b500 magazine
4 Driven by the Art of Cars
Etienne SalomĂŠ
Bugatti Designer / Yacht Designer / Artist
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b500 magazine
CONTENTS
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8 12 16 20 22 26 32 38 40 44 46 50 52 54 56 59
EUGENIO AMOS / Automobili Amos FOR SALE / Bugatti Atalante MAGNUS WALKER / Man with a beard STEFAN JOHANSSON / Racing Driver OWNER / Porsche 928 BART KUYKENS / Photographer FRONT COVER / Etienne Salomé PHILLIP TOLEDANO / Mister Enthusiast ROAD TRIP / Porsche 964 Outlaw DAMON JONES / Canepa Motorsports ART / Fabian Oefner ON THE ROAD / APS Brackley RICHARD GONÇALVES / ROCS Motorsports OWNER / Lamborghini Huracan Performante DESIGN / Amalgam Collection LAST WORD / Steve Loughton
b500 Magazine Editor & Publisher: Del Gregory Artwork Production by Graphic Bubble Contact: editor@b500magazine.com Tel: + 44 (0) 7704 503315 The right of Del Gregory to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright, designs and patents act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The articles as published do not necessarily represent the views of the author or publisher. Copyright: Del Gregory 2020 b500 Magazine / Partners - Del Gregory & Steve Loughton
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b500 magazine
EDITOR Del Gregory
Photographer for over 40 years, designer, artist, and publisher of several books and magazines around the world. Del once spent a year in the Seychelles gathering images for a book and 8 years in British Columbia, “I liked it so much I just forgot to go home”. When he’s not travelling, he considers himself ‘retired’ and therefore spends his time in the Cotswolds as Founder / Editor of b500 magazine. (Not retired then)...
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’ve always been a fan of the 928, so after a chat with Dan Curwin, we organised for me to photograph his S2 at the Classic Motor Hub for the ‘Owner’ pages in this issue. This was my first shoot for a while so it was good to get back out there and fire-up the Leica. Fabian Oefner makes a welcome return from last issue as I wanted to show his ‘disintegrating Lamborghini Miura’, complete with a short exploding video! By coincidence to Fabian being invited into this issue, a chance meeting with the new custodian of a similar stunning 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV, as very recently acquired through Silverstone Auctions, led me to being offered to photograph this very beautiful car. Time sadly did not permit, so I have used the excellent images from Silverstone Auctions, and whom you will notice have also now joined b500 from this issue… I’ve once again been speaking with Etienne Salomé and urge you to read his ‘Front cover’ pages, where he recounts some amazing stories! I have also invited Etienne to have his own page in b500, and we have some exciting plans between us for the issues ahead. It’s Etienne of course on this front cover and I thank him for his time in working with me personally to design and produce this special front cover, and doesn’t he look dapper with his Bugatti in front of the Molsheim headquarters.
Once you get into this issue, you will I’m sure notice I’ve been busy inviting a few friends to take up a regular page in the mag. Everyone I approached graciously accepted my invitation to have their own page and what a stellar line up we now have. Steve said it’s the dream team and he’s right. Each one unique in their own right and therefore able to bring something different to the b500 party. Thank you all and I’m sure I speak for all readers when I say we are looking forward to your regular pages. b500 is for everyone and please remember we’re FREE and online. There’s no complicated download, no subscription, no sign-up or E Mail required. Just click the link in our Instagram bio and away you go. Better still, download the link and view it on a laptop or desktop. Remember to look out for the videos in this issue. There are quite a few and all are short clips and well worth watching. My sincere thanks to our advertisers in this issue, without you we couldn’t produce b500 at all, and I will always try and go the extra mile to promote your businesses and offer added value wherever we can. Thank you. See you next issue. Del Gregory - Founder / Editor.
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Photo: Pietro Martelletti
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b500 magazine
EUGENIO AMOS Automobili Amos
Racing Driver, Entrepreneur and Founder of Automobili Amos, a custom design and build studio for his ‘Futurista’ series. Eugenio also has a collection of both rare and carefully sourced cars, ranging from a Ferrari F40 to a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and most of which are painted in his favourite colour of racing green.
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am pleased to be involved with b500 magazine and look forward to keeping you all informed about the Futurista project as we progress through each customer build… For readers who do not know my background, I was born into a family heavily involved in the Italian car industry and grew up to become a racing driver and subsequently a collector of cars. Today I live with my wife and family in a quiet town at the foot of the Alps - perfect roads surround us for driving my cars. I drive my cars regularly. I do not want to keep a collection for the sake of just beauty, but to drive them with the passion they were intended. I built my own house and now have a purpose built garage where my cars and all car related memorabilia is kept. I source my cars
carefully and many of you reading will have seen my green F40 and maybe my Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR as just two of my more visible examples. Some cars will eventually be moved on to another custodian, except maybe the GTR, which is a long term ‘keeper’. I started my company Automobilia Amos in 2017 with the plans to build a series of Automobili Amos Futurista. The result since showcasing the car at the first edition of the Grand Basel car show has been quite incredible for us. Our Futurista series is now sold out, and we already have plans for a second series. Each newly built car has over 1,000 replaced components from its original version, and now includes a 330-horsepower engine, an aluminium wide body with carbon fibre bumpers, bonnet, boot lid and rear spoiler. Welcome to my ‘Futurista’ and to my page in b500 magazine…
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01280 840491 | sales@autops.co.uk 01280 840491 | sales@autops.co.uk
Units 3, 5 & 8, Barrington Court, Buckingham Road Industrial Estate, Brackley, NN13 7LE SME Northamptonshire Business Awards Finalist Units 3, 5 & 8, Barrington Court, Buckingham Road Industrial Estate, Brackley, NN13 7LE SME Northamptonshire Business Awards Finalist
01280 840491 | sales@autops.co.uk Units 3, 5 & 8, Barrington Court, Buckingham Road Industrial Estate, Brackley, NN13 7LE SME Northamptonshire Business Awards Finalist
FOR SALE 1938 Bugatti Type 37 Atalante Coupé by Gangloff
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ne-off Bugatti Type 57 Atalante coachwork by Gangloff. Well documented history back to new. ‘Second in Class’ at Pebble Beach. ‘Best in Class’ at Amelia Island.
to attract the connoisseur or those who know how to handle the thoroughbred. It is a car in a class by itself.”
The Bugatti Type 57 was considered by many to be the pinnacle of Bugatti’s touring models. Sir Malcolm Campbell himself said:
The Type 57 was the first car built under the direction of Jean Bugatti, who had taken more of a leading role after his father, Ettore, was spending more time in Paris on his Railcar project. Jean’s influence can be seen most in the body designs offered from the factory catalogue, the Ventoux bearing close resemblance to Jean’s own ‘Profilée’ designs seen on the Type 46.
“If I was asked to give my opinion as to the best all-round super-sports car which is available on the market today, I should, without any hesitation whatever, say it was the 3.3 Bugatti… it cannot fail
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Strong praise from a man who not only held the Land Speed Record at the time but who was a respected racing driver, motoring journalist and car connoisseur.
