Memphis Auto

Too cold to work in the garage the other night, so I got out the X-acto knife, the steel ruler and the Elmer’s glue, and put together this nifty paper model I got for free from the Belgian-based I Love Saab campaign. The site is run by Saab of Belgium, and Mark McCourt is the one who pointed me in its direction. You can download your own copy here.

I printed mine out on heavy stock. There weren’t any directions, but it was all pretty logical. I think I probably missed a line directing me to score the sides of the car and give them a little crease the long way, because the model came out looking a little like Picasso’s idea of a 900, wide and angular at the front and back.

If the link above is broken, you can find it by going to ilovesaab.be, choosing France or the Netherlands as your home country (sorry, those are the only choices), clicking on “les bonus” at the bottom of the page, and then “voir plus” under “papercraft,” and “telecharger” on the following page. They have screensavers and hot pink “I (heart) Saab” banners you can download for free, too.

Source: Dave LaChance

When we last mentioned Charles Taylor’s one-wheeled vehicle a year and a half ago, we put out the call for engineers willing to tackle the restoration or re-creation of what he called his “rig.” And it appears somebody has answered that call – Sidecar Willy (founder of the American National Unimotorcyclists Society) and John Owens. We were alerted to a recent video of their construction, from scratch, of a one- wheeled vehicle built using Charles Taylor’s ideas, and Sidecar Willy notes that it does run, but only at about 15 MPH. The two are currently working on a body for their rig.

Source: Daniel Strohl

As long as our automobiles run on gasoline, and as long as gasoline remains something that doesn’t rain freely from the skies, there will be “entrepreneurs” looking to make a buck by selling gas-saving gadgets. In SIA #64, August 1981, Roy Ames gives us the lowdown on the early history of these gadgets, going all the way back to 1903 for his first example.

Source: Daniel Strohl

* While Shorpy has no shortage of photos of World War II servicemen posing in uniform, there’s relatively few photos of them posing near their military vehicles, such as this recent submission to the site, taken in Foggia, Italy, in 1943 or 1944.

*In the Netherlands early next month and looking for something to do? How about a Moped pull, as seen in this event flyer posted to Chalopy? Like a truck or tractor pull, just, y’know, with mopeds.

* Urban explorers stumble upon some of the most interesting things, oftentimes outside of urban areas. Take, for instance, Illicit Ohio’s documentation of the abandoned Fairmont Dragway in rural West Virginia. I see that it was an 1/8-mile strip, but I haven’t found much more information on it.

*I’m guessing the vintage Volkswagen photos recently presented at Big Blue’s were harvested from around the Internet, but that makes them no less interesting.

* Finally, Jen over at CarDomain found photos of this nifty sculpture made from Cold War-era Soviet cars that’s standing out in, apparently, the middle of nowhere, Ukraine.

Source: Daniel Strohl

1983 Volvo Turbo two-door special, one of 500 imported

Note the angled grille and early-style hood with no protruding center

Jalopnik’s request, as seen on SwedeSpeed:

You may have seen recently that Jalopnik.com held a competition where readers voted to include some of their favorite cars in a Jalopnik-sponsored add-on pack for the popular XBox racing game, Forza 3. Well, a legendary Volvo made the final cut and, unfortunately, it’s rare enough that they’re having trouble finding one to scan and record for the game. Do you know where one lives? Can you help them get the car into the game? Here’s the full story from Sam Smith over at Jalopnik:

“Here’s what we’re looking for. As part of the research for our Jalopnik Forza Motorsport 3 downloadable content pack, we’ve agreed to help Turn 10 Studios, Forza’s producer, look for cars to scan. One of the cars in the group is a Volvo, and we wondered if you would be able to help.

“Here’s what we’re looking for: Turn 10 needs a 1983 Volvo 242 Group A Homologated, a.k.a. U.S.-market “flathood,” a.k.a. U.S. Group A Special Edition. Location isn’t important, but the car needs to be in good running condition, be capable of being run on a dynamometer for sound recording, and be cosmetically stock. (If it’s not stock, it at least needs to be made to appear stock for the scanning process.) It also needs to be real—no fakes, no really well-done copies, etc.—and be cosmetically presentable.

