Category: Video

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Porsche Video

The World’s Greatest Traffic Jam

The Monterey Historics are underway. There’s more racing action today, but I’m pleased to see that video from day one is already arriving on YouTube. Here’s just another stroll through the paddock as the Porsches line up for the featured marque parade. Keep your eyes peeled for the yellow Porsche 917 – this is the 917-021 that Gunnar Racing has been documenting the restoration of. They finished it in time for the historics, which is an impressive restoration pace for any car. My hat’s off to the Gunnar racing team on this. I’m amazed that they finished it in time.

There’s a whole lot more to love in this video, from Porsche 550 Spyders to RSKs to 908/3, to 935: this one video showcases virtually every Porsche racing model. I’m impressed that the cameraman didn’t fall to his knees and weep when he got to the end of the row.

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Video

Mike Hawthorn and His D-Type Tour of the 1956 La Sarthe Circuit

Speaking of 1950s Jaguars, why don’t we let Mike Hawthorn show us the ropes for the 1956 Le Mans?

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Classic Cycle Racing Ephemera Video

Moto-Champ Arcade Classic

This has been getting some play on the motorcycle blogs, but the sheer beauty of this demands that I share it with you. This 1973 (non-video) arcade game is a thing of engineering and aesthetic joy. In the pre-video era, these remarkable coin-op games were not uncommon, and growing up in Michigan meant I could occasionally visit Marvin’s Mechanical Museum, which is a living museum of classic coin-ops. I don’t think ole’ Marvin has one of these, but if he did, I might have to move in.

This arcade game gives the customer, through a set of handlebars, control over a motorcycle which weaves, through traffic on its way to the finish line. Unlike some arcade driving games of the era, this game does not have small vehicles riding across a spinning treadmill to simulate motion. This game can do away with the visible strings holding the participants by using magnets to push the competitor motorcycles over a static play surface. The video does a much better job of explaining it than I ever could. It’s definitely worth a watch.

Needless to say, I’ve got a new obsession for an object to put in the garage. I’m not sure if this one is more or less expensive than a real race bike from the era would be. I’m also not sure which would be more fun.

More at The New Cafe Racer Society.

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Video

Formula 1: Nell’Inferno del Grand Prix

Nell'Inferno del Grand Prix

I’ve been enamored with this movie poster since it popped up on l’Arte el l’Automobile a month ago, but haven’t been sure what to do with it. Certainly we can just appreciate it for what it is, but I wanted to know more. More about the bunch of Italian racing b-movies that never made it to the States. Which of course got me wondering how I was going to see these (probably terrible) films. How could I incorporate them into the ‘car movie night’ parties I’ve been known to throw from time to time?

Search after search yielded nothing, and I have to admit it was getting to me. This review on IMDB should have quelled my desires.

“When I found this movie on DVD in a store, I thought that it might be a B-Movie with a bad story, but good driving-scenes. What a mistake!

1. The story of this botch is not worth mentioning, the performance of the actors is not worth mentioning and there are a couple of cut scenes that are repeated in quick succession that everybody should notice.

2. As a fan of old Grand Prix Racing I thought it would be nice to see some old Formula 1 action, but that hope was disappointed too: The racing-scenes with the actors are on such an unrealistic level that it hurts. It seems to me, that they looked at a couple of 4 year old boys playing with their toys and directly realized it for the movie.”

Is there something wrong with me that I still want to see it anyways?

Then, by pure happenstance, I came across the opening sequence of the film on YouTube today. The synchronicity was too good to pass up.

What precious little information I’ve been able to find is all nicely summarized on the Internet Movie Cars Database.

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Video

Sebring 1967

I know I’ve said it before, but the recent increase of people digitizing their old 8mm home-movies and uploading them to YouTube continues to be a major source of delight. This time, it’s footage from the 1967 12 Hours race at Sebring. It looks like our cameraman picked a good corner to stakeout, lots of overtaking and a few harrowing spins here.

Mario Andretti and Bruce McLaren brought home the checkers from pole in their Mk IV Ford GT40 by a whopping 12 laps. Their Ford teammates A.J. Foyt and Lloyd Ruby were second; with the Mitter/Patrick Porsche 910 in third.

The program cover artist was pretty insightful when he crafted this cover, it shows 2 GT40s and a 910. Nice call on the podium finish!

Racing Sports Cars has photos and race details.

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Video

Elkhart Lake Kohler Challenge Vintage Parade

We pulled into Elkhart Lake for the 2009 Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman last Friday night hoping to catch the parade of vintage cars from the track into downtown Elkhart Lake for a small concours d’elegance on the streets of my favorite small town. Parked in front of Siebkens, the crowds and the rain kept us from taking in too much of the rows of gorgeous machines lining both sides of the street. So, as is traditional, we disappeared into the Siebkens bar for a few Spotted Cows. When we finally made our way back into the streets, we caught this procession of the cars making their way back to Road America.

I’ve identified as many of the machines as I could in this video. It really says something when there’s just too many GT40s and Cobras to accurately identify which one belongs with which driver. Ah, Elkhart.

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Video

Martin Brundle’s Ride in a Lotus 49

As part of the lead-up to the 60th anniversary of Formula 1, Martin Brundle has taken a few of the sports more iconic racing machines for a spin. This segment features a favorite of mine, The Lotus 49.

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Video

Walter Cronkite at Speed

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, we’ve lost “the most trusted man in America”. It wasn’t until today that I found out having spent the weekend at the Kohler International/Brian Redman Challenge at Road America (more on that to come as I sort out my photos and video from the weekend).

Cronkite was also once a promising young racing driver in the 1950s, campaigning his Volvo PV444 at endurance events on the East Coast, as well as piloting a Lancia at the ’59 Sebring endurance race. There’s a lot more wonderful information about Cronkite’s racing and race-reporting at this New York Times article.

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Video

The Scorpion Tales: Abarth

I was contacted recently by a member of Abarth’s digital media team, who sent along this trailer for an upcoming documentary on the Italian engine tuner. This focuses a bit on the re-emergence of the brand alongside the reborn Fiat 500, and promises that Abarth’s tuning will be a part of Fiat racing for a good while now. Perhaps more intriguing to Chicane readers, are the glimpses of historic footage here with the hopes that finished film will feature a great deal of history of this remarkable engineer and his firm.

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Ferrari Video

Pierre Scerri’s Homebrew Ferrari 312PB

I was reminded this morning of Pierre Scerri’s epic build of his own Ferrari 312PB. Unfortunately, he built it at 1:3 scale. Remarkably, it’s completely drivable (if you could find a driver small enough), and conforms to Ferrari’s original engine design and gearing. The build took 15 years to complete and is an amazing achievement. This was all completed in 1992 and since then he’s built another for a collector. He’s currently working on 330P4 and a 250GTO.

Barbie’s dream house never had a better stocked garage…

Here are a couple of progress shots from his current model builds, head over to his site for more details.