MY FEEDLY

For Sale: An Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI – A 490 BHP 1990s Touring Car Icon

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI quickly became a legend in European touring car racing circles in the 1990s – various examples of the car won the 1992 Italian Touring Car Championship, the 1993 German Touring Car Championship, the 1994 British Touring Car Championship, and the 1994, 1995, and 1997 Spanish Touring Car Championships.

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI was an FIA Class 1 touring car that shared little with its production car namesake, it’s a silhouette race car with a full tubular steel space frame, an advanced all-wheel drive system and a high-revving 2.5 litre 60° V6 engine that hits the red line at 11,900 rpm.

The 690RC V6 is factory-rated at 490 bhp, it has a 2.5 litre swept capacity, and it sends power to all four wheel via a 6-speed semi-sequential transaxle.

The 155 V6 TI was fielded by Alfa Corse, Alfa Romeo’s factory racing team, from 1993 to 1996 in various European touring car series, though the model was also raced by privateers who were often competing directly with the factory team. It was privateer racers who were crowned back-to-back champions of the Spanish Touring Car Championship in 1994 and 1995.

The Alfa Romeo 155

Alfa Romeo had introduced the production 155 in 1992, known internally as Type 167, and they sold it until it was replaced by the Alfa Romeo 156 in 1997. The 155 received a lukewarm reception from the general public and the motoring media for one key reason – it was front-wheel drive. This was a controversial decision, particularly for an automaker with a long history of successful rear-wheel drive race cars, however Alfa Romeo did have one card up their sleeve – the 155 Q4.

The 155 Q4 shared the same basic design as the regular 155 but as the name suggests it was fitted with an all-wheel drive system, they could use “Q4” to denote this but not the full “Quattro 4” for obvious Audi-related reasons. The 155 Q4 would be the car most sought after by those who loved the wedge styling of the 155 but wanted some genuine performance.

Above Image: Under the skin the tube-frame chassis 155 TI is powered by a 490 bhp V6 sending power to all four wheels via a 6-speed gearbox.

The 155 Q4 is powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine producing almost 200 hp V6 and it has a permanent four-wheel drive powertrain, both derived from the Lancia Delta Integrale which was of course one of the greats of the Group B rally era.

The 155 V6 TI touring car version had a lot more in common with the 155 Q4 than it did with the regular civilian version of the 155, though there can be no doubt that it’s repeated successes on the race tracks of Europe in the hard-fought world of touring car racing helped sales across the board.

Today we look back on 1990s touring car racing with no small amount of nostalgia, thanks in part to Alfa Corse works driver Nicola Larini battling it out in national championships around the Continent.

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI ITC Touring Car Shown Here

The car you see here is chassis #005, it’s an original 155 V6 TI ITC touring car that was raced in period by Alfa Corse-Martini works driver Nicola Larini to pole position at Magny-Cours and Mugello, followed by wins at Interlagos and Mugello.

Chassis #005 was retired after the 1996 season, it would remain in Italy in private hands until it was bought by the current owner in 2018 and imported into Germany. The plan was to have the car returned to race-ready specification so that it could be used to compete in the inaugural DTM Classics Series.

The car was sent to marque specialists at Scuderia Gran Tourismo in Irschenberg, Germany for work to be completed, over €350,000 has been spent over the past five years to return this iconic touring car to full racing trim. Unsurprisingly the car won its DTM Classics debut at the Norisring on the 7th of July 2019.

The Alfa is now for sale with RM Sotheby’s, it’s due to roll across the auction block on the 15th of June with a price guide of €700,000 to €800,000, that works out to approximately $852,481 to $974,264 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post For Sale: An Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI – A 490 BHP 1990s Touring Car Icon appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/alfa-romeo-155-ti-touring-car/
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Vanlife From 1965 – A Restored Ford Thames 400E Dormobile Campervan

The Ford Thames 400E was released in 1957 to compete with similar vans built by the likes of Volkswagen, Bedford, Austin, and Morris. The “Thames” brand was used by Ford of Britain for their commercial vehicles from 1952 onwards and the 400E commercial van would become the most popular model.

The Thames 400E became a popular platform for customization, typically into camper vans, as unlike many of its competitors it used more traditional body-on-chassis design rather than unibody construction. This allowed a lot of flexibility when building new bodies for the 400E and as a result it was frequently used as a starting point by camper van builders like Dormobile in the United Kingdom.

