For Sale: A Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer

This is a Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer, it’s one of 300 that will be made, each is built to the specifications of the example owned by Steve McQueen in period and the series is officially approved by his estate.

McQueen’s love of machines is well documented, he owned motorcycles, cars, and four-wheel drives, plus he was an accomplished racer on both two wheels and four. He was such a successful motorcycle racer that he used his winnings to pay for acting school in the 1950s.

Fast Facts – Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer

• Steve McQueen was famously find of his original Metisse desert racer in the 1960s. He raced it off road extensively and it largely replaced the Triumph TR6C that he’d been riding previously.
• The Metisse makes use of a tubular steel duplex cradle frame fitted with a 650cc Triumph parallel twin engine and four-speed transmission. It’s considerably lighter than a comparable Triumph from the era.
• “Metisse” is a French word for a person of mixed heritage, it’s used in this context to describe the Rickman-designed Mk3 which uses an in-house developed frame with an engine, suspension, and brakes from other manufacturers.
• Each Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer is build brand new using a restored Triumph engine and transmission, just 300 will be made, and they were co-developed with Steve McQueen’s son Chad McQueen and Dave Ekins (brother of Bud Ekins).

The Rickman Brothers

Brothers Don and Derek Rickman were successful off road motorcycle racers in the late 1940s, competing in trials and scrambles events in the United Kingdom.

The untimely death of their father left them his fully equipped workshop in the 1950s, they began building their own motorcycles and within 20 years the brothers would grow their business into the largest surviving motorcycle manufacturer in Britain.

The strong lightweight frames developed by the Rickman brothers have become legendary. Rickman motorcycles were typically dozens of pounds lighter than the factory-built competition.

It became clear to the Rickmans that the motorcycles they were competing on were simply too heavy to be competitive.

They designed their own motorcycle frame using high-end Reynolds 531 tubing, they fitted it with British motorcycle engines and transmissions, and used the best suspension and brakes they could source. Later the brothers would use engines from other countries, including Japanese engines in many of their most popular road bikes.

The resulting motorcycle was far lighter than the bikes they had been using previously, with better handling and performance. Demand for these new Rickman motorcycles was high on both sides of the Atlantic.

As the 1960s progressed they began offering road racing motorcycle frame sets as well, and by the mid-1970s they were selling 4,000+ a year, making them the largest surviving motorcycle manufacturer in the UK.

The Metisse is fitted with a Triumph TR6 parallel twin with a displacement of 650cc, power is sent to the rear wheel via a 4-speed transmission.

The Metisse Mk3 is likely the motorcycle that the Rickman brothers are best remembered for today, it revolutionized the world of off road motorcycle racing in the 1960s, it was highly influential on the production scramblers of the day, and it remained surprisingly competitive against the lightweight two-strokes when they arrived.

Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer

In 2008 the Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer was unveiled, it was a motorcycle developed on the original Metisse Mk3 platform with significant input from Steve McQueen’s son Chad McQueen and Dave Ekins (brother of Bud Ekins).

Just 300 will be made, each is numbered and ready to ride – these are not designed to be stationary display pieces but rather fully functional off road racing machines that are just as quick as the one ridden by McQueen back in the 60s.

Just like the original Metisse owned by McQueen, this modern version uses large-diameter, nickel-plated chromoly Reynolds 531 tubing for the frame.

“This rig is the best handling bike I’ve ever owned!” – Steve McQueen, November 1966.

The distinctive fiberglass bodywork used on the Rickman Mk3 is designed to be lightweight and functional. Drum brakes are typically used front and back, with a traditional combination of telescopic forks and twin rear shock absorbers.

Though a wide variety of engines can be fitted to the frame via the use of different engine mounts, the McQueen Metisse is fitted with the same Triumph TR6 engine and four-speed gearbox that was used on Steve’s bike.

Newly build exact replica Ceriani and Girling suspension is also fitted, with period correct front and rear drum brakes. Battleship Grey gel-coated fiberglass bodywork is also fitted, the same that was used on the original.

All Metisse motorcycles are desirable but the limited edition Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racer is perhaps the most desirable motorcycle currently in production by the company, both because of its rarity and its link to McQueen.

