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STEVE DAVIS BEHIND THE SHADES: Today’s muscle cars
Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis.

Steve Davis’ dark glasses protect his eyes from A light sensitivity condition – but that doesn’t hinder his vision of the collector car market.

2025 Ford Mustang GTD

Muscle cars have been on my mind a lot lately. Of course, muscle cars have been a major part of the Barrett-Jackson experience for as long as I’ve been a part of it, but in recent months I’ve had the feeling we’ve come full circle in many ways, and the end of an era is at hand.

What kicked off these thoughts was a recent vehicle introduction. My wife Janie and I were among a select group of people invited to a private, pre-press unveiling of the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD. If you haven’t seen it yet, the GTD is a road-going version of the GT3 competition car that Ford is building for international FIA GT3 competition.

Top Ford executives and racing drivers were on hand for the introduction, as was Craig Jackson and his wife Carolyn. I was surrounded by people with whom I’ve had long-standing relationships, and to be a part of that group – to be privileged to be a part of that historic moment – is an experience I’ll always treasure.

This GTD is absolutely spectacular. It’s just unbelievable. They’ve taken the Mustang we know and love, and they haven’t just raised the bar, they’ve taken it to the stratosphere. (The car’s color at the intro was reminiscent of Brittany Blue – the same color as the treasured Fords and Shelbys I own – like it was sending me a secret message!)

First-production 2007 Ford Shelby GT500, VIN 001, on the block.

The GTD has a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with an expected 800 horsepower, rear-mounted 8-speed transaxle for a 50-50 weight distribution, and a wide body primarily made of carbon fiber. They had cutaways on display before they unveiled the car, and the active suspension was like something from a science fiction film.

It was incredible. As I was looking at this 7th-generation Mustang, it took me back to my memories of the 1965 Shelby GT350, and how amazing that car was at the time. As a kid, I lived and breathed all things automotive, and watched the proliferation of muscle cars, which had a feel similar to the new developments we’re seeing now. One manufacturer would come out with this incredible car, and then another manufacturer would top it with their newest offering.

Fast-forward from being that wide-eyed kid to that moment when they unveiled that GTD. All these thoughts rushed through my head like a dam breaking as they pulled the cover off that GTD. Who in the world would have ever expected something like that?

With today’s muscle cars, we’re reliving the 1960s on steroids. It’s a fantasy land of incredible cars. The golden era, in my opinion, will always be the 1960s, because that’s when it all started. But today’s muscle cars operate on an entirely different level, and we have seen the entire evolution cross the Barrett-Jackson stage, which is especially reflected in the “first and lasts.”

The first GT500KR sold at Barrett-Jackson in 2008.

I’ll never forget when the first-production 2007 Ford Shelby GT500, VIN 001, crossed our block. Following that we had first editions of several other Shelbys and Mustangs, from the first GT500KR in 2008 all the way to the next-generation 2020 GT500, and VIN 001 of the reborn 2021 Mach 1. We had the first-production 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with its 707 horsepower – at the time the most powerful muscle car ever – at the 2014 Las Vegas Auction, and then witnessed the end of the Challenger era, with a “Last Call” 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 selling during the 2023 Las Vegas Auction. We’ve seen reborn classic nameplates like the COPO Camaro and ZR1 Corvette sold at Barrett-Jackson. My thoughts about the Ford GT supercar and how amazing it is that a car like that ever saw the light of day could fill a book.

The bittersweet part of this whole thing is we know this is the last gasp of fossil-fuel muscle cars. It’s absolutely certain this is the end of that era. I’m sure there will be some more cool stuff coming – there always is – but from a fossil-fuel standpoint, that’s what makes this time so special. Seeing what Ford is unleashing with the Mustang GTD, the internal combustion V8 muscle car is not going out with a whimper but with a mighty roar.

This progression of the American muscle car has happened in real time on Barrett-Jackson’s stage. No longer do you have to be an industry insider to have a front-row seat to view the rarest and most powerful muscle cars. We’ve created a platform that allows us to showcase these cars in a way that really impacts the culture because we are doing this before millions of people, between our television broadcasts, our

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By: Barrett-Jackson
Title: STEVE DAVIS BEHIND THE SHADES: Today’s muscle cars
Sourced From: www.barrett-jackson.com/Media/Home/Reader/steve-davis-behind-the-shades-todays-muscle-cars/
Published Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:01:58 +0000

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Prizefighter: A custom Ducati Monster 600 built for a Turkish actor

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13 hours ago

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September 27, 2023

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custom ducati monster 600 1 745x497 1

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom Cycles
The Ducati Monster is widely credited with saving the Italian marque in the 90s. Part of its success lies in its minimalist brawler aesthetic—and part of it lies in the fact that Ducati has always offered the Monster in myriad engine sizes at varying price points. If you couldn’t quite spring for an M900 back in 1994, the Ducati Monster 600 looked just as cool, cost less, and still made adequate power.

Decades on, the Monster is a very different beast and has even shed its trademark trellis frame. But the mid-90s Monster still has appeal—and it’s got tons of custom bike potential, as evidenced by this custom Ducati Monster 600 from Turkey’s Bunker Custom Cycles.

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom Cycles

The 1998-model Monster 600 belongs to the Turkish actor Kadir Doğulu, who went through considerable effort to obtain it. The story goes that the bike was one of four imported to Turkey in the late 90s as show bikes for a major local 4×4 event. Kadir spotted it in the corner of a parking garage gathering dust and hassled the owner for ten years before he finally agreed to sell it.

By then, the Monster 600 was desperately in need of rescue. A decade of being parked had given the elements time to work, leaving the chassis, fuel tank, and a whole whack of alloy parts covered in rust. Kadir held onto the bike for a while, then called in the brothers at Bunker Custom Cycles, Mert and Can Uzer, to revive it.