What Is A Dormobile?

Dormobile was originally founded back in 1773 as Martin Walter, a company that made harnesses for horses. They soon started building carriages as well and by the early 20th century they were an established automobile coachbuilding firm.

The first Dormobile camper was released in 1952, it was called the “Bedroom On Wheels” and proved immediately popular. A few years later the first full camper would be released, with an opening “Pop Top” and internal accommodations that included a cooker, ice box, and seats that could convert into beds.

By the early 1960s Dormobile was Britain’s biggest caravan builder and they were building campers out of a wide range of vehicles, from Land Rovers and Bedfords to VW Kombis and of course, the Thames 400E.

The company would eventually go out of business in the mid-1990s due in part to the popularity of cheap package holidays, however it was resurrected in 1997 and remains in business today providing all new campers as well as parts for their vintage models.

Above Image: The interior of the camper has two seats up front, with a main seating area for four that can be converted into two beds.

The Ford Thames 400E Dormobile Shown Here

The 400E you see here was first registered in March 1965 by Martin Walters Dormobile Conversions, it was built into a camper from a new vehicle and then sold to its first owner in Dublin, Ireland in 1967.

The camper would remain in Ireland for 48 years, only leaving in 2015 when it was sold to its current owner. In more recent years this Dormobile has benefitted from a body restoration, it was taken back to bare metal so that fabrication, welding, and paint work could be completed.

The tired original engine was replaced with a more powerful replacement high-compression 1,703cc unit which was rebuilt by Phoenix Rebore. The vehicle is now in good condition overall and ready for duties once again as a summer holiday cabin on wheels that wouldn’t look a whisker out of place in a Wes Anderson film.

Inside you’ll find seating for four that folds down to make two beds, there are also two cot/hammocks in the roof which are usable when the top is in the fully open position. In the rearmost section you’ll find some cupboards and a two burner gas cooker next to a sink with running water.

This Dormobile is currently being auctioned off live by Car & Classic in the United Kingdom with a price guide of £13,000 to £17,000 which works out to approximately $18,300 to $23,960 USD.

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

Images courtesy of Car & Classic

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For Sale: A Porsche 911 Reimagined By Singer – The Brooklyn Commission

Singer Vehicle Design have been creating what are arguably the world’s greatest modified Porsche 911s since 2009. Best known simply as “Singer” the company was named as a double barreled homage to legendary Porsche engineer Norbert Singer, and after the earlier career of its founder Rob Dickinson – the former front man of noted alt rock band Catherine Wheel.

It’s not a common event for an original Singer-built Porsche 911 to come up for sale, each vehicle is built as a commission for a specific person and as a result they’re quite a bit more personal than your average classic car.

Building A Singer

Although no two Singers are identical they do all essentially start out the same way – an original, accident free Porsche 964 is sourced and stripped back to its core. This central monocoque is then media blasted, strengthening work is done, and finally it receives layers of corrosion resistant primer followed by paint.

This chassis retains its original VIN plate and the car remains licensed with this number throughout its life for legal reasons – even the original mileage is kept. Many of the original external steel body panels don’t make it back onto the improved unibody shell, instead the front and rear fenders, hood, engine deck lid, front and rear bumpers, and sometimes the roof are all replaced with custom made carbon fibre replacements.

One of the key parts of the car that doesn’t get the carbon fibre treatment is the doors – a decision made for the safety of the occupants as steel doors provide better side impact protection. This is taken so seriously that Singer engineers reinforce the doors with impact safety beams. Customers can specify that they want carbon doors but only if they order the full roll-cage option.

Above Image: The Porsche 911 by Singer is famous for the fastidious attention to detail paid to every single part, and no two are ever the same.

The Brooklyn Commission Singer

The Singer you see here is known as the “Brooklyn Commission,” it was just the eighth car to roll out of the company’s facility in Sun Valley 30 minutes drive northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Back in 2012 when this car rolled out into the California sunshine for the first time with its new identity it was featured in Total 911 and a slew of other publications, helping to establish the global reputation the company now enjoys.

The color scheme of this 911 was a little controversial back when it was first shown to the world 9 years ago and it remains so now, however it’s a look that people will either love or hate with little space in the centre. The car’s exterior is finished in Linden Green and the interior is upholstered with purple Alcantara suede and woven leather.

