Less than 120 Bolwell Nagaris came out of Bolwell in Melbourne, but their light weight, big power and affordable price saw them conquering production sports car racing all over Australia in the 1970s.
On top of its power and handling, the Nagari was mechanically simple, with a tried-and- true Ford V8 drivetrain that ensured reliable running and plentiful parts. It was a great option for anything from club racing to national motorsport.
More than sixty years in the making, this is one of Belgium’s most important rallies.
Boucles de Spa kicked off in 1953, and to this day remains one of the most respected rally events of its kind. Names such as Stig Blomqvist, Tony Pond and Björn Waldegard have claimed victory there in the past.
These days it’s known as the “Legend Boucles de Spa”, and is comprised of all sorts of 1970s and 80s rally machinery.
The field is split into two clases – Historic and Classic. Historic is where the oldest machines are to be found.
The event is a huge spectacle, pulling drivers and visitors alike from places like France, Germany, Great Britain, Luxemburg and the Netherlands.
Apparently the event often sees snowfall, and it was considered to be somewhat of a disappointment that this was not the case for the 2014 event. This year did feature a special treat in the form of Group B predators such as this Metro 6R4. The 800hp Audi Sport quattro S1 and menacing Peugeot 205 T16 were also involved.
Some of the lesser-known machines were equally exciting, such as this beautiful sounding Alfa Romeo we believe was driven by Bruno Thiry – a former victor of the event. The event would go on to be won by former World Rally Championship driver Francois Duval – his second consecutive victory driving the above Ford Escort. The Belgian driver had to fight for it until the very last regularity test, with Gregoire de Mevius close behind.
With three 24 Hours of Le Mans podiums out of five starts, this Mirage GR8 has racing pedigree to back up its astonishing good looks.
In its 90-year history, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has only been won by two specialist constructors, and one of them is Mirage. Mirage had been backed by the Gulf Oil Corporation since the late ’60s, but they really stepped things up a notch for ’74 and produced the Ford Cosworth DFV-powered open-top GR8. In ’75, they won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a GR8 driven by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell.
In the same race this car, chassis 802, muscled its way into a podium spot, securing third place for Vern Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. Despite this incredible success, Gulf withdrew their support after the 24 hour race, and the cars didn’t compete again in ’75.
Harley Cluxton III then bought the team and ran the cars at several events, with his primary focus on Le Mans. This gave the cars another chance to stretch their legs down Mulsanne and gave 802 the chance to improve on its ’75 result in 1976. Jean-Louis Lafosse and Francois Migault drove it to second that year, a feat it would repeat in ’77, then driven by Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jarier.
It would see the streets of Circuit de la Sarthe twice more, in ’78 and ’79, but its development had slowed and 10th in ’78 was its final mark on the ledger.
The car looks to be in great condition and is up for sale at Duncan Hamilton & Co. Head to their official site here for the full details.
Watch the chaos of F1 unfold at Suzuka from Nigel Mansell’s Ferrari!
This video winds the clock back to 1990, taking us onboard the Ferrari 641/2 of Nigel Mansell for a thrill ride with a screaming V12 soundtrack. Watch as the infamous first-corner collision between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost unfolds in the opening moments of the Grand Prix, and the frustration experienced by Mansell later in the race when his own car is forced to retire with a broken driveshaft. Nelson Piquet would win the race, and Nigel would finish the season with a second-place finish in Australia during the following round.
Klaus Wagger’s automobile art has energy, spectacle, passion and a gripping aesthetic to match the mighty classic racecars that are his subject. It’s magnificent, and you have to check it out.
“I grew up in the Austrian Tirol, surrounded by mountains, cows and a surprisingly active motorsport scene which included F1 drivers Gerhard Berger, Karl Wendlinger and local hero Franz Albert, who always seemed to run the noisiest and most exotic cars.” – Klaus Wagger
Graduating with a degree in Industrial Design, Klaus began his working career as a freelance designer and technical illustrator. He’s a creative man, however, and industrial design and technical illustration are precise, ordered fields. So he began painting race cars in his spare time to let his creative spirit run free.
In 2000 he entered a competition to design a poster for the Mille Miglia, and took first prize. Since then he’s gone from strength to strength, exhibiting his art everywhere from Bescia, where the Mille Miglia traditionally starts and finishes, to Paris Retromobile, the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed, the Silverstone classic and now at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as a member of the Automotive Fine Arts Society.
“I want to capture the drama of the car, the noise and the speed.” – Klaus Wagger
Klaus’ work is expressive and abstract in approach, focusing on bold colours and lines to capture and express the sensory overload of a race car at full flight; it’s about speed, sound and energy. It’s also grounded and balanced, thanks to his clear technical skill and mastery of proportion and composition.