The example you see here is a brand new 2021 model with just one mile on the odometer and its documents have been sent off to the DVLA, with the seller currently waiting to get its license plate so it can be used on the road.

If you’d like to read more about this Metisse you can click here to visit the listing on Collecting Cars. This motorcycle is being auctioned live online at the time of writing with a few days left to bid.

An undated image of brothers Don and Derek Rickman racing aboard their own machines.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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itsbrucemclaren: Singer Has Revealed An Exquisite Lightweight 911 With A 500bhp Air-Cooled...
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Barn Find: A 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi Project Car

This 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi was uncovered in a French barn along with the many other extraordinary cars in the Baillon Collection. Since then it’s been carefully stored in a sealed air chamber to preserve its condition exactly as it was found.

It’s now being offered for sale with a price guide in the $55,000 USD range and it’ll be up to the new owner whether they give it a full restoration back to original condition, or preserve it as-is.

Fast Facts – A Baillon Collection Ferrari 308 GTSi

• This Ferrari 308 GTSi was uncovered as part of the Baillon Collection in France, one of history’s greatest barn finds consisting of 100+ cars, 60 of which were deemed to be in restorable condition.
• Shipping magnate Roger Baillon had a lifelong passion for cars, saving many of the members of his collection from the crusher and preserving them in a barn on his estate in France.
• The 308 GTSi you see here is in largely complete condition but clearly requires a full restoration to get it back on the road.
• It’s been stored in climate controlled conditions for the past few years as part of the Petitjean Collection in France.

The Ferrari 308 GTSi

The Ferrari 308 GTSi first appeared in 1980 alongside the GTBi, the cars being targa topped and tin topped respectively.

As you may have guessed, that little “i” added to the end of the model name denoted fuel injection as part of a program to improve emissions to meet increasingly stringent regulations – particularly in the United States.

Since being uncovered in the now famous French barn as part of the Baillon Collection in 2014, this car has been preserved carefully. It will be up to the next owner whether to restore it or keep it as it is now.

These cars were fitted with a Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection system paired with a Marelli MED 803A Digiplex electronic ignition.

Other than this the engines remained largely the same as their earlier carburetor-fed forebears – a 90º V8 with double overhead cams per bank mounted transversely behind the driver and passenger. As with the earlier cars, power is set to the rear wheels via a 5-speed transaxle with a mechanical limited slip differential.

The Ferrari 308 GTS and GTB were both based on a very similar tubular steel chassis to the earlier 308 GT4, and they ride on independent front and rear suspension with unequal length double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and anti-roll bars front and back.

The body of the 308 GTS/GTB was designed by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti, the same man who penned the Dino, Daytona, 512 Berlinetta Boxer, 288 GTO, and the Testarossa among many others.

It’s clear that some disassembly work has already been done on the car, but all the major parts to appear to be present.

Ultimately the 308i series wouldn’t be as popular as the earlier 308 GTB/GTS due to the lower power output necessitated by meeting emissions restrictions.

The later 308 GTB/GTS Quattrovalvole rectified this issue with a number of changes to improve power output, most notably by adding an additional two valves per cylinder for a total of four which led to the model name – quattro valvole meaning “four valve” in Italian.

The Barn Find Ferrari 308 GTSi Shown Here

As mentioned above, the 308 GTSi you see here was a member of the world famous Baillon Collection of over 100 cars discovered in France in 2014 – sending shockwaves through the global vintage car community.

Unusually, this 308 GTSi is now fitted with a more powerful 3.2 liter Quattrovalvole V8 producing 240 hp (in operational condition), up from the 211 hp of the original.

Among the many treasures in the collection was a Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux, a Maserati A6G 2000 by Frua, a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, a Talbot Lago T26 Saoutchik cabriolet, and many others.

The collection sold for a total of $28.5 million USD, with the Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder $18.5 million USD.

It is believed that this 308 GTSi has had an engine swap earlier in its life, it’s now fitted with a more powerful (and more desirable) Ferrari 3.2 liter Quattrovalvole V8 which will be capable of 240 hp once restored.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual Ferrari 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 2nd of February with a price guide of $55,000 – $80,000 USD.

