Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013 - retrospective gallery - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

 

 

Even the gods of weather know about Goodwood’s place in the world. The sun was never going to refuse to shine on the 21st Festival of Speed.

This year it cast a vintage glow on all four days of the world’s greatest motoring festival, which returned the favour by entertaining bumper crowds with a magic mixture of dazzling new arrivals, oddballs and spectacular stalwarts.

Each festival starts by commemorating anniversaries and setting themes. This year’s highlights included 50 years of the Porsche 911 (the subject of Gerry Judah’s soaring, three-pronged sculpture at Goodwood House), plus the centenary of Aston Martin, the 50th anniversary of McLaren Racing, the 50th anniversary of Jim Clark’s first world championship in 1963, and the event’s own special anniversary. It is two decades since founder-kingpin Lord March looked out of his bedroom window to estimate crowd numbers at the first festival — held for a bunch of friends who owned nice cars and bikes — expecting 2500 people, only to be greeted by 25,000 instead.

As it has done for the past three years, the festival began on Thursday with the Moving Motor Show, a ‘selling’ event for car makers that makes it possible for invited customers to test production cars on a route around the estate. This Thursday event struggled in its early days, but those with commercial interests this year praised its effectiveness. The outbreak of enterprise also brought an unprecedented number of Taj Mahal-style mobile showrooms, topped by a temporary Ford structure so high that from its top you could see over Goodwood House to the verdant countryside beyond. No UK motor show? It’s just not true. 

Goodwood understands car retailing, and the crowds expect and support it. FoS-TECH showcases hillclimb runs of green prototypes you’d only see on plinths elsewhere, while the First Glance class features mainstream models that are interesting but hardly supercars. Two eye-grabbers in these groups were Alfa Romeo’s pretty, promising 4C and Volkswagen’s petite XL1 diesel-electric ‘efficiency car’, which made several brisk runs on battery power alone. 

The number of rare cars and one-offs was amazing. Headline grabbers included the stunning Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak racer, in which Sébastien Loeb recently sliced 92sec off the record time for the famous American hillclimb. Bentley showed the potential of its Continental GT3 car (it seems to go even better than it looks) and Audi had its Le Mans winner, still covered in rubber, dust and bugs from La Sarthe. 

These days, most of the hill runs are demos. They stopped timing F1 cars several years ago after Nick Heidfeld stopped the clocks at a hairy 41.6sec, but Justin Law showed fast driving was still in vogue with a time of 45.95sec for the 1.16-mile course in his family’s Silk Cut Jaguar XJR8/9, a late ’80s Le Mans car. Close behind were Gregory Guilvert in Loeb’s T16 (he managed 45.86, but what would Seb himself have done?) and Jonny Cocker, who scored a laudable 47.34sec in the battery-powered Drayson Racing Lola, which only two weeks ago set a world land speed record for electric cars.

Talking LSRs, the estate’s famous cricket pitch, on which the laws of the game were written, became home to the greatest-ever gathering of land speed cars. Highlights ranged from Fiat’s 21.7-litre aero-engined ‘Mephistopheles’, the last car to set a record on the public road, through Henry Segrave’s Golden Arrow, which beat pretenders with twice the power using light weight and good aerodynamics, to Brooklands’ beautiful Napier-Railton Special and the turbine-powered, wheel-driven Bluebird that Donald Campbell took to a record in the Australian desert. Also on hand was Bloodhound SSC, Britain’s latest land speed contender, which aims to crack 1000mph in South Africa next year.    

Goodwood is justly famous for its rich alternatives to the central track events, such as stunt bikers, rally rides, 4x4 experiences, concours and air displays, but the way people drifted back to the grandstands for two special hill displays — Formula 1 cars, for which seven teams and a bevy of famous drivers turned up, and road-going supercars — showed how important the hill runs are to this most car-literate of crowds. The only displays that topped them were three deafening aerial events: the Red Arrows on Friday, Vulcan on Saturday and the Eurofighter on Sunday.

The Supercar Paddock was packed 10 deep, with crowds seemingly more hell-bent than ever on getting close to this year’s 50-strong selection of the world’s fastest cars. You might think that in times like these, new candidates for the rarified end of the car market might be in short supply, but no chance. McLaren captured the early limelight by showing how fast the P1 could go (in the hands of Button and Perez) and supported it with the new GT Sprint, a 12C “developed and optimised exclusively for the track”.

