2024-11-11: Maserati and McLaren Monday with iconic racers ...
Today we take a closer look at three iconic Maserati and McLaren racers. The earliest is this
Maserati 250F, which was a works car used during the 1955 season. In addition to Grand Prix events, it was also raced to victory in the International Gold Cup by Stirling Moss. From 1956, it was raced by privateer teams but continued to be maintained at the factory. Not raced again after 1959, it was preserved for many years in the Donington Grand Prix Collection museum. Chassis
2515 was mechanically restored during the 2010s and finally returned to the track at this year's
Monaco Historic Grand Prix.
The other Maserati highlighted today is this
A6GCS/53. It was acquired new by a Sicilian nobleman and fittingly debuted in the 1955 Giro di Sicilia. Following its period racing career, it spent many years in Germany, notably in the fabulous Rosso Bianco museum. From 2012,
2085 has been in Spanish hands and regularly raced in historic events.
Fast forward to 1997, when this
McLaren F1 GTR Longtail was produced. It debuted with a victory in the hands of Gary Ayles and Chris Goodwin and was subsequently raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA GT Championship. Following a brief active spell in 1999, it was retired from racing. Now meticulously restored to its original configuration and colours,
27R was reunited with Ayles during this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed.
2024-11-07: RM Sotheby's Munich sale with modern speedsters and Porsche 550 Spyder ...
In what is still a busy auction season, RM Sotheby's will stage their annual
Munich sale. Among the consignments are two prominent collections but also several offering from individual collectors. This includes a pair of modern, limited-production speedsters. While most of these cars are bought as investments, that certainly was not the case with this
Ferrari Monza SP1. A true single seater, it was finished in the same titanium grey and yellow of the launch version. Its first and only owner actually used the
SP1 and accrued just over 1,900 km during the last two years. It is now estimated to find its second custodian for over €3 million.
The
Aston Martin V12 Speedster also due to cross the block is more typical. Since being delivered little over a year ago, it has covered only 46 km. Finished in Aston Martin Racing Green, the
Speedster is the 61st of 88 built and should sell for around €800,000.
One of the collection offered is the formidable stable assembled by German Dieter Aumann over the last four decades. Among the most interesting cars from the collection is this matching numbers
Porsche 550 RS Spyder. It was raced in period by an American gentleman racer and has just five owners from new. Offered for the first time in 32 years, chassis
550-0072 has a €3.4 - €4.2 million estimate.
2024-11-04: Two iconic Shadow racing cars that starred at Goodwood this year ...
One of the absolute highlights of this season was the strong Shadow presence at the Goodwood events, starting with the
Members' Meeting where 50 years of the end of Can-Am was celebrated and then concluded at the
Festival of Speed with a special Shadow class. Today, we picked two fascinating Shadow racers that were used during the 1973 season. The most ferocious is no doubt the
DN2 Chevrolet, which competed in that year's Canadian-American Challenge Cup. From 1974, the regulations were more restrictive, so the DN2 can very much be considered the ultimate Chevrolet big-block Can-Am racer. One of just two built,
DN2-1A was raced predominantly by Jackie Oliver, who scored third and second place finishes with the car. It was also fielded once for future Formula 1 World Champion James Hunt. It was demonstrated at both events by its current American owner, who also successfully raced it the Nürburgring later in the year.
Demonstrated at the Festival of Speed was a
great example of the first Shadow Formula 1 car; the DN1. Like the DN2, it was designed by Tony Southgate and sported the same sinister black livery. Also raced in period by Jackie Oliver, the best achievement of
DN1-6A was a third place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix.
2024-10-31: 2024 Estoril Classics report and 200-shot gallery ...
Earlier this month, the Peter Auto series celebrated its season finale during the annual
Estoril Classics. As it was the final meeting of the year, there were not only race wins but also championships up for grabs. As has been the case for several years now, the familiar Peter Auto grids were joined by the local Iberian Historic Endurance series and a special Classic Grand Prix field for pre-1986 Formula 1 cars. With ten different grids in action during the three-day meeting, the action was virtually non-stop. There were many great races with close battles to decide the race wins and the final championship order. A particular highlight was the Classic Endurance Racing 1 race, which saw Armand Mille come achingly close to victory from the last row of the grid and the first Endurance Racing Legends race, which was held in complete darkness. The weather was uncharacteristic for the beautiful area but that did not dampen the spirits for the competitors and the enthusiast crowd that came to the track.
Our photographers were also at the former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix to capture the Estoril Classics in a
concise report and a
200-shot gallery.
2024-10-29: Jaguar XKSS headed for auction, Junkyard sale headliners and new 911 Carrera T ...
At this weekend's London sale, RM Sotheby's will offer this beautifully preserved
XKSS. It was originally conceived as a D-Type and sold to noted Jaguar enthusiast Phil Scragg. A year after taking delivery, he had it upgraded to XKSS configuration by the factory. As such, it is the only factory-built XKSS to retain its D-Type chassis number. Having had just three owners in the last four decades, chassis
XKD 540 is expected to sell for £9,000,000 - 11,000,000.
This past weekend, all eyes were on the Los Angeles junkyard of Porche Foreign Auto Wrecking where the legendary Rudi Klein Collection was housed. Over the years, the German-born enthusiast had amassed a formidable collection of classic cars, which he stored, untouched in his wrecking yard. While most cars were in derelict condition, the opportunity to acquire rare cars that had not been seen in decades clearly had an allure on the bidders. Leading the way was this
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy, which is one of just 29 built and the only one originally finished in black. With a final sales price of $9,355,000, the top estimate was handsomely exceeded. Topping the estimate nearly twofold was this early
Lamborghini Miura, which had been part of the Rudi Klein Collection since 1978. Although in need of a complete restoration, some paid $1,325,000 for the privilege of owning it.
The latest addition to the 992 II-generation Porsche 911 line-up is the Carrera T in both
Coupe and
Cabriolet form. Compared to the first 992 Carrera T, the latest version is slightly more powerful but has retained the lightweight mantra and six-speed manual gearbox.
2024-10-25: 2024 Spa Six Hours report and 170-shot gallery ...
Last month, we travelled to the
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the third time in four months, this time to cover the 31st annual
Spa Six Hours. One of the most prestigious historic races on the calendar, the Spa Six Hours is a true test for man and machine. As always at Spa, the ever changeable weather conditions were a factor but more so for the support events. The build-up to the big race consisted of an entertaining support program with a large variety of sports car and single seater races. We were particularly taken by the bumper grids for the Historic Grand Prix Association and Masters Racing Legends races. The Spa Six Hours race itself had more than its fair share of close racing, a surprise leader and last-minute drama.
Our photographers were on hand throughout the event and have chronicled the highlights in a
concise report, illustrated by a
170-shot gallery, which includes the Spa Six Hours from start to finish.