MY FEEDLY

Abby Bowers – The Woman Behind Grease + Grain

This post is part of a new series on Silodrome where we find interesting people from the automotive world and ask them to tell us about themselves in their own words. We’ll be featuring artists, engineers, photographers, industrial designers, writers, filmmakers, TV personalities, car designers, and more.

Meet Photographer Abby Bowers – Grease + Grain

I started taking photographs of cars because I was bored at the sort of car shows we were at. They were too static and the cars weren’t old enough to keep my attention. But searching for odd angles and light with my camera kept me busy.

I bought my first digital camera in August 2019 (Olympus OMD EM-10 MKII). At the same time we were going to more vintage and classic car shows and I felt much more at home.

Modern cars don’t hold a fascination for me at all so suddenly at places like Bicester Heritage I had the inspiration I needed.

I come from a “Fine Art” background but my fascination was always with film photography and using old slides and projectors. I’ve always loved taking photographs especially in gritty, dark, less aesthetically pleasing instances.

I was always more of a thinking artist than a doer, and I think that has rubbed off onto my photography. I don’t just shoot a car because its beautiful, or famous or expensive and I very rarely shoot a whole car.

I like reflections, shadows and finding moments other people might miss. You’ll usually find me hidden behind something trying to get a bit of an abstract shot.

The best shoot I ever did was at the Herefordshire Trials. Stood in thick mud, in the pouring rain in the depths of the English winter. Absolutely frozen. Watching Pre-War cars battle their way up a treacherously muddy, rutty hill with huge puddles and sharp bends (image below).

Its much easier to capture the emotion and atmosphere that can surround classic cars when you are immersed in the action with the drivers. It was like some secret event hidden away in the forests where a group of mates got together to just do something completely ridiculous.

Tools Of The Trade

I use Lightroom to edit all my shots and its a pretty simple process – technically I have no idea what i’m doing. When I sat down to edit my first shots taken on a proper camera I just moved the dials about figuring out what they did until the photo made me go yes! Thats it! And thats what I’ve stuck with.

Turns out I like my photos dark and atmospheric. Some so dark people have complained! But I think that dark favours cars well, especially if they are emerging from the dark. I’m inspired by old family photographs, film photography, and gritty street photography, and I love any films or TV set in the 70’s or 60’s for inspiring the atmosphere of the shots.

I like to imagine my photographs hanging in an old fashion gentleman’s club, whilst people are sat around drinking whisky and smoking cigars.

If someone wants to buy a print I have them printed on soft, textured paper almost like watercolour paper so the dark looks really dark and the colours look intense. The more it looks like an oil painting the better.

If you’d like to see more of Abby Bower’s work you can click here to visit her website and here to follow her on Instagram.

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from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/abby-bowers-photographer-grease-grain/
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The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2” – Powered By A 542 bhp 5.0 Litre Jaguar V8

This is an original Bowler prototype built using the firm’s all-aluminum Cross Sector Platform (CSP) chassis, you can see the chassis itself in the image below, but long story short it’s an entirely modern design developed in-house at Bowler to be suitable for everything from high-speed Dakar desert racing to military use.

The Bowler Cross Sector Platform (CSP) Chassis

The CSP chassis is far more complex, modern, and rigid that the simple steel ladder frame chassis used on the Land Rover Defender and on its Series 1, 2, and 3 forebears. Bowler had been developing high-performance Land Rovers for decades but one of the most restrictive elements was always the old chassis design.

The new Bowler CSP chassis was built to accommodate Independent front and rear suspension with up to 27cm (10.6 inches) of wheel travel. It’s also made from lightweight aluminum alloy, and when paired with the full internal roll cage it forms an incredibly rigid structure not dissimilar to a space frame.

The vehicle you see here is the Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2”, it was essential in developing the new chassis and on integrating the 542 bhp 5.0 litre Jaguar V8 engine. The final package was so impressive that it was shortlisted by Autocar Magazine as one of their Top Ten Driver’s cars of the year in 2019, alongside cars like the McLaren 600LT, Lamborghini Huracan Evo, and the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 63S.

Above Image: The all-aluminum Bowler Cross Sector Platform (CSP) chassis, with the FIA-approved roll cage included it forms a rigid structure almost like a spaceframe chassis.

Bowler have been building high performance Land Rovers since the 1980s and they enjoyed a friendly relationship with the UK carmaker. It was after the release of the CSP chassis that the relationship grew stronger, up to the point that Jaguar Land Rover acquired Bowler in late 2019.

