Big Wind- The God Of Hellfire Steve Swanson Articles Resembling the love child of a Transformer and a Thunderbird, Big Wind is the Top Trump of fire fighting vehicles. 2021 marks thirty years since this machine made its official debut when it helped save the world from an environmental disaster in the aftermath...
Evolution of Racing Sims 1981-2020 Darryl Sleath Articles 1 Comment This is the potted history of console-based racing sims over the last forty years, and it's certain to get many MotorPunks of a certain age screaming at their monitors "I had one of those!" However, our younger readers probably won't believe that we chaps...
Colonel Gaddafi’s Rocket Car – not quite what you’d expect Darryl Sleath Articles 1 Comment You don’t expect road safety campaigns to be high on the list of priorities of murderous batshit-crazy Middle Eastern dictators. Left with a pack of crayons and a sketch pad you’d expected someone like Colonel Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi to...
Easiest Job in the World – The Sleazy Seventies Ad Man Darryl Sleath Articles 5 Comments Without doubt the cushiest job in the world during the 1970s must have been the motor industry 'mad man'. Why? Well, there was a glut of marques battling for punters in an overcrowded market place – sometimes (as in the case of MG, Austin-Healey and...
Spot the bloody difference and win a thing! Rich Duisberg Articles 3 Comments These are, so VW say, all different models. They even claim that some are from different manufacturers. It's hard to say. But if you're a zen-level geek and can spot the bloody difference then go ahead and impress us. Only the hubcap logos have been obscured....
Porsche’s $1million Advent Calendar & MotorPunk’s cut price alternative Darryl Sleath Articles, Kitbag 8 Comments How things have changed! Porsche today makes about €2 billion profit per year, has broad mainstream appeal from its six model line-up and can now afford to chuck millions at courting new customers, through stylish Teutonic tat and expensive lifestyle...
SUPER – Old, odd, interesting, obscure and abandoned filling stations Rich Duisberg Articles, Kitbag, Out & About 1 Comment Hello! I've been busy on a new book, or five. Super is a light-hearted mooch around the country, exploring old, odd, interesting obscure and abandoned filling stations. There are over 350 locations photographed and listed alphabetically. From a semi-derelict...
Tales from the forecourt – the scandals of Elf. Rich Duisberg Articles, Kitbag This picture of a rough-looking former Elf filling station in Tremadog (taken from my latest book) gives the chance to share a little history of the colourful oil company, Elf. Founded following a merger of various French businesses in 1967, Elf-branded...
Ralph Bagnold – Long Ranger and Tally Ho Hero Steve Swanson Articles 1 Comment Ralph Bagnold is one of those Brits who quietly went about doing great things. He was a soldier, innovator, explorer, and feted amateur scientist. His odyssey of motor adventures melded the car to the desert in peace and war. After three years of the...