video credit: © 2014 Peter Windsor / The Racer's Edge
Wednesday
ENGLAND ON THE 31TH
1938 MORRIS 12
CLASSIC CAR AUCTION
by SWVA
Ringwood Road
Parkwood, Poole, Dorset
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1201 745 466
photo credit: © 2014 SWVA
Tuesday
CHATERHAM CT05
Chaterham's version is one of the most extreme in the field, with its protruding section attached under a stepped upper element.
The Leafield-based outfit is heading into 2014 on the back of a disappointing '13 campaign where it finished 11th overall in the standings behind Marussia.
It has brought Kamui Kobayashi back to F1 to bolster its chances, as well as signing GP2 race winner Ericsson.
photo credit: © 2014 ATF
edited text credit: © 2014 Jonathon Noble / yahoo.com
MERCEDES W05
The new car completed a 40km shakedown in the hands of Nico Rosberg at Silverstone last Friday and Lewis Hamilton is to drive the car for the first time at Jerez on Tuesday morning.
Paddy Lowe, who has effectively succeeded ex-team principal Ross Brawn at the helm of the chassis side of the team in his role as executive director (technical), is satisfied with the work the team has done over the winter both with the development of the engine and the car.
Mercedes had its most successful season since re-establishing its works team last year, winning three races and finishing second in the constructors' championship.
photo credit: © 2014 Hoch Zwei / Mercedes
edited text credit: © 2014 autosport.com
RED BULL RB10
The Vettel-Red Bull combination dominated last year, winning 13 Grands Prix, including the last nine rounds of the season. Australian Ricciardo joins from sister squad Toro Rosso, replacing compatriot Mark Webber.
The RB10 is the tenth car to be built for F1 competition by Red Bull and is again penned by Adrian Newey. In line with the heavily revised 2014 regulations, it features another unusual nose design with a narrow protruding section at the front. But the biggest challenge, according to Newey, was accommodating the all-new 1.6 litre turbo power unit.
photo credit: © 2014 reuters / bbc.co.uk
edited text credit: © 2014 f1.com
TORO ROSSO STR9
That is a response to a new requirement for lower nose tips for safety, but teams' desire for the best airflow under the car for aerodynamic reasons.
Toro Rosso's drivers are France's Jean-Eric Vergne and
Russian Daniil Kvyat.
While F1 cars had grown to look increasingly similar to each other in recent years, the new rules have led to a number of different solutions to governing body the FIA's attempt to increase safety in 2014.
A complicated set of requirements define the chassis height at certain points, and the height and minimum dimensions of the nose tip.
Completing the biggest set of rule changes for a generation, F1 is moving to 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines with the most extensive use of energy recovery systems - or hybrid technology - ever.
Toro Rosso have switched from Ferrari power to Renault for 2014, bringing them into line with senior team Red Bull.
photo credit: © 2014 bbc.co.uk
edited text credit: © 2014 Andrew Benson / bbc.co.uk
Monday
SAUBER C33
By the team's own admission, 'Perhaps the most visually striking element of the Sauber C33-Ferrari is the very low, snout-like nose.'
Sauber remain in partnership with long-time engine suppliers Ferrari.
Drivers for 2014 will be Esteban Guterrez and Adrian Sutil.
photo credit: © 2014 Sauber
edited text credit: © 2014 skysports.com
SPECIAL OF THE WEEK
1980 AVANTI II
- Aquamarine Metallic with Buckskin Tan Leather Bucket Seat Interior & Door Panels, Center Console Shift.
- Corvette 350 Powerplant, Turbo 400 Automatic Transmission,
- Factory Air Conditioned, Power Windows, Power Steering, Power Disc Brakes,
- 76k Actual Miles,
- Factory Wheelcovers & New Radials,
- AM/FM Stereo Radio, Tilt Steering Wheel, Electric Door Locks, Cruise Control, Rear Window Deicer,
- Very Good Condition! Dependable as can be!
photo credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
edited text credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
Sunday
FERRARI F14T
Over a million votes were cast in naming the car but Ferrari will be relying on more than fan power if they're to make a strong impression, particularly early on in the season.
They have been notoriously slow starters in recent years and although none of their rivals anticipates being quick out of the starting blocks given the array of challenges posed by the switch to 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines and more powerful energy recovery systems, Ferrari are bound to be conscious of their position.
On the plus side, there's the opinion that 'works' teams such as Ferrari and Mercedes will hold an advantage in the race to understand and develop their cars. However, there has also been a feeling in the paddock that the German manufacturer and Renault will deliver more competitive power units.
A particular Achilles heel in recent seasons has been Ferrari's chassis - as a consequence of their windtunnel, the predictions of which have failed to match up with track performance.
However, after a period spent using a facility owned by Toyota Motorsport while their own windtunnel was being recalibrated, it is now up and running again.
Furthermore, Ferrari last year secured the services of James Allison, who had overseen Lotus's strong performances during the past few seasons, who returned to Italy to take the role of Chassis Technical Director.
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo believes everything is now in place to return to World Championship winning ways - the Scuderia last won the Drivers' Championship in 2007, with Raikkonen, and the Constructors' in 2008 - and now it was time to deliver.
photo credit: © 2014 Ferraru
edited text credit: © skysportss.com
LOTUS E22
Two protruding pillars - essentially a double nose - slope down over the front wing, whereas on the two cars seen from the front so far, the McLaren MP4-29 and Williams FW36, there are just single sections at the tip.
