This is a Ferrari 126C4 Junior, a mini Formula 1 car replica designed for younger drivers. It’s powered by a rear-mounted, single cylinder motor and it has a single speed transmission to keep things easy.
There original Ferrari 126 Formula 1 car won 10 races and took 10 pole positions, the C4 model was the fourth generation of the car best known for winning the 1984 Belgian Grand Prix.
Whereas the original 126C4 had 850 hp for drivers to play with this junior version has just 6.5 hp, although that’s still enough to get it up to a decent clip – more than enough to please children and worry parents.
This “Junior” Ferrari 126C4 has a tubular steel frame with an integral roll bar and a single rear disc brake. Both rear wheels receive power from the engine and the driver controls the car with two pedals and a steering wheel as you’d expect.
The fiberglass body is a single removable unit for easy access to the motor and other aspects of the car. It can be fitted with a battery if the new owner wants to fit a starter motor, starting is currently done with a standard pull cord.
This Junior Ferrari measures in at 225cm long (88.5″), by 140cm wide (55.1″), and 95cm high (37.4″), the weight isn’t listed however it’s clear from looking at the pictures that it won’t be particularly heavy.
If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can click here to visit the listing on Collecting Cars, this unusual little Ferrari is currently being auctioned live and it’s based in Belgium.
This is a Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 712DK 6×6 and unlike its contemporaries, it’s been covered with artwork by Nico Sclater, aka Ornamental Conifer, a celebrated British artist who works on a vast array of canvasses from skateboards and motorcycles, to buildings, Formula 1 cars, and of course, the Pinzgauer shown here.
The unusual-looking Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer was developed in the late 1960s as a replacement for the Steyr-Daimler-Puch Haflinger, a smaller military 4×4 that bares a strong resemblance with its successor.
Over the course of the 1971 to 2007 production run almost 20,000 examples of the Pinzgauer were made in 4×4 and 6×6 specification, and they were used by militaries around the world.
Fast Facts – The Pinzgauer
✱ The Pinzgauer was available in both 4×4 and 6×6 versions, both used portal axles to keep the differentials up out of the way and provide excellent ground clearance.
✱ People often mistake the Pinzgauer for the Unimog, its fellow European off-roader with similar looks and a forward cab design.
✱ The 4×4 version of the Pinzgauer is remarkably capable and can carry 10 people or two NATO pallets, it can tow 5,000 kilograms (11,023 lb) on road and 1,500 kilograms (3,307 lb) off road.
The Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 712DK 6×6
The Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 712DK 6×6 you see here is a little more unusual than most, as the model name suggests it’s now a six-wheel drive 712 version of the vehicle but it started out as a 710 4×4.
Above Image: This Pinzgauer is adorned with art from Ornamental Conifer, setting it apart from its standard military green counterparts.
Due to the modular design of the Pinzgauer this one was able to be upgraded with an extra set of driven wheels at the back, with a modified four-door crew cab pickup body. It’s now equipped for serious off road use with a bullbar, twin sand ladders, a high-lift jack, a roof rack, and that famously high ground clearance enjoyed by all Pinzgauers.
Ornamental Conifer
Apart from the above mentioned modifications what sets this Pinzgauer apart from its brethren is the custom paintwork by celebrated artist Ornamental Conifer. The front and both sides of the vehicle have been given his signature touches including patterns and messages, ensuring that no other Pinzgauer on earth will ever look the same.
“Ornamental Conifer is the moniker of British artist, Nicolai Sclater. Over the past few years Conifer has travelled internationally producing work for exhibitions and private collectors, as well as working closely with large brands on commercial projects.
Painting onto motorcycles, cars, clothing and an ever-increasing array of objects, Conifer’s work focuses on humour, wordplay, mischief and often-controversial yet motivational messages. Through the medium of hand painted typography and patterns, using traditional sign writing brushes and enamel paint, Conifer pays homage to the tradition of sign painting whilst allowing his earlier influences in graffiti and design to help him carve out his own progressive niche.” – Ornamental Conifer bio by Bernstein and Andriulli
Pinzgauer Specifications
As a 1971 model this vehicle will be fitted with the unusual 2.5 liter inline four-cylinder air-cooled engine that was designed to be as simple as possible to maintain and repair. It produces 87 bhp and 133 lb ft of torque which is enough for it to reach a maximum speed of 62 mph on the asphalt.
Above Video: An original Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer promotional video showing them being put through their paces off-road. It’s worth watching just for the jumps.
Power is sent to all six wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission and a 2-speed transfer case which gives a total of 10 forward gears – five in high range and five in low range for off road use. Vacuum assisted drum brakes are used all round, and the Pinzgauer has a military specification 24 volt electrical system.
Most Pinzgauers have now been retired from military service and many are finding their way into private hands. Some are kept in exact military specification but many are being converted for civilian use into campers and adventure vehicles like the one you see here.
Spare parts are widely available and there are committed ownership clubs dedicated to keeping the Pinzgauer on the road, or off as the case may be.
The modified Pinzgauer you see here has a crew cab design with seating for up to eight in the front two sections. There are benches in the rear, as well as ample space for equipment and luggage, and there are two sand ladders and a high-lift jack should you happen to get stuck.
