Meet FotW #19, Guy Martin, 28 year old truck mechanic. This is the cold "office" from which he travels to and from in a Ford Transit van, ideal in handling the decrepit roads of the truck yard six days a week. Those are his goggles propped on his mucky hair, that's his name on the breast pocket of his overalls, and these are his tools held between his greasy hands. Martin does not have a pension plan, has nothing in savings, and doesn't have a mortgage either because he never bothered to own a home. He lives in the home of his girlfriend's parents.

But what Martin DOES own... is this--

"There are times when I’m racing that I’ve thought, 'This is it', but when you survive you’re left with a feeling like nothing else. It’s a buzz you can’t describe. And I’m chasing that buzz all the time. I love risking my life, but to get the buzz on a bike on public roads [when they’re not closed for racing] I’d need to be doing 180mph. You can’t, and I wouldn’t want to. The Aston isn’t everyday transport. It’s for a mad half-hour every now and then. And it’s also forever. I don’t think I’ll ever sell it..."

In 1950, Mexico had completed their stretch of the Panamerican highway. To celebrate this amazing feat, as well as to advertise and attract business towards an artery that will eventually stretch across 14 countries in the western hemisphere, the Mexican government organized a fiesta (see what I did there?) in proper 1950s fashion-- La Carrera Panamericana was born.

Although similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy, this sports car racing event on the open roads of Mexico, from 1950 to 1955, was often considered to be the most dangerous race of any type in the world. 27 deaths within five years (5.4/year) inevitably led to its cancellation by way of a simple announcement suggesting that the race's original task of advertising the highway has completed.

But not to worry, La Carrera Panamericana had since been revived and remains very active today. In FotW #18, we are happy to present to you Hayden Groendyke & Charles Samples' 1949 Carrera Panamericana Cadillac. The beauty of this car lies in its design and its preparation for a race it was destined to tackle. Not only is the magnificent Cadillac Series 62 impeccably restored but it is also built upon a chassis constructed by renowned industry leader of classic custom chassis, Art Morrison. Motivating what must weigh an equivalent to no less than 40 whales is a Corvette ZR1 derived LS9 motor mated to a Jericho 5-speed. The task of stopping the mammoth rests upon drilled and slotted Wilwood brakes. This Cadillac is simply a masterpiece of a harmonized past and present.





SPEED STAGE DAY 2 - LA CARRERA PANAMERICANA 2010 from Charlie Samples on Vimeo.

 sources: panam2010.com, artmorrison.com, dogfightmag.com

*For those wondering why FotW skipped a week, FPH had been prepping for the New York Auto Show. I'm sorry, I'm sure you guys understand!

There are two schools within the general field of automotive journalism. Actually there are more, but let's keep it at two for the sake of simplicity. The first school is those who write with number-centricity; laying out straight line performance data as well as cornering speeds, lateral g, etc. The second school is sensation-centric where the overall driving "experience" is of paramount. How does a car make you feel inside?

UK's EVO magazine is a champion of the second. It's tagline? Simply, "The Thrill of Driving." Of their line of talented writers and journalists, Chris "Monkey" Harris is one of their more notable, as he made a name from his entertaining test drive episodes at Autocar before joining the EVO team. Moreover, Chris is an outspoken fan of air-cooled Porsches and I can certainly appreciate that.


It's a bit of the "Holy Grail," really, when someone is trying to describe the ultimate Porsche 911. Many have made the claim, but not soon later there's always another person that would want to one up the current car in question. The most recent claim is from Singer Design and it certainly is the business and I'll be sure to feature that car once I find something that hasn't already been discussed but for FotW #17, I want to talk about the one Chris created.

The following video is from two years ago but surely this 911 still takes the cake. It's quite an honest car and even without all the modern updates like carbon fiber panels that Singer chose to utilize, Chris' 911 still weighs in at under 1000kg and its chassis has been enhanced to be more rigid than a 997. Don't be mistaken that Chris sacrificed everything for weight and performance either. There's a stereo system, the seats are leather Recaro, and the trim on the door is hand-stitched leather!

There you have it. Chris' dream has just convincingly influenced mine!

Whenever there's a claim that something is purpose built, chances are you're in for a treat. The builder will tell you that it's built from the ground up with a singular idea in mind and with the aspiration to indisputably conquer anything that dares to challenge it.


