Bonneville Salt flats

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After a long day driving (560miles) through splendids desertic natural landscapes of Utah, we were sure that at one moment The Lake would appear in front of us. We were driving on highway 80 the sun was already set, way passed Salt Lake City when we had this unreal vision, like a kind of mirage in this water less region.


A white horizontal and infinite line... was it water or was it salt? And in the back ground an ink black mountain range lightnened by the final lights of the sun.

We still had to drive a couple hours more on the deserted highway wich was surrounded on each side by the waters of the Bonneville salt lake salines. Impatience and tiredness led us to increase the speed of the truck with peaks up to 90 mph, side wind dangerously pushed us aside.

Night came and still nowhere to stop and sleep overnight. We then decided to continue to the final destination: Wendover.

Midnight: we finally were entering asleep Wendover. The lights of this casinos small town were dazzling like for the big parade (unbelievable useless energy waste debauchery.... who pays?).
Remember? we are now in Nevada and Nevada means gambling... so!!!




We followed main avenue for one mile, till "Wendover Will" the neon cowboy, and we finally found the spot to collapse, dead tired, till next morning.


At 6 am, at dawn, first engines roar shortened my night of sleep, curiosity pushed me to get out of the truck to discover in the day light what I couldn't see in the previous night obscurity.



We are surrounded by Hot Rods and other odds devices whose owners get busy tuning them for one more day on the lake. Cars are covered with salt, I feel my excitation grow as all these people leave to the speedway. Unfortunately, everybody is sleeping in the truck and I must wait another endless 2 hours on this now deserted parking lot. Damned.

At last we leave and aim to the speedway, like Captain Kilgore, I can smell a perfume of ..... adrenaline.


We discover now this flat ground covered with a rough mix of salt and soil, that gives it a dirty look.

View of the "Gypsy camp" from Danger Cave State park

We drive along the "Gypsy Camp", it's the closest place to the speedway where you can park your truck and stay overnight for free. Some are stuck in the soil up to the axle, so you'd better wisely chose your parking place. Note that nobody is allowed to sleep on the speedway which is closed and watched at night.



A long straight track drives us to the speedway entry check point and we drive aside the famous pannel that shows that the dream is becoming reality. The road stops there and gives place to a snowy white and pure salt. Hounds of trucks, cars,... all anarchically drive toward the paddocks. I just can't stand still anymore!




I rush out of the truck like Neil Armstrong on July 21st 1969, the sun and glare are dazzling, dry air burns my nose and throat. Far away, I can hear the steamliners on the track.


Fantastic, I'm in IT !!






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Cooper MkV 1951

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For our last post in 2010 we felt like closing the year with a life sized toy.... We are also children after all!

All shooting sessions in Ze studio are an adventure story, this one could take two books full of what can be discovered and told about the machine and its pilot.
In this first post let's talk about this "machine". I write of a "machine" cause it's a strange mix between motorcycle and car as you're about to see.



It's a 1951 COOPER MK V, at those times it raced in the 500cc class of formula 3, very popular in England.

On such cars, some of the most famous english pilots have started and competed: Sterling Moss, John Surtees, Jack Brabham, Ken Tyrrell among many others.


500cc class was launched in 1946. John Cooper and his childhood friend Eric Brandon wishing to race in this economical category, decided as many other pilots of those days, to assemble their own prototype (T2). They will create later on, with John's father, their compagny, The Cooper Car Compagny.

John and Eric will win many races among which The Prescott Race and will make the COOPER 500 evolve during the following years. Afterwards, John had a brilliant carrier as a Formula 1 tuner and belongs to those who revolutionnarized this sport.



The prototype (T2) prefigures the model we photographed, its a tubular chassis, the bodywork is alloy made, the engine, placed behind the pilot, is an air cooled, mono cylinder, alcohol fed 500cc J.A.P 4B providing 45 Hp at 7000 rpm with a compression rate of 16.1 . Direct transmission is with a motorbike chain. At those times this JAP engine is quasi universal in many sports in England such as speedway, sprint, grasstrack, cycle cars....

The 4 gears box is of a NORTON MANX. A few models are equipped with a 4 gears BURMAN. The rims, true pieces of art, are made out of magnesium.


For some versions, they will even use the 1000cc V shaped bicylinder JAP.


For later versions the Jap engine will be replaced by the NORTON MANX one more powerful about 50hp soon on some models they will use a 500cc T100 Triumph alloy engine, this is the case for the one we photographed.


The owner, prefering the sensations and the torque of the mono cylinder, replaced it by a JAP.

I don't know if Santa Claus hear us, but I would certainly order one....

more details here

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Alfredo Panella, Italian Racer

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Marco from Milano sent this amazing collection of photos from his grandfather.
discovering these images and seeing their interest, We decided to publish all of them.
Alfredo Panella was motorcycle racer from 1924 until 1939, five times Italian champion in 250cc / 175cc class.
Riding Galloni, Ladetto-Blatto,and later Moto-Guzzi and BMW, he was European champion 1928 cat, 175 on Ladetto Blatto, and many victories in Geneva, Montlhery,... Monza, Sao Polo, six days trophy, Targa Florio, and Giro d'italia.











































Thank you Marco

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