The £60k Mexican-built Vühl gave proceedings a modern look, while in the new Wraith coupé Rolls-Royce seemed delighted to have a car whose performance justified inclusion in such company. Aston Martin ran the CC100 concept it unveiled five weeks ago at the Nürburgring, and ‘Jaguarness’ guru Mike Cross demonstrated both the Project 7 concept and his own unearthly skills at car control.

Yet it was two old Merc single-seaters — and their most famous driver — that made the biggest headlines. First off, in the Bonhams auction, the world’s only privately owned Mercedes W196, driven by Fangio in 1954, changed hands to an unknown buyer over the phone for £19.6 million, despite being “extensively patinated” and in need of a rebuild. Then Mercedes’ own W196 was driven on all three days by Hans Herrmann, Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg, with star appearances by Stirling Moss, who used one of these to win his first grand prix at Aintree.

Moss is an old man now, but no less a hero than he was 50-odd years ago when the papers were running daily medical updates following the accident that ended his career. It was truly heart-warming that every time he raised his arm from the W196 in languid salute to the crowd, five thousand arms waved back. This, everyone knew, is what Goodwood is about. 

source: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/goodwood-festival-speed/goodwood-festival-speed-2013-retrospective-gallery
by Steve Cropley

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Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Rare Car Collector - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

Photo by Joshua Gordon

Lauren Mendelson grew up around cars, as her father worked in the auto parts business.

However, while others  may have developed a desire to own classic cars, Mendelson’s passion was for something more exotic. From Maseratis to Ferraris and BMWs, Mendelson developed a palate for cars hard to find.

At the 35th annual Concours d’Elegance of America car show, Mendelson will display her newest find — a 2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, a car that came in directly from Italy only a week ago.

“The way the lines go down from the hood to the trunk line, it is like a work of art to me,” Mendelson, a Huntington Woods resident, said of the Ferrari. “I am very passionate about these things, and Ferrari keeps coming out with such beautiful designs, the lines are always, for the most part, my favorite part. They are gorgeous.”

Mendelson’s dad owned a junkyard that was full of old cars from which he would pull used parts. While most girls may not have been interested in spending time around the old, broken cars, Mendelson said she got her automotive education by spending time there, and she developed a fondness for vehicles.

Her love of cars eventually helped Mendelson connect with her husband, David, as the two bonded over their appreciation of music and cars. At some point, she said, they decided to start collecting the latter.

“In 2003, when my mother passed away, I bought my first car, the BMW Z8 Alpina Roadster, and to this day, it is my favorite car,” Mendelson said. “We have collected 16 cars, and everything we have collected, we drive, and we have never sold a car. We just got to a point where we were saving money all the time and not spending it, so we decided to use it on a passionate hobby we both had.”

For David, an orthopedic surgeon, cars are a piece of art. The two own a Morgan AeroMax, of which there were only 100 ever produced worldwide, so collecting rare vehicles is something special, he said.

“It didn’t start out like, ‘I want this car or that car,’ but some cars are so spectacular, and when you see something like the Morgan, and you have an opportunity to own one, how lucky can you be?” David asked. “Each one in and of itself is beautiful and are a delight to look at. They are more than just cars — they are a machine designed to perform a certain function, yet are developed in such a beautiful skin.

“It’s like going to a car show and you see this classic car and everyone is amazed and you imagine what it would be like to have bought that car from the factory and be the first person to own it in that time and era. That is what is going through my head and I want to buy cars like that now in the time I am living in.”

David’s love of cars also developed around a junkyard, where he worked on “junkers” with his brothers. But, to share a passion with his wife, and especially one that involves cars, he said he considers himself very lucky.

“It is every man’s dream,” David said. “Any of the cars we have, she got them and bought them, so I don’t have to explain myself. She is more enthusiastic than most and it has been terrific, a lot of fun for us, to start with this common interest. The more you have in common, the more fun life is and the more things you can do together, like go to a car show.”

Living in Michigan, Mendelson and her husband can’t drive some of their more exotic cars in the wintertime. Likewise, Mendelson said she doesn’t want to drive the Ferrari to the store, as there would be no room to put anything.

As Mendelson started to bring in more exotic cars, people who run auto shows caught wind of some of the rare vehicles and asked her to be part of a show. While she can’t always get to every one, Mendelson said she really enjoys being part of the automotive community.

