In racing there are few things more exciting than watching a smaller, seemingly underpowered cars take on more potent opposition. These David vs. Goliath match-ups are a rare sight these days but were very common back in the 1950s and 1960s when the grids were much more varied. Today we take a closer look at two very famous 'giant slayers.'
Colin Chapman's design philosophy of 'add more lightness' greatly contributed in the exceptional performance of his Lotus cars on the track. One of the last of his great road racers was the Elan 26R. Based on the road going Elan, it uses the typical Lotus backbone chassis combined with the twin-cam Cosworth/BRM tuned 1.6 litre four cylinder. Between 1964 and 1966 these nimble machines dominated their class and regularly beat much larger engined opposition. It is estimated that nearly a hundred were built all of which were raced by privateers. In our feature gallery we have shots of six examples in action during the 2007 Goodwood Revival and 2008 Monterey Historic Races.
In 1950s Italy many privateer racers sent their machines to Abarth to have the engine tuned or to Zagato for a lightweight and slippery body. It was only logical that the two companies would eventually team up. Taking the very modest Fiat 600 as a base, they created Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato. Abarth enlarged the engine to 747 cc and Zagato provided the bodywork. The result was 43 bhp in a 535 kg and absolute domination in the 750 class of international racing. Among the dozens of victories were class wins in the Mille Miglia and in the Sebring 12 Hours. Needless to say the tiny Abarths were often found ahead of machinery with twice or three times the engine size. Our detailed article is illustrated with pictures of two fine examples.

Courtesy of the Ford Motor Company we can kick the new year off with a big bang. Ahead of the official launch at the upcoming North American International Auto Show the 'Blue Oval' released the first details of the all new Shelby Mustang GT500. Based on the recently face-lifted Mustang, the new GT500 packs a formidable punch; the supercharged V8 engine now produces a staggering 540 bhp. The quad-cam eight cylinder was previously used in the limited 'King of the Road' edition of the previous generation Mustang. Just like the 'standard' version, the GT500 sports numerous refinements and improvements compared to the outgoing model. The interior the new 'super pony car' is a combination of subtle hints to the classic Shelby Mustangs and of modern technology like the Sync communication system developed with Microsoft.
To be sold as a 2010 model, the new GT500 will be available in a Coupe and Convertible versions. One question remains; will the potential new King of the Road model beat the 600 bhp barrier?
Rounding off we would like to wish you, our many readers, a happy and prosperous new year. As you have become used to we will once again attend and cover all the major events as well as highlight all the new cars and many of the great classics.