Sano Trike Orgins

I've been meaning to post this cool ad for Himsl Trike Bodies for some time. I didn't just want to post it and leave it at that, but rather to show how it relates to other Heros of Chopper History.

The design of the body brings up the question, who first designed this style of trike body?

An Ad for Himsl trike bodies. Love the illustration. The art is not signed, but I have a strong suspicion it was done by Ed Newton. From the July '71 issue of Choppers Magazine.


Art Himsl's Preying Mantis as featured in the larger Nov. '70 Choppers magazine. It had been previously featured in Roth's July '69 digest sized Choppers magazine. Both articles mention the sale of the semi mass produced bodies. The first article calls it the Himsl Brother's Mantis and mentions Art's brother Mike. Art is still going strong but, what happened to Mike?

Because of the dates mention above, I'm sure Art's design was influenced by Roth's first trike, The Candy Wagon.

The trike won Custom Bike of the Year at the '69 Oakland Roadster Show. Art's Alien show car can be seen in the garage in the background.


Roth's Candy Wagon on the Dec.68 cover. One might assume that Ed Newton designed it, but it may not be wholly true.


The article inside shows Newton's early more ominous designs featuring booze related items plus a machine gun. Roth wanted something more kid friendly. Note that the high back seat body is absent in the drawings and nothing is mentioned in the article of the seat body's design orgin.


Was another Roth artist, namely David Mann, the one really responsible for the Candy Wagon's seat/body? Notice the pipes too, and compare to the Candy Wagon cover above. Did Roth decide on the style after seeing this? Did Dave do it after seeing the CW or see another sketch of Newt's, or visa versa? Based on this art and the date, I think Dave had the idea first. Roth published this poster in '68.

Toyota’s Aygo Black City Car for UK

A new version of Toyota’s friendly and economical city car Aygo Black is now available for order in U.K. , the Japanese automaker has announced. The range-topping version of Toyota’s European model has been built on the specification of the Aygo+ model.

The Aygo Black is powered by an award winning Toyota Optimal Drive 1.0-litre VVT-i petrol engine mated to a standard five-speed manual or optionally (only for the five door model), Toyota’s Multimode transmission. The combined cycle fuel consumption figures read 62.8 mpg while the CO2 emissions are not more than 106 g/km.

The car is available as three and five-door versions with air conditioning as an option. The pricing details list as follows:

• Aygo Black 3dr 5MT with A/C: £9,960
• Aygo Black 5dr 5MT with A/C: £10,31
• Aygo Black 5dr Multimode with A/C: £10,810
• Optional Aygo Xtra Protected pack: £390

Cadillac station wagon

The dramatically-designed 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon makes its European premiere at Paris, followed by production launch in spring of 2009.

Porsche Tops in Dependability

2010 Porsche 911.

Jaguar executives are most likely sitting around sighing and saying, “It was nice while it lasted.”

They would be referring to the fact that Jaguar, in a tie with Buick, was at the top of last year’s Vehicle Dependability Study from J. D. Power & Associates. It was a particularly sweet victory for Jaguar and Buick because they had edged Lexus from first place, where it had ruled for the previous 13 years. But in this year’s Vehicle Dependability Study, released Thursday morning, Jaguar plunged to 23rd place.

Porsche, meanwhile, was the highest-ranking brand. “The 911, the Boxster and the Cayman all performed well,” said Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J. D. Power. “The 911 is one of the better vehicles in the industry.” It also helps that the 911 represents 60 percent of Porsche’s sales.

The Most Reliable Cars 2010

Ford claimed two places in the 2010 long-term vehicle dependability survey, with Mercury ranking in at number 5.

In the midst of Toyota recall mania, the survey still ranked the controversial automaker 4th in overall reliability. The maker took home the most nameplate segment awards going to Highland, Prius, Sequoia, Solara, and Tundra.

Buick improved significantly in rankings and moved up to 3rd place from 6th in 2008. The survey found Buick owners less likely to replace car components than owners of other brands.

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Gallery

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Front View

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Headlight

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Blue Series

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Sport Bike

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Pure Black

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Photo

2010 Yamaha FZ8 Rear

2010 Yamaha FZ8 First Look

Triumph Thunderbird 1600 Cafe Racer

Triumph Thunderbird 1600 Cafe Racer Photo

Triumph Thunderbird 1600 Cafe Racer Motorcycle

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS Motorcycle

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS Motorcycle Wallpaper

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS White Edition

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS Sport Bike

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS Picture

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS Engine

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS in Action

2010 Peugeot Hoggar

2010 Peugeot Hoggar

A world first, it revives the historical savoir-faire of the Marque by merging it with the future. Peugeot Hoggar subtly combines the robustness and reliability of a pick-up with the design and dynamism that distinguishes the Marque. With Peugeot Hoggar, Peugeot brings a touch of seduction and emotion to the world of Pick-ups.

The comfort and quality of the finish of Peugeot Hoggar will seduce the most exacting customer because it does not compromise function for style. This is thanks to a load volume of 1151 litres and a payload of up to 742kg, which makes this vehicle a point of reference for the market.