With the car retaining the same black, gold and red livery of recent seasons, logos from Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA also appear for the first time following Pastor Maldonado's winter arrival from Williams.
Although Lotus have become the latest team to release teaser images of their car, the E22 won't officially be launched until the first of the Bahrain tests in mid-February after the team opted to skip next week's opening four-day session at Jerez.
Despite losing their highly-regarded Team Principal on the eve of one of the most important winter testing seasons in years, Lotus co-chairman Gerard Lopez, who will dovetail his boardroom role with Boullier's former duties, insisted on Friday that the team would prosper in 2014.
Drivers for 2014 are Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado.
photo credit: © 2014 Lotus F1 Team
edited text credit: © 2014 skysports.com
McLAREN MP4-29
The team were criticised last year for the radical overhaul that resulted in the unspectacular MP4-28 but clearly have had no choice this time around.
In a sense, 2014 represents an interim season for McLaren. Besides the uncertainty at the helm, they have no title sponsor and are seeing out the final year of their Mercedes deal before switching back to Honda power.
Drivers this year will be Jensen Button and Kevin Magnussen.
photo credit: © 2014 McLaren
edited text credit: © 2014 skysports.com
Friday
FORCE INDIA VJM07 - 2014
In what has been termed a 'rules revolution', a raft of aerodynamic and engine changes have been introduced for the new season in order to rip up the traditional pecking order and make the sport more 'green'.
With the 2013 season completed in the last week of November, the teams have been working around-the-clock to ready their new chargers in time for the upcoming Jerez test and the first race of the new season, the Australian GP on March 16.
The car will be piloted this season by the returning Nico Hulkenberg and Mexican Sergio Perez.
photo credit: © 2014 skysports.com
edited text credit: © 2014 skysports.com
WILLIAMS FW36 - 2014
The sport's leading designers had warned that the most efficient aerodynamic solution, which maximises airflow under the nose, was unlikely to be particularly pretty and Williams' launch pictures arguably confirm that.
Aesthetic talking points aside, however, and the FW36 represents an important car in Williams' illustrious history after the Grove-based outfit endured the joint-worst ever season in 2013 when they scored just five points and finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship.
Williams announced last weekend that they had already fired the new challenger up at their factory, one of the first teams believed to have done so. Williams will be running with Valtteri Bottas and new signing Felipe Massa as the drivers for 2014.
As is the case with the teaser photos, Williams have also already confirmed that they will run with all-blue interim colour scheme at the opening test ahead of what is anticipated to be a later livery launch ahead of the racing season. Pastor Maldonado's winter departure to Lotus means that the FW36 will not carry branding from PDVSA in 2014, speculation having pointed to a potential title sponsor tie-up with drinks firm Martini.
photo credit:© 2014 crashnet.net
Thursday
GEORGIA ON THE 25TH
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
by Peach Auction
660 Peavy Road
Byron, Georgia
1-478-956-0910
video credit: © 2014 Peach Auction Sales
ENGLAND ON THE 25TH
1962 ROCHDALE
CLASSIC CAR AUCTION
by Anglia Car
The Cattlemarket
Beveridge Way
King's Lynn
Norfolk
Beveridge Way
King's Lynn
Norfolk
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1553 771 881
photo credit: © 2014 ACA
Wednesday
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO RACE........MONEYWISE?
TOTAL BUDGET
Top F1 team: $470 million; Top IndyCar team: $15 million
This includes the following key areas of spending:
THE CAR
Top F1 team: $125 million; Top IndyCar team: $3 million
The largest single cost for most F1 teams is the design, development and construction of a bespoke chassis. F1 teams must construct their own chassis and although the manufacturing costs of an F1 car are a relatively small $15 million per year, top teams can spend well over $100 million on research and development.
All IndyCar teams must buy their chassis from series provider Dallara. The price is $345,000 per chassis, but the purchase of aerodynamic packages designed for different circuits can add another $150,000-$200,000. A team typically gets through three chassis per driver each year.
THE ENGINES
Top F1 team: $130 million; Top IndyCar team: $2 million
F1 manufacturers such as Ferrari and Mercedes spend more than $100 million annually on engine development. This is principally to supply their own teams, but they are required to also supply other teams with engines and typically charge $13 million per season to do so.
Honda and Chevrolet typically charge IndyCar teams around $1 million per year per driver for an engine package which will allow the use of eight engines.
TESTING
Top F1 team: $15 million; Top IndyCar team: $1 million
Restrictions on F1 testing in recent years have seen budgets slashed from $35 million to $15 million annually in order to cut costs. This is still far larger than the IndyCar teams’ $1 million annual spending.
DRIVERS
Top F1 team: $47 million; Top IndyCar team: $3 million
Two times world champion Fernando Alonso is one of the highest paid sports stars in the world, receiving an annual salary of $40 million from Ferrari. In contrast leading IndyCar drivers receive $1-2 million per year. Unlike F1 drivers they also receive prize money – $2.5 million for Dario Franchitti when he won last year’s Indy 500 – but are usually expected to give at least half of this to their team.
