Limited100 Automotive Prints – 100% Made In Britain

Limited100 was founded in 2020 by Simon Wright with a single purpose in mind, to create an entirely unique series of automotive prints that are 100% made in Britain – from the initial photography through to post-production, printing, packaging, and shipping.

Simon started the company after trying and failing to find automotive wall prints he wanted on his own walls, so he set to work finding photographers and printing companies who are based in Britain.

Each series of prints is limited to 100 units – hence the company’s name. Each is individually numbered and signed by hand, and the production of each print typically begins the day it is ordered.

When ordering you can choose between A1, A2, and A3 sizing. Unusually you can also choose to have your print on fine art paper, canvas, or on aluminum composite. Pricing starts at £119 and climbs from there to £189 and £269 for the larger sizes.

Above Image: Each print is limited to 100 units and they can be ordered in three sizes on a choice of fine art paper, canvas, or aluminum composite.

Limited100 uses only environmentally friendly water-based paints, and they explain that they finely tune the printing equipment to get the best most vibrant and accurate colour depiction.

Prints can be ordered already framed to save time, with either a natural wood frame, or your choice of either a black or white wood frame.

At the time of writing Limited100 has created collections with four highly-regarded automotive photographers including Paul Ward, Rick Noël, João Meneses, and Niall Julian with each collection including between eight and 30+ unique prints.

We’ve included a small collection of prints currently being offered by Limited100 here in this article, however there are dozens more on their website available for order.

The store page for each print includes a bio on the photographer as well as a detailed specification sheet for the car that was photographed.

Visit The Store

Images courtesy of Limited100. Photography by Paul Ward, Rick Noël, João Meneses, and Niall Julian.

The post Limited100 Automotive Prints – 100% Made In Britain appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/limited100-automotive-prints/
via gqrds

The Brütsch Rollera Microcar – A Rare Little Speed Demon Allegedly Capable Of 105 KM/H

Believe it or not, the Brütsch Rollera microcar was the large choice in its model family, it was based on the smaller Brütsch Mopetta. Both shared similar styling but the Rollera offered notably more space, and it had a more powerful motor.

Brütsch was a German car designer and automaker based in Stuttgart, the company had been founded by Egon Brütsch to design and build microcars, which in the post-WW2 period were exceedingly popular across Europe.

Perhaps the main reason for the popularity of microcars was the fact that they were cheap to build, cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and miserly on gasoline. Europe was in a period of stringent austerity, but people still needed transportation.

The most famous microcar is probably the Iso Isetta, also produced under license by a number of other manufacturers including BMW. It would be this practice of having other people license his designs that would most appeal to Egon Brütsch. Although his company was an automaker he always seemed largely focused on the engineering and design of the cars, which he then hoped to license to other manufacturers for the more dreary job of actually mass-producing and selling them.

Above Image: This Rollera is fitted with an Isard 124cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine producing 6 hp.

The Brütsch Mopetta and the Brütsch Rollera

The Brütsch Rollera and Brütsch Mopetta both first appeared in 1956, the Mopetta was the “moped” version as it was fitted with a single-cylinder 49cc moped engine mated to a three-speed gearbox.

The Rollera was fitted with a larger 98cc Fichtel & Sachs engine with a similar three-speed gearbox, the body of the Rollera was slightly larger and there was more room internally.

The top speed of the Brütsch Rollera is said to be 105 km/h (65 mph) making it a bit of a speed demon in comparison to other microcars of the era – although it would be somewhat of an invigorating experience to travel at that sort of speed in such a small vehicle.

The Rollera was fitted with a perspex windscreen and a simple folding top to keep the rain off, however there were no side windows. The two models were offered until 1958 and although they were both licensed it’s believed that only the Rollera was actually built and sold, and even then it was in very low numbers.

Above Image: The cockpit of the Rollera was cozy and relatively simple. Steering was accomplished with handlebars and there was just a single gauge – a speedometer.

It’s typically very difficult to find Rolleras or Mopettas nowadays, so much so that a number of replica Mopettas have been built over the years. When they do come up for sale they typically attract plenty of attention and prices you may not expect, with some fetching over $60,000 USD.

The Brütsch Rollera Shown Here

The car you see here is a Brütsch Rollera from 1958, it was found in parts by its current owner who restored it carefully back to original specification – a demanding task given the extreme scarcity of spare parts.

 

This is one of the Rolleras that was built under license in France, so it’s fitted with a larger Isard 124cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine producing 6 hp. During the restoration no stone was left unturned, the chassis was restored, followed by the fiberglass body, and the engine was inspected and reassembled.

