The Matra Cosworth MS10 of Sir Jackie Stewart leaves a huge rooster tail as the Scotsman battles his way through adverse weather conditions on his way to one of the great victories of his career. Stewart finished the race 4 minutes and 3 seconds ahead of Graham Hill, with Jochen Rindt in third.
Photo of the day: Jackie’s finest victory is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Hang on tight – this is a wild one!
Driver Federico is certainly not scared of showing a little bit of old-fashioned risk taking in this hill climb dash – using the entire width of the road, and then some! Just watch how close the front wheels come to clipping the edges of the track – narrowly avoiding disaster time and time again. A thrilling ride – perhaps drivers with old-school balls haven’t completely dissipated after all?
Video: Flat-out, open-wheel hill climb is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
This full length feature covers the amazing life of Ayrton Senna.
Recently remastered, this 2010 tribute features glorious footage of three-time Formula 1 World Champion and timeless racing icon Ayrton Senna. The perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday or Easter Monday – just sit back, and enjoy.
MORE: Why was Ayrton Senna so fast?
Image: The Cahier Archive
A tribute to Ayrton Senna is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Jean Alesi scrapes some of the fresh paint from his beautifully presented Tyrrell F1 car at the 1990 French Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, Alesi would be forced to retire from the race just 1/3rd of the way in – citing differential problems. Alain Prost would go on to win, however of course it would be Ayrton Senna who would become World Champion in 1990. Alesi would commence his five-year relationship with Ferrari in the following season.
MORE: Ride on board with Alesi around Monaco in 1995 (Video)
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The amazing three-minute story of how one man went from making F1 cars from paper, to designing the real thing for Red Bull.
The fascinating tale of how building model Formula 1 cars with paper, landed Paul a job crafting the rear thing with cutting edge software and carbon fiber. Not only are the cars that he’s created fantastic, his story of hobby-come-career is quite inspirational. Enjoy!
Video: Paper Dreams is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
René Arnoux’ ride for eight races of the 1982 Formula 1 season, this mighty turbo Formula 1 car is an awesome example of one of Formula 1′s most spectacular chapters, and with racing history to boot it’s as significant as it is quick.
It’ll head to auction at RM Auctions’ Monaco sale, which will be held at Le Sporting on the 10th of May.
Images: Tom Wood Courtesy of RM Auctions
After entering Formula 1 in 1977, introducing turbocharged engines to the sport and spending two years developing their team and cars, Renault had been building in competitiveness. In 1979 they secured their first win. René Arnoux claimed two further in 1980, and Alain Prost another three in 1981.
1982 promised to be a good year, with Prost and Arnoux proving a formidable driver team, and an improved RE30 – the RE30B – underneath them.
The new car featured a redesigned nose and rear wing to aid its aerodynamics, and twenty additional horses leaping from its 1.5-litre twin-turbo motor. Formula 1 is an arms race, however, and Ferrari, Toleman, Brabham and Alfa Romeo all had cars with turbocharged 1.5-litre engines.
This car, chassis RE30B/F1 B7, was René Arnoux’ from the second round of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix, until its last outing in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Arnoux’ strength in the car, and in fact the car’s in general, seemed to be qualifying, and he secured pole position three times in it – at Imola, Monaco and Zandvoort. His best grand prix result was a 10th place finish in the Detroit Grand Prix.
From its Formula 1 career it went to former team manager Jean Sage, who had the engine fully rebuilt by Dominique Bachard in 1996. Since then it’s seen just three private owners and has been a regular competitor in historic racing.
Believed to be the only race-ready example of Renault’s RE30B currently in existence, this car is stunning in its original period racing livery and will be offered for sale by RM Auctions at their Monaco Sale on the 10th of May. Head to the official RM Auctions website here for the full details.
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Images: Tom Wood courtesy of RM Auctions
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Image: The Shannons Club
“The worst Holden I’ve ever driven.” – Bob Watson
With skinny track dimensions, a short wheelbase, big and heavy body, forward-mounted motor, drum brakes and narrow wheels, Holden’s HD/HR Holden X2s did not set the motorsport world on fire in the mid’1960s.
Which is why it’s so surprising that HR X2s were so dominant in rallying in the period.