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom CyclesRead More

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By: Wesley Reyneke
Title: Prizefighter: A custom Ducati Monster 600 built for a Turkish actor
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/custom-ducati-monster-600
Published Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:57:09 +0000

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Where Is the 2024 Honda CB750 Hornet Naked Bike?

Published

1 day ago

on

September 26, 2023

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Honda’s CB750 Hornet was officially unveiled in Europe last year, and has appeared in other markets globally—just not the US.
Honda’s CB750 Hornet was officially unveiled in Europe last year, and has appeared in other markets globally—just not the US. (Honda Europe/)

It’s been 25 years since Honda’s massively popular 600cc Hornet wheelied onto European tarmac, so when word got out a couple of years ago that a new Hornet was in development the buzz (sorry) around the internet was palpable. The first and second-gen Hornets were almost universally beloved for their light weight, revvy characterful engine, and uh, down-to-earth price tags. Fun, practical, and cheap? It’s no wonder crowds of riders signed up to own one. And while the naked-bike segment has evolved tremendously in the ensuing years, a midsize model with those same characteristics along with the reliability and build quality Honda’s known for—at the right price—might still put up a good fight against its Trident 660 and MT-07 rivals.

The Hornet’s chassis is dominated by a new lightweight diamond steel frame and Showa suspension front and rear.
The Hornet’s chassis is dominated by a new lightweight diamond steel frame and Showa suspension front and rear. (Honda Europe/)

Sure enough, Honda pulled the wraps off its long-anticipated CB750 Hornet at the 2022 Intermot show in Germany, and it had all the goods we could hope for: a rollicking 91 hp twin engine (not an inline-four like the old model), a robust menu of standard features, and a better-than-expected electronics package. The compact 755cc Unicam eight-valve parallel-twin engine was entirely new, as was the diamond steel frame, and the bike sported throttle-by-wire, ABS, four ride modes, traction and wheelie control, a six-speed transmission, and more.

Initial reports praised its fat midrange, agility, and unique sound (for a parallel twin). It weighed less than 420 pounds, and for a naked middleweight, the price was right; less than 8,000 euro (about $8,500 USD).

Related: 2024 Honda XL750 Transalp First Look Preview

The new Hornet shares its all-new compact 755cc parallel-twin engine with Honda’s just-released XL750 Transalp, though there are slight differences.
The new Hornet shares its all-new compact 755cc parallel-twin engine with Honda’s just-released XL750 Transalp, though there are slight differences. (Honda Europe/)

You can bet plenty of US riders immediately thought, “Great, North America will get it next year.” And really, that didn’t seem like an outlandish idea. The bike had been teased since at least 2021, beginning with computer illustrations and then more fleshed-out reveals of a concept version; it had now become a familiar formula, with Honda then usually releasing a full production model in Europe, followed a year later with entry into the North American market. But here we are at the end of 2023 and many of the 2024 US models have already been announced, including the reborn 2024 Transalp model, which—it almost feels like a slap in the face—uses the same exact 755cc engine as the Hornet. A bike with the same drivetrain as the Hornet, that wasn’t expected in the US at all this year, and yet…

Hello, Honda?

A 5.0-inch color TFT display allows access to rider modes, traction control, engine-braking, and anti-wheelie settings.
A 5.0-inch color TFT display allows access to rider modes, traction control, engine-braking, and anti-wheelie settings. (Honda Europe/)

As we said, the engine is all-new, with the parallel twin using Honda’s latest vortex airflow ducting to improve intake flow in the low-end and midrange. Peak power is 90.5 hp at 9,500 rpm, with max torque of 55.3 lb.-ft. coming on at 7,250 rpm. The Hornet’s 755cc mill also uses a 270-degree crank for an uneven firing interval that injects more character to its delivery as well as its sound.

To be fair, the Transalp’s mill is ever so slightly different, with the airbox inlets being longer to give it more midrange, and its back

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By: Andrew Cherney
Title: Where Is the 2024 Honda CB750 Hornet Naked Bike?
Sourced From: www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/honda-cb750-hornet-coming-soon-rumors/
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 22:17:08 +0000

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Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that didn’t race at Glemseck

Published

2 days ago

on

September 26, 2023

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kawasaki h1 krautmotors 745x497 1

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by Krautmotors
The Glemseck 101 is the European event for anyone who loves fast, impractical, and highly imaginative machines. Those who partake in it do so with cult-like levels of obsession—returning year after year in a bid to outdo each other and themselves.

Rolf Reick is a regular face at the Glemseck 101. Based in Heidelberg, Germany, the perpetually cheerful industrial designer heads up a design school in the nearby town of Mannheim. But he also has years of experience building custom bikes—like this wild Kawasaki H1 two-stroke—under the banner of Krautmotors.

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by Krautmotors

Rolf has stockpiled a number of rad bits and pieces over the years. So he set himself a goal of building a drag bike for this year’s Glemseck 101 using only recycled parts from his personal stash, turning to external sources only when necessary. (It’s not the first time he’s used this approach.)

One of the parts that Ralf already had on hand was the triple-cylinder two-stroke engine from a Kawasaki H1 Mach III; the original ‘Widowmaker.’ But it was far from stock. It had previously been rebuilt by the Kawasaki specialist Ralf Gille, with a host of upgrades that included extensive head work, a new crankshaft, and a set of Mikuni carbs.

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by KrautmotorsRead More

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By: Wesley Reyneke
Title: Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that didn’t race at Glemseck
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/kawasaki-h1-krautmotors
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:01:55 +0000

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