Standard Arms Model G and M
Amongst the firearm inventions that failed one of the more obscure is the Standard Arms Model G gas operated self-loading rifle and its sibling the Model M which did away with the gas operation completely and…
Vincent Series D Black Prince
The Vincent Black Prince is a motorcycle that, if you see one in your rear view mirror, you are likely to think “its a cop” and slow down and drive nicely. Phil Vincent described it as…
Volkswagen Thing
The humble Volkswagen was designed by the same man who designed many vehicles for the German Army, including many of their tanks. So it should come as no surprise that the Volkswagen Beetle is such a…
Welbike Paratrooper Motorcycle
The Welbike began life as a creation of the boffins of Britain’s Special Operation Executive’s (SOE) secret special equipment facility “Station IX” at Welwyn in Hertfordshire and found a surprising range of uses during the Second…
Indian-Vincent Factory Prototype
In the post Second World War era both the Indian motorcycle company of the United States and Vincent HRD in Britain were struggling financially. Indian were struggling because of a series of poor management decisions in…
Facel Vega FVS Series 4 Sport Coupé
The Facel Vega Sport (FVS) were the performance oriented Facel Vega automobiles in production from 1956-1958. Facel Vega began building cars in 1954 and continued until 1962 during which time these luxurious French cars were chosen…
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Landaulet by Sala & Riva
Italian car maker Isotta Fraschini began on 27th January 1900 named Società Milanese Automobili Isotta, Fraschini & C. The company was started by Cesare Isotta, and brothers Vincenzo, Oreste, and Antonio Fraschini. So in some respects…
SS 100 Jaguar 2½-Litre Roadster
The name “Jaguar” was first applied to SS cars back in 1936, and the car it was used on was a saloon. Sir William Lyons described that first “Jaguar” mascot as looking like “A cat shot…
The Black Douglas Motorcycle Company
Despite their name The Black Douglas Motorcycle Company are not Scottish, nor even English, they are in fact Italian and based in the heart of Italian fashion, Milan. Recognizing that there are many motorcycle enthusiasts who…
Ka-Bar US Navy Mark 1
When you’ve completed the stalk, fired the successful shot, recovered your game, and its skinning and gutting time, then the knife you want to have on hand needs to be much smaller than your bigger utility…