This is the tale of a wonderful old racing machine, now fast approaching its 100^th birthday but still enjoying an active competition life in the hands of vintage racing enthusiast and collector Andrew Larson.

The post The 1927 Bugatti Type 37A Was Everyman’s Racecar appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

In Italy, a country that’s home to numerous small, specialized companies making exotic sports and racing cars, few can compete with SVA in their combination of obscurity with exotic engineering. Turin’s SVA flourished briefly at the end of the 1940s and produced at maximum two cars and a few more chassis. Yet the dazzling design of one of them, a single-seater, well-deserved its presentation by leading publications around the world.

SVA can best be viewed as a spiritual offshoot of Turin’s Cisitalia. That company, brainchild of industrialist and passionate car enthusiast Piero Dusio, created a sensation with its thrusting initiatives at a time when Italy’s major carmakers were struggling to recover from the privations of the wartime years. With its 1,100-cc single-seaters and sports cars Cisitalia was a shining star, attracting the best drivers of the day including Germany’s Hans Stuck and the unforgettable Tazio Nuvolari.

The post Savonuzzi and His Spectacular SVA appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

For the burgeoning Formula Two category for 1½-liter cars, French star driver Jean Behra based a new racing car of his own on Porsche components. In 1959, it showed its class by beating the factory Porsches in the year’s biggest F2 race.

Built in Modena, Italy, in 1959, for French racing champion Jean Behra, the Behra-Porsche was a handsomer and, in its time, more successful car than Porsche’s own first open-wheeled effort. “I like Porsches very much, above all because I had such great successes with them last year,” said Behra, explaining why Ferrari’s number one team driver would take the trouble to build his own car. “I’d like to try out a few things I’ve thought up on the basis of my racing experience in recent years. This project with the Formula Two car is tremendous fun for me!”

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Fed up with seeing their major races won by the Germans in the 1930s, the Italians allowed only 1½-liter entries in their 1939 races to eliminate their opposition. They reckoned without the astonishing skills of the Daimler-Benz Racing Department.

The most glamorous Grand Prix race of the 1930s was not at Monaco, not at Dubai, not at Singapore. It was in Northern Africa in the Italian colony of Libya, at Tripoli. To the racing teams, especially those emerging from winter in rainy France or foggy Germany, sailing to Tripoli in May was a liberating journey to a paradise of Arabian opulence under the sun and palms. Only when the hot, salty ghibli blew from the sea, stirring up red sand and biting fleas, was this exotic land less than hospitable to its distinguished guests?

The post V for Voiturette: A Look at the 1939 Mercedes-Benz W165 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

In the midst of Britain’s post-war turmoil engineer Reid Railton was freshly out of a job at the beginning of 1923. So was his friend Henry Spurrier III, although he  was still working at Leyland Motors but on a reduced salary. Born in June of 1898, Henry Spurrier “Junior” was three years less eight days younger than Reid Railton. “A great deal of both work and leisure time was spent in each other’s company,” wrote Hugh Tours. Spurrier and Railton, close in years, became life-long friends.

Unfinished business remained at Leyland. The company’s directors, wrote Miles Thomas in The Motor, “have come to the decision to investigate the question of the market for a small and cheap chassis suitable alternatively for a light car and a 10 to 15 cwt. van. It is intended at first to produce the chassis in very small numbers in the experimental shops of the company.”

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In 1977, Porsche’s “improvised” Type 936/77 took on the full-court press of four Renaults at Le Mans. Retirements and technical troubles suggested that winning was out of the question. But neither its drivers nor Porsche number 4 believed that.

Against strong opposition from Alpine-Renault and Alfa Romeo, Porsche took the world sports car championship in 1976 with its 936. This was a car it had “improvised,” said Ernst Fuhrmann, made from parts from one car and another, “just to stop others from having it too easy.”

The post Against All Odds: Porsche’s 1977 Le Mans Victory appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

My wife made an offer on a house in New Zealand while vacationing there with her family a few years ago. She is a realtor, and not an impulsive person, so I did not object, especially after she mentioned that it had a four-car garage. I was a bit apprehensive on the flight over though, wondering what we were getting ourselves into.

A couple of hours after arrival, we were driving up a lush green hill, overlooking the ocean on a beautiful warm summer day—in January. The seasons are reversed here. We wound up and around and came to a park in which there were six or seven Jowett Javelins and Jupiters along with a couple of tiny Bradford trucks also built by Jowett. I asked the cabbie to stop, and walked over to a red 1951 Jupiter to get a closer look. I had only ever seen pictures of them.

