Tag Archives: Ralph

Do You Like Our Calender ? – GALPOT Automobilia

A couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a clear out whilst reorganising my library and the time has come to dispose of a number of items which may be of interest through my lightpress account on e-bay.

FIAT 125 'Special', Advertisement, Connaissance des arts

First up from this weeks advertisements taken from Connaissance des arts is this 1969 FIAT 125 “Special” ad. The FIAT 125 was launched in 1967, the following year a 100hp 5 speed Special was added to the range. Note some of the styling features were to be found on the smaller FIAT 124 based Zhiguli 2106. Note the influential grey shades of Claude Monet’s Waterloo Bridge in the fog paintings in the photography.

Mercedes Benz W108, Advertisement, Connaissance des arts

The Mercedes Benz advertisement above features a Mercedes Benz W108 with twinned yellow headlights as were mandatory in France until 1993. The strap line approximately translates as “Your first Mercedes dice this year … WHY not!”.

Renault 16, Advertisement, Connaissance des arts

Car adverts which appeal to the allure of the open road are always a hit, when I was travelling the controlled access highways or Autoroutes in France the ads actually lived up to the hype. Above a Renault 16 glides across a yet to be identified landscape in an undated ad from 1968 or later. The strap line approximately translates as “The smooth strength (of) the Renault 16 is more durable”

Rover 2000, Advertisement, Connaissance des arts

The copy of in the April 1965 Rover 2000 ad above makes mention of Rovers class winning performance in the 1965 Monte Carlo rally but makes no mention of Roger Clark the driver much less Jim Porter the co driver. The 104hp single carb Rover 2000 was not joined by the 124hp twin carb Rover 2000TC until 1966. The best I could manage with the translation of the strap line is the slightly surreal “Do you like our calender?” If you know better please do not hesitate to put me out of my surreal misery using the comments box below.

Simca 1501 "Special", Advertisement, Connaissance des arts

Finally another ad featuring low light boosted by artificial light, this Simca 1501 Special ad by the Havas Conceil agency dates from January 1969. The strap line approximately translates as “Simca 1501 Special, the for built for the Le Mans 24 hours (race) daily”

Standard Fire Extinguisher – Aston Martin DB5 Convertible

Aston Martin, DB5 Convertible, Race Retro, Stonebridge

The Aston Martin DB5 billed as a luxury Grand Tourer was introduced in 1963, it was an evolution of the DB4 models that preceded it.

Aston Martin, DB5 Convertible, Race Retro, Stonebridge

Standard on the DB5 were the faired in headlights first seen on some DB4 and DB4GT models.

Aston Martin, DB5 Convertible, Race Retro, Stonebridge

Mechanically the the DB5 received a 240hp 4 litre version of the straight six designed by Tadek Marek for the DB4, fitted to a new ZF 5 speed synchromesh gearbox. With three carburetors the enlarged engine produced 280 hp enough to give the DB5 a top speed of 145 mph. Operation of the disc brakes was aided by twin servo’s.

Aston Martin, DB5 Convertible, Race Retro, Stonebridge

The the body work again designed by Carrozzeria Touring and used the Superleggera tube frame to attached the panels to the chassis.

Aston Martin, DB5 Convertible, Race Retro, Stonebridge

The 1964 convertible seen here in the car park, at last years Race Retro exhibition in Stonebridge, is one of just 123 DB5 convertibles built between 1963 and 1965.

Aston Martin, DB5 Convertible, Race Retro, Stonebridge

In all 1,023 Aston Martin DB5’s of all types were manufactured which included 13 that were built or modified into shooting brake / estate / station wagons which came fitted with a fire extinguisher as standard.

Thanks for joining me on this “Standard Fire Extinguisher” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Longer Taller – Aston Martin DB4 Series V

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The Aston Martin DB4 launched in 1958 was an all new car that would be updated and modified through the DB5 and DB6 models built up until 1971.