The vehicle is now likely one of the nicest Rolleras extant and it’s due to roll across the auction block with Artcurial on the 5th of February.

The price estimate is €30,000 to €50,000 and you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

Images courtesy of Artcurial

The post The Brütsch Rollera Microcar – A Rare Little Speed Demon Allegedly Capable Of 105 KM/H appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/brutsch-rollera-microcar/
via gqrds

The Extraordinary Art of Manu Campa

Over the past 10 years Manu Campa has risen to prominence as one of the world’s foremost automotive artists. He’s based in Malasaña, Madrid and he’s had exhibitions in Miami, Tokyo, New York, Lisbon, Biarritz, Oxford and Madrid before everything drew to a screeching halt because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although classic cars have always been a personal passion for Manu he didn’t start out as an automotive artist. After graduating with a degree in Fine Arts in 2008 from the Complutense University of Madrid he was first attracted to paintings that focussed on the aesthetics of everyday life.

Over time this developed into a passion for painting animals, then bicycles, and finally vintage cars. He enjoyed strong demand for his work at each stage due to his eye-catching style, his works now adorn walls in 35 countries and counting, and he’s collaborated with several A-list brands including Mini, Porsche, Kia, Coca-Cola, and Dunlop.

Above Image: The incredible photorealism of Manu’s work has won him accolades around the world and sales in 35+ countries.

He uses a photorealistic-style in his work, to the point that many people are convinced they’re looking at a photograph until much closer inspection. Many of his paintings focus on the famous design elements of iconic cars, like the D-Type’s fin, the Countach’s rear wing, or the much-lauded font end of the Miura.

Manu doesn’t just paint classic cars, he lives them too. His daily driver in Spain for many years was an original VW Beetle which recently made way for a 1931 Model A Ford – there aren’t many people in the world who use Great Depression-era cars as their daily drivers.

There are currently a dozen or so works listed in his online store for sale, and he takes commissions from people who would like to see their car (or the car of their choice) transformed into his inimitable style. If you’d like to see more of his work you can click the red button below, you can also click here to follow him on Instagram and be the first to see his new creations.

Visit The Store

The post The Extraordinary Art of Manu Campa appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/art-manu-campa/
via gqrds

Japanese Engineer Perfectly Re-Created Models From the Popular ’80s Sci-Fi Saga for His Son

In the 1980s, Japanese artist and sculptor Kow Yokoyama created Maschinen Krieger. This is a science fiction universe that involved building war machines that would fight in the 29th century. Back then, Maschinen Krieger took his visual ideas from the early NASA space program and early 19th-century weaponry. All models used for the war machines’ development were pieced together using numerous kits, including aircraft, armor, motor vehicle, as well as found objects.

Recently, a Japanese engineer was able to recreate models of the space war engines for his son. Basing his works on the eighties series of awesome model kits from Nitto Japan #SF3D, the Japanese engineer created the machines for his child as a way of reliving memories of the Maschinen Krieger series. The kid is also dressed as one of the figures from the kits while holding the design models.

The Maschinen Krieger Story

Maschinen Krieger tells a story about a war fought on Earth and the Moon in the late 29th century. A nuclear WWIV rendered the Earth uninhabitable in 2807. However, the earth’s environment restored itself miraculously by 2859. This allowed colonists to return to earth to rebuild.

With this going on, the Galactic Federation sends the Strahl Democratic Republic (SDR) forces to take control of the earth and form a ruling government. The war machines were developed to help earth inhabitants fight back and resist being colonized. This will involve a brutal and murderous battle that will be fought with the help of the machines.

Other Companies Producing the Model Kits

Apart from the Japanese engineer who built the model kit for his son, there are some other companies developing the kids. These include Rainbow-Egg, Love Love Garden, Modelkasten, Futch, Brick Works, and the renowned Silicon Tribe. Although, the older, full vehicle resin kits are still available. However, the prices of these model kids are exorbitant.

More: Twitter h/t: designyoutrust,  wikipedia

L’article Japanese Engineer Perfectly Re-Created Models From the Popular ’80s Sci-Fi Saga for His Son est apparu en premier sur Steampunk Tendencies.

Via Steampunk Tendencies https://steampunktendencies.com

The Rare MG Metro 6R4 – Britain’s Hairy-Chested Group B Challenger

 

The MG Metro 6R4 is one of the unsung hairy-chested heroes of the legendary Group B rally era. It was co-developed by the Williams Formula 1 team and unlike its Group B turbocharged rivals, the 6R4 was fitted with a naturally-aspirated V6 capable of over 400 hp sending power to all four wheels – the name “6R4” stands for “6-cylinder, Rear-engine, 4-wheel drive.”

