If you happen to’re something like us, whether or not we’re speaking about watches or vehicles, you recognize the sensation of shedding your self to YouTube. With actually numerous hours of footage, it’s a true proverbial rabbit gap in case you’re not cautious. Spending hours and hours watching movies can result in some fairly fascinating content material to be found. With that in thoughts, and the actual fact my dwelling nation of the Netherlands has simply been despatched into one other exhausting lockdown, listed here are a few YouTube strategies to get you thru the downtime. Simply don’t blame us for any complaints coming out of your vital different.
Two 1952 Mercedes-Benz W194 300SL Gullwing vehicles – Jay Leno’s Storage
We begin issues off with arguably among the best car-related channels on YouTube; Jay Leno’s Storage. An enchanting gathering of vehicles, offered by maybe the largest automobile man on the planet, in a cheerful and factual method. What Jay does is current not solely the automobile, but additionally any backstory with humour and element, typically together with his private experiences with the model or automobile in query. And what’s even higher, he does this by letting business insiders, brand-reps, and automobile house owners do the speaking every time he can.
Simply forward of the Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve holidays, Jay Leno options automotive royalty with a pair of extraordinarily uncommon and priceless Mercedes-Benz’. He incorporates a 1952 Mercedes-Benz W194 300SL Gullwing that raced within the Carrera Panamericana, alongside a road-going 1952 prototype of the Mercedes-Benz W194 300SL. Each vehicles pre-date the official introduction of the manufacturing model of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, which might be offered on the 1954 New York Worldwide Auto Present.
How that happened is a narrative in its personal proper because the roadgoing 300Sl finds its origin in a race automobile, the W194 300SL proven within the video in reality. It discovered success as a race automobile in 1952 regardless of being underpowered in comparison with the competitors. The massive 3.0 litre straight-6 engine produced round 175bhp while Ferrari and Jaguar have been making over 200bhp on the identical time. Low drag and low weight meant the 300SL may maintain its personal in endurance racing. It got here second within the 1952 Mille Miglia, and it got here in first and second within the Le Mans 24 hours race.
There are tons of fascinating particulars about this pair of vehicles, just about all defined within the video beneath. After all, Jay talks concerning the Gullwing doorways, but additionally the cantilevered engine, the plaid seats, the tilt-down steering wheel, the knock-off racing wheels, the twin spare wheels within the trunk and rather more. And naturally, certainly one of them is taken out for a drive!

Having a look on the picture above, of the 1952 racing automobile facet by facet with the prototype from 1952 and the ultimate model that was placed on sale in 1954, the modifications to the physique turn into fairly obvious. It’s touched upon within the video and you’ll simply see the extra slender and sleeker profile of the prototype. The design mainly morphs from a purebred race automobile into this gorgeously formed 300SL Gullwing. Mercedes-Benz constructed 1,400 coupes between 1954 and 1957, and 1,858 roadsters of the 300SL between 1957 and 1963. Its iconic design additionally served as an inspiration to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, that includes Gullwing doorways as nicely.
For extra sensible content material on all types of vehicles, go to Jay Leno’s Storage on YouTube.
Coachbuilt Rünge Automobiles – Petrolicious
One in every of my favorite YouTube channels associated to vehicles is Petrolicious. Together with a brilliantly managed web site, the channel provides glorious, nearly documentary-style clips of all types of fascinating vehicles. The Petrolicious phase I need to carry to your consideration in the present day is “Soul Made”. By way of a collection of movies, all completed in the identical type as the opposite segments produced by Petrolicious, Soul Made covers all issues affiliated with historic vehicles. In every episode, they take note of one thing that absolutely would resonate with any Petrolhead. Scale vehicles, handmade fitted baggage, how an authentic Nardi steering wheel is made, and far, rather more.

