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!

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

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

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

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

COACHWORK-LEGEND PININFARINA AND THE WEIRDEST FERRARI EVER! – PART 2

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Now that we know more about Pininfarina, we can take a look at a contrarian ‘trapezium styled’ futuristic creation that resulted from the relationship between Pininfarina and Ferrari… the Ferrari 512S Modulo! This is a one-off concept car designed by Pininfarina’s designer Paolo Martin. The pearl light blue creation was unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, where it was definitely a highlight as the weirdest Ferrari ever!

http://crankhandleblog.comThe looks of the car are not like any other Ferrari, so why did they come up with an experimental
one-off prototype like this… Continue reading

COACHWORK-LEGEND PININFARINA AND THE WEIRDEST FERRARI EVER! – PART 1

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Most of the glorious coachbuilders we can remember have disappeared, but Pininfarina is of course still very much alive (sadly not literally, because big boss Battista Farina as well as his son Sergio aren’t there anymore)! We know Pininfarina for its magnificent classic designs and the Italian design house continues to come up with highly refined designs, like for instance the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé, also thanks to their expensive windtunnel and R&D that I briefly discussed in the intro.http://crankhandleblog.comCarrozzeria Pininfarina is an independent Italian car design house and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy. It was founded by Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina in 1930. A fun little fact about the name ‘Pinin’ is that… Continue reading

INTRO TO THE UP-COMING PININFARINA WEEKEND FEATURE!

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While doing my research for the weekend article about the legendary Pininfarina, I found this very nice retro photo of the Pininfarina windtunnel with a Lancia Beta Berlina! This windtunnel is still a very important part of today’s aerodynamic alluring designs for which Pininfarina has become so famous. The windtunnel has been an essential element since 1972 in Pininfarina’s research and development about aerodynamics and aeroacoustics.

Today the all new and improved Pininfarina test center is a major leap forward from the one built in 1http://crankhandleblog.com995, which at the time was the first one that was capable of testing full-scale cars by simulating the aerodynamic effects due to wheel rotation and ground-relative motion. Quite impressive right?         To make it even more impressive… Continue reading

POTW – PININFARINA’S FASHIONABLE X FISH : P

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Who doesn’t know the blue three-wheeled Reliant Robin of comedian Mr. Bean? This special three-wheel Pininfarina is even more fun! Oh snap … it is a four-wheel! Forget what I just said, the fourth wheel is a little bit hidden in an unsuspected place… under the boot! Anyway, this aerodynamic 1960s X Concept is a design of Pininfarina and without doubt 50 years ahead of its time.

This little fish – just another joke of mine again : ) – has an unusual arrangement of its four wheels. They are arranged in a kind of diamond shape. The tiny aerodynamic four-seater Pininfarina-X had a drag coefficient of just 0.23, indicating that the Italian design house Pininfarina was a long way ahead of the rest of the world in exploring the critical area of aerodynamics!

Now the best part… Continue readinghttp://crankhandleblog.comSee more CHB pics by clicking this button! Instagram

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

OUT OF THE WAY! THIS ROAD-GOING JET SPITS FIRE! – PART 2

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That opened the door to what came next. In the late 1940s, Ghia, one of Turin’s
oldest coachbuilders, had established a close working relationship with Chrysler in the US. That effort was led by Ghia design chief Mario Boano and commercial director Luigi Segre, but, not too long after the Conrero project entered the Ghia works, Boano had a serious row with Segre. Boano and his son, Gian Paolo, left Ghia to form their own carrozzeria, so Segre contacted Savonuzzi, and overnight Ghttp://crankhandleblog.comhia had a new design and technical director. They organized a small production run using the shape created for Conrero, calling it the Supersonic. First used with spectacular effect on nine Fiat 8Vs, a one-off Aston and Jaguar followed.