ENTRY FEE
Top F1 team: $3.3 million; Top IndyCar team: $456,000
F1’s governing body, the FIA, operates a complex system for entry fees where each team is charged a basic fee of $500,000, plus $6,000 per point scored in the previous season for the constructors’ champion and $5,000 per point for everyone else. This has left 2012 champion Red Bull Racing with a bill of $3,260,000 this year. In contrast, IndyCar teams pay $12,000 per car per race.
HOSPITALITY
Top F1 team: $13 million; Top IndyCar team: $1 million
Hospitality may seem like a frivolous extra but it is a crucial part of how an F1 team operates.
Sponsors spend up to $100 million annually so expect to receive silver service treatment when they visit a Grand Prix. A top F1 team can spend more on hospitality in a season than an IndyCar team spends on its entire budget. In contrast leading IndyCar teams may spend up to $200,000 at a showpiece event like the Indy 500, but far less at other races.
KEY SUPPLIES
Top F1 team: Free; Top IndyCar team: $1 million
One area where IndyCar costs far outstrip F1 is in the area of key supplies. Due to the high level of exposure F1 generates, many companies are keen to supply top level products free of charge in return for becoming an official partner of the team. Ferrari, for example, has sponsorship from a range of automotive companies including Shell (gas), SKF (bearings), NGK (spark plugs), Magneti Marelli (electronics) and Brembo (brakes). A typical top IndyCar team spends around $1 million a year on purchasing similar supplies.
OTHER
Top F1 team: $136.7 million; Top IndyCar team: $3.5 million
*Includes salaries, travel and factory costs
Top F1 team: $470 million; Top IndyCar team: $15 million
This includes the following key areas of spending:
THE CAR
Top F1 team: $125 million; Top IndyCar team: $3 million
The largest single cost for most F1 teams is the design, development and construction of a bespoke chassis. F1 teams must construct their own chassis and although the manufacturing costs of an F1 car are a relatively small $15 million per year, top teams can spend well over $100 million on research and development.
All IndyCar teams must buy their chassis from series provider Dallara. The price is $345,000 per chassis, but the purchase of aerodynamic packages designed for different circuits can add another $150,000-$200,000. A team typically gets through three chassis per driver each year.
THE ENGINES
Top F1 team: $130 million; Top IndyCar team: $2 million
F1 manufacturers such as Ferrari and Mercedes spend more than $100 million annually on engine development. This is principally to supply their own teams, but they are required to also supply other teams with engines and typically charge $13 million per season to do so.
Honda and Chevrolet typically charge IndyCar teams around $1 million per year per driver for an engine package which will allow the use of eight engines.
TESTING
Top F1 team: $15 million; Top IndyCar team: $1 million
Restrictions on F1 testing in recent years have seen budgets slashed from $35 million to $15 million annually in order to cut costs. This is still far larger than the IndyCar teams’ $1 million annual spending.
DRIVERS
Top F1 team: $47 million; Top IndyCar team: $3 million
Two times world champion Fernando Alonso is one of the highest paid sports stars in the world, receiving an annual salary of $40 million from Ferrari. In contrast leading IndyCar drivers receive $1-2 million per year. Unlike F1 drivers they also receive prize money – $2.5 million for Dario Franchitti when he won last year’s Indy 500 – but are usually expected to give at least half of this to their team.
ENTRY FEE
Top F1 team: $3.3 million; Top IndyCar team: $456,000
F1’s governing body, the FIA, operates a complex system for entry fees where each team is charged a basic fee of $500,000, plus $6,000 per point scored in the previous season for the constructors’ champion and $5,000 per point for everyone else. This has left 2012 champion Red Bull Racing with a bill of $3,260,000 this year. In contrast, IndyCar teams pay $12,000 per car per race.
HOSPITALITY
Top F1 team: $13 million; Top IndyCar team: $1 million
Hospitality may seem like a frivolous extra but it is a crucial part of how an F1 team operates.
Sponsors spend up to $100 million annually so expect to receive silver service treatment when they visit a Grand Prix. A top F1 team can spend more on hospitality in a season than an IndyCar team spends on its entire budget. In contrast leading IndyCar teams may spend up to $200,000 at a showpiece event like the Indy 500, but far less at other races.
KEY SUPPLIES
Top F1 team: Free; Top IndyCar team: $1 million
One area where IndyCar costs far outstrip F1 is in the area of key supplies. Due to the high level of exposure F1 generates, many companies are keen to supply top level products free of charge in return for becoming an official partner of the team. Ferrari, for example, has sponsorship from a range of automotive companies including Shell (gas), SKF (bearings), NGK (spark plugs), Magneti Marelli (electronics) and Brembo (brakes). A typical top IndyCar team spends around $1 million a year on purchasing similar supplies.
OTHER
Top F1 team: $136.7 million; Top IndyCar team: $3.5 million
*Includes salaries, travel and factory costs
text credit: © 2014 formulamoney.com
FORMULA ONE IS COMING.....WILL THEY ALL BE THERE?
Only five of the 11 teams in F1 are in a financially secure position. Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren are going nowhere, and Red Bull wouldn't allow their sister team Toro Rosso to fold.
The other six—Lotus, Force India, Williams, Sauber, Caterham and Marussia—are somewhat closer to the edge of oblivion.
Force India are part-owned by the huge Sahara Group, which probably makes them the safest of the six. Lotus are owned by a venture capital company and their debts are mainly to their shareholders, not banks, so they should be OK too (unless the owners get tired of losing money).