Most likely, it'll take extremely dedicated men as well as hundreds of man-hours, not to mention a lot of money. And yet, for FotW #16, we see an all out monster coming not from a multi-million dollar clean room, but from... I honestly don't know.

This extraterrestrial crawler is powered by a Ford 5.0 from a 1993 Mustang Cobra and power is sent to the wheels via a Bronco transmission. But obviously, the party piece is in its articulation. Using a Rube Goldberg gear network with a centrally-mounted ARB air locker, Gru Despicable's Cams-Hydraulic Chain-drive 4x4 is capable of approximately 7 feet of up or down balancing on each tire, allowing it to achieve the incredible stances for that sexy pose you see in the pictures above.

Watch as the driver navigates with the reckless abandon this rock crawler lives for and loves.

While working on the Toyota compilation earlier this week, I rekindled enthusiasm for the legendary Toyota 2000GT.



In the generally Euro-centric world of automotive enthusiasts, many have made the claim, and even more listen and believe, that the original Jaguar E-type is the most beautiful car in the world. That's fine, and maybe it is.

I, on the other hand, am born with an unusual condition that only friends have grown to accept and understand. After a while, I begin to dislike things that everyone else won't stop talking about. Before anyone questions my claims, we can agree that there are always exceptions to the rule. But yes, I dislike the Eleanor GT500 in Nicholas Cage's Gone in 60 Seconds and every single starring sports car in the F&F franchise; we can make that official.

And that is the same reason why I was quickly over the E-Type and went on to search for the next '60s sports car that I could spend hours upon days daydreaming idly about.

Sadly, I never saw a Toyota 2000GT in person and nor have I ever seen an example posted on Ebay. After a quick Google search, the current market price for a clean 2000GT will run around $300,000. I was absolutely stunned. It's a beautiful piece of art but surely it doesn't deserve to be that expensive! I believe there has got to be another way.

After some more browsing, Makoto Kobayashi showed me an even better way:

thank you again, Speedhunters

Introducing our FotW #15: Shown at the 2009 Tokyo Salon, Kobayashi-san and his shop, "Road Star Garage," created this fine Toyota 2000GT Replica on a Datsun 240Z S30 chassis and transplanted the car with a Nissan RB26DETT N1 GTR motor tuned by Nismo, originally used to participate in Bathurst for Group A and Group N racing. The only similarity the Nismo plant has to the original engine from 1967 is they're both straight 6's and... I believe that's about it.

I am convinced that if you ever want to own a piece of automobile history, don't. At least not in New York City. Where would I park the car without feeling paranoid? How much would insurance cost? With a replica like Makoto Kobayashi's, I get a car with a monster engine, that pushes all the right buttons and gives all the right sensations at a fraction of the cost. I could probably even register it as nothing but an old Datsun.

My last post was a rant towards Chrysler, but today in FotW #14, we take a look at a specimen from the Pentastar's "Golden Years."

After the domination of the Dodge Charger Daytona during the 1969 season of NASCAR, Plymouth would get its own version with "King" Richard Petty behind the wheel. In fact, the Superbird was so dominant, NASCAR's decided to implement a 305 cubic inch displacement limit for "aero cars." We all know, in the world of motor sports, there's no bigger compliment for a car's racing success than a ban.

Forty years later, Aussie Murray Markwell of Southern Customs shows off his Plymouth GTX-to-Superbird conversion with the help of Bandit Films.


Welcome to Murray Country from Bandit Films on Vimeo.

Happy Monday, everybody!

I decided to go underground for our FotW # 12. The Cannonball Run was an "organized" event in the '70s where participants gathered at a hotel in New York City to set off for a coast-to-coast race to see who could cover 2,800 or so miles in the shortest amount of time, finishing at another hotel in Los Angeles.

I would like to make it crystal clear to everyone that Flappy Paddle Heads does not condone activities the following vehicles will tempt you into committing. Please drive carefully! That said, if danger is what you seek, you might as well come prepared.






I can honestly say that this is as far as I'll venture. I came up with the idea to do a FotW on prepped high speed cross-country vehicles with curiosity and optimism. But when I tried to gather information on liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generators, all I found were more sites trying to figure out the same thing I was. Defeated and empty handed, I realized that I am officially in over my head on this one.

