Author: CRANKHANDLEBLOG

THE INTERCLASSICS BRUSSELS PREMIERE WAS…!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

For those petrol heads who missed the 2015 edition of the Interclassics Brussels exhibition on November 6-8, you might wonder was this first ever exhibition in Brussels a flop or top? Judge yourself after reading my report! : ) I always love to go and see some nice events and to make a report about it. It sounded very special to visit the first Brussels Interclassics exhibition, so let’s take a look at the first day of this new event! I also had the mission of finding the weirdest car of this event, commissioned by PreWarCar, so make sure to check out PWC frequently!

Friday was the first day that Interclassics Brussels opened their doors, a good day to have look at the cars they had collected and see some nice stands! The entry was already GREAT! The original T35 Bugatti of Luc Slijpen was your host while entering the arena of brute HP! : ) This Bug was also a good teaser… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE AMILLIONCAR HAS ARRIVED! MEET MY RED AND MOST ELEGANT DRAGON/UNIKORN ; ) – PART 2

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ 2 Comments

Off we went again to Austria! This time to collect, so a somnolent slow journey towing a trailer… No hanging around ‘en route’ in workshops, just GO GO and GO, because the next 2600 km had to be covered as quickly as possible! After a very long drive and a stay 70 km before Salzburg we arrived in Carinthia again.

We secured the ‘Amillioncar’ in the trailer, after having visited a friend of the seller. The seller is a great enthusiast who owns many great Puch motorcycles, a modern 300SL and even an Abarth Monomille GT! The seller loves Mercedes and so does his friend, who owns a… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE AMILLIONCAR HAS ARRIVED! MEET MY RED AND MOST ELEGANT DRAGON/UNIKORN ; ) – PART 1

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Sooner than expected… my goal of snatching up a nice cyclecar has already been achieved! : ) After some initial orientation and looking and enquiring around, it transpired that I had to take a quick decision! Sometimes you just need to have faith and believe in miracles! The next day after having contacted the seller my dad and I left to start our journey to Austria to see the CGS and to get things sorted out. I must admit that before we left we already had seen a lot of details and pics of the CGS. It looked perfect and that made us decide to be madhatters and just GO… Continue reading http://crankhandleblog.com

MY MECHANICS APPRENTICESHIP!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

A lot of good news to tell you! To start with my learning process of becoming a mechanic! As mentioned before Erik Vandalon from ERK Automobiles is one of the mechanics/restorers of our cars. He does some fantastic work on exclusive cars, like Bugatti Brescia, Delahaye 135, Lamborghini GT400, Hispano-Suiza H6C, etc! I am lucky enough to have a chance to learn from him since I started my ‘apprenticeship’ with him. This is a good way to start at the bottom of the ladder and first of all to gain a good knowledge of the basics.

Some time ago, when I was driving back from Chantilly with my dad in the Delahaye, we discussed… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS! ONE LIKE YOU HARDLY EVER GET TO SEE! – PART 2

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As I promised in my previous article, I will continue the story with some technical highlights! Because the TRUE specialist had some unique and interesting secrets! This great Salmsonist is capable to restore everything himself and for that he obviously needs good tooling and machines…

Let’s get to the point, the journey of the Salmson D-GSS-GS with twin overhead camshafts (2act) to a state of absolute perfection!

In fact his garage is not large… but everything just fits in there perfectly! He owns vintage machines to restore everything in style! Such as the… Continue reading http://crankhandleblog.com

COUNTLESS GREAT PETROL HEAD FRIENDS AND MY DEBUT DRIVING A TEAL!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ 2 Comments

For now a little newsfeed in-between… I like to share with you the great atmosphere in petrol head world! It is not long ago since I became very active in this scene, but from the very first moment I noticed something fascinating… It seems to be a world that is so nice, with people who are very happy to become friends with you, share the same great interests and mostly have fun with each other and the cars! So far I haven’t seen any envy or unfriendliness… Perhaps because I am a nice young girl? ; )

Also on FB there were some surprising developments! It almost looks like… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS! ONE LIKE YOU HARDLY EVER GET TO SEE! – PART 1

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

I discovered something you will LOVE to see and get to know more about! First of all sorry for my radio silence. Being an active petrol head has been a bit overwhelming lately – so much to do and so many visits including something very special, which will be revealed soon! It is just one big delight! : )

