Image: RMD

Fully race ready and presented with a huge collection of spares, this Nissan R90CK is one of the last greats of Group C racing and a workhorse historic racer which can take it to the Sauber Mercedes and go blow-for-blow at the pointy end.

In their day Nissan’s R90CKs traded at the top of the field in the World Sportscar Championship, chasing down the dominant Sauber Mercedes C9s as they sorted things out throughout the 1990 season and eventually securing Nissan third place in the constructors’ championship. Over in Japan Nissan ran R90CPs in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, taking three wins in 1990 to secure the constructors’ championship and have all four of their drivers tied for the drivers’ championship.

This car, R90C-07, began its life as the thirteenth and final of Lola’s tubs, which was originally left as a spare. Eventually Nova Engineering of Japan picked it up and built it to R90CK spec. It raced in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship in 1991 at the hands of Akihiko Nakaya and Volkert Weidler, who collected three second place finishes, in the Fuji 500, Fuji 1000 and Sugo 500.

In 1992 the car made its way to the States to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona, where Weidler, Mauro Martini and Jeff Krosnoff claimed eighth. For 1993 it was upgraded to R93CK specifications and raced to second place in the Suzuka 1000 Kms with Mauro Martini and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

At this point Group C was winding up and the car left active competition. Its competitive career was reborn in 2002, however, when Charlie Agg bought it and started racing it in historic motorsport events like the HSR Endurance events at Daytona and Sebring, and at the Le Mans Legends in 2004. Since then it’s had an active career in historics all over the world.

Well documented, in perfect working order and offered with a spares collection including moulds, bodywork, several engines that will see it running for years, this Nissan R90CK would be an awesome addition to any historic racer’s quiver.

It’s up for sale at RMD, hit this link to check out the full details over on their website.

Via RMD

Images via RMD

A Historic Racing Warrior: Nissan R90CK For Sale is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Talk Spa, Nurburgring and racing with all four wheels off the ground with Dan Gurney in episode 2 of Dan Gurney: All American Racer.

The relaxed chatting atmosphere of this video from RACER is a wonderful way to get to know about some of the adventures Dan Gurney had throughout his career, and makes this video an awesome little watch. Set aside two minutes of your day, and enjoy it.

Learning to Soar with Dan Gurney is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Images: Arthur Schening

Drawing inspiration from the racing cars of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Arthur Schening’s motorsport art is stunning, classy, and well worth your time.

Schening’s work represents racing cars from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s with a crisp, modern and minimalist aesthetic. A man after our own hearts, his work includes cars like the Mercedes W165, Ford GT40 Honda RA272 and Lotus 49.

And he keeps things simple, preferring to capture the look and feel of the cars and explore the subtleties in their designs rather than go for the racing action angle. To this effect he sets the cars against strong two-colour backgrounds that make them really pop, and renders them with a wonderfully sharp and modern aesthetic.

Strong works of design in their own right, we think they’ll look awesome on the office or mancave wall!

His works are available digitally or as a limited edition print, and you can head to his website here to order some.

Via Arthur Schening

Images via Arthur Schening

Keeping It Clean (And Classy): The Classic Motorsport Art of Arthur Schening is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

I do quite a lot of day-to-day driving in a 1948 MG TC. It’s a brilliant little car, and perfectly capable of handling Sydney’s traffic. Except that if I stay out too late and Mr. Sun dips behind the horizon, I’m left to rely on its “lights” to see things and have others see me, and then things get a little hairy.

Which is how I know that everyone involved in the Freddie March Trophy at the 2013 Goodwood Revival was completely bonkers.

Held over two hours through twilight, rain and the dark of night, the Freddie March Trophy saw a priceless collection of classics from Ferrari, Jaguar, Lister, Bristol, Maserati and Cooper duking it out for honours.

It actually looks like a whole lot of fun, and a brilliant atmosphere.

The Incredible Goodwood Night Race is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Image: RMD

Riccardo Patrese’s ride for the 1980 and 1981 Formula 1 seasons and responsible for Arrows’ best ever race results, this A3, chassis #3, is up for sale at RMD.

In it, Patrese claimed second in the 1980 US West Grand Prix, fastest lap in the calamitous 1980 Monaco Grand Prix, and pole position in the 1981 Long Beach Grand Prix.

