GALPOT Weekly #8

Seems like only yesterday I started the first GALPOT weekly and suddenly I am on week 8, how time flies when your having fun.



This week started with a look at the Piagio Ape Cross Country, a youth orientated pick up based on a ubiquitous vehicle which not only keeps a large part of the Italian economy on wheels but also keeps a large number of passengers on the move on the Indian sub continent.



Getting Smart on Tuesday I looked at the Opel GT a mini European Corvette which featured on the intro to the 1969/70 to the a well known secret agent TV series.



On Wednesday I looked at a unique camper based on the Ford Zodiac Mk 4 featuring a camper addition built by the founders of the Ginetta sports car manufacturer.



Thursdays blog featuring the Martini Corvette used in endurance racing by the John H Daniel team was dedicated to my friend and Corvette fan Sebastian who got married yesterday.



For Ferrari Friday I looked at the latest in stylish shooting brakes the 208 mph all wheel drive Ferrari FF.



Yesterday it was a return to a little light carceaology with a look at a Lotus 23 with some hill climbing history in Austria.



Rounding out the week today I am looking at the bespoke Aston Martin Virage that was designed to use parts from Audi, Volkswagen, General Motor's, Chrysler and Ford prior to the latter taking over the marque in in 1988.

Coming up next week I'll be looking at the future of motoring with first ever GALPOT road test tomorrow, on Tuesday I'll be featuring a model of the type in which I first legally clocked 100 mph, and on Wednesday I'll be keeping warm looking at Project Sunbird.

I hope you will join me daily for all this and more to come in the week ahead at GALPOT. Don't forget to come back now !

PS Don't forget ...

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz



December 26th - January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards



Set 1 Sports & GT Cars



Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition



Set 3 1934 Season



Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950's

or



Set 5 Mike Hawthorn's Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th - January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

Looking for Automotive Seasonal Gift Idea's? Visit Automobiliart Now !

Galpot Weekly #7

Another riveting week at GALPOT started with a visit courtesy of Geoffrey Horton to the Peterson Museum.



Amongst the many photo's Geoffrey kindly sent me from the Phil Hill Tribute Night was this one of the Pierce Arrow in which Phil Hill learned to drive.



On Tuesday it back to the swinging sixties at Goodwood Festival of Speed for a look at the Vauxhall XVR this manufacturers first ever concept vehicle designed by Wayne Cherry and David Jones.



On Wednesday one of GALPOT's regular readers and staunchest supporters was thrilled to learn that his wife's favorite actress, Dame Judi Dench, starred in an episode of Z - Cars (pronounced Zed) a kitchen sink police drama that featured Mk 3 Ford Zephyrs like the one above as patrol cars.



The evocative artwork of Paul Chenard, like the drawing of the Maserati 250 F motor above was featured on Thursdays GALPOT. Paul's work can be acquired direct from his Automobiliart.com site. Paul has kindly agreed to sponsor the Automobiliart Season Quiz which will start on December 26th, see details at the conclusion of this post, the winner will be invited to choose his prize from one of five sets of greetings cards.



Ferrari Friday featured the 456M the last Ferrari model built with pop up head lights.



Yesterday GALPOT retold the remarkable story of the Lotus 22 and scandalous accusations in a German Magazine that lead to a £1000 pound bet between Lotus founder Colin Chapman and German journalist Richard von Frankenberg.



Galpot rounds out the week with a look at one of just 20 Maserati A6G/54 GT Zagato Coupé's.

Thanks for joining me on this weeks GALPOT round up if you have not already had a look at the full blogs summarized here I hope you'll find time to click on the links down lighted in grey.

I'll be starting the week ahead with a look at an Italian pick up with an unusual name tomorrow, Tuesday I'll be getting smart and looking at a TV star, and Wednesday I'll be looking at a camper combination that has a Ginetta connection.

I hope you will join me daily for all this and more to come in the week ahead at GALPOT. Don't forget to come back now !

PS Don't forget ...

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz



December 26th - January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards



Set 1 Sports & GT Cars



Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition



Set 3 1934 Season



Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950's

or



Set 5 Mike Hawthorn's Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th - January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

Looking for Automotive Seasonal Gift Idea's? Visit Automobiliart Now !

GALPOT Weekly #6

A week of comic discovery has passed here at GALPOT.



Starting with the Monster Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT who's purpose seems to be to carry a giant ghetto blaster and a couple of tins of cafeinated beverages.



On Tuesday GALPOT got serious about speed with the Pro ET Race Ventora, Britains equivalent of a 1970's Chevy Impala built for drag racing.