This vehicle is due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s in mid-August in California. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.
Above Image: The cab-forward driving position gives excellent visibility of the terrain ahead.
This is an Alfa Romeo 8C engine, it’s widely considered to be one of the most important pre-WWII automobile engine designs and it helped power the Italian marque to wins in the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a slew of Grand Prix victories with icons of the age like Tazio Nuvolari at the wheel.
From a technical perspective the 8C engine is an advanced design, with all-alloy construction, double overhead cams, a cross-flow head design, and a supercharger. These are all features we might expect to see on a modern sports car engine, so it’s all the more remarkable that Vittorio Jano developed the Alfa Romeo 8C engine all the way back in 1931.
The Alfa Romeo 8C was originally developed solely for racing, however due to popular demand they began selling powered rolling chassis later in 1931 which customers would buy and have sent to their preferred coachbuilder to have the body made.
The continued on-track successes of the 8C greatly assisted with the road car’s popularity, soon becoming one of the most desireable sports grand touring cars of the pre-WWII age. Production of the 8C ran from 1931 until 1939 when the war began, today both the grand prix and the road-going versions of the 8C are among the most collectible cars in the world.
Above Video: An Alfa Romeo 308C being driven up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The 8C engine you see here is a fantastic example of just why the cars it powered was so successful. While many of its rivals were making do with much heavier iron block/head designs with simple pushrod actuated valves, Vittorio Jano and his engineering team integrated all of the state-of-the-art technologies they could into the engine.
In so doing they created a power unit that we still look at today, almost 100 years later, as a work of art.
This engine was previously rebuilt by Auto Restorations of New Zealand, it’s now due to be offered for sale by RM Sotheby’s in mid-August. It will likely either be bought by someone with an 8C who wants a spare engine for racing to avoid putting track hours on their original motor, or it’ll be bought by someone who wants to put it on display just as it is.
Cabins on the mountain by Veliz Arquitecto & ta E. “Organic architecture developed on a single level and designed for short stays of climbers and tourists interested in direct contact with nature, construction system on a concrete platform and wooden structure that takes advantage of the visuals of the environment in its entirety, consists of a room with bathroom and kitchen and a large terrace outside”, tells
When the Ferrari F50 was introduced in 1995 it had big shoes to fill, it was destined to be the successor to the enduringly popular Ferrari F40, a vehicle that remains one of the most beloved supercars of all time.
Following in the naming convention of the F40, the F50 was released to celebrate 50 years since Ferrari was founded, and it was intended to showcase everything the company had learned both in Formula 1 and in its road car operations.
Fast Facts – The Ferrari F50
✱ The Ferrari was introduced in 1995 to celebrate 50 years since the company’s founding, the name is derived from “Ferrari 50.”
✱ The 65º V12 engine was directly derived from the engine used in the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car, with significant modifications to make it suitable for road use.
✱ The Ferrari F50 was built with a full carbon fiber monocoque structure, F1 inspired wishbone and pushrod suspension front and back, and the engine was used as a stressed chassis member.
✱ Just 349 examples of the F50 were ever built, a number chosen because it was exactly one car fewer than the company believed they could sell.
The Ferrari F50
When the Ferrari F50 was released in 1995 the anticipation was palpable, this was the car destined to succeed the wildly popular Ferrari F40, and unlike its forebear it was fitted with a naturally aspirated V12 that was directly derived from Ferrari’s 1990 F1 car engine.
Above Image: The F50 has no power steering or power brakes, no ABS, and it uses wind up windows. All to keep weight down and give the occupants a truly analogue experience.
In order to mark half a century of operations, Ferrari set out to do the impossible – build a road legal Formula 1 car with two seats. Now as much as that may sound like hyperbole, it’s remarkably close to reality.
Not only was the Ferrari F50 fitted with a Formula 1 derived V12 engine, it was also fitted with F1-style double wishbone and pushrod suspension front and back, the engine is a stressed chassis member as is the transaxle gearbox, the car uses a puncture resistant fuel bag rather than a traditional tank, and the car has no driver aids – power steering, power brakes, tractional control, or ABS were never offered.
“The first and last Formula 1 car with two seats.” – Former Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo
So extreme was the F50 that Ferrari believed they would probably only be able to sell 350 of them worldwide, so they made exactly 349 in order to ensure the car would always be in demand. Just 55 examples would be offered for the United States, and today original USA-delivered cars tend to attract a premium.
Above Video: This short film hosted by former-F1 driver Tiff Needell offers an excellent introduction to the F50.
The Ferrari F50 – Specifications
As with any Ferrari since the company’s inception, it’s the car’s engine that is the true hero. Even for a company like Ferrari who have been famous for building technically sophisticated engines since the mid-20th century, the F50 engine was something special.
The concept of taking a Formula 1 engine and putting it in a road car sounds foolhardy on the face of it. F1 engines of the era were designed to last 70 odd laps and not a lot further, they were designed to run on race fuel, and they only needed to push a vehicle that weighed a few hundred kilograms.
