NEWS

THE GREAT ARTCURIAL MOTORCARS AUCTION CINEMA

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We have all been waiting for the legendary sale of the Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti, or as my mom called it, that “little red car” of the auction. The Retro week was quite busy with three major auctions, but for sure Artcurial stole the show in a typically passionate French way. A large collection went under the hammer, and 80% sold for a total of €56 million, a European record, of which the 335 is claimed to be the world record for a motor car at auction. The 335 sold for €28 million, but with premium added, it actually yielded €32.1 million! A price unaffordable except for the few. Four automobiles were sold over a million, so enough ‘bargains’ still.

The big and black room downstairs was incredible and very very busy! The auctioneers knew how to fill the space with their voices/songs, and even if they made a mistake, I still like them. The 335 was one big spectacle. The lights were switched off and then… A movie started showing in full song the excitement of the 335. It took a while to… Continue reading

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SHOPPING IN PARIS AT RM SOTHEBY’S

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On February 3rd it is shopping time in Paris at the RM Sotheby’s auction, the first of their 2016 European calendar. Here is a great opportunity to get yourself a fine thematic collection of 1950s and 1960s top class coupés at ‘affordable’ prices. And what is more, if you happen to be so eclectic that you want to acquire one from each major automobile manufacturing nation, i.e. Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and the USA, then here is your chance!

To begin with, there is this splendid 1965… Continue reading

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Photo Credit: Daniele Tenconi ©2015 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

AN ADDICTED 57S ATLANTE COMES TO HER SENSES, TIME TO CONFESS

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Dear CHB reader,

Today I planned to write you the last part of the Barnato story, but I need to clear up something first.

As many of you know, I am a young Atalante, who started this blog less than 8 months ago as a rookie with VERY little knowledge. This blog is among other things for me a way to learn as much as possible about vintage- and classic cars, especially because I enjoy exploring such fantastic automobiles! I am so enthusiastic, perhaps a bit too much, that I now found that I also make errors, like many others do, and I am not ashamed to admit this. That’s how a Bugatti 57S behaves, sport stands for speed…

As I publish every day with pleasure, I now see that… Continue reading

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CHB WISHES YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS, PERHAPS ON THE ROAD?

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Especially for you a fine design of an artful Christmas card by CHB’s NYC correspondent. The car shown is a Bugatti Royale with chassis number b, the Weinberger cabriolet. The buildings are on rue Robert Mallet-Stevens, Paris 16.

The magnificent #41121 was painted very dark green or black at the time and to be honest, it was never… Continue reading

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HOW MUCH CASH IN OLD SOCKS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

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A number of articles ago, CHB presented a special one-off concept car for those who still have hidden socks with cash. On December 10th RM Sotheby’s held their NYC Driven by Disruption auction. Our NYC correspondent Walter Jamieson was present and noted down for you the hammer prices of his favorites, which he dealt with in a previous article about great dashboards.

The following prices are… Continue reading

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WON’T STOP ROCKING, CHB IS EVOLVING…

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Wait! We start with a mini quiz. I am sure you noticed this many times, as it has been sitting there already for the past 8 months since CHB popped up on the world wide web. Guess what the marque is of the spooky-like automobile in the banner above every page…

Dear readers, this article will be about you! We, RAV and DSJ, want to thank you so much for visiting and reading our stuff, we appreciate that truly so much. As I, RAV, am writing this, I thought today would be a good time to… Continue reading

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JAMES BOND EAT YOUR HEART OUT – THE SPECTRE CAR BEING REVEALED TOGETHER WITH ITS PREDECESSORS

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To prepare for this day, before this joyful event, I already paid a visit the Aston showroom in Wommelgem near Antwerp the day before. I can say that this Aston Martin dealership truly is a great place. The sales team are very nice and take time for their customers. I was impressed by the wall of color options that you can choose for your new toy. Both paint swatches as well as leather for your interior.  There is such a great diversity to create your personalised luxurious and elegant environment. Especially Mariana black, which is a very deep dark blue, so when you take a closer look with the sun shining on it, you can see that it actually is blue. The Astons can also be delivered in two tone. This is something that I love to see, as I am quite a fan of two tone colored cars. Without doubt, this is a great place to visit if you are looking for an exciting, fierce and fast ride.

