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British Army Training Film: Land Rover – Safe Driving Techniques

This is a 31 minute instructional film created by Land Rover UK for the British Ministry of Defense to teach new recruits how to drive Land Rovers, both on and off road, in a wide variety of conditions.

The British military has been using Land Rovers since shortly after the first Land Rovers were made back in the mid-20th century. Generations of new recruits have been trained to drive them, and many of these recruits have gone on to become lifelong Land Rover enthusiasts themselves.

Fast Facts – Land Rover: Military Operations

This film first shows recruits how to drive a Land Rover Defender safely on road, both with and without a trailer attached.
Most of the rest of the film is dedicated to driving off road and using the various systems built in to the Defender for off road use – things like high and low range, tire pressures, and locking differentials.
Even for experienced Land Rover and other 4×4 drivers this film will likely offer some useful lessons, possibly even a few tips and tricks they didn’t know before.
The British armed forces use a number of Land Rover Defenders including the short wheelbase 90, the long wheel base 110 (shown in this film) and the more unusual custom built 6×6 Defenders.

This film gives some great insight and lessons into driving off road competently, and how to prepare your 4×4 before you head off the asphalt.

The link between the military and the four-wheel drive has always been strong, in fact the first mass-produced off road 4×4 was the Willys Jeep – a vehicle specifically designed for military use.

The first Land Rover was designed to be a cross between the Jeep and a tractor, giving post-WWII British farmers a single vehicle that could perform as an automobile and a tractor to help reduce their costs.

Perhaps the most unusual Land Rovers used by the British militaries are the “Pink Panthers,” highly-modified vehicles designed to be used by SAS commandos in desert operations.

After experimenting with desert camouflage they discovered that a light shade of pink was best for use in late afternoons and early mornings – times when they would be setting out on missions or returning to base.

If you’d like to read more about British military Land Rovers you can click here.

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from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/land-rover-military-operations-safe-driving-techniques/
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1 Of 29 Ever Made: The Rare Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

When it was introduced in February of 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sent shockwaves through the automotive world. It was both the fastest production automobile the world had ever seen.

The car you see here is one of just 29 alloy-bodied examples that were made, these cars were intended largely for privateer racers who wanted the best possible performance options all rolled into a single car.

Fast Facts – The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

Mercedes introduced the 300 SL Gullwing in 1954, it was based on the earlier Mercedes 300 SL W194 – the first racing car developed by Mercedes after the end of the Second World War.
The W 194 had been remarkably successful, it took a 1-2 finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana, it also won the the Liège-Rome-Liège, and it took 2nd in the Mille Miglia.
The production version of the 300 SL was fitted with a lightweight spaceframe chassis just like the race car, this resulted in very high sills which necessitated the use of gullwing doors.
Only 29 alloy-bodied examples of the 300 SL were made, they were also fitted with sports suspension, the high-performance NSL engine, Rudge center-mount wheels, plexiglas windows (except the windshield), and vented front brake drums.

The Fastest Production Car In The World

The years immediately after WWII were a difficult time for Mercedes-Benz, and for all German automakers. No one knew if those in Allied countries would buy their vehicles or if they would be ostracized due to the horrific events of the war.

The 300 SL Gullwing has high sills due to its spaceframe chassis, this necessitated the use of gullwing doors and a steering wheel that can be tilted down to make entry and exit possible.

Mercedes opted to throw everything they had at developing what would be the most advanced sports car in the world at the time – the 300 SL W194. With its spaceframe chassis, lightweight magnesium alloy body, alloy transmission casing, and other weight saving measures, the Mercedes didn’t need as much power as its rivals from Jaguar and Ferrari.

First introduced in 1952, the Mercedes 300 SL W194 proved more successful than the German automaker could possibly have hoped for.

The model took a 1-2 finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, another 1-2 in the Carrera Panamericana, a 2nd place finish in the Mille Miglia, and wins in the Liège-Rome-Liège, the Jubilee Grand Prix for sports cars at the Nürburgring, the Bern Prize for Sports Car, and a slew of other events.

Having proven the design of the 300 SL Mercedes were asked by legendary Austrian-born, New York-based auto importer Max Hoffman to develop a road-going version for the booming American market.

At the time of its introduction in 1954 the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the fastest production car on earth – over 1,400 of them were sold and they helped put Mercedes back on the map for buyers across Europe, the United States, and around the world.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

The 300 SL Gullwing is a sports car often referred to as the “sports car of the century.” Though this title could feasibly be applied to a number of 20th century vehicles, the 300 SL Gullwing makes a particularly strong case.

Power is provided by a 3.0 liter (2,996cc) M198 inline-six cylinder engine with a single overhead cam, two valves per cylinder, and a Bosch mechanical fuel-injection system.

Of all the Gullwings that were made, the example that shares the most DNA with the W194 Gullwing that came before it is the rare all-alloy 300 SL – of which only 29 were made.

The ultra lightweight all-alloy body of the Alloy 300 SL was one of a slew of changes made to the car to reduce its weight and improve its performance. All windows except the windshield were replaced with plexiglas and a set of alloy Rudge center-mount wheels were fitted.

Under the hood you’ll find a the high-performance NSL engine, fitted with a competition camshaft, higher-compression pistons, a unique butterfly throttle valve, and a recalibrated fuel distributor – all together this delivered over 215 hp.

Special vented brake drums were added up front to reduce the chance of overheating in competition use, and uprated springs and shock absorbers were fitted to offer better high-speed handling.

The unusual “eyebrows” over the wheel arches were added to help deflect road water and grime away from the windscreen. The rear pair were added for visual symmetry.

Just 24 Alloy Gullwings were made in 1955, with a further 5 completed in 1956. Today they represent the inarguable pinnacle of the model series, which is made up of the 300 SL Gullwing produced from 1954 to 1957, and the 300 SL Roadster which was in production from 1957 to 1963.

The 300 SL Alloy Gullwing Shown Here

The car you see here is the 13th of the 24 Alloy Gullwings built in 1955 and it was the only car delivered new to Africa, having been ordered by official Mercedes-Benz agent Joseph F. Weckerlé of Casablanca, Morocco.

By 1962 this car had been bought by its first American owner and imported into the United States, to Montgomery, Alabama. By 1975 the car was in new ownership, it was sent to the world’s foremost 300 SL repair facility, Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts where it received a restoration worth $45,000 – that’s $172,000 USD in 2021 dollars.

The car has lived a privileged life since this time, belonging to the former-president of the Gullwing Group, Hyatt Cheek, for over 32 years.

It’s now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 27th of January with a price guide of $7,000,000 – $9,000,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post 1 Of 29 Ever Made: The Rare Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/mercedes-benz-300-sl-alloy-gullwing/
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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

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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.