Images via William i’Anson

This 1978 BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ Group 2 car was built by Willi Martini and raced a class-leading season in the Valvoline Langstreckenpokal in 1979. It’s up for sale at William i’Anson.

This car’s first life began in 1976, when it was built by BMW specialist Willi Martini from a factory shell. It was raced by Michael Martini, often partnering with Hannes Schneid in the Endurance Cup and German Touring Car Championship. This continued until 1978 when the car was crashed.

It was rebuilt with a new body shell, 001/79. to begin life anew as the car you see here today. The new car brought a 3.2-litre six cylinder across from the original car, along with gearbox and running gear, and made its debut with the 1979 season.

Running in Alpine colours, it debuted in the four-hour ADAC Ahr Rotwein Trophy on the Nurburgring driven by Heinz Becker. It failed to classify in that race and missed the next round, but would be driven to a class win in the International ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy by Becker and Michael Martini a few weeks later. Becker immediately followed that up with a class win in the sprint race that followed.

001/79 entered its first World Sportscar Championship round in June, driving the Nurburgring 1000 kilometers with Becker and Martini, but not going the full distance. Class wins in the ADAC Bilstein Cup, ADAC Reinoldusfahrt, RCM Grenzland-Rennen, ADAC Barbarossa Preis, DMV 250 Meilen-Rennen and ADAC RBG Rundstrecken-Rennen would follow, bringing team dangerously close to the championship title.

The CSL’s homologation expired at the end of the 1979 season, so Martini began developing it to suit Group 5 specifications. When the Valvoline Trophy made Group 5 cars ineligible, however, he would move on to a BMW 535i Group 2, borrowing some parts from this car, which would eventually be sold to Helmut Steinbrink.

In 2004 American Jimmy Baker bought the car and took it to the United States. Baker verified its history with Michael Martini, and kept it through to 2012 when it was bought by its current owner. At this point it had a works BMW livery and was set up for road use, still featuring the Group 5 arches Willi Martini had installed thirty-odd years prior.

With the help of BMW expert Ron Perry, the car was restored over several years, including sourcing period-correct Alpine parts. The car was meticulously built back to its Martini 3.2-litre Group 2 specifications and completed for an appearance in the 2016 Monterey Motorsports Reunion, where BMW was the featured marque.

The car will be sold with 2016 FIA HTPs, in immaculate condition and ready to race. For the full history and details, see William i’Anson’s website here.

History & images via William i’Anson

The post Ex-Martini 1978 BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ Group 2 For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

We pick up our Group C retrospective with a look at the machines of Argo Racing Cars from Switzerland.

Argo Racing Cars

Swiss designer Jo Marquart and British mechanic Nick Jordan founded Argo Racing Cars in the ’80s. Besides constructing single -seaters for Formula Three, Formula Atlantic and Formula Super Vee, Argo built sports prototypes for the World Sportscar Championship, under Group C rules, and the IMSA GT Championship. Argo’s JM19 appeared in 1987 and was in fact a development of the earlier JM16 that raced in the IMSA GT Championship.

Three versions of the JM19 were developed, taking the constructor into the early ’90s. Marquart partnered with Austrian designer Achim Storz, who used carbon-fibre composites to reduce weight. The Argo JM19B, C and D models were mainly used under Group C rules equipped with different engines from Zakspeed, Cosworth and Minardi Motori Moderni.

Pictured above is Argo JM19C-008-C2, seen at a race of the Group C series during the 2012 Spa Classic. This car originally raced in the American IMSA series in the mid-to-late eighties under Group C rules.

Illustrated below is chassis JM19C-121-C2, seen at the Spa Classic in 2012. Former European rally cross champion Martin Schanche from Norway and Briton Will Hoy scored several pole positions in a Argo JM19C in the World Sportscar Championship between 1986 and 1988. This car was Argo’s first car powered by a Cosworth DFV. It was driven by Schanche in Group C2.

The Argo JM19D was followed by the JM20, designed for privateers in the Group C1 class. Besides one for a customer in Switzerland and Germany, no further chassis were constructed.

Aston Martin

A partnership created between Peter Livanos, Victor Gauntlett, Richard Williams and Ray Mallock was formed in late 1987 to create Proteus Technology Ltd, which would develop and race the AMR1. Max Bostrom and Ray Mallock designed the car, which would appear in the 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship.

Pictured below is chassis AMR1/05 seen in action at the Spa Classic in 2014. Five cars were built and AMR1/05 was the last. Powered by an Aston Martin 6.3 litre V8 that generated 740 hp, and weighing in at just 904 kilograms, it was the lightest and most powerful of the cars. During its period career, chassis AMR1/05 was driven by Brian Redman, David Leslie, David Sears and Stanley Dickens. The car competed in three world championship events during 1989 at Donington, Spa and Mexico.

In the next episode we will continue our overview with Cheetah Automobiles.

The post Group C: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Endurance Racing: Cars and Constructors Part 2 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images & history via Art & Revs

This absolutely stunning Group 2 BMW 3.5 CSL ‘Batmobile’ has history competing in Germany’s DRM series in Group 2 as well as the IMSA series under Group 5 specification. Fully restored and ready to race, it’s up for sale at Art & Revs.

The car, chassis 2210270, was built by FALTZ in 1972 and began its life as a 3.0 CS race car.

Rudiger Faltz drove it under Group 2 during the inaugural 1972 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft series, continuing his campaign in ’73 before the car was sold to Graziano Cancian half way through the year. Cancian built the car up to 3.5 CSL specs, installing a Schnitzer engine to get there, and competed in DRM and the European Touring Car Championship through to 1976.

In 1979 Cancian sold the car to Californian Peter Herke, who continued its upgrade path, shifting it to Group 5 spec so that he could compete in the United States’ IMSA series. Herke ran the car through to 1985 and pushed its development significantly during that time.

1985 saw the car put into storage, where it stayed until, in BMW Motorsport colours, it participated in the 20th anniversary of BMW Motorsport at Sebring in 1992. Herke would occasionally run it at historic meets following this event before eventually selling it in 2007.

At this time it went to James Hanson, who restored it back to the original Group 2 specification of its time in the ETCC with Graziano Cancian. Hanson only kept it a few years before selling it to Richard Meins, who ran it in Masters Historics before selling it to Gregor Fiskens. Fiskens then gave it a complete go-over to bring it to its current immaculate condition, attaining a fresh FIA HTP at the same time.

This is a stunning race car in race-ready condition, sold with a well documented history as well as period documentation and images and the original Group 5 components from its time as a Group 5 car.

For more details and the full history, see Art & Revs’ website here.

Images & history via Art & Revs

The post Beautiful Group 2 BMW 3.5 CSL ‘Batmobile’ Up for Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

In this third part of our Group C retrospective we invite to take a closer look at Cheetah Automobiles and Courage Competition.

Cheetah Automobiles

Cheetah Automobiles, based in Lausanne (Switzerland), was started in 1971 by Swiss-American engineer and racing driver Chuck Graemiger. Three years after the start up he built his first car the 01G, followed by two-litre sports cars.

Under Group C-rules, he built two cars – the G603 from 1983 and G604 from 1984. The G603 was powered by a 4.0 liter Cosworth DFV and the G604 used an Aston Martin V8. Besides the two cars mentioned Graemiger built a third car, known as the G606.

The G603 ran in Graemiger’s own works team. The team attempted to enter the 1983 Le Mans 24 Hours with Loris Kessel, Laurent Ferrier and Florian Vetsch, but didn’t quite get there. As the team didn’t enter Le Mans, the G603 debuted at Spa. The team ran the G604 in 1984 and 1985, but did not find significant success with it.

Graemiger’s next car was designed to the latest Formula 1-inspired Group C rules. Originally Graemiger dubbed the car G606, but before completion it was renamed to SGR001. At the time, Graemiger had a new partner, Fred Statler and his team Racing Organisation Course. In this way the car was renamed ROC 002.

