candide thovex ski on no snow
if you do an ad that is actually not about your product but rather about something truly interesting, then you have a chance for people to see it and share it. and in the end, you win, as they may like you for being a part of that experience. we will take that over an ad that spends time trying to convince you that one brand of luxury car is better than the next. by lz
over a thousand hot wheels all in one place
i know this is a bit old news by now, when i saw it i was going to do a post but that never happened. still it must be in the archives of TS… can the future of L.A. be this? or maybe the future of the world? most likely it will… and per chris burden, well all be driving in autonomous cars going on average at a speed of 230 miles per hour. the city structures are very cool especially the reflective mirror like high rise and the charles eames reference house of cards. i think anyone with a current or past love for slot cars, hotwheels, or matchbox cars would love this… by uh
the ford escort alan mann racing. the ford, not unlike the mini cooper, was a goofy car that kicked ars.
ford escort debut in 007 james bond film… also look for alan mann gold and red escort as well as the original ford escort’s kooky commercials
ford escort twin cam rally race editions
the escort MKI was in production from 1968 to 1975
if you are a fan of escorts, go to kick starter, and help david brodie tell his story about his beloved escort “run baby run”
the original rally race car
less grill is the best grill
right hand drive – interior of the RS ford escort MKI and early MKII
green light 1/43 scale fast and furious ford escort model approx $20
and now the newly released for 2015 tiny hot wheels 1/64 scale “fast and furious ford escort RS1600” toy version. an awesome replica for $3 that will surely become a collectors. go out and get one.
“the mark I ford escort was actually not made in the US but rather introduced in the UK for its premier at the end of 1967. it replaced the successful long running anglia. the car was presented in europe as a product of ford’s european operation. initially the continental escorts differed slightly from the UK built ones under the skin fitted with dual hydraulic circuits; and wider rims. at the beginning of 1970, european production transferred to a new plant in west germany.
the escort was a commercial success in several parts of europe, but nowhere more than in the UK, where the national best seller of the 1960s, the famous mini cooper/morris were beginning to show their age. in summer of 1974, six years into the car’s UK introduction, ford announced the completion of the two millionth ford escort, a milestone hitherto unmatched by any ford model outside the US. it was also stated that 60% of the two million escorts had been built in britain. it eventually became the european car of the year. a higher performance version for rallies and racing became available, under the name of escort twin cam and went to win numerous races all across the world.” by dd+wp
the story of ford GT40 is an incredible one. and yes that is steve mcqueen next to the MKIV with taped-up front lights. they did that to protect the headlights from flying debris during the day to limit maintenance in the 24hr race. winner of le mans, bagging 1st, 2nd and 3rd position against ferrari in 1966 is the stuff of legends. if you don’t know about the story of ford and ferrari’s feud, it is worth checking this out. here’s a conclusive look at the ford gt models starting with the prototype. anyone with further knowledge is encourage to make corrections in the comments or just email us to update. that would be much appreciated, as we couldn’t find a single site showing the range of models. thanx.
above and below: henry ford II in the ford GT40 108 prototype roadster back in the USA in 1965
one of the earlier (i believe 1964) ford GT40 models on the race track
in 1964 ford attended the lemans but all cars fell behind ferrari due to repeated pitstops credited to massive gas consumption of the mega powered ford engines. finally all ford GT40’s dropped out due to mechanical failure and ferrari as usual took home 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize.
1964 official results “24 heures du mans” otherwise known as “le mans 24-hour race”
1st place – ferrari 2nd place -ferrari 3rd place -ferrari
notice the bat mobile wings on this GT40 i had never seen that myself. like back in 1964 ford did not manage to win or even complete the race with its GT40 prototypes.
