View allAll Photos Tagged Configuration
The baseline 4x4 configuration of the SMTV family, the Mk401A short bed is the mobile and versatile vehicle ready to move all types of cargo across any sort of terrain you can throw at it.
Features include opening doors and top hatch, a cab capable of seating 2 minifigs with body armor and headgear, foldable gunner’s bench, turning front wheels, a center-pivoting rear axle, and spare tire with lift arm.
As with my other builds, this is made with all purchasable parts and can be built in real life.
If you're interested in this build, a file can be found here:
1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 Streamliner 'Monza'
This car was displayed here as a teaser for its planned auction in January 2025 in Stuttgart. As of this post (2025.07.24) this is the highest priced 2025 sale (€51,155,000 EUR). Scroll to (2) for auction info.
Serendipitously, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 Race Car, which is the same car design but with an open-wheeled body configuration, was shown later in the week at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It's fun to note the same cockpit (mirrors, windscreen, steering wheel, seat) and right-side hood vent.
(1) The following is from an article in www.octane-magazine.com (link goes to the article which includes nice photos of the car's engine and cockpit):
$50 to 70m Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner heading to auction
Matthew Hayward ~ Friday 16th August 2024
RM Sotheby's has partnered with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to bring 11 highly significant cars to auction, headlined by the 1954 Mercedes W196 Streamliner, raced by legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in period.
Why the sale? Although the IMS Museum has thousands of unique and historic racing artefacts, not everything aligns with the Museum's mission. In an effort to not only raise important funding for the future of the museum, but refocus the museum to better reflect its goal of celebrating the history of this iconic motor circuit, it has decided to sell the last of the vehicles in its collection not directly connected to the Indianapolis 500 or Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Our Stories Behind the Spectacle capital campaign is helping to fund the complete reimagining of the IMS Museum, from new structural and state-of-the-art technology installations to interactive exhibits and experiences. The deaccession and sale of these artefacts are earmarked specifically to help us create a more robust endowment to be used for caring for our collection, ensuring our long-term financial viability and position as an internationally recognised cultural institution for years to come." - Joe Hale, President, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
This W196 holds the unique distinction of being driven by two of motor racing's best drivers, Juan Manuel Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss. Originally featuring an open-wheel body, Fangio would pilot this car in a non-points race in Buenos Aires in 1954. Later on, this chassis would receive the iconic streamlined body work and was then driven by Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
At the race Moss would achieve the fastest lap earning him one point in the World Drivers' Championship that year. Mercedes-Benz subsequently used the car as a practice and test car. This Mercedes-Benz was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1965 directly from the factory, and is estimated to sell for $50,000,000–70,000,000.
(2) From RM Sotheby's Fall Catalog Detailing this Car for its Auction in Stuttgart, Germany
Do visit the RM Sotheby's link for this car while it lasts, which is typically some years, to see fantastic present and historic photos of the car.
1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen
€51,155,000 EUR | Sold
o Offered from the Collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
o The first Streamliner-bodied W 196 R ever offered for private ownership
o One of four known complete examples mounted with the exquisite factory-built enclosed-fender Stromlinienwagen coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season
o Driven by future five-time Drivers' Champion Juan Manuel Fangio to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix
o Piloted by celebrated driver Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, achieving fastest lap; presented today with that streamlined bodywork
o Donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum, and now offered from 59 years of fastidious care by the IMS Museum
SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND
When evaluating the merits of a so-called legendary racing car, it is imperative to assess it from every angle. Design considerations, engineering provenance, competition pedigree, races won, and drivers utilized all factor in. How successfully did it meet its design brief, and how enduring was its competition success? What was its post-racing life and its private ownership provenance, and what is its current quality? Finally, and not least of all, is the dynamism of its overall presence.
In effect, the halo collectible racing car is like a diamond. To be considered of optimal quality, every facet of the car's unique cut must emit a brilliance that leaves one speechless.
All of which informs our understanding of the current offering, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, chassis number 00009/54. Rarely has a racing car emanated brilliance on so many levels. Yet, like any great car, the story of chassis number 00009/54 is not just that of a machine but one of men—and a more compelling group of racing luminaries would be nearly impossible to match. A London-born German engineer with a process so uniquely exacting it seems torn from the pages of a novel; an Argentinian racing veteran nearing the peak of his driving supremacy and worldwide celebrity; a young British driver of no less skill who would one day be knighted by the future King of England; and an American businessman raised to sell food who invested in Gasoline Alley and bought a ticket to immortality on the Brickyard.
Rudolf Uhlenhaut—Juan Manuel Fangio—Stirling Moss—Tony Hulman. These four men form the arc of this W 196 R's story, from the hallowed grounds of Mercedes-Benz' Rennabteilung (Racing Department), to the stifling heat of Buenos Aires in January, to the brand-new high-speed banks of the Monza circuit, to one of the shrines of motorsport in Indianapolis.
Our story begins with a humble engineering student in Munich at the dawn of the thirties when Germany was undergoing some of the worst symptoms of the crushing Great Depression. The London-born Rudolf "Rudi" Uhlenhaut was hired by Mercedes-Benz straight out of school in 1931, and he spent the next five years proving his mettle in the production car department, increasingly recognized for his quiet demeanor, strong work ethic, and unusual sense of commitment. During this time Mercedes-Benz returned to racing, and in 1934 and 1935 the works team enjoyed great success, giving rise to the W 25 racecars known as the Silver Arrows, for their unfinished metal coachwork. Despite these initial successes, Stuttgart suffered a setback in 1936 when that year's new car failed to meet expectations, and changes were soon afoot.
The promising Rudolf Uhlenhaut was promoted to director of the experimental department for racing, which was somewhat of a surprise given that he had no experience in racecar development. He was to work under racing department director Dr. Fritz Nallinger, and in conjunction with racing team manager Alfred Neubauer. Keenly aware of how little he knew about competition cars, Uhlenhaut threw himself into the assignment with characteristic zeal, learning the ins and outs of racecar behavior by privately testing the cars on the Nürburgring. Team drivers marveled at how quickly Uhlenhaut became shockingly good, as he insisted on testing cars at racing speeds to properly replicate in-race conditions, occasionally even besting team-driver lap times in the process. He was also the only Daimler-Benz engineer who routinely traveled with the racing team, and his direction led to key improvements for the 1937 car, the W 125. Uhlenhaut proceeded to the highly successful W 154 and W 165 racecar programs before war broke out in September 1939.