Let me start where I stopped after the previous article. I visited a small private workshop of a TRUE Salmsonist. Not just anybody, but a VERY special person, a REAL specialist! This Salmsonist has only recently restored his own Salmson to the finest details and has now embarked on the restoration of an… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE SAMILCAR – YOUR AMBITIOUS BLOGGER ; )

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

To give you a personal update, which is also about that surprise I announced before… First of all I am looking for my very first own vintage car! After driving those two GREAT Delahayes, I can’t wait to also have a taste of a fierce little cyclecar-racemonster! Nothing better than driving all different kind of cars! The Bugatti drives made me really excited to acquire a fine and manoeuverable little racer, but a bit less expensive than a Bug… So a ‘poor man’s Bugatti’ it should be! : )

I have already seen quite a few charming cars like the Amilcar, Salmson, Riley and Rally… BNC is also very nice. I don’t mention Bugs, because for now they are unaffordable for me… The first experience was an Amilcar while on our way back home from Martin Waltz’s museum near Freiburg. It was the first time I saw (and drove in) an Amilcar in real life and I was impressed! One thing I kept in mind was to… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW – A FAMOUS FRENCH AUTOMOTIVE MOVIE-STAR ; )

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

This time a POTW session of our 1938 135M Delahaye Chapron cabriolet. As you may already have seen, our Delahaye has a role in an upcoming Dutch war movie with my dad as the chauffeur! : ) So today will be all about this automotive actor! The 135M is already getting the manners of a famous movie star, so it demanded to be featured in a POTW of its own… (in a special scene as a kind of dirty trials racer) ; )

As you can see, after recordings, the Delahaye needed a beauty treatment as it was very DIRTY! This is how stars want to be treated… Like I said before, some classic cars need to shine like a diamond, such as this piece of eternal elegance designed by that master coachbuilder Henri Chapron! So remember this face, it will be on screen as of next year 5th of May, the day of the première of this movie! Click here for more POTWs!Schermafbeelding 2015-10-13 om 21.02.49

A FUN PORT-TOUR WITH THE 135MS DELAHAYE AND THE WORKSHOP OF A SPECIALIST!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Life with all those great events doesn’t get boring! Last weekend we had again a nice tour with friends of the BCN (Bugatti Club Netherlands). My dad and I drove some 105 km to the location in North-Holland with the 1950 135MS Delahaye Chapron cabriolet.

A very nice man, the owner of the Silverstone party center at Halfweg near Amsterdam, organized this event which included two local tours. Everything was very relaxed and quite a few cars turned up, such as modern supercars like Aston Martin, but also many Lotus/Caterham/Donkervoort…, MG, Alvis, Cobra replicas, Ford Mustang, etc. For us there wasn’t enough time, but in the Silverstone center there were plenty of entertaining activities to do, such as laser gaming, karting, bungee football and bowling.

Our friends of the BCN live almost next door, so we were happy to visit them and see their large workshop and… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

OUR DELAHAYE 135M CHAPRON CABRIOLET MAKING FAME IN THE DUTCH CINEMAS!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Can you remember my request on CHB a while ago for period cars for that war movie about Mr. Riphagen? Well, after a serious request from my sister, who is casting director for this movie, my dad and our Delahaye 135M with Henri Chapron coachwork, accepted a role in that thrilling movie! The other period cars were supplied by Jan Wijnakker. He owns a host of classic cars of all kinds of marques and models, including a Delahaye 148L with coachwork by Pennock of The Hague!

Jan’s ‘actor car’ in this scene was a Peugeot 201, but once the movie appears in the cinema next year you will see many more of his cars on the screen. An interesting subject to report about some time, because he rents his cars for film sets, which is good business with a vehicle park of more than… Continue reading http://crankhandleblog.com

MY CLASSIC DRIVERS DEBUT – STARTING BIG IS THE BEST WAY!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ 2 Comments

http://crankhandleblog.comThis week I experienced a VERY SPECIAL day! My first time driving a classic car and not just a classic car, but one of our lovely BIG Delahayes (the 1938 two tone blue coloured 135M cabriolet with Henri Chapron coachwork). Most people say you need to start small and I will follow that advice in my search for my first own classic car, but starting BIG is really more my kind of doing things… ; )

The very first moment of driving away was really strange! Steering on the right hand side appears not really to be so weird and soon it starts to feel quite natural, but steering and braking is not anything like in a modern BMW! Steering round on a roundabout is much harder work than I am used to. The cable brakes on this heavy car (about 1700 kg) work extremely well but you need to… Continue reading

