1922 Bugatti type 23 Brescia

raced in 19 of 23 Indy races, more than any other racecar, and once owned by Charles Bronson, this Harry MIller and Earl Cooper 1927 racer has pedigree and history

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see these photos, a car hit by a kiddie train

photos from http://blog.nola.com/interact/2011/10/head-scratcher_of_the_day_city.html via http://fuckyeahwrecks.tumblr.com/

a tiger hunting Maharajah's 1925 Rolls Royce with Barker coachbuilt Sport Touring body, bumper mounted cannon, and bumper hitch towing a machine gun... the unusual uses a luxury touring car has been put to!

 In addition to the standard luxury fittings for which Rolls-Royce and Barker are renowned, the car features a hidden safe, a nickel-plated hissing snake horn, a rifle stand in the rear passenger compartment, fitted tool kits and two powerful brass searchlights for night spotting.

 For ordnance she carries a mounted Howdah gun (double-barrel shotgun in pistol form), a mountable Lantaka cannon attached to the bumper, and a machine gun mounted on an attached, matching trailer.

found on http://driven.urbandaddy.com/2011/07/26/the-tiger-hunters-rolls-royce/

Bugatti among the pioneers in auto records, longest car, first production car to 100mph

Longest Wheelbase - Bugatti Royale 4.57 m (180 in)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automotive_superlatives

the world’s first 100 mph production car
http://driven.urbandaddy.com/2011/06/20/behind-the-wheel-jean-bugatti/
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Type_49 credits the Type 43 of 1927-31

Baskin Robbins ice cream says "Burt Baskin owned a 1931 Rolls Royce Phantom II, the world's first 100 mph passenger car" http://www.baskinrobbins.com/about/funfacts.aspx of course, the catch is that they call the Rolls a "Passenger" car, and not a "Production" car, of which the Bugatti is barely a production car, being hand built, race cars by design

And contending the record is a Gobron-Brillie

On July 21, 1904 in Ostend, Belgium Louis Rigolly stepped into his Gobron-Brillié ready to drive down the Ostend-Newport road.

This was no ordinary drive however, as Louis Rigolly pushed his 15-liter Gobron-Brillié  to an unheard of 103.56 MPH.

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first381.html
And who or what measured that speed in 1904 Belgium? Down to 2 decimal places even!

But that is backed up by http://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/WLSR_Gloucestershire.html which details the date and engine size
On 21 July 1904, a 13 1/2 litre opposed piston Gobron-Brillie

What would New Years Eve be without Levi Lavalee jumping? This time, it will be in San DIego

EVENT INFORMATION
Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. will air live from San Diego, Calif., on Saturday, December 31 at approximately 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPNHD and ESPN3, immediately following the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

LaVallee, a seven-time Winter X Games Medalist and champion snowcross racer, will jump his snowmobile alongside Robbie Maddison, who will pilot his motorcycle, as both athletes simultaneously jump over 300 feet of water from the North park to the South park at the Embarcadero Marina Park in the downtown area of San Diego Bay. LaVallee will attempt to break his own record of 361 feet and Maddison will be aiming to eclipse the current record of 391 feet.


From last years jumps:

http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Event/red-bull-new-year-no-limits-2011-021243123493790

Why 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for events

IF ancient Mayan tradition and a rather poor disaster movie are to be believed then 2012 is going to be your last year on Earth.

Luckily, there's more than enough in the way of motoring events to keep you going over the next year, which is no mean feat given 2011 was a bit of a bumper year for car and bike shows in itself. Whatever your tastes you're bound to find something to look forward to later this year.

For starters there's another Woodvale Rally to look forward to, although when it takes off at RAF Woodvale near Formby on August 4 and 5 the organisers will have the tricky task of topping last year's magnificent Battle of Britain flypast, which at last year's 40th anniversary event literally stopped the show in its tracks. The good news is that I haven't been to a bad Rally yet, and with the show's usual blend of cars, bikes, planes and traders it doesn't look like there's one on the way.

A classic car event with a charity twist also returns to the region later this year, when the Lydiate Classic Car and Bike Show returns to the village's parish hall. All proceeds from the event go to Cancer Research UK, so you get to help a good cause while checking out a great selection of cars and bikes from years gone by.

There's also tantalising talk - but as yet no firm confirmation - that a repeat of last year's Ormskirk MotorFest is on the cards, with a provisional date of Sunday, August 26 for the full throttle event. Of all the events I went to last year, this was by far the one most enthusiasts told me they'd love to see happening again. With last summere's event offering up the surreal sight of a Ferrari Enzo, a SEAT touring car and a 40-year-old F1 car roaring around Ormskirk's one way system, I completely understand why.

And if you're prepared to jump into your car and drive a little there's a wealth of shows right across the north west, with everything from the Cholmondley Pageant of Power in Cheshire, the Totally Transport Festival in Blackpool, and every bike show, autojumble and indoor exhibition you can think of in between.

All you need now is some sunshine!

If you've got a motoring event taking place in 2012 you'd like to share with Life On Cars get in touch with us by sending an email to david.simister@champnews.com or call 01704 392404. For a full list of events visit www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com