Ghia’s next project was the… Continue reading

OUT OF THE WAY! THIS ROAD-GOING JET SPITS FIRE! – PART 1

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Again an ‘aerticle’ related to this week’s theme of aerodynamics, this time a windtunnel tested rocket-like turbine engined concept car!

https://crankhandleblog.comIn 2009 I was lucky to visit the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Cernobbio on Lake Como in Italy. Although I was a bit disappointed that Ralph Lauren didn’t show up with his magnificent Bugatti Atlantic, this was more than made up when I saw this Ghia Gilda spitting fire. I was so thrilled by this car that It immediately made me forget my disappointment! I couldn’t find pics with the Ghia Gilda and the enormous amount of heat released by its exhaust, but you can see this rocket-like car spitting fire by… Continue reading

AERODYNAMICS ADD-ON, THE MIGHTY HISPANO-SUIZA BLOWER!

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This article is an add-on to ‘GO WITH THE AIR-FLOW, THE AERODYNAMICS OF A ZEPPELIN…’

Some time ago I fhttp://crankhandleblog.comound photo’s of the Hispano-Suiza windtunnel – the so-called ’Soufflerie’ – at Bois-Colombes, a suburb of Paris. This week is a good moment to publish an article about this subject as an add-on to the aerodynamics article of last weekend!

The mighty Hispano-Suiza blower building in Bois-Colombes was built in 1936-1937 to test aircraft engines. This French “Heritage of the twentieth century” is a unique witness to the time when the aviation industry was booming… Continue reading

POTW – OLD SCHOOL CAR-SHIPPING

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I found this Mercedes-Benz photograph while searching for 500K Special Roadster pics. This one I could not use for the article of ‘the butcher’s car’, but a very good one for this week’s pic! The Mercedes-Benz (I believe it is a 380K A-Carbiolet?) has such a nice background, that shows how cars were hauled onto a ship in the good old days.

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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!

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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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GO WITH THE AIR-FLOW, THE AERODYNAMICS OF A ZEPPELIN…

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Today I indulge in the history of the aerodynamics of cars and windtunnel testing. You may wonder what the Zeppelin has to do with this? I will explain…

The Hungarian engineer Paul Jaray was the man who presented numerous designs for streamlined car bodies. Initially he designed seaplanes, but later he focused on streamlining airships. The LZ-120 Bodensee was one of his airship designs.

http://crankhandleblog.comThe detailed series of experiments in the LZ’s windtunnel were also a start of something new, the use of aerodynamics in car design. Jaray studied the effects of wind direction and airflow over an airship at ground level. This way he also developed his theories about streamlining motorcars. With his streamlining theories Jaray founded in 1927 the Stromlinien Karosserie Gesellschaft. But of the many car manufacturers to whom he presented his designs for streamlined bodies Tatra was the only one which… Continue reading

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

MERCEDES-BENZ 500K SPEZIAL ROADSTER PEARL BURRIED FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS!

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My father told me a while ago a short story about a Mercedes-Benz that was found behind a butcher’s shop in the UK. It sounded like an interesting story, so I wanted to find out more details about this car and its story. That is why I am now publishing this story about what I like to call the ‘pearl’, because of its stunning pearl dashboard!

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The 500K Spezial Roadster from 1936 is known as one of the most prestigious cars that Mercedes-Benz has ever built. Less than 30 of these great cars were built. But the ‘Spezial Roadster’ which is the subject of this article was not always as liked as it is today, because this car was immured behind walls at a British butcher for 32 years! Unfortunately I have to tell you that this ghost story was just one big delusion… Continue reading

This photograph shows an unknown Spezial Roadster. Could this be ‘the butchers car’? This roadster also has right-hand steering. As far as known only ‘the butchers car’ and the Olympia Motor Show model had this…  Who can solve this mystery? Please let me know in the comments below!

CALL 9-1-1! A TALBOT-LAGO T150 C FIGONI-FALASCHI TEARDROP IS BEING SLAUGHTERED!

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We have all seen the sleeping beauties, barn-finds and perished cars, passing by, but this? You might wonder how it is possible that anyone destroys such stunning cars on purpose! A Talbot-Lago T150 C – or CSS – with Figoni-Falaschi teardrop coachwork, an exceptional Delahaye 135 M – or MS – with Saoutchik coachwork and a Bugatti – probably a type 44, that definitely didn’t survive. Many other special cars have been sacrificed like this at stockcar racing events. If only they had known what there were doing… Continue reading

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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