The wheels have interchangeable alloy wheel centre “petals” with more traditional grey and black, or vibrant purple as was originally fitted to the car. Of course the beautiful bodywork and well thought out interiors of these cars are one thing, but what people are typically most interested in is what’s sitting in the engine bay.

This car is powered by a 3.8 litre flat-six that was built by world-famous racing engine designers Cosworth, it produces approximately 370 hp which is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

When ordering this car the client ticked a few of the options boxes including the Öhlins suspension package, Singer Edition carbon-fibre track seats, it also has an integrated roll bar, harness bar, and Schroth four-point harnesses. The car is carrying under 15,000 kms on the odometer, that’s well under 10,000 miles, and has received world class maintenance over the course of its life as you would expect.

This Singer is now being auctioned live by Collecting Cars with bidding underway, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

The post For Sale: A Porsche 911 Reimagined By Singer – The Brooklyn Commission appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/porsche-911-reimagined-by-singer-brooklyn/
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Project Bike: 1964 Triumph T100SS “Norman Hyde” Cafe Racer – £2,000 To £4,000

This unusual Triumph T100SS “Norman Hyde” cafe racer has all the hallmarks of a period-built custom motorcycle designed for (oftentimes illegal) road racing in England.

It is believed to incorporate a number of performance parts from Norman Hyde, a British aftermarket performance parts supplier founded by former Triumph engineer and multiple world land speed record holder Norman Hyde.

The Cafe Racers

No one knows exactly who invented the cafe racer, though in all likelihood they were invented by many people all making similar modifications with one goal in mind – being the fastest amateur race bike at London’s Ace Cafe.

During the late 1950s and 1960s the Ace Cafe and the 59 Club became the homes of countless disaffected youth and their motorcycles. They scheduled street races that often departed from the Ace Cafe and the local constabulary ended up needing to buy V8 sports cars just to catch up with them.

Although there’s no officially accepted list of modifications that make a motorcycle a cafe racer they generally have either clip-on or clubman handlebars, a Manx-style fuel tank with knee indents, a single seat with a rear bump stop, anything not essential is removed for weight savings, and their engines are often tuned to within an inch of their lives.

Today we recognize cafe racers as their own unique motorcycle genre with many marques selling them pre-built from the factory to capture a slice of the lucrative modern classic motorcycle market.

The Mighty Triumph T100SS

The Triumph T100SS debuted in 1962 as the sporting variant of the T100 model line, a 490cc parallel that had first arrived back in 1957 as Triumph’s first twin with the gearbox cast in the main crankcase (unit construction).

Although the larger capacity 650cc Triumph Bonneville and Triumph TR6 were the company’s best sellers throughout the 1960s thanks to strong demand in the United States, the T100 developed a reputation for punching well above its weight.

In fact they punched so far above their weight they won the prestigious Daytona 200 two years in a row in 1966 and 1967 against the best Harley-Davison could throw at them with their 750cc side valves.

Due to its low weight, good handling, and punchy 500cc engine the T100 series proved popular with many riders and arguably made a better daily rider than its bigger siblings – particularly for urban riding on tight and twisty British streets.

As it happens the T100 has had more than a few brushes with fame, Bob Dylan had one in the 1960s that he crashed which led to him to cease all touring for eight years and Ted Simon rode a police-specification 1973 Tiger 100 T100P around the world, writing his famous book Jupiter’s Travels on the way.

The Triumph T100SS Cafe Racer Shown Here

The bike you see here benefits from a slew of upgrades over the original factory-built T100SS including the as-yet unnamed Norman Hyde upgrades. The Bonhams listing describes the bike’s modifications as follows:

The engine appears to have been converted to magneto ignition, the mag mounted where the points housing would have been, while other noteworthy features include alloy wheel rims; clip-on ‘bars, rear-set footrests; an alloy fuel tank; and what looks like a Grimeca double-sided front brake.

Though with an estimated hammer price of £2,000 to £4,000 it may be worth a cafe racer enthusiast taking a punt on it and hoping ti comes in nearer the lower end of that price guide. The bike does clearly need work done however it’ll make someone a fun project over the summer.

If you’d like to read more about this bike or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing, it’s due to cross the auction block on the 2nd of July.