Sunday, June 28, 2026

License plate set


 In Ontario, 1966 was the last year the Ministry of Transport required 3 license plates on a motorcycle. One on each side of the front wheel and of course the rear. Predictably, complete sets are rare these days and rather expensive.



Saturday, June 27, 2026

Honda Motocampo


 The Motocampo was a 50cc folding scooter made by Honda as a an option for the 1981-83 JDM Honda City. The unit fit in the trunk and was intended to be used as a "last mile" commuter. 53,000 units were made and they are considered to be a collector item now. They were never imported in North America.

Moko Lesney #12 Land Rover


These were made between 1955 and 1959.  Originally sold and distributed by Moko (a partnership between Lesney  (Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith) and Moses Kohnstam.
 

Friday, June 26, 2026

Cutaway from How to Keep Your Volkswagen Rabbit Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot.



Not your average cutaway drawing of the VW Rabbit engine and the illustrator is not R. Crumb. This was an illustration Peter Aschwanden did for the book How to Keep Your Volkswagen Rabbit Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot. by Richard Sealey. It followed an earlier book by John Muir called How to Keep your Volkswagen Alive with technical drawings done in the same 60's counterculture style.  His drawings are accurate but not technical in nature, they really make mechanical work seem less intimidating. Anyone in the sixties or seventies trying to keep his VW running would have felt completely at home with the style. 
More here.


 

Thursday, June 25, 2026

1927 McEvoy Special

Peter McManus, Motorcycles, Merlins, and Mosquitos, Breedon Books 2009


 The caption described this as a 1927 McEvoy later fitted with a V twin made up of two JAP alcohol speedway cylinders on a common crankcase making 78 hp. It was apparently raced by George Patchett but no pictures are turning up...

1931 Hupmobile


 

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Diamond wrench

 The wrench seems to be of reasonable quality, the raised panels look familiar but the stamping seems crude and overdone. I don't think it's from the Diamond Calk company. and I suspect it's a product from India or China though the CoO is not marked.


 

Naked Ferrari 1953

Ian Dussek, Sports Cars 1910-1960, Shire Publications, 1987

    The chassis of a 1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia at an unknown exhibition stand. It looks better with its clothes on