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[Kosov]

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[Kosov]

For some reason, it has felt like an eternity since our last #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER post. This post however has been a long time coming as we can finally share the best submissions from the Slow Shutter Speed theme we posted earlier in the month. After many hundreds of submissions, we picked out the best photographs which most accurately reflected the brief given. This isn’t about sharpness, rather it’s about what happens when you push to one extreme end of the scale…
(Above) Maarten has absolutely nailed this slow shutter shot from up high. The fire breathing Aston obviously helps, but Maarten told us that it took a couple of attempts to get this shot just right.

This is what happens when you don’t pan. Zahid has chosen just the right shutter speed to create the passing blur whilst still retaining the unmistakeable profile of an R35 GT-R.

It can be messy trying to capture something interesting in a situation like this, but by dragging the shutter and panning with the car you can create something almost painterly.

This beautiful black and white from Stephan hides most of its slow shutter speed qualities in the shadows, but it’s still very impressive.

This a great example of what I hoped someone would submit. The 458 is literally bleeding into the background.

With enough practice, you can really capture perfect panning shots. You should be aware however that sometimes, depending on the radius of the corner and the speed of the car / shutter speed, it’s not possible to get the entire car sharp back to front. You can however choose which part of the car is sharp by following the particular point with your AF point.

You can see how parts of the car are sharp and how other parts a little shaky. When you get into shutter speeds this low, some things are outside of your control. Make no mistake though, this isn’t an easy shot to capture. Most people would fail to capture a sharp static shot at these shutter speeds.

The obvious alternative to what has already been posted is to allow the light to do the work. Set your camera on top of something solid and let the world do its thing. In this case, the headlights of the car are tracing their way across the photograph. The longer the shutter is open, the more intense and bright this becomes.

There was a couple of really good rally related submissions. This first one from Max Müller really captures the mud and grime on this particular stage.

I like how this shot is about the people on the side of the rally stage. The lashings of rain and the movement of the spectators cheering the incoming car on. Beautiful.

When you drop slow enough, water can ghost and become something more interesting. It is worth noting that you have to allow for the up and down movement of the car, especially over rough terrain.

Despite the darkness, this is an unmistakeable photograph – Audi at Le Mans. Can you picture how dull this would be if everything was static?

Tracking shots are another interpretation of the slow shutter theme.

You obviously need to be very careful, ensure you’re wearing the right safety equipment and that you’re securely attached to the camera vehicle. The results however can be very effective.

Although it usually results in a better shot, standing on the outside of a corner on a gravel / loose stage ultimately means you’re going to need a shower immediately after the event.

Here, Graham has used a flash combined with a slow shutter speed to create this image. The slow shutter speed obviously creates the blur, but the flash freezes whatever it can reach resulting in this contrasting effect.

I’ve often found that a slow panning shot framed wide can be the most effective use of the technique. With a wider focal length, it’s also easier to keep the subject sharper.

Although not the slowest of shutter speeds, it was more than enough to capture the flaming exhausts and the motion of the wheels on top of the rollers.

The slower you go, the more the colours bleed into each other.

It does become more difficult to get a result, but those results are usually more than worth it.

If you learn to understand how drivers will approach a certain aspect of a particular course, you can set yourself up to catch something like the above. If this was a fast shutter shot, it wouldn’t be half as dramatic.

Bill Washburn has been experimenting with this technique for years, as evidenced by the many 35mm film scans he submitted to us. It’s much harder when you only have 32 shots on a roll and don’t know if you’re shot worked until after the event.

Bart was another person to submit a a more traditional photograph. Shooting and driving at the same time takes skill.

Armin captured this shot at Irwindale. The wide view creates a great sense of scale whilst the slow shutter emphasises the action.

The colours, the speed, the motion – there’s just so much soul and character to these photographs.

The next time you’re out shooting, try to mix in some slow shutter speed work. You’ll never know until you’ve tried it.

[Kosov]

[Kosov]

Here at Speedhunters we do things a little differently. We’re not news hunters, publishing every last update about how model X has received upgrade Y; we cover many major motorsport events, yet eschew the traditional event reporting style to search out the real, behind-the-scenes stories that you can’t access anywhere else; we approach the subject of car culture with a broad brush, regardless of scene. We live for the love of everything automotive that we each have inside of us, and hand-pick the finest tidbits with which to tickle your car-based tastebuds. Now, you will have to forgive me if I sound overly passionate here, but you would too if you had just spent a few hours admiring one of the most beautiful modern-day cars ever made.

