Month: July 2014

Categories
For Sale

Available at Pebble Beach: 1995 McLaren F1

This is much, much newer than the typical fare here on The Chicane, but I think I include it here for good reason. This machine has already proven itself to be one of the great collectable sportscars of the modern era and examples will doubtless be drawing top dollar at auctions for decades to come. This distinction, however, is not without a curse all its own. This car was masterfully constructed by McLaren in 1995. In the 19 years since, this poor neglected piece of perfect has driven a scant 1,000 miles. That’s just over 50 miles a year.

What’s the point?

When this McLaren F1 crosses the block at Gooding & Co’s Pebble Beach auction next month, there’s a very good chance that it will achieve the estimated hammer price of $12,000,000 – $14,000,000. If you’re the one to take her home, do yourself a favor and drive it a little, wouldja?
More information at Gooding’s Lot Detail page.

Categories
Grand Prix Video

The Repco-Brabham Story: A Documentary


Check out this magnificent look behind the scenes at Repco-Brabham, and “Black Jack” Brabham’s stewardship of both the team and relationship with Repco, the Australian engineering company that somehow became a world class engine supplier. You can always count on midcentury film narration for quality platitudes like this gem: …”the new owner is assured that his Repco-Brabham is right—not only according to the jigs and the gauges—but also in its personality and temperament. Subtle qualities checked by the sensitive hands of the maestro himself.”
No Repco-Brabham film is complete without an introduction to the Tasman Series, and it thankfully comprises the bulk this film. For the impatient: jump to 10 minutes in for some shots of bonus New Zealand tikis as introduction to Formula 1’s best known off-season diversion. But really, the whole doc is worth a watch. Dust off your Dunlop blues, and make yourself comfortable.
Thanks for pointing this one out, Brian!

Categories
Vintage Racing Advertising

’56 Morgan+4 On Display

Morgan Ad 1956

You have seen this production model Morgan victorious in competition. A consistent So. Calif. Winner (Bok Oker, Driver)!
The same outstanding performance is available in any new Morgan.
See and test drive the car considered one of the finest hand made class E roadsters.
’56 Morgan + 4 on display

  • Hand Made by skilled craftsmen
  • Sliding pillar front suspension (Pat. by Morgan over 40 yrs.)
  • Proven 90 H.P. TR2 engine

Ed Savin Worldwide
312 So. Soto
ANgelus 8-7151
475 So. Atlantic
ANgelus 8-3264
Los Angeles
I’m Inc.
1968 S. Sepulveda
West Los Angeles
GRanite 8-1142

Published in MotoRacing. August 1956.

Categories
Ferrari For Sale

Available at Auction: Ferrari 250 GTO no. 3851GT

Ferrari 250 GTO no. 3851GT

The Monday after Monterrey weekend, you’ll be bombarded by these photos and the accompanying headlines from the media regarding how much this Ferrari 250 GTO will sell for at Bonham’s Quail Auction. For just a minute, lets ignore the investment grade of this hotly desired piece of kinetic sculpture. Lets ignore the sound business rationale that might drive this purchase—and will certainly drive the journalists that write about it post-sale. Let’s simply pause for a moment before that frenzy begins and just appreciate this gorgeous GTO for what it is: an incredible example of a beautiful racing car.

Let’s just cross our fingers and hope her new caretaker gets her out of the vault and onto the track occasionally.
More information at Bonham’s lot detail page.

Categories
Event Porsche

Porsche SA buys Kyalami

Here’s a round of auctioneering you don’t often see. Watch the bidding floor as Porsche SA purchases Kyalami for R205Million.
Thanks, Porsche for keeping Kyalami out of our Lost Tracks series.

Categories
Event

Robert Ristuccia’s 2014 Pittsburgh Vintage GP

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix photo by Robert Ristuccia


Is there some way we can pool our money together to hire the committee that created the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and ship them to cities around the country reviving true road course vintage race weekends? I just don’t know how they did it. Can you imagine the administrative dance required to gain approvals for this kind of thing? If we could only discover their secret for accomplishing this minor miracle in today’s litigious society, just think of what we could do.


I believe these visionaries could make flights of fancy like the Central Park Vintage Grand Prix, a revived Golden Gate Park Road Races, or a return to Bridgehampton’s or Elkhart Lake’s or Pebble Beach’s street circuits a reality. Hell, they even managed to get the state of Pennsylvania to issue a PVGP license plate!

Thankfully, Robert Ristuccia’s beautiful photos from the 2014 running of the PVGP let us tag along on something more immediately real. Just seeing these lovely racing machines from a wide variety of classes running on the closed streets of Schenley Park passing by stop signs and approaching the curbs is a wonderful reminder that real road racing can still exist.

Check out Robert Ristuccia’s entire set from the weekend for more. Thanks Robert!
via Reddit.

Categories
Automotive Art Porsche

Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Racing Porsches

Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
I’m consistently amazed at what Lego builders can do with nothing more than their ingenuity and a handful of Lego bricks. Somehow those little blocky chunks of plastic can be massaged into the most beautiful contours. Malte Dorowski has put together a fairly complete Lego garage of Martini Racing Porsches (and transporter… and support vehicle), but it is probably no surprise that his take on the Carrera RSR is my favorite.


Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Porsche 911 Carrera RSR EngineLook at those iconic bulbous arches around this thing. Coming up with this collection of bricks and assorted bits and bobs and deciding that they can come together to create that arch is mind boggling. Malte didn’t just get the general shape nailed down and call it a day though—the details are where this model really sings. The peek through the door at the gauge cluster; the way the windscreen wiper is perched; the steering wheel’s center button: They all come together and get that RSR just right. Absolutely beautiful work.
Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Porsche team
More at Malte Dorowski’s Flickr gallery. Thanks for the heads up on this one, Ryan!

Categories
Racing Ephemera

James Garner. 1928 — 2014.

James Garner on the set of Grand Prix. 1966.
More at motorsport.com.
With a relevant tweet from Ron Howard:

Categories
Historic Racing Photos Racing Drivers Racing Ephemera

Proto Go-Pro

Jackie Stewart for Nikon

I wonder how Jackie Stewart controlled the shutter on this early attempt at onboard driver-controlled photography at Monaco in 1966. Do you think that cable stretched down to the steering wheel? More importantly, where do you think his photos from the “35mm Helmet” are?
Monaco in 1966 would have lined up nicely with the production of John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix. I’m speculating here, but perhaps this is how some of the stills for the posters, premier program, and other ephemera were captured.