Gabby Automotive: May 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Survivor?

I shot this dresser in 1996 at the show that Los Angeles Harley-Davidson puts on every August. This dresser was not in the show, but parked out front. Because most of the bikes in the show are new and for the most part not very interesting to me, I believe it's the last time I went.

From a few clues, I'd say it's a '68. The tank decals are from a '72 and were designed to fit the then new straight bar badges. Similar style decals were used in '71 and were made to conformed to this style of badge. The original buddy seat was reshaped into a wild King and Queen style that looks like a tight fit for two, but helmets hung from the both ends of the bars mean it's being put to use.

I was already appreciating old surviving dressers and thought it was a cool relic back then. I wonder what happened to this one, could it still be around?

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Sad News...

We all knew was coming

After putting up a good fight, Dennis Hopper passed this morning around 9:00 a.m. at his home in Venice Ca.

If you ever heard Dennis talk about the amount of alcohol and drugs he used to consume in a day, it's amazing he lived this long.

R.I.P. Billy

We're gonna miss ya man!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Highlights From 2 Long Beaches

Shots from April and May's Swap Meets

1968 Aeromacchi/H-D Rapido 125

Big Scott ready to roll

Brown Sugar. Might taste a tad sweeter with a smaller tank.

This old UL has shown up many times. I liked it better when it was in brown primer. I never noticed that it has one aluminum and one iron head.

'69 XLCH in a XR frame for the street.

I've seen this Panhead somewhere before?

Sort of Harley's first Soft-Tail. The small 2-stroke H-D's got nick named Hummers. This one's a 175cc Pacer. I'm saying it's a '63-65 even though the owner said '62. That style of tank badge came out in '63 and the same goes for the Tele-Glide suspension.

They call it Patina. I remember when only those in the "arts" used that term. The '63 to 65's usually have a two-tone tank which helps identify the year.

It's Hummer Time!

This neat old (Tracy's), Fiberglass Works body will even make a Honda look good.

One of the larger sellers. This guy has been bring stuff out for quite some time now. I'm surprised those crates still have a lot left in them. His parts stretch all the way to the dark green truck. Lots of small NOS stuff at the other end.

This Mini Cooper Woody was in the lot. License plate frame reads, 6,000 rpm 105 mph on a 1o" rim.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Got Ticket?

Got mine. I'm not the type to say I'll win, but see it as a way to support the effort and cost these guys are putting out with the added benefit of a chance.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

A Creative Artist

I've been out of town for more than a week with no TV or Internet, so I hadn't heard the sad news of Frank Frazetta's passing until today.

Frank's fame and influence went far beyond just fans of Comics, Fantasy, or Sci-Fi books. His art was featured on covers of heavy metal music, movie posters, and was often copied and painted on the hoods of cars, the side of Vans, and of course, MotorCycle gas tanks.

One of us. Frank relaxes on his '48 Panhead. Little did he know, one day his art would adorn many a chopper.

The "no swipes or photographs" statements makes his art that much more impressive. Early in my art training I remember being very disappointed to find out that most professional artist took photos or swiped images and traced their references.

Frank was a master of the human form. Based on his statement above, we'll cut him some slack on the bike.

Frank's passing marks another end of an era. He'll be missed by many.

Michael Schumacher's Bugatti EB110 sale for 600,000 Euro

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher put his Bugatti EB 110 SS (Sport Stradale) for sale for 600,000 Euro ($761,940). The supercar is supposed to be in better-than-new condition.

This striking yellow Bugatti EB 110 was bought by Schumi in 1994 who used it in his private life for almost ten years. But he apparently hardly ever used the car as the mileage seems to be not even 5000 km.

Based on the EB 110 which was unveiled in 1991, the Bugatti EB110 SS is a mid-engine supercar with 60-valve, featuring a 3.5-litre quad-turbo V12 engine and 6-speed manual transmission. The supercar delivers 661 hp at 8,000rpm and can sprint up to 100 km/h in only 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 355 km/h. Aerospatiale France helped develop the carbon fibre chassi while Michelin constructed the custom made tires. The seats can be equipped with 4-point harness.

This Bugatti car is the only EB 110 SS with the luxury interior of the GT model and it seems that only 33 units are believed to have been produced.

2010 Alfa Romeo Spider Design

Three designers from the "Politecnico di Milano" University named Alberto Gaiani, Massimo Paparella and Michela Zedda have been Involved in a project in conjunction with Alfa Romeo and came up with this roadster that may be a thorn in the side of many cars should it come into production.

They come with a new project, which is a new and a smaller Alfa Spider. The design is a rougher, but still pleasing alternative.

According to Samuel Codegoni, who is a teacher at the university, "One of the main ideas that drove this project was to express a sense of tension in action. This decidedly moves away from the first production model takes as a reference: the iconic Duetto of the 1960's - the second reference was the Alfa Spider from the '90s, with its typical wedge-shaped profile."