Old Skool

Old Skool ride pictures and articles

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For The Love Of Cars: TV At Its Best

Last night I settled down to watch an automotive program on terrestrial TV that wasn’t Top Gear. From the previews I was expecting great things, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I didn’t want it to end. Top Gear is great for laughs and watching cars that are all shiny and bursting with horsepower, and whilst this program, For The Love Of Cars had its comedy moments, its main hook was the way in which it featured the car’s historic significance with a little mechanical knowledge, all in the name of resurrecting a rare Mk 1 Ford Escort Mexico. Presenter and car fanatic, Philip Glenister (also an actor in various Brit flicks) and internationally renowned car designer Ant Anstead’s series mission is to scour the barns and lock ups of Britain for wrecks to bring to life.

Money wasn’t an object, so everything done was executed properly. The rusty barn find (just a shell with a rotten front end) set them back a whopping £8K, and after restoring it with a certain look in mind, the presenter goes on a mission and delves into the world of the Mk 1 Escort by hanging out with various owners and clubs. His initial mind’s eye finish ends up completely different thanks to some expert knowledge and advice. This is the part that made the show so great.

American’s may not know this particular Ford as it’s small in comparison with the Mustangs and other Fords produced in the US around that period. The Escort Mexico was and still is considered one of the best rally cars ever made, and if you’re a fan of the Fast & Furious  franchise, you’ll know the car from the sixth instalment (pictured below).

The Escort Mk1 and Mk2 chassis is so good, four decades on and it’s still used by amateur rally drivers. Did I say amateurs? Forgive me, as Ken Block claims his Mk 2 is one of the best cars to Hoon in. Check out the video below and see just how good the Escort is.

 

For The Love Of Cars also featured the Harris family, a South London family thought to have started the whole ‘Boy Racer’ craze. One of the older members took on the job of hand building the barn finds Mexico’s 1800cc engine – it was fantastic witnessing the skill and care that went into it.

The whole program was pure entertainment and extremely fascinating. Of course, I was straight on eBay looking up Mk1 Mexicos… you’d need around £25,000 to secure a decent one 🙁 Oh well, a man can dream…

If you haven’t watched it yet, For The Love Of Cars is aired on Ch4 on Sunday. Next week’s episode features a gorgeous Mk1 Land Rover.

 

 

 

 

 

   

Stephen King’s New Killer Car Is A Mercedes

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Stephen King is my favourite horror author and such an inspiration I started writing and publishing my own fiction, actually managing to appear alongside some of my other favourite authors in various anthologies. If you’ve delved into the world of Stephen King, you’ll know he likes cars. Everyone knows his novel and movie adaption, Christine – the 1958 Plymouth Fury that could murder and heal itself.

Some other stories featuring cars include From a Buick 8, a strange car whose trunk is a portal to an H.P. Lovecraft world of weird leathery bat like creatures. Uncle Otto’s Truck is a superb short story in which a static truck manages to kill one last time. Maximum Overdrive tells the tale of what it would be like if all the big trucks in the world came alive and started rounding up and hunting humans – the movie adaption didn’t receive the best reviews, but I loved it and it’ll remain a guilty pleasure.

There are more, including Dolan’s Cadillac and Riding The Bullet (pic above), both adapted to film and both brilliant. I highly recommend watching them, or better still, reading them.

His latest novel hitting the shelves in early June is entitled Mr Mercedes. When I received news of this I could barely contain my excitement as I searched for more information on the plot – I wasn’t disappointed:

Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the perp; and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy. Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again.

I’m a fan of Mercedes and have owned an SLK 350, two W124s and one 190e sport. The old school Mercs were the best and I really hope the killer car is one of the older models – black, of course, with tinted windows.

This will no doubt make it to film, and I for one, can’t wait to see it repeatably run people down…

 

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Cars That Meet Their Maker

This is a touchy subject for me, as watching cars meet their end is always a sad thing. Cars are loyal and reliable (unless they are Italian) friends, butlers and chauffeurs; they transport us to work, give us pleasure, whisk us to important meetings and special occasions. They save us time (unless they are Italian) and shelter us from bad weather. An old car wears its dents and scrapes, rips and tears, stickers and badges with pride, and to see one crushed is like watching the dog in Marley & Me going to doggy heaven (yep, I welled up at that, too).

Some cars are the real stars in movies, but how many of them meet their maker? I’ve watched every car/road movie ever made and it’s these following examples that stand out and are memorable to me. If you can think of more examples, please let me know in the comments box.

Herbie The Love Bug

One death in particular yanked on my heart strings when I was at infant school. Thinking about it, the following car (along with the General Lee) sparked my interest in cars. Because our teacher was off sick and their weren’t enough stand-ins to cover, two classes merged together to watch Herbie The Love Bug. I was besotted with the lovable and magical little car… until he tried to commit suicide, that is. Yes, that’s correct: suicide. After his racecar driver owner buys an Italian sportscar, Herbie gets jealous, smashes up the red Lambo and trundles (almost drunkenly) around the streets at night, crashing into to things, before mounting a bridge to try and launch himself into a river. The feeble noise Herbie made combined with his desperate attempt to find grip for his launch really got to me and I remember biting my lip so I wouldn’t cry in front of all my mates (and girls).

I made the clip, and despite being over 2 minutes long (I had to add the jealous scene as well as the attempted suicide), it tells a tale all on its own.

 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The next car to roll into the eternal junkyard is a very precious machine indeed. Whilst I love the movie and my friends usually laugh at the following scene, I just hate it. I know it isn’t a real Ferrari California that takes a dive in Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, but all the same, it’s horrible to watch.

