Lately, I've been obsessing on late 50's and early 60's road race cars. I've always thought it would be pretty incredible to own and drive one of these cars on the street. My dream varies... Sometimes I'm driving a '63...<BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Im with you boss. I'm a sports car guy from wayyyyy back. I found my way here poking around for info on Devin specials and, well, got ****ed in. Anywho, here are some videos I found on another blog. I've posted the links before but they fit right in here. Oh, and the cool thing with the small bore cars is they are usually better balanced, are light and handle well. There is a guy with a Triumph TR3 based special called Peyote that thoroughly enjoys embarr***ing Corvettes. Pomona, 1956. Yup same place where they hold the GNRS, LA Roadster Show and the Winternats. http://vimeo.com/9644417 Paramount Ranch, 1956. They only ran three sports car races at Paramount Ranch. It was closed to racing after two fatal crashes. It's now a National Park and about 80% of the track is still there. http://vimeo.com/9498899 Riverside, 1957. Big names in big cars. I can't tell you how many weekends I spent at Riverside. I burned a lot of film there too. http://vimeo.com/9247653 Torrey Pines, 1954. On the cliffs overlooking the blue Pacific. http://vimeo.com/9378621 Kurt O.
I know the little motor cars make for more rewarding road racing, but I'm dreaming of something I can terrorize women and small children with. Big motor, big brakes, smoky tires, etc...
"lower cube cl*** cars (read: girl cars)" LMAO. That's some funny **** right there. I sometimes dream of havinig my own Cheetah.
hey ryan google meadow dale raceway in chicagoland. it was a roadcourse out here in the 60's that had a monza wall..they also raced full size stockcars.....then there is a privetly owned roadcose in joilet il right now. a lot of the owners out there have some vintage cars and the race around the track for fun.
This is your Daddy coming out in you! I have always much preferred road racing cars to drag cars (even though you and I have done a great deal of drag racing). There ain't nothin' cooler than a 57 or 63 Vette. You can quote me on that. POP
Ya, I know what you mean. Lotus 23s are cool and fast but a McLaren M8F with an injected 510ci aluminum big block, now THAT is a race car! Drop the pedal on one of those and the earth slows down. Kurt O.
Frankly, its a bore the narrator seemingly has a stick up his *** Geez! I couldnt handle it just in the first few secs. Anyway, Ive always wanted a 63 Grand Sport over a Cobra.
Hey, Kurt: I'm a Lola T70 guy. I know you remember those Penske cars running at Riverside. I still think that's the perfect race car: ***y body, screaming Chevy smallblock, total ********** on the track. Awesome.
I must concur. I started out racing a little 356, them moved to a GT350 and now a historic Trans Am Camaro. Everyone has a favorite but since vintage racing is all about fun...more noise and excess horsepower equals more fun in my book. Nothing like throttle steering a 2800lb car around Laguna Seca.
The T70 was a truly iconic car. One of the last of the low drag designs, before Jim Hall showed everyone the importance of downforce. The T70 coupes are even prettier. I saw a T70 coupe driving down the Ventura Freeway about 1972 and it was like seeing a UFO. California dreamin' Kurt O.
Great video Ryan. It makes me remember the toughest car in town which was a 289 powered Griffith. Man, whe all drooled over that one. I too have had quite a few sports cars in the past, but now lean towards open wheel fun, and the sound of a V8.
One of the best events around here is the Limerock Vintage Festival every Labor Day. Limerock is a road course in Lakeville, CT They race all years and cl***es but the 60's big displacement cl***es are the best. You can see Jags, Cobras, Shelby Mustangs, and Vettes going at it on a road course.
You never lived until you vintage race BIR ( the full 3 mile course ) in a vintage bug eye sprite. That would be 120 mph turn one and two on 145/65 radial tires. That is no girly ride. Road America would even take more courage in Canada corner.
Ryan, I cut my teeth on sports car racing at the Glen, and really appreciate this post. I think this may have even been before the Dogleg was built there? My dream rides were D-Jag, Lotus Elans, and any Cunningham.
Too many damn furrin' cars in that video! ... though, for some strange reason, I really enjoyed the short clips of a certain eyetalian marque ... * 07:00 mark (white car) * 10:04 mark (#84FP) * 16:06 mark (DOHC engine) * 17:11 mark ("ZETA") * 23:02 mark (#15EP)
I keep going back and forth about what to put under this. I thought it was a Devin, turns out its a Byers, which was a copy of a Devin, which was itself a copy of a car called an Ermini. I figured I'd drop it over a TR3 ch***is (I have a lot of TR parts hanging around) but the more time I spend around here I start thinking about a homebuilt ch***is with maybe early Jag or Corvette suspension, a 283 with a 4-speed set back as far as possible. Kind of a poor man's Scarab. Kurt O.
With these guys http://www.robinautomotive.com/ right across the way from my shop, I get the live version of Can Am thunder all the time
Man, I've got to figure out how to get my Dad's slides, scanned, while Ryan is interested in this. They are from the first weekend, after they paved the race course at Watkins Glen!
It was mounted on a VW at one time but the rear deck is too low to clear the engine fan shroud. The body was really meant for a front engine sports car size ch***is like an MG or Triumph. Devin made a body with a raised rear deck for VW, Porsche and later Corvair power but the Byers wan't really meant for a rear engine. Kurt O.
Something in the vein of "Old Yella" would be fun and 'do-able' if not strictly historic. Personally, I have always like the idea of a track roadster type build (anyone seen the book 'Hot Rod'?), but with something 'interesting' for motivation.... a Moser Chevy, Weslake Ford, early Hemi etc. Hmmmmmmm Rod
Ryan, I'ld give my left nut for one of these, and I'ld need to save the other one to hold on to while going down a straight a-way at 200+ mph! Bill Thomas's 1963 Cheetah is one bad-*** race car! If ya never been to Road America near Elkhart Lake, WI., your missing out! There's a lot of racing history there. The first races were ran through the town of Elkhart and around the lake. It was finally moved to it's current location do to the loss and death of spectators standing a long side of the race/road way. There are excellent books out there that tell true stories back in the day when it all begain. Here is a small fraction of pics that I've taken at Road America over the years. This weekend is in honor of Jim Hall and his Chaparrals, another one of my favorite road race cars. A few more from RA. Your lucky the maximum upload was meet for pictures, I could have been here all night! I was headed to bed about a hour ago, until I found this thread. It's a good one to! Thanks for the cool video, Ryan! Road America would be a great place for a H.A.M.B. gathering! Don't get me started on Gran-sport Corvettes and Kellison kit cars! Keeper cool! Matt
Here's a film of the 1963 USRRC race at Pacific Raceways (Seattle) won by Pedro Rodriguez. <object height="385" width="480"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNT3ETu8G0M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></object>
Speed Addict, the Simione museum in Philadelphia just obtained the Penske #2 Grand Sport. I haven't gone to see it yet. I understand it is in it's last configuration, 427 roadster. My dreamcar has always been a Cheatah.
The Jalopy Journal