Many of us will soon go or have already seen the latest Bond movie Spectre, which as usual is full of excitement, new Bond girls, action, fierce Astons and gun shots. I had an even better Bond experience! To get in the mood, the Aston Martin… Continue reading

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REMEMBER “THE ITALIAN JOB” AND THE SPECTACULAR DESTRUCTION OF A MIURA? IT’S NOW FOR SALE…

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No, they won’t offer you a crashed Miura that is still lying in the abyss. What they do offer? Just continue reading and you will find out.

If you have been following CHB for a while now, you will probably remember that once upon a time… Some nut heads pushed a Miura P400 off a cliff with a bulldozer! This sounds like madness, because who would ever destroy a Miura on purpose? While digging a bit further into this crazy story, it appears that… Continue reading

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‘DANS SON JUS’, THE NEXT GENERATION

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Sometimes you have to be lucky. In my daily search for a ‘digital barnfind’ I encountered a very special find: CRANKHANDLEBLOG. Probably most of you have found this great blog in this way, but for me it was a special day. After visiting automotive related events and people all over the world, since I was eight, this was the first time I realised there are youngsters like me with exactly the same love for the weird, the dusty, and the rusty. Many times I was asked where my dad was when I asked if this was a Briggs and Stratton or a Smith Flyer. There are not too many girls and boys in their twenties who share this crazy hobby. All of a sudden I found one, Rose Atalante. Although not as patinated as vintage cars, she jumped the subject with the fanaticism of a Bugatti Brescia.

I contacted her and she soon… Continue reading

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THE AMILLION JOURNEY CONTINUES

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Most of you know that the first step towards my goal was to purchase a lovely Amilcar or other cyclecar. That first step has been accomplished, but it is just the beginning of great adventures which are yet to come! Every vintage car has its own issues or things that can be improved and so has Amillion (that is the nickname I have given to my Amilcar CGS). To make sure you can hit the road safely and have lots of fun you need to make sure you check the car thoroughly and go for mechanical perfection as far as possible. Later you will probably still find new things that can be improved. This is a part of the journey/adventure and you should enjoy it because it is a great experience to get to know your car.

A while ago I posted a fun tour of the workshop of a true professional near Amsterdam. I know the very nice and relaxed man of the workshop and his wife from the Bugatti Club Netherlands and decided to… Continue reading

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CHB IS BECOMING FAMOUS THANKS TO PREWARCAR/POSTWARCLASSIC 

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Have any of you noticed my first article on PostWarClassic? Make sure to check it out by clicking here! Luckily the owner of Prewarcar/Postwarclassic appreciates my youthful and fun way of writing, so he challenged me to start writing some articles for his amazing site, I feel honored to do so. My first article was about the Brussels Interclassics exhibition earlier this month. Joris Bergsma, the owner of PWC, wanted me to look for the weirdest car at the event and the result can be found here.

From now on I will write an article each week for him, which will mostly be published on Wednesday. I suppose most of you already know the website – if not, shame on you! PWC has also played an important role in my life… Continue reading

Schermafbeelding 2015-11-21 om 14.54.47

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

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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

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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!

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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

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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!

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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

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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 ; )

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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

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

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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!

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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

THE ROAD ESSENTIAL FOR WIRE WHEES!

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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

SEQUEL TO REARD’S BIKINI GIRLS

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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

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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? : (

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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

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

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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!

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A TRUE DRIVING PLEASURE IT IS!

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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!

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

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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

MIURA I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU!

