For Sale: A Unique Aston Martin DB2/4 Carrera Panamericana Race Car

This Aston Martin DB2/4 has been modified to compete in vintage motorsport, specifically the famous 2,000 mile Carrera Panamericana, it also set a new DB2 lap record at the Lime Rock Park circuit in Connecticut.

In the early 1990s this car was rebuilt for racing by Automotive Restorations in Stratford, Connecticut. In 1992 it took part in the Carrera Panamericana rally where it placed 5th in a field of dozens of cars.

Fast Facts – The Aston Martin DB2/4

• The updated styling of the Aston Martin DB2/4 was penned by draftsman John Turner, who was 17 at the time.
• The DB2/4 was released in 1953 as a successor to the DB2 and sold until 1957 when it was replaced by the DB Mark III.
• The DB2/4 is powered by the Lagonda DOHC straight-six engine which had originally been designed by W.O. Bentley. It has a displacement of 2.6 – 2.9 liters and produces up to 140 hp in its original form.
• The car you see here is a highly modified DB2/4, it’s now fitted with a 3.0 liter Vantage-specification DBA engine from the Mark III DB2 producing 200 hp.

The Aston Martin + David Brown

When it was released in 1953 the Aston Martin DB2/4 was just the second production car to be offered by Aston under the still-new ownership of David Brown. Brown had been born into a wealthy industrialist family and had shown remarkably engineering acumen from a young age.

This car is now powered by a 200 bhp 3.0 liter Vantage-specification DBA engine with forged alloy pistons, Carillo connecting rods, and triple-Weber carburetors.

He learned to drive at just 11 years old and at 17 in 1921 he started work as an apprentice at David Brown & Sons, one of the family businesses. In his early 20s Brown designed his own car, including an advanced straight-eight DOHC engine. he kept the project top secret and used the company’s foundry to cast the block and machine the other components.

By 1933 he had so distinguished himself that he took over as Managing Director, a position from which he significantly expanded and grew the businesses. In 1946 Brown saw an advertisement in The Times offering the sale of a “High Class Motor Business” for £30,000.

Intrigued he contacted them and discovered it was for the sale of Aston Martin, he acquired the company for £20,500 and immediately set to work turning its fortunes around.

Under David Brown’s ownership Aston Martin would rise to become a major global sports and luxury car builder, and they famously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori at the wheel of an Aston Martin DBR1/300.

The interior has been equipped for racing, with OMP race seats, a full roll cage,, an OMP steering wheel, and a custom dashboard with all the gauges you need.

All Astons from this time and many up to the current day still carry his “DB” initials in their model name as a mark of respect for the work he did saving the company.

The Aston Martin DB2/4

The Aston Martin DB2/4 was somewhat based on the DB2 that had come before it, the styling of the body had been penned by 17 year old draftsman John Turner.

The car was originally powered by the Lagonda DOHC straight-six engine with a 2.6 liter displacement and 125 hp, this was upgraded to 2.9 liters and 140 hp in later Drophead versions of the model.

The DB2/4 was a genuine 120 mph car, an impressive speed for the era, and thanks to its luxuriously appointed interior it was one of the finest grand touring cars available anywhere in the world.

Over the course of the 1953 to 1957 production run Aston would build 764 examples of the DB2/4 over two generations – Mark I and Mark II. There would also be Fixedhead coupes and Drophead convertibles offered, with a small number of coachbuilt cars created by the likes of Bertone and Vignale.

The car now rides on modified original suspension and it’s equipped with larger DB4-style disc brake calipers and a dual master cylinder.

The Aston Martin DB2/4 Carrera Panamericana Race Car

The car you see here has been comprehensively rebuilt for vintage racing, it competed in the 1992 Carrera Panamericana rally where it finished fifth out of a field of dozens of cars.

During the rebuild the car was given an uprated Vantage-specification DBA engine built by Steel Wings, with forged alloy pistons, Carillo connecting rods, triple-Weber carburetors, and custom headers.

