Ebay Finds

Here's a quick and dirty post about three phenomenal cars for sale on Ebay right now.

Ferrari F40:  You know it, you love it, buy it for $600g

Jaguar C-type reproduction:  Curves this good don't need to be real.

Jaguar by Kougar Engineering:  She's expensive, old, and ugly... but still a Kougar.

Force Fed Friday

Alliteration is a great device to use when telling anecdotes to a group of friends.  It can turn an awful storyteller into an amazing one... or at least make the words more interesting to hear.  I don't think a story about a partially petrified paleolithic pancreas is that interesting but it's fun to say!  Sorry to all the archaeologists out there!

Where was I?  OH!  Alliteration!  Yes, it's fun.  In fact, this being the weekend, make a drinking game out of it.  At a wedding reception, we, the wedding party, all had to take a drink every time a word started with the letter "L."  We were soon talking about litigious lesbians loving lipsticked lawyers.

You should convince your friends to give it a shot.  You can use words that start with "F" but try to use innuendo more than cussing and swears.  I'll start you off with Force Fed Friday.

Incidentally, that sounds like a great title to use for a bunch of videos about turbo and supercharged cars too!  Enjoy these somewhat artsy, kind of informational, partially awe-inspiring videos.

Fragile females fracture forearms from falling. Drink! (responsibly and don't drive)

Happy Friday!  Feel free to add your own alliteration or video in the comments!


Streetgasm Top Secret Twins - RPM Online from Seifer Chimera on Vimeo.



MRC WIDEBODY S4 - THE SEQUEL 204.4MPH from MRC Tuning on Vimeo.

The Recapturing of the Aura

For many self-proclaimed car fanatics, little can irritate us more than the rare moment where our "so called" encyclopedic knowledge of everything automobiles gets trumped by somebody else. Anybody else. At least that was how it was for me.

Now, one of the many things I get out of working on FPH is the constant reminder that I, in fact, know very little about anything at all. The internet is this amazing, never ending source of obscure stories and factoids from all over the world. God bless it!

On the far opposite end of the spectrum and from the far opposite end of the world (the Outback, to be exact), Gavin King is certainly the king of his domain. With a severe case of tunnel vision for classic British sports cars, the garage of his business, Concours Sportscar Restoration, holds some of the most incredible metal sculptures the world has ever seen. Of course, if you paid attention to the name of his company, you would understand that those beautiful machines didn't look that way when they came into his shop.

Check out his process below:



Also, remember to visit Toby Morris' page on Vimeo and check out more of his work.

Now and Then

The other day Danny Choy posted about the Ferrari California from both past and present.  It got me thinking about what cars have endured over time or have spiritual successors in the market place now.  This inevitably led to a lot of Googling and drooling.  Sit back and enjoy!

It's Not Old... It's Vintage

This past weekend Lime Rock Park afforded me the chance to see cars older than myself turn a wheel in anger at their vintage festival.  While the wheels were old and arthritic and vintage racing is much like the NFL Pro-Bowl where everyone shows up but nobody cares who wins, amusement was still had by all.  That being said, race commentary won't be found here, just the sights of a few old warhorses. 

Click for full size and enjoy!

Lime Rock Park and ALMS

Ever since I got into racing, I promised myself that I would make it to at least one race every summer.  It didn't really matter what cars were racing either.  I just wanted to experience anything and everything that I could afford and/or could actually find time to get away for.  For the most part, the promise has been kept.  There have been some memorable international series like MotoGP at Laguna Seca and Indy along with some homegrown racing such as Nascar up in Loudon and IRL at Watkin's Glen.  However, there is one particular Sunday from a few years back where I remember the track more than the racing.  That track was Lime Rock.

So with an engineering degree, a bad job market, and a lack of funds, I've decided to forgo the plane tickets, get back to basics, and return to what was such an inspirational place.  And what a return this event will be.  Since the serene beauty of the track is expected and won't broadside me like last time, I will be able to focus on the actual racing, a series that I have never seen before but I hope will be a precursor to many future adventures.  The American Le Mans Series, what some people say is the pinnacle of relevancy to street cars in motorsports, will hold its third race of the season at Lime Rock Park.

The meandering 1.5 mile track will play host to about twenty ALMS cars in both Prototype and GT classes including Aston Martin powered Lolas, Mazda powered Lolas, Ferrari 458s, Corvettes, GT3s, and XKRs.  Additionally, there will be a Porsche GT3 Cup race and a Prototypes Lite race. With no monolithic structure containing the racetrack, it should prove to be an amazing juxtaposition of nature and technology existing in harmony while we, the viewers, benefit with amazing racing set against a striking backdrop.

Here are the highlights from last year:

I along with Danny Choy will be at the races on Saturday.  They start bright and early at 9am.  Please feel free to seek us out and chat.  My phone will be on and receiving e-mails for the address listed on my profile.  More information can be found below.  We hope to see you there!

Lime Rock Park
American Le Mans Series
Tickets

Join The Dark Side

LeMans Blue, British Racing Green, Blue Water, Black Sapphire, Alpine White, Palladium Silver, Indium Grey, the list of color choices is endless. Sure, all of these colors are great, but let's get down to the basics, the nitty gritty. I'm thinking of a color that's bare bones, yet it's something that invokes a raw feeling: Flat Black.

We don't see many vehicles on the road this color, but when we do, oh man! Luke, we're sorry, but FPH is turning to the Dark Side!

Battle at the most important premium segment

Sleepers

"sleeper: something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure"

Ever since the first police car rolled out of the factory, motorists have been trying to avoid the eye of "the man."  Everything from radar jammers to just plain slow driving have been employed by the general population.  While radar jammers and detectors have their place and driving slowly doesn't, the best way to avoid the 5-0 is by simply not drawing their attention in the first place.  In other words, drive a sleeper.

dieselstation.com

Car Porn

Here's a selection of car pictures to get you over that Wednesday hump.  They were taken by Keqing Song, a good friend of mine from school.  For more info, check out his website at here.

Obligatory Chevy Bel Air