It’s an exciting story from an action-packed and unique period of racing. Read about the HD/HR Holden X2’s successes, failures, and great rally adventures in HD/HR Holden X2: The General’s mysterious 1960s ‘muscle’ car at the Shannons Club.
Via the Shannons Club
Image via the Shannons Club
HD/HR Holden X2: The General’s mysterious 1960s ‘muscle’ car is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
An incredible story of passion, eight months in the making.
‘Living the Porsche’ is a newly released film by Sydney based SoDUS, seeking to discover and document the deep passion that exists within the Porsche community. It achieves this by focusing on a broad spectrum of drivers, hearing their stories and showcasing their cars.
The story is centered around those who share the common bond of having selected Grant Geelan and the team at Autohaus Hamilton to help them live their dream. The film also takes a look at Grant, his own cars and what drives his passion. Along the way, Living the Porsche managed to unveil some of the most extraordinary Porsches in Australia. It’s well worth the watch – enjoy.
Video: Living the Porsche is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
20,000 fans, 14 races and a world record attempt. This is what went down.
The 2014 edition of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic attracted 20,000 fans to the track, featured no fewer than 14 races, a Lotus world record attempt, a spectacular dragster demo programme and slotcar racing. Besides this, several prominent VIPs attended the event, such as Luigi Colani, Dr. Mario Theissen, former grand prix drivers Jochen Mass, Christian Danner and Martin Donnelly.
A great, three-day festival of motorsport, accompanied by perfect spring weather conditions, was overshadowd by a fatal crash. Sixty-nine year old Briton Alex Fleming tragically lost his life after crashing his Lotus Elan. Fleming had over 50 years of experience in motorsport.
The festival featured a great variety of machinery, from Formula Vee, historic touring cars and GTs, to GP2 and Formula 1 cars. The fastest cars on track were the Big Open Single Seaters (BOSS), a series catering for F1, Champcars, Indycars, GP2 and World Series by Renault/Nissan as well as Formula 3000 cars. The cars are divided into different classes, such as the ‘OPEN’ class, meant for F1 cars from 1997. In the ‘FORMULA’ class, Champcars and Indycars from 1992 compete against F1 cars from 1992-1996 and GP2 single-seaters. In the ‘MASTERS’ class, Formula 1 and Indycars built up to and including 1991 battle it out with cars from World Series by Renault and Nissan. In race one, Polish driver Jakub Smiechowski took victory in a Dallara GP2. In the second race, however, it was Dutchman Klaas Zwart who scored a crushing victory in his Jaguar R5 F1 car from 2004.
Much slower but no less exciting were the close battles in the FIA Lurani Trophy. This historic racing series is for original Formula Junior cars, built between 1958-60 and 1961-63. No fewer than nine different categories are represented in the FIA Lurani Trophy. The battle in race one on Saturday was between Jonathan Hughes from the UK and Pier-Enrico Tonetti from Italy. The two battled hard in the early running, but Hughes eventually created a gap and claimed victory. In race two, spectators were treated to a similar early scrap, but in the end it was again Hughes took a second consecutive win in his Brabham BT6.
Still very popular open-wheel, single-seater racing series are Formula Vee and Formula Super Vee. The relatively low-cost categories are based on a pre-1963 Volkswagen Beetle using stock or modified stock parts. In Formula Super Vee, the 1.6 water-cooled VW engines are used in higher-tech single-seaters that are faster. Over the weekend two different regularity tests were held. Thomas Kessler in a Beach Mk5B 1300 took victory in race one, with Robert Washak triumphing in his Austro V 1300 in the second race. In Formula Super Vee it was Karl Eugen Maag in a Mega LCR who lapped the Hockenheim Grand Prix track quickest. Franz Kapeller did the same in race two aboard his DRM PRT.
To commemorate the life of Scot Jim Clark, who died at Hockenheim in April 1968, a wreath was laid at the Jim Clark Memorial on Saturday afternoon. Among the many spectators who paid their respects to the double F1 world champion were Historic Sports Car Club boss Grahame White, Jochen Mass, Martin Donnelly and Christian Danner. Briton Martin Stretton (March 742) and Philip Harper (Ralt RT1) fought closely for victory in the Historic F2 race. During race two on Sunday, Stretton was again the man to beat. Swiss Hans Peter couldn’t match Stretton’s pace and had to settle for a second in his Ralt RT1.