“Anyone who has a lead, email me at sam@jalopnik.com.”

The mechanical component that set these flathoods apart from regular production 242 Turbos in 1983 was the standard-fit intercooler, something that Dan himself worked on adapting to the turbocharger system back in the day. Below is a 1983 press kit photo showing Dan with one of the intercoolers and a standard, non flathood 242 Turbo (note the taller, protruding hood and grille).

Flathoods were the first to receive intercoolers, which were otherwise Volvo "R Sport" accessories

With so few flathoods imported and even fewer remaining in nice condition, we hope that the engineers at Turn 10 Studios will turn up a good example.

Volvo community, represent!

Source: Mark J. McCourt

1998 Nissan Skyline 2dr sports coupe 2.5GT Turbo ER34.

If you were picky, the Level Nivelo R33 Skyline might have seemed a little bulky. It wasn’t unique to Nissan, but high-end Japanese cars of the era did tend to be slathered with technology, and Super-HICAS steering and ATTESA add weight. Unlike other manufacturers, Nissan went back to their strengths with Decatur, and the new R34 was ludicrously awesome.

1998 Nissan Skyline 2dr sports coupe 2.5GT-X Turbo ER34.

Remember that Skyline had hit the 40-year mark with the end of the last generation, yet throughout that time had proceeded with continuity from model to model. But the R34 would take them into the 21st Century, and it had to fill dual roles: There had to be a full model lineup, while also carrying that heavy performance halo. As a result, Skyline was now available in numerous different configurations, rear- or all-wheel drive, with engines in tunes from 151Hp to 280. And of course, there was GT-R.

1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR34.

GT-R followed the R34 introduction by about eight months, debuting in January of 1999 with, as Nissan said, an” Exterior with a latent intellectual gleam in an image of power.” I can’t make that stuff up.

The styling cues of the front view have all been harmoniously interwoven into an exceptionally bold mien. Among other elements, these include the piercing look of the headlamps, the powerful, massive-looking hood, which clearly asserts the presence of an in-line 6-cylinder engine underneath, and the front openings that assure ample air flow on the assumption of a racing field presence.

2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II BNR34.

Racing was as always part of the program.

Pennzoil NISMO 1999 Skyline GT-R BNR34 JGTC Champion Car. This vehicle, entered in the 1999 Japan GT Championship series, is the “Pennzoil NISMO GT-R”, the NISMO works machine driven by the E. Comas/S. Motoyama team. Very stable at speed, it scored points in all 6 rounds of the series, and E. Comas took the Driver’s trophy two years in a row. The drive system was modified to 2WD (FR).

Castrol NISMO 2000 Skyline GT-R JGTC entry. In the 2000 Japan GT Championship, GT-500 class, U. Katayama and M. Krumm competed in the series with this NISMO works machine (entry name: Castrol NISMO GT-R). That year, with the Comas/Kageyama team (Locktite NISMO GT-R) also performing well, NISMO achieved 2nd place in the Team category.

2002 Skyline GT-R BNR34 JGTC Series entry (replica). The GT-R version of the tenth-generation Skyline (R34) was launched in January 1999. As with the R32 and R33, it performed well on the circuit, and in the 2002 Japan GT Championships it provided much excitement for its fans. This vehicle is the replica used by NISMO in the pre-season press conference; the coloring is the same as that applied to the #23 Castrol Pitwork GT-R (Masami Kageyama/E. Comas).

Limited-release Skyline was about to get a lot less limited with the upcoming V35, 11th generation Elevensies and the corresponding American G35 , but the straight six went out with a bang.

