Showing posts with label Honda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honda. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Sunday, 27 September 2015
Sunday, 19 April 2015
Sunday, 18 December 2011
GALPOT Weekly #9
Welcome to GALPOT Weekly #9, most weeks I manage to have my posts prepared a week in advance so this week I have been preparing the Automobiliart / GALPOT seasonal quiz, the experience has proved to be a strange mixture of sadism and masochism on the one hand the more difficult the questions the more fun the quiz on the other hand the more difficult the questions the more difficult it has been to establish the facts that constitute the answers. I hope I have struck a balance that ensures that everyone who reads the blog gets some pleasure from answering the questions.
On to the last weeks blogs, I started the week with my very first mini road test, the model under scrutiny was the frugal Honda CR-Z a hybrid small on the outside comfortably spacious on the inside and on the evidence of the short test it should be a hit for commuters.
It's hard not to like the type of car you first had the opportunity to drive at 100 mph, legally. Such is the case with the shapely Opel Manta S which I looked at on Tuesday, not exactly a muscle car but for us young Europeans wanting to be cool definitely an affordable fastback to aspire to.
On Wednesday I looked at possibly one of the last vehicles designed in the opulent style of the optimistic '50's Project Sunbird which became the Ford Consul Capri was a pretty cool looking car for the 1950's but it's poor sales figures perhaps reflect the fact that it was not available to the public until 1961 by which time a less gregarious more functional style was beginning to take hold of the automotive markets imagination.
I returned to look at a traditional muscle car on Americana Thursday a 1970 Pontiac Le Mans Sport not quite as cool as the Pontiac GTO of the period but most eyes in Europe would probably not be able to tell the difference, I, a Two Lane Black Top fan, certainly struggled to identify it correctly.
On Friday courtesy of Geoffrey Horton I was able to take a look at story of the Ferrari 375MM Viganle chassis #0286AM that Phil Hill drove with Ritchie Ginther on the 1954 Carrera Panamericana recording an average speed of 137 mph over the 572 miles of the last days stage of the event on which they recovered a second place finish after running out of fuel the previous day.
The cute little Lotus Climax 21 Formula Junior car was the subject of yesterday's blog, the British Racing Green and yellow paintwork of which certainly resonates with some readers.
Today's GALPOT blog is all about the road going version of Fords Le Mans sportscar racing programme the rare Ford GT40 Mk 3 of which only seven were built despite the success of the racing siblings of which 100 were produced.
Coming up next week I'll be reviewing the GALPOT year starting with a review of Museums visited tomorrow a review of Concours d'Elegance vehicles on Tuesday and moving on to motoring and sporting events towards the end of the week.
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 !
On to the last weeks blogs, I started the week with my very first mini road test, the model under scrutiny was the frugal Honda CR-Z a hybrid small on the outside comfortably spacious on the inside and on the evidence of the short test it should be a hit for commuters.
It's hard not to like the type of car you first had the opportunity to drive at 100 mph, legally. Such is the case with the shapely Opel Manta S which I looked at on Tuesday, not exactly a muscle car but for us young Europeans wanting to be cool definitely an affordable fastback to aspire to.
On Wednesday I looked at possibly one of the last vehicles designed in the opulent style of the optimistic '50's Project Sunbird which became the Ford Consul Capri was a pretty cool looking car for the 1950's but it's poor sales figures perhaps reflect the fact that it was not available to the public until 1961 by which time a less gregarious more functional style was beginning to take hold of the automotive markets imagination.
I returned to look at a traditional muscle car on Americana Thursday a 1970 Pontiac Le Mans Sport not quite as cool as the Pontiac GTO of the period but most eyes in Europe would probably not be able to tell the difference, I, a Two Lane Black Top fan, certainly struggled to identify it correctly.
On Friday courtesy of Geoffrey Horton I was able to take a look at story of the Ferrari 375MM Viganle chassis #0286AM that Phil Hill drove with Ritchie Ginther on the 1954 Carrera Panamericana recording an average speed of 137 mph over the 572 miles of the last days stage of the event on which they recovered a second place finish after running out of fuel the previous day.
