Is there anything more romantic than the Circuito Madonie?
Professional Italian Production:
And amateur shot 8mm:
Bellissimo.
Categories
Tag: Vintage Racing
Categories
Targa Florio ’66 in Photos
The Baghetti/Guichet Ferrari Dino Coupe would finish 2nd, 9 minutes behind the winning 906. 
Ok. Ok. Wipe the drool off your keyboard.
I know she’s a beauty. The 908 Spyders seem to have the iconic Targa Florio glory, but this coupé example, in her original factory orange & white Shell sponsored livery, proves that the hardtop can look every bit as good as Number 12. Well… almost, anyway.
This example, chassis 908.018, has a short but successful racing history at the hands of Hans Herrmann and Kurt Ahrens. She debuted at the ’68 Austrian Grand Prix at Zeltweg, where she qualified 3rd and finished 2nd behind Siffert’s 908 sister car. This World Championship event was 908.018’s only major event attended for the car. I guess Porsche was at a place where they didn’t think a 1st and 2nd finish in a debut race was good enough anymore and set about re-bodying the 908. Of course, the various body configurations of the 908 would be strong finishers for quite some time, the long-tailed version nearly winning the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1969. It wasn’t until well into the 917’s development that the drivers were willing to abandon the reliable 908 for the terrifying 917.
After the factory stopped running 908.018, the car was entered, but didn’t run in the 1973 LeMans by Reinhold Jöst, Mario Casoni, and Paul Blancpain. The car then fell out of competition and into museum display. She re-emerged in the 90s, and with a freshen up from the Porsche factory in 1994, the car looks ready to compete.
Amazingly, the car is offered with British road registration and can legally be used on the road! Not that I’d trust my €1.1Million car to the hopped-up Civic pulling up behind me at a stop light.
More at seller Kidston’s detail page and pdf catalog.
Knowing where to place your pressure sensitive labels is an important part of your slot racing team strategy. Now you won’t be in the dark when you’re assembling your GTO or DB5.
Revell Corvette Stingray Assembly Instructions 
Revell Slot Car Bodies Ad 
Revell Chaparral Assembly Instructions 
Revell Aston Martin DB5 Assembly Instructions 
Revell Cobra Slot Car Assembly Instructions
Remember slot racers, magnets are for wimps; and me.
via.
Marlboro Speedway, southeast of Washington DC hosted a variety of SCCA events in the mid 60s. It may have never achieved the fame of Lime Rock or Road America or the Glen, but it looks like it was a fun venue, as these photos document. This is from a 12 hour endurance held in the Summer of ’66, but I’m not able to find much additional information on this specific race. Thankfully, these photos from Cliff Rullman highlight the race in wonderful Kodachrome. I love seeing VW Bugs mix it up with Cortinas and Alfas.
See the complete series of 50 photos here.
Along with the map and video from earlier today, here are some photos from the 1966 or 67 road races held on the temporary street circuit along the beach in Tijuana. There’s some street action with the Formula Vees entering turn one at the end of the long beachside straight, the drivers in the production class lining up for their LeMans start, and some track shots of some MGAs and Sprites. Excellent stuff here.
Now that looks like a happy bunch of drivers.
Categories
Monaco 1959 in Pictures
I stumbled across some photos recently of the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix. I’m always struck when I see these how close to the action people were. On balance, of course, I’m glad that spectator safety has improved in the decades since these photos were shot. Today though, and in terms of seeing the event, you’re much better off watching a race on television than attending. Of course there’s always the excitement of a live event, and the people and atmosphere are always half the show.
The last Grand Prix I attended — the ill-fated 2005 USGP — I found myself wandering the field during what became a Ferrari practice session and could get no closer to the track than 30 or more feet. That was a spot to watch one turn through three fences and over the tope of a tire barrier; so I could see the top third of each car. I suppose it beats getting hit with debris from a crash, but neither is really a solution.
Categories
LeMans 1966 as Told by the Drivers
This clip of 1966 LeMans highlights, which looks to have been pulled from an episode of Legends of Motorsport (where’s a Legends of Motorsport DVD box set, Speed Channel?) has some very nice details, including voice over narration from Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, and Carroll Shelby.
The absolute highlight, though, has to be the footage of the go-kart racing on the carnival midway starting about 3.5 minutes in. Excellent footage of some 9 or 10 year old boys sprinting and leaping into their sportscar bodied karts complete with bucket crash helmets and miniature Dunlop blues. The voice over by John Wyer, while they race is describing the race at LeMans, but meshes very well with the karting action. Great stuff.
(via LoudPopVoyager)
Categories
