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Hop On-Board with Gerry Marshall for a Narrated Lap of Oulton Park in Baby Bertha

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Hop On-Board Baby Bertha with Gerry Marshall for a Narrated Lap of Oulton Park in Baby Bertha Vauxhall Firenza V8

This awesome retro footage features the ferocious Vauxhall Firenza ‘Baby Bertha’ eating up Oulton Park in the mid ’70s driven by British saloon car legend Gerry Marshall.

“We have built what we think is a pure racing super saloon.”

Baby Bertha was built by Bill Blydenstein for Dealer Team Vauxhall to take racing in the British Super Saloon Series in 1975. With a five-litre Repco Holden V8 under the bonnet capable of nearly 500bhp and responsible for pushing around a little over 1000kgs, it was a bit of a monster.

Gerry Marshall piloted the car and they formed a legendary partnership, absolutely dominating the 1975 season and taking a commanding championship victory in 1976 as well.

“Grab the left-hander. Lovely. Into Druids.”

This footage includes a brief introduction to the car before heading to Oulton Park and going on-board with Gerry Marshall for a lap of the circuit accompanied by some classic narration. Featuring some very retro period footage and the awesome sound of the Vauxhall’s five-litre V8, it’s a great watch.

MORE: Baby Bertha, Gerry Marshall’s Unbeatable Vauxhall Firenza V8 – Widescreen Gallery

The post Hop On-Board with Gerry Marshall for a Narrated Lap of Oulton Park in Baby Bertha appeared first on Motorsport Retro.


Talbot-Lago T26C – Widescreen Gallery

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By Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com

Take a few minutes to get to know this post-war Talbot-Lago T26C Grand Prix car with this widescreen gallery from Marcel Hyndscheid of Speed-O-Graphica.

The Talbot-Lago T26C was a Grand Prix racer from the late 40s, designed by Antonio Fanco Lago who was an Italain engineer and motor-industry entrepreneur. Lago bought the French branch of Automobiles Talbot and founded the marque Talbot-Lago during the worldwide depression.

One of Lago’s designs was the T26C from 1948, a single seater using a straight 6 cylinder 4.4 litre engine. The car debuted at the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix but didn’t make it to the chequered flag.

However at the following event at Monthléry, Louis Rosier, Pierre Levegh and Yves Cabantous scored a 1-2-3 for Talbot-Lago. Rosier scored the first major victory for the brand in 1949 at the Belgian Grand Prix. Besides several victories in non-championship events, the car was prepared for the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours, where it would be driven by Rosier and his son.

The original engine produced 260 bhp and had a top speed of 270 km/h. For the seasons that followed, several upgrades were introduced including twin sparks, a stronger crankshaft, 50HN Zenith downdraft carburetors which offered 280 bhp. Talbot-Lago scored two major victories in 1949, improving to end the 1950 season with three.

The post Talbot-Lago T26C – Widescreen Gallery appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

An Introduction to Nissan’s 1997 Le Mans Contender – the R390 GT1

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Nissan R390 GT1

Head back to the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans to hang out with Nissan Motorsport and Tom Walkinshaw Racing while getting to know the Nissan R390 GT1.

Nissan’s 24 Hours of Le Mans heritage reaches back to 1986, when they entered an R86V, based on a March 86G, and an R85V that would go on to 16th overall in the great race. They continued to challenge through the late ’80s with cars like the R90C, eventually taking a break from the race after 1990.

NISMO resumed the challenge in 1995, entering two Skyline GT-R LM cars in the GT1 class. One, driven by Hideo Fukuyama, Masahiko Kondo and Shunji Kasuya, would finish 10th overall in the ’95 race and they were consistent in 1996, with a 15th overall and 10th in class finish.

For 1997, Nissan partnered with Tom Walkinshaw Racing to build a new prototype that could kick it with the wild machines from Mercedes, Porsche and McLaren. The car they came up with was the R390 GT1. Under the hood it featured a further-developed version of the twin-turbo 3.5-litre V8 from the R89C, the VRH35L, and it inherited some of the good looks of the Jaguar XJR-15 thanks to the involvement of TWR.

The R390 GT1 debuted in the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. It proved its pace quickly, with Martin Brundle setting the fastest time in pre-qualifying and the #22 car driven by Riccardo Patrese, Eric van de Poele and Aguri Suzuki going on to qualify fourth for the main event.

In the race, however, things went south, with all of the cars struggling with gearbox issues. Two would drop out prematurely, however the third, driven by Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Érik Comas and Masahiko Kageyama claimed a respectable 12th place overall.

Nissan returned in 1998 with four thoroughly-tested and further-developed cars. This time all four finished, with Aguri Suzuki, Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Masahiko Kageyama climbing the podium in third and the remainder all finishing in the top ten in 5th, 6th and 10th.

Go behind the scenes of the 1997 race with this clip, which introduces the R390 GT1 and features interviews with Tom Walkinshaw and Martin Brundle.

MORE: The Nissan R90CK – Widescreen Gallery

The post An Introduction to Nissan’s 1997 Le Mans Contender – the R390 GT1 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Ex-Schumacher 2001 Ferrari F2001 to Head to Auction

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Ex-Schumacher 2001 Ferrari F2001

Image Pawel Litwinski © 2017 via Sotheby’s

This ex-Michael Schumacher 2001 Ferrari F2001 boasts two grand prix victories to its name and will head to auction on the 16th of November at Sotheby’s’ Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New York.

