The Bill Thomas Cheetah was, unsurprisingly, built by an engineer named Bill Thomas. He developed the car with Don Edmunds using 100% American components and engineering, with his sights set firmly on Carroll Shelby’s then-new Cobra. Thomas had been building fast Chevrolets for 7 years by the time the Cheetah project started in 1963. He…
In 1973 the Guinness Book of World Records awarded EJ Potter’s V8 Dragbike “Widowmaker 7” the coveted title of “World’s Fastest Motorcycle”, finally making official what many in America already knew when they dubbed him the “Michigan Madman“. There was nothing Potter wouldn’t do to go faster – including removing his clutch entirely because he was…
The BMW R100R is a motorcycle that looks older than it really is, BMW released it as a retro-modern bike in 1991 and sold them until 1996. BMW rolled in a combination of classic airhead looks with then-modern sport cruiser styling. It was designed to appeal to people who like the look of the classic…
The story of the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II can’t be told without also telling a little about its arch rival – the BMW E30 M3, and its older sibling, the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16. For many racing fans from Europe, the mid ’80s are a time characterised by watching the E30 M3 and…
This Is Nigel Mansell is a 40 minute documentary covering the Formula One World Champion’s foray into the American CART series in 1993. It was almost unheard of for a reigning F1 champ to move to another series so Mansell’s shift caused a media firestorm, and the fact that he took victory in his maiden…
Worms to Catch is the latest book by Guy Martin – a man who has become Britain’s favourite motorcycle racer and all-round daredevil. In 2015 Guy Martin crashed whilst leading the Ulster Grand Prix superbike race – He needed surgery to bolt his broken spine and hand back together, and he decided to take a break…
It’s thought that just 4 Excelsior “Big Bertha” Hillclimbers were ever made, and just 2 are known to have survived to the modern day – with this bike being the only one with its original engine in its original frame. The popularity of hillclimb racing in the USA was taking off in the late-1920s, just…
The Suzuki RG500 has been hailed by many as the Norton Manx of the 2-stroke era. Its unusual square-4 engine launched the Japanese 2-strokes to the forefront of global motorcycle racing competition – and kept it there for the better part of 20 years. The water-cooled, square-4, 2-stroke powerplant used in the RG500 was a significant gamble for…
Crucible of Speed is a film commissioned by Firestone in 1946 to highlight the relationship between the technology used on race cars and the trickle down process that sees many of these advancements ending up on regular road cars. The film is important for a few reasons, it includes an appearance by the first Indianapolis…
The 1977 running of Australia’s most famous motor race was held on October 2nd at the Mount Panorama circuit just outside of Bathurst, in New South Wales. The 1977 race was officially called the Hardie-Ferodo 1000, and it had one of the most iconic grids ever seen in the event, drivers included multiple Formula One…
The Egli-Vincent has become so famous since it was first developed in the mid-1960s that its name now almost rivals the Vincent marque itself. Developed by Fritz Egli of Switzerland, the original Egli-Vincent was his own race bike, a bike he used as a testbed for his own engineering experiments. The main drawback to the original…
In 1959 the British Motor Corporation built 20 5-ton PSV chassis to operate as mobile service schools for the BMC mechanics of Britain. The Mini was newly released and its transverse engined, front wheel drive layout was unusual at the time – requiring special training for the nation’s grease monkeys. The busses design was the…
