As you may have noticed, i’ve become quite enamored with photography these days. Here is my latest purchase, a like-new, mint condition Leica M5. To me, this is THE coolest Leica M camera ever made (along with the M Monochrome….dream on!)….i’d been wanting one for a while—-and now I have a shiny, perfect example of one purchased as NM/new old stock! Still working on the first roll of B&W film.
It’s a strange feeling taking photos and not previewing them digitally on the screen instantly; BUT it makes for a really great partner to the wonderfulM8.1 I have been using these days. Digital and film; the best of both worlds! I am very happy with this combination.
I also have a Chiyoda Kogoku Super Rokkor 50mm F1.8 LTM lens on order, which will be then going onto the camera. For now, I have the CV 35mm F1.4 mounted…..temporarily.
The Leica ABCDE looks like a GREAT SLR design from 1970 (albeit with possibly the worst name ever for a camera…lol). Why didn’t they use it? I haven’t the slightest clue. Not much is known about this concept, however it was seen on a Leica Factory Tour in 2009 by DPReview.com (the link to their tour, unfortunately, does not work—however the pictures are found in search).
The Leica S1 (below) from 1996 has to be one of the least useable camera designs ever! I cannot even imagine focusing while holding a gigantic ring—-or maybe it’s genius!? Who knows….all we know is that it seems to have cool digital buttons on the top. The colour is right as well. It may make for a nice steering wheel though.
I love how funky the Lamborghini Jarama is—and I love that it doesn’t look like any other Lamborghini. Designed by Gandini, It had cartoonish looks: dintinctly conventional looking body panels set to a bizarrely low-slung, frankenstein set of proportions. All in all, i think this may be one of the most underappreciated Lamborghinis ever made—along with my personal favourite: the Islero
This is such a great ‘period’ documentary/commercial issued by Porsche about their new 928. Obviously Porsche had grand hopes regarding the 928 when it was launched, and was touted within the company as the successor to the Porsche 911—–obviously we all know how that turned out!
That’s not to say that the 928 was not successful—-because it was successful as a front-engined sports car. I have to say as a kid, i think i loved the 928 more than i loved the 911 of that era (early 80s). The 928 had the most wicked rear end, and had a lot of presence on the road—-whereas the early 80s 911 had big bumpers and looked sort of like a cartoon. Fast forward to 2012, I think the 911 of that era has aged quite well (maybe because it is timeless?) whereas the 928 looks like it is trapped in the time of that era.
Either way—–enjoy this video presented in 4 parts. It has nice features, including lots of people with moustaches and/or mullet-y hair!
Nigel Smuckatelli has catalogued many of his photos from the 60s and 70s on his flickr page, and in his own words: “Most of my photos were taken as a college student who volunteered as a safety official at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in the late 60’s and early 70’s.”
He has literally thousands of photos on his page….a good percentage of them are photos he took, although mixed in there are also stock and obtained photos…..but well worth sifting through them…so make sure you follow the link above! Here are some of his original photographs i loved:
I’m not sure what to think of the design of the Lamborghini Jarama, but I will say that it has to be one of the most unique and oddest supercar designs of the 70s.
The owners of early 70s 911s who try to make their cars look ‘modern’ should be imprisoned. This guy, on the other hand has done the glorious thing and ‘backdated’ his 1988 911 into a 1971 Porsche 911 with upgraded parts and spec’d out.
The result is something which is quite simply…..wonderful.
click here to see the Craigslist AD ($38,000 in case you are obsessed)
What a stunning concept this was—-in a series of MB “C” concepts. This one, in particular, reminds me of those 1930s Silver Arrow streamline design studies…
This is a fascinating show which was aired in the UK by BBC. Split into 4 parts on YouTube; it documents some of the safety issues and concerns in 1950+ F1 racing. There is some great footage, accompanied by sad and disturbing accident footage—-however it is overall, much much more interesting than just an accident compilation. Well worth watching if you are into F1 history as I have become…
The part in Part 3 where Nick Drake’s music comes on in the background, while they are on Jim Clark’s onboard is just one of the most special pieces of a show i can remember in recent memory—-superb.
(Thanks to John Patterson for pointing this video series out!)
i love finding cool older cars which I am not familiar with….which i really start digging. The as-posted-the-other-day Isuzu 117 Coupe is one of those cars; and here is another one by the obscure, underdog, and defunct japanese carmaker Isuzu. Isuzu still makes commercial trucks, engines, and transport materials; however they stopped making cars in the past decade.
I have a soft spot for 60s Japanese cars, especially built by underdog companies like Isuzu; because i feel it represents a time in the japanese automotive industry where they had passion for what they were trying to make. Sure they were copying the italian style of the 60s (Alfa, Lancia, Fiat….) however those cars were cool; so they were in turn copying cool cars, but with their own japanese twist which made for some very cool, small coupes and sedans. The perfect example of this is the Isuzu Bellett GT and GTR Coupe. I have to say that i really love the chunky round shape of this coupe; it is very unique even for its time. I love the light curve on the roofline. I’ve never seen one in person, but i hope to. I found a few used i Japan, and they sell for between $20-30k now.
“The GT-R, more specifically GT Type-R (for “racing”), was a racing version of the GT, also available to individual customers. First presented in September 1969, the GT-R featured a 1.6 L DOHC engine from the 117 Coupe, power brakes and numerous other modifications. It was visually different from other Belletts primarily by a specific paint scheme, which included a completely black hood. The GT-R achieved many successes in racing, and has gained its own fan community. Only about 1,400 GT-Rs were manufactured.
Though the GT-R was one of the first cars to be called “GT-R”, the Nissan Skyline GT-R was in fact earlier, with the PGC10 GT-R being released six months beforehand, in March 1969. The Holden Torana GTR was released in October 1969. However, there was a Bridgestone GTR motorbike which predates all of these. It is also worth noting that Isuzu used the Type-R designation long before Honda adopted it.” (WP)
So lately i’ve been commuting by the NYC subway for work every morning. I gotta say that i really miss driving to work (although my previous commute from Brooklyn to Long Island was pretty UN-inspiring).
But i did see this today on my walk to the subway!
Citroen Service Van! Not sure what year or the story behind it…saw the owner get out, but didn’t get a chance to speak with him…if i see him again, i’ll be sure to ask.
IEDEI 
