A DRIVE ON THE WILD SIDE - ALISTAIR WEAVER INTERVIEW ON AUTO-LAB

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Available Now! A Drive on the Wild Side – Twenty extreme driving adventures from around the world by Alistair Weaver.

Written by award winning journalist and television presenter Alistair Weaver, and illustrated by some of the world's leading automotive photographers, A Drive on the Wild Side, takes you on a fascinating journey across some of the world's most challenging roads. Experience the heat of the Laos jungle, the loneliness of the Arctic and the bullet-marked streets of Beirut from behind the wheel of some of the world's finest cars. Find out what it is really like to drive a Ferrari 612 across the forgotten wastelands of western China, or to chase poachers on the slopes of Mount Kenya. This book tells the fascinating, hair raising and moving stories experienced during a career-spanning automotive adventure in style, with 400 stunning photos. This is a book that will appeal to car and travel enthusiasts across the world.

Click here for more info about the book.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL AT VELOCE!

Below are just a few of the fantastic Veloce books that will be available over the coming year.

ORIGINAL LAMBORGHINI MIURA TURIN SALON CHASSIS FOUND!

43 years after its Turin Show debut the one-and-only 1965 Turin Salon Lamborghini Miura chassis, designed by chassis genius Gian Paolo Dallara, and the raging bull company's first-ever transverse mid-mounted V12 engine (0293) has been acquired by Los Angeles based collectors.

The iconic show chassis had been stored for the past 30 years in Cyprus by that country's original Lamborghini concessionaire, Marios Kritikos. While visiting the Lamborghini factory in 1977, Mr. Kritikos took a fancy to the historic show unit. After successfully negotiating a future home for it, he arrived at the factory with his Range Rover and trailer, loaded it and drove away. That was in April of 1978. The original invoice for the chassis survives, together with unpublished period photographs of the chassis being built in 1965, on display at the December, 1965 Turin Salon, and at the Lamborghini factory in July, 1966. Mr. Kritikos documented his collection of the car on April 7th, 1978.

The 1965 Turin Salon Miura represents the very first mid-engined supercar theme for all marques, and is rightly considered to be the Holy Grail from which all road going supercars descend. Its re-emergence represents the most important Lamborghini discovery to date.

Thirty years later, in December of 2008 representing both parties and facilitating the transaction were Miura specialists Joe Sackey (Joe Sackey Classics: www.joesackey.com) and Gary Bobileff (Bobileff Motorcar Company: www.bobileff.com). Only one month after its discovery it has been imported to the US and now resides in the restoration facility of world-renowned Gary Bobileff, where it will undergo a complete refurbishment to bring it to its former show glory.

The last time the general public saw this automotive icon was 43 years ago on display at the Turin Salon.

It will make its USA debut in the summer of 2009. Details to be announced.

New! Lamborghini Miura Bible by Joe Sackey.
The ONLY book on the Lamborghini Miura to be published in the past twenty six years – and enthusiasts agree it is long overdue. Written by a world-renowned authority on the subject, featuring, among other things, a never-before-published factory chassis production register, technical illustrations, studio-supplied images and exclusive interviews with the designers of the car: this is essential reading for any Lamborghini fan.
Click here for more info about the brand new book.

VELOCE BOOKS IN OCTANE

ADRIAN DEWEY'S WORK IN MAX POWER MAGAZINE

Look out for the forthcoming Veloce book written and illustrated by Adrian Dewey -
How to illustrate and design Concept Cars

This book provides an easy to follow guide on how to draw cars like the professional design studios. Covers materials used from pencils to markers, airbrushes to computer generated drawings. The book features clear and concise step-by-step guides to drawing all external components of a car, and teaches how to render them in order to bring them to life. It also showcases work that demonstrates how these techniques produce great car art and design. Click here for more info about the forthcoming book.

FHI TO WITHDRAW FROM FIA WRC AFTER 2008 SEASON

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, has announced the withdrawal from the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) at the end of the 2008 season.

FHI has participated in the WRC together with Prodrive, a motorsports and automotive engineering group in the UK, over the past 19 years to pursue its goal and philosophy in motor sports activities to enhance Subaru brand awareness by showing that Subaru vehicles offer safe, comfortable and pleasurable driving no matter the weather or road conditions, featuring Horizontally-Opposed engine and the Symmetrical All-Wheel drive system as its core technologies, and to transfer results of race-tested technical improvements into Subaru passenger vehicles.

Subaru has won three manufacturer’s championship titles and three driver’s championship titles in its history of rally racing. This has helped enhance the value of the Subaru brand as well as the sales expansion of Subaru vehicles all over the world.

FHI considers it has achieved its original target in WRC participation. However, while considering positioning the WRC activity in Subaru branding strategy towards the future, our business environment has been dramatically changed due to the quick deterioration of the global economy. In order to optimize the management resources and to strengthen further the Subaru brand, FHI decided to withdraw from WRC activities at the earliest timing.

As regards future involvement in rally activities, FHI will continue to support teams and drivers that participate in P-WRC or the Group N category.
source: newspress

Highland Loading Ramps - Single & Dual

Loading ATVs, snowmobiles, and lawn equipment is easy with Highland's full range of loading ramps. Ramparts ramps feature 3 Styles of durable, rust resistant aluminum loading ramps to choose from: Bi-Fold, Tri-Fold and Center Fold. Highland offers full width top plate with non-marring, vinyl backing provides added stability and smooth transition between ramp and loading surface. Features dual stability chains with "S" hooks for securing ramp to loading surface.