HOROLOGY / MB&F

HOROLOGY

MB&F Legacy Machine / thunderdome

The Legacy Machine Thunderdome is a collaboration between MB&F and two legendary watchmakers: Eric Coudray – a legendary innovator from the Vallée de Joux known for his unorthodox, jaw-dropping complications – and Kari Voutilainen, a famed perfectionist and acclaimed pillar of traditional craft based in Môtiers.

Together they created the world’s fastest triple-axis regulating mechanism with 3 axes revolving in record-breaking 8 seconds, 12 seconds and 20 seconds. It also features a unique combination of Potter escapement, hemispherical balance and helical hairspring.

Rising above a sea of blue guillochage is a rotating spherical mass of gears, pinions and cages. Somehow, from this chaos of motion, order is extracted. Time is indicated on an inclined dial of stretched lacquer, proving that even the wildest horological whirlwinds can be tamed into the logic of hours and minutes.

The reverse of the LM Thunderdome engine is equally rewarding. The manualwinding, triple-barrel movement may have been technically conceived by Eric Coudray, but its aesthetics are fully Kari Voutilainen. Smoothly rounded bridges, incorporating sharp hand-bevelled internal angles and mirrored curves suggest a deep, unyielding calm that anchors the turbulent maelstrom on the other side.

RINDT VEHICLE DESIGN

A quick and impromptu telephone call with Brian at Rindt and next thing I was suddenly in my car heading to Twyford near Reading, such is the direct nature of this Porsche aficionado. I knew just from the telephone call I was going to like Brian as we seemed quite similar. Perhaps easily summed up by us both having a direct and uncompromising approach to business…

Arriving 2 hours after leaving my home in the Cotswolds, I was totally entranced, like a kid in a sweetshop, as Brian showed me around from room to room, barn to barn. I had already heard of Rindt and the quality of their work, but hadn’t realised until I was there, exactly how much work they do, and all on site and all to such high standards.

This is just a taster for this issue - just a short explanation about the company and what they can offer, with much more in depth detail on specific cars and services in following b500 issues (including something very special and exclusive for b500 from Rindt, so keep watching).

Brian has a great philosophy for his business with a combined team experience spanning over 75 years of restoring classic Porsches, and takes great pride in every detail of every Porsche that leaves his premises with the Rindt badge. Everything is completed on site, and Rindt work with a global network of suppliers who are able to source even the most obscure part; and if all else fails they have the capability to manufacture it themselves!

Race preparation & support, full restoration, metalwork, engine building, paintwork, electrics and trimming - plus customer bespoke resto-mod builds and the development of their own air-cooled 4.0L supercharged engine, and always a good stock of early RHD Porsche for sale.

Photo: Simon Jessop