The newest episode covers Christopher Rünge and his coach constructed vehicles. The story of how Christopher Rünge ended up constructing vehicles by hand could be in comparison with a few of the most fascinating impartial watchmakers, like Dutchman Machiel Hulsman. He began with a primary set of instruments, and a few books to information him alongside the way in which, as he set off to construct his personal vehicles. Fueled by his fascination in postwar coachbuilt sportscars, Christopher Rünge builds bespoke aluminium-bodied vehicles that form of resemble early Porsche’s.
As proven within the video, he does every thing the quaint approach, beginning with figuring out an period and magnificence of a automobile, and deciding on a chassis. He then builds a wood buck, simply as they did within the outdated days, and hammers out and rolls every panel by hand till it has the specified form. And that’s every thing from bodywork to firewalls and inside panels wanted to construct a stable construction. The whole lot is finished like the nice coachbuilders used to do, together with the handmade bespoke interiors.
The video tells the story of how Christopher Rünge’s work began as a mission and was a enterprise with out shedding the essence of why he began coachbuilding vehicles within the first place. Its once more just like a few of the most passionate watchmakers we all know and could be finest described as a endless pursuit of perfection. You possibly can try this particular episode beneath;
For extra info, please go to Petrolicious.com or go to Rungecars.com. The photographs of the Runge RS010 are courtesy of Silodrome.com
The rebuild of a 1965 Mini Cooper S 1275 – Hagerty
A part of me all the time wished one for myself, to fiddle in and work on for myself. Although I’m 2.01m tall, I do know a traditional Mini with the seat put again all the way in which works for me. Not the best to get out and in of, however as soon as seated I’m superb. The thought had been pushed to the again of my thoughts although, however writing concerning the ridiculously costly Spectre Mini reignited it in a approach. And low and behold, what did I just lately come upon throughout certainly one of my YouTube deep-dives? A rebuild mission by Hagerty, of a traditional Mini!

Hagerty is a web based platform with a YouTube channel I check out once in a while. It options movies on automobile information, barn finds, traditional vehicles, and extra. One of many segments is known as Redline Rebuild and that is mainly a breakdown of a sure automobile, from begin to end, unfold throughout a number of movies. Right here’s the primary one, launched about three weeks in the past;
By the top of final month, Hagerty launched the newest Redline Rebuild, the aforementioned traditional Mini Cooper. It’s a 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S to be precise, in vivid purple. The earlier proprietor talked about it smokes fairly a bit, and within the first video, we see clear proof of this. To date 4 movies have been launched, with every one going additional into element of the rebuild. This principally focuses on the mechanical facet of issues, so the engine is pulled out, torn down piece by piece, bored out and glued the place wanted and reassembled earlier than it can finally return into the automobile.

If that is your form of factor, like it’s mine, you’re in for a enjoyable time. A brand new episode on the rebuild is uploaded as soon as each week or so, and I’m curious to see how far they are going to take it. Is it going to be left an authentic Mini Cooper S, or are they going to enhance on it a method or one other? We simply have to attend and see! And within the meantime, they’ve simply uploaded an hour and a half video concerning the DeLorean DMC12 and its position within the Again to the Future franchise on the Hagerty Drivers Basis channel.
“Ford Escort” MST Mk1 – The Late Brake Present
My last suggestion for the vacation season is one which I solely just lately found for myself however instantly grabbed me. The Late Brake Present is hosted by Jonny Smith, somebody that is likely to be acquainted to you as a consequence of his work on The Fifth Gear motoring present on TV. As soon as once more we now have a mixture of subjects, on vehicles each outdated and new.
The newest video by The Late Brake Present is about an MST Mk1, which is a pumped-up traditional Ford Escort MK1 which can’t be known as a Ford Escort MK1 anymore. It’s the second mission automobile featured on the channel and is a correct restomod. The automobile is constructed by MST-Automobiles which is a UK-based firm specializing in constructing traditional Ford Escort MK1 and MK2’s into quick, stripped down efficiency machines. Full with newly constructed bodyshells, engines, bespoke interiors and every thing.
As we’ve seen with different restomods, the chances are limitless as you mainly begin with a clean canvas. MST Automobiles will supply 4 completely different ranges of, nicely, insanity actually. They’re known as Quick Street & Touring, Quick Street & Observe, Group-4 Rally and Final Rally and every one hints to how far MST Automobiles take the upgrades. The common-or-garden little Escort is was a correct hooligan for street, rally or monitor use. If you need, you may have a 330bhp engine in a automobile that weighs lower than 1,000 kilograms. Once more, such work doesn’t come low-cost as a top-spec Stage 4 MST MK1 begins from GBP 125,000.

These kind of firms, very like Singer or Spectre, carry a romantic and analog piece of motoring into the twenty first century and as much as trendy requirements. Within the course of, all of the kinks are labored out and the efficiency is ramped up considerably. I can solely applaud such tasks because it retains the pastime alive regardless of the large EV revolution happening as of late. Benefit from the video of the MST MK1, and afterwards I extremely advocate you to examine the video on the MST Mk2 as nicely.
For extra info try TheLateBrakeShow.com or MST-Automobiles.com
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