Please Read Before Strumming

via: GROTTU ORLOFF'S PAD !

Strip Shot #4

Futurista

Darryl Starbird's fanciful 3-wheeled Volkswagen.

Miscalculation

Not content with his 1-2-3 thrashing of Ferrari in 1966, Henry Ford II wanted a 100% homegrown winner at Le Mans. The J Car, successor to the GT40 Mk II, was an all American affair produced chiefly by FoMoCo subsidiary Kar Kraft. Power was never in short supply during Ford's Total Performance years, however getting a 200 mph plus race car to stay on the track was another thing altogether. Aerodynamics are a mysterious science and it was the J Car's erratic handling that ultimately cost team driver Ken Miles his life during testing at Riverside Raceway in 1966.

Often Imitated

Little Walter
Boss of the blues harmonica.

Lost In Translation

The Russ Meyer classic The Satan Women of Tittfield.

Surf 's Up

King Bee

Seminal Louisiana bluesman James Moore, better known as Slim Harpo, provided lowdown fixin's for the British blues hotpot.

Homegrown

Australian Touring Car racing was once dominated by highly entertaining ill-handling, overpowered family sedans. Allan Moffat incinerating his rear tyres in the Phase II GT-HO Falcon.

Pit Stop #35

U.S Nationals Indy 1965
Jack Chrisman's Mercury Super Cyclone.

Via: eaindy

Hand Me Down

If these two A/FX Mustangs look similar it's because they are the same car. Hubert Platt took over driving duties from Dick Brannan after he hung up his helmet midway through 1966.

Angel Hair & Fibreglass

Torque Thrusts, angel hair and fibreglass are an unbeatable combination !

Team Colors

I borrowed this great shot from storm king over at the H.A.M.B. This is 1960's D.I.Y racing.

Kandy Koated

Be it gasser or funny car, all of Big John Mazmanian's race cars were a visual delight.

Turn On, Tune In, Trans Am

A magnificent example of motor racing art, before it the sport was swindled of its soul.

Via: progcovers.com

Pit Stop #34

Nurburgring 1000 Kilometres 1966

Ferrari Dino 206S
Pedro Rodriguez/Richie Ginther
3rd Place.

Rebel 400

Via: progcovers.com

Forza Ferrari

There is nothing more appropriate than one of Maranello's masterstrokes wailing hysterically through the sun tortured history of the
Targa Florio.

Two Wheels Eight Cylinders

1957 Isle Of Man Senior TT

Dickie Dale / Moto Guzzi V8.

Driver's Seat #8

Targa Florio 1970.

Ferrari 512S
Nino Vaccarella / Ignazio Giunti.

Tuff Stuff

The 1969 Trans Am Mustangs left an indelible impression upon my five year old mind. Ford ticked every one of their baddest boxes when they built this evil piece of machinery for Smokey Yunick. As far as this kindergarten aficionado was concerned, things couldn't get any better. In hindsight I was probably correct, considering the wretched parody the Mustang became.

It's The Wolf !

Chester Arthur Burnett.

The Wingless Gullwing

Hollywood bodyshop owner Chuck Porter built this modified Mercedes 300SL Gullwing from a wreck in 1955. A variety of engines powered this special including a Hilborn injected Corvette mill.

Product Placement

French Grand Prix 1957

Rouen-Les-Essarts.

Juan Manuel Fangio on his way to victory in the lightly crumpled Maserati 250F.

Via: PistonHeads.

Pit Stop #33

Italian Grand Prix

Monza 1960.
Ferrari Dino 246P F2 / Wolfgang von Trips.

Via: 10-tenths.

Pit Stop #32

Le Mans Trials 1967.

Ford GT 40 #1020
The Ford France entry of
Ligier/Schlesser/Dumay.

