Wakan Motorcycles
It isn’t often that you can accuse the French of out-Americaning the Americans. I think this is perhaps one such rare occasion. Meet the Wakan Motorcycle.
French
Françoise Hardy on her Honda
Françoise Hardy was an iconic figure during the ’60s and ’70s, her music influenced millions including the likes of Bob Dylan and her effortless style heavily affected the fashion industry of the era. In some respects she was France’s answer to Audrey Hepburn, although arguably Hardy’s influence stretched further.
La Mer de Pianos – The Sea of Pianos
Though not inline with our usual features we talked about this film a great deal and decided that anyone who appreciates the intricate engineering and sense of history that goes into vintage motorcycles and automobiles will be touched by this wonderful short film by Tom Wrigglesworth and Mathieu Cuvelier.
Bugatti 59 Grand Prix
I decided to save a special car for Christmas Day, I thought about it long and hard and settled on this, the 1933 Bugatti 59 Grand Prix.
The Delahaye Type 165
1939 Delahaye Type 165 is viewed by many as the most beautiful French car of the 1930’s, only 2 of them were ever made with this one having been fatefully chosen by the French government to represent France at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
Board Track Tricycle Racers
Board Track Tricycle Racing is something we were unaware of until very recently, it appears to be a French photograph and the background doesn’t give a whole lot away. If you know more about this than we do, which isn’t hard at this point…
Raymond Mays and the 3 Wheeled Bugatti
Englishman Raymond Mays was an avid racer and through a deal with a Bugatti importer he managed to finagle himself a Type 13 to go racing in….
I.D.W.P. by Edwin
Edwin is a clothing label favoured by many motorcycle aficionados, especially those in the custom-but-not-a-chopper scene. This film was produced in conjunction with Blitz Motorcycles out of France and features some of Blitz’s bikes…
Riding September by Hysteric Studios
This music video by Hysteric Studios and the bike builders at Blitz Motorcycles is one of those things that makes you sit down and question the intelligence behind working in an office, especially when you learn that the average cubicle is half the size of the average prison cell.
Terrot Motorcycles Poster
Terrot was a French motorcycle manufacturer based in Dijon, they started building motorcycles in 1902. By 1932 they had won the triple-championship in France having taken victories in the 250cc, 350cc and 500cc motorcycle racing classes. A few years later during the second world war, Terrot supplied thousands of sidecar motorcycles to the French army.
Stealth by Blitz Motorcycles
The Stealth was built for Edwin, a clothing manufacturer, and is based on the Yamaha TW 125. The TW is an 11hp “go-anywhere” bike with an oversized rear tire designed for beaches/sand-dunes and an exceptionally light frame.
Aviator Goggles by Jeantet
In 1880 Eugene Jeantet founded the Jeantet company, ten miles west of Lake Geneva in the quaint French town of Morez. The Jeantet company created and sold mostly the pince-nez style of spectacle for motorists and cyclists until 1929 when Eugene’s son, Léon, invented the aviator goggle.