Innholdsfortegnelse for #343 24-08 i Just Cars

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Australian motorsport has lost one of its most enduring figures in Brian ‘Sambo’ Sampson, who passed away on 17 November, aged 88. While perhaps best known for partnering Peter Brock to victory in a privateer L34 Torana at the 1975 Bathurst 1000, to note just this achievement is to do Sampson’s long motorsport resume a massive disservice. After a few starts in hillclimbs, Sampson made his track debut in the family’s Austin-Healey 100 at Albert Park in 1956. Barely out of his teens at the time, this was the start of a circuit racing career that would continue into the new millennium. As a youngster, Sampson worked for his father’s engine reconditioning business and proved to be mechanically adept. That was demonstrated in a Morris-engined special he fabricated new pistons,…

For most enthusiasts of elite custom cars, the Ringbrothers need no introduction. Wisconsin-based siblings, Jim and Mike Ring, have been in the game of building and modifying cars for decades, but their work has only gained broader attention more recently. At SEMA 2023, Ringbrothers presented a trio of recent builds, including a stunning Rolls-Royce. The Rolls, a 1961 Silver Cloud II saloon, is a departure for Ringbrothers in more ways than one. Firstly, it’s a non-American car. Early Mustangs, Camaros and other classic American muscle cars are the usual subjects for their creations. Secondly, the exterior is virtually untouched. Most Ringbrothers creations, especially the more recent ones, have featured comprehensive reworkings of the bodywork. In some cases, none of the factory panels remain, even though the base vehicle can still…

A car with a long and significant Australian history may soon leave our shores. The 1904 Napier L48 racer that set numerous speed records and was rebuilt by tractor manufacturer Bob Chamberlain is going to auction in the USA this February. The recreation, known as ‘Samson,’ uses the original engine from 1904 and is perhaps better known for its connection to the late Peter Briggs, who displayed the car at his York Motor Museum in Western Australia and also drove it regularly, both here and abroad, at historic events. EARLY PIONEER While Napier only manufactured cars from 1900 to 1924, they had been involved in engineering for almost a century before that. During their period as a manufacturer, they became known for quality and innovation, arguably rivalling Rolls-Royce in these…

Alfa Romeo won’t be on the Formula 1 World Championship grid in 2024, as their partnership with Sauber Motorsport has concluded. The connection between the Italian brand and the Swiss engineering squad was always a finite one - the end of the deal was announced back in 2022 and came into effect at the final round of the 2023 season. Alfa Romeo’s second stint in Formula 1 (the first was from 1950 to 1988) lasted five years as a constructor (the 2018 season was as title sponsor only) and produced a best result in the Constructors’ World Championship of sixth in 2022. The best finish in the Drivers’ Championship across the same period was tenth for Valtteri Bottas in 2022. No Alfa Romeo F1 driver achieved a win or even…

Despite some inclement weather, the 2023 edition of the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival once again drew crowds of families and motoring enthusiasts to Geelong’s Waterfront over the weekend of 25-26 November. Now in its twelfth year, the Revival pays tribute to the Geelong Speed Trials, which were first held on Ritchie Boulevard on Geelong’s waterfront in 1956. The location is ideal for spectators, with a grassed bank on the south side of the boulevard providing uninterrupted viewing. For competitors, it’s a challenge, not only because the quarter-mile sprint course is on a public road, but also because it’s curved. That doesn’t stop many entrants giving it their best shot at topping the event’s timesheet each year! More than 400 vehicles were entered for the 2023 sprints, covering a truly diverse…

The 2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour has concluded, with a first-generation (1990) Mazda MX-5 winning against an international field. Built by New Zealander Chris Watson, the MX-5 called ‘Chimera’ will join past Hot Wheels Legends Tour winners in being reimagined as a diecast toy car. Watson said he was inspired by the Cyberpunk aesthetic and Japanese ‘Kaido Racer’ (street racer) culture when building Chimera. Adding an external oil cooler, front diffuser and auxiliary lighting, Watson also fitted slim LEDs within the partially raised headlight covers and air vents in place of the front indicators. Chunky wheelarch flares extend out 10cm from the body and cover equally fat 15-inch turbofan wheels. At the rear, a massive custom roof panel gives the first-gen MX-5 roadster the look of a fourth-gen MX-5 RF…

The car in which Lewis Hamilton achieved his first win for Mercedes-AMG after making the switch from McLaren has sold for a new record amount at auction. Offered as part of a special auction conducted by RM Sothebys ahead of the Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix in November, chassis #W04-04 was campaigned by Hamilton throughout the 2013 F1 season – his first with Mercedes-AMG Petronas after six years with McLaren. The move to Mercedes was considered a gamble at the time and seemed to be borne out when Hamilton won just one race in the W04 in 2013 – his worst result since joining F1 in 2007. Season 2014 was a totally different story, when Hamilton won the Drivers’ World Championship in a canter. He’d repeat the feat with…