Tags: Carroll Shelby / Cobra Daytona Coupe / Endurance Racing / FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE / Goodwood / Martyn Schorr / Peter Brock / Phil Spector / Shelby Cobra / Shelby Daytona Coupe / Simeone Foundation Museum

SHELBY DAYTONA COUPE: 2015 GOODWOOD REVIVAL!

- Senin, 31 Agustus 2015 No Comments

One of the world’s rarest Cobras, CSX2287, will 'cross the pond 'next month for the prestigious Goodwood Revival.

 The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum’s ‘64 Shelby Daytona Coupe will  be featured at the Goodwood Revival from September 11-13 2015. This annual festival is a celebration of historic motor racing which attracts over 150,000 spectators. It features priceless racing cars displayed in historically accurate themed dioramas, with the 50th anniversary of the Daytona Coupe as this year’s theme.



The 2015 Goodwood Revival is the first trip to Europe for CSX2287 since its final race in the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. For the first time in many years, it will be reunited with all five other Daytona Coupes. Designed by Peter Brock, it was built in 1964-‘65 by Shelby American Inc. for international competition, in 1965 it became the first American-built car to win the World Championship by defeating the Ferrari team.

The first or prototype coupe was CSX2287 (the actual second chassis), scratch built at Shelby’s Venice, CA facility with an aluminum body crafted by California Metal Shaping in Los Angeles. It was the first built, first raced, and the only coupe bodied in the U.S. Five other Cobra chassis earmarked for coupe production were shipped to Carrozzeria Grand Sport in Modena, Italy to be bodied.



It competed in 8 races and, at the conclusion of the 1965 season, was retired from competition. It made one final appearance at a Goodyear tire testing session at the Bonneville Salt Flats in November 1965 where it set 25 land speed records.





The car was briefly used on the streets of Hollywood in the late-1960s by music impresario Phil Spector, and then it disappeared for over 30 years. In 2001 the car was rediscovered and joined the collection of Dr. Frederick A. Simeone, and in 2008 it became a centerpiece of Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.



In 2014, CSX2287 was the first car named to the Historic Vehicle Association’s National Historic Vehicle Register, thus becoming the first car recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior under their U.S. Heritage Documentation Standards. It also won the 2014 International Historic Motoring Awards’ “Car of the Year” as voted on by the public, thus becoming the first American car to ever win the award.

Located in Philadelphia, PA, the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is one of the world’s greatest collections of racing sports cars. Through its theme, “The Spirit of Competition”, it celebrates the history and evolution of these magnificent machines. Assembled over 50 years by Dr. Frederick Simeone, the Museum contains over 65 historically significant cars including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Mercedes, Jaguar, Bentley, Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford and more. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. For more information please visit http://www.simeonemuseum.org



Shelby Daytona Coupe CSX2287 is featured in FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE, Ford’s Legendary High-Performance Street and Race Cars, by Martyn L. Schorr, http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Total-Performance-Complete-High-Performance/dp/0760348588/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429561181&sr=1-1&keywords=Ford+Total+Performance%2C+martyn+Schorr

Tags: Allard / D-Type / Endurance Racing / Ford GT40 / Jaguar Lightweight E-Type / Le Mans / Le Mans Legend / Maserati / Nurburgring / Porsche racing / Shelby Cobra / Twelve Hours of Sebring

FORD GT40s: LEGENDS OF LE MANS!

- Jumat, 22 Mei 2015 No Comments

Seven GT40s are amongst legendary racecars lining up for this year’s 

Le Mans Legend event.

The extended age range for this year’s Le Mans Legend race on Saturday June 13th has allowed seven Ford GT40s to join the spectacular historic grid that will race on the full Le Mans circuit. It all happens just a few hours before the start of the modern 24-Hour endurance race. 61 iconic cars, dating from 1949 to 1968 and representing 26 different marques, will take to the track in an outstanding live-action showcase covering two decades of motor racing history. 14 of the cars entered actually raced at Le Mans in period, and the remainder of the grid boasts their own impressive competition histories.