The car entered the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours as it was built to the F1 regulations. Despite making it to fifth place on the grid, the ROC 002 suffered from mechanical problems and was forced to retire. The car pictured above and below is the sole ROC 002 built, seen in action at the Spa Classic in 2017

Courage Competition

Yves Courage founded Courage Competition in 1981. Before he founded his own racing team he raced cars from 1972 including hill climbing and the Le Mans 24 Hours. During the 1981 edition of the Great Race, he finished 18th with Jean-Philippe Grand, winning their category in the process. From this point Courage decided to found his own team and started to build his own car known as the Cougar C01 under Group C regulations.

The car wasn’t reliable and after 78 laps at Le Mans had to retire. The Courage C01 was followed by a modified version of the C01 in 1983 and the C02 in 1984. Both cars failed to bring Courage the success he hoped for, believed to mainly be down to heavy vibrations from the Ford V8-engine he used.

From 1985 Courage started to use Porsche engines, although he had to adapt the chassis, as the Porsche engine was basically a turbo flat-6. The new car was known as the Courage C12 and with it Courage Competition finished the 1986 Le Mans 24 Hours. His biggest success came in 1987 as his Courage C20 finished 3rd. In the World Sports Car Championship from 1987 he finished 8th in the manufacturers’ standing of the World Sportscar Championship.

In 1991 Courage Competition introduced the latest evolution known as the Cougar C26S, although it was still a development of the original design. With a conventional design the C26S featured an aluminium monocoque and was powered by a flat-six twin turbo Porsche engine. From the two cars that entered the Le Mans 24 Hours just a single one made it to the finish (11th overall). From two rounds of the World Sportscar Championship, the best result was a ninth place.

Pictured above and below is chassis C02-02 known as a Cougar C26S. Originally this car saw life as a Cougar C02 in 1983 and evolved through the C12 and C22 into the C26S, but did not find significant success. After being displayed for many years at the Le Mans museum the car was acquired and restored into running order. Seen here it appeared at the 2018 Spa Classic.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

The post Group C: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Endurance Racing: Cars and Constructors Part 3 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt, HSRCA

Our friends in the Historic Sports and Racing Car Association of NSW kicked off New South Wales’ historic motorsport season over the 30th & 31st of March with the Autumn Festival at Wakefield Park, and we tagged along to catch some of the action.

The three-day event attracted a diverse collection of race, sports and touring cars for both race and speed events. The field included some very storied machinery going all the way back to two very different 1954 cars – a six-litre Holden FJ special and an ‘Outlaw’ Porsche 356 Pre-A that ran in Group S.

We enjoyed seeing the iconic L, M & O sports and racing cars on the track as well as the Formula Fords and Vees, caught up with some interesting Aussie specials and loved watching the packed fields of Group S and Group N sports and touring cars going door handle-to-door handle in their events.

Goulburn, the picturesque countryside city where Wakefield Park is situated, can be a meteorologically cantankerous place if the mood strikes it, and it certainly flexed those muscles over the weekend.

The first drivers to go out on Saturday went out either in the rain or on a freshly rained-on track, which led to some interesting moments in qualifying and certainly shuffled the orders up in an interesting way. This gave us some exciting races as the weather slowly improved and the track dried out over the course of the weekend.

The weather did mean that people were more likely to duck into the garages and pits to warm up or hide from the rain, especially when Sunday brought a particularly chilly morning, but the atmosphere was still warm and friendly, and there was plenty to explore.

Thanks to the HSRCA and the many volunteers who support them for putting on a great weekend of motorsport!

The club will turn the heat up a little over June 8-9, when they return to the city for the HSRCA Sydney Classic at Sydney Motorsport Park. This event will host the opening round of Historic Formula Ford Australia’s Driver to Europe Series, and welcome the mighty MGs of MG Racing Australia as a feature event.

Entry is open now, and you can find all the details on their website.

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt, HSRCA. For more from the Autumn Festival, see the club’s wrap-up here.

The post Widescreen Gallery: The HSRCA’s 2019 Autumn Festival appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images via Duncan Hamilton ROFGO

This 1984 Group A Jaguar XJS is one of seven built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing to compete in the European Touring Car Championship’s Group A competition. It and all of its thunderous V12 power is up for sale at Duncan Hamilton ROFGO.

The car, chassis TWR JC84A005, debuted late in the 1984 European Touring Car Championship at Zolder. It was driven by Win Percy and Chuck Nicholson, who qualified in third only to be forced out of the race when the water pump failed.

That year it would also race at Mugello, where Percy was joined by Martin Brundle. The team put the car on pole position, but a puncture sent them off the track and out of the race.

The Jaguar claimed its first win during the 1984 Macau Grand Prix, where Group A cars ran in support of the Formula Three race. There, it was run in JPS colours and driven by Tom Walkinshaw from pole position to the race win.

Its globe trotting career also took it to Bathurst, with Jeff Allam and Ron Dickson piloting it during the 1985 James Hardie 1000. TWR ran three XJSs in the race, and would put on a dominating show.

Allam helped team boss Walkinshaw lock out the front row, claiming second in the iconic Hardies Heroes. While an engine problem knocked our car out of contention, the XJS driven by John Goss and Armin Hahne would go on to win, with Walkinshaw and Percy taking third.

The Jag would also compete in Japan and finished its period career in New Zealand, with Percy and Hahne taking it to second overall when the Group A cars took to Pukekohe for the non-championship Pukekohe 500.

The car is one of just four remaining genuine TWR XJS Group A machines. It’s in race-ready condition, and will be sold with a set of tools and parts to suit. For more details, head to Duncan Hamilton ROFGO’s website here.

Images & history via Duncan Hamilton ROFGO

The post For Sale: Group A Tom Walkinshaw Racing 1984 Jaguar XJS appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

From April 26-28 the Bosch Hockenheim Historic Jim Clark Revival will take place on the Hockenheimring in Germany, home of the Formula 1 German Grand Prix.

Traditionally, the Bosch Hockenheim Historic is the kick off for Germany’s historic motorsport season. The event was initiated fourteen years ago in honour of Jim Clark, the late Scottish Formula 1 World Champion who died on April 7th 1968 in a tragic accident at Hockenheim. The three-day event attracts a field of around 500 cars and in 2018 brought 25,000 spectators to the Hockenheimring. The radiance of the late Jim Clark and the Lotus brand is particularly alive in both the Lotus Cup Europe and the Historic Formula 2.

In 2019, Porsche will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Porsche 917. Two versions of the car will be present at the event, including an early version from the naturally aspirated era as well as one of the extremely racey 917/30s.

Over a dozen historic series will make an appearance, including the BOSS GP. BOSS stands for Big Open Single Seater and is open to former Formula 1, IndyCar, GP2 and World Series by Renault cars. BOSS GP celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2019.

Other racing series featuring single-seaters includes Historic Formula 2, the Historic Racecar Association with Formula 3, Formula Super Vee and Formula Fords and last but not least the FIA Lurani Trophy.

For the first time at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic two historic racing series will be combined into one grid. The Canadian American Challenge Cup and the FHR 100 Mile Trophy will stage their races together. It gives an unique view and the opportunity to see McLarens and Lolas from the CanAm era competing against machines like the BMW M1 Procar, Ford Capri Mk.1 and others.

Fans of touring cars and GTs will be treated to packed grids of the Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge and A Gentle Drivers Trophy.

DTM driver Timo Glock will be driving his former Toyota TF108 F1 from 2008, operated by Team FNT in its original condition. Besides this special feature Raceclub Germany will be present with a selection of Formula cars in first-class condition including a Martini-BMW MK45, Arrows A10B F1, Formula Renault FR 2000, Talbot Lago T26c, Lagonda GP Car or Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 Ferrari from 1997.

