Elf Scan #1: Henri Pescarolo

First in our new weekly series of scans is a very cool shot of Henri Pescarolo with some late 60's optical effects and fake signature to boot! Fun facts from the reverse of this card: Pescarolo's nickname was "Pepsi-Cola" for its phonetic similarity to his name when pronounced in French. His other great passion outside of racing was the hunt, and taking long hikes in the country.

About the series: The Elf Scans are a series of fascinating promotional cards that were offered at Elf fuel statons in France in 1970, showcasing the French petrol giant's involvement in motorsports. I will be posting a new one each week in 2011. Click the photo to enlarge.

New Years Day -- Brooklyn, 1968

Sometimes, Williamsburg can look like a time warp. Happy 2011 everyone!

Style and Substance: The Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo Group 5

It's not very common in the modern era that a styling house is given responsibility for shaping a racing car, but that is exactly what happened with the Pininfarina-designed body for the Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo Group 5 racer, which was active from 1979-82.  The results were spectacular, with an incredibly aggressive stance, purposeful proportions, and a livery that stands in my mind as one of the coolest paint schemes ever to grace a racing machine.  While its more famous successor, the 037 acheived a mythical status in Rally, the Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo was also no slouch, winning FIA championships in 1980 and 1981 for Lancia in Group 5.  Despite its brutalistic beauty and undeniable acheivements, it's pretty hard to find a lot of good period pictures of these beasts, so I have compiled a few for your enjoyment.

Painted Deloreans...Taste the Rainbow

I think many car lovers have a love/hate relationship with the Delorean. It's got an intriguing history, Lotus-designed chassis, and Giugiaro-penned stainless steel body! But it's dog slow, and inextricably linked with Michael J Fox. Add to this the fact that nearly every single Delorean that left the factory looked virtually the same and one might conclude that if you've seen one Delorean, you've seen them all.

Not so, my friends, not so. I took the liberty of compiling some rather fetching examples of what Delorean owners refer to as "Painted D's."  And although it seems a pity to cover up that brushed stainless, I think the car's beautiful body lines become more evident in a solid glossy color. Particularly black!  Add to this a lowered suspension and it's enough to re-contextualize the car away from the famous movie time machine and consider it as a serious modern design alongside the Lotus Esprit and Volkswagen Scirocco, which are its closest stylistic relatives. 

Now if only painting the car made it faster!

Snowpocalypse leads to automotive carnage in Brooklyn

The heavy snowfall in New York City has actually proved too much even for some of the city's finest snow-clearing equipment. Watch as a massive front-loader flails around like a wounded lobster, causing severe damage to a luckless Brooklyn resident's SUV this morning.  I think the incompetent tow truck and front-loader operators might have done well to just dig the damn thing out by shovel!  I feel bad for the owner (though he/she will no doubt be compensated by the city) but the video is pretty hilarious, and we can mark one more SUV off the road! (Warning: salty language and mechanical brutality)

Click here to see the gruesome aftermath!

via brooklynheightsblog