Sauber received a large investment from Russia last year, which secured their future for the short term, and Williams' financial statements show they appear to live within their means.
That leaves Caterham and Marussia. The former don't publish accounts in the UK (and if they publish in Malaysia I couldn't read it), but their owner, Tony Fernandes, has an estimated net worth of $625m, according to Forbes. They should be OK.
A check of Marussia's financial status presents an awful picture, but accounts are only available up to the end of 2012. According to ESPN their situation now is much rosier, after an investor wiped out their debts.
So we should have a 22-car grid in Australia.
The other six—Lotus, Force India, Williams, Sauber, Caterham and Marussia—are somewhat closer to the edge of oblivion.
Force India are part-owned by the huge Sahara Group, which probably makes them the safest of the six. Lotus are owned by a venture capital company and their debts are mainly to their shareholders, not banks, so they should be OK too (unless the owners get tired of losing money).
Sauber received a large investment from Russia last year, which secured their future for the short term, and Williams' financial statements show they appear to live within their means.
That leaves Caterham and Marussia. The former don't publish accounts in the UK (and if they publish in Malaysia I couldn't read it), but their owner, Tony Fernandes, has an estimated net worth of $625m, according to Forbes. They should be OK.
A check of Marussia's financial status presents an awful picture, but accounts are only available up to the end of 2012. According to ESPN their situation now is much rosier, after an investor wiped out their debts.
So we should have a 22-car grid in Australia.
text credit: © 2014 Neil James / bleacherreport.com
Tuesday
SORRY TO SEE THIS PROJECT GO 'KAPUT'
NOTE: A couple of years ago on this blog I posted the progress of Carbon Motors who was building a purpose built police car, the world's first. Now, you and I, never like to see a police car pulling up on us because it usually means a problem, but they are a necessary evil. The company had some great ideas and I was looking forward to their future. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The U.S. government, who had dumped hundreds of millions of the taxpayers money into failing solar panel companies, decided to refuse the $300 million loan requested by Carbon Motors. Could it be because at the time the government was still playing Russian roulette on the auto bail-out costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. So, the company has failed. Their prototype car and intellectual property will be on auction in Indiana on the 23rd of January.
One of the world’s most unique cars is going to auction on January 23, according to Indianapolis-based Key Auctioneers.
The futuristic E7 police cruiser, the world’s first purpose-built police cruiser, will be auctioned along with other assets of the Indiana-based Carbon Motors Company. The E7 includes automated license plate recognition, a weapons-of-mass-destruction detection system, forward and rear radar, 360-degree video and audio surveillance, and an integrated touchscreen communications and command system. The E7 was the only prototype produced by Carbon Motors before the company declared bankruptcy in June.
Unlike traditional police cruisers that retrofit lights, sirens and computers onto Crown Victorias and other production models, the E7 was designed from the ground up as a police cruiser. Carbon Motors surveyed thousands of law enforcement officers and incorporated their ideas into the design, including cutaway seats that accommodate police officers’ bulky gear, rear-hinged seats for safer suspect insertion, a secure and fully hoseable rear compartment, integrated rifle and shotgun mounts, and even builtin cup warmers. Twin turbo-charged six cylinder diesel engines were designed to take the E7 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, with top speeds over 150 mph, all while delivering fuel efficiency 40% greater than existing models.
Law enforcement officers described the car as “amazing,” a “bad boy” and “a dream come true.” The car generated substantial interest worldwide: Carbon Motors reported receiving reservations for over 20,000 cars, including reservations from every state in the U.S. and from dozens of foreign countries.
The company was founded in 2003 and settled in Connersville, Indiana in 2009. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2013 after the Department of Energy rejected its application for more than $300 million in loan funding.
The prototype E7 will arrive in Indiana from a collectible car facility in California within a month. The auction of the car and other Carbon Motors assets, including intellectual property, computers and a tradeshow booth, will take place at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 23 at 5520 South Harding Street, Indianapolis, IN 46217. Online bidding will be available.
The futuristic E7 police cruiser, the world’s first purpose-built police cruiser, will be auctioned along with other assets of the Indiana-based Carbon Motors Company. The E7 includes automated license plate recognition, a weapons-of-mass-destruction detection system, forward and rear radar, 360-degree video and audio surveillance, and an integrated touchscreen communications and command system. The E7 was the only prototype produced by Carbon Motors before the company declared bankruptcy in June.
Unlike traditional police cruisers that retrofit lights, sirens and computers onto Crown Victorias and other production models, the E7 was designed from the ground up as a police cruiser. Carbon Motors surveyed thousands of law enforcement officers and incorporated their ideas into the design, including cutaway seats that accommodate police officers’ bulky gear, rear-hinged seats for safer suspect insertion, a secure and fully hoseable rear compartment, integrated rifle and shotgun mounts, and even builtin cup warmers. Twin turbo-charged six cylinder diesel engines were designed to take the E7 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, with top speeds over 150 mph, all while delivering fuel efficiency 40% greater than existing models.
Law enforcement officers described the car as “amazing,” a “bad boy” and “a dream come true.” The car generated substantial interest worldwide: Carbon Motors reported receiving reservations for over 20,000 cars, including reservations from every state in the U.S. and from dozens of foreign countries.