Fans of big V8 Can-Am monsters were treated to the deafening sound of these legendary cars from the late 1960s and early ’70s. The Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series originally ran from 1966 to 1974. It started out as a championship for Group 7 cars, featuring minimal regulations and permitting the use of unlimited engine sizes. During race one on Saturday the CanAm machines were eclipsed by the smaller, more nimble sports-racers that shared the track. Italian Michele Liguori took victory in his Lola T292, after polesitter and fellow Italian Matteo Tullio was forced to retire with a broken wheel nut. On Sunday, however, Briton John Grant made a winning return to racing after two years on the sidelines with victory in his beautiful McLaren M8D.
The largest grid of the weekend came from the Dutch Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge, with nearly 50 cars on track. The series, abbreviated YTTC is open to cars built between 1971 and 1989. Cars such as the Ford Escort, BMW M1, BMW M3, Alfa Romeo GTV, Porsche 904, 911 and 935 treated the crowd to some exciting races. In the opening race a very close battle was fought between the Porsche 935 of German Michael Schrey and countrymen Michael Kammermann (BMW M1) and Daniel Schrey (Porsche 935). In the end it was Michael Schrey who prevailed – and he repeated the feat on Sunday.
Fans of historic Triumphs and other British-build GTs enjoyed the antics of a 30-car field, including Triumph TR3, 4, 6 and 7 racers, as well as Jaguar, TVR, Marcos and Morgan classics. The battle for victory in race one was a close call between the Morgan 8+ of Paul Morgan and the Jaguar E-Type of Georg Nolte. Ultimately, it was Morgan who crossed the line first, just four tenths of a second in front of Nolte. In race two on Sunday it was Rainer Vorköper who took victory in his Jaguar E-Type low-drag coupé over the Marcos of Rainer Bastuck.
Last but not least was the DRM Klassik, a revival of the German Racing Championship from the 1970s and ’80s, famous for their breathtaking Group 5 predators. The DRM started way back in 1972 and featured Group 2 touring cars and Group 4 GTs. From 1977 the spectacular Group 5 cars entered the championship including the Porsche 935, Ford Capri Zakspeed Turbo and BMW M1 Turbo.
The 2014 edition of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic had everything race fans could ask for: a great variety of cars, exciting races and perfect spring weather conditions. We’ll certainly be back in 2015!
This story and its photos were provided by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica. Marcel has recently released an amazing book: Keep the Spirit Alive – Historic Grand Prix Cars 1968-1976. It features 69 stunning pages of full-colour photos and accompanying text, about the journey of former Formula 1 machines. It’s priced at €39,95, and can be ordered by emailing Marcel at photo@speed-o-graphica.com.
© Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com
Gallery: The Hockenheim Historic is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
We have taken a vote in the Motorsport Retro office and these are our Top 10 favourite IndyCar liveries of all time. Have we got it right?
Miller Penske
American hero Danny Sullivan had given the Miller beer brand endless column inches with his spin-and-win performance at Indy in 1985 with the red-and-white Penske-run March, but better – in terms of visual appeal – was to come in 1988 when Penske’s own chassis, the PC17, ran in gold Miller livery. That Sullivan won the title probably added to the appeal.
Pennzoil Chaparral
The bright, bold and clean yellow-and-red colours of oil giant Pennzoil looked superb on the muscly, angular, John Barnard-designed Chaparral 2K of Johnny Rutherford. More so when the Texan (with a cool Lone Star helmet design to match) won the Indy 500 and IndyCar title in 1980 in this car.
Marlboro Penske
The famous Phillip Morris tobacco colours were synonymous with Formula 1 powerhouses Ferrari and McLaren in Europe but also adorned the cars of US racing super-team Penske. The red-and-white cars were hugely successful during the 15-year tie-up, with names such as de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Mears, Tracy and Unser taking numerous race wins and titles.
Quaker State March-Porsche
German giant Porsche and oil firm Quaker State made a low-key, one-off appearance in America’s premier open-wheel series in 1987, with Al Unser at Laguna Seca, but a full campaign began in ’88 with ex-F1 racer Teo Fabi running a Porsche-engined March in a lurid green paintwork. Some strong results were built on for ’89, with a maiden win coming at Mid-Ohio.
