Year: 2012
-
Toyota GT86
Early last month I picked up Toyota Ireland’s GT86 for a week of ownership. The two litre naturally aspirated FR coupe has been gathering a lot of attention since its release earlier this year, along with being lauded by the motoring press. I was lucky enough to shoot the GT86 earlier this year for CAR…
-
The Goodwood Revival
Every September, something amazing happens in the south of England. About an hour outside of London, a place called Goodwood – famed for its annual Festival of Speed – is transported back in time, for what is probably the greatest automotive show on earth. Even describing the Revival as a “show” is an injustice. It’s…
-
The Nordschleife
Is there a more important place on earth for petrol-heads? I’ve been to the ‘ring several times, but on each visit I’m always humbled. I don’t know whether it’s the size of the place, the location, the history or a combination of them all but it’s not a place you’ll forget in a hurry. I’ve…
-
Erik Jonasson’s Datsun S30
When life deals you lemons, you make lemonade. Or so they say. One of the toughest aspects of being a photographer is often having to shoot in less than ideal circumstances. I arrived in Sweden back in June to find that my 5D MKII had died in transit. Of course I was well armed with…
-
A GT86, AE86 & The Drift King – A Shoot for CAR
We all have dreams and goals in our lives. Some are big, some are small but with enough work and dedication everyone of them is achievable. You just need to want it bad enough. Throughout my photography career, I have and continue to work towards two goals. 1) Shoot a full season of Formula One…
-
Gatebil Mantorp Park
Following some recent health issues, I’ve been out of action for the last few weeks. On the plus side, I’ve a couple of interesting shoots and stories to share with you. After the Bavaria City Racing Dublin event, I took to the skies once more. Destination? Sweden for the annual Gatebil show at Mantorp Park,…
-
McLaren in Dublin
If you only ever do one thing in your automotive life – make sure you experience the sight and sounds of a contemporary Formula One car. Nothing can prepare you for the feeling that hits you when that 2.4 litre V8 revs to 18,000RPM for the first time. Despite comical organization and an almost impossible…
-
Nissan 180SX RPS13
The Irish modified car scene is a strange one. On one hand, you have lots of people who only follow the pack, scared to move outside of their comfort zones. On the other hand, you have people like Keith Wheldon who prefers to go his own way. You can check out the full and in-depth…
-
Prodrift Punchestown
I owe a lot to Prodrift. What started as a small series quickly expanded into one of the most respected and innovative drift series’ on the planet. Although the recession has hit Ireland hard, the quality of driving at Prodrift events has show no sign of dropping off. From the amateurs to the pros, the…
-
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part Three / The Race
I’m sure I’ve certainly said this before, my year revolves around the Nürburgring 24HR. It’s the centre of my world, an event that I dream of during the winter, look forward to in the spring and reminisce about during the summer and autumn when it’s over. It’s an event that has everything, and I mean everything…
-
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part Two
Apologies for the slow updates, but as silly season is well and truly underway at the moment one must concentrate on priorities. I’m not forgetting about here though and have quite a backlog of work to share over the coming weeks, not least the rest of the N24 event. This particular post highlights some of…
-
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part One
I’m quite a lucky person. I’m working in my dream job, traveling the world and photographing fast cars. I honestly couldn’t ask for more. Even the variety of events that I attend is often breathtaking, there’s never a dull moment. When you have it so good and yet one event still stands out above all…
-
Berg Cup Eschdorf
I’ve always admired the Berg Cup from afar, having been introduced to it at an Autosport show some years back and more recently when visiting KW’s factory in Fichtenberg, Germany. One of the unfortunate things about the series, is the lack of coverage outside of mainland Europe. With such a vast variety of cultures and languages crammed…
-
The Lady in Red
Earlier this month, I met with a local Ford connoisseur to feature his car for a Speedhunters story. Whilst you can read the details over on SH, I thought I’d just share a couple of images here too.
