Like our previouslooks into sportscarfactories, this shot of the Toyota factory in the late 1960s is equal parts excitement over seeing so many of a favorite model together and a wistful look at missed opportunities. There were only 337 2000GTs built, and I count at least 13 in this shot. Was one of these later chopped to create the one-off spyder model for 007’s You Only Live Twice? Did one of these have it’s bonnet sprayed in bold red or dark blue for the Shelby-Toyota racing effort? Even a plain-Jane 2000GT is a beautiful machine, and seeing so many collected here is a delight.
I’m guessing the German caption translates to, “No, I don’t have a lift, high-shine epoxy floor, Snap-On rolling cabinet, or 10hp air compressor… Nürburgring.”
Like our previouslooks at car show podiums of the past, here’s more proof it’s not just automotive design that’s suffered—even the “booth babes” are less interesting than they used to be.
Of course the one-off Miura Roadster stole most of the attention at the ’68 Brussels Auto Salon. But it was a nice try, girls.
After last week’s video of the field of the Bugatti BP at Monterey, Bradley wrote in with these shots he snapped of the Bugatti session at Watkins Glen a few years ago. Bradley says it was rain, but these black and white shots make it look like snow to me, which makes the shots all the more fantastic. This is a dedicated group of drivers that push their gorgeous cars hard, without pushing into eachother. After all, what’s a little harsh weather between friends? Head on over to Automobiliac for the complete set.
Call it a Scarab overload if you like, but the hits just keep coming. Richard Reventlow wrote in with this marvelous photo of his half-brother Lance in his Scarab. Palm Springs, maybe? (Richard says it’s Riverside). Thanks, Richard!
And Steve, who sent us his father, Alfred Cournoyer’s photos of the Scarabs last week, dug the rest of the shots out of the shoebox and sent them in. Thanks again, Steve!
We’ve been focusing too much on the Scarab crash and it’s bumming us out. We need an antidote, stat!
Right on cue, Steve Cournoyer wrote in: “All this Scarab business had me remembering a few photos taken by my father at Thompson Speedway round about 1958”. This shot captured by Steve’s father, Alfred Cournoyer helps set everything right with the world today.
Here’s another from a very happy day for the team. Chuck Daigh (#5) and Lance Reventlow (#16) finished 1, 2 at this outing for the Scarabs at Meadowdale Raceway in Illinois, September 1958. Via the Life archives.
Well, the video may be gone for now, but thankfully, H.A.M.B. member Toner283 found these fantastic Dean Burnside-Machado photos. He was in the perfect spot at the perfect time.
Notice how ‘Ol Yaller spins a full 360° through the center of this catastrophe without a touch and keeps on going. That must have been a heart-stopper.
Update: Dean Burnside-Machado posted in the comments that these were pulled from a larger collection of 25 photos on his facebook page here. Thanks Dean!
I’m not saying that well documented cars are boring. Far from it—I love a 906 or GTO with a racing victory under her belt as much as the next sportscar nerd, but there’s something about the sheer mystery of this little racing car that stirs the soul and imagination. This 1948 Fiat-Cisitalia(?) racing car is coming available at the upcoming Mecum at Monterey auction and is sure to make some unfussy buyer very pleased indeed.
The Fiat 1100 has powered so many great little racing machines, and with the very rare Cisitalia head, it’s undoubtedly even better. It’s the Cisitalia head that has likely been the source of the head-scratching on this car. So the automotive archeology begins. The Fiat 1100 was a popular engine choice in the 50s. It is fitted with era appropriate Fiat truck brakes that have been modified to lighten them consistent with the technology of the era. The cockpit, from the gauges—one giant Jaeger tachometer surrounded by smaller Sacma pieces—to wooden steering wheel are period correct. Even minor details like the brake reservoir and wiring is all perfectly appropriate for a car of this age. It all gives every indication that the car was constructed in-period and is not a recent garage-built “barn find”.
For all this lovely period craftsmanship, there’s no in-period race history. It seems unlikely that anyone would go through the trouble of welding up this custom chassis and lightening the brakes and then not race it. That seems to be the case with this machine though. There’s no apparent record of the car before it surfaced at a Florida dealer’s lot in the 1990s. The Cisitalia head seems to have always been a source of confusion though as it had at various times been assigned a Cisitalia chassis number, and described in auction catalogs as a “Cisitalia D204”, although Cisitalia never produced a car under this name.
For me though, I’m less concerned with the car’s provenance and record books than I am with how much fun it looks to drive. It looks like the 1100 Fiat engine would surely push a lightweight such as this to a speed and acceleration well into the giddy zone. The stance would make any American hot rodder envious. The Bandini-inspired cycle fenders and headlamps tucked behind the grille might even afford you the opportunity to street it. The cockpit for two makes it a wonderful rally entrant—if the lack of history will get you past the scrutineers. The straight pipes are sure to provide a lovely concert hall for the tuned engine. Even better, it is certainly going to sell for considerably less than a documented Cisitalia would.
Complete details (what there are of them) are available on Mecum’s lot detail page.
The 1909 Land Speed Record holder is a mighty, fire belching, 200hp, 21.5 liter engined dragon. It requires a driver of unending determination and incalculable courage. It is gigantic. It is angry. It is gorgeous.