Trans-Atlantic Hot Rod

In 1955 the Italian associate of Bardahl bought this Kurtis 500D, less engine, and shipped it to Italy for Ferrari to fit one of their 4.4 litre, 6 cylinder motors. Ferrari lost interest in the project, chiefly because of the time involved to adapt their engine to the 3 speed Offenhauser gearbox supplied with the car. The Maserati brothers finished the project in 1956 and sent the car to Indianapolis for Nino Farina to drive. The car was originally set up with Weber carburetors for gasoline and had to be reworked to run on Hilborn methanol injection. Unreliability and a lack of speed plagued the car. Farina was nearing the end of his career by this time and never qualified for the 500.

Like Father Like Son

It is inevitable that you will follow in your father's footsteps when you have toys as cool as this. Damon Hill tests his race car while father Graham looks on.

Via: Autodiva

Growing Pains

What a difference a year makes !

Gas Ronda's A/FX Mustang certainly went through a growth spurt in 1966. Things were starting to look a little odd amidships with more than a few inches added to the wheelbase. The injected engine was set back and the rear end was moved a little further forward to put down those extra ponies. Headlights, tailights and bumper bars were no longer on the menu, whilst parachutes and wheelie bars certainly weren't available on the 1966 dealer option list. The whole package was getting further and further away from what was available on the showroom floor and a lot closer to the looming funny car circus.

Dad's Bikes

My father rode and raced motorcycles from the late 1930's until the mid 1950's. I thought I would share some of his photos for those of you who like bikes. This photo was taken in the late 1940's at Castlereagh Airstrip in Sydney, Australia. Dad had a variety of bikes over the years including lots of Nortons. This is a 1920's 500 single I believe. Many of these bikes were chopped and changed as was customary at the time, so who knows what it was built up from. If anyone can shed some light on any of these photographs please let me know.

Another of dad's Nortons, however this isn't my father pictured. This bike may have been a joint project with some of his mates. The photo was taken outside my grandparent's house in the 1940's and appears to be a twin port 500 with a slightly battered exhaust system. I have quite a few photos and will post them in the near future.

Strip Shot #4

The Swindler "A" Willys Coupe of Fred Stone, Leonard Woods and Doug "Cookie" Cook. Running a blown 448ci Chrysler Hemi, it was practically unbeatable during the 1965 season, ultimately winning A/Gas Supercharged at the '65 Nationals.

Via: The HAMB.

Camaro Chic

Sadly, the Camaro and pop art do not co-exist in the testosterone soaked world of the muscle car .

Truckin'

Diesel smoke, dangerous curves and a truckload of Cobras.

Via: clubcobra

Pit Stop #31

Nurburgring 1962.
Ricardo Rodriguez
Ferrari Dino 156.

Via: Autosport.

Driver's Seat #7

Le Mans 1965.

Dan Gurney contemplating Gallic endurance in his Cobra Daytona Coupe.

Winner's Circle

Indy 500 1965.

Ford's 1965 victory at the Brickyard was a decidedly cosmopolitan affair. English Formula One constructor Colin Chapman provided the backbone with his Lotus 38. Dearborn added the quad cam powerplant with its origins firmly rooted in their V8 passenger car engines. Scottish Formula One World Champion Jim Clark was in the driver's seat and the famed Wood Brothers NASCAR crew handled the fuel and oil.

Photo credit: IMS Photo

Maserati Vittorie 1926-1954

Brochure published by Officine Alfieri Maserati SpA - 1954.

Via: maseraticlub.co.uk

Pit Stop #30

Le Mans 1965.

The Cobra Daytona of Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant under surveillance. CSX2286 failed to finish.

I Like Ike

Ike Wister Turner.

Der Creature

If vintage monsters are your thing check out GROTTU ORLOFF'S PAD ! for more foreign creature features.

Soul Style

Finally you can put a name to your favourite 'do. For me it's a toss up between The Enforcer and The Jet.

Via: flwrpot.

False Idols

Pit Stop #29

Sebring 12 Hours 1963.
Shelby American Cobra CSX 2128.

Dan Gurney and Phil Hill finished in 29th place, well behind the winning Ferrari 250 P of John Surtees and Ludovico Scarfiotti.

Via: aviatorr727.