The chassis was reinforced with braced front suspension spring towers, tougher pickup points and uprated drivetrain mountings. The suspension retained its original design, it was given a more robust anti-roll bar, uprated dampers, additional negative camber, reinforced rear trailing arms and uprated bushes.

Inside the car you’ll find a full roll cage, OMP seats, Schroth six-point harnesses, and it has a single-panel alloy dashboard with lightweight instrumentation and heater delete.

The car is now finished in Wimbledon White paintwork with dark blue stripes and racing decals. The comprehensive history file includes approximately $120,000 worth of upgrades and maintenance over the years.

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.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

The post For Sale: A Unique Aston Martin DB2/4 Carrera Panamericana Race Car appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/aston-martin-db2-4-carrera-panamericana-race-car/
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Rovin D4 Cabriolet - 1951 by Perico001 The front and rear of...

Rovin D4 Cabriolet - 1951 by Perico001 The front and rear of this car are the same. The small wheels and high-looking body give the Rovin the appearance of a pedal car.

Yet, for such a small car, the Rovin has surprisingly advanced technology, such as a three-speed synchronised gearbox and independent suspension. The initial models were fitted with a 260 cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine, but this was soon replaced by a 462 cc water-cooled flat-twin.

Frenchman Robert de Rovin was building motorcycles in the 1920s, as well as a couple of cycle-cars for his personal use. After World War II he started producing small cars. Although later models like this D4 were fitted with a 13 hp 462 cc engine, the Rovins were not able to compete with the Citroën 2CV and the marque disappeared in 1958.

Rovins were imported in the Netherlands by Louwman & Parqui.

Louwman Museum
Den Haag - The Hague
Nederland - Netherlands
August 2012 https://flic.kr/p/2mNHpQD

from Tumblr https://somar78.tumblr.com/post/670090030980677632

Tamplin Cycle Car - 1921 by Perico001 This is one of the few...

Tamplin Cycle Car - 1921 by Perico001 This is one of the few remaining Tamplins, a car make from Staines in England.

The car is a proper cycle-car, with its narrow wheels, straight mudguards and staggered, tandem-seating arrangement. It was designed by Captain Sir John Carden, who had built his first car in 1913. This model has a front-mounted 1,000 cc, V-twin JAP engine, reinforced fibreboard bodywork, a simple belt drive and rather flimsy, independent front-wheel suspension.

In 1919 Carden sold the production rights to this car to one of his dealers, E.A. Tamplin, who immediately linked his name to the car. Tamplins remained in production until 1925, though it is said that the cars were manufactured to order until 1927.

Louwman Museum
Den Haag - The Hague
Nederland - Netherlands
March 2013
https://flic.kr/p/2mPwTLT

from Tumblr https://somar78.tumblr.com/post/670044760659181568

Taurrhina longiceps macho [De Togo] by quenoteam Pienso que los...

Taurrhina longiceps macho [De Togo] by quenoteam Pienso que los escarabajos son posiblemente unos de los animales más bellos del planeta

I think that beetles are possibly one of the most beautiful animals on the planet.

Canon EOS 6D
Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5x 0.14 + Raynox 250
MJKZZ Ultra Rail MINI V2 + IR Remote Motion Controller.
Tiempo exposición: 1/25" - ISO100
Canon Auto Bellows
Stacking
Nº de fotos: 213
Pasos: 45 µm
Magnificación aproximada: 3x https://flic.kr/p/2mP6dcA

from Tumblr https://somar78.tumblr.com/post/669999464278261760

The Suzuki GSX-R1100 K – The Mighty 80s-Era “Gixxer”

When the Suzuki GSX-R1100 was introduced in 1986 it triggered a shockwave through the motorcycle media, it was one of the first “modern” superbikes and its 128 hp engine made it one of the fastest production motorcycles the world had ever seen.

