Gratuitous Racing Shot.

Austin Seven Special+empty Laguna Seca= Better Thursday than you're having.


Via: Conceptcarz

Happy Hump Day.

MiTo GTA, Absolutely Exhausted.

Ahem, Mr. President!

Don't know if you caught it yesterday (if not you can see it here), but in the middle of his address to congress, president Obama stated emphatically, "the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it." This seemed to imply that the United States was that nation and not Germany as everyone knows it was (except as we're about to discover, it wasn't). Of course, the US was the first nation to truly mass produce the automobile, thanks to Henry and his "T" but that's another story.

From the moment he said it the internet and radio were abuzz with corrective statements attempting to lead the President's attention to one Karl Benz of the then recently united Germany, who's 1885-6 Motorwagen is irrefutably the first commercially available vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine. Well then, job well done everybody. Glad we could bring this to the attention of an administration charged with running the most powerful nation in the world. Aren't we all so smart...

Shut up everyone until you know what you're talking about. That's the lesson here. Clearly Herr Benz was very much on the cutting edge of internal combustion technology in his day, and was the first to patent his invention. But to name him as the father of all that is the automobile is to ignore the efforts of many others. Here I will name but four.

1. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, 1885-6: At the same tim that Benz was finishing off his Motorwagen, Maybach and Daimler were putting the finishing touches on the engine that would make the motorcar more a practical concern and less a novelty. The fact that the work of these two men went on separate from, and without detailed knowledge of the work of Benz, and the broader application of their work (they created the first motorcycle, and were the first to use four wheels on an gas-powered vehicle, they also were the first to apply their new engine to marine craft).

2. Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot, 1769: This gentleman almost certainly created the first self-propelled vehicle that did not require a fabricated running surface (a track in other words). Cugnot's fardier à vapeur (Roughly: "Steam Wagon") was designed at the behest of Louis XV of France to carry heavy artillery pieces (incidentally, in may have also been involved in the first car crash when it went out of control and smashed into the wall of an Arsenal), but was abandoned due to poor performance. If though, an automobile is defined as a vehicle that is able to run without a prepared track, carries its own power source and some fuel, is able to carry a load other than that required to power it, and can be controlled from within (and I think that's a pretty good definition), then this is really where it first came together.

3. Ferdinand Verbiest, 1672: Bit of a mystery here, and there's some debate as to whether it was ever built. Even if it was, it doesn't satisfy all the requirements of being an automobile because it almost certainly couldn't have been ridden, or controlled. Still, this Jesuit monk at least created a design for what, if it was indeed built, would have been a very early example of a self propelled vehicle. I for one find this sketch somehow darling with its modified Hero's Engine concept driving an impeller. It's the first turbine car!

So, I hope this has cleared up a little bit for some people. In between of course go the lives of countless imitators and innovators who's stories will have to be recounted another day. Now if you're ever elected to the highest office in the land, you'll know the history of the industry to which you're offering a bailout, back to its earliest incarnations. And if you're the internet charged with correcting that person, you won't sound like an idiot for starting more than two hundred years after the story began.

Saturday At Autobooks, III

A very cool Saturday this week, with the members of the local Alfa Romeo club bringing out their cars, and several other cool cars besides. I have to confess to first borrowing my friend Justin's camera for the day, then forgetting to bring it, so it's the same lousy phone-pics we usually get. I know, I suck. Still there's a good number of pics, and some really cool cars. The day was capped off for me by a ride in the very same Daytona from last week's pics. Hat-tip to my new best friend Marty for taking me on the ride of the year, even after the H2 nudged off one of the Ferrari's bumper "eyebrows." I am wondering how I managed to keep from photographing any of the GTVs at the store, but oh well... Sorry this installment is a bit late (as if people were waiting for it), but it was my birthday on Monday, and I've been distracted. Here we go then.

Lancia Fulvia HF Fanalone: I'll get more and better pics of this at a later date, it's spectacular, and a treat to ride in.


Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider:


Alfetta GTVs and GTV-6:


Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider:


Mercedes AMG CLK DTM: That's a lot of initialism, even for an epic car.


Cadillac V12 Convertible: Wish I'd been able to get more pics of this one. Another week perhaps.


Jaguar XK120 Roadster:


Lotus Europa S1:


Well, that's about all I was able to take this week. I'm trying to borrow a camera in time for car night this week, and maybe I'll have it for the Hot Rod Art book signing this week. Here's hoping I remember to bring it!

This Week, We Wish We Were Commuting In.