The red GT40 of U.S. drivers Philippe Mulacek and Alain Vinson took part in the 1967 Le Mans 24-Hour, Marc Doncieux’s GT40 raced there in 1966, and Claude Nahum/Bernard Thuner’s Mk 1 in 1968, with Eric Lidell replacing the car’s regular driver that season David Piper to share with Mike Salmon. Bernard is the son of Jean Jacques Thuner, a four-times competitor in the Le Mans 24-Hour.



The remarkable seven-GT40 entry also includes the ex-Scuderia Bear/Essex Wire Corporation ‘65 Mk1 which finished 3rd in the 1966 Sebring 12 Hours (Skip Scott/Peter Revson) and was put out of the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours when struck by a works-entry GT40 during qualifying.  Present-day renowned GT3 and historic racer Andrew Smith will share the car with James Cottingham.

Another newcomer that the extended age range admits to the Le Mans Legend grid is the Alpine-Renault A220 of French drivers Sylvain Stepak and Jean Luc Blanchemain. This car was standing 5th overall at Le Mans in 1968 driven by Mauro Bianchi and Patrick Depailler before brake failure caused it to crash with Bianchi at the wheel. This was the race at which Alpine and Michelin revolutionized racing with the first use of “slick” tires. Rainer Becker’s Porsche 910 joins the A220 and the seven GT40s in what promises to be a stunning class battle. Originally owned and raced by Bill Bradley, with Vic Elford and Tony Dean, this car finished 1st in class and 5th overall at Hockenheim in 1968 and 5th overall in the 1969 1000-km Nurburgring.



Sam Thomas/Andy Dee-Crowne’s Allard J2X was a 1952 Le Mans competitor, while Paul Griffin/Gillian Carr’s Connaught ALSR raced there in 1955.  Class competition for the Allard comes from another of the same marque – Touring Car driver Patrick Watts will be out in a J2. The Connaught faces sporting competition for class honors from a veteran of the 1956 Le Mans – the beautiful Panhard Monopole X86 of François Cointreau - and from former England Rugby, Captain David Cooke, in the yellow Lotus 11 Le Mans he shares with Neil Twyman.



The Austin-Healey 3000 that Karsten Le Blanc shares with Christiaen van Lanschot raced at Le Mans in 1960, 1961 and 1962. Known by most people simply by its registration number DD 300, it was a works entry in 1960, driven by Jack Sears and Peter Riley. It was a privateer entry in 1961 and 1962.  It’s in the same class as Canadian Barrie Baxter’s beautiful Maserati 151/154, originally seen out at Le Mans in 1962 and then again in 1963 and 1964. In 1962 the Healey would have fought against the ‘56 Morgan Plus 4 Supersports that Keith Ahlers and Billy Bellinger will drive this year and Till Bechtolscheimer’s Tojeiro EE Buick (having sported a Climax engine in period).



Competition promises to be fierce across all classes, with lively action expected in the GT Cars 1960-1965 under 2000 from the Lotus Elan of 12-times Le Mans racer and 1981 British Sports Car Champion John Sheldon. The bright yellow Mini Marcos GT driven by Josh Sadler and veteran racer Barrie Williams should give John a good run for his money and provide huge entertainment for spectators. And competition will also come from Afschin Fatemi’s very rare Porsche 904/8, one of two prototypes fitted by with an eight-cylinder engine by the factory for Le Mans in 1964, from another veteran of that 1964 race, the Alfa Romeo TZ1 driven this year by Holly Mason-Franchitti.

With other entries including Mercedes 300SL Gullwings, C and D-type Jaguars, Aston Martin DB2 Lightweight Le Mans, Shelby Cobras and Lightweight E-types, the Le Mans Legend is something of a beauty show as well – though very definitely a seriously hard-fought race rather than a parade. 



Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of Le Mans Legend organizers Motor Racing Legends, said: “Extending the entry dates has allowed us to introduce a highly exciting new aspect to the race. I can’t wait to see seven GT40s lining up on the grid! Cars and drivers are traveling from all over the world to take part, and the result should be an astounding 45 minutes of historic motorsport that transports all who are lucky enough to witness or take part in it back through the decades.”



For further information on the 2015 Le Mans Legend race, please visit www.motorracinglegends.com

Tags: Endurance Racing / Maxda MX-5 / racing / Rocksteady Racing / Stephen Cox / Texas World Speedway / WRL

ROCKSTEADY RACING: STEPHEN COX TO COMPETE IN WRL!

