Go for a first-person blast around Laguna Seca with Rick Knoop in a monstrous 1972 McLaren M8F Can-Am.

In 1971 the McLaren M8F was the mightiest of the Can-Am warriors – and that’s saying a lot. Peter Revson took the 1971 1971 Canadian-American Challenge Cup drivers’ title in one, followed closely by his McLaren Cars teammate Denny Hulme in another M8F. Jackie Stewart was a distant third in a Lola T260.

1972 saw the Penske Porsche 917/10 stomp the scene, but the older M8F still did itself proud in the hands of drivers like François Cevert.

In this video, Rick Knoop hustles his 1972 McLaren M8F around Laguna Seca at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. He’s hard at work, graciously handling plenty of opposite lock when he opens up the taps. And we get to hop on board for the whole spectacle thanks to a visor-mounted camera.

A bright-blue, 8-litre, 800 horsepower V8 Chevvy McLaren through the corkscrew at full noise? Doesn’t get much better. Turn it up and enjoy!

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Hop into a Porsche LMP1-98 WSC-95 with evo’s Dickie Meaden at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to learn about its history, do a 27-point turn and charge up the hill.

The WSC-95 is a modified Porsche design derived from the Group C Jaguar XJR-14. In 1995 Porsche approved a project to develop a prototype for IMSA World Sportscar racing. While they would not be backing it themselves, they would be approving it, as well as lending their expertise and thoroughly race-tested Type-935 turbo flat-six. Tom Walkinshaw Racing would be in charge of building the car, based on the XJR-14.

When IMSA WSC regulations changed going into the 1995 season, Porsche cancelled the project. Reinhold Joest, however, liked the idea, and convinced Porsche to pick it up again and give the prototype to his team for the ’96 24 Hours of Le Mans. Joest Racing also put up the cash to build a second car and make modifications to the existing car to meet LMP1 regulations.

Come race day the cars were quick, with WSC-95 #002 setting pole, and WSC-95 #001 going on to win the race ahead of Porsche’s own factory 911 GT1 cars.

Following that success Joest Racing decided to run again in 1997. Good decision – they went from pole position to race win, with a young Tom Kristensen picking up the first of his nine 24 Hours of Le Mans victories.

For 1998 Porsche took over the WSC-95 project, developing both that car for LMP1 and the 911 GT1 in the GT1 class. Both of the WSC-95s received significant development to their bodywork and aero, as well as an upgraded 3.2-litre Type-935 flat-6. This is when the cars’ name changed to the Porsche LMP1-98.

Sadly the LMP1-98 did not complete a hat trick for the racer, but Porsche did take the overall win – a feat they would not repeat until 2015 – with their 911 GT1-98s securing both first and second.

The first few minutes of this video offer a lovely view of the LMP1’s office and a particularly good bit in which a Smart Engineer Man flips many levers and pushes a collection of buttons for the car’s start up procedure. Dickie Meaden waxes lyrical about the car’s history and what it’s like to be behind the wheel at the event before the camera gives us a better view of the track and we take off up the hill. Great stuff!

The post Onboard a Porsche LMP1-98 WSC-95 at Goodwood appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

That sound! Go onboard with sports car racer  Marino Franchitti at the 2015 Monterey Historics in a Le Mans winning 1975 Gulf Mirage GR8.

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Images thanks to Auctionata

On Saturday September 26th, 2015, at 6PM CET Auctionata will launch the world’s first ‘Ferrari Only’ online auction, putting 27 very special Ferraris under the hammer. Amongst them will be Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F310B Formula 1 car, a Sbarro P4 and a ’65 Ferrari 275 FTB/2 Short Nose.

The auction will be streamed live from both www.auctionata.com and Auctionata’s iPhone app ‘Auctionata Live’, which you can grab from the App Store here.

The Ferrari F310 and F310B were developed for the 1996 and 1997 Formula 1 World Championships. The F310 was quick, although it didn’t quite have the speed and reliability of Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams. Nevertheless, Schumacher was able to win three grands prix in ’96 and claim third in the drivers’ championship.

Ferrari used the F310 as their development platform for the 1997 season, resulting in the even more competitive F310B. The season was a nailbiter that would conclude with just three points separating Schumacher and Villeneuve. It came down to the final round at Jerez in Spain, during which Schumacher made an infamous move while being passed by Villeneuve that saw him out of the race and disqualified from the championship standings.

The car up for auction at Auctionata’s Ferrari Only sale is the very Ferrari F310B that Schumacher drove in that grand prix. It was also Schumacher’s steed for the race before – the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka – which he won ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and teammate Eddie Irvine. Proceedings will get under way at €650,000.

If you’re looking for a more modern racer to pair with the F310B – a Ferrari FXX will be sold during the auction as well.

Another standout from the sale is a gorgeous ’65 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 Short Nose. It’s one of just 240 built in the original design of the 275 GTB with a short nose by Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina’.

The iconic car is beautifully restored with original chassis, engine, body and transmission, and has received certification from Ferrari Classiche. Bidding for it will start at €1,200,000.