FORGET THE GERMAN MOTORWAY CIRCUIT! THIS IS PETROLHEAD HEAVEN!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ 2 Comments

Sorry for my ‘radio silence’, but I had some issues with my MacBook, which is the worst that can happen to a blogger! Last weekend I went to the Circuit Park Zandvoort. You won’t believe this, but it was my first visit to the circuit and I had such an amazing time there! Some of my BCN (Bugatti Club Netherlands) friends were also present at the event British Race Festival / Vintage Revival Zandvoort. It is always a real pleasure to meet them again, one BIG car loving family! : ) The weather was great, so nothing could spoil the weekend!

The Dutch Vintage Sports Car Club (DVSCC) was present with many great cars, also cyclecars, which made the event for me the more interesting as I am looking to buy one! Next to the 58 race- and sportscars from the 20s and 30s, there were also… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW – THE FREDERIKSEN AUCTION THRU ANOTHER EYE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Just some other POTWs! Denmark was a wonderful trip for me and to return some of those lovely memories… We take a look at the Frederiksen collection that was to be auctioned by Bonhams in some more detail! For sure the automobiles were looking very Pebble Beach worthy, but if we look at those cars thru a different eye… the eye of my camera, the lens! To me, when I look back at the pics I made, the best ones are those of the details! To get to the point, details can make or break a car!

Of course this is something that has to do with personal taste. In my opinion… Continue reading (see much MORE lovely POTWs!)http://crankhandleblog.com

POTW – VANVOOREN COACHWORK PARADISE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

I just added one more photograph of the Volante museum… Martin Waltz sent it to me and I was amazed, it looks like some VERY fine art! Another reason to start your engine and pack your bag and head to Kirchzarten ASAP! And when you are on the road, why not make a short detour to Denmark to the Strøjer Samlingen in Assens! Oops, almost forgot the Louwman museum in The Hague. There it is… a short European automotive museum tour! Any suggestions for other great museums that you would like to read about? Let me know! For sure there are other magnificent automotive museums to visit, e.g. Mulhouse.http://crankhandleblog.com

THE GRAND OPENING OF MUSEUM VOLANTE – A VANVOOREN COACHWORK PARADISE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Denmark was a great trip, but soon after returning home I already left again and this time to the south of Germany. I had the privilege of being the only press at the grand opening of Martin and Inge Waltz’s Museum Volante in Kirchzarten near Freiburg. This time I was with my dad, which is always great, because together we always experience some weird and great adventures. I was happy to turn back to the German motorway race circuit, but our journey was CRAP! Literally everywhere roadworks, redirections and Stau (traffic jam in German)… After some SLOW 700 kms we arrived at the hotel, which was as I call it a Pinocchio kind of mountain house, the way my dad likes it! When watching out of the window of our room we saw a clattering stream with waterfall, very relaxing!

Enough about that, you are reading this because of the Museum! First of all… Continue reading http://crankhandleblog.com

STRØJER SAMLINGEN IS THE PLACE TO BE AND THE NEW HOME OF MY DEAR FRIEND THE HISPANO H6C!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Some 3700 kms later (last week)… Excuse-moi, I had a very busy week with all those FANTASTIC events, so forgive me that I didn’t publish as much as I used to… Lets get back to business, get ready for some nice reports!

The other GREAT surprise I have in store for you (after the Frederiksen auction) is the invitation to the Strøjer Museum by Jørgen Strøjer! First of all this was a VERY pleasant surprise for me as I was incredibly happy to get to know the new owner of the Hispano-Suiza H6C Kellner cabriolet de ville that is so special to me. I always say that things work out as they should… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

BONHAM’S BLUE CATWALK AT THE FREDERIKSEN AUCTION! – PART 2

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

So, let’s get into some other fine cars in the auction that caught my attention!

I really enjoyed the 1927 Bentley 6,5 liter ‘Bob-tail’. This 6,5 liter Bentley is only one of 20 with the exclusive 11 foot short wheelbase. The re-bodied chassis looks rough and impressive. Its engine was entirely refurbished and the chassis dismantled, stripped and repainted. Sold for €963,510 (DKK 7,187,500).