For 1980 the car ran the classic gold Warsteiner livery, which changed in 1981 when the team struck a sponsorship deal with Ceramiche Ragno and Utili Beta of Milan.

Arrows moved on from the A3 in 1982, to the A4, and the A3 was sold to Jackie Oliver, who took it up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1994. The car remained completely original through its next two owners, and is now race prepared and cared for by WDK Motorsport for its current owner.

It’s in race ready condition and currently campaigned competitively in the FIA World Championship GP Masters, and with such an extensive period career with a classic team, looks like an awesome historic racer to add to your collection.

Check it out at RMD’s official website here.

Via RMD

Images via RMD

For sale: Arrows A3 Formula 1 Car (1980) is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Cool classic and vintage bikes, a great atmosphere and good friends. What more can you ask for in life?

Relax, enjoy a beverage and spend a few minutes bike spotting and soaking in the atmosphere at the Varano Circuit during the 2014 ASI Motor Show in this quirky, characterful video by Giorgio Oppici. It’s nicely shot, has great personality and is actually quite funny – great stuff.

VARANO CIRCUIT – ASI MOTO SHOW 2014 from Giorgio Oppici on Vimeo.

Remembering That We Race for Fun, at the Varano Circuit is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Jeff Zwart teaches us that even a car with just 60 horsepower at best can hang it out with the best of ‘em.

Now in its 60s, Jeff’s little 356 is still showing us why the 356 was a car that got going when the sufaces got slippery, and really partied in rally, hill climbing and ice racing.

Beautifully-shot and engaging, with some tidy steering on show and a stunning classic car as its subject, this video’s a real charmer.

Still Sideways at 60 years and 60 Horsepower is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

“If they said you could take one with you, this would be it. This just checks every box.”

Looking at documentation from over fifty races that it ran in, this absolutely stunning Ferrari 625/250 TRC went home with silverware from finishing in the top spot at more than half.

Mr. John von Neumann ordered it new in 1957, originally with a 2.5L ex-Le Mans four-cylinder in it. After a few races he decided that wasn’t enough of a handful, ordered the first 250TR engine from the Ferrari factory and had his partner in crime Richie Ginther find a way to cram it into the 250 TRC. It was a winning combination – one which kept winning races all the way into the 1962 season.

Petrolicious’ latest video takes it out into the countryside for a spin, and is worth watching for the chance to listen to that sublime V12 at full song alone.

Enjoy a Few Moments with the Winningest Ferrari Ever is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Image thanks to the Shannons Club, via Autopics

In an age when the Australian Touring Car Championship was being decided by a single race each year, Valiant Hemi Pacers and R/T Chargers took it to the fastest touring cars in Australia and made the history that sees them regarded as the finest high-performance track cars to wear the Pentastar badge in Australia.

The story of how the Valiant R & S series earned that distinction is one of pure classic motorsport magic, and you can check it out in Valiant R & S Series: Potent ‘60s Pentastars! at the Shannons Club.

Via the Shannons Club

Image thanks to the Shannons Club, via Autopics

Valiant R & S Series: Potent ’60s Pentastars! is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Spend a few minutes with the most exciting Jaguar ever made – one which the King of Cool enjoyed so much, it saw him get his license suspended twice.

The Jaguar XKSS is a street version of the immortal Jaguar D-Type, built when Jaguar were wondering what to do with their leftover D-Types once they’d gotten a little long in the tooth for racing. Only 16 of them were made, and they’re now incredibly desirable – worth millions of dollars each.

This one is Steve McQueen’s 1956 car, and in this episode of Jay Leno’s garage, Jay gets to know it a little better. It’s wonderful to see everyone’s excitement around this car, and to see it fired up and stretching its legs on the open road, as it should be!

Go For a Ride in Steve McQueen’s Jaguar XKSS is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

From the magnificent bark of the Mazda 767B to the cavernous burble of a Ford GT40, distinctive engine notes have excited and comforted motorsport fans throughout the decades. We like to think we have a refined aural palate when it comes to picking up these things, but how will we fare when it comes to nailing these Nissans’ notes?

The idea behind this video is simple – Nissan give you a few sound bites from a selection of their restored heritage racers, and challenge you to pick the Nissan responsible for the noise. How’d you go?

