Cadillac V8 Convertible Coupe by Fisher 1935, Estados Unidos

Cadillac V8 Convertible Coupe by Fisher 1935, Estados Unidos
Fotografia

Ferrari Enzo 2003, Itália

Ferrari Enzo 2003, Itália
Fotografia

If one manufacturer can claim to have created the definitive mold for the modern evolution of amazing hypercars, it must be Ferrari. From the competition-bred 288 GTO and F40 of the late 1980s, through the voluptuous Formula 1-inspired F50 of the 1990s, Ferrari combined unparalleled performance and breathtaking designs to build small batches of impeccable road machines for ultra-exclusive buyers. These were undeniably the most formidable production sports cars of their days.

After F50 production concluded in 1998, the tifosi dreamt of what exotic machine Maranello would unveil next—and what form it would take. Speculation was rampant over whether the next model would employ a rear-mounted V-8 or V-12, and if the packaging would be spartan and purposeful like the F40, or luxurious and evocative of vintage designs like the F50.

In mid-2002, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo ended the wait with the introduction of the forthcoming Ferrari Enzo. Though the model’s name required no explanation, he reasoned that after Ferrari had named cars for historically important locales like Maranello and Modena, the time had finally come to honor the company’s founder. He also clarified that the new model would have a strong connection to Formula 1 racing, as the manufacturer had just won the 1999 and 2000 Manufacturers’ Championship, and the 2000 Drivers’ Championship with Michael Schumacher. Schumacher was, in fact, just getting started on his historic dominance of F1, with a still unequaled feat of five consecutive championships.

Formally debuting at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, the Ferrari Enzo certainly delivered on its design brief. Like a Formula 1 car, the Enzo utilized futuristic materials to achieve maximum weight savings, with a foundational chassis tub made of carbon fiber and Nomex honeycomb weighing just 200 pounds. Aluminum sub-frames were then mounted on the tub, and these laid the groundwork for the mounting of Pininfarina’s unique coachwork. As quoted by the factory, production was limited to only 399 examples.

Penned by designer Ken Okuyama during a lunch break, the Enzo’s design mimicked the shape of an open-wheel race car, though as if wrapped in a skin extending over the fenders and cockpit. Aerodynamically perfected in Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, the body was comprised of panels woven from carbon fiber and Kevlar. Nineteen-inch alloy wheels, anchored by 15-inch Brembo carbon-ceramic disc brakes, and unique scissor doors, respectively, completed the Enzo’s chassis and cabin, finishing a car that was highly technological and endlessly fascinating.

Into this phenomenal marriage of chassis and body, a new purpose-built engine was placed behind the driver, continuing the manufacturer’s long-running configuration for sports prototypes and hypercars. The concurrent 90-degree V-8 was essentially extended by two cylinders on each side and altered in angle, creating the 65-degree Tipo F140B V-12 engine. Displacing almost six liters, the F140 was the largest engine built by Maranello since that in the 712 Can-Am race car of the 1970s. It was packed with racing components such as Nikasil-lined cylinder walls, titanium connecting rods, and a telescoping intake manifold designed to boost torque, ultimately developing 651 horsepower and 485 foot-pounds of torque, earth-shattering numbers even by today’s standards. The F140’s evolutions would go on to power the 599 series, the F12berlinetta, and LaFerrari.

With power transmitted via a six-speed dual-clutch transaxle that was actuated with column-mounted paddle-shifters, the Enzo reached 60-mph from standstill in just 3.3-seconds and a top speed of 218-mph. Production was eventually capped at 400 units, so this was a car whose engineering was also matched by its rarity. As unique and captivating today as it was in 2002, the Ferrari Enzo continues to hold sway with collectors, unmistakably carrying the mantle of Maranello’s defining millennial hypercar, the genetic link between the sensuous F50 and the hybrid LaFerrari.

Chassis number 13303 was delivered by Ferrari of San Francisco to its first owner on 25 August 2003 who kept the Enzo as a prized part of his collection until 2018. As part of a private collection in the Bay Area, the car was used only on occasion and was regularly serviced by Ferrari of San Francisco. Accompanying service receipts document its proper care and mileage from new. The Enzo was most recently inspected in September 2017 and had a major 25,000-mile service performed in 2015, both by Ferrari of San Francisco. The current California-based owner acquired the Enzo for his collection in 2018 and today it has been driven less than 1,250 miles from new.