Since I did the article about the incredible Louwman 500K Special Roadster, the Butcher’s car, I love the 500K and there was one present at the auction. It used to be a Sindelfingen Cabriolet C which was re-bodied into a Special Roadster by expert German restorer Franz Prahl, in the style of Sindelfingen. Under the hammer for… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

BONHAMS’ BLUE CATWALK AT THE FREDERIKSEN AUCTION – PART 1

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

The big day last week was the day of the Frederiksen Auction at the lovely estate of Lyngsbækgaard in Denmark. An auction without any Porsches or Ferraris… just unbelievable! That is why a lot of vintage petrol heads must have looked forward so much to this event! A huge collection went under the hammer with many RRs (which Henrik Frederiksen obviously loved!) and mostly English, American and German marques. Almost the entire collection consisted of cars restored to the finest detail, but some had new bodies. Also several fine original cars crossed the blue catwalk. Not many French cars, except that FANTASTIC Hispano-Suiza (also two Citroens – a DS23 Pallas and SM coupe – also a Renault V-1 20/30 Cape Top Victoria)! The Auctioneer, Malcolm Barber, did a great job with all his jokes. Another thing… the weather was really great!

The highlights of this auction were definitely the the ex-Maharaja of Patiala 1933 Maybach DS-8 Zeppelin Cabriolet, which achieved a highest bid of a hefty… Continue reading

http://crankhandleblog.com

ROAD CIRCUIT AND A SECRET PORT TO WONDERLAND!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

http://crankhandleblog.comTo keep you posted, a short report of today’s journey to the Bonham’s Frederiksen auction at Ebeltoft in northern Denmark… a bit unexpected. Tomorrow, the 26th of September, will be THE day of the incredible Frederiksen auction, and yes I will be present as CHB Press ; ) Nice start of my career! But first some 925 km to get there. No problem for me because I love to be on the way, no matter how far it will be!

My dad learned me to drive without navigation (except cities), so this was a good test and it went… Continue driving (reading) ; )

POTW PHOTOREPORT – THE AFTERGLOW OF THE BCN RALLY!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment
Last report I told you about the magnificent BCN weekend and to raise those great memories I thought it was a nice idea to do a POTW photoreport as addition to the extended report! I took some nice pics of details that I like. So enjoy my artful photographer skills : P The afterglow is for those that can’t get enough of the Bugattis, like me! Stay tuned because some highly interesting stuff is on its way! Click here for more stunning pics!
http://crankhandleblog.com

THE DUTCH BUGATTI CLUB RALLY, THE PLACE TO BE

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As announced on CHB the BCN (Bugatti Club Netherlands) held its autumn rally this past weekend and it was MAGNIFICENT! So sit back and relax, here is the full report of this very enjoyable long BCN weekend. I call this a rally, but in fact it isn’t an official rally with strict rules to get from A to B in a certain time… it is more a relaxed tour, but you know those Bugatti people…!

On Friday my dad (who is a long time BCN member) and I left with our black beauty, the 1950 Delahaye 135MS cabriolet Chapron (of course not on a trailer!). The adventure started right away as everything went wrong that could go wrong… Continue reading                                

http://crankhandleblog.com

TWO YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING FAME IN PARIS

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

I expect not many CHB readers will know today’s coachbuilder, Hibbard et Darrin, contrary to others like Chapron, Saoutchik, Figoni, etc. So let’s put Hibbard et Darrin in the spotlight! As I am trying to gain more knowledge myself as well, I got the idea to feature these great artists thanks to a magnificent Hispano-Suiza of a friend of my dad. It won Best of Show last year at the Concours d’Elégance Palace Het Loo in the Netherlands and went on to win the coveted Ullman Trophy at Pebble Beach this year. Since then this Hispano-Suiza belongs to the cars that are special to me, so let’s dig into the history of the men who were responsible for such fantastic coachwork and of course also Paris-based, as many famous coachbuilders of the era were!

Though based in Paris, this company was run by two Americans, and counted among its clients many Americans visiting or resident in France. Thomas L. Hibbard (1899-1982) from Brooklyn, New York had set his… Continue reading http://crankhandleblog.com

POTW – DONT MESS WITH THE BEETLE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Like I know as a horse enthusiast, never mess with the little ponies, they are the fiercest of all horses! I guess the same applies to small cars like this Beetle! Look at this petite race monster! http://crankhandleblog.com

HIGH CLASS FROM VANVOOREN

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As we continue with the Parisian coachbuilders, today is the turn for Vanvooren who was located with his workshop in the north-western Parisian suburb of Courbevoie. This coachbuilder was one who built on high class chassis like Hispano-Suiza, Bugatti, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Delahaye and Delage. A great example of one of his creations is the 1939 Bugatti 57C Atalante that won an award at Chantilly. Vanvooren is best known for his work from the 1930s on those grandiose chassis of the era, but the company had already been active from 1910 and persisted until 1950. Vanvoorens style could be described as advanced with a conservative elegance, combined with very high standards.