The 'Three Graces' were the subject of Wednesday's edition of GALPOT including the delightful Abbot bodied Farnham camping combination.



GALPOT turned comic on Thursday with the discovery that this 1935 Hudson Suburban Sedan once belonged to the managing editor of DC Thompson in Dundee responsible for the Beano and The Dandy publications that had touched the lives of many youngsters in post war Britain.



For Ferrari Friday GALPOT looked at a 1990 Mondial t the last incarnation of the V8 2+2.



Yesterday there was an element of Irish comedy as GALPOT discovered the reason behind the curiously high mounted mirrors on his recently acquired Formula Junior Lotus 20.



Today GALPOT goes French Revolutionary with a look at a 1966 Matra Bonnet Djet VS, which I was surprised to discover lays claim to being the worlds first mid rear engine production sports car in the world.

My sincerest thanks as always to everyone who has made the first two months of GALPOT's new home such a tremendous success. Looking at the sitemeter stats after two months on line on the new wordpress home it looks like GALPOT will receive it's 10,000th hit in the next day or so.

Thanks for joining me on this weeks GALPOT round up if you have not already had a look at the full blogs summarized here I hope you'll find time to click on the links down lighted in grey.

There are some exciting developments planned for the week ahead at GALPOT which will start with a look at the recent Phil Hill Tribute night held at the Peterson Museum. Tuesday GALPOT will be looking at one of three Vauxhall XVR concept cars built in the middle of the swinging sixties, and on Wednesday a British built Ford that could be said to be related to the Edsel. GALPOT has an important announcement to make on Thursday in preparation for the festive season of goodwill.

I hope you will join me daily for all this and more to come in the week ahead at GALPOT. Don't forget to come back now !

GALPOT Weekly #5

Another busy week at GALPOT, thank goodness I got the spam filter fixed somehow I'm attracting between 500 and 2000 spam posts a day !



The week started with a beat up old pick up truck from FIAT the Fiorino.



On Tuesday I looked at the Lincolnesque Vauxhall which is said to have over 101 improvements over the previous Victor model from which it takes its name.



The Abbot bodied 1953 Ford Zephyr Farnham estate / station wagon was the star of the GALPOT show on Wednesday, as Kim said on the GALPOT Facebook page the front of the Zephyr looks a little like a Mercedes Benz 180, though the Ford is actually the older car.



On Americana Thursday GALPOT had a look a humungous 1958 Dodge Sierra, just the kind of monster I'd love to take on a leisurely cruise along Route 66 in.



Bertone only designed one Ferrari the 308 Dino which was featured on Ferrari Friday.



The Ferrari theme continued yesterday with a look at possibly the only Lotus ever to race with a Ferrari engine the Lotus 19B chassis 952 which now has an original spec Climax engine installed.



I rounded out the week today with some photo's by Geoffrey Horton of the BMW 327/28 Pillarless Coupé one of only two such cars known to have been built.

I've just finished watching Tony Stewart round out a tremendous victory at Homestead Miami over his championship rival Carl Edwards. Kudos to all the fans of the Big 14 what an achievement to win the Cup as an owner driver. Commiserations to Carl who has earned my admiration for the way he competed and handled his defeat having drawn with Tony on points and lost on tie braking victories. Can't wait until the new season starts at Daytona in February.

Thanks for joining me on this weeks GALPOT round up if you have not already had a look at the full blogs summarized here I hope you'll find time to click on the links down lighted in grey.

Tomorrow the GALPOT week will start with a look at a Monster Silverado, on Tuesday I'll be looking at a Pro ET Vauxhall Ventora and at Ford's Three Graces and on Wednesday and look out for a truly Comic Discovery on Thursday.

All this and more to come in the week ahead at GALPOT, I look forward to you joining me daily. Don't forget to come back now !

GALPOT Weekly #4

Gosh how time flies when your having fun, it's been another busy week on GALPOT not least because it would appear that spammers have found the site. I seem have found away to stay on top of the situation for now I hope it stays that way.



Of the cars I looked at this week started with the tiny Reliant Fox Pick Up which started life as a concept designed in Greece, type approved in the UK, built in Greece and then finally had it's life extended with a production run in the UK !



On Tuesday I had a look at the highest interpretation of the 1950's US Dream Car concept built in Britain namely the Vauxhall Cresta PA a big for the UK 6 seater that would look quite comfortable if a little small barreling along US highways at 89 mph.



Maurice ‘Maus’ Gatsonides and Peter Worledge drove the Ford Zephyr 6, the subject of Wednesdays blog to victory on the Monte Carlo Rally in 1953, such was his search for perfection in his driving technique that he delivered the GATSO camera to the world.