The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2” would form the underpinnings of the new Project CSP 575, the official continuation of Land Rover Defender production in heavily revised form, and now carrying the brand name Bowler rather than Land Rover.

Some have argued that the Bowler CSP 575 is far closer to what Land Rover should have released as the new Defender, though perhaps with some slightly less intense engine options. That said, the mass-market appeal of such a vehicle would likely have been limited.

The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2”

When it was first built the Bowler you see here was fitted with a slightly more tame turbocharged 3.0 litre Land Rover V6 in Bulldog configuration. It was later reworked by the factory to operate as a prototype/test bed for the 542 bhp 5.0 litre Jaguar V8 with 516 lb ft of torque, and it remains in this configuration now.

Above Image: The flared wheel arches are needed to accommodate the considerably wider track width over the original Land Rover Defender.

Power is sent back into an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox with a Bowler transmission cooler, and from there into a torque bias centre differential, complimented by an open differential to the front and an E-Diff to the rear. The track width is notably wider than the standard Defender, and the absence of visible diffs is a good indication than this is no ordinary Land Rover.

The vehicle rides on competition specification remote-reservoir Bilstein shock absorbers and coil springs with the above mentioned 27cm (10.6 inches) of suspension travel, and it’s fitted with ventilated disc brakes with Brembo calipers on all four wheels. The wheels are graphite six-spoke 18-inch Compomotive units shod with Cooper Discoverer A/T All-Season tires.

This Bowler is fitted with an FIA-specification 90 litre fuel cell, MSA/ FIA certified roll cage and twin competition type buckets seats, both of which are fitted with six-point competition harnesses.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to cross the auction block on the 13th of February and it’s offered without reserve, direct from the collection of former Bowler Motors Limited Director Richard Hayward.

The post The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2” – Powered By A 542 bhp 5.0 Litre Jaguar V8 appeared first on Silodrome.

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Bio-Robotic Arm Controlled By Brain Signal Created by Kenyan Inventors

Kenyan inventors David Gathu and Moses Kinyua had to drop out of university due to lack of means to pay tuition fees. This did not seem to be a hindrance for these robotics enthusiasts.
They created a robotic arm made of several materials, including recycled wood, and controlled by brain signals. These signals are converted into electrical current by a bio-potential headset “NeuroNode”. This electrical current allows the arm to move vertically and horizontally.

“It is a biorobotic upper limb arm prosthesis that uses brain signals for the hand to move it according to your wishes. This biorobotic hand uses these brain signals, amplifies them, filters them and converts them into electrical current, which is further pushed to the robot’s circuitry, which means it can convert users’ thoughts into movement.”
David Gathu

The next step for the two young inventors is to find the necessary funds for larger scale production of their invention.

H/T: Euronews

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The Rare Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato – Just 37 Were Ever Made

The Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato was the droptop version of the famous Aston Martin V8 Zagato, a coupe that had been introduced as an artist rendition drawing at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show but had sold out nonetheless.

The most famous V8 Zagato customer was almost certainly actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson, who bought one in 1998 and had it converted to racing specification. He competed extensively in this car before an unfortunate on-track accident, after which time he had the car restored and retired it from racing to preserve it.

The reason for the success of the tintop V8 Zagato was almost certainly down to three key factors – it was launched into the middle of the 1980s supercar boom, it featured styling that’s still winning it accolades today, and it was the follow on model for the much-loved Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.

The Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato

A year after the introduction of the V8 Zagato, Aston Martin introduced the Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato, essentially the model’s convertible version. There was some grumbling from the buyers of the V8 Zagato as they had been promised exclusivity and just 52 cars had been sold.

Above Image: The flip-up headlight shields were a notable change from the earlier V8 Zagato.

Aston Martin placated these concerns to some degree by offering the V8 Volante Zagato with the 320 bhp fuel-injected V585 V8 engine that was less powerful than the 430 bhp V8 used in the hardtop. That said, 320 bhp is nothing to sniff at, and the droptop was capable of 160 mph and it had a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.0 seconds, these were heady figures back in the 1980s for a luxurious convertible.

The body of each Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato was built in Italy using Aston Martin underpinnings. The original wheelbase was reduced by 17cm and an entirely new outer body was made in aluminum alloy. The car is powered by a 5,340cc alloy V8 with double chain driven overhead camshafts per bank, two valves per cylinder, and a Weber Marelli fuel injection system.

