Author: Harlo

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Lost Track Video

Unseen 50s SCCA Footage: Agoura Hill Climb 1955

Here’s a short but important film from the John McClure Archives. This was the 2nd annual Agoura Hill Climb presented by the Singer Owners’ Club on February 6, 1955, and I think it can be safely described as a smashing success. West Coast Sports Car Journal reported in their March ’55 issue that the event drew 160 competitors and over 2,000 spectators. Even if those numbers are an exaggeration, that is still incredibly impressive. Can you imagine 2,000 spectators coming out to the secluded mountains for a hillclimb? Unless it’s the Goodwood Festival of Speed, or maybe Pikes Peak, the public simply doesn’t care about hillclimbing—not in those kinds of numbers anyway.

I also think this film is incredibly important because it captures something we’re unlikely to ever see again; high performance sportscars driving as fast as they can up a dirt road. Have you ever driven behind a sportscar on a dirt road? Chances are they are driving VERY slowly, just crawling in 1st gear, repeating a silent prayer that no stone is kicked up to mar their paintwork. Even Pikes Peak is almost completely tarmac today. Boo!

Not so in ’55. These drivers are putting everything they have into taking their factory fresh XK120s from the bottom of the hill to the top; bodywork be damned. I think this is what I most enjoy about these vintage club racing films, sportscars just weren’t the luxury status symbol that they are today. They weren’t precious jewels to be polished and parked in front of the dance club. They were simply tools—tools that were built for a purpose—and in 1955 that purpose was to get the Hell to the top of Agoura.

Race Results:

  1. Frank Livingston in the Eliminator Model-T Hot Rod (anyone know this car?) at 27.83 seconds
  2. Ennals Ives Jr. in a Cad-Allard J2X at 27.86 seconds.
  3. Paul Parker, also in the Eliminator, at 28.03
  4. Paul Poole in a Jaguar XK120M at 28.63

A young Richie Ginther took the Austin-Healey class victory at 29.66 seconds.

Update: Chris sheds some light on the Eliminator Model-T in the comments, which quickly lead to this article from Street Rodder. Another example of the greatness of the era; when a T-Bucket shares the track with Siatas and Ferraris. Thanks, Chris!

Categories
Grand Prix Video

The Margin Between Champagne and Orangeade

Drama on the closing lap of the ’67 Italian GP at Monza. Clark set pole and fastest lap, and had a tremendous drive after coming back from a puncture—but he’d end up on the orangeade end of the equation.

Categories
Classic Sportscar Event

Veloce Today Visits Techno-Classica Essen

The crew over at Veloce Today scored some fantastic shots of the floor of Europe’s largest classic racing and sportscar sale.
There’s a tremendous example of the Alfa Romeo Stradale not too unlike the one we featured in an Art Appreciation segment a month or so back. Also among their shots is a lovely Ferrari 212 Export and curious little 1948 Giannini Fiat 1100 (I’m all about the late-40s Italians lately). And why not throw in an ex-Chris Amon Matra for good measure?
Head on over for the complete writeup and more photos. Great stuff!

Categories
Vintage Racing Advertising

The Latest in Sports Hornets

This looks to me like £255 well spent. From MotorSport Magazine April, 1932.

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For Sale Porsche

Available in California: Porsche 910-25

Hard to believe that anyone would part with this magnificent machine. We’ve featured this car twice before on the Chicane, after seeing her at the 2008 Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival, and later some video footage of the car in action at Watkins Glen.

When I first encountered this stunning car in the pits at Road America, I was struck by how very compact it was. I’m always surprised how small these 60’s racers are in the flesh, they seem so larger-than-life in photos and film. They’re long low proportions seem somewhat large when you’re not standing right next to them and realize how very low they are—the hood line is well below my waist.

I simply cannot fathom selling this car. As I mentioned in my previous post about the 910, this was a car designed as a hillclimber and ended up as a successful endurance racer. I like the 917 and 908 as much as anyone, but for me, the fact that this car was so adaptable to any racing style—from short burst sprints up the hillside to 24 hour events—puts this car very near the top of Porsche’s engineering achievements. It’s simply remarkable.