Staying on the 50's theme on Thursday I looked at a '54 Chevrolet Bel Air used as a support vehicle by the GAS Racing drag team at Shakespeare County Raceway.



On Friday I had a dig at a television presenter who not only once destroyed a Routemaster Bus but also described the Ferrari 400i as 'Awful in every way !'. I spent the whole day yesterday writing "If I can't say anything good, I will not say it at all" as penance.



It was a great pleasure to retell how British Treasure Sir Stirling Moss won the Monte Carlo GP not once but twice in Rob Walkers privately entered Lotus 18 yesterday.



I have rounded out the week with a second helping of Italian eye candy the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, billed as the most expensive car in the world when it was launched on the market in 1968.

Thanks for joining me on this weeks GALPOT round up if you have not already had a look at the full blogs summarized here I hope you'll find to click on he links down lighted in grey.

Coming up next week I'll be starting with an Italian pickup truck, looking at a British interpretation of the 1960 Lincoln Continental, and looking at UK and US interpretations of the Estate / Station Wagon concepts.

All this and more to come in the week ahead at GALPOT, I look forward to you joining me daily. Don't forget to come back now !

GALPOT Weekly #3

Just noticed I got the dates completely wrong on last weeks GALPOT Weekly so I'll just number them for the time being. This week was highlighted by two Birthday Editions of Galpot.



Monday started with Racer 187's birthday edition looking at a RHD Daimler Sovereign Coupé from Remscheid, Germany that is/was looking for a new home.



On Tuesday I concluded a series on vintage Vauxhalls with a brief look at a Vauxhall Bearcat a 14/40 chassis fitted with a Stutz motor.



A trip to Shakespeare County Raceway on Wednesday revealed a dinky li'l hot rod in the form of a Ford Anglia sibling of the Ford Prefect I looked at a week earlier.



Returning to the mean streets of Bristol for Americana Thursday I had took a look at a 1975 Plymouth Voyager Sport probably as rare a sighting in this country as a Ferrari in the USA.



Continuing with another prancing horse saddled for carrying extra cases of beer, on Ferrari Friday I looked at the stylishly understated 365 GTC/4 2+2.



Yesterday it was off to Silverstone and Oulton Park for a look at a couple of 2 foot tall low riding Lotus 15's.



Today GALPOT rounds out the week as it started this time with the Jeff Fuller Birthday edition featuring some street and competition Lancia Beta Monte Carlo's.

Thanks for joining me on this weeks GALPOT round up if you have not already had a look at the full blogs summarized here I hope you'll find to click on he links down lighted in grey.

Coming up next week I'll be starting with a cute li'l pickup truck designed in Greece, looking at a British interpretation of the 50's American Dream Car concept and looking at the remains of the car that carried the inventor of the Gatso speed camera to victory in the Monte Carlo Rally, in 1953.

All this and more to come in the week ahead at GALPOT, I look forward to you joining me daily. Don't forget to come back now !

GALPOT Weekly 24/11 - 30/11

Another busy week at GALPOT started with a days marshalling at The Regency Landry Pegasus Sprint where John Dando in his Volvo 144 above was among nearly 120 competitors taking part.



On Tuesday GALPOT covered the story behind a vintage Vauxhall 30/98 with a new chassis and a known history of some of it's parts that goes back only to 1949.



GALPOT then looked at a Ford Prefect which appeared to be in roadworthy condition despite the evidence that it had not been taxed since 1979.



'Why Worry' a 40 mph Scammell Highwayman used by John Carter & Sons steam fair was the surreal subject of Thursdays blog that heralded the start of Steve Arnaudin's birthday.



Moving up a few gears for Ferrari Friday GALPOT looked at Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 possibly one of just 54 Right Hand Drive examples built.



One of '6 ot 7' Lotus Mk X's was the subject of yesterdays blog this one Bristol powered is seen in the hands of Nick Adams at the Silverstone Classic back in July.



The GALPOT week finishes today with a look at a Jensen Interceptor seen in some circles as a plagiarised Brasanica Uiraputu.

Thanks for joining me on this weekly summary edition of 'Getting' a lil' psycho on tyres' I hope you will follow some of the links to get the full stories on these vehicles.

Coming up next week we start the week celebrating Racer 187's Birthday no guessing what the make of car will be then. On Tuesday a brief look at a one off Vauxhall 14/40 and Wednesday a look at the two door sibling of the Ford Prefect. All this and more can be found everyday on this link.

I hope you'll join me again, don't forget to come back now !