A Stone Tablet & V12 Symphony

Yes, we confess. We went to Stockholm instead of notching roll cage steel pipes.

We had to pilgrim to the last session of The Combustion Engine Wizard. It felt like a mission from the God of Speed.  As usually, when sent out on these journeys we start to look for signs. And we found one. An old Stone Tablet with a modernistic poem that begins with: -Jag är hastigheten…(i.e. -I am Speed…) and that felt like a good start for a Salt Slush Racing pilgrimage.

A peaceful moment. Carina and Anders are reading the poem (which can be seen in the former Ostermans Marmorhallar in Stockholm, once an palace where Cadillac’s, LaSalle, Oldsmobile, Buick, Chevrolet and even Opel were on display)

 

Then we continued to Berwaldhallen, a place that normally host Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir. A serious place for serious music. A place suitable for 1300 spectators. Could this place be sold out for a combustion engine show? A combustion engine show?

That's right, a celebration of the amazing machine! A couple of minutes before the The Last Show. The hall is slowly filling up. And yes, it was sold out. Expectations were growing.

  Then he arrives, Per Gillbrand, the combustion engine rock star! As usually, he mixed a witty monolog about combustion engines with thoughts about the past and the future. When suitable he start up one of his amazing miniature engines, which has been built by Mr. Gillbrand himself. In the picture above he starts up an exact copy of Karl Benz first Automobile engine.  Difficult to accomplish? You bet.

 

These engines are so beautiful….

But how about this? An exact copy of the Bugatti W16 in miniature! If it runs? Of course!

  We're all amazed and amused.

But at the end of the day we all have our favorites. Per has a preference for Rolls Royse Merlin V12. Therfore he brought a his well working Mini-Merlin. 

He also displayed his full scale Merlin as a comparison. But why does Per's friend wear hearing protection?

Yepp, it’s running!  And yes, we're still in the Concert Hall. Check out the blue flames on the right side. A memorable moment!


But eventually, The Last Show came to an end. Per leaves the stage after a really good show, which few of us will ever forget.
Thank's Per!