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Films: Mercedes 300SL Gullwing At Bonneville Gives Us Salt Fever
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Made To Drive | S3 E1
The Martini Mustang Is Loud & Fast Art
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Made To Drive | S03 E02

Mercedes 300SL Gullwing At Bonneville Gives Us Salt Fever

There are many ways to enjoy your toys, from driving, to racing, to keeping them in a collection, there are various avenues to gaining pleasure from what you own. For Bob Sirna, this comes from racing at the salt flats of Bonneville. Many different types of cars run at Bonneville, but Bob chooses a car that you wouldn't ever expect to be racing, let alone down a strip of metal-eating salt: a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. Now fetching over a million dollars, the 300SL is a car that you mainly see at a concourse or in a museum—not trying to break land speed records at Speed Week. For the last 12 years Bob has been bringing his Gullwing to the salt in an effort to break records and cure his "salt fever." Bob likes to say, "Enjoy your toys," and this is a motto we can stand behind.
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For Steve Strope of Pure Vision, turning his idea into loud and fast art is something very few fabricators can dedicate themselves to. His concept was created from a “what if” moment, where he imagined Ford and Martini Racing teaming up to dominate rally races across Europe. Powered by a 1966 Ford/Lotus Indy Car motor, this fastback Mustang is serious business when it comes to performance. Much like a watchmaker who knows the purpose of each moving part, Steve’s design signature can be found hidden in the car’s details. As enthusiasts spend hours discovering new pieces crafted for his Mustang, Steve smiles from ear to ear and is envigorated to start his next project. Nothing has been left untouched and everything on this Mustang is meant to set your imagination on fire.
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For many, the "golden age" of motoring began in the late '60s and concluded in the very early '70s. It is easy to get caught up in the cars of that time period and overlook significant cars that came both earlier and later than this sweet spot of time that produced cars we all love. From time to time, we step outside of this realm to the explore the cars which stretch into as far as the early '90s—cars that will be talked about for years to come, like the Nissan Skyline and the BMW E30 M3. The MR2 is one of these cars.Starting in 1984, Toyota, created a recipe for success by building a two-seater, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive car that offered performance well beyond its affordable price tag. With the first generation and its hard angular lines, Toyota continued the success into the second generation starting in 1989. The second-generation MR2 morphed into a more rounded and sculpted body and drew many comparisons in publications of the time as the "poor-man's Ferrari".Many MR2 owners have a strong connection to their cars; for them, the MR2 isn't just a car to enjoy, it is a way of life. For the Texas MR2 Owners Club and especially for club member Masruque Murtoza Ali these words ring true. In this very active car community devoted to the MR2, it isn't unusual to see owners go out of their way to help each other in the repair of their cars or to promote their love for the MR2.Drive Tastefully®
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Inspired by the Parma-Poggio di Berceto, a road race that went past his family home, Fabrizio Lorenzoni desired from an early age to experience the same rush of speed that a racing driver does. With a Fiat 1100 by Stanguellini in the garage, few classics can give the same open air excitement as Lorenzoni’s unique machine.
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Opinion: When does the MX-5 become sacred? - MX-5 Owners Club

[…] Icon and their reengineered Land Cruisers, and that special breed of guys who turn Ferrari F40s and Mercedes 300SL Gullwings into salt flat racers are especially adept at raising the blood pressure of the purists, and long may they continue. We […]

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1 year ago
Brian Gillespie
Brian Gillespie

We pitted next to him at Bonneville. It was fun talking to him. The video doesn’t do justice to car. It is absolutely georgeous in every tiny detail.

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5 years ago
Ric Johnson
Ric Johnson

This is the Gullwing John Fitch drove at Bonneville when he was 87! There is an even more beautiful video than the one above that chronicles that attempt , “A Gullwing at Twilight: The Bonneville Ride of John Fitch”. It’s a gorgeous, poignant DVD that is one of my all time favorites. If you enjoyed the clip above you’ll be blown away by the documentary, and if you don’t know who John Fitch was this will fill that gap in your petrol head knowledge. Suffice it to say that he was a true American hero as a WWII fighter pilot,… Read more »

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6 years ago
David P
David P

Great vid – great car.

Can someone tell me what the music is please?

Thanks,

SB

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6 years ago
Mark Sullivan
Mark Sullivan

Bob you are so right, I’ve watched this video so many times over, the most profound statement ever “your only hear once and you can’t take it with you” followed by the ultimate “put it away wet and wear it out”, fantastic well done !!

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6 years ago
Michael Squeo
Michael Squeo

Didn’t John Fitch also run a Gullwing at Bonneville?

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6 years ago
Adam Holter
Adam Holter

Lovely video! What a great car, and a great relationship to his car. Hats off for beating the piss out of it!

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6 years ago
Rodney Wren
Rodney Wren

Great video as always. Would love to see and hear this car at full song on the flats.

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6 years ago
Nuno Relha Vaz
Nuno Relha Vaz

To have fun, drive or even race with it, couldn’t agree more! Now, if you are talking about opening holes in that car – that is a crime! drive tastefully, is that tastefully??? No it’s not

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6 years ago
Son of stig
Son of stig

how about some more details about the car itself

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6 years ago
Brian Fowler
Brian Fowler

Inspirational. Will be driving the fun car to work tomorrow now:)

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6 years ago
Adam
Adam

I couldn’t agree more. All the collectors that just buy all those cars that the true petrolhead worships just to speculate with money they should all just go and f themselves. Go buy some painted red squares for millions and leave cars to those who love them.

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6 years ago
Brian Cohen
Brian Cohen

I agree. Drive it!

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6 years ago
Niklaus Gingro
Niklaus Gingro

Love the car & love that he’s driving it. But it’s a bit too bad that it’s a landspeed car rather than an autox or pro touring sort of car because he can’t drive this on the road, in fact he can’t even start the car without a push. Still, more power to him!

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6 years ago
Matthew Lange
Matthew Lange

Brilliant, cool car, cool owner. In the banner picture the car is shown with red wheel covers which don’t appear in the video. I assume the are for aerodynamics? Do they make much difference?

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6 years ago
Ben Lamboeuf
Ben Lamboeuf

Couldn’t agree more. I’ve enjoyed driving my ’67 Mustang Fastback since 1996; I should know what playing with your toys means. Nothing beats this man’s view on life.

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6 years ago
Future Doc
Future Doc

Another great video petrolicious

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6 years ago
kevin doleshal
kevin doleshal

Smart man….Great car….

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6 years ago
Flyinglotus
Flyinglotus

ahh that sound 😮

Could you guys please make a video, with only engine sounds, just like that last shot? 🙂

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6 years ago
Inigo Loy Colmenar
Inigo Loy Colmenar

AMEN!!

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6 years ago
Denis Markus
Denis Markus

I love this man’s philosophy. Great car too.

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6 years ago