The cute little Lotus Climax 21 Formula Junior car was the subject of yesterday's blog, the British Racing Green and yellow paintwork of which certainly resonates with some readers.
Today's GALPOT blog is all about the road going version of Fords Le Mans sportscar racing programme the rare Ford GT40 Mk 3 of which only seven were built despite the success of the racing siblings of which 100 were produced.
Coming up next week I'll be reviewing the GALPOT year starting with a review of Museums visited tomorrow a review of Concours d'Elegance vehicles on Tuesday and moving on to motoring and sporting events towards the end of the week.
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 !
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Spirit of the 60's - Dyrham Park
On Sunday I ambled through the back lanes of Gloucestershire with a couple of friends to visit Dyrham Park a Neo Classic country mansion, that was built for William III's Secretary at War William Blathwayt, set in a 274 acre deer park.
The house was made over to the state in the late 1950's and the National Trust subsequently took over the running of the estate in 1961. That same year the Bristol Motor Cycle & Light Car Club organised a hillclimb on an 800 yard course that started at the Mansion house and went up the winding front drive towards the main gates of the estate.
To celebrate the centenary of what is now known as the Bristol Motor Club a Spirit of the 60's demonstration was organised at Dyrham Park to mark the six events that were organised from 1961 - 1966. Not all the vehicles present on Sunday, like Tony Wallens 1971 Lotus 69 were strictly of the correct period but they all added to flavour on another Indian Summers day.
Making his way through the hairpin to the start line is Chris Merrick in a Brabham BT18 / Buick V8 that once belonged to Bryan Eccles who set, probably for all time, the course record of 30.05 secs in 1966.
Some of you may remember I stumbled across a Berkeley B105 earlier this year at the Silverstone Classic, this 1959 example heading for the assembly area belongs to Neil Barber.
Steve Hillcox in the 302 cui Mustang Fastback can is seen above preparing to leave the assembly area for his run up the narrow 800 yard course.
Following the Suzuki Pace Car heading for the sweeps on one of the demonstration runs are Jeffrey Allen in his 1967 Mini Cooper, Steve Dowling in his 1959 Austin A35 and David Valsler in his Turner which he found in Ohio.
John Robbins above negotiates the hairpin in his 1967 VW Notchback ahead of Colin Gale in his 1966 Austin Healey Sprite.
I believe this is Ron Clements in his 1933 Morgan Super Sport which bears a quote from two time Le Mans winner Sir Tim Birkin on the side "Better to die at full throttle than to live behind a desk." Sir Tim died from as a result of burns sustained while racing a Maserati in the 1933 Tripoli Grand Prix.
One of the slower passes up the hill had they been timed would possibly have gone to former British Saloon car stalwart Vince Woodman on this Honda monkey bike,
though without doubt had the event been timed he would have been in the running for top tin top with his 3.4 litre 1973 Cologne Capri seen here rounding Neptune before the finish straight.
Somewhere between 4-5000 spectators are thought to have been entertained by over one hundred cars that each made several runs up the hill, apparently at one point the gates had to be closed because the A46 Bath Road had become blocked. At 4 pm the course car passed for the last time bringing an entertaining day to an end.
Thanks for joining me on this Dyrham Park edition of 'Gettin' a li'l psycho on tyres' I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don't for get to come back now !
The house was made over to the state in the late 1950's and the National Trust subsequently took over the running of the estate in 1961. That same year the Bristol Motor Cycle & Light Car Club organised a hillclimb on an 800 yard course that started at the Mansion house and went up the winding front drive towards the main gates of the estate.
To celebrate the centenary of what is now known as the Bristol Motor Club a Spirit of the 60's demonstration was organised at Dyrham Park to mark the six events that were organised from 1961 - 1966. Not all the vehicles present on Sunday, like Tony Wallens 1971 Lotus 69 were strictly of the correct period but they all added to flavour on another Indian Summers day.
Making his way through the hairpin to the start line is Chris Merrick in a Brabham BT18 / Buick V8 that once belonged to Bryan Eccles who set, probably for all time, the course record of 30.05 secs in 1966.