Original factory drawings for the new Type 57 are dated 1932, yet it wasn’t until 1934 that the car was revealed and made available. This is put down to 1933 being a year in which Bugatti were focusing on the development of their new Type 59 Grand Prix car, the engine of which was allied to the Type 57. Jean Bugatti was also instrumental in the engine design of the new Type 57. The block was one piece with 2 valves in each hemispherical head, the inverted cups made way for more traditional rockers which allowed for better valve clearance adjustment. The crankcase was bolted right to the frame and housed a crankshaft on six bearings, five being principal. The camshafts and accessories
such as dynamo, water pump and oil pump were all driven off a gear train mounted at the back of the engine. The result was a 3.3 litre Straight-8 producing a comfortable 140bhp, extremely impressive when one considers that the equivalent Bentley was producing a ‘paltry’ 115bhp. The gearbox was another innovation as it was an integral unit with ball change and constant mesh helical gears which allowed for silent running and, after 1933, synchromesh to boot. The biggest selling point over and above the fabulous mechanical design were the stunning bodies drawn up by Jean and the in-house carpenter-wheelwright, Joseph Walter, that were offered in the factory catalogue. These included the Ventoux, a 2 door, 4 seater design, the Galibier 4-door sedan and the evocative Atalante 2-seat coupé. These were joined later by the Aravis Coupé and the Stelvio, an open version built by the renowned and conveniently local coachbuilder, Gangloff. The Type 57 enjoyed a fleeting moment in competition when two lightweight, two-seater examples, were entered in the 1935 Ulster Tourist Trophy driven by Lord Howe and the Hon. Brian Lewis,
the latter of whom set the fastest lap but sadly didn’t finish with Lord Howe taking third. After this, competition efforts were focused on the forthcoming Type 57S. In 1936, the Type 57 was updated, albeit gradually with improvements such as a brand new, reinforced rear axle, cross bracing to stiffen the entire frame, mounting the engine on rubber ‘Silentbloc’ bushes to reduce vibration and in late 1938, the introduction of Lockheed hydraulic brakes. The latter of this overcame a worrying trait of the brakes to grab when applied suddenly, an issue that had seen many a Type 57 returned to the works for adjustment and modification. The Type 57 was a bittersweet triumph for Bugatti. The cars sold well and were much loved by their owners. The Type 57S and SC were exemplary, the latter of which spawned the enigmatic Atlantic, now considered the holy grail of the collectors’ car world. From these was spawned the infamous Type 57G or ‘Tank’ as it became known. Hugely powerful but hard to handle, the Type 57G took outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1937 driven by Wimille and in 1939 driven by Jean
Bugatti. Sadly, just a few weeks after winning the biggest race in a car bearing his own name, Jean was killed in the same car while testing for the Le Baule Grand Prix. Many consider his loss, as the heir apparent and a clear driving force to take Bugatti forward, as the beginning of the end for the company and Ettore Bugatti never really recovered from it. We can only be thankful that before he was taken, he put his hand to this greatest of Bugatti road cars. THIS PARTICULAR MOTOR CAR The Bugatti Type 57 for sale at The Classic Motor Hub is one of the beautiful Atalante 2 seat Coupés. As a late car it has the stronger rear axle, the cross braced chassis and rubber engine mounts. It is also fitted with the Lockheed hydraulic brakes. An extract on file from the original order book shows chassis #57633 being ordered in February 1938 by wealthy industrialist Fernand Crouzet of BastideRouairoux outside Toulouse. Already the owner of a Bugatti Type 57 (#57403) with Cabriolet coachwork by Gangloff, Monsieur Crouzet once again approached Gangloff and asked them to create a oneoff Atalante. Unique features included
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long rear wings, a metal covered spare wheel mount in the boot lid, a single large rear window, special bumpers and disc wheels. The car was painted Black over Blue and original photos of the car outside the Gangloff works clearly show the twotone paint scheme and unique features. Monsieur Crouzet would go on to own a third Type 57 (#57818), another Atalante but supercharged. It is understood that he had one car for himself and the other two for his two sons. Soon after purchasing his third Bugatti war broke out and #57633 was hidden away. Sadly, both his sons were killed during the war and on the death of his second son, Crouzet sold the car to Pierre Vidal of Toulouse. In 1943, the car was sold once more and moved to Paris where it survived the war unscathed. After the cessation of hostilities, #57633 was taken to the Bugatti agent on Rue Carnot and refurbished before being put in to use with the Corps Diplomatic as transport for the French Embassy in London. In 1948, the Bugatti was in private hands and ended up in the ownership of a J.G.H Carter,
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who took the car to Bugatti specialist J. Lemon Burton to upgrade the car to a unique dual carburettor specification using Zenith carbs and a Type 101 manifold. In 1955, #57633 became the property of Kenneth Ullyett a wellrespected author and marque historian. He used the car regularly and kept it until his death in 1977. His widow, not able to part with her husband’s beloved Bugatti, kept the car in ‘less than ideal storage’ until her death 10 years later, at which point it was consigned to a Sotheby’s auction in November 1987 as a barn find/ restoration project. Having bought the car for £72,000 the new owner had the car sent to Hill and Vaughn for restoration, at some point during which it was sold to a Japanese collector prior to completion. In 2003, #57633 was bought as an unfinished restoration by US property magnate and car collector, Peter Ministrelli. In a questionable colour combination of Yellow over Purple after its late 80’s restoration, Mr. Ministrelli showed it a couple of times before embarking on a body off, two year,
100 point restoration. No stone was left unturned to return this magnificent motor car to its original specification. Rare parts such as the Bosch Distributor, Scintilla ignition switch and a set of original Gurtner horns were sourced via collectors and specialists from all over the world including the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, New Zealand and couple of trips to Retromobile in Paris. A fellow collector and owner of another Type 57 Atalante even lent his car and parts for the restorers at Classic & Exotic to custom make new, factory correct pieces for the project. Invoices and other information on hand go into exhaustive details as to the lengths that the restorer went to in order to get this just right. When it came to painting the car, the first intention was to go back to the original Black over Blue but as the sister car ordered new by Monsieur Crouzet still existed and was in the USA in the same colours, the decision was made to go slightly different. While the Black over Purple scheme may not be to original specification, it certainly complements
the beautiful lines of this stunning car. Concours judges obviously didn’t seem too put off by this move away from originality as the car was immediately put on the biggest concours stage in the world, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2005. It was awarded Second in Class, an incredible achievement and made all the more impressive when one considers it came second to a Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupé by Figoni et Falaschi; is there a more worthy opponent to come second to! Next came Amelia Island in 2006 where the car won Best in Class and in the same year it was the outright winner with a score of 99.5 points at the Michigan Region Grand Classic. An extremely active and generous philanthropist, when Peter Ministrelli decided to sell his Bugatti, he consigned it, along with his Duesenberg Brunn Riviera Phaeton to the Gooding Auction at Pebble Beach in 2006 with all proceeds from both cars going to Beaumont Hospital. It was at this auction that #57633 was bought by renowned Bugatti collector, David Wooley and returned to the United Kingdom. A year later, the opportunity to buy a fabulous Type 51 came up and David decided to sell #57633 to the current owner, a wellrespected collector of vintage cars. As part of the arrangement the car was taken to Gentry Restorations and thoroughly checked over and recommissioned where necessary to make sure the mechanical aspects were in as good an order as the cosmetics, which today, are still second to none and concours ready. This incredible Bugatti Type 57 Atalante for sale at The Classic Motor Hub offers an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire one of the most beautiful motor cars, bodied by the coachbuilders Bugatti used themselves, in the most fabulous condition with an extremely well known provenance and history. #57633 is worthy of the worlds’ top collections and is now available for immediate inspection in The Hangar Showroom at The Classic Motor Hub. Words & Photographs: The Classic Motor Hub
