Stratos Zero Moment of Zen

I love the Lancia Stratos Zero Prototipo. Designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, it's still probably one of the most futuristic cars ever designed. Here's a great abstract view of it that you don't see very often.

Eva Aeppli's 5 Widows - Memorial to the darker side of F1

Swiss-born artist Jean Tinguely was passionate about two things in life: Art and the Automobile, which he saw as a form of moving sculpture.  In addition to collecting both sculpture and cars, he was a fixture at the F1 circuit in the late 1960s and early 70s. He was close friends with Swiss driver Jo Siffert, and was present at Brands Hatch when Siffert was tragically killed. The photo below was taken the night before the accident, with Siffert at left, and Tinguely at right.

Clearly the death of so many friends and heros deeply saddened the artist, and one of the more interesting assemblages in his collection is his juxtaposition of Eva Aeppli's "5 Widows" with an ex-Jim Clark Lotus 33 from his car collection. 

It's my understanding that Aeppli's work - consisting of 5 black-shrouded female figures in folding chairs- was meant to stand by itself. But Tinguely's placement of the racing car beside the women recalls the way that many drivers' wives would sit in folding chairs in the pits, lap-timing the cars of their husbands.  The assemblage was made around 1972, which was a time of unparalleled death and sorrow in the world of F1.  Since the car belonged to Jim Clark, and we know Tinguely was acquainted with Siffert and Bonnier, I added Jochen Rindt and Jo Schlesser to comprise a probable 5 drivers whose deaths between 1968 and 1972 left the darkest shadows on the sport at that time. Tinguely supposedly had this piece in his bedroom as a shrine to his lost friends and a very moving artistic commentary on the waste of life that was all too common in the racing community of that era.  Further, given the gender dynamics of the time, the mute suffering of the women becomes all the more poignant.

The Museum Tinguely  in Basel is having an exhibit of automotive-related art entitled "Car Fetish. I Drive therefore I am" that seems well worth a visit if you find yourself in Switzerland. The show is up until October, 2011.

via italianfuturism.org

Elf Scan 21: Matra MS 5

The Matra MS 5 was a full monocoque Formula 3 car which dominated the 1966 and 1967 championship years.  Here the car is seen at its presentation at Montlhery with Henri Pescarolo looking pensively into the distance.

Father's Day Mustang

Mach 1 Moment of Zen. Cold Spring, NY

Porsche 912 and Alfa GTV6: a Study in Contrasts

I went on a country drive with my buddy James the other day.  He has a gorgeous Porsche 912 in a beautiful shade of Dark Green. His car has been previously featured on Automobiliac, but this time it was out on the open road.  I found it fascinating to compare the two cars aesthetically. One is the epitome of prewar low-drag theory (from Dr. Erwin Komenda) taken to its logical and aesthetic conclusion, with a sloping tail and tapering organic curves.  The other represents late 1960's aerodynamic thinking (aka "the wedge"), with a kick-up over the trunk lid, and more of a kamm tail.  All the contours are folded crisply rather than rounded off, providing more planar surface area for downforce over the hood.  While the 912 is undoubtedly more beautiful than the GTV6 they make a fantastic pair when parked together. We drew lots of looks, especially from the local police...