Enjoy an eloquent, humble and fascinating chat with Emanuele Pirro at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and then top it all off with a full noise run up the hill in a Targa Florio-winning Porsche 908/3.

“Winning is a word I don’t like in historic races. Of course I’ve been very very happy to win it, twice I think. The T.T. But now I think winning is getting a little bit too important. The most important thing is to drive pieces of history; try to understand them; try to feel them; try to do the best you can.”

I came to this video for the Porsche 908/3. I stayed for Emanuele Pirro! The five-time outright 24 Hours of Le Mans winner has done a lot, driven a lot and achieved a lot in his career, and that all seems to have added a fascinating depth to what must have already been a great character.

He speaks about motorsport history, the 908/3, Le Mans, Formula 1, McLaren and more. It’s a fascinating chat, and well worth watching!

His run up the hill, of course, in that featherweight and stunning 908 is glorious. Worth it for the soundtrack of its flat six alone. Enjoy.

“There’s this fuel economy way of driving which is I guess if you don’t know anything else is fine but it’s a little bit of a different technique. I’m happy to have driven the R8 and R10 with this massive power and that you really had to go for it.”

The post Emanuele Pirro Blasts Up the Goodwood Hill in a 908 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Hop on board the ex-George Dyer 1974 911 RSR 3.0L for a few masterful laps of the Daytona road circuit.

Three-time PPG Indy Car World Series Champion Bobby Rahal is liquid smooth behind the wheel of the 1974 911 RSR 3.0L in this video from the Sunday racing at the Classic 24 at Daytona.

The car has an impressive history in American sportscar racing, and proved very competitive in the hands of George Dyer, who raced it for some three seasons. Its period career endured for a decade, and it remains active in historic racing today.

Turn it up, hit play and enjoy the ride!

The Classic 24 Hour at Daytona was held over November the 12 to 16 at Daytona International Speedway, and put on by organisers Historic Sportscar Racing. It brought together significant sports cars from 1961 to 2010 including a healthy collection of machinery which raced in period in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

MORE: Sebring Tutorial – Porsche 911 RSR 3.0L onboard

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Photography by Dan Stoodley

For one weekend of each year, Sydney Motorsport Park is overrun by the wildest, most unique and most varied machinery imaginable when the World Time Attack Challenge rolls into town. 2015’s event was spectacular and Dan Stoodley, our man on the ground, was there to capture it all.

Hit the break and enjoy the gallery.

The event came from humble origins, when Ian Baker organised the first Superlap Australia in 2008 after experiencing Japan’s time attack scene. The first World Time Attack arrived in 2010, and the event has grown into an international chase for ultimate speed.

It’s a no-holds-barred chase for ultimate speed, and we can get behind that!

Joining the time attack machines are the Turbo Legends, Australian motorsport legends from the ’80s and ’90s, that run a special race event during the weekend.

pixelnerd Dan Stoodley photographed the event for Motorsport Retro, and you can enjoy the fruits of his labour right here!

For more of Dan’s work, head to his website here.

Photography thanks to Dan Stoodley of pixelnerd.

The post World Time Attack Challenge 2015 Mega Gallery appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images by Seth Reinhardt

We spent the past weekend in a most enjoyable fashion – sharing a Historic Summer with the HSRCA and documenting the adventures to share with all of you!

The 28th and 29th of November saw the club wrap up their 2015 historic racing calendar at Sydney Motorsport Park in great style by bringing together a magnificent collection of historic sports and racing cars and putting on a packed weekend of historic motorsport. Hit the link and enjoy the photos.

Formula Vee cars took on the role of ‘feature’ grid over the weekend to celebrate their 50th anniversary. They enjoyed several feature races and brought packed grids and exciting motorsport to all of them. The cars may well be little, but they’re all driven with passion and leave little on the table, which is awesome to see!

Several legends of the category were also present and joined in parade laps over lunch that served as a pleasant breather in the packed schedule.

Similarly awesome were the Group S & T races over the weekend, which sported maximum capacity grids and some fiercely competitive racing.

They enjoyed a 20-lap endurance race on Sunday morning, complete with driver change to mix proceedings up. It’s great to see the drivers get into the spirit of these races, and checking out the driver change action in pit lane is a lot of fun.

Moving over to wings-and-slicks race cars and a strong Formula 5000 contingent was present for the weekend, joining in Q & R racing. This category sports some of the fastest cars that you’ll find at historic events, and the thunderous raw when they open the taps is worth the trip on its own!

Also unafraid to open the taps and put on some great racing are the drivers in J, K and L, who returned to Sydney’s classic circuit after a short hiatus. Their older cars are beautiful, beautifully prepared and driven with a beautiful, respectful, disregard of their advancing years. Wonderful!

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The full field over the weekend was strong through all of the categories and there was great racing to be enjoyed in all of them all weekend long.

If you make it to a historic event with the HSRCA, make sure to spend some time exploring the pits and paddock. The people are friendly and open, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to get up close to these magic old machines and learn more about them.

For more photos, and to keep up to date with the HSRCA’s historic motorsport adventures head to www.hsrca.com, and follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hsrca.

They’ll be back in action in February next year at Wakefield Park, and will follow that up with the massive Sydney Retro Speedfest over the 11th & 12th of June, 2016, which is set to be one of the biggest Australian historic racing events of the year.

Thanks to Seth Reinhardt for the photos.

MORE: Photo Gallery: The Return of the Retro Speedfest

The post Photo Gallery: Enjoying a Historic Summer with the HSRCA appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Well, this is pretty much a dream Sunday drive for any of us! Derek Hill drives the Ferrari 250 GTO that his dad, Formula 1 champion Phil Hill, raced at Daytona and Nassau, up a closed mountain road.

No music. No talking. Just the song of the three-litre Ferrari V12 opening up as it gobbles up that perfect mountain road.

