Janis Joplin paid about $3500 for this 1965 Porsche 356c Cabriolet when she bought it from a Beverly Hills auto dealer in September 1968. Prior to the sale, the dealer had painted the car oyster white. Joplin, however, wanted something more dramatic, and Dave Richards, a friend and Big Brother roadie, created this psychedelic design, which includes an image of Janis and Big Brother on the front left fender.
The car quickly became identified with Joplin, who drove it around San Francisco, where she lived, and down to Los Angeles, where she recorded. Whenever she parked it somewhere, fans would leave notes under the wipers. Once, while Joplin was at a gig, the car was stolen. The thief spray painted it gray, but when it was retuned, Joplin found an auto shop that was able to recover the psychedelic finish.
A few months after Joplin’s death in 1970, her family gave the car to Albert Grossman, Janis’ manager. He kept it in Bearsville, New York, where it was used by visiting artists, friends and clients. In 1973, he returned the car to the Joplins, who used it as a family car.
The car has been restored several times over the years. Most of the engine and body parts are original. The seats have been re-covered, and the cloth on the convertible top is new. The body was repainted as close as possible to the original design by the Denver Center Theatre Company paint shop in 1994.
Janis Joplin paid about $3500 for this 1965 Porsche 356c Cabriolet when she bought it from a Beverly Hills auto dealer in September 1968. Prior to the sale, the dealer had painted the car oyster white. Joplin, however, wanted something more dramatic, and Dave Richards, a friend and Big Brother roadie, created this psychedelic design, which includes an image of Janis and Big Brother on the front left fender.
The car quickly became identified with Joplin, who drove it around San Francisco, where she lived, and down to Los Angeles, where she recorded. Whenever she parked it somewhere, fans would leave notes under the wipers. Once, while Joplin was at a gig, the car was stolen. The thief spray painted it gray, but when it was retuned, Joplin found an auto shop that was able to recover the psychedelic finish.A few months after Joplin’s death in 1970, her family gave the car to Albert Grossman, Janis’ manager. He kept it in Bearsville, New York, where it was used by visiting artists, friends and clients. In 1973, he returned the car to the Joplins, who used it as a family car.The car has been restored several times over the years. Most of the engine and body parts are original. The seats have been re-covered, and the cloth on the convertible top is new. The body was repainted as close as possible to the original design by the Denver Center Theatre Company paint shop in 1994.
Dear Supercarlovers, long time no post, but here we strike again, with a blast from the past when we still had a future in car design. Mike Conelli took a trip to italia and visited some of the most prestige carmakers headquarters to review their collections, enjoy.
PininFarina Design Studio’s Visiting PininFarina’s Studio and private collection was another hi-lite of my trip. There we saw the first Dino prototype that evolved into the Dino 206 and then the 246. And the red Boxer was the first prototype that was ever made and displayed. And for all you Jaguar fans, the silver car was the original XJS prototype that was built in 1970. Jaguar didn’t appear to have used it, but it looks like pontiac used it over 15 years later on their Firebird convertible. The radical styled white car was an experimental design built on the 512S race car chassis and engine in 1970. It’s a wild concept!
Bertone’s Private Collection
The best part of my whole trip to Italy had to be the Bertone Design Studio’s. It was the closet I’ve could have come to dying and going to car heaven. All the prototype cars that I’ve only read about in books, we’re on display in the Bertone private collection. There was the Marzal(Espada Prototype), the Mythos(Experimental), the Rainbow(Dino GT-4 Prototype) and more….. That’s me sitting in the Marzal. It was unbelieveble!
Ferrari factory
The tour of the Ferrari factory was awesome. Unfortunately, they didn’t let me take pictures. The assembly lines are state of the art and the cars are still hand assembled. The interiors are still stitched by women on machines and the cars are meticulous hand assembled. I wish I had pictures to show you. What I was able to do is take some cool shots from the Ferrari Museum across the street. They had all the Formula One Championship cars on display and well as some cool prototypes. And when I was walking down the street a Maserati MC12 came by, I whipped out my camera and only got a shot of it’s tale. Now that can only happen in Italy.
Alfa Romeo Factory
I love Alfa Romeo and the factory’s private collection didn’t let me down. One of my favorite Alfa’s was the Montreal. The one in the picture below was the original prototype from the 1967 Montreal Expo. It’s very different from the production car in the details. Like the headlight lids are fixed and the lines are more puncuated. We also saw the original factory GTA race cars. And then there were the drop dead gorgeous Alfa prototypes. Check these pictures out.