Schumacher drove the car, chassis 211, three times in 2001 and it played a significant role in his journey to that year’s drivers’ title as well as Ferrari’s claim to the constructors’ title. Chassis 211 took Schumacher to the top step of the podium twice, including at Formula 1’s most iconic race – the Monaco Grand Prix. It was also his ride for the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix, where he clinched the 2001 Drivers’ Championship.

Ferrari’s F2001 is a carbon-fibre composite monocoque design with a naturally-aspirated V10 capable of close to 900 horsepower and 18,500rmp, which is more than enough to shove around its svelte 600 kilogram weight. Schumacher won 9 grands prix in the cars in 2001, adding a 10th in 2002 when the season kicked off in Australia.

If you’d like to experience what it’s like to drive a machine like that – you can! All you have to do is buy this one. Ferrari offer to store it at their facilities in Maranello, transporting it worldwide for Corso Clienti events or private track days, and they’ll even include the services of their Formula 1 technicians, mechanics and test drivers.

“When we think about the genesis of this Ferrari in conventional terms of aesthetic judgement we’re looking at line, form, structure, colour. When we consider this object in those terms, we can say this is an incredibly beautiful object, but we can’t disassociate the beauty of it from the history. Part of the beauty of it is necessarily aligned with that history. The history of it makes it comparable to works that we see in museums.” – Michael Macaulay

The car will be offered by Sotheby’s at their Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New York on the 16th of November. Sotheby’s estimate that the car will go for between $4,000,00 and $5,500,000. For the full details, see the Sotheby’s’ website here.

The post Ex-Schumacher 2001 Ferrari F2001 to Head to Auction appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Widescreen gallery: McLaren M8C

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McLaren M8C

By Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com

We get up close and personal with a CanAm monster – the McLaren M8C – in this widescreen gallery by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica.

The McLaren M8C from 1970 was the production version of the factory-built M8A and was in fact the first customer car (C) of the M8 meant for use by privateer racing teams. Peter Agg’s Trojan Co was responsible for building them, and only 10 were made. The car you see here is chassis 70-04.

Customers could choose between the big-block Ford or the Chevrolet engine. When comparing the M8C with the earlier A and B-models, it didn’t use a stressed engine.

Earlier versions of the M8, like the M8A and M8B, were equipped with the large suspension-mounted wings. From 1970 McLaren made the M8 available with the lower chassis-mounted wing.

Chassis 70-04 was raced by Canadian John Cordts in the CanAm-championship. During his first race at Mosport he finished in fifth place behind Denny Hulme, Peter Revson, Lothar Motschenbacher and Bob Bondurant.

The M8C pictured here is nowadays owned and based in Germany. The car is equipped with a 8.8 liter V8 producing 880 bhp and 1000 Nm torque.

McLaren M8C

McLaren M8C

McLaren M8C

McLaren M8C

McLaren M8C

McLaren M8C

McLaren M8C

The post Widescreen gallery: McLaren M8C appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Widescreen Gallery – The HSRCA’s 2017 Summer Festival

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2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt

The HSRCA wrapped up New South Wales’ 2017 historic racing calendar at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend of the 10th to the 12th of November, with their Summer Festival. Scroll on, and catch up on all the action with this gallery from the event.

Held on a sunny late-spring weekend, conditions were perfect for motorsport at the Summer Festival. The days were warm and pleasant, putting some heat into the tarmac without giving the cars (and their drivers) too much to deal with.

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

The event kicked off with a private practice day on Friday, before rolling on to Saturday morning qualifying sessions and then back-to-back races from just after lunch on Saturday through to late afternoon Sunday.

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

Sunday’s feature events kicked off with a Group S enduro relay, and the packed field of ’50s to ’80s historic production sports cars didn’t disappoint. Racing was close and exciting, and the mid-race driver change was a lot of fun, featuring plenty of smokey brakes and intense driver swaps.

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

Group N made up the rest of the entry’s tin top representation and put on some traditionally sideways and close races. Non-race categories Regularity and SuperSprint featured a great variety of cars including everything from a magnificent Pontiac Silver Streak, to a Shelby American GT 350, Porsche 993 RS, Lotus 7 and more.

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

Single seater competition included a field of lovely M, O, P and Formula Junior cars, with a strong representation of the Brabham marque as well as Elfin, Lotus, Nota, specials and more. Formula Ford and Formula Vee both drew interesting fields and put on closely-contested and exciting races. On the other end of the horsepower spectrum, the big-engined QR cars were well-represented and lent the event possibly the best soundtrack of the weekend.

Scroll on for the full gallery from the weekend, and make sure to head to www.hsrca.com for more.

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

2017 HSRCA Summer Festival

The post Widescreen Gallery – The HSRCA’s 2017 Summer Festival appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Take a Test Drive in a Lola T70 Mk. IIIB With Andrew Jordan

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Lola T70 Mk. 3

“Really really responsive how it picks up. It feels like a proper proper race engine. And it gives you a proper kick up the arse when it gets going!”

Go for a run around Silverstone with 2013 British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan in a beautiful 1969 Lola T70 Mk. IIIB.