Grade 4-DOOR SPORTS SEDAN 25GT-X TURBO
SPECS

1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec BNR34

		V-Spec
Layout	Front-engine / AWD
Curb Weight, lb (kg)	3,395 (1,540)	2,440 (1,560)
Overall Length, in. (mm)	181.1 (4,600)
Overall Width, in. (mm)	70.3 (1,785)
Overall Height, in. (mm)	53.5 (1,360)
Wheelbase, in. (mm)	104.9 (2,665)
Track Front, in. (mm)	58.3 (1,480)
Track Rear, in. (mm)	58.7 (1,490)
Steering	Rack & Pinion; Speed Sensitive Power Ass.
Turning Radius, ft. (m)	18 (5.6)
Tires front	245/40 ZR18
Tires rear	245/40 ZR18
Engine
Type	RB26DETT DOHC straight- six; twin-turbocharged
Valvetrain	dohc 4-valve/cyl
Displacement, cc	2,568
Bore x Stroke, mm	86.0 x 73.7
Compression Ratio	8.5:1
Redline (rpm)	8,000
Max. Power, Bhp @ RPM	280 @ 6,800 (listed)	327 at 6,800 (tested)
Max. Torque, lb-ft (Nm) @ RPM	293 (400) @ 4,400
Bhp/Liter	109	127.3
Gear Ratios
1st	3.827:1
2nd	2.36:1
3rd	1.685:1
4th	1.312:1
5th	1.00:1
6th	0.793:1
Final drive	3.545:1
Suspension
Front	MacPherson struts with an additional link, Lower A-Arms, Coil Springs
Rear	Mulitlink Setup with Coil Springs, Tube Shocks, Anti-Roll Bar
Braking
Front – Brakes	300mm ventilated discs with 4-piston calipers
Rear – Brakes	280mm discs with 2-piston calipers
70 – 0 mph, ft (m)	148 (46)
60 – 0 mph, ft (m)	120 (36.6)
Performance*
0 – 60 MPH	4.9 seconds
0 – 100 MPH	12.3 seconds
1/4 mile, secs @ MPH	13.7 @ 103.5
Top Speed	155 MPG
Lateral acceleration	0.88g

Above specs from JBCar pages

Source: David Traver Adolphus

Well, I hope I didn’t cause too much “separation anxiety,” as marmer put it, by not posting a Hemmings Six Degrees of Automotive Separation Challenge last week. If you’re ready to put your thinking caps back on, we’ve got another fox-and-hound-type challenge for you this week: Subaru.

A quick primer if you haven’t participated in one of these challenges yet: Whoever comments first on this post gets to suggest a car company that must then be connected to Subaru in six degrees or less. Whoever answers that challenge gets to suggest another company to connect to Subaru, and so forth. A degree of separation consists of one company owning another, merging with another or sharing another’s parts. If you do form an answer, make sure to keep the ball rolling by suggesting another company right away.

(And yes, Subaru did form one end of an Eagle-Subaru six degrees challenge a few months ago. Feel free to refer to that challenge if you get stuck.)

Source: Daniel Strohl

Yesterday’s TV1000 Rhino, while cool, just wasn’t, ohIdunno, French enough. Fortunately, TA came through with a link to Panhard’s website, where the company showcases a few of its past military vehicles, such as the eight-wheeled EBR.

Panhard built the EBR (Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance – Armored Reconnaissance Car) in 1954-1963, though the company began designing it shortly after the end of World War II. It was used by both the French Army and the Portugese Army not only as a reconnaissance vehicle, but also as an anti-tank vehicle, armed with either the FL-10 (75mm) or FL-11 (90mm) cannon. The purpose of the extra four wheels, which could be raised or lowered as needed, was to reduce ground pressure, allowing the vehicle to traverse muddy or sandy ground that would swallow a typical four-wheeled vehicle.

About 1,200 EBRs were built, and they saw action in the Algerian War (1954-1962) and the Portugese Colonial War (1961-1974). I’ve yet to find out how long they remained in service, though it seems most of those remaining – if not all – are currently retired and in museums.

What made the EBR unique mechanically – more so than the 200hp flat-12 engine mounted midships – was its drive system. While the engine was laid out longitudinally, the transmission was transverse and sprouted four driveshafts: one to each of the two “front” wheels, then one back along either side of the vehicle that turned individual ring gears for each of the four center wheels, then, through universal joints, turned each of the “rear” wheels. I put “front” and “rear” in quotations because the EBR could be steered from either end. Thus, a crew consisted of one front driver, one rear driver, one gunner and one vehicle commander.

The whole thing weighed in at 12.7 (13) tons and had a maximum speed of 100 KPH (62 MPH).

Source: Daniel Strohl