Optioned with the very rare two-tone racing seats with red 3D cloth inserts, this is a very attractive and fantastic Enzo in every regard. Accompanying the Enzo are the factory accessories, including the tool kit, owner’s manuals in pouch, and window sticker. Every aspect of the car is consistent with a carefully used, two-owner example that was delivered and subsequently serviced by Ferrari of San Francisco since new.

Empregada Regando Flores (Soubrette Arrosant des Fleurs) - Théodore Jacques Ralli

Empregada Regando Flores (Soubrette Arrosant des Fleurs) - Théodore Jacques Ralli
Coleção privada
OST - 55x46 - 1876

This painting will be a treasure to whoever secures it.
Liverpool Mercury, 1876
Following its showing in the 1876 Salon des Artistes Vivants, the 1876 Liverpool Autumn Exhibition and the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, Soubrette arrosant des fleurs met with extensive critical acclaim:
"A young girl holding a pitcher is watering, inside a room, flowering plant pots. But here is how successfully Mr. Ralli has captured this most common of ideas. In the middle of an opulent room, a beautifully coloured and elaborately dressed young girl, wearing the clothes of a lady's maid of the previous century, holds out with her right hand an alabaster vessel towards a plant pot, while with her left hand she slightly raises her dress and her apron, in order for them not to be splashed by the water being poured. The slant of the young girl's body is very graceful, as she concentrates on her task and stretches her blonde head towards the flowers showing three quarters of her face, while leaning her body to the right, to stand away from the falling water. Her dress leaves her tender arms bare to the elbows and her neck almost to the chest; and, as it is lifted slightly from below, it reveals her tiny and elegantly shod feet. The light falling sideways colours her rosy cheeks and the light green bodice, which fits tightly around her chest and arms. The plant pots of various shapes and older times, standing on the floor and on tripods, contain plants blossoming with pink and yellow flowers, their broad or narrow verdant leaves spreading out all over. Behind her, at the back of the room, hanging Gobelin tapestries portray battle scenes...Not only once or even twice were we happy to see this young girl watering flowers, who, resembling them in tenderness and being with them, is reminiscent of the lovely season of spring. Juxtaposing Mr. Ralli's present-day painting to last year's, we can tell him that, if he is to progress in a similar way each year, he will soon be vying for an award. Because when one has such facility in drawing, when one knows how to match colours so successfully to generate the feeling which the blonde maiden generates amid the green flowers, and when, lastly, one expresses ideas which have so much in common with aesthetic quality, then how can one not be justified to hope that not long after he will distinguish himself among those exhibiting at shows?" Unidentified clipping in the Theodore Ralli Archive. See also M. Katsanaki, Theodore Ralli, A.G. Leventis Foundation - A.G. Leventis Gallery, Athens 2018, p. 61.
"This is painting with care, knowledge and true industry. It will be a treasure to whoever secures it." Liverpool Mercury newspaper, October 4, 1876.
"She is sweet and truly poetic, this charming soubrette; her pose has vigour, élan and a truly seductive grace." T. Véron, Dictionnaire Véron ou Mémorial de L'Art et des Artistes de Mon Temps. Le Salon de 1878 et L'Exposition Universelle, vol. II, Paris and Poitiers 1878, p. 788.

Plaza San Martín, Lima, Peru

Plaza San Martín, Lima, Peru
Lima - Peru
Fotografia - Cartão Postal

The Plaza San Martín is one of the most representative public spaces of the city of Lima, Peru. It is located at the ninth block of Colmena avenue, within the Historic Centre of Lima which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988 by UNESCO. It is located near the Plaza Mayor of Lima and is connected to it by the Jiron de la Union. Its central monument gives homage to Peru's liberator, José de San Martín.

The location of the plaza had been the site of the San Juan de Dios hospital which was torn down in 1850 and replaced by a railway station, which in turn was torn down between 1911 and 1918.

The Plaza San Martín was inaugurated on July 27, 1921 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the independence of Peru. The design, ornamentation, furnishing, and gardening of the plaza was designed by Manuel Piqueras Cotolí. The benches and handrails were constructed out of marble and the paving, of granite. There were also four water fountains, bronze streetlamps, and flower-filled gardens. The design for the monument to José de San Martín was chosen in a contest in which the design created by the Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure emerged victorious and illustrated San Martin during his voyage across the Andes.

