I don’t know the origin of this painting—at least I think it’s a painting—and my initial searches have turned up nothing. It’s jarring to see this era of motorsport viewed from an angle we’re more used to seeing today. Remember though that captures a moment before pit garages and VIP suites that would have offered this vantage point of the pit crew at work.
Does anyone know the artist?
Can you imagine a contemporary engine rebuilder breaking down their much-coveted and high-dollar Porsche Type 547 Carrera 4-cam “Furhmann” engine with it sitting on her side on the ground in the pits? These guys even have grease stains on their coveralls!
Perhaps more than anything, this tight little engine package earned Porsche her “Giant Killer” nickname. The high-revving little perfection box was complicated and notoriously finicky to tune. But when it was just right, it was just right—and has the very long list of victories to prove it.
Despite the difficulties of maintaining it, the cammer engine was reliable enough for an entire season of street driving to the track, capturing a trophy, and making the trip back home.
Besides, don’t these mechanics just look happy to be working on it?
via Hayburner Magazine.
Dear Lord. This three-storey garage full of vintage and rare Porsches and BMWs is where German car nerds go when they die. I hope.
More at Shiflet Group Architects.
Probably not so much “of the past” because this looks to be laser etched on a wood panel, but I love this map of the Isle of Man TT course—particularly the wavy pattern on the surrounding bodies of water. It brings to mind old-style draftsman’s designs.
via Habermann and Sons.
This week we lost one of the greatest. In his honor, the Museo Ferrari lit only Niki’s car while the rest of their gallery went dark. Somehow this is the image that is hitting emotionally more than any of the other Lauda tributes I’ve seen this week.
I guess after his survival of that horrific crash in 1976, I just figured he was immortal. RIP Niki Lauda: 1949—1976(+43)
Paul gave me a peek at his photos from this year’s Rétromobile show in France (more to come). It’s an absurdly great collection of amazing machines… but one in particular stopped me in my tracks.
This BMW 507-powered speedboat is the only one of it’s kind. Italian boatbuilder Abbate also built a more traditional one-off runabout powered by a 507 engine, but this example by Rambeck Boatworks borrows heavily from the design of the 507 and looks just as slippery and purposeful on the water as the car does on the road.
Digging around a bit I was able to find a video that touches on the restoration of the vessel after spending decades in dry dock. Quite a barn find indeed.
I love the commonality of aesthetic that the boat shares with it’s 4-wheeled brother. The shared steering wheel, instrument cluster, and 150hp engine are only part of that. There’s a spirit to them both that make the boat just as magnificent as the car who’s heart beats inside her.
When you think of a Ferrari engine note, you probably aren’t imagining a 6-cylinder… and you definitely aren’t thinking a 6 would sound this beautiful.
45 years later it’s hard to believe that releasing a down-market (comparatively) sportscar would cause such a brand panic that Ferrari released it under it’s own Dino moniker. Today it’s absolutely as magnificent as any other 70’s Modena product.
Looks like it only takes about 20 minutes.
You’re not likely to ever again see an ad that touts the 51 MPH performance of their racing machine.
Holy moly.