Lamborghini Factory
The last place I visited was the Lamborghini factory. At the time I couldn’t get into the factory but I did get to tour their museum. The hi-lite was seeing the first Countach ever produced in 1973. It was green and I took several shots from different angles. Very cool! There were also some of my favorites including the Miura, Silhouette and the 350GT.
Mit Bertone beinhart brettern. Wer ist kultiger? Die kantigen von Nuccio Bertone wie Maserati Khamsin, Lancia Stratos, Lamborghini Uracco, Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 oder die gerundeten von Pininfarina, wie der fast zeitgleich gebauten Ferrari 308 GTB, Ferrari Mondial, oder später der Ferrari 328. Vielleicht liegt es an der heutigen Zeit mit ihren aerodynamischen Standards und den langweiligen von Sicherheitsbestimmungen gequälten Eierformen der Autos, daß unser Herz wieder den pfeilförmigen, einfachen, schnörkellosen Linien zufliegt. Insbesondere der Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, der einzige Ferrari der von Bertone designt wurde , hat eine außergewöhnliche Entstehungsgeschichte mit einer eigenen Formgebung. Leider fuhr Enzo Ferrari nur auf seinen Chefdesigner Pininfarina ab. Auf Druck der Konzernmutter Fiat, die damals das Sagen bei Ferrari hatte, sollte Bertone einen Sportwagen für breite Käuferschichten entwickeln, um den schwachen Umsatz zu steigern. Mit Murren übernahm Ferrari die Fertigung des Autos, damals noch mit dem Namen Dino und ließ die Karosserie bei Stagletti bauen. Ein Skandal, ein Allerweltsauto in industrieller Massenfertigung mit unscheinbarer Formgebung und Notsitzen. Unsinn, heute eine Rarität, von dem Dino GT4 wurden nur 2.826 Fahrzeuge gebaut. Nur selten findet man Dinos in gutem Zustand auf dem Markt. Oft sind es nur die 208 GT4, die abgespeckte Version, die in Italien aus steuerlichen Gründen auf 170 PS gedrosselt wurde. Von den insgesamt hergestellten 2.826 gehen nochmal 840 Exemplare für die Sparversion ab. Von den in weit höheren Stückzahlen gebauten 308 GTB und 328 bekommt man reichlich Fahrzeuge auf dem europäischen Markt angeboten. Mit dem Einbau eines V8 Mittelmotors in ein Serienfahrzeug begann 1974 eine neue Aera bei Ferrari. Beim Anlassen des erstmalig im Dino eingebauten Ferrari V8 Triebwerkes, dem Kernstück des GT4, spürt man hier ist Musike drin. Kein anderes Auto hat diesen kreischenden heiseren Ton. Es ist die Tonlage, die alle nachfolgenden V8 Modelle wie den 308 GTB, 328, 348 und 355 so erfolgreich machten. Eines hat der ab 1976 in Ferrari Dino umbenannte GT4 seinen Vorgängern und oft auch seinen Nachfolgern voraus, seine unglaubliche Straßenlage, die durch den langen Radstand und den Mittelmotor garantiert sind. Einzelradaufhängung mit Schraubenfedern, Trapez-Querlenkern und Stabilisatoren waren Stand der damaligen Rennwagentechnik. Die schwergängige Kulissenschaltung ist etwas für Puristen, aber die robuste Antriebstechnik macht dieses Fahrzeug durchaus alltagstauglich.Leider hat uns Nuccio Bertone nur einen Ferrari mit der klaren Linienführung hinterlassen, selbst fuhr er mit seinem silberfarbenen 308 GT4 200.000 km, Gern hätte er für Ferrari noch andere Fahrzeuge designed. Trösten wir uns, in vielen anderen Fahrzeugen lebt seine Genialität weiter.
Citroen is somehow reviving their tradition of astoning concept cars in recent years. After a long break and terrible designs in the nineties we finally can look forward. Here is a selection of vehicles I found mostly appealing.
The Citroen C-Metisse 2006 (Mongrel in French) is constructed from lightweight carbon fibre, and powered by a 208 horsepower diesel V6 driving the front wheels, with two 20 horsepower, 300 lb/ft of torque electric motors turning the rears. At low speeds the car can operate solely on electric power resulting in zero emissions. Yet despite the economic hybrid powertrain the C-Metisse reaches 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds.The Outrageous exterior design of the Citroen C-Metisse is styled to create a sense of power, intimidation and respect, while also providing an aerodynamic form for improved fuel economy. Inside the C-Metisse concept Citroen’s designers have gone just as wild. The four individual seats swathed in white leather are accessed by dramatic upward swinging doors which are not only impressive in appearance but also provide an easy entry.The C-Metisse’s steering wheel has all the main comfort functions and driving aids (radio, speed limiter, onboard computer, lighting, indicators and windscreen wiper) positioned within easy reach. Combined with the steering-wheel mounted gear paddles the driver hardly need move their hands from the wheel.The roof console of the Citroen C-Metisse concept features a ‘contact’ and ’start’ button giving the sensation of being in a fighter jet.
