2011-11-29

an autumn sunset



Leaguered in fire
The wild black promontories of the coast extend
Their savage silhouettes;
The sun in universal carnage sets,
And, halting higher,
The motionless storm-clouds mass their sullen threats,
Like an advancing mob in sword-points penned,
That, balked, yet stands at bay.



Mid-zenith hangs the fascinated day
In wind-lustrated hollows crystalline,
A wan Valkyrie whose wide pinions shine
Across the ensanguined ruins of the fray,
And in her hand swings high o'erhead,
Above the waste of war,
The silver torch-light of the evening star
Wherewith to search the faces of the dead.



Lagooned in gold,
Seem not those jetty promontories rather
The outposts of some ancient land forlorn,
Uncomforted of morn, Where old oblivions gather,
The melancholy unconsoling fold
Of all things that go utterly to death
And mix no more, no more
With life's perpetually awakening breath?



Shall Time not ferry me to such a shore,
Over such sailless seas,
To walk with hope's slain importunities
In miserable marriage? Nay, shall not
All things be there forgot,
Save the sea's golden barrier and the black
Close-crouching promontories?



Dead to all shames, forgotten of all glories,
Shall I not wander there, a shadow's shade,
A spectre self-destroyed,
So purged of all remembrance and sucked back
Into the primal void,
That should we on that shore phantasmal meet
I should not know the coming of your feet?

(Edith Wharton)



2011-11-28

the hershey special



Dirt track fever keeps spreading all over Europe. The UK's Hot Rod Hayride may have started the madness, but there are now several smaller events in Germany, Sweden and Spain keeping the spirit alive and kicking. Swiss hot rod builder Marcel Moser blew up some dust as well. Together with fellow ACES and Shoplifters members, he raced an old dirt track approved 1933 Ford coupe during the last two years. But since car sharing is the second best solution to car owning, Marcel decided he wanted to possess a race car of his own.


At the 2011 Hershey swap meet, he came across this old sprint car.


It was built on a narrowed 1937 frame with a model A rear end and a 1932 Ford front beam. The engine was a four banger, the body was homebuilt.


After the car had arrived in Switzerland, Marcel replaced the tired engine with the twin ignition flathead he had built for the 1933 coupe.


Metal man Raphael Schaub rebuilt the track nose and fabricated a higher cowl in order to line up perfectly with the grille shell.


Next on the list are a new hood and a belly pan.


The french flathead is a tight fit between the frame rails.


A nice pre-war style A roadster bears company with the sprint car.

2011-11-26

rising in the east



Put on some early 60s surf or hot rod record, open up a cold one and enjoy this fabulous photo gallery. All I know is that they were taken in the 1960s at Sanford drag strip in Maine. (via Hemmings)

2011-11-25

supernova supershot



This sir is one heavy contender for the shot of the year. And the Nova isn't bad either. Seen on Gasoline Magazine. (photo © J Wessberg)

2011-11-24

the deacons in paso



This is a posting I was looking forward to for quite some time. The pictures show the Deacons Car Club from San Diego on the road to Paso Robles in 2002 and were shot by Stacey Holland. The black and white makes them look like they were taken back in the early days. And early days they were indeed, in a way, as the resurrection of the traditional hot rods and customs was just happening, with clubs like the Shifters and the Deacons as well. There's more to come soon.








2011-11-23

2011-11-21

jack's 1932 coupe



Baby it's cold outside. Let me dig through the boxes of photos from last summer and see what I can find. Wow, this looks nice. A hot rod in the warm southern california sun. The car obviously is a 1932 coupe with a flathead and a nice raked stance, reminding me a bit of the Lomas coupe.


Choppers member Jack Carroll built it by himself, channelled the body six inches over the frame, cut down the roof another five inches... sure those sinister looks don't come from nothing.


Wheels are 16 inch steelies with whitewalls while the finishing touch is a beautiful bronze paintjob.


Engine is a 24-stud flathead with two 97 strombergs, mated to a 1939 Ford transmission.


The car already looks fast just sitting there, but the image of seeing it blasting down the highway alongside of our rental burnt deep into our minds. Good times!

2011-11-15

cheaters party '11



You live in Switzerland or France and you dig old school homebuilt hot rods and customs? Then there's no need to travel to Scandinavia, the UK or even the US of A. Just take a trip down to the south west of our small country, drive along the coast of Lake Leman and there you go. Welcome to Cheaters country.










2011-11-14

pan porn



Pierre-Yves of the Cheaters Geneva built this superb chopper. And when he isn't riding the beautiful bike, he's busy marketing Dust, his own line of motorcycle gear.



el diablo



The 1965 Impala is one of the best looking Chevrolets of all time. Momo, founding member of the oldest swiss custom car club The Crazy Cruisers, even managed to improve this timeless design with a couple of clever moves: a low stance, a flawless black paintjob with some red metalflake scallops accentuating the coupe's impressive lines, and a set of Astro Supremes for that traditional Bellflower look. It's always a treat to see this car and last saturday, with "El Diablo" sitting in the golden light of sunset, was nothing short of magic.