazine in the world: Intersection. They never fail to impress me. More on them this week…
The iPad is a pretty astounding device; sure you’ve heard the hype and the blah blah blah—-but the fact of the matter is, it is the premier mobile all-in-one multimedia device. If you’re not convinced, then you should check out just how many amazing motoring and automotive applications there are available. I have multiple folders full of stellar automotive enthusiast applications. The latest of which is called Road Inc.
I’ve always found it pretty amazing that automobiles (sometimes) have so much aesthetic importance given to them, yet automotive websites are so NON-aesthetically pleasing. Often I find them to look like an offshoot of ESPN or some tacky jock football page. The iPad, however, serves to provide a clean, interactive platform to make apps. A stylistic revolution is surely needed—-enter why i love the Road Inc. application so much.
To start, the app comes with various ‘veiled’ classics—each of which can have a packet downloaded into the iPad for free, upon the user’s interest in the automobile. After that comes a barrage of information, media, photography, 3D image renderings, essays, and a wealth of information about the car being looked at.
Earlier today, i downloaded the packet for one of my favourite all-time (race)cars—-the Bugatti Type 35b; here are just a couple sample screenshots i took earlier:
They supply a 360 degree rotatable image, to check the car out in its entirety.
There is beautiful attention to detail here; and you get the sense that someone has poured in plenty of time and energy to make this app a beautiful one to use for the motoring enthusiast. I salute Road Inc. for making something like this. Currently there are 50 cars available with a full data packet download of information. I really look forward to see Road Inc expand on this list in the future. The app is currently available in the iPad application store for $4.99.
Link: Road Inc.
There are a lot of these dedicated performance mini-track cars around; Ariel Atom, Caterham Seven, the recently featured fantastic Donkervoort, and plenty of others.
But I have yet to see one as beautiful, detailed, and as full lovely design as the Bac Mono. From the minimalist name to the beautiful sculpted bodywork—-i think this is the holy grail of these types of cars as far as i’m concerned. Oh and the interior and pedals can be fitted to suit the size of the buyer.
The Bac Mono starts for around $80k GBP in the UK—however it’s been announced the car will be on sale in the US next year. Prices for the US market have not been announced as of yet. It’s a fairly new company, started in 2009 out of the UK. Obviously I haven’t driven one…..but take a look at the numbers:
more details at: http://bac-mono.com/
| Overall width | 1800mm |
| Overall length | 3952mm |
| Height | 1110mm |
| Wheelbase | 2565mm |
| Ground clearance | 100 mm (f) 110 mm (r) |
| Kerb weight | 540kg |
| Power to weight | 520 bhp per tonne |
| Weight distribution f/r | 48% / 52% |
| Maximum speed | 170 mph |
| 0-60 mph | 2.8 secs |
| Maximum power | 280 bhp at 7700 rpm |
| Maximum torque | 280 Nm at 6000rpm |
2011 was a great year in motorsports—–and I personally had an epic time at Petit Le Mans this year, following one of the most heroic wins ever at Le Mans in france. But aside from those glorious events—–DTM racing, GT racing, and endurance racing supplied thrills and spills this year.
Jake Yorath takes wonderful photos—and these were shared by him to remember motorsports in 2011
in an ideal ‘dream car’ garage, i would definitely have one of these in my garage—the glorious 1954 Lancia Aurelia (B20) Coupe.
The two tone colours on this one is interesting, although I think i’d like a plain black one even more!
source: Bold Ride
what a car…what a pic. these days i’m yearning for a Ur quattro more than ever…
(sorry about the quality of this photo….it’s pixelated, but too good not to post!)
sourced from audi sport and edited to remove a couple of heads.
Thanks to JON for sharing this video in the comments of the last “Diablo in Snow” post!
I’m not a big fan of the Lamborghini Diablo (this is the Diablo GTR pictured here)—-but I am a huge fan of snow! Seeing these 2 ideas together is just….well..weird and interesting!?
source: 7extrememotorsports
700 kilos. 400hp. and a 2.5L 5-cylinder RS3/TT-RS engine under the hood. This has all the goods—-except a superbly rubbish name!!!! “Look at that Donkervoort go!”
“A combination of beautiful shape, the latest auto techniques and the ultimate experience. With a capacity of 340 to 400 HP and a torque of 450 Nm from about 1600 RPMs. And all this with a total weight of around 700 kilos. Without a doubt one of the fastest sports cars on the European market. And, with the first private preview for Donkervoort Ambassadors from all over Europe, received so enthusiastically that within a few hours approximately half of the first 25 specially designed GTOs were sold.”
photos and info from my friends at Fourtitude!
IEDEI 