The Origins of the Seven The Caterham Seven is the official continuation of the iconic Lotus Seven, designed by Colin Chapman and built by Lotus from 1957 till 1974. On learning that Lotus intended to discontinue the Seven, their Surry-based distributor Caterham contacted Chapman and worked out a deal to buy all the tooling for…
Roy Scorer is one of the world’s leading technical illustrators, with his work regularly featured in Haynes Manuals, including the manuals on the Bismarck battleship, the Lotus 98T Formula One car, and the German U-Boat (various models). The British Ministry of Defence also employs Roy to create highly detailed technical drawings of various military vehicles…
When Jenvey announced the new DCOE Heritage Throttle Body they were overwhelmed with interest from classic car owners from all four corners of the globe. Designed to look similar to the iconic Weber DCOE sidedraft carburettor, the Jenvey unit will look completely at home bolted to the side of any vintage or classic car engine….
The Bremont MBII and its forebear the MBI were designed at the request of Martin-Baker – a British aviation company that supplies 70% of the world’s fighter aircraft ejection seats. The new watch needed to be able to withstand the same testing program as the ejector seats before being approved for use – a process…
The Confederate Hellcat is a thoroughly American motorcycle with more technology and engineering built into it than its air-cooled V-twin would lead you to believe. Confederate Motors is a small company that produces far fewer motorcycles than any major manufacturer, however they punch well above their weight – and they count men like Brad Pitt…
The Bocar XP-5 is an American designed and built racing car designed to take the fight to cars like the D-Type Jaguar, Austin Healey 3000, and Porsche 356. The name XP-5 stands for “eXperimental Prototype 5”, and the company name “Bocar” is a combination of the founder’s first and last names “BOb CARnes”. Meet Bob…
When the Honda CBX was released in 1978 it was almost immediately compared favourably to the Vincent Black Shadow – both bikes were the fastest in the world upon their introduction, and both had a tsunami-like effect on the motorcycling world as word of their capabilities spread around the globe. It may seem borderline insane…
Snow bikes have been growing in popularity in recent years, and there’s been a surge in the number of companies making kits that can be bolted to many modern and vintage motocross bikes to convert them for snow use. Orion Anthony is a resident of British Columbia and the founder of Northern Lights Optics –…
Racing driver Andy Wallace climbed into a McLaren F1 in 1998 wearing a helmet, a button-down shirt, and a calculator watch. He then drove the British supercar to a top speed of 391 km/h (242.9 mph) on the famous banked testing track at Ehra-Lessien in Germany. Speed records typically require that runs be made in…
Less than 100 examples of the Confederate Wraith B210 were built during its limited production run, and it was the first motorcycle to roll out of the company’s new premises in Birmingham, Alabama after their original location was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Confederate Motorcycles was founded in 1991 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by…
The new Suus 3066 Road Denim Motorcycle Jeans are made from 14oz ARMALITH UHMWPE (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) denim that’s both incredibly abrasion resistant, and breathable. UHMWPE materials are highly resistant to rubbing, tearing, and penetrating objects, and they have a higher level of mechanical resistance than either Kevlar or Cordura. The material is now being used…
It’s difficult to imagine Ducati without their trademark desmodromic engines, but before Fabio Taglioni implemented an early triple camshaft desmodromic design on the 1956 Trialbero Racer, all Ducatis used conventional springs to close their valves. For the uninitiated, a desmodromic engine uses a camshaft to both open and close the valves, rather then relying on a…
