CPotD Follow-up: More of the 1966 Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale

Foretelling the McLaren F1 by almost 40 years, here was a prototype 3 seat supercar from Ferrari that combined many of the features found in race cars of the day into an amazing GT. A center driving position, howling V-12, mounted at the mid-position (the first time a in a non-racing Ferrari car), all wrapped up in an iconic Pininfarina design. That design in many ways will be echoed the Dino 246, which arrived on the scene two years later.

I found this car in the Saratoga Auto Museum, which was a stop on the 2008 New England 1000 rally.

Car Photo of the Day: The Shadow Knows!

This is not a great photo sorry… literally a snapshot taken in less-than-ideal conditions. It is however a beautiful car. It is a UOP Shadow CanAm car. I *think* this is one of the 1973 ones, not the 1974 cars that won the last CanAm year. Reputed to have between 800 and 1000 HP, it makes beautiful noises when driven in anger. Powered by a twin-turbo Chevy V-8 and weighing very little this car must really GO. It was piloted by George Follmer, a genuinely nice guy I was lucky enough to meet at a vintage rally we both attended. Very soft-spoken, he’s one of very few, if not the only race driver to have driven in, and won many types of racing: NASCAR, Sports Cars/SCCA, Formula 1, Indy/USAC, CanAm, Trans-Am, etc.

I had the pleasure of seeing this car run at Pacific Raceways, in the same field as an old Tyrrell/Elf F1 car, a Ferrari F1 car, a couple of F5000 cars… a sort of vintage “Formula Libre” run. It was heavenly to just HEAR it happening.

Jay Leno and his SWB V-12 XKE

I found this over at Jay’s Garage and had to share. This is the famous “Short Wheelbase Series 3” car, a one-off creation of Jason Len from XK’s Unlimited where he shortened a 2+2 Series 3 car down to the original size of the Series 1, complete with the Series 1 rear tub and covered headlights (though still with the Series 3 grille.) Mr. Leno bought it from Mr. Len 15 years ago and in this video talks about its creation and takes it for a test drive. The best part is the latter half of the clip where he talks about sports cars in general and their designs. Enjoy!

Engine pR0n of the Day: Carburettors Deux

I can not recall exactly what machine these carbs and intake manifold came off of, but I suspect it could have been a Bentley. They obviously come from a time betwixt the Brass & Classic eras. Perhaps Steve Markowski can chime in and let us know, as they were in his shop last time I was there.

I don’t know about you guys, but could look at stuff like this all day.

Car Photo of the Day: Surprised?

Raindrops on a TT

I really like the Audi TT. I know it is just a souped-up VW New Beetle, which is really just a VW Golf with a goofy body. The TT appeals to me because it is such a “F**K Off” vehicle. Unlike Porsche, or even GM, who has to produce a car that fits within a narrow set of parameters which only their “core customers” define, Audi was able to take a small car platform, and adapt it to a unique little car, specific to their brand, that clearly appeals to an automotive enthusiast.

Audi has occasionally talked of doing what I think is my dream car: A TDI-powered TT. Audi developed the TDI into a Le Mans winning technology, so it only makes sense to offer it as an option in their product line, especially in a sports car like the TT. I’d love to commute to my job in an open-topped 2-seater sports car, powered by my own home-brewed fuel… “smelling the french fries” as it were. The torquey little 1.9L TDI, even at 90HP is good enough to motivate the little roadster. I don’t need to have 300HP to race from light to light! 50 MPG is reward in an of itself. The original roadsters, images of which often grace these pages, that is little British cars from the 50s and 60s, were rarely considered “overpowered” in fact quite the opposite. Tiny A-series engines of diminutive displacement provided plenty of smiles per mile back then, I don’t see why those days are not worth reliving, this time with Diesel.

This particular Audi TT was photographed on the 2007 Classic Motorcar Rally, which includes a division for “Contemporary” (that is post 1976) cars. It draws machines such as this Audi, many BMWs, Mistubishis, etc. If you love TSD rallying, then there’s no excuse not to join us, as any car will do. It is a fun group, with great meals, great people, tours of classic car collections, awesome roads, and lots of fun. This year the event will take place on Vancouver Island in late June. It’s not too late to sign up! Head on over to their website and check it out: The Classic Motorcar Rally.