The video, Petrolicious’ latest, comes from an earlier video they did about the car. The clip was initially left on the cutting room floor, but the team have found a way to set it free.

The car is a 1964 Ferraro 250 GTO. It’s from late in the 250 GTO’s run of just 36 cars, and is the first of their Series II bodies. Under its hood is nestled a three-litre V12 that puts out around 300 horsepower (and that unforgettable engine note).

In its day it competed in several endurance races, coming away with class wins in the Daytona Continental 2000 kilometers, as well as the Sebring 12-Hour and the Nassau TT with Phil Hill at the wheel.

Derek Hill, Ferrari Challenge International Championship winner, Formula Dodge West Coast champion and Barber Dodge Pro Series Drivers’ Champion is behind the wheel for the video, and delivers a master class in smooth-is-fast driving.

This one needs to be turned way up, so do that, and enjoy!

And afterwards, check out the original video for which this clip was filmed.

The post A Winding Mountain Road and a Ferrari 250 GTO with the Taps Open appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Auctionata

On Saturday, December 12, Auctionata will hold their inaugural Porsche-only sale, hosted by Dr. Ulf Poschardt, and put a stunning collection of classic air-cooled 911s under the hammer.

If we had to pick one 911 to take home, it may well be this stunning 1965 Porsche 911 SWB Coupe Race Car. It’s not only gorgeous, but significant – the car is from the first year if the iconic 911’s production and has history with motorsport great Walter Röhrl.

The car is from the first production year of the 911 and was delivered new to the United States in 1965. It was a trip back home to Germany in the ’90s that saw its history get particularly interesting, however.

There, it was rebuilt and developed to obtain an FIA pass to go racing in historics. German automotive experts Bienert handled the work, with Rugen looking after the engine and Kluge the transmission, and one Walter Röhrl providing the specifications. Röhrl oversaw the conversion, taking on the role of test driver and developing the setup of the car.

Invoices and technical documentation of the process have been retained and are included in the sale of the car. They demonstrate the elaborate and extensive development of the engine, transmission and chassis to bring down weight, reinforce the chassis and give the engine plenty of pep.

Röhrl raced the car for the first time in the Bavaria Classic in 1996, and the car bears his signature thanks to his role in developing and driving it.

When the current owner purchased the car, it was converted from circuit configuration to rally configuration, with Matthias Höing and Thorsten Hanenkamp from Merzgerwerk handling the conversion. All of the parts that were changed during the process have been kept and are sold with the car.

It’s in beautiful condition and ready to rally, or race! Not just an object of great beauty, this is a motoring artifact of great significance as one of the earliest of arguably the most recognizable and enduring sportscar model in existence. Add to that Walter Röhrl’s role in its development and time racing it, a Porsche icon himself, and you have something pretty special, and utterly unique.

It’s even sold with an identical limited model of the “Bienert-Röhrl 911″ to 1:40 scale, as well as  vehicle documents and an official Walter Röhrl-DVD, showing Walter Röhrl driving the 911.

You’ll need to set aside upwards of €160,000.00 to secure a seat in this 911.

Auctionata’s Porsche-only sale will be livestreamed from two separate locations – the Prototyp museum in Hamburg where the cars are hosted, and the Auctionata studio in Berlin where the auction itself will be held. It’s 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 on Saturday, December 12, 2015 from 6 pm CET.

Images thanks to Auctionata

The post Porsche 911 SWB Coupe Race Car Raced by Walter Röhrl Heads to Porsche-Only Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Katarina Kyvalova lives the dream in this video, going from the grandstands to the podium of the Goodwood Revival in a 1954 Cooper-Jaguar T33.

The fact that she pulled up to the event in a 4.5-litre Bentley is a dream in and of itself, but that’s a tale for another day.

One of the joys of historic motorsport is that provides reasonably accessible opportunities not just to consume the sport as a spectator, but to get involved. Whether your passion is driving, tinkering or making a race team tick, historic racing is a great option to get into the community and start making motorsport happen.

Katarina Kyvalova’s been making motorsport happen for a while now, and has an impressive racing CV under her belt. She’s raced at Silverstone and the Le Mans Classic and is one of the four Bentley Belles who completed the Benjafield’s 24 hour race at Portimao in a 4.5-litre Bentley.

“It was always my dream to be here. I spent 15 years in the grandstands and said “One day I’m down there.” And that’s today.”

It’s always been a dream of hers to compete at the Goodwood Revival. And after a practice run at the 73rd Members’ Meeting earlier in the year, she made it come true. She and co-driver and BMW GT3 racer Phil Keen raced a 1954 Cooper-Jaguar T33 in the Revival back in September.

And they did alright!

Katarina’s an inspiring woman, and her’s is an inspiring story and a wonderful perspective on the Goodwood Revival race weekend. Enjoy it.

The post From the Grandstands to the Goodwood Revival Podium appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Cars International

Williams FW13B #08 is offered direct from the Williams factory by Official Williams Heritage Agents Cars International.

The most successful of the FW13Bs, the car picked up a Grand Prix win and pole position at the hands of Thierry Boutsen in 1990. It’s been recently restored and race prepared, and is now up for sale.

The Williams FW13B appeared near the end of the 1989 Formula 1 World Championship, and was updated to the FW13B for the 1990 season. The B-specification received a new and more powerful Renault RS2 V10 along with aerodynamic and rear suspension developments and ended a long run for the FW12.

#08 was Thierry Boutsen’s ride and it saw Grand Prix action fourteen times in 1990. At the 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix Boutsen claimed his first pole position in Formula 1, took the lead and held off all chargers to win the race ahead of Ayrton Senna.

Along with the win he picked up a second at Silverstone, a string of fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes and sixth in the drivers’ championship.

