Carfreax

CURBED - CHISWICK

With an Audi S8 V10 routinely parked in front of our house (hey, it's even frozen in time on GMaps), with R32 Golfs as 'shoppers' parked around the corner and with daily spots of Astons, Rollses and tons of Porsches - this funny little runabout here still managed to catch our eye, and win our sympathy every time we strolled to and from our nearest tube station.

London - you guessed it. Chiswick to be precise, a nice and upmarket residential area where we've set up our holiday camp this week.

The car: a Triumph Herald, Michelotti-bodied and rather successful in its days. It was built for more than ten years - out-phasing its own successor, the 1300. All Heralds sported a separate chassis with bolted-on body panels, enabling the engineers to quickly convert their design from hardtop/coupe to sedan, convertible - or even an estate and van spinoff. This version here is a second gen convertible with 'angry eyes'; in that sense you could even call it ahead of its time - Peugeot, eat your heart out! 

The Herald and its beefier 6-cylinder Vitesse sister always hit kind of a soft spot with me. Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly like 'em, but -next to a blue 356 coupe and a white Mark 2- a pale coloured Herald is one of my earliest childhood carfreak memories. A friend of my aunt's drove it and used to bring it round our place a few times. I guess already then I thought it was different.

I guess it still is.

This particular Cockney item was moderately tuned with some nice period details. Couldn't tell if the engine (61 bhp standard) had been tickled also, but the Minilite rims and bullet mirrors go well with the red paint job. The body coloured bumpers were standard kit on certain models. On the inside, note the full wooden dash and substantial door panel trim. The after-market steering wheel rim seems a bit on the beefy side also, so these 'lightweight design' holes seem well justified.

...And do mind the slightly mouldy smell - if you're getting too close.

Oh well, then again, what do you expect from an island-born convertible? All character, mate.

There, I said it.

- Geert.

CURBED

We are strolling down Guloudong Dajie, a street full of little boutiques and tea houses. I can't help drawing parallels with Main Street Santa Monica, or better, Melrose Avenue. The atmosphere, the trees, city life. As my mind travels back in time my local city guide asks me to stop comparing. "This is Beijing, not California!"

He is right. A different kitchen with new ingredients, nevertheless spicy and colorful. One would not expect it, but the locals have a hang towards Tokyo style car tuning. Bright with a broad brush approach and funky detailing. A colorful example is parked in front of a model and figurines shop. A perfect match. CFX Beijing could be a nice side kick. To be continued...

- Mattijs.

CURBED

Somewhere in a parallel universe someone had the same idea I guess. I am on my way back home after a fantastic weekend in the Ardennes.

As I weave through the one way streets of Thuex it starts to rain cats and dogs, well a whole asylum that is. In centre ville the Belgium grays are lit up by dashes of bright yellow. An opportunity I can't resist. I park my car, grab my camera and run across the street. A curbed Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Bertone in full rallye trim. Within minutes I am soaked with inspiration and rain, wondering what the fire extinguisher is doing here on the sidewalk.

- Mattijs.

CURBED

Heaps of snow, a merry Christmas and an American sled curbed in Holland. Three components you rarely see mixed together in one cocktail. I was surprised to find this car in these conditions. Imperial le Baron. To be continued.

2.4 S

A colleague of mine at Kiska found this car a few years ago and after a small photoshoot we got into talking about it's history. Despite looking like a wreck, this is one of the most desirable classic 911's amongst collectors because it's a '72 2.4S, which was the only production year that featured the oil filler cap on the right rear quarter panel.

The story behind it's demise and rediscovery is a bit of a mystery. In 1976 it was put in a barn with only 48k KM on it. It was left there until 1986 at which point it was moved outside. Soon after this a tree fell on it and crushed it. I found the car in Milan in 2008 in a terrible state, along with the passport of this mysterious girl that must have left it in the glove box. The girl who owned it was only 18 when she got the 2.4S and nobody knows what happened to her or why she hid the car away in the garage. 

Marc Ischepp

 

DERRICK MEETS EAMES

A quick hit and run to Berlin. This time for business reasons. After our arrival my colleague Torsten and I drop of our bags at the hotel. It is located near the Kurfuerstendamm, the famous shopping mile known for its exclusive flagship stores. After work has been done we decide to hit that road for an late night breeze. It is early december and it turns out to be a tat colder then we expected. Walking and window shopping keeps us warm. A strange mix of luxurious shops and those who pretend to be. This translates to the cars that are curbed near the ultra wide board walks. The spectrum ranges from a charging Tesla to an over the top pimped up Beamer. Ku-Damm, not hip but worth taking a hike and a curry wurst.

 

After breakfast we leave our four star hotel. It is a derelict from the early eighties. Once spot on taste, now the perfect, because hopelessly outdated, decorum for a "Derrick" remake. Miniscule TVs included. Before we return to headquarters we pick up some Berlin vibes in Prenzlauerberg. Colorful and arty, lots of design shops with second hand furniture. If one wants to buy an original Eames or just enjoy a warming coffee in one of the many down to earth bars, Prenze is your place.

 

 

PORSCHE 904

 A few months ago I got into a conversation about cars with a work colleague. Nothing unusual about that you may think for a car designer, but we were arguing over what was the greatest Porsche ever. Nice chap that he is, my colleague can be a bit of a car bore and is full of useless information, facts and figures plus he is an absolute Porsche freak.

“The 917” I say without hesitation, but my colleague said “No! No! No! What about the 904?” with a smug smile on his face. The proportions of the 904 were never quite right for me "It looks too narrow and the front overhang looks like Barry Manilow's nose" I blurted, and to my surprise he sort of agreed with me, but it was what he said next that surprised me even more " You wanna see the one I’ve got?” Apparently he was storing a 904 for a friend in his underground garage. Luckily I had my camera with me and it was close to lunch time, so we immediately set off to his home in the centre of Munich.

The garage was dark and cold, I waited with anticipation as he flicked the lights on and operated the double-deck parking system. Slowly the 904 revealed itself, the car lift clunked to a stop and my colleague rolled the car off its ramp. In the stark fluorescent light I could see it had been well used, but it was clean and straight and looked tiny in this huge underground garage. As I slowly moved around the car snapping off photos my colleague filled me in with a brief history of the 904.

 

“It weighs only 650 kilos, you know? the bodywork is made from fibre-glass and bonded to the frame” He opens the rear to reveal a clean looking engine. “Its a 2-litre 6-cylinder, which was later fitted to the 911. Early cars only had 4-cylinder engines with 180 hp, you know? and in 19......” he continues reeling off other detailed information about the engine, but it’s just lost on me. He attempts to start it, nothing, not even a click, the battery is flat, he curses loudly and the sound of “Fuck it!” echoes around the room. He also realizes for the first time there's no heater and I later learn he has to deliver it to the owner in Turin the next day. It’s March, very cold and the 904 has no heater!

I have to admit after spending some time studying the 904 you become aware of how delicate and minimalistic its design is and after learning about its racing achievements it just makes It that little bit more desirable, it’s a no compromise tool designed to win races. 

After realizing he's going to have to charge the battery overnight and wear an Antarctic survival suit to to drive it to Turin, he still hits me with the facts "Its very rare, you know? Only 120 cars were ever built from 1963 to 1964 and most of those were homologated for racing, you know? It won at Lemans, Targa Florio and,and......"I interrupt him before he can continue “With no heater of course! You know?”  

The echoes were much louder this time!