Today the car is on offer from Grand Prix Classics in La Jolla, California. There’s no information posted on the car yet, but the collection of photos of the car is well worth seeing.

Categories
Historic Racing Photos

Early Days in Hazzard County

“But the bridge is out, Bo”

“That’s what I’m countin’ on Luke”

Categories
Historic Racing Photos Porsche

Lunch: Targa Florio Style

What could be better than a spirited drive in the mountains and a picnic lunch with friends? Ask “Quick” Vic Elford, seen here doing just that. Pausing to relax during his own spirited drive in the mountains, indeed.

Of course, the mountains in this case are those surrounding Palermo, Sicily. The lunch is served on the short tail of a Martini International Racing Porsche 908/3. And his fellow diners are the team and competitors of the 1971 Targa Florio. Perhaps this was to celebrate his fastest lap of that year’s race-rounding the 72km course in 33:45.6, an average over 127km/h.

This is how I’ll be taking my meals from now on.

Categories
Event

Ride Along with Bring a Trailer on the Targa California

This is the second year of the Targa California and it looks like steady increases in participants. This is good, because there’s nothing more dubious than a “First Annual” event. The Targa California looks like it has a bright future. Starting out from the mountains north of Mailibu and touring along the central California coast with a bunch of other pre-75 cars doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend a few days, does it?

Check out BaT’s coverage this week.

Categories
Lost Track Video

More Unseen SCCA Footage: Palm Springs, December 1955

Last time we dove into the John McClure archives, it was to visit the March ’55 running of the Palm Springs Road Races. What a difference a few months makes, since we’re starting off with shots of snow en route to the races, which must have come as a bit of a shock to the Southern Californians heading into the desert. Lovely views of a very packed group of Porsches and a Citroen 2CV (!) in the small-bore race before we settle into the main event.

It looks like John was able to get quite close to the action for this race and there are some great shots of a quite famous field. He may have even been a bit too close for Bill Willett’s tangle with the hay bales in his Arnolt-Bristol after losing steering. Also in this race is the chicken farmer himself in a red Jaguar D-Type (#63); I almost don’t recognize Carroll Shelby without his cowboy hat.

A good percentage of the reel, though, is the excellent battle between Ernie McAfee in the blue Ferrari Monza (#76) and Masten Gregory in the Maserati 300s (#207). They were at it all weekend, trading victories in the various heats on Saturday and Sunday. Masten took the Formula Libre race on Saturday afternoon for 1.5-3liter cars, with McAfee taking the victory in prelims. But in the main event pictured here the honors went to Masten, with Mcafee following only a fraction of a second behind. Great Stuff.

Also keep your eyes peeled for: Bill Murphy’s Kurtis-Buick, Dick Morgensen’s Special, Ken Miles’ Maserati 150S, Rudy Cleye’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, and Chuck Daigh’s Troutman-Barnes Mercury Special.

Race Results from the Dec. 16 issue of MotoRacing. (click for larger)

Remember, The Chicane wants to show your footage to the world too. If you have some old film cans stacked in the closet: get them out, and get in touch at tips@thechicane.com

Categories
Racing Ephemera

Entry Level Vintage Racing

My friends have all told me that Vintage Formula Vee is the way to go for a first vintage racecar. They’re reasonably inexpensive. They’re relatively easy to maintain. They’re lightweight, so you don’t need a monster tow rig. Most importantly they’re the most affordable to run.

Up until now I believed them.

This is the REAL cheapest entrée into the world of vintage racing: the old school go-kart. I’m not talking about the shifter karts that have been the foundation of our last few Formula 1 World Champions. I’m talking about the heavy steel frame your grandfather welded together in the workshop, with a hot-rodded lawn mower engine (or twin chainsaw engines).

They still look like endless fun.

More at VintageKarts.com. Or check out this fantastic article or these plans in the Popular Mechanics Archive.