Achille Vanvooren did good business with those expensive marques… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

BMW M1 HOMMAGE CONCEPT THAT FAILED TO REACH PRODUCTION

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As mentioned earlier, the gym I go to every day is also my office… ; ) My personal trainer showed me a great BMW concept car and after seeing the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage winning an important award at Chantilly I think this is a nice continuation! This styling exercise, without interior nor engine, was revealed at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2008, almost 30 years after its predecessor was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1977.

This concept is a worthy successor with those lovely slats above the engine (which is not present), also seen on the Lamborghini Miura. Soon after the flashy concept was revealed it was announced by BMW that… Continue reading http://crankhandleblog.com

THE ROAD ESSENTIAL FOR WIRE WHEES!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As I mentioned yesterday in the Chantilly report we had to deal with a flat tyre while driving to the concours… on the side of the motorway! Luckily we had brought some great tooling with us. To release the wing nut of the wire wheel most people use a (copper) hammer. Of course you need to know which direction the nut will release (left or right) on each side of the car. If you have a really bad day, the nut or spokes, or even the wing, can get badly damaged by the hammer. But there is a solution for this! The torque wrench is an incredible tool to loosen the wing nuts safely, but also tighten them back again in a very optimal way with a central locking rim (the correct direction is indicated on the rim)! No damages and no risk to get hurt yourself either.

This GREAT tooling is still quite unknown… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE GRANDIOSE CHANTILLY ARTS & ELEGANCE CONCOURS RICHARD MILLE

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As promised a report of the grandiose Chantilly Arts & Elegance concours! This year was only the second time such a concours at Chantilly took place and for me the fist time to visit this event. I guess this concours is a keeper for the coming years! If I have to describe Chantilly in one word… MASSIVE! The castle gardens are massive and of course beautiful, historical and elegant. Next to the Concours d’Etat there were also many clubs present, such as Delahaye in which we were participants. Sadly the Delahaye Club didn’t win, because they had already won last year, so the Delage Club did this year. Even so the Delahaye Club field looked formidable with 22 cars present. A very pleasant club to join!

But let’s go back to the beginning of the journey, which was not as smooth as we had expected… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X5 – SOCIALIST RESTORATION PROJECT!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

For those looking for a restoration project from the Polish Socialist days… Look at this nice original 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe Sedan! This American was found in a garage in central Warsaw after having been locked and sleeping for 27 years! The car carries quite some history with it as it was ordered new by the Polish State and used for many years by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Poland. The Chevy goes under the hammer on the 17th of September by Ardor Auctions in Warsaw. Bid EUR 9 500 – 11 500 (listed) and it might become yours. With its Socialist history it might also be a great contender for the preservation class.

Tomorrow we head off to Chantilly which of course will be reported! During the Chantilly concours you can also follow CHB on Instagram! Click here for more pics!http://crankhandleblog.com

MASERATI BUILT A SPACE SHUTTLE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

As announced, today it is the turn for the alien-like 1972 Maserati Boomerang coupé with coachwork by Italdesign. This space shuttle with chassis #081 and engine #902 is again a very rare car, in fact a one-off concept car that is legally road going, which is rare for a concept car. One thing the Boomerang has in common with the Bugatti T101C of yesterday… they both competed for honors at last year’s Chantilly concours and this year they will be there again, but now to be auctioned.

This very unique Maserati concept was to be shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1971. The Boomerang is a car that featured at a number automobile shows where it was much appreciated. It is a design of the ‘Car Designer of the Century’… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE BUGATTI 101C EX-CAGE SUPER STAR!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Today’s article is about the very special and rare 1954 Bugatti Type 101C two-seater fixed-head coupé with unique coachwork by Antem, which was one of the last 1950s Molsheim built Bugattis. Only seven of these evolutionary T57s were ever built, one prototype and six production cars!