Stay tuned to Motorsport Retro, as we’ll be back with a mega gallery and report on the action in the days following the event. Tickets and more information about the Bosch Hockenheim Historic – Jim Clark Revival 2019 can be found can be found here.

The post Previewing the Bosch Hockenheim Historic – Jim Clark Revival 2019 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

Enjoy our report and mega gallery from a stunning historic motorsports weekend at the Hockenheim Historic – the Jim Clark Revival. 

Despite cold and changeable weather, around 18,000 spectators found their way to the Hockenheimring to enjoy some 450 historic racing cars and a dozen classic motorsports series putting on a magic show of motorsport over three days.

One of the spectator highlights was former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock driving his Toyota on Saturday and Sunday around the track. Porsche celebrated the 50th birthday of the legendary Porsche 917, with two different cars presented in the paddock.

Glock was not the only star that participated over the weekend. Other well known German racing drivers were present such as Ellen Lohr, the only woman to win a DTM race so far, touring and sportscar driver Harald Grohs, three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner and FIA GT1 world champion Michael Bartels.

Four single seater series were part of the action packed programme, including BOSS GP Series, Historic Formula 2, Historic Racecar Association and the FIA Lurani Trophy.

Heavy metal was presented by the BOSS GP Series, featuring former Formula 1, GP2 and World Series by Renault cars. Three former F1 cars were entered including a Toro Rosso STR1 and Benneton B197s. Unfortunately one car suffered from engine problems and the second car was involved in an accident during free practice. This gave free way to Austrian Ingo Gerst in his screaming Toro Rosso STR1. Due to heavy rainfall, the first race on Saturday was cancelled and rescheduled to Sunday.

Historic Formula 2 is booming in Europe. Due to the fact that the series, organized by the British HSCC, also allows national entries, the grids are packed. Nearly 30 epic cars filled the grid including Brabham, Chevron, Lotus, March, Ralt and Tecno cars. It took the spectators back to the 60s, 70s and 80s and celebrated the life of Jim Clark.

Action packed racing was provided by drivers in the FIA Lurani Trophy. Nail biting duels treated the spectators with some real close racing. Nearly 40 drivers filled the grid featuring different Lotus, Brabham and Lolas.

The Historic Racecar Association brought Formula 3 cars, Formula Super Vee and Sports 2000 to the Hockenheimring. Over 30 drivers found their way to Hockenheim providing close racing and action throughout their races.

Three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner drove his very first race in a McLaren M8F CanAm banger. Although Werner profited from the huge power of the 8.1-litre McLaren V8, it was Swiss driver Felix Haas in a three litre Lola T294 who crossed the finish line in second, just 0.9 of a second behind the former Le Mans-winner.

Two packed grids with over 50 GTs and touring cars were provided by the Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge, organized by Dutchman Randall Lawson. On Saturday one of the two races saw a true cloud burst resulting in very different conditions. Both grids provided a mixture of different Porsches, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Plymouth Barracuda, which battled it out against Ford Escort, Audi Quattro, BMW M1, BMW 635 etc.

Raceclub Germany presented a mixed field of historic single seaters, including former Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars.

One of the highlights was the beautifully restored Crosslé 15F Formula 5000 car you see below, one of just three ever built. This is chassis C15F7042, driven by German Manfred Nord. Crosslé introduced the 15F in 1968, either equipped with a 5.0 litre Chevrolet or Ford engine. Two cars raced in the United States, although without any success. The third car saw action in the United Kingdom racing in the British F5000 championship.

The action packed programme was completed with participation from the Lotus Cup Europe, A Gentle Drivers Trophy and the Triumph Competition.

Scroll on and enjoy some photos of the action, as well as the results below.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

Results Bosch Hockenheim Historic – das Jim Clark Revival 2019

100 Meilen Trophy & CanAm race 1

1) Marco Werner (GER), McLaren M8F

2) Felix Haas (SWI), Lola T294, + 6.202

3) Wolfgang Henseler (GER), Lola T210, + 1:56.518

100 Meilen Trophy & CanAm race 2

1) Marco Werner (GER), McLaren M8F

2) Felix Haas (SWI), Lola T294, + 0.940

3) Wolfgang Henseler (GER), Lola T210, + 1 lap

A Gentle Drivers Trophy race 1

1) Jörg Markus (SWI), Lotus Eleven

2) Felix Haas (SWI), Lola Mk.1, + 23.699

3) Oliver Hartmann (GER), Lotus 17, + 1:59.680

A Gentle Drivers Trophy race 2

1) Jörg Markus (SWI), Lotus Eleven

2) Felix Haas (SWI), Lola Mk.1, + 3.149

3) Norbert Gross (GER), Ford Falcon, + 28.087

BOSS GP race 1

1) Ingo Gerstl (AUT), Toro Rosso STR1

2) Andreas Fiedler (GER), Dallara GP2, + 1.802

3) Marco Ghiotto (ITA), Dallara GP2, + 2.447

BOSS GP race 2

1) Ingo Gerstl (AUT), Toro Rosso STR1

2) Andreas Fiedler (GER), Dallara GP2, + 23.853

3) Alessandro Bracalente (ITA), Dallara GP2, + 25.228

Colmore YTCC race 1

1) Tijn Jilesen (HOL), Porsche 944

2) Peter Stox (HOL), Porsche 964, + 24.701

3) Erik den Dekker (HOL), Porsche 944 Turbo, + 48.230

Colmore YTCC race 2

1) Marcel van Rijswick (HOL), Porsche 964

2) Peter Stox (HOL), Porsche 964, + 12.301

3) Tijn Jilesen, Porsche 944, + 14.110

Colmore YTCC race 3

1) Tijn Jilesen (HOL), Porsche 944

2) Peter Stox (HOL), Porsche 964, + 2.864

3) Marcel van Rijswick (HOL), Porsche 964, +41.566

CSN Groep YTCC race 1

1) Michael Gibbins (UK), MCR S2

2) Patrick Sherrington (UK), MCR, + 17.239

3) Tom Stoten (UK) Gun TS11, + 38.867

CSN Groep YTCC race 2

1) Michael Gibbins (UK), MCR S2

2) Tom Stoten (UK) Gun TS11, + 8.338

3) Christian Nowak (GER), CN-Cobra + 13.058

CSN Groep YTCC race 3

1) Tom Stoten (UK) Gun TS11

2) Michael Gibbins (UK), MCR S2, + 3.418

3) David Houghton (UK), MCR S2, + 16.934

FIA Lurani Trophy race 1

1) Bruno Weiber (SWI), Lotus 22

2) Mark Shaw (UK), Brabham BT6, + 0.449

3) Manfredo Rossi di Montelera (ITA) Lotus 22, + 1.276

FIA Lurani Trophy race 2

1) Bruno Weiber (SWI), Lotus 22

2) Manfredo Rossi di Montelera (ITA) Lotus 22, + 0.680

3) Mark Shaw (UK), Brabham BT6, + 1.331

HRA Historic Racecar Association race 1

1) Frederic Rouvier (FRA), Martini Mk.34

2) David Caussanel (FRA), Brabham BT41, + 0.644

3) Falk Künster (GER), GRD F373, + 1.209

HRA Historic Racecar Association race 2

1) Frederic Rouvier (FRA), Martini Mk.34

2) Thomas Weidel (GER), Ralt RT3/84, + 1.022

3) David Caussanel (FRA), Brabham BT41, + 1.900

Lotus Cup Europe race 1

1) John Rasse (BEL), Lotus Exige V6 Cup R

2) Nikolaj Epsen (DEN), Lotus Exige V6 Cup R, + 4.329

3) Jason McInulty, Lotus Evora GT4, + 8.178

Lotus Cup Europe race 2

1) Bence Balogh (HUN), Lotus Evora GT4

2) Jason McInulty, Lotus Evora GT4, + 3.161

3) Nikolaj Epsen (DEN), Lotus Exige V6 Cup R, + 6.132

Triumph Competition & British GT race 1

1) Philippe Vermast (LUX), TVR Vixen 2500

2) Melle van der Wal (HOL), MG B, + 1:36.589

3) Albert van der Wal (HOL), MG B, + 1:42.694

Triumph Competition & British GT race 1

1) Philippe Vermast (LUX), TVR Vixen 2500

2) Urs Müller (SWI), Lotus Elan 26R, + 1:24.304

3) Georg Nolte (GER), Jaguar E-Type, + 2:08.050

The post Report & Gallery: Bosch Hockenheim Historic – The Jim Clark Revival 2019 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images and history via RMD

This magnificent BMW M1 Procar is a pre-production car that was first delivered to BMW M1 Procar Champion Niki Lauda. It’s up for sale at RMD.

