I love the swagger of a vintage Ferrari racing car. They are elegant, confident, and just exude the sense that they are the one to beat.
There are always more than a few gems hanging out in the paddock at Lime Rock Park and this Ferrari 250 GT SWB was no exception. It has everything I look for in a vintage Ferrari racer. It’s just so Italian, and it is a magnet for attention.
Enjoy the pics!
Continue reading Ferrari 250 GT SWB in the Paddock at Lime Rock
We had the pleasure of seeing this car and having a nice chat with the Amiral a few years back at Radnor Hunt. It’s a very unique and striking Ferrari with some unbelievable stories.
Enjoy!
-Nick
For this 4th of July post, I thought it fitting to share what is probably the most valuable and coveted American car on the planet, the Shelby Daytona Coupe at the Simeone Museum. It is one of just six Daytona Coupes made, and it may be the only one left in original condition. Simeone has written an expansive piece on the history of this car, which you can read here.
We hadn’t been to the museum in a while, so we decided to stop by after the rain hit the CF Charities event a few weeks ago. It’s always more than worth it to see all of the insane machines they have in one place. I highly recommend it!
Happy 4th!
-Nick
Coming out of the Amelia Island Concours on Saturday we found this leaving the driveway of the Ritz. A Porsche 959 Group B Rally car pulling out onto the public road. This is the sort of insanity you see all weekend, and it’s awesome!
Continue reading Porsche 959 Rally Car Spotted at Amelia Island
Ah, the legendary Alfa Romeo Tipo 33. It was a successful racing platform, and it birthed one of my most lusted-after road cars of all time, the Tipo 33 Stradale.
Get this though, this 1975 Tipo 33 racecar is powered by a 3 liter flat 12 that makes a massive 500hp at 11,000 RPM. I wonder how that sounds…
Enjoy the gallery!
Continue reading Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Coupe by Nastasi Racing at Greenwich
Similar to the modern F12 TDF, the 250 Tour de France was the hardcore version of the Ferrari 250 grand touring lineup in the late 1950s. The difference was that 250 TDFs were actually built for competition in the biggest races of their day, such as the Mille Miglia. This was literally a road-going GT car turned into a full-on racecar, rather than “just” a more focused track day car like the modern F12. The world has changed a lot since the 1950s, though, as you could actually drive most racecars on public roads back then. I just love the idea that you could drive this 250 TDF to the race, compete flat-out, and then drive the car home afterward (if it was still in one piece).
Also, road or racing, the 250 TDF makes it look so damn good…
The Lancia 037 is one of the most legendary rally cars of all time. We were privileged to see this one, dressed in stunning Martini livery, at Radnor Hunt. I love how extreme the 037 is, I mean it’s a supercharged exotic rally car, and in the most Italian way possible.
This is how Ferrari does a 4 banger, to race competitively in the lower displacement classes. The 750 Monza was an evolution of the Ferrari 500 Mondial. It featured a larger 3.0L inline four that produced a healthy 250hp… very healthy indeed when you consider this car only weighs 1,600 lbs.
This 750 Monza showed up outside the Ritz Carlton during the Amelia Island Concours Weekend. It was quite stunning. Enjoy!
This immaculate Ferrari 166 MM is one of those restorations that almost certainly looks better today than the day it left the factory. Keep in mind, these cars were originally built for sports car racing, and the MM in the name stands for Mille Miglia – arguably the most insane road race of all time. Beauty was secondary to the this Ferrari’s original function, but now that it’s a classic, worth millions of dollars, beauty has become its primary purpose. Given that change, it makes sense that the workmanship would take a step up during the restoration. Racecars are mean to be pushed to destruction in the pursuit of victory, show cars are meant to be a timeless spectacle for the eye.
Looking at these photos, it seems this Ferrari 166 MM has made that jump, and they did a spectacular job with it.
Enjoy!
Taking a trip down memory lane, looking through the photos I’ve taken over the years, I stumbled across this gem from Pebble Beach in 2011. It’s none other than Sir Stirling Moss, and he’s driving the legendary Mercedes 300 SLR 722 in which he won the 1955 Mille Miglia. He set the all-time speed record for the Mille Miglia that year, and it has never been beaten. Â I realized I hadn’t shared it yet, and it definitely needed to be published.
Sir Stirling Moss is a gentleman about as epic as they come. His wit is hysterical in conversation, and he’s an absolutely fearless driver. Stirling didn’t just put-put the SLR around at the event either. No, after I snapped the shot above, he took the 722 down to the shoreline for a quick photo-op, and then proceeded to absolutely flog the car up the side road behind the lodge. The crowd had moved on while Sir Stirling was having his photo-op, and everyone was astonished and surprised as the SLR’s racing-spec straight-six was fully unleashed, tires screeched, and we all saw a silver flash pass between the openings between buildings. The sound was delicious to our ears, and I was beyond thrilled to see the man himself give it the beans for old time’s sake.
Sure, the 300 SLR 722 is about as valuable as a car can be, easily worth $50 million + if it ever went to auction, but who better to let it rip than the man who still know’s it best? It’s a moment I will surely never forget.
More photos of the car from Pebble Beach below, as well as two videos about Sir Stirling Moss and this most-insane Mercedes racecar.
 
Petrolicious on the 1955 Milli Miglia:
My video from a press conference Sir Stirling held at Lime Rock:
The folks at Petrolicious never fail to arose the agony of desire in my soul. I would commit any number of crimes just to be able to drive a Jaguar D-Type for 15 minutes, but the owner of this car has driven it over 20,000 miles. I can only imagine what that has been like!
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 