Quite a few younger folk seek me out and want to hear about how wonderful sports car racing was during...
For two consecutive years—1969 and 1970—Porsche won the World Manufacturers Championship. Brian Redman was an important part of the teams,...
During the early fifties, road racing in the United States took place, for the most part, at airports. While airports have a number of advantages, they lack the interest and drama of actual roads. Without the authority to utilize public highways, venues were hard to come by. As road racing...
In 1953, the Rootes Group in England, which had acquired the Sunbeam Company in 1935, produced a handsome sports car, the...
During the fifties, everyone’s hero was Juan Manuel Fangio. He won the World Driving Championship five times, an achievement that...
I don’t remember when I first met Lance Reventlow, but it must have been through my buddy, Bruce Kessler, who was Lance’s best friend. Lance became a significant figure in fifties-era racing because of his creation of the Scarabs. I knew him, but not well, so recently I talked with...
Art Evans Fifty years ago, the world-famous Laguna Seca race course was created by a tree. It’s interesting as well...
Although there were a number of pre-WWII cars that can be described as sports cars, the craze in the U.S....
As everyone knows, after the 1960 racing season, Carroll Shelby retired as a driver and became even better known for creating Cobras and Shelby Mustangs. But perhaps fewer know that he ventured into car creation somewhat before. During the fifties, Shelby, Jim Hall, and Jim’s brother, Richard, had a dealership...
Whether or not most of us realize it, a most unusual man is among us. Until the late ’50s, he...
During the ’50s, I raced XK120s. The first one was a ’52, the second a ’54. Albeit, I’m not mechanically...
There is a man who is not only unknown to the general public but also to much of the racing community. He was, however, of vital importance to modern American road racing. With the exception of those who organize races, he is virtually anonymous. Jim Haynes, however, is my own...
During the Fifties, a number of women were involved in the sports car craze. This was during a time when...
Art Evans There used to be a monthly feature in the Reader’s Digest called something like “The Most Unforgettable Character...
I had just been discharged from the Army and was pursuing my education with the help of the GI Bill. My Uncle Phil, who had just bought a new Austin Healey 100, invited me to go with him to a sports car race at Palm Springs. I didn’t know what...
Those looking for vintage photographs frequently contact me. During the fifties, my partner, Dick Sherwin, and I published a short-lived...
Sexual debauchery, a regime’s imminent downfall and a kidnapping fit for a gentleman were some of the highlights of the...
Automobile racing started soon after the appearance of autos themselves. Those first events, on public highways and byways, went from one town to another. Thus “road racing” was born. After WWI, racing continued on roads, except in the U.S., where competitions were mainly of the “circle-track” variety on ovals. Due...
One of the most successful relationships in motor sports during the sixties was between Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. It...
On August 28, we lost our great and good champion, Phil Hill. The entire world of motor sports is saddened....
Sports car racing in the U.S. during the ’50s was unique. It was very different from the American circle-track or drag racing of the time. It was also different from previous decades or those that came after. First of all, it was an amateur sport. But unlike most amateur sports—except...
During the early fifties, one of the biggest sports stars in the United States was Sam Hanks. Notice I said...
Jack was born on April 2, 1926, and I think it’s appropriate that we all wish him a happy birthday....
When Porsche introduced the 4-cam racing engine, it was a sensation. Porsche Spyders with this engine soon dominated their class. The problem was that this power plant was complex and difficult to work on. In the U.S., one man emerged who was acknowledged as a genius with the 4-cam. He...
Southern California has always been a hotbed of car aficionados. The hot rod craze started there and, after WWII, it...
Carroll Shelby once remarked, “There are only two people I can think of who could sit down, take a welding...
In the February 2010 edition of Vintage Racecar, editor Casey Annis reported that a concours d’provenance had been held in Palos Verdes, a suburb of Los Angeles. When I read it, I thought many of you might wonder what in the world is a concours d’provenance. We all know what...
There were a number of outstanding road-race weekends during the fifties. Phil Hill’s win at the first Pebble Beach comes...
On this, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Monterey Historics, I thought it would be interesting to look back and see...
I remember that the Reader’s Digest used to have a series of articles titled some-thing like “The Most Unforgettable Character I’ve Ever Met.” High on my own list of such characters is my close friend, Andy Porterfield. Andy is amazing for a number of reasons. Among other accomplishments, Andy has...