The car, chassis 4301 016, was the first built by the BMW factory after the model’s prototyping phase. It’s the only pre-production car that BMW built, and was used for press and public display. It was delivered new to Niki Lauda, who would go on to win the inaugural BMW M1 Procar Championship, eventually moving to Walter Wolf Racing and then Schnitzer Motorsport’s Aachen-based AC Schnitzer team.

The BMW M1 Procar Championship debuted in 1979 and ran mid-season in support of European rounds of the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship. The hook was to get a rotating entry of Formula 1, World Sportscar Championship, European Touring Car Championship and drivers from other international series competing against each other in identical cars.

This car was used to promote the series in its inaugural year, and was displayed at various rounds of the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship. It was not raced, and because it was not subject to those rigours, it remains in remarkably well-preserved condition.

Its motorsport career got under way in 2008, when it made its way to its current owner and was introduced to the track at historic events like the Classic Endurance Racing series, Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand-Prix and Le Mans Classic.

In 2018 the M1 Procar was given a full mechanical rebuild, and it has not been used since. It’s in race-ready condition and will be sold with a brand new 2019 FIA HTP.

For the full details head to RMD’s website here.

Images and history via RMD

The post For Sale: 1979 BMW M1 Procar appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

The Spa Classic is one of the major European events in the 2019 historic motor racing calendar, and the 9th edition is just around the corner, coming up over the 17th to 19th of May. The 2019 event will be organised and hosted by Peter Auto and see eight Peter Auto grids entering the famous Spa-Francorchamps race track situated in the Belgian Ardennes region.

Crowd pullers include Group C racing prototypes and the Heritage Touring Cup, a tribute to the famous Spa 24 Hours for Touring Cars. With an impressive 41 car grid featuring, amongst others, several BMW CSLs, 635 CSis, 2002s, different Ford Escorts, Mustangs and Capris it will take the crowd back to the famous endurance races in the Ardennes during the seventies and eighties.

Two dozen Endurance Racing Legends are expected, including a Bentley Speed 8, different Porsches, a Saleen, Marcos LM600, a Ferrari 333SP and some Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs to name just a few.

Classic Endurance Racing is divided into two big grids.  CER1 is open to GTs from 166-1974 and Prototypes from 1966-1971, and CER2 is open to GTs from 1972-1981 and prototypes from 1973-1981. Expected are nearly 50 cars in CER1 and nearly 40 in CER2, including Lola T70, different Porsches, Chevrons, Ferraris, BMWs, Lola prototypes and many, many more.

Other major Peter Auto grids include the 2.0L Cup, a single make grid reserved for 2-litre short chassis early Porsche 911s, prepared in accordance with FIA pre-66 regulations. The biggest grid of the weekend is provided by Sixties Endurance. Over 70 pre-63 Sports and pre-66 GTs will take possession of the Ardennes rollercoaster featuring a wide range of golden oldies.

Last, but surely not least, is the Greatests Trophy, a series that is open to the exceptional cars that marked the major endurance events of the 50s and 60s such as different Ferraris and Maseratis, Alfa Romeo TZ, Mercedes-Benz 300SL, Porsche 550 and more.

The 2019 Spa Classic will be held over the 17th to 19th of May. Bookmark your calendar for this not to missed three days event at one of the most beautiful race tracks in the world. Tickets can be bought online here.

The post Previewing the 2019 Spa Classic appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

The European historic motorsport calendar features many highlights. We’ve just returned from the 2019 Spa Classic, which was a record breaking event, and are already preparing to head to another highlight – the 2019 Nürburgring Classic.

The iconic historic race meeting will be held over the weekend of 24^th, 25^th and 26^th of May and make use of both the grand prix race track and the legendary Nordschleife.

The 2019 event has no less than 12 races and regularity tests scheduled, including the Tourenwagen Classics featuring former DTM and STW touring cars. This is a successful racing series, which is sure to put on a good show as it gives machines of the Golden DTM Era of the 80s and 90s the chance to make a heroic appearance and bring the personalities and cars of the era back to mind.

Furthermore the CanAm & Interserie, Youngtimer Trophy, Dunlop Endurance Cup, 100 Miles Trophy and the tiny cars from the Battle of the Dwarfs will be present. A vintage meeting will be held in the historic paddock of the Nürburgring, and a meeting for historic race transporters is a particularly fun addition.

The Nürburging Classic features historic touring cars, GTs, sportscars and almost anything between. We’ll be heading to the legendary circuit this weekend over the 24^th, 25^th and 26^th of May to cover the action and put together a mega gallery right here. Stay tuned!

For more information about the Nürburging Classic and to purchase tickets, head to the official site here.

The post A Small Taste of the Upcoming Nürburgring Classic appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

Peter Auto hosted the ninth edition of the glorious Spa Classic recently, which attracted a record entry of  339 historic race cars. Read on, enjoy the mega gallery and let’s take a look back at the event.

Held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, one of the world’s most beautiful race tracks, situated in the Ardennes region or known in the Walloon area as Hautes Fagnes, the event attracted more than 20,000 spectators over three days. Fans of historic motorsport headed to the Ardennes rollercoaster to watch and explore the different racing series from touring cars, GTs and sports prototypes from the ’60s into the ’90s.

One of the many highlights during the 9th edition was the Heritage Touring Cup, a series with a particular emphasis on touring cars from 1966 to 1984 to celebrate the legendary 24 Hours of Francorchamps.

An impressive grid of more than 50 cars entered the two races that were scheduled over the weekend. Amongst these iconic cars were six different makes (10 models) including the BMW CSL, BMW 635CSi and BMW 2002, Ford Capri, Ford Escort, Ford Mustang and Alfa Romeo. The race held on Saturday evening took drivers and spectators back to the 24 Hours of Francorchamps.

New to the programme were the sportscars and GTs gathered into Endurance Racing Legends, which raced for the very first time at Spa.

Amongst the participating cars were a Ferrari 333 SP and a Dallara SP1 driving in the prototype division. The GT category saw former winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on track, such as the Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello, Aston Martin DBR9 and Porsche 996s to name just a few.

Classic Endurance Racing provided two grids, sportscars and GTs, from the ’70s and ’80s. The two grids put 59 and 31 remarkable cars on track, including a Porsche 917 in Gulf-livery, a McLaren M8C powered by a Cosworth engine and two Lola T600s. Besides these were several Lola T70s, Ford GT40s, different Chevron and Lola models not to forget the different Porsches and two very welcome BMW M1s.

Other grids that saw action during the packed three days were the iconic classics gathered into The Greatest Trophy – Sixties Endurance featuring 65 historic touring cars and GTs such as the Shelby Cobra, Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 356, Porsche 911 and many, many more.

