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Video

2 Liters. Barely Contained.

Here’s a video you can show your muscle car friends when they claim anything packing less than a 427 is just a dainty little commuter. This Abarth 2000 Sport Prototipo piloted by Max Comelli is a rabid wolverine. 2 Liters… a mere 122 cubic inches. This is why I so love these little lightweight racing machines.

1st in class for this run up a Brescian mountainside from Marone on the shore of Lake Iseo to Zone.

Man, I’ve really shortchanged hill climbs. I’ve always treated them as second class to wheel-to-wheel racing. I was wrong. This is thrilling.

Categories
Porsche Vintage Racing Advertising

The Proving and Improving Grounds

In a race there are two things you can count on. The unexpected and the unpredictable. So the car must respond with an almost animal quickness and sureness.

Speed alone is not enough. Every part of the car must possess the utmost in reliability. For Porsche, racing is the ultimate test of that.

We use the classic courses and tracks of the world as our research laboratories. They are the proving and improving grounds for established ideas. And the headwaters of inspiration for new ones.

It is not incidental that we have been the world’s champions for the last 3 years in a row.

The more we race, the more features we prove. And only when something has passed the test of the track does it ever show up on a car for the street.
Everything we’ve learned goes into the mid-Engined Porsche 914 and the Porsche 911.

At Porsche we do not race to make a name; we race to build a car.
For dealer information call (free) 800-553-9550. In Iowa (collect) 319-242-1867.
“Racing is the ultimate test.” Dr. Ferry Porsche

I love that they included the Cisitalia-Porsche in this ad.

Categories
Event Video

Born of a Blue Sky: GT40s and More at Amelia

After the success of last year’s look at the GTOs of Amelia Island, it’s little wonder that Justin Lapriore was invited back to Amelia to document this year’s concours. Often in the videos I share, there’s some questionable decisions being made: Uninteresting edits, holding waaaayyy too long on a shot of an empty track, or—perhaps most noticeably—bizarre music selections like contemporary pop music over 1950s race footage. Justin clearly demonstrates that it is possible to make the right decisions. Of course, when the GT40 is a featured marque, there’s little need for more of a soundtrack than that. When the music does kick in several minutes into the piece, it somehow meshes wonderfully with the animalistic power of the cars and the decidedly more refined nature of the event itself.

50 years of GT40. 50 years of Lamborghini. 50 Years of Corvette Stingray. A special tribute to Ducati. I’m glad that Justin was there to let those of us who were foolish enough not to attend tag along.

Categories
Event Video

Historic Grand Prix at Zandvoort

The increasing availability of high quality cameras on the cheap has sure bumped up the amount of excellent shoots and edits on video sharing platforms. It’s becoming a full-time job to dig through all of the marvelous historic and new footage of vintage racing—and I do try. Despite my best efforts I managed to miss this wonderful cut that Motorsport Media NL shot at the 2012 Historic Grand Prix of Zandvoort. Beautifully put together.

Thanks for sending this in, Rudy.


Categories
Historic Racing Photos

High Flying Formula Vee Action

Nick Brittan takes the road less traveled at the 1967 Monaco GP support race

You’ve heard me extoll the virtues of the Formula Vee racing class. I adore it for it’s simplicity: A stock VW Beetle front beam; a 1200 cc Beetle engine; and a stockish tranny. How could that not be a good time? On top of that, the grids for the vintage Vees tends to be a good spot for tight racing with skilled drafts and dramatic overtakes.
Compared to this image from the support race for the 1967 Monaco GP, though, today’s Formula Vee races are positively tame. Apparently the rough and tumble formula vee racers weren’t a great cultural match with the champagne sipping Auto Club Monaco crowd and went on to prove it by opening their event with the bumping and pushing that you might expect of the unwashed.

This shot of Nick Brittan’s rather unconventional overtake near the yacht harbor chicane really probably didn’t do much to improve their reputation in the principality as evidenced by this bit from the Motoring News GP Report:

“The Formula Vee race opened proceedings and proved only that such unstable cars should not be allowed near a race track. The only British driver involved, Nick Brittan, arrived at the chicane on his first lap to find a French-driven car sideways on in front of him; he hit it and rolled, falling back on his wheels, fortunately with no personal damage.”