The company was founded in 2003 and settled in Connersville, Indiana in 2009. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2013 after the Department of Energy rejected its application for more than $300 million in loan funding.
The prototype E7 will arrive in Indiana from a collectible car facility in California within a month. The auction of the car and other Carbon Motors assets, including intellectual property, computers and a tradeshow booth, will take place at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 23 at 5520 South Harding Street, Indianapolis, IN 46217. Online bidding will be available.
video credit: © 2014 youtube.com
edited text: © 2014 insideindianabusiness.com
INDIANA ON THE 23RD
CARBON MOTORS E7
CARBON MOTORS CAR AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
by Key Auctioneers
5520 South Harding Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
www.keyauctioneers.com
1-317-509-8600
photo credit: © 2014 Google
Monday
SPECIAL OF THE WEEK
1960 AUSTIN HEALEY
Beautiful driver. Shows well. Exceptional execution. Disc brakes, hard top, soft top, luggage rack, 1275 motor-5-speed, stock wheels, hubcaps, and factory tools included.
Located in Oklahoma.........1-580-465-3885
photo credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
text credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
Saturday
BERNIE TO LEAVE FORMULA ONE
BERNIE ECCLESTONE
Say it isn't so! In my mind this will be a disaster for Formula One. At 83 years of age he is the one and only person that has brought Formula One to where it is today. True, some of his ideas are way out there, but for all these years, decades actually, he has been the driving force behind the scenes. He has made hundreds of millions of dollars/pounds/euros and we all know that it wasn't on the up and up. This is brought on by a couple of actions by the German government involving millions of euros. The other person involved is in jail at the moment and Bernie denies everything.
Payback can be a bitch! Ecclestone has placed a bid to purchase the Nurburgring track which now alternates with Hockenheim for the Grand Prix races. You can bet Bernie's mind is racing right now. Doubtful that Germany will jail him at 83 and will just give him a huge fine that he can easily pay. In my mind here is the payback, lets say that he is awarded the bid on Nurburgring and because he has been fined by the German government he just lets the track sit. Costing the local businessmen and the government millions. He has already proven that he can do it because he owned part of the Turkish track and when they pissed him off they were off the schedule. No problem! For all I know he may own part of all the new tracks. He is one of these guys that could possibly go on strong until 100. Out of the picture or not I think Formula One will have to deal with Bernie Ecclestone for a long time to come. I can't wait to see how it plays out.
photo credit: © 2014 toppix.com
Monday
THE NETHERLANDS ON THE 18TH
1966 LOLA
GRANDES MARQUES
by COYS
MECC
Forum 100
Maastricht, The Netherlands
+44 (0) 208 614 7888
photo credit: © 2014 COYS
FLORIDA ON THE 17TH
1951 FORD
KISSIMMEE 2014
by Mecum
Osceola Heritage Park
Kissimmee, Florida
1-262-275-5050
photo credit: © 2014 Mecum
ARIZONA ON THE 17TH
THE SCOTTSDALE AUCTIONS
by Gooding & Company
Fashion Square Mall
Old Town Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
1-310-899-1960
ARIZONA ON THE 17TH
1949 CHEVY
ARIZONA IN JANUARY
by Silver
Fort McDowell Resort & Casino
Fort McDowell, Arizona
1-800-255-4485
photo credit: © 2014 Silver Auctions
ARIZONA ON THE 16TH
1932 MARMON
THE SCOTTSDALE AUCTION
by Bonhams
The Hilton Kirkland Resort & Spa
Scottsdale, Arizona
1-415-861-7500
photo credit: © 2014 bonhams 1793
ARIZONA ON THE 16TH
by RM
Biltmore Resort
Phoenix, Arizona
1-519-352-4575
photo credit: © 2014 Collectors Car News
photo credit: © 2014 Collectors Car News
Sunday
ARIZONA ON THE 15TH
1959 MASERATI
SCOTTSDALE 14
by Russo and Steele
18601 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona
1-602-252-2697
photo credit: © 2014 Russo and Steele
SPECIAL OF THE WEEK
1949 DODGE
This truck has NO rust. It has a 6 cylinder flathead and 4 speed floor shift and 81,250 miles. Recent work includes: rebuilt engine, transmission inspected and resealed, clutch, all new vintage wiring, brakes including master and wheel cylinders, exhaust system, shocks, ujoints, tires and optima battery. Within last 2000 miles: paint, leather upholstery, floor mat, gauges restored, oak floor in bed and retrofitted directionals. All lights (including spotlight), wipers, horn and period heater work. I have maintenance records dating back to 1959. This truck looks original and runs like new.
I love this truck but it draws too much attention.
Located in Massachusetts........1-508-660-0105
I love this truck but it draws too much attention.
Located in Massachusetts........1-508-660-0105
photo credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
edited text credit:© 2014 hemmings.com
Friday
ROBERT KUBICA ON THE 'COME BACK' TRAIL
Robert Kubica’s stunning victory in last weekend’s Janner Rally was the perfect way to build up to what will be a challenging first season in the WRC.
Kubica’s passion for rallying almost cost him his life when he was horribly injured in a serious accident in the Ronde di Andora in February 2011. The accident almost severed his right arm and caused multiple fractures to the right-hand side of his body after a section of the Armco penetrated his car’s safety cage and sliced into his body. He came within inches of death and will almost certainly never drive an F1 car in anger again.
