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The Runge RS010 – Built By Hand In A Secret Minnesota Barn By Christopher Rünge

The Runge RS010 was hand-built by Christopher Rünge as a bespoke one-off sports car with styling reminiscent of late 1950s racers. Rünge is a traditional coachbuilder who only ever creates his own vehicle designs – he never replicates or recreates, everything has to be unique.

Each Rünge vehicle is built in a secretive barn tucked away on a property in the Minnesota countryside, he works alone bar the occasional help from his teenage son, his work has been celebrated by countless luminaries of the classic car world and displayed on the lawn at The Quail – A Motorsports Gathering.

Christopher Rünge built the Runge RS010 over two years between 2017 and 2019, it took him approximately 2,000 hours to complete and it quickly became one of his most celebrated designs. As with all of his creations the RS010 has a hand-formed aluminum alloy body that was shaped panel by panel using traditional equipment like English wheels, wooden mallets, and a wooden body buck.

“The RS010 was commissioned by a Chicago collector. Our goal was to create what we thought was the ultimate late 50’s German sports coupe with aircraft influence. This theme shows through both aesthetically and in functionality utilizing aircraft duct, venting systems, switchgear, magneto starter and more.” – Christopher Rünge

Above Video: Christopher Rünge meets with Jay Leno to talk about some of his creations.

The RS010 has a full steel tube frame offering excellent rigidity, this is then clothed in clothed with a “Superleicht” (super light) aluminum tube form that supports the aluminum body – a similar (but different) technique to that used by Carrozzeria Touring for their Superleggera bodies used on vehicles like the Aston Martin DB5.

As you may expect, the Runge RS010 tips the scales at just 1,350 lbs or 612 kgs. To put that into perspective the latest Porsche 911 Carrera S weighs 3,428 lbs or 1,555 kgs.

“The build started with a steel ladder frame chassis. We utilized modified Porsche 356B drum brakes which are vented in period fashion, mated to a height adjustable “King/Link” front beam and swing axle rear suspension. Koni supplied custom valved shock absorbers to create a wonderfully balanced, smooth ride.”

“Gearing comes from a 4 speed “Longbox” allowing quick rips in low range with a comfortable 4th gear cruising at 80mph and a top speed upwards of 125mph. Power comes from a mid-engine 200 hp, 2.3L flat four pushrod motor built entirely from new components. The motor features a RUNGE aluminum fan shroud and custom sandcast valve covers. Tecnomagnesio 15″ wheels are wrapped in Pirelli CN36 tires setting off the stance with a period look.” – Christopher Rünge

Power is provided by a hand-built Runge 2.3 litre flat-four engine with two twin-choke Weber carburetors producing 200 hp. It’s mounted in a rear-mid location and it sends power back through a four-speed “Longbox” transmission to the rear wheels. Cruising speed in fourth gear is said to be comfortable at 80+ mph.

The tubular steel chassis is fitted with independent front and rear suspension that includes Koni adjustable shock absorbers, and the vehicle has hydraulic drum brakes on all four corners.

Unusually for a lightweight sports racing car Rünge wanted to ensure that the RS010 was comfortable to drive, even on a daily basis if the owner wanted, so he fitted with the car with insulation and sound deadening, as well as a 12 volt electric air conditioning system, carpeting, leather-trimmed alloy seats, and doors that open to reveal cut away sections of the roof to allow easier entry and exit.

The inside of the Runge RS010 us just as beautiful as the exterior, the signature Runge steering wheel sits in front of traditional instrumentation. A clock from a Soviet MiG jet is fitted to the centre of the dashboard and all the controls and toggle switches are taken from 1950s-era aircraft.

Above Image: Christopher Rünge welding one of his signature Superleicht bodies.

“The one-off body started by hand-forming an aluminum “Tube Buck”. RUNGE refers to this as their “Superleicht” structure that acts as a guide for the aluminum bodywork. The entire body is handformed .063″ 3003 aluminum. Flat sheets are cut into patterns and then hammered over tree stumps and rolled into shape with an FJ Edwards English wheel. Each pattern takes shape to the buck through a series of trial fits and once the fit is acceptable, it is butt welded to the next section ultimately creating a seamless body clip.”

“The engine bay decklids each have a modified Porsche 911 grill running longitudinally giving more than adequate air supply to the power plant while executing a beautiful design element. Headlights are the super rare Lucas “Le Mans” with period Miller driving lights mounted in the nose. Traditional Porsche 356 “Beehive” tail lights add a period touch to the rear of the car.” – Christopher Rünge

The Runge RS010 is now due to cross the auction block with Bonhams on the 21st of January with a hammer price estimate of $225,000 to $250,000 USD. Christopher tells us that there’s currently a two year wait for new commissions and prices start at $395,000 USD for a car like the RS010, so this is an excellent opportunity for someone to jump the queue and get their hands on an original low-mileage Runge.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Follow Runge Cars on Instagram – Facebook – YouTube – Website

Images courtesy of Alex Bellus – Instagram

The post The Runge RS010 – Built By Hand In A Secret Minnesota Barn By Christopher Rünge appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/runge-rs010/
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A Rare Lister-Jaguar Knobbly – The Giant Killer From Cambridge

The Lister-Jaguar “Knobbly” was the most famous creation of Lister Motor Company, a small British sports car maker that was founded by Brian Lister in his father’s Cambridge wrought iron shop before going on to beat some of the fastest racing cars of the era.

