The Hoff's KITT

The Hoff's (David Hasselhoff) personal KITT is going across the auction block! Need I say more!

Here are the detail:
http://www.juliensauctions.com/press/2014/david-hasselhoff.html

Pimps Everywhere Rejoice

Just saw this on eBay.....and I am baffled!

My car buddies and I have had many discussions about car designs in the 60's, 70's and early 80's when designers were limited to standard round  5 3/4" or 7" headlights or a basic set of rectangular sealed beam units.  We often discussed what we considered creative designs that tried to integrate the lighting units in new and interesting ways (which is probably why just about everything exotic in that era had flip up / recessed lights) .  However, whoever came up with this design wins by a landslide! 

This pimptastic whip is up on eBay right now!  As ridiculous as it is....it really is in immaculate condition.  The scary thing is as soon as I saw the auction listing I knew I saw one of these before. Then it hit me....the movie cover of Super Fly. I'm not sure if I'm proud or ashamed of the fact that I was able to recall this.

So happy bidding!

Cool Porsche Carrera 3.2 Teardown

Just saw this really cool video on YouTube.  It is an animation of the tear down of a Porsche Carrera  3.2 engine.  I wonder how long it took to make this.

The producer of the film posted a teaser for the rebuild which should be appear here at some point.

I Don't Like Musicals

I love car movies! I even love the bad ones (which there are plenty of) if there is enough driving, racing, or hooning on display.  I have a special place in my heart for the classics like American Graffiti, Two-Lane Blacktop, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Bullitt, Vanishing Point....you get the point.  If I stumble upon one while channel surfing I consider it must see TV till the final credits roll.  However, the majority of the cult classics really only appeal to car-guys at this point in time. My clinical data to substantiate this statement.....of the movies mentioned above I'd probably only gt my wife to watch American Graffiti with me again (yes she has watched all of the other out of obligation).

However, there is one car movie that she absolutely loves and I cannot stand. In fact it was on two days ago and she stopped to see if my sons would be interested and I literally left the room.  That movie is 1978's Grease!

Her and I joke about the fact that there is a movie that features cars, gangs, and Vinnie Barbarino and I can't stand it.  The simple fact is I don't like musicals. I guess that people randomly breaking into song can even ruin Ben-Hur style hub caps.

Honestly, Grease can probably be considered the most mainstream car movie ever made.  The irony goes even further. When I was in high-school the majority of my class was having parties in which they watched (and apparently sang along with) Grease. You know who wasn't at these parties? The socially shunned gear heads (you sense the bitterness) who were literally out cruising/street racing while these private screenings were taking place. And just for some perspective on the movie's staying power.....I went to high-school 18 years after the movie was released!

So why do I bring this up now. As I mentioned, Grease was on yet again the other day, but more importantly, the original 1949 Mercury that Craterface drove is for sale on eBay right now.  So if you have over 100 grand burning a hole in your pocket and aren't revolted by the concept of people randomly bursting into song here's the ride for you...

Snowkhana Two

Ford has again spoofed Ken Block's Ford Fiesta ST rampage film Gymkhana (latest is number 6) in order to create an awesome Christmas card.  Enjoy Snowkhana Two....

And just in case you missed Snowkhana One last year...

Another racing movie for 2013!

 

Just saw this trailer for Rush due out in Spetember of 2013.  It's a biography of Formula 1 champion driver Niki Lauda and the 1976 crash that almost claimed his life. Mere weeks after the accident, he got behind the wheel to challenge his rival, James Hunt (Thor).

Cal Look VW's - A Little History

I've always been a fan of the classic 'cal look' air-cooled VWs. Here is a great little film by Stephen Brooks about the story of the California Look. Started back in the 60's no other style was as influential or important to the Volkswagen scene.


OLDER N' FASTER // THE CALIFORNIA LOOK from Stephen Brooks FILMS on Vimeo.

Boys of Bonneville: Racing on a Ribbon of Salt

Every now and then I stumble across something good on Netflix that I had no idea about.

Last night, I watched Boys of Bonneville: Racing on a Ribbon of Salt which is presently streaming on Netflix.  It tells the story of Ab Jenkins and his quest to single-handedly break every existing land speed record on his beloved Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. More than a century later, many of Ab's records remain unbroken. Its a great film about the early beginnings of American land speed racing at Bonneville and a couple American heroes.

The film also does a great job of  featuring Ab's purpose built 12-cylinder, 4800-pound "Mormon Meteor."

After watching the movie I looked up the details for this year's Bonneville Speedweek. Who wants to head to Utah in August with me?

Official Trailer:

Boys of Bonneville: Racing on a Ribbon of Salt (IMDB Link)

Snake and Mongoose coming in 2013

The untold story of how Southern California drag racers, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen combined with corporate giants to change the face of sports and ultimately became the most famous rivalry in racing history.

From the trailer, it looks well done and seems chocked full of period correct cars and set pieces.

How cool is this guy?

Massive cool garage, awesome collection of Porsche 911's, driving like a maniac, dreadlocks and the first name 'Magnus'......how cool is this guy?

The Porsche 911 is an icon. If you didn’t want a 911 before watching this video, you certainly will afterwards.

URBAN OUTLAW is a portrait of Magnus Walker, the rebel Porsche customizer who turned a hobby into an obsession, and an obsession into a successful business. From a workshop in downtown Los Angeles, Magnus obsessively harvests fragments from donor 911s, grafting them onto vintage frames to create one-off automobiles with the spirit of Ferdinand Porsche but an ethos entirely his own.

60 Years of Awesomeness

This came out a while ago but I had to post it anyway. 

Scuderia Ferrari actually pulled several near-priceless Formula One veterans out of storage and flew them around the world to film them running hard through the streets of Rome , Rio , New York , Hong Kong and Monaco.

And there are no special effects or dubbed sound here, just original 14,000+rpm cars tearing up the streets... as the genuine audio will attest. Do put on your headphones and/or crank the volume and enjoy that symphony of cylinders.

Maybe I'll get inspired - The Real Thing

Here's a short documentary called 'The Real Thing' about custom hot rod builder Bodie Stroud and his build up of a 1969 Mustang powered by  an extremely rare Boss engine built specifically for legendary racer Mario Andretti’s 1969 Can Am series car. 

The Real Thing from Union HZ on Vimeo.