Categories
Grand Prix Racing Ephemera

Jim Clark Racing Coveralls at Auction

Just when the mania of the Monterey weekend events and auctions die down, we’re getting ready for the Goodwood Revival and the associated auctions.

There are, of course, many amazing racing cars coming available, but this lot from Bonham’s upcoming Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia auction really struck a chord with me. The set of two-piece racing Dunlop blues was a gift from Clark to his accountant’s motorfan son. The auction catalog says this race suit was race-worn and will include a photo of Clark wearing them in 1965, but doesn’t specify the race.

The GPDA badge on the chest was a gift given separately, and added to the suit by the young fan. I don’t know the age of the boy that received this marvelous gift, but I like to imagine him draped in the oversized race suit and making engine noises in a pedal car or refrigerator box. I almost like this artifact of motoring history for the story after they were Clark’s as much as their provenance with the champion.

Bonham’s estimates the suit will sell for £2,000 – 4,000. See the lot details page for more detail.

Categories
Historic Racing Photos

Monterey Photo Gallery

Finally, worthy competition for a Porsche 550.

Ok, I promise this is my last Monterey Historics post for a while—probably. Besides, with Goodwood right around the corner, I’ll have plenty of the best vintage racecars to overdose on.

That being said, Sports Car Digest’s compiled photo gallery is really worth a look. It may be a little photoshoppy for some, but most of the processing looks intended to evoke the period of the car being photographed. Nice stuff.

Categories
Ferrari Historic Racing Photos Porsche

Sebring 1959 in Pictures

Gurney’s Ferrari passes the Salvadori / Shelby Aston Martin DBR1. The Aston would shortly drop out of the race with a broken gearshift lever.
Moss made up a lot of ground through the rain in Cunningham’s Lister Jaguar to finish 6th.
Von Trips at the wheel of his Porsche 718RSK would take a class victory and finish 3rd overall.
Jean Behra’s Ferrari 250 TR would ultimately finish 2nd.
Ultimately though, the day belonged to the No. 7 Ferrari 250TR Fantuzzi Spyder co-piloted by Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Chuck Daigh, and Olivier Gendebien.

More Sebring ’59 photos at Racing Sports Cars.

Categories
Classic Cycle Video

1949 Motorcycle Racing on Daytona Beach

Speedway? We don’t need a speedway.
Categories
Classic Cycle Video

Indian Motorcycle Board Tracker Footage

Board track cycle footage is exceedingly rare. Board track cycle footage of this quality is virtually unheard of. Makes me wonder what other tremendous racing footage is rotting in the film cans in the basements around the world.
Categories
Racing Ephemera Track Maps of the Past

Track Map of the Past

Karlskoga, Gelleråsen

Track maps have sure taken a turn for the worse since this illustration of the Swedish track Karlskoga, Gelleråsen. It’s absolutely fantastic. Dig the illustrated saloon cars racing around the front straight. Perfect.

Compare with the modern official map, and mourn the passing of elegance and style.

Categories
Event Porsche Video

More Monterey Historics Video

More video is finding its way online in the days following the Monterey Historics. Here’s a lovely example: the starting grid for Group 7 rolling out. A field that includes Porsche 917s, 910s, 906, and others. Hallelujah!

Here’s another for the Porschephiles among us. Let’s take a walk among the amazing machines that Porsche brought from their collection. Everything from the LeMans winning Herrmann/Attwood 917 (wow), to a pair of Porsche 804 Formula 1 cars (wow!), to the Redman/Siffert Targa Florio 908/3 (wow!!). Amazing.

Categories
Event Ferrari

Testa Rossa Mayhem at Monterey

This is a bit heartbreaking. If you suffer from heart problems, are pregnant, or have a weak stomach, by all means look away.

This Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa driver had a bit of an off at Laguna Seca this weekend and put one of the most beautiful cars of all time all the way through the kitty litter and into the tires. It largely looks like body damage, but it’s a chilling sight nonetheless.

I love to see vintage cars driven hard, wheel to wheel; the drivers getting a little competitive. Unfortunately, this is the price we sometimes have to pay for that passion. I don’t know what happened at this race, and I don’t say any of this to place blame on this driver. Aggressive contact and carelessness are terribly rare at vintage events, and I’m assuming that this wasn’t the result of either. I hope he wasn’t injured. It looks like a glancing blow on the tires, so hopefully he’s alright.

I’m looking for a silver lining here; I guess this is good news for restorers.
You can click on any of these photos for larger versions—but I wouldn’t recommend it. Octane had an excellent photographer in the right place at the right time and has the complete sequence of photos that led us here.

Octane has been really on top of Monterey coverage this weekend and I commend them for it. They’re really taking care of the vintage racing junkies that are trapped at home in front of our computers waiting desperately for information from the Historics.

Update: an incredibly comprehensive set of photos of this crash is available at AutoBlog. They report that the driver, David Love, is a long-time Monterey Historics competitor who suffered a brake failure in the corkscrew. David was dazed, but unhurt.

Categories
Ferrari Video

I’ll Take One.

Here’s what a few hundred million dollars worth of Ferrari GTOs looks like.

Categories
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.