Posts from ‘Motorsports’
1955 Chevrolet Corvette “Duntov Mule”
Note: The following story was excerpted from the August 2012 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
As the Chevrolet Corvette’s 60th birthday approaches, it’s easy to forget the two-seater wasn’t a muscular, race-winning sports car from the start. Rushed into production with a “Blue-Flame” six and Chevy’s Powerglide automatic transmission, the car that wowwed Motorama crowds in New York in early ’53 was a tough sell little more than a year later. The addition of Chevy’s new V8 engine in 1955 really didn’t help Corvette sales.
Our Favorite Indy Pace Cars
James Garner
It’s called The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and with as many as 300,000 people in attendance, it likely qualifies as one of the greatest events in professional sports. First run in 1911, the Indianapolis 500 is part of the “triple crown” of auto racing, which also includes the Monaco Gran Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Cars of Ford v Ferrari
A specially constructed “Frankenstein” camera car enabled the makers of Ford v Ferrari to capture exciting on-track footage between the film’s replica Ferrari 330 P3/P4 (left) and Ford GT40 (background) race cars.
In its opening weekend, Ford v Ferrari raked in about 31.5 million dollars, so it’s safe to call this high-octane historic racing film a bona fide success right out of the gate. A key part of the movie’s appeal is the way it captures the look and feel of 1960s sports-car racing—an especially difficult task, considering the current value of the original vehicles involved.
The Speed of Sound: Ford v Ferrari
Christian Bale (left) and Matt Damon in Ford v Ferrari, which opens November 15, nationwide.
Film may have been born as a visual medium, but when the first “talkies” hit the silver screen more than 90 years ago, sound quite literally entered the picture. Should you go to see Ford v Ferrari, the new Hollywood movie about the quest to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, you’ll be glad it did.
Acura: The Racing in its Blood
Production 2019 Acura NSX (left) and competition NSX GT3 Evo (right)
While the annals of automotive history will remember Acura as the first Japanese luxury nameplate to make its mark in the U.S., those with a penchant for racing will remember it for something more…exciting.
Review Flashback! 2006 Ford GT
2006 Ford GT
If you were looking for a solid investment back in 2006, you should have bought Ford. Not Ford stock, mind you, which is worth about the same $8.50 today as it was 13 years ago, but the Ford GT.
1986: Year of Corvette Acronyms
The Corvette did very well in SCCA endurance racing in 1985, a fact that was shared in the car’s 1986 ad campaign.
Maybe it was just the prevailing atmosphere of the Eighties, but when the Chevrolet Corvette was redesigned for 1984, it was no longer a muscle-bound sports car. Instead, it was marketed as a high-tech marvel.
1910 Buick 60 Special “Bug” Racecar
by Jack Stewart
Note: The following story was excerpted from the February 2016 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Don’t cross Buick. The manufacturer was eager to win some races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27, 1910, but its Model 30 racecars were disqualified the morning of the race. Buick management was mad and resolved to get even. In a time before “the Brickyard” had settled on a yearly 500-mile race, Buick planned to come back for the track’s next meet on July 1 with revolutionary cars to extract its revenge.
The author’s daughter queued up for an emergency-lane-change exercise at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL.
Like most parents, my wife and I are always looking for ways to give our daughter a leg up in life. We closely monitor and support her scholastic, athletic, and volunteer endeavors, we’re openly concerned about her general health and welfare, and we make a point of finding time to chat with the kid about life in general. My daughter would tell you that we’re pests, but she knows our hearts are in the right place.