Joining this illustrious pair are similarly-special machines like a 1977 Ferrari 512 BB with just 8,680 kilometers on the clock, a Sbarro P4, lightweight cars like a 599 GTO, 458 Speciale, Scuderia Spider 16M and masterpieces like the F40 and F50.

Auctionata have developed some particularly impressive technology for this sale, which will include a split-screen livestream broadcast simultaneously from two locations. The auctioneer will be working from Auctionata’s Berlin studios, while the cars will be presented live from a hanger at Helicopter Travel Munich.

The auction is available to bidders worldwide and can be followed live at www.auctionata.com as well as through Auctionata’s iPhone app ‘Auctionata Live’, which you can grab from the App Store here.  It will be broadcast from 6PM CET on Saturday September the 26th, 2015.

Images thanks to Auctionata

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Formula 1 will return to Adelaide this 16th to 18th of October, when the Adelaide Motorsport Festival takes over Victoria Park.

Headlining the festival is the Victoria Park Sprint and its Adelaide Grand Prix Revival, which will bring together the biggest collection of ’80s and ’90s Formula 1 cars that the area has seen since their heyday.

The Adelaide Grand Prix Revival will be headlining the Victoria Park Sprint over the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October and let loose a stunning collection of Grand Prix cars on a section of the original Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit.

An impressive group of Grand Prix cars will make up the fields for the weekend, and the following have already been confirmed for track events:

• 1985 Beatrice Lola driven by Alan Jones at the first Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide
• 1986 BMW Benneton, driven by Gerhard Berger in Adelaide. The most powerful F1 car ever made with 1400hp in qualifying trim!
• 1989 Leyton House March CG891 driven in Adelaide by Ivan Capelli
• 1994 Ferrari 412 T1 driven to 2nd place by Gerhard Berger in Adelaide
• 1994 Simtek S941 Driven by David Brabham in Adelaide

The 1988 BMW Arrows Megatron driven in Adelaide by Eddie Cheever is currently entered and is planned to be on track over the weekend, and the 1987 Ferrari F1/87 driven to victory in Adelaide by Gerhard Berger will be on display in the exhibition area.

These cars all celebrate Adelaide’s rich Formula 1 history, which is what the weekend is all about!

To that end, organisers are encouraging both competitors and spectators to dress in period clothing for the Sunday and offering a prize for best dressed. With the song of Formula 1 motors in the air, the smell of high-octane fuel and matching period aesthetic in the pits and the paddock, it’s sure to be a brilliant atmosphere.

To add a little spice to the Formula 1 theme, historic touring cars, sports cars and classic motorcycles are also going to be competing over the weekend. These races are always thrilling and capture the spirit of the golden age of motorsport – we can’t wait to check a few out!

The Adelaide Motorsport Festival will be held at Victoria Park over the weekend of Friday the 16th of October to Sunday the 18th of October. The Victoria Park Sprint Adelaide Grand Prix Revival will run over the 17th and 18th of October.

For more details head to www.adelaidemotorsportfestival.com.au

Image thanks to Adelaide Motorsport Festival

The post Adelaide Motorsport Festival to Host Biggest Gathering of ’80s and ’90s F1 Cars Since their Heyday appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Alain Prost on the way to winning the 1989 French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in his final season for McLaren, thanks to the Cahier Archive

Sit down by the glittering seaside of the French Riviera for a chat with Formula 1 legend Alain Prost, to learn about Formula 1, his career and what he thinks about being one side of the greatest Formula 1 rivalry of all time.

“And at the end of ’84 we went to Estoril, went to a nightclub and we had a huge party. I was completely drunk with Niki and the guys, because that is part of the human side of history you know, and I remember when I came back to the hotel and said “am going to win the world championship one day?” because it was three consecutively missed for different reasons very close. I learned a lot with Niki.”

From his start with McLaren, to Renault, a thoroughly successful and exciting return to McLaren, a stint at Ferrari and his championship-winning career finale at Williams, Prost drove for the sport’s great teams through some of its finest, and feistiest, hours.

He claimed 51 wins and 106 podiums on the way to his four World Drivers’ Championships thanks to smooth steering and a cerebral approach to racecraft. One of the sport’s most successful drivers, he didn’t earn that success without his fair share of controversy and competition along the way!

‘The Professor’ doesn’t sparkle with the same effusiveness or lightheartedness as Gerhard Berger does in his interview, but his thoughts and approach are absolutely fascinating. An exciting career, enriched with plenty of speed and controversy make for extremely interesting insights and an interview well worth watching.

Enjoy, thanks to F1 Legends and presenter Steve Rider.

The post F1 Legend: Alain Prost appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to RM Sotheby’s, by Tim Scott

This 56 horsepower MG monster was part of an all-women MG Works team at Le Mans in 1935 – and was the first team car home that year. It’s a 1934 MG PA/B Le Mans, up for sale at RM Sotheby’s’ upcoming London Sale, and it’s very, very cool.

