I’ve held a fascination with land-speed records for as long as I can remember. When I saw two belly-tank racers sitting on the show field in the Concours of America this summer, I made a beeline for the section and started looking at what was on hand. Back in the early 1930s, salt flat racing in Bonneville became massively popular, having started in 1914–and people are still out there every year attempting to set new records in an ever-evolving form of motorsport. These cars all hail from the prewar era and looked fantastic in period-correct trimmings. From belly-tanker racers to a few old-school hot rods modified for salt, the history was all in plain sight. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Bonneville Salt Flats Record Cars at the 2015 Concours of America→
In 1995 the McLaren F1 GTR dominated the 24 hours of Le Mans, beating out purpose-built prototype cars for a 1st overall victory. This feat has never been accomplished since by any road-car-based GT class car. And when I say McLaren “dominated” Le Mans that year, I mean they finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th positions overall. Not bad for a modified version of a road-going supercar, which was never initially intended to go racing.
With that huge victory, the folks at McLaren were inspired to give the F1’s racing their all. That meant the car needed to be lightened even further and optimized for racing duties. Aerodynamics were key, and they wound up elongating the F1’s shape into what became known as the “Longtail.” McLaren also managed to take another 135kg out of a car which was already absurdly lightweight. The F1 GTR Longtail was quite an accomplishment, no doubt, and went on to be quite successful in the 1997 season.
In order to compete in racing, McLaren had to build a road-going version of the Longtail, dubbed the “McLaren F1 GT.” Just three F1 GT’s were built, the green prototype (seen here), a red one, and a black one. The green prototype, “XP GT”, has been retained by McLaren themselves, while the other two F1 GTs currently sit in private collections.
McLaren was kind enough to let the world see XP GT at this year’s New York International Auto Show. For me it was a dream come true because I’ve been lusting over this very car since I was a kid. It simply is gorgeous in person.
For a deeper dive into the F1 GT, and every other McLaren model, check out the McLaren Website, they have some great information.
Alfa Romeo had two gorgeous 4Cs on display at Radnor Hunt this year, each with a white over red color combo. White looks fantastic on these cars, and I think I’d even have it over red, especially with that red leather interior.
The Alfa 4C is such a great little car, just a shame they don’t offer it with a stick.
I was totally blown away by this magnificent 1938 Peugeot Darl/Mat at the Concours of America this year. A two-tone yellow paint scheme is always sure to turn some heads, but combined with such nice lines, it took me a while to pick my jaw up off the grass.
The Peugeot Darl’Mat was a sports and racing car of the era. It even saw a class victory at Le Mans in 1938. Underneath its gorgeous bodywork from Marcel Pourtout, this particular car is a Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Legere… the lightest model with the biggest engine.
The 402 Darl’Mat was powered by Peugeot’s 2 Liter overhead valve 4 cylinder engine, which was mated to a 4-speed preselector gearbox. This was all cutting edge tech for racing back in the era, with similar designs found in other notable French racers, such as Delahayes.
As with many 1930’s French cars, this Peugoet’s visual beauty drew me in. In addition to its striking color combo, it has some stunning detail work all around.
With just over 100 Peugeot Darl’Mats built, this car is quite a rare sight, especially when you account for the coachwork.
This surely won my own personal Best In Show award at the Concours Of America this year. Enjoy the gallery!
There were not one, but two brand new Porsche Cayman GT4s at Radnor Hunt this year. I checked out the inside of the yellow display model, and it just felt perfect – the shifter, the driving position, I even liked the stiff clutch pedal for a car like this. I look forward to the day I may get to actually drive one because I’ve heard it is sublime.
Now if only Porsche would give it the shorter final drive ratio that everyone says it needs, then it’d be just about perfect!
Mint green and black two tone is not something you see everyday, and how spectacular it looked on this car. There were other Chevys of the era in attendance at Lead East this year, but this thing stood out for me among the crowd. I was literally drooling over this thing for like 40 minutes (my girlfriend will be happy to confirm).
I always love cars in off-beat and unique colors, but this Bel Air Convertible was also in pristine condition, which helped it draw me in. This is proof that a car does not need to be totally custom to shine at a show like Lead East. With the right options, a factory car can be quite stunning on its own.
When Carroll Shelby got his hands on the Ford Mustang for the very first time, amazing things happened, and history would be changed for good. From 1965 on, once the first GT-350 screamed to life and burned rubber off the assembly line, “Shelby” was associated with the phrase “fast Mustang”. Although little changed in his second year of selling the GT350, demand stayed white-hot. This slick Raven Black fastback is just a small sample of what these cars were capable of–and of those who bought them. Continue reading 1966 Shelby GT-350 at the Concours of America at St. Johns→
And now we bring you our second round of highlights from the 2015 Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance. These were some of the more modern cars on the field, everything from supercars like the Porsche 959 seen above, to a Dodge Charger with a 426 Hemi under the hood. The Radnor Concours was really great this year.
If there’s one thing I do not see at all among any Concours event I attend it is pre-war Plymouths. They aren’t hugely collectible, not very distinctive, and really weren’t a high-class sort of car during the Depression. However, they were cheap and reliable, and often more stylish then at first glance. Luckily, this little roadster got itself a spot at Radnor last weekend. Continue reading 1932 Plymouth P8 Sport Roadster at the 2015 Radnor Hunt Concours→
More American steel action, here is our 3rd round of highlights from Lead East 2015.
What I love most about all of these custom cars is the level of personality they possess. When a person builds a car into a custom ride, aspects of their personality rub off on the car, bringing the machine that much more to life.
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Mind Over Motor 