Goodwood Revival 2013 - Some Reminiscing
Perhaps stating the obvious, this year’s Goodwood Revival was a rather extraordinary event. It generally is. The Revival never disappoints in terms of cars of course, it can’t really disappoint seeing the selection of cars that turn up on Goodwood’s tarmac every year. Although, the line up of cars might have been a tad less eccentric than at last year’s edition; who could forget that grid full of 1930s Silver Arrow Grand Prix cars? There was no Auto Union or Mercedes-Benz to be seen this year. Instead, crowds were offered several Ford GT40s which, is a great organisational feat of course, but frankly, they don’t really float my own personal boat. Though, for me, the drivers more than made up for it with some splendid racing.
The Goodwood Revival 2013 - Darkness in the paddock
Staying on at events until the sun goes down is generally a good idea as a photographer. On the Friday evening at this year's Goodwood Revival it allowed me to take photos of the cars in the paddock with stunning ambient light and no spectators whatsoever to ruin the shots (ruin is perhaps a tad strong as the people at the Revival make the Revival with their generally gorgeous attire). Add some typical English weather during racing and voila, the raindrops that had formed on the cars added texture to the cars' surfaces in a way I had not experienced before. Combined with the simple, yet effective, lighting in the paddock 'sheds' I was able to do what you see in this post. If only I had brought my tripod!
Magic Body Control vs Citroën DS
If you've been onto a contemporary car blog this week chances are you might have bumped into Mercedes-Benz' ad propagating its new Magic Body Control system through the medium of a chicken (made by ad agency Jung von Matt). A chicken? Yes, several chicken in fact. It illustrates Mercedes-Benz' intelligent suspension system which makes sure that the body stays level whatever surface might be thrown at the car. Or as Mercedes-Benz put it: "MAGIC BODY CONTROL combines the advantages of the active suspension system Active Body Control (ABC) with the globally innovative ROAD SURFACE SCAN function – a stereo camera that scans the road ahead and registers the road surface and its condition." Indeed, very much so, fortunately they made an ad illustrating the concept in a way that even the most out of touch with car technology can understand (see above). It actually made me think of another car, a car famed for its ability to cross even rough terrain smoothly. If we go back into time a little, well quite a bit actually, and stop in the 1950s, the French produced a certain car called the Citroën DS (that sculpture car we exalted not long ago in another post). You know, that car with the hydropneumatic suspension system, arguably enabling the smoothest ride of the time. Remember the videos (if you speak German then look here)?
Add a commentSound of Honda 1989 - A lap with Senna
Have you always wondered what a McLaren-Honda MP4/5 Formula One car would sound and look like doing a lap around the Japanese Suzuka Grand Prix circuit whilst not actually, physically, driving around the track? No, nor have we. But Honda has, which is why they kitted out the Suzuka track with a million speakers (of undoubtedly superb Japanese quality) and a gazillion LEDs (of an equally superb quality) to revive a very special lap indeed; that of Ayrton Senna's 1989 record lap of the Suzuka track. Making use of the 3.5 litre V10 engine telemetry of that lap, a team of creative talent created a contemporary visualisation of it. And, with the help of the original V10 engine, they also created an elaborate sonification of the telemetry data. The result is a rather spectacular art installation, not to mention a technical marvel of some magnitude, running along the Suzuka track that stimulates the senses (bar an important one of course; sensory stimulation for the nose). Honda has made a couple of videos to accompany the project; the lap itself and a making of. The making of is particularly interesting, showing Honda engineers of the day talking about Senna's driving and it gives airtime to those who created this spectacle. Honda's claim of 'technology that once supported Ayrton Senna, now for your perfect driving experience' might be a bit overenthusiastic, but the videos make for a good few minutes viewing nonetheless.
£19.6m for the ex-Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 at Bonhams' Goodwood auction
The ex-Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 GP car was undoubtedly the highlight of Bonhams' Goodwood Festival of Speed auction earlier today, it achieved the immense sum of 19.6 million Pounds (about $30m). Bidding stopped at £17.5m, which means a buyer's premium of an equally baffling £2.1m! Moreover, it smashed the last world record for the most expensive car sold at auction by a considerable amount; seeing the record was held up to today by a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa which was sold in 2011 for 'just' $16.3m. This W196 was the car in which Fangio won the 1954 German and Swiss GPs. After the 1955 Monza Grand Prix the car was pensioned off and resided in Mercedes-Benz' collection until 1973 when it was gifted to Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu and years later was sold to collector Sir Anthony Bamford and was finally sold to German businessman Friedhelm Loh. We dived into our photographic archive and found a rather impressive image by an amateur photographer to accompany this story; this is the very car sold at today at auction in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1954 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Fangio looks calm driving through what looks like the track's start-finish area, yet the race was a rather more eventful affair than this photo appears to suggest, as noted in the following press blurb Bonhams provided.
Add a commentSpotted: Citroën DS Special + Barthes' Mythologies
There it was, along a country lane, a Citroën DS hiding in the shadow underneath some trees, in front of an old Dutch farmhouse. Its sleek body suggesting movement even while it was stationary. The white of the body emphasising innocence, litheness even. Its contrasting brown coloured tin top absorbed the rays of sunlight that happened to be able to make their way through the leafy trees. Looking at it, it was a splendid ensemble of shapes, colours and shadows. The DS just sits on the tarmac and somehow suggests it is something a bit different whilst actually looking rather inconspicuous; it is devoid of ornaments or pointless design cues. It is an impossibly cool car and at the same time seemingly suggesting to be so much more than just a car just by being a DS. Stepping in a DS moreover would mean transcending into a world of francophilia; the car invokes connotations with scenes which prominently feature baguettes, bottles of wine, fine cheese, intellectuals, designers, chansonniers and well-cut suits with knitted ties. Is this just all a myth? Well, the DS has the peculiar ability to be worshipped through rather different qualities than most other enthusiasts' cars; it is not about horsepowers, it is not about flashy design, it is not about perfect handling. It is worshipped by those from all walks of life. It appears to absorb the characteristics one attributes to it effortlessly and it morphs the car, unwittingly to the car of course, into something more than just a piece of metal. In short one adds a dose of symbolism to the car and mythifies it. Why do I put this on a car blog? Well, because this feeble attempt at discussing the connotations that one creates by just looking at a DS should serve as an introduction to a far more impressive piece of writing by French philosopher Roland Barthes. Barthes, in his 1957 article 'The new Citroën', exalted the DS as the equivalent of a gothic cathedral and a place of worship for the rediscovery of the spiritual. Which had, apparently, been lost with the machine age starting in the early twentieth century; it lead to the mythification of a car. The text is underneath, be amazed.
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