The post The Major’s Jupiter: A Look at the 1951 Jowett Jupiter appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

“Who painted this D-Type red?” was my thought when I first laid eyes on this legendary machine. Most of the Jaguar competition cars are BRG— British Racing Green—a livery thought by many to be “proper” for a car of this ilk. Sure a few black, blue, or even white cars are out there, but a bright red car stands out like a low-cut sequin cocktail dress at the Queen’s tea party. In answer to my question: it was born that way.

Yes, Jaguar made this car and one other D-Type, bright red with matching red seats. One theory is that it was intended to be sold new in Italy, where red is the color of preference for Italian racers, but the real reason for the color remains a mystery, adding to the mystique of one of the greatest racing car designs ever created.

The post Driving One of Only Two Factory-Red 1956 Jaguar D-Type XKD 518s appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

A tiny red car is mixing it up at the Monterey Historic Races with 356 Porsches, Morgans, Corvettes, Lotuses and Alfas on the track. “What is that thing?” a fellow racer with a Ferrari on the pre-grid says. The same question has been asked at different racing events around the globe for the last five decades. The mystery car is diminutive in size and its features are not exactly what one would call beautiful. To many, it is as puzzling to identify today as it was when these cars first hit the track over 50 years ago. However, the Mini Marcos is legendary and coveted by those in the know. A fierce competitor in period, as it is today in vintage racing.

The story of the Mini Marcos began in 1959, in Dolgellau, North Wales, when Jem Marsh and Frank Costin founded Marcos Engineering. The name Marcos is derived from a contraction of the founder’s surnames (MARsh and COStin). Jem Marsh was an engineer, and his Luton, England based company, Speedex Castings and Accessories Ltd, manufactured and provided parts for Austin Sevens, based on Marsh’s successful Speedex 750 racing special.

The post A Look at “Elmo”, the Marvelous 1967 Mini Marcos appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

During the late ’50s and early ’60s American racers were doing battle in a wide variety of homebuilt racecars and Specials. Taking production car engines and chassis and creating their own unique take on a competition car. They may have been quick, but many had a look only a mother (their creator) could love. This wasn’t the case with a car built by John Sabel.

Sabel was from the San Francisco Bay Area and like his friends, and many others, he fell under the spell of the automobile. Saving his money from odd jobs he finally scraped enough together to buy himself a Ford Model A. That car and successive others were his means of transportation. Sabel eventually picked up a hot-rodded ’29 coupe that was owned by Joe Huffaker and became, dare I say it, “fast friends.” They both became members of the Marin Coupe and Roadster Club.

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Eventually, Mr. Reigel graduated from being a simple enthusiast and is now a part owner and CEO of one of the most successful and monumentally historic race tracks in North America, Lime Rock Park.

A Historic Racing Landmark

Lime Rock Park, Located in naturally beautiful northwest Connecticut, is among some of the oldest speedways in the United States and has played a key role in the history of motorsport since 1957, when it first opened. Originally a sand and gravel quarry, ground was first broken in 1956, and since then, it has hosted some of the most famous and historically significant icons in motorsport, such as Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Mark Donohue, Tom Kristensen, and countless others. Of the three major continuously operated North American road racing circuits established from 1955-1957, Road America, Laguna Seca, and Lime Rock, Connecticut’s own historic raceway remains the only one of the three to remain completely unchanged from its original track layout. Even after the complete re-paving of 2008, no apex was skewed, no turn was altered, and no other track aspect was modified.

A Timeless Setting

This mantra of tradition still shines through today. Tradition, beauty, and speed are Lime Rock’s main slogan. Being as old as it is, Lime Rock has nurtured generation after generation of motorsport and automobile enthusiasts. Lime Rock has hosted virtually every major North American race series, including IMSA, American Le Mans Series, Nascar, Trans Am, SCCA, and others. LRP pulls from its past to curate events that provoke the same feelings of tradition, beauty, and speed that have been felt since the original days of SCCA races in the 50s and 60s.

I took the time to meet with Mr. Reigel to discuss his connection with motorsport and Lime Rock Park, but also to capture the essence of Lime Rock as an environment of natural beauty and comfort and a feeling of nostalgia and history. Immediately as you enter the main paddock, you can see the original building from 1957. The stands are still intact, although unused, to ensure they remain preserved. Surrounded by mountains and guided along a river, the track truly is beautiful.

Adding to the beauty of the surroundings was the 2023 season pace car speeding around the track. The world’s fastest SUV, an Aston Martin DBX 707 provided by a long-time partner of the track, Miller Motorcars, wrapped in a bright green livery resembling the current Formula One Safety Car and nicknamed “Limey McQueen” as voted by Lime Rock fans.