At the conclusion of its period career, FW13B-08 was retained in the Williams Private Collection. In 2014 Williams gave it a full restoration and race preparation, and ran it at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed with current Williams Martini driver Felipe Massa at the wheel.

Official Williams Heritage Agents Cars International now offer it for sale for the first time. Head to their website here for more information, and read on for the car’s full story!

Images thanks to Cars International

Williams FW13B #08

Much had been expected from the Williams-Renault FW13B when it first appeared in the 1990 F1 World Championship, this ‘B-Spec’ featured aerodynamic and rear suspension advances, plus Renault’s more powerful RS2 V10 power unit.

FW13-B followed on from the Williams-Renault FW13 designed by Enrique Scalabroni – working under Patrick Head’s direction, which Thierry Boutsen drove to victory in the Australian GP in 1989 with Patrese in third.

FW13 was created specifically around the innovative 67° V10-cylinder 3.5-litre Renault RS1 racing engine, mated to a transverse Williams/Hewland six-speed transmission, and featured double wishbone suspension front and rear. The new car also featured a moulded carbon/Kevlar composite monocoque chassis with small sidepods, lowline nose and a flattened oval engine airbox intake.

FW13B-08 had been Thierry Boutsen’s favourite chassis and the Belgian raced it 14 times in 1990. However, he failed to finish the San Marino Grand Prix, which opened the European season, after running a strong second to Senna, it was driver error which left team-mate Patrese to take the chequered flag.

Boutsen delivered a string of high positions after finishing fourth in Monaco and fifth in Mexico. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone then brought him home second to Prost from fourth on the grid, before Germany yielded a sixth place.

The big day finally came at the Hungaroring on August 12^th. The FW13Bs were very well suited to the tight track, and Boutsen started from the first pole position of his F1 career with Patrese alongside “Changes to the engine management system made things a lot better,” he said. “Even so, I think I could have gone quicker.” The McLarens of Berger and Senna were on the second row, unable to break 1m 18s.

Boutsen took an immediate lead and in the race of his life held off challenges from Berger, then Patrese, and later Alessandro Nannini until the Italian’s Benetton was aggressively punted out of the way by Senna at the chicane on the 64^th lap. Senna on fresher tyres, kept up the pressure right to the flag. He made one real attempt to pass going into Turn One on the 75^th lap, but the Belgian had that covered and retained his calm control of the race to take FW13B-08 to a well deserved victory two laps later.

“Right from the start I realised I just had to drive trying to save my tyres,” Boutsen said afterwards. “At one stage I built quite a nice little cushion. Then Nannini came at me, then Ayrton. In the end everything worked out just right, I wouldn’t have got another lap in front -out of those tyres.”

After he and Senna had crossed the line the McLaren driver pulled alongside and gave him a signal of appreciation of a job very well done.

Boutsen’s last races in FW13B-08 saw him finish fourth in Spain, then fifth in Japan and Australia.

With three Grand Prix successes to its credit the FW13/13B was a noteworthy member of the Williams family in its heyday with chassis FW13B-08 featuring as one of the most significant cars in the FW13 production run as a Grand Prix winner.

Since its retirement in 1990 Chassis FW13B-08 has been retained as part of the Williams Private Collection. That was until last year, when it underwent a full restoration and race preparation by Williams in order for it to run at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed at the hands of current Williams Martini Racing driver, Felipe Massa.

This car is now offered for sale through Official Williams Heritage Agents Cars International, offering a unique opportunity for someone to claim first ownership after Williams Grand Prix Engineering and become the new custodian of this Grand Prix legend.

For more details visit: http://www.carsinternational.com/williams-heritage/fw13b-08/

The post For Sale: Ex-Thierry Boutsen 1990 Williams FW13B #08 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Autocourse & The Cahier Archive

Autocourse and our friends The Cahier Archive have teamed up for what’s sure to be the most attractive classic calendar of 2016.

Available for purchase at autocourse.com, the calendar celebrates Formula 1 through the ages thanks to the stunning imagery of the Cahiers.

The images have been chosen by Paul-Henri Cahier from seven decades of Grand Prix racing. Legends like Jim Clark, Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Jack Brabham, James Hunt, Stefan Bellof, Ayrton Senna and many more are featured across twenty four images.

The calendar is printed on 230gsm art board in a 592 X 420mm landscape format to make for a stunning presentation in which each of the 24 images is suitable for framing. The team went for 24 images, printing the calendar on both sides to double the images they could deliver.

If you make your order before December 15th and are in a suitable location the calendar should make it to you by Christmas.

The calendar is available at autocourse.com for £25.00. Hit this link, pick one up and prepare for 2016 in style.

The post Autocourse & Cahier Archive Team Up for Classic Calendar appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Gunnar Jeannette introduces this 1969 Porsche 908 LH, before rolling out onto Laguna Seca and gunning it at Rennsport Reunion V.

Gunnar’s introduction to this video is brilliant. In it, he explains some of the 908 Longtail’s technical trickery, as well as when and where it was raced, and why. It’s a great little intro to the car’s unique traits.

From there it’s out onto the track in the historic 908. The car he’s driving was built for the 24 Hours of Daytona ,where it dropped out. It went on to finish second at Monza and then win at Spa with Brian Redman and Jo Siffert driving.

With no embellishments to distract from the song of the motor and some very tidy historic racing, this is some magic footage. The on-board starts slow with the formation lap and rolling start, but once the race is given the ‘Go!’ signal Gunnar tramps it and the result is glorious.

Take a few minutes, and enjoy.

The post Video: One Lap in a 1969 Porsche 908 LH at Rennsport V appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

McLaren’s ‘Le Mans Memories’ takes us back to the birth of the McLaren F1 GTR to follow its development and journey to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

We return to the story of the McLaren F1 GTR with this great series from McLaren. The series is from back in 2015, and celebrates the 20th anniversary of the car’s 1995 victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It follows the car from the germination of the idea to take a McLaren F1 racing, through to its historic 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.

