Category: Film

How you build a vintage 356 Carrera Speedster Zagato nowadays

Stumbled upon this video on Petrolicious last night. Zagato has just created what they call the “Sanction Lost” program. The Sanction Lost initiative was created to celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary. The idea is to recreate some of the design firm’s “lost” projects. The cars will be produced in a very limited form, and all hand-made, using period correct techniques and materials.

The Zagato 356 Carrera Speedster was a one-off produced in 1957, that was destroyed in a race accident not long after it was delivered. Because of it’s beautiful lines, this will be the first of the Sanction Lost cars. With the official blessing from Porsche, only nine will be produced, all spoken for.

I know it’s a cliché, but to me this car is poetry in motion.

How you build a vintage E-Type nowadays

Remember in my review of Jaguar’s E-Type Lightweight when I said that in 1963 Jaguar planned to produce 18 units? By 1964 however, upper management decided to cut production short after number 12 was done.

Astonishingly, back in 2015, Jaguar decided to complete the 18 car run. In their Browns Lane factory, where the Lightweight was originally produced, the missing 6 cars came to life. Built to original specifications, and utilising the unused chassis numbers, these “new” Lightweights came out of the factory exactly like their older brothers back in 1963 and 1964.

With a price of over £1million, they sold out even before production began. Ain’t it nice to have lots of money?

Sir Stirling Moss’ greatest victory

The 1955 Milli Miglia, of course.

His record of 10h7’48” still stands to this day, and will never be beaten. Why? Because the Mille Miglia was absolutely insane. Imagine around 500 cars on public roads going over 200 km/h through cities and villages. Oh, and those roads were NOT closed to the public.

And some say that the Avusrennen was bonkers…

A rusty 911

This morning I stumbled upon the video from Petrolicious. To resume the story, the car was a barn find, but the new owner opted to keep it as he found it. Gave it a total mechanical overhaul, but everything else is how it was when the car was found in a shed in Japan.

I’m a big fan of originality and character in a car, but I have to say that to see such a lovely vehicle like that all covered in rust makes me uneasy. I for one would try to leave some patina but the ugly time scars would have to go.

What would you do? Keep it as is or restore it?

917 turns 50

March 12th, 1969, is an important date for some gearheads (like yours truly). On this day, 50 years ago, at the Geneva Motor Show, Porsche unveiled the 917. It was a very important car for the manufacturer, since it was their shot at attempting an overall win at Le Mans. As history shows us, the begining was really rough, but in the end the 917 won not once but twice at La Sarthe.

The first 917 ever, chassis #917-001, has been restored to it’s original condition of that famous homologation photo. After a painstaking and meticulous job that took over an year, the car is ready and is now displayed at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

Up above is a nice short video (3m40s) about the 917 by The Wheel Network.

Jesko: the new Koenigsegg

Christian von Koenigsegg has a new car out, and of course it’s an hypercar. The Jesko was officially revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, earlier this week. Up above you have Christian himself explaining some of the engineering and the ideas behind the car. If you have 36 minutes available and are a gearhead like me, watch it. Well, I am a confess a Ksegg fanboy, but nonetheless it’s still ice cool.

And yes, I really need one for the W-143 Garage.

Captain Nice’s speed record

In August 9, 1975, Mark Donohue drove a 917/30 at an average speed of 353.84 km/h (221.160 mph) at the Talladega Superspeedway, in Alabama, USA.

Nowadays the record belongs to Gil de Ferran. In 2000, aboard a Penske Reynard-Honda, he reached an average of 386.285 km/h (241.428 mph) at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

But Donohue’s car was MUCH cooler.