“I like going to these shows because you see all these great cars, and you see people you’ve met several times and you make friends and meet new people,” she said. “It is like having a kid on stage at school; you have people coming by all day and really enjoying your car. It is like collecting rare coins, so people want to see them.”

If you start to have a conversation with Mendelson, chances are the talk will eventually turn to cars. Collecting cars isn’t about showing off to neighbors or being the envy of anyone, Mendelson said; it is just something a girl who grew up around cars loves doing.

“It is pretty unusual for a mom with two girls who lives in the suburbs and is involved with the schools to have this other side where I love cars,” she said. “Most men think I am so cool and I have guys always give me thumbs-up when they see me driving one of my cars. When I am talking about cars, it is like talking about my non-human kids.”

soruce: http://www.candgnews.com/node/65540

by Staff Writer Josh Gordon

 

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Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - McLarens go Racing - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

Vintage McLarens Go Racing

At the most recent Vintage Motorsport races in Laguna Seca, Can-Am and McLaren built cars were on display. These priceless machines, and works of art, thundered around the track for the quiet enjoyment of the most discerning race fans in the world.

I raced with Rick Knoop and we worked on the blue McLaren seen in this video. Click on the link and enjoy the cars.

 http://autos.yahoo.com/video/vintage-mclarens-racing-192211801.html

Frank

 

 

 

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

What's the most precious thing that gets passed down from generation to generation in your family? Jewelry from your great, great grandmother? A coin collection? Baldness? Whatever you have, it's not as cool as what the Smith family has. 

In this latest Petrolicious video, we learn about one family's 1967 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder, which remains one of the most exclusive Ferraris ever made (and that's saying something.)Road & Track says that only 10 were made at the behest of Ferrari importer and three-time Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti. Steve McQueen later owned one. 

This one, chassis number 10709, was ordered by Eddie Smith, Sr.

source:  www.jalopnik.com
by Patrick George

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Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Great 1937 Bugatti Story Found After 50 years - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

An unmolested 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, one of only 17 built, was discovered in a garage in the UK after gathering dust for almost 50 years. The estimated value? At least $4.35 million!

An unmolested 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante was discovered after spending 48 years in a quiet, Tyneside, Britain garage. It's being termed "one of the last great barn-finds" with an estimated value of at least £3 Million ($4.35 million).

The car was originally owned by the first president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, Earl Howe, and through a series of sales ended up in the hands of a reclusive doctor named Harold Carr. After driving the car for a couple years, it was parked in a private garage in 1960 and hasn't seen the road since. With only seventeen examples of Type 57S Atalantes ever produced, the car was notably absent in the history of significant Bugattis.P

In 2007, Dr. Carr passed away and left the contents of the garage to his family. That was when the car was discovered. It's currently set to cross the auction blocks at Bonhams of Paris next month, and with the combination of an incredibly rare chassis, only 26,284 original miles, a rare supercharged inline eight engine and its unmolested condition, we suspect some very wealthy bidders will push the price well past that initial valuation of $4.35 million.

source: http://jalopnik.com/5121937/3-million-1937-bugatti-found-in-british-garage-after-almost-50-years
via bbc
photo credit: bonhams


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1

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Great Ferrari 250 GTO #3589GT Story - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

 

 Now, normally I try to steer clear of the subject 'chassis numbers' and historic cars, as it can come over as mindbogglingly boring to normal people while at the same time being a futile attempt to sound interesting, when you are really not anything like that. But, for this post I make an exception as it is about a car with a very intriguing story. I mean, it is not often that you hear of a Ferrari 250 GTO that used to languish in a field for 15 years. Even though is a well-known story outside of the ferrarichat.com circle, it really is worth making a trip down memory lane to revisit chassis #3589GT in the various parts of its life. And what a life it was (is)! Just read on after the jump all will be explained.

Being build by passionate craftsmen in Maranello in 1962 it was one of the few right-hand drive 250 GTOs. Because of this, it obviously went to the United Kingdom where it debuted at the Goodwood race track in the hands of Mike Parkes. At the end of the 1962 European racing season it was shipped to the 'new world' and got the chance to leave behind the miserable English weather and race in a nice soothing Caribbean climate. It ran a couple of races in Nassau, Bahamas with Innes Ireland at the wheel and finally went on to race in the 12 hours of Sebring in 1963. This is where the interesting bit of the story starts.

After just 2 years of active racing it was pensioned off and donated to a high school in Texas by the then owner, Tom O'Connor. It was used in parades and shows but then, in 1972, it was sold by a sealed bid ($6500) to a certain Joe Korton, who did not go on and drive it, as the average car enthusiast would do. No, he put in a field next to his home on a trailer, unprotected, all ready for the elements to munch it up over a couple of years. The car wasn't hidden in obscurity though, some people sighted it and some brave people even tried to make a photographic record of it. One person hiding behind the alias of 'triumpnutter' told us: 

"Got me thinking about my youth and how I remember Kortan's yard, full of collectible cars just rotting away. I lived a few miles away from him. I went to school with his daughter and she was on my bus route thru grade school. I had no idea what the cars were at the time (I was in 8th grade in 79 and watched that yard since I can remember), but we all knew they were supposed to be really collectible. It was well known that Mr. Kortan was not in the market to let them go, that he liked them just the way they were.... unprotected, just parked in the field or in the dilapidated barn, rotting away. He had no interest in showing them to anyone. A few years back, the daughter told me how she and her brothers used to sled ride down the hood of that Ferrari when they were kids!"

He wasn't the only one to tell the world something about this GTO, in the early 90s Innes Ireland described his encounter with Joe Korton in an issue of Road & Track (which I noticed during preparing this piece is alsoonline) like this:

"I heard nothing of the car until I was invited as guest of honor by the French Ferrari owners club to its 20th anniversary of the GTO meeting in 1982. I was horrified to hear that she had been sitting in the field for years; I was unable to understand how anyone could possibly allow such a thing to happen.

Finally I turned up on Joe Korton's doorstep, and, sure enough, there was a 250 GTO sitting on a trailer in a field of long grass. Although painted a dull red–by hand, it looked like-she still carried the scrutineer's stamp on the inside of the screen from Nassau 1962 so I knew she was 3589 all right.

Nothing would persuade Mr. Korton to sell me the car, saying he was going to put her in order one day. But in expressing my horror at her condition, at least I persuaded him to put her in a shed under cover (which he did), and I extracted a promise that if ever he decided to sell, he would give me first option (which he did not)."

Thankfully, a certain Frank Gallogly continuously stalked Korton into selling him the GTO just before the 1980s classic car bubble burst, nothing much came of restoring it, though, and it was sold on to a Swiss collector with whom it remains to this day, restored and well. Fascinating hey? Sometimes stories about chassis numbers are well worth exploring a bit further, but most of all enjoy the photographs and then of course sob.

Photos were posted a long time ago on a forum by a certain 'El Wayne', so all credit goes to this guy.

source: http://www.theretromobilist.com/historic-racing/111-the-anorak-ferrari-250-gto-3589gt
by Kurt

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Amazing 1954 Ferrari Find - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

 

The 1954 250 Monza Pinin Farina roadster with a $6.48 million price tag.

Originally raced in Italy and South America, it was left to rot in Uruguay until it was eventually discovered in the late 1970s. Since then, it has been reunited with its three-liter V12 engine and now awaits a brave new custodian to complete the mother of all restorations. This person also needs deep pockets as the reported asking price for the Pinin Farina bodied 250 Monza is a hefty 5 million Euro ($6.58 million).

The remains of the aluminum-bodied Monza presents a very-expensive restoration challenge. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

The remains of the aluminum-bodied Monza presents a very-expensive restoration challenge. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

 

Along with two of its three sister cars, chassis 0466M was bought new from the factory by Franco Cornacchia for his Scuderia Guastalla. Like the first two, this the final 250 Monza produced was clothed by Pinin Farina with an aluminum roadster body.

It was raced with limited success in Italy before it was sold to South America. After a brief spell in Venezuela, it ended it up in Brazil where it was campaigned for the remainder of the decade.

History of the Ferrari 250 Monza: 

The Ferrari has been reunited with its original 3-liter V12 engine. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

Up until 1953, Ferrari sports racers, despite all of their type names and numbers, shared the same basic ladder-type chassis with independent front suspension and a live rear axle. The only significant difference was the use of the Colombo-designed short-block or the Lampredi-designed long-block V12 engine. 