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b500 magazine
MAGNUS WALKER Man with a beard
Man with a Beard Builder, Collector, Driver Born in Sheffield -1967 Wrote a letter to Porsche as a 10 year old wanting to be a car Designer Lives in Los Angeles since 1987 Car Enthusiast
Random Thoughts
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suppose I’ve become known as a Porsche guy. But it didn’t start out that way. The very first car I bought was back in 1987. I paid $200 for a 1977 Toyota Corolla 2TC. I drove it around for a few months without a drivers’ license and eventually passed my California drivers test in this car at age 21 in 1988. I loved that little thing. It represented my first taste of freedom. No longer would I have to wait for a ride home at night or for someone to pick me up in the morning. I was free to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and that to me was worth way more than the $200 I paid for it. A few years later, I bought my second car: A 1988 Saab 900 SPG Turbo. This car was quirky. But for some reason it resonated with what I was into at that time. The third car I ever bought was
the most important one at that time. It was a 1974 Porsche 911 Slant nose conversion that I paid $7,500 for at the Pomona Swap Meet. This bright red Porsche represented a dream come true and a sense of personal achievement. I had achieved a goal that I never thought possible. A mere 15 years earlier as a 10 year old I had the poster on the wall and wrote a letter to Porsche – believe it or not, they even wrote me back. Fast-forward 23 years and countless Porsche later, I’m now on a slightly different quest. For some reason I got it in my mind that I needed a Ferrari 308 GT4. Perhaps the little Bertone fourseater could be one of Ferrari’s leastloved and desired marques. But for some reason that didn’t stop me going to see one advertised for sale a mere five miles from where I live in east Los Angeles. I was excited to see the silver car when I walked into the cool brick warehouse but for some strange reason what really caught my eye was a rusty ‘patina’d’ 2+2 V12 E-Type Jaguar. As a former 1967 Series 1 FHC E-Type Jag owner, I was very familiar with the model but hadn’t actually thought until this precise moment about how cool a patina’d, beatup, distressed, hot-rod Jag would be. The idea of taking the unloved 2+2 model and making it into an outlaw hot-rod
was something that was very appealing to me and started a rapid slide down the slippery slope of online E-Type Jaguar hunting. A “wanted” post on my Instagram account led to lots of response, enthusiastic support, and several deadend leads. At this exact moment, I received a text from an acquaintance named Fraser who 18 months earlier had sold me a 1979 928 Porsche. This time his text was asking me whether I knew anyone who would be interested in his 1975 AMC Hornet and provided a photo that piqued my interest enough to request a few more images. Within five minutes of receiving the photos, I was on my way to Santa Monica to look at the car. It wasn’t quite love at first sight— but the faded original orange paint, original bill of sale and ID card, and pure ‘70s nostalgia and character were all it took for me to work a deal and buy the car within an hour of that first text. The sweet little AMC Hornet was not a car on my wish list, and maybe I bought it to scratch an itch whilst I sought an E-Type, but the first time I drove it around my beloved downtown LA, I was starting to fall in love with American cars all over again. Only time will tell what memorable moments will be made with this car.
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MOSS AUTOMOTIVE Storage / Detailing / Transport / Finance
M
oss Automotive was established to create the perfect discreet and secure environment to store cars within 30 minutes of Central London. The founder of the business, a keen car collector, had demanding criteria for his storage needs and decided to create a state of the art facility, at where he deemed to be the ideal location. Situated 2 minutes from an M25 junction, 30 minutes from central London 10 minutes from Elstree Aerodrome and 30 minutes from Heathrow. The building is ideally positioned to provide clients with access to their cars with minimal traffic and logistical challenges. The Perfect Environment. Following meticulous planning and a very significant
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investment, the building itself presents the perfect car storage environment with 55% relative humidity, a constant 15°C temperature maintained, air filtration to remove dust and other contaminants from the air with a capacity for 300 cars. Moss Automotive also provide a range of complementary services in addition to their London car storage offering. You can have your car looked after by their in-house detailer, who operates from the brand new bespoke detailing building. Moss can also provide valeting, paint correction, ceramic paint protection coatings or paint protection film and mobile services, on request. They will clean all incoming cars before arrival into their storage building and can help to maintain and enhance the condition of customer cars.
BSM Car Transport are their chosen in-house partners for all transportation requirements and can provide covered transport to and from the Moss storage building to any location within mainland Europe. Additionally, they can co-ordinate transportation to and from major ports and airports for cars arriving or departing from further afield and provide a transport solution tailored to a client’s needs. They have the experience and range of vehicles at their disposal to accommodate any logistical challenge, from transporting Race Cars with minimal ground clearance, moving large vehicles, to simply delivering a car to and from its annual service location. The BSM fleet comprises a modern and diverse range of transporters. Join us in each issue of b500 where we will be writing in detail about each aspect of the Moss Automotive Group.
O FFI C I A L C U STO M S WA R E H O U S E FO R CO L L E C TO R CA R S Whatever your plans are, let us take care of your car at the ultimate, bespoke storage facility, on the Hertfordshire, London border. Storage, Detailing, Transportation, Leasing and Finance. T 020 3973 1520 | E info@mossauto.co.uk | W mossauto.co.uk
credit. @enblomma
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b500 magazine
STEFAN JOHANSSON Racing Driver / Artist / Watch Designer
Stefan Johansson is a Swedish racing driver who had a 10 year career in Formula 1 for both Ferrari and McLaren, among other teams. Since leaving Formula One he has won the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and raced in a number of other categories. He lives in Santa Monica, where he is nowadays an accomplished artist, designer entrepreneur and independent thinker.
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o many pies, not enough fingers.
Welcome to my page here on b500 Magazine. I am excited and honored to be part of the group of impressive Individuals that Del has asked to contribute to this great publication. Some of you may remember me from my career in Motor Racing. As such, I will try to share some of my experiences from the past 40 years of racing at the top level in different categories of the sport, and at the same time comment on the current affairs of Formula 1 and other automotive related topics. In addition to my more public life as a racing driver
I have always had a deep passion for anything creative, designing my own line of watches and as an artist working in different mediums over the past 35 years. I am looking forward to sharing some of these different aspects of my life and some of the thoughts entering my head in a way that I hope will stimulate readers both from a visual and intellectual point of view. As Oscar Wilde wrote in his preface to The Picture of Dorian Grey, “Those who go beneath the surface do so at their own peril”. See you again soon! Stefan
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OWNER Porsche 928 / Dan Curwin
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oming out of lockdown was a relief for all of us classic car owners because it gave us the chance to do what we love again! There’s only so much car tinkering and cleaning and polishing (so dull) one can do. During lockdown I was invited to Porkers in the Peaks by Pigs Will Fly who I only know through Instagram but I thought “bugger it” their content is
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Photo: Paul Davy @goodvolks_magazine
always funny so its gotta be okay and I have never driven those roads and passes in my 928. So with July arriving there was a lot of excitement for this weekend and it didn’t disappoint. There were lots of classic and more modern Porsches, mainly 911s and a few others like a 914, supercharged 924, BMW 2002 and my 928. My car has recently had a big service and is running great and it rose to the challenge perfectly, the roads and company were amazing, the car was great and didn’t miss a beat whilst handling the curves perfectly.