When ordering customers could choose from a slew of options including either a ZF five-speed manual or a Torqueflite three-speed automatic transmission, and power was sent to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential.

Just 37 examples of the Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato were built and it was clear from the outset that they were going to be highly collectible – people had seen what had already happened with the rare Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.

Above Image: Power is provided by an Aston Martin V585 V8 engine producing 320 bhp.

Many Volante Zagatos found their way into private collections and some were sent to the Aston Martin factory to have various additional work completed to further increase performance.

The 1989 Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1989 Aston Martin V8 Volante Zagato, it’s almost certainly one of the lowest mileage examples extant, with just 341 miles on the odometer since it left the factory.

The car was carefully preserved in private collections for years until 2012 when it was sent back to the factory for a £240,000 restoration at Aston Martin Works. The restoration was comprehensive but rather than restore it back to exact original specifications the owner chose to have the car rebuilt in a similar manner to the “special request” Aston Martins of the 1990s.

It received a complete color change, a conversion from right-hand drive to left-hand drive, upgraded suspension and braking systems, and a new transmission was built by Aston Martin for the car, giving it six-speeds instead of the original three.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Collecting Cars, at the time of writing there are two days left to bid.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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1961 Mercedes-Benz O321H Camper Bus – Vintage Vanlife Royalty

This is a surprisingly well-preserved 1961 Mercedes-Benz O321H bus that was previously owned by the Swiss hockey team EHC Biel in the 1960s and 1970s.

The bus proved to be a good luck charm for EHC Biel who had started out as a second-tier National League hockey team, within a few years they were promoted to first-tier status and not long after this they went on to win three National League championships.

The bus was later sold into private ownership, and it was then converted into an RV capable of comfortably carrying a family on extended trips. This camper configuration includes two beds, two couches, a kitchenette with a sink, a stove, refrigerator, closets, a sunroof, seating for six people and a small bathroom with a sink and a porta-potty.

Ideally for use in Switzerland the bus came from the factory with expansive Alpine windows in the roof, perfect for gazing up at mountain peaks.

The Mercedes-Benz O321H Bus

When it was first released in 1954 the Mercedes-Benz O321H Bus represented a major shift in design for busses, particularly when compared to trucks.

Rather than using traditional body-on-chassis construction like trucks, the O321H Bus used a semi-monocoque design that both increased body rigidity and reduced weight.

Above Image: The bus has an adjustable driver’s seat, a driver’s door, and visibility is excellent due the large windows.

The design proved remarkably popular and over 30,000 examples were built during the 1954 to 1970 production run. Another perk of the semi-monocoque design was that it allowed far more room for luggage under the floor, making the busses perfect for cross-country or even cross-continent journeys.

The most common engine was the 5.1 litre diesel Mercedes-Benz 6-cylinder OHV unit, this naturally-aspirated engine proved incredibly reliable and it produced 110 bhp and 220 lb ft of torque.

Power was sent to the rear wheels via a fully-synchronized 5-speed transmission, and depending on final gearing the bus could achieve fuel consumption figures of between 15.2 and 16 litres per 100 kilometers.

The Mercedes-Benz O321H Camper Bus Shown Here

The unusual camper conversion that’s been applied to this Mercedes-Benz O321H makes it perfect for use either for road trip holidays or as a full-time home for someone who likes the vanlife ethos but needs a little more personal space.

The bus was bought from Switzerland to the United States approximately eight years ago, upon arrival it was given a fresh servicing by Mercedes-Benz specialist Ed Owen’s European Auto Solutions in order to ensure it was ready for whatever journeys the new owner wished to undertake.

Above Image: Inside the bus there’s seating for seven including the driver, and there is a double bed as well as two singles that can convert into a double bed.

After this it was displayed at the German Car Day at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum where it proved a surprise favorite, gathering crowds of curious onlookers and winning the coveted People’s Choice award.

The bus is now for sale via Fox Motorsports based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In recent years its received some additional servicing including an oil/filter change, new diesel primer pump, fuel filter, six new tires, two new batteries, and a new ignition switch.

The bus also benefits from a recent full brake inspection including the reconditioning of the rear brake shoes, differential fluid change, brake fluid change, and front brake adjustment.

The current asking price is $94,900 USD, if you’d like to read more about it you can click here to visit the listing.