Category: Racing Ephemera

Categories
Automotive Art Racing Ephemera

The Captivating Automotive Photography of Steffen Jahn

Any photographer worth a damn can make a technically proficient photograph of a car, but it takes something else to evoke the spirit of the car. That’s what is happening here.

There’s something special about Steffen Jahn’s imagery. Something that somehow makes you look past the mere form of the subject, even with all the historic legacy these subjects carry, and take us into a moment. Many of these shots look less like still photography and more like a still captured from a beautifully shot film. And it’s not just the specific film that these shots of a 917/512 duel typically conjures.

Head on over to Steffen’s site for more of his brilliant work. Perhaps as much as the beautiful racing imagery, I love his “Making of” gallery that shows he’s not just capturing arresting moments of these inspired machines; he’s having a damned good time doing it.

Categories
Historic Racing Photos Racing Ephemera

Menacing

Looking at this photo of an unidentified racing driver Dan Gurney from 1960, it’s hard to believe that “The Intimidator” was still available when people were deciding on a nickname for Dale Earnhardt after his masterful 1987 season.

Thanks Gary for identifying Dan Gurney for us!

Even better! Captain Ned was curious about this image, so he emailed AAR Racing. Incredibly, he received a reply from Evi Gurney herself. Evi says that Dan was experimenting with face protection well before his contemporaries—which led to the first full face helmet for driving.

“During the years that followed he worked with Bell Helmets in California where he helped to develop the first full face helmet. He had seen motorcycle racers wear similar ones at Ascot Raceway in California. Dan wore the first full face helmet at Indianapolis in 1968 and then also introduced it to Formula I racing at the British and German Grand Prix in 1968. He was at first a bit ridiculed but within months other drivers adopted the full face helmet and now we cannot imagine how they ever raced without them.”

Evi’s complete message is in the comments.

thanks, Captain Ned.

Categories
Racing Ephemera Vintage Racing Advertising

Maserati A6GCS 2000 c.c. Sport Competizione

I’ve always admired this perfect halfway point between Formula car and American hot rod. It’s just so masterfully stripped of un-necessary bits and so singularly purposeful that I can’t help but admire it as much for her simplicity as the glorious lines of her barely there aluminum bodywork. I can only imagine the joy of popping in to my local sports and racing car dealer and thumbing through the brochure while the proprietor finishes ordering this beauty from Bologna for me.

Doesn’t matter an ounce to me that I can’t read the specs. When it looks this good, who cares abut the specs? Quite simply, the Maserati A6GCS 2000 Sport Competizione is among the most beautiful cars.

Via Forum Auto.

Categories
Racing Ephemera

1959 Johannesburg 9 Hours Program

“Kyalami” loosely translated from Zulu is “My Home”. It’s a lovely name; evocative of the region and there’s something about the sentiment of it that I love. For Andrew Duncan though, it’s damn-near the literal truth. Andrew grew up a few miles from Kyalami and attended a variety of events with his father. He’s been scanning the programs from his collection and has graciously shared them here.

This event, however, pre-dates the opening of Kyalami by two years. This second 9-Hours endurance race was held on the then aging Grand Central Circuit. In the pre-Kyalami years the race was much more of a local affair, with nearly all of the entrants being South Africans.

Locals Chris Fergusson and Hugh Carrington took the win in Carrington’s Dart-Climax (via). It’s fun to consider when we look upon these pages that the 9 Hours was on the brink of becoming a major international event.

Thanks again, Andrew. There’ll be more scans from his collection here soon. In the meantime, check out previous posts from the Andrew Duncan Collection.

Categories
Classic Sportscar Ferrari Racing Ephemera

A Steady Hand

Love this shot of a sign painter at work from the USA Diligence Flickr stream of Jim Kimberly’s Ferrari 166 MM being prepared for a race at Palm Springs. Check out more of Kimberly’s Ferrari here.

Thanks John for pointing this one out!

Categories
Racing Ephemera

1966 Kyalami 9 Hours Program Scans

Andrew wrote in to say, “I grew up in Johannesburg and luckily for me, my father was a racing fan. Kyalami was eleven miles from our doorstep and we seldom missed events. Annual highlights were the 9- hour endurance race , the first week in November and the Grand Prix. I have programmes from the early 60’s and early 70’s that I’m scanning and would love to share them with you guys if you’re interested.”

Yes. Yes, I’m interested.

These scans from the 1966 9 Hours at Kyalami are a favorite. I suspect that most collectors would see the tattered pages and missing corner and pass it right by. But it’s these tattered corners that make it so great for me is Andrew’s story. “I remembering my dad saying that he’d lost his programme and Ran under the grandstand a half hour before the finish to find this one!”

This program. This one right here. That’s what makes it so perfect.

Ordinarily, I might celebrate the victory of David Piper and Richard Attwood in their Ferrari 365 P2/3. But if you ask me, the winner of the day was Andrew’s father; finding reclaiming his tattered program from beneath the bleachers.

Thanks for sending this, Andrew. We’ll be sharing more scans from the Andrew Duncan Collection in the coming weeks.

Categories
Racing Ephemera Vintage Racing Advertising

Fantastic, Super-Sonic Stereo Sounds!

Dan Gurney and his world of racing now on record.
Great, interesting, commentary by Dan! Fantastic, super-sonic stereo sounds!
Featuring: The Motor Trend 5000, The Times Grand Prix
Plus… Brabham-Climax, Lotus-Ford Indy Car, Ford GT, Daytona Coupe, Dragon Snake
There’s more! Only $4.98 (plus tax)
Order today and receive this free bonus!
If you order now, and autographed 8 by 10 photo of Dan suitable for framing will be enclosed with your album free of charge.
Mail your order to: Mobile Fidelity Records, P.O. Box 336, Burbank Calif. 91503

So who’s got a digitized copy of this for me?

Categories
Racing Ephemera

Fastest Paperboy in Town

Categories
Racing Ephemera

Motor Racing Magazine Covers

More reminders of the decline of magazine cover design.

Categories
Racing Ephemera Vintage Racing Advertising

Shopping the 1960 Heuer Rally Timer Catalog

Whenever I stumble across these old ads and catalogs I’m reminded how temporal value is. It seems obvious, of course, that today’s highly collectible and rare racing part or accessory was yesterday’s common off-the-shelf product. Today any of these dash-mounted Heuer timers would cause a bidding frenzy on eBay or Pelican Parts. In 1960 one of them could have been yours for about fifty bucks.

I’m reminded of a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark which describes this phenomenon so wonderfully. The villain, René Belloq, holds up a pocket watch and says, “Look at this. It’s worthless. Ten dollars from a vendor in the street. But I take it, I bury it in the sand for a thousand years, it becomes priceless! Like the Ark. Men will kill for it; men like you and me.”

Now I don’t think anyone is going to kill for a Heuer dash timer. Maybe give it a few more years.

See the complete catalog at On the Dash.