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I am SO excited! Just found THIS movie L’Homme Orchestre with Louis de Funès! I have never seen it before or heard of it but there is a MIURA in it! I really love that car. It makes my heart beat faster and faster! So I am going to enjoy this supercar and you should as well! : ) Who cares that I had just finished the Funès week. This is FORMIDABLE, a yellow 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S! Of course many other classic cars/youngtimers also show up in this movie!
So tomorrow MIURA TIME! : ) YES!
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YOUR ITALIAN AUTOBIANCHI HANDBAG?

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http://crankhandleblog.comAs you may have noticed, I wrote about the cute yellow Autobianchi canary in the article ‘LE CORNIAUD GANGSTER – UN CAPOLAVORO FRANCESE!’ Now there is one for sale! Isn’t she cute, this little white beastie Autobianchi?

If you have a wife or girlfriend who isn’t interested in cars, just give her this designer’s ladies handbag from Italy! Let me know in the comments below if yr partner wants this Italian wanna-have!

ATTENTION, GET FAMOUS IN THE DUTCH CINEMAS WITH YR CAR! – NL VERSIE

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http://crankhandleblog.comVandaag een heel speciale oproep die ik al heb aangekondigd in een eerder artikel! Nu we, na gisteren, toch nog in de maffia-roes zitten… Mijn zus werkt aan de voorbereidingen voor een geweldige WO2 gangster-film.  En daarvoor is ze op zoek naar voor-oorlogse automobielen, bv. Citroen Traction Avant, Fiat, Opel, DKW, Chevrolet, Ford, enz.

Zet je schrap, misschien wordt je wel beroemd, in ieder geval zeker in ons nederige landje! Want je krijgt bij deze de kans om de handlanger van een destijds bekende maffioso te spelen, als chauffeur van een van de acteurs in je eigen klassieke wagen! Het gaat hier om keiharde criminaliteit, dus ik kan gerust zeggen dat het puur en alleen om je auto gaat… ; )

Lijkt het je wat om die rol te spelen in deze Hollandse WO2 film… Lees verder 

Of klik hier voor de Engels-talige versie!

LOOK A CHB ACQUANTANCE FOR SALE!

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http://crankhandleblog.comCan you remember my POTW with the ‘PININFARINA FASHIONABLE X FISH’?
It is now for sale…!

Love this 1960s Pininfarina Concept X! A must-have for every classic-patrol head and collector! : ) For sure you will make splash with this aero-creature! Let me know in the comments below if you would like to have this X!

ATTENTION, GET FAMOUS IN THE DUTCH CINEMAS WITH YR CAR!

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http://crankhandleblog.comToday the VERY special request that I mentioned before! As we are now in the mafia-mood after yesterday… My sister is working on a great WW2 gangster-movie, so… she is looking for some pre-WW2 classics.

Get ready to become famous, at least in Holland! As there is also the possibility of playing a role yourself in this incredible movie, for example as chauffeur of one of the actors in your own car!

So, would you like to play a role in a Dutch movie about WW2… Continue reading

“AH, MON FILS” – ADD-ON, 2ND BONUS FOR TODAY!

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I forgot to explain the first part of yesterday’s title (AH, MON FILS! THE BIGGEST RACING LEGEND EVER IS A NUN IN AN UGLY DUCKLING). Sadly the video is not as sharp as I like, but this vid explains the title ‘AH, MON FILS!’.

And here is a vid that perfectly shows the drifting 2CV in turns! By the way the nun says to Cruchot “http://crankhandleblog.comJe ne conduis depuis hier” (“I only drive since yesterday”)… hilarious!

I love the white and the bright red Mustang, especially the white one with its great Italian multi tone air horn! A subject for a later CHB article!

SHOW ME TO A HIGHER PLACE, TAKE ME TO OUTER SPACE!

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I briefly want to share something with you! The alien that I mentioned in the article ‘COACHWORK-LEGEND PININFARINA AND THE WEIRDEST FERRARI EVER! – PART 2’ the 20th of July, mailed me a great photo of his neighborhood with Audi’s latest lunar rover! It seems that Audi is entering the universe! I can already see it… my imagination of a bumpy moon/galaxy highway with universe cars or as it is called, lunar rovers from Audi and… who will be next? Or did I eat too much spacecake?

