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I remember the 1968 Oulton Park Gold Cup Race very well because it was my first Formula 1 drive, and Oulton Park was a circuit I knew very well from...
Can a fictional spy save the world…and a car company? I write this column on the eve of Halloween. While my youngest daughter is busting at the seams for what...
Subscriber-exclusive Photo Gallery from the Sept. 28, 2019 Ironstone Concours d’Elegance, at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys, California. 1931 Franklin 153 Dietrich. Lee Webb 1930 Duesenberg J Murphy. Paul Petrovich 1926 Gardner...
The most famous race on earth may have a checkered past as part of the World Championship, but foreign flavor runs throughout the history of the Indianapolis 500 David Bruce-Brown...
On October 15, 1953, Achille Castoldi sat in his boat on the water of Lake Iseo nestled between its more famous siblings Lake Como and Lake Garda. Surrounded by dense...
City to City Motor Races It began with demonstration runs such as one that took place on the 22nd of July, 1894 in front of a fascinated public for these...
With the European Grand Prix season upon us, few circuits command as much respect as the notorious Nürburgring. While the new Nürburgring circuit sits on the site of the original start-finish...
In the days when racing’s regulations were somewhat less restrictive than perhaps they are now, designers occasionally looked beyond current conventions to try something new and different Racers are renowned...
For the enthusiast, it is a good thing to be able to say that your car is based on a racing car (or that it has been successfully raced), so...
American sports car racing in the 1950s is perhaps best known for the titanic battles between Italian-built Ferraris and Maseratis and the home-grown specials like the Scarabs and the Ol...
Developed first as a show car to celebrate the Ford Centennial, the Ford GT40 concept car came as a big surprise when it hit the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. Journalists...
By Tim Scott My infatuation with the Ferrari marque goes back to the 1970s, and my ‘formative’ years. As a poorly eleven year-old, stricken by appendicitis and hospital-bound, my dear...
For the most part of the 20th century, Jaguar had been a dominant force on the race tracks around the world, winning the 1951 and 1953 Le Mans with the...
Bob Dance I started work with Lotus Components in 1960. I really wanted to join the Lotus Formula One team, but unless you were in the right place at the...
Pete Lyons The year was 1970. The year the ground turned over under America’s greatest sports racing car series. No Subscription? You’re missing out Any Text Here Get Started Already...
Porsche Panamera Reaches Decade-Milestone Shortly before it was released, the Panamera could certainly have been considered a gamble by Porsche. While it is true that their SUV experiment conducted a...
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...
Subscriber-exclusive Photo Gallery from VSCDA’s Sept. 13–15, 2019, Elkhart Lake Fall Festival at Road America. No Subscription? You’re missing out Any Text Here Get Started Already a Member? Sign in...
A Concise History of Cars Automobile History In the Early Days The history of cars involved people from different countries who, in ways large and small, contributed to its development....
…or why America lacks an international show One of the things I really enjoy, each month, is poring over all the submitted photos to select the images for that issue’s...
It is an unfortunate fact of life that as we age, so we lose more and more friends to the ravages of time. As I sat in the church at...
The 1948 Silverstone Grand Prix will be celebrated at this year’s Silverstone Classic, to be staged 20-22 July 2018 at the historic 3.6-mile Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in Northamptonshire, England....
Dad was a part-time taxi driver and Mom a secretary, and five-year-old Mika plagued the life out of them to let him race a kart. They hired one for him,...
In a recent “Last Lap” [60 Years of the Upscale Mini] I considered the expensive customized Minis of the Swinging Sixties, which got me thinking about Mini specials. I cannot help...
There’s a reason why Miami Vice is no longer a fashion trend… One of the many great things about living in Southern California, if you’re a car enthusiast, is the...
St. Chamond in the Loire Valley of France was once known as a production center of ribbon and rayon, as well as its railway works. Now, it is best known...
On May 25, Giulio Alfieri, one of the giants of 20th century motorsport, strode through the scrutineering paddock of the 2000 Mille Miglia Storica in Brescia, Italy, hardly looking right...
1972 Surtees TS9B The relationship between money and success in an F1 team has always been a subject of interest and debate. There have been teams with very little money,...
Since first offering its wares to the automotive public, Lancia has excelled at engineering some of the most technically advanced cars in nearly every decade. It is the post-war cars,...
In 2015, it was announced that the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur would hold a street Grand Prix for GT3 cars and a variety of sports cars. However, this was...
The start of the first official race on the ice of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Left to right: the Stanguellini of Crivellari (#30), the Volpini of Zanarotti (#26) and another Stanguellini, this...
For some time now, a consortium of major manufacturers has been threatening its own series, the Grand Prix World Championship. It will be interesting to see how that pans out...
There used to be a monthly feature in the Reader’s Digest called something like “The Most Unforgettable Character I’ve Ever Met.” For me, that’s Carroll Shelby. I guess perhaps I’m...
