Favorite Vintage Race Cars

[Layla's Keeper]

Well, no forum is complete without at least one vague thread in which no real discussion takes place and instead everyone gets a chance to post pictures and name favorites.

This will be the first of it's type in the "Other Racing" forum. So, c'mon, share with us some of your favorite vintage race cars. There's plenty of sanctioning bodies out there for them, so there are actually chances to see some of them in action.

Stipulations on what is considered a "vintage car" for this thread.

Must be at least 10 years old (pre-1993) or come from a now non-existant formula of racing (for example: GT1 cars from Le Mans).

Specific cars, too. No vague favorite models. I'll lead things off.

The MGC GTS that Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Gredges in 1968 used to win their class and finish 10th overall. This is a replica (and someday Layla will look like this, with those bulged fenders and deep dish Minilites, but painted in her current royale blue)


Doug Saunier's 1982 Saunier-Graves chassis supermodified. Doug Saunier was (and to a degree still is) my racing hero when I was growing up. Him and Dave "The Shoe" Shullick traded Sandusky Speedway track championships back and forth throughout the 80's and 90's. This car was the most successful of all that he campaigned, and he's climbing back into it this year after a three year retirement.


Wild Willie Borsch's Winged Express. For a moment, consider a blown 426 Hemi with mechanical fuel injection running on nitromethane producing about 1100hp. Now picture hooking that up to damn near direct drive and a Halibrand rear axle for practically no power loss and instant power delivery. Okay, done salivating? Good, because you're stuffing all that raw power into a 1300lb T-Bucket with a solid rear suspension and only 10.5inch wide slicks. 6.60 second E.T's at 220mph sideways, smoking the tires the whole way down the quarter mile was the norm for the day. Ahh, fuel altereds. What fun beast.

Did I mention Wild Willie drove his with one hand? This is a replica, since both Willie and the original car have since passed.

and finally, the Roger Penske team AMC Javelins. These particular ones are my favorites, even though the 1971 Javelins are the ones that took the Trans-Am championship. Ahh well, such is life. They were still awesome cars to do battle (and win against) incredible machines like Sam Posey's Challenger, Parnelli Jones's set of Boss 302 Mustangs, the Dan Gurney AAR 'Cudas, and, of course, all manner of Z28 Camaros.

[2strokebloke]

My all time favorite, is the modified Subaru 360 that won the 1964 Japan GP in it's class(under 400cc), against the more sophisticated Suzukis and Mazdas.
Luckily this car has been preserved in museum in Gunma Japan.

The previous year Subaru lost to Suzuki, but they made sure they'd win the next time around, differences from the regular production 360, included stiffer torsion bars, and an 8-speed transmission, as well as a unique lubrication system, that was later added to the production model that year.

And of course the SAAB 96 sedans that proved to be such effective winners in the hands of Erik Carlsson on the Monte Carlo rallies. I can't find any photos, but I remember hearing that one of them was rediscovered recently.

[Datsun510forlife]

hey,the Datsun 510 vintage racecars are the greatest!i'll get pics in a day or two

[Layla's Keeper]

My guess is that this is the car you'll post pictures of;




Just for giggles, here's a pic of a tube frame SCCA GT-3 spec 510 as campaigned by Don Nimi. You'll usually see this car at the Runoffs at Mid-Ohio.

[ac427cpe]

pre '93 = vintage

i dunno if i like that rule... LOL

hmmmmmm tough one... the MKII GT40 owned by Jim Click Racing, driven by one of my dad's friends

for pics go here ----> http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...ad.php?t=33766
(wow that's an old thread!)

reasoining: favorite model of car, fastest i've ever gone on the ground...

[kfoote]

Here's my list (limiting to 5):

Chaparral Can-Am cars (all)
Porsche 917/30
GTO/Trans-Am/FIA Gp. B Audi Quattro
Toyota Eagle GTP
since we added 1993, Williams FW15C

510's are great, too, my dad ran a couple of them in the 70's in SCCA.

[Bunta]

I love Lancia Fulvia Zagatos. Drivers who actually raced these cars in the early seventies are scarce now. I actually have an issue of the U.S. Lancia club newsletter where one of the drivers is interviewed. It's kind of funny, since he doesn't really remember much and it's evident that his stint in the car was a small part of his racing career. I have witnessed one of these beautiful (to me) cars race, and plan to hunt down more. I would like to make it down to Laguna Seca this year.

The local driver I saw, Jack something (I'm bad with names) has spoken to me a few times and let me sit in his car. I love the rally ready interior and ingenius design of the car. I really think it's my favorite front wheel drive car of all time. The first time I was intrigued by them was when I saw one in the background in Herbie goes to Monte Carlo. Yes, it was that long ago. How I picked that car out of the field in a disney movie focused on a posessed VW beetle, I'll never know. Some people think they're ugly. I love the chunky, yet elegant shape, and the fact that it was designed by a twenty year old kid. He sent the design to Zagato and they used it. I don't think that happens much these days.

[xyfalconsrock]

Ian Geoghan's SUPERFALCON.
351 cubic inches of injected supercar muscle.It raced in the 1972 ATCC but had no success except for it's win on the mighty mountain Bathurst.Where it beat Allan Moffat's BOSS 302 mustang in a 13 lap sprint race.What a legend.Those who don't know this car should find out, it's a great car.AUSTRALIA

[Datsun510forlife]

yes those would be the pics i was going to post,but hey its good to see that other people think that 510s are cool.Would any you happen to have any pictures of the engine compartment of the Datsun 510 racecars,please post,thanx