Browsing: Vintage Racecar Columns

First Turn Mike Lawrence
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Dr. Lawrence Has Exited, Stage Left…

It is with a profound sense of sadness and loss that I must share that long-time contributor and friend Mike Lawrence has passed away at the age of 78.  Mike preferred to say, “…that highly qualified medics were fighting the cancer on his behalf, with his body as the battleground,” but after many brave months of battle he passed away, at home, surrounded by his family on Dec. 21st . Mike contributed his first “Last Lap” monthly column in our June 2000 issue of Vintage Racecar, and I have to say we hit it off right from the very beginning. Over…

Last Lap
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Racing Mavericks

One of my favorite automotive books is Doug Nye’s “Motor Racing Mavericks”. Published in 1975, it explores failures—high-end failures—in Grand Prix and IndyCar racing. “Failures” is a harsh word to apply to some; no turbine car won at Indy, but in 1967 Parnelli Jones came within three laps of victory when a $6 bearing failed....

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Heroes
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My Friend Stirling Moss

Not long before his untimely death a few years ago, our Robert Newman wrote this tribute to his friend and hero Stirling Moss. As the director of Public Relations for Pirelli for many years, Robert worked with Moss on a variety of projects and came to know both Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio quite intimately. We mourn the loss of both Newman and Moss, but take solace in the notion that they are now once again swapping tall tales in some ethereal paddock. An irascible motorcycle cop in a ’70s British TV advertisement for Renault pulled up next to the…

Last Lap Mercedes
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Fangio, Statistics & The Great Pub Debate

Now available on Netflix is “A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story.” The 92-minute movie originates in Argentina and so it is no surprise that it is more fanzine tribute than balanced assessment. Air-brushed out is Argentina’s dictator Juan Peron who, directly and indirectly, influenced Fangio’s career. So too is Fangio’s long-time partner,...

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Last Lap 0077 Roger Dixon
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Bristol—A History

Bristol, once a significant marque, has relocated to the “Great Paddock In The Sky.” For some time it had been on life support and a car make in name only. In 2011, it had been acquired by Kamkorp a privately-owned small group of engineering companies, among them Frazer-Nash Research Ltd. This caused excitement in some...

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Last Lap
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RAF Westhampnett

For most of my adult life I have lived within two miles of the Goodwood Motor Circuit. Between the last in-period race meeting in 1966 and the first Revival Meeting in 1998 it did not lie fallow. It was used for testing by F1 teams until 1982. It hosted club sprints and rallies, track days...

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Last Lap
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Of Jaguars, Swallows and the Lost 4-Cylinder

Before WWII, the company which became Jaguar was called Swallow Sidecars and it had diversified into making special bodies for cars, most notably for Austin Sevens. A Swallow body added about 15% to the cost of an Austin Seven, but was worth much more in street cred. In the 2018 movie, “Mary Poppins Returns” there...

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Last Lap
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Aston Martin Motorcycle?

Aston Martin has announced a collaboration with revived motorcycle company, Brough Superior, to make the AMB001, a limited edition track-only bike. It is unclear whether the 001 designation is a statement of future intent (up to 999 models or if it is a reference to 007.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn55uZ9NzzU The one thing most people know about Brough,...

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Heroes 1960 Indy 500
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Lloyd Ruby

Lloyd Ruby hailed from Wichita Falls, Texas, up in the north central part of the state, not far from the Oklahoma line. Born a year before the Depression, he was soft-spoken by nature — a wicked sense of humor notwithstanding — but not someone to be taken lightly. He began racing motorcycles at age 16,...

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Last Lap 2011 SOVREN Columbia River Classic Jeff Mach
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Formula Ford Turns 50

For the majority of VR’s readers, 2019 has been the 50th anniversary of Formula Ford, although it actually started in England in 1967. The nativity stories vary, but most come down to racing schools putting a perky standard engine into a racecar to create something that students could use and which was a lot cheaper...

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Last Lap
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Birkin & Bentley—The Sequel

Bentley is to make 12 “continuation” examples of the supercharged 4.5-liter Birkin “Blower,” one of those cars whose legend far surpasses its achievement. For a time it could claim to be the world’s fastest car, but it was built for racing and in that context it must be regarded as a disappointment. Part of its...

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