Category: Racing Ephemera

In Praise of the Illustrated Magazine Cover

Post author By Harlo
Post date March 30, 2011
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Contemporary racing magazine creative directors take note: these Sports Car Graphic covers from 1963 and 1964 are absolutely astounding. With such a wealth of fantastic automotive artists out there, It’s a pity that the notion of the illustrated magazine cover is about as dead as it can be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an enormous fan of a brilliant cover photograph. I do think, however, that if one of the racing rags were to try an illustrated cover it couldn’t help but stand out amidst the sea of sameness that is ~~automotive~~ magazine cover design.

Grand Prix Racing Ephemera

Grid Schematic of the Past

Post author By Harlo
Post date March 28, 2011
No Comments on Grid Schematic of the Past

Do any publications still use this format for describing the starting grid of Formula 1 races?

I see this format or variations of it frequently in old magazine clippings and books and I find it to be immediately browsable. It gives a great deal of information for as simple as it is—the indication of the direction of turn 1 just makes it all the better.

The ’64 South African GP had a Hell of a grid, eh?

Racing Ephemera

Return of the Double Bubble

Post author By Harlo
Post date March 8, 2011
No Comments on Return of the Double Bubble

I don’t love the styling, but I’m glad to see that the newly debuted Fiat 500 Coupé Zagato features the signature Zagato design detail: The double bubble roof.
More at Luxury Addicted

Tags Modern

Racing Ephemera Video

Race Commentary from Sir Stirling on the Slot Track

Post author By Harlo
Post date March 4, 2011
No Comments on Race Commentary from Sir Stirling on the Slot Track

Quite the prize for the slot car championships of 1964. A new Ford Mustang and a $2000 scholarship is enough to make anyone’s slot controller trigger finger itchy.

Gear Racing Ephemera

Heuer Rally-Master

From the instruction manual:
“Rally-Master.
Perfect timekeeping with the Rally-Master combination.
The combination of an 8 day Master-Time with a Monte-Carlo timer on the same back plate permits simultaneous reading of the following times:
Master-Time:
Time of day (official time) or Total elapsed time.
Monte-Carlo:
Time of trip or Elapsed time during a lap.
The Rally-Master is of invaluable help when timing check-points are to be passed free of penalties.
All Heuer dashboard instruments are designed to be mounted at no extra cost on double, triple or quadruple plates. Just order the combination desired.
Technical description of the Monte-Carlo and Auto-Rally timers:
Strong lever movement, 7 jewels, incabloc shock absorbers, unbreakable mainspring. Dials with luminous figures and hands. Case with turning bezel with luminous pointer (instruction for use on page 2).

Timing limit:
± 1/2 second p. hour or ± 6 seconds per 12 hours.
Running time:
24 hours.”

Automotive Art For Sale Racing Ephemera

Gorgeously illustrated Muscle Cars Poster

Post author By Harlo
Post date February 4, 2011
No Comments on Gorgeously illustrated Muscle Cars Poster

Amilcar de Carvalho Fernandes’ beautiful poster of muscle cars from ’60—’74 is perfectly executed. Seeing the images close-up is what really sells it for me. Often these ‘lineup’ posters leave me lacking a bit, but the quality of the illustrations is so high that it feels so much better than other posters I’ve seen that use the same basic layout. Available from Amilcar de Carvalho Fernandes’ site. Looks like €20 well spent to me.

Those Mopar stripes get me every time.

via Ralf Becker

Grand Prix Racing Ephemera

Ok. Not EVERYTHING in F1 Has Gotten Worse.

Post author By Harlo
Post date February 3, 2011
No Comments on Ok. Not EVERYTHING in F1 Has Gotten Worse.

Wolfgang Von Trips passes a Martini Billboard. 1961 Dutch GP

Jessiqa Pace’s Martini Billboard Monaco GP 2009

Graphically, I prefer the 1961 version, but everything-else-ly, I prefer the 2009.

Porsche Racing Ephemera

1955’s Porsches as the Dealers Met Them

Post author By Harlo
Post date January 31, 2011
No Comments on 1955’s Porsches as the Dealers Met Them

Porsche pits are beehives – with sportswriters from all over posing as self-styled experts during these thrill-packed seconds.

Charlie White has shared this amazing artifact of Mid-50s Porsche ephemera in the form of the Factory Sales Binder for the complete model run. These manuals, which acted partly as brochure and partly as educational tool for dealers ride an interesting line halfway between internal and external document. As we expect of a car brochure that would go to the public, there are plenty of photos of the machines in action. For dealers, though, there are plenty of straight-up tables of data of the type that contemporary brochures almost universally lack. On top of that it’s just a tremendous document of the era and the cars.

Another interesting departure from the brochures and sales literature we’re used to seeing in the modern era; there’s no universal look and feel to these documents. This is truly a “sales binder” and feels like a loose collection of scrap book items and ephemera of every type.

Click on over to DerWhite’s 356 Literature for the complete set.

Historic Racing Photos Racing Ephemera Vintage Racing Advertising

Factories at Work: Bocar

Again, perhaps ‘factory’ is taking some liberties, but why should we diminish Bob Carnes’ efforts by referring to his Denver facility as a mere workshop?