Star’s Cars For Sale - Bonhams & Butterfields, Oct 25, Los Angeles, USA
Steve Mcqueen is probably the one of the biggest names in the Classic Car scene, it is therefore no surprise that Bonhams & Butterfields are pushing his name in the run up to their Petersen Automotive Museum auction. None of his cars are in the auction but there will be a number of personal effects once belonging to his wife, Neile Adams.
The star car lots in the sixth running of this event belong to none other than Bruce Willis – including some great examples of American muscle. His 1968 Shelby GT-500 convertible, 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 convertible, and 1957 Chevrolet Corvette convertible will be on offer and head automotive artifacts owned by stars such as Clark Gable and Charles Bronson. Previous sales have been extremely popular and have attracted an international crowd, and prices promise to be high.
Tuesday 30 September 2008
Indy Car News
The IndyCar Series has claimed another NASCAR driver for 2009 when sometime Nationwide Series runner Stanton Barrett makes the jump to open-wheel racing with Team 3G.
Stock car journeyman Barrett will link up with occasional IndyCar entrant Greg Beck and sports marketing expert Steve Sudler to drive the familiar #98 Curb/Agajanian-backed Dallara-Honda next season. Barrett will make the switch to open-wheel racing after a 15-year career spent chasing NASCAR honours without success to capitalise on the renewed vigour of the unified IndyCar Series.
Stock car journeyman Barrett will link up with occasional IndyCar entrant Greg Beck and sports marketing expert Steve Sudler to drive the familiar #98 Curb/Agajanian-backed Dallara-Honda next season. Barrett will make the switch to open-wheel racing after a 15-year career spent chasing NASCAR honours without success to capitalise on the renewed vigour of the unified IndyCar Series.
Paul Newman
This week saw the passing of Hollywood legend Paul Newman. Paul Newman was introduced to motor racing in 1968 while filming a movie at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and from that brief encounter blossomed a 40-year passion for the sport that included not only co-ownership of one of the most powerful teams in US open-wheel racing, but also his own successful driving career.
The Academy Award-winning actor and world-renowned activist and humanitarian, died on Friday, aged 83, at his home in Connecticut, prompting a flood of tributes from all the worlds he inhabited.
The Academy Award-winning actor and world-renowned activist and humanitarian, died on Friday, aged 83, at his home in Connecticut, prompting a flood of tributes from all the worlds he inhabited.
Wednesday 24 September 2008
Jap Show Finale - UK
Sunday 5th October sees the Jap Show Finale held at Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire, England.
Few shows match up for sheer raw Jap Power and over the years records have tumbled at this highly rated show.
This year’s show will host the finals of the HKS Drag Series in the closest championship yet, with rivals John Bradshaw (Nissan Skyline) and Steve Whittaker (Toyota Supra) deadlocked on 530 points each. And with Steve Whittaker running in the 7’s, and John Bradshaw not far behind, its gonna be one hell of an end to the season.
As well as this there will be RWYB comps, massive car club displays, drifting, drag demos, stunts and track displays. The trade village will be there for anyone looking to pick up cheap car parts along with side shows and much more.
I'm hoping to be there!
Few shows match up for sheer raw Jap Power and over the years records have tumbled at this highly rated show.
This year’s show will host the finals of the HKS Drag Series in the closest championship yet, with rivals John Bradshaw (Nissan Skyline) and Steve Whittaker (Toyota Supra) deadlocked on 530 points each. And with Steve Whittaker running in the 7’s, and John Bradshaw not far behind, its gonna be one hell of an end to the season.
As well as this there will be RWYB comps, massive car club displays, drifting, drag demos, stunts and track displays. The trade village will be there for anyone looking to pick up cheap car parts along with side shows and much more.
I'm hoping to be there!
Tuesday 23 September 2008
Buying a Triumph Spitfire
I suppose the first point to take into consideration before buying a Triumph Spitfire is that you are buying a hobby and not a car! You have to realise that the technology used to design and build a Triumph Spitfire is old just like the cars themselves and they do not have the reliability of today's hi-tech cars built by robots. Triumph Spitfires do and will break down so be prepared for this eventuality.
Once you understand the above you can have peace of mind that almost everything that can go wrong with a Triumph Spitfire can be easily fixed - with the exception of some aspects of the body work! An otherwise decent car can turn into a costly mess or even a death trap. A shiny paint job can hide major rust, it is wise to take a magnet when looking to buy a Triumph Spitfire (preferably from a refrigerator door seal) and use this on key areas of the bodywork such as the nose, under the doors (sills) and behind the wheels. If you find the magnet does not stick to the bodywork there could be body filler under the paint. This does not mean the car is a total wreck, it maybe the odd repair but at least you have highlighted it and you can discuss with the seller.