More history of Formula Vee at Volkswagen Motorsport.

Categories
Automotive Art Racing Ephemera

Topps World on Wheels: Borgward Hansa

Digging back through the shoebox of Topps World on Wheels trading cards. This time: Borgward Hansa.

From the card’s reverse:

Horsepower: 52
This German car is one of the most recent entries into the sports car field. A commercial car by the same firm is the smallest production car to offer an automatic transmission. In addition to these cars, the Borgward factory has also produced three-wheeled trucks! Hansa passenger models are not low-cost transportation, but quality cars of moderate size.

This might be an early attempt at convincing American car-fans that small does not equal cheap and inferior.

More cards from the World on Wheels series in the archives.

Categories
Classic Sportscar Event

NoBraking.com Visits the CSRG Season Opener

CSRG 2013 Season Opener by NoBraking.com

I’m still buried under a foot of snow and I’ve been able to keep the cabin fever from setting in too hard… until No Braking posted their snapshots from the Classic Sports Racing Group’s event opening their 46th(!) season.

The April 5 race weekend drew 150 vintage cars to Sonoma Raceway which looks like it offers some excellent views. Some of these grids look a bit odd, but may have been an enduro or other cross-racing group sessions. Plus I like a mixed racing group—It’s always fun to see a smaller bore Alfa on the track with a Mustang. Fantastic stuff.
More photos on NoBraking.com, and check the Vintage Racing Calendar for their next event.

Categories
Gear Racing Ephemera

Some Pit Lane in the Boardroom

Monaco Cufflinks. Named for Graham Hill’s victory at the 1965 Monaco Grand Prix

All too often when men’s accessory makers attempt to introduce elements of racing into their lines the results are ham-fisted and clunky. We’ve all seen examples of wristwatches or bracelets that are overtly bedazzled with checkered flags or racing stripes or Von Dutchian flames. Eyesores, the lot of ’em.

Monza Cufflinks. Named for John Surtees’ victory at the 1964 Italian Grand Prix

When I come across a line of vintage racing-inspired accessories that are truly well designed, meticulously executed, and beautifully made, I can just feel my wallet screaming for mercy. In spite of the fact that I have almost no use at all for these gorgeous cufflinks from London silversmiths One Bond Street, I’m just such a sucker for wonderful examples of tasteful nods to historic motorsport.

Parabolica Cufflinks. Named for John Surtees’ victory at the 1967 Italian Grand Prix

I’ve struggled to tastefully showcase my own love for vintage racing in the work environment—and I work in an ad agency, where it’s perfectly fine wearing a t-shirt and ripped jeans. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for those that need to wear suits daily. Here’s where those with whiter collars than mine have one up on me. A set of cufflinks with graphics inspired by Graham Hill’s BRM, or Jim Clark’s Lotus 49, or John Surtees’ Honda RA300 are going to look much better when coupled with Hugo Boss than with Levi’s.

Silverstone Cufflinks. Named for Jim Clark’s victory at the 1967 British Grand Prix

Available at One Bond Street. Gorgeous.
via Silodrome.

Categories
Video

Marvelous Film of the 1953 Targa Florio

And here’s another look at Tommy Wisdom’s Jaguar C-Type in the ’53 Targa in the opening moments of this film reel from the event.

Oh, Targa. Why can’t we have the Targa back?

Categories
Historic Racing Photos

A C-Type in Sicily

When I conjure a Jaguar C-Type in my mind it’s always surrounded by verdant rolling hills of Spa or the green pastures of Goodwood. For some reason it never even occurred to me to imagine her in the brown and dusty roads of the Piccolo Circuito delle Madonie.

The Sicilian mountains seem to suit her though, don’t you think? Tommy Wisdom sure thought so when he took a C-Type to finish 17th at the 1953 running of the Targa Florio. You might think that 17th is nothing to brag about, but even finishing the Targa is a proud accomplishment.