How Well Do You Know Your Nissan Heritage Engine Notes? is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Images © Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com

The 4th edition of the Spa Classic, held from May 16th until May 18th, was the best so far. More than 15,000 spectators enjoyed the participation of 8 different grids, featuring more than 350 iconic cars in blazing sunshine!

By Marcel Hundscheid

Spa-Francorchamps is regarded as the temple for endurance racing for GT and touring cars. This year two different grids devoted to the legendary track including the Heritage Touring Cup and the Historic Motor Racing News U2TC, including night time racing, recalling the great era of the Spa 24 Hours.

The 4th edition of the Spa Classic, organized by the well known Peter Auto organisation from France had everything in it. Perfect weather conditions, the best grids in historic motor sports and epic fights on the track.

The largest grid of the weekend came from the Sixties Endurance category bringing nearly 60 historic GTs and touring cars to the Ardennes track. Cars that participated were, amongst others, AC Cobra, E-Type Jaguar Type E, Porsche 904, Chevrolet Corvette, Austin Healey and more. On Saturday afternoon a two hour race was held, won by the Dutch driver pairing David Hart and Hans Hugenholtz in a 1963 Shelby Cobra. Frenchman Yvan Mahe crossed the finish line in second place with a 15 second gap in a 1965 Shelby Cobra. The podium was completed by Carlos Monteverde from Brazil and Gary Pearson from the UK in a 1964 Jaguar E-Type. 

Fans of prototypes and GTs from the seventies that participated in endurance racing could eat their hearts out with two massive grids from Classic Endurance Racing. CER1 saw no less than 41 cars including Lola T70s, Ford GT40s, Chevron B8s and B16s, Porsche 908s and 911s.

Winner of the 60 minute race on Sunday was Belgian Eric de Doncker is his bright red 1969 Lola T70 Mk.IIIB. The French driver pairing of Yvan Mahe and Richard scored a second place in their 1970 Lola T70 Mk.IIIB, as Serge Kriknoff and Marc de Siebenthal from Switzerland finished third in a 1971 Lola T212.

CER2 brought 35 cars to the Ardennes roller coaster, including some stunning Porsche 935s, different Lolas, a Rondeau M378, some tasty BMW M1s as well as several Chevron prototypes.

Frenchman Patrice Lafargue seemed unbeatable in his 1979 Lola T298 as he finished the 60 minute race on Sunday first with a 22 second gap over Britain’s Paul Knapfield and well known GT race ace Jamie Campbell-Walter in their 1976 March 76S. Frenchman Yves Scemama completed the podium in his 1976 Sauber C5.

Without doubt one of the most beautiful and perhaps most expensive grids were the Italian sports and GT cars from the Trofeo Nastro Rosso. Since the start of the event in 2011 this grid grows by the year and attracts iconic cars like the Ferrari 250 LM, GT Berlinetta and 275 GTB, Maserati 300, Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ and Giulietta, and the Iso A3C and Bizzarrini 5300 GT.

Over the weekend two 45 minute races were held. Belgian Vincent Gaye drove an epic race in his 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB C finishing first with a gap of no less than 30 seconds over Stanislas de Sadeleer and Christian Traber from Switzerland in a 1965 Bizzarrini 5300 GT. Fellow countryman Carlo Vögele scored a third place in his stunning 1955 Maserati 300S. During the second race the top two was an exact copy of the first race, as Dutchman Jan Gijzen scored a third place in his 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB-4.

Last year Peter Auto set up the Heritage Touring Cup including the legendary cars that participated in the famous Spa 24 Hours. This year nearly 30 saloons filled the grid with no less than 5 BMW 3.0 CSLs, Ford Capris, BMW 635 CSIs etc.

The Batmobiles proved to be the cars to beat as they drove their own race on Saturday. Eric Mestdagh and Pierre-Alain Thibault from Belgium scored victory in their 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL. German Dominik Roschmann crossed the finish line second in his 1971 BMW 3.0 CSL, as Briton Adrian Brady scored a third place in his 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL. On Sunday it was Roschmann who was the fastest man on the track as he took victory in front of Mestdagh and Thibault. The German driver pairing of Philipp and Siegfried Brunn claimed third spot in a 1984 BMW 635 CSI.

