This painting is by William Roberts and entitled “The Vorticists at The Restaurant De La Tour Eiffel”, from 1915—holding their copy of the Vorticist magazine “Blast” (issue #1).
src: Articles & Texticles
Category Archives: world
Cities at night…from space.
I am a city person—I want the lights, the sounds, the smells, the chaos, the industry, the cars, the madness, the neverending spirit of a big city that never relaxes. Sure it can sometimes be extremely frustrating to live in a city like New York City—but i wouldn’t have it any other way. I drive through insane traffic every day…and it’s never easy…but I still enjoy it. A young gentleman should be firing his engines through the streets of a bustling city. All of these things become extra-cool at night!
Here’s a pretty lovely video by NASA from a few years ago showing how major cities look at night, from far out in the sky and from space. Pretty cool stuff.
here’s another great video:
src: NASA
The Future Is Ours.
by Michael Marantz. Excellent!
“The Crowd”
I am intrigued by Wyndham Lewis; the founder of the Vorticism movement of the early 1910s in the UK. It’s been less than 24 hours since I discovered the art and writings of this fine man, yet I am thoroughly fascinated. I have always been taken by the exhuberant Italian Futurism movement of those times, and Mr. Lewis’ adventures seem like the UK’s answer to those Futurist claims. In addition to being a superb artist, Lewis also wrote several books and literary pieces. More on Wyndham Lewis in a future IEDEI post.
this painting is entitled “The Crowd”:
1969 East African Safari rally.
An adventure and its documentation. An event which is still alive today as more of a nostalgic event!
http://www.eastafricansafarirally.com/
Processing of Leather.
I am quite fond of leather and suede—the feel, the chemically treated smell, the wearing patterns, and the differences in quality and texture. The other day I found myself searching for explanations of how leather is made, and I found a couple of interesting videos—-3 videos which could not be contrasted any better, but all three of them beautifully filmed in their own way. Most excellent.
the saddest junkyard.
I was thoroughly intrigued when I was told about Gerard Gombert by my friend Misi from the superb Stipistop. At first i was enthralled and so excited to learn that a hardcore automobile enthusiast and hermit had aggregated a massive collection of glorious race cars, sports cars, and supercars. My excitement soon turned into anger when I read this written on Forocoches by “Felishuko” (who assumingly took some of the following photos):
“The sad part is that none of this is available and that after his death, his will says, “the whole lot will be crushed.””
Excuse me while I put my *face in palm*. Let me just show you a bit of what exactly lies in his garden junkyard. The photos are of graphic degredation and deterioration, especially when understanding what the ultimate fate is going to be of these cars. Mr. Gombert is said to be an old-school race car driver himself; so then we can assume that he is the real deal.
I will also extend a word to Mr. Gombert (who will likely never read this!) saying that If you are worried about someone monetizing these cars into something and using them to achieve wealth, I can promise you that there are enthusiasts in the world who will NOT do this….they don’t exist at RM auctions, Christie’s auctions, or any other high-brow, artificialized trader market—they do exist in the hearts and minds of true enthusiasts who don’t love cars for money; they love cars for their history, engineering, design, and the feeling they provide. In fact, some of them at least deserve places in a museum as you’ll see in the photos below.
These cars are serving life in prison, with no parole, and ready for the death sentence:
Alpine A310s:
Alpine A110s (oh the horror…..)
Lotus 30 (oh man…):
At least 2 Lamborghini Miuras (not pictured)
but by far….the most painful thing kept in this junkyard is the 1968 Le Mans class-winning Alpine A210. IT MUST BE RESCUED!
thanks to Misi for tipping me about this!
src: Forocoches and classicDriver
foto of the day. the perfect morning.
This photo does really make you wish you were there….i’m thinking cool temperatures, misty windy roads…..and an unknown location.
foto(s) of the day. NYC 1973.
I do love living in NYC, particularly in Brooklyn! NYC has both stayed the same and changed so much over the last 30-50 years. It is quite enjoyable listening to city old-timers tell their version of how NYC was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Seeing photos is also great. Here are 2 fantastic photos taken by Wil Blanche in 1973 of cars entering the Manhattan side of the Battery Tunnel towards Brooklyn as part of the Documerica project. Can you recognize all the iron in these pics? I get a good number of them….but a couple here and there which are just guesses!