1965 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ferrari 2nd place -ferrari 3rd place -ferrari
this was the decisive year for henry ford the II and his GT40’s, by now ford had various improved versions of the GT40 MKII and MKI’s in the race driven by australian drives bruce mclaren and chris amon amongst others
the number 5 GT40 in gold and pink livery. in 1966 ford managed to win lemans for the first time, in positions 1, 2 and 3 finally taking vengeance on ferrari for all that enzo ferrari had done to henry ford the II. (more on that story here)
the #2 for GT40 in black white with gold rims driven by bruce mclaren and chris amon (the 24 hr race requires drivers to take turn as its a continues race for 24 hours)
the #2 car finishes first ahead of the other 2 fords.
the trio immortalized in detailed die cast available here for around $2,000
1966 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ford 2nd place -ford 3rd place -ford
having wounded ferrari ford had to come back to lemans with a bigger gun. the MKIV was born
but ford wasn’t going to take any chances aside from the 4 GT40 MKIV’s there was also a MKII entered into the race
and the race was on…
ford once again took 1st place but this time ferrari was on its tail on position 2 and 3. the aerodynamic MKIV did not stand up to the test as well as the MKII’s did back in 1966, but winning lemans in 1st place is major accomplishment 2 years in a row for a company known for making mass production models Ts.
1967 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ford 2nd place – ferrari 3rd place – ferrari
the revised ford GT40 MKI in gulf livery
car number 9 driven by pedro rodriguez and lucien bianchi wind the race
this is also the year actor steve mcqueen films the feature “le mans” using a modified GT40 to mount the camera on
1968 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ford again 2nd place – porsche 3rd place – porsche
troubles for ford
and yet… ford wins first again for the 4th year in a row… and where is enzo ferrari?
the story and the cars that came out of that story are simply legend and carry with them more than just beauty and power but an attitude of a man bent on making a point. now how can any one not love that? recently a GT40 used by steve mcqueen sold for an unbelievable price of $11,000,000, what a steal. by dd
right hand drive aston martin DB5 – yum!
custom made moynat leather suitcase – sort of buckled in
JD classics (used-car salesman? i suppose) + moynat grace paris avenues
and why not… a jaguar e-type to sweeten the deal, a series-1 rather, if i’m not mistaken
ok this one did not get the full attention,just a duffel bag thrown in the front seat – i guess it was a bit half-hearted when you compare this to our hermes 2cv post…
so what happens when the oldest trunk maker in paris joins a couple of vintage british thoroughbred cars? a lot of excitement on first glance… on our end at least. because a) we love these cars, and c) moynat is the oldest leather goods and trunk manufacturer in paris. (we hate b).
established back in 1849 when louis vuitton was practically just an unknown french dude to pharrell williams’ grand father. well flash forward and vuitton made it big while moynat remained small and beautifully unknown to most.
so the story goes that LVMH pushed to initially buy out goyard… (you know, those cheap canvas and gum grocery bags they sell at barneys for just $1,400… i have a burgundy one, no monogram, that was extra $… and i needed that actually for my groceries). it turned out goyard wasn’t for sale, at any price. so after much negotiations, LVMH decided to just purchase little moynat and flip the middle finger at goyard and just mint their own canvas and gum grocery bags to sell for say $2,000… so there, you see… today’s luxury is not about material or even craftsmanship, although it really helps if you have a good “craftsman” story to tell. then you can go and sell anything with a logo on it… come to think of it i need a moynat tote. my keys punched a whole through my other grocery bag.
but then wait, how are we gonna sell moynat? no one knows about moynat? not a problem said mr. arnaut. “just get some one that people know… lets say that guy with a small head and the big hat, pharrell williams, he seems to be doing anything that comes his way these days… didn’t he just cashed in on some of those iconic, eternally white, adidas stan smiths? painting them with childish skittles colors or something? yes lets get him to do a capsule collection… but no skittles this time” ok that’s how you sell moynat to the mass… and tell the rest of us hard noses about the history.
i suppose this half-hearted attempt at old luxury was aimed at us people. and guess what? it worked. here’s the post and i’m off to buy my next luxury grocery bag… and as far as groceries goes, who needs that… didn’t karl say you can’t ever be too rich or too skinny? or was that notorious B.I.G who said that? shit i cant recall… by dd
no one ever taught me how to parallel park. by sp
two of the three original MGBs that won the sebring race
special tuning engine – modified
to reduce fueling stops, the MGs were fitted with dual special tuning gas tanks with quick-release le mans-style fuel fillers
the interiors of the cars were very close to stock in appearance, using the original seats, complete with contrasting piping to match the body color
automobile racing was an important part of every automobile company’s marketing program in the ’50s and ’60s. having just introduced its new MGB sports car to the important U.S. market, in the fall of 1962, british motor corporation’s factory team entered two MGBs in the 12 hour florida International grand prix of endurance at sebring in early 1963. what is surprising is that not only that the little MGB achieved success in the race in 1964, but that two of the three original MGBs still survive, and have just been restored to the exact specifications in which they raced that year. if you are an MG fan you are probably familiar with these little devils, and if not you should surely check the history out. lovely little cars to zoom about town. by dd
we came across one of the finest bars…and it is on wheels. it is the grey goose pop-up bar, currently cruising the streets of edinburgh, scotland. created by interior designer shayne brady, the truck also serves up breads made by pastry chef christophe michalak.
