RAV

By Rosemarijn Atalante Veenenbos

POTW X5 – SOCIALIST RESTORATION PROJECT!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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
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HAVE YOU HAD YOUR CAR BLESSED YET?

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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

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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 

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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

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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!

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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!

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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

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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

THE COMPLETE MIURA FAMILY TOGETHER! – PART 3

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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

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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!

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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

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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!

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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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POTW X4 – MIURA PRODUCTION LINE TOUR!

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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 : (

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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

THE FIRST SUPERCAR IN HISTORY? TAKE A LOOK AT THIS P400 BULL!

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Finally the Miura! This is one of my fave supercars, streamlined refinement at its best. Some say that this was the first supercar in history, I think that the Miura deserves that title, so THE first supercar in history it is!

There is so much to tell about this car so let’s start with the name. Miura is derived from the ferocious Miura bulls, an Andalusian breed of fighting bulls. These bulls were known as the strongest of all as well as the most intelligent and fiercest. Many matadors did not succeed in getting out of the arena alive when fighting against this breed of bull, the unmistakable gaze of the Miura… Like the bulls, the supercar is… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

GRANDIOSE PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE 2015

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Miura has to wait another day, because today the results of the Pebble Beach Concours are revealed! So, sit back and enjoy!

The weather was fine, the people were great and of course the cars, or better say automobiles, were grandiose… as always! The judges have chosen their Best of Show, Best of Show Nominees, Most Elegant Awards Winners, Special Awards Winners and Class Winners.

Best of Show this year was again one of those great European marques from the past, Isotta Fraschini, with the grand 1924 Tipo 8A with coachwork by F. Ramseier & Cie of Worblaufen, Switzerland.

When this automobile was sold at the Artcurial auction at Retromobile in February 2014 and bought by parties which included Rob Myers, chairman and founder of RM, it was obvious that… Continue readinghttp://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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RABBI PIVERT AND THE GUM-POOL PARTY

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http://crankhandleblog.comMah Ha’Inyanim? Today we head back to the gangster-scene! This great Funès movie, titled Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob, is about Victor Pivert (like Woody the Woodpecker) who gets himself into some big trouble in the underworld… By the way Pivert a is great driver, safety at all times, as you can see… Continue reading

DOULIOU DOULIOU… LE MUSTANG!

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Today we will visit Saint-Tropez as we get into the mood of the Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez series! The series features many fine cars, like a 1948 Buick convertible, popular cars from the early 1960s like Triumph and especially two Mustangs, which are these days true icons to many of us! The 2CV has already been featured before, with the formidable nun! (Ah, mon fils!).

The series starts when gendarme Cruchot gets a promotion and moves with his daughter Nicole from his remote mountain village to the fashionable port of Saint-Tropez. The black 1948 Buick convertible is… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

POTW – THE CHESHIRE CAT APPEARING ON A CADDY THIS TIME!

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http://crankhandleblog.comTo get back to the amazing Maharajas, here is a POTW with a kind of ‘Cheshire Cat’ (re Alice in Wonderland) sitting on a 1930 7-passenger V8 Cadillac hood. Wondering if this is the Caddy of The Queen of Hearts… ; ) If so then better run for yr life! Like me this Cheshire Cat is just a crazy madhatter! So a very suitable POTW that represents the CHB concept; cars, jokes and fun with a touch of seriousness. Let me surprise you next time, who knows what I have in store then, of course after you became famous in de the Dutch WW2 movie… Missed that one? Make sure to check it out NOW!

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!

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!

LE CORNIAUD GANGSTER – UN CAPOLAVORO FRANCESE!

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http://crankhandleblog.comAnd … ACTION! Let’s get into some French humor with the incredible Louis de Funès movies! I’ve been watching all those movies and the Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez series since I was very young and I continue to just love it! And another good thing about these movies is that they used great cars, as well as funny ones, on the set. Not to forget the ultimate French actors Louis de Funès and especially Bourvil, who plays truly convincing as a naïve Corniaud, which… Continue reading

THE SPORT OF SHIKAR, AT YOUR SERVICE YOUR HIGHNESS!

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http://crankhandleblog.comIf you heave read the previous ‘Maharaja’ articles, you may have noticed the term shikar several times. Before Independence in 1947, the Indian Royalty had an exclusive privilege for hunting, known as the sport of shikar. As a vegan quite sad to write about those shikar expeditions where many of those beautiful and now very rare (Bengal) tigers were killed. Anyhow, some very fine shikar vehicles were involved with this ‘sport’! It was a way of sharpening the senses, keeping the reflexes up to date and being active. The Maharajas needed to be prepared for war at all times… Continue reading

PURDAH CARS, THE HISTORY OF TINTED CAR WINDOWS

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http://crankhandleblog.comTinted car windows are not a hype of the 21st century, they were already used since the 11th century for the purdah, which means the seclusion of women. Purdah found its way thru India by the conquest of the Islam. The Royal Muslim as well as Hindu Maharanis lived quite unseen. Outside of their zenana (secluded women’s apartments) they were moved around in different kinds of vehicles like palanquins and (animal dawn) carriages, that were shuttered with heavy curtains. And of course later also cars with blinded windows… that we still use today!

