Tag Archives: Automobiles

Road Trips: Tour Of South Island, New Zealand (2023)

Curves Magazin (December 26, 2023) – A epic road trip through the southern island of New Zealand celebrating the 60th birthday of the Porsche 911.

The South Island of New Zealand is renowned for its mountains, lakes and glaciers. The Southern Alps, home to 3,724m-high Aoraki Mt. Cook, run along the entire length of the island. In the southwest is Fiordland National Park, with steep-sided Milford Sound. In the north is Abel Tasman National Park, known for its trails and ocean kayaking. Queenstown is famed for adventure sports like bungee jumping and skiing. 

World’s Finest Cars: 1938 Delage D8-120 S Cabriolet

ClassicDriver Magazine (November 7, 2023) – The Pearl Collection recently stole the show and won Peninsula Classics’ Best of the Best award with their fabulous Delage D8-120 S De Villars. We sat down with Fritz Burkard to understand what separates the best from the rest in the Concours world.

“It has a breathtaking presence. It looks good from every angle, it’s spectacular in design, and it’s unique. It has features from the period, like those riveted fins, which incorporate a bit of the Bugatti Atlantic. It has a bit of Saoutchik, a bit of Figoni et Falaschi, there’s everything in there, but it stands out and becomes something unique, it’s not a mix match.”

There’s a book called ‘From Passion to Perfection’ by Richard Adatto – it’s the bible for pre-war swooping lines and aerodynamics, it covers all the teardrops. It reaches out towards the Atlantic, to other streamlined cars, and it also has a chapter about the Delage. It’s not only my bible, but it also seems to be my shopping catalogue. There’s also the Delahaye 165, Merle Mullin has one and I have the other, there are only two made. She just drove hers to Pebble Beach and finished in the top four. Anyway, the the Delage got offered to me, and it took me maybe 15 seconds to say yes! 

Read more

Views: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut Coupé’

Kidston Productions Films (May 12, 2023) – History was made a year ago when the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut Coupé’ – the car that would never be sold – became the most valuable car ever to change hands.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR.

Arguably it transformed the way other collectors think about cars being “just cars”. Mercedes made two of these coupés for a race that never happened, and after press testing and high speed VIP rides chauffeured by race team boss Rudolf Uhlenhaut (that’s him in pic 7) they lived a sheltered life in the factory museum with rare appearances at historic events: ‘Red’ (nicknamed for its upholstery, as opposed to ‘Blue’) had covered just over 5,000km when it was sold.

READ MORE

Classic Concept Cars: The 1955 Lincoln Indianapolis

Classic Driver (February 23, 2023) – The Lincoln Indianapolis concept was created in 1955 by Carrozzeria Boano, using the chassis and running gear from the 1955 Lincoln. The only time it was shown to the public as a new concept study was at the 1955 Turin Motor Show. 

Out-jetting the jet set at The Ice St Moritz with a one-off Lincoln Indianapolis

If you’re planning to hit The Ice St Moritz this weekend, prepare to be amazed at the sight of this unique Lincoln Indianapolis that’s likely to ‘out-jet’ anything that even the famous jet-set resort has to offer. 

AI/Design 2023: ‘Architect-Style Cars’ By Moss & Fog

Moss & Fog (February 2023) – What if they designed cars, as well as buildings? Would they look like the architect’s famous creations? Would the car embody their trademark style?

We’ve enlisted AI to help us explore the ‘what if?‘. We used the program MidJourney to help visualize what an architect-derived car might look like. It was a fun visual journey, creating images that fit the time period and overall style of the famous architect in question.

Frank Lloyd Wright  (1867-1959)

Zaha Hadid  (1950-2016)

Eero Saarinen  (1910-1961)

Antoni Gaudí  (1852-1926)

Classic Car Shows: Best Of ‘Retromobile 2023’ In Paris

Retromobile Officie, PARIS — Once a year, the city of Paris sets aside its hatred of cars and welcomes enthusiasts from around the world to the Retromobile show. First held as a small gathering in 1976, Retromobile has become one of the largest classic-car-only events on the planet. There’s something there for everyone, whether you’re looking to buy a classic Ferrari, a model of one, an ignition coil for a Fiat 126, or just about anything in between.