The 928 is very happy on B roads, contrary to popular belief, as long as you have the right set up, a manual gear box and sports suspension helps this and a LSD. A lot of the cars were over 35 years old and its amazing how well they all did. We covered about 170 miles on the Saturday alone and a lot of high octane fuel. With all the excitement of the weekend in the Peaks over, my car covered in flies and mud has been making a few strange squeaks and noises, but I would as well
Photo: Del @b500magazine
after all that exercise! The A/C decided to stop working having been ICE cold, so off I went to Richard Armstrong of Ritech Systems who is the 928 A/C expert in the UK and quickly he realised the Freestat had given up the ghost, luckily he had a spare sitting on the shelf and within an hour it was blowing cold again which given the crazy heatwave recently has been a god send. 928s as most owners know were designed to have AC as the engine sits very far back in the front to give it better weight distribution but the drawback is engine heat! Whilst at Ritech Systems Richard showed me his 928 Series 1 race car which def needs to get back out on track.
Photo: Dan Curwin @928porsche
With AC sorted I headed up to The Classic Motor Hub to meet Del & Steve from b500 magazine for a photo shoot. It was one of the hottest days on record and the car was great and performed like clockwork‌again beautiful roads and amazing cars up there. Coming up are Boxengasse / Simply Porsche / Sunday Scramble and Rennsport Collective at Stowe School (which will be poignant for me as its my old school). The 928 will hopefully keep generating smiles for me over the coming months. Words: Dan Curwin.
Photo: Del @b500magazine
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AUCTION NEWS Silverstone Auctions
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f you cast your mind back to March, you will recall the Prime Minister declaring that we were going into lockdown as a result of Covid-19. Life as we knew it changed and here, we take a look at how one business transitioned from operating at events, to successfully riding the storm online. You will be used to seeing classic and competition car specialists, Silverstone
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Auctions, at many of the UK’s automotive events including the Silverstone Classic, Race Retro, and the NEC Classic Motor Show. Since the global pandemic hit and events have been unable to go ahead, the UK-based auction house has had two outstanding auctions in a ‘live online’ format.
days on the last weekend of July. Whilst both were hugely successful, the latter was the company’s highest grossing auction ever (£15.8 million) and saw a 77% sales rate. They also believe it to have been the largest auction in Europe to take place behind closed doors this year.
The first took place in May (89% sold) and more recently, their flagship auction which should have been at Silverstone Circuit, took place over two
If those stats are not enough, the Silverstone Auctions team also sold their highest value car to date, a righthand drive 1972 Lamborghini Miura
SV, which sold for £1,912,500. Some of the other highlights include a glorious 1965 Citroen DS19M Decapotable (Coachwork by Henri Chapman) which sold for £148,500 and a 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B-STI which sold for £130,500. This small snippet highlights the diverse yet exceptional cars which Silverstone Auctions are consigning and then selling, satisfying both their sellers and buyers. So what exactly is a live online auction? The main difference is that buyers cannot bid in the room, they can however bid on the phone, online or via a pre-bid. Silverstone Auctions have also been offering viewings by appointment for a much longer time frame in the run up to the auction, where the team can spend time with potential buyers. The next auction is due to take place at the NEC Classic Motor Show (13 – 15 November) with entries now invited. If the event does not go ahead, they will be able to host the sale as a live online auction. www.silverstoneauctions.com 01926 691141
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Norbert Singer by Bart Kuykens
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b500 magazine
BART KUYKENS Photographer
Belgium-born Bart Kuykens successfully navigated both the art world and commercial photography since the outset of his career. Following the global success of his automotive art books ‘A Flat6 love affair’, he has attracted the attention of world-class actors, musicians, and media personalities who have become subjects of his grainy, visually-rich and powerful black and white portraits.
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’m pleased to be included into b500 magazine with my own regular page. Del (Editor) first contacted me about my book series. ‘A Flat6 Love Affair’, but after a great conversation between us we both agreed that my new page should perhaps be about all of my work, as my book series is only in fact a small part of what I do as a regular photographer. For those of you finding me for the first time, I am a Belgium-born analogue photographer working with Hasselblad and Leica film cameras. My style has been noted as, ‘edgy, dark and sometimes a little dirty but always playful with a not so serious touch’. More recently my work has been fashion and portrait assignments, often in London, Paris or LA My Porsche book series has been very successful and allowed me more freedom to create new projects and work, but of course we are all in a different place for the last six months. During this time I have worked more online and with my galleries, where I have sold some of my prints. It’s been a very reflective time for many of us who are used to travelling much of our time.
So I’ve spent more time with my family, read some books and I guess planned ahead for when things started to get back to normal, which more recently has meant a couple of trips to London and Paris for some shoots, but of course it’s still difficult as there are still very few events taking place, so I’m just waiting like everyone to go back to normal work with exhibitions and galleries opening up again so we can try to sell some works. Life after the virus pandemic will be different but I suspect will return to normal, but maybe what people are describing to be a ‘new normal’, whatever that is. Who knows. I’m excited to get back out there and to travel to the States, see my friends again and work. The image opposite is of Norbert Singer, who for most of you reading will need no introduction. I shot this image on my Leica in the Porsche facility in Stuttgart. It was a fun day, and Norbert has great stories about all the old cars, the racing drivers and races. Until next issue, I’m Bart Kuykens and you can follow me on Instagram @bartkuykens
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EVENTS London Concours 2020
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was delighted to receive an invitation to attend the London Concours to cover the event for this issue of b500 magazine. As you can see from my associated images which I took on the second of the two days, on Thursday 20th August, there were some simply incredible cars on display. Set within the intimate gardens of the Honourable Artillery Company, the London Concours presented by Montres
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Breguet, is a luxurious automotive garden party hosted right in the heart of the City of London.
featuring luxury brands and artisan goods, and various options of food and drink to match.
This exciting automobile extravaganza had 80 of the world’s most precious cars all gathered in the gardens of the historic and beautiful Honourable Artillery Company Headquarters and included special collections arranged into individually curated displays.
It’s difficult but certainly not impossible to highlight a small selection of the cars on display, and worthy of a mention include the row of Lancia rally legends on display. It was also a pleasure to spend some time with Moss Automotive (see elsewhere this issue), and discuss plans for our editorial issues ahead.
The two days included entertainment on the lawns, a selection of retail chalets
All photos: Del Gregory @b500magazine
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2003 Porsche Carrera GT ÂŁ499,000 Available Now
Contact: Call: + 44 (0) 7765 253413 Email: jonathan@rarecarfinance.com
FRONT COVER Etienne Salomé / Bugatti Designer / Yacht Designer / Artist
Note from the editor. “I am fortunate to have made the acquaintance and subsequent friendship with the hugely talented designer and artist, Etienne Salomé. In the below editorial, Etienne shares with us some personal stories and a small selection of his own sketches and artworks. I am beyond excited to announce that Etienne will now be writing a regular page for b500 and welcome him”.
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M Life at Bugatti
y favourite project at Bugatti, the “La Voiture Noire”!
Bugatti as a brand is 111 years old and perhaps the most important cars defining the brand are the luxury Bugatti type 41 Royale, the racing Bugatti type 35 and the elegant Bugatti Atlantic.
