Do you like your racing cars to be aesthetically pleasing? Most people do, me included. So how do we finish up with so many ugly cars? Probably a variety of reasons, starting with the fact that not all stylists have the requisite eye for line, that the regulations have forced designers down the “ugly” route,...
The new Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 have been unveiled upon the occasion of the company’s Capital Market’s Day at the factory in Maranello. These limited-edition special-series cars are the first in a new segment called ‘Icone’ and draw inspiration from the most evocative Ferraris of the 1950s and feature the most advanced sports car technology available today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij-ua0_r67c Aimed at dedicated clients and collectors, the Monza SP1 and SP2 reference the iconic Ferrari racing barchettas of the past, not least the 1948 166 MM, which originally inspired the name ‘barchetta’, and the 750 Monza and 860 Monza. Designed with…
RM Sotheby’s has announced another headlining car for its Porsche 70th Anniversary auction, set for October 27 at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta (PEC). To the growing All-Porsche line-up, RM Sotheby’s now adds what is perhaps one of the most original examples of the Porsche 956 Group C. Few race cars of the Porsche pantheon are as universally acclaimed as the 956. The car is a brilliantly engineered aesthetic wonder, born of another round of FISA changes that ultimately resulted in the emergence of several marque innovations. The 956 was the first Porsche racecar to feature monocoque construction, as well…
September 2018 1- Mario Andretti wins three midget feature races at two tracks in one day (1963). 2– Massimo Leto di Priolo drives an Alfa Romeo SV Zagato to victory in the Coppa Intereuropa race at Monza, near Milan, Italy (1956). 3– Fiat type 803s finish 1-2-3-4 in a race during the inaugural race meeting...
In the earlier days of his racing career, Craig Fisher (who recently passed away) raced just about everything he could get his hands on, from used DKW Monzas at Harewood Acres to Abarth Simcas at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant and even the ferocious Comstock EXP at Mosport. He also raced at tracks across the USA...
Last Friday I was mindlessly killing some time on Facebook, when I happened to stumble across the livestream of Goodwood’s Kinrara Trophy race for over 3-liter GT cars. Dubbed as the world’s most expensive race grid, this one-hour twilight race featured 8 Ferrari 250 SWBs, 8 Jaguar E-Types, 4 Ferrari GTOs, 4 Aston Martin DB4GTs, 2 Cobras, 2 Big Healeys and a Maserati 3500 GT thrown in for good measure. With a Ferrari 250 GTO having just sold at Monterey for $52 million, the combined value of the Kinrara field was pushing a half a billion dollars! What immediately sucked…
Road America has announced that the feature of the 2019 WeatherTech International Challenge with Brian Redman presented by HAWK will be a special MG “Focus Event”. One of the largest vintage racecar gatherings in the United States, featuring several classes of cars racing in multiple groups, the WeatherTech International Challenge with Brian Redman presented by HAWK will return on July 18-21, 2019. The mid-summer classic will include everything from a special concourse on Friday and Saturday along the streets of Elkhart Lake, to a historic Can-Am race, plus All-MG Races and a special scenic drive for any non-racing MG’s on…
Prince Bira coming out of Holly Wood with the ex-Whitney Straight Maserati 8CM, during the Donington Grand Prix, on October 3, 1936. He would go on to finish in 5th place. Photo courtesy of: THE KLEMANTASKI COLLECTION PMB 219 – 65 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06905-3814 USA., Tel: (203) 461-9804 • Fax: (203) 968-2970 E-mail: klemcoll@aol.com • Web site: www.klemcoll.com
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum has announced that Roger Penske will be the 11th recipient of the Spirit of Competition award. The Spirit of Competition represents the most prestigious award conferred by the Foundation. Each year a distinguished figure from motorsports who has a specific inspirational message is selected. Roger Penske is one of the most successful car and track owners in the history of motorsports. Starting his way as a driver in the SCCA, Penske found early success becoming the only driver to with the SCCA President’s Cup three times, with victories in 1960, 1962, and 1963. During this time,…
A number of years ago the 500-cc Club of America instituted a very special perpetual award of recognition aimed at celebrating people who had made a personal contribution to 500-cc formula car racing in America. Sadly, this unique trophy has gone missing… The award was named for and dedicated to the memory of Harry Morrow the legendary engineer, driver, track owner, and founder of the famous Autobooks bookstore located in Burbank, California. The award needs to be returned to California and, when returned, it will be given a public place of honor, to be announced shortly. The best guess is…
The Golden Days of Thompson Speedway and Raceway 1945-1977 By Terry O’Neil Occasionally a spark of inspiration can become the catalyst for change. Just such a convergence took place with the construction of Thompson Speedway in 1940, a 5/8thmile oval track, dubbed “The Indianapolis of the East.” A road course soon joined to the oval in 1952, which enlarged the track to form the first privately owned complex where sports car drivers could race safely. Upon reflection, the creation of Thompson transformed the face of sports car racing in America (or, at a minimum, on the East Coast), and hastened…