Ferrari 637
An IndyCar that never was, the Ferrari 637 – no livery required! – was aired in 1986 with the intention of quenching Enzo Ferrari’s thirst for Indianapolis 500 success, although some felt it was merely an F1-regulations bargaining tool. Whatever, it did run – with favourite son Michele Alboreto at the wheel – and it was luscious. Imagine the scarlet, 2.65-litre turbo V8 machine screaming around the Brickyard…
Lotus 38
Colin Chapman’s revolutionary Lotus 38 – one of only eight built – was immortalised when Jim Clark triumphed in the 1965 Indy 500, beating the front-engined roadsters – the mainstay of the Brickyard for decades – at their own game. That simple green-and-yellow livery, extending all the way back through the exhausts, with Clark and his trademark black lid onboard doing the business, is unbeatable.
STP Paxton Turbine
Designed by Ken Wallis, a relative of world war 2 Dambusters bouncing-bomb guru Barnes Wallis, the ‘Scientifically Treated Petroleum’-sponsored Paxton Turbine first appeared in 1966 although overheating problems prevented an historic Indy 500 debut. A year on, Parnelli Jones led the race only to retire in the closing stages. A wacky concept, complemented perfectly by its STP pyjama-clad crew!
K-Mart Lola
British Fans were turned on to US single-seater racing in a big way in 1993 when F1 champion Nigel Mansell crossed the atlantic to race for Newman-Hass in the CART series. The K-Mart/Texaco Havoline Lola came to define a generation, with Mansell defeating old hands Fittipaldi, Andretti, Rahal and Unser Jr first time out. If you’re a Mansell fan of a certain age, this one keeps on resonating.
Johnny Lightning Colt
With a name like that and a garish, retro-style lightning-fork livery, model-car brand Johnny Lightning was always going to look good on a racing car. And so it proved on the Ford-powered, Parnelli Jones-run Colt of Al Unser. The ‘Johnny Lightning Special’ carried Unser to back-to-back Indy 500 wins in 1970 and ’71 and sales of the diecast toys rocketed. Deservedly so.
Sunoco McLaren
It didn’t matter what the blue-and-yellow colours of oil giant Sunoco appeared on – Trans-Am Camaro, Can-Am Porsche or IndyCar McLaren – it just looked mega. The Penske-run M16B took The Captain’s and the British manufacturer’s maiden Indy 500 success with Mark Donohue in 1972, inspiring a model, poster and sticker collectors on a huge scale.
By Henry Hope-Frost
The 10 most beautiful IndyCar liveries of all time is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
A tale of two men and a pair of Alpine A110s, one of which was resurrected from the dead.
The Alpine A110 is a legendary little piece of 1970s rally history, and to spot one today is a rarity. These cars just ooze character, and with this video by CarTorque you’ll remember why. A pair of men passionate about the model tell their story of what it’s like to not only own and drive these little monsters, but to bring one back from the absolute brink of decay too.
Video: Bringing back the Alpine A110 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
An original illustration showing a line up of Group B rally cars, a category that included the Audi Quattro, Lancia 037, MG Metro 6R4, and Peugeot 205 T16. The short lived Group B era is legendary amongst motorsports fans for its immense speed and powerful cars.
Our crew neck, short sleeved men’s t shirts are 100% premium cotton in a soft pre-shrunk jersey knit. Our women’s t shirts are lighter weight 150g tees made with deluxe 30′s soft style yarns for a soft feel
MSR Shop: T-Shirt of the week – Group B fever is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Carlos Pace tears around Monaco in 1975 in his Brabham BT44B.
He’d go on to place third in the event, the second of three podiums he’d achieve during the 1975 Formula World Championship season. The year would see Pace collect best ever final championship position of 6th, despite retiring from more than half of the Grands Prix held that year.
MORE: The complete story of Jose Carlos Pace
Photo of the day: Carlos Pace Monaco 1975 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The racing world needs to take a little time out and watch this.