The name Peugeot Hoggar, taken from a Peugeot concept car, evokes a world which combines strength, durability and action.

Peugeot Hoggar, the pick-up by Peugeot, seductive, dynamic and robust targets a mainly male customer base who are looking for a versatile vehicle with a distinctive style.

This vehicle will be manufactured at the Porto Real factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Equipped with a bold and modern design, Peugeot Hoggar is a new line in exclusive cars, 207 of Brazil, after the saloon, hatchback, SW and SW Escapade versions.

With this expanding range in the Brazilian market, which is expected to grow in 2010, Peugeot aims to have a 10% market share for pick-ups over the whole year.

Peugeot Hoggar will be launched in the Brazilian market on the 15th May, with three trim levels and two engine sizes : 1.4 and 1.6 liter.

2011 Nissan GT-R Price

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced U.S. pricing for the 2011 Nissan GT-R supercar, which is on sale now at select Nissan dealers.

For 2011, its third year of availability in the North American market, the Nissan GT-R features a number of enhancements and a simplified model lineup. The previous GT-R base model has been eliminated, leaving the GT-R Premium as the only available 2011 model. Other changes include slightly darker wheel center caps, double clear coat on the front and rear fascias and the addition of rear cooling ducts to improve cooling performance around the rear floor area.

The suspension has been retuned and the rear bushing strengthened to enhance ride comfort while still maintaining the GT-R’s outstanding handling. In addition, auto on/off headlights and speed-sensitive windshield wipers are now standard, along with a USB iPod interface, Streaming Audio via Bluetooth and DVD playback. The navigation system now includes XM NavTraffic and NavWeather capability.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)* for the 2011 Nissan GT-R equipped with standard 485-horsepower 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and high-performance, 6-speed, dual-clutch transmission is:

•Nissan GT-R Premium: $84,060 USD

Three options and one accessory are available for the 2011 GT-R: Cold Weather Package (no charge); special Super Silver paint ($3,000); Ultra-High Performance Tire Package (no charge); and carpeted GT-R logo floor mats ($280).

The 2011 GT-R is available only through officially certified Nissan retailers that have met a number of strict sales, service and facility commitments, including dedicating a master technician to GT-R service. A complete listing of the nearly 700 GT-R Certified Nissan dealers is available to consumers on NissanUSA.com.

More Fun From Lincoln Park

Here's the other 1948 Lincoln Park photos from Harry Sucher's book. They are some of the coolest racing shots I've seen from that period and the first reason I believe the date was wrong on the Don Fera photo caption in the previous post.



This VL appears to be fitted with WL tanks. I'll bet these guys rode these machines on the street and raced on weekends. This and the Knucklehead in the above photo are good examples of how race bikes influenced the 'California Bobber' look.

Cadillac CTS-V SportWagon Spied

Several spy photos that popped up on the net over the weekend have revealed what appears to be a production ready Cadillac CTS-V SportWagon. We shouldn’t be too surprised to see the car (caught during filming of a commercial in downtown LA) as Bob Lutz has confirmed it for production. But after Lutz’ G8 promise, it’s best to see it to believe it.

First Cadillac wagon in North America

AP Photo / Cadillac

Station wagons have been passe in the United States for years, but this didn't stop Cadillac from launching its first U.S.-built wagon.

The 2010 CTS Wagon is a nicely sized, comfortable, five-passenger car with cargo space that's easier to reach than that of a sport utility vehicle.

The CTS Wagon also is arguably the most striking station wagon on the market, with sharp creases in its sheet metal, stylized, eye-catching vertical tail-lamps, and a recognizable Cadillac look.

A Lost Opp

The year, 1993. I was at the El Camino Vintage MC Show checking out the bikes when a quiet elderly gentleman near a restored Harley VL For Sale, commented to me, "I didn't know they were so valuable now... I guess I better go home and put a lock on the garage."

The bike he was commenting on. I believe the price was about $10k.

He went on to say that he use to race VL's, still had a few plus a garage full of VL parts. He then said there was a picture of him taking a jump in Harry Sucher's The Milwaukee Marvel book. I told him I had the book and knew the photo he spoke of. We talked briefly and he handed me a card with his contact info.

Of course I knew this photo... It's so cool. The year stated is likely incorrect. There are some other similar jump photos in the book on the same course and by the same photographer, but dated 1948. Also, the rear wheel is a 16" and they weren't available until the '40s.

I should have struck when the iron was hot. As time passed, I felt more uncomfortable about contacting an elderly man that I really didn't know.



I'd guess he has long since passed and I blew a unique opportunity to learn some M/C history first hand. Still, it was nice to have met and chat with one of M/C's old timers.

Anybody out there who knew Don Fera, know what happened to him, or his bikes?

Wiesmann GT MF4-S

Wiesmann GT MF4-S sports car, available now at a starting price of 134,000 euros, accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in 4 seconds and can hit at top speed of 300 km/h.