It kicks off sitting down with Ray Bellm to talk about the birth of the idea, before chatting with Jeff Hazell, Barry Lett and Phil Harding about the build-up to Le Mans, going behind the scenes during the 1995 race with Paul Lanzante, remembering the victory with Gordon Murray and Ron Dennis and finally making it to Circuit de la Sarthe for the anniversary in 2015.

It’s a great series, featuring plenty of period footage and stills, as well as interesting insights from the people who were not only instrumental in developing the sports car icon, but are icons of the sport themselves. Take a break over the weekend, and enjoy.

MORE: Flat Out and Full Noise in a McLaren F1 GTR Long-tail

The post Weekend Docco: Le Mans Memories by McLaren appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

by Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica.com

We return to our look back at the golden era of Formula 2 with this piece investigating the many constructors that fought for glory in the formula’s championships.

Over the years cars from about 20 different manufacturers contested the European F2 championship, including Brabham, Cooper, Ferrari, Lotus, Tecno and Surtees.

March had its own workshop and produced up to 20 chassis annually for customers. They were followed by Chevron, Lola and Ralt, but cars produced by them dominated the grids of the European championship until 1984. In addition there were several small manufacturers who produced chassis such as AGS, Martini, Maurer, Merzario, Minardi and Osella. Let’s take a closer look at the different manufacturers that raced in the European F2 Championship.

AGS

Heny Julien founded Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives back in 1969. Julien was a French mechanic who created his first car that same year for Formule France, a precursor of Formula Renault. In 1978 AGS started to compete in the European F2 Championship with their AGS JH15 powered by a BMW-engine, although they didn’t manage to score any championship points.

Richard Dallest didn’t score championship points in 1978 and 1979, but in 1980 the French driver scored victories in both Pau and Zandvoort. In 1982 Philippe Streiff and Pascal Fabre scored podium finishes in an AGS JH19. Streiff made history by winning the very last round of the European F2 Championship in 1984.

Brabham

Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac founded Brabham in 1960, but had actually begun producing their own single seaters around five years earlier. In 1964 the BT10 was used as their first Formula 2 car. This car was followed by the BT16 in 1965 and the BT18 in 1966.

Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme scored 11 consecutive victories with a BT18 in the Formula 2 Championship. The Brabham BT23 and BT23C followed in 1967 and 1968.

In 1969 the BT30 appeared, without a doubt the most successful car that Brabham constructed for Formula 2. Remarkably Brabham never used the BT30 for its works Formula 2 team. In this BT30s were always driven on behalf of private teams. The BT30 was followed by the BT36 in 1971 and BT38 in 1972. Brabham’s final F2-model was the BT40 from 1973.

Chevron

Derek Bennett founded Chevron Cars Ltd. in 1965 and was particularly noted for a wide range of single seater racing cars that ran in Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula 5000.

The constructor produced eleven different cars were for Formula 2, starting with the B10 in 1968. Chevron used the B17 and B18 from 1970 in both F2 and Formula Atlantic. The B20 from 1972 was primarily intended for F2, but was also used in F3 and Formula B. In 1973 the Chevron B73 appeared for use in both F2 Formula Atlantic followed by the B27 in 1974. A commercially successful single seater was the Chevron B29 from 1975, with at least 27 sold cars. In 1976 the Chevron B35 appeared, the F2 version of the B34. Finally the B40 (1977), B42 (1978) and B48 from 1979 were used in F2.

Cooper

Charles Cooper and his son John founded the Cooper Car Company in 1947 and started building race cars shortly after the end of the second World War.

Cooper introduced the Formula Two Cooper Bristol in 1952, equipped with an engine that was in front of the driver. From 1955 Cooper started to build rear-engined sports cars like the Cooper Bobtail.

As they saw the benefit of positioning the center of gravity closer to the middle of the car, it was decided to build a single seater for use in Formula 2 races. Cooper’s F2 cars equipped with a rear mounted engine were the T41 from 1956,  T43 from 1957, the 1958 Cooper T45 and T51 from 1959.

Ferrari

In 1948 Ferrari introduced the Model 166 F2. It was driven by Raymond Sommer, who scored victory at the Grand Prix in Florence.

Aurelio Lampredi designed the Ferrari 500 F2 from 1951, the car which Alberto Ascari used to win his very first world championship. The Ferrari 553 was used from 1953 in Formula 2 and from 1954 in Formula 1, followed by the Ferrari Dino 156 F2 in 1957. In 1960 Ferrari introduced the 156 F2 followed by the Dino 166 F2 in 1967.

Lola

Although Lola focused primarily on sports cars, the brand also developed Formula 2 cars resulting in the official works team for BMW.

Lola’s first F2 design became one of their most successful in the class – the T54 from 1964. The T55 appeared later that same year and was followed by the monocoque T60 in 1965. Lola offered the T61 in the following year, although it saw very little success. Motorsports racing legend John Surtees debuted Lola’s new T62 at the end of the ’66 season, achieving significantly better results.

BMW commissioned a chassis in 1967 which was to be powered by a BMW-engine. The car became known as the Lola T100. These cars were largely unsuccessful until John Surtees bought two for his own team. Surtees equipped one car with a BMW engine, whilst the other car used a Cosworth FVA engine. This combination turned out to be successful. Lola developed the T102 for BMW in 1968.

After a three year sabbatical Lola returned to Formula 2 in 1971 with the T240 and the T360B in 1975. Over the following years, Lola introduced the T450 in 1976, T460 and T550 in 1977 and finally the T850.

Lotus

Another legendary name in the world of motorsports is Lotus. Although Chapman was famous for the different Formula 1 cars he designed, he also created a significant range of Formula 2 cars. Chapman designed the Lotus 18 from 1960, and it went on to be used in Formula Junior, Formula 2 and Formula 1.