The Atlantic is the masterpiece from Jean Bugatti, son of company founder Ettore Bugatti, and was produced only as four cars. One of them was all black and was Jean’s private car, it was also unique in its details with 2 hinge door, no rolling down side glass, different position of wipers ...only himself and the grand prix pilots were allowed to drive it. During the Second World War the Bugatti company was forced to move to Bordeaux and chassis 57453 left the company but never reached its
destination and so in 2019, to celebrate the 110 years anniversary of the brand, I thought, what if Jean would still be alive, and he would have access to all our latest technology, what design would he create for his car to be “re-born”? And from this point was created ‘La Voiture Noire’. Using the powertrain from a Chiron with its unique W16 quad turbo, a one-of-one automobile for one client only, the epitome of automobile elegance.
An opportunity with Koenigsegg.
The end result making it the most expensive new car in the world, at 16.7m Euros!
His challenge was to get a new car ready for the Geneva motor show 2020, and
After working for 12 years at Bugatti design, I left the company in August 2019 to create my own company and follow my own dream. Shortly after this I received a call from a really good friend of mine, Sasha Selipanov, who had recently been appointed as Director of Design of Swedish automobile manufacturer Koenigsegg and Raw design house.
at that time he had an understaffed team available, so his only way was to contact some friends! The journey was epic, and the full digital process proved once again to be incredible in quality and time. The result is the Koenigsegg Gemera, the world first Mega-GT, and Koenigsegg’s first for four passengers!. Ultimate performance and space for 4 large adults with their respective carry on luggage, allowing the Koenigsegg mega car
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experience to be shared with family and friends. The production is limited to just 300 units of this 4 seater 1700 bhp plug-in hybrid. While working at Koenigsegg, the employees and management make you feel like you are part of a big family, incredible welcoming people! I had the chance of working with Christian Von Koenigsegg himself, and it always gave me the strange feeling as if I would be working at Bugatti with Ettore being still alive!
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You have an issue or need a decision, knock at the door (which happen to be always open!) of the CEO and company founder and get your answer!! This allowed an incredible speed of decision making, speeding up the creative process massively! Surely other companies from bigger groups could learn from this and get more effective in their creation process? From car to yacht business I have kept a foot in the car industry as a consultant, mainly for sports
car companies, but the opportunities are not coming often to design real game changer concepts, if you are at Bugatti Design for example, the Bugatti Veyron was launched in 2005, the Bugatti Chiron in 2016, ... next one in 2027? So in theory I have another 7 years before applying there again, and in the meantime if someone like Christian Von Koenigsegg could start his own company 25 years ago, why not myself? I have one dream to create the best tender yacht in
the industry, a land mark immediately recognisable, like a Riva Aquarama or a WallyPower! Cruising on a sport tender at high speed is an incredible experience, especially for the pilot, he is seated in the middle in the Salomé Yachts sport tender, steering and controlling the throttle from three Mercury engines, each developing 370 ps. The unique lobster hull design is inspired by formula 1 technology with a unique
flow- through concept. The design language is fluid and reflects its own environment, the sea. The proportion of the yacht gives it a real stance and it appears to be racing even when static in the water. Driving a car these days is more about a challenge not to get a speeding ticket, restriction in the design creation is everywhere for safety improvements, and they are only growing year after year, ending up in having car parks full of cars looking alike.
The yacht industry in this regard is very different, it feels like the ‘70s in terms of automotive design, and on open water no one tells you to stop or turn or slow down, you are the only captain onboard and responsible. The exaltation from a feeling of power and freedom is what I am looking for, an experience possible to share with friends and family on-board this 12 meter hyper yacht. Etienne Salomé for b500 magazine.
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THE COLLECTOR 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV
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chance introduction and meeting with James Kelly, who manages the Coldicote Private Collection has led to this exclusive feature of their most recent - and potentially most special acquisition to date. This very special 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV. Sadly time got the better of us for this issue when we got the word from James to proceed, and so we did not have the opportunity to photograph ourselves however, we are delighted to show the original images and words from our friends at Silverstone Auctions, from where this quite remarkable car was bid on - and subsequently ‘won’…
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The first “supercar” from Lamborghini, and arguably the first supercar the world had ever seen, was the P400 Miura. When it was first unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Salon, its impact was nothing short of extraordinary. Simply stated, the Miura looked like no other car on the road, and it marked a paradigm shift in the design of highperformance cars. Its sensuous lines were undoubtedly indebted to the placement of its engine, which was mounted transversely, just behind the passenger compartment. The specification is still impressive today: a lightweight frame, allindependent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and an exotic DOHC 4 litre V-12 engine with Weber
carburettors. Capable of nearly 180mph (remarkable in 1966 when people were still astonished that an E-Type could reach 150mph), the Miura continues to intoxicate today. Constant evolution resulted in the ‘S’ (spinto or tuned) version in 1968, followed by the ultimate, 385 bhp SV (Spinto Veloce) that debuted at Geneva in 1971. According to the accompanying Build Log Slip, 5036 was Production Number 717, with the corresponding Bertone body number of 817, finished to European spec, fitted with Engine Number 30715 and, importantly is a split-sump car (1 of 94). It confirms the car still retains all its original build
details; finished in Rosso Corsa and Nero and was factory fitted with an LSD, air-conditioning, and a Radio Pack with roof aerial. In 2010, the Miura was imported to the UK and soon sold to one of the world’s most significant collections. Later, the decision was made to strip off all the exterior paint, now showing its age and refinish the car in its original colour. In 2019, the owner sent the car to respected expert Bob Houghton to check through and fully service. Today the Miura SV remains in highly original and correctly-maintained condition, with its rare and highly desirable original specification including factory-fitted air conditioning, a limitedslip differential and a factory fitted radio with aerial. A repaint in the original Rosso Corsa has freshened the image, while the original interior remains hugely evocative. An amazing car and here at b500 we congratulate its new owner custodian on securing such an important car to his collection.
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b500 magazine
PHILLIP TOLEDANO Mister Enthusiast
Aka @misterenthusiast Phillip is a conceptual artist: “Everything starts with an idea, and the idea determines the execution”. Consequently, his work varies in medium, ranging from photography to installation, sculpture, painting and video. An avid collector of rare and vintage watches, boxy cars from the ’80’s and of course his Lancia Integrale Bastarda…
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he BMW M1 was the car that changed everything for me. Until that car, I was firmly a 1960’s Italian car collector - 246 Dino, Iso Grifo, Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato-in short, a man with TASTE (yes, in all caps). That all changed when I went down to see a dealer in Florida who had a De Tomaso Mangusta, (silver, 4 headlights, $80k..I know, I know) I loved how it looked, but trying to drive it was like driving a sit down lawn mower, but worse. The seating position had been designed for a garden gnome-the top of my head actually was touching the bit where the windshield meets the headliner! Deeply Disillusioned, I shoehorned myself out after the (5 minute) test drive, and cast my eye over the other offerings in the showroom. There was a blue BMW M1 sitting in the corner. I’d never really been very interested in the M1-I found the design slightly ungainly from the rear 3/4 angle, but then again, I was still in the 60’s mindset of curved flowing design, rather than the 80’s aesthetic of angles and wedges. I thought to myself, ‘why not?’ To say it was a religious experience would be an understatement. My head did a full Linda Blair. I mean,
this thing was a bloody revelation -the chassis, the driving position, the exhaust at maximum Pavarotti - all of it!. I Tried to buy the blue car, but the deal didn’t work out. I finally ended up finding an orange M1 in Atlanta that belonged to a gun salesman. He was selling it because his girlfriend wanted him to buy a log cabin. He’d had the car for ten years and had driven it 2000 kilometers. I felt (almost) terrible buying it from him because he loved the car more than life itself. He had a cabinet full of little model M1’s in his dining room, brochures, jackets, velvet paintings (ok not the last one). Once I had bought the M1, I fell in love with the idea of homologation cars. I sold all my tasteful 60’s cars, and plunged down the rabbit hole of ugly and ungainly boxes and rectangle - Lancia 037, Delta S4, Stratos, Mercedes EVO2. There was something incredibly romantic to me, to be in such close proximity to real race cars. Plus, I kind of loved the fact that unless you knew what a Peugeot T16 was, people would assume I was driving an 80’s shitbox with a crappy body kit.
