De Tomaso Mangusta Coupé 1969, Itália

 

De Tomaso Mangusta Coupé 1969, Itália
Fotografia


Alessandro de Tomaso was born in 1928 in Buenos Aires to a brilliant politician father, who could have been the President of Argentina but passed away when Alessandro was only five, while his mother was descended from the Spanish Viceroy. Young Alessandro, thus bereft of fatherly authority, grew up somewhat wild and strong willed. He ran the large family ranch as a teenager. He then started a political newspaper critical of Argentina's iron-fisted ruler, Juan Peron, and was arrested before being forced to return to the family's ranch. Alessandro was soon back in Buenos Aires, only to hurriedly flee the country and the prospect of further arrest in 1955, escaping in a private plane.
De Tomaso then immigrated to Italy, settling in Modena, then the European centre of motor sport and GT car manufacture, and continued racing in motor sport as he had done back home. He married tall, blonde, American heiress and amateur racer Isabelle Haskell in a Palm Beach, Florida ceremony, and soon started building single seaters in small quantities. This project started in a very humble way in small workshops, drawing on the pool of talented craftsmen in the home of Maserati and Ferrari.
Then came the first road car, the compact and very light, mid-engined Vallelunga, which was powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder Ford engine. Only 50 were built. Next came the Mangusta, a pivotal development for Alessandro de Tomaso's fledgling company. The name was chosen by the ever-temperamental de Tomaso when he had a falling out with Carroll Shelby, builder of the Cobra. The Mangusta, Italian for mongoose, is famous for fearlessly dispatching the aforementioned reptile...
With the Mangusta, de Tomaso would boldly cross several thresholds, aided substantially by his wife's family's money and his irrepressible entrepreneurial gift. It was to be his first full-size, large-capacity sports car and the first that would be produced in significant quantity (401 were made). It also enabled de Tomaso to graduate from artisan to industrialist, swapping his small workshop for a much larger factory.
The late Paul Frère, one of the world's most respected automotive journalists, was flabbergasted when after a two-year gap he visited the new de Tomaso headquarters. The Belgian former Le Mans winner recalled a workshop shared with firewood storage, and only two years later found himself in the middle of a fledgling factory with production proceeding at full pace. Despite there being staff that could have done the job, it was typical that de Tomaso himself insisted on explaining the car to Frère, who was most impressed during his test drive.
The birth of the Mangusta had been serendipitous. The mercurial Alessandro was by then owner of Carrozzeria Ghia, and when a body it designed via the skilled hands of Giorgetto Giugiaro and intended for Bizzarrini was not taken up by the latter, he decided to do something about it. Enlarging the concept of the small Vallelunga to a full blown GT, he gave it an innovative spine chassis and mid-engined configuration. For the engine, he spoke with Ford, who at first did not know what to make of this unconventional man and his project, but soon agreed to sell him batches of engines. Mangustas were thus fitted with Ford V8s, either with the 289ci (4.7-litre) or 302ci (5.0-litre) unit. It is, however, a common misconception that European cars differed from US cars by having 289s. This is a fallacy: some early cars had them but most cars, independent of the destination market, were built with 302s. Independent suspension and disc brakes all round give the Mangusta reactive handling making it as exciting to drive as its appearance suggests. A Mangusta, however, is all about the body: featuring the famous and unique gullwing engine covers, it is one of the most stunning and certainly purest shapes of any Grand Touring/sports car of that era. It is telling that no one, except a handful of amateur racers on both sides of the Atlantic, ever besmirched or degraded one with spoilers, wings or other additions that would have polluted its design purity.
Featuring a unique, wood and leather, segmented steering wheel, the comfortable interior is more accommodating than most mid-engined cars of that era. The Mangusta's Detroit-sourced power unit gives it ample torque for genuine high performance, yet is placid and easy to use in traffic where it is surprisingly quiet. With approximately only 150 Mangustas left in total according to de Tomaso connoisseurs, they remain as rare a sight as they are stunning.
The car presented here, chassis number '8MA 0994', is one of only 50 single-headlight versions built. This car's early history is unknown, although it is believed it had been in California all of its life. '0994' was imported into the UK on 2nd February 2008, having been bought from Matthew Chitea in Placerville, California. It was imported by top UK de Tomaso restorer Roger Brotton and fellow marque specialist Phillip Stebbings. Brotton stated that the car was the 'best Mangusta bodyshell he had ever seen' when it was found in California.
The Mangusta was quickly sold to its current owner, an enthusiast collector and automotive book publisher with a very fine collection located south of London. In the expert hands of leading marque specialist Roger Brotton, it was then subjected to a seven-year full restoration to concours standard, which took from 2008-2015 to complete and cost approximately £250,000, all receipts being on file. The car also comes with copies of original factory documents. '0994' retains its original engine, which has been 'breathed' on with a '340 stroker kit', a far from extreme upgrade but one that produces approximately 330bhp.
The car was entered in the Royal Artillery Company's London Concours in 2018 and has been to Goodwood. It has also featured in a cover photograph and article in Classic & Sports Car magazine comparing the Mangusta to some of its contemporaries.
Any Mangusta is a rarity nowadays, but a properly restored one is rarer than hen's teeth. Thus this example, with its exceptionally rare single-headlight configuration, represents a wonderful and almost certainly unrepeatable opportunity for the connoisseur to add one of the most beautiful automotive designs ever produced to their collection.