I wanted to combine shots of Mr. Reigel speeding down the historic No Name Straight (now the Skip Barber Straight), flying through the uphill, and around Big Bend, followed by a series of shots compiled by the Lime Rock Historical Archives in order to portray the untouched figure of LRP. Many of these vintage shots are accumulations of Trans Am from 1970 and 1988, as well as SCCA clips from the 60s and early 70s. My hope is that this video evokes the senses of tradition, beauty, and speed and can help connect you to the history of racing and remind you of the first time a race car caught your eye.

Watch The Interview

The post Racing Through Time: The Legacy of Richard Reigel and Lime Rock Park appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Where do we start with the story of the March 761? In true Sound of Music fashion—at the very beginning. In the late 1960s, a band of four guys, Max Mosley (a barrister), Alan Rees (a former racing driver), Grahame Coaker (engineer and racing driver) and lastly, Robin Herd (a designer), came together to form March. Their dream was to design, build and sell competitive “customer” Formula One racing cars, as well as running a “works” team. It seemed so simple; a Cosworth DFV engine, a Hewland gearbox, an in-house chassis, aluminum body and four lumps of rubber courtesy of Dunlop, Goodyear or Firestone at each corner and anyone could go racing. Funding had now become available to Formula One through sponsorship, as the FIA had relaxed rules governing Grand Prix racing teams, which were now on a similar financial road as American racing series where commercial backing and advertising had been the norm for many years.

The 1970 season started incredibly well, of five race starts (two heats at the International Trophy Races, Silverstone) March managed three poles and four wins, a record on a par with the dominant 1954 Mercedes Silver Arrows! So, there was no surprise in Round Three of the championship, when Jackie Stewart again put his March on pole with Chris Amon sharing the front row at the “Jewel in the Crown” Monaco GP. Enter Swedish racing driver Ronnie Peterson, a young, bright, superstar in the making who hit the Formula One grid at Monte Carlo, driving a sixth March entered by Colin Crabbe’s Antique Automobiles racing team. Peterson had given March its racing debut at Cadwell Park, driving the 693 Formula Three car—so he was part of their DNA. He would have been racing earlier in the 1970 season, but his car wasn’t ready. Making the cut for the race was his first hurdle—only 16 cars were allowed to start at Monaco that year—which he did in 13th position. For March, however, the Monaco race showed flaws, only Peterson was classified as a finisher, in 7th place. Siffert and Amon, the works drivers, together with Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell March all retired (Servoz-Gavin, Stewart’s teammate failing to qualify).

The post Rare Winner—1976 March 761/6 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Benetton’s standing in F1 

Like many of today’s Formula One teams, the Benetton outfit morphed from an existing team, Toleman, then itself became Renault and today it is operating under the banner of Lotus F1. Benetton first began competing in its own right beginning in 1986 with the Benetton B186-BMW. The team’s first drivers were Teo Fabi and Gerhard Berger, with the latter giving the team its first win at the Mexican GP, the penultimate race of the year, following a season that had been dominated by the Williams and McLaren teams. Prior to competing under its own name, the Italian clothing brand Benetton had sponsored Tyrrell, Alfa Romeo and Toleman, bringing along a certain vibrancy to the outward appearance of the cars with their striking liveries. This joie de vivre embraced the team as a whole in later years with the charismatic Flavio Briatore at the helm, flamboyant car launches and disco music booming from their pit garages. Benetton portrayed a totally different speed of Formula One, way ahead of its time and with a style that, indeed, is now emulated up and down today’s F1 pit lane. During its history it courted controversy too, as well as changing the team nationality from British to Italian in 1996.

Their first car, the Benetton B186, was simply a Toleman in Benetton clothing—sorry about the pun! It was designed by Rory Byrne, Toleman’s chief engineer, who would become a key component of the future for both Benetton and Ferrari as well as, more importantly, Michael Schumacher. Formula One at that time embraced turbo engine power, and the B186 was fitted with BMW’s version. The following season Benetton turned to Ford for its engine, but “the writing was on the wall” for turbo power as it was to be banned from the start of the 1989 season. The team would become virtually a Ford “works” team with regard to engines during this transitional time, and as such was a force to be reckoned with, regularly finishing right behind the might of Williams and McLaren in the Constructors table.

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Automobiles Martini tasted success in the French Formula Three Championship on a regular basis. Race wins and championship success were commonplace for cars designed and manufactured by “Tico” Martini and his loyal team. Race victories around the streets of Monte Carlo were common too, with the most important Formula Three race in the world being won 10 times by a Martini. The 1982 MK37 is one of those winning designs.

