There were many interesting and familiar cars parked at the 2018 Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance. Ferraris, Packards, Jaguars and some vintage...
By the early 1960s, Ford had carved a very specific niche for itself in the UK. Having built low cost,...
Over the past several years, I’ve waxed whimsical in this space about various historical, psychological and emotional aspects of the humble steering wheel. But a recent chain of events forced me to consider an aspect of the steering wheel I hadn’t contemplated before—the financial. A couple of months back, I...
If you visited a car show in 1963 or 1964, you would have seen concept cars on display from many...
We walk through Don Murray’s spectacular classic and exotic car collection and dealership called Mesa Concours Cars in southern California,...
1964 Elva-Porsche One of the most important characteristics of a performance or racing car is the power-to-weight ratio. The goal is to maximize power, but not at the expense of too much weight or unreliability. Not enough power means you can’t keep up with other cars. Add in the engine...
Photo: Chris Mann This was going to be an important year for me. My win at Oulton Park, in Richard...
1969 Mirage M2-BRM The Mirage profiled here is no optical illusion, although it is certainly as beautiful as some optical...
If you’ve been reading this space for any period of time (yes, I’m talking to both of you), then you’ll know that I’ve been occasionally whinging about parting with my 1962 Triumph Spitfire racecar. With the car essentially finished, but not track tested, I found I was kind of trapped...
April 2018 Jackie Oliver prepares to take the Gulf Mirage M2-Ford out for practice prior to the 1969 running of...
1966 Eagle-Weslake It is a privilege to update and run my test of the Eagle-Weslake. At Vintage Racecar we were...
Artist John Rice created this watercolor painting of Dan Gurney and his Eagle 104-Weslake racing in his home GP, the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, in 1967, where he qualified 3rd but retired with suspension problems. Rice grew up about 100 miles from Watkins Glen, and was 9...
March 2018 Dan Gurney scored his initial Grand Prix victory in this 8-cylinder Porsche 804, seen here at Nouveau Monde...
1965 Lola T60-Cosworth SCA Photo: Pete Austin Since the birth of the Formula One Championship, in 1950, there has been...
When I was a college student, some friends told me about a woman who ran a hair salon in her...
February 2018 The Crystal Palace Trophy, Crystal Palace, June 11, 1962. At the start, it’s Roy Salvadori on pole in...
1961 Alfa Romeo SVZ Coda Tronca When you sit down and tot up the number of publicly available variations on the theme of Alfa Romeo Giulietta, it is not only astonishing to consider that you could have bought no less than eight totally different models carrying that name but, after...
It is always interesting to learn why people enjoy certain types of cars. I’m half English and half Italian, and...
One week after the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring, the racing world experienced another tragic weekend, this time in France, at the Le Mans test. Probably due to the proximity of the Sebring event, both Chaparral and Ferrari chose not to attend, leaving Ford with little to compare their performance...
November 2017 The Targa Florio; Sicily, May 4, 1969. This is the Nomad Mk II with BRM power. It was driven by...
Is there no end to the list of racecar manufacturers of the 20th century? Let’s have a show of hands. How many know anything about German builder SWM? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone? Mark Brinker SWM was formed by brothers Stefan and Wenzel Mannl (SWM) of Munich, Germany, in the early 1960s. Starting...
There is a certain indescribable thrill associated with the resurrection of a long lost automobile. It’s often more than the...
1966 Lola T70 SL71/48 Proper warming up of components and attention paid to maintaining balance with the handling were the...
1964 World Champion Our Ed McDonough had the opportunity to interview John Surtees on a number of occasions, investigating how Surtees had his first test in a Formula One car in a Vanwall, and later became the only person ever to race Vanwall’s short-lived rear-engine car in 1961. As part...
1967 Shelby King Cobra Can-Am If you were Carroll Shelby, 1966 was a pretty good year. Coming off his Cobras...
In this month’s Racecar Profile [“Bound by Fate”], you’ll read that I recently had the opportunity to test drive the...
If you’re reading this magazine, you’re probably passionate about vintage racecars. You love the sounds they make, the smells that waft from them, the sensation of driving them as close to the limit as your skills will allow. You also love the specific histories associated with each of these machines....