Art, Fashion, Miscellaneous

THE FORD GT40: 50 YEARS AT LE MANS

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With the completion of the 2015 Le Mans 24hr race this past weekend, we had many historic motor racing moments to digest. Firstly, this years winner, Nico Hulkenberg became the first active F1 driver to win Le Mans in 24 years with his Porsche team and partner Nick Tandy.

The second however, and arguably most exciting, was the announcement that in 2016 Ford will be returning to the most prestigious of endurance races with the all new Ford GT supercar to compete in the LM GTE class. This is even more significant as it marks the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24hrs of Le Mans in which Ford went on to repeat this feat in 1967, 1968 and 1969.

The Ford GT LM edition will be structured around the new road going version, set to go on sale next year. A car which will boast the new 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6, the most powerful EcoBoost engine produced, is aimed as the top product of Ford’s Perfomance group division. The car carries many other innovative features which Ford believe will not only make it competitive on the Le Mans scene, but beneficial to each car in the Performance division sector, state of the art aerodynamics with advanced lightweight composites featuring carbon fibre which delivers an extremely tough but light chasis, driven of course by the powerful and efficient EcoBoost engine are such features. This Performance section then is a rapidly growing area for Ford with creations such as the Focus RS, Shelby GT350R and F-150 Raptor on the table with an aim to have 12 new performance vehicles by 2020.

So far the new 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 has been trailed already at several endurance based events, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014, then achieving overall victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring and Rolex 24 at Daytona. The two teams, which will be run by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, will compete in the full 2016 schedule of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship taking it into its competition debut in January 2016 at the Rolex 24 in Daytona, Florida.

Although drivers have yet to be announced, Ganassi Racing achieved major victories in the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis 500 so there is no doubt the foundations are the best there is. Team owner Chip Ganassi said “We’ve won races and championships, but we’ve never run Le Mans, When presented the opportunity to compete with the all-new Ford GT on the world’s biggest sports car stage, and on the 50th anniversary of one of the most storied victories in racing history, how could any race team not want to be part of that? Will it be a challenge? Absolutely, but we couldn’t be with a better partner than Ford.”

Miscellaneous

A LEGEND RE-BORN: BMW 3.0 CSL HOMMAGE

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BMW enthusiasts and car nuts alike will be pant wettingly excited at the revealing last weekend of the 3.0L BMW CSL Hommage at the concours Villa d’Este 2015. The CSL or Coupe Sport Leichtbau (coupe, sport, lightweight) of the 70’s was a car which wowed, reducing the weight of the orginal 3.0 CS by 200kg through the use of aluminium and plexiglass. Enter then this stunning modern take on an old classic which is truely awe inspiring indeed.

Firstly we must point out at this stage that the CSL Hommage is only a concept, however it is a fully operational concept so we can at least pray it goes to a production stage, at least limited edition. It is an exquisite sports coupe in a bold yellow colour which draws upon many features of the orginal 1970s model, most notably the air deflectors along the bonnet and the roof spoiler coupled with that huge whale tale. My personal favourite is the small, simple touch of the BMW badge on the back wing. Truly harking back to the classic indeed.

Although the CSL Hommage houses a 3.0L engine, it stays true to its modern birth with a hybrid eBoost energy system, a smart system at that which stores un-used power to a point which the driver may need that extra kick when for example over taking. The eBoost also influences space within the cockpit of this road going space machine reducing it to two seats in order to fit the hardware needed for it to work.

On the subject of the cabin itself, it certainly does reflect a cockpit with a super modernistic steering wheel and a minimilistic dashboard to match. Again it reflects back to 1970s CSL however with a wood finish emblazoned across it. The seats capture that old racing heritage being quilted carbonfibre buckets with a six point harness which secure you in for the experience ahead.

For us it is a stunning tribute to an old legend and another beautiful Munich masterpiece. We will leave you then with the final words of senior vice president of design at BMW, Mr Adrian Van Hooydonk for his take on proceedings.

 ‘Our Hommage cars not only demonstrate how proud we are of our heritage, but also how important the past can be in determining our future. The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage represents a nod to the engineering achievement exemplified by the BMW 3.0 CSL in its lightweight design and performance. With intelligent lightweight construction and modern materials, the 3.0 CSL Hommage brings the character of that earlier model into the 21st century, showing it in a new and exciting guise.’

Fashion, Miscellaneous, Motoring

STEVE MCQUEEN: THE MAN AND LE MANS

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On the 13th of May for 12 days the most glamorous film festival on the circuit begins. The inaugural 68th Cannes Film Festival arrives in as always glittering fashion, however whats more exciting for us at The Gentleman Select is the naming of “Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans” in the Cannes Classic Section this month.

The film based around the famous Le Mans 24hr race documents the trials and tribulations of the production that was well documented as being riddled with issues both on and off set, from financial difficulties to corporate politics and disagreements.

By the time Steve McQueen began working on this project in 1970 he was already at his height of fame with such films as “Bullitt”, “The Great Escape” and “The Thomas Crown Affair” on his mantlepiece to name but a few. For McQueen though this project was more personal, it gave him the opportunity to express his passion for racing and all things mechanical through the art of film.

For any fan of motorsport the film itself is a must have in their collection and for any avid McQueen fan, they will understand the passion and realism that he poured into this picture. It had so much attention to detail from McQueen, that some of the cars were reported to have dead flies glued to the bodywork.

What is most exciting about “Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans” is that it features never seen before footage and images taken from basements in L.A and Paris that had been in storage all these years. You should expect it to be like “Senna”, yet with the rogue and un-tameable essence of Steve McQueen thrown in through his voice narating, detailing how he battled tooth and nail to save the film and make it happen.

You can also be sure that the film will stay true as possible to the man himself with Steve’s son Chad McQueen featuring as an executive producer on the film. We simply cant wait to see this, a film which we reckon will really say “Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting”.