CONTINUING THE WINNING WAYS

Martini Formula Three cars were winners, and everyone involved in French motorsport wanted it to stay that way. Each year, when a new Martini MK chassis was launched, the question asked was, “Can it win at Monaco?” In those days, the Monaco F3 race was the race to win, more important than any single championship success and it was a race that Martini cars were very good at winning.

The post Monaco Specialist—1982 Martini MK37 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

The Porsche 356 is really the car that “started it all” for the iconic Porsche marque. Manufactured between 1948 and 1965, the Porsche 356 is the automobile that allowed the company to develop. This car is responsible for starting the world’s love affair with rear-engined machines. These rear-engined cars remain as popular with people today as ever before. The 356 is the car that took the Porsche marque from humble beginnings to that of an iconic manufacturer. Versions of the 356 car competed at Le Mans and started the marque’s love affair with the famous 24-hour race. This love affair will start all over again for the company this year, when two factory-supported LMP1-specification 919 cars will compete at La Sarthe in the 2014 Grand Prix d’Endurance.

A CAR IS BORN

The Type 356 can be regarded as the first real Porsche sports car. Prior to the outbreak of World War ll, Porsche designed and built three Type 64 cars for the Berlin to Roma race—but this event was cancelled due to the outbreak of European hostilities. After the war, Porsche built a mid-engined, tubular-chassis car, called “No. 1”—this car was the prototype 356. The car is considered by the marque, and its enthusiasts, to be the first production example.

The post First Arrival – 1953 Porsche 356 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Making its debut in 1963, the Rover P6 was introduced as the new jewel in the crown of the Rover fleet. The car was voted European Car of the Year in 1964 and it revelled in the glow of Britain’s last true motor manufacturing era. By the time the P6 reached the end of its shelf life in 1977, Britain’s motor car industry was in a spiral of decline from which it would never recover.

The Rover P6 in its road-going 2-liter, 2.2-liter or mighty 3.5-liter specification was popular. Built at Solihull in the British West Midlands, the Rover was very much the executive’s car of the era. Used by company managers and by the police as a “Panda” car, the Rover was a car of style and only a Jaguar parked on your driveway allowed the man of middle England to feel he enjoyed a higher social standing.

The post Wild Rover – 1966 Rover P6 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

It can’t be denied that the world of motor racing, both contemporary and historic, is saturated with egos. Some would say that it’s all really driven by egos, and that is sometimes directly connected to the size of the wallet. Perhaps without such egos we wouldn’t have motor racing at all.

So egos are certainly important, but there is something else that’s behind so many involved in motor racing and, in particular, historic motor sport. I am referring of course to the passion that many have for the sport. A passion that is so strong in some that it outweighs the need for podium finishes and is certainly far stronger than whatever shekels may influence others.

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The early 1950s found Enzo Ferrari’s burgeoning company quickly climbing the steep end of the power curve. His sports and racing cars, powered by the company’s now signature V12 engine in its various displacements, were proving successful not only on the racetracks of the world, but commercially with customers as well. While Ferrari’s 2-liter V12 showed great success in Formula Two, by 1950 competition from four-cylinder power plants like the Alta engine in the HWM was beginning to give the Prancing Stallion a run for its money. Added to this was the decision by the FIA ultimately to do away with the 1.5-liter supercharged or 4.5-liter naturally aspirated formula, but strangely, not until the 1954 season. With almost two intervening years of a “lame duck” formula, it seemed highly unlikely that any manufacturer would invest money in an engine or program with only a one or two year shelf life. With a new 2.5-liter, normally aspirated formula on the horizon for 1954, it made more sense for teams to bide their time and prepare for the new formula.

Four for the Future

During this same period of time, Enzo Ferrari had two primary engine designers in his employ, Gioacchino Colombo and Aurelio Lampredi. Colombo had been the primary architect of the smaller displacement 2-liter V12 engine being utilized in Ferrari’s then current F2 car. However, looking toward the future, Lampredi argued that a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine would benefit from being smaller, having more torque, fewer moving parts and less internal frictional loss. Ultimately, Ferrari agreed to let him prove his hypothesis, and by the beginning of 1951, Lampredi had the first of his 2-liter, four-cylinder power plants on the dyno in Modena. Using a 90-mm bore and 78-mm stroke, Lampredi’s four-banger produced a solid 170-hp right out of the box, giving it a 10-hp advantage over the existing 2-liter, Colombo-designed V12.