AC Cars Ace 2.6 Litre Roadster 1961, Inglaterra

 

AC Cars Ace 2.6 Litre Roadster 1961, Inglaterra
Fotografia


"There is no doubt that the 2.6 Ace now lowered with restyled bodywork is the fastest production model ever produced by the AC Company, and maximum speeds in the 125mph range may be expected, with acceleration to match." – AC Cars Ltd.
Powered at first by AC's venerable long-stroke six and then the BMW-derived Bristol engine, the Ace was made available towards the end of production with the 2.6-litre overhead-valve Ford Zephyr engine installed. The first cars were converted by Ken Rudd of Ruddspeed before the factory took over. A 12-port aluminium-alloy cylinder head, developed by Raymond Mays of ERA and BRM fame, was usually fitted together with other internal modifications, in which form the Zephyr-derived unit produced 155bhp on triple SU carburettors and up to 170 horsepower on triple Webers. Only 36 examples of the Ford-powered Ace 2.6 were made, making it by far the rarest of the three engine types offered.
Owned by the current vendor since 1971, this rare left-hand drive AC Ace 2.6 is the sixth example of the 36 production models built. Three people are known to have owned 'RSX 5006' during its first decade. It was purchased new in December 1961 by Mr A J Schwartz, a Paris resident with connections in Monaco, as an 18th birthday present for his son, Patrick. The son did not keep it very long, for by early 1964 it was advertised on the noticeboard in the recreation area at SHAFE in Paris. It is not known why this medium was chosen: perhaps Mr Schwartz had connections to the US military.
Peter Napier, an Englishman working in Paris for Boeing, noticed the advertisement and bought the AC. A photograph on file, taken on the banks of the Seine around 1964, shows Peter behind the car.
Peter Napier kept the Ace for several years, eventually selling it to a friend, Robert Seidman, an American writer who at that time was working in France. Robert moved to the UK in 1969 and brought the car with him, selling it to the current owner for £700 in August 1971 when he decided to return to the USA.
With various problems needing to be fixed, and no time to carry out the work required, the owner took the Ace off the road in May 1975. A partial rear end rebuild was carried out over the next two years, and the car then remained in storage for the next 29 years while family life, business commitments and three house renovations took precedence. Between 1994 and 2006, the Ace was restored, the engine being rebuilt by Tony Steele and almost all other aspects of the renovation entrusted to internationally renowned marque specialist, David Sanderson.
The engine was rebuilt to Stage IV tune with a Ruddspeed alloy cylinder head by Burton Power; triple Weber 40DCOE carburettors; Arias forged pistons; Carillo con-rods; stiffened main bearings; lightweight pushrods; and a Kent A14 'fast road' camshaft.
The rear chassis was stiffened by incorporating Cobra box-section outriggers, while many original factory options incorporated at time of rebuild include a curved windscreen; 15" wheels; overdrive; alloy fuel tank; and a duplicate fuel system. Modern upgrades (all easily removable, no holes in bodywork) include a pre-engaged starter motor; 123 electronic ignition; LED headlight bulbs; and amber indictor bulbs. Most of the parts that were replaced in this process come with the car.
Despite not being in a particularly high state of tune when manufactured, the Ace was specified with a factory roll bar. This is not fitted at present but would be supplied with the car (it simply bolts in). (The original cast-iron head complete with triple SUs and a Barwell manifold is available by separate negotiation with the vendor).
'661 CGT' at last returned to the road on 10th June 2006, just in time for the AC Owners Club's annual concours on the following day when it won 2nd prize in the Ace class. Since then the Ace has been enthusiastically campaigned through the UK and Europe, commencing on 13th June 2006 with a Continental tour taking in Le Mans on the way to Monaco in an attempt, sadly unsuccessful, to make contact with the first owner's family. Italy, Spain and Portugal were visited in turn before the Ace arrived back home seven weeks later having covered 4,231 miles.
Since then there have been trips to Ireland (2007), the Le Mans Classic (2010) and Scotland (2011), while that same year '661 CGT' also attended the Ace 2.6 50th Anniversary gathering at Stourhead, Wiltshire. The Ace served as the owner's wedding car when he married in 2013, and in June/July 2015 successfully completed an Arctic Circle trip taking in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway via the Netherlands and Germany. In total, some 43,000 kilometres (approximately 27,600 miles) have been covered since the restoration's completion in 2006. The owner describes the Ace's condition as generally very good, the only minor 'niggles' being poor synchromesh on the Moss box's 2nd gear, and a non-functioning electric clock. In the vendor's own words: "The car is in very fine order, but is not perfect. This is a working road car, to be used and enjoyed."
The history file contains the original bill of sale; the owner's bill of sale; all invoices from 1971 onwards; and some correspondence with AC Cars which predates the current ownership. In addition, the Ace also comes with a manufacturer's handbook and brochure; a genuine Ford workshop manual for the engine; and press cuttings, magazines, and souvenirs of the (admittedly minor) competitive events it undertook in the vendor's hands. There is also full weather equipment: hood, tonneau cover and dash-top tonneau (to prevent reflections from the white paint at night).