 

Christine

Christine is in my top 5 of favourite movies and novels of all time. I can watch this film over and over and it never wears thin – the soundtrack is great too. Christine is a gorgeous 1958 Plymouth Fury, a jealous and hate filled machine. There are many cool scenes in the film, along with some impressive effects for the period. Although Christine goes on a killing spree and miraculously heals after taking a beating, she ultimately meets her end when she is run over and crushed into a cube of twisted metal. Heart breaking…

 

 

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

The Ford Falcon with that big supercharger bursting through its hood is one of cinema’s coolest and meanest rides. Four decades after Mel Gibson completely stacked his beloved Falcon in this movie, the automotive world has been replicating the ‘used and abused’ look in recent years. The popular ‘murdered-out’ look combined with the ‘rat’ look surely take their roots from the Mad Max films.

 

Vanishing Point

This is my favourite cult movie. Kowalski works for a car delivery service, and after taking on a 1970 Dodge Challenger, he takes a bet that he can deliver from Colorado to San Francisco in 15 hours. Unlike the silly road movies like Smokey and The Bandit, this has a more serious side to it with flashes of back story telling you what kind of a person Kowalski is. When I first watched this as a kid, I didn’t really get why the film ended the way it did, but the more you watch it and understand the moral thread, it makes a statement. Just go watch it if you haven’t already.

Kowalski is probably the coolest guy ever to grace the big screen. Every man wants to be him.

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Magnus Walker Does It His Way

I’ve been meaning to write a post about this guy for a while now, and after browsing his Facebook page and checking out how much time he devotes to posting and replying to fans, I decided to spread the love.

If you’re a serious car guy you’ll have probably heard about Magnus Walker  or seen pictures of his fleet of custom Porsches. His story is one of pure inspiration and one I truly admire because of what he has achieved from a handful of cash and a shot at a dream.

The following video is a documentary about this Urban Outlaw’s journey, from the UK’s glum city of Sheffield to the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles, and how his clothing empire allowed him to fuel his passion for Porsche. As well as the fashion world, Magnus has made big waves in the automotive world, featuring in Jay Leno’s Garage alongside his “277” 1971 911T (my personal favourite), and you only have to google his name to find many more inspiring videos.

 

I don’t need to write much more as I’ll let the star of the article fill you in himself. I just hope I remain true to myself and live the way I want to live – this man has proven it’s entirely possible. Sit back and prepare for some gorgeous and original retro designs and what’s it like to have a personal showroom packed with classic Porsches.

 

 

 

   

Resto-Modding: Are you In Or Out?

 

Over the past 5 years or so of tuning into literally every car show on the planet, I’ve noticed the rising popularity of resto-modding. Resto-modding is basically grabbing a classic car, gutting it and restoring it with modern components to make it perform and handle better. I recently wrote an article on resto-modding for rpmrush and also included what my personal resto-mod would be. It also goes into a little more depth about the whole process.

 

 

I’d love to know who is a purist and can’t stand the thought of butchering a classic, and those who are all in for the Frankenstein method of marrying retro to modern.

 

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Regaining The Horses That Have Bolted From Your Stable

I’m one of those guys that obsesses over horse power. Whilst I fully understand the difference between going fast and feeling fast and BHP figures don’t always reflect the performance of a car, I still judge by these stats. I think it’s a mental thing, knowing one car has more than another. When buying a car I’ll always try and find one with high figures and low 0-62-mph times (another obsession of mine).

These stats can be improved with mods, and again, I’m such a stickler for finding the tiniest of advantages in tweaking the basics such as filters, plugs and leads etc… My WRX had a K&N sports filter installed, along with a Prodrive 3″ up-pipe and full exhaust system. Although this upgrade allowed for a 300-bhp re-map, I left it at around 245-bhp, over 20 more than stock. 60-mph comes at 5.4 seconds, quick enough for the time being… well, until I get a 300-bhp R33 Skyline, but that’s for another time, a series of articles about my drift adventure.

Over time and a little wear and tear it’s obvious your car’s engine isn’t going to have the power it did when it rolled out of the showroom. Depending on the age of your car and how well it’s been treated, most of those escaped horses can be cheaply rounded up and put back in the stable.

This is where my article ends, as below is a video I stumbled across today that not only reminded me of the fact I wanted to touch upon this very subject, but is explained by touring car champ, Jason Plato.

Not bad, eh? A cheap way to find 20 odd bhp. Spend a few quid more on a sports filter, along with performance plugs and leads and I think that cool VR6 would’ve gained a few more ponies than when it left the production line.

   

IAMknighted: A Site For Petrolheads

I am delighted to announce my part in the superbly presented and interesting automotive site, IamKnighted. The main focus is on motor sport and car culture. As you know, I’m a massive fan of both, particularly car culture and the effect automobiles have over people.

I will be writing articles and have great faith in their ability to grow into an influential publication. Please look them up and check out their site and what they have to offer. My first piece is on drifting and how the drift community manages to bring different car groups together as one: Drifting: Bring Car Communities Together

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Kei To The City: MCM is Back!

Yes! Finally, the MCMs boys are back with season 6. The wait was well worth it with the premiere being an another feature film set in Japan. Kei To The City is 62 minutes of pure culture, comedy and… drifting. Just to make things clear from the beginning, Kei isn’t a typo; it’s a Japanese term for small vehicles that comply to certain tax and insurance regulations.

The Aussie lads manage to capture the Japanese JDM vibe through the universal love that is messing about with cars. Just like their first film, Temples & Turbos, the drift crew known as ‘The 88s’ show off their garage and some of their mechanical skills.

 

Accompanying the entire film is Moog’s new album of the same name. Moog is a talented writer/producer, and this electronic music is a match made in heaven.

You can buy it here on  iTunes

 

Go watch and see what you can achieve in Japan with just $300.