This 101C, chassis and engine  #101504, once belonged to American actor Nicholas Cage of Carmichael in California. Can you remember his Miura of an earlier article? It seems that he collects cars and not just young supercars! I must say he has a GREAT taste concerning cars!The Bugatti will be actioned at Bonhams’ Chantilly Sale coming Saturday! If you bring between €1.5 and 1.8 million then here is perhaps your chance to become the owner of this fabulous car! I say perhaps, because you never know where the bidding will stop, especially… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE HOLY INSURANCE OF ST. CHRISTOPHER!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment
Let’s get into the history books today! As you might know, as a classic patrol head, some cars (especially French) have a St. Christopher medallion on the dash, like we have in our Delahayes! It is a small Art Deco style plate with an image on it and it is there to help bringing you safely from A to B. Like the car blessings of yesterday’s article it is a kind of guardian angel and often St. Christopher badges were bought after such blessing ceremonies… One of our Delahayes has one with the unique feature of having the name of the fist owner engraved inside it; more about that soon!
There are two stories about St. Christopher… Continue reading
http://crankhandleblog.com

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR CAR BLESSED YET?

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Today an intro for tomorrow’s article… It might be something that most petrol heads never heard of before, unless you’re a Catholic! Quite some objects, e.g. houses and cars, to name just two, were blessed by a priest, of course if the owner was a Roman-Catholic. This is an usual routine within the Catholic church (and as a matter of fact also in other religions, e.g. Hindu).

Why I treat this subject? No, I am not a Catholic and neither religious… The ritual is closely associated with the veneration of… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X2 – SAOUTCHIK BONUS

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

After the ‘street market’ Chapron Delahaye, I also found a neglected piece of Saoutchik lurking in between a Rolls and a Porsche 911… When I found these pics I was wondering what the story of this Pegaso Berlinetta might be. What do you think? A perfectly restored automobile is always a pleasure for the eye, but those neglected pieces are also great! They really show that they have a story to tell, kept hidden under their marks of damage and rust… Click here for more!http://crankhandleblog.com

AMBITIOUS ART DECO ARTIST JACQUES SAOUTCHIK 

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

This week I didn’t succeed in presenting as many coachbuilders as I had planned to, but after Chantilly next weekend I will make it up and continue with some grandiose coachbuilding legends from Paris!

The master coachbuilder of today’s article is Jacques Saoutchik (1880-1957), who was based in Paris, but his history goes back to the Russian Empire near Minsk. There he was born in a Ukranian-Jewish family as Iakoc Saoutchick.

Saoutchik left his fatherland in 1899 and moved to Paris, where he started a career in the furniture business. As a cabinet-maker he went into… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X2 – CHAPRON BONUS

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Just couldn’t resist to put out one more POTW with some awesome pics of a Chapron Delahaye. Apparently this poor car raised a lot of interest, especially inside, so I wonder what was going on… do you know? My best guess is that this was one of those street markets where second hand cars were traded. Never trust such markets where more than once a car was sold with one or more wooden pistons in the engine to make it run for a couple of minutes until the deal was done and the seller had taken to his heels. For sure these are magnificent historical pics! Click here for the other pic!http://crankhandleblog.com

HENRI CHAPRON, THE VANGUARD AMONG THE GREAT FRENCH COACHBUILDERS!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

The next couple of days CHB will be dedicated to some great Parisian coachbuilders, kicking-off with Henri Chapron! Of course… because we have two Delahayes with Chapron coachwork.

Henri Chapron is definitely a big name when talking about prominent French coachbuilders. His influence can be detected in nearly every custom-built French body from 1935 to 1955, regardless of the house by which it was designed and built. His designs are sober as well as elegant, in an outstanding way. His identity could be described as vanguard, never ahead of his time.

Let’s first take a look at where it all started, how he developed into this profession and how his style and his business evolved… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X5 – TALKIN ABOUT COACHBUILDERS!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

With this week’s topic being coachbuilders we just can’t ignore this flashy Art Deco masterpiece designed by Jacques Saoutchik! This 1949 Delahaye Type 175S Saoutchik Roadster must be one of the most outstanding coachwork designs, honored at the time at many prestigious concourses! A massive body that is titled ‘the most beautiful car in the world’ by many! One of them was English actress and sex-bomb Diana Dors, who once owned it.

