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For Sale: A Douglas AD Skyraider Attack Aircraft

The Douglas Skyraider was designed during WWII and would prove so useful it remained in active service well into the 1980s, it was developed to combine the roles of dive-bombing and torpedo missions into a single attack aircraft.

Impressively it has a payload of 8,000 lbs, vastly more than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress’ payload of 4,800 lbs, and the Skyraider has a 10-hour flying time with an armored underbelly to protect it from ground fire.

Fast Facts – Douglas Skyraider

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider, originally known as the AD Skyraider, was designed by Ed Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company during WWII. The aircraft would arrive too late to be used in the war, but it would see significant use in the Korean War and later in the Vietnam War.
The Skyraider uses a low-wing monoplane design, early aircraft were fitted with the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engine, and the plane became known for its excellent low-speed maneuverability.
With a payload of 8,000 lbs, the Skyraider could carry almost twice the amount of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and the aircraft became known for its toughness – thanks in no small part to its armoring.
The Douglas Aircraft Company built 3,180 examples of the Skyraider between 1945 and 1957, it would be retired by the US military in 1973, but would remain active in other nations armed services well into the 1980s.

“The Blue Plane”

For enemy combatants in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the sight of the Douglas Skyraider overhead was a cause for far more concern than any of the faster and more flashy fighter jets of the era.

The Skyraider could stay overhead for hours and hours, carrying ordinance which it could target with devastating accuracy.

The sheer volume of ordinance the Skyraider can carry made it a critical part of the US air arsenal for decades.

The Skyraider was introduced too late to see service in WWII, but it became the backbone of the United States Navy and Marine Corps strike aircraft missions in the Korean War.

Interestingly the only air victory attributed to the Skyraider occurred when an AD-4 Skyraider shot down a Soviet-built Polikarpov Po-2 biplane in 1953.

During the Korean War the Skyraider was flown only by the US Navy and the Marine Corps, they were mostly painted dark blue and they became known simply as “the blue plane” to North Korean combatants.

There toughness of the Skyraider largely came down to its armor plating, it was fitted to the underside of the aircraft to protect from ground fire. With a flight time of 10 hours depending on the payload, the Skyraider could loiter over specific areas for prolonged periods of time – it also had excellent range for attacks over longer distances.

After heavy use in the Korean War and the early years of the Vietnam War, the Skyraider would be retired from American military use in 1973.

The armed forces of other nations kept them in service into the mid-1980s, a remarkable testament to the design first laid out by Ed Heinemann 40 years earlier – all the way back in 1944.

This restored AD-4N Skyraider has a largely original cockpit, with a few changes made for modern flying safety and convenience.

The 1950 Douglas AD-4N Skyraider Shown Here

The aircraft you see here is an AD-4N Skyraider from 1950, it benefits from a full restoration and is now showing just 178 hours of flight time since the work was completed.

This Skyraider has an original Wright R-3350 26WD engine fitted, this is otherwise known as the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engine. It’s a twin row, supercharged radial engine with 18 cylinders with a displacement of almost 55 liters and up to 3,700 hp depending on configuration.

The R-3350 in this aircraft was fully rebuilt by Anderson Airmotive when the plane was restored and now shows the same number of hours as the airframe – 178.

This AD-4N Skyraider is currently being offered for sale by the team at Platinum Fighter Sales, the asking price is $750,000 USD which isn’t a whole lot of money in the high stakes would of warbird ownership.

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

Images courtesy of Platinum Fighter Sales

The post For Sale: A Douglas AD Skyraider Attack Aircraft appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/douglas-skyraider/
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Off-Grid Adventure Vehicle: A Ford E350 4×4 Camper Van With 440+ HP

This is a 2003 Ford E350 4×4 that has been converted into one of the most off-road capable camper vans we’ve featured in recent memory, and it can accommodate two people for extended periods off the grid.

It’s powered by the 7.3 liter Ford turbodiesel V8 producing 444 hp which is sent to all four wheels, it rides on a 4×4 platform fitted with Fox off-road shock absorbers, and it has Toyo Open Country off-road tires fitted to bead lock rims.

Fast Facts – The Ford E350 4×4

The E-Series of Ford vans can trace their lineage all the way back to the first Ford Econoline van of 1960. The E-Series is Ford’s second longest production series, after the F-Series trucks.
The E350 you see here is a 2003 model powered by the 444 hp turbodiesel Navistar V8, power is sent back through an automatic transmission and from there to the front and rear live axles.
This van has been significantly rebuilt into an off-road camper, with accommodation for two people, a sink with running water, a fridge, a chemical toilet, a sofa, air conditioning, and twin solar panels.
With the surge in popularity around camper vans by people wanting to join the van life movement, campers like the one shown here have been in great demand.

Van Life – Living On The Road

The basic concept of living in the back of a van has probably existed since five minutes after the first van was invented. Each generation has had their own version of van culture, from the hippies in the 1960s with their VW Kombi vans to the V8 custom vans of the 1970s and 1980s.