This little MG sings. And for me, it’s about its history, which begins very early on in that of one of the world’s greatest races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The first all-women team had entered the 24-hour epic back in 1930, with Odette Siko and Marguerite Mareuse bringing a Bugatti Type 40 home in 7th overall.

It would be another five years, 1935, before this car, chassis PA/1711, entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its own all-women crew.

MG had put together a three-car team with three identical Works cars driven by three all-female teams to promote their new P-Series. Captain George Eyston, a Le Mans veteran from 1928 and ’29, would be managing the endeavour, and the women became known as “Eyston’s Dancing Daughters”. Very ’30s!

This car (#56) is one of those three entries, and was driven by Joan Richmond and Barbara Simpson. The other two cars were PA/1661 (#55), driven by Doreen Evans and Barbara Skinner and PA/1667 (#57) which was raced by Margaret Allan and Colleen Eaton.

The cars were put together at MG’s Abingdon headquarters and comprehensive documentation of the work, including a work order for each car, is preserved today.

Each was fitted with cycle-type aluminium bodywork, aluminium louvered bonnets and an aero screen to handle the high-speed Mulsanne Straight. The engines were blueprinted and featured lightened flywheel, Q-Type racing valves ad sprints, polished head and air scoop to fuel the sump.

They also received double fuel pumps, Q-Type brakes to keep the 56 horsepower in check and J-Type gearbox ratios. Their luggage space was converted to fit spare tyres and racing modifications were added like quick filler caps, racing wheels and radiator.

The team of racing ladies was carefully drafted based on their racing record and most of them had strong histories racing in club motorsport, rallies and hillclimbs. Richmond and Eaton were even imported from Australia.

When it came time to race, the three MGs were bulletproof – the only blip throughout the race, known as one of the most crushing in existence, was the #55 car needing a light bulb replaced.

The three cars finished the race consecutively in 24th, 25th and 26th from a field of 58 starters. This car was the first home amongst the team.

Sadly, the MG Racing Department was closed before the 1936 race, which would itself be cancelled. This car did continue to compete, however, now with a supercharger fitted to make a 56 horsepower, 847cc single overhead camshaft engine with single SU side-draft carburettor.

It is the only original car from the team remaining, as one has been modified and one is missing and presumed destroyed.

It has been restored since its original career and is in excellent condition and sold with comprehensive documentation. With its wonderful history it would be more than welcome at the Le Mans Classic, along with any historic event that you’d like to take part in around the world.

It will go up for sale on the 7th of September at RM Sotheby’s’ London Sale. Head to RM Sotheby’s’ official site here for more information.

Images thanks to RM Sotheby’s, by Tim Scott

The post For Sale: 1934 MG PA/B Le Mans Team Car appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

In which Jürgen Clauss, founder of Alpine specialist workshop alpineLAB, takes us for a spin in his beautifully-restored Alpine and talks about what makes the cars so magical.

“Owning an Alpine is quite like a relationship with a beautiful woman. Some days, it’s exhausting, but in the end, it’s all about maintaining the passion, highlighting her beauty, and loving her.”

Clauss’ love of Alpines began in the ’80s, when he sold his Golf GTi having resolved to finally buy an Alpine A110. That car turned into a collection built around the Alpine A110 street cars. And that collection developed over the following three decades into a stunning collection of race cars and his alpineLAB workshop.

Each of his cars is immaculately-restored to be as they were, and probably better, than the moment they rolled out of the factory.

This video from Petrolicious tells the story magnificently, and has some great bits where the music and talking fades away to let the magnificently raunchy engine note of the Alpine shine. Hit play.

MORE: Video: Bringing back the Alpine A110

The post Video: One Man’s Alpine Awakening appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

When you think of Derek Bell, you think Porsche. However at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Derek was reunited with the iconic Ferrari 512M and didn’t it bring a big smile to his face!

Watch these two wonderful clips from the team at Blackbird Automotive about Derek’s adventures in the Ferrari.

The post Ferrari 512M and Derek Bell reunited at Goodwood (video) appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images: Bonhams

The only Porsche 908/03 Turbo remaining in the world is about to head to auction at Bonhams’ upcoming Goodwood Revival Sale.

The 908/03, ‘Chassis 011′, was driven by the likes of Richard Attwood, Pedro Rodriguez and Björn Waldegård, amongst others, in period, tackling races like the Targa Florio and 1000 Kilometers of Nürburgring.

It was first run fresh from the factory, with its original 3-litre flat-8 air-cooled motor, by the Gulf/JW Automotive team in the 1970 World Championship of Makes-qualifying Targa Florio. Richard Attwood and Björn Waldegård were given driving duties and they finished on the lead lap in fifth place.

Next up would be the 1970 ADAC 1000 Kilometers of Nürburgring, where the car would be driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen. They qualified second, but made an off-road excursion during the race and failed to finish.

When FIA World Championship of Makes regulations changed for the 1972 season, Porsche reconfigured its 908/03s with turbocharged 2142cc c-cylinder engines. This would see the cars racing through to the mid ’70s.

