The Sunbeam Tiger is a car well-known to enthusiasts. European cars with powerful American V8s are intriguing. Most of the time these Euro-American hybrids came with high-end, sexy bodies to house their muscular engines, such as the Facel Vega, Iso Rivolta and Griffo, and of course the Shelby Cobra. The Sunbeam Tiger had the muscle...
The late 1960s brought a host of changes to the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans. The wave of “professionalism” that was sweeping across other forms of motorsport began to exert its influence at Le Mans. With increased money and prestige now flowing through professional racing, the caliber of teams was increasing, along with the...
John Grant is the current Chairman of the British Racing Drivers Club, and since taking on that role has had to make many difficult and radical decisions to secure the future of Silverstone Racing Circuit—The Home of British Motor Racing. Some may ask who is John Grant and how is he qualified to take such...
The tragic death earlier this year of Jules Bianchi has reignited an on-again, off-again discussion of whether Formula One cars should move to a closed-cockpit configuration. While it may seem a minor—or perhaps even obvious—decision, it is not without controversy. Looking over just the last 30 or so years of Formula One history, one can...
Born to a Paris butcher and his wife in April 1937, the late Jean-Pierre Beltoise had won the incredible number of 11 French national motorcycle racing championships, in three years, by the time he was 28. After that, he made a profession out of being a champion of many forms of four-wheel motor sport until...
My first race was a small event at a BARC Goodwood Members Meeting, at the wheel of my Jowett Jupiter. Although my father enjoyed cars, there was no history of anyone in my family competing, so I was on new territory and learned as I went along from personal mistakes and experiences. I’d learn from...
The 1987 season was my first year in Formula One. I had sponsorship from Lois jeans and Mr. Minardi offered me a drive in his team alongside Alessandro Nannini in the new Minardi M187. I appreciated that the Minardi wasn’t too competitive, but it was a start. The car was powered by Motori Moderni V6...
As I write these notes, the 2015 season is coming to an end with just a few more Formula One races. There may still be a surprise winner of the Championship…at least one competitor hopes! From the start of 2015 many people seemed to write off the chances of everyone but Lewis Hamilton, which since...
Dutch artist Arthur Benjamins, who now lives in Phoenix, proudly introduces his latest motor racing painting of Swede Savage. It’s an image he wanted to portray for more than 40 years as a way to honor the young driver who was taken from the scene far too early. “Swede” will be published as a fine...
For the Brands Hatch Six Hours on July 30, 1967, Mike Spence is at the wheel of the winning Chaparral 2F that he co-drove with Phil Hill, chased by the Ferrari 330P4 of Ludovico Scarfiotti and Peter Sutcliffe, which finished 5th. Photo courtesy of: THE KLEMANTASKI COLLECTION PMB 219 – 65 High Ridge Road, Stamford,...
I love Italian sports cars, and if they were built in the 1950s or 1960s, even better. At the top of my personal list are those constructed in small numbers, with bodies hand-crafted from aluminum. And, if the coachwork was executed by Carrozzeria Zagato, all the more glorious. This month’s Hidden Treasure is a Fiat...