Last week Pagani Automobili officially entered the Japanese market, debuting the Huayra at a state of the art dealership in Akasaka – right in the heart of Tokyo. Since our tour of the Pagani factory back in 2009, lots of exciting things have happened with the brand, from launching an all new car, to building a few more limited edition specials of the Zonda, as well as setting up a much larger all new factory to boost production.

So when Pagani’s PR and Marketing man Luca Venturi asked me if I wanted to check out the dealership as well as have a closer look at the Huayra, well let’s just say I have never driven through Tokyo’s congested city center quite so quickly. Best thing of all however, was that I would also get a chance for a casual chat with Horacio Pagani himself…

… something I got to do while I was walking around and shooting the first Huayra built for Japan. What a treat!

The best thing of all is that my allocated time was right at the end of the day, meaning the hoards of Japanese media had already finished, leaving me with an empty dealership to shoot at.

This couldn’t have been a better way to slowly take in all the details of this black beauty…

… approaching it much like an art critic would a work of art, except here, the critic had absolutely nothing to criticize. Trust me, this seldom happens to me; I complain about everything but here I was faced with what I can only describe as perfection on four wheels. You know how you always fantasize in the back of your head about how you would build up your car, get custom carbon body panels made up, bespoke engine parts, come up with solutions that no one has ever attempted. I do it all the time when I think of my GT-R, and Horacio Pagani has done the exact same thing here, except he started – like with the Zonda all those years back – from scratch. The result is a celebration of engineering mated to utter beauty, beauty that comes from both the design…

… as well as the choice of materials. Each detail, from those stunning carbon fiber fender mounted mirrors – which remind me of the spaceship in the Flight of the Navigator movie from the eighties – to the forged rims, in this case painted in a ‘liquid metal’ silver as Pagani calls it.

Lift the carbon rear cowl and AMG’s bi-turbo 6 liter V12 unit is exposed like a prohibitively expensive jewel. Aside from the numbers which speak for themselves – 730hp and 1000Nm (737.5 lb/ft) to propel 1,350kg of car – it’s the way in which it’s all presented, a mix of faultlessly laid carbon fiber and billet anodized aluminum parts…

… to the titanium used on the lightweight exhaust system. Everything you look at has an exotic feel, right down to the titanium bolts that are individually stamped with the Pagani emblem.

Even the silver carbon fiber around the signature quad-exhaust set-up is of special composition, especially created to shield the bumper from the heat the four pipes emanate.

Just look at that rear end! For a boost of visual impact the two individually-operated rear wings/air-brakes can be lifted, along with the two up front.

This first ‘Japanese’ Huayra was finished off with a custom color, a mix of glossy black and clear coated exposed carbon fiber all topped off with a series of metallic silver lines that run along each side of the car as well as along the bottom part of the glasshouse…

… wrapping around and over the rear cowl.

It’s hard to give an accurate representation of the Huayra’s proportions in pictures, its lines are very sensitive to focal length as well as point of view. This is without a doubt a car you have to see face to face to fully appreciate.

And then you come to the cabin.

The actual tub is made using a special type of carbon fiber that Pagani himself came up with, meshing titanium in between the carbon weave – something we first saw on the Zonda R in 2009 during our tour.

Just like the rest of the car, and even more so in fact, the interior gets the full treatment. Everything you see, touch and smell is either carbon, billet aluminium…

… or leather and its all arranged in a way that only Pagani knows how to do. The best way I can describe the instrument binnacle is to compare it to an expensive high-end designer watch, it’s very unique and unconventional, but after a while of looking at it, it makes perfect sense.

The carbon seats are very comfortable and there is even a surprising amount of space inside, not to mention visibility with the amount of glass you’re surrounded in.

Check out the selector to the custom built X-trac 7-speed transmission, probably one of the most visual aspects of the interior.

While the doors were open, Horacio Pagani even volunteered to model our new Speedhunters lanyard! Gracias!

The white Zonda you may have spotted in the background is another limited edition model built for a Japanese customer, on display at the opening of the dealership.

However if you are wondering about the ‘other’ black Zonda you may have spotted lurking in the background in a couple of shots, well I think you’ll agree that my decision to dedicate a separate post to it is a wise one.

I think it will be hard to restrain myself from dropping by this particular Tokyo car dealer again, so I’m sure this isn’t the last time we will lay eyes on this car. Maybe next time we can get to see it in action… now that would be something else!