The engine that was developed for the MG Metro 6R4 is fascinating, it essentially started out as the Buick 215 cu. in. V8 first released in 1961 before later becoming the Rover V8 which was then vastly modified into a DOHC V6 for the 6R4, this engine would then (in further modified form) end up powering the Jaguar XJ220 supercar released in 1992.

Say what you want about the Brits, but they know how to keep engines in production longer than just about anyone.

Creating The MG Metro 6R4

The project to develop the MG Metro 6R4 started in the early 1980s. The goal was to achieve international rallying success and help elevate the somewhat sullied reputation of British cars due to the missteps of the 1970s and 1980s.

Above Image: The 6R4 shared little with the road-going MG Metro, but the visual similarity was carefully maintained.

MG parent company Austin Rover was a sponsor of the Williams Formula 1 Team at the time, and so Williams boffins were brought in to work on the car’s development. The plan was to base the car (somewhat loosely) on the MG Metro hatchback in order to boost sales of the little British commuter car.

The final 6R4 would share very little in common with the Metro, just a couple of panels really, as it had an all new spaceframe chassis, a rear-mid mounted engine, a unique all-wheel drive system, and custom fiberglass bodywork.

The development the engine began with a 3.5 litre Rover V8 that had two of its cylinders lopped off. It was developed into a double overhead cam per bank V6 with four-valves per cylinder capable of 410 hp in racing trim.

The final engine that was used in the production vehicle shared no parts in common with the Rover V8, and it made use of a number of parts from the all-conquering Cosworth DFV Formula 1 engine.

Both a racing version and a road-legal homologation version of the MG Metro 6R4 would be built, once 200 had left the factory the homogation requirements had been met, and the 6R4 could enter Group B competition.

Above Image: The rear-mid mounted Austin Rover V64V engine.

The first race for the car was the Lombard RAC Rally in November 1985, works driver Tony Pond finished in third place behind a couple of Lancia Delta S4s. This was a remarkable first attempt for the car and it clearly showed its promise. Unfortunately due to lack of engine development time reliability proved to be a major factor, resulting in a number of retirements.

Group B rally was banned in 1986 due to a series of fatal crashes, and the MG Metro 6R4 became a car without a series to compete in. This wouldn’t be the end of the plucky little hatchback though, David Llewellin drove one to win the Circuit of Ireland Rally in 1986, and Didier Auriol claimed victory in the French Rally Championship that same year driving the car you see pictured here.

Rallycross icon Will Gollop drove his heavily modified 700+ bhp 6R4 to a slew of international victories and claimed multiple titles with it – a fitting end to the career of one of MG’s most unusual race cars.

The Championship-Winning 1985 MG Metro 6R4 Shown Here

The car you see here was piloted to victory in the French Rally Championship in 1986 by Didier Auriol – a man who would become one of France’s most celebrated rally drivers.

Above Image: This car was converted to left-hand drive however it maintains its right-hand drive dashboard.

Auriol had started out as an ambulance driver before becoming a rally driver, over the course of his World Rally Championship career he would claim 20 wins and the 1994 WRC title.

Thanks to its rarity, its competition history, and its Auriol link this MG Metro 6R4 is likely attract a lot of attention when it rolls across the auction block with Artcurial on the 5th of February.

The price estimate is €280,000 to €360,000 and you can click here if you’d like to read more or register to bid.

Images courtesy of Artcurial

The post The Rare MG Metro 6R4 – Britain’s Hairy-Chested Group B Challenger appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/mg-metro-6r4/
via gqrds

A Modified Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 – The German Bigfoot

The Unimog 416 was a direct descendant of the first post-WWII Unimogs which had been developed as a vehicle that could be used as both a tractor and a car.

The first Unimogs famously had a track width identical to that of two rows of potatoes, and they had power takeoffs so farmers could operate agricultural machinery in the same way they would from a tractor.

The Mighty Unimog – A History Speedrun

In the years after WWII there was a remarkable proliferation of civilian four-wheel drives being developed and sold to the public. The American Jeep had a large influence on this phenomenon, and it was the Unimogs, Power Wagons, Land Rovers, and civilian (CJ) Jeeps that then inspired a second generation of four-wheel drives from Japan and elsewhere.

The most unusual of all of these was almost certainly the Unimog. It’s one of the most beloved four-wheel drive vehicles in the world due to its sheer size, its off-road ability, and its hard to resist quirky charm.