A true crowd puller were the legendary Group C Cars. Nearly 20 prototypes managed to get into the single race on Sunday including Porsche 956s and 962s, two Sauber-Mercedes C11s, an Intrepid GTP, two Nissan R90CKs and a Mazda 767B. Especially this car from the land of the rising sun proved to be something special producing a shrieking sound coming from the rotary engine.

Britons Gareth Evans and Bob Berridge were a class of their own and nobody could answer the speed of their 1989 Sauber-Mercedes C11. Japanese driver Katsu Kubota and Joaquin Folch from Spain finished second in a 1990 Nissan R90CK, Mike Donovan from the UK scored a third place in a 1988 Spice SE88.

Cars from the European Touring Car Championship in the sixties such as the Ford Lotus Cortina, BMW 1800 and Alfa Romeo Giula were gathered into the Historic Motor Racing News U2TC championship from the UK.

The first race on Saturday was won by Alex Furiana and Audi factory GT racer Frank Stippler in a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA. Richard Shaw and former Formula 1 driver Jackie Oliver from England finished second in a 1965 BMW 1800 TiSA, German Dominik Roschmann scored a third place in a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA. Furiani and Stippler scored a second victory on Sunday in front of the 1965 Ford Lotus Cortina driven by Britons David Tomlin and Martin Stretton. Swiss driver Marcus Mahy and George Haynes from England finished third in a 1965 BMW 1800 Ti.

Finally the Historic Formula 2 Championship from the UK settled down at Spa for two races. Briton Philipp Harper scored victory in the first race in a 1977 Ralt RT1, in front of the 1974 March 742, driven by fellow countryman Martin Stretton. Bo Warmenius from Sweden scored a third place in a 1977 March 76B. Harper managed to score a second victory on Sunday as Stretton scored another second place. Grant Tromans from England finished third in a 1978 Chevron B42.

For the second year, the famous Bonhams´ auction settled down in Spa and attracted a lot of interest. On Sunday, more than 60 prestigious cars went on sale. The following prices were reached by the most eagerly-awaited lots:

• Ferrari 308 GTB Group B Michelotto 1976/1983: 609.500 €
• Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta 1973: 471.500 €
• Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Sports Saloon 1967: 350.750 €
• Porsche 911 Type 930/935 Turbo Coupé 1983: 230.000 €
• Maserati Khamsin Coupé 1977: 178.250 €

The turnover of the second auction in the context of Spa-Classic reached 3 million euros. Philip Kantor, Bonhams Europe International Business Development manager, was very happy with the outcome.

The fifth edition of the Spa Classic will take place in mid-May 2015 and to be honest, we can´t wait for one of Europe´s best historic motor racing events!

© Marcel Hundscheid/Speed-O-Graphica.com

2014 Spa Classic Mega Gallery and Report is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

They’re only doing six of them, but each will be a perfect production of the original Lightweight E-type racer from 1963 using an original chassis.

Back in 1963 Jaguar started work building 18 special GT E-Type cars, but only 12 emerged. The new cars are planned to be the six ‘missing’ cars from this project and will use the remaining six designated chassis which have lain dormant for the past half-century.

They’re going to be hand built in-house by Jaguar’s best and completed to the original cars’ exact specifications.

And they’re not going to be easy to get your hands on, with only six being constructed and established Jaguar collectors, particularly racers, being prioritised amongst those who express interest.

It’s an awesome project, and we can’t wait to see the cars that come out for it. Are you interested in one?

Via Jaguar

Images thanks to Jaguar

Jaguar Wants To Build You a Brand New 1963 ‘Lightweight’ E-Type is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Reactions quicker than the speed of thought.

One of the top voted comments attached to this clip exclaims: “that whole video just looked like a massive crash that somehow never happened” – a statement that could be used with accuracy to describe any piece of footage featuring Colin McRae at the wheel, casting aside the reality of the fact that he was in complete control, (almost) all of the time.

A master of his chosen craft, we could watch Colin McRae drive rally all day.

MORE: Video – A tribute to Colin McRae

Video: Colin McRae – master behind the wheel is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Dan Gurney on fixing his own car, pushing it to the grid himself at Monaco, living in a motor home, and doing it all his own way.