Aston Martin DB4, Brooklands, Double Twelve

The all aluminium six cylinder Tadek Marek designed motor featured twin overhead cams and produced 240hp. Enough to propel the car from rest to 60 mph in 9.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 139 mph. DB4’s were fitted with servo assisted disc brakes.

Aston Martin DB4, Brooklands, Double Twelve

The superleggera body was designed by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan and could be ordered with the headlights faired in.

Aston Martin DB4, Brooklands, Double Twelve

DB4’s were built in five distinct series, the model seen here at Brooklands Double Twelve meeting last year is a 1963 Series V, first seen in 1962, which is distinguished by having a longer and taller body on smaller diameter wheels than the first four DB4 series.

Aston Martin DB4, Brooklands, Double Twelve

In all 1,110 DB4’s were built with 2+2 coupé, 2 seat Coupé or 2+2 drophead bodies, additionally 75 DBGT’s were built on a shorter wheel base shared with 19 DB4GT Zagato’s and one DB4GT with bodywork by Bertone known as the Bertone Jet.

Thanks for joining me on this “Longer Taller” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an Aston Martin DB5 Convertible. Don’t forget to come back now !

Unique Among Rare – Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato #0188/L

In 1958 Aston Martin launched it’s all new DB4, which owed very little to the Claude Hill designs that spanned the 1939 concept Atom through the; DB2, DB2/4 and concluded with the 1957 Mark III. In September 1959 a short wheel base of the DB4GT was announced of which 75 were built and in October 1960 a DB4GT with light weight body work and further weight saving by Ercole Spada at Zagato was shown at the London Motor Show.

Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, Danville Concours d'Elegance

The DB4GT Zagato was powered by a Tadek Marek designed 314 hp, 3670 cc / 223 cui, all aluminium straight six motor fitted to a 4 speed all synchromesh gearbox that could push the car from rest to 60mph in just 6.1 seconds, 3 seconds faster than a standard DB4, and on to a top speed of 154mph. The disc brakes however did not have servo assistance.

Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, Danville Concours d'Elegance

The plan was to build 25 DB4GT Zagato’s however at £5,470, they were not a fast seller and production was halted with just 19 original cars built. Today’s featured car is unique among the 19 because it does not feature the faired in front head lights common to it’s 18 siblings.

Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, Danville Concours d'Elegance

With the relative rarity of these cars pushing up prices and numerous of the 75 DB4GT’s being converted to Zagato specification, in 1988 Aston Martin approved the uprating of four DB4 chassis to DB4GT specification and for these chassis to be sent to Zagato in Italy to be built into works approved replica’s known as Sanction II’s, which were outwardly similar to the original but in no way identical. These four cars sold for over US$ 1,000,000 … each !

In 2000 Aston Martin sanctioned two further DB4’s to be similarly upgraded by Zagato and this pair of cars are known as Sanction III’s.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photograph’s taken at Danville Concours d’Elegance last year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unique Among Rare” edition of Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another Aston Martin DB4. Don’t forget to come back now !

Grigio Ingrid – Ferrari 250 GT Competition Berlinetta Speciale #0403

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Unbelievably, thanks to the continuing support from you dear reader the “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres adventure today enters it’s fourth year. To mark the occasion I have selected, in my humble opion, one of the finest Ferrari’s known to humanity.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Chassis #O403 has a one off body by Pinin Farina that was to have been given to Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman in 1956 who was, at the time married to Italian film director Roberto Rosselini.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

For reasons that are not clear to me, Ingrid never took delivery of the car, possibly because her relationship with Rosselini whom she would divorce in 1957 was drawing to a close.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The car ended up being sold to American James Gerard Murray who lived in Modena and Pittsburg.
In 1986 #0403, painted red since 1983, was being offered at a knockdown price of $145,000, down from 175,000 by the same vendor.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#0403 changed hands for 1.6 million dollars in 1989, but by 1999 it was bought for ‘just’ $945,000.The following year it was restored to it’s original Grigio Ingrid, a colour mixed just to suit Ingrid Bergman, that had first been seen on a pair of custom Ferrari 375 MM’s built for Rosselini and Bergman in 1954.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

When Sergio Pininfarina saw the elegant #0403 at Pebble Beech in 2004 he commented that it was one of his favourite.