A NEW SILVER ARROW RISES FROM THE ASHES
Upon resuming production following World War II, Mercedes-Benz faced the daunting task of contributing to rebuilding Germany while finding a profitable niche in the post-war economy. As with most European marques, the company began with inexpensive and efficient models that assumed a pre-war design, being positioned for the common working man, while gradually delving into more luxurious offerings. With the introduction of the 300 S model in 1951, Stuttgart signaled its intention to resume the manufacture of luxury and sporting automobiles, and it came as no surprise that this growth would include a return to motorsports competition.
The company's return to the track began softly, with a new sports car called the 300 SL "Gullwing," which was created under the management of Rudolf Uhlenhaut. In its earliest W 194 iteration, the 300 SL created a stir in styling and competition that set the table for both further sports car racing, and series production of the popular W 198 300 SL Gullwing production model. But the most natural segway for Stuttgart's return to high-level racing was afforded by the FIA's odd cancellation of Formula One for 1952 and 1953, which was prompted by a lack of credible competition.
With this conundrum in mind, the FIA stipulated new Formula One regulations that would go into effect for the 1954 season. This advance notice gave all interested manufacturers well over a year to develop a suitable competition car. The new formula was relatively simple; it specified that normally aspirated engines could not exceed 2.5 liters, while blown engines were limited to a comical 750 cubic centimeters. Other than mandating a single centered seat, the rules for coachwork were unspecific.
Fritz Nallinger and his fellow directors at Mercedes-Benz recognized this new formula as a unique opportunity to return to the company's motorsports roots in grand prix racing, and with characteristic efficiency, a plan was put in motion to field the best possible car. A new, well-staffed Rennabteilung (racing department) was created, including a traveling factory team. At their disposal lay the full budget and managerial assets of Mercedes-Benz's considerable infrastructure.
As chief of the Experimental Department, Rudolf Uhlenhaut was the principal engineer overseeing the new grand prix model's development. He began with a truss-type narrow-diameter tubular space frame similar to the W 194 300 SL racing car's chassis. Dubbed the W 196 R, this chassis was equipped with front independent suspension via double wishbones, torsion-bar springs, and cutting-edge hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. More significantly, the rear suspension was governed by a low-pivot swing axle that was personally developed by Uhlenhaut, a design feature that would later reappear in the 300 SL Roadster production car. Massive Alfin drum brakes were specified to keep the W 196 R grounded, and they were mounted inboard to lower unsprung mass.
Having run both supercharged inline eight-cylinder and V-12 engines during the interwar period, the racing department had several options to test, and eventually concluded that a straight-eight configuration displacing 2,494 cubic centimeters would deliver the most consistent power. Designed around a complex Hirth roller-bearing crankshaft, the engine was essentially two four-cylinder motors in unison, with two camshafts for each intake and exhaust. This jewel of an engine was equipped with racing components like dual ignition and dry-sump lubrication while featuring revolutionary desmodromic valve gear instead of standard valve springs; and Bosch high-pressure direct fuel injection that guaranteed reliable and smooth power application.
The purpose-developed M 196 engine initially developed a robust 257 horsepower, which was gradually improved over two seasons to 290 horsepower. The motor was positioned low in the front compartment, canted by between 20 and 37 degrees to save space, and coupled to a rear-mounted five-speed gearbox actuated by a single-disc dry clutch. The gearbox unusually featured synchros in the upper four gears, while a limited-slip differential ensured superior traction. Fuel was provided by tanks ranging in capacity from 107 to 199 liters, with compartmented baffles that reduced sloshing issues.
Since the new formula specified so few limitations to coachwork, Nallinger and Uhlenhaut concluded that a streamlined aerodynamic body with enclosed wheels would optimize high-speed courses, while an open-wheel grand prix body would be ideal for more twisting circuits. Sleek and purposeful, the W 196 R's torpedo-shaped open-wheel body was drawn up along lines that were largely conventional for the era.
The streamlined body, in contrast, was something truly unique. Low and wide, its smoothly curved coachwork featured minimal frills, being chiefly distinguished by a wide open-mouth grille, cooling inlets on the rear shoulder haunches, and molded character lines across the tops of the front wheel wells (a design cue that came to be characteristic across the 300 SL model line, lending a marvelous continuity among the marque's sports-racing cars). This was undoubtedly one of the most exquisite expressions of curve and stance ever pounded out, rivalling the most sensuous sports-racers and supercars for sheer visual appeal.
These streamlined bodies were built in extremely limited quantity by the racing department out of Elektron magnesium alloy, providing a shell even lighter than aluminum for a total weight of just over 88 pounds. The open-wheel bodies were also made of lightweight alloy, although coachwork production later shifted to steel bodies built at Sindelfingen.
The streamlined enclosed-wheel body was intermittently campaigned with the open-wheel grand prix-style body during the 1954 and 1955 racing seasons. The factory designation for the enclosed-wheel coachwork was Stromlinie, or Streamline, and today these cars are also known as Streamliner or Stromlinienwagen (streamlined car). With such powerful mechanical specifications and slippery lightweight coachwork, the W 196 R could exceed 186 mph, making it one of the fastest grand prix cars yet constructed.
1954: A PERFECT PLAN REALIZED
Of course, Alfred Neubauer, the longtime manager of the Mercedes-Benz racing team, knew that the W 196 R's success would be contingent on driving talent, so the decision was made early in development to contract the best array of available drivers. While two German drivers were initially signed, the veteran Karl Kling and the up-and-coming Hans Herrmann, the spotlight soon belonged to the third team member: noted Argentinian racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio.
There was a time in the late 1950s when the five-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio enjoyed a fame that transcended motorsport—when he was a true worldwide celebrity not unlike Lewis Hamilton today, and when grandstands rang out with passionate chants of "FONN-GEE-OHHH!"
Before he was a household name, in early 1954 Juan Manuel Fangio was merely a potential in transition, a burgeoning talent waiting to explode. Without a doubt, Fangio's credentials had already been established with his first Drivers' Championship for Alfa Romeo in 1951. But with the disintegration of the Alfa Romeo team during 1952 and the FIA's subsequent cancelation of Formula One in favor of Formula Two proceedings, Ferrari dominated the following two years of competition. Fangio toiled away patiently with the Maserati team, and in sports car racing. Victories came repeatedly, but further championships remained elusive, and having reached his early forties, there was a justifiable presentiment among racing fans that Fangio's best days were already behind him.