Subscriber exclusive Photo Gallery from HSR’s Oct. 30–31, 2021, Classic 24 Daytona. 86 Colin Dougherty 88 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup 25 Jorge Cerosimo / Ruben Salerno 91 Porsche 911 C2...
Jacky Ickx and the smoky Martini Porsche 936 just made it to the end to claim the win for himself, Hurley Haywood and Jürgen Barth at Le Mans in 1977. Photo:...
Pete Lyons How do you stop a racing runaway? Well, you might try throwing more races in its way. No Subscription? You’re missing out Any Text Here Get Started Already...
I have an old friend that works in law enforcement. I’m not talking about the local PD. Serious law enforcement, and that’s all I can say about that. He scares...
Quite a few younger folk seek me out and want to hear about how wonderful sports car racing was during the fifties. Without exception, they view those days as halcyon...
Half a century ago, if your perfectly good sports car were damaged in an accident, you had options. One such option, available starting in the late 1950s, was rather than...
Scheckter’s Laguna Seca win was his first of four in a row that established a points lead he never relinquished. Photo: Treichler/VR Archive The decade of the 1960s was a historic...
Written by: Glen Smale. Images by: Glen Smale & National Motor Museum, Beaulieu No Subscription? You’re missing out Any Text Here Get Started Already a Member? Sign in to your...
Automobiles Peugeot Armand Peugeot was born on 26 March 1849 in Herimoncourt, in eastern France. He was the son of Emile Peugeot and Jean Pierre. . Since 1810, the family...
The second running of Spa Classic took place May 25-27, 2012 at the famed 4.352 mile, 20-turn Spa-Francorchamps track in Belgium. A strong crowd of historic racing enthusiasts enjoyed Peter...
Driven to Crime by Robert W. Butsch The Formula Junior race at Brands Hatch in 1963 that saw Mike Hailwood, piloting a Brabham in his first try at four wheel...
Justly famous for corners such as the Corkscrew and Andretti (a.k.a. Turn 2), plain-named Turn Six is actually one of the more important corners at this world-famous track. As you’ll...
While you might think this article is going to address the Chrysler Norsman, we are instead going deep sea diving, but not for the wreckage of the Andria Doria…at least...
Ayrton Senna Biography Ayrton Senna was born on 21 March 1960, the second child of Milton da Silva, a successful businessman and landowner. The family lived in Santana, a well-to-do...
Now here is a man of his word—and it cost him dearly. In 1961, Innes agreed to drive for Formula One team UDT-Laystall run by Ken Gregory and Alfred Moss,...
Up to ten of the “continuation” “Knobbly” Lister-Jaguars are being made, and these are available in either full racing or road-legal versions. So far, nobody has ordered a road-legal car,...
Our Pepsi Challenger Eagle from 1981 was sort of unique. It didn’t owe anything to Europe, it was developed right here in California. It had our own brand of aerodynamics....
Subscriber-exclusive Photo Gallery from VSDCA’s Oct 12-13, 2019, Octoberfest at Blackhawk Farms, in Beloit, IL. No Subscription? You’re missing out Any Text Here Get Started Already a Member? Sign in...
1933 Tourist Trophy – Sensation at Syracuse By Richard Hough “It seems perfectly apparent,” wrote Sammy Davis after the 1932 race, “that the prospects for next year are not particularly...
George Lister & Son was a very old engineering company in my hometown of Cambridge, starting in 1895. I joined them in 1947, having done two years training at the...
1965 Monaco Grand Prix – Graham Hill ‘s Greatest Race By Graham Hill The 1965 Monte Carlo was a race, which I have always considered to be one of the...
Though only a few Dutch vehicle makers are in operation today, in the early years of the motorcar around the turn of the 20th century, quite a number of automakers...
An image of Reid Railton with his parents depicted the engineer at the time of his decision, supported by Henry Spurrier III, to design and produce an automobile of his...
The sensational Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car debuted on a motorway on March 12, 1952. Commencing from 1954 until today, the highly successful competition car has greatly influenced the tradition...
Subscriber exclusive Photo Gallery from the Oct. 31–Nov. 4, 2020, running of the Copperstate 1000 in Arizona. 36 Ford 5 Window Coupe-Alfa Romeo #6235-Howard Koby photo.jpg 52 Jaguar XK 120-Paul...
Photo: Chris Mann This was going to be an important year for me. My win at Oulton Park, in Richard Attwood’s Cooper, had impressed the MRP gang and for 1963...
Photo: Steve Oom With just over 600 produced between 1954 and 1962 it can t be said that the Jensen 541 was built in huge numbers. In my 45-plus years...
Story by Stephen Mitchell The first time I saw a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso was at Riverside Raceway where I was attending the Times Grand Prix. The Mecom team–which...
We have had this conversation before! When you get asked a question about your greatest drive, or greatest race or the greatest racecar, you always have to qualify it. I...
There were a number of outstanding road-race weekends during the fifties. Phil Hill’s win at the first Pebble Beach comes to mind as well as Carroll Shelby’s at the last....