In 2010 the masterpiece Roadster was sold for $3,3 million at the RM Sports & Classics Auction at Monterey in California. One POTW is just not enough for this wonderful piece of ART so POTW X5! I probably don’t have to… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

SEQUEL TO REARD’S BIKINI GIRLS

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

From Louis de Funès to Louis Réard! I like to share with you that CHB has gained some great friends thanks to the article I wrote about the Packard Super Eight with yacht coachwork by Henri Chapron! See ‘LE YACHT DE LA ROUTE AND BIKINI GIRLS’.

First of all about the current owner of the brand Réard! He plans to re-launch the Réard brand in the summer of 2016, which is absolutely great news. I hope to see a lot of people wearing Réard fashion again soon! It would be even better if the Packard is present at the launch, to add lustre to the event! Who knows if that will happen… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

TOPLESS LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SV ROADSTER

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

To calm you down after that vid of the crashed Miura in The Italian Job, I want you to meet the all new Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster. If you like to experience the wind flowing thru yr hair at 217 MPH in a very special exclusive sexy and catchy Lambo, then hurry, because only 500 of this Aventador SV will be built, starting in Spring 2016! By the way it costs €357,000 plus local taxes, a bargain compared with the Miura : P 740bhp and acceleration of 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds, looks not too bad for a ‘bargain’ Lambo…

I suppose I can call this SV Roadster a limited edition? After digging into the Miura history, I am really glad to see that the SV (Super Veloce) is still very much alive and HOW, just look at this beauty! I hope that all of the 500 SV Roadsters will find good caring owners. Click here for more of the SV!http://crankhandleblog.com

OUCH, THIS HURTS! – OR WAS IT ALL FAKE IN THE ITALIAN JOB? : (

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ 2 Comments

It hurst literally as well as figuratively to see a Miura being crashed on purpose, but that is exactly what they did in that famous movie The Italian Job. And then they simply pushed the car over the hill into the abyss. Click here to see what I mean. First I was in a state of shock, but then I decided to go and look further, to see if this car was real, or just a mock-up.

Well, for sure the Miura driven into the tunnel by Rossano Brazzi is real, but what came out was not. HERE is the full story of what is now believed to be the long-lost Miura used for The Italian Job. 

It is incredible, the amount of… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE COMPLETE MIURA FAMILY TOGETHER! – PART 3

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ 2 Comments

Yet there are three members of the Miura family left to be discussed, starting with a one-off, the 1968 Miura Roadster #3498 designed by Gandini! This unique concept Roadster has no roof what so ever (not even a removable roof), it looks a bit like a targa-model. Bertone built the Roadster, based on a P400, as a show car. It made its debut at the 1968 Brussels Auto Show where it was exhibited on the Bertone stand. You can find some more Miura’s with this ‘targa’ roof, but this blue Bertone Miura, later named the ZN75, was the only Miura Roadster built by the Lamborghini Works.

Obviously the roof had gone but there were also other changes, like… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE COMPLETE MIURA FAMILY TOGETHER! – PART 2

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

We already met the P400 and P400S, time for the P400SV! This was the last model in the P400 line that actually looks like the other Miuras. The P400SV can easily be distinguished from its predecessors, the P400 and P400S, because the SV doesn’t have the striking characteristic of the ‘eyelashes’ around the headlights. It also has wider rear fenders to accommodate the new 9-inch-wide (230 mm) rear wheels and Pirelli Cinturato tires, and different taillights.

Production started in 1971 and a total of 148 SV Miuras were built until 1973, so a VERY exclusive car. SV stands for Super Veloce, which means high speed or super fast and it had an additional 15 HP (11 kW), raising the total power output to 385 HP (283 kW)! This was realized with the special Miura SV features such as… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW – AN EXTRA 5X – TOUR OF THE MIURA PRODUCTION LINE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Today the Miura production line tour continues, including some pics of engine development and brainstorming by the men behind the Miura engine… at least that’s what it looks like. Just look at that powerful monster of an engine. This is what makes my day and probably yours as well.

One of the pics shows this HP beast with, I believe, Ferruccio Lamborghini himself in the center and to the left Gian Paolo Dallara. I am not sure about the person on the right, he is either in awe about this beauty of an engine or very pensive about a particular problem. Off we go to the next piece, part 2 of yesterday’s article! For sure CHB is in the Miura vibe! Click here for more POTWs!http://crankhandleblog.com

THE COMPLETE MIURA FAMILY TOGETHER! – PART 1

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Today we dig a bit deeper into the production history of the grandiose Miura! I already introduced the P400, which was the very first Miura model, but that was just the beginning! By the way I forgot to mention that the P400 chassis is a design of Gianpaulo Dallara. Let’s take a look at the complete Miura family!