Fortunately for Fangio, his star had already been recognized by Stuttgart. Ever in search of the best driving talent, Alfred Neubauer could not help but remember Fangio's remarkable performance in an Alfa Romeo at the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix—achieving pole, fastest lap, and a 1st-place finish. Neubauer reached out to Fangio's agent and a contract for 1954 was signed with Mercedes-Benz. But as the 1954 season began, the new machine from Stuttgart still awaited completion. This led Fangio to continue racing for Maserati in the first two rounds of the 1954 Formula One season, winning the Grands Prix at both Argentina and Belgium. Following the Belgian Grand Prix, Fangio officially made the move to Mercedes-Benz.
In July 1954 the new Mercedes-Benz race cars made their highly anticipated debut at the French Grand Prix at Reims. Debuting a trio of W 196 R Streamliners, their very appearance inspired awe, looking unlike anything anyone had ever seen before in a Formula One race. Team drivers Fangio, Kling, and Herrmann would qualify 1st, 2nd, and 7th, respectively. Herrmann would go on to set the race's fastest lap while Fangio and Kling would achieve an impressive 1-2 finish. The race marked a resounding victory for Mercedes-Benz on its long-awaited return to racing.
Fangio qualified for the pole position start at the British Grand Prix in late July, but rainy conditions led to a 4th-place finish. The team returned to form at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in early August with a four-car team consisting of three open-wheel cars and one Streamliner. The race marked the debut of the open-wheel iteration of the W 196 R. Fangio earned pole position and would go on to win the race with Kling finishing 4th, each in open-wheel cars. A three-car team, all open-wheel, at the Swiss Grand Prix three weeks later brought nearly identical results, with Fangio again winning and Herrmann finishing 3rd.
At the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit in early September, Mercedes-Benz entered two Streamliners and one open-wheel car after testing indicated that the closed-fender coachwork would be faster. In the race, a young British privateer named Stirling Moss behind the wheel of a Maserati 250F led late in the race 19 laps before retiring due to a cracked oil tank. Fangio in a Streamliner and Herrmann in an open-wheel car respectively cruised to 1st and 4th place finishes. The performance of the talented Englishman likely did not escape the attention of Rudolf Uhlenhaut and Alfred Neubauer.
Two weeks later the W 196 R cars were entered at a non-championship race, the Berlin Grand Prix, which was held at the AVUS circuit. With no points consequence, this was almost strictly a public relations demonstration for an enthusiastic German audience. Three Streamliners driven by Kling, Fangio, and Herrmann cruised to an easy 1-2-3 podium sweep.
At the Spanish Grand Prix in late October, the last race of the year, Fangio finished a team-best 3rd among a contingent of three open-wheel entries. The legend of Juan Manuel Fangio had grown; his second Drivers' Championship was in the books. The sheer and immediate potency of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Silver Arrow had been established, foiling Ferrari's attempt at a third straight Formula One championship in the process.
In the midst of this immediate show of dominance for the W 196 R, chassis number 00009/54, the car offered here, was completed. Originally finished as an open-wheel monoposto built on the 1954-specification 2,350-millimeter long-wheelbase chassis, and being designated with a 54 in its chassis number suffix (1955 cars have a 55 suffix), the car first began testing on 15 December 1954. For chassis number 00009/54, as well as for the victorious Mercedes-Benz racing team, even greater things were to come in the season ahead.
CHASSIS NUMBER 00009/54 IN COMPETITION: OPEN-WHEEL
For the 1955 season, the W 196 R was further developed to remain as competitive as possible. The engine was improved in numerous aspects, including the addition of a new intake manifold, and the decision was made to run the open-wheel grand prix bodies for almost all of the 1955 races. The revised cars were approximately 70 kilograms (154 pounds) lighter than their predecessors. Further testing demonstrated that the 1954 W 196 R had been significantly compromised by its Continental tires, so the rubber manufacturer was taken to task to deliver a better product, and their development during the off-season was a critical boon for the revised car.
The Rennabteilung again went after top driving talent, recruiting the upstart 25-year-old Brit from Monza, Stirling Moss, to join their stable of drivers. Moss eventually became a well-known celebrity in his own right, and one of the most famous of all the notable British drivers. Though his career would be prematurely cut short by an accident in 1962, he remained a forthright proponent of motorsports and a supporter of the automotive niche throughout his life, even serving as a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz in his twilight years. His lifelong contributions to the sport and Britain's motoring niche were recognized in 2000 when he was knighted by the future King Charles.
But during the early 1950s Moss was still steadily developing as a privateer, an evolution that had begun with his win at the 1950 Tourist Trophy. To the end of securing a spot on the Mercedes-Benz team, in 1953 he bought and raced a true Formula One specification car, the Maserati 250F. Though the 250F was somewhat unreliable in competition, Moss showed considerable promise during several impressive qualifying sessions, and Neubauer took note after the events of the 1954 Italian Grand Prix. By December 1954 Moss was hired and practicing in the W 196 R, familiarizing himself with the car's nuances while marveling at the Rennabteilung's team environment.
Moss later wrote of the Mercedes-Benz team, "Their thoroughness and thoughtfulness amazed me from the very beginning. It was like being in a different world...Every course where the cars raced was analyzed mathematically...Neubauer himself used to mark and time gearchanges, lap after lap...Drivers were listened to and respected, which often doesn't happen on other top teams...Nothing was too much trouble—and they were willing to try anything which might improve performance."
There was no doubt that Mercedes-Benz' commitment had come to fruition in 1954, and it was about to bear further fruit with Moss onboard. It was Fangio, however, that set the winning tone with a victory at round one of the 1955 Formula One season at the Argentine Grand Prix on 16 January 1955. Since the next Formula One points event on the calendar didn't arrive until late May, the team remained in Argentina to conduct some live-action testing during the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, as the Formula Libre race's lack of regulations proved to be a popular testbed for Formula One teams.
The Formula Libre Buenos Aires Grand Prix on 30 January 1955 would mark the first race for the car on offer, chassis number 00009/54, piloted by none other than Juan Manuel Fangio as car #2. According to Rennabteilung build sheets on file, as well as recent confirmation by Mercedes-Benz, chassis number 00009/54 was equipped with a "Sport 59" engine, apparently code for the 3.0-liter M196 engine, and fitted with an open-wheel monoposto body. One of the team's primary objectives for this non-Formula One event was apparently to test this new development of the M196 engine, which was positioned for use in the upcoming W 196 S sports car, the 300 SLR. Moss, Kling, and Herrmann joined Fangio—each racing an open-wheel car.