This E350 is fully equipped for off-grid living, it has twin solar panels and an internal battery system with power outlets, a fridge, air conditioning, and a sink with running water.

The most recent variation on the van culture theme is called “van life,” and as the name suggests, it involves people living their lives in vans – typically while on an extended road trip.

Camper vans come in all shapes and sizes, from the smaller and less expensive options to the full-sized mansions on wheels like the Ford E350 shown here.

As the world emerges from Covid and the lockdowns all become a distant memory there seem to be more people than ever hunting around for the right van, so they can take to the road and make up for lost time.

The Ford E350 4×4 Camper Van Shown Here

The Ford E350 4×4 you see here has been comprehensively rebuilt for comfortable extended living off the grid.

Up front there is seating for two along with all the modern conveniences you might want, everything from airbags and cup holders to an AM/FM stereo and electric windows.

In this image you can just see the sleeping loft up top that can accommodate two. Downstairs there’s a couch, sink, fridge, and other amenities.

In the back there’s a two seater couch, a sink with running water, a fridge, drawers, and cupboard space, and an overhead loft-style bed that can sleep two. Up on the roof you’ll find twin solar panels, an air conditioning system, and a roof rack, with side ladders for easy access.

The E-Series of vans use body-on-chassis construction with rear wheel drive, a popular aftermarket conversion uses Ford F-Series 4×4 truck parts including the front axle, transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, and suspension.

The E350 you see here has had this conversion, which is obvious once you see that live axle front end of course. On this vehicle the original shock absorbers have been replaced with Fox off-road shocks for improved performance, and it has Toyo Open Country tires fitted to bead lock rims on all four corners.

This E350 4×4 is due to cross the auction block with Mecum in mid-March, it’s being offered with no reserve and you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

Up front there’s ample space for two people with all the modern conveniences you might want, like air conditioning, electric windows, power steering, a stereo, cup holders, and airbags for safety.

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post Off-Grid Adventure Vehicle: A Ford E350 4×4 Camper Van With 440+ HP appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/ford-e350-4x4-camper-van/
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Sydney Pollack’s Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider Is For Sale

This 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider has a fascinating history – it belonged to Sydney Pollack for a number of years in the 1970s, an Academy Award-winning director best known for his films Out of Africa (1985), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and The Firm (1993).

Later in its life the car was involved in a cross-border ownership dispute between Mexico and the United States that included nefarious characters linked to the then-president of Mexico, José López Portillo.

Fast Facts – A Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider

This is the 31st of the 121 examples of the Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider that were ever built, and it’s one of just 14 finished in Argento Metallizzato.
The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was released in 1968 and was almost immediately nicknamed the “Daytona” as a reference to Ferrari’s 1-2-3 finish in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. Ferrari have never officially adopted the name and only use it sparingly.
The Daytona is powered by a 4.4 liter version of the legendary Colombo V12 engine, producing 347 hp at 7,500 rpm and 318 lb ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. The car can do the 0-60 mph dash in 5.4 seconds onto a top speed of 174 mph.
The Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Spider you see here was owned by Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack in the 1970s for a number of years, it’s now now being presented for sale beautifully restored in the original factory color combination.

Daytona – The Car Built To Beat The Miura

When Lamborghini unveiled their new mid-engined Miura at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show it sent shockwaves around the world. It has (controversially) been called the world’s first supercar and much to the chagrin of Ferrari, it was faster than any road car they had in production at the time.

The beautifully appointed interior is instantly recognizable as the work of Ferrari, even before you see that distinctive Prancing Horse on the steering wheel.

The program to develop the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was kicked into high gear as a result, the final production car would be unveiled in 1968. Interestingly it still used a front mounted engine rather than the mid-mounted transverse engine of the Miura, but critically the Ferrari would be faster – by just 3 mph.

A Daytona was chosen by Dan Gurney and Brock Yates as their entry into the first ever Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash in 1971. The two men won with an average speed of 80.1 mph and a total elapsed time of 35 hours and 54 minutes between New York City and Los Angeles.

The general public still know the Daytona best for its frequent on-screen appearances in the first two seasons of the original Miami Vice TV series. The two cars used during filming were actually replicas with fiberglass bodies based on C3 Corvette chassis.

Ferrari eventually sued, the faux Daytona was destroyed by a Stinger missile in the episode “When Irish Eyes Are Crying,” it was replaced for series three by an authentic Ferrari Testarossa donated by the Italian automaker.

The Daytona is powered by a 4.4 liter version of the famous Colombo V12, it’s a 60º V12 engine with a single overhead cam per bank, two valves per cylinder, an alloy block and heads, and it produces 347 hp at 7,500 rpm.

The 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Spider Shown Here

The car you see here is a particularly notable Daytona, not least for the fact that it’s one of just 122 spiders (convertibles) that were built by Ferrari.

Over 1,400 Daytonas would be built in total though the vast majority were the berlinetta hardtop coupes – many of these were later converted into convertibles however they’re not considered as desirable as a factory-original spider.

