07 May

Greenwich Concours Is Coming Back This Fall

Hagerty’s first year of running the show will see a new format, and also a preview of Concours d’Lemons.

Autoweek photo

Autoweek photo

Greenwich, Conn. – Classic car events are still dealing with postponements and cancellations in the wake of the pandemic, but later this year the Greenwich Concours will return after a hiatus in 2020. The next edition of this popular northeast event will be held on Oct. 22-24, 2021.

It’ll also be the first year under Hagerty ownership, with the classic insurance company having acquired the event in late 2019 only to have to cancel the very next edition of the concours.

There are a number of big anniversaries this year; the 2021 concours will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Moto Guzzi, the 120th anniversary of Indian motorcycles, and 100 years since the founding of Duesenberg with featured classes.

Greenwich Concours will also feature a special class celebrating the 100 years of Allard, as well as 100 years of 3-Litre Bentley cars and 100 years of Springfield Rolls-Royce. Other classes will include Lancia, Right Coast Rods, Vintage SUVs, and Ford vs. GM.

The format of the event is changing a bit. If you’ve been used to visiting American cars on Saturday and then fighting for parking space on the Sunday of Concours Europa, which sees plenty of vintage and not-so-vintage European supercars, this year is going to be a little different.

Lancia will be among the featured classes at the 2021 concours. Autoweek photo

Lancia will be among the featured classes at the 2021 concours.
Autoweek photo

Friday will see a Bonhams auction preview part as well as a Hagerty-hosted welcome party for VIPs—these two events will be invite only. Saturday will feature a Grand Tour open to all concours exhibitors that promises to cover the most beautiful roads in the border area of Connecticut and New York. The Bonhams auction will be held on Saturday, as well as Hagerty Seminars presented by the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society. A waterfront party with food and entertainment will also be held on Saturday, hosted either at the L’Escale restaurant or at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club.

Perhaps most importantly, Saturday will host a Concours d’Lemons Special Display ahead of the first actual Concours d’Lemons at Greenwich in 2022. Its arrival to Greenwich had been mentioned briefly in the spring of 2020.

Sunday will be the day (and the only day) of the main concours event itself, which will feature American and foreign cars. It’ll be interesting to see how this new one-day format for the concours ends up playing out, as the two-day schedule has been a fixture of the concours for years. The separate day for the Bonhams auction will perhaps be a welcome change right away, as the auction event has had to compete with the concours for attention on Sunday in past years, while attendee turnout on Saturday had usually been dwarfed by the crowds on Sunday.

The Saturday auction day and the one-day concours format on Sunday seems like it will be a successful change to the event, and it will allow the concours to use more of the park’s grounds on Sunday. The fall schedule should also be a welcome change this year, as Greenwich visitors have had to contend with temperatures above 90 degrees on its early June weekends, along with often-powerful afternoon thunderstorms that would roll through like clockwork at 3 P.M. sharp, right before the awards ceremonies would start.

Past years off the event have featured a very eclectic selection of foreign cars on Sunday. Autoweek photo

Past years off the event have featured a very eclectic selection of foreign cars on Sunday.
Autoweek photo

Greenwich won’t be the only concours in the northeast this fall, as the second year of Audrain’s Newport Concours and Motor Week is scheduled for September 30 through October 3. It’s very first year was in 2019, and it achieved an impressive level of spectacle just due to the location of the event itself.

2021 promises to be a very interesting year for both concours events and their satellite programs.

Visit the Greenwich Concours website for the full schedule and ticket information.

Article Courtesy Jay Ramey, Autoweek

19 Jun

Lime Rock Park Entries Are Now Open For Historic Festival 38 September 3rd to 7th, 2020

ENTRY FORMS
HISTORIC FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Lakeville, Conn. – Get ready to be a part of Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival 38, this coming Labor Day Weekend – Thursday, September 3 through Monday, September 7, 2020.

Better than ever before, this year’s Festival will be sanctioned not only by the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA) but also by the Vintage Racing Group (VRG). The combination of the two groups will reflect the most significant and positive aspects of vintage racing.

The team running the weekend is filled with decades of experience. Murray Smith remains as the Historic Festival Chairman while Paul King of VRG and Bill Gelles of VSCCA will join him to help ensure that the interests of all will be recognized. Dave Handy of SascoSports will join the management group as Murray’s special assistant with reference to racing. Lowell Paddock will assume responsibility for Sunday in the Park and Gathering of the Marques. Paddock is a globally experienced automotive industry executive and has already rolled up his sleeves to start planning one of the best Concours in the Northeast. In addition, the presence of JR Mitchell aided by Tivvy Shenton should reassure potential entrants that the standards of technical preparation established at this event will be strictly maintained.

TUESDAY TEST & TUNE:
For competitors, the opening segment of the event will take place on Tuesday, September 1 with Test and Tune. As in the past, those participating in Test & Tune will be allowed to park their trailer or rig for the duration of the event at that time.