In 1964 Lotus introduced model 32, developed from the Lotus 27 that was used in Formula Junior. As the car turned out to be unpopular Chapman decided to create a versatile single seater based on the Lotus 25 and Lotus 33 F1 cars. This resulted in the Lotus 35, which saw use both in F3 and F2. The car was driven by, amongst others, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill.

Between 1966 and 1968 the Lotus 41 was used for racing in both F3 and F2. It was followed by the Lotus 44, developed from the earlier Lotus 35, in 1966.

Chapman designed the Lotus 48 in 1967 for use in F2, and it has the sad distinction of being the car in which Jim Clark lost his life in a crash at Hockenheim in 1968.

For the 1969 and 1970 motorsport seasons Lotus developed the Lotus 59. The car was used in several single seater series such as Formula 2 and Formula 3 and was succeeded by the Lotus 69 from 1970. Austrian Jochen Rindt took the Formula 2 drivers championship in 1970 in a Lotus 69.

March

March produced several cars for the Formula 2 championship, starting with their monocoque March 712M in 1971. Ronnie Peterson claimed the championship with a 712M in that particular year.

More designs would follow, such as the March 722, 732, 742 and 752. In 1976 the March 762 appeared, followed by the March 772 and 782. March ran the BMW works team in 1982 and dominated the European F2 championship with the 782 as Bruno Giacomelli claimed the title.

Martini

Martini turned out to be a very successful competitor in Formula 3, although the small French constructor also found success in Formula 2.

Renato Martini entered Formula 2 in 1975 with sponsorship from Elf. Team manager Hughes de Chaunac entered the championship with Schnitzer-BMW powered cars. Martini claimed the Formula 2 title both in 1975 and 1977 thanks to Jacques Lafitte and Rene Arnoux.

Martini returned to F2 in 1983-84, when Michel Ferte scored a third place in the European championship. Although Martini developed many cars it is unclear what different types were used for F2. Amongst others Martini constructed the Mk. 16, 19, 22, 28, 56, 62, 74 as well as the Martini 001-BMW and Martini 002-BMW.

Maurer

Willy Maurer, a German industriel and racing car constructor participated with his own cars and racing team in the European Formula 2 Championship between 1979 and 1989.

Although Maurer was registered as a car constructor, it was Gustav Brunner who actually constructed the cars. During the early ’70s, Maurer participated in several racing events as a driver. After he finished his short racing career he supported several racing teams who participated in the German DRM-championship, such as Ford-Zakspeed and Kremer-Porsche. Maurer created.

Starting in 1979, Maurer finally ran a works team with some success that had been present for five years in the Formula 2 European Championship. Over the years several drivers raced for Maurer such as Armin Hahne, Eje Elgh, Markus Höttinger, Beppe Gabbiani, Helmut Henzler, Roberto Guerrero, Stefan Bellof, Alain Ferté and Kenny Acheson.

Merzario

Former Ferrari, Williams and March racing driver Arturo Merzario founded his own company in 1977, initially building Formula 1 cars. As Merzario struggled with financial problems he withdrew from Formula 1 in 1980 and fitted a BMW M1 Formula 2 engine into the back of the A4, renaming the car M1.

His M2 followed in 1981 his M2 followed and between 1981 and 1983 he used March 812 customer cars in Formula 2. He also produced with Ernesto Degan – the Merzario M28. Finally in 1984 his M84 entered racing, actually a reworked version of the M28, but he would end his career as a constructor not long after.

Minardi

In 1980 Minardi competed in the European Formula Two championship using a car designed by Giacomo Caliri and powered by a BMW-engine. Entered as Scuderia Everest, Minardi raced in the European Formula 2 Championship from 1980 until 1984, scoring a single victory in 1981 by Michele Alboreto during a race at Misano. Minardi left Formula 2 at the end of 1984.

Osella

During the early ’70s Osella expanded into Formula 2 using a car designed by Antonio Tomaini – the FA2. Giorgio Francia raced the car, as did Doilio Truffi, who joined Francia in 1975. By 1976 the team was running four cars, although they only lasted another few years, withdrawing from F2 in 1979.

Ralt

Ron Tauranac’s first creation was the Ralt RT1 from 1974, used in Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula Atlantic. The RT1 saw action for three years, finally succeeded by the RT2 in 1979. Next in line was the Ralt RT3, based on the earlier RT2.

As a works team Ralt used Honda engines and between 1980 and 1984 used RH type designation. (RH6/80-RH6-84). The works cars were very succesful and claimed the F2 championship in 1981 (Geoff Lees), 1983 (Jonathan Palmer) and finally Mike Thackwell in 1984.

Tecno

Luciano and Gianfranco Pederzani founded Tecno in 1962 initially as go-kart manufacturer. Quickly the brothers also concentrated on Formula 2 cars. In the hands of Clay Regazzoni, Tecno’s F2 car took the 1970 F2 championship.

Surtees

John Surtees, one of motorsport’s true legends, sadly left us just a few weeks ago at the age of 83. His first F2 car was the TS10, which hit the circuits in 1972 and propelled Mike Hailwood to the 1972 European F2 Championship. In 1973 the TS15 appeared equipped with BMW-engines.

Rebirth of the Formula 2 Championship

In 2009 Formula 2 returned to the sport’s attention thanks to an idea of FIA President Max Mosley to take over the legacy of the Formule 2 European Championship. The rebirth was meant as a low-cost platform for drivers who wanted to compete in Formula 1, and the championship was organised by former F1-driver Jonathan Palmer.