Retromobile takes place in the heart of the French capital, in the same venue as the Paris auto show, and its massive size attracts big-name vendors and exhibitors. It’s one of the few events that draws major manufacturers. Renault traveled to the 2023 edition to celebrate 30 years of the original Twingo, the Italian side of Stellantis showcased what its Heritage Hub’s restoration team is capable of, and the French side of the group displayed several classics from its collection, including a Citroën SM-based prototype built by Michelin to test tires.

Automobile Technology: BMW Unveils ‘iVision Dee’

CNET (January 5, 2023) – BMW i Vision Dee is the futuristic mid-size sedan with a new and pared-down design language. The name “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience – and that is precisely its aim: to create an even stronger bond between people and their cars going forward. Future digital functions will go far beyond the level of voice control and driver assistance systems we are familiar with today.

The BMW Head-Up-Display extends across the full width of the windscreen, providing a glimpse of the next vehicle generation. From 2025 onwards, this innovation will be available in the models of the NEUE KLASSE. The BMW Group has also refined its use of colour-change technology. Having unveiled the BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink, with the ability to change from black to white, at the last CES, BMW i Vision Dee can now curate its exterior in up to 32 colours. 

North Africa Road Trip: 15 Lamborghinis In Morocco

It wasn’t a typical car tour but a Mission to celebrate one of our all-time automotive love affairs and what we prefer doing with it: just getting out and driving.  We hope this short snapshot incapsulates the feeling of adventure that touched us all during four unforgettable days in a faraway land.

Morocco, mountainous country of western North Africa that lies directly across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain.

Morocco
Morocco

The traditional domain of indigenous peoples now collectively known as Berbers (self-name Imazighen; singular, Amazigh), Morocco has been subject to extensive migration and has long been the location of urban communities that were originally settled by peoples from outside the region. Controlled by Carthage from an early date, the region was later the westernmost province of the Roman Empire. Following the Arab conquest of the late 7th century CE, the broader area of North Africa came to be known as the Maghrib (Arabic: “the West”), and the majority of its people accepted Islam. Subsequent Moroccan kingdoms enjoyed political influence that extended beyond the coastal regions, and in the 11th century the first native Amazigh dynasty of North Africa, the Almoravids, gained control of an empire stretching from Andalusian (southern) Spain to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Attempts by Europeans to establish permanent footholds in Morocco beginning in the late 15th century were largely repulsed, but the country later became the subject of Great Power politics in the 19th century. Morocco was made a French protectorate in 1912 but regained independence in 1956. Today it is the only monarchy in North Africa.

Future Of Automobiles: ‘Lightyear 0 Solar Car’

“I think most electric vehicles will have a solar roof in the future,” he told Dezeen. “It’s a topic that all big car manufacturers are working on.”

Integrated solar panels could help electric cars rival their fossil-fuel counterparts by making them less reliant on charging points and potentially free to run, says Lightyear‘s Emanuele Cornagliotti in this interview as part of our Solar Revolution series.

Lightyear 0’s in-wheel motor technology sets new industry standards and offers greater control on tricky terrains. Not only is our drivetrain in pole position for the highest efficiency, but it also reduces the number of rotating components, meaning much lower maintenance!

Image

Website

Classic Car Race Festivals: 2022 Goodwood Revival

After a year of mind-blowing car events, it was fantastic to return to Goodwood Motor Circuit for the 2022 Goodwood Revival. As ever, the first thing that hits you upon entering the UK’s foremost classic car festival is the atmosphere.

With pristine vintage metal and immaculately prepared period outfits swirling around Goodwood’s picturesque grounds, the only giveaway that we weren’t in fact back in the 1960s was the flurry of smartphones held aloft to capture the weekend’s most unforgettable moments. Of course, we had to join in ourselves, and so we present to you our favourite memories from this year’s Revival.

This year, Ferrari celebrated its 75th anniversary, and what better place could there be to showcase Scuderia’s finest race cars than the Goodwood Revival? Lining up on the grid this weekend were some of the greatest racing machines of all time, including two Le Mans winners – the Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta that won the 24 Hours in 1949 and the Ferrari 275 P that claimed an overall win at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1963 and 1964.

As part of the tribute, Graham Hill’s son and fellow F1 World Champion, Damon Hill, took to the track in ‘Old Faithful’, the 1962 title-winning BRM P578, among a cavalcade of cars from Graham Hill’s illustrious motorsport career. A fitting tribute to one of history’s greatest drivers, especially as Saturday was Damon’s birthday!