MY FEEDLY

The Miami Edition Land Rover By Falcon Design Germany

This is one of the most eye-catching Series 3 Land Rovers we’ve ever seen, despite its name and looks it wasn’t built in Florida but over in Germany by the talented team at Falcon Design.

If the name Falcon Design sounds familiar it might be because we wrote about them here not too long ago, the company was founded five years ago and they’ve quickly made a name for themselves restoring Land Rover Series and Defender models with their own unique twist.

The company does full body-off restorations and unlike many of their contemporaries they carefully document each stage with photographs, offering interesting insight into what goes into each build.

Although no two Falcon Land Rovers are the same they all make use of some similar processes, every restoration sees the body fully disassembled, the bulkhead is removed from the chassis and the chassis is stripped back to its bare structure.

After this the chassis is repaired if needed before being galvanized – this makes it far less likely to rust and provides the new Land Rover a solid foundation. The other major steel part of both Defenders and Series Land Rovers is the bulkhead, most of the rest of the body is made from aluminum alloy which is impervious to rust. With this in mind the bulkhead is also galvanized before being installed back onto the chassis.

The body panels on the Land Rover were originally made from aluminum alloy as steel was hard to come by in the years immediately after WWII. The first Land Rovers in the late 1940s therefore made use of alloy for their bodies and the Series I, II, IIA, and III Land Rovers all followed suit – long after steel became available again.

Above Image: The hand-painted chassis is certainly eye-catching, much of it still visible when the body is on.

The Series III you see here is a 1974 model, it originally came from the factory with a 4-speed manual transmission, high and low range, and of course, a transfer case allowing either two or four-wheel drive operation.

Power is supplied by a 2.25 litre petrol inline-4 cylinder engine, though not powerful by any measure these Land Rover engines have proven to be incredibly robust over the decades, and they’re simple enough to be rebuilt by bush mechanics from the Serengeti to the Simpson Desert.

For the rebuild of this Land Rover the team at Falcon Design opted to go for an unusual Miami theme, the chassis was given a bold, hand-painted new look with motifs from the region. Falcon credits the idea of the chassis paintwork to Cool n’ Vintage, a fellow Land Rover restoration garage based in Portugal.

The finished vehicle makes use of bolt aqua accents throughout and the interior is trimmed with weatherproof marine leather – perfect for leaving the roof off all summer long.

If you’d like to see more of the builds from Falcon Design Germany you can click here to visit their website. They take orders for custom Land Rovers regularly and work closely with clients on the design and final specification.

Follow Falcon Design on Instagram – Facebook – LinkedIn

Images courtesy of Falcon Design Germany

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1 Of 6 Ever Made: The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III By James Young

This is the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III bodied by James Young, just six of these were built by the British coachbuilder and when they were new in the mid-1960s they were among the most luxurious two-door cars available for sale anywhere in the world.

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

The Silver Cloud had been released in 1955 and sold until 1966 over three generations, the I, II, and III. As you would expect the final Mark III example was the most refined after almost a decade of incremental improvements had been made to the model.

The first Silver Clouds had been powered by a 155 hp 4.9 litre straight-six however this proved perhaps a little underpowered for the 2.3 ton car, a new Rolls-Royce 6.2 litre V8 engine would be fitted from 1959 onwards, greatly improving performance though slightly reducing fuel economy – though fuel economy wasn’t typically a high priority for those who bought cars of this nature.

The Silver Cloud III was released in 1963, it included a slew of improvements including uprated SU carburettors, a higher compression ratio (9.0:1), and a weight reduction of over 100 kilograms (220 lbs).

As a result of these changes this model was the fastest of the Silver Clouds, Rolls-Royce famously never liked to list horsepower figures for their cars, deeming it crass, however they did note that the Silver Cloud III was 7% more powerful than the preceding model.

Above Image: The beautiful lines of many of the bodies built by James Young have resulted in them being highly sought after by enthusiasts.

When the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow arrived in 1965 to replace the Silver Cloud it marked the end of the era of body-on-chassis cars from the British automaker – the Silver Shadow would be the first Rolls-Royce to use unitary construction. This would mark the end of the road for coachbuilt Rolls-Royces.

James Young – British Coachbuilders

James Young would become one of the most lauded of the 20th century British coachbuilders, the company was founded in 1863 when Mr James Young bought J. K. Hunter’s carriage-building business – 20 or so years before the invention of the automobile.

When the automobile did appear many carriage builders would switch to building car bodies, made relatively straightforward by the body-on-chassis design that was commonplace at the time. Over the course of the company’s history, James Young would build armored cars for the war effort during WWI and aircraft components during WWII – suffering two bombings during the war that destroyed all of the firm’s paper records.

The 1960s would mark the end of James Young’s long history, however the company went out with a bang, building some of the most beautiful and elegant Rolls-Royces of the era – like the example shown here.

Above Image: This is the 6.2 litre V8 Rolls-Royce engine that provided ample torque, pushing the car on to a stop speed of over 100 mph.