At this time many of the early 908/03 chassis were striped and stored – and that’s what happened with ‘011’.

In 1974 the chassis, which was destined to be scrapped, was sold to Dr Dannesberger of Germany and converted to a 908/03 Turbo by Porsche’s Customer Racing/Repair Department in Zuffenhausen.

In the hands of the Dannesberger Martini Team, the car was set to racing again in 1975 – and it was a busy year! It picked up 3rd overall in the Mugello 1000 Kilometers with Gijs van Lennep and Herbert Muller driving and third place finishes in the 1000 Kilometers of Nürburgring and Nürburgring InterSerie driven by Leo Kinnunen and Herbert Muller.

Herbert Muller would also win the Mainz-Finten InterSerie, take second in the Zandvoort InterSerie and claim third in the Kassel-Calden InterSerie in the car.

‘011’ was sold to Dr Sigi Brun, who re-assembled it into its present configuration. He commissioned John Paul Jr. to race it in the 1982 Norisring race in the American IMSA, where they finished 6th overall.

Jurgen Barth finished 8th at Hockenheim early in August that year, and the car returned at the end of the month with Axel Plankenhorn qualifying 6th but suffering turbocharger problems and not finishing.

Brun Racing took the car back to Hockenheim the following year, where Sigi himself claimed a 6th place finish. Axel Plankenhorn would get a second chance with the car in July, finishing 6th at the Norisring in the car’s final frontline racing appearance.

It passed through Jean-Marc Luco’s hands before arriving at its current owner and has most recently competed in the Dix-Mille Tours at Ricard-Castellet in 2013, where it finished second.

This stunning example of sportscar racing purity is in magnificent race-ready condition. It’s is sold with its original body and is complete with FIA Historic Technical Passport. A machine like this would be most welcome at any historic event around the world.

An incredibly storied and significant example of one of Porsche’s most important prototype race cars, ‘011’ is a magnificent machine that we hope to see head back out onto the track soon. It will head to auction at Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival Sale on the 12th of September and is expected to fetch £2.2 million – 2.5 million.

For more information head to Bonhams’ website here.

Images via Bonhams

The post The Last Remaining Porsche 908/03 Turbo is Heading to Auction appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Emerson Fittipaldi in Sweden, 1973, thanks to the Cahier Archive

Sit down with Emerson Fittipaldi to chat about playing football with Pelé, taking his first win at Watkins Glen and helping to secure Jochen Rindt’s posthumous title, fine-tuning race cars with Colin Chapman and much more.

Making his Formula 1 debut for Team Lotus and taking his first win in just his fourth race, Emerson Fittipaldi built an astonishingly successful and long lasting career in motorsport.

He won his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship at just 25 years old, at the time the youngest in the sport’s history, and would win two Formula 1 drivers’ titles in his career. He would spend the entirety of the ’70s racing in Formula 1, leaving the sport at the end of the 1980 season and moving to CART.

When he got there, he won the 1989 CART PPG Indy Car World Series and would come close to following up in both ’93 and ’94 with second place finishes. The Indy 500 title would be his twice, in ’89 and ’93, and he made some magnificent history there – in particular putting on a spectacular battle with Al Unser Jr. in the ’89 race and another in the ’93 race with Nigel Mansell.

This F1 Legends interview with presenter Steve Rider is relaxed, entertaining and fascinating. Fittipaldi is humble and interesting, and makes this well worth a watch. Hit play!

The post F1 Legends: Emerson Fittipaldi appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images and story by Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica.com

If you enjoy classic motorsports the Spa Summer Classic held on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps track is a must see. For the 8th edition of this great event, several hundreds of historic touring cars, GTs, single seaters and sports cars found their way to the Ardennes rollercoaster.

Twenty-years ago, the Roadbook organisation, managed by Vincent Collard and Alain Defalle created the Spa Six Hours. As the event got bigger and bigger over the years, the number of participants increased significantly and the Roadbook organisation had to refuse requests to participate. However, the Roadbook organisation had the bright idea to create a younger brother of the Spa Six Hours to be held at the beginning of the summer.

Eight years ago the Spa Summer Classic was born, allowing enthusiasts and owners of classic racing cars to compete in a packed meeting. During the weekend of June 26th, 27th and 28th Roadbook hosted the 8th consecutive edition of the Spa Summer Classic, held on one of the most beautiful race tracks in the world.

Belgian Historic Cup

Ten grids filled the entry lists, featuring classic GTs, touring cars as well as single seaters. One of the bigger grids was provided by the Belgian Historic Cup, producing a stunning 78 cars grid. In Belgium BRAVO (Belgian Racing Automobile Vintage Organisation) has been existing for over 30 years. Seven years ago BRAVO decided to set up a national championship known as Belgian Historic Cup and open to all cars until the of 1976. A great variety of cars could be seen including lots of different Porsches, BMW’s, Ford’s and many more. Over the weekend, two thirty-minute races were held. On Saturday two Porsche 964s battled it out. Victory went to the 964 of van Philippe van Beurden and Patrick Michiels. Second place was claimed by the 964 of Diederick Ceyssens as Britain Steve Dance finished third in a classic Ford Capri 2600. On Sunday Dance proved to be too quick as he claimed overall victory. Pierre-Yves Pacque scored a second place in a Porsche 911, as Chris van Schuppen finished third in a Porsche Cup.