Most often powered by big American muscle, Britain’s beautiful Lola T70 found great success in sports car racing and the Can-Am series in the mid ’60s. The car was a privateer favourite as well and its success continues on today with T70s a favourite at historic race meets.

1966 was the T70’s year. A Lola T70 Mk. II took John Surtees to victory in the 1966 Can-Am Championship with three wins. Mark Donohue and Dan Gurney would pick up another two for the T70, giving the model victory in five out of the series’ six rounds. Only Phil Hill was able to sneak a win away from them, driving a Chaparral 2E. Across the pond and Denny Hulme was also finding great success in the car, clocking up another eleven wins in his time with the Mk. II.

In this video, Andrew Jordan takes one for a spin around Silverstone. He gives us some thoughts on how it handles and drives, with his confidence clearly building as he gets comfortable in the car and starts to open it up more and more.

MORE: Immortal designs of the sixties: Lola T70

The post Take a Test Drive in a Lola T70 Mk. IIIB With Andrew Jordan appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Dramatic DRM: 1978 BMW 320 Group 5 For Sale

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1978 BMW 320 Group 5

Images via Duncan Hamilton

This magic 1978 BMW 320 Group 5 has history racing with GS Tuning in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft and is fresh from a restoration to race-ready condition. It’s up for sale at Duncan Hamilton.

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

The car, chassis E21R108, is one of 28 Group 5 BMW 320is. It began its motorsport career in 1978 when BMW motorsport director Jochen Neerpasch signed Markus Höttinger to drive Division 2 for the GS Tuning Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) team.

The pair debuted in DRM at the first round of the season at Zolder, and spent much of the 1978 season on the podium. Their first trip to the podium came in the second round of 1978, at the ADAC Goodyear 300 km Rennen, and their first win one round later at the ADAC-Eifelrennen on the Nordschleife.

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

E21R108 and Höttinger would pick up two more wins that year, at the Int. AvD/HMSC Flugplatzrennen in Mainz-Finthen and the ADAC-Westfalen-Pokal-Rennen at Zolder. Three further podiums would place Höttinger fourth overall and second in Division 2 at the conclusion of 1978.

In 1979 E21R108 would again tackle Division 2 DRM, this time with Wolfgang Braun behind the wheel. While the pairing were consistent and picked up some good finishes, most notably fifths at the Norisring and Zolder, they didn’t reach the same heights as 1978’s performance.

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

Following the 1979 season the car went to Koenig Specials, who kept it until 1989, when it moved into private hands. It’s current owner recently treated it to an extensive restoration to bring it into race-ready condition while maintaining its originality.

It’s up for sale at Duncan Hamilton. Head to their official website for the full details.

Images via Duncan Hamilton

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

1978 BMW 320 Group 5

The post Dramatic DRM: 1978 BMW 320 Group 5 For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.


Reminisce About 1970 Group 5 Sports Car Racing with The Breakfast Club

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Group 5 Sports car

This fun little edit takes a look back at the iconic Group 5 sports car racers of 1970, recounting the stories of some truly magnificent machines.

The film is beautifully shot, if pushed a little too far in the retro post processing of the video and audio. It is, sadly, one I won’t tell you to turn up, although there’s a good bit when they fire up and head out for a demo run later in the piece.

It features a Ferrari 512S Coda Lunga, Porsche 917K, McLaren M6B/GT and Lola T70, which gathered together at the 74th Goodwood Members Meeting in early 2016. There’s some great period footage as well as stories and thoughts from the owner/drivers of each car. Hit play, don’t take it too seriously, and enjoy.

MORE: 74th Goodwood Members’ Meeting – Widescreen Gallery

The post Reminisce About 1970 Group 5 Sports Car Racing with The Breakfast Club appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

1991 Jaguar XJR-16 IMSA GTP Car For Sale

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1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

Images via Furlonger Specialist Cars

This IMSA GTP Jaguar XJR-16 picked up wins in the 1991 series, kicked off 1992 in style and is in good racing condition to carry on its historic racing career. It’s up for sale at Furlonger Specialist Cars.

Jaguar’s XJR-16 followed on from the XJR-10, to which it was closely related. Featuring redesigned suspension, a longer wheelbase and a two-tier rear wing, the car was designed to take some fight to Nissan and Toyota in the 1991 IMSA GTP series.

1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

This car, JV6 C 191, did just that, driven by Davy Jones in 1991 and 1992. The pair debuted together at Road Atlanta a third of the way into the 1991 season, claiming a comprehensive pole position and going on to win the race. The next two rounds would go to Nissan, but Jones and the Bud Light Jag were back on top at Mid-Ohio and would claim two further wins in 1991 – the Grand Auto Supply Camel GT at Laguna Seca and the Road Atlanta 300 late in the season. This was enough to put Jones third in the GTP Championship by the end of the year.

1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

Davy Jones was back on board the car in 1992, but the car would only make one outing – the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona. Jones was joined by David Brabham, Scott Pruett and Scott Goodyear for the endurance classic. While the Nissan R91CP of Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Toshio Suzuki won the race comprehensively, it was entered in the Le Mans class and was not eligible to collect IMSA points. JV6 C 191 was the first GTP car home.