The Citroen GT, or GTbyCITROËN to give the car its official title, is a supercar concept developed through a partnership between Citroën and Polyphony, designers of the driving simulation game Gran Turismo 5 on Playstation 3. In the game, the GTbyCITROËN concept features an electric drive train powered by a fuel cell with no pollutant emissions. Entry to the car is via gull-wing opening doors which create the largest possible aperture. The interior of the GTbyCITROËN concept is designed to accommodate two persons, underlining the grand touring vision behind the car. The interior is upholstered in black leather with subtle touches of rare materials such as copper and steel, the cabin of Citroen GT concept is distinctly sporty. The two padded racing seats are upholstered in dark leather, and each is fitted with a four-point harness. The driver is assisted by a heads-up display which provides necessary data in an easy to read format. The large size of the Citroen GT (length: 4.960m, width 2.080m and height: 1.090m) is further underscored by the use of 21 inch wheels. The styling of the GT by CITROEN is purposefully exaggerated and designed to give the car a sense of speed even when stationary. The white-to-grey gradation on the body side underlines the impression of continuous movement. The aggressive appearance of the front end is enhanced by wide air intakes and clear-cut horizontal headlights. A large wraparound windscreen flows seamlessly into the roof and into the rear mobile airfoil. Aside from the obvious race car styling, the Citroen GT features invisible and innovative equipment such as a flat underside, and a mobile spoiler and air diffuser at the rear. These features play an active role in reducing lift and drag, to improve performance. Practically, you can’t drive this stunner in Paris’ streets without losing those filligree parts in random traffic.
The Citroen Osee was a concept car revealed at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. The Osee was designed by the Italian styling house Pininfarina, and featured a mid-mounted 3.0 litre V6 engine which sat behind the three seat cockpit. The interior layout put the driver in the centre of the car, just ahead of the two passenger seats which were on either side. Access to the Citroen Osee was through an aircraft-like forward-hinged canopy which took the place of conventional doors. Due to the location of the engine the Osee had poor rear visibility. The solution was to use a rear facing video camera and dash mounted tv screen. The Citroen Osee also featured Hydroactive suspension which allowed the ride height to be adjusted while in motion. The most recent Citroen super car concept, which in a way pick up where the Osee left off, was the GTbyCitroen concept from 2008.
A blast from the Past: the 1980 Citroen Karin. The Citroen Karin concept seen here made its debut at the 1980 Paris Salon, as a pure exercise in design. Never intended for production, nor to be a running vehicle, the Karin was blade-like flight of fancy for stylist Trevor Fiore. The Karin was notable for its three-seater layout that preempted the famous McLaren F1, as well as for a headlight treatment that seemed to play with the lights from Citroen’s own SM.
The Ruger GP 100, called ’stupsnase’ and the mighty ‘69 Boss 429. Those made the day. Reminisce the gasodaze! and action: ">/0.jpg" alt="YouTube Preview Image" />
A two-week free public art installation featuring two distinct sections – a collection of four iconic BMW Art Cars designed by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg and a project by South-African born artist Robin Rhode who used a BMW Z4 Roadster mounted with special paint dispensers behind its wheels to create a football-field size painting. Already done, but check the flicks. Don’t mind the Z4, that is industry bullshit. Unfortunately they didn’t recreate the Olafur Eliasson Icecar, that was probably too expensive. The installation will be free and open to the public from March 25 through April 6, 2009.The BMW Art Cars will be accompanied by rare video footage that reveals a young Warhol painting his car, Stella and Rauschenberg discussing their inspirations and influences in creating their respective pieces and various experts discussing the resulting impact of these works. The BMW Art Car project was originally conceived in 1975 by French racecar driver Hervé Poulain. He had the idea of inviting an artist, his friend American artist Alexander Calder, to use his automobile, a BMW racing car, as a canvas. Since then, sixteen of the world’s most respected artists have designed BMW Art Cars, which have been exhibited by the finest museums and galleries, from the Louvre in Paris to the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao. Occupying the other half of Vanderbilt Hall will be Rhode’s project. From a tower 30 feet above his canvas laid out on the floor, Rhode choreographed the movements of an all-new 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster and used a remote control device to direct when and where colored paint was sprayed onto the tires which marked the canvas. The markings the BMW Z4 Roadster left on the panels are organic and abstract — red, yellow and blue tire tracks lose their synthetic meaning and pay homage to Richter’s series of paintings from the early 70s for the BMW Headquarters in Munich. Scott of RSA Films, from 45 simultaneous camera angles, captured the interaction between the artist, the BMW Z4 Roadster and its driver, which took place in Los Angeles’ Downey Studios. The BMW Z4 Roadster that was used as a paintbrush, as well as Scott’s video footage of the action will also be displayed in the installation. BMW 635 CSi, Robert Rauschenberg, Art Car, 1986BMW 320i group 5 racing version, Roy Lichtenstein, Art Car, 1977 BMW 3.0 CSL, Frank Stella, Art Car, 1976BMW M1 group 4 racing version, Andy Warhol, Art Car, 1979