Can you recall the first time you experienced the exhilaration of machine built not for daily use, but for going as absolutely fast as possible? Was it two-wheeled or four? On road or off? The combination isn’t important, but the moment certainly is. Sit back and smile while you watch this young boy experiences such a moment for himself
This young boy reminds us what motorsport is all about is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Prepare yourself for the nine greatest racing Jaguars of all time! Ten years ago Jaguar retired from Formula 1, leaving worldwide motorsport indefinitely. Their 50-year legacy of racing remains, populated by some of the best racing machines each era of competition had to offer. Of course Jaguar are most famous for their sportscars – the XJR-9 and D-Type in particular hold special places within the hearts of motorsport fans worldwide. However the reach of the Jaguar marque has, at times, extended beyond Le Mans and Daytona, interacting with Formula 1, touring cars and more.
Jaguar C-Type
The Jaguar C-Type won the 24 hours of Le Mans at its first attempt in 1951, and was redeveloped following later reliability issues to take first place in 1953 as well. Driven by Sir Stirling Moss in period and worth millions today, the C-Type is without doubt one of the great Jaguar race cars.
Jaguar R1-R5
The car didn’t end up on the podium as often as Jaguar might have liked, yet the fact that Jaguar even built and raced fantastic-looking Formula 1 machines from 2000 to 2004 made the headlines. The team went on to become the dominant force of grand prix racing in the shape of Red Bull Racing…
Jaguar XJ220C
Former Jaguar World Sportscar Championship-winning squad Tom Walkinshaw Racing were commissioned to turn the XJ220 road car – in the early 1990s one of the fastest production cars on sale – into a Le Mans winner. The car won its class in the French endurance classic in 1993, only to be thrown out on a technicality. No matter, it was still cool.
Jaguar E-Type Lightweight
The road-going Jaguar E-Type is one of the most universally loved sports cars has ever built – one once described by Enzo Ferrari no less as the most beautiful ever. Its elegant, slippery shape has aged gracefully, with the race-prepped E-Type Lightweight, of which just a dozen complete examples were built, being a favourite among historic race fans.
Jaguar XJR-12
The XJR-12 earned its place on the list by winning the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans – its seventh and final victory at La Sarthe. The TWR-built Group C monster packed a 7-litre V12 punch and carried Briton Martin Brundle and team-mates Price Cobb and John Nielsen to a famous win over the sister car of Franz Konrad, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace.
Jaguar MK2
The Jaguar MK2 was a very popular and successful racing saloon all around the world in the late 1950s and early ’60s. The car pictured above – in a lurid oversteer slide – carried Bob Jane to consecutive Australian Touring Car Championship titles in 1962 and ’63, first with a 3.8-litre lump and then a larger 4.1-litre unit.
Jaguar XJ-S
Tom Walkinshaw’s XJ-S Jaguars, entered under the Jaguar Racing Australia banner, starred in the 1985 James Hardie 1000, a race now now better known as the Bathurst 1000. Lead drivers John Goss and Armin Hahne took first place on Walkinshaw’s behalf, but the boss himself wasn’t far behind himself – finishing third with Win Percy.
Jaguar D-Type
Three consecutive Le Mans 24 hour wins between 1955 and 1957 – one for the factory squad and two for the privateer Ecurie Ecosse team – make the Jaguar D-Type one of the most significant racing cars ever built. The straight-six Jags, with distinctive fintail aerodynamics, still appear in historic racing and change hands for millions of pounds!
Jaguar XJR-9LM
The Jaguar XJR-9LM brought the British marque back to the winner’s circle at Le Mans after a 31-year drought. The Tom Walkinshaw Racing-built machine, powered by the thunderous 7-litre V12, ended a seven year rout by Porsche when Johnny Dumfries, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace triumphed on June 12, 1988 in front of a huge crowd.
The nine greatest Jaguar race cars ever built is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Juha Kankkunen was never afraid of making the most of the hardware at his disposal – even if it did mean getting them a little bit dirty!This shot was taken during the 1993 Safari Rally and depicts Kankkunen pushing forward through the mud in his Toyota Celica GT-Four. He went on the to win the rally, and indeed the World Rally Championship in that year too.
MORE: Take a look inside Juha Kankunnen’s private car collection!
Photo of the day: Juha Kankkunen 1993 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The amazing story of, and a fantastic interview with, one of the greatest names in racing.