The Buenos Aires Grand Prix race format was a bit unusual: two separate heats of 30 laps each, with the winner determined by the fastest total aggregate time. While Fangio earned the pole position during a rainy qualifying session, Moss leapt out to lead the first heat. Fangio made his move during the 13th lap, briefly holding 1st place before being overtaken by Giuseppe "Nino" Farina's Ferrari 625, and this order held until the finish line with Fangio 10.5 seconds behind. During the second heat many drivers switched cars, and Fangio initially led before being passed by Moss, who went on to win the heat by three seconds in an exciting finish. Despite finishing 2nd in both heats, Fangio achieved the lowest total time of 2:23:18.9, besting Moss by 11.9 seconds, the 625 Ferrari by over half a minute, and Kling by nearly a minute, thus capturing the win for the Rennabteilung in this important first outing for chassis number 00009/54.
The victory gave Fangio a sweep of that season's races in his native country, having won the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix two weeks prior. The impressive finish at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix was commemorated in-period, with Mercedes-Benz commissioning a beautiful race poster by Anton Stankowski celebrating the 1-2-4 Fangio-Moss-Kling finish.
At the Monaco Grand Prix in late May, Fangio was given a new open-wheel car built on an extra short-wheelbase chassis (2,150 millimeters), and though he qualified for the pole, Herrmann then crashed the car in practice. The team's luck only got worse during the race, where three cars retired early with valve-gear failures and Moss struggled to a 9th place finish.
In June, Fangio and Moss roared to 1-2 finishes at both the Belgian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix before a number of grands prix were cancelled in response to the recent accident at Le Mans. When action resumed at the British Grand Prix at Aintree in mid-July, the Mercedes-Benz team dominated again, with the experienced home-court veteran Moss leading a four-car contingent to a commanding 1-2-3-4 finish (Moss-Fangio-Kling-Taruffi), the only quadruple victory in marque history.
This set the stage for the season's final contest—and 00009/54's final competition outing: the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September.
CHASSIS NUMBER 00009/54 IN COMPETITION: STROMLINIENWAGEN
For 1955, the Monza circuit was rebuilt with a new high-speed bank that has since become legendary in motorsport. With this development, the Rennabteilung already knew the course would favor a Streamliner body, despite the fact that they had been running the open-wheel coachwork exclusively up to this point for the 1955 season. During testing at Monza in August, the team experimented with a new protruding nose piece for the Stromlinienwagen, but results were inconclusive. Ultimately, the medium-wheelbase chassis was chosen to be mounted with new length-adapted Streamliner coachwork in the original style, with the exception of a new air inlet next to the hood to feed the canted engine. Two such cars were built at Untertürkheim.
When practice for the race ensued a month later, the medium-wheelbase Streamliner was found to be twitchy at high speeds. Fangio then assumed the use of a spare Streamliner built on an original long-wheelbase chassis from 1954, and Moss quickly requested an identical car, so Neubauer contacted the workshop and ordered a Streamliner to be delivered to Monza as soon as possible. A spare long-wheelbase chassis, number 00009/54, was mounted with a Streamliner body and immediately dispatched to Monza.
Mercedes-Benz would send eight cars, nearly all their running W 196 Rs, to what would be the model's swan song in competitive racing. Of the eight cars sent to the track, four cars were entered by Mercedes-Benz for the race, with Fangio and Moss competing in W 196 R Streamliners and Kling and Piero Taruffi behind the wheels of W 196 R open-wheel monopostos.
This car, chassis number 00009/54, was the aforementioned long-wheelbase Streamliner delivered on request for Moss after the medium-wheelbase Streamliners had been declined by Fangio and himself. Stirling Moss, driving under #16, would pilot chassis number 00009/54 in the race. Fangio would secure pole position, with Moss securing 2nd starting position just three-tenths of a second behind Fangio. Kling would qualify 3rd, and Taruffi 9th; the advantage of the Streamliner bodywork at the fast Monza track was evident.
From the start, Fangio and Moss held their 1-2 start. Moss would take the lead from Fangio in the 9th lap of the race, but it was short-lived, as Fangio would regain the lead in lap 9 and retain 1st position for the remainder of the race. Moss would go on to hold onto 2nd through lap 18, when he was forced to pit to replace the windscreen, dropping him down to 8th by the time he rejoined the race. Moss would climb to 7th but was soon forced to retire due to a failing piston in cylinder five after completing 27 laps. Completing just over half the race, Moss was still able to achieve the race's fastest lap at an impressive 2:46.900 in chassis number 00009/54. His average speed of 215.7 km/h on lap 21, while attempting to make up ground following his early pit stop, earned him one point towards the Formula One Drivers' Championship.
Karl Kling would retire from the Italian Grand Prix shortly after Moss, pulling out of the race with a defective cardan shaft after 32 laps. Fangio would go on to win, tailed closely by Taruffi just seven-tenths of a second behind. The impressive 1-2 finish—a fitting bookend to the W 196 R Stromlinienwagens— triumphant 1-2 victory at their debut outing, the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims—would not be replicated again by Mercedes-Benz as a constructor for 58 years, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix.
At the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season, Fangio captured his second straight World Drivers' Championship, with Moss finishing 2nd, sealing the W 196 R Silver Arrow's legend in the process. Moss, meanwhile, had captured two World Sportscar Championship victories in the 300 SLR, including his storied win at the 1955 Mille Miglia in the #722 car with co-driver Denis Jenkinson. This proved to be enough to edge out Ferrari for a narrow championship victory in sports car racing. Significantly, the 300 SLR, internally designated the W 196 S, was the two-seat sports car development of the W 196 R; the 300 SLR benefitted from a larger 3.0-liter motor, the likes of which had been proven in chassis number 00009/54 in Buenos Aires.
The W 196 R's pedigree was now unimpeachable. In two seasons the model had won three championships in two different racing series. In 12 appearances at Formula One points events the W 196 R had won a commanding nine times, and it won two additional non-points races, totaling 11 victories in 14 starts. This 78 percent represents an incredible winning rate by any measure. It is also important to note that the World Constructors' Championship had not yet been created; had it existed, Mercedes-Benz surely would have won this title, as well.