This car was bought new by H.J. Hoff who displayed it in the paddock at Road America during a Trans-Am race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In 1975 he would sell the car onto an already well-known film director named Sydney Pollack.

Though it was originally designed by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti as a coupe, the convertible (spider) version released in 1971 looks like it was always designed to have a drop top.

The car was later bought by Alberto Amezcua of Mexico City who lost the car in 1981 when he was forced to sign over the title due to strong-arm tactics by a powerful local pawn shop owner with ties to the Mexican president José López Portillo.

A few years later Amezcua would see the car advertised for sale in the United States, he managed to regain ownership, then kept the car for ten more years – lavishing it with attention and displaying it at the 1993 FCA Vintage Ferrari Concours d’Elegance at the Quail Lodge, and the 1996 Vintage Ferrari Concours d’Elegance, held in concert with Concorso Italiano.

In 1999 a new owner bought the car and commissioned a show-quality restoration by Vantage Motor Works. The car is now being offered for sale by RM Sotheby’s by its current owner, it has just 40,150 miles on the odometer, and it comes with the correct tool roll and owner’s manuals.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing, it’s due to cross the auction block on the 27th of January with a price guide of $2,400,000 – $2,800,000 USD.

The post Sydney Pollack’s Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider Is For Sale appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/ferrari-365-gts-4-daytona-spider/
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Handbuilt In Texas: The Simpson Design Swift Roadster

This is the Simpson Design Swift Roadster, it’s a classically-styled sports car with a 0-60 mph time of under 4.0 seconds, it rides on modern suspension and disc brakes, and it gets excellent fuel economy – almost 50 mpg in fact.

Despite its European looks the car was actually developed by a Texan named Jim. His full name is Jim Simpson and he’s been working in car design since the 1970s – including a two year apprenticeship with Ferrari.

Fast Facts – The Simpson Design Swift Roadster

The Simpson Design Swift Roadster was created by Jim Swift, he was inspired by the design of the Michelotti designed 1957 Lotus XI but the Swift is his own design and not a replica.
Each Swift has a custom steel chassis and it uses the front and rear subframes from a Mazda Miata, including their suspension and braking systems, giving the car modern handling.
The drivetrain was also sourced from a Miata, including the lightweight inline-four cylinder engine and 5-speed transmission.
Thanks to the exceedingly low kerb weight of 1,400 lbs and the 140 hp from the Miata inline-four, the Swift does the 0-60 mph dash in under 4 seconds and returns almost 50 mpg according to its creator.

Jim Simpson And The Lost Art Of Coachbuilding

The art of coachbuilding has been largely lost due to the rise in popularity of unibody construction in our automobiles. Though far superior for most applications due to increased strength and reduced weight, the unibody has all but killed off the earlier body-on-frame method of building cars.

The design of the Swift was inspired by the Michelotti designed 1957 Lotus XI, it has a chassis and body designed by Jim Simpson and it offers excellent performance, even by modern standards.

Coachbuilding companies used to dominate automobile design back in the early days of the 20th century. People would often buy a powered rolling chassis from a manufacturer before sending it off to have a body built for it to their own specifications.

Some well-heeled buyers even had two bodies for their cars – a convertible for the summer and a hardtop for the winter that offered better weather protection.

While almost all of the original coachbuilding companies have now faded into history, there are still people out there creating unique bodies for cars, and one of them is a friendly man from Texas named Jim Simpson.

Simpson started out sketching cars before being offered a place with GM, in his earlier years he would do apprenticeships in Europe including a two year stretch with Ferrari.

Over the years he started designing and building his own cars, in fact his concept car Blue Ray 3 was chosen to represent Nardi at their 60th anniversary at the Concorso Italiano.

The interior of the car is beautifully appointed, with a Mardi wood-rimmed steering wheel, diamond quilted upholstery, and a nicely designed dashboard.

The Simpson Design Swift Roadster

The Simpson Design Swift Roadster is one of Jim’s more recent projects. He first developed a scale model, this was then turned into a 3D model which was turned into a wooden body buck. This buck was used to develop a full fiberglass mould, and the first body was made.

Jim developed a steel chassis for the car as well as a full fiberglass body, he decided to make use of many parts from a donor Mazda Miata in order to give the car modern suspension, braking, performance, and reliability.

The interior of the car is beautifully appointed, with a custom dashboard, 1950s period-correct seats, a wood rimmed steering wheel, and a diamond stitch quilted transmission tunnel. The completed car sits on knock-off wire wheels and a modern set of tires.

With a kerb weight of approximately 1,400 lbs and 142 bhp at 7,000 rpm, the Simpson Design Swift Roadster offers lively performance that’ll outpace many modern production sports cars.

The Swift you see here is due to cross the auction block with Bonhams on the 27th of January, the price estimate is $65,000 – $85,000 USD and you can click here of you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

With 142 bhp at 7,000 rpm the Mazda Miata engine is mated to its original 5-speed transmission, offering a sub-4.0 second 0-60 mph time thanks to the low weight of the Swift.