We love it, and think you will too. Enjoy the sample below, and head to his website here for a whole lot more.
Thanks to Klaus Wagger for taking the time to chat with us, and providing examples of his work.
The Historic Sports and Racing Car Association of New South Wales took to Wakefield Park this past weekend, out to stretch their legs in a huge and wonderful collection of historic racing and sports cars for the first time in 2014.
Everything from late ’40s MG TC Specials through to wings-and-slicks open-wheeled race cars and rough-and-tumble Group N touring cars was represented in a full weekend of closely-fought historic racing.
One of the great joys of historic racing is the openness and relaxed atmosphere in the pits and paddock, and it’s always great fun exploring and chatting your way through them at HSRCA meetings.
Take a wander through the event and stop by the track to soak in the action with these photos by Seth Reinhardt, and make sure to head to the HSRCA’s website and Facebook page for more.
The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest and most action-packed historic motorsport event, the Phillip Island Classic, is just a week away, set for the 7th to the 9th of March, and this year they’re going retro to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
25th anniversary celebrations kick off where it matters – 25% more racing. The event will feature a record 44 events over the Saturday and Sunday alone, which will keep the entry list of around 500 racing, sports and touring cars from the past 100 years of motorsport history pretty busy.
Among that racing will be feature races for combined Group C & A Touring Cars spanning the ’70s and ’80s, including seven-time Bathurst winner Jim Richards in his 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship-winning Nissan HR31 Turbo.
Wings and slicks will have a commanding presence at the event, with a capacity grid of Formula 1, Formula 5000 and Indy cars, headlined by John Bowe driving Joe Calleja’s ’74 March 741 Formula 1.
“Let’s just say we’re planning to put on a good show. No one will be queuing for a hamburger while we’re on!” - Craig Miles
Looking forward to a time when Australian 5.0 Litre Touring Cars are accepted by CAMS in historic motorsport, Australian V8 Supercar racing will be represented by a special demonstration event for Ford and Holden V8 Supercars which competed between 1993 and 2002, some steered by their original drivers.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Peter Brock’s back-to-back victories in the ’73 and ’74 Australian Touring Car Championship will be his ’73 XU-1, ’74 SL/R 5000 and 2003 Bathurst 24-Hour-winning 7-Litre Holden Monaro 427C.
Other famous cars include Mark Donohue’s 1974 IROC 911 RSR 3.0 Litre Coupe, which he drove to his final race win and clinched the 1974 International Race of Champions series in the final round at Daytona, before his death in 1975. These cars were specially-built monsters, created by Porsche for a ‘who’s who’ of racers to contest the 1974 International Race of Champions series.
Sir Jack Brabham will be feted at the event in celebration of his amazing life and achievements, including a lap of honor joined by many of the drivers against whom he competed, and will be joined by his 1966 World Championship Repco Brabham BT19 and up to a dozen Brabham racing cars from the ’60s.
The 2014 Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport, presented by the VHRR, will be held from the 7th to the 10th of March at the classic Phillip Island Classic Circuit. Head to the official website and Facebook page here for more information.
Admission:
Friday, March 7: $30.00
Saturday, March 8: $35.00
Sunday, March 9: $45.00
Two-day (Sat-Sun) pass: $70.00
Three-day weekend pass: $90.00
Children Under 16: Free
Pensioner concession: $5.00
Paddock entry: Free
The 2014 Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motor Sport presented by the VHRR is again being supported by Shannons, CoolDrive and Penrite, with additional support this year from Dutton Garage, Repco, Zagame, RDA Brakes and Trico.
Skateboarding and classic BMW DTM cars aren’t two things you’d assume would go together…
…but it turns out they do, really well. The BMW bloggers at Elephant Supply have come up with this masterstroke, breaking through the clutter with a completely original retro product. We want all of them.
Our buddies over at HSR have put together this preview of their upcoming RS Cup, check it out!
Historic Sportscar Racing Ltd considers itself to be a “time machine of mechanical sight and sound”, with a complete focus placed upon running premium competitive vintage racing events across a wide range of motorsport disciplines.
What they do, they do very well and it’s no secret that we love watching their videos. Check out this latest one, promoting the upcoming RS Cup, which is being run for 3.0 litre Porsche 911 RS and RSRs.
The unquestionable beauty of the Ferrari 312p Berlinetta. A 1969 conception, the 312p featured a low-riding 3L flat-12 engine which allowed for a side profile we could look at all day.
Absolutely awesome sounds come together as Martin Brundle drives F1 machines from both 1992 and 2000 around Donington.
