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Rocket Powered Unicycle – MG TF XPower 500 #SARRDWBGBWD034240

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Just like I write “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres”, because I find it quite irresistable it would appear when MG Rover got ditched by BMW MG went and built today’s unique, as in only one of, MG TF XPower 500 for exactly the same reason.

MG TF XPower 500, Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Sensational and equally outrageuous the MG TF XPower 500, was first shown to the public at Le Mans in 2001 alongside it’s Lola LM780 chassis Le Mans challenger.

MG TF XPower 500, Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Sitting on low profile 17″ road tyres and wheels the MG TF XPower 500 has a seam welded MG TF body which incorporates a racing standard survival cell, flared wheel arches and some aerodynamic aids to help keep the car on the ground.

MG TF XPower 500, Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Go for the MG TF XPower 500 comes from the same source as MG’s Lola MG Le Mans challenger namely a mid monunted Cosworth 2000 Le Mans XP20 2 litre / 122cui 4 cylinder turbo charged motor that produces 400 hp which transmits its power to the rear wheels through a 6 speed X-Trac sequential gearbox. Racing 4 pot AP disc brakes are used to slow the car down which has a ‘theoretical’ top speed in excess of 180 mph depending on the gear ratio’s used.

MG TF XPower 500, Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

When Tony Dron tested the car with former Le Mans winner Mark Blundell he obseved the front wheels don’t do much in the corners and he was advised by Mark to suggest “Just think of the back end”. Tony noted “He’s right: imagine a rocket-powered unicycle and you get the idea.”

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

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Coffee, Croissant & Cars #7 – Avenue Drivers Club

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The festive spirit was gathering pace, at Queen Square, Bristol yesterday, no sooner had I arrived and I was being proffered charity mince pies ! Extremely delicious they were too !

MG NA Magnette, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Among the many visitors to the Avenue Drivers Club meeting was what appears to be a 1934 MG K1 one of it’s club badges indicates that it may have spent some time in South Africa. 14 01 13 Further investigation has revealed this car is actually an NA Magnette.

Riley RMA, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

The difference between a 1952 Riley RMA and 1952 Riley RME is indicated externally by the larger rear window of the later model which leads me to conclude the model seen here is the RMA.

Ford Thunderbird, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Appearing to have come past just for a cruise around the block was this 1958 Ford Thunderbird.

Austin Healey Sprite, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

These two Austin Healey Sprites were built in 1960 on the left and 1958 on the right.

Ford Consul 375, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

The owner of this Ford Consul has only had the car for a couple of weeks, he told me he had owned many Mini’s before buying the four cylinder Ford.

Morris 1800, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

This 1966 Morris 1800 has attended many of the same show’s I have this year, it was bought and prepared for a local classic Rally on a very small budget, running to hundreds rather than thousands of pounds.

Citroën DS19, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

One of the first cars to offer seeing round corner capability was the 1968 version of the Citroen DS that was first seen in 1955. This DS19 was built in 1972.

Hillman Avenger, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Another classic from 1972 was this Hillman Avenger fitted with what appear to be period correct aftermarket Cosmic alloy wheels.

Crayford Ford Capri GT 3000, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Car of the day was this 1972 Crayford Ford Capri GT 3000, built in a period when Ford did not have time to satisfy a demand for convertible versions of it’s cars. Crayford took on the job fitting it with a white interior and walnut veneer.

Toyota Supra, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

When production of the Ford Capri ended in 1986 Ford left the massed produced Coupé market to the likes of Toyota and their Supra models the vehicles above were manufactured in 1989 on the left and 1992 on the right.

Ford Thunderbird, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

In 1990 I went to Connecticut for a week to attend a friends wedding, while I was there I hired a Ford Thunderbird similar to this 1992 example, I could not believe how big it was for a two door, at one point I found the car could carry 4 adults and two small children with a modicum of comfort from one side of town to the other !

Morris Marina Estate, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Above another reminder that the season of Goodwill is upon us took the form of this Morris Marina Estate which dates from circa 1973.

Finding out about the Avenue Drivers Club has been one of this years simple joys for me, what could be easier or more fun than rolling 5 mins down a steep hill and finding yourself having a couple of hours of fun looking at some of the huge variety of veteran, vintage and classic cars that come from your environs and enjoying a Coffee & Croissant with some of the owners ? My thanks and seasons greetings to everyone who has brought their cars along. Next meeting January 13th 2013 !