F1 constructor Williams developed the chassis known as JPH, which would receive a Audi 1.8 litre turbocharged engine. Drivers could use a boost button increasing the power from 295 kW to 330 kW for a maximum of 6 seconds, ten times during a race. Although organiser Motorsport Vision signed a five year contract for the implementation of the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2009 to 2013 it was agreed with the FIA that the series would no longer be carried out in 2013, as none of the F2-drivers made it into Formula 1.

Between 2009 and 2012 the following drivers claimed the FIA Formula Championship: Spaniard Andy Soucek took the first title in 2009, followed by Dean Stoneman in 2010, Mirko Bortolotti in 2011 and finally Luciano Bacheta in 2012. At the beginning of March 2017 it was announced that the GP2 Series would be re-branded as FIA Formula 2.

The post The Golden Era of Formula 2 Racing Cars Part 2: The Constructors appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

An all-sideways, all-the-time, Austin Healey Sebring Sprite takes on a Lenham Sprite GT in this clip, which features more overtakes in its short five-minute run time than an entire modern Formula 1 season.

The clip is from the Westlake Cup during the 75th Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Richard Woolmer is on board the pretty little 1961 Austin Healey Sebring Sprite, and spends the entire race dancing on the absolute raggedy edge. His style is a great contrast to the more controlled style of James Colburn, piloting a Lenham Sprite GT.

The pair swap places constantly, both demonstrating immense bravery and pulling moves on each other that range from textbook to inventive and opportunistic, including some particularly brave dives into Goodwood’s hairy chicane.

I’m a big fan of 1500 horsepower wings-and-slicks Can-Am cars, but I don’t miss them one bit watching these little racers go at it!

MORE: Austin Healey 3000 – Onboard at Spa – Video

And a bonus clip – Woolmer dancing in the Healey in the wet.

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Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt

Our friends in the Historic Sports and Racing Car Association of NSW kicked off their 2017 historic motorsport season over the 8th and 9th of April with the 2017 Autumn Festival at Goulburn’s classic countryside circuit – Wakefield Park. Take a minute to click through and soak up the atmosphere and on-track action.

The event took inspiration from Goulburn’s countryside appeal and put on a relaxed weekend of historic motorsport that saw everything from the mighty Nola Chev above, to fiercely competitive Formula Vees and even a few more modern classics take to the track.

The aforementioned Vees were absolutely brilliant throughout the weekend and demonstrated some supreme racing. Drivers more than make up for anything that the cars may lack in raw cubic capacity by dicing for every free inch of track from lights out to the chequered flag. If you’re interested in historic racing and want a fun little machine that’ll teach you race craft and force you to become a tidier steerer – this is a great place to start.

The tin tops of Group N and Group S are also great to watch, and produce consistently full fields that are competitive from the pointy end through to the tail. Group N’s third race of the weekend was made all the more exciting when predictably unpredictable Goulburn weather gave them some rain and a very slick circuit to contend with.

Wakefield Park’s tight, twisty layout and short straights don’t give the big cars much room to stretch their legs, but the wings and slicks cars of Groups O, Q & R still put on some great races, and are always awesome to behold.

The regularity and super sprint events brought a great deal of variety to proceedings, giving cars like the ’37 Legend Ford Sedan and ’34 Legend 34 Ford coupe a place to compete. The super sprint in particular produced an opportunity to bring more modern machines out to play and included cars up to the late ’90s.

Formula Ford, K, L, M & Formula Juniors saw cars like the beautiful Lotus 51 above dicing on the hilly circuit. The older cars and the classics from the ’60s are so evocative of the sport’s golden age, and watching them on full song in the countryside setting is truly magic.

The cars were all beautifully prepared and driven with verve and vigor that pays little heed to their venerable stature. Wakefield Park sits on a hillside, and so you can see the whole circuit from the spectator areas, making it a great place to catch a few races.

Packed with stunning old race cars and buzzing with busy drivers and mechanics telling tales (possibly tall) of conquest on the track, or hard at work preparing cars, the pits and paddock were a lot of fun to wander through. Everyone’s very friendly and more than happy to chat about cars and motorsport.

Historic motorsport is especially open and friendly, so if you head to an event, make a point to wander into the pits and paddock, get up close to the cars and say ‘Hi!’ to their drivers, teams and custodians.

In the meantime, take a few minutes to enjoy the gallery below! For more photos from the weekend hit this link to the HSRCA’s official website, and join them on Facebook.

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt

The post Widescreen Gallery – Kicking off the 2017 Historic Racing Season with the HSRCA appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

by Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica.com

The 29th edition of Techno Classica was six days of pure passion, presenting over 2500 vintage cars and featuring 1250 exhibitors from 30 different countries along with 220 clubs and presentations of more than 20 brands of the motor vehicle industry. Click through, and enjoy this widescreen gallery of the event.

S.I.H.A. hosted the 29th edition of Techno Classica in Essen, featuring Classic & Prestige Automobiles, Motor Sport, Motorcycles, Spare Parts, Restoration and World Club Meeting.

The exhibition was presented in no less than 14 halls with presentations of more than 20 brands of the vehicle industry. A special exhibition was presented in hall 6, featuring Formula 1 race cars of the Monaco Grand Prix during the golden era of the ’50s. A special exhibition saw 135 years cars with electric drive from 1882 until 2017.

Every year the automobile manufacturers of the world put on presentations to a scale and quality of no other classic event worldwide. With their shows they reach more than 200,000 visitors and amongst the more than 2500 cars the following highlights could be seen.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles presented, amongst others, the Abarth brand including a Fiat Abarth 750 GT Coupé Zagato Double Bubble of the first series from the year 1956, developed on the basis of the platform of the Fiat 600.

Another element of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles heritage was presented by Alfa Romeo. This area featured a Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Corto Mille Miglia (1st place at Mille Miglia in 1933), Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Lungo Touring (1st place at Mille Miglia 1947),  and an Alfa Romeo RL SS Mille Miglia (7th and 9th place at Mille Miglia in 1927).

