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.
By Art EvansAs I described in my July column, the first motorized-vehicle race on land is acknowledged by historians to be the 1893 Paris to Rouen. Other place-to-place races followed in Europe before the turn of the century. Many of them involved Paris as a location of origination or destination. Paris-Bordeaux-Paris followed Rouen in 1895, Paris-Marseille-Paris in 1896 and so on. The … [Read more...]
Catching the spirit of Can-Am is one of the goals of the new Unlimited Racing Championship (URC) that will feature identically built NuArt CanAm cars reminiscent of the wide-open racing series from the 1960-70s. The URC will run as the "Heritage Series" with the American Le Mans Series for the 2012 season and beyond.“The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is thrilled to … [Read more...]
The design department at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) – which had not yet merged with Benz & Cie – began developing Mercedes compressor vehicles in 1919. Gottlieb Daimler's son Paul, who had succeeded Wilhelm Maybach as technical director and board member in 1907, drove the development work forward. DMG already had some experience with mechanical supercharging because compressor … [Read more...]
Bonneville Speed Week 2011 was held August 13-19 at the famed Bonneville Speedway salt flats in Utah. Every August, the Southern California Timing Association and Bonneville Nationals Inc. organize Speed Week, which attracts several hundred drivers to compete to set highest speed in a range of categories.Bonneville Speed Week consists of six days of racing, weather and conditions permitting, … [Read more...]
By Art EvansWhen younger motor racing enthusiasts think of Daytona, images of stock cars on the International Speedway come to mind. But older folks remember that Daytona Beach was a site for setting early land-speed records.The history of racing at the beach extends almost to the turn of the last century when cars themselves were in their infancy. Famous automobile personalities of yore … [Read more...]
By Art EvansSports Car Digest Editor Jamie Doyle has assigned me to write a column about the history of sports cars. For the first one, I thought it would be interesting to look at the first events that established motorsports.It’s rather obvious that the first was the invention of the automobile itself. The first motorized vehicles were steam-driven tractors. But the purpose of tractors … [Read more...]
Alberto Ascari was a man in a hurry. In a relatively short Grand Prix career between 1948 and 1955, he became Formula One World Champion in 1952 and 1953, winning nine consecutive races on his way to the 1952 title.Ascari also finished second in Mexico’s La Carrera Panamericana in 1951, teamed with Luigi Villoresi in the second of two factory Ferrari 212 Inter Berlinettas. After eight stages … [Read more...]
Porsche will return to Le Mans with a works-run LMP1 sports prototype, with the first outing of the completely new developed race car planned for 2014. With 16 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans. The most recent win was in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1.“Motorsport was always an essential part of the Porsche brand,” emphasises Matthias Müller, … [Read more...]
In response to Alfa Romeo's request for a TZ successor, Autodelta's co-founder Lodovico Chizzola built this prototype, only for Alfa Romeo to opt for its own design - the TZ2 - so the car remained a one-off. After completion this unique Alfa Romeo remained the Chizzola family's property until it was bought by the current vendor at Bonhams' Nürburgring Sale in August 2000.Known in the … [Read more...]
By Leigh DorringtonThe history of the Indianapolis 500 fills one of the most remarkable galleries in all of racing.Dan Weldon‘s 2011 race-winning car soon will join this collection—the most exclusive in racing—a collection of Indianapolis 500-winning automobiles. Other significant automobiles are displayed separately.The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is … [Read more...]
Subaru driver Mark Higgins set an all-time fastest lap of averaging 115.356 MPH today on the iconic Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI. The previous record of 100 MPH stood for 21 years. The lap took 19 minutes 37 seconds and the WRX STI hit speeds in excess of 162 MPH."This was the most thrilling and frightening thing I have ever done," said Higgins, … [Read more...]
By Art EvansThe occurrences at the 2011 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans brought to mind those of 1955, the race that lives in infamy. More than 80 spectators were killed plus some 120 injured in the most horrendous accident in motor racing history.My longtime and very close friend, John Fitch, was on the Mercedes team, co-driver with Pierre Levegh, whose car caused such carnage. A few … [Read more...]
The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011 was held 11-12 June at the 8.469 mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France. The Audi team defended their 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours win by beating the best Peugeot by a mere 13 seconds after 24 hours of intense racing. When the Rolex clock at the finish line showed 15:00 the expected battle between Audi and Peugeot came to an end with the remaining Audi barely staying ahead of no … [Read more...]
Report by Marco Zanello and photos by Giacomo ZanelloThe Le Mans Legend 2011 historic race was held 11 June at Circuit de la Sarthe in France on the morning of the modern 24 Hours of Le Mans. A grid of 61 cars lined up for the 45-minute race.Among the numerous events supporting the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Le Mans Legend that has taken place for some years in a high-speed race for historic … [Read more...]
Damon Hill O.B.E. announced to the Board of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) that he plans to step down as BRDC President at the Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25 August, 2011. Damon was appointed BRDC President in 2006. During his tenure the BRDC has secured the long term future of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, agreeing a 17-year deal with Formula One … [Read more...]
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