The 2.0L Cup, open to classic Porsche 911s, attracted 38 entries. In Group C 18 prototypes found their way to Spa, including a Peugeot 905, several Porsche 962s, Spice SE89 and SE90s, Jaguar XJRs etc.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the remarkable cars that were on track during the event.

A Porsche 917 in racing condition is nowadays an unique experience as there just a few available in the world. The splendid 917 pictured above in Gulf livery ran in this year’s Spa Classic.

The car is chassis 008, which was entered by the Porsche factory in the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans and raced by Vic Elford and Richard Attwood. Due to technical problems the car didn’t finish the race, but Porsche went on to use it as a test bed and in this way it became the first 917K. During the ’80s and ’90s it was restored by Manfred Freisinger and nowadays it is kept in a private collection in Monaco.

Another remarkable car that caught the eye of your correspondent was the McLaren M8C pictured above. It was not powered by a big block Chevrolet V8 as used in the CanAm-championship, but by a 3-litre Cosworth DFV.

A closer look uncovered it as chassis 70-01, in fact the only M8C built with a Ford Cosworth DFV. According to the records it only raced during the early ’70s initially in Europe and later in Argentinia. Nowadays the car appears in historic racing events.

The Lola T600 was developed for the American IMSA GTP class in 1981. Brian Redman drove the car to victory at its first outing at Laguna Seca. The T600, fitted with a small block (5,736 cc) Chevrolet V8, became a huge success and Redman was crowned champion.

Pictured above is chassis HU2, delivered to the Cooke-Woods team. This car was entered by the Cooke-Woods Racing team for the Le Mans 24 Hours, fitted with a Porsche turbo engine. As Bobby Rahal and Brian Redman failed to qualify the car, the team focused on running the T600 fitted with the Chevrolet engine. After being displayed in a museum for almost 20 years this car has been brought back to historic motorsport events.

This splendid Porsche 962 CK6 hasn’t been seen at historic motor racing events in Europe for several years. Chassis CK6 01-2 is a Kremer-built Porsche 962 raced by Bruno Giacomelli and Kunimitsu Takahashi in the 6 Hours of Suzuka in 1988.

Kremer’s CK6 was actually their own development of Porsche’s 962C. Manfred and Erwin Kremer developed a chassis that was built by Thompson with a new short tail body. Chassis CK6 01-2 was originally built for the Japanese Sportscar Championship.

The Alfa Romeo TZ with chassis number AR15011 750033 pictured above was constructed by Alfa Romeo in May 1964.

The original Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ, also called TZ1 because of the later TZ2, was developed in collaboration with Autodelta, a company led by former Ferrari engineer Carlo Chiti. The TZ was characterised by a 1570 cc twin cam engine and other mechanical parts shared with the Alfa Romeo Giulia. It carried a 105 series chassis number.

With the use of a tubular space frame chassis with a full aluminum body, the Alfa Romeo TZ was a lightweight coupé of only 650 kilograms with a top speed of 216 km/h. The TZ was built for both the street and the circuit, with the race versions delivering 160 HP.

Characteristic, was the sound produced by the Ferrari 333 SP that was entered for the Endurance Racing Legends.

Back in 1993 Ferrari surprised with their first prototype in two decades, intended for participation in the IMSA championship. Ferrari used the V12 engine that was developed for the F50 road car, downsizing it for use under IMSA regulations. The 333 SP scored several victories including the IMSA championship in 1995 and the 1998 Daytona 24 Hours. Pictured here above is one of the 40 cars built, chassis number 034.

The 9^th edition of the Spa Classic surpassed itself both in participating cars, the excellent programme and the more than 20,000 spectators that found their way to the track. Please bookmark your calendar for the 10^th edition of this great event to be held in the spring of 2020.

Results Spa Classic 2019

Classic Endurance Racing 1

1. David Hart, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB
2. Marc Devis/Martin O’Connell, McLaren M8C, + 17.423
3. Alexander Furiani, Chevron B19, + 20.035

Classic Endurance Racing 2

1. Philippe Scemama, Lola T600
2. Franck Morel,  TOJ SC206, + 24.949
3. Jérémy Lancksweert/Christophe van Riet, Ferrari 512 BBLM, + 31.953

Endurance Racing Legends race 1

1. James Cottingham, Dallara SP1
2. Nikolaus Ditting,  Aston Martin DBR9, + 1:55.521
3. Franck Morel, Chrysler Viper GTS-R, + 2:08.371

Endurance Racing Legends race 2

1. James Cottingham, Dallara SP1
2. Nikolaus Ditting,  Aston Martin DBR9, + 1:47.172
3. Florent Moullin, Saleen S7-R, + 1:53.215

Group C Racing race 1

1. Mike Wrigley, Spice SE89C
2. Tony Sinclair,  Spice SE90C, + 7.435
3. Richard Meins, Jaguar XJR8, + 8.093

Group C Racing race 2

1. Mike Wrigley, Spice SE89C
2. Richard Meins, Jaguar XJR8, + 24.835
3. Tony Sinclair,  Spice SE90C, + 41.446

Heritage Touring Cup race 1

1. Michael Ehrlich, BMW 3.0 CSL
2. Eric Mestdagh/Nicolas D’Ieteren, BMW 3.0 CSL, + 1:46.575
3. Christian Traber, BMW 3.0 CSL, + 2:27.849

Heritage Touring Cup race 2

1. Christian Traber, BMW 3.0 CSL
2. Maxime Guenat, Ford Capri 3100RS, + 19.000
3. Philip Walker/Miles Griffiths, Ford Capri 2600RS, + 1:10.314

Sixties’ Endurance

1. Thierry de Latre du Bosqeau/Christophe van Riet, Shelby Cobra 289
2. Charles Firmenich, Henri Moser, Shelby Cobra 289, + 27.259
3. Jon Minshaw, Jaguar E-Type 3.8L, + 1:33.030

The Greatest Trophy race 1

1. Afschin Fatemi, Porsche 904GTS
2. Lukas Halusa/Martin Halusa, Jaguar E-Type 3.8L Lightweight, + 0.094
3. Vincent Gaye, Ferrari 275 GTB/C, + 28.050

The Greatest Trophy race 2

1. Afschin Fatemi, Porsche 904GTS
2. Christian Bouriez, Bizzarrini 5300GT, + 7.443
3. Romain Rocher, Porsche 906 Carrera 6, + 43.332

2.0L Cup

1. Andrew Kirkaldy, Porsche 911
2. Mark Sumpter/Mike Jordan, Porsche 911, + 46.189
3. Daniele Perfetti/Egidio Perfetti, Porsche 911, + 1:25.859

The post Mega Gallery and Report: The Stunning Spa Classic 2019 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

Spend a few minutes relaxing in the golden age of motorsport with our report from the 3rd edition of the Nürburgring Classic brought to you by our European correspondent Marcel Hundscheid.

The event set nine different race grids to work on both the Nürburgring Grand Prix track as well as the notorious Nordschleife. In 2019 these included the Youngtimer Trophy, Tourenwagen Classics, CanAm & 100 Miles Trophy, A Gentle Drivers Trophy, HTGT and more.

If you’re a fan of the several German brands with their iconic models from the 70s and 80s, the event is truly recommended, with different versions of the iconic Porsche 911 from the ’70s and ’80s as well as BMWs, Audis, NSUs and more.

Also remarkable was the combination of CanAm bangers, Group 5 monsters and sports cars into a single race. This saw a Lola T310 battling it out with the Ford Zakspeed Capri Turbo, a Porsche 935 K3 and a Lola T294.

More CanAm monsters were present, but due to engine problems (such as was the case with a McLaren M8F) race 1 became a short but fierce battle between the two Lolas, the Porsche 935 and the Ford Capri. It was sad to see the Kremer Porsche 935 K3 in the bright orange Jägermeister livery only out for a single lap. The car was driven by the very experienced Wolfgang Kaufmann but due to a blown engine his race lasted only very shortly. In the end it was the bright yellow Lola T294 of the ever quick Swiss driver Felix Haas who took the honours.