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Shown Here

James Young would build just six of these, known as the “SCV150” model the body was characterized by its elegant lines and opulent interior. This was a Rolls-Royce for a person who wanted to drive it themselves, not just to sit in the back while a driver does all the work up front.

This car was ordered new by Melville Thompson, Esq., of The Stone House in Portavoe, Donaghadee, in County Down, Northern Ireland who kept the car into the late 1970s. He specified that the car be finished in Brewster Green with beige hides, inside it has a radio with an electric aerial, folding tables to the rear of the front seats, an automatic transmission, with power steering and power windows.

Each of these bodies is said to have taken James Young craftsmen over 2,632 hours to complete. The car has passed through a limited number of hands in the years since it was first delivered and it’s now being offered for sale out of a prominent collection in Liechtenstein.

This Silver Cloud is due to roll across the auction block on the 19th of June with a price guide of CHF 175,000 to CHF 260,000, which is approximately $191,000 to $284,000 USD. If you’d like to read more or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

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Ferrari 250 GTO Plain Body – The $70 Million Dollar Monster From Maranello

These remarkable images showcase the most expensive car in the world as no one has ever seen it before – with a plain white body designed to show off the Italian car’s much lauded design.

When it was first conceived by Italian engineer Giotto Bizzarrini the 250 GTO was given the nickname “Il Mostro” – Italian for “The Monster.”

It seems a strange pseudonym for a car that many of us consider beautiful, but back when the second prototype was in development it had a rough, unfinished alloy body showing welds and tooling marks. The engineers called it Il Mostro and the press called it “The Anteater” due to its long, low nose developed for high speed aerodynamics.

Despite its early Ugly Duckling phase the 250 GTO would help further fill the Ferrari trophy room with wins in the over 2000cc class of the FIA’s International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1962, 1963, and 1964.

Today the Ferrari 250 GTO is recognized as the single most valuable car in history, back in June of 2018 a 1963 250 GTO (chassis #4153GT) was sold in a private transaction for a reported $70 million USD. A number unlikely to be rivaled by any other car.

This series is called “Plain Bodies,” it’s part of an ongoing project from INK, a London-based creative studio that specializes in creating digital content across film, print, and interactive platforms. They’ve created a minutely detailed 250 GTO with a plain white body as it more clearly shows the shape of the car – with no colors or race livery getting in the way.

The team at INK are offering these three unique angles as prints on high quality art paper. You can choose from two sizes – 16.5 x 23.4 inches or 23.4 x 33.1 inches, and they cost $73.57 or $220.72 USD respectively. While you’re visiting their store be sure to check out the other cars in the Plain Bodies series, including the Audi S1 E2, the Ferrari 330 P4, the Porsche 911, the Jaguar D-Type, and many others.

Visit The Store

Images courtesy of INK

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The Most Beautiful Alfa Ever? The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d’Este

This is a 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este, it’s undoubtably one of the most beautiful cars of its era and there can be no argument that it’s one of the most beautiful Alfa Romeos ever made.

The Legendary Alfa Romeo 6C Series

The Alfa Romeo 6C is a model line that was built by the Italian automaker from 1927 until 1954 with limited production from 1939 to 1945 due to the war. Over the course of the long production run the 6C would be regularly updated, and Alfa built a range of road, race, and sports cars on the platform.

Today we typically best remember the 6C for its ability to race and win against the best sports racing and grand prix cars in the world. Various 6C racers would win the Mille Miglia, the Brooklands Double Twelve, the Ulster TT, the Spa 24 Hours, and the Grands Prix of Belgium, Spain, Tunis, and Monza.

The name “6C” is a reference to the six cylinder engine under the hood, it was an advanced piece of engineering for the time featuring a single overhead camshaft which was increased to double overhead cams in 1928 on the 6C 1500.

One of the most desirable road-going iterations of the 6C is the car you see here, the exceedingly rare Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este. It took the latter part of its name from the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este on Lake Como where it won the coveted Gran Premio Referendum, better known to us as the “People’s Choice Award.”

Many 6Cs were sold by Alfa Romeo as a powered rolling chassis which were then bodied by a coachbuilder, in the case of this car the coachbuilder was Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, commonly known as Touring of Milan.

Above Image: The beautiful lines of the Villa d’Este have been winning it admirers for well over 70 years and counting.

The Superleggera body type was directly borrowed from the world of aviation, it’s made up of a thin gauge steel body frame onto which the alloy body panels are welded. It’s not dissimilar to the way many aircraft fuselages are constructed and it results in a strong, lightweight structure – the name “Superleggera” means “Super Light” in Italian.

Between 1949 and 1952 just 36 examples of the 6C 2500 Villa d’Este would be built, 31 were coupes like the car you see here and five were cabriolets. These cars would mark the end of Alfa Romeo 6C production, with the exception of a couple of racers built a year later in 1953, as well as the beginning of the end of the period of hand-built Alfa Romeos.