Before the accident, Kubica was set for F1 superstardom. Having suffered a frightening accident in Montreal whilst driving for BMW Sauber in 2007, Kubica enjoyed a stellar 2008 season.
He scored maiden victory at the Canadian Grand Prix at the venue of his horror smash en route to fourth in the drivers’ standings in a season that saw him score seven podium finishes. A tough 2009 followed before a move to Renault saw three further podiums in what was largely a disappointing season.
Of course, we’ll never know what Kubica could have achieved in F1 was it not for his accident. Or do we? After a season that saw Lotus juggle with Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna, Lotus became a new force under Kimi Raikkonen in 2012. Having spent two seasons away from the sport, Raikkonen finished third in the drivers’ championship with a victory and six other podium finishes.
The Lotus E20 would arguably have been the most competitive F1 car yet at Kubica’s disposal and he would have been in better shape and better practice than Raikkonen.
The fact that Kubica is still winning in rally with an impediment—he still has restricted movement of his arm and fingers—proves what a talented driver he really is.
Will Kubica ever make it back to F1? Unlikely. Did he have the potential to be an F1 world champion? Undoubtedly.
video credit: © 2014 youtube.com
edited text: © 2014 Fraser Masefield / Bleacher Report
Thursday
HEMMINGS AT 60 AND GOING STRONG
When it came time to put the Hemmings
Motor News 60th anniversary issue together, the cover image was a
no-brainer: Roll out the trucks. To longtime Hemmings readers, the
lineup will look very familiar. Beginning with the February 1979
issue (Hemmings’s 25th anniversary year), an illustration, penned
by Russell von Sauers, of Hemmings’s 1936 Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet
delivery trucks became a mainstay on the brown kraft paper cover of
HMN.
When HMN went to full-color in the
1990s, the old trucks were sort of shoved aside and didn’t appear
again in all of their green-and-yellow glory on the cover. For the
February 2014 issue, we righted that wrong, and to further show our
respect for this iconic trio, we put together a seven-page feature on
the trucks, detailing each of their histories and showing off some
additional views of the interiors and engine compartments… for
better or worse. At one time, these trucks all ran, but time sitting
idle in the Sibley Shop, Hemmings’s vehicle display, has not been
kind. When it came time to shoot the photos for the story, the
Chevrolet would move under its own power, but a battery gone kaput
kept it from starting without a jump. The Ford had a blown head
gasket, and the transmission had a habit of staying locked in gear.
The Dodge, meanwhile, was missing its oil pump, and its distributor
had been looted to get Hemmings’s rally-racing 1934 Dodge delivery
on the road.
In the meantime, check out the 60th anniversary edition of HMN – it hits newsstands nationwide January 14 and is arriving in mailboxes around the country already. Inside, you’ll find some great Hemmings-related recollections from readers (including the story about the De Lorean in the bedroom previously featured here); biographies of the men who built and kept Hemmings Motor News alive – Ernest R. Hemmings, Terry Ehrich and Ray Shaw – stories about working at HMN from some of our longest-serving and most valued employees, as well as a two-page tour of our facility in Bennington.
There’s also a smattering of the usual stuff: coverage from the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction in Carmel; a sports car profile about a 351 Cleveland-powered Iso Grifo Series 2; and a cool Tools and Supplies page showcasing old automotive diagnostic tools found in our own museum. If nothing in Hemmings‘s 112-page magazine section excites you, you can always find something that does in its 400-plus pages of classified ads!
photo credit: © 2014 Daniel Strohl / Hemmings
text credit: © 2014 Mike McNessor / Hemmings
ARIZONA ON THE 12TH
SCOTTSDALE
featuring The Salon Collection
by Barrett-Jackson
Westworld of Scottsdale
16601 North Pima Road
Scottsdale, Arizona
1-480-421-6694
photo credit: © 2014 Collectors Car World
Wednesday
FLORIDA ON THE 11TH
BANKRUPTCY
by Auction America Inc.
6537 Southern Blvd.
West Palm Beach, Florida
1-561-682-9505
photo credit: © 2014 Auctions America Inc.
ENGLAND ON THE 11TH
1988 ARGO JM 19C
AUTOSPORT
by COYS
NEC
Birmingham
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 208 614 7888
photo credit: © 2014 COYS
Tuesday
NORTH CAROLINA ON THE 10TH
1946 FORD
CHARLOTTE IN JANUARY
by Tom Mack
Metrolina Expo Center
7100 Statesville Road
Charlotte, North Carolina
1-888-TOM MACK
photo credit: © 2014 Tom Mack
Sunday
PUT THIS ON YOUR 'BUCKET' LIST
Sam Payne, Henry Payne Sr. and Henry Payne Jr.
NOTE: I think we all have a 'bucket' list of some sort. Henry Payne Jr., his dad and his brother decided to attend a driving school. I am sure this is on my list somewhere. Somewhere long before my backside got too wide. Bottomline, do this before you get too wide. Have fun.
**************************
If the Honda Civic is America’s best-selling entry
level sedan, then the Formula Skip Barber is our most popular entry-level race
car.
This Christmas holiday, the Payne family got behind
the wheel for a test on Mazda Raceway in picturesque Laguna Seca,
California.
