It’s always inspiring to see such amazing work from a young photographer. Mathieu is only in his early 20s but possesses the sophisticated eye of a much more seasoned photographer. His Flickr stream has a wonderful assortment of shots in both professional studio setups and casual caught-on-the-street snaps. As you can see, I love those that are (or look like they are) chance meetings between the photographer and these amazing machines on Parisian boulevards. Sensational stuff.
"From another world" – Jaguar Type C, rue de la Paix, Paris.
30 cars that “smell like Castor oil and sound like machine guns”. When it was all said and done, after 2 days of rain delays, Bernd Rosemeyer averaged 82.5 mph in his Auto Union to take the victory.
A major electronic advance in road racing. Now you can pass, switch lanes, and block your opponent! This is real switching and blocking that you operate by remote control. You can switch from the outside to the inside lane. Or vice versa. And if you get blocked, in either lane, you can switch to the free land and escape the traps. You’ll find yourself in dozens of real racing situations that call for skill and split-second timing. But, with the Eldon Selectronic Set, you’re in command. You control the speed. You control the switching. No matter which lane your car is in. No matter how many times you change lanes. That’s the secret of Eldon’s Selectronic Road Race Set. Your toy or hobby dealer will be happy to let you in on it. Get the best deal in road racing—the low cost Eldon way. Eldon Selectronic Road Racing. Eldon Industries, Inc. 2701 W. El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne Calif Eldon Industries of Canada, LTD. 1315 Lawrence Ave East, Don Mills, Ontario New starting flagman. Realistic action as this flagman drops his flag and automatically starts the race. Guaranteed fair starts and equal-timed races! Adjusts to fast or slow starts! Big, realistic layout. 2 Testa Rosa Ferrari cars—switching and blocking with two remote control switch tracks, two rheostat switches with speedometers, lap counter, starting flagman, power pack, 28 pieces of track, bridge supports, fence and decal set included. New lap counter. Eldon’s all new lap counter counts each car’s laps—no matter which track it’s on—no matter how many times you switch. Counts up to 50 laps! Everything you need in one package. Pre-assembled track with pre-wired power track snaps together. 10 minutes without tools or glue. Enough track for many different layouts—even a cross-over bridge. Join the Eldon International Road Racing Club. Fill out the attached coupon and join Eldon’s fast growing International Road Racing Club. Free membership card, racing news, 1963 accessory catalog, and other surprises! Organize your own neighborhood group!
Every untouchable, unalterable tradition needs to start somewhere. For Monaco, the thankful holdout for the round-the-house Grand Prix, it was April 14, 1929.
Race winner William Grover-Williams in a Bugatti T35B (12) alongside #22 Raoul de Rovin in a Delage 15S81929 Monaco Grand Prix – Marcel Lehoux, Christian Dauvergne, Philippe Étancelin
Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes SSK at the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix
Chris Amon’s Ferrari at the 1968 British Grand Prix. Amon wasn’t known for his luck, and his car would seem to have gotten luckier than Chris that day… But he did come in second at the race.
More images from this moment captured by Mike Hayward—though this particular photo is not his, if I understand correctly—and are available on his site. Thanks, AutoMotivated.
It’s long been a staple of hot rod exploitation flicks but it’s difficult to imagine a time when people actually drag raced down the LA River. Life Magazine sent a photographer out to capture these hauntingly atmospheric images. It must have been a difficult shoot: the low levels of light, the long exposures to capture the speed as the headlights leave a trace of the death-defying path. The results were more than worth it. They look so peaceful and moody that convey a solemnity that makes you forget the cacophonous sounds that must have been echoing off of these concrete river banks 50 or 60 years ago. If you tried this today, you might have to just keep going after you finished your first quarter-mile run, as the cops would no doubt be well alerted and on their way. What was once a minor nuisance for some neighbors resulting in a few equipment violation tickets would today send out the helicopters. And jail time. Alas.
LA River Night Drag Racing
I’ve happened upon underground street drags on more than a couple of locations—although now much more likely to happen with Hondas and Toyotas than Fords and Chevys. I can’t help but wonder if it would be better if these guys were still tolerated in the off-road strip of the LA River than on a lonely warehouse street where anyone might accidentally cross their path. Sure, there’s always official sanctioned drag strips, but where’s the fun in that?
Whatever the case, it’s certainly worth enjoying these images and imaging ourselves in a world slightly more tolerant of (admittedly dangerous) automotive recreation. Support your local street racer.
David Piper owned the day. Both as a co-driver in the winning Ferrari 250 LM and as the owner of the GT winning 250 GTO. 250 LM and 250 GTO.
LM and GTO. Say it with me… LM and GTO.
Do you think the people sitting along Sunset Bend or grabbing a pint in the Grand Prix Club knew, and fully appreciated, that they could experience 9 hours of two of the most beautiful Ferraris that would ever roll out of Enzo’s workshop?
1964 Kyalami 9 Hours Program of Events
Many thanks to Andrew Duncan who has been sharing his program collection gathered as a boy growing up near Kyalami. See more of the Duncan Collection here.
More from the Topps World on Wheels bubblegum card collection. This time, Cooper-Bristol.
From the card’s reverse:
This is the most successful British racing car built since the end of World War II. It is called the “Cooper-Bristol” because a Bristol-made engine is put into the Cooper-made chassis. The six cylinder overhead valve engines give them lap speeds of 100 mph range. These cars took part in almost every major competition in their class, and always have a very good account of themselves.