Eligible for historic events like the Peter Auto Group C series, Le Mans Classic and Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car has a continuous history and all necessary documentation. It’s in competitive shape, has received significant development work since its period career and has just 200 miles on the engine and gearbox since a recent rebuild. It’s up for sale at Furlonger Specialist Cars, and you can find all the details on their official website here.

Images via Furlonger Specialist Cars

1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

1991 Jaguar XJR 16 IMSA GTP

The post 1991 Jaguar XJR-16 IMSA GTP Car For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Gebhardt C91 – Widescreen gallery

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By Marcel  Hundscheid /Speed-O-Graphica.com

Learn a little about the unique Gebhardt C91 Group C racer, thanks to this widescreen gallery by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica.

Brothers Günther and Fritz, leading German producers of high speed conveyor systems, turned their attention to Group C cars during the early eighties. Initially they produced the JC842 and JC843 for the 1983 and 1984 Le Mans 24 Hours, scoring top ten finishes.

In 1987 the Gebhardt name disappeared but it would reappear in the early ’90s when the Gebhardt C91 flirted with both the IMSA Championship and the FIA Sportscar World Championship. In 1991 the C91 entered the American IMSA championship powered by an 2.1 litre Audi turbo engine. Using the 2.1 litre Audi engine, the car was allowed to enter the GTP-category. With the help of MOMO, the C91 made three appearances, competing at Topeka, Watkins Glen and Road America. Its best result was seventeenth place at Topeka, driven by Gianpiero Moretti.

After this season, Gebhardt Motorsport began to flirt with the FIA World Sportscar Championship. In order to enter this category it was necessary to assemble a 3.5-litre engine with an atmospheric displacement, so the turbocharged 2.1-litre Audi was replaced by the Ford Cosworth 3.5 litre V8 DFR.

The car was driven by Almo Coppelli and Frank Kraemer, scoring a fourth place at the Monza 500 km race. One more participation in the 500 kilometers of Silverstone was added, but after two laps the engine broke. That same year they made one last run at the Nürburgring for the Interserie championship, finishing in tenth place.

This was the last time the Gebhardt C91 was seen. In 1998 Gebhardt replaced the bodywork with an open roof and they ran at the South African round of the FIA World Sportscar Championship at Kyalami. By that time the car had been renamed the Gebhardt G4. In 1999 Gebhardt participated in four tests, but the project was eventually stopped.

In 2005 the car was purchased by a new owner in the United Kingdom. From that time it was completely restored to its previous specification with an 580 hp 3.5 litre Cosworth V8. In 2005 and 2006 it appeared at several races of the Group C Racing series. In 2014 the unique car was acquired by Frank Lyons and his son Michael Lyons, who raced it in the Group C Racing series.

The post Gebhardt C91 – Widescreen gallery appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Video: FIRST DANCE – Derek Bell, 1970 Ferrari 512 M

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1970 Ferrari 512 M

Kick off your weekend hanging out with Derek Bell and the 1970 Ferrari 512 M that jump started his sports car racing career.

Jacques Swaters invited Bell to drive the car in the 1970 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps. The pair were reunited at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in 2015.

“It singed my eyebrows and that sort of thing, and I kept getting back in and starting it up and then it would go up in flames again.”

In this two-part video from Blackbird Automotive Journal, Bell reminisces about the car, ponders its significance in his incredible career and tells the story of his first run in it.

In Part 2, he hops in and boots it up the Goodwood hill.

MORE: Close, But No Cigar: Ferrari 512S – 1971 24 Hours of Daytona

The post Video: FIRST DANCE – Derek Bell, 1970 Ferrari 512 M appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

The Glory Years of DTM: Part 1: 1984 – 1985

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By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica.com

Over the next few posts we’re going to indulge in a retrospective of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series. In this first part we head all the way back to the origins of the championship in 1984, a period which fielded some properly cool cars.

The German touring car championship Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, German Touring car Masters, can be best described as ‘Racing as it should be.’ The championship is nowadays considered the highest level a driver can reach in touring car racing.

In this series of three articles we feature the first 25 glorious years of the championship, when the cars that raced were race versions of cars that could practically be bought by anyone at a local dealer. Nowadays the series is considered the most sophisticated touring car championship in the world and features what are practically single-seater cars, equipped with silhouette-style body work, so it’s a very different beast to the series’ beginnings.

Germany and motorsports are inextricably connected and the German brands (Audi, BMW, Opel & Mercedes and Porsche) wrote history from the very start. During the early ’70s the German DRM (Deutsche Rennsport-Meisterschaft) was popular with drivers and motorsports fans, originally meant for FIA Group 2 Touring cars.

Cars from BMW, Ford and Porsche participated in the early days of the championship. From 1977 FIA Group 5 turbocharged cars were allowed and included machines like the mighty Ford Capri Zakspeed Turbo, BMW 320i Group 5, BMW M1 Turbo, Toyota Celica Turbo and Lancia Beta Montecarlo. The mighty Group 5 cars were replaced by Group C-sports cars back in 1982, but due to very high costs the grids became smaller.

This led the German ONS (Supreme National Sports Commission) to develop regulations for more cost-effective series touring cars, which in turn led to the introduction of FIA Group A vehicles.

