Ferrari Hypercar

The 2023 season of WEC (World Endurance Championship) is upon us. The series kicks off with the iconic 1000 Miles of Sebring, on March 17 and finishes on November 4th, in Bahrain. This will be a very special year indeed. The cornerstone of endurance racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will celebrate its 100thContinue reading “Ferrari Hypercar”

Bombs Away – When America Almost Nuked Itself.

The year was 1961, Elvis Presley, still enjoying his status as “The King of Rock’n Roll”, had just released the song Little Sister. In the same year, Jaguar launched the legendary E-type, celebrated ever since as one of the world’s most beautiful cars. Also in 1961, people around the world were thrilled watching Gregory PeckContinue reading “Bombs Away – When America Almost Nuked Itself.”

Ray-Ban, The Icon Factory

-“When the Americans came here in 1943, they brought things we never saw before, like Coca-Cola, bubblegum, and Ray-Ban sunglasses”. – Recollections of one of the local residents of the Parnamirim Air Base, in Brazil, used by Allies during WWII. Necessity is the mother of invention, this is a very wise proverb that fits perfectlyContinue reading “Ray-Ban, The Icon Factory”

Argentina, the world champion

December 13th, 2022; quite a few of us have abandoned our “battle stations” at the dealership to spend a few minutes in front of the TV, watching the final moments of Croatia vs Argentina. We are a bunch of immigrants from all corners of the world, cheering, commenting, and sometimes cursing; after all, that isContinue reading “Argentina, the world champion”

1964 Simca Rallye

In the late 1950s, Brazil started a very ambitious plan that would change the whole country forever. The idea was to shift a good portion of the economy from agriculture to manufacturing, opening the doors to foreign industry and technology. The motor of this revolution was the automotive industry, and the logic behind it isContinue reading “1964 Simca Rallye”

The Best Job of My Life.

No doubt we are very proud to be “Gearheads”, the kind of people who are so in love with machines that most of our family members and friends don’t quite understand us. After all, we can easily forget important stuff but still have fresh in our memory the firing order of the piece of junk weContinue reading “The Best Job of My Life.”

Classic Rock – Stairway to Heaven

It has been a while since the idea of diversifying this blog crossed my mind; perhaps it would be a good idea to write about something other than machines. Following this idea, I decided to talk about another passion of mine, Classic Rock, but instead of telling the history of the bands, I will tellContinue reading “Classic Rock – Stairway to Heaven”

A Future F1 Champion

Several months ago I started following https://demaras.com/, a very interesting blog that shows the adventures of the Demaras, a gearhead family, from Toronto. The emphasis of the site is on the development of the racing career of Daniel Demaras, the older son of the family and a young talent at the Canadian F1200. Chris Demaras,Continue reading “A Future F1 Champion”

A Rebel Driver

Spain has given us quite a few idols in motorsport, and many years before the world started following the career of Fernando Alonzo and Carlos Sainz, another Spaniard was already conquering hearts and minds in Formula One, his name was Alfonso de Portago, but the fans affectionately called him “Fon”. He was a member ofContinue reading “A Rebel Driver”

The Once Incredible Markham Airport.

Since my wife and I moved from Winnipeg, MB to Markham, ON, we immediately fell in love with the back roads of this area. Traveling between small towns, we see farms, woods, and beautiful tree-covered properties, nestled in this idyllic ride through Ontario’s countryside. (top photo courtesy of the Canadian Jewish News) If you areContinue reading “The Once Incredible Markham Airport.”

Brazilian Formula Vee

In September 2022 I was delighted when Chris Demaras, the team manager of Demaras Racing, asked me to write an article about the history of the Brazilian Formula Vee. The Demaras is a family of committed gearheads competing in the Canadian F1200, one of the most exciting and competitive classes in the Canadian Vintage series.Continue reading “Brazilian Formula Vee”

The Widow Maker

During the Korean War (1950-1953), Allied pilots had the unpleasant opportunity to face the new Soviet jet fighter, the MIG 15. This new plane was fast, nimble, sturdy, and well-armed. The only thing that prevented the communists to dominate the skies in Korea was another extraordinary fighter, the F-86 Sabre, flown by well-trained American pilots.Continue reading “The Widow Maker”

The Fastest Rider on Earth.

Many years ago, I rode a beaten-up 1995 Yamaha V-Max, I didn’t have the guts to go full throttle, but even though the front wheel insisted on not touching the pavement in first and second gear, and by the time when I shifted to third, the speedo was showing me 160 km/h. For me, thatContinue reading “The Fastest Rider on Earth.”

The First Paris-Dakar Rally

“Do Not Go Where The Path May Lead, Go Instead Where There Is No Path And Leave A Trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Riding a motorcycle in a desert rally can be tricky, the car racers have the luxury of carrying a navigator along, still, the bikers have to do it all by themselves. InContinue reading “The First Paris-Dakar Rally”

Rock & Roll Car Show

As part of the Canada Day long weekend, the city of Stouffville, Ontario (50 km from downtown Toronto) promoted the “Rock’n Roll Car Show” with an emphasis on muscle cars and American iron in general. The event took place at the “Village of Stouffville”, a picturesque historic downtown area, filled with boutique shops, and niceContinue reading “Rock & Roll Car Show”