AT THE END OF AN ERA
Having demonstrated that they could dominate on the track Mercedes-Benz chose to make a graceful exit once again from motor racing after 1955, bowing out for the next few decades—and further ensuring that the remarkable legend of the W 196 R would never be forgotten.
At the conclusion of 1955, 10 different complete W 196 R examples remained in running order, including four with Stromlinienwagen coachwork. Fourteen chassis had been built in total, designated with numbers 1 to 15. (Chassis numbers 1 and 15 were eventually scrapped, and number 11 was never actually assigned to a chassis.) In October 1955, Mercedes-Benz held an official ceremony to retire the W 196 R, publicly shrouding the cars in dust sheets before transferring them to the company's museum in Stuttgart. Following the completion of its competition duties but prior to being stored, chassis number 00009/54 had been—in keeping with common post-race procedure—partially dismantled and equipped with a new engine, among other items. While the Daimler-Benz Museum initially retained all 10 remaining W 196 R examples, four cars were eventually donated to prestigious museums around the world, including chassis number 00009/54.
The post-racing path of chassis number 00009/54 was set in motion in September 1964, when a contingent from the Mercedes-Benz Club of America visited the marque's Untertürkheim plant in Stuttgart. As detailed by a wealth of correspondence on file, during this visit, a conversation ensued between the club's Wilhelm "Bill" Spoerle and the manufacturer's Dr. -Ing Friedrich Schildberger about donating a race car to the "planned new museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
A German immigrant who once worked in NSU's motorcycle racing division before the war, Mr. Spoerle had moved to Indianapolis in 1956 to work on racing cars, taking a position at the nascent Dreyer Motorsports for several years. Eventually lured away by Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. in 1963, Spoerle became the Restoration Manager at the relatively new museum at the Brickyard. By the time of Spoerle's visit to Untertürkheim he was already working for Tony Hulman, and he surely realized there could be no better place for a W 196 R donation than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Tony Hulman was a typical example of one of motorsports— classic archetypes—the colorful business-savvy impresario who has arrived at racing rather late in life and by accident, but is bitten by the bug and comes to love it. From Terre Haute, Indiana, Hulman was the scion of a fortune built on an eponymous grocery distribution business. He worked his way up through the family business, eventually becoming president in 1931, while excelling in imaginative marketing approaches such as the ad campaign for the firm's Clabber Girl baking powder.
The Brickyard had fallen into a surprising state of disrepair by late 1941 when racing was canceled after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the track's owner, former World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, was content to sell the circuit to whomever might want it, for any use at all. But former three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Wilbur Shaw was adamant that the Brickyard should only be sold to someone intending to keep it open for racing. After searching high and low, Shaw found Hulman, who officially purchased the speedway in November 1945, and quickly set about renovations for the planned 1946 Indianapolis 500, the first post-war edition of the legendary race. Hulman continued to regularly improve the course over the years, while notably founding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, a separate non-profit organization created in part as the financial/business facade for the new IMS Museum.
As Mercedes-Benz president Walter Hitzinger and chief engineer Dr. Nallinger explained in a March 1965 letter to Hulman, "In view of the special significance of Indianapolis in the history of automobile racing and also in particular view of our own company's contribution, we have now decided to give you a 2.5 litre streamlined car, Type W 196, built in 1954, as a gift for exhibition in your museum." Mercedes-Benz had a tie to America's greatest race, having won the race in just its fifth running in 1915 when Ralph DePalma drove a Mercedes to victory in what proved to be one of just a handful of Indianapolis 500 wins for a European manufacturer.
Dr. Schildberger set about re-commissioning the W 196 R so that it could be driven during an official presentation at the Brickyard, which was planned for the weekend of the 1965 Indianapolis 500. For this exhibition, Mercedes-Benz ordered 50 gallons of Esso (Exxon) racing fuel to be delivered. The Stromlinienwagen was shipped through the port of Baltimore in late April and trucked to Indianapolis.
Officially donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation on Sunday, 30 May 1965, the Mercedes-Benz made two appearances during the weekend. The first came at an informal presentation after the annual driver's meeting, where the car was demonstrated by Peter DePaolo in honor of the Mercedes victory 50 years earlier by his uncle, Ralph DePalma. The following day DePaolo again took the wheel before Monday's feature race, after the car had officially been presented to the IMS Museum by Mercedes-Benz.
LIFE IN RETIREMENT
For almost six decades, the W 196 R has been fastidiously stored and maintained by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, occasionally being invited to attend important exhibitions, such as the 1996 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the 2003 Canadian International AutoShow, and the grand re-opening of the redesigned Petersen Automotive Museum in December 2015. The car participated in the first Velocity Invitational (then called Sonoma Speed Festival) event at Sonoma Raceway in 2019, and it was then shown at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance once again in 2020.
The W 196 R has been displayed at the IMS Museum periodically, including the 2020-2021 "From the Vault" exhibition; when not on display, it was part of the Basement Collection VIP tours of the Museum's vehicle storage location. From July 2022 to January 2023, chassis number 00009/54 was again shown at the Peterson Automotive Museum as part of the "Andy Warhol: Cars — Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection" exhibit. Most recently, it was part of the Mercedes-Benz display at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In the interest of a true educational mission, however, the car has never been submitted for judging at concours events.
The Streamliner has been treated to two mild bouts of sympathetic freshening during its more recent lifetime, first undergoing a refinish in the correct DB 180 Silver Metallic in 1980, with race #16 in white roundels, as per the 1955 Monza livery when driven by Stirling Moss. In late 2015, in preparation for its display at the Petersen Museum, the car received a second refinishing of the coachwork by the esteemed experts at Canepa Motorsports in Scotts Valley, California, and it continues to be a startling testament to the brilliance of the Stromlinenwagens at Monza.
There is no small irony in the fact that this W 196 R has spent so many decades in the care of the IMS Museum. For at the end of the 1955 season, according to motoring historian Karl Ludvigsen in his book Mercedes-Benz: Quicksilver Century, some minds at Mercedes-Benz wondered how the model might fare in the Indianapolis 500. Initial research and development calculations were undertaken to create performance projections. But after these initial calculations were made, the pursuit was dropped in the face of anticipated high costs and a lack of pure necessity. The W 196 R had achieved everything it was built to do; no further campaigning was necessary. Its shocking form, however, inspired a number of Indianapolis 500 hopefuls—perhaps most notably Jimmy Daywalt and the Sumar Special—to incorporate elements of its streamlined design into their own cars for 1955.
