A final 'short' set of Bizzarrini images, including photos #4 through 7, which show the most successful of the Bizzarrini built Iso-Grifo A3/Cs, a '65 model with a fiberglass body by luxury boat-builder Catarsi and features the first independent rear suspension & inboard disc brakes on this model. Finished first in class and 9th overall in the '65 24 hrs of LeMans.........where it was timed at over 300 kph ( 186mph ) on the Mulsanne straight.
Last edited by John Z Goriup; 09-08-2016 at 02:07 PM.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
Great shots and info, John!!! A total history lesson!
John
1959 356 Coupe, 1600 Super, sold
1960 356 Roaster, race car, SCCA, sold
1960 356 Roadster, show car, sold.
1962 356 Cab, show car, sold.
1965 911 #301111, Red Book Vol 1 "Cover Car," owned 54 years.
1967 911 #307347, bare-bones, some road wear, a little surface rust, and a few dents..., owned 14 years.
1970 914/6GT, (Sold - ran the last three Rennsports)owned 30 years.
Photography Site: JohnStraubImageWorks.com
Registry #983
R Gruppe #741
Shifting to the German cars, here are a few BMWs.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
....the rest of the BMW display.
I think it would be best for clarity continuiny's sake if BMW motorcycles, another major theme at this year's Pebble Beach Concours, are featured in a seperate segment at the end of the ' automoblie' presentation.
Photos #1, 2 & 4 show a very historic and important BMW racer, the Touring Superleggera-bodied 1939 BMW 328 Touring Coupe. Carrozzeria Touring, the Milan coachbuilder who orignally devolped the 'Superleggera' method of construction, whereby a web of welded & contoured steel straps and / or tubes are used to support hand-formed aluminum body work, built this lightweight, streamlined car for long-distance racing.The engine was tweaked to develop 130 hp with a top speed of almost 140 mph, and was raced at the '39 LeMans where it won the 2-liter class. A year later, Huschke von Hanstein ( Porsche's racing director after the war & after the establishment of the Porsche Company ) drove it to overall victory at the Mille Miglia. This car also raced in the very first automobile race held in Germany after the end of WWII in '46. Part of the BMW Museum collection since 2002.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
Continuing with a few more German cars.........starting with a beautifully presented '38 Horch 853 Special Roadster by Erdmann & Rossi.....in my opinion this is another very elegant and fitting car that I thought should have been considered seriously for 'Best of Show' honors. Same old problem with posting images - the Horch is shown in images #2 & 3.........
while photos #1, and 4 through 7 show a rare and spectacular '56 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe.....but this is no mere 'Gullwing. This car is one of only 29 alloy-bodied Coupes hand-built by the M-B racing works in Untertürkheim, and then completed at the factory. This car is the only Gullwing with the 'Elephant Ivory' paint, the gabardine plaid interior and cream trim- please note the original Rudge wheels. It is also one of only 4% of the total of approximately 1400 300SL Coupes produced to be equipped with the high-performance 3-liter in-line 6-cylinder motor - this car was owned by David Piper in the '60s - and for a refreshing change, since it was restored in England after a long period of research and study, it is not over-restored as is currently so frequently the case, rather, the car appears as fresh and new as if it had been picked up by the owner just days ago at the factory and driven home. What a magnificent car !!
Last edited by John Z Goriup; 05-09-2017 at 03:23 AM.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
Another set of various Concours entries.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
...and still another ten images of various entries.
Photos #!, 2 & 3 illustrate two details and a complete and running 1930 Bugatti Type 44 Fiacre, evidence of a phenomenon rapidly gaining in popularity at most world-class Concours - entering cars in the Preservation category, where restoration is eschewed in favor of getting original old cars or barn find to run and pass mechanical / safety insepction, but otherwise leave them cosmeticaly essentially in 'as found' condition.
Last edited by John Z Goriup; 09-14-2016 at 04:26 AM.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
The final set of Concours entries. This concludes the presentation of cars entered as competitors in the Concours.........next, on the way out and home I always stop at the Concept Green to review what in my opinion is an ever gloomier & hopeless vision of what our automotive future holds in store for us.
Last edited by John Z Goriup; 09-14-2016 at 04:27 AM.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
The way the Concours showfield is laid out, once you have absorbed all there is to see on the field, and are on your way to the shuttle buses to take you to your car, you can choose to stop by the main entry kiosks and pick up the gratis event book ( the full-size edition, not the exgtremely useful pocket size "Car Guide" - I always get mine on the way out because it's thick and heavy and I don't want to schlepp the damned thing around all day ) to read about what you just saw, to learn the reasoning behind designating the featured subjects, the history of marques chosen and the stories, as bottle-fed to the organizers about the objects - since sometimes it's difficult to call them vehicles - varios manufacturers and start-ups have brought to display in a seperate area called 'The Concept Display", where exhibitors hope to receive feedback and comments from clients and / or prospective buyers. Many prestigious builders of cars have used this venue as the time and place for the world-debut of some of their their latest ideas......McLaren, Porsche, Bugatti, etc.
The last time I participated about two or three years ago, I was asked my opinion about the initial Bentley SUV - I gathered that my and other solicited replies contributed heavily to the withdsrawal and substantial redesign of what eventually became the Bantayga, the actual production version of the Bentley SUV, as opposed to the hideous thing displayed that year amidst much pomp and circumstance.
In my opinion things haven't gotten any better lately. Mercedes especially seems to be experimenting with most un-M-B like ideas, bread-and-butter folks like Toyota, Nissan, and GM keep showing us ever wilder and more impractical exercises, and this year's top "cartoon car", the impossibly over-the-top Bugatti Chiron was the straw that broke this particular camels back. I'm still struggling to process the fact that VW / Bugatti actually found 450 buyers for the whole run of Veyrons in all its ever-sillier, more extreme and expensive iterations..........and now this ??
I present the next three sets of this year's cars on the Concept Green without further comment - if you have questions, please let me know but please be warned that I can do no better than to post what the manufacturer has written about it in the Concours brochure.
Last edited by John Z Goriup; 09-08-2016 at 02:19 PM.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
The second set of Concept cars.
Photos #1 & 2 show the new Lister Knobbly - Stirling Moss Edition. The only remotely interesting car on the concept lawn, what with it's Jaguar in-line 6-cylinder motor and all the '58 technology of the original..........but only 10 are planned, and they are priced at US $1,000,000 each.
Before it became Ruprecht, my Porsche was a '70 911 T
Paying member No. 895 since 2006
" slavish adherence to originality wasn't for me, because the car wasn't as good as it could be."
Rob Dickinson's response when asked what motivated him to build Singers
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