Well too much money won’t save you from bad taste, although Jenny Holzer states ‘Money creates taste’ in one of her Truisms. Nigo, head of Bape Japan, made this horrible statement on the honeyy blog, and i cant believe how you can discredit a car like this, well i hope it is foil on a replika.The 300 SL is one of the milestones in Sportcars history and should be treated with respect. how can you put this camo and alloyrims on this beauty. i dont get it.some info:Nach seiner Weltpremiere bei der “International Motor Sports Show” in New York, gewann der 300 SL-”Flügeltürer” schnell die Herzen sportlich ambitionierter Autoenthusiasten. Neben seiner optischen Faszination begeisterte vor allem sein 215 PS-6-Zylindermotor, der als weltweit erster serienmäßig produzierter Viertakt-Fahrzeugmotor mit Benzineinspritzung ausgerüstet war. Kein Wunder, daß am 8. Dezember 1955, nach nur 16-monatiger Produktionszeit, das 1000ste Coupé im Werk Sindelfingen vom Band lief. Allein 930 Einheiten waren exportiert worden.Die Zahl 300 steht in der Verkaufsbezeichnung für ein Zehntel des Hubraums in Kubikzentimeter gemessen, die Zusatzbezeichnung SL ist die Kurzform für „Sport Leicht“.
The fastest and most ecological hybrid in the world . Namir is a concept car born of the collaboration between Italdesign Giugiaro and Frazer-Nash, a company specialized in the design, construction, and marketing of hybrid systems deeply rooted in the historical automotive manufacturing company founded in England by Archie Frazer-Nash in 1923. Presented during the 79th edition of the International Motor Show in Geneva, Namir represents the turning of a new page in the book being written by the Torino-based firm since 2004, opening with the Alessandro Volta project and followed up with the commemorative dream car – Quaranta – the result of research and development on sports cars fuelled by hybrid systems produced last year in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the company’s founding. The Arabian name Namir, meaning “tiger”, sums up the main features of the concept car: elegance and power, aggressiveness and litheness of lines.Without any doubt it is a sports car: a coupé with two bucket seats and an accurate equilibrium between style and mechanics, aesthetics and contents. The sophisticated mechanics as well as the avant-garde electric and electronics systems are wrapped up into an aggressive package with an exquisitely balanced proportion of volumes and a stunning contrast between the sharp accents of the rear end and the sinuous front lines that emphasise this supercar’s performance: over300 km/h (187 mph) at maximum speed and an acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and from 0 to 200km/h in 10.4 seconds, making this the fastest hybrid car in the world. Namir is also an ecological vehicle. The hybrid system developed together with Frazer-Nash combines an 814 cc endothermic rotary engine with four electric motors, guaranteeing autonomy of 39 km with one litre of fuel CO2 emissions of less than 60 grams per km travelled. Values and driving performance: Drivetrain 4 Wheel Powered, Digital Differential Motor Technology Permanent magnet brushless DC Battery Technology Lithium Ion Polymer Intelligent cell Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Rotary Engine with Generator (cm3) 814 System total power (kW) 270 Voltage 400 V, 108 cells Top speed (mph) over 187 0 – 100 km/h (sec) 3,5 Fuel Consumptions 39 km/l CO2 emissions < 60 g/km About Giugiaro: forty years dedicated to automobiles. The innovative formula of Italdesign was to establish its raison d’être as a service company for big industry, to assist in design, engineering, industrial development, all the way to the validation and final approval, without actually producing anything of their own. When designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and planner Aldo Mantovani brought Italdesign to life in February 1968, the plant to produce the first fruit of their new venture, the Alfasud range, was already well underway in Pomigliano d’Arco. In this way, a firm established to fulfil a simple commission became an innovative formula that continues to be valid even today. During more than forty years of applying the “Italdesign formula”, more than 50 million examples of more than 200 models have been produced. The first decade of activity was marked by the entire Alfa Romeo Alfasud range, the Lotus Esprit, the first generation of the VW Golf and Scirocco, and the Maserati Quattroporte III. Between 1978 and 1988, the Audi 80, the BMW M1, the first generation of the Lancia Delta, as well as the FIAT Panda and Uno appeared. The third decade marked the arrival of the Renault 19, the Subaru SVX, the Lexus GS300, the second generation of the SEAT Ibiza, and the first of the Fiat Punto. Between 1998 and today, the Maserati 3200 GT, the second generation of the SEAT Toledo, the FIAT Grande Punto, and the Brilliance Zhonghua were born. Many of these models, from the Alfasud to the Panda, from the M1 to the Zhonghua, from the FIAT Sedici/Suzuki SX4 to the second generation of the FIAT Croma were designed as well as engineered by Italdesign. However, the “Italdesign formula” is also applied without design: even if models are designed directly by the manufacturers, they are industrialized by the Torinese team.