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The 1950s and 1960s were a time of rapid change in both the road and racecar world. Technology was advancing quickly and with this advancement, it became increasingly harder and harder for a lone individual—either engineer or visionary—to be solely responsible for a complete automobile. Yet, some amazing vehicles were given birth during this time by some of the last of these automotive prodigies. One such automotive savant was Italian Giotto Bizzarrini. A tenacious and talented engineer and development driver, Bizzarrini either created or played a major role in some of the most iconic cars of the 1960s, including several built under his own name. Any true understanding of Bizzarrini’s cars, however, first requires an understanding of the man, as the two are virtually inseparable.

Born Survivor

Giotto Bizzarrini was born in June 6, 1926, in Quercianella, near Livorno, Italy. Born into a long line of engineers, it is perhaps not surprising that Bizzarrini would gravitate toward things mechanical. However, his early childhood years were more dominated by soccer and hunting, at least until World War II intervened. When the war broke out, Giotto’s father took up arms against the Germans, leaving young Giotto behind to fend for his family. During the war years, times were tough and much of what the Bizzarrini family had to eat ended up coming from Giotto’s hunting prowess. Bizzarrini would look back on these years of deprivation and state, “That period really influenced me for the rest of my life. It made me into a survivor, somewhat of a maverick.”

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If I asked you to pick a brand associated with high performance and motorsport, chances are good the name Volkswagen would not be one of the first names to pop into your head. Known as the “People’s car”—and forever linked to the bulbous but iconic “Bug” nee Beetle—by the 1960s, Volkswagen had built a worldwide reputation for affordable cars, but not necessarily performance.

This lack of breadth was not lost on U.S. Volkswagen dealers, including Jacksonville, Florida-based Hubert Brundage of Brumos fame, who had been experimenting with various Volkswagen-based racing specials. Fortuitously, Brundage made a trip to Italy in 1959 and while there toured the workshops of Enrico Nardi. Impressed with Nardi’s ability to build small, nimble racecars around Fiat’s more pedestrian components, Brundage commissioned Nardi to build him two Volkswagen-powered, open-wheeled prototypes.

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I couldn’t quite pinpoint why, during the research and writing of this profile, that I kept hearing the Lennon/McCartney hit “Come Together” somewhere in the back of my head. I have often used the metaphor of how some of the most interesting motor racing tales are based on an almost accidental “coming together” of a number of threads, people and incidents. But this seemed different.

The 1969 Beatles hit was inspired by the drug-taking Timothy Leary and his campaign against Ronald Reagan to become California governor…Leary went to jail for possession. The song was unlike any other of the period, constructed only of verse and refrains, there were legal battles in America over it, it was considered a radical structure, it was a big hit in the USA, and everyone wanted to copy it….ah, now it’s “coming together.” I hear Max Mosley and Robin Herd “marching” in downstage left, and the Daytona drum and bugle corps strutting their stuff on a warm February morning in 1984. I hear lawyers arguing about which car is which! It’s eerie…even a bit “kreepy.”

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In 1966, the rain in Spain didn’t stay mainly on the plain. It blew eastward to the Ardennes Mountains of Belgium, and hurled itself down onto the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps, one of the regions unfortunately prone to such downpours. One lap into the race, Jackie Stewart and the BRM you see here flew off the road, bringing the Scot to the very edge of a critical accident. It started the Jackie Stewart safety campaign that changed motor racing circuits, cars and drivers, and which continues to this day. Rather like Stewart, who escaped relatively unscathed, the car had used up one of its lives…not its first, and certainly not its last.

BRM in the 1960s

VR regulars will recall that we have done BRMs before…the P25 that was the first from the Lincolnshire firm to win a World Championship race, a V12 P126 that had been driven by Rodriguez, Attwood and McLaren, and an H16, which was another Stewart machine. The P261 also has an Attwood, as well as the Stewart, connection. For those of us who have been around for a while, BRM was symbolic of great hope against the odds, the underdog against a stronger and richer opponent, touches of brilliance, and years of incompetence. BRM attempted to raise the British flag in post-war industrial Europe, but struggled in taking over a dozen years to do it. And, when it nearly got to the top, it was close to giving up. BRM is a great story.

The post BOURNE SURVIVOR – 1965 BRM P261 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

All right, I suppose I should start off with a confession. I am a mad, keen Austin-Healey enthusiast, and have had one example or another locked away in the garage for over 40 years. In fact, I have been quite taken by anything that was done by the Donald Healey Motor Company (DHMC) from its formation in 1946 right through to the death of Donald Healey in 1988.

That the cars, both Healeys and Austin-Healeys, achieved so much during the 1950s and ’60s is nothing short of amazing, given that they were powered by what were literally heavy, cast iron sedan engines that were really more at home in trucks and taxis.

