The long-abandoned Detroit Velodrome at Dorais park has hosted it’s first event since it’s re-discovery a few months ago, and it looks like it was a tremendous success. Just look at that turnout of scooters, mopeds, and bicycles! Keep your eyes on the Thunderdrome site for future events (hopefully).
The opening of a race is 80% less interesting* without the running Le Mans Start.
* This statistic is completely made up.
Unless I am mistaken the largest number of comments on any post at The Chicane have come re. the material on the Singer Owners Club hillclimb at Agoura in 1955. I recently dug out my negatives taken at that event and found one the local camera shop had not printed back then as it was blurry–shows my Dad being flagged off on his winning run. Hanging over the not so well deployed snow fence I must have moved my Kodak Brownie which took six shots on a roll of film.
Those who asked about the exact location of the event may be able to align the profile of the hills in the background with the terrain today.
At a recent GoF west (Gathering of the Faithful–pre1955 MG car club meeting) we had a guest speaker who had just rebuilt the engine from Bob Menefee’s much raced TC special of the 50s. He claimed some 125 horses from an unblown XPAG, In period, 85 was the best that could be done, including the factory engines supplied to Ken Miles for R1 and R2 (two engines, not the same one as claimed in Art Evans’ book on Miles). The Menefee car is not going to be vintage raced according to the restorer. It was quite similar to many other T MG specials of the same time, which dominated the ranks of F modified before the Porsche Spyder, with a lightened original chassis, home made alloy body and the original radiator shell preserved. Harold Erb’sTC Spl, seen here, was the longest lived of these, and when a really big blower was put on in 1957, it beat a few Mondial Ferraris.
You will note how similar is the body work to our Magnette special, built at the same time, which I still race. Here it is at The Quail concours two years ago.
John Timanus’ TC Spl was also a look-alike for these two cars. At the 1955 Pebble Beach, ten of the 18 cars in F mod were MG specials, and another was MG powered (Hanford’s Lotus VI, still around) while one was a stock bodied TF. A year later there were only two, along with 10 Porsche 550s! Where are all those MG specials now?
—Mike Jacobsen
I’m not the only one who doesn’t tire of Porsche 550 Spyder footage, am I?
This must be a fairly contemporary production as it features Porsche’s current voice-over talent, who I’ve always found to be a bit overly dramatic. But who am I to complain when the film footage is this good? Seeing the clay models of the 550 and the technicians crafting the 4-cam engine is a treat.
via Hell for Motors
Riding along with Andy Prill here is as close as I’m likely to come to taking hold of the wheel of a 550 for the revival. Wonderful!
While we’re at it, let’s have Andy give us a tour of 550-016, shall we?
It just looks wrong, doesn’t it?
Porsche means curves, and while the wedge design element became such a defining shape of the 70s, it just doesn’t work for me on the Giorgetto Giugiaro designed Porsche Topiro concept. Maybe that’s why they had to pair it with curves on the stage.
Looking at these photos that Alex Bellus captured at last weeks’ Cars & Cafe event in Minnesota reminded me of what makes these informal parking lot get togethers so fantastic. Too often car enthusiasts divide themselves up into little insular groups. Hot rodders, muscle car builders, import tuners, supercar collectors, even vintage racers spend far too much time apart. These meet ups remind me that getting together with fellow car nerds and talking transportation is where the fun is. If there’s a Cars & Coffee event in your area, try and make it out before the season ends, it’s well worth it.
Check out the rest of Alex’ set at his Picasa.
The producers of the marvelous TV series GT Racer have found themselves in an unfortunate position. Despite the popularity of the show and the devotion of fans, the networks that have financed the show are in their own financial troubles. As a result, GT Racer has fallen out of production.
Thankfully, they’ve turned to Kickstarter to try and let the fans finance the show directly. I love this approach and hope that they’ll meet their goal of the $6,000 required for post-production of their trip to the Portimão GP. You can contribute to the cause on their donation page, with gifts and accolades at various donation levels.
I want to see more GT Racer. You want to see more GT Racer. Let’s make it happen.
Candlestick Park SCCA event, NorCal, August 1965.