The construction of the buildings that surrounded the plaza occurred at a gradual pace. The Colón Theater and the Giacoletti buildings were the first structures to be built and were erected in 1914 before the construction of the plaza. The other buildings were later built in three stages. The Hotel Bolivar was built in 1924 and was designed by Rafael Marquina. The Zela and Pumacahua arcades were built during the second stage in 1926 and also were designed by Rafael Marquina. The Club Nacional was built in 1929 by Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski and Enrique Bianchi. In the third and final stage of the project from 1935-1945 the remaining flanks of the plaza were built up with the construction of the Cine Metro, Fénix, Boza, and Sudamérica buildings which were built in the Neocolonial style (similar to the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture).

As a result, the plaza maintains uniformity with respect to its buildings' facades. Its overall appearance is primarily baroque; the buildings, plaza, and central monument all cohere to uniform and specific styles. The architectural style to which most of the surrounding buildings belong to is that of the neohispanic or neocolonial styles within the realm of European derived architecture.

A Garrafa de Conhaque Gautier de 1762 Leiloada Como "A Mais Antiga" - Artigo

A Garrafa de Conhaque Gautier de 1762 Leiloada Como "A Mais Antiga" - Artigo

Artigo

As the oldest vintage Cognac ever to be sold at auction, the Gautier 1762 holds the answers to many questions about the history of French Brandy production.

We often refer to older Cognac vintages as being “pre-Phylloxera”. Between around 1872-74, vineyards across Europe were devastated by Phylloxera Vastatrix, a tiny insect related to the aphid that feeds on grapevines. The extent of the Phylloxera endemic in Cognac effectively ceased viticulture and wine production in the area. The problem was overcome by importing foreign rootstocks that were more resistant to Phylloxera and grafting the sprouting branches of alternative grape varietals onto them.

The remedy to Phylloxera saw a shift in production methods. As younger vine roots were planted, winemakers turned away from the region’s favourite grape Folle Blanche in favour of Ugni Blanc (although Folle Blanche can still be found even to this day). As the change in grape affected the resulting character of the wine and, most importantly, its sugar yield and profile, so too did the Cognac distillate begin to evolve. The new era of post-Phylloxera Cognac was born.

There are many cognacs that predate Phylloxera, however the 1762 Gautier Cognac takes us back even further into history. This vintage precedes even the French Revolution of 1789-1799, so we can imagine that Cognac businesses were operating under a very different economic, social and political climate. Indeed, going back to the time when Maison Gautier was founded, in 1755, Cognac spirit was often referred to and sold as “eau de vie”, or water of life. Much like Scotch Whisky’s equivalent, “uisge beatha”, these aqua vites all had something in common: they were clear spirits. It was only really when the Seven Years’ War of 1756-1763 broke out that cask maturation came into play.

As the Seven Years war began to absorb France’s military focus, it was the cities, rather than the provinces that saw the greatest impact. The knock-on effect of this to Cognac producers was two-fold. Firstly, there was the economic impact of war, which meant that fewer people in the cities were frequenting bars and spending money. Secondly, trade routes both domestically within France and beyond to countries such as England (who at the time were veracious consumers of Coganc’s eau de vie) were restricted.

This meant that Cognac distillers had to find somewhere to store their spirit until situations improved. With the introduction of the “tight” barrel (the watertight equivalent of the “slack” barrel that was used to store and transport dried goods such as grain), eau de vie was filled into wood and stored in distillery cellars for months and even years. When the spirit was finally filled into glass bottles and demijohns, it had taken on colour and flavour, becoming the Cognac brandy we know today. The Gautier 1762 finds itself at the beginning of this exploration into maturation and represents the dawning of oaked brandy.

This Gautier 1762, now known lovingly as the “Grand Frere”, or “Big Brother”, is actually one of a trio of 1762 bottles, all of varying sizes. The smallest of the three, the “Petite Soeur”, is now on display at Maison Gautier in Cognac. The “Petit Frere” was sold in 2014 at auction in New York for £48,000. The “Grand Frere” was the largest of these three bottles. All three were, for generations, owned by one family, who wish to remain anonymous.

The family in question have for years stored these three bottles cautiously in their cellar understanding that their condition, rarity and value must be preserved. The story of their procurement dates back generations to the 19th Century when the family adopted a son by the name of Alphonse. Alphonse was quiet and independent, and it wasn’t long before he left home to find work for himself. His intrepid nature led him to the vineyards of Cognac where he arrived in 1870, not long before the phylloxera outbreak.

