One of the things to particularly love about ladies, is their ability to “multi-task,” something most men are not very...
Having been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the London Premiere of the movie McLaren, a wonderful tribute to Bruce McLaren and his many achievements, I then cast my mind back to the previous motor racing-based movies I have watched over the years. Like all cinematic productions, they vary...
This year’s Formula One World Championship commenced without the reigning champion in the field, something that has not happened since...
It is an unfortunate fact of life that as we age, so we lose more and more friends to the...
“Where have all the young teams gone?” the words of that famous song with a one word alteration could well apply to the ranks of Formula One teams since the World Championship came into being back in 1950. It is said that more than 150 teams have come and gone,...
Imagine you are a designer in late 1952. One day you are sitting, staring out of the window, when your...
Electric vehicles are suddenly all the rage. Showing one’s “green” credentials is very popular in this low or zero emission...
In this age of hi-tech carbon fiber car and aircraft construction, wood may now seem an odd material to use, but remember the days when it was very much a favored material for all sorts of things, houses and bonfires included. Still good for those, but the days of wooden...
Some people do; some people don’t. Some people enjoy it; some people don’t. Driving in the rain, that is. Apart...
Fifty years is quite a long time, in politics or any other activity. In motor racing, though, 50-year anniversaries seem to keep coming around quite regularly. I suppose it is significant because many of us are fortunate enough to last for over 50 years, but rather less of us see...
Mike Lawrence Australia has decided to demote FF1600 and install Formula 4 as its national starter series. Formula 4 gives...
Mike Lawrence Mike Jiggle’s recent article on the ex-Moss Cooper Mk IV-J.A.P. (VR, July 2015) prodded a few memories about...
Mike Lawrence Recently, I was contacted by a chap in New Jersey who labored under the impression that I know much more than I do. He had bought an MZ 850 single-seater and wanted to know more. Not only had I not heard of the make, I had no knowledge...
Mike Lawrence There has been some debate within these pages about the wood used to make Frank Costin’s Protos F2...
Mike Lawrence Here is a question to ponder: when was there last welding equipment in a Formula One pitlane, or...
Mike Lawrence At the end of last year, I moved from Chichester to Oxford or, to put it in terms even the most geographically challenged reader will understand, from Goodwood to Silverstone and the heart of the British motor racing industry. Three Formula One engineers live within 50 yards of...
Mike Lawrence There is a minor industry in new James Bond novels and if we include Young James Bond and...
Mike Lawrence One of the delights of Vintage Racecar is reading the small ads and being reminded of the sheer...
Mike Lawrence Recently, yet another attempt to revive the Allard name was announced. There have been three Allard revivals to my knowledge, but this one comes with the involvement of Sydney Allard’s son and grandson, and a new car is promised. Sydney Allard was a London garage owner (his business...
Mike Lawrence One of the anniversaries celebrated at the 2014 Goodwood Revival Meeting was 50 years since Jackie Stewart won...
Mike Lawrence Up to ten of the “continuation” “Knobbly” Lister-Jaguars are being made, and these are available in either full...
Mike Lawrence This year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Within weeks, what had been RAF Westhampnett, now the Goodwood Motor Circuit, was virtually deserted as operations moved to France. Before the first Revival, I went with Stirling Moss, his manager Ken Gregory, and the engineer, Tony Robinson, to...
John Surtees Biography The eldest of three children, John was born on February 11, 1934 in Tatsfield, England. His father...
Mike Lawrence In 1957 Maserati was supreme. Fangio won the F1 Championship and the Maserati 450S came within an ace of winning the WSCC, and then Maserati suddenly withdrew and left the way clear for Ferrari to become the dominant Italian marque. For a moment, Maserati had the laurel within...
Mike Lawrence Patrick Quinn’s feature on the front-wheel-drive Alvis in Vintage Roadcar struck a special chord with me, because his...
Mike Lawrence Recently, the world’s oldest motor sport event came under threat of closure, a threat since lifted, although not many people noticed. What is the event? Do not feel bad if you did not know that the oldest event is the Brighton Speed Trials; I had no idea either,...