Sit back and spend a piece of your weekend enjoying the wise words of one of the all time greats: Mario Andretti. This interview was conducted as part of the RRDC’s tribute to the legend during the recent race week at Long Beach.
MORE: The very best of Mario Andretti (Gallery)
Photo: The Cahier Archive
Video: “Who do you think you are, Mario Andretti?” is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
From unloading a Ferrari 330 P3/4 at 5.30am, to being chauffeured at 170mph, the creators of this video reveal what being at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is really like.
There’s never any shortage of media shot at Amelia Island each year for the Concours d’Elegance, however none we’ve seen have ever truly captured the atmosphere, excitement and sheer volume of incredible machinery quite like this. Shot at last month’s annual show, the 19th running to date, the video by LetsMakeMedia is teeming with brilliant shots and perfect editing, yet the resulting piece manages to go above and beyond the mere sum of its ingredients. It actually makes you want to be there.
Great work by LetsMakeMedia.
Video: Brilliant Noises – Amelia Island 2014 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
A wonderful centerpiece for any collection of F1 memorabilia. In just under two weeks time, RM Auctions will offer one very collectable piece of Ayrton Senna memorabilia. What you’re looking at, is one of the actual race suits that he wore during the 1991 Formula 1 season – the final year in which he would win the Formula 1 World Championship.
More than a piece of clothing – this suit is an immaculately presented piece of history. It’s set to be auctioned on Saturday May 10th, 2014 without reserve and is expected to sell for between 30,000 and 40,000 Euro.
MORE: A tribute to Ayrton Senna (Video)
The suit will be supplied with authenticity documentation from Ron Dennis, the team principle of McLaren during Senna’s time driving for them. The suit was also formerly part of Dennis’ personal collection.
A centerpiece to any Formula 1 memorabilia collection, this suit presents an opportunity unlikely to be repeated any time in the foreseeable future. For further information check out RM Auctions.
For Sale: 1991 Ayrton Senna F1 race suit is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
An intimate view of five of the greatest Ferrari race cars.
Fans of the Prancing Horse got the opportunity to experience an intimate view of 5 of Ferrari’s greatest race cars on a beautiful late spring day at the world renown Simeone Foundation Museum near Philadelphia Saturday April 12.
Images and story by Bob Craig
A rarity among automotive museums, Simeone invites fans to see and hear some of the greatest racing machines in history as they stretch their legs. The scream of iconic V-12’s in some of the most beautiful bodies ever designed for racecars was joined by the magic sound of the monster 4 cylinder of well known collector Bob Dusek as he circled the area in his very rare 857 Monza.
Dr Simeone’s life-long dream of assembling one of the finest collections of racing sports cars was enthusiastically acknowledged by the International Historic Motoring Awards as “Museum of the Year” in 2011-2012.
More than 60 important cars, brought together by the world renown neurosurgeon Dr Frederick Simeone , just minutes from Philadelphia International Airport , allows car lovers to wander through a collection of some of the greatest the sport of auto racing has ever seen including winners of some of the most famous road races in history including LeMans , Nurburgring, and Mille Miglia. Twice monthly when weather allows they bring some of the cars out and run them for the fans.
Dr Simeone, one of the foremost automotive historians and the force behind the museum’s desire to only do what is necessary to the cars to make them mechanically sound so they retain the look and accurate historical presence when they finished their racing life, talks with the audience to explain what makes these iconic masterpieces important in history.
Two of the Foundations Ferrari’s, 1958 250 Testa Rossa, 0710TR, and 1954Ferrari 375 MM , 0412AM were joined by 1962 250 GTO 3387, on loan to the museum
Considered by some, as one of the most original 1964 250 LM’s in existence, the ex John Mecom car #6047 that won Road America in 1964, and the 1955 857 Monza 0570M , very successful Phil Hill car, were brought by 3 generations of the Robert Dusek family .
Many modern Ferrari’s, brought by a local group of friends that attend a popular Cars and Coffee gathering added to the show as the museum allowed them special parking near the race cars for the fans to enjoy. About 20 Ferrari’s from an 80’s Testa Rossa to the first 458 Speciale delivered by local Ferrari dealer Algar added to the sensory overload enjoyed by the lovers of Ferrari.
Images and story by Bob Craig
Gallery: Simeone Museum Demo Day is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