It should now be very evident that chassis number 00009/54 is a diamond of extraordinary cut, emitting a brilliance that is almost impossible to fathom. The car is one of just 14 chassis built, and it is believed to be one of just 10 known complete examples surviving at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. Of those, this example was one of only four mounted with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. It was an integral component of the factory racing campaign that saw Mercedes-Benz capture two Formula One Drivers' Championships in as many attempts, and one World Sportscar Championship during the same period.
Further driven to victory by Fangio at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, and to the fastest lap by Stirling Moss at the 1955 Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza, this W 196 R had been piloted by two of history's most famous and accomplished racing drivers. Following one of the most successful competition campaigns imaginable, the car was retired to the stately in-house collection of Mercedes-Benz before being donated nine years later to the equally respected Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, whose collection includes some of the finest racing cars the world has ever seen.
Chassis number 00009/54 represents only the second W 196 R ever offered for private ownership, and the sole example offered with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork. Presented in its proper Monza livery from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, and documented with a trove of period materials, chassis number 00009/54 has moreover never been formally presented for judging or driven in any vintage events; it should experience a rapturous welcome at any of the major events for which it is eligible. Ideal for display at flagship concours d'elegance like Pebble Beach or Villa d'Este, the magnificent W 196 R will surely also experience great acclaim at significant marque events worldwide. Note that after many years of static display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, chassis number 00009/54 will require careful recommissioning prior to starting or driving.
The future caretaker can take pride in ownership of a bona fide competition legend that is one of Formula One's most successful models ever, bar none. Absolutely astonishing in every respect, from its advanced, powerful engineering and truly singular coachwork to its remarkable history—driven by two of the biggest names in motorsports, this W 196 R Stromlinienwagen is a gem without parallel. It now awaits the expected ardor of Formula One enthusiasts, dedicated marque collectors, and lovers of the all-but-unobtainable—sure to redefine our very understanding of what is possible.
- - -
The RM Sotheby's auction preview at the Monterey Conference Center was a delight!
- - -
We saw so many great vehicles and sights during Monterey Car Week!
Just took some time tinkering around with my firefox configuration. Now I got it exactly the way I like it.
The most significant architectural historic element of Montalbano, Elicona is the castle which dominates a haphazard and tortuous medieval urban fabric, meandering up and down the alleyways, molding itself to the configuration of the rocky promontory.The little houses constructed in sandstone are filled with authentic history, although in certain places a sense of abandonment is felt which should disappear with the planned restoration works.Erected on pre-existing Byzantine and Arab structures, the upper part of the castle is comprised of a Norman-Suevian fortress, while the lower part is made up of a fortified Suevian-Aragonese palatium (palace).The upper part, a rectangular fortress, is enclosed on its two extremities by two towers, one with a square plan and the other, typically Suevian, with a pentagonal plan, which functions as a donjon.The embattled perimeter walls date back to the Suevian period, and represent the most important and best preserved a saettiere defensive configuration in Sicily. The date 1270 still engraved in the cover of the large cistern is evidence of its Angevin phase.Instead it is to Frederick II of Aragon that we owe that reconstruction of the edifice and its transformation from fortress to regiae aedes, royal residence for summer sojourn (1302-08). The sovereign had eighteen large windows open on to the perimeter walls above the Suevian embrasures as well as a considerable number of portals and gates. Thanks to the modifications executed by the Aragonese king, the castle of Montalbano is one of the most coherent and harmonious of the Sicilian Middle Ages. The most extraordinary element in the entire castle is the royal chapel of the Byzantine era, which according to some scholars preserves the remains of Arnaldo da Villanova, one of the most important personages of his time. Physician, alchemist and religious reformer suspected of heresy, he died in 1310, and his numerous stays in Montalbano with king Frederick are well documented.
Il castello Svevo-Aragonese rappresenta l’elemento architettonico più illustre del luogo. Fulcro del centro storico, domina il suggestivo borgo medioevale, irregolare e tortuoso, che si adatta alla conformazione del promontorio roccioso.
Fu edificato e fortificato dall’Imperatore Federico II di Svevia intorno all’anno 1210 su preesistenti costruzioni bizantine ed arabe, raso al suolo a seguito di una rivolta popolare nel 1233, venne ricostruito tra il 1302 e 1308 dal re Federico II d’Aragona, e trasformato in reggia aedes, residenza reale per i soggiorni estivi, raggiungendo in quel tempo il massimo splendore. Egli trasformò il corpo svevo da fortezza a reggia, donandogli quell’imponenza elegante e composta che ne fanno un unicum nel suo genere, per cui il castello è costituito in alto da una piazzaforte normanno-sveva e in basso dal palatium fortificato svevo-aragonese.Sui lati corti spiccano due torri, una rettangolare, l’altra pentagonale. Nei vasti ambienti definiti da muri incisi da eleganti portali in pietra, si scorgono le zone un tempo adibite alla guardia, ai magazzini, alla rappresentanza, agli alloggi reali.L’elemento più straordinario dell’intero castello è la “cappella reale”, riconoscibile come “tricora” o “cuba” di epoca bizantina, caratterizzata da tre absidi, di cui le due laterali ricavate direttamente nello spessore delle mura e da tracce di affreschi. Qui, secondo il Fazello (1490-1570), sembra abbia avuto sepoltura Arnaldo da Villanova, medico, alchimista e riformatore religioso, morto intorno al 1310 e del quale sono attestate numerose presenze a Montalbano insieme al re Federico.
This is a photograph from the 4th and final round of the 2017 Pat Finnerty Memorial 5KM Road League which was held in Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland on Wednesday 24th May 2017 at 20:00. This is the final round and consequently some of the decisions around the final configuration of the category prizes are still open for resolution. The Road League is promoted and organised by Mulligar Harriers Athletic Club and sponsored by local sponsors including O'Brien's Renault dealership. This is a very well established as an annual event which takes place on every Wednesday night in the month of May. Tonight's weather was absolutely wonderful. Warm summer air filled the Belvedere area as the runners were treated to perfect summer weather. Just under 200 participants took part in the race which runs a traffic free course over a mix of road and hilly forest trail. Congratulations are due to all of the Mullingar Harriers club who put this excellent series together.