If you go through with buying a Triumph Spitfire then it's a good idea to give your new hobby a complete going over. Everything on the car that can wear out needs replacing to ensure your car starts with a new lease of life. Start by replacing the fluids including oil, brake fluid, gearbox fluid and coolant. Next oil/grease hinges, u-joints and trunnions. Give it a complete tune up and replace plugs, ignition wires, distribution cap and points and follow this by checking the timing etc. Replace all hoses, belts and brake pads and you could even consider rebuilding the carb. There is obviously a cost involved if you do this yourself or if you have someone do this for you - remember though that the difference in performance of the car will be huge.
If the car has not moved for sometime then the brakes and clutch will most probably have problems. Whilst these repairs are quite simple and straight forward they must be fixed as yours and other road users safety is critical.
Once you understand the above you can have peace of mind that almost everything that can go wrong with a Triumph Spitfire can be easily fixed - with the exception of some aspects of the body work! An otherwise decent car can turn into a costly mess or even a death trap. A shiny paint job can hide major rust, it is wise to take a magnet when looking to buy a Triumph Spitfire (preferably from a refrigerator door seal) and use this on key areas of the bodywork such as the nose, under the doors (sills) and behind the wheels. If you find the magnet does not stick to the bodywork there could be body filler under the paint. This does not mean the car is a total wreck, it maybe the odd repair but at least you have highlighted it and you can discuss with the seller.
If you go through with buying a Triumph Spitfire then it's a good idea to give your new hobby a complete going over. Everything on the car that can wear out needs replacing to ensure your car starts with a new lease of life. Start by replacing the fluids including oil, brake fluid, gearbox fluid and coolant. Next oil/grease hinges, u-joints and trunnions. Give it a complete tune up and replace plugs, ignition wires, distribution cap and points and follow this by checking the timing etc. Replace all hoses, belts and brake pads and you could even consider rebuilding the carb. There is obviously a cost involved if you do this yourself or if you have someone do this for you - remember though that the difference in performance of the car will be huge.
If the car has not moved for sometime then the brakes and clutch will most probably have problems. Whilst these repairs are quite simple and straight forward they must be fixed as yours and other road users safety is critical.
Wednesday 10 September 2008
Welcome To My Auto Blog
Hello,
I'm new to the world of blogging but I hope to keep updates related to anything to do with the Auto World! I'm a complete petrol head and just love anything to do with cars, mainly Classic Cars but I keep an eye on new developments and motorsports. I love to see an old vehicle rescued from the scrapyard or the clutches of a crusher and returned to its original condition or a custom/modified version.
A couple of things have caught my attention this week, firstly the Formula One fiasco regarding the decision to impose a 25 second penalty and drop Lewis Hamilton to third place. I suppose there are opinions on both sides of the argument for this but I can't help feeling cynical that the powers that be have reeled Lewis Hamilton back in from building a lead in the Drivers Championship whilst again appearing to look favourable towards Ferrari.
Secondly the current Gloabl economic conditions are having a devastating impact on new car sales with slumps seen both in the US & UK. Is this a good time to be replacing you're car with a quality used car? If you are looking for a cheap used car then a good website to visit with great bargains is http://www.americanautobid.com/.
Thats it for now, I hope to keep this blog up to date over the coming weeks, months years!
Andy
I'm new to the world of blogging but I hope to keep updates related to anything to do with the Auto World! I'm a complete petrol head and just love anything to do with cars, mainly Classic Cars but I keep an eye on new developments and motorsports. I love to see an old vehicle rescued from the scrapyard or the clutches of a crusher and returned to its original condition or a custom/modified version.
A couple of things have caught my attention this week, firstly the Formula One fiasco regarding the decision to impose a 25 second penalty and drop Lewis Hamilton to third place. I suppose there are opinions on both sides of the argument for this but I can't help feeling cynical that the powers that be have reeled Lewis Hamilton back in from building a lead in the Drivers Championship whilst again appearing to look favourable towards Ferrari.
Secondly the current Gloabl economic conditions are having a devastating impact on new car sales with slumps seen both in the US & UK. Is this a good time to be replacing you're car with a quality used car? If you are looking for a cheap used car then a good website to visit with great bargains is http://www.americanautobid.com/.
Thats it for now, I hope to keep this blog up to date over the coming weeks, months years!
Andy
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