The Youngtimer Trophy was divided in two different divisions and open to Group 1 Standard Touring Cars, Group 2 Competition Touring Cars, Group 3 Standard Grand Touring Cars, Group 4 Sportscars, Group 5 Special Production cars, Group N production cars, Group A Touring Cars, Group B Grand Tourisme cars, Porsche 944 Turbo Cup cars, Porsche Carrera Cup 1994 cars and finally BMW 325i touring cars. The different classes resulted in two big fields including 100 participants with a wide variety in different cars.

One of the remarkable cars that participated in the Tourenwagen Classics was the former Joachim Winkelhock Opel Astra DTM pictured below.

The German manufacturer introduced the V8 Coupe version of the Astra in 2000, designed exclusively for use in the DTM, producing 24 cars. The Astra V8 Coupe was powered by a 3.998 cc V8 generating 462 bhp at 6750 rpm and weight just 1080 kg.

Opel competed with the Astra in 46 DTM races between May 2000 and August 2004. Opel scored seven pole positions and eight race triumphs during the 51 months that this coupe saw action.

Cheetah G601/1-Ford is one of just two cars ever built by Chuck Graemiger in 1976 for racing in Group 6. Pictured below is chassis 601/1 that raced at the Nürburgring and participated between 1976 and 1979 in the 24 hours of Le Mans. The car was powered by a 2.0 litre Ford Cosworth BDG, generating 298 bhp.

The German Kremer brothers built the legendary Porsche 935 K3/80 below, chassis number 000 00011 in the well known orange Jägermeister livery. The car appeared between March 1980 and March 1982 in different international events such as the German DRM championship, 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1981 & 1982 24 hours of Daytona, 12 hours of Sebring and many other events in the United States. Nowadays the car is back were it originally was based, in Cologne in Germany at the Kremer garage.

A Gentle Drivers Trophy race 1

1) Markus Jörg, Lotus Eleven

2) Alexander Kolb – Vincent Kolb, AC Cobra 289, + 19.519

3) Christopher Stahl,  TVR Griffith, + 1:08.082

A Gentle Drivers Trophy race 2

1) Christopher Stahl,  TVR Griffith

2) Markus Jörg, Lotus Eleven, + 0.473

3) Oliver Hartmann, Lotus 17, + 1:39.035

CanAm / 100 M Trophy race 1

1) Felix Haas, Lola T294

2) Peter Mücke, Ford Zakspeed Turbo Capri, + 1:21.557

3) Markus Jörg, Daren Mk.3, + 1 lap

CanAm / 100 M Trophy race 3

1) Felix Haas, Lola T294

2) Lola T310, Georg Hallau, + 1:02.790

3) Markus Jörg, Daren Mk.3, + 1 lap

Dunlop Endurance Cup

1) Felix Haas, Lola T210

2) Heinz Schmersal – Mike Stursberg, Ford Escort RS1600, + 2 laps

3) Michael Wittke – Markus Diederich,  Porsche 914/6 GT, + 11.916

GTRS race 1

1) Heinz Schmersal – Thomas Schmid, Audi R8 LMS Ultra

2) Michael Nolte, Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, + 35.761

3) Michael Maier – Maximilian Maier, Porsche 996 GT3 Cup, + 43.790

GTRS race 2

1)  Michael Nolte, Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

2) Michael Haager, Audi A3 Turbo, + 13.105

3) Andreas Klocke, Porsche 996 GT3 Cup, + 15.393

HTGT

1) Sebastian Glaser, Ford Escort RS1600 BDA

2) Heinz Schmersal – Mike Stursberg, Ford Escort RS1600, + 6.733

3) Michael Wittke – Markus Diederich, Porsche 914/6 GT, + 22.523

Tourenwagen Classics

1) Peter Mücke, Ford Zakspeed Capri Turbo

2) Ronny Scheer, Opel Astra DTM, + 1.915

3) Achim Heinrich, BMW M1 Procar, + 2.531

Youngtimer Trophy 1 race 1

1) Heinz Schmersal – Mike Stursberg, Ford Escort RS1800

2) Dr. Helmut Stein, Ford Escort RS1600, + 51.797

3) Friedhelm Pfingst – Andreas Telker, BMW 2002, + 59.710

Youngtimer Trophy 1 race 2

1) Heinz Schmersal – Mike Stursberg, Ford Escort RS1800

2) Dr. Helmut Stein, Ford Escort RS1600, + 11.748

3) Patrick Peeters, Ford Escort RS2000, + 21.692

Youngtimer Trophy 2 race 1

1) Daniel Schrey, Porsche 935 K1

2) Sebastian Glaser – Patrick Simon, Porsche 911 RSR IMSA Gr.5, + 5.618

3) Stefan Oberdörster, Porsche Turbo, + 7.710

Youngtimer Trophy 2 race 2

1) Georg Nolte, Ford GT40

2) Achim Heinrich, BMW M1 Procar, + 9.386

3) Daniel Schrey, Porsche 935 K1

The post 2019 Nürburgring Classic Widescreen Gallery & Report appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt, HSRCA

The golden age of motorsport was alive and well in Sydney over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 8 & 9, with the HSRCA Sydney Classic putting on a packed weekend of racing at Sydney Motorsport Park. Scroll along and enjoy some photos.

Warming up with a day of practice, the event ran over three days and brought some exciting machinery out to play. Being June in Sydney, the weather didn’t entirely cooperate, presenting a foggy Saturday that made warming up the tyres a challenge, but making amends on Sunday with a stunning day and perfect conditions for racing.

MG Racing Australia joined in the fun for the first time, bringing a record field to the event and putting on a show to suit.

The MG Racing series has been running since the mid-’80s and features just about any racing MG you can imagine, as well as other invited British cars. There was some serious firepower on show, from Phil Chester’s monster ex-Production Sports MGB GT V8 to Adrian Akhurst’s V8 MG ZT, the last works MG race car built under MG Rover ownership, the MG SV-R driven by Rhys Howell and plenty more.

We were also stoked to hear about a set of Formula Holdens heading to the event to compete in the Groups Q & R ‘wings ‘n slicks’ category. These included an ex-Mark Skaife 1991 Romano SPA 001, which won the Australian Drivers’ Championship twice, a 1989 Shrike Formula Holden, NB89H 002, and the Hocking 901 Formula Holden. They didn’t disappoint, looking and sounding great on the track and spending the weekend in the thick of the action.

They joined Historic Formula Ford Australia, which ran a round of its 2019 Historic Formula Ford Australia Driver to Europe Series at the event. The series celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Australian Formula Ford Championship, and in a call back to the championship’s history will award winners from each class flights from Australia to the United Kingdom.

Earlier ’50s and ’60s sports and racing cars, Groups L, M & O and Formula Vee, completed the open-wheel contingent. These machines are so evocative of the golden age of the sport, and it’s magic seeing them out on track doing what they do best.

Group S Racing and Group N brought big fields of sports and touring cars out to play and put on some of the most action-packed events of the weekend. Group S drivers worked particularly hard, with many doing double duty and hitting the track with MG Racing Australia as well.

The Regularity and Super Sprint groups were also a lot of fun and attracted some interesting and exciting cars, such as the awe-inspiring 1974 Porsche 911 RSR above. These are great categories to get involved in. They offer a (slightly) more relaxed pace, put a little less pressure on the cars and provide an opportunity for cars that may not fit in other categories for one reason or another.

With a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, plenty of action on the track and an exciting entry of classic cars to check out, the HSRCA Sydney Classic was another great historic race meeting. The HSRCA will be back in action in September, with the Spring Festival held at Wakefield Park over the 28th & 29th, and then back in Sydney to wrap up the year with the Summer Festival, November 30 to December 1.