In its first two years the DTM (still known as DPM) tried, through different vehicle weights and pull widths, to adjust driving performance. In the European championships three motor hubs were used as up to 1600cm³, up to 2500cm³ and over 2500cm³.

In the series’ first year, seven different cars scored victories, including Rover Vitesse, BMW 635 CSi, BMW 325i, Alfa Romeo GTV6, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Volvo 240 Turbo.

In 1984 the DTM celebrated its debut as a German production car championship, using series-based Group A touring cars along with a sophisticated handicap system. German Volker Strycek was crowned as the first ever DTM Champion, securing the title in a BMW 635 CSI without winning a single one of the 15 races held that year. The BMW 635 CSi in Group A specification was equipped with a 3,430 cc water-cooled six cylinder engine, creating around 290 hp and capable of a top speed of 250 km / h.

In 1985 the championship became international, allowing turbo charged engines. To ensure the balance between the turbocharged cars, which developed much more horsepower, and the naturally aspirated engines, handicap regulations continued.

A non-German brand would go on to claim the title. The Volvo 240 Turbo, nicknamed the flying brick, proved to be very fast. Within the international Group A regulations participating cars were taken directly from the assembly line and a minimum of 5000 cars had to be built. Swedish driver Per Stureson was able to defeat the massive German competition and claimed the 1985 title.

The series continued to evolve rapidly over the following years, and we’ll pick the story up in 1986 in a few days.

The post The Glory Years of DTM: Part 1: 1984 – 1985 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Catch Up with Tiff Needell in the Goodwood Car Pool

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Tiff Needell Goodwood Interview

Ed Foster, deputy head of Goodwood’s motorsport content team, picks Tiff Needell up for a drive in this magic new feature that sees them chatting about racing, life and everything.

Goodwood Car Pool is a good excuse for a relaxed interview, and Tiff’s the perfect first subject. Ed does a great job guiding the conversation, Tiff’s relaxed, natural and full of stories, the car’s cool and the Goodwood grounds are picturesque.

This long-format video is prime for a spot of holiday relaxation, so put the kettle on and settle in for stories about Austin 7s, Porsche 956s, learning to left foot brake and much, much more.

MORE: Video: Sidecar Racing with Tiff Needell and Steve Webster

The post Catch Up with Tiff Needell in the Goodwood Car Pool appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

The Glory Years of DTM Part 2: 1985 – 1990

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By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica.com

In this second part of our DTM retrospective, we pick up in 1986 with just two years under the championship’s belt. You can head back and read part one right here.

Handicapping ensured a close fight for the championship in 1986 and resulted in five different marques and thirteen cars being podium candidates. Mercedes entered the championship with four cars, Ford brought four Sierras, two 635s were entered by BMW along with the 3-Series, Volvo entered with two 240 Turbos and Rover participated with a single Vitesse.

The fields were a little smaller than 1985’s, but the fight was on between Volker Weidler (Mercedes 190) and Kurt Thiim (ATN Rover Vitesse). Due to weight penalties and bad luck for the Ford Sierra, the title went to Thiim and the Rover Vitesse. Thiim won his first and only DTM title in his debut year. After winning the 1986 title, he joined AMG in 1988 and then Zakspeed in 1992. Thiim returned to AMG in 1996.

1987 kicked off in Hockenheim, and from that particular year it was decided that the season opener would be traditionally held at the Hockenheimring.

The battle continued, with the front-runners this year the BMW M3, Ford Sierra XR4TI, BMW 635 CSi, Volvo 240 Turbo and the Mercedes 190 E 2.3 16V. The fight for the championship remained open until the final event of the season, which was held at the Salzburgring in Austria. During practice two of the three championship candidates (Marc Hessel – BMW M3) and Manuel Reuter (Ford Sierra) crashed into each other.

As the lights went green Reuter took the lead but his tyres would not last the duration. He dropped back and out of contention. Hessel was seventh at that time in his M3 with Belgian Eric van de Pole fourth in a BMW M3. Van de Poele was hit by a puncture just two laps before the finish. Hessel took the lead and it looked like he would claim the title for BMW. However the German made a costly error, stopping in front of the finish line as he thought he had to wait for Van de Poele. Hessel manages to cross the finish line in ninth place!

At this point the racing format was changed to arouse more interest. Instead of a single 100 km race, two races would be contested at each round and drivers would score separate points. The season-opener in 1988 was held at Zolder in Belgium, attracting around 53,000 spectators. Public broadcasting brought the event to domestic screens.

Opel became the fourth brand in 1988, along with BMW, Ford and Mercedes-Benz, entering the championship with the front wheel drive 2.0 liter cadet GSi 16V. As expected, the rather tiny cadet was not a threat to Mercedes, Ford and BMW.

Ford remained the sole user of turbo engines and the XR4 TI was replaced by the Sierra Cosworth, which would dominate the season. However, the use of an air restrictor would eventually bring the field back together. Klaus Ludwig claimed the 1988 title with Ford.

From 1989 the DPM was renamed Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) and would attract Audi, BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Opel and later Alfa Romeo from Italy. Italian Roberto Ravaglia managed to put BMW back on track with the impressive E30 M3. BMW introduced their first M3 back in 1986 as a homologation model for DTM, based on the E30 series and the M3 E30 remains one of the most successful touring cars in the world with more than 1500 individual wins.