Images: Alex Penfold ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

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A Slovenian Custom Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 By Gas & Retro

This custom Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 was built by the team at Gas & Retro based out of Slovenia in Eastern Europe. This isn’t a country we typically associate with world class custom motorcycles but Gas & Retro founder Ziga Petek is quickly changing this perception.

There are two primary types of custom motorcycle in the world – there are those that are built mostly for aesthetic purposes where functionality takes a back seat to artistic expression, and then here are those that are built to perform better. This bike is of the latter type.

Fast Facts – A Custom Husqvarna Vitpilen 701

• This custom Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 includes a number of discrete upgrades over the original bike that were added to improve performance.
• The Vitpilen 701 was released in 2018 as one of the Swedish company’s top of the line models. It’s powered by a 692cc single-cylinder engine producing 75 bhp which offers excellent performance as the bike weighs in at just 157 kilograms (346 lbs).
• The Vitpilen 701 was released alongside the Svartpilen 701, and both models are paired with smaller-engined, less powerful models named the Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 respectively.
• As a middleweight bike the Vitpilen 701 has been winning fans around the world for its combination of a punchy single-cylinder engine, a low kerb weight, good suspension, and an excellent chassis.

The White Arrow – Husqvarna’s Vitpilen 701

The Vitpilen and Svartpilen family of motorcycles have arguably been the most important road-going Husqvarna motorcycles released (so far) in the 21th century.

That’s probably a controversial thing to state as fact but after years of trouble we’re now seeing the Husqvarna badge on street legal motorcycles out on the road regularly, both on the 401 series and on the more recent 701 series.

This 701 has been fitted with a full GRMTO body kit in an eye catching shade of yellow, helping it stand out from the typically more tame colors offered by the factory.

In Swedish “Vitpilen” means white arrow and “Svartpilen” means black arrow, possibly an indication of the purpose of these motorcycles. They’re intended to be modern urban motorcycles with sharp and precise handling unencumbered by excess weight.

Over the course of its long history Husqvarna has belonged to a number of different companies including Electrolux, BMW, and most recently KTM.

Of all the owners it’s been KTM that seems the best suited to running Husqvarna as it should be operated – and modern Huskies benefit greatly from the use of tried and tested KTM engines.

In factory stock configuration the Vitpilen 701 is powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 692cc single-cylinder engine producing 75 bhp and 53 lb ft of torque. At the time of its release, this was the most powerful single-cylinder motorcycle engine in the world.

With its high-performance 43mm Showa BFF forks sourced from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, coupled with the dual-sided Brembo M50 monobloc disc brakes this Vitpilen 701 has improved handing and braking power compared to the original.

Power is sent to the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox and a chain final drive. The 701 rides on WP suspension including 43mm fully adjustable forks up front and a monoshock in the rear with adjustable preload and rebound. Braking is handled by a single sided 320mm rotor with a Brembo four piston caliper up front, and 240mm rotor with a single piston Brembo caliper in the rear.

The Vitpilen 701’s chassis is a rigid tubular steel trellis frame that uses the engine as a stressed member, and the kerb weight of the model is just 157 kilograms or 346 lbs.

The Custom Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 Shown Here

The Vitpilen 701 you see here has been given a series of subtle upgrades to both improve its performance and to update its looks.

The styling of the Vitpilen 701 has been winning it fans since its introduction in 2018, this example has been carefully upgraded to keep the aesthetics on point but improve the performance.

Perhaps the most signifiant change is the addition of 43mm Showa BFF forks up front from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, along with their matching dual Brembo M50 monobloc disc brakes and Brembo Cortacorse RCS brake and clutch master cylinder.

Given the relatively low weight of the Vitpilen 701 this front brake upgrade, notably improving the model’s already good handling and braking performance.

The bodywork features a full GRMTO body kit with wings on the front fairing and rear seat cover, as well as a custom shortened exhaust, a customized numberplate holder and tail unit, a redesigned headlight cowl, and built-in LED indicators front and back.