The next episode of Racer’s All American Racer is terrific – primarily because it features the man Dan Gurney himself, reflecting on the realities of racing during his era. If you missed out on the first episode, and an introduction to this great series, be sure to check it out first, here:

More: Video – Dan Gurney, birth of an All American Racer

Video: Dan Gurney – A Different Era is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Surreal visuals as historic machines from as far back as 60 years blast through the hallowed halls of Monaco.

Take a look at this brilliant recap of the 2014 Monaco Historique through the eyes of Goodwood Road & Racing. Monaco looks every bit as beautiful with the sounds of yesteryear reverberating through it’s walls as it ever did, as machines from throughout the colorful history of motorsport return to the iconic venue.

MORE: The top 15 videos from the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Video: Amazing sights and sounds at the Monaco Historique is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The absolute best of the incredible Bruce McLaren.

This week marks 44 short years since Bruce McLaren lost his life whilst racing CanAm. The unbelievably talented New Zealand native was just 32 years old at the time – however had achieved so much in his career. Today his legacy continues to carry a huge amount of weight, particularly in Formula 1. Let’s take a look back at our 15 favorite photographs, celebrating the life, career and legacy of one of the great motorsport names.

This is the latest in our series of  photo specials showcasing the stunning images from the Cahier Archive. The collection, by photographers Bernard Cahier and his son Paul-Henri are part of a massive collection of 400 000 originals of which 17 000+ pictures are currently available on their website.

 MORE: TOONED 50 – The Bruce McLaren Story (video)

Images: TheCahierArchive©

Buy prints of these photographs from just $49

Best of the Cahier Archive: Bruce McLaren is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

In 1934, a motor racing icon was born.

That icon was the Silver Arrows of Mercedes Benz, which first appeared at the Nurburgring on June 3rd, 1934. The cars were named W25, and the rumor was that the previously unseen bare silver bodywork came as a result of the team trying so desperately to bring the cars in under the 750kg weight limit that they stripped the vehicles of their traditional white paint!

The raw aluminum panels created a huge stir, as did Manfred Von Brauchitsch winning the race and resetting the track record. Ongoing success followed for Mercedes in the years to come with the continual development of the W25 – they’d win the 1935 European Championship outright with Rudolf Caracciola, as well as taking victory in 1936 in both Algeria and Monaco.

MORE: Best of the Cahier Archive – Mercedes Benz Silver Arrows

If you’d like to see the Silver Arrows in action, and to learn of what it was like to pilot such monsters – be sure to check out our video collection of Silver Arrows documentaries.

All images thanks to Mercedes AMG.

80 years later – The Birth of the Silver Arrows is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Yep, he’s about to ride straight through that huge fireball.

When it comes to motor sport events with fearsome Isle of Man TT is unrivaled. The idea of this video is to cram as many reasons as to why that is the case, into one five and a half minute piece of madness. Enjoy.

MORE: Why Isle of Man Karting is the most terrifying thing ever (video)

Video: How the fearsome reputation of the Isle of Man TT was earned is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

In just a few short days the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix will be upon us. These are ten occasions on which the Canadian Grand Prix knocked our socks off.

The 2014 Canadian Grand Prix will be held this Sunday, on the 8th of June. Fans are hanging out to see whether Lewis Hamilton can win the race, and take his fourth Canadian Grand Prix victory in the process. Here at Motorsport Retro, we’re most concerned with the thrill ride – will we have an 11th exciting video to add to next year’s list? Only time can answer each question, so we’ll all have to be patient for another couple of days. For now check out these ten unforgettable Canadian GP moments of yesteryear -

1967 – Jack Brabham wins the first ever Canadian Grand Prix

1977 – James Hunt punches a Marshall

1978 – Gilles Villeneuve’s first Formula 1 victory

1981 – Podium finish for Gilles Villeneuve despite mangled wing

1991 – Last lap shocker by Nigel Mansell – Transmission failure, or driver error?

1995 – Jean Alesi’s first, and only Formula 1 Grand Prix win

1998 – Alex Wurz rolls his car shortly after starting

2001 – Michael and Ralf Schumacher battle it out for first place

2007 – The amazing escape of Robert Kubica

2011 – Jenson Button wins on the last lap!

Caught on video: 10 unforgettable things that happened at the Canadian GP is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.