Roberto Ravaglia claimed four major titles between 1986 and 1989. In 1986 he grabbed the ETCC title with Gerhard Berger and Emanuele Pirro. A year later, he won the World Championship in a Schnitzer BMW M3, followed by the overall victory in the Spa 24 Hours in 1988 and finally the DTM title in 1989 with the M3 E30.

The DTM used a turbo factor of 1.4, meaning that the displacement of turbocharged engines was multiplied by 1.4 in order to be able to classify them as equivalent to normally aspirated engines. During the 1985 season, seven races were won by cars using turbo engines. Klaus Ludwig mastered the Ford Sierra Cosworth and Ford Sierra XR4TI. Later the turbo factor was raised from 1.4 to 1.7. Klaus Ludwig claimed the title in 1988.

From 1991 turbo engines were banned, which led to Ford deciding to leave the championship. Audi entered DTM with their humongous four-liter V8. BMW and Mercedes, however, used 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engines. Audi’s big V8 produced almost 100 bhp more and they used the Quattro all-wheel-drive system from the production version of the race car. In the wet and on the shorter race tracks the Audi had lots of advantages in comparison to BMW and Mercedes.

Both the technology and the rivalries continued to develop in the ’90s, and we’ll pick up the story in part three.

The post The Glory Years of DTM Part 2: 1985 – 1990 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.


The Glory Years of DTM Part 3: 1990 – 1993

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By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica.com

We pick up our DTM retrospective in 1990, with turbo engines struck from the regulations.

With the ban on turbo power, Ford retired in 1990. They would be replaced by Audi, who entered the championship with the big, but mighty, V8 Quattro.

The 3.6-litre V8 engine was the perfect competitor for the four-cylinder engines used by Mercedes, BMW and Opel. Konrad Schmidt Motorsport prepared the cars for the 1990 season. Hans-Joachim Stuck grabbed a podium at the car’s first appearance in Zolder. Despite some bad luck, Stuck claimed seven victories and gave Audi the DTM title in its first year of use.

This picture was taken at Zolder back in 1990 by the author when Hans-Joachim Stuck scored the first podium finish for the big Audi V8.

In the end Audi dominated the DTM during 1990 and 1991, with Hans-Joachim Stuck claiming the championship in 1990 and Frank Biela following up in 1991. In 1992 weight was increased by DTM’s organiser ITR, knocking Audi out of contention. Their 180 degree crankshaft was in violation of the rules and as both BMW and Mercedes protested, Audi withdrew as a manufacturer from the DTM.

Opel started to develop a race version of the Omega, an unusual move as the Omega was, just like the Audi V8, a rather large family sedan. Opel had no other alternative as a replacement for the small Kadett GSi. Despite the available power produced by the 6-cylinder engine, the Omega was far heavier than the BMW M3 and Mercedes 190E. Opel’s six cylinder produced 30 horsepower more than the M3 and 190E, but its position in the chassis caused the cars to develop understeer. Audi’s V8 may have been 100 kilograms heavier, but it was attached to a sophisticated four-wheel drive system.

Two cars were entered by Opel Team Irmscher in 1990, driven by former Ford-factory driver Klaus Niedzwiedz and Markus Oestreich. As expected, the Omega was not a match for the M3, 190E or Audi V8. During the fourth round of the 1990 championship Opel introduced the Omega 3000 24V. It was quick in qualifying, but race distance was a different story. Last but not least in the top rounds of the championship Niedzwiedz finally scored a top finish but never finished in the top rankings.

Mercedes dominated the DTM in 1992 with the Mercedes-Benz AMG. No less than 16 victories were claimed that year and Klaus Ludwig gave Mercedes its first title. Besides this, 1992 was a remarkable year for Mercedes as Ellen Lohr became the first woman to win a DTM race. It turned out to be a unique victory as Lohr became not only the first but also the last woman who would win a DTM-race. In a reaction after the race she said: it was a tyre decision. Keke Rosberg decided to use a softer compound and Lohr knew that by the end of the race she would have the chance to get the win. She even pushed former Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg off line shortly before the finish line. Despite fierce opposition from the Finn she secured her first and only DTM victory.

From 1993, Class 1 cars were introduced, with the intention of using carbon fiber chassis instead of metal bodies. 2.5-liter V6 engines were used and would develop up to 500 bhp. Both Alfa Romeo and Opel used all-wheel drive.

Class 1 cars were not very popular with manufacturers. Audi developed a Class 1 Audi 80 but decided not to use the car in the DTM championship. BMW wanted to use a straight 6-cylinder instead of the V6 and BMW decided to leave as well. As a result Opel stopped the development of their Calibra V6 and the DTM saw just two brands.

Shown here above is the Audi A4 that never made the DTM. This prototype was shown at Techno Classica back in 2011.

The Audi 80 Quattro 2.5 DTM was developed using new DTM rules that came into force in 1993. That’s why the car was equipped with a 2.5 liter V6 with 388 hp. Until 1993, the regulations were much less strict and thus very different cars were running against each other. From the four-cylinder BMW M3 to the thick Audi V8. The Audi 80 DTM, however, has never been able to prove itself on the track, because Audi withdrew from the start of the season over dissatisfaction about the regulations.