Britain has long been home to plucky upstarts who approach racing car design with fresh ideas and typically very limited budgets. Enzo Ferrari used to derisively call them the “garagistes”, he didn’t like them because companies like Cooper and Lotus had committed the ultimate sin in his eyes – they had beaten Ferrari on the track.

Lister And The Legendary Knobbly

Brian Lister made a name for himself initially with an MG-engined Lister car of his own design before branching out and using engines from Bristol or Jaguar, or using those American V8s that could be bought for relatively little money and made to produce prodigious and reliable power.

Various Listers would wreak absolute havoc throughout the 1950s, winning races against far larger and better funded teams and occasionally beating the likes of the Jaguar D-Type while being powered by the same engine.

Racing driver Archie Scott Brown is perhaps most famously associated with Lister however many other icons of the 1950s raced for the firm including Stirling Moss.

It’s likely safe to say that the “Knobbly” Listers were the company’s best known creation, they were so called due to the curved bumps across the car’s body which were there to accommodate things like wheels and engines while keeping the surface area of the car as low as possible.

These Lister Knobblys were powered two different engines, either Jaguar XK inline-sixes or Chevrolet V8s. It’s believed that approximately 12 examples of the Lister-Jaguar Knobbly were built alongside approximately 10 examples of the Lister-Chevrolet Knobbly.

These cars were raced with great success in the late 1950s by Lister, other teams including those led by Briggs Cunningham, Jim Hall, and Carroll Shelby also used Listers, as did Ecurie Ecosse.

Perhaps the most famous achievement of the Listers of this era was the SCCA National Championship win in 1958, however there were a slew of race wins and podium places across Europe and the United States.

Lister had renewed successes under different owners over the years including popular runs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In more recent years the company has released high performance versions the Jaguar F-Type and the Jaguar F-Pace, as well as an official continuation of the original Lister-Jaguar Knobbly under the directorship of Lawrence Whittaker.

The Lister-Jaguar Knobbly Shown Here

The car you see here is an original Lister-Jaguar Knobbly from 1958, it’s believed to the the only surviving Jaguar-powered Works “Knobbly”.

This car is powered by one of the most successful racing engines of the 1950s – a 3.8 litre wide-angle, dry-sump Jaguar D-Type straight-six capable of truly breathtaking performance in such a lightweight, aluminum bodied vehicle.

This car was the last of the three works Lister-Jaguars that were built in 1959 and it was raced by Walt Hansgen, Ivor Bueb, and Bruce Halford in-period.

In the years since the car has been restored and campaigned extensively in events including the Goodwood Revival and other historic motorsport events.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to roll across the auction block on the 22nd of January in Arizona.

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from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/lister-jaguar-knobbly/
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Shelby Series 1 Clay 1:1 Scale Design Model

This is a full-sized clay Shelby Series 1 clay design model in 1:1 scale, it was created in the late 1990s as a precursor to the Shelby Series 1 production car which was arguably the most ambitious project of Carroll Shelby’s life.

Shelby first became famous as a racing car driver in the 1950s, rising to prominence in the United States followed by a successful career in Europe that culminated with him winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans co-driving with Roy Salvadori in the Aston Martin DBR1/300.

Due to a heart condition he retired from racing after Le Mans but kept himself busy, first by importing AC Ace sports cars and fitting them with Ford V8s to create the Shelby Cobra, and later by working closely with Ford building special versions of the Ford Mustang and running the GT40 program that would make such a successful return to Le Mans.

Over the course of his remarkable, decades long career Carroll Shelby built one production vehicle from scratch. The rest had been modified production cars, many of which are now worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, but with the Shelby Series 1 he wanted to start with a blank slate and create a 21st century version of the original Shelby Cobra.

Truth be told the project was probably a little too ambitious even for Shelby, and it encountered its fair share of teething issues, however once sorted the cars offered remarkable performance by the standards of the late 1990s.

The Shelby Series 1 used a high-strength, all-aluminum chassis, modern carbon-fiber bodywork, and a Shelby-modified Oldsmobile 320 hp double overhead cam per bank L47 V8 engine. The car could do the 0 to 60 mph dash in 4.4 seconds, cover the quarter mile in 12.8 seconds at 112 mph, and reach a top speed of 170 mph.

The model you see here has a clay body that’s been finished with paint and all the fittings to ensure it looked as much like a production car as possible – the cars that rolled off the production line would look almost identical to it.

The vehicle can be rolled however it obviously doesn’t have a drivetrain, the doors, hood, and trunk do not open, and it has no chassis number or VIN. Pieces of truly unique automotive history like this don’t often come up for sale so it’ll be interesting to see what this sells for when it crosses the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 22nd of January as it’s being offered with no reserve.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post Shelby Series 1 Clay 1:1 Scale Design Model appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/shelby-series-1-prototype-model/
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1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Sportsman – Linda Lather’s Original Racer

This is an original sportsman oval track race car that was campaigned in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Ohio by local racing legend Linda Landers.