São Paulo Antigo, São Paulo Moderno - Vários

 

São Paulo Antigo, São Paulo Moderno - Vários

Melhoramentos - 1953

Livro

Marilyn Monroe e Andy Warhol - Artigo

Marilyn Monroe e Andy Warhol - Artigo

Artigo

Na década de 1960, o artista americano Andy Warhol criou várias imagens a partir de fotografias de celebridades como Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley e Jackie Onassis. O retrato de Marilyn é, sem dúvida, um dos mais famosos e reproduzidos da história.
Embora Andy e Marilyn nunca tenham se conhecido, ele a imortalizou com a criação de seu retrato mais importante, um ícone duradouro em que artista e musa se unem como estrela, mito e lenda.
Por ocasião do suicídio de Marilyn Monroe, em agosto de 1962, Warhol usou esta imagem para sua serigrafia. Era uma imagem feita por Gene Korman para a publicidade do filme Niagara (Torrentes de paixão, no Brasil), realizado em 1953.
A tela é preparada usando um processo fotográfico e, em seguida, tintas de cores diferentes são impressas usando um rodo de borracha para pressionar a tinta na pintura através da tela. Inicialmente, espectadores e críticos receberam esse novo conceito artístico com pouco entusiasmo.

Porém, poucos anos depois, tornou-se um fenômeno mundial de Pop art.
O próprio Warhol explica o processo:
Em agosto de 1962, comecei a fazer serigrafia. Eu queria algo mais forte que dava efeito de linha de montagem. Com a serigrafia, você escolhe uma fotografia, sopra-a, transfere-a com cola para a seda e, em seguida, passa a tinta sobre ela para que a tinta passe pela seda, mas não pela cola. Dessa forma, você obtém a mesma imagem, ligeiramente diferente a cada vez. Era tudo tão simples, rápido e arriscado. Fiquei emocionado com isso. Quando Marilyn Monroe morreu naquele mês, tive a ideia de fazer as telas de seu lindo rosto, as primeiras Marilyns…