Straightspeed photo

Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen KH , founded in 1965 by  Burkard Bovensiepen (1936–2023) based  in an outbuilding of a former typewriter manufacturer owned by his father,  who had traded under the name; Alpina. Founder, Burkard Bovensiepen, pictured on the right. Their modified cylinder heads and carburetors for BMW's were well received by BMW, indeed, BMW head of sales, Paul G. Hahnemann, had an earlier set up on his Neue Klasse  BMW 1500 , boosting power by 15% and getting the BMW seal of approval as they covered the conversion by their warranty from 1964.  Never Klasse BMW 1800 wearing Alpina parts. In 1968, Alpina took to the racetrack and the European Touring Car Championship, as well as Hillclimbs - very well supported on the European mainland.  The highlight was in 1970, when the team's cars won the European Touring Car, German Hillclimb, Rally and Touring Car Championships as well as the prestigious 24 hour race at Spa. 1970 Spa 24hr Winning BMW 280...

Moto Morini offered a new series of OHV 175 sports racers for 1954, the Settebello was based on a road bike, complete with lights. Bike Exif  from 2012 "In Italian, “Settebello” is idiom for “seven of diamonds”. And this little 175cc Moto Morini is a real diamond, packing a surprising punch from its four-stroke single motor. This was during happier days for Moto Morini, when it enjoyed huge competition success after WWII. Built for privateer racers as well as fast road riders, the Settebello could keep up with most of the 250s of the day. Engine output peaked at 16.5 hp—at a heady 8,500rpm— but with only around 100 kilos to propel, the bike could hit a remarkable 88 mph (141 kph). Trading on the glamour of Morini’s even smaller 125cc factory racer, and ridden by Agostini in the early 60s, the Settebello was a sales hit for the Bologna company. This terrific 1954 Moto Morini Settebello is from the MC Collection entered at Mecum in 2019. Its is a first-year model for this famous mac...

Porsche’s lightweight 910 Bergspyder was extremely nimble and well-suited to dominating mountain roads. In 1967 and 1968, the Porsche 910/8 Bergspyder was the dominant force before the 909 came along. Technically, the Porsche 910 Bergspyder was state-of-the-art, featuring materials such as titanium (brake calipers), beryllium (brake discs), magnesium (wheels), electron (tank), plastic (body) and aluminium. The running gear was similar to that of a Formula 1 car, including an eight-cylinder boxer engine that had about 275 horsepower. The European Hillclimb Championship regulations stipulated 2-liter engine but didn’t stipulate minimum weight. The 910/8 initially weighed just under 990 pounds (450 kg) but by 1968, with additional development and optimization it weighed in at just 930 pounds (420 kg). There’s not much chance of driving this 910/8 Bergspyder: the racing car has remained unchanged for 52 years. This will remain the case, right down to the rusted front bonnet, where now-weat...