With the Ford/Ferrari wars in full swing, it was already bound to be a fantastic June day—and night. Add Jim Hall’s newfangled adjustable wing and air-damn equipped Chaparral 2F and a “throw ’em all in there” 906/907/910 field from Team Porsche and who knows what could happen?
JYHelbe was all over Le Sarthe, and found a handful of choice angles to capture the action. This is but a taste; check out the complete set for more.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too many Noire movies; or read too many detective novels; or played too much LA Noire on Playstation; but I love the notion of Downtown Los Angeles being the epicenter of the city’s life. There’s a certain amount of wonder in old photos of Downtown LA thronged with people and streetcars and traffic. It makes LA feel like more of a city-city, which is something that occurs to almost no one today (with the possible exception of some Angelenos).
The caption on this photo said 1927, but that can’t be right, can it? This parade of racing machines running through town—perhaps to publicize the weekend’s dirt track race—seems more like early to mid 30’s. Those look to my eyes to be ’31—’34 roadster rear ends. I’ve scoured the Marquees along the streetside for some clue that might narrow in on a date, but I’ve turned up nothing. What do you think?
I’ve visited LA many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever crossed into downtown. Perhaps I’m missing out.
Photo via this incredible LA Photographic history thread on Skyscraper City.
Damnit. Rest in peace, chicken farmer. More at Speed and the New York Times.
Love this anecdote from that Times article.
“Bill Neale, an automotive artist who illustrated Shelby’s designs, once recalled for Vanity Fair that when Shelby assembled his first Cobra, he painted it yellow and had it photographed for the cover of Sports Car Graphic. The next day he showed another magazine what seemed to be an identical car, colored red.
“I said, ‘You have two of them?’ ” Neale recalled. “And he said, ‘Nah, we just painted it so they think we have two.’ ”
And Bill Cosby’s routine on Carroll and his machines is always worth a listen. (Thanks RossLH)
And, for reasons I can’t quite explain, I hope this article is true.
Ordinarily when you roll your Ferrari 500 TR you might start to think of contingency plans—particularly in 1958 when they weren’t the precious objects they are today. Re-bodied special? Sell her for parts?
That this shop looked at the damaged hulk and said, “yeah, we can fix that” is admirable. That they pulled it off so successfully is remarkable. That this level of skill and craftsmanship likely wasn’t even that unusual and that coachbuilders of this caliber were probably working in every major metropolitan area is spectacular.
That these skills are largely forgotten is tragic.
More photos and the accompanying article from a 1958 issue of Tekniikan Maailma on Forum-Auto.
Perfect teamwork wins Grand Prix of the United States!
Jimmy Clark
The “Flying Scot,” winner of more Grand Prix races than any other active driver.
Lotus by Chapman
Winner of the constructors’ title in 1963, winner of the Indianapolis 500. Achievements like this make Colin Chapman one of the most creative pioneers in the business of racing.
BRM, H-16
First win for BRM (British Racing Motors) radical design engine, 16 cylinders in a horizontal H layout with a displacement of 2998 cc’s, two overhead valves per cylinder, 12.5:1 compression ratio with a power output of about 420 bhp at 10,750 rpm.
STP Oil Treatment
Used to protect the power of the most sophisticated racing powerplant ever built. STP Oil Treatment has the unique property of blending with any motor oil to form a super-lubricant that easily withstands the rigorous heat and pressures of all kinds of racing. Next time you need oil…every time you change oil…add STP Oil Treatment. Used by millions and millions of motorists like you. Available at service stations everywhere.
Late news from Japan: Jackie Stewart and STP Oil Treatment win Tokyo “Indy 200” Championship!
STP Division
Studebaker Corporation
125 Oakton, Des Plaines, ILL
It’s been a couple of weeks, but today I was pointed to this magnificent series of photos on digitaldtour about Cars & Coffee’s tribute to Butzi Porsche the week after his death. The brilliant thing about southern California is that when the call goes out for an effort to gather as many 911s as possible, a damn lot of them show up. And since it is SoCal, a few 904s (including one example that formerly belonged to Butzi himself), Abarth 356s, ultra-rare 924GTS, and 356 Carrera 4-cams pop in as well.
Plenty of great stuff for the Porschephile on the rest of the site. Clear your schedule.
Eric says, “I took some photos of the ASP before I rolled her in the trailer for this weekend’s race. I guess that means the restoration is officially done. I hope it gets around the track a little faster than before.”
Those of you that have been following along with Eric’s ASP Formula Vee restoration are going to be pleased as hell to see these shots. I’m sure there’ll be more images of her on track by the time the weekend is through but I couldn’t resist sharing these with you today.
Beautiful work, Eric. Congratulations.
When Autodromo launched last year with a series of automotive inspired timepieces I was immediately smitten. How could I not be?
Timepieces and motor racing have a long history of association together, even if sometimes the reasons are a bit murky, and even if sometimes the glamour of expensive cars and expensive watches overshadows the pure clinical necessity of accurate timekeeping in motor racing.
Rarely, though is motoring this successfully referenced in a watch without being gaudy. Some watch manufacturers’ aesthetic is a bit…excessive. I prefer a cleaner and less ostentatious design; and Autodromo has successfully referenced motorsport without screaming it by adding checkered flags or other overt or corny iconography. It’s not just the faces either, the perforated bands just ooze motorsport to me.
For their most recent line, Autodromo has smartly moved beyond simply referencing motoring in their offerings and created a vital tool for the sports and racing enthusiast: These stunning chronographs (for those unfamiliar with chronographs, this YouTube clip gives a good introduction).
By happy coincidence, they’ve chosen my favorite model from their launch line as the basis of extension for the chronograph series. The Vallelunga series is, for me, the most beautifully realized of their combinations of straight timepiece function with graphic motorsport reference.
I think I’m also partly drawn to it because 3 o’clock is redline. I don’t know about you, but that’s usually when I’m starting to burn out after running hot all day.
Check out the complete collection at Autodromo.com.
Looking at this photo of (left to right) Fangio, Nino Farina, Felice Bonetto, and Toulo de Graffenried in the pits at Monza’s 1951 Italian Grand Prix, I can only assume one thing… That the Alfa-Romeo team had a mandated waistband altitude regardless of driver’s height.
Of all the tributes to Butzi Porsche that have floated across the web in the weeks since his passing, I believe that today’s thoughtfully written article at Core 77 would be the one he’d most appreciate.
I think it fitting that it would take a design magazine to strip away some of the artifice of the 911’s legend and focus more on Butzi as a designer. It won’t surprise you that I buy in to author Raymond Jepson’s assertion that Butzi deserves a place alongside architect Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, legendary graphic designer Paul Rand, and Braun’s product designer Dieter Rams as the greats of twentieth century design. Their analysis of Dieter Ram’s recent resurgence of appreciation in the wake of Apple’s frequent homages to his aesthetic is spot on and could well provide a template for Butzi’s wider recognition in the future. It might not be until decades from now, with the benefit of a bit of history between Butzi’s death and ultimate legacy that we’ll be able to more holistically appreciate the impact Butzi had on the world of automotive and product design.
I recommend you click over and read the entire article. It’s a refreshing approach on Ferdinand Porsche’s work with a focus on his work, not on the company his family built.