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee, Croissant & Cars #7″ of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Above another reminder the

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Convivial Motoring – Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé

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With styling inherited from the 2006 9 litre / 549 cui V16 100EX concept car the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé was launched in 2007 at the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

Regrettably the V16 was not part of the production spec of the Phantom Drophead Coupé a ‘puny’ 6.75 litre / 412 cui V12 first seen on the 2003 Rolls Royce Phantom saloon / sedan.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

With twin turbochargers the V12 produces an effortless 453 hp enough to give the 2,620 kg / 5800 lbs vehicle sports car performance on acceleration and top speed, the sligthly lighter saloon / sedan can be pushed from rest to 186 mph in 60 seconds.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

Thanks to electronic sensors the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament retracts in an emergency and can be set to retract whenever the doors are locked or when ever the owner chooses by a control in the glove box.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

Naples Children and Education Foundation became the beneficiaries to the tune of US $1.6 million when the first Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé destined for the USA was sold at auction for $ 2m. It is believed this is the highest price ever paid for a new car at the time.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

The ‘techno modern’ combination of LED lights and “faux-foglamp” projector-style xenon arc lamps, which in my humble opinion are something of an acquired taste, have been replaced with a less jarring design on the latest 2012 models.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

Very much a hand built car, though painted in one of 44,000 colour options by robot, the body of this 2010 Drophead Coupé is crafted from aluminium.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

The rear hinged coach doors are designed to “allow elegant entry and exit to and from the rear lounge seat”.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

A convivial atmosphere is maintained within the Drophead Coupé by translating an avant garde reinterpretation of an English Gentleman’s clubroom into the cockpit.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

Allegedly sitting in a Phantom Drophead Coupé is evocative of sitting aboard a 1930’s J Class, America’s Cup, yacht,

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

aided in no small measure by the decking which acts as a cover for the Drophead which is made from 5 layers of material including cashmere.

Rolls Royce, Phantom Drophead Coupé, Pistonheads, BMW Factory, Cowley

Despite a list price of over US $400,000 253 Drophead Coupés found a new home worldwide in 2007.

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

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Wheels & Ears – Lotus Esprit S2 Type 79

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The pace of innovation and development at Lotus was far too high for organised record keeping to be a strong point and some how the Lotus Type 79 number ended up being given to both the 1978 World Championship winning Formula One car and the otherwise unrelated Lotus Esprit S1 & S2 variations.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The second iteration of the Giugiaro designed Esprit, launched in 1978, featured a wrap around bumper which brought down the aerodynamic measure to Cd 0.355 and improved the handling in cross winds.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Gotti alloy wheels of the original Elite were replaced by Lotus designed alloy wheels manufactured by Speedline. Inside wider seats were fitted along side new instrumentation and switch gear illuminated by fibre optics, the external rear view mirrors became remotely operated too.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Ears behind the rear 3/4 window were used to feed air into the carburetor on the left and into the engine bay on the right.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Rover SD1 sourced rear lights now incorporated high intensity fog lamps. 1061 Esprit S2’s were built with the original Type 907 2 litre / 122 cui motor that gave the car a top speed of 124 mph. A further 88 S2.2’s were built with the an identical body, galvanised chassis and Type 912 motors of 2.2 litre / 134 cui with the same 160 hp but much improved torque which made the Esprit much easier to drive around town.

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

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Hill, Shelby & Hall – Ferrari 750 Monza #5010M

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Today’s featured Saglietti bodied 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza #5010, seen here in photographs taken by Geoffrey Horton at the Petersen Automotive Museum last year, appears to have had just two owners, Allen Guiberson and the Hall family both from Texas.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Peterson Museum, Los Angeles

When Allen Guiberson bought the car in 1955 he entered it into the Sebring 12 Hours for Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby and they repaid Allen with a 2nd place finish overall, behind the D-Type Jaguar driven by Mike Hawthorn and Phil Walters, and first in the 3 litre / 183 cui class.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Peterson Museum, Los Angeles

Phil Hill drove #5010M in between his commitments for the Ferrari works team, taking victories at Pebble Beach and two at Beverly on July 4th.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Peterson Museum, Los Angeles