This terrific video captures the magic of the moment that Martin Brundle jumps behind the wheel of Michael Schumacher‘s 2000 spec Ferrari Formula 1 racing car and realizes how far F1 has come. At first he slides behind the wheel of a ’92 V8 Benetton, much like the Camel car he drove to 6th place overall during the era. However it is when he hops out of the Benetton and into the championship-winning V10 Ferrari that the real action begins. Brundle last drove F1 in 1998 for Jordan, and never campaigned behind the wheel of a Ferrari – so driving this screaming monster is quite a treat, as he explains.
In 1972 Porsche arrived on the Can Am scene with this 917/10, a turbocharged 12-cylinder monster packing considerably more horsepower than it did kilograms. It blitzed the season, ending McLaren’s half-decade domination.The driver was George Follmer, stand-in replacement for the injured Mark Donohue, competing under the L&M colors for Penske Racing.It was a complex bit of gear – pressurized tube work, all aluminum construction and of course the maniac flat-12 engine.With the body fitted the car became considerably larger than it’s space frame structure would suggest, as these stunning photographs from Speedhunters demonstrate. With 850hp and a weigh-in figure said to hover around 767kg the car was statistically equipped for victory over the McLarens, yet such numbers combined with massive rubber and lightswitch-like power delivery meant that race wins would not come easy for the drivers.It did however, feature some very neat aerodynamic designs aimed at keeping the car as stable as possible, which we’re sure the driver was very thankful for. In 1971 Porsche had competed with a 4.5L 180 degree V12, however for 1971 an extremely high-tech (for the time) flat-12 twin turbo engine was developed.
The car was an instant success, winning the Can Am season with ease – an achievement not to be taken lightly when the strength of McLaren during that era is considered.
American hero Peter Revson was as cool as he was talented. 40 years ago this week he lost his life whilst testing for F1.
Thanks to Cahier, today we’re able to bring you 10 of the best of Peter Revson – the American icon, Can Am champion and winner of two F1 GPs who was tragically killed in 1974 at the age of 35. He is missed by many.
High-quality video production turns back the clock with an emotional recap of what would later become a tale of legends.
Produced surrounding the 50th anniversary of the event, this video tells the story of the 1964 Le Mans and most specifically, the triumph of Bob Bondurant, Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby over Ferrari during one of the gear eras of sportscar racing.
Formula 1 World Champion in ’97, Indycar World Champion in ’95 and one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. This is the tale of Jacques Villeneuve.
The only drivers with whom he shares such a collection of titles are Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti, and in 2014 he’s returning once again to the Indy 500 for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – something we’re very excited about!
“The memories I have there will stay with me for the rest of my life” he noted. “…And I’m excited to create new memories in 2014″.
Looking into the future, let’s relive his story so far.
Check out these ripper images capturing the Tasman Series between 1968 and 1973.
Rod Mackenzie of Race Photos Australia has provided us with a stunning selection of photographs taken more than four decades ago during Tasman Series events. The collection brings to life many wonderful moments, such as the opening picture – in which Piers Courage can be seen taking a quick peek at what looks to be the event program from Sandown in 1968.
Enjoy the rest!
1968 – Surfers Paradise - Pedro Rodriguiez – BRM
1970 – Surfers Paradise – Frank Matich
1971 – Warwick Farm – Frank Gardner and Jack Brabham
“An atmosphere and interaction that allows you to see every automobile at its finest.”
Capturing light, atmosphere and auto racing with a unique and immersive style, Barry Rowe’s automobile art is uniquely evocative and atmospheric.
From Saturday mornings spent gazing at damaged racing cars left outside of Jaguar’s factory in Coventry Barry moved on to a career in advertising as an art director. From there he became a freelance painter, winning Sotherby’s prestigious Art Award with a portrait of Juan Manuel Fangio and now counting Aston Martin, Mercedes Benz, and Pebble Beach amongst his clientele.
And we can see why!
Art is something we seek out for some kind of reaction, emotion or response, and and Barry’s art certainly does that for us. It’s relaxing and evocative, capturing the adventures of auto racing with a classic feel and an almost impressionistic style.
Gentler than a lot of the art we’ve featured here, it emotes the colour, brilliance and grace of a classy age of motor racing.
In 1998 Barry painted his first poster for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Today he’s working on his seventeenth, covering the Concours and Tour for the 2014 event. We can’t wait to see it, and look forward to seeing more of Barry’s work in the future!
Head to his official website here for more information, to learn about his book Atmosphere and Light: The Automotive Art of Barry Rowe, and get in contact with him.
Thanks to Barry Rowe for taking the time to chat with us, and supplying the images you see here.