All this changed in 1953 when a brand new four-cylinder engine was introduced. Inspired by the British fours, the new Ferrari engine was used to great effect in the F1/F2 World Championship where Alberto Ascari won all the races in 1952. More single-seater technology was carried over to the sports-car range a year later when the DeDion-type rear suspension was introduced.

Although the focus seemed to be on the four-cylinder engines, Ferrari did not discard the V12 engine completely. The big fours might have had superior low-end torque, but they could not match the peak horsepower of the high-revving V12s.

Using the latest, three-liter version of the Colombo engine and a slightly lengthened 750 Monza chassis, the Ferrari engineers created the 250 Monza. The V12 was of a similar specification as used in the 250 MM constructed early in 1953. Breathing through three quad-choke Weber Carburetors, it was good for at least 240 horsepower.

Four of these “hybrid” chassis were eventually constructed. Two of them were clothed by Pinin Farina with a design similar to that fitted on the 500 Mondial, and the other two received Scaglietti bodies in the style of the 750 Monza.

The first chassis was retained to be used by the Works team while the other three were sold to Italian customers. The privateer cars were quite successfully raced in local Italian events from March 1954, taking victory in a variety of races. The first came on June 2 when Gerino Gerini drove one of the Scaglietti-bodied cars to a victory in the Giro dell'Umbria. 

The 250 Monza was reced for a decade in Venezuela and Brazil. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

This same chassis was raced later that year to a commendable fifth overall and third in class in the grueling Carrera Pan Americana. The Pinin Farina-bodied Works car scored the type's biggest victory: the Hyeres 6 Hours on June 6 in the hands of Trintignant and Piotti.

After 1954, the days of the Colombo V12 as a competition engine really seemed over. Ferrari had expanded their line-up with two six-cylinder models, which were blisteringly quick but a little fragile. While Ferrari raced the four-cylinder, six-cylinder and long-block V12 sports racers, the short-block engine had found a new home in the popular and very successful 250 GT model.

Rule changes at the end of the 1956 season brought Ferrari's attention back on the three-liter V12 engine and following the basic design of the 250 Monza, the Italians rolled out the 250 Testa Rossa for 1957 and the rest, so they say, is history. 

source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/vintage-an-amazing-ferrari-barn-find
by Wouter Melissen


http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - 1954 Corvette barn find - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

Hemmings reader Joel says when he first heard about the 1954 Corvette sitting in a pine grove for 45 years, he figured he'd find a fiberglass shell sitting atop the rusted remnants of a frame. He thought the early Vette might at least make a nice street rod.

But when he finally saw the car way up in the Colorado Smokies, he was stunned. Not only did the car still have its original hardtop, but the frame was rust free and the "original painted frame stamp from the factory is still on the frame and very much legible," Joel tells Hemmings Auto Blogs.

The story is that the car's second owner drove the Corvette to a friend's house in 1963 to have the seats re-covered. He replaced the driver's seat with a wooden Pepsi box and drove home where he parked it beneath the pine trees until Joel pulled it out.

Now Joel has a conundrum. After getting the car running again, he's totally ruled out street rod, but doesn't know what to do with the car. Frame off? Survivor-car preservation? Currently, Hemmings readers are unanimously recommending the preservation route, arguing there are already too many half-million-dollar frame off restorations out there.

We've all dreamed about this happening to us

source: http://barnfindautos.com/Barn_Find_Stories.html

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Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Camaro barn find, with a twist. - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

Thirteen years ago I moved to my current home which is situated in a horseshoe shaped neighborhood with 50 homes, each home on one acre of land.  While I still do not know all 49 neighbors by name, I have waved at them all at one time or another as I have driven by…. except one, which, in 13 years of living here, I have never seen.

Three weeks ago a friend and fellow car nut that lives 317 miles to the west (but still in Texas, ya’ll) called me to pass on a lead he had on a ‘67 Camaro.  This guy is a serious “first Gen” Camaro hunter and can track down hidden Camaros like a bird dog does hidden quail.  Every now and then he calls to pass on a lead.  Needless to say, I am always happy to hear that friendly west Texas accent on the phone.  I was told the car was in a barn somewhere in my city and given a number and a name along with the few vague details that were known about the car;  “….. project car with motor missing, but the car might be an RS, and it might even be an RS/SS, and it’s even possible it was a big block RS/SS…..”.  