Timing and event management was provided by http://www.myrunresults.com/. Their website will contain the results to today's race.
The full set of photographs is available at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157684232399025
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share directly to: email, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
BUT..... Wait there a minute....
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us or acknowledge us as the original photographers.
This also extends to the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download this photographic image here directly to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting takes a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Let's get a bit technical: We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
2 Kinects and a Mac Mini mounted in a drop ceiling. Output from Mac to a video splitter and off to 2 pairs of video goggles and two video monitors.
Dover Castle reveals another striking difference in tower design – geometry. Originally, castle towers were predominately square. Unfortunately, this configuration leaves the castle vulnerable to areas that archers can’t cover. In the 12th century, medieval engineers begin to design circular and semicircular towers to solve this problem. Because it was built over several decades, Dover boasts square and circular towers – the former being attributed to construction under Henry II, the latter to work that’s believed to have been carried out several years later under his son John. Additionally, the castle has several polygonal towers, including the Avranches Tower, which was specifically designed to maximize the garrison’s firepower.
Battle Castle is an action documentary series starring Dan Snow that is now airing on History Television and is scheduled to premiere on Discovery Knowledge in the UK in Spring 2012 and on various BBC-affiliated channels in the near future.
For the latest air dates, Like us on Facebook (www.battlecastle.com/facebook) or follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/battlecastle)
This show brings to life mighty medieval fortifications and the epic sieges they resist: clashes that defy the limits of military technology, turn empires to dust, and transform mortals into legends.
Website: www.battlecastle.tv/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/battlecastle
YouTube: www.youtube.com/battlecastle
Flickr: www.flicker.com/battlecastle
Facebook: www.facebook.com/battlecastle
Castles conjure thoughts of romantic tales, but make no mistake, they are built for war.
Dover: Prince Louis' key to England. Malaga: the Granadans final stronghold. And Crac des Chevaliers: Crown Jewel of Crusader castles. Through dynamic location footage and immersive visual effects, Battle Castle reveals a bloody history of this epic medieval arms race.
As siege weapons and technology become more ruthless, the men who design and built these castles reply ... or perish. Follow host Dan Snow as he explores the military engineering behind these medieval megastructures and the legendary battles that became testaments to their might.
Each episode will climax in the ultimate test of the castle's military engineering -- a siege that will change the course of history. Which castles will be conquered and which will prevail? You'll have to watch to find out.
But the journey doesn't end there --in fact, it's just beginning. Battle Castle extends into a multi-platform quest, taking us deep into the secret world of medieval warfare and strategy. Become the ultimate 'Castle Master'. Stay tuned for more on the Battle Castle experience.
Cambré is one of Natuzzi's icon products. Created in the Natuzzi Group's Style Centre, it is characterised by a contemporary design and infinite configuration possibilities. In fact, it is available as an armchair, a two or three seater sofa, a corner sofa and a pouf. It is also possible to use the chaise longue to achieve other settings, including the interesting version with two seats and a chaise, which turns Cambré into an actual bed. Cambré has soft and welcoming shapes, emphasised by the natural shabby fabric or the stonewashed fabric covering with baroque touches that give it a vintage look. Also available with a leather-fabric mix covering. Metal feet.
Cambré è uno dei prodotti icona di Natuzzi. Creato nel Centro Stile del Gruppo Natuzzi, è caratterizzato da un design contemporaneo e da infinite possibilità di configurazione. È disponibile, infatti, come poltrona, divano due e tre posti, angolare e pouf. È possibile poi utilizzare la chaise longue per ottenere ulteriori configurazioni, tra le quali l’interessante versione due posti con chaise che fanno di Cambré un vero e proprio letto.
Cambré ha forme morbide ed accoglienti esaltate dal rivestimento in tessuto naturale dall’effetto shabby o dal rivestimento in tessuto stonewashed con rilievi barocchi che gli conferiscono un aspetto vintage. Disponibile anche con rivestimento in mix pelle e tessuto. Piedini in metallo.
Tim gave us all of the supplies needed to make this cool beach shaker box in one of our large compartments.
Abe Lincoln? Amish guy? Gorton's fisherman? I'm not sure what the beard with no mustache look reminds me of most. It doesn't matter, though: my wife hated the look, so I shaved it off.
My first configurations box... I created this for my older sister as a birthday gift. She loves the beach, but now lives land-locked so I thought it would be a nice reminder for her. I used a variety of real shells, paper from the DCWV "Tradewinds" stack, acrylic paint, various TH products (mini spinner and crackle paint) and some miscellaneous charms from a dear friend (thanks, Zoe!). The lighting for these photographs is terrible so I don't think they do this project justice. It will sound conceited, but this was way more beautiful in real life. LOL.
" A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving "
My other flickr accounts
One -
www.flickr.com/photos/31673212@N00
Two -
www.flickr.com/photos/24924664@N07
Three -
www.flickr.com/photos/26221240@N03
Four -
www.flickr.com/photos/44080325@N03
Five -
www.flickr.com/photos/normand5
Six -
www.flickr.com/photos/normand6
Seven -
This is a photograph from a set of photographs taken at the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2016 which was held in Kilcock, Co. Kildare, Ireland at 20:00 on Friday 24th June 2016. This superb road race is now firmly established again as one of the fastest and best organised road races of it's kind in Leinster. The race follows a left handed course around a well known local walking route around Laragh and in the closing kilometer runs parallel to the Royal Canal into the finish at the railway station in the town having started at the primary school close to the St. Coca's running track. In fact for several hundred meters after the 4KM marker towards the finish the course runs parallel with the railway, canal and the R148 between Kilcock and Maynooth. This geographic feature is one of only a small number with this parallel configuration in all of Europe.
The members of St. Coca's AC and the many volunteers from the local community must be given great praise for organising another fantastic night of racing for runners, joggers, and walkers. The 5KM course is very flat with the exception of short incline up a motorway overpass and makes its way along narrow country lanes sheltered on either side by hedgerows. The nice summer evening made for an enjoyable night for everyone with a large crowd gathering at the finish to cheer on participants. Refreshments and prize awards were held in the Kilcock GAA club near to both the race start and close to the St. Coca's running track.