As much as things change—-looking at these photos remind me of my experiences driving here every day. So i guess not everything changes that much!
src: hemmings
NYC Premiere: Truth in 24 II
Last night I attended the debut showing of Truth In 24 II (Part 2, “Every Second Counts”) at the Audi Forum NYC. If you haven’t been to the Audi Forum in NYC, well it’s another lovely place for Audiphiles such as myself to hang out for an hour or two for special events such as this one. Set on Park Ave. and 47th street—it is open during the week to the public, and on the weekends for special events such as this one. Thanks to George (who makes a striking cameo in the film!) for getting me on the list for this.
I am a huge fan of the original Truth In 24, as I think it is one of THE great motorsports documentaries ever made. Jason Statham returns as the voice behind the action, with a slightly overdramatic tone—-however one that really does capture some of the excitement of the spectacle which is Le Mans.
So we all know the story here—-the 2011 Le Mans was one of THE greatest in the history of the La Sarthe beast…..and hence the idea behind Ti24-II was even stronger than the original. The race was even more interesting, the car was even more stunning (the R18 TDI is just blisteringly cool), and the storyline of that race creates a total atmosphere of how one team battled fierce competition against crashes, adversity odds during the race to become the outright winners.
You don’t have to be an Audi Sport fan to love this documentary—you just have to love the idea of motorsports. Part 2 lifts off where Part 1 closed the door—and it feels more like a continuation of the story rather than a new one. I was captivated by the documentary—by the beauty of the race cars, the trauma of watching a stressful race which I remember watching live last summer, and by the excellent narration, cinematography, and conversations with race personnel.
This is a must watch, as was the first one. Truth In 24 II will be made digitally and on DVD very soon, and will be showing in premieres around the country until then. Go see it.
Audi R8 V10 Spyder parked in the Audi Forum.
foto of the day. 912 and Fulvia
Brushing shoulders! My friend Matteo from Switzerland really likes to park his Lancia Fulvia and Porsche 912 CLOSE! Looks like somebody has some parking skills!
foto of the day. Henningsvaer.
Not all great roads have to be twisty or meant for driving……i’d love to be driving around this beautiful northern area on this fine Sunday!
Henningsvaer, in Norway.
src: afloden
video of the day. Truth in 24 Part 2 official trailer!
If you haven’t seen the original “Truth In 24” you are really missing out. There is no reason you should NOT have seen the original! It is an amazing piece of filmmaking and a must-see for anyone into motor racing.
The exciting news is that part 2 is coming out about the R18 TDI’s dramatic win at the 2011 Le Mans. Very exciting stuff. That race was remarkable and now its been documented and will be released to coincide with the upcoming 2012 Le Mans!
Go here and watch the trailer for Part 2 and if you haven’t seen part 1, it is available FREE as a download through iTunes at the Audi USA site HERE
src: fourtitude
video(s) of the day. racing in el salvador
Alex Roy, as part of his trip to El Salvador adventures some more, this time even finding a track ready Alfa!
Here are parts 2 and 3. Both highly entertaining.
the art of size manipulation.
it’s all about perspective, isn’t it!?
This art and photography project by Skrekkogle is great, challenging the perspectives and altering our expectations of size.
Lotus return to rally with the Lotus Exige R-GT
I cannot wait to see Lotus entering this into the 2012 FIA WRC GT class, and although Lotus still hasn’t officially begun its season with this rally version of the Exige, they claim it will enter in competition for this 2012 season at some point.
Claudio Berro, Group Lotus’ Director of Motorsport, said: “When you consider that we’ve only began working on this car in July, I think what we’ve achieved in that time has been incredible. For me the Exige S makes the perfect GT rally car, it has an awesome 3.5-litre, supercharged engine, and we’ve managed to balance the weight perfectly to meet the minimum weight regulations.
365hp, to be exact! Wicked.
Video:
src: Lotus
video of the day. Alex Roy goes to El Salvador
Drive‘s Alex Roy goes to El Salvador to learn about the car culture there….very entertaining!
1974 Don Capasco Rally
Is there anything cooler than vintage Super8 rally footage? I doubt it!
Here’s the description of this video provided:
“In 1974 Australia’s first European-style special-stage rally was won rather fittingly by a 1973 Group 4 Alpine Renault A110, the first marque to win the World Rally Championship. The Alpine, Bernard Darniche’s Morocco-winning car, was driven to victory by 1970 Australian Rally Champion Bob Watson. This amateur movie, shot on Super-8 film and with the sound recorded on cassette tapes, has survived transfer to VHS tape, and now to a digital format. There are voice-over interviews with Bob Watson, Geoff Ross, the late Peter Brock, and Gerry Ball. The quality may not be the best, but this is an important part of the history of rallying in Australia.”
Could F1 be coming to New Jersey?
