PEBBLE BEACH 2013: PASS THE POUPON

Ana Llorente and her 1956 Motobecane 175ZC salt flat racerThe 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance celebrated, among other things, French motorcycles on its infamous golf course by the sea.  I was commissioned by Pebble to write a short history of the French motorcycle industry, incorporating some of the motorcycle marques present at the Concours on August 15th. The 2013 Pebble Beach program is beautifully illustrated, and my article looks great: copies are available here.  I've included the text of my article below, with photos from this year's Concours.'Mr. Cool Hunting' and the Best in Show winning '37 Peugeot 515SP with Bernardet sidecar 150 YEARS OF INNOVATION:French motorcycles are exotically mysterious to English...

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BROUGH SUPERIOR 'RETURN TO THE SALT' PREVIEW

Rider Eric Patterson aboard the 1150cc Brough Superior 'Roadrunner' with new, shapely streamlining, similar in feel to the 1930s Brough record-breaker 'Leaping Lena'The Ace Café sponsored a preview party for Brough Superior's second Bonneville invasion at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA yesterday, bringing along the pair of salt flat racers they'll be campaigning.  Jay Leno hosted the event, and unveiled a surprise - a completely new all-carbon-fiber sports machine with a Brough Superior logo!  I'll get the full story on this machine, and BS Chief Mark Upham's intentions, when I head to Bonneville next week.Here's Mark's note on last night's event: "Dear Paul, I am sorry you were not able to come across to the party;...

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'TON UP!' - CAFE RACERS IN STURGIS

When photographer Michael Lichter invited me to co-curate a show of Café Racers for Sturgis Bike Week, I immediately said yes.  I'd met Michael while he was the official photographer of the Motorcycle Cannonball last September, and have been constantly impressed by his good nature, the his amazing photography, and his renown in the motorcycling world.Riding around Sturgis; Bear Butte state park - South Dakota's Black Hills are amazingI had no idea he'd been putting on exhibits at Sturgis for 12 years, as I'd never been to Bike Week, and didn't follow the press surrounding the event...it's safe to say I'm a fish out of water among 250,000 Harley touring rigs.  But Café Racers are very much the waters I swim, and I've long wanted to...

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