For more on the club head to their website here or follow them on Facebook here.

Images thanks to Seth Reinhardt.

The post Widescreen Gallery: 2019 HSRCA Sydney Classic appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images: Dan Stoodley / Pixelnerd

Take a trip back to the 2019 HSRCA Sydney Classic for another look at the event through the lens of photographer Dan Stoodley.

Dan’s a New South Wales-based photographer with a long history in both photography and motorsport, specialising in sports photography. He’s done a great job capturing the atmosphere of the event, especially on the foggy Saturday morning, and finding a few new perspectives on the action.

The 2019 HSRCA Sydney Classic was held  over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in Sydney at Sydney Motorsport Park. It featured a massive field from MG Racing Australia, which put on some spectacular races over the weekend, as well as a round of Historic Formula Ford Australia’s Driver to Europe Series and an awesome entry of sports, touring and race cars from the ’50s through to a few cheeky late ’90s and early 2000s cars.

Dan’s previously covered World Time Attack for Motorsport Retro, and you can find his gallery from 2015 here and 2016 here.

For more of Dan’s work, head to www.pixelnerdphotography.com.

Images: Dan Stoodley / Pixelnerd

The post The 2019 HSRCA Sydney Classic Through the Lens of Dan Stoodley appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

We continue our Group C retrospective with this look into Dome, Ecurie Ecosse and EMKA.

Dome

Minoru Hayashi built his first racing car in 1965, going on to found Dome in 1975. It turned out that road cars such as the Dome Zero and Dome P2 weren’t a success, so Dome continued building sportscars for Toyota’s motorsport department. Initially these cars competed in the All Japan Super Silhouette Championship, with Group C following in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.

For the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans, Dome built the RC82, which featured a chassis constructed by March Engineering. The car was meant to compete in the C1 category and was eventually fitted with an 8.8-litre Chevrolet V8 engine.

The Dome RC82 never finished a race and was followed by the RC83. Dome constructed the chassis and used a 4-litre Cosworth DFL V8 to power the machine. The car debuted at the 1983 1000 km of Fuji and retired after just 31 laps due to transmission failure. Although the car made it to the finish line at other events, it ultimately wasn’t successful.

Ecurie Ecosse

David Murray, a Scottish businessman and racing driver, founded Ecurie Ecosse in 1951. The team scored two Le Mans 24 Hours victories back-to-back in 1956 and 1957. Encountering financial problems during the mid ’60s, the team started to decline and was shut down, but it was brought back to life between 1969 and 1971 racing Formula 2 cars.

During the early ’80s, Scottish businessman Hugh McCaigh resurrected Ecurie Ecosse once more. Initially there were plans to enter the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1983 with a Chevron B52/54 Sports 2000, although the Ecosse C284 was announced to participate in the 1984 race.

This tiny Group C2 racer was powered by a 3.3-litre Ford Cosworth DFL that sat in a De Cadenet-Lola chassis. The car debuted at the Monza 1000 kms in 1984 and also participated at Silverstone and Le Mans during that year. A second place in C2 class during the race in Monza was the best result that year.

For 1985 Ray Mallock designed the Ecosse C285, a car that would be very competitive. The C285 was powered by a 3.3-litre Ford Cosworth DFV and was derived from the earlier C284, although it used a new chassis and featured improved aerodynamics. The C285 won the C2 class at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Hockenheim, helping Ecurie Ecosse to second place overall in the 1985 C2 championship.

The third and final car was the Ecosse C286, powered by the Rover V64V engine that was also used in the MG Metro 6R4 Group B rally car. At the 1986 Le Mans 24 Hours, the C286 led the C2 class for much of the 24 hours. Although the Rover engine proved to be very trusty, a blown rear tyre led to disaster. Although the car managed to get back to the pits, the driver refilled the C286 with boiled water by accident, which led to disqualification due to strict fluid rules.

EMKA

EMKA Racing was founded by Pink Floyd’s manager Steven O’Rourke. Maurice Gomm and Protoco built the chassis for the Len Bailey-designed EMKA Aston Martin sports car for racing under Group C rules. The car was powered by a Aston Martin 5340 cc V8 that was redesigned by Bailey.

EMKA C83/1 debuted at the 1983 Silverstone 1000 km race. Later that year C83/1 was entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 17th overall. EMKA C84/1 was developed for the 1985 season and featured new bodywork, although it didn’t employ the ground effects applied to previous cars. Despite the fact that the C84/1 was much quicker, the car wasn’t a great success. Its best result was an 11th place overall at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

The post Group C: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Endurance Racing: Cars and Constructors Part 4 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images thanks to Ian Welsh / Shifting Focus Photography

A full field of classic Australian Group C & A touring cars will head to Morgan Park in Queensland over the 13th & 14th of July to contest round three of their 2019 series at the HRCC’s Historic Queensland.

Heritage Touring Cars is one of the most exciting categories in Australian historic motorsport. The series brings together original race cars from the golden era of Australian touring car racing, featuring Group C, 1973-84, and Group A, ’85-’92 machines – some of the most varied and exciting to hit the track. And they mean business, competing with all the vim and vigor of the cars’ period careers.

The series runs over the course of around five rounds each year, and is about to head out for its third meeting of 2019. The round will take place at the Historic Racing Car Club of Queensland’s Historic Queensland, which itself will draw a couple hundred historic sports, touring and race cars to Morgan Park Raceway near Warwick, Queensland.

Read on for the full word on the cars that you’ll see in action at the event thanks to Heritage Touring Cars, and make sure to head to www.heritagetouringcars.com.au for more on the category.

The 2019 outing of Historic Queensland will be held at Morgan Park over the 13th & 14th of July, 2019. For more on the event head to the HRCC’s website here.

Heritage Touring Cars Set for Stellar 2019 Historic Queensland

Heritage Touring Cars will bring a strong field of classic Group C & A Australian touring cars to Queensland over July 13 & 14 for the Historic Racing Car Club Queensland’s Historic Queensland. After a record-breaking event in 2018, we’re looking forward to returning to Morgan Park Raceway to contest round three as we cross the mid-point of the 2019 Heritage Touring Cars series.

Two Group C cars will make their Heritage Touring Cars debut at Historic Queensland, both fresh from restorations in the Sunshine State. Tony Grant will have his first run in the series over the weekend and is bringing a 1978 RA40 Toyota Celica out to play. The car was raced in period by the late Wally Scott from Queensland and was restored by Peter Herlihen in Warwick, just a short jog from the track.

Heritage Touring Cars veteran Phil Verwoert is set to hand the keys to his RX-7 to a new custodian, and will be debuting a 1983 VH Commodore at Morgan Park. The car was raced by Fred Geissler in the 1984 Bathurst 1000 and is fresh from a restoration by Glenn Gerstel at Blaze Performance on the Gold Coast.

After Holden dominated the Group C entry at Bathurst earlier in the year, the Fords will be out in force in Queensland. Representing the big V8s is the Army Reserves XD Falcon of Frank Binding and the ex-Murray Carter XE of Glenn Gerstel. Carl Muller will be back on board his ’83 Capri, while Russell and Greg Keam are sure to produce some great racing in their Bob Holden Escorts.

Gavin Adamson and Steve Axisa will go head to head in a pair of Isuzu PF60 Geminis, while Peter Woods will be back to take a crack at the 2-3 litre Group C touring car record he absolutely smashed last year in the Volvo 242 GT.

Sticking with the European theme as we move into Group A, and David Harris and Peter Jones will bring a pair of JPS BMWs to the event. Harris will run an ’85 325i, while Jones will be on board the M3.

Holden fans will have four Group A cars to cheer on in Queensland. After winning the handicap race at Morgan Park in 2018, Wayne Clift will add another round to his impressive career driving the Deluxe Coachlines VK Commodore that he built in 1986.