Thanks for joining me on this third birthday “Grigio Ingrid” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, thanks also for sticking with the blog, if you have not done so before do not be afraid to like the “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ facebook page, to share the page with your friends or leave a comment below. I’ll be continuing the series commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Aston Martin tomorrow with another car that has a Scandinavian connection. Don’t forget to come back now !

Big Block Small Block – Chevrolet Corvette C2

Continuing this months 60th Corvette Anniversary on Americana Thursday today’s Chevrolet Corvette C2 is a 1964 model owned by Tommy and Ross Thompson since 2007.

Chevrolet Corvette, Rolex Reunion, Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca

Form the information sheet it would appear the Thompson’s have a big block 7 litre / 427 cui motor and a 5.3 litre 327 cui small block motor as seen here to race with.

Chevrolet Corvette, Rolex Reunion, Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca

The known history of this car starts in 1986 when Mark Brown, bought sponsored and raced the car up until 1992. Thereafter it passed into the hands of Bill Morrison and almost immediately on to Bill Gagliano who owned it up until 2007. Since then Tommy Thompson has won numerous classic racing awards including the Monterey Trophy for performance and presentation.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took today’s photograph’s at the recent Rolex Reunion, Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca.

Thanks for joining me on this “Big Block Small Block” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a convertible Ferrari that hit the race track for a single 1000km race at the Nurburgring. Don’t forget to come back now !

Coffee, Croissant & Cars #09/13 – Avenue Drivers Club

On second Sunday’s of the week in Bristol there is nowhere quite like Queen Square in Bristol for car enthusiasts to go for the monthly gathering of the Avenue Drivers Club.

Sunbeam 14/40, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

I managed to get down there at 8:30 am for the last meeting and already enthusiasts were coming in thick and fast. Around 2850 Sunbeam 14/40’s like the example above were built between 1924 and 1926, among novelties for the period were standard front brakes.

Abarth, 500, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Amongst those I met on the day was regular GALPOT reader Colin who owns this 2010 Abarth 500 one of the earliest imported examples of the type that did not spend it’s early life on the Hertz Rental fleet.

Triumph 2500 PI Mk2, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Readers of last Tuesdays blog might remember that Brian Culcheth and Johnstone Syer drove a Triumph 2500 PI Mk2 like the 1970 example seen here to a second place on the London to Mexico World Cup Rally.

Moss Monaco, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

John Cowperthwaite designed and built the first Moss Kit Car in Sheffield around 1981, it is thought 70 Moss Monaco‘s have been built, mostly using either Triumph Herald or Ford Escort motors and running gear.

Plymouth Special De Luxe Coupe, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Plymouth’s first new model after the 1939/45 was was the Deluxe, introduced in 1946, which came with a push button on the dash to start the 95 hp straight six motor. The example above appears to be a 1948 Special De Luxe Coupé.

Ford Ranchero, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Looking like it came out of the Twighlight B&W TV series was this 1957 Ford Ranchero, which circulated the Square once before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

VW Golf VR6 MkIII, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

The secret of low riding is air suspension, this two owner Golf VR6 MkIII rides on air suspension sourced from a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) trailer.

Lincoln Continental, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Looking suitably presidential with it’s red flashing lights mounted behind the grill and suicide rear doors was this 1964 Lincoln Continental which was imported into this country in 1991.

McLaren 12C Great , Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Embarrassingly when I saw this Mclaren Great 12C I half expected Austin Powers to step out. It turns out that McLaren have been supporting an innovation initiative with these Union Jack liveried cars with the strap line, Innovation Is Great Britain.

Porsche 911 RS, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Finally rumour had it that the owner of this Porsche RS had to break out a pick axe to remove some rubber sleeping policeman his ex wife had installed in a shared drive way, just to get the RSR bodied Porsche onto the road !

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee, Croissant & Cars #09/13” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me for Americana Thursday tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a racing Corvette C2. Don’t forget to come back now !