Some of you may remember I stumbled across a Berkeley B105 earlier this year at the Silverstone Classic, this 1959 example heading for the assembly area belongs to Neil Barber.
Steve Hillcox in the 302 cui Mustang Fastback can is seen above preparing to leave the assembly area for his run up the narrow 800 yard course.
Following the Suzuki Pace Car heading for the sweeps on one of the demonstration runs are Jeffrey Allen in his 1967 Mini Cooper, Steve Dowling in his 1959 Austin A35 and David Valsler in his Turner which he found in Ohio.
John Robbins above negotiates the hairpin in his 1967 VW Notchback ahead of Colin Gale in his 1966 Austin Healey Sprite.
I believe this is Ron Clements in his 1933 Morgan Super Sport which bears a quote from two time Le Mans winner Sir Tim Birkin on the side "Better to die at full throttle than to live behind a desk." Sir Tim died from as a result of burns sustained while racing a Maserati in the 1933 Tripoli Grand Prix.
One of the slower passes up the hill had they been timed would possibly have gone to former British Saloon car stalwart Vince Woodman on this Honda monkey bike,
though without doubt had the event been timed he would have been in the running for top tin top with his 3.4 litre 1973 Cologne Capri seen here rounding Neptune before the finish straight.
Somewhere between 4-5000 spectators are thought to have been entertained by over one hundred cars that each made several runs up the hill, apparently at one point the gates had to be closed because the A46 Bath Road had become blocked. At 4 pm the course car passed for the last time bringing an entertaining day to an end.
Thanks for joining me on this Dyrham Park edition of 'Gettin' a li'l psycho on tyres' I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don't for get to come back now !
Monday, 21 March 2011
Inspiration and Innovation - Prodrive Factory Visit
I was privileged to join fellow members of the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club and Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams on a factory tour of the Prodrive Factory over the weekend.
David Richards a qualified chartered accountant and 1981 World Championship Winning Rally co-driver who started his business as a motor sport consultant in the middle east, says of his company that it's purpose is to 'inject excitement'.
That injection of excitement is backed with 25 years of Championship winning motor sports success that includes rallying
and racing ...
to the very highest levels including two spells in which David Richards ran teams in Formula One.
In 2006 Prodrive built a fully working concept car, but declined to put it into production,
After numerous successes running Aston Martin racing teams ...
David Richards led a consortium of investors in a $925 million take over of Aston Martin in 2007,
a company of which he is now the Chairman.
It was uplifting to see British engineering is alive and well in Banbury, Oxfordshire with a fascinating range of activity including the assembly of a range of competition vehicles, computer operated machining of a huge variety of items from solid blocks of material, and truly mind boggling assembly of competition spec wiring looms, if your into engineering and or motor sport the Prodrive tour run by the effervescent Jackie Irwin, who has petrol running through her veins, is an absolute must.
My thanks to everyone at the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club who organised the tour including Andy who kindly did the driving honours.
Hope you have enjoyed today's excitement injected edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
David Richards a qualified chartered accountant and 1981 World Championship Winning Rally co-driver who started his business as a motor sport consultant in the middle east, says of his company that it's purpose is to 'inject excitement'.
That injection of excitement is backed with 25 years of Championship winning motor sports success that includes rallying
and racing ...
to the very highest levels including two spells in which David Richards ran teams in Formula One.
In 2006 Prodrive built a fully working concept car, but declined to put it into production,
After numerous successes running Aston Martin racing teams ...
David Richards led a consortium of investors in a $925 million take over of Aston Martin in 2007,
a company of which he is now the Chairman.
It was uplifting to see British engineering is alive and well in Banbury, Oxfordshire with a fascinating range of activity including the assembly of a range of competition vehicles, computer operated machining of a huge variety of items from solid blocks of material, and truly mind boggling assembly of competition spec wiring looms, if your into engineering and or motor sport the Prodrive tour run by the effervescent Jackie Irwin, who has petrol running through her veins, is an absolute must.
My thanks to everyone at the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club who organised the tour including Andy who kindly did the driving honours.
Hope you have enjoyed today's excitement injected edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
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