I launched another new version of the “data” web sites, this one having to do with the Jaguar factory racing cars from the fifties and sixties, namely the C-Type, D-Type, XKSS, and Lightweight E-Types: Coventry Racers. Shown is one of the 1954 LeMans team cars, currently owned by Terry Larsen of Arizona, an expert on these machines.
I found this via a comment by “BitterOldPunk” on metafilter, which seems to be via manoverse. It surely has to contend for the world’s most perfect photo.
The “Wall of Death” was (is?) a common amusement park attraction in England. Lions were (are?) extra.
Went past the Flying Heritage Museum (again!) while running errands on Saturday. They were going to be flying the P-51 Mustang and the Messerschmitt 109…what they actually flew was a bit of a treat: They flew the 109 and three P-51s. The three Mustangs flew in honor of Captain Harrison “Bud” Tordoff, who was assigned the very P-51 the museum owns during Hitler’s war.
(more…)
Before picking the car up on Saturday, my friend and I stopped by the Flying Heritage museum to watch them take the Hawker Hurricane and Polikarpov I-16 Type 24 Rata up for a demonstration flight. The Hurricane is a beautiful aircraft, not as pretty as a Spitfire, perhaps, but quite handsome. The Rata is like a pug dog–squashed-nose and barrel-bodied but likable all the same.
(more…)
After visiting the air museum (see the post prior to this one) we took a jaunt to the 2008 All British Field Meet. We arrived as things were winding down a bit, a few cars were leaving…still plenty to see!
(more…)
Paul Allen, of Microsoft fame, has opened a museum–The Flying Heritage Collection–featuring a collection of World War II fighter aircraft in Everett, Washington, not very far at all from Rusty Heaps HQ. It’s tremendous. And the best part? They are all in flying condition, and are flown!
(more…)
I enjoy how-to videos like this, even if I don’t have the skills to actually “how-to,” in this case. (The subject seems appropriate, though.)
To me, videos like this are a bit like the old joke about how to carve a horse from a solid block of marble: Just remove everything that doesn’t look like a horse.
Some photos taken at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington July 5, 2008. I didn’t take any notes and I’m not a compulsive photo snapper…so the selections are pretty random, and without captions, for the most part!
(more…)
Here’s a slide show (click “more” to see it) of machines spotted at the Vancouver All British Field Meet on May 17, 2008. It was a beautiful day but I stupidly forgot sunscreen and got severely burned as a result. It was a nice show in a great setting. I got rid of all of my Canadian money, too, before coming back, a real achievement for me.
Of all the Jaguar sedans I wouldn’t mind owning, this, the Mark V, is at the top of the heap. It’s a supremely elegant car. I had an opportunity to buy one a few years back but just couldn’t pull the deal together in time. Maybe at some future date I’ll have the chance again. This machine was seen at the 2007 Vancouver BC All British show.