The completed bike now has just 430 kms on the odometer, or 267 miles, and it’s currently being auctioned live online by Collecting Cars. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Visit Gas & Retro here – Follow Gas & Retro on Instagram here

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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Jenson Button’s 1970 Ford Bronco Is For Sale

This highly modified 1970 Ford Bronco currently belongs to Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One World Championship winning driver. He’s decided to part with it and it’s currently being offered for sale in a live auction online.

Button is well-known for his love of cars, in fact he’s recently been working with Ant Anstead, Mark Stubbs, Roger Behle to relaunch historic British coachbuilder Radford. The company is starting with a limited production car named the Lotus Type 62-2.

Fast Facts – Jenson Button’s Ford Bronco

• The original Ford Bronco was released in 1965, it was developed by many of the same people who created the revolutionary Ford Mustang, including Donald N. Frey, Paul G. Axelrad, and Lee Iacocca.
• The Bronco was developed as a competitor for the Jeep CJ-5 and International Harvester Scout, vehicles that were mostly used by people for leisure in the rapidly growing sport utility vehicle market segment.
• Jenson Button’s Ford Bronco is a highly modified 1970 model fitted with a 302 cubic inch V8, lifted suspension, 17 inch wheels with 35 inch BF Goodrich All Terrain tires, a new cream leather interior with the period-correct seats, and a slew of other upgrades.
• Button has owned this Bronco for the past few years, he’s currently selling it and it’s based in Los Angeles, California.

The Original Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco is doubtless one of the most important non-military four-wheel drive vehicles ever developed. For many Americans it was their first taste of off road driving and for some of them it would become a lifelong passion – helping to fuel the meteoric rise in popularity of the modern 4×4.

Button’s Bronco is powered by a highly modified Ford 302 V8 with Fitech fuel injection, an Edelbrock filter, an MSD ignition kit, and tubular headers.

Originally released in 1965 after having been developed by Donald N. Frey, Paul G. Axelrad, and Lee Iacocca – the same team who dreamt up the Ford Mustang. The Bronco was targeted squarely at the Jeep CJ-5 and the International Harvester Scout, America’s two most popular 4x4s at the time, and the leaders of the civilian off road market.

The first generation Ford Bronco would stay in production from 1965 until 1977 at which time it was replaced with the second generation Bronco.

The Bronco would be built over five generations until 1996 when it was discontinued. In 2021 the sixth generation Ford Bronco was released. Its design is significantly influenced by the first generation vehicles, particularly the modified V8 racing Broncos with their lifted suspension, larger wheels and tires, and more purposeful styling.

Jenson Button’s Ford Bronco

Jenson Button’s love for cars is well known, as mentioned above he’s recently played a pivotal role in relaunching the legendary coachbuilding firm Radford who are now offering the all new Lotus Type 62-2 to well-heeled buyers around the world.

The interior is subtly upgraded over the original, with a new wood rimmed steering wheel, a discrete shifter for the automatic gearbox, and cream leather upholstery.

Though people more commonly associate Button with open wheeled racing and sports cars it’s clear that his love for vehicles goes well beyond this – he owns (or has owned) a number of motorcycles, a slew of vintage cars, a Rolls-Royce, a Vauxhall Cavalier (!), a VW camper van, and the custom Bronco you see here.

There seem to be two kinds of vintage Bronco owners in the world, those who like their cars completely stock and those who modify them to the point they could challenge for a podium position in the Baja 1000. It seems that Button is one of the latter kinds of owners, which makes a lot of sense when you remember that he’s a multiple championship winning driver.

Button’s Bronco has lifted suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, Wilwood front disc brakes, a Borgeson power steering rack, cream leather seats, a half roll cage, and classic KC driving lamps.

Under the hood you’ll find a 302 cubic inch V8 that is fitted with Fitech fuel injection, an Edelbrock filter, and an MSD ignition kit with a push-button start. Power is sent to the front and rear wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission.

The Bronco rides on a set of satin black 17 inch Method alloy wheels fitted with 35 inch BF Goodrich All Terrain tires sitting under black wheel arch extensions.

Button now has the car listed for sale on Collecting Cars out of LA, it’s a live auction with 6 days remaining to bid at the time of writing. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

You can follow Jenson Button on Instagram here

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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