A graduate in mechanical engineering, they called the nephew of Pinin Farina il dottore, the doctor. An austere, intolerant man,...
I can still hear my father, Walter Hayes, saying to me: “Sit there and do not, under any circumstances, move.”...
Formula Ford, as unlikely as it may seem now, brought me closer to being on the inside of professional motor racing than anything I experienced before or since. After a 35-year lay-off from that particular single-seater category, it was both an eye opener—and somewhat familiar and reassuring—to go back and...
1964 Lotus 30 During his test drive at Silverstone, the author found that most of what he’d heard about the...
Monday March 2, 2015 was indeed a sad day for Australian historic motor sport enthusiasts when Leo Geoghegan (78), one of...
During the late 1960s and 1970s, the names of Leo and Ian (aka Pete) Geoghegan became known thoughout almost every household in Australia. In the case of brother Leo, a string of successes in Lotus open-wheelers, back-to-back Australian F2 championships and an Australian Drivers Championship gave him not only Australian,...
The International Britax Touring Car Race; Silverstone, July 10, 1965. Oversteer and understeer. Jack Sears and Sir John Whitmore with their...
Formula Ford was a specification racing series created on the idea that the best drivers would win if they were...
Jimmy Clark Biography Jimmy Clark was born in Kilmany, in the county of Fife to a Scottish farming family, roots that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He was the only son in a family of four daughters. His early racing exploits were initially met by...
Starting his career in the early ’60s behind the wheel of a Mini, John Fitzpatrick quickly worked his way to...
Jim Clark is remembered for his ability to drive and win in all types of cars and series, Formula 1,...
Environment affects evolution. Case in point: racing sedans. European sedans, contending with high fuel costs and operating on winding and narrow roads, ended up looking different from their American counterparts, raised on cheap fuel in more open spaces. Racing venues also differed, with sedan racing in Europe dominated by road...
Here we are at the Motor 6 Hour Saloon Car Race at Brands Hatch on July 6, 1963. This Ford Cortina...
A Personal Recollection of Der Nürburgring by a young English Lad Who Grew Up to Become a Motorsports Photojournalist Later...
I defected to Ford racing with Alan Mann, driving Lotus Cortinas, Mustangs and Falcons. In formula racing, I was driving for Ken Tyrrell. Ken expected feedback from his drivers during testing, qualifying and races. Without this feedback, it was impossible to set up or improve the handling and efficiency of...
Formula Ford was a specification racing series created on the idea that the best drivers would win if they were...
By the early 1960s, Ford had carved a very specific niche for itself in the UK. Having built low cost,...
BMW has long followed a policy of racing cars and engines derived from production vehicles. Until BMW entered Formula One with Williams using its V10 unit in 2000, every single engine raced by BMW had been derived from a production unit. As the company celebrates its centenary, it seems appropriate...
It’s the end of October as I write this, which is fitting, because I’m being haunted…by one of my former...
Tim McGrane is the Executive Director of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Danville, California. VR: How did you get started...
As many as 1,787 Fords took over the grounds of the National Motor Museum for Beaulieu’s biggest Simply Ford yet as 3,080 participants enjoyed baking sunshine at the rally. The impressive display covered the Beaulieu parkland on Sunday May 6th and smashed last year’s rally total of 1,500 cars. At the heart of the...
In 1962, Ford of Britain, created a prototype of a short wheelbase Cortina designed for the American market. The one-off...
Ted Cutting, the man who designed the Aston Martin DBR1 that took Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori to victory at...
I’m always a little bit shocked when I see the worlds of modern and historic racing intersect. Recently, I was trolling through a mountain of relatively uninteresting automotive press releases when my attention was piqued by a headline that read “Ginetta to debut new LMP competitor.” Ginetta? Debuting a new...
Roy Brown Jr.—designer of the much maligned, ’50s flop the Ford Edsel—passed away on Feb. 24 in Ann Arbor, Michigan,...
Pat Moss-Carlsson, the younger sister of Stirling and wife of Erik, died after a long illness on October 14. She...
It’s all change for the Mille Miglia Commemoration and the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti. The Mille Miglia has been brought in-house and the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti has come under new management, after being resurrected on a number of occasions by different organizers. For the last five years, a consortium...
Formula Ford was a specification racing series created on the idea that the best drivers would win if they were...
1968 Lolita MkI & the 1969 Lolita MkII My first car was a British Motor Corporation Mini. I had just turned...