But before I leave the post with a pathetic apology, I'd like to address the presence of Alex Roy in both YouTube videos-- it is not a coincidence. Alex Roy is the founder, team captain, and lead pilot of Team Polizei 144, which held the record in 2006 for completing the run in 32 hours and 4 minutes.

Quite the personality, I would like to leave you with a video series straight from Team Polizei 144's YouTube channel. Here is a showcase of the European Gumball event, the cars, and the skills of the drivers.

In New York City, it'll take you days to find a parking spot. The experienced have many strategies. Some double park to stay put when they have a feeling that someone's about to pull out of a spot, and others circle like vultures looking for gaps. Driveway... driveway... driveway... fire hydrant... driveway... driveway... don't event think about it... driveway... driveway... no parking anytime except blue moons.... It really tires me out. Don't get me wrong, I love driving, but I get fed up with parking very quickly.

You wouldn't understand then, unless you live in a city yourself, just how ecstatic it feels to move on with your life. I get so ecstatic that I jump out the car and engage a full on sprint in order to make up the lost time and meet with my engagement scheduled yesterday. It's that bad.

Just last night, I borrowed my parent's car, and went to meet my friend for a movie. When it was time to leave, I was in trouble. The problem with leaving the car in a hurry is the terrible task of recalling where you had left it. It's pathetic, I know, but I promise you that I tried! My solution has been to take a note on my cell phone to remind me where I parked.

Good, it's 71st and 112th. That's not so hard! Wait... 71st Street? Or was it 71st Road? Where am I now? 71st Drive? Forest Hills is impossible.

Finally, I found the damn car, and I realized that I had already walked right passed it twice. It was a beige Nissan. And so was every other car on the street. I'm sure you all can understand, then.

I can't say the same for Mr. Yannick Sire, though, who's the man behind "The Priapism", the name of the car meaning-- a state of constant painful, arousal. Quite appropriately named, for such an inappropriately sexy piece of work. Obviously, Yannick wouldn't know a thing about beige Nissans at all.

Featured on windingroad.com, the video below is from OliandJoe.com. Freak of the Week #11! Enjoy!

YS from OliandJoe on Vimeo.

Marcus Moto Design F1 Tracker

Freak of the Week #10, woohoo! Every week, I'm out looking for something balls off the wall crazy, polarizing or just weird and worth talking about.

And this time, I thank BikeEXIF's Facebook fanpage for this week's find. Really, it is a bit odd that BikeEXIF decided to post this incredible motorcycle on their Facebook fanpage wall, but not on the main site. On the other hand, I kind of see why. The fans of BikeEXIF that regularly come to the site to see custom classic cafe racers won't be ready for this at all!

Older F1 fans will remember the Ferrari 312T driven by Ferrari's ace, Niki Lauda. Not a particularly attractive race car, I'll admit, but it did win the 1975 World Constructor's Championship before tall air boxes were banned in 1976. If anything, this is a testament of creativity and courage from the custom motorcycle builders Marcus Moto Design when they embraced such an unlikely race car for inspiration.

Based on a Ducati 996, this custom motorcycle features flat track style bmx handlebars as well as an extensive use of carbon fiber.

I'll be honest, I'm an idiot when it comes to bikes. But, stylistically, custom bikes are absolutely fascinating and thanks to BikeEXIF, I've caused myself a bit of an addiction.

So if you like this bike half as much as I do and also have the funds to make dreams happen, you'd be happy to know that you can buy this bike now! For more information, contact Marcus Moto Design  and be sure to have your check ready.


Happy President's Day to our American viewers! Hope you guys enjoyed the three day weekend!

I like this car because it’s unique, people get a kick out of it, and I’ve built and tuned it by myself. It’s fun at track days yet I can drive it on road trips such as Portland to San Jose this summer was over 1200 miles round trip. I vow no trailers are in its future.

The P-Zeros are gone!!

Props to whoever can identify where that center console piece is from

Welcome to Freak of the Week #8, where for every weekend, we look for something balls off the wall crazy, polarizing or just weird and worth talking about.

Ever since hot hatches became popular, so too have there been mid-engined hatchbacks. Unfortunately, though I can clearly see why, the idea never caught on...

In MOTORING CON BRIO fashion, I've compiled my own grab bag of photos of mid engine hatches.


Sit back.

This car deserves its own post!

A project that James, or Rentonone of Scoobynet.com forums, had undertaken to turn his MK-VI Ford Escort into a mid engine rwd track killer.