THURSDAY LOAD-IN & PARADE:
PARADE ENTRY FORMS
Be a part of the 17-mile parade and street fair that kicks off the Festival on Thursday afternoon. Entry acceptance is determined at the discretion of the Parade Committee. Please send in your entry and we will get back to you promptly. Load-in and the well-established Race Car Parade to Falls Village will take place on Thursday, September 3.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY & MONDAY ON TRACK:

RACING ENTRY FORMS
Applications are now being accepted for racing at Historic Festival 38. Entry acceptance is determined at the discretion of the Chairman. Please send in your entry and we will get back to you promptly. On-track activities begin Friday, September 4 with Practice and Qualifying. It’s important to note that your practice times will determine your starting position for race 1 on Saturday, September 5. Your starting positions in races 2, 3, and 4 will depend on your fastest lap in the previous heat. Monday, September 7, will include races 3 and 4 for all groups. Race groups for 2020 will at least include places for the following:
• Pre-war
• Medium Bore Sporting Cars
• Large Bore Sporting Cars
• Formula Fords
• Sports Racing Cars of the 50s and 60s
• Formula Junior
• Tin Tops
• GT Cars (Pre-2000)
• Wings and Slicks
• Sports 2000s
• Lime Rock Drivers Club Miata’s

FRIDAY & SATURDAY DINNERS:

Evening activities this year will include the always entertaining Participant Party in Hospitality Village, which is included in your entry, and on Saturday night we expect to have a serious panel discussion with guests well versed in racing and the particular idiosyncrasies of German and French cars. Details about both events, and their relevant guest speakers will be released shortly.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK:
CONCOURS APPLICATION
Sunday in the Park, on September 6, will see the whole of Lime Rock Park devoted, as it has been in the past, to some of the most important, beautiful, and significant cars in the world.

QUESTIONS or CONCERNS:

Email historics@limerock.com

08 Sep

Race and Concours Winners from Lime Rock Historic Festival 37

Lakeville, Conn. Following five days of activities, the 37th annual Historic Festival crossed the finish line Monday to close out another successful race season at Lime Rock Park.

Andy Williams of Stamford, Conn., in a 1958 Lotus 11 (left) and Greg Amy of Middletown, Conn., in a 1974 Porsche 914-4 (right). The two raced in Group One: A Sporting Mixture — Small bore sports and sports/racers. Photo: Lime Rock Park.

Andy Williams of Stamford, Conn., in a 1958 Lotus 11 (left) and Greg Amy of Middletown, Conn., in a 1974 Porsche 914-4 (right). The two raced in Group One: A Sporting Mixture — Small bore sports and sports/racers. Photo: Lime Rock Park.

RACER Founder & Incoming Vintage Motorsport Publisher Paul Pfanner attended, calling it a “wonderful” event from flag to flag. It featured 212 drivers from 21 states and two countries racing historic and vintage cars that ranged from a 1925 Bentley to a 1986 Porsche. Take a look back, thanks to images from VM photographer Bill Stoler.

Although the final races on Monday afternoon were canceled after heavy mid-day rains left a portion of the circuit unsuitable for competition, 29 other races went into the record books. Get all results from Race-Monitor.com.

More than 800 cars were on display during the Sunday in the Park Concours and Gathering of the Marques. Ninety of them received an award from the judging panel. See awards for concours classes and the Gathering of the Marques

The Best in Show – Sport honor went to the 1961 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa of Ralph Lauren that had won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1961 with driver Phil Hill and defended its title the following year with drivers Joakim Bonnier and Lucien Bianchi. Best in Show – Touring was awarded to Peter Kalikow’s 1958 Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet.

The two Best in Show winners from Lime Rock Park’s Sunday in the Park Concours. Left: Ralph Lauren’s 1961 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (Best in Show - Sport). Right: Peter Kalikow’s 1958 Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet (Best in Show -Touring). Photo: Lime Rock Park.

The two Best in Show winners from Lime Rock Park’s Sunday in the Park Concours. Left: Ralph Lauren’s 1961 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (Best in Show – Sport). Right: Peter Kalikow’s 1958 Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet (Best in Show -Touring). Photo: Lime Rock Park.

More Photos: Lime Rock Historic Festival 37
Article by Cyndi Paceley
Courtesy Vintage Motorsport Magazine

18 Aug

Don’t Miss the Historic Festival at Lime Rock – Coming up Labor Day Weekend

lrp37_1Historic Festival 37
featuring the Sunday in the Park Concours & Gathering of the Marques

Thursday, Aug. 29 – Monday, Sept. 2, 2019

Now in its 37th year, the Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park has been a time-honored tradition since 1982. Enjoy vintage car racing at its best.

The event opens on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, with the Vintage Race Car & Sports Car Parade presented by Salisbury Bank. This 17-mile tour through the local towns culminates in a free street fair in the charming town of Falls Village. Then continue your nostalgic journey through time and enjoy three days of authentic vintage car racing with practice and qualifying on Friday, Aug. 30, and a full day of racing on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2.

On Friday, Saturday and Monday, the Festival is in full swing with open paddocks, three concession stands, book and poster signings, vintage hat showcases, the Harpoon beer tent, food trucks and vendors on The Midway, the Kids Club area, unique merchandise in the Lime Rock Store, and the Swap Meet with car parts and unique automotive collectibles.

Of the Festival’s highlights, the Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance and Gathering of the Marques brings nearly 1,000 motorcars and motorcycles to the track on Sept. 1. Stroll the Park and tap into your inner car enthusiast as you admire rare and exotic historic and vintage cars. Another featured event is the Saturday Night Dinner & A Panel. Held in the main tent in hospitality village overlooking the front straight, the gathering is an entertaining charity event open to competitors, VIPs and fans alike.

New This Year at Historic Festival 37

  • Special tribute to Formula Ford, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the single-seater class which launched the careers of many Formula 1, Indy Car and sports car drivