Porsche 917K - Entered by the Porsche Museum, this is the legendary Team Salzburg Porsche 917K that triumphed at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans at the hands of Hans Herrmann and Richard Atwood. The 4.5-litre short-tail version wore the number 23, and was painted in the red and white colours of Porsche Salzburg.
Alpine-Renault A443 - This Alpine-Renault A443 led most of the 1978 running of Le Mans 24 Hours before leaving in the 20th hour with engine problems. At Goodwood, it was driven by ex-works driver Jean Pierre Jaussaud.
Tyrrell P34 - The Tyrrell P34 (Project 34), otherwise known as the 'six-wheeler,' was a Formula One race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer, as a response to new regulations due to come into force in 1976. The car used specially manufactured 10-inch diameter wheels and tyres at the front with two ordinary sized wheels at the back. The idea of the smaller front tyres was to increase air penetration and have a smaller 'frontal area' which would reduce drag. However, smaller diameter tyres would have resulted in a loss of contact area between the rubber and the tarmac surface of the track and hence poorer mechanical grip for cornering. To remedy this, the P34 was given four 10-inch front wheels. Thanks to a complex suspension design, all four front wheels could be steered.
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport - Created under famed Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov to combat Ford's Shelby Cobra, the Grand Sport was powered by an aluminum 377 cubic inch V8 producing upwards of 550 hp. Chassis number 003 was raced in period by Jim Hall, A.J. Foyt and others.
Ford Falcon XC GS500 - In much the same way as NASCAR is an American institution, the Bathurst 1000 race at Mount Panorama has taken on a near tribal-like quality in Australia. Partisan Ford and Holden fans compete for honours as much as the cars out on track, with 200,000 spectators spelling out their loyalties as vocally as possible. In 2010 Goodwood celebrated this race’s half-century with an array of muscle cars, including this Ford Falcon XC GS500 that won the 1977 running with national hero Alan Moffatt and Belgian all-rounder Jacky Ickx.
Jaguar C-Type - This Jaguar C-Type was the only one of its kind to have competed at the fearsome Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico. Chassis XKC 029 contested the race in 1953 and '54 and appeared at Goodwood resplendent in its striking newly restored 'Veracruz' livery last seen in 1954. A radical departure from traditional Jaguar colour schemes of the time, it proved a huge hit on the hill.
Siata 208CS Berlinetta - Chassis number CS052 was built for 1952 Turin Auto Show and Mille Miglia, where Tullini and Rossi failed to finish.
Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta - Styled by Pinin Farina, this Maserati won Best of Show at Goodwood's Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d'Elegance.
Ford F3L - The Ford P68, also commonly known as the Ford 3L GT or F3L, is a sports prototype racing car model introduced in March 1968. Designed by Len Bailey, a Ford research engineer, the F3L was funded by Ford Europe and built by Alan Mann Racing. Despite apparent pace, the car was criticized for instability at high speeds and, due to mechanical and electrical failures, did not finish any of the races for which it was entered.
Ford GT40 Mark II - This Ford GT40, chassis XGT-2, is one of eight cars 7-litre cars entered by the factory for the famous 1966 event where the Blue Oval scored a 1-2-3, thus fulfilling its aim of beating Ferrari for the first time. XGT-2 was prepared by the Alan Mann Racing team and driven by Graham Hill and Brian Muir. The team retired after nine hours with suspension failure, having led for several hours. XGT-2's runs up the hill courtesy of Fiskens' own Gregor Fisken were the car's first outings in Europe since its second appearance at La Sarthe in 1969.
[Source: Goodwood; Wikipedia; photo credit: Tim Scott / Fluid Images]
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How about any of the Mercedes like the W194?
If forced to choose, it would be the Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta by Pinin Farina.
Love the lil’ Siata 208CS.
Brilliant photography by Mr. Scott.
F1 is having wing trouble right now. My solution would be to give them an engine size, the outside dimensions of the Jim Clark Lotus and tell them thats it build one and go racing! That car will allways look beautiful>
That Porsche is not the Le Mans winner. Does that removes it from the list?
That Porsche is not the Le Mans winner. Does that remove it from the list?
The Porsche 917 is not the same one??
To all subscribers: Please look for true champion of the Sixties American V/8 Class, A Production Sportscars. Take a look at U-tube: 2011 SPA Francorchamp Sixties Endurance race. You’ll see a car that few people take the time to fully describe it racing heritage and how it could beat Porsche 904s, Corvettes, Jaguars, and,yes, Shelbys AC Cobras, the Griffith 400!
You will see car 54 in light blue take on at lease six well prepared Cobras including a coupe and a host of other makes. By the second hour only three cars were on the same lap as discribed by sportscardigest writer. What he failed to write was that the Griffith driven by Michael and Sean McInerney passed up the faster of all the Cobras, car 27. You can see that at about 6:04 to 6:18 on the U-tube bottom marker.
Notice that the original Cobras with no hardtops, as on many of the Cobras at Francorchamp, could not compete with the 1964 Griffith 400. Look at the beatiful original silver gray Cobra which started in third place is not able to compete with the (Not original; Cobras did not come from the factory with a HARDTOP in the sixties) not factory hardtop Cobras. Therefore, the Griffith in its original condition should have been the winner of that race. Let the SPA in Belgium know if you have the time.
Sometime ago, some Corvette race drivers complaint that the Griffith should be disqualified because it did not have a grill! To their surprize they learned that the Griffiths produce by Jack Griffith in Plainsview, New York, did not have a grill in their original factory condition, and I believe the Corvettes and Cobras took a sound beating from the obscure and, if I may, disliked Griffith!
How the Cobra owners, drivers, and their millions of supporters can run a hardtop that was not from Shelby factory in the sixties is truly unfair to the originals in the SPA race. I imagine that Cobra racing teams such as car 27 at 2011 Francorchamps find that the after market hard top gives the AC Cobra a Kamm effect, which means higher speeds. The Griffith 400 had a Manx tail which gave it a Kamm effect from the factory plus it was one of the only cars with UNEQUAL WISHBONE SUSPENSION ON ALL FOUR CORNERS! Super expensive race cars such as Ferrari’s were the only cars with unequal wishbone suspensions. I have yet to read any American article on the advanced suspension system on the Griffith 400′s, which also had four sets of schocks and coil springs in the rear and a Salisbury rear end to handle the power of the Ford Hi-Po V/8.
So, hopefully you can see for yourself the real king or the sixties A production sportscars not using non original/aftermarket hardtops such as some of the Cobras on August 25-27,2011, and just racing with its original factory equipment.
My best,
Charles Pineda, Jr.
Retired Parole Board Judge; California
Member of the Griffith Club and Shelby Mustang Club; Sacramento