Nice guy though that alien and a good taste of music he has (the title is inspired by the track HIGHER PLACE – Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike ft. Ne-Yo – BASSJACKERS REMIX)! Hope to visit my alien friend soon to see this Audi in real life on the moon! : P  http://crankhandleblog.com

VERY PROUD!!!

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YES! CHB is has been visited by all of the worlds continents including 55 different countries! Thank y’all so much! FROM A PROUD CHB!

My biggest dream is to make CHB a great succes worldwide. This last thing already happened! I started this blog less than 2 moths ago thanks to an incredible story of my dad (LA CLINIQUE DES CHOCS AND THE RUSSIAN PRINCESS), as well as a result of my interest in classic cars since I was very young! I really hope that CHB is my future, it already is my addiction… You can support CHB by visiting daily and reading my blog as often as possible. Perhaps we will meet at one of the events listed above in the menu!

Peace!

Rosemarijn Atalantehttp://crankhandleblog.com

GRAB YOUR OLD SOCKS WITH CASH, THIS LAMBO CONCEPT ‘S’ IS GOING UNDER THE HAMMER! 

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Talking about one-off concept cars, this one-off Lamborghini Concept S – based on the Gallardo – is going to be auctioned! The Concept S is to be offered by RM Sotheby’s at its ‘Art Automobiles’ sale in Manhattan on the evening of 18 November. The unique Lambo is expected to fetch between 2.4 and 3 million US dollars. So, if you still have some millions in your old socks, take your chance because cars like this are rarely for sale! The private collector who has owned it must have been in a tidying-up mood, I suppose…  Perhaps you now wonder, what about the CHB concept? Well this isn’t a classic yet, but obviously this one-off is going to be a very important part of the Lamborghini history if it isn’t already! So a promising classic for the future and CHB likes that!http://crankhandleblog.comHowever, like the Ghia Gilda, this concept was again more of a styling exercise than a vehicle for series production, so only 2 models were ever made. You will now think, do I read two… Continue reading

PIC OF THE WEEK

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CHB is expanding with a ‘pic of the week’! ‘POTW’ is all about nice or special photographs, if you have a precious photo that needs to be seen, let me know! The best pics are the ones that look like they are alive or those that tell a story without words… Enjoy!

See more CHB pics by clicking this button! Instagram

I STAND CORRECTED

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Concerning the article about ‘the Butcher’s car’, I stand corrected. One of the CHB readers was so kind to point out to me the fact that the ‘Pearl’, as I’d like to call the 500K Spezial Roadster, isn’t truly a pearl. While restoring a 500K he surprisingly discovered that the dashboard is made of “faux mother-of-pearl”. The material of the ‘pearl’ dashboard is also used for drum kits and other musical instruments, he told me. This is quite disappointing to hearhttp://crankhandleblog.com, but it doesn’t make the 500K any less precious. If that was the case I would immediately try to buy one! My ‘pearl’ bubble has burst, but at least I learned a little secret of the 500K. That is what
CHB is all about, learning more about classic cars!

Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, it will be most appreciated because critique – positieve or negative – is what I need to improve my knowledge as well as CHB!

OTHER THAN THE LAGO MAGGIORE BUGATTI BRESCIA…

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We have all heard of barn finds, but now I have found 1400 ‘sea finds’ for you! This time no classic cars on my blog, I make an exception because this is CHB worthy! A number of yeas ago, a Bugatti Brescia was hauled from the bottom of the Lago Maggiore after 70 years of being a well-known diving-attraction. This sea find is quite different, because on board were no less than 1400 brand new cars!

About 40 miles off the Dutch coast lies the wreck of the car-transport-ship Baltic Ace, which sank two and a half years ago. The wreck is located in one of the busiest shipping routes in the North Sea and hinders a smooth and safe passage for the 16,000 ships that sail annually to the port of Rotterdam.

