Sports Car Digest - The Sports, Racing and Vintage Car Journal
Sports Car Digest focuses on Classic Car Auctions, Concours d’Elegance, Vintage Car Racing, Road Rallies and other historic automotive events.
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss OBE (born September 17, 1929 in London) is a retired racing driver from England. His success in a variety of categories placed him among the world's elite – he is often called "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship." Moss, who raced from 1948 to 1962, won 194 of the 497 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grands Prix. … [Read more...]
“I started in art, switched to writing and didn’t get back to art until 40 years later,” recalls automotive historian Wallace Alfred Wyss. Among his ten books are two on Ferrari, three on Corvette and three on Shelby. His most recent is SHELBY The Man The Car The Legend. But for this interview, we are catching up on his artwork. Q. You say you started in art but left it. Can you explain? … [Read more...]
Among the many debuts that took place during Monterey Week was a motorcycle that Ducati North America unveiled, a 175hp, 362lb two-wheeled tribute to the historic “Martini Racing” Porsches of years past. The one-of-a-kind Martini-Ducati was the idea of Ducati’s North American CEO and Public Relations Manager, both major fans of the Martini-Porsche competition cars of years past. … [Read more...]
Book Review, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans Go Like Hell tells the remarkable story of how Henry Ford II, with the help of a young visionary named Lee Iacocca and a former racing champion turned car builder, Carroll Shelby, concocted a scheme to reinvent Ford Motor company. They would enter the high-stakes world of European car racing, where an … [Read more...]
Book Review, Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed In the first full biography of Mark Donohue, author Michael Argetsinger tells the story of racing's ultimate driver-engineer, one who set the standard for generations to come. He also explains how Donohue's life and career were shaped by his friends, family, and fellow drivers, as well as by the rapid changes in technology and competition … [Read more...]
Barn Find Jag in Los Angeles By Wallace Wyss Photos by Bob Petricca and Francis de Pouqueville Bob Petricca, of West Hills, CA, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, has been in the exotic car business for 40 years and has heard every "barn story" there is. You woulda thunk he'd be skeptical of each new story, as so many leads evaporate—Jag XK120s turn out to be … [Read more...]
The era of the classic Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows in the period 1934 – 1939 is linked to the racing driver John Richard Beattie Seaman. The Englishman drove his first race in a Silver Arrow in the Tripoli Grand Prix on 9 May 1937. He drove his last race on 25 June 1939: he crashed in the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa and died from his severe injuries a few hours later. John Richard Beattie … [Read more...]
Sports Car Digest recently toured the Mario Righini Collection, one of the more exceptional private car collections in Italy, if not the world. Located outside Modena in Castello di Panzano Castelfranco Emilia, the Righini Collection is remarkable for many reasons. To call the Righini Collection unique does not do it justice, as the setting alone – a 15th century castle … [Read more...]
Aston Martin Racing will run a trio of Gulf-liveried LMP1 cars at the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place June 13-14 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aston Martin's first victory at La Sarthe in 1959, when American Carroll Shelby and Englishman Roy Salvadori formed the Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR1 team. In his own words, … [Read more...]
Galleria Ferrari is the official museum dedicated to the famed Italian marque, located in Ferrari's home town of Maranello, Italy, seconds from the factory. The exhibits are mostly a combination of Ferrari road and competition cars, with many of more iconic cars from throughout its history present. … [Read more...]
Juan Manuel Fangio (1911 - 1995) was a race car driver from Argentina who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing. He won five Formula One World Driver's Championships — a record which stood for 46 years eventually beaten by Michael Schumacher — with four different teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati), a feat that has not been repeated since. Many consider Fangio to … [Read more...]
American racing great Lloyd Ruby passed away Monday, March 23rd at the age of 81 in his hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas. Ruby raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1958 – 1977 seasons, with 177 career starts, including every Indianapolis 500 race from 1960 – 1977. He won 7 times and finished in the top 10 an amazing 88 times. His best Indy 500 finish was 3rd in 1964. … [Read more...]
The American Le Mans Series starts their season on Saturday, March 21st with the 57th running of America's premier sports car endurance race, the 12 Hours of Sebring. Expectations are high for the race, as Acura, Audi, Lola and Peugeot will all battle for overall victory around Sebring's grueling 3.7 mile track. The GT field looks competitive as well, with Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche and BMW among … [Read more...]
"Design is what sets a vehicle apart, what separates a good car from a great car. It is what creates enthusiasm for the automobile, what sparks an emotional bond between car and customer. And it is the reason that the automobile inspires a passion among consumers like no other product, ever." - GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz in the preface to Driving Style: GM Design's First Century … [Read more...]
A new book about Porsche's extensive use of posters to further their iconic image will make its world debut on Saturday, March 7th, at the Porsche International Memorabilia and Literature Meet, held at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton. … [Read more...]
