This year’s New York Motorcycle Show may not have been all that significant from a new model introduction standpoint, but that doesn’t mean Javits wasn’t packed to the brim with eye candy. We already brought you some tastey shots of Confederate’s B120 Fighter and Wraith but Progressive Insurance also had a kick ass booth full of one-off choppers and other custom creations. Equally cool was the Sucker Punch Sally and Campagna T-Rex displays. Hell, Ducati even put on a little fashion show to highlight their new Multistrada and line of motorcycle-inspired apparel. Check out all the goodies after the jump.
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The rainfall averages 37.5 inches per year in downtown Portland. That equates to about 155 days with some sort of measurable precipitation on the ground. What does this mean to you? That our man on the street in Portland has a 42% chance of capturing a wet vehicle when he scours the streets each day looking for interesting and unique rides to bring you. We’re not too bothered though because cars somehow always manage to look better in the rain. It’s a phenomenon we can’t quite explain – kind of like how sesame noodles are best served cold and Cops always go bonkers for doughnuts over any other pastry.
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Our loyal reader Jim holds a special place in his heart for this macho machine. When he was growing up, the Grader Tonka toy was always his favorite Tonka toy of the bunch. A car guy in the making, Jim favored the Grader because its reason for being was to make roads flat and smooth. Anyone who loves driving has to appreciate that glass-smooth curves don’t appear out of thin air – they come from awesome machines like this. The brand of this older example, spotted on an off-ramp between AZ and CA, was unclear but Jim did catch an eyeful of Detroit Diesel under the yellow sheet metal – so you know it has logged its fair share of work hours. The wood handled blade and extra chunky treads mean business.
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The gear heads at Blackhorse Motorsports are coo coo for Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Seriously, if Weber carburetors and hand-built 12 cylinder engines were a drug, these guys would be in the running for an appearance on A&E’s hit show Intervention. Anyone who has walked by their massive showroom on La Cienega knows this first hand as the place is brimming with valuable and rare Italian exotics. Good thing for you, Blackhorse is also a huge Man on the Move fan – the fellas submitted some choice pictures from their in-house collection. This black F550 Maranello, like most any other Ferrari or proper sports car, could not look more at home on the Mulholland twisties. More drooling after the jump…
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Our man on the street in Portland spotted this beautiful Volvo P1800 parked in front of a loading dock in the Pearl District. The classic lines and taught profile look good enough to be displayed in one of the many high end galleries strewn about the neighborhood. For those of you too young to remember, Roger Moore drove a white one of these in the popular 1960s TV series The Saint (Val Kilmer drove a C70 in the 1997 movie). We also like the P1800ES that came out in ‘72 because of the all glass rear tailgate – it was one of the major inspirations when stylists penned the current Volvo C30. I can’t decide which I would rather own, this or a Karmann Ghia.
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A 500 SEC is not the rarest sight, but like so many older Mercedes cars, most examples you come across are either beat up from neglect or very un-tastefully modified (aka molested). This owner respects the Benz, and himself, by applying no aesthetic mods—just some proper-sized AMG Monoblocks. At 11mpg it’s certainly not the most practical car in my fantasy Benz barn, but wow. Build quality, big power and safety (for its day), timeless styling. Looking clean yet mean with that battle scar on the front valance, this car strikes me as a well cared for daily driver. And it looks so good I’ve already forgiven the window tint and the four front wheels.
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Pictured: Professional model maker and classic American car buff Michael Paul Smith posed in front of his miniaturized winter wonderland.
No easy feat, Michael Paul Smith is in the business of recreating the past. But what makes his utterly nostalgic artwork so unique is the fact that it is fashioned in 1/24th scale. Take a look at the photos he has taken of these hand crafted, custom-designed scenes from yesteryear and you will likely have trouble telling them apart from the real thing. Don’t worry, we did too. He is that good.
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The fact that Motorcycle journalists coined a generic term – Universal Japanese Motorcycle - to describe late 1960s-1970s Japanese bikes from several manufacturers over several years implies a pretty unassuming aesthetic. But the writers weren’t making fun or collectively branding them as having bland design. Instead, they were merely pointing out how similar each of the bikes look to one another thanks to several copy cat product entries released in quick succession from the likes of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Many say that the 1969 Honda CB750 started the UJM trend, which is characterized by a standard seating position, chrome front fender, air-cooled inline 4, individual carburetors for each cylinder, telescoping front fork, featherbed-style frame, Integrated engine and gearbox, and front disk brakes.
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Conferderate’s brochure for their P120 Fighter (pictured above) doesn’t much delve into specific features. Sure, it references the 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum used throughout its construction. And it mentions the 160HP V-Twin that is nestled into the naked, minimalist frame. But most of the pages highlight famous quotes and clever copy that speak to being an individual and breaking all the rules. After all, anyone who buys a bike like this is not the least bit concerned with fading into the background. Confederate describes their aesthetic as being crafted, industrial, sculptural and honest. I am going to tack bad ass and not-from-this-world onto that list. Also in the Confederate booth was P120’s evil carbon fiber brother – the Wraith.
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This Torch Red, 540 horsepower pony car reincarnation was found nestled in between plebeian commuter cars in this Kipps Bay area garage. Considering what an absolute beast this thing is on the road it almost seems a shame to lock it up inside a concrete prison. Let’s hope the lucky owner exercises this baby as much as possible.
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