- Selasa, 12 Mei 2015 No Comments

After competing on oval tracks for the past three seasons, Stephen Cox returns to long distance endurance racing this year with Rocksteady Racing.

Rocksteady Racing will participate in World Racing League (WRL) events including the 16-hour enduro that will comprise the final race ever run at Texas World Speedway on May 30-31. Cox will join Rocksteady's four-driver team for the two-day race. The historic venue, which opened in 1969, closes permanently just days after the event.



Rocksteady Racing was founded by team principal Todd Carver of Tulsa, OK to compete in national amateur motorsports events including the WRL and SCCA Super Touring Lite. The team fields a race-prepped Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe outfitted with a Bilstein suspension, competition chassis bracing and six-speed gearbox.

The team is coming off a top ten finish at MSR Houston's 2.4-mile road course last month in WRL's highly competitive GP3 class. “The car is prepped and ready for the race,” Carver said on Monday night. “We've made some minor adjustments based on our experience at MSR Houston, so we're hopeful those changes will give us a shot at the podium in GP3.”



The World Racing League features some of the top drivers in the amateur ranks. Many of the finest sportscar marques are also featured in the series including Chevrolet's Corvette, the BMW M series, the Mazda MX-5 and Porsche's Boxster.



Stephen Cox joins Rocksteady Racing's WRL effort with support from McGunegill Engine Performance, Boschett Timepieces and Impact Race Products. Cox has spent much of the last three seasons on ovals with the ARCA Truck Series, Super Cup Stock Cars, and the Mid-American Stock Car Series where he logged one win, nine top fives and nine top ten finishes in 26 events. On road courses, Cox has stood on the podium after each of his last six races, including one win.



“Texas World Speedway has been such a landmark that everyone wants to compete in the last event,” Cox said. “We're losing yet another superspeedway, which is really sad for American racing. But it's an honor to be driving in the track's final race, especially with an experienced team like Rocksteady.”



Photos: Tim Turner.



Stephen Cox is a racer and co-host of TV coverage of Mecum Auctions (NBCSN), sponsored by: http://boschett-timepieces.com/  http://www.mcgunegillengines.com/

Tags: Alfa / Endurance Racing / Ford GT40 / Le Mans / Le Mans Legend / Porsche / Vintage Racing

LE MANS LEGEND: HISTORIC RACING AT ITS BEST!

- Sabtu, 13 Desember 2014 No Comments

Iconic vintage racers ‘open’ for the world’s most famous 24-hour enduro.

On Saturday 13th June 2015, a sensational grid of 61 historic Le Mans cars will race on the full Le Mans circuit just a few hours before the start of the modern 24 event.

The age range for cars taking part in the Le Mans Legend race has been extended for 2015, allowing an even wider selection of racecars to compete in the historic motorsport spectacle that is one of the highlights of the world-famous event.



In a change to recent years, cars will be accepted from 1949 right up to, and including, 1968. This will bring such iconic cars as the Ford GT40, Porsche 908 and 910 and the Alfa Romeo T33/2 into the mix. That’s in addition to the plethora of sports and GT cars from the 1950s and 1960s that so famously ran at Le Mans.



The Le Mans Legend, organized by Motor Racing Legends, is the annual support race at the Le Mans 24 Hours – and a jewel in the crown of historic motorsport. Each year, the organizers select an era of Le Mans history and invite genuine racecars and their sister cars from that period to take part in the hugely competitive historic race on. Its run on the full 8.5-mile Le Mans circuit, on the Saturday morning of the Le Mans weekend.

Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of Motor Racing Legends, said: “We are extremely excited about this new aspect of the race. It means that spectators will be able to see cars from 20 years of Le Mans history all racing at the same time – a moving motorsport museum!



“We recognize the traditionally broad spread of performance between the fastest and the slowest cars, so we will limit entries from the earlier cars to those we believe capable of lapping Le Mans in a reasonable time. The result should be stunning – from the earliest cars such as C-type Jaguars and Allard J2s up to the newest additions to the grid such as the GT40s.”



For more information on the 2015 Le Mans Legend race, please visit www.motorracinglegends.com