I’m aware that many of your reports concern the US scene and I know you do cover the major UK meetings, which I, as a UK resident, appreciate.
However, I wanted to comment on one rather unfortunate trend amongst UK based historic car owners. Not too long ago, historic meetings could guarantee a full grid of historic cars in their various classes and races. Now however, there is a clear trend towards cherry picking only what I call the “cocktail events”; Goodwood, Monaco, the Silverstone Classic. For some now, owning a historic car is merely a ticket into a social occasion whereas at one time, owners, quite rightly, felt they almost had a duty to bring their cars along to share the pleasure that we all feel when we see and hear these lovely machines.
There appears to be no such reticence in the States. More power to their elbows and I hope our UK owners can think again about, say, travelling to Oulton Park with their machinery.
Regards
Alan Gent
Manchester UK
I am greatly enjoying your photo coverage of various vintage racing events. I’ve attended all kinds of racing in the US for most of my life as a professional photojournalist and been published in many national automotive magazines.
Cars aren’t the only reason crowds attend races. They attend for the people circus, to see each other and the cultural trappings of racing, e.g., the pit crews, automotive posters, signs and decorations, the spectators, etc.
I’d like to see you include many more people pictures with your coverage, especially the pretty girls who dress for effect to be noticed. Auto racing is rich in visual appeal and most of it isn’t the cars.
Ron B
We couldn’t agree more. It really is the people just as much as the cars themselves that make these events. We do offer “Behind the Scenes” photo galleries when time and a sufficient number of good images permit, but typically it’s been the on-track action that drives the interest of our readers. Or, so we think…
Your newsletter always puts a smile on my face, and a bit of valuable knowledge is added to my memory bank. Many of your features deal with cars which I have drawn before. It is great to see “our” common images.
In case you would be interested, I posted my 211th daily blog about drawing cars. Each one contains a video of how I create automotive artwork. I have showcased an eclectic mix of vehicles. The current lessons are of drawing a 1925 Bugatti Type 35B. It begins with a pencil sketch, and will end with a finished rendering in pen and ink. I hope you find it entertaining.
If anyone wants to draw along with me, there is a companion book that I wrote to tell people what materials I use, and how to begin. The link to the website is: www.RickRuckerArt.com. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy your information.
Warmest Regards,
Rick Rucker
www.rickruckerart.com
For several years, I have enjoyed attending the Winter Park, Florida, Concours d’Elegance. Stunning cars in a stunning location (late 19th/early 20th Century picturesque town north of Orlando). Unfortunately, I have been unable to find reference to this event in Sports Car Digest. Have I missed your reports? The attached website for the November 2013 event gives you a flavour of what to expect. Definitely worth a visit,
Yours,
Graham Kennedy (UK resident that takes vacation in November)
For no particular reason, this event is among those that we have missed in prior years. We try our best to cover all the good ones, but I’m afraid this one has unfortunately slipped through the cracks. We’ll shoot for 2014.
“Letters to the Editor” allows you to write in with whatever is on your mind and share it with other Sports Car Digest readers. Whether it’s something specific about our content or just a general observation on the classic car world, we want to hear your opinion. If interested, email us at mail@sportscardigest.com.
[Source: photo: Tim Scott]
I was particularly fond of the picture of the Delage on page 6 of the contesting pictures, but I couldn’t find the tool to leave a message there.