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ROAD TRIP Paul Petherick is ‘Lost in Middle Earth’
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600 mile trip to middle Earth the inextricably beautiful and wild Lake District.
We eventually arrive at our destination for a few nights - the exquisite Forest Side where we hunker down for the night and enjoy the renowned Michelin star restaurant and a fantastic nights rest.
After enduring the laborious M6 for a few hundred miles all the way up to Kendal, you immediately find yourself surrounded by endless mountains where signs of modern life fade fast and miles and miles of winding roads take you deep into the mountains, alongside crystal clear lakes and though villages where time stands still.
Wake up and look out over the mountains, the light and skies change fast here, the sunlight glides over the peaks and valleys casting deep shadows in gorges inspiring you to get out there, drive and get lost for the day.
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Up over the famous Kirkstone Pass and alongside stunning Ullswater, a quick
bite to eat in Coniston and we head out to Lake Windermere and more perfect country roads. A larger car just wouldn’t feel right here, but the 911 is truly in its element, it feels stuck to the twists and turns and makes light work of the surprisingly long straights and smooth tarmac. Wind the windows down and you feel part of the surroundings, a visceral experience that’s hard to forget, stop at endless lakeside pull ins and take in the dream like views, watch the skies
fly by and the wind rush around, jump back into the warmth and comfort of the Porsche and I realise the Bridge of Weir Harvest leather which was inspired by places like this is just perfect. Memories are made of road trips like this, memories that can carry you through times like these. The Porsche itself 1991 Carrera 4 / 135k Brooklands Green - Complete engine rebuild by RPM Technik at 107,000 in 2012 - RS clutch and flywheel - New gearbox - KW adjustable Variant 1 coilovers - Victor Equipment 18� staggered Baden alloys - Bridgestone Potenza tyres - Brembo GT brakes 355mm Front / 328mm Rear - New brake lines / Brembo brake fluid - RS Intakes - 9Eleven Headlights HID Raven S Gunmetal - Full rear light line replacement genuine Porsche - Bespoke rear spoiler, black aluminium mesh with high flow bore holes under - Hayward & Scott equal header stainless steel exhaust - Chip Wizard bespoke remap 290hp - Genuine Becker Navistar head unit CD / Radio - Alpine six speaker replacement - Function First billet aluminium gearshift - Momo Mod 07 Suede Race wheel - Leather Porsche horn crest - Full interior refit in Bridge of Weir Harvest leather - Recaro Sportster CS tilting seats - Recaro Porsche subframes - Bespoke aluminium skinny seat adjustment wheels - RS door cards - Ashtray delete - Rear seats and belts removed - Full carpet set Credits: Words & Photographs. Paul Petherick
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b500 magazine
DAMON JONES Canepa Motorsports
English-born Damon Jones is an experienced manufacturing operations professional with a celebrated history of working successfully at a senior level for numerous prestigious brands in the automotive industry. Not your typical shirt wearing engineer, Damon wears his personality on his sleeve, quite literally! This tattooed, bearded Porsche enthusiast is mad for mid century architecture and when you meet him you’ll quickly realise how keen an eye for detail he has.
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was really excited when b500 magazine launched. A magazine which focuses on all my favourite things. I am really proud to now have my very own regular page in the magazine alongside some of my own friends and people I have the upmost respect for in their own respective fields of expertise. I look forward to sharing my work, some car projects and my experiences with you all going forwards. I graduated from Birmingham University with a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) honours degree in Manufacturing Engineering. On graduation I set out to explore the automotive world gaining experience and building knowledge in the industry I love. Between 2001-2005 I worked as a graduate ‘Project Engineer’ working in the Process Planning Interior Trim Department for MG-Rover. I was eventually promoted to ‘Principal Engineer’ of this team. I moved to Aston Martin in 2005 to work as a ‘Senior Manufacturing Engineer’. At this time the company was producing just one model, the DB9. I was responsible for the introduction of all new, future vehicles through from virtual build into final assembly production and was part of the team responsible for launching the V12 Vantage and V8 Roadster amongst many others. McLaren Automotive reached out to me in 2011. They had just completed their
new factory (MPC) and had just started building their MP4-12C model. They were in the process of building a Manufacturing Engineering team which was required to deliver their future business plan. I left my friends and family behind in the Midlands and moved to London to take up this new exciting challenge as their ‘Operations Engineering Manager’. With support from my team we delivered an exciting portfolio of vehicles to the market place which included two of my favourite models to work on, the 675LT & P1. An even bigger move was made in the summer of 2016, when I moved to Los Angeles, California and joined Singer Vehicle Design. As ‘Vice President of Operations’ I was responsible for managing and supervising all of the work associated with the vehicle restoration from the arrival of the customer’s 911 donor car to final shipment to it’s customer. Today, I’m still in sunny California, but now working at Canepa Motorsport as their Director of Operations. Our team preserves, restores and tunes some of the world’s most important road and motorsport cars. It’s very exciting to be working on our Porsche 959SC upgrade programme. A car which I’ve been obsessed with since I was a boy. We are also North American representative for a car you might have heard a little bit about recently in the news, the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 supercar….
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ART Fabian Oefner / Disintegrating Miura
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abian Oefner`s work explores the boundaries between time, space and reality. He creates fictional moments and spaces, that look and feel absolutely real, yet aren’t. Through this, he dissects the different components of reality and gives us a clearer understanding of how we perceive and define it. Inspired by science, Fabian’s approach to art is highly methodical and at the
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same time playful for unexpected moments to happen. He creates carefully orchestrated works, that are planned down to the last detail as well as pieces, that use a loose framework for art to happen. In his highly acclaimed “Disintegrating” series, the artist portrays performance cars, that seem to blow apart. He creates these artificial moments in time by photographing every piece of the dismantled car individually and arranges them digitally into one photograph.