Landers was the first woman to ever take the first-place points lead in the local standings, laying out a path for the countless female racing drivers who would follow – some of whom would rise to the top echelons of American motor racing.

This Chevelle was built for racing the same way many of them were, with a modified chassis, a tubular steel frame, and steel body panels that could be quickly changed after race track altercations.

Linda Lathers was backed by Landers Antique Autos in Ohio, over the years she raced Linda provided all the thrills and spills the spectators hoped for, and of course, valuable exposure for Landers Antique Autos.

The car was built specifically for racing on “bullpen” short tracks in northern Ohio and as such, it didn’t need an unnecessarily large V8 as the straights are just too short to take advantage of it. Instead the car is fitted with a much lighter 283 cu. in. Chevrolet V8 that gives it better balance and plenty of power for its intended purpose.

The engine is specifically designed to rev high, it’s topped with an open-element air cleaner and an aluminum intake, and it uses the tough original cast iron exhaust manifolds. It’s kept cool courtesy of an aluminum radiator with a shield, the wheel wells are also open so cooling the engine bay on cars like this is rarely an issue.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission and a live axle, the car has a purpose-built front coil-spring suspension and disc brakes.

Inside you’ll find a typically spartan interior with a professionally built roll cage that’s been designed to withstand multiple impacts from any angle – a common occurrence in short track racing.

In the driver’s line of sight there’s a 10,000 rpm tachometer and on the dash there are gauges for oil pressure, oil temperature, coolant temperature, and fuel. There are also alert lights for oil pressure, coolant temperature, and oil temperature. The driver sits in a protective Kirkey racing seat with a six-point racing harness, and there’s a fire extinguisher within hand’s reach.

As you would expect the side window glass has been removed and both headlamps and tail light lenses have been replaced by tin inserts. The car rides on a set of chromed steel wheels, often preferred to alloys due to their toughness and the fact they can typically be replaced cheaply.

In more recent years the car was completely restored with straight body panels and clean race paint (short-track cars rarely stayed nice after a couple of weekend outings in competition). It’s now ready for its new owner, who will hopefully take it out and get it dirty again.

The car is now due to cross the auction block with Mecum in January, it has no reserve and the price estimate is $15,000 to $25,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to see the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/chevrolet-chevelle-sportsman-racer/
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Land Rover Defender 90 Custom By Outlander Vehicles

This eye-catching Land Rover Defender custom does a great job of answering the question “what would Hue 166 look like if it had been built in the 21st century rather than the 20th?”

For the uninitiated, HUE 166 (often referred to as “Huey”) is arguably the most famous Land Rover in history – which is fitting because it was also the first Land Rover in history.

It was developed by Rover’s technical chief Maurice Wilks as a fully-functioning prototype of sorts and it was first shown to the world at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show.

The Land Rover was originally developed in post-WW2 Britain to provide farmers with a vehicle that would double as both a small farm truck and a tractor. The body was made from aluminum alloy as steel was still strictly rationed, and the little Series 1 Land Rover quickly became one of the most iconic vehicles of its age.

HUE 166 and the Land Rover Defender shown here are both green short wheelbase Land Rovers with two doors, a canvas top, a fold down windscreen, and a tray back. The similarities between the two vehicles are capped off with a small “HUE 166” added to the front left fender of the newer vehicle – a subtle touch that was added to all Heritage Defenders.

The shade of green used is now known as “Huey”, and variants of it have been popular with Land Rover owners for decades. Some say it’s an acquired taste, but once you do get a taste for it it can be difficult to want your Land Rover in any other color.

The Outlander Vehicles Land Rover Defender Shown Here

The Defender 90 you see here was hand-built by the Scottish team at Outlander Vehicles, based in Edinburgh. The original Defender was stripped back to its individual components and every aspect of it received attention.

The chassis was galvanized to protect against rust and all body panels received fresh paintwork in Keswick Green as a hat tip to Huey. A custom grille was fitted up front and wheel arch flares were color coded and fitted on each corner to accommodate the new (much larger) rubber.

The new tires are 305/70 R16 BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tires fitted to deeply dished steel rims in the same color as the body. Tires of this size are ideal for use on sand, loose soil, mud, and other surfaces where you need the largest footprint possible.

For additional safety a galvanized roll cage has been bolted in to protect both the driver and the passenger, and it’s fitted with a removable tan canvas top.

Below each door there’s a step to help entry and exit, it also protects the sills from bottoming out when off-roading and causing serious body damage.

Inside the cab you’ll find both seats finished with durable sand-coloured canvas covers from Exmoor trim, there’s a custom oak centre console box, and it has a tasteful wood-rimmed Momo steering wheel.

In the rear there’s oak decking, there’s also a canvas tool roll, twin cargo nets, and two lights.

Power is provided by the venerable 2.4 litre TDCi (turbo diesel) engine producing 120 bhp and a healthy 265 lb ft of torque, with permanent four-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission.

This Land Rover is currently being auctioned live by Collecting Cars, if you’d like to read more about it, register to bid, or see the current price you can click here.