The Suzuki GSX was nicknamed the “Gixxer” early in its life and its a name that’s stuck with the model through multiple generations of production. It was a model that triggered an acceleration of the arms race that was already well underway between the big four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers – Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki.

Fast Facts – The Suzuki GSX-R1100 K

• The Suzuki GSX-R1100 “K” was released for the 1989 model year, it’s powered by an air and oil-cooled 1,127cc inline four-cylinder engine installed transversely inside a square-section alloy frame.
• With 138 bhp at 9,000 rpm the GSX-R1100 K was essentially a Formula 1 car on two wheels, and it send its competitors scrambling to develop their own comparable models.
• Suzuki built the GSX-R series of superbikes over a number of generations, each with a slew of upgrades to make the bikes ever faster and more competitive.
• The distinctive styling of the first generation GSX-R1100 combined with its performance abilities have seen it become a highly collectible motorcycle in recent years.

Suzuki And The GSX-R1100

The development of the GSX-R was led by Suzuki engineer Etsuo Yokouchi, he worked with his engineering team to create a superbike that would fundamentally change the superbike market and provide some much needed competition for the Honda Interceptor.

The distinctive square-section alloy frame helped reduce the weight of the GSX-R series while increasing rigidity.

Yokouchi and his team developed a new square-section alloy frame for the GSX-R that would prove considerably lighter than a comparable tubular steel duplex frame that had been used extensively by motorcycle manufacturers for decades.

The first Suzuki GSX-R was introduced in the 1984 model year but it was only sold in Japan, it was the GSX-R400 an it would set the framework for all the Gixxers that would follow. The larger GSX-R750 would arrive in 1985 and this was followed by the GSX-R1100 in 1986.

Each of these three models used a lightweight square-section alloy frame, an inline-four cylinder engine with air and oil cooling, double overhead cams, and top-of-the-line brakes and suspension. All of this was wrapped in a full fairing often finished in a distinctive white and two-tone blue livery.

In 1989 the Suzuki GSX-R1100 “K” was released. This was the model that saw the introduction of the incredibly popular 1,127cc engine, up from the 1,052cc engine that had been used in earlier years. This new engine was famed for both its 138 bhp – 145 bhp power output and its toughness, with some drag racing bikes being tuned to reliably turn out 300+ bhp.

Suzuki’s two-tone blue and white paint scheme has become inextricably linked to the GSX-R series.

The 1989 Suzuki GSX-R1100 K Shown Here

The bike you see here is a highly-collectible Suzuki GSX-R1100 K, a 1989 model year bike that was the first to receive the larger and more powerful 1,127cc engine.

With its four cylinders, double overhead cams, 16 valves, and four Mikuni carburetors producing 138 bhp at 9,000 rpm, the ’89 GSX-R1100 was an engineering tour de force.

The example you see here has accumulated just 13,904 miles since it was delivered new, and it’s listed as having no known damage to the frame or bodywork.

There can be no doubt that the GSX-R1100 is one of the all-time greats of the superbike world, so it’ll be interesting to see what this one sells for. It’s currently being auctioned live by Collecting Cars in the UK, 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 The Suzuki GSX-R1100 K – The Mighty 80s-Era “Gixxer” appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/suzuki-gsx-r1100/
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The Mercedes-Benz G Wagon 300GD – Germany’s Answer To The Land Rover

This is a restored Mercedes-Benz G Wagon 300GD from the first generation of the model family, known as the W460 series. The 300GD is generally considered the most desirable version, as it’s powered by one of the toughest internal combustion engines ever designed – the Mercedes-Benz OM617 diesel.

After its introduction in 1979 the G Wagon was used extensively by militaries, civilians, and overland adventurers who prized the vehicle’s reliability and off road prowess. Perhaps the most famous G Wagon of this period was the custom example built for the Vatican for use by the Pope – it became known as the “Papa G.”