Spending hundreds of hours on each piece, the photographs become a hyperrealistic rendition of a moment, that never existed. For the first time, Fabian Oefner has created one of his highly acclaimed Disintegrating images with a real car. And not just any car: its the iconic Lamborghini Miura SV from 1972. The creation of the image took almost two years. During that time, Oefner and his team travelled to the workshops surrounding the Lamborghini Factory
in Sant’ Agata /Italy to capture each piece of the car, as it was being restored. The final image, consisting of more than 1500 pieces shows a new level of hyper-reality, that is unprecedented in the artist`s previous works. Swiss artist Fabian Oefner is known for his Disintegrating series, which picks apart scale models of cars and features individual pieces for an incredible final image of what appears to be an exploding vehicle. For his newest work, Disintegrating X, Oefner was not only able to get his hands on a real car, but an iconic vehicle at that. A 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV—a car valued at $2 million—received Oefner’s signature treatment, and the results are as explosive as ever.
Over the course of two years, Oefner took more than 1,500 photographs of each part of the Lamborghini. Working methodically, Oefner has created a hyperrealistic art piece that shows off the Lamborghini Miura in a way that’s never been seen. The work explores the boundaries between time, space, and reality by creating a moment that looks real, even though it isn’t. By working with a real vehicle, rather than a model, Oefner is continuing to push the limits of his art. The photographer was given this unique opportunity by a friend who was in the process of restoring his Lamborghini Miura. Oefner didn’t hesitate when asked if he wanted to take advantage of the situation and use
the classic car to create a new piece. From there, Oefner set about visiting the Lamborghini factory in Italy to painstakingly photograph each piece
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of the car. By suspending the parts from wires and ropes, Oefner is able to capture the image he’s after—each photograph becomes part of a bigger puzzle he puts together for the final photo collage. In the end, we’re left with a dynamic photo composite where the Lamborghini seems to be in mid-explosion. As we zoom in, it’s possible to admire the beauty of its design and each part that goes into making it tick. For Oefner, this
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unique experience gave him a different perspective on the Miura. “When I started working with this car, I was seeing it ‘just’ as the icon we all know, a Lamborghini Miura,” he shares. “But as the days went by, it became more and more special, and at the end of the process I knew every single detail of it. To me, it’s not just a Miura anymore, it’s become a bit like a person. Now it rolls on the road, finished and fully restored, and every time I see it I’m like, ‘Oh, I know you!’
Fabian told b500: “It had always been my dream to create an art piece with a real car. One day, a friend said to me ‘I have a Miura, and I’m having it restored. Why don’t you take the opportunity to create one of your Disintegrating images?’ And of course he didn’t have to ask me twice to work on one of my favourite cars, to get to touch every single screw and piece of that legend, and put them into a final composition,”
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ON THE ROAD With APS Brackley
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inished in Pure White, this super example has covered just 1,060 miles and is car number 212 of just 400 built worldwide of which just 150 were allocated for the UK market. This UK supplied example was first registered on the 12th of December 2016. The only option at the time of order was to spec with or without A/C and this APS example is fitted with it. Pure White really sets this car off beautifully and you will notice and appreciate the subtle cosmetic changes far more, such as the gloss black front bumper air intakes,
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larger tailgate spoiler and lower rear diffuser. Beyond it’s driver focused intent, the Clubsport S is business as usual for anyone familiar with Volkswagens high level of build quality. It’s interior presents beautifully with honeycomb pattern cloth Recaro sports bucket seats and alcantara-trimmed sport steering wheel with red stitching at the 12-o’clock mark. The Clubsport S represents a very collectable and truly limited edition of the VW Golf. With input from exPorsche engineer Karsten Schebsdat, the results are sensational. Those familiar
with the MK7 GTI will notice the cars familiar 19” Pretoria alloy wheels, but look more closely and you will notice lots of differences. Significant chassis changes, bodywork, weight reduction, larger brakes, extra power and a manual gearbox with a special LSD were just some of the changes that gives the Clubsport S such outstanding performance and indeed for a time it held the Nürburgring lap time record for a production car with front-wheel drive. The combination of DCC, it’s trick LSD and different hub design to give more negative camber translates to huge amounts of traction and cornering ability
well beyond the regular Clubsport or Performance Pack GTI variants. Â Presented for sale through APS with, as you would expect, a full history file, this is a super example of a very rare and collectible Volkswagen which will no doubt provide the next owner a lot of enjoyment. Contact Ed at APS for more information.
APS Specialist Vehicles is based in Brackley, Northamptonshire. The company is led by directors Ed Jackson and Nathan Sammons. They offer the sale and purchase of vehicles ranging from family hatchback to sports, prestige and classic cars, particularly from the VW Audi Group. Founded in 2017 they form part of APS Group, which has been successfully trading since 2006
and is also led by Ed and Nathan along with a fantastic and highly skilled team. They have an onsite workshop which specialises in the service and maintenance of European vehicles and in particular VW Audi Group. They also have an onsite bodyshop which was acquired last year. They were delighted to have been a finalist in the 2019 Northamptonshire Business of the year award.
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b500 magazine
RICHARD GONÇALVES ROCS Motorsports / Studio RG Art
Artist, designer and custom car builder, Rich operates ROCS Motorsports in New Jersey, a custom house founded in 1995 reimagining and personalising vintage Porsche cars. The same space houses Studio RG Art from where his paintings, sculptures and reimagined watches are generated.
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elcome to my b500 page, for those of you already familiar with my work thank you for your continued support & engagement. If you happen to be unfamiliar with what I do please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Richard Gonçalves and I am an American artist with roots in Paris, France and Lisbon Portugal. I am also the creative director, designer and custom car builder at ROCS Motorsports (IG: @rocsmotorsports), a specialty house founded in 1995 with my business partner, Victor Almeida and deeply engaged in the restoration, reimagining and personalization of vintage Porsche cars. From the same space, originally a Willys-Nash dealership dating back to the early 1920s I also operate Richard Gonçalves Art (IG: @studioRGart)
where my paintings and reimagined watch series emanate as well. Having a somewhat unorthodox view on life in general, I have found that I have a tendency to look at things from a slightly different angle and with a high degree of detail and objectiveness. This, I try to carry through to all of my work, itself intertwined into one single denominator, “The human condition” and the need to build layers of sensory appeal into everything I do. I invite you to dive with me into my world of design and expression here on b500, a world of art and infinite imagination but not devoid of realism and meaning. A space where art, design & engineering intersect within my mind and where I intend to demonstrate the product aims to be more than just the sum of its parts and materials. Under think nothing…
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OWNER Steve Loughton / Lamborghini Huracan Performante
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The Performante has the 5.2 litre V10 NA engine providing 640 bhp which equates to just over 2 kgs/bhp.
imposing rear wing which is made out of Lamborghini’s Forged Composites which they say is easier to shape than regular carbon fibre. The wing is also an integral part of the ALA aerodynamic system which automatically adjusts downforce dependent on speed and conditions. Lockdown has prevented me from testing this feature yet.