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With the recent passing of automotive icon Carroll Shelby, it is easy to look at his  amazing life through the lens of his greatest achievements—the revered Cobra and GT350 being but two that will immediately pop to mind for most casual enthusiasts. But Shelby’s career as a constructor and team owner was much more than just snakes and horses. For a brief time, in 1964, Shelby unleashed a tiger, as well.

Alpine Sickness

The story of Shelby’s involvement with the Tiger starts as early as 1956. Like so many European car manufacturers in the ’50s, Britain’s Rootes Group was looking for an economical sports car that would appeal to the seemingly bottomless American market. Since 1953, Rootes Group had been selling the fairly heavy and sedate 2.3-liter Sunbeam Alpine. Based off the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Saloon, the Alpine looked more like a mini-Bentley than a Ferrari and had performance that set no one’s heart aflutter.

The post Flying Tiger – 1964 Sunbeam Tiger appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Like most German industrial companies, World War II left much of Mercedes-Benz’s Stuttgart factory in ruins. However, with time Mercedes rebuilt and returned to what it knew best, manufacturing passenger vehicles. But Mercedes-Benz also had a passion for competition on the world stage and so by 1951 factions within the company were already making noises about a return to racing. Many of the players that contributed to Mercedes’ great prewar success, like team manager Alfred Neubauer and engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, were still with the company and itching to get back to racing. Another one of these pro-racing voices was Technical Director Dr. Fritz Nallinger, who, when asked about Mercedes intentions, shyly responded that the company was “…just opening a little window on the motor racing scene.” However, Mercedes was never known for doing anything “little.”

Unbendable Rules

Mercedes’ return to racing was fraught with difficult decisions. Beyond the obvious financial cost to the company, the then current F1 rules would only allow 1.5-liter supercharged cars—like the prewar W165—until the 1954 season when the rules would change to either a 750-cc blown or 2500-cc unblown format. The W165 was no longer competitive and Daimler-Benz management couldn’t justify investment in a new, purpose-built racecar that would in reality only be good for one or two seasons before being made obsolete.

The post Wings of Change – 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W194) appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Formula Ford, as unlikely as it may seem now, brought me closer to being on the inside of professional motor racing than anything I experienced before or since. After a 35-year lay-off from that particular single-seater category, it was both an eye opener—and somewhat familiar and reassuring—to go back and do it again. It was also a little bit scary!

This is a long story, so I will try to tell it as quickly and painlessly as possible.

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Twenty years ago, CSRG (Classic Sportscar Racing Group) decided they wanted to work with the then named “Sears Point Raceway” to support the Sonoma, CA community. Since then, CSRG has raised more than $1,200,000 to help teenagers and young adults, quite a feat. The Charity Challenge allows spectators to purchase rides in real race cars around Sears Point Sonoma Raceway. For many, riding around Sonoma Raceway at near racing speeds in a race car is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Saturday night, CSRG celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Charity Challenge with a party for team owners, drivers, crew members, track workers, and invited guests. Held in the T11 building. Sears Point’s new turn eleven track hospitality center. Chief Registrar Petey Thornton announced her retirement effective at the end of the 2023 season.  She will be missed but has certainly paid her dues.  It’s time for her to kick back and relax!

The Track

Sears Point or Sonoma Raceway, is a Northern California twelve-turn 2.520-mile road course featuring more than 160 feet of elevation from its highest point, turn three at 174 feet to its lowest turn ten at 14 feet.

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A rebranding with an unerring Motorsport focus

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, the three days of historic racing, formerly known Silverstone Classic, now rebranded into the all-encompassing Silverstone Festival, albeit with the beating heart of classic Motorsport still at the forefront of its focus, but with an array of other attractions, seeking to spread the appeal to a wider audience. Huge car club presence sees the infield awash with eclectic collections of rare, unique and quirky motors, indeed, one could easily spend a day wandering around the seemingly endless lines of immaculately presented cars, basking in their elegance. The prestigious Silverstone Auctions, now operating under Iconic Auctioneers saw some spectacular lots offered with many auction world records broken, the undoubted star of the show being the ex-Colin McRae Subaru Impreza 22B, Chassis 000/400 selling for £480,500. One of three prototype 22Bs built, and offered on the open market for the very first time.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of motorsport at Silverstone, the expected partnerships with Masters Historic Racing, HSCC, HGPCA and Masters Racing Legends offered a bumper timetable throughout the weekend, with grids seemingly offering more depth and diversity than has been seen over the past couple of editions, certainly a fine way to celebrate this landmark year in the history of Silverstone. The HGPCA in particular, holding the 75th Anniversary Trophy  for front engine Grand Prix cars from 1948-1960, harking back to the very start of Silverstone’s racing history, with a field featuring imperious cars such as the Maserati 250F, Ferrari 246 Dino and Talbot Lago T26 to name but a few.