Daytona is a name that has long been part of the speed racing history as early American-based land speed record attempts were undertaken on the beaches within a 20-minute drive...
As you’ll read in this month’s news—and likely learned from our web site back on March 10—multi-time motorcycle and Formula One World Champion John Surtees has passed away at the...
Tucked away in a little potato-farming town, 250 miles south east of Buenos Aires, is one of the most important motor racing museums in the world, a tribute to the...
I pulled my Alfa over into a little layby, off the twisty road that climbs from the Pacific Ocean, up to the top of Southern California’s Palos Verdes hillside. It’s...
Jaguar’s regal record in the world’s most prestigious sports car race was assembled over many years We may not automatically think “Jaguar” upon hearing the words “Le Mans,” but the...
Racing History – Long Island Vanderbilt Cup Races The Initial Races So was heralded the Long Island Vanderbilt Cup races. Many races have been held under the Vanderbilt Cup banner...
It was a hell of a party, part Mexican fiesta, part class reunion, part a gathering of the VFW, all rolled into one. The place was the Petersen Automotive Museum...
Casey Annis (Editor)Photo: Dan R Boyd At the end of January, I was asked if I’d speak at the new L.A. Classic Auto Show, that was being held at the...
You know the eternal pub debate about who is the greatest driver ever, or which was the greatest drive? I’m up for that, provided it is a debate, in a...
It’s wrong to call Baconin Borzacchini the “eternal second,” as some motor sport historians do. Sure, he came 2nd in quite a number of races, but that’s very much to...
Author Robert Heinlein once wrote, “A generation which ignores history has no past—and no future.” With a recent announcement by Formula One “Supremo” Bernie Ecclestone, I can’t help but wonder...
Tazio Nuvolari always used to say that if your car burst into flame, jump out and save yourself before it crashes. A similar philosophy to that of the bespectacled Masten...
I think it is easy for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere to underestimate the global racing contributions of our southern brothers. Only the most knowledgeable northern enthusiasts...
We have a winner! Just as we hoped, a VRJ reader has recognized one of the “Mystery Cars” shown in the February 2002 issue (page 10), and identified its driver....
It was 11 in the morning. A 25-year-old German pastry cook was sleeping after a hard night’s baking. Until the phone squealed. He decided to ignore it, turn over and...
In the 1930s, it was not unusual to bring an older late-model luxury car back to the dealer, manufacturer, or coachbuilder to have it rebodied with something newer and more...
Martin BrundlePhoto: Mike Jiggle In 1982, BP took me to F3 full-time. I finished 2nd in my first F3 race of the season; I was going really well. I remember...
Villeneuve won four races, including Indy, on his way to the 1995 CART Indycar crown. Photo: John Zimmermann Collection This self-confident Canadian is one of the élite. Only he, Mario...
To Salute Dan Gurney’s selection as Featured Guest for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, we asked the All American Racer to make a tough call It’s like tasking a parent...
Background The Bugatti factory in 1927 was at the peak of its automobile production with multiple lines to handle the demand for the various Type 35 Grand Prix models; the...
The famed Ford GT40 appears to be one of the most talked about and sought-after cars in the automotive world these days, yet ironically, probably not the “GT40” that you...
OK sports car fans. Put on your post-war, European history caps. What 1950s coachbuilt aluminum-bodied, twin-cam, two- and three-liter exotic sports car set speed records, raced and showed in the...
Ferrari runs several worldwide series and programs for customers to exercise and race their cars. The main one is the Ferrari Challenge which features a series of races in the...
Subscriber only Photo Gallery from the Sept. 22, Ironstone Concours, at Murphys, California. 1934 Pierce-Arrow 840. Robert Jacbsen. Ironstone Concours 2018 1915 Locomobile 38 Touring. Steven Hughes. Ironstone Concours 2018...
I am often asked what is the greatest racing car or what is my favorite racing car and, of course, it is impossible to answer that question because some cars...
When I was young, growing up in Spain was very difficult for lovers of motor racing. The Spanish were then known for bull fighting, football and golf. In the 1960s,...
You may have read the news piece we posted a week ago about Jaguar’s announcement that their Classic division will begin restoring and retrofitting E-Types with the same all-electric powertrain...
Joe Ballengee was driving his ’65 Lancia Flavia Sport Zagato through the Santa Fe Arts District, during the Santa Fe Concorso’s Mountain Tour, when a woman at the curb, shouted,...
Women drivers in Formula One are rare indeed. Since the start of the F1 World Championship in 1950, only five of them have made it to the track in fire-breathing...
During the sixties, Carroll Shelby tried almost anything having to do with cars and racing. A little-known episode was his effort at Indianapolis. The Shelby Indycar was one of the...
The Resurrection of an Indy Icon John Cooper sits at the wheel of the Kimberly Cooper prior to Tech inspection for the 1961 Indianapolis 500. Photo: de Lespinay Collection Vintage...
