One of the most valuable and exciting grids in historic racing, with over £50m worth of vintage sports cars and GT 
prototypes, will go head-to-head in the Silverstone Classic’s new pre-1963 sports car race this weekend on July 24-26.
A rare cluster of SWB (Short Wheel Base) Ferraris, a model which can be valued at as much as 3m Euros, will take their place on the grid, the highest number since the last recorded American event in 1962, according to SCCA (Sports Car Club of America). They include a one-off model, Chassis 2819, aka the ‘Breadvan’. The unique SWB 250 GT Ferrari-based prototype owes its nickname to the peculiar truncated rear which makes the racecar look like a breadvan, or worse: Fiat’s supremo Giovanni Agnelli once borrowed the Ferrari and had his butler paint it a funereal black as a joke because he thought it looked like a hearse.
The Breadvan, now back to its racing red glory, will be joined by other extraordinary sports cars; Aston Martin’s Le Mans Project DP 212, the oldest of its surviving prototypes, will take on other rarities: four DB4 GTs, including a lightweight chassis ex-Equipe Endevour which won its first race at Goodwood with Stirling Moss in 1960, and two of the seventeen DB4 GT Zagatos ever built.
“This is a new race at the Silverstone Classic, designed specifically to provide a level playing field for these original sportscars rather than including them in a grid populated with later models,” says Ken Prichard Jones, Director of Racing at Silverstone Limited. “It is all too easy to overlook the intrinsic value of these racers when they are entered so enthusiastically and driven competitively with a determination to win: Silverstone Classic is nail-biting, authentic historic racing, guaranteed to draw gasps from the audience!”
Voice of Formula One Murray Walker will once again be on hand to provide his inimitable wisdom and insight as famous racers take to the track, including Targa Florio hero Arturo Merzario, American Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, F1 driver Jackie Oliver and Le Mans veteran Andy Wallace.
The Silverstone Classic’s multi-million pound grids celebrate more than 90 years of motor racing over three days, as cars from original Formula One to Le Mans racers line up in all their glory once more. The Daily Express Trophy for Production Jaguar Cars celebrates the marque’s original win in Silverstone’s first production car race 60 years ago, with prizes presented by Pat Quinn, daughter of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons. The David Leslie Memorial Trophy celebrates four decades of touring cars and its eponymous driver who tragically died in an air crash last year.
Friday’s qualifying sessions are followed by evening concerts from the Pussycat Dolls, Blue and Toploader. Saturday’s packed race schedule includes the Harley-Davidson parade and Mini’s 50-year celebration on track, as well as Bonham’s evening auction that includes Honda GP cars and F1 memorabilia. A £15,000 prize fund is available for the most engaging and well-documented displays of historic cars racing at the Silverstone Classic.
As the sunset World Sports Car Masters race – featuring original Le Mans cars – draws to a close, rock legend Carlos Santana takes to the stage for his only UK concert. Saturday and Sunday races are punctuated by aerial displays and car clubs’ parades on track.
The Silverstone Classic is the perfect summer event for families: alongside the on-track action, find your favorite cars among 4,000 on display from clubs such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lotus, Rolls-Royce and Maserati. Explore the Harley-Davidson village, try out new bikes and watch death-defying stunts; shop in the retail village and enjoy the free Victorian funfair. Children under 16 go free when accompanied by an adult.
For more information, visit www.siliverstoneclassic.com.
[Source: Silverstone Classic]