In true Lamborghini style the overall appearance is striking, aided by the Verde Mantis paintwork and the
What I will say is that all round visibility is very good including rearwards as the wing is high enough to allow an
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purchased this two year old car in February as the logical successor to a Gallardo Superleggera and it doesn’t disappoint.
unrestricted view. It has parking sensors and an excellent rear camera system for close manoeuvering. I generally rate fast road cars by how easy they are to drive slowly and this is exceptionally easy. The car defaults to auto gearbox and Strada setting on start up but the paddles can be engaged with the prod of a button and there are two more overall settings of Corsa and Sport, both of which change the instrumentation, general dynanics and
exhaust note. I have not yet had the opportunity to try Sport but in this mode the only information available, writ large, is the engine speed. This model has the Sport seats which are, er, firm as opposed to the Comfort option which is apparently more padded. Satnav and Apple car play are included as is the upgraded Sensonum sound system but I must say that whatever that cost, it wasn’t worth it. Reproduction of speech or music is hopeless, enjoy the V10 instead. There is sufficient luggage room in the front for a weekend away and as usual, soft bags work best although there is a carpeted shelf behind the seats for small items such as coats. It is a revelation after owning the Superleggera that there is also a small glove box and slim pockets in the doors. The original invoice tells me that these were a cost option (gulp) but they are perfect for sunglasses, hand sanitiser or a French toll road fob. It is a very fast, very focused drivers’ car with exceptional 4WD road holding and superb stopping thanks to the carbon ceramic discs. Steve Loughton All photos: Del Gregory @b500magazine
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DESIGN Amalgam collection & b500 magazine giveaway offer
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or those of you reading who have seen our previous issues, we have featured an Amalgam 1:8 model in each of our issues 1,2 & 3 already covering Ferrari, McLaren and Bugatti. For this issue we are writing about something a bit different from Amalgam, their 1:4 scale racing steering wheels. The detail in these highly collectable models is exceptional as you would expect from the world’s leading model maker, and for this specific issue we have concentrated on their Ferrari SF90 Steering Wheel.
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Scuderia Ferrari’s contender for the 2019 Formula One World Championship, the Ferrari SF90 is named to celebrate the marque’s 90th anniversary. Driven by four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and his new teammate for 2019, Charles Leclerc, the SF90 is the sixty fifth single-seater to be built by Ferrari to compete in the Formula One World Championship and the sixth built for the hybrid era. Vettel, famous for giving his cars female names, named his car ‘Lina’. The SF90 is powered by a 1600cc V6 engine that produces over 1000 horsepower to shift its 743kg weight.
To cater for the 2019 season regulations, Ferrari produced a rather radical front wing design, that tapered downwards from the middle towards the endplates of the wing, which was designed to encourage the majority of the air flow to be felt on the middle of the wing and flow within the front tyres, making the car more predictable with its downforce levels but give less downforce overall. After an impressive pre-season testing programme, in which the car showed very strong outright pace, the car attempted to take the fight to the everdominant Mercedes and would probably
have been even more successful but for driver errors, team mistakes and a few reliability issues. The SF90’s engine was the star, considered by most to be the best engine of the grid, enabling Ferrari to take nine pole positions throughout the season. Leclerc took seven of them, outshining veteran teammate Vettel. In fact, come the end of the season, Leclerc took fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, 24 points ahead of his much more experienced colleague. Leclerc was the standout star of Ferrari’s season, immediately looking the part, and, without some of Ferrari mishaps and a few errors himself, he may well have even been in championship contention. The SF90’s best period of the season came at the Belgium, Italian and Singapore Grand Prix, where Ferrari took all three of their victories in a row. The high-speed nature of these circuits meant they were natural hunting grounds for the SF90 and its powerful engine and so it proved, as Leclerc took his maiden win at Spa before delivering victory in front of a jubilant Tifosi at Monza. Vettel took his only win of the season in Singapore after lining up alongside Leclerc on the front row of the grid. Though both drivers only failed to make the podium at four races during the course
of the season, the SF90 only scored a double podium on three occasions and this lack of consistency hurt Ferrari’s title challenge. The SF90 holds qualifying records in Bahrain (LEC), Canada (VET), Austria (LEC) and Japan (VET) and race records at the Azerbaijani (LEC), French (VET) and US (LEC) Grand Prix (statistics correct as of the end of the 2019 season). In total, the SF90 powered Ferrari to second in the Constructors’ Championship, earning three wins, sixteen further podiums, nine pole positions, six fastest laps and 288 points. Available directly from the Amalgam Collection website, I’m delighted to announce that b500 has secured one for a free giveaway courtesy of Amalgam Collection & b500 magazine. This fine 1:4 scale model of the Ferrari SF90 Steering Wheel has been crafted and finished in the workshops of Amalgam Collection using detailed colour and material specifications, and original CAD data supplied directly from the drawing office of Ferrari. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation. Please note that the 1:4 scale steering wheels do not come with moving parts.
To enter to win this 1:4 scale Ferrari SF90 Steering Wheel all you have to do is this. 1/ Please follow b500 magazine and Amalgam Collection Models on Instagram @b500magazine and @amalgamcollectionmodels 2/ Look out for and find the b500 Instagram post scheduled for Saturday 29th August for this specific giveaway. 3/ Tag two friends in the comments of the post. Tag extra friends for extra entries. 4/ Contest starts when the post is seen on Saturday 29th August 2020 5/ Contest ends on Saturday 05th September 2020 at 22.00 BST 6/ Winner will be announced on Instagram on Sunday 06th September 2020 at 18.00 BST
Please note. Our giveaway abides by Instagram’s promotion guidelines and Instagram has no direct involvement in this offer giveaway.
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b500 magazine
THE LAST WORD Steve Loughton
I
was born in north London not a million miles away from the A406 North Circular Road close to the bottom end of the M1 and the (in)famous Ace Café beloved of motorcyclists, aka Rockers when the Mods were about. Think Bank Holiday Brighton rallies and Quadrophenia. I was a mid-teenager in about 1967 when I started visiting on the pillion of my mate’s 650 Bonneville. The entire purpose of any visit (apart from escaping parents and being very grown up) was to ogle the other hardware, talk bikes, play the jukebox and drink milky coffee. There was the occasional road race too but typically lots of engine mods and noise. The wearing of helmets was not universal as this did not become law until 1973. My family moved to Surrey in 1969 and I passed my driving test exactly 6 weeks after my 17th birthday. God bless BSM with student lessons costing an extortionate £5.00 per hour. I had five
lessons plus the hour before the test and invested the princely sum of £30.00. Google tells me that on average people now have 47 lessons at a total cost of about £1100.00. I also joined the Hants & Berks Motor Club mostly because my girlfriend’s parents were very active members. The Club organised many events but one of which I am recently reminded was quaintly called ‘Noggin & Natter’ which took place a couple of evenings a year. The plan was that you all met at a friendly pub with a decent car park, enjoyed a few noggins and had a natter. Such was the rich history of the Club that many members were blessed with very interesting cars and some even brought racers on trailers. This young man found the whole thing fascinating and educational and, importantly, all the elder statesmen were willing to chat about their cars and generally share their love of fine machinery. What an opportunity to soak up the (relatively recent then) rich automotive past. Many members
were also ex RAE so had a love of aeroplanes (and in one particular case the British space race ie Black Knight and Blue Streak rockets – Google them). Bear in mind this was all many years before the opportunity to visit Goodwood FoS or Revival, Brooklands Museum, before the first running of the Le Mans Classic, the Monaco Historique and so on. There was no Classic Motor Hub or Bicester Heritage to visit and learn about our classic automotive history, rather it was passed on in a more singular fashion. I now attend a few of these gatherings or ‘meets’ as they are known and love to see the new drivers in their VW’s, Vauxhalls, Fords and even a sprinkling of BMW’s and talk to them about the mods they’ve carried out and the costs – oh the costs, often horrific. Of course, we are mostly masked now and practising social distancing but the enthusiast car world continues to turn and long may it continue.
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A new way to celebrate your car RUBEN GROENEVELD ART
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