British audiovisual artists Addictive TV have just remixed the new Vin Diesel blockbuster Fast & Furious - the fourth instalment in the series of petrol-head action movies.London based audiovisual artists and performers Addictive TV have made their name as trail-blazers in the art of audio/video remixing – especially when it comes to movies. Meticulously sampling everything from films to concert footage, music videos to sports events, their remixes have received praise from creative innovators likeJeff Mills, Goldie, Grandmaster Flash and the former Kraftwerk frontman Karl Bartos. The duo have remixed a number of big-budget movies for the studios including Iron Man for Paramount, Max Payne for 20th Century Fox and both Snakes on a Plane and Shoot ‘Em Up for New Line Cinema, so they are now in the unique position of having created remixes for nearly every major Hollywood studio.
Einer von ihnen, einer von den legendären Giganten, die in der Gegend von Modena in den 70-iger Jahren gebaut wurden. Er machte eine gute Figur neben seinen 12 zylindrigen italienischen Brüdern von Ferrari und Lamborghini und konnte gut mit dem V8 von DE THOMASO, dem Pantera GTS mithalten, mit dem auch eine grosse Ähnlichkeit in der Formgebung sichtbar ist.Die Bertonekarosse mit dem fantastischen futuristischem Heck gibt dem KHAMSIN noch einen besonderen Kick. In direkten Vergleich zu seinen Mitbewerbern war das Fünfliter Coupe mit 320 PS und einer Endgeschwindigkeit von 275 km/H dem DE THOMASO Pantera GTS mit 350 PS und einer Endgeschwindigkeit von 280 km/h fast ebenbürtig. Der zwölfzylindrige Ferrari ,der BB 512 , mit 340 PS, brachte es auf 290 km/h. Der Lambo Countach erreichte mit 375 PS, die 300 km/h.Leider wurden die 70 iger Jahre für Modenas Autobauer grausame Jahre. Die weltweite Ölkrise und restriktive Maßnahmen für Autos aus Europa in den USA, brachten einen starken Rückgang bei den Verkaufszahlen und einen Imageverlust dieser Kraftmaschinen aus Europa. Von den KHAMSIN konnten nur 420 Fahrzeuge verkauft werden. Davon gibt es heute vielleicht nur noch 300 Fahrzeuge. Ein besonders interessantes Beispiel dieses US -amerikanischen Sicherheitswahnsinns war die Ausrüstung dieser feinen italienischen Designkarossen mit Stoßstangen, die normalerweise für LKW oder Busse vorgesehen waren.Das ging soweit, dass der damalige President von Maserati Guy Mall nach Washington flog, um zu intervenieren. Ohne Resultat! Der amerikanische traffic chef Ralph Nader setzte sich durch und so bekamen alle Importe aus Europa diese hässlichen amerikanischen „Nader” – Stoßstangen.Später wurden fast alle BB 512 und Lambos auf das originale europäische Design zurückgebaut. Viele Khamsins schleppten sich weiterhin mit Ihrer Nader-Front und der „Bootanker“- Rückfront herum. 1981 begann mit der ersten Umrüstung eines US-Khamsin im Auftrag von Don Hughesauch eine Veränderung zum Besseren. Die in Seattle ansässige Maserati – Vertretung entwickelt und vermarktete einen Teilekit zum umrüsten.Die schönsten und unverfälschten Exemplare kann man in Italien und in der Schweiz bestaunen und erwerben, in Zukunft dann mit den zugehörigen Emissionshandels Scheinen.
/0.jpg" alt="YouTube Preview Image" />