Opel returned to the championship during the final race in 1993 with their brand new Calibra V6 4×4. Manuel Reuter managed to qualify the car. Former F1-world champion Keke Rosberg scored the first championship points in the second car. However, the first victory was scored in 1994 during a DTM race in Donington by Manuel Reuter.

We’ll pick up in 1994 in a few days with the final part of our DTM retrospective.

The Glory Years of DTM: Part 1: 1984 – 1985

The Glory Years of DTM Part 2: 1985 – 1990

The post The Glory Years of DTM Part 3: 1990 – 1993 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

The Glory Years of DTM Part 4: 1993 – 2000

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By Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com

In this fourth and final part of our DTM retrospective, we wrap up our look back at the first 25 glorious years of the mighty championship.

Alfa Romeo entered DTM in 1993 and from the very start the Italian manufacturer outclassed Mercedes with their stunning Alfa Romeo 155. The German manufacturer justified their bad performance by claiming that the Mercedes 190 was obsolete and a temporary solution. When they debuted the C Class in 1994, a true arms race between the three brands started.

With a huge budget, Mercedes managed to outclass Alfa Romeo and high tech developments marked the championship. Due to exploding budgets, private teams were forced to leave the championship and, as a result, from 1995 the DTM became a true works series. As both Alfa Romeo and Opel had lots of difficulties applying the high tech developments, Mercedes developed an advantage and claimed the 1994 championship with Klaus Ludwig and, in 1995, Bernd Schneider.

The ever-rising costs were problem, however, and pushed organisers to change the format.

The ITC (International Touring Car Championship) was established in 1995. The championship counted 12 events – seven DTM races in Germany and five international ITC races in Mugello, Helsinki, Donington, Estoril and Magny-Cours. Both championships used the same cars and drivers, however points were awarded separately within the two championships. Bernd Schneider claimed both championships at the end of 1995. In 1996 there was only a single ITC-championship featuring six races in Germany.

The ITC championship was meant for Class 1 Touring Cars and featured Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz and Opel, who where mostly equally matched. Opel entered the championship with three teams, Alfa fought for the championship with six teams. Last but not least, Mercedes fought for the DTM crown with four teams. German Manuel Reuter claimed the 1996 ITC title with three victories and six podium finishes.

Due to poor media exposure and television coverage, the lack of spectators visiting the tracks and huge investments by the teams, Alfa Romeo and Opel announced in September 1997 that they would leave the series. As Mercedes-Benz remained as the sole competitor, the ITC series was then cancelled. Fans had to be patient until 2000, when the championship was resurrected as the DTM.

After the short-lived ITC story manufacturers like Opel and Alfa Romeo continued racing with Class 2 touring cars. Mercedes decided to participate in the FIA GT World Championship. In Germany, the STW (German Supertouring Championship) was established in 1994 – at a time when both Audi and BMW decided to leave the DTM. The STW had to replace the DTM, but as the cars were very close to production cars and therefore unspectacular and there were no fans to support it. When the STW was cancelled in 2000 the DTM revived as German Touring Car series.

In 2000 the DTM celebrated a comeback, featuring much cheaper touring cars dominated by stars like Bernd Schneider, Manuel Reuter and Klaus Ludwig. Schneider claimed the title. The reincarnation of the DTM meant the end of the STW championship. Audi didn’t enter the championship as a factory brand, but was still represented by Abt Sportsline using the compact TT-R. As a result of the DTM’s successful comeback, Abt Sportsline, Mercedes-Benz and Opel continued their commitment in 2001.

The Glory Years of DTM: Part 1: 1984 – 1985

The Glory Years of DTM Part 2: 1985 – 1990

The Glory Years of DTM Part 3: 1990 – 1993

The post The Glory Years of DTM Part 4: 1993 – 2000 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Video: Head-to-Head in a Pair of Austin A40s

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Austin A40s at the 2017 Goodwood Revival

This video is proof that you don’t need big horsepower, dollars and downforce for absolutely awesome racing. In it, Rob Huff and Michael Caine have a monumental dice in the fastest Austin A40s I’ve ever seen.

Huff and Caine are no strangers to terrific tin top racing, so the feisty A40s are in good hands. Huff is an ex-British Touring Car Championship driver, currently driving for Münnich Motorsport in the World Touring Car Championship – a series he won in 2012. Caine has twice contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans and has won the British GT Championship. He’s currently racing both there and in the British Touring Car Championship.

The pair wring the A40s necks in this video from part one of the St. Mary’s Trophy at the 2017 Goodwood Revival. They spend the entire running time just inches apart, sideways and with wheels in the air or on the grass. Turn it up and enjoy motor racing at its best.

The post Video: Head-to-Head in a Pair of Austin A40s appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Ex-Sir Stirling Moss & Bib Stillwell ‘Coil Spring’ 1959 Cooper T49 ‘Monaco’ For Sale

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Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

Images via William i’Anson

This absolutely gorgeous 1959 Cooper T49 ‘Monaco’ is a vision of ’50s sportscar racing magnificence. Commissioned by Sir Stirling Moss in 1959, it has wins with both Moss and Australian Bib Stillwell on its resume and is up for sale at William i’Anson.