Perhaps the most famous feature shared by all Unimogs is their portal axles. They use a live axle front and rear which transmits power to the wheels via a portal gear in each wheel hub. This moves the axles up high and gives Unimogs their famously cavernous ground clearance, and their huge wheels and tires.

Above Image: Unimogs are famous for their high ground clearance and extraordinary off-road ability, in part thanks to their portal axles.

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 was introduced in 1965 as the first long wheelbase variant of the popular Unimog 406. This longer wheelbase allowed the 416 to serve a multitude of roles from military and construction use to deployments in the service of park rangers, rural fire departments, and search and rescue operations.

Mercedes-Benz would keep the 406 family in production from 1963 until 1989, a remarkable 26 year production run. A slew of iterations and upgrades were introduced over the course of production of course, and many of them are still operational to this day.

The 1978 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 Shown Here

The Unimog 416 you see here is from 1978, it benefits from a series of modifications that make it ideal for both recreational or industrial use. It has a retrofitted compressed air tank which allows for the use of pneumatic tools, it can also be used with an air inflator to adjust tire pressure quickly between different terrain types.

The compressed air tank, the fuel tank, and the auxiliary fuel tank have been elevated from their original locations for better ground clearance. As with all Unimogs, this one has portal axles which raise the diffs up out of the way, it’s fitted with steel wheels and 42 inch tires, giving a genuinely impressive amount of clearance.

An intake snorkel is mounted next to the front left A-pillar, it’s 8 feet off the ground and higher than both the driver and passenger head rests – so there should be no reasonable river crossing it can’t tackle.

Above Image: This 416 has seating for two, the engine extends back into the cab (under the black cover) and there are 20 forwards gears with eight reverse.

There’s a heavy duty roll bar behind the passenger cabin, in the back there’s bench seating for six people that doubles as a lockable toolbox, and there’s a steel frame over the cargo bay for the fitment of a canvas cover.

Vehicle recovery should be relatively straight forward if it’s ever required, the vehicle is fitted with a 15,000 lb Warn winch up front and a 9,000 lb Ramsey winch in the rear. It’s powered by a 5.7 litre six-cylinder diesel engine (Type 352 – Model 353.940) with 109 hp and 231 lbs ft of torque, sending power back to a transmission with 20 forward gears and eight reverse gears.

The reason the Unimog has so many gears is because the lower gears operate in essentially the same way as a low-range gear box, and the higher gears allow higher speed road use. Although the term “higher speed” in this case is admittedly being used a little loosely.

The seller notes that the Unimog has been completely refreshed and rebuilt, with new paint and no rust or corrosion. The engine currently shows 2,451 hours and the vehicle comes with two sets of keys, and a slew of original manuals and documentation.

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

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post A Modified Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 – The German Bigfoot appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/mercedes-benz-unimog-416/
via gqrds

Reincarnation: A Surreal Automotive Art Series By Lou Carvell

This series of artworks by Lou Carvell is called “Reincarnation”, he developed the collection to celebrate oft forgotten design elements from some of history’s most beautiful automobiles.

Lou takes elements from cars like brake lights, gauges, vents, or hood ornaments and places them in a variety of both urban and natural environments.

The resulting art stops people in their tracks as they try to make sense of what they’re seeing, and by isolating individual parts he allows people to appreciate the fine details that make up their designs.

Like many of us, Lous has been fascinated with cars since early childhood, he would sneak down to the dealer’s showroom at night at peer through the windows at the new models.

After a successful career as a Creative Director at a number of large New York City advertising agencies Lou now enjoys a collection of 12 cars and counting, some of which he first saw for the first time as a little boy, after wiping the condensation from his breath off the car dealer’s showroom glass.

Above Image: The series takes automotive objects that people might not think twice about and turns them into otherworldly objects.

Creating each image for the Reincarnation series starts with Lou visiting far away junkyards to find tail lights, dashboards, grills and other long-forgotten parts.

“I was on a mission to save these wonderful parts from the jaws of the wrecker that would smash them to smithereens.” – Lou Carvell

Lou offers each of these creations as prints, each artwork is printed on Giclée fine art print using premium quality archival paper and inks, there are six sizes to choose from ranging from 10 x 10 inches all the way up to 60 x 60 inches.

This is only a small selection from Reincarnation, the full collection contains 35 pieces and counting, if you hit the red button below it’ll take you the official website and you’ll be able to see them all.

See The Full Collection

Images courtesy of Lou Carvell ©2021

The post Reincarnation: A Surreal Automotive Art Series By Lou Carvell appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/reincarnation-art-lou-carvell/
via gqrds