Mid way through 1955 Guiberson withdrew from the sport and sold #5010 M to Condor Petroleum heir Dick Hall appears to have bought the car for his brother Jim Hall an engineering student at Caltech. Jim who was not yet 21 and so too young to race managed to race the car under age at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in October of 1955 where despite a few spins pulled off a win.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Peterson Museum, Los Angeles

During 1956 #5010M was entered for Carroll Shelby to race in at least 5 races. Shelby won 4 of those races and finished 2nd in the other, a preliminary at Ft Worth before winning the feature.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Peterson Museum, Los Angeles

Jim Hall, who can be seen on this link showing the car to some of his Caltech friends in 1957 returned to driving the car legally recording a 7th place finish at Santa Barbra in May 1957 and 2nd place finish at Mountain Eagle the following month.

Once Jim Hall had got Chaparral cars up and running with Hap Sharp Phil Hill joined Jim’s team taking wins in both the Can Am and World Sports Car series in Chaparral designed and run cars.

So far as I am aware the restored car still belongs to Jim Hall today.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

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

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Supercharged Striped Snake – Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

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In 2005 Ford introduced the “retrofuturist” fifth generation Mustang, engineered by Hau Thai-Tang, with exterior styling, which took its cues from the late 60’s fast back Mustangs, by Sid Ramnarace.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

In 2010 the fifth generation Mustangs received a face lift, today’s featured car is the face lifted Shelby GT 500 of which 2000 examples were built with unique to the limited edition functional vents in the bonnet / hood…

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

… which keep the 540 hp supercharged 5.4 litre / 329 cui motor temperatures under control.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

2010 limited edition Shelby GT 500’s are only available with one transmission option six speed manual / stick shift, topped off with suitably striped gear knob, which gives the vehicle a rest to 120 mph in 9 seconds capability.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

Despite the competition performance figures 2010 GT 500’s are fitted with air conditioning and six disc CD changers.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

GT 500 specific 19 inch forged alloy wheels with Brembo disc brakes, traction and stability control all help keep the GT 500 firmly attached to the road though hazing the tyres is possible for the more experienced driver in the right environment.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

The rear spoiler acts as a functional Gurney flap and was also unique to the GT 500 Mustangs in 2005.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

True to it’s roots the fifth generation Mustangs still use solid axle rear suspension, there are rumours this will be replaced on the sixth generation Mustang with independent rear suspension for the 2015 model year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Supercharged Striped Snake” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Stojadin – Zastava Type 101 / Yugo 511

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Zastava, Serbian for flag according to Google Translator, was a Yugoslavian, now Serbian manufacturer that was born out of a Army Technical Institute founded in 1851 that in turn became a firearms manufacturer in the 1880’s. From 1939 to 1941 the vehicle arm of Vojno-Tehnicki Zavod assembled 400, Chevrolet according to some sources and Ford according to others, trucks before the ’39/’45 war closed operations down. In 1953 the renamed Zavodi Crvena Zastava, Red Flag Institutes 96% of the employees voted to resume vehicle manufacture and 162 Willy’s Jeeps were built. If you know have information pertaining to the first Zastava trucks being Ford or Chevrolet please chime in below.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In 1954 Zavodi Crvena Zastava entered an agreement to assemble FIAT’s under license which led to the production of FIAT 128’s called Zastava 128’s in 1971. In 1972 a hatchback version of the 128 was introduced and it is a 1986 version of the hatch back known as the Type 101 that is featured today.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The front end is indistinguishable from the revamped 1976 FIAT 128, voted 1970 European Car of the Year, minor differences to the bumper and manufacturers badges not withstanding.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Power for todays featured car comes from a 1116 cc / 68 cui with an aluminium cylinder head and overhead cam, originally designed by the legendary Aurelio Lampredi, which produces 55 hp.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Zastava 101, known colloquially in Serbia as the “Stojadin”, was sold under a variety of names in different markets, these include Yugo 311/313/511/513 and Skala 55 in its most recent 2008 incarnation when production ceased after 1,045,258 of the hatchbacks had been built. Production of the hatch backs was also licensed by the Polish FSO company and sold as the Zastava 1100p.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Like just about every other passenger vehicle built under the communist regieme in the 1970’s and 1980’s some Zastava 101’s were used for competition with a class win on the 1973 Tour d’Europe probably counting as it’s most significant achievement.

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

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