[Kosov]

In terms of car-related shops, I’ve yet to experience anything quite like Canepa. Then again, the word ‘shop’ doesn’t even begin to describe this enormous facility tucked away in scenic Scotts Valley, California. It’s part restoration garage, part race car maintenance facility, part showroom and part museum. In terms of privately owned temples of motoring, it’s surely one of the greatest in the world.

I’m not sure if there’s any other single place with as much general ‘car guy’ appeal as Canepa. Touring the facility is an exercise in getting up and close with some of the world’s absolute greatest (and rarest) cars. If you can’t find at least a few cars to lust over at this place, there just may be something wrong with you.

But what’s just as important is that you don’t need some sort of exclusive access to see all of this stuff. While the shop houses some of the world’s most sought-after and historic cars, Canepa welcomes automobile lovers of all types to come out and be inspired.

In fact, not long ago it started an event called Canepa Cars & Coffee – a monthly gathering where car enthusiasts gather on a Saturday morning for a relaxed car meet, just as you find in cities all across the USA.

But what really sets Canepa’s version of Cars & Coffee apart is that in addition to the parking lot gathering, the entire facility is also opened up for viewing.

Last month I was actually spending some time in nearby Santa Cruz, when I found out I’d be around for Canepa Cars & Coffee. It was no-brainer to take the short ride up Highway 17 to see what was going on.

First off I was interested to see what sort of cars would show up to the meet, and second – well you don’t really need any reason to visit Canepa. The place is just that good.

When I arrived I wasn’t surprised to find that the turnout was much smaller than what you find at Irvine’s ‘original’ Cars & Coffee event. After all, Canepa is located in a quieter, and much more isolated part of California.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some great cars to check out in the parking lot. Just as you find at the larger C&C gatherings, there was a wide variety of machinery that turned out. From classic Triumphs…

… to Shelby Mustangs like this immaculate GT350.

In addition to the Mustang, the lot was also heavy on Cobras and other replicas of Shelby vehicles.

Another car that put a smile on my face was ‘Mr. Bento’s’ C3 Corvette, which looked like the sort of thing a badass character from a 1980s action movie would drive.

But perhaps my favorite of the Cars & Coffee participants was this Plymouth Cuda and Dodge Challenger duo. There’s just something about nicely stanced Mopar E-Bodies that I can’t resist.

Another great thing about Canepa Cars & Coffee is that it’s a great meet-up spot before a drive on some of the scenic coastal and mountain roads found in the area.

Now, if you look at these photos you might notice there aren’t many people standing around in the background…

… and that would be because most of them were inside being overwhelmed by the selection of cars on show.

For me it had been about a year and a half since my last visit, so I was well overdue another.

Needless to say, I was excited to see what sort of new cars were hanging around and what kind progress had been made on Canepa’s ongoing restoration projects.

One recent addition to the shop was the installation of these giant photos above one of the maintenance areas. They’re a cool touch to a place that already has no shortage of vintage motorsport credentials.

This is, after all, the place where you’ll find George Follmer’s Can Am-winning ’72 Porsche 917-10 nonchalantly parked…

… just a few feet away from a legit ’70 Camaro SCCA Trans Am racer.

It’s also the kind of place where you can twist your head in one direction and see an original vintage stock car, then twist in another and see the unmistakeable shape of the ’76 Tyrrell P34 F1 machine.

One car that struck my eye on my last visit was the Brad Frisselle IMSA GTU-winning Datsun 240Z from 1976. The car has since gone into the hands of a new owner but was back in the shop having some work done. Like most of the race cars Canepa sells, this one still sees plenty of action at vintage race events.

Going back even further on the timeline of historic race cars, we have a beautiful 1959 Lister Costin Chevrolet found in the showroom. The car has a rich history of competition, beginning in England during the 1960s and then continuing on through the hands of racers and then vintage racers from around the world.

But of course Canepa is about much more than just competition cars. The place is filled with an equally impressive number of highly desirable production cars.

Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Shelby – they all live within the habitat that Bruce Canepa and his team have created.

When was the last time you saw a BMW M1 prowling the roads of California? Just one more of the countless treasures found within the wonderful world of Canepa.

Then there’s also the company’s well known efforts with the Porsche 959. On any given day you’d flip out just seeing one of these cars in person, but around here you’ll see around 10 of them.

Again, it’s really hard for me to think of any one place that can compare when it comes to pure car porn. If I had a dollar for every time I thought “wow” while visiting Canepa, I just might be able to afford one of these cars for myself.

Stay tuned, as there’s plenty more to share from my visit to Canepa in my next post.