Spa Ardennes Challenge

This race accepted a wide variety of classic sports cars, GTs, touring and saloon cars, build between the ‘50s and ‘70s. Two forty-minute races were held over the weekend amongst others Alfa Romeo’s, BMW’s, Chevrolet’s, Porsche’s, Crosslé’s, MG’s and Caterham’s resulting in a over 80 cars grid. As expected, the Crossle’s and Caterhams proved to be the quickest cars on the track. Mark Hobbs was the quickest driver during the first on Saturday in a Crosslé 9S as Danny Winstanley drove his Caterham R300 to a second place. Third spot on the podium was claimed by Steven Ough in a Crosslé 9S. On Sunday Danny Winstanley was the quickest of the pack and claimed overall victory. John Taylor managed second place in a Crosslé 9S, as Tom Eden drove his Caterham CSR Cosworth to a third place.

CSCC Swinging 60s and Classic K

This combined grid features cars from the Swinging 60s Series as well as cars from the Classic K Series. The Swinging 60s serie welcomes sports cars, touring cars and GTs produced during the sixties divided into cars below and above 2 litre. The Classic K series is open for pre 1965 touring cars and GTs running to Appendix K. Richard and William Plant won the first race in their Morgan Plus 8, as Raymond Barrow finished second in a Chevrolet Camaro. Jon Wolfe scored a third place in a TVR Tuscan. Raymond Barrow was the man to beat during the second race in his classic Camaro. Richard and William Plant couldn’t match the speed of the big American and finished second in their Morgan Plus 8. Simon Lane managed to bring a second Camaro to the podium finishing third.

CSCC Inter-Series Cup

Three different categories from the Classic Sports Car Club were gathered into a single grid, featuring Tin Tops Series, Future Classics Series and Modern Classics, bringing 65 cars on the track. The Tin Tops series is for Saloon and Hatchback Cars with engine capacity under 2 litres, 4 cylinder. The Future Classics series is for Sports, Saloons and GT cars (with doors) from the 1970’s and 1980’s. The Modern Classics series is designed for most production Saloon, Hatchback, Sports and GT models produced upto the end of 1999. A great variety of anything with four wheels could be seen, from different Porsche’s, Ferrari 308’s, TVR’s, Lotus Elan to Rover’s, different Triumph’s etc…During the first race a couple of classic BMW M3 Evo E36’s proved to be too quick for a big Porsche 928 S4. David Marcussen and David Cuff won the first 40-minute race on Saturday, Andrew Szymanski and Barry O’Neill finished second. Mark Chilton couldn’t answer the pace of the M3’s unless the big 5 litre V8 in his Porsche. On Sunday Chilton, Szymanski and Bill Lancashire in a TVR Tuscan fought a close battle for the overall victory. Chilton finished first with a margin of just 0.5 seconds over Szymanski and O’Neill. Lancashire finished third, just 0.9 seconds after Chilton crossed the finish line.

CSCC AR Motorsport Morgan Challenge

Fans of the Morgan were treated with a one make race of this British build car. The AR Motorsport Morgan Challenge was created by in 1985 by a group of Morgan racing enthusiasts, the Morgan Challenge is a one-make race series for Morgan sportscars. Since its formation it has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the most successful one-make race series. In 2015 it celebrates its 30th birthday. Besides Morgan’s in different versions such as the Plus 4 and 8, Roadster, Aero, Supersports etc, different MG’s filled the grid as well. Keith Ahlers scored two victories in a Morgan Plus 8, William Plant scored a second place during the first race in Morgan 4/4. Philip Goddard finished third in a Morgan Plus 8. On Sunday Goddard finished second, Tom Andrew scored a third place in a Morgan Aero 8.

Spa Long Play 33 Tours

In cooperation with Iberian Historian Endurance, Spa hosted the Spa Long Play 33 Tours, an invitational race open for Touring Cars and Grand Touring cars from 1962 to 1976, Grand Touring Prototype’s from 1962 to 1969 as well as Sport Prototypes under 2000 cc from 1962 to 1969. No less than 60 cars entered the grid for their single race featuring a lot of different Porsche’s, different Ford’s, Lotus, Alfa Romeo’s, Triumph’s, TVR’s and a lot of other brands. German Olivier Ellerbrock and his fellow country man and Audi factory driver Frank Stippler proved to be the fastest car on the track as they drove their classic Ford GT40 to a demanding victory. Belgian Guy Peeters finished second in his Chevron B8, Pantelis Christoforou and Nick Stagg finished third in a Ford Escort Mk.1

NK HTGT

Back in 1997 a historic championship for Touring and GT cars was established in the Netherlands and is open to Touring and GT cars from 1947 to 1965. The NK HTGT offers a great variety in cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Ford GT40, Ford Falcon, Marcos GT, Lotus Elan, Porsche 911 and many more. During the first on Saturday the unique Cobra Daytona of Olivier and Daniela Ellerbrock was no match for the rest of the 55 car field. Michiel Campagne couldn’t match the speed of the Cobra with his usually mighty Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. Third on the podium was the Ford GT40 of Georg Nolte. On Sunday however Campagne turned the clock around as he drove his classic Grand Sport to a demanding victory in front of Georg Nolte. Norbert Gross finished this race as third in his Ford Falcon Sprint.