The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa d’Este Shown Here

The Super Sport Villa d’Este you see here is chassis number 915.913, it was delivered new to its first owner in Paris in 1951. It’s early history is still something of a mystery but we do know there was an accident and the car ended up in Texas by the 1960s.

The car would return to Europe in the 1990s and then be sent back to the USA where it remained until more recently when it was returned to Italy in 2014. It was restored under the ownership of Bruno Galatassi to how it appears today, finished in gleaming maroon paintwork with a grey cloth interior.

Since restoration works were completed this Villa d’Este has taken part in the 2017 Mille Miglia, the Coppa Milano-Sanremo in 2018, and of course, it has been shown regularly at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como.

It’s a rare event to see an original Alfa Romeo 6C Villa d’Este come up for open auction due to the low production numbers however this car will be crossing the auction block today with RM Sotheby’s with a price guide of €575,000 to €675,000, which works out to approximately $697,000 to $818,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

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The Jerrari: A Ferrari-Jeep Wagoneer Combination From The 1960s

The Jerrari is a vehicle that no logical person would build, it’s combination of a 1969 Ferrari 365 GT and a 1969 Jeep Wagoneer. Fortunately the team behind it decided to forgo logic and create one of the most memorable and unusual four-wheel drive chimeras of all time.

As the world waits to see the unveiling of the Ferrari Purosangue in 2022, the first four-wheel drive SUV ever made by the Italian marque, the timing couldn’t be better for the car you see here to pop up for sale – the Jerrari. This was the first Ferrari SUV although truth be told it did use mostly American parts and so I’m sure the purists will decry anyone calling it a Ferrari.

Who Built The Jerrari?

In the late 1960s multi-millionaire casino magnate William Harrah, a man with a car collection containing 1,500 vehicles, contacted Enzo Ferrari and requested the impossible – a Ferrari four-wheel drive SUV. As you may have guessed Enzo refused point blank. Not one to take now for an answer Harrah assigned the project to his own team of in-house mechanics and fabricators.

It’s believed that the Ferrari 365 GT front end and engine that was used in the project was sourced from one of Harrah’s own cars that had been crashed by a mechanic – however many of there stories surrounding this unsual car are difficult to fact check due to the time that’s passed.

When the project to build the Jerrari was undertaken in the late 1960s both the Ferrari and the Jeep that were used were essentially brand new vehicles. Both the 365 GT and the Wagoneer are body-on-frame vehicles which did help to simplify the project somewhat, however a significant amount of work still went into getting the lines to flow from the new Italian front end to the Italian back end.

Above Image: The interior of the Jerrari is well-appointed, even including the original Ferrari steering wheel.

The Ferrari V12 Is Fitted

In the engine bay the original Wagoneer V8 was removed and replaced with the 4.4 litre Tipo 245 Colombo V12 from the Ferrari. The Colombo V12 was Ferrari’s bread and butter engine from 1947 until 1988 – a remarkably long life for a high performance engine.

This engine is a 60° V12 that was designed by Gioacchino Colombo in the 1940s after WWII with advanced specifications for the time including a single overhead camshaft per bank and a lightweight aluminum alloy block and heads. Later versions would have double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder and the engine’s swept capacity would vary from 1.5 litres all the way up to 4.9 litres.

Needless to say, this was not an engine that anyone at Jeep ever thought would be slotted into a Wagoneer chassis. Once the Ferrari front end had been grafted on and the engine fitted to the new chassis a T-10 Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmission was installed.

The completed car was dubbed the “Jerrari” but no one knows by who, and Harrah is said to have enjoyed driving it. The biggest drawbacks to the new hybrid vehicle was the fact that it still used the stock Jeep Wagoneer brakes which were never intended to handle a 320 hp Ferrari V12, and that it had such unusual looks that everyone recognized it, and Harrah couldn’t drive it anonymously.

Above Image: There can’t be much doubt that this was the most practical vehicle ever powered by a Colombo V12.

The Jerrari 2 Appears

As a result of the lack of anonymity Harrah had a second Jerrari built, known as the Jerrari 2. This new vehicle was essentially a Jeep Wagoneer with all the luxury options possible, and the engine from the first Jerrari was taken and placed into it. From the outside this vehicle looked like a normal Wagoneer which gave Harrah back his anonymity, the only clue as to the vehicle’s identity being the unmistakable sound of the Ferrari V12 under the hood.

This of course left the original Jerrari with an empty engine bay, a 390 cubic inch Chevrolet small block V8 was then acquired and fitted which offered similar power to the Ferrari engine though without the charm of an Italian V12.

In the years since the first Jerrari was built it’s been sold a number of times and it’s just popped up for sale again now over on Classic Driver. The listing doesn’t give a price, it’s one of those “If you have to ask you can’t afford it” situations I think.

It’s currently located in Germany and it’s licensed and road legal in the EU, and of course it’s been previously road registered in the United States which would make reregistering it there relatively simple if the new owner should so wish.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual Wagoneer or enquire about buying it you can click here to visit the listing.