The Barber car was originally manufactured in 1986 by Mondiale for the racing school but has since been made in-house. The current car – there are 90 in Barber’s stables nationwide – was last modified in 2000 and is powered by the old, 2.0 liter Dodge Neon engine. The four-banger produces 132 horsepower and is the only thing the car shares with your average grocery-hauler.
The cockpit is all business. The single-seater has no
navigation screen, no radio, no cup-holders. All you get are the essentials: a
tachometer and dials for monitoring oil and water temperature. Cloth seats?
Fuhgetaboutit. A hard plastic bucket is standard. Back problems? Shove in as
many foam inserts as you like. If there is a convenience to formula cars it’s
that the steering wheel is removable – in order to help giants like your 6’5”
author to get his knees under the dash. The inconvenience is no eight-way
adjustable seats. Zero-adjustable, in fact. Pedals too close? The mechanics will
have to find you another car with deeper pedals.
Barber drivers can acclimate to a racing environment
with enough power to thrill, but not enough to get them in serious trouble
around Laguna’s legendary 2.2 mile, 11-turn roller coaster.
Our 16-man Barber school was a typically diverse lot
ranging from a 15-year old karting ace to a 50-something who had never turned a
wheel in anger to your racing-addicted scribe and his two sons. Track sessions
over the three-day school are preceded by classroom instruction explaining
everything from vehicle dynamics to course layout.
Suited up and safely secured in a five-point safety
harness, you find a car surprisingly amenable for even those with little
experience depressing a clutch pedal. The gearbox is a sturdy, 5-speed
sequential that requires a pull for up-shifts and a push for downshifts. No
mis-shift prone H-pattern to labor through, no double-clutching required for
downshifts (though instructors urge a simultaneous blip of the accelerator with
clutch depression to smooth downshifts under braking).
Press the starter button and the engine roars to life
(burbles to life is more accurate - a can muffler swallows the end of the
tailpipe, choking sound to preempt NIMBY nabobs from shutting down the track for
disturbing the peace, destroying the planet, etc.). Row the gears on Laguna’s
humped main straightaway and you’ll hit 120 mph before plunging into Turn 2, a
daunting, 190-degree, second-gear, double-apex left hander. It is here that the
race chassis really shines. The track demands driver precision and the car’s
stiff frame and multi-link suspension takes you where you want to go with none
of the drama of a sedan chassis (Barber offers a parallel school with
race-prepared Mazda MX-5s and the formula cars run rings around the sports cars
despite the Mazda’s 45 HP advantage).
This predictability builds trust between
driver and car — essential for the track’s signature, blind, downhill, corkscrew
Turn 8 that would make a hardened Cedar Point roller coaster rider scream.
Armed with walkie talkies and strategically placed
around the track, the school's Barber-graduate instructors supplement the track
experience with immediate input. Early track sessions bring each car to a “stop
box” after each lap to review a driver’s mistakes and improvements. The advice
is offered with a mix of instruction and fun. “If you’re going somewhere you
don’t want to go, don't go there faster,” quips one.
By Day Three, you and car are one. The final checker
falls and the spell is broken. Back to real life. Back to work. Back to the
Civic. Hmmm, how many Barber schools could I sell it for?
photo credit: © 2014 Henry Payne Jr./The Detroit News
text credit: © 2014 Henry Payne Jr./The Detroit News
NEVADA ON THE 9TH
1911 HARLEY DAVIDSON
THE 2014 LAS VEGAS ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLE AUCTION
featuring The George Pardos Collection
The Jim Hiddleston Collection
The Rod Wheeler Collection
The Don Harrell Collection
The Martin Schalkwijk Collection
The Burt Richmond Collection
The Jim Beck Collection
The Bobby SirKeglan Collection
The Shappy Collection
The Sinless Cycles Collection
The Matt Talbert Collection
The Kent Blankenberg Collection
The Moto Armory Collection
The Bob Crawford Collection
The Denny Kannenberg Collection
The Dennis Schoenfeldt Collection
The Leo Hulnik Collection
The Sherman Collection
The Gary Lewis Collection
The Baxter Cycle Collection
by MidAmerica and Mecum
South Pointe Casino and Exhibition Hall
Las Vegas, Nevada
1-651-633-9655
photo credit: © 2014 Mecum
NEVADA ON THE 9TH
1927 BMW R42
THE LAS VEGAS MOTORCYCLE AUCTION
by Bonhams
Bally\s Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
1-415-861-7500
photo credit: © 2014 bonhams 1793
A STORY TO KEEP IN MIND THIS COMING YEAR
The first slice of the collection to be offered will be barn finds, project cars as well as some still in perfect running order. They range from a 1956 left hand drive 356A Coupe barn find, which still drives, complete with matching engine and chassis numbers, to a 1972 left hand drive 911E project car with US title and UK custom documents. A raft of 911 variants, 912s and 356s complete the line-up.
The collection has been built up over a ten-year period and includes 50 early 911s, 39 912s and about 40 356s. Many more cars are still in transit from storage in the US.
2014 Dates:
Saturday 25th January
Saturday 5th April
Saturday 14th June
Saturday 23rd August
Saturday 1st November
photo credit: © 2014 honestjohn.co.uk
edited text credit: © 2014 Keith Adams/Honest John
SPECIAL OF THE WEEK
1929 CHEVY
Original, New Upholstry and Vinyl Top, New Tires/Tubes, New Gas Tank, New Radiator, Original paint with little touchup, All Original running gears and motor. Four -door( Suicide doors.)