Traveling in purdah wasn’t very easy… Continue reading

POTW ‘CHALLENGE’ – AS IF HE JUST WALKED OUT OF A FAIRYTALE

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http://crankhandleblog.comI thought let’s do kind of a ladies issue this time and I have good news for you female CHB readers. If you have been dreaming of a prince on a white horse, then I just found him, on a cute little white pony! This little Indian prince with his pony is quite fairytale-like, don’t you agree? The question is who is this young prince? I defy you to tell me his name! Let me know in the comments below if you happen to know who he is.

Of course this blog is about cars, so let’s return to that subject. Although this POTW doesn’t feature a Maharaja car, this is how a young Maharaja got started… with just 1/2HP! Until they were capable of handling a 40HP. I did this myself as well, from 1HP to 135HP : )

I look forward to lots of answers!

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THE ART DECO LOVING DANDY MAHARAJA YESHWANTRAO HOLKAR II OF INDORE – PART 2

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http://crankhandleblog.comYeshwantrao had a deep understanding of the automobile. He knew exactly which car to buy, how the car’s lines should flow and how the body was to be fabricated. Unlike his dad he was a true patrol head who knew almost how to build a car by himself.

Every car that Yeshwantrao owned had the ‘Holkar Hallmark’ – an outstanding sense of design and proportion with individually designed interiors. Attention was paid to every single detail of the car and even the door handles were specially designed with Art Deco motifs. Correction, a true perfectionist patrol head!

His cars were all painted in sunglow and black and had black ebony dashboards with orange dials and white lettering. The cars were famed by… Continue reading

THE ART DECO LOVING DANDY MAHARAJA YESHWANTRAO HOLKAR II OF INDORE – PART 1

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http://crankhandleblog.comFirst some background! Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar III (1890-1978) ruled the Princely State of Indore (9,519 square miles with 19 gun salutes) from 1903 to 1926. He was already quite an unconventional Maharaja and one of the first in Central India who, around 1906, acquired an automobile! He always purchased (lots of) cars for a reason… for some kind of a utilitarian purpose. He was just more of a practical collector than a petrol head.

Now about that futuristic master dandy, which he really was… Continue reading

BIG SPENDER HIS HIGHNESS SIR JAI SINGH THE MAHARAJA OF ALWAR

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Colonel HH Raj Rishi Shri Sawai Maharaja Sir Jai Singhji Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur of Alwar, was quite a striking Maharaja with some really crazy stories (the one of the Rolls garbage vans is the most bizarre story I have ever heard)! If you have read the previous articles you already know something about this brilliant and eccentric Indian Prince.

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Jai Singh (1882-1937) succeeded his father in 1892 and ruled Alwar until 1933. He came on the throne of Alwar when he was quite young, only 10 years old! Initially he reigned the 3,213 square mile state of Alwar in Rajasthan under the control of a Regency, until he was able to carry the full ruling powers in 1903.

There were quite some rumors around Maharaja Jai Singh, some had a hint of truth, others were mere figments of the imagination… Continue reading

POTW – A TRUE HISPANO-SUIZA PALACE FIND!

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Alwar 2, the long wheelbase Hispano-Suiza eight-liter (H6C, chassis 11744), showing pure Indian Royal history. This pic of the ceremonial 1926 Hispano was taken around 1994 in the courtyard of one of the Alwar palaces. As you can see, by this time it was bereaved of its wheels and all its typical Alwar ornaments. Behind languishes Alwar 1, the extended Lanchester chassis, with its unusual landau coach (the Lanchester is also mentioned in yesterday’s article ‘THE INDIAN LANCHESTER CAR HYPE’).

Today Alwar 2 still exists in this stunning unrestored condition at the palace of Alwar! Some people will spend a fortune to patinate their car to get this kind of patina!

Click here for more pics of Alwar 2, taken earlier in its life (before 1981) when still more complete!http://crankhandleblog.comSee more CHB pics by clicking this button! Instagram

THE INDIAN LANCHESTER CAR HYPE

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The 40HP Lanchester was very populair amongst Indian Royalty, so let’s talk about those Lanchesters and of course Lanchester himself!

Frederick William Lanchester, or Fred as he was called, was the founder of the Lanchester marque. The incredibly gifted engineer and designer was holder of some 426 patents! His 1896 Lanchester Engine Co. was the first car that he built. He also wore the honor of building the very first… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.com

THE NICKEL AND SILVER PLATED STAR OF INDIA

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Sadly no great adventures to be found about this special Daimler, but the photos have enough to tell! WOW, what a car! I think the Maharaja of Rewa must have been quite a frivolous man that he needed a mirror this big!http://crankhandleblog.com

The Barker-bodied all-weather tourer weighed a whopping six tons with all its nickel and silver! The maharaja of Rewa used the car for shikar (hunting, especially tigers) expeditions. The very rare Daimler has (present time, because the car still exists, although not in India anymore) a custom nickel and silver plated body with cobra-shaped horns and a massive hood ornament. One of the… Continue reading

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD TOO MUCH MONEY IN THE BANK?

