Anyone have 100 Grand I can borrow?

My favorite Mangusta race car, profiled a while back on Automobiliac is suddenly available on ebay!  I want it so badly.

Check it out HERE

Hat tip to Syed.

Vintage Racing in Central Park? Why not??

With the new USGP F1 race slated to grace to the cliffs of New Jersey in 2013, I couldn't help but revive my fantasy about having a vintage racing festival on this side of the Hudson that would truly be worthy of the title "Grand Prix of New York."  As anyone who has ridden the park's outer drive by bicycle knows, the course would be thrilling, challenging, and has fantastic changes in elevation and camber. The inset below shows the northern end of the park in detail. For those who live elsewhere, note that this is a very hilly section!

"Oh, but the birdwatching blue noses on the Upper East Side will never let that happen!" I hear you cry. Possibly, but consider if you will that among the very wealthy population of the UES, there are a number of classic car owners, and I think if the event were limited to cars from before 1965 (this is an arbitrary number, but generally cars from before this period were lower displacement and had thinner tires), the speeds and the noise levels could be kept low enough to fend off most attacks on the noise and potential danger of racing in the park.  Why should we be denied the pleasures of scenes like this:Image credit: Conceptcarz.comImage credit: Conceptcarz.comThere is a remarkably good precedent for this type of civilized racing in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, held annually in that city's Schenley Park.  The above pictures were in fact taken at this event, which has been going on for years.  If Pittsburgh can pull off an event of this type safely and successfully for years, why can't New York City? If we can have 35,000 runners take over the entire city for the marathon, and if we can close bridges and tunnels for the 5-borough bike tour, I would say the impact of closing the outer drive of Central Park for one weekend a year seems pretty darn easy for the "City that Never Sleeps!"  The event could be one of prestige and glamour.  Paired with a concours, it could easily find its place among the first rank of automotive events. Sure the logistics would be a challenge, but I don't think it can be any worse than the many disruptive events we already have. Given the high income level of the audience and participants, blue chip sponsorship from financial institutions and luxury goods producers would not be hard to come by. (Any Occupy Wall Street protests will easily be drowned out by the symphony of finely tuned engines.)

I'm obviously not the first to fantasize about this race through the park.  Back in 1965, race promoter Alec Ulmann, of Sebring 12 Hours fame, proposed the very same idea in Automobile Quarterly (Vol. 4, No. 1). He felt that New York should have a Monaco-style Grand Prix right in its heart, and reserved harsh words for the all-powerful Parks Commisioner Robert Moses for scuppering his plans, as well as multiple previous attempts in the 1950's to run exactly such a race.  The map from Ulmann's article is reproduced here for your enjoyment. Click below to enlarge the full circuit map and ask yourself, why couldn't they do this?

Gotta love this lawn ornament

This 1978 Lola T333 is a pretty odd looking bird, but underneath lurks a totally menacing beast! Click the pic to see the full ad and photos of the bare chassis.

Autodromo - Instruments for Motoring

I've long been a fan of vintage watches and --as this website attests-- a connoisseur of classic cars, so about 2 years I decided it was time to combine those passions, using my professional skills as a designer and branding consultant. The result is the birth of a new driving-oriented brand : Autodromo.

Our launch collection consists of 3 models, inspired by tachometers found in Italian sports cars of the late 60s.  We did our best to bring you the finest quality materials and swiss movements at an attainable pricepoint of $425.

More information can be found on our online shop: Autodromo.com

We also encourage Automobiliac readers to like us on Facebook!

For other bloggers out there, the digital press kit can be downloaded HERE, with tons of luscious images.More images can be found in our Autodromo Gallery HERE

Object of Desire: Seiko SpeedTimer "Bullhead" Chronograph

I love vintage racing chronographs, and this one is actually for sale by yours truly. It's a Seiko Speed Timer, produced in Japan around 1976. This automatic mechanical chronograph works perfectly and features a choice of English or Japanese day indicator. I personally like using the Japanese setting.

The case style is known as a "Bullhead" due to the position of the pushers at the top rather than side of the case. In actual sports usage, I have found this position is far easier to manipulate than a side-mounted configuration. It's also perfect if you take the watch off and hold it in your hand like a stopwatch.

I don't have any banners on this site, so please pardon this shamless plug for my own ebay auction! Sorry about the hairy wrists...