As I write this column in late April, the mass media is full of stories about Ayrton Senna. I must...
I’m currently in the process of filing a lawsuit against Honda and Toyota, but it also looks like I might...
The call came late on a Saturday, “I’ve signed us up for a 4-Hour enduro—you in?” Yikes, four hours. As...
As historic racing participants we often go to great lengths—and spend a great deal of time—attempting to recreate racing history. We spend countless hours researching our cars’ histories; we spend thousands of dollars restoring our cars to period-correct configuration and—with those who are more zealous—we even go so far as...
I once accepted a commission to write a book called AZ of Sports Cars. It was to cover the post-war...
Just before the holidays, I had the good fortune of attending a special tribute dinner at Southern California’s Petersen Automotive...
Manufacturers are falling over them- selves to put supercars on the market. Not those wimpy things restricted to 155 mph, but full-blooded vehicles which you can only drive hard on some German autobahnen and in downtown Naples. I was once driving a 1954 Swallow Doretti at 60 mph on a...
As I laid the magazine back down on my desk, I looked across the room and had to laugh. I...
I sat on my living room floor and asked myself, “Is this how it all started for Mario, Keke and Nelson?”No, not the beginning of the pathway that led to their respective World Championships, but the beginning of their children’s journey down that same path. I was sitting on the...
In September, I had the good fortune to be able to attend this year’s Goodwood Revival. I had never been before but, like many people, have followed the hype for several years. Now that I’ve been, I can categorically say that it is one of those “automotive wonders of the...
I have just watched “The Italian Job,” the 1969 original. At the time of writing, the remake has not hit...
In the world of racing, automotive brands, more often than not, become flag bearers of national pride and heritage. In...
Thirty years ago one of the headline stories on television news was David Purley desperately trying to save the life of Roger Williamson, whose car had flipped at Zandvoort and had caught fire. The marshals were confused, but Purley stopped his car and wrestled a fire extinguisher from a marshal...
Sadly, there aren’t many “perks” associated with my line of work—terrible hours, constant deadlines—I know, “Boo, hoo. Welcome to the real world!” However, every now and again—if you’re a good boy and are in the right place at the right time—nice people will let you drive their cars. OK, who...
Champ Car racing is in the middle of an ongoing drama, which can be best described as character building. Starting...
At the end of May, I was in Italy following the Mille Miglia Retrospective. There was a time when I thought it was just a jolly, but now I think that the organizers have it right. The real Mille Miglia was more of a festival than a serious race. It...
At 30,000 feet, questions begin to crystallize like ice on the wing… Will the circulation ever return to my hopelessly...
Two month’s ago, I wrote in this space about my misuse, misappropriation and general mis-handling of my grand-father’s tools in my formative years (When do those end? my wife asks.) Well, much to my pleasant surprise, I must have struck a chord because I have received more feedback and response...
In the summer of 1980, I was at Goodwood for a test session. Before I reached the pits, I bumped...
I recently had the good fortune to spend a couple of weeks in England on business this past February. Now,...
The aspect of motor racing which I admire the most is the production racing car industry. You can make a mediocre road car – the Chrysler Neon springs unbidden to mind – and provided you advertise and price it right, you can sell them by the 100,000. Keep on making...