Electronic timing and event management was provided by Irish company MyRunResults.com (Facebook www.facebook.com/MyRunResults/?fref=ts and Website: www.myrunresults.com/)
This photograph is part of a larger set of photographs from the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2016 which can be found in the following Flickr Photoset: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157670088473266
GPS Trace of the 5KM Course (the route of the course has not changed in a few years) connect.garmin.com/activity/194011978
Photographs from previous St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Races on our Flickr photostream:
Our photographs on Flickr from the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2015: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157655117810205
Our photographs on Flickr from the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2014: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157645423471903
Our photographs on Flickr from the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2013: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157634382263872
Our photographs on Flickr from the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2012: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157630347296616
Our photographs on Flickr from the St. Coca's AC 5KM Road Race 2011: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157627042558602
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share directly to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
BUT..... Wait there a minute....
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us or acknowledge us as the original photographers.
This also extends to the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download this photographic image here directly to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting takes a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Let's get a bit technical: We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
Of all of our packaging products offer clients the most versatility as they can be made in nearly any configuration and feature a wide variety of functional options.
1929 Ruxton Model C Roadster
Top Speed: 80 MPH
Horsepower: 100
Number Built: 500 (Est.)(Total Ruxtons)
Price When New: $3,195 ($47,000 today)
The innovative Ruxton was one of the first series produced, front-wheel drive cars built in America. Novel for the day, the drive system did not require the use of a traditional driveshaft, which allowed designers to build a car that was so low it did not need running boards. This is one of just four roadsters known to survive and is powered by a Continental straight-eight engine. Though unusual, the light raspberry and orchid colors are correct for the era.
My first configurations box... I created this for my older sister as a birthday gift. She loves the beach, but now lives land-locked so I thought it would be a nice reminder for her. I used a variety of real shells, paper from the DCWV "Tradewinds" stack, acrylic paint, various TH products (mini spinner and crackle paint) and some miscellaneous charms from a dear friend (thanks, Zoe!). The lighting for these photographs is terrible so I don't think they do this project justice. It will sound conceited, but this was way more beautiful in real life. LOL.
The following are the class definitions for the 5 classes that we are hosting at our 13 round series.
Free Style – Any motorcycle frame configuration or drivetrain combination. Your imagination is the only restriction. Must run and stop.
Modified Harley – Must have Harley manufactured frame and engine cases. Frame must maintain stock configuration so modifications are limited to smoothing ie; molding welds and joints, welding in filler panels or cutting excess tabs. Swingarm kits and fat tire conversions are acceptable.
Performance Custom – Race inspired styling with performance enhancing engine modifications. Any motorcycle frame configuration and drivetrain combination. Judging will be focused around drag racing ie; strtched out ‘Busa, Bonneville racers and highly modified sportbikes.
Retro Mod – Any modified bike, with any drive train on any chassis configuration that is 25 years or older. Great class for older Harley’s where the frame was cut to rake or stretch as well as a class for Café Racers from the Ton-Up era.
Modified Street Class – Must have Major OEM ie; Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, Triumph etc manufactured frame and engine cases. Harley is not allowed in this class. Frame must maintain stock configuration so neck may not be cut to rake or stretch. Designed for mild customs without frame configuration modifications and stretched swing arms. Cruisers are allowed to use hardtail sections.
Awards and Prizes
Freestyle Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $2,500 per UBCBS
Modified Harley Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,500 per UBCBS
Performance Custom Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,000 per UBCBS
Retro Mod Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,000 per UBCBS
Modified Street Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,000 per UBCBS
Award plaques will be given out to motorcycles finishing in second and third place in the three judged categories at each UBCBS.
All UBCBS class trophies will be awarded during the awards ceremony held Sundays beginning at 3:00pm local time. All cash prizes will be paid by Advanstar Communications via check 30 days after Advanstar’s receipt of winner affidavit forms (forms will be supplied by Advanstar to class winners at each UBCSB). Produced by www.bikerpros.com.
That phrase was nicked from a "PEANUTS" comic strip....but it's as good of a description as any, IMO. (Apologies to CHARLES M. SCHULZ)
From www.collingsfoundation.org:
The B-17G (Serial # 44-83575) has been returned to its wartime configuration under the auspices of the nonprofit Collings Foundation of Stow, MA and given the name "Nine-O-Nine".
The Collings Flying Fortress was built at Long Beach, CA by the Douglas Aircraft Company and accepted on April 7, 1945. Although she was too late for combat, #44-83575 did serve as part of the Air/Sea 1st Rescue Squadron and later in the Military Air Transport Service.
In April 1952, #44-83575 was instrumented and subjected to the effects of three different nuclear explosions. After a thirteen-year "cool down" period, #44-83575 was sold as part of an 800-ton scrap pile and Aircraft Specialties Company began the restoration of the aircraft.
Damaged skin was fabricated and replaced on site; engines and props were stripped, cleaned, repaired, and tested; four thousand feet of new control cable was installed; all electrical wiring and instrumentation was replaced. As she neared completion, the jeers and laughter of those who said she would never fly again faded as the sounds of four 1200 HP Wright-Cyclone engines echoed across the desert and "Yucca Lady" rose as the phoenix and climbed into the sky.
For twenty years, without a major problem or incident, #44-83575 served as a fire bomber dropping water and borate on forest fires. She was sold in January 1986 to the Collings Foundation. Restored back to her original wartime configuration by Tom Reilly Vintage Aircraft, she represented one of the finest B-17 restorations and won several awards.
The Collings Foundation B-17 was named "Nine-O-Nine" in honor of a 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Squadron plane of the same name which completed 140 missions without an abort or loss of a crewman.
“...beauty consists of its own passing, just as we reach for it. It's the ephemeral configuration of things in the moment, when you can see both their beauty and their death.”
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Three monitor configuration I'm using to help me continue functioning while wait to afford cataract surgery and the lenses. My left eye (I just discovered) is now uncorrectable by any glasses. Just in the last 7 days it went from having some vision to now being a cloud at all distances.
As you can see the monitor on the left is in portrait mode (19 inches @ 1024x1280). The other two are landscape (30 inches @ 2560x1600 and 24 inches @ 1920x1080).
More details are at ether:
ac9dfe7fd.livejournal.com/70043.html
or
This package contains the Hubbell dual configuration receptacle. This packaging material is military spec, and consists of paper, aluminum foil, and sealed plastic. This package is air-tight and though these receptacles were found outside in a scrapyard, are in brand-new condition. This receptacle was destined for use in a military application (most likely surplus from Vietnam war production). This package contains 1 receptacle.