(photo from WSJ of proposed location of track)
(thanks to Stampchez [qw] for the tip!)
Being a NYC resident, i’m hugely excited by this article. We have heard this all before, as a couple of years ago there was some buzz about F1 coming to Liberty State Park in New Jersey—-but this time, there seems to be some positivity regarding the possibilities.
DO IT BERNIE, you sad old geeza!
link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903341404576484073501204538.html8
art of the day. zandvoort.
an original programme from Zandvoort, 1968
Italy; observations about motoring & their cars.
IEDEI is back after a week away in Italy. The purpose of this trip was not car-related, but as a vacation for my wife and I to get away from the busy NYC days and to check out Italy for the first time. Firstly, we loved Italy for its superb food, beautiful historical city and landscapes, lovely people, and it’s good vibes. I had originally planned to drive for a few days within Italy, however due to our short itinerary, we decided that using the superb Eurostar train system there seemed optimal and most efficient. The trains are of course very comfortable, and very easy to use—and I highly recommend them to anyone traveling through Italy or the rest of western Europe.
Here are a list of some basic observations I made about motoring and cars in Italy from a passenger point of view.
1. People have very eccentric parking habits in Rome—-pretty much makes NYC parking look like a regulated, organized affair.
2. The freeways are very tame, boring affairs—-similar to freeways anywhere else, including the US.
3. I would say 95% of the cars seen parked and driving consist of small, slow, functional economy hatchbacks.
4. In 7 days in Italy, through 4 cities (Roma, Firenze, Napoli, and Capri)—- i did not see a SINGLE Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, pre-1990 Alfa Romeo, pre-1990 Lancia, or pre-1990 Fiat. I was shocked at the lack of interesting Italian cars present there. I can honestly say that the most interesting cars I saw in Italy were a couple Alfa Romeo Breras, a bunch of fanastic Audis not readily seen in US markets(A1, S3, A3 Roadster, B8 S4 Avant, A4 Allroad), many Alfa Romeo 159s (which are much more beautiful in person than even the photos show), and ONE Alfa Romeo 147 GTA and ONE Alfa Romeo GTV (mid 90s version).
5. I spoke with a guy who was working at a Lancia repair centre, and asked him what he thought of the ‘new’ Lancias (like the Ypsilon) and he said “Lancia has not been Lancia for many years”—to which i completely agreed with him. When i asked him why Italians don’t drive ‘older’ Alfas and Lancias he told me “because it is not easy to drive an older Alfa or Lancia everyday in our cities, and many of the cars have broken and are gone”. I think this summed up the situation pretty well. Sad for classic cars in Italy then…..
6. I started wanting to buy a small hatchback. Even the absolutely terrible Lancia Ypsilon started to look alright to me after a week there—-but then i stopped drinking and remembered how rubbish it is. The ‘newer’ Alfa Romeo Mito and Alfa Romeo Giuliettas are very cool little cars…..the Giuletta is very beautiful in person, and would love to see it make it over to the US market. It has a lot more presence on the road than most hatchbacks its size. The Mito is the perfect Alfa answer to the small hatchback italian solution—-however I was shocked to see that the pricing on the Mito starts at 16k Euros and goes all the way into the low 20k range. The Audi A1 is a simply stunning example of a hatchback, beautifully proportioned, very stylish, and very well put together.
7. My wife commented that Audis parked there looked more Italian than Italian cars there…and I have to say that probably rings true for the modern cars being sold in Italy. Plenty of Audis there, as the Italians have picked up on the styling as well, and have bought into it. I would say that 1 out of every 3 ‘nice’ cars seems to be an Audi. This pleased my Audiphile tendencies, of course!
8. Word is, that the Alfa Romeo Museum has been shut for good——at least that’s what somebody told me there. I was not planning on visiting it on this trip anyways, however it seems that it was closed a couple of months ago for renovation, and there are no plans to re-open it—-which would be an absolute shame of course.
9. Fiats are definitely the most popular cars in Italy—–i’d say 6 to 1 over everything else.
10. Traffic is slow, pedestrians are plenty, traffic rules are not obeyed all the time, however I found it actually less chaotic than NYC driving—-at least from a passenger seat. The problem here in NYC is the amount of speed people carry on the roads; whereas in Italy, I didn’t seen people bustling in speed—at least not in the 4 cities I went to.
A couple random photos:
I did happen to stumble upon a ‘motoring’ channel on the Italian cable TV during our last night stay in Rome, where they showed 24 hour coverage of weird obscure motoring events around Italy—pretty cool I have to say! GTV InterMotori
IEDEI 