Ferrari engineers set about taking the 3.5 liter V12 used in the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car and turning it into a 4.7 liter road-going supercar engine, and I’m willing to bet they regularly needed wine with their lunch during the engine development process.
What they ended up developing was an engine for the ages, a 65º naturally aspirated V12 with 5-valves per cylinder, double overhead cams per bank, forged Mahle pistons, forged titanium connecting rods, a forged steel crankshaft, and a total weight of just 198 kg (437 lb).
Above Image: The Formula 1-derived V12 has 5-valves per cylinder and it turns out over 500 hp. Enough to send the F50 to a top speed of just over 200 mph.
According to Ferrari the power output was 520 hp at 8,500 rpm with 347 lb ft of torque at 6,500 rpm. This gave the 3,080 lb (1,397 kg) F50 a 0 to 60 time of 3.8 seconds, a 1/4 mile time of 12.1 seconds at 123 mph, and a top speed of 202 mph.
The Ferrari F50 Shown Here
The F50 you see here has full Ferrari Classiche certification (January 2013) and it won both the Platinum Award and “Best F50” at Cavallino XXIX.
This car was delivered new to Ferrari collector Stanley Cohen of Windsor, Connecticut who would own the car for 22 years, always using the same person to service it – Thomas Passalacqua.
A major engine service was completed in January 2017, later that year the car also received a new fuel bladder, tires, and brake lines, all in it cost nearly $51,000 USD.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s in mid-August, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.
This is a comprehensively restored 1969 Nissan Patrol 60, and a great example of what is now remembered as the first Patrol to be exported out of Japan and into various world markets in including the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and India.
The Nissan Patrol has always somewhat lived in the shadow of more famous four-wheel drives, like the original Jeep, the Land Rover, and the Land Cruiser, however the Patrol has proven itself to be just as capable as any of its period rivals.
Fast Facts – The Nissan Patrol 60
✱ The first production Nissan Patrols rolled off the assembly line in 1951, the same year the Toyota Land Cruiser entered production.
✱ Much like the first Land Cruiser, the first Patrol was largely based on the Willys Jeep. The Jeep had proven its mettle during WWII and the Japanese recognized the importance of having a similar vehicle.
✱ The second generation of the Nissan Patrol arrived in 1959 with considerably updated styling and a more comfortable, slightly less utilitarian interior than its predecessor.
✱ The Nissan Patrol 60 series would be sold from 1960 until 1980 when it was replaced with the 160 series Patrol. However the 60 series would stay in production in India as the “Jonga” until 1999.
The Second Generation Nissan Patrol
The second generation Nissan Patrol, known as the 60 series, was developed in the late 1950s to solve the same problem that fellow 4×4 makers Land Rover, Willys, and Toyota were also working on – making their vehicles a little easier to live with on a daily basis.
Above Image: The spartan interior of the second generation Patrol was still a marked upgrade over the interior of the even more basic first generation model.
Whereas the first generation Nissan Patrol was closely based on the American Willys Jeep the 60 series would be its own unique design, with a fully closed cab, and basic amenities that made it a lot easier for owners to live with as a daily driver.
The Nissan Patrol used much the same structural design as its four-wheel drive contemporaries, including body-on-chassis design, a simple stamped steel body (or aluminum in the case of the Land Rover), with a front mounted engine sending power to either the rear wheels or all four wheels depending on the driver’s preference.
The 60 series Patrol was powered by the famously tough 4.0 liter straight-six petrol Nissan P engine, with pushrod actuated overhead valves, and 123 to 143 hp depending on model year.
Power was sent back to either a 3 or 4-speed manual transmission depending on model year, and a 2-speed transfer case giving the Patrol high and low-range, as well as driver selectable two or four-wheel drive.
Nissan offered the Patrol 60 in three different wheelbase lengths – short wheelbase (60), long wheelbase (G60), and super long wheelbase (H60).
The enduring nature of the Patrol’s design was perhaps best captured by the Indian armed forces, who entered into an agreement with Nissan to build their own version under license in India.
This Indian Patrol would be named the Jonga, short for Jabalpur Ordinance aNd Guncarriage Assembly. Production would stretch from 1965 all the way to 1999, and the vehicles are still a common sight on the roads of India with many former military vehicles now in private hands.
Above Image: The 60 series Nissan Patrol was powered by the reliable 4.0 liter straight-six petrol Nissan P engine.
The Nissan Patrol is now on its sixth generation, the popularity and positive reputation enjoyed by the model was largely established during the 20 year production run of the second generation model, so it’s not surprising that their values have been climbing significantly in recent years.
The 1969 Nissan Patrol Shown Here
The Patrol you see here is a 1969 model, that was an important year for the model line as it was the last year that the model would ever be offered for sale in the USA.
This is the single nicest looking second generation Patrol we’ve seen in some time, largely due to the fact that it was comprehensively restored back to the condition it would have been in when it first rolled out of the factory.
It’s still fitted with its original matching-numbers engine, it’s finished in tan with white steel wheels and chrome hub caps, and it has a white roof.
If you’d like to read more about this Patrol or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Mecum. It’s due to roll across the auction block in late July.