PCHC Porsche Club Historic Challenge

For the Porsche fans the Porsche Club Historic Challenge was present for the second time. The challenge is a series of international races under the Porsche Club Germany and its historic section. The challenge is open from the Porsche 914 tot the Porsche 997 from 2009 as well as Transaxle Porsche’s. The 996 and 997 GT3 Cup cars proved to be the quickest Porsche’s on track over the weekend. Michael Joos won both races with his Porsche 996 Cup. On Saturday Markus Fischer finished second in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, on Sunday he scored a second consecutive podium by finishing third. Colin Willmott managed to score a third place on Saturday (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup), as Ulrich Rossaro finished second on Sunday in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.

Sports 2000 Racing Car Club / Monoposto F3 Cup

Last but not least were the little Sport 2000 prototypes from the Sports 2000 Racing Car Club seeing modern and classic Sports 2000 prototypes battling it out on the Ardennes roller coaster. Especially the more modern 2.0 litre prototypes such as the Saker RAPX, Gun TS11 and MCR dominated both races. As usual also the F3 single seaters and other single seaters of the Monoposto F3 Cup were present, featuring the different Dallara F3 models from recent years, a handful of Formula Renault’s etc.

© Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com

The post Photos & Report: the Spa Summer Classic Sings in the Belgian Ardennes appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Image thanks to the Goodwood Revival

The Goodwood Revival is off and running for 2015, and you can catch the whole thing streamed live right here at Motorsport Retro all weekend long!

The event runs from the 11th through to the 13th of September, 2015, and will feature the usual stunning array of historic sports and racing cars. Highlights for this year include the Maserati 8CM, Talbot Lago Type 26C, Alfa Tipo B and Bugatti Type 59.

The stream kicks off at 9:10 AM UK time, which is 6:10 PM Aussie, 1 AM on the US West Coast and 4AM on the East Coast. The stream should show an accurate time for your time zone, so check the stream to confirm timing! It will follow the running of the event throughout the weekend.

Hit play, and enjoy one of the world’s great historic motorsport festivals!

For more information, head to the Goodwood Revival’s official website here.

The post Stream the Goodwood Revival LIVE Right here! appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Built on a shoestring budget in 1968 by Bob McKee and a team of engineers, the Howmet TX is a race-winning turbine-powered sports race car. It’s a wonderful thing, and you can get to know it a little better in this video.

“The rules were wide open and you could use your imagination and make something interesting and fun, and I think everybody enjoyed it more in those days.” – Bob McKee

The Howmet TX is an experimental race car built to promote Howmet back in 1967 and ’68. Under its hood sits a 350 horsepower turbine capable of 650 ft-lb of torque at a not-inconsiderable 65,000 rpm. Yes, there’s more zeros on the end of that figure than we may be used to in the automotive world!

Two TXs were built, and would go on to compete against cars like Porsche’s 907 and the Ford GT40. When they first hit the track the cars struggled with reliability, but eventually they would pick up wins in the Heart of Dixie and Marlboro 300 in 1968.

Petrolicious’ latest sits down with Bob McKee, who worked as an engineer on the project, to talk about the car, the unique challenges of designing and racing it and what it’s like to have a car you built in your ’30s still out on the track five decades later.

A truly fascinating car and a story well told. Enjoy it.

The post Video: Meet the Howmet TX – a 65,000 RPM Turbine-Powered Sports Racer appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Drivers in the 2015 Goodwood Revival may have been steering million-plus dollar motorcars, but all thought of babying them went out the window the moment the lights went out and the red mist came down. It was mirror-to-mirror, wheels in the dirt action all weekend long, and we loved it!

Here are a few of our favourite moments.

Julian Bronson goes around the outside, kissing the grass to grab the lead and barely pulling everything back together in time for a quick lock up and a nip through the chicane.

Tom Kristensen pulls the old over under to nab two spots in the St.Mary’s Trophy.

Frank Stippler demolishes the 150m marker to complete an off-track pass and hang on to a fierce three AC Cobra battle.

Two magnificent AC Cobras swapping back and forth in some exceptionally close and respectful racing.

The Cobra action continues in this clip, but this time they’re on the receiving end of the passing! Chris Ward takes a ’63 Jaguar E-Type on a completely sideways adventure around the outside of Andrew Smith’s AC Cobra to snatch the lead.