the ts crew is obviously heading to scotland, see ya! for those of you who will not be crossing the atlantic just to get drunk, just go ahead and try out one of greygoose’s signature cocktails. we suggest the one featured in this post. enjoy and drink responsibly. by kgb
the GREY GOOSE® le citron snowfall martini:
GREY GOOSE® Le Citron 1 ½ Parts
MARTINI® Bianco Vermouth ¾ Part
Fresh Lemon Juice ¾ Part
Honey Syrup (equal parts honey & hot water) ½ Part
attention all 5 of you slotcar geeks. MSC competition just sent through photos of their all-new africa legends’ range rover that won the 1981 paris to dakar race. the original range rover that became the legend – JE motors
the MSC competition range rover slotcar features a new 4-wheel-drive mechanism and can be raced on any analog 1:32 track
digital chips can potentially be embedded with some scalpels
the drivers hard at work. built based on the first edition range rover with the iconic headlamps
easy does it… here it is before diddy rode one, and before the unfortunate xenon tail and headlights came into vogue
and the beautiful easy back. they just ruined it from there on…
not sure who is still interested in slotcars but we are… and theres good news… MSC competition has just released their all-new africa legends’ range rover that raced in the 1981 paris to dakar. this makes it the only original series range rover produced for slotscar tracks. until now your only option was the later model (series 2 range rover) featured in that lame james bond movie. lets go back to 1981 for a second. 1981 was only the 3rd time in history of the dakar race, and this range rover was driven by bernard giroux and rené metge (see them inside with the map?). what’s special about this historic car release is that it features the all new MSC dakar chassis which looks awesome on any tracks.
huge drop arm, full suspension and 4WD – detail levels on the resin cast body looks quite acceptable and accurately reflect the tough look and shape of the original range rover series 1. however the green gear wheel sticking out from the original renault chasis is bit of a disappointment and we think this could have been treated in a more elgant manner. but that aside, if you are also a geek… like us… or simply a fan of the original range rover, you’ll enjoy reading this and if you want to put this little one to test you can advance order yours here for 149£. we’d love to get one and test it out next to our citroen 2CV. by uh
“the xj6c, the rare collectible classic, remains one of, if not the best value for money classic cars available today.”
if there is one car to own before you die it is the jaguar xj6c sports coupe. it is so extremely well proportioned i could call it one of my most favorite cars. its not as famous as the classic e-type series I, II, or II but for me its a lesser appreciated child who is just as smart and handsome. a silver with a black roof will do me just fine. be prepared to change the entire engine, electrical system but otherwise your set to cruise in style.
some history on the xjc: “the xjc is a two door version of the xj6 four door. it was the last jaguar car to be designed and built by sir william lyons. in 1969, he took a reject 2.8 litre rhd xj6 body shell (to become #1 prototype) and fashioned it into the xjc. it was tried with both 4.2 and 5.3 engines with both versions becoming known as xj33 or xj34, depending on which engine was fitted at the time. this number one prototype was supposed to be scrapped but somehow it escaped the crushers. after spending a few years in england it has been fully restored and now resides in western australia.
there was a total of only 10,426 cars produced
the jaguar public would have to wait 4 more years before production xjcs could be seen. they were first shown in september of 1973 at the London motor shows but they had to wait a total of 6 years (1975) for the first production model. prior to going into production about 20 prototypes were hand built in a combination of rhd and lhd. 1973 was the busiest year with 14 of these hand built specials being produced, 8 in lhd and 6 in rhd. the two door coupe is based on the shorter wheelbase xj series l platform. without the central window pillars the coupe body suffered from two main problems, these being structural rigidity and severe wind noise. the widening and strengthening of the rear window pillar overcame the rigidity problem.