Fast Facts – The Mercedes-Benz G Wagon W460

• Mercedes-Benz started working on the vehicle that would become the G Wagon in 1972, collaborating with Steyr-Daimler-Puch who had extensive experience building 4x4s.
• The original concept for the G Wagon is credited to the Shah of Iran who was a major Mercedes shareholder at the time.
• Mercedes developed the G Wagon to compete with the likes of the Land Rover, Range Rover, Land Cruiser, and Jeep – targeting both civilian and military buyers.
• The first generation G Wagon was the W460 and it would remain in production from 1979 until 1992 when it was replaced with the W461.

The Shah, The Pope, And The G Wagon

Interestingly the idea to create the G Wagon, or G Wagen, wasn’t dreamt up in Germany but rather in Iran. The Shah of Iran conceived of the idea and as he was a significant Mercedes-Benz shareholder at the time the company listened to him.

The interior of the W460 G Wagon has more in common with the Range Rovers of the period than the competing Land Rovers or Land Cruisers, with much more thought given to passenger comfort.

As it turns out, the Shah’s idea was a stroke of genius and the G Wagon (later named the G Class) would become Mercedes’ second longest running production vehicle, after its 4×4 sibling the Unimog.

Mercedes engineers worked on the G Wagon prototypes alongside engineers at Steyr-Daimler-Puch who had vast experience developing four-wheel drive vehicles of this type. Design work began in 1972 and they had drivable prototypes testing as far afield as the Arctic Circle and Sahara Desert by 1974.

After a few years of testing and design tweaks the final production G Wagon would be unveiled at a media event at the off-road proving ground in Toulon, France, in 1979. Initially the vehicle was offered with three engine options and five body variants, through these were expanded in the following years.

The utilitarian design of the G Wagon was developed to be reliable, highly-capable off-road, and as tough as possible.

Above Video: This short film from Mercedes gives you a speed run through the history of the G Wagon.

The vehicle was originally offered with the 230 GE, 280 GE, and 300 GD engine options. The 230 GE is an inline-four cylinder gasoline engine with 123 bhp and 141 lb ft of torque, the 280 GE is an inline-six gasoline engine with 154 bhp and 165 lb ft of torque, and the 300 GD is an inline-five diesel with 88 bhp and 127 lb ft of torque.

Though none of these engine options were particularly powerful they were over engineered and under stressed to ensure they would offer bulletproof reliability for both the military and civilian buyers.

By the time the next generation G Wagon was unveiled in 1992 it was clear that the vehicle was being targeted more at civilian buyers, and in 1994 the model line was officially renamed “G Class.”

The 1986 Mercedes-Benz G Wagon 300GD Shown Here

The vehicle you see here is a 1986 example of the much sought after 300GD G Wagon. Though not powerful by any description, with 88 bhp and 127 lb ft of torque, the 3.0 liter inline-five diesel used in the 300GD has become legendary for its reliability.

The 3.0 liter inline-five cylinder OM617 engine used in the 300GD is legendary for its longevity, with some examples lasting over a million kilometers before needing a rebuild.

The 300GD is powered by the Mercedes-Benz OM617 engine, these were used in a variety of Mercedes vehicles from the mid-1970s through to the early 1990s.

The OM617 engine is known for its ability to reach over 1,000,000 kms or 620,000 miles with just standard oil changes and maintenance being carried out.

The G Wagon pictured here was restored a number of years ago and is also now wearing a fresh coat of paint. According to the listing this vehicle has covered just 5,879 miles in the past 15 years and it remains in excellent condition throughout.

If you happen to be in the market for a nice original ’80s era G Wagon this one is currently being auctioned live by Car and Classic in the United Kingdom. Bidding is now underway and you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Car and Classic

The post The Mercedes-Benz G Wagon 300GD – Germany’s Answer To The Land Rover appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/mercedes-benz-g-wagon-300gd/
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