Audi tradition celebrated three anniversaries including 60 years of the Wankel engine, 50 years of NSU TTS and 50 years of NSU Ro 80. The Ro 80 was a 4-door, front-engined sedan, equipped with a 995 cc twin rotor Wankel-engine generating 113 bhp. During the ten-year production run from 1967 until 1977, 37,398 cars were manufactured.

Opel enthusiast, and a manufacturer of fine vehicles himself, 83 year old Erich Bitter was present at Techno Classica with his company Bitter Automotive. Amongst the highlights were two Bitter CDs from 1973 and 1983. The Bitter CD was built on the basis of the Opel Diplomat B, while the Bitter SC used the basis of a Opel Senator A. Between 1973 and 1979 Bitter manufactured 395 Bitter CDs.

The Ferrari factory exhibition was presented by Eberlein Ferrari Kassel from Germany, the company which holds the honour of the Ferrari Classiche Certification Centre title. The company was present with a very nice selection Ferraris including a 308 GT Vetroresina, a special Dino 246 GT equipped with extended mud wings, as well as a 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

Back in 2015 Lamborghini established their classic division PoloStorico. Just like in 2016 Lamborghini Polo Storico was present with a beautiful restored P400 SV Miura. In fact it was the second P400 SV which was completely restored. The restoration took 20 months to bring the car back to its original state. (body, engine, interior, mechanic and electric components).

Mercedes-Benz Classic was present with some rare historic vehicles, such as a Mercedes-Simplex 40 PS from 1903, a Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner from 1938, the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR known as “Uhlenhaut Coupé” from the 1955 season, the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 which Ayrton Senna drove when he won the Nürburgring opening race in 1984.

Opel showed some prestigious models including an Opel Admiral A, Diplomat B, Admiral from 1938, the two-millionth Kapitän as well as a Kapitän from 1952 and a Commodore A GS.

Porsche themed their presentation around 40 years of the Porsche 928, including three classic automobiles from the Porsche museum: a Porsche 928S close-to-production racing car from 1983, the Porsche 928 study P.E.S. Type 960 from 1980 and a Porsche 928S four-seater from 1984.

In addition, Porsche was present with their Porsche Classic factory restoration featuring a completely restored Porsche 911 S from 1966, a restored body shell of a Porsche 911 Turbo from 1975 and a Porsche 356B 2000 GS Carrera 2  convertible under complete restoration.

Skoda presented numerous highlights from its eventful history, such as the prototype 935 Dynamic and the 130 RS Rally. Further highlights included the Skoda Popular Sport Monte Carlo coupé from 1937, a popular Sport Monte Carlo convertible from 1938, a Rapid ‘Autobahn’ (Dalnice) from 1940, a 130 RS prototype streamliner from 1978 as well as a Favorit notchback prototype from 1986.

Visitors of Volkswagen were treated to four themes around VW history, including The World of the Classic Volkswagen Vehicles, Volkswagen Classic, Volkswagen Historic Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Classic Parts.  Highlights included an experimental electric Golf from 1976, a Beetle 1302 ‘Theo Decker’ and the oldest registered VW van (T1 box wagon).

Techno Classic proved once again to be a one of kind and a must see event. We’re already eagerly awaiting the 2018 edition of the world’s leading classic motor show. Enjoy these stunning pictures made by Marcel Hundscheid from Speed-O-Graphica.

Images by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica

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Jackie Stewart on the way to victory in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix. Image thanks to the Cahier Archive.

Not afraid to push boundaries and consistently able to punch above their weight, Tyrrell Racing captured hearts, imaginations, and Formula 1 glory. Put your feet up this weekend and enjoy this brilliant retro documentary that tells the story of the iconic race team.

Founded by Ken Tyrrell in 1958, Tyrrell Racing got its start in Formula Three, progressing through Formula Junior and Formula Two in its early years. Tyrrell himself took to the track in the team’s very early days, but gave that up in short order and instead put some great talent behind the wheel, including Jacky Ickx and John Surtees, who made single seater debuts driving for the team.

Tyrrell met Jackie Stewart in the early ’60s, forming a relationship that would put the team, and Jackie, on the map. Not long after, he signed a deal to work with Matra and made the acquaintance of Ford’s Cosworth DFV, completing the foundations for his move into Formula 1.

Tyrrell entered Formula 1 in 1968 as the team principle of Matra International. Stewart would win the Dutch, German and United States grands prix that year, finishing the season second on the drivers’ tables behind Lotus’ Graham Hill. In 1969 Stewart was dominant, piloting the team’s Matra MS80 to six grands prix victories, securing the drivers’ title and helping to secure the constructors’ title for Matra.

Tyrrell Racing’s first car as a constructor arrived in 1970 with the Tyrrell 001. It initially struggled with reliability but, after some development, would be come the Tyrrell 003 – a dominant force. In 1971 Stewart won another six grand prix to claim the 1971 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with plenty of clear air between himself and March’s Ronnie Peterson. This would also give Tyrrell their first and only constructors’ title.

Tyrrell remained in Formula 1 through to 1998, claiming a third drivers’ title with Stewart in 1973, amassing 33 grand prix victories, defining an iconic livery with elf and building some exciting and innovative cars along the way.

Hit play and enjoy Tyrrell – Surviving Formula 1.

MORE: One off Grand Prix winners: Francois Cevert, Watkins Glen 1971

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Images via Bonhams

The 1991 Canadian Grand Prix-winning Benetton B191 driven by Nelson Piquet and Michael Schumacher will head to auction on the 21st of May at Bonhams’ Spa Classic sale.

The Bonhams Spa Classic Sale will be held at the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit on the 21st of May, 2017. Headlining the auction of stunning race and road machinery will be this Benetton B191, which was driven by Nelson Piquet, Roberto Moreno and Michael Schumacher during the 1991 Formula 1 World Championship.