The Baltic Ace collided on December 5, 2012 with the containership Corvus J and sank immediately. 13 of the 24 crew members survived the accident.

Here are some impressive pictures of the sea finds. I think I’m going to apply for copyright for the word ‘sea find’! Click here for more sea find pics!

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THE DANISH TREASURE, SPEECHLESS!

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After Artcurial’s auction of the wrecks from the Baillon collection last February, Bonhams will sell end September the incredible collection of 48 cars from the Frederiksen collection. This time not a heavily neglected collection, but a ‘PERFECT’ one, with emphasis on perfect!
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Watching the video it seems that Henrik is not entirely sure about his decision… He literally said this when he saw his collection for the very first time lined up outside his wonderful property; “So maybe I should cancel it, to sell, because… Continue reading

THE BEAUTY OF SPOOKY BARN FINDS

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I just have to share this! I found this site with the most amazing barn find photo’s. I love the spookiness that the photo’s show off, although they are heavily neglected, I think this is art! 

Make sure to check it out on epaveart.ch Enjoy!

Here are two of my favorite pics, as you can see especially the Jaguar caught my attention, click here for more pics!

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540K SPECIAL ROADSTER WORKSHOP TOOLING FOR SALE!

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Related to the 500K Spezial Roadster article, I wanted to share this advertisement that I noticed on prewarcar.com. This American genius/master fabricator has built the most magnificent Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster replicas – not really what you call replicas – with his special workshop tooling. The tools are used to restore original Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadsters to exact specifications of the factory.

http://crankhandleblog.comNow all of that tooling is for sale! This is a chance of a lifetime for any Mercedes-Benz builder/restorer. As you can see in the photo, this is craftsmanship at a very high level! No wonder that some cars in the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart feature his work. His concours-winning work is the real deal! Time with the retiring fabricator included in the price of 40,000 USD.

For more details check the link below.

http://www.prewarcar.com/classifieds/ad180126.html

TWO ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER GHOST SHOOTING-BREAKS HAMMERED DOWN TODAY

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Just being a little hyperactive lately… Looks like blogging about these incredible cars is becoming addictive, and so I just couldn’t resist writing about these very cool vehicles after noticing two of them on the PreWarCar sales page. Both are gone by now because the auction was today…

The announced (hilarious) article of this weekend, with outrageous French high-class cars, will be published tomorrow. So you will have something to enjoy on Sunday too!

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These Silver Ghosts both have a shooting-break body, or as the French elegantly say ‘break de chasse’. This coachwork-style evolved over time and has more than one meaning. At first the term was used for horse-drawn carriages built for hunting. Later the term was also used for motorized vehicles. Early 19th century shooting parties used such vehicles, because they offered enough space for all their hunting gear. Later the term was also used by high-end coachbuilders for custom-built station wagons, which we now affectionately call woodies… Continue reading

ATTENTION! ROLLING BOUTEILLE DE RHUM…

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This 1938 Oak-bodied bottle car is what you call most remarkable! This Austin 7 is very suitable for a goofy alcoholic! Not sure if there comes rum out of the back of the of the bottle-car or if it is a little on-the-go wine cellar…

I was just joking, I meant to say that it is a mhttp://crankhandleblog.comost delightful car, love the oak body! If you think so too, I have some great news for you, because it is for sale! For a little under 14.000 EUR it is yours! For sure you will be making a splash with this little gem, warranty for that comes included with the car.

Find more details clicking the PreWarCar-link below

NEWS BREAK

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Have you noticed the all new CRANKHANDLEBLOG (CHB) logo already? The logo can be seen in 3 different ways. It represents the letters CHB, but it also looks like a shift pattern, as well as a cylinder with piston. Had you noticed that? I designed the logo by including the letters CHB, while giving it an automotive appearance at the same time.

For customized logo-designs please send a request to crankhandleblog.info@gmail.com