Well! That was a blast commuting last week in the Alfa Romeo SS. It's light weight and tiny, high revving engine made it agile in traffic, and exciting to drive, if a little manic. This week though we're going in a different direction because, it's stopped raining in SoCal, and isn't set to start again for the rest of the week! Yes, we're excited too. In fact, it's set to be a banner week of sunny days and cool breezes; so what better week to indulge in the joys of a small roadster?

A couple of parameters: First, the car needs to have wind up side glass. We know, we know, but we do a lot of night driving, and warming up is helped when you don't have to take the side windows out of the trunk first. Second, we're still not in the mood to spend the end of my commute erecting a top that rivals an A-frame tent for complexity, fold it and forget it, that's what we're looking for. Finally, we're not really looking for awesome power, so a nice, small, efficient "four" will be just the ticket.

That said, it's a real crap shoot out there with lots of choices and huge range of comfort and performance. So, what roadster to choose. Well, as you may have figured out, this site isn't really about going fast (though clearly, we don't mind if we do), but about driving fun, and interesting cars. The obvious choice for a roadster is an MGB, and there is a lot to recommend that car, including simplicity of maintenance and huge parts availability, a function of the "B" being one of the most popular sports cars of all time. That same ubiquitousness of course makes the MGB kind of boring, a worthy car, but...

No, what we're looking for is something a little out of the ordinary, but not too expensive (which itself will make a nice change). We could look to Alfa Romeo, with their Duetto or to Fiat and their 124 Spider, but those cars aren't exactly rare and anyway, this blog has been looking a little Italian lately. So it's to the rest of Europe and the Isles (we're foregoing the Far East for the moment) that we must look.

We think we've found a good answer. It's rare these days, it's not as fun to drive as something like a Sprite, of a Elan, but it's a pleasant car, and a pretty one, in the vein of a Triumph Spitfire. It also has room enough for commuting and, in case we want to get out of town this weekend, touring.

So, without further adieu, the car we'll be enjoying sun and air in this week is...

The Series I Sunbeam Alpine!

Ok, it's not fast, not at all. In fact, this is the slowest of the Alpines, which is saying something. The 1494cc, OHV four cylinder gives a 0-60mph time of around 14 seconds, and it will struggle to break the ton even with a tailwind. We think it looks great though, with its down-draft Strombergs and seperate header tank. To address some of the performance issues, we're thinking about fitting the engine upgrade kit and suspension pieces from the faster, more powerful Harrington Alpine coupes, which should help with getting on. An overdrive gearbox would be a nice addition too, and help keep the fuel milage in the 30s.

We're going to go ahead and wish for one of the removable hard-tops, in body color. It's a nice piece to have for any roadster, and that of early Alpines is one of the nicest looking, doing nothing to spoil the attractiveness of the lines. In fact, with the hard-top in place the Alpine takes on the aspect of a miniature Maserati 3500 GT, well, if you squint a bit anyway... Of course, it also carries the benefit of turning the little Sunbeam into a snug coupe, should the weather man turn out to be less than accurate. Along the same, comfort oriented line, we're going to want the Micorcell seats that were an option on the Harrington cars. Wire wheels should be all that's needed to get the exterior in line aesthetically.

The rest of the car is pretty conventional, with control arms holding the front off the ground while the rear has a live axle on Semi-elliptic leaf-springs. It does feature unit construction though, which we weren't totally expecting, as well as front disk brakes. Really, the car is more about comfort than it is about speed or even handling. It'll offer a nice ride on the freeway, but still acquit itself well on twisting roads because it will be lighter to drive than an MGA or TR-3. We're looking forward to early morning commutes, top down with the heater on and the side windows rolled up.

So that's this week's choice. It's a long-shot in a lot of ways, but it's a good, unusual roadster that combines comfort and style like few others. There's even the matter of a true folding roof that drops completely out of sight behind a clever cover system that also forms the rear seat-back. Not that you'd ever think of using the rear seat for anything besides your jacket or shopping.

No, the Alpine may not entertain on country roads to quite the same extent as an MG or a Triumph, and both those cars would probably leave it for dead. This is a segment about commuting though, and here the Alpine gives everything that could be hoped for. The modifications we've asked for will give the car the power and handling it needs to not only make its way in traffic, but also reclaim some of its rallying/racing heritage when we cut out for the weekend. Despite the cars that appear in the pictures, we'll take ours in Moonstone over Scarlet, with Moonstone piping.

Pagani Zonda R.

Revel in the hotness kids...