Formula One Celebrations

Some of the most mesmerizing and spellbinding moments of previous Silverstone Classic events have been provided by the special demonstrations that form an integral part of the on track action over the course of the weekend. There was no exception this year, with a superb demonstration of some of the loudest and dynamic Formula One cars to have graced the circuit in period to celebrate 75 years of action at Silverstone. The deafening roar of the Williams FW19, and screaming Dallara F191 rolled back the years as the grandstands reverberated to the sound of the now unthinkable V10 engines, while the gracious Mercedes F1 W04 in the hands of the supremely talented Esteban Gutierrez brought a more contemporary celebration. They were of course joined by a diverse grid of other Grand Prix greats, reaching back to the halcyon days of the 1970s, where cars like the sublime Tyrrell 001 wowed spectators with the raw blend of speed and innovation.

75 Years of NASCAR

A rare treat on these shores, but a welcome follow up to the superb NASCAR demonstrations at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, a wonderful display of NASCAR Stock cars, ranging from the 1958 Ford Thunderbird, through to contemporary giants, like the 2017 Ford Mustang and 2012 Chevrolet Impala, showcased the brute force and thunderous rumble of the iconic American race cars. In a year when the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 wowed crowds at the 24h of Le Mans, running under the Garage 56 rules, and an expanded programme for the Whelan Euro NASCAR Series, European fans have been treateSd to a special year in chances to witness the powerful V8 powered stock cars, paying tribute to 75 years of the highly successful race series. While the weather curtailed the chances for the NASCAR display on Saturday, those who stuck around til Sunday were treated to a wondrous display, with a soundtrack that epitomized the drama of this thrilling race series.

Race Winners

• Historic Formula Junior (Races 1&2) – Sam Wilson, Cooper T59
• MRL Historic Touring Car Challenge – Wim Kuijl, Ford Capri
• HSCC Thundersports – Michael Lyons, IBEC 308LM

• MRL Big Cat Challenge Trophy – John Pearson & Gary Pearson, Jaguar E Type
• The Derek Bell Trophy for HSCC Formula Libre (Races 1&2) – Henry Chart, Trojan T101
• MRL RAC Woodcote Trophy & Stirling Moss Trophy – Olly Bryant, Lotus XV
• Masters Racing Legends Race 1 – Ken Tyrrell, Tyrrell 011
• Masters Racing Legends Race 2 – Michael Lyons, Lotus 92
• Masters GT Trophy – Craig Wilkins, Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo
• Masters Endurance Legends (Race 1&2) –  Steve Brooks, Peugeot 90X
• International Trophy for Classic GT Cars – Julian Thomas & Callum Lockie, Shelby Cobra Daytona
• HGPCA Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars – Charlie Martin, Cooper T53
• HGPCA Front Engine Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars – Mark Shaw, Scarab Offenhauser
• HGPCA Rear Engine Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars – Charlie Martin, Cooper T53
• Adrian Flux Trophy for Transatlantic Pre ‘66 Touring Cars – Sam Tordoff, Ford Falcon Sprint
• Yokohama Trophy for Masters Sports Car Legends – Gary Pearson & Alex Brundle, Ferrari 512M
• HSCC Road Sports Trophy – Kevin Kivlochan, Shelby Cobra

Gallery

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Established 75 years ago, the Goodwood Motor Circuit, nestled in West Sussex, England, has been an epicenter for exhilarating spectacles and displays of vehicular prowess. Its chronicles intertwine with the eminent British automaker Lotus, which is also marking its 75th jubilee during this year’s festivity. In an inaugural move, the Revival introduces the Rudge-Whitworth Cup, echoing the original accolade of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Commemorating the century-long journey of the famed endurance race—a momentous occasion observed by Rolex and the motorsport cognoscenti in June—this dual-driver challenge will spotlight iconic sports cars from the initial eras of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The grid is poised to feature revered marques, encompassing the likes of Alfa Romeos, Bentleys, and Bugattis. Concurrently, the event will pay tribute to Carroll Shelby, the mastermind behind the triumphant 1966 Ford GT40 team.

Jenson Button

Among the line-up of legendary drivers at the Revival, this year is Jenson Button, who has achieved success across a variety of motoring disciplines. Fresh from competing in the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2009 FIA Formula 1® Drivers’ World Champion Button says:

“The Goodwood Revival is the best weekend of the year for many reasons, such as the cars, the track, and seeing everyone dressed up. As soon as you walk through the gates, it’s like you’ve stepped back in time. There is nothing like it. This year is going to be particularly memorable as I’ll be racing my own car in the Freddie March Memorial Trophy; a bronze C-Type Jaguar, which Juan Manuel Fangio owned. The technology differs greatly from the car I raced at Le Mans a few months ago. Everything is very mechanical, which I love.”