Early Miuras are known as the P400 model which stands for Posteriore 4 litri. Posteriore is Italian for behind, because obviously the engine was placed behind the seats in front of the rear axle, which the flashy butt of the Miura exposes when open… and 400 refers to the displacement.

The P400 is powered by a version of the 3.9 L Lamborghini V12 engine used in the 400GT at the time. It was always… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

GET READY FOR CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE CHANTILLY ARTS & ELEGANCE RICHARD MILLE!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

For the CHB readers who will also come to Chantilly, click here for a very extended impression of previous year’s edition in the fantastic grounds of Chateau Chantilly. What an event! This is classic car history at its finest and even more!

Chantilly is also famous for its equestrian events and for the participants the organization had staged last year a wonderful evening show with horses. I really look forward to the 6th of September and hope to meet you there!

http://crankhandleblog.com

A TRUE DRIVING PLEASURE IT IS!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Always a pleasure to be on the road with one of the Delahayes! A very fine car which always performs so well. In about two weeks we (me and my dad) will head towards Chantilly with this 1938 Delahaye 135M – Henri Chapron chassis – to join the French Delahaye Club. Of course I will make a report of all of that!

A nice thing that is to come, is about blessing cars and the Saint Christopher! There is a specific reason for that subject in combination with the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, so just making you curious already ; ) For sure this Delahaye is ready to go all the way to France, not by trailer because we always drive the cars to their destination. The journey towards such events is a pleasure in itself! Driving those cars is one of the best parts next to meeting wonderful people at events and enjoying so many mind-blowing fantastic cars, with often intriguing stories! So, stay tuned for new adventures in France in two weeks time!

Click here for an impression of the most elegant concours Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille – hope to see you there! Click here for more pics of this delightful 135M!http://crankhandleblog.com

THIS IS WHAT WE PATROL HEADS LIVE FOR!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment
I love Discovery Channel’s Chasing Classic Cars by Wayne Carini. This vid shows how they found a very well preserved Miura! Wow, if I could wish one thing then it would be without a doubt finding a dusted Miura like they did!
 
Wayne takes a quick pit stop in the Midwest to inspect the rare Lamborghini hidden for years in a decrepit garage. This is like a fairy tale, lucky they were! Wayne is blown away by this garage find… like he said: “This is what you live for, to find something like this, unbelievable. It is in unbelievable great shape”, I totally argee! I don’t have anything to add, just blown away as well! Take a look at the MIURA vid by clicking here!
http://crankhandleblog.com

POTW X4 – MIURA PRODUCTION LINE TOUR!

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

This week not just one POTW, but four! Since the theme is the Miura, I like to do a little tour around the Lamborghini factory where this piece of automotive art came alive! Bravo for the team that was in charge of assembling these supercars. Look at all those brand new V12 engines, those were the days! If this would still exist with the actual Miura parts etc. like in the pics, it would be heaven on earth! The men in the last pic together with the 700th Miura are legends. Thank you guys for making this beautiful supercar which now belongs to the true historical heritage of Lamborghini, deserving the terms supercar and classic high class car!

Lamborghini is a brand for which I have great fascination, like Ferruccio Lamborghini was fascinated with fighting bulls… He named some of his cars after the legendary fighting bulls, like I named my horse after his brand and the Miura… Famborghini Miura! By the way, it is a great horse which proudly bears that name; a powerful, intelligent, graceful and fierce piece of HP he is : ) Tomorrow the dream car continues! Click here for the other three POTWs.http://crankhandleblog.com

SMOKING HORROR, THATS ALL I CAN SAY! POOR MIURA : (

~ CRANKHANDLEBLOG ~ Leave a comment

Just can’t watch this whole vid, it hurts too badly : ( Why is everybody just staring at this horror? DO something! Save this legendary car! It makes me very very sad to see this. Such a valuable car, a historical heritage, just gone up in flames. The poor Miura SV seems to be ‘screaming out loudly’ for help… Where is that damn fire department?

Dear patrol head friends let us pray that this will never happen again! Oh, and make sure you always carry a good fire extinguisher on board of your treasured car!http://crankhandleblog.com