daimler sovereign and the daimler double six
when the xj coupes arrived, they were clearly meant to be the sporty version of the xj models. in the uk, europe, south africa, new zealand and australia they were offered in four versions: jaguar 4.2c; jaguar 5.3c; daimler sovereign and the daimler double six. in the north american market, xjc’s were only offered in two forms and were badged as the jaguar xj6c and jaguar xj12c. daimler xjcs were never imported into the us. another basic difference between the two markets was the bumper bars. north america had large rubber bumper bars to comply with crash regulations, whilst the rest of the world had the full chrome bumpers. in the uk market, air conditioning and a manual transmission were optional, as were the choice of leather or cloth seats. all coupes were equipped with a black vinyl roof as standard equipment, except for the one that was specially produced for jaguars andrew whyte. the actual reason for the standard vinyl roof was not clear, but contrary to urban legend it was not because there was a welded seam in the roof!
most likely it was because the marketing folks insisted on it, as vinyl roofs were the flavor of the month in the automotive industry at that time. whatever the case, many present day owners have chosen to remove this feature. sadly the production of the xjc was all too short. after commencement in 1975 the last of these great vehicles rolled off the line in november 1977. the final 96 coupes were actually badged as 1978 cars – for whatever reason is anybody’s guess. the xjc was a victim of the times and was never really given the attention or backing it deserved. paradoxically this has helped the xjc to become the rare collectible classic it is today, although prices have never reached the dizzy heights achieved by the e type. it remains one of, if not the best value for money classic cars available today. to this day, the xjc is jaguars only two-door fixed head coupe saloon.” by dd
above the 1967 datsun (yes, datsun) fairlady sports 2000
if you can forgive its lame name (fairlady?) that, perhaps, was lost in translation, this was japan’s lovely little answer to the jaguar xj6 and ferrari spyders of the time. it was an inexpensive alternative to the MG, triumph, fiat and the alfa romeos of europe. to me, and enzo will strangle me for this, it was always the baby sister to the ferrari 250GT SWB california spider; the resemblances are uncanny (below with scaglietti coach works). either way, this was one marvelous looking car despite its price. here’s japan vs. the italians, and in this case they both won big. too bad the recent models are so uninspiring… and yes, the datsun’s too. this beauty was on ebay at some point and the “buy it now” price was US$35,000 while the highest bid at the time it was documented was US$18,100. who knows what it actually sold for but either way, what a steal… by dd
below the ferrari 250GT SWB california spyder (scaglietti)
the 1963 ‘fuel injected’ corvette stingray: the most perfect corvette design ever.
the introduction of the 1963 corvette stingray was a seismic event in the sports car world. the first all-new corvette since the two-seater’s debut ten years earlier, the 1963 stingray was both an engineering triumph and a design milestone. the car incorporated a boat-tail taper that was common to sporting roadsters of the 1930s.
the back featured a bugatti atlantique and bertone BAT inspired split rear window. this styling was replaced in 1964 with a single piece because of drivers complaining about visibility problems. the headlights were concealed in the front and would ‘pop’ out when in use.
this was the very first time a corvette was available as a hardtop coupe model as well as the traditional convertible. the wheelbase was shortened by four inches to .98 of an inch. this, along with independent rear suspension, improved the handling and maneuverability.
influenced by bill mitchell’s racing stingray and the Q corvette designs from 1957, the new body was an absolute sensation. elements of the Q corvette and the stingray special racer were incorporated into an experimental project called xp-720, which was the design program that led directly to the production of the 1963 corvette stingray.
the new styling was a big hit; its angular body with a minimum of bright work and a distinctive split rear window on the coupe version. this was the first year that corvette offered both convertible and coupe body forms, and nonfunctional vents were featured on both the sides and the hood and it was the only year for the split window.
there are fewer split window models today compared to how many were originally produced, because many owners who found the look controversial removed the split and installed a one-piece, 1964 rear window.
models such as the one seen above have auctioned at over $200,000. by dd
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