Jackie Stewart

A familiar face at the Revival is three-time FIA Formula 1® Drivers’ World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who joined the Rolex family of Testimonies in 1968. He reflects:

“From Sir Malcolm Campbell’s land speed records in the 1930s, to the 1960s when the Daytona watch was born and to modern-day Formula 1, Rolex has been part of tremendous moments in motorsport history. This relationship has stood the test of time and continues to thrive worldwide, be it at Daytona, Monte Carlo or Goodwood. The track at Goodwood always brings back fond memories for me, having first visited it when I was just 14. Driving there changed my path in life, ultimately allowing me to race in Formula 1 so it’s a special place for me.”

During the three days, close to 150,000 motorsport and vintage enthusiasts are expected to flock to the beautiful Sussex Downs to experience the nostalgia of a bygone era while celebrating the ongoing influence of these pioneering years on the modern world. Rolex has been closely associated with motor racing for more than 90 years, supporting the sport’s development of technologies for future generations and the sharing of its expertise with wider society. Reinforcing this commitment, the 2023 Goodwood Revival will present its first-ever 100 percent sustainably fueled race: the Fordwater Trophy, featuring Mark Webber, who will compete at the event for the first time in a pre-1966 Porsche 911. Off the track, the Revive & Thrive community provides a platform for fashion and craft experts who gather to share their passion for preserving items for a lifetime of use.

Mark Webber

Ahead of his Revival race debut next week, multiple Formula 1® Grand Prix winner and a Rolex Testimony since 2017, Webber comments:

“I’m very much looking forward to participating in the Fordwater Trophy, it’s been a long time coming, trying to find the right type of car and the right race with the famous Porsche logo. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun, it’s a great weekend for getting into the spirit of things. Rolex has had a number of Testimonies racing there in the past so I’m happy to join a very cool list of people behind the wheel. Both Rolex and the Goodwood Revival have an appreciation for the meticulous precision it takes to make something elegant that can be cherished forever.”

Information

Tickets and general information HERE

Original press release provided by Rolex & Motorsport

Previous action at the Revival

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Preserved for close to a century

A 1920s wooden handle screwdriver, which was used by one of the original mechanics before Major Henry Segrave broke the 200mph barrier, had been dropped into the filler neck of its engine oil tank while he checked the levels – and stayed inside for almost a century. Meanwhile, a preserved shilling with a 1921 stamp was found in solidified oil on top of the rear suspension spring, when bodywork was taken off to expose the chassis. An adjustable spanner from the time of its landmark run was also uncovered after being similarly ‘glued’ to the chassis with vegetable-based Castrol R oil.

What’s making that noise?

National Motor Museum Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield explained: “It’s the first 200mph screwdriver, which couldn’t have been removed from the oil tank because it was buried under the engine. We cleaned out the tank where the oil had solidified, using hot water and detergent, and after shaking the tank the vintage screwdriver eventually tipped out. After the LSR breaking run, the oil would have stuck like glue on top of the chassis which is where we made the other discoveries. It is like a time capsule which is all part of the incredible history of Sunbeam 1000hp. It has only ever been driven for 50 miles to break the world record and these are the style of tools the mechanics would have used when they built it.”

The National Motor Museum’s specialist workshop team has needed to make its own bespoke tools to fit the iconic record breaker to dismantle it. Visitors to Beaulieu can see the exposed chassis on show in the National Motor Museum until Sunbeam 1000hp is taken to motoring events at the end of the summer.

Future plans

The Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign was launched with Hampshire-based Brookspeed Automotive in March. To help raise the profile of the vehicle’s centenary celebrations and fundraising campaign – through individual donations and corporate sponsorship – there are plans to take it to Europe and on tour to motoring museums across America. Opportunities will also be offered for schools, colleges and universities to get involved with STEM workshops and activities.

The Sunbeam’s 22.5 liter engines, each producing 435bhp, have not run since before World War II more than 80 years ago – after corrosion attacked internal workings. With painstaking rebuilding, using specialist knowledge and bespoke parts, National Motor Museum engineers will recapture the sounds, sights and smells of this ground-breaking machine and help to preserve it for future generations.

Donations welcome

Funds are now needed to turn back the clock and complete the full restoration project. Donations for the Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign can be made online HERE.

Sponsors and corporate donors who would like to be associated with the campaign are urged to contact by emailing michelle.kirwan@beaulieu.co.uk.

Original story here

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