This interesting Web site is devoted to preserving historic photographs of the Cumberland Airport Sports Car races. Held from 1953–1970,...
Nino Vaccarella Ronnie Peterson 1 Ronnie Peterson wins the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in a John Player Special...
BMW’s rich history in motorsports competition began prior to World War II. The 328 (1936–’48) driven by Ernst Henne won in its 1936 Nürburgring debut, setting the standard for the 2-liter sports car class. BMW 328 Brescia open roadsters took 3rd, 5th and 6th place during the1940 Il Gran Premio...
One of the most enjoyable—at least for me—of fifties events was the Pebble Beach Sports Car Road Races. The last...
The under-2-liter Grand Touring (GT) cars have always had a place to compete within the ever-changing regulations of international motorsports;...
Formula 5000 was a racing series for open-wheel, single-seater racing cars built to a specific set of rules. The engine of choice was the venerable small block Chevrolet V-8 of 5-liter displacement. It started as a bright idea in 1967 and ran successfully until politics between the governing body, race...
Bobby Allison Bill Kraus 1 Stefan Bellof dies from injuries sustained in the crash of his Porsche 956 during the...
John Von Neumann is an important name in the history of the second half of the twentieth century. A Princeton...
He was known as “the Silver Fox,” “the Racing Grandfather,” and “Merle the Magician.” These nicknames might indicate a gentlemanly racer, older than most of his peers, who raced for fun. His silver hair, glasses and relaxed demeanor fit the nicknames, but underneath that calm exterior beat the heart of...
1957 Climax-powered Jomar 1957 Climax-powered Jomar. Photo: Harold Pace You know the story. Start with a svelte English chassis, add...
The Can-Am Porsche 917 The Can-Am Race Series, held from 1966 to 1974, helped propel professional sports car racing to...
Gaston Chevrolet Ricardo Rodriguez 1 Ricardo Rodriguez dies on the way to the hospital after crashing his Lotus during practice for the nonchampionship Mexican Grand Prix (1962). 2 The Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company holds a press conference in Carmel, California, to announce the formation of the Bud...
The Canadian American Challenge Cup was co-sanctioned by the SCCA and CASC—it was a series nicknamed the “unlimited” series. Although...
How amusing, I often smile, that a breed of racer I associate with conservatism generally speeds around to the left....
Today the name Rahal is synonymous with motor racing. Bobby Rahal has entered the history books as a top Indianapolis and sports car driver, and his son Graham seems destined to continue in his footsteps. A few older “motorheads” remember that Bobby’s father Mike was also involved in competition, starting...
West Coast photographer John Wilson started shooting pictures of racing in the 1960s at various racetracks in California. As such,...
February 2008 Dan Gurney’s Eagle Racing Cars By John Zimmerman Dan Gurney had already established himself as one of America’s...
As the years pile up, I find myself learning more about people I used to know than I ever appreciated at the time. So it is with Ray Heppenstall, the brusque, raw-edged racer from Pittsburgh, PA. Pete Lyons My first impression of him was a little alarming. It was at...
One of the “old school” low-grip/high-fun tracks, Moroso Motorsports Park, is a car control circuit, rewarding smoothness and sensitivity. The...
In the history of motor-sport safety, few names are as universally recognized as that of Bill Simpson. Initially an active...
Although there were a number of pre-WWII cars that can be described as sports cars, the craze in the U.S. began following the war with the invasion of MGs and then Jaguars. Some aficionados credit Chevrolet’s Corvette as the first American sports car. Others feel that the original Thunderbird fits...
Southern California has always been a hotbed of car aficionados. The hot rod craze started there and, after WWII, it...
Augie Pabst is one of the practitioners of the skillful art of road racing from the early days of North...
One of the enduring aspects of vintage racing is the camaraderie that develops between racers. With cars and racing as common ground to begin a conversation, a first-time meeting often develops into a lasting friendship. It is also possible for friendships to develop when owners become acquainted during the sale...
The late news—very late—that U.S. open-wheel racing’s long uncivil war has finally staggered to its hemorrhagic conclusion, fell with less...
Someone once said that Indy car drivers would be lost if they had to turn right as well as left....
Over-2-liter Grand Touring cars have always had a place to compete within the ever changing regulations of International Motorsports; the World Sports Car Championship from 1953–1961, the Speedworld Challenge from 1962–1963, and the International Championship of Makes from 1972–1981. This included racing in the great endurance races such as the...
During the early fifties, road racing in the United States took place, for the most part, at airports. While airports...
We seem to hear more and more these days about the sorry state of the media. I’d say I have to agree, after a formerly reputable automotive radio talk show, Drivers Talk Radio, recently asked me to be a guest. Jeez, how low will these people sink for material? The...