Project cars with missing motors are not something I would normally fool with, but, given that it was somewhere in Keller, I thought I would at least make the call.  Within 10 minutes I was peaking to the fellow who confirmed he had an old Camaro sitting in the barn behind his house.  When I asked him where he lived, instead of telling me the exact street, he told me the street that his neighborhood was off of.  What a coincidence, my neighborhood was off the same street.  When I informed him that I was also located off that street and told him the exact street I lived on there was a long silence on his end.  Perhaps you have guessed by now – the guy who had the Camaro stashed in his barn lived on my very street only seven houses down.  The neighbor I had not seen in the thirteen years that I lived here had a ‘67 Camaro stashed in his barn behind a house I had driven by a million times.  The Camaro had been stashed back for that someday restoration that never came.  I met my neighbor and a deal was made.  Below are the pictures of the Camaro the day I pulled it out of the barn. Turns out it was an RS/SS.  Too bad the motor was missing, too bad it wasn’t a big block car and too bad I bought it …. now I have to figure out what to do with it.

 

source: http://barnfindautos.com/Barn_Find_Stories.html

 

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Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Restore a Race Car - FZ Restoration Livermore- (925)294-5666

As I sauntered up to the track, the antique Midget racer jumped; its Model A Ford engine coughed, and then it roared to life. Its proud owner eased it around the improvised dirt track for a couple of laps to warm it up, and then shot down the straightaway like a spit-out watermelon seed and snapped into a roaring power slide at the turn. I was surprised at how fast the tiny racer could go. But then that engine did have 200 cubic inches to play with, and had been souped up, as they used to say.

I had stumbled onto a get-together of a club of guys who collect and race old dirt-track cars. Most of the machines were painted in vintage schemes, often with the names of famous drivers on them. There was one outfitted with an early Chevy straight-six sporting three carbs, and there were also a couple of Thirties-era cars with Ford V-8 60s in them making that wonderful sonorous roar that only a vintage flathead produces.

One of the members of the club was a dairy farmer who had cleared a track in his pasture with a scraper and invited the guys over. I was cruising along a nearby highway when I glimpsed one of the machines screaming down a straightaway in the distance. To my wife's chagrin, I turned off and found the farmer's driveway. Being an old-school reporter, I kept going until someone stopped me.

No one did.

Actually, the guys were happy to show off their machines. The sounds, along with the smells of gasoline, alcohol, oil and rubber, took me back to my childhood, when my father and my uncle Benny used to take me to the speedway on Saturday night. And each May, we used to cluster around the radio to listen to the Indianapolis 500. I was a little kid, but I remember the era well.

Many of the early Midgets, Sprint Cars, and Indy roadsters--especially the Offenhauser-powered ones--made awesome power and could be over-driven quite easily, with tragic results. Hot rods of the time were much the same: The rodders of yesteryear were better at making cars go fast than they were at making them handle or stop. Those refinements came later. And in reality, until the middle of the last century, most race cars were actually "specials" or hot rods, not high-tech purpose-built machines that cost easily seven figures.

It was so heartening to see and hear those old race cars again. I have an enduring fondness for American backyard specials, whether they're dirt track machines or lakesters. Don't get me wrong: I deplore seeing restorable vintage cars made into hot rods today, but I am glad people are restoring the historic rods and race cars of yesteryear and putting them back the way they were in the old days.

You can easily spot the old originals. They don't look like today's lollipops with their Chevy small-blocks, Turbo 350 transmissions, chrome differential covers and absurdly fat tires. In fact, in the old days, they usually had tall rear tires in order to get top end performance out of the old flathead V-8s coupled to low rearend ratios.

For instance, at a swap meet awhile back, I saw a nearly perfect original track rod. It was a 1934 Ford fenderless highboy roadster with a later Mercury flathead engine, tall, thin rear wheels, and no interior except for a seat. The welds on the chassis were sloppy, the paint was a faded baby blue, and the whole car had the look of what was called a jalopy in the Forties. It was an authentic, original backyard special. And just so you'd know, in the front seat of this blast-from-the-past was a hand-lettered sign that said "It IS restored, ****head."

Years ago, most race cars in the U.S. were cobbled together specials made out of standard production cars. Even the Indianapolis 500 was full of Studebaker, Ford and GMC stock-block engines and running gear. It was a creative and innovative time when the automobile was still being perfected--unlike today, when the race entrants are all stultifyingly identical cars and everything revolves around corporate sponsors.