After 10 years in Cognac Alphonse returned home. The devastation of phylloxera meant that many distillers had to make their way back to their families. Indeed times were so tough that many Cognac producers may have been unable to pay their staff, and instead provided them with bottles of brandy in lieu of wages. As Alphonse made his way home he brought with him a cart laden with bottles. Amongst these bottles were three of varying sizes, but in exceptional condition and with legible labels that read Gautier 1762: The Petite Soeur, Petit Frere and Grand Frere

Some years later, at the beginning of World War I, Alphonse was conscripted to the army. He sadly died in 1914 but left behind him a superb legacy: the oldest vintage Cognac ever to be sold at auction.

Rádio Globo Encerra as Atividades em São Paulo - Artigo

Rádio Globo Encerra as Atividades em São Paulo - Artigo
Artigo

A Rádio Globo anunciou que encerra sua operação em São Paulo no próximo dia 31, na frequência 94.1, em FM.

Com isso, "fecha o ciclo de desmobilização da rede de transmissão para todo o Brasil", afirmou em nota. Justifica a decisão dizendo estar com "foco no Rio" desde julho do ano passado.

"Para seguir avançando, a Rádio Globo entende que é fundamental fortalecer a sua grade local e apoiar a vibração da cultura carioca para a evolução do atual modelo de negócios", acrescenta.

Inicialmente apenas na frequência 1.100 AM, também abandonada, em fevereiro passado, a emissora estreou em São Paulo em maio de 1952. Em 2017, já havia mudado de formato para priorizar música e o sinal FM.

O Grupo Globo passa a ter uma única rádio na cidade a partir de junho, a CBN (90.5 FM), voltada a jornalismo.

No Rio, informa a nota, a Rádio Globo "passa a reproduzir totalmente o comportamento dos jovens [da cidade] na frequência 98.1 FM, e fortalece a identificação já criada com o público carioca".

O canal foi concedido originalmente à Rádio Excelsior S.A, por meio do Decreto 253 de julho de 1935. A frequência foi transferida para a Rádio Globo em maio de 1978 para transmissão em Ondas Médias em caráter nacional.

A Rádio Globo AM 1100 entrou no ar em 1º de maio de 1952 como Rádio Nacional de São Paulo. A rádio, que pertencia às Organizações Victor Costa, foi a primeira que exibiu uma vinheta cantada, que na época estava na voz de Hebe Camargo. A emissora também levou os programas de auditório para as ruas da cidade. Em 1952, o cantor Francisco Alves apresentava seus convidados no estúdio montado em praças públicas.

Ainda nos anos 1950, a então Rádio Nacional de São Paulo acreditou no talento de um jovem comunicador que tinha sido camelô. Foi a primeira rádio de grande porte em que trabalhou Silvio Santos. Nas novelas e no humor, foi a rádio paulistana que aperfeiçoou alguns dos modelos trazidos da Nacional carioca.

Em 1965, as Organizações Globo compraram a Rádio Nacional paulista. O nome Nacional foi mantido e, em 1967, a Rádio Nacional assumiu a liderança de audiência na capital paulista, com uma programação popular e informativa.

Em 1976 a direção da emissora recebeu um pedido do Ministério das Comunicações para que o nome Nacional fosse apenas utilizado pelas emissoras dirigidas pelo Governo Federal. Em 1977, a rádio mudou para Nacional-Globo, em 1978 foi para Globo-Nacional e, finalmente, em 1979, Rádio Globo de São Paulo.

Já em 23 de junho de 2017 a 1100 AM passou a contar com a operação simultânea da 94.1 FM de São Paulo. Na época o Sistema Globo de Rádio havia feito uma mudança significativa do posicionamento da Rádio Globo no mercado nacional. 

Recentemente a Rádio Globo tinha retomado o formato popular, porém com um perfil mais musical e linguagem que se aproximava do formato FM. 

Nota do blog: O rádio AM está acabando, condenado a se tornar apenas repetidores de notícias...

Ilha de Boa Viagem, 1880, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil - Marc Ferrez

Ilha de Boa Viagem, 1880, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil - Marc Ferrez
Niterói - RJ
Acervo IMS
Fotografia - Cartão Postal