The car, Chassis No. 20, was commissioned in 1959 by Sir Stirling Moss and prepared and entered by Keele Engineering. It was sold as a chassis, to which a 2.5-litre Coventry Climax FPF was fitted and mated to a 5-speed Cooper CS5 gearbox. Coil sprung rear suspension developed by Alf Francis for Moss’ grand prix car was fitted to the rear of the car.

Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

Moss and #20 qualified on the front row for the 1959 British Grand Prix sports car race at Aintree. In the race, Moss stalled on the grid and was rear-ended by another driver, which bump-started the engine and got him going again until an oil pipe burst and forced him out of the race.

The car then went to Scandinavia and Moss picked up wins at Karlskoga and the Soskilde Ring. When he got home, Moss began racing a Lotus 19, removing the engine and gearbox from the Monaco and putting it to rest. Australian Bib Stillwell found out about the car, bought it from Moss and shipped it to Australia. Having bought the car without the engine and box, he fitted a 2.5-litre Coventry Climax from one of his single-seater Coopers.

Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

Stillwell debuted in the car at Warwick Farm in 1961. He won the Australian TT in 1961 and ’62, won the ’62 South Pacific Sports Car Championship and won the Victorian Sports Car Championship in ’62 and ’63.

In 1963 the car was fitted with a 2.7-litre Climax motor and did a 160 mile an hour flying quarter mile at Longford. 1964 saw the motor upgraded again, when Stillwell’s mechanic Gerry Brown got his hands on a Chuck Daigh Buick V8 from a Scarab brought into Australia.

Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

Stillwell sold the car late in 1965 to Dick Thurston, who fitted an Oldsmobile motor to it, racing at Calder and the Australian TT. Thurston sold the Monaco on to Tony Osbourne, who drove it at Calder in 1966 painted in red with a silver stripe and nose. Osbourne also drove it in the Surfers 12-Hour race with co-driver Murray Carter.

The car passed through several people’s hands at this point, landing with Pat McLernon in 1971. McLernon commissioned a new body for it that was made by Ted Proctor in Sydney, and the car was fitted with a 302 Ford V8.

Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

The ’70s and ’80s saw it moving around again, before settling with Paul Moxham in 1987, who began restoring it to its original specification. He sourced a 2.5-litre Climax FPF and had an aluminium body built by Wall Hadley. Chassis No. 20 was sold to Frank Sytner and John Coombs in 2000, with Sytner soon taking full ownership and returning it to the United Kingdom.

Sytner gave it to Simon Hadfield Motorsport to restore back to its original Sir Stirling Moss coil sprung spec. With the help of a former Keele Engineering foreman, period photographs and study of the Alf Francis modification to the T51 Grand Prix car, the rear end was restored to its 1959 specification.

Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

Sytner then returned it to the track, racing with Simon Hadfield and amassing an exceptional collection of race wins and podiums. In 2010 it was fitted with a Crosthwaite and Gardiner 2-litre Climax FPF, making its way to its current owner in 2011.

The Monaco will be sold with current FIA papers and an extensive history file including period and current photographs and invoices. It’s competitive, stunning and has an enviable record, and is up for sale at William i’Anson. See their official website for the full details here.

Images via William i’Anson

Ex-Moss 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

The post Ex-Sir Stirling Moss & Bib Stillwell ‘Coil Spring’ 1959 Cooper T49 ‘Monaco’ For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2 Up For Sale

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1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

Images via Girardo & Co

This tough as nails 1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2 has an extensive history racing in South Africa, has been recently restored and is up for sale at Girardo & Co.

The car, chassis RRAWK7AA145248, was originally ordered by Mike O’Sullivan and his business partner. Setting up a racing team in South Africa and in need of a car, the pair travelled to the United Kingdom, visiting the Leyland motorsport division in Abington and ordering a 3.5-litre Rover SD1. Dave Price Racing built the car up to Group 2 specification, with the 3.5-litre engine built by Hesketh capable of 400 bhp. Two months later it was given a shakedown at Brands Hatch in the hands of Jeff Allam and shipped to South Africa.

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

The Rover was quick off the bat, competing in sports car races in between headline events like the Kyalami 9-hours endurance race, in which it competed in 1981 and 1982 and the Kyalami 1000 Kilometers, which it contested in ’83 and ’84.

Dick Sorensen would take on the car next, running it in a red and yellow livery and eventually passing it on to Dave le Roux. From le Roux, the car actually returned to the O’Sullivans, who restored it to its original green and white livery in 2003.

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

2014 saw it purchased by its current owner, who entrusted it to BGM Sport for a restoration that saw every panel and fitting stripped, assessed and rebuilt to an immaculate presentation.

Fully restored, it returned to the track at Vallelunga in April of 2015, picking up a pole position in the Heritage Touring Cup. It continued to run in the Heritage Touring Car Cup through 2015, competing at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Dijon-Prenois, Monza and Circuit Paul Ricard.

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

In Europe, the car is eligible for both the Heritage Touring Cup and HSCC Super Touring Car Trophy, making it a great option for those looking to get into the well-loved historic touring car racing scene.

Fully restored and presented in awe inspiring race ready condition with a full-to-bursting history file, this tough tin top is ready to continue its racing career. It’s up for sale at Girardo & Co, and you can find the full details on their website here.

Images via Girardo & Co

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2

The post 1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Group 2 Up For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

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