Nick Smith on fire in a Morris Mini Cooper S, drifting like Takumi and giving Alex Furiani in the Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA all sorts of trouble.

Patrick Blakeney-Edwards working a magnificent 1928 Frazer Nash Saloon, ‘The Owlett’, very, very hard.

The complete set of all 6 Shelby Daytona Coupes made gather in one place for the high speed Shelby exhibition.

A wonderful collection of McLaren cars gather for a tribute to Bruce McLaren. It’s hardly race pace, but what a sight!

The post 9 Great Racing Moments at the 2015 Goodwood Revival appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

The Ford Model T is generally regarded as an important motorcar. Put into production in 1908, it was the first truly attainable motor car. They’re lovely old things.

Double-Trouble is something very, very different, and I don’t think I would use the word ‘lovely’ to describe it. I’d start with 1200 horsepower from two twin-supercharged V8s up front and go from there!

Built by New Zealander Gordon Tronson, Double-Trouble defies all engineering logic that says it just shouldn’t work.

The car’s based on a 1927 Ford Model T. And it gets its go – lots and lots of go – from two 4.6-litre Ford modular V8s, which receive a little oxygen boost thanks to four superchargers.

This means that it can put out 1200 horsepower through to the ground, presumably influencing the Earth’s rotation, alongside its geography thanks to a noise that would shake mountains.

/BIG MUSCLE’s Mike Musto takes it for a drive in this video, and we hear from Gordon Tronson about how the car was engineered and what inspired him. You don’t want to miss this one.

The post Two Engines, Four Superchargers and 1200 Horsepower – the Double-Trouble Model T appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Adelaide Motorsport Festival

Gerhard Berger’s Benetton B186 is heading to the Adelaide Motorsport Festival this 17-18 October, where it will thrill crowds driving on the same tarmac that Berger originally drove it on just shy of three decades ago.

We’re very much looking forward to seeing it, part of the biggest gathering of ’80s and ’90s F1 cars since the era, at the Adelaide Grand Prix Revival, so let’s enjoy it monstering the street circuit in full qualifying trim in 1986 to prepare.

In qualifying trim the Benetton B186’s BMW motor was well on the way to 1400 horsepower, and it managed a similarly-respectable 1000 in race trim. This helped keep the car competitive, but also gave it some reliability issues as the chassis struggled to handle the power, the aero struggled to keep up and spare parts were scarce. It left the sport with two pole positions, three fastest laps and Gerhard Berger’s win in the 1986 Mexican Grand Prix.

Les Wright will be driving the car when it takes part in the Adelaide Motorsport Festival on the 17-18 October. It will also be taking part in a police escorted drive through the city centre, which should be absolutely magic, at 5:30pm on the 16th October to the Gouger Street Party within Adelaide.

It will be joined by plenty of historically significant Formula 1 machinery, such as the 1985 Beatrice Lola driven by Alan Jones at the first Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, the ex-Berger Ferrari F1 87 which won in Adelaide in 1987 and two ex-Senna Lotus, including the pole-winning car from the first Adelaide race in 1985.

Then there’s the 230 other historic touring cars, sports cars and classic motorcycles taking part in the event that is striving to be Australia’s own ‘Goodwood’ style event. It’s all sounding very, very good to us!

The Adelaide Motorsport Festival will be held at Victoria Park over the weekend of Friday the 16th of October to Sunday the 18th of October. The Victoria Park Sprint Adelaide Grand Prix Revival will run over the 17th and 18th of October.

For more details head to www.adelaidemotorsportfestival.com.au

Images thanks to Adelaide Motorsport Festival

The post Ex-Gerhard Berger BMW Benneton B186 Brings 1350hp to the Adelaide Motorsport Festival appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Auctionata

On Saturday September 26th, 2015, at 6PM CET Auctionata will launch the world’s first ‘Ferrari Only’ online auction, putting 27 very special Ferraris under the hammer in an auction that will be streamed live from both www.auctionata.com and Auctionata’s iPhone app ‘Auctionata Live’.

Amongst them will be this history-making ex-Michael Schumacher Ferrari F310B Formula 1 car.

Developed from the competitive, if not unbeatable, F310, Ferrari’s F310 B was their car for the 1997 Formula 1 World Championship. Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne had joined Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and they were pushing for the final refinements that would take the car to the top after Schumacher’s third place in ’96.

It was feast or famine for Jacques Villeneuve in the opening rounds of the season and he would either win or retire every race until his fourth place in the French Grand Prix. Schumacher had consistency, however, picking up three wins of his own and adding them to two second place finishes, a fourth and a fifth.

Schumacher drove this car, Chassis 178, in the 1997 Japanese Grand Prix, which would set up an infamous season finale a few weeks later in Spain. Thanks in no small part to the support of teammate Eddie Irvine, who led most of the race before letting Schumacher past and working to hold up Villeneuve, Schumacher was able to clinch a win in the race.

Villeneuve, however, had a less fortunate run. In qualifying Jos Verstappen had pulled his Tyrrell to the side with a mechanical, resulting in yellows waved in the area. Schumacher, Villeneuve and seven other drivers did not yield to the flags, and Villeneuve would set his pole position lap time on that lap.

He was put to the back of the grid for ignoring waved yellows on two consecutive laps, but then was later allowed to start from pole after Williams appealed the decision. He would eventually finish fifth, but then have his points removed after Williams withdrew their appeal. This meant that Schumacher went into the season finale 1 point ahead of him on 78 points.

Schumacher was back in Chassis 178 for the final race of the season – the 1997 European Grand Prix at Circuito Permanente de Jerez Jerez. And it was a history maker from the start, with Villeneuve, Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all setting the exact same pole position time of 1:21.072.

Villeneuve started on pole, followed by Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Schumacher got the better start, however, and snagged the lead by the first corner. And that’s where he stayed for some two-thirds of the race until lap 48.

On lap 48, Schumacher made one of the more infamous moves in his career, turning in on Villeneuve, who was holding the inside line while overtaking him. Schumacher was out, however Villeneuve was able to continue, picking up third place and four points to win the championship. Ultimately Schumacher would be disqualified from the 1997 World Championship for unsporting actions.

Those two races were not the only outing for Chassis 178 in the ’97 World Championship season. It raced in Budapest at the Hungaroring and Schumacher would also take it to 6th in the Austrian Grand Prix and a DNF in the 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix with suspension failure.

Involved in one of the most exciting and memorable Formula World Championship finales, and having been raced by one of the sport’s most successful drivers through some unforgettable moments, this is a truly special car with great importance to the sport.

It will head to auction at Auctionata’s world first Ferrari Only sale, where bidding will start at €650,000.

There it will be joined by an impressive collection of important Ferraris, such as a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 Shortnose and 2006 Ferrari FXX.

The auction is available to bidders worldwide and can be followed live at www.auctionata.com as well as through Auctionata’s iPhone app ‘Auctionata Live’, which you can grab from the App Store here.  It will be broadcast from 6PM CET on Saturday September the 26th, 2015.

Images thanks to Auctionata

The post Ex-Michael Schumacher 1997 Ferrari F310 B Heads to Auctionata’s Ferrari-Only Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images by Seth Reinhardt

Our friends in the HSRCA were back at Wakefield Park this past weekend, putting pedal to metal in six or seven decades’ worth of historic racing machinery for some springtime fun. We have photos of all of the racing action, magic machinery and laid back atmosphere for you to enjoy, so buckle up and hit the break!

The HSRCA’s 2015 Historic Spring included feature races for J, K and L pre-1930s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s historic racing and sports cars. These races attracted an impressive collection of the older cars, which was absolutely wonderful in its variety. The diversity of the group showed off the ingenuity which went into designing, developing and building these cars and pushing the boundaries of going fast in the sport’s earlier years.

They all looked absolutely magic tearing around Wakefield’s picturesque countryside setting. And tear around they did, with no quarter given in respect of the cars’ escalating antiquity!

Joining J, K and L with feature events of their own was a similarly diverse field of Regularity entrants, who put on a particularly great race for their mammoth Saturday afternoon endurance event.

And then there was the full collection of historic racing and sports cars from all categories! Taking in a few races or wandering the pits and paddock you would find everything from wings and slicks open wheelers to mighty Minis, racing specials of all kinds and everything in between.

All in all it was a brilliant weekend! Exciting mirror-to-mirror racing kept the track singing all weekend long, the pits and paddock were particularly relaxed and friendly and the whole event was packed with awesome old cars doing what they do best – what more could you ask for!

We’re looking forward to doing it all again in a few months when they head to Sydney Motorsport Park for a bumper finale to 2015’s historic racing season! For more information on the HSRCA and its events, and even more photos from the weekend, head to their official website here.

Images by Seth Reinhardt

The post Photo Gallery: Reliving the Golden Age of Motorsport with the HSRCA at Wakefield Park appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

/DRIVE’s latest catches up with Patrick Long, Hurley Haywood and the 1971 1000 Kilometers of Spa-winning Porsche 917, 015/035, to shake it down before Rennsport Reunion V.

“You know Patrick, this car’s throttle are made just zero and fully down. To hold it in half, it’s not really made for this.” – Klaus Bischof

The beautifully-shot film sees the 917 let loose on Willow Springs Raceway in California with Patrick Long at the wheel – and he’s neither giving nor taking any quarter from the old monster.

The way it shifts through the bends, changing direction as it deals with the circuit’s elevation changes is awe inspiring and a hint at what made it so successful in its day. And with the taps open it produces a sound that is nothing short of music.

Take a few moments to enjoy the car being unpacked and fired up for a blast around the track, and to hear from Patrick and Hurley Haywood about why these cars speak to us, and what Rennsport Reunion means as a motorsport festival.

Enjoy!

The post Video: Shakedown a Gulf Porsche 917 for Rennsport Reunion V appeared first on Motorsport Retro.