We've forgotten that Indy started out as an endurance race, hence the 500 miles. The pits in those days were holes in the ground in which mechanics could stand and work on the cars. Daring drivers were much admired back then, but the race was more about the cars.

As evidence of what I am talking about, at Indy, you still qualify the car, not the driver. A team can switch drivers before the race if it chooses, but a driver can't substitute his backup car at the last minute the way he can in other modern races. And I must confess, I like it that way.

I will watch the 500 again this year, as I have followed it every year since 1955, when I was listening to it on the radio with my dad as we polished the family Pontiac. I remember it well because it was the year Vukie (Bill Vukovich Sr.) was killed in a horrific crash. But now, sadly, the race doesn't mean much to me. Now it's all about strategy.

Gone are the days when Freddie Agabashian put a Cummins Diesel-powered car on the pole. (He failed to win because his car was so heavy that he couldn't keep tires on it.) That was 1952. Back when the cars--and some of the drivers--were loud, smelly brutes. Back before the pretty boys and girls in their corporate logo-plastered driving suits, with their identical cars costing astronomical sums, preened in front of the cameras.

I still follow racing, but I'd rather watch a Ford 60-powered Midget painted up in Gilmore racing livery, driven by an enthusiastic amateur around a farmer's paddock, than go to a major event. That's how it all started, and that was when racing was at its most unpredictable, exciting best.

Keep American auto racing alive. Restore a backyard special.

 

This article originally appeared in the July, 2009 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.

from Hemmings Classic Car

July, 2009 - Jim Richardson

 

 

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Vintage and Exotic Restoration - The Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta - FZ Restoration Livermore - (925)294-5666

Between 1974 and 1977, Ferrari and McLaren had been the dominant forces in Formula One, however Lotus quickly became a force again. This was largely down to the 'ground effect' aerodynamics introduced in 1977 on the Lotus 78. Few of Lotus' rivals, Ferrari included, realized just how the new Lotus worked and continued much along the same lines for the 1978 season. Instead of developing a 'ground effect' car, Ferrari's Mauro Forghieri spent the winter adapting to the team's new Michelin radial tires.

Although the 1978 Ferrari was dubbed the 312 T3, it was far more than an evolution of the 1977 World Championship winning 312 T2. The car sported a brand new chassis, which was required to make the most use of the Michelin radial tires, which replaced the conventional Goodyear tires used during the previous seasons. The switch was a daring move as although in theory the sophisticated radial tyres should provide a performance benefit, they had not been extensively used for racing yet.

The aluminium monocoque chassis itself was wholly conventional. Suspension was by lower wishbones and a top rocker arm at the front and a reversed lower wishbones, top links and radius arms at the rear. Ventilated Lockheed discs brakes were used on all four corners, mounted in-board at the rear. What was carried over from the 312 T2 was the very powerful 180° V12 engine. This was used as a fully stressed engine along with the transverse gearbox, from which the 'T' moniker was derived.

Whereas the Lotus relied on underbody tunnels to generate the now vital downforce, Forghieri used more old fashioned aerodynamic devices. At the front a full width, single piece wing was used while a two-piece rear wing was mounted on top of the gearbox. Compared to the earlier 312 T and T2, the new T3 sported a more angular body which itself was also shaped like a wing to generate downforce. The engine intakes were moved from the flanks to the very front of the body, running through the larger side-pods.

Even before the end of the 1977 season, newly crowned World Champion Niki Lauda had left the team. His place alongside Carlos Reutemann was taken by talented Canadian Gilles Villeneuve. This driver pairing was retained for the 1978 season. Lauda meanwhile had joined the Brabham team, which used engines produced by Ferrari's arch-rival Alfa Romeo. While the new 312 T3 was still being developed in Europe, Ferrari used the 312 T2 for the opening two rounds with success as Reutemann won the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Reutemann continued his winning ways soon after the 312 T3 made its debut, winning the USA Grand Prix West at Long Beach. With the introduction of the even more advanced Lotus 79 at the Belgian Grand Prix, the tables turned in the favour of former Ferrari racer Mario Andretti. Reutemann nevertheless managed to score wins at the British Grand Prix and the USA Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Villeneuve scored a memorable first win at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal, at the track, which would later be named after him.