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This week we dive into a world full of decadence and madness with the new theme ‘Maharaja automobiles’! Get ready for some real crazy stories where money is immaterial! It is all about the Indian Princes, many of whom were Maharajas, but also other titles, about which you can read below.

http://crankhandleblog.comWith this introduction article I will attempt to briefly explain the culture of this ‘princely’ world. Until Independence in 1947 (when India was freed of British governance), two-fifths of the Indian sub-continent comprised over 565 Princely States, ruled by Maharajas, Rajas, Ranas, Jams, Nawabs, Mirs and one Nizam. This Nizam was once considered… Continue reading

WAS THE FIRST CONCEPT CAR EVER THE BROOKE SWAN CAR?

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This extraordinary ‘Swan Car’ – a 1910 Brooke 25/30 HP – is just all about madness! A bizarre peace of art with its very special and FUN gadgets! Possibly the first concept car in the world! The car was built by JW Brooke and company in Lowestoft, England. It was a combination of both car and boat, which was what the Brooke’s manufactured. By the way it must have cost more than three times a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost…! By now it’s just priceless!

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The special one-off vehicle was commissioned by the wealthy ‘mad hatter’ (Alice in Wonderland term) Robert Nicholl Matthewson from Scotland. The genius wasn’t bored when he placed the order for the swan car, but wanted to… Continue reading

HURRAY! I FOUND THE WHALE THAT SWOLLOWED PINOCCHIO’S DAD!

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These are the very rare cars that I have in store for you today! These German ‘Walfisch’ automobiles, i.e. whale cars, are extremely rare it seems, because there is not much information to find about them! They are called the Walfisch-BlitzBlank cars and there appear to have been two different models, each used for advertising purposes in and around Berlin.

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Walfisch-BlitzBlank was a company which produced (personal) hygiene products like toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo and cleaning products. Obviously… 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

POTW – HELP! ANIMALS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD!

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I showed you a car that is supposed to be a dolphin (GUESS WHAT THIS IS! NO… NOT A REAL FISH, NOR NEMO). It seems there are also animals which are good drivers, like the dog with goggles in this pic! I am not so sure if the woman sitting next to him will be so happy with this driver…! This funny dog looks very confident of himself, but she looks as if she is going to take revenge on the person who has put her in this car with such an unusual driver!

Who knows, if it is possible to learn dogs to guide blind people or to trace drugs, cash, ect., so why wouldn’t it be possible to learn them to drive a car?! : )

The BONUS is on its way for this evening!  And for tomorrow, I have a very rare car for you in store so stay tuned! http://crankhandleblog.comSee more CHB pics by clicking this button! Instagram

AH, MON FILS! THE BIGGEST RACING LEGEND EVER IS A NUN IN AN UGLY DUCKLING

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It is unlikely that you will ever see a 2CV win ‘Best of Show’ at Pebble Beach, but the ugly duckling is for sure a French motoring icon! My parents love this car, especially the 2CV-van is something that brings a lot of good memories to them. Sadly I don’t know any of that because I wasn’t on this planet at that time. The ugly duckling, as it is typically called in Holland, doesn’t have the image of a very appealing car as emphasized by the word… ‘ugly’, but that might just be its power!

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People, like my parents for instance, that know this car and have driven it know that this is a very special car and something that no other car can match. My dad can easily enumerate some advantages that the 2CV has… So, go ahead dad, tell us!

Well, here goes… Continue reading

GUESS WHAT THIS IS! NO… NOT A REAL FISH, NOR NEMO

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With this article I open this week’s theme ‘Animals’. The car in the picture is a splendid creation of a fish-car. I learned that it actually is supposed to be a dolphin! So, what about this odd and extraordinary Fiat 509A Delfino? My dad saw it once at the Retromobile exhibition in Paris and thanks to my ‘PININFARINA’S FASHIONABLE X FISH’ article (published July 16th), I found the car. The perfect candidate for CHB’s ‘Animals’ theme (and still a bit in the spirit of the one-off cars)!

http://crankhandleblog.comThe Fiat 509A was a very common car in 1925, but if you build a dolphin-like body on its chassis, you get an exceptional car, the Delfino!

The Fiat 509A Delfino was constructed in 1925 by the Martelleria Italiana Riva Panzeri of Milano for a special competition of crafts. After the competition the car was purchased by Giuseppe Bonaldi, the ‘Podestà’ (mayor) of Bergamo. Apparently Bonaldi kept his unique car for only a very brief period… Continue reading