Runs Great, Ready to go.
Located in Texas........1-940-367-2439
Runs Great, Ready to go.
Located in Texas........1-940-367-2439
photo credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
edited text credit: © 2014 hemmings.com
Friday
ANDY GRANATELLI........1923 - 2013
In the world of motorsports marketing,
few names are as recognizable as Andy Granatelli, the ingenious
pitchman and racing promoter who funded numerous Indianapolis 500
efforts before capturing victory with Mario Andretti in the 1969
race. Also known as the driving force behind Richard Petty’s
long-term STP sponsorship, Granatelli died this past Sunday at age 90
of congestive heart failure in Santa Barbara, California. Born in
March 1923 in Dallas, Texas, Granatelli was raised in Chicago,
Illinois, by his widower father. He quit school at age 14 and, along
with his brothers, learned to repair automobiles. By age 20, he was
an investor in his brothers’ service station, and soon began
selling auto parts as a sideline business. Following World War II,
Granatelli began promoting automotive races that combined stunts with
competition, packing the stands with spectators eager to see a blend
of racing and orchestrated carnage. When Andy and his brothers
acquired a Navy airfield in Halfday, Illinois, then converted it to a
drag strip, the opening day crowd reached 26,000, more than four
times the number expected. His Indianapolis 500 ambitions began in
1946, when the Granatelli brothers fielded an 11-year-old race car
driven by Danny Kladis. Though Kladis started from the 33rd position,
last on the grid, he’d finish in 21st position after completing
just 46 of 200 laps. In 1948, Granatelli himself tried his hand at
driving, but a qualifying crash proved his talents were best used in
promoting races and fielding race teams, not in driving cars.
Granatelli’s business savvy was the stuff of legend. Not only did
he turn a struggling company named Chemical Compounds (with a single
product, known as Scientifically Treated Petroleum, or STP) into a
household name (growing sales fifty-fold, to $100 million annually),
but he also revived struggling supercharger manufacturer Paxton, sold
to automaker Studebaker in 1961. In 1976, Granatelli purchased Tuneup
Masters for $300,000; a decade later, he sold the now-profitable
low-cost specialty service provider to Cardis for the reported sum of
$53 million.
Granatelli’s rise to prominence at
the Indy 500 really began in 1961, when he purchased the rights to
use the dual overhead camshaft, supercharged Novi V-8 engine at the
Brickyard. Fans loved the engine’s distinctive howl, but harnessing
its excessive power proved troublesome for drivers Jim Hurtubise, Art
Malone and Bobby Unser. Reliability issues also impacted the Novi’s
performance, and Granatelli abandoned the engine after the 1966
running (where a crash in qualifying excluded it from the field). His
next innovation at Indianapolis came in 1967, when Granatelli fielded
a turbine-powered race car driven by Parnelli Jones. Jones qualified
sixth on the grid, but quickly passed the rest of the field on the
opening lap. Rain red-flagged the race, which resumed the following
day with Jones leading in the STP-liveried turbine car. With just
four laps remaining in the race, and a full lap ahead of second place
A.J. Foyt, Jones coasted to the inside of the track down the back
straight, barely managing to limp the car home to the pits. A certain
victory had been spoiled by a transmission bearing, which Granatelli
later referred to as a “$6.00 part.” Granatelli would also field
turbine cars for the 1968 running of the race, although rule changes
had made turbine cars far less competitive. Now using a more
sophisticated (and more aerodynamic) Lotus 56 chassis, the STP team
once again appeared to be in position to win the race, but a restart
on lap 191 left Granatelli driver and race leader Joe Leonard with a
snapped fuel shaft, a problem that also dropped Leonard’s teammate
Art Pollard from the race. With turbine power outlawed for 1969,
Granatelli managed his first Indy 500 victory in a conventional (and
year-old) race car, driven by Mario Andretti. Gordon Johncock would
deliver a second victory for the Granatelli team in 1973; despite
efforts that lasted until 1991, the victory would be the final one
for “Mister 500.” Aside from the two victories, Granatelli’s
Indianapolis 500 highlights include the infamous “STP pajama”
team uniforms, which likely brought STP more exposure than even a win
could have, as well as his in-the-moment kiss of Mario Andretti,
recognized as the first winner to be kissed by a team owner before
the trophy girl. Granatelli’s biggest victory in all of
motorsports, however, was likely his STP sponsorship deal with stock
car legend Richard Petty, a contract that was nearly shot down by
Petty’s refusal to switch from a “Petty Blue” to an “STP Red”
livery. In the end, both parties agreed to a compromise, and the net
result was one of the most familiar paint schemes (and one of the
longest lasting sponsorships) in NASCAR history.
Though today’s
Indianapolis rules and contract restrictions allow for none of the
flamboyance and innovation exhibited by Granatelli over his lengthy
presence at the Brickyard, his genius and his energy won’t soon be
forgotten.
photo credit: © 2014 Google
text credit: © 2014 Kurt Ernst/hemmings.com
video credit: © 2014 youtube.com
Wednesday
FLORIDA ON THE 3RD OF JANUARY
1978 CHECKER
COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION
by Dave Rupp
War Memorial Auditorium, Holiday Park -
800 N.E. 8th Street
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
1-561-533-7945
photo credit: © 2014 Dave Rupp
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