-
Project 4848 – Part Two
I’ve just landed in the door from a truly epic weekend in Luxembourg, where I was covering the first round of the Berg Cup for Speedhunters. Shortly before I left, I put the final touches to my own car and grabbed a couple of quick snaps to share with you. Since part one, I’ve made…
-
Circuit of Ireland
Last weekend gone saw Northern Ireland play host to the annual Circuit of Ireland rally which was also the third round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. After years and years of listening to relatives talk about the Circuit of old, I was looking forward to the challenge of my first rally in nearly a year.…
-
Irish Escort Club Clare Run
I recently headed out west to cover the Irish Escort Club’s annual Clare Run, which tours some of the most scenic parts of this country. I was shooting and writing for both Speedhunters and Classic Ford Magazine so it was quite a busy day but an immensely enjoyable one none the less. Be sure to…
-
Masters of Dirt
With the start of my 2012 season rapidly approaching, I needed to get to an event to setup two new cameras and blow some cobwebs off my own skills. The Monster Energy Masters of Dirt show, which took place in City West this weekend gone, proved to be the perfect event for this task. Subjects…
-
D-Mac’s Carina of Doom
I made a quick visit to Formula D competitor Darren McNamara last week to check in and see what he has been up to over the winter months. Darren is a huge Toyota fan so it comes as no surprise that he always has a couple of interesting projects on the go. His Carina project…
-
Team Need for Speed D-Mac ’86
You may remember late last year that I published a feature both here and on Speedhunters of Darren McNamara’s wild rotary powered AE86 build. I never got around to posting these images of the car during it’s first test day and first two events. Considering it was a completely fresh build, the success it has enjoyed…
-
The Banana
I thought I needed a little bit more colour on the site these days, so let me introduce you to the ‘Banana’. Bryn Alban’s Nissan Skyline is not your regular sort of R32. Having been fitted with one of only a handful of genuine Bee*R R324 kits, and re-painted in its original shade of yellow,…
-
Behind the Visor II
The most important part of any motorsport, is the man or woman behind the steering wheel. It’s often easy to forget about the person who commands their motor vehicle at speed towards and around us. Getting to know the characters behind the visor is one of the more interesting sides of motorsport. Pictured top to…
-
Honda Civic Type R
One of my favourite parts of my job is the unpredictable nature of it. It’s a very rare occurrence for any two days to involve the same thing. It also means that you generally need to be prepared for anything and be able to adapt to any given situation. I had been previously in touch…
-
Ford Capri RS3100
The Ford Capri is something of an icon for many reasons. The MKIII version, the production of which ran for eight years, is a personal favorite of mine. This particular example was based in Northern Ireland, where I travelled to in June of last year for a comprehensive shoot for Classic Ford magazine. The shoot…
-
Scenes from Liverpool
I had a rare weekend off recently which I used to visit one of my favorite cities on this small planet. Liverpool has been like a second home to me since I was a kid, so I always try to make a couple of trips there each year. It was also the perfect excuse to…
-
BMW at the 2011 ADAC Nürburgring 24HR
I’m sure it’s obvious by now that I have an affinity for a particular German manufacturer. Growing up in a Ford household, which was part of a Ford family, I don’t think I ever saw myself as a BMW sort of person growing up. After pushing the usual stereotypes aside, I quickly came to appreciate…
-
-
Koenigsegg Launch New Website
Swedish Hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg yesterday launched their new website. Usually a manufacturer launching a new website wouldn’t be of particular interest to me, but this is a little bit different. Log on to Koenigsegg.com and you’ll see why ..
-
3SDM 0.01 Wheel Shoot
Just before Christmas last year, I journeyed north to a small village west of Belfast called Magherafelt. My brief was to shoot a couple of cars which were running a new wheel by UK wheel company 3SDM. The 0.01 is 3SDM’s flagship model and it’s not too difficult to see why. As far as the…
-
Project 4848 – Part One
Back in August 2011, I waved farewell to my beloved Volkswagen Caddy van (affectionately known as Sudsy). I loved that van. However, it had got to a stage where I wasn’t getting the full use out of its hauling abilities and I yearned for something with more than two seats. Whatever I chose to replace…