When he was a kid in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Patrick Depailler’s idol was French motorcycle champion and racing driver Jean Behra....
At the first Shelsley Walsh meeting after the war, only the weather was as predictable as the belief among spectators that Raymond Mays would establish Fastest Time of Day (FTD). The weather was dreadful and, for a small boy, it was almost like the echo of voices from the past...
Oscar Wilde wrote, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” This sounds a lot like the car hobby to...
Much like the animal it was named for, the precise origin of the Unicorn H-Modified sports racer remains a mystery....
The world of Formula One enjoyed a jolt of much needed excitement during the recent Spanish Grand Prix, when young Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix—at the tender age of 18. Verstappen can now add this F1 landmark to another he earned last year...
Women drivers in Formula One are rare indeed. Since the start of the F1 World Championship in 1950, only five...
Tazio Nuvolari Biography Tazio Nuvolari a legend in his own lifetime, was known as Il Montavano Volante, the Flying Mantuan. He...
Just how far will a fanatical collector go to capture the racecar of his obsessions? Would he carry a satchel stuffed with large sums of cash to meet a stranger in a dubious location? Or would he crawl across a filthy garage floor bare-chested over broken glass to get to...
As you’ll read in this month’s Racecar Profile, I was given a rare opportunity to drive one of the ultimate...
That’s some ride from West Lothian, Scotland to winning the great Indianapolis 500 three times, not to mention four IndyCar...
Niki Lauda came back into Grand Prix racing, because he could! It has been suggested that he needed the money, or was bored with retirement, but whatever the reasons he certainly believed that McLaren could do the job. Above all, he felt sure he could. I think the real story...
What was Jud Phillips thinking? This has been the question that’s tormented Bill Fester for nearly a decade. Fester, from...
In late March, around the time of the New York Auto Show, Jaguar made the surprising announcement that it would...
What kind of racing driver is it who forgets how many times he’s won? One of the most successful, of course. Too many victories to remember. That’s Britain’s Derek Bell, “Mr. Nice Guy” as he is known among most of his contemporaries. Which is remarkable in itself. Not too many...
I first watched Niki Lauda as he “learned his trade” in his days with March and BRM, before he won...
We all love to be gob-smacked. It’s part of what keeps the hobby fresh and exciting. You know what I’m...
Vintage and historic racing—at least as we enjoy it today in the United States—has been around since the 1970s. That’s nearly 40 years of “re-creating the good ol’ days” by racing and running obsolete racecars. Over those 40 years, the sport has certainly changed and evolved and key events have...
It took a racing department of 240 people and a huge budget to put Michael Schumacher on top of the...
Some years ago I was invited to talk “motor sport” at a winter club evening in Bristol and the evening...
There is no hidden racecar in this story, but there are four treasures, one mechanical and three human. I love this one. The mechanical treasure of this month’s installment is the 1953 Siata 208S (#BS520). Painted in a lovely shade of white, BS520 was the E-Production Class Winner at the...
Not sure if you are like me, but I’m not ashamed to admit that the Railton name is one that...
Today, Franco Cortese is, perhaps, one of motor sport’s forgotten stars—and he shouldn’t be. He was the driver who put...
Over the last few weeks, preparations for the 2016 Grand Prix season have been hectic as the teams have to pass their safety checks and manage all the other schedules, documentation, travel arrangements, etc. These all have to be completed before they can start the new season. Whatever the excitement...
It’s confession time again. For my entire automotive collecting career, now entering its third decade, I’ve been both intrigued and...
I’m always a little bit shocked when I see the worlds of modern and historic racing intersect. Recently, I was...
Eddie Irvine has been a shrewd operator for most of his adult life. He carefully maneuvered himself into the second seat at Ferrari and kept it for four years—no mean feat in itself—where he developed just the right blend of acquiescence and competitiveness to create a positive working relationship with...
After the First World War and into the ’20s, many car manufacturers throughout Europe became involved in Grand Prix racing....
This is the story of two men, born 45 years apart, each completely obsessed with the automobile, and both hopelessly...
It’s often said that one of the best aspects of historic racing is the people you meet. Having been around the hobby for a frighteningly long time now, I feel very fortunate to have made so many friends along the way. Whether you live in the U.S., Australia or the...