John Douglas will pilot the ex-Brian Callaghan VL ‘Walkinshaw’ Commodore that finished sixth in the 1988 Tooheys 1000, when all the other Walkinshaws had a shocker. Mark Taylor will drive a VL Commodore with four years of Bathurst history under its belt, currently running in its 1990 livery when it was driven by Paul Trevethan and Andrew McDowell. Adrian Allisey will run an ex-Leeson/Willmington Walkinshaw VL.

Toyota will be well represented at the event. Bob Holden will drive his signature Bob Holden Motors FX-GT from 1988, with David Paterson joining him in the second Bob Holden Motors car – his ’83 Sprinter. Craig Foster will bring out a piece of Toyota Team Australia history with his AE86, the last of the factory-built Toyota Team Australia AE86s to make the journey to Australia, and John Abbott will drive the ex-Peter Williamson MA61 Celica Supra. Craig Neilson completes Japan’s Group A presence at the meeting with his ’83 Mitsubishi Starion.

To cap off with the big guns, Tony Karanfilovski and Terry Lawlor will unleash a pair of Ford Sierra RS500s on Morgan Park. Tony had his first drive of the ex-Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Ford Sierra RS500 last year and is going strong. Terry completed a clean sweep of round two at Bathurst back in April and is sure to be quick in the 1990 Dick Johnson Shell Sierra.

Historic Queensland will be held at Morgan Park Raceway over the 13^th & 14^th of July. Admission is $20 per day or $30 for the weekend for adults, $15/25 for concessions or free for kids under 15. Queensland hospitality is legendary, so make sure you don’t miss this one – we’re certainly looking forward to another brilliant weekend at Morgan Park!

For more information about the event, head to the HRCC’s website at www.hrcc.org.au, and stay tuned to www.heritagetouringcars.com.au for more from the Legends of Bathurst.

Images thanks to Ian Welsh / Shifting Focus Photography

The post Group C & A Legends of the Heritage Touring Cars Series Head to Historic Queensland 2019 appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images via Duncan Hamilton ROFGO

This mighty Group A 1984 Jaguar XJS is one of seven XJS race cars built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing for Group A competition in Europe. Driven in races around the world by Win Percy, Martin Brundle and Tom Walkinshaw, amongst others, it’s up for sale at Duncan Hamilton ROFGO.

Chassis TWR JC 84A005 made its debut late in the 1984 European Touring Car Championship season at Zolder. Win Percy and Chuck Nicholson started from the second row of the grid in third, but a water pump failure prevented them from finishing. With Percy joined by Martin Brundle at Mugello the team went even quicker, putting the car on pole. Unfortunately a puncture sent them home early once more.

005 then began globetrotting, heading to the Guia Race of Macau in November. In Macau the car ran under John Player Special colours and was driven to a career best win from pole position by Tom Walkinshaw.

1985 found the car in Australia, where it joined the factory Jaguar team for the 1985 James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst. The Jags locked out the front row in Hardies Heroes, team boss Walkinshaw topping the shootout with Jeff Allam second in our car. The race saw Jaguar continue to dominate, with the John Goss / Armin Hahne car going on to win, followed by the Walkinshaw / Percy car in third. 005, sadly, did not see much of it, sent home early with engine issues.

The car would make a few more appearances in the following years. Walkinshaw and Percy piloted it in the Fuji 5 hours in Japan in 1986 and in ’87 it ran in New Zealand, with Percy and Hahne going second in the Pukekohe 500 early in the year.

Since its period career the XJS has run in the MRL Historic Touring Cars series and made several appearances at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, including a run up the hill with Martin Brundle.

In race ready condition, it’s up for sale at Duncan Hamilton ROFGO. For more information, head to Duncan Hamilton ROFGO’s official site here.

Images & history via Duncan Hamilton ROFGO

The post Tom Walkinshaw Racing Group A 1984 Jaguar XJS For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

Images and history via RMD

Serving as a camera car during the filming of ‘Grand Prix’ and going on to develop an impressive historic motorsport career, this 1965 Ford GT40 Mk1 is a legend of both the track and the silver screen. It’s up for sale at RMD.

The car, P/1027, came out of production in 1965 as a racing coupé. Destined for an unusual career, it made its debut at the 1966 Brussels Motor show before heading back to Ford, who sold it to MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) to be used during the filming of ‘Grand Prix’.

During production the GT40 would have front and rear panels removed so that a camera could be mounted to shoot some of the incredible on-track footage you find in the film. Along the way, it earned a little Formula One experience, as it was driven by Phil Hill, with filming taking place around rounds of the 1966 Formula One World Championship.

When photography on ‘Grand Prix’ wrapped, P/1027 was sold to Charles Sechan in Pennsylvania. Sechan repainted it and used it as a road car before selling it to Jim Toensing in Minneapolis. Toensing re-introduced it to motorsport, but after an off-track excursion the car would go to a new owner, James Ladwig, who treated it to a restoration back to original specification. That restoration led to it winning ‘Best Race Car’ at the 1993 Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, after which it went to the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum in California to enjoy a few quieter years.

It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the car returned to the track, when it was bought by Sir Anthony Bamford and prepared for racing by Gelscoe Motorsport. Lord Irvine Laidlaw continued to run the car, competing at the 2008 Le Mans Classic and in Dijon in 2009.

Carlos Monteverde returned the car to its original livery, taking it back to Le Mans for the 2010 ‘Classic before selling it to its current owner, who has actively campaigned it at historic motorsport events around Europe, including the Goodwood Revival, Goodwood Members Meeting, Le Mans Classic and more.

In race-ready condition with current FIA HTP papers, the car will be sold with a full parts package as well as an extensive history prepared by GT40 historian Ronnie Spain that includes many photos of it during its race career as well as the filming of ‘Grand Prix’.

For the full details head to RMD’s website here.

Images and history via RMD

The post 1965 Ford GT40 Mk1 ‘Grand Prix’ Camera Car Up For Sale appeared first on Motorsport Retro.

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

The AvD-Oldtimer-Grand-Prix at the Nürburgring is one of the oldtimer community’s outstanding meeting places, and a season highlight for lovers of classic racing sport. On the second August weekend (from 9th – 11th Aug) in the Eifel, visitors can expect more than 20 races and regularity tests at the 47th edition of this great event.

For this year, organizers attracted the following series and championships, including three FIA Historic Championships:

• FIA Masters Sports Car Championship
• FIA Masters Formula One Championship
• FIA Lurani Trophy for Formel Junior cars
• Revival German Racing Championship / 100 Meilen Trophy
• Two-seater race cars and GT cars until 1960/61
• Historic Grand Prix Cars
• Tourenwagen Classics
• Formula 3 from 1964 until 1984
• Touring Cars and GTs
• Masters Endurance Legends
• FCD RacingSeries
• Vintage Sports Car Trophy
• A Gentle Drivers Trophy
• Gentlemen Drivers – GT up to 1965

Around 500 historic racing cars will be on display at the Nürburgring – and in many, the most famous stars of yesteryear will be at the wheel. One of the crowd pullers will be the former DTM and STW touring cars, gathered in the Touring Car Classics.

Even in the “regular” races of the Touring Car Classics, many well known pilots climb into legendary vehicles, such as Klaus Ludwig. But the Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand Prix is characterized by a particularly active participation, in which many famous pilots from the past feature. Former German heroes such as Harald Grohs, Prince Leopold von Bayern, Otto Rensing, Olaf Manthey, Armin Hahne, Klaus Niedzwiedz, Roland Asch and Kris Nissen from Denmark are present.

The 2019 AVD Oldtimer Grand Prix will be held at the Nürburgring over the 9th to 11th of August. More information and tickets can be found at the official event website here.

Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

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