With Andretti and Lotus winning both titles, the writing was on the wall and for 1979 Forghieri developed the ground effect 312 T4. Considering what it was up against, the 312 T3 did very well, scoring four wins and propelling Reutemann to a third in the championship. As had become the norm, the now old 312 T3s were pressed into service for the opening races of the 1979 season. They were fitted with skirts, which helped little in the way of generating downforce. However, once the 312 T4 came on song, Ferrari returned to their winnings.

source: Wouter Melissen  | http://www.ultimatecarpage.com 

 

 

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Vintage and Exotic Restoration - The Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta - FZ Restoration Livermore - (925)294-5666

The Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta, which scored the first Le Mans win for Ferrari in what was the first post-war Le Mans

 Ferrari's first sports racing cars rank among the historians biggest nightmare; the cars were a continually changing mix of engines, chassis and body styles. The car that is currently believed to be the oldest existing Ferrari chassis, s/n 002C, has been fitted with at least three different engines and as many bodies. At the end of 1948 Ferrari launched their first 'production' car and from then onward the history of Ferrari cars gets a little less complex. To commemorate the victory of a Ferrari 166 Sport in the Mille Miglia, the new competition car is dubbed 166 MM Touring-Barchetta.

Technically the 166 MM was very similar to the first Ferraris, and shared the tubular frame that was characteristic for all of the company's sports cars of the 1940s and 1950s. Suspension was equally straightforward with wishbones at the front and a live rear axle at the rear. Where the early Ferraris really excelled was in the engine compartment, which housed the beautifully Gioacchino Colombo designed V12. In its first configuration the tiny engine only displaced 1.5 litre, but in its third incarnation had grown in size to just under two litres or 166 cc per cylinder.

What set the 166 MM apart from the previous Ferrari racers was the new car's body design and construction, for which a third party was commissioned. What the small car needed was a lightweight body; a task ideally suited for Touring of Milan whose Superleggera designs were the lightest available. At the car's Turin launch the press quickly dubbed the Touring bodystyle fitted 'Barchetta', which is Italian for little boat. The name stuck, as did the design, which today is the most famous Touring design ever fitted on a Ferrari chassis.

Ferrari had intended the 166 MM mainly as a customer racing car, but when they discovered the potential a number of works cars were also built. Between 1948 and 1950 just 30 examples were constructed of which 25 were fitted with the Touring Barchetta body. By the time the last 166 MM rolled off the line, Ferrari had diverted their attention at exploring the full potential of the long block Lampredi design V12. In those early 1950s the interest in two litre racers quickly grew and to meet the demand Ferrari developed a second series of 166 MMs in 1953.

Both in the hands of the works drivers and privateers the 166 MM proved to be a very commendable racer, with a large number of class and overall victories. The most famous of these victories was scored at Le Mans in 1949, where Ferrari scored a victory the first time out. The winning car was entered by Lord Selsdon, but the later North American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti did most of the driving, 23 hours to be precise. The only reason Lord Selsdon took the helm of his Ferrari was to comply with the regulations.

The 166 MM was a big success on and off the track and contributed greatly to the conversion of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team to a full fledged manufacturer of road and racing cars. After being abandoned for a number of years, the Colombo engine was revived and would form the basis of the 250 GT series powerplant, which had an identical bore as the 166 MM engine.

source: Wouter Melissen  | http://www.ultimatecarpage.com 

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Vintage and Exotic Restoration - Ferrari Track Day: Rain Leads to 3 Crashes [Video] - FZ Restoration Livermore - (925)294-5666

“Tail-happy” becomes The Expression to use when attending a Ferrari track day, but when rain steps in, the line between this and “kiss the guardrail” becomes a very thin one. The latest example comes in the adjacent video, which shows three crashed Prancing Horses.

The footage was captured on the Spa Francorchamps track in Belgium and, as the uploader explains, “the weather conditions were very bad, it was raining the whole day.”

The clip allows us to see a Grey Ferrari 430 Scuderia, as well as a Red 458 and a White 458, which have all bee crashed throughout the day. While the Red 458 has obviously taken the most damage, the White one is interesting to look at, wearing Green paint marks at both ends.

 

 

source: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ferrari-track-day-rain-leads-to-3-crashes-video-62291.html

 

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