B191-02 debuted in the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix driven by Brazilian Roberto Moreno. Three-time Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet would take the wheel soon after, and give the B191 its only grand prix victory when he won the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix.

Piquet qualified the car eighth, the dual Williams of Riccardo Patrese and Nigel Mansell occupying the front row ahead of the McLaren of Ayrton Senna, the Ferrari of Alain Prost and Piquet’s teammate Moreno in fifth. Once the red lights went out, however, things got rough at the pointy end.

Gerhard Berger dropped out four laps in with a missfire, Moreno spun a few laps later and Prost was left managing an ailing gearbox. Championship leader Senna would retire nearing the half way point, with Prost following shortly after and Jean Alesi joining him on lap 34 when his motor went bang.

Patrese was having issues of his own, allowing Piquet to get by into second behind Mansell, who led the field by some fifty seconds. Mansell entered the last lap all but assured of the win, waving to the crowd, with Piquet far enough behind that he decided to slow and bring the car home safely. Mansell held first from race start right up to the hairpin on the final lap, when he unexpectedly slowed with apparent electrical issues, letting Piquet by to take the final win of his career – B191-02’s first and only.

Michael Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut in 1991, replacing Bertrand Gachot and driving for Jordan in the Belgian Grand Prix. He stunned the field with a seventh-place qualifying run, just behind Piquet in B191-02. While Schumacher would drop out of the race with clutch failure, Piquet was able to put B191-02 onto the podium with a third. Schumacher was then picked up by Benetton and would take over B191-02 for the Australian and Japanese grands prix.

Following its period career, the car was put on display in a museum. In 2016 it received a complete rebuild and is now restored to immaculate original condition to meet current FIA regulations.

Driven by two Formula 1 greats and with a grand prix victory to its name, this is a race-ready piece of Formula 1 history. It will head to auction on the 21st of May at Bonhams’ Spa Classic sale where it is expected to fetch €750,000 – 950,000.

For the official details see Bonhams’ press release here and for more on their Spa Classic sale, head to their official website.

Images via Bonhams

MORE: Video: Blasting around highlands in the Michael Schumacher Benetton

The post Ex-Piquet/Schumacher 1991 Benetton B191 Formula 1 Heads to Auction appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

James Hunt in the Hesketh 308 at the 1974 German Grand Prix. Image thanks to the Cahier Archive.

James Hunt and Murray Walker sit down with Chris Serle for a great interview about life, Formula 1 and their commentating partnership in this 1988 episode of Windmill.

Windmill was a BBC series which ran for a few years in the mid-1980s and made use of archival footage plucked from the BBC’s Windmill Road archives.

This episode, one from the closing weeks of the show, aired on the 10th of January 1988. Its theme was ‘Cars’ and it brought Formula 1 commentating duo James Hunt and Murray Walker in for an interview with host Chris Serle. They chat about the pair’s careers, significant moments in Formula 1 and its coverage, Walker and Hunt’s commentating partnership and more alongside some classic clips.

It’s always good to see Hunt and Walker together, and this is an enjoyable watch. Just don’t look too hard at Serle’s sweater!

MORE: Murray Walker – The story behind the voice of F1 – Video

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Images via Bonhams

This magic 1976 Porsche 934/5 Kremer Group 4 Competition Coupé will head to auction later this month at Bonhams’ Spa Classic Sale.

The car, chassis 930 6700478, was originally owned by legendary Porsche race team Kremer. They sold it on to ‘Mr. Porsche’, Edgar Dören – a Le Mans class winner known for his affinity for Porsches and prowess on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

It raced just three times in period, at the 1977 International ADAC-Eifelrennen on the Nürburgring, in the 1977 Flugplatzrennen and in the ADAC-Rundstreckenrennen. After its brief career it slipped into a quiet period before being picked up by Professor Michael Rudnig.

Rudnig would spark a much more active period in its life, sending it to PS-Automobile in Germany for a refresh and preparation for historic motorsport. It received a DMSB-Wagenpass in 2006 and was off to the races.

Today the car is sold with both its modern DMSB-Wagenpass and period ONS-Wagenpass, making it a shoe-in for historic races around the world.

It’ll head to auction on Sunday the 21st of May at Bonhams’ Spa Classic Sale, which will be held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Bonhams estimate that you’ll need to bring between €320,000 and €400,000 if you’d like to take it home.

Head to Bonhams’ site for the official details and for more from their Spa Classic Sale.

Images via Bonhams

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By Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica

Take a few minutes to get to know Lola’s T70 Mk.II Spyder, with this widescreen gallery by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica.

Designed by Eric Broadley in 1965 and built in Slough, England, the Lola T70 entered a sports car racing scene dominated by Porsche’s 917 and Ferrari’s 512M. The car, however, proved to be in a league of its own when it entered the Can-Am Championship in 1966 and today is an icon of the era.

The Mk. II Lola T70 took the stunning foundation that was the original car and further developed it. It lost weight thanks to more aluminium used in the chassis, with Broadley even using rivets instead of welds to push the weight savings. The car featured wider wheels, consolidated radiators with a large cooling unit in the nose and most featured a small block V8 for the powerplant.

Thanks to successful development of an already quick car, the T70 would go on to become the most successful variant of the icon. New Zealand’s Formula 1 World Champion Denny Hulme would pilot a T70 MK. II to eleven wins in Europe, while over in the States the T70 Mk. II would win the USSRC Championship for two years on the trot – 1966 and 1967.

The late great John Surtees would win the 1966 Can-Am Championship driving a T70 Mk. II, winning three races that year. Mark Donohue and Dan Gurney picked up a win each in a T70 Mk. II, giving the car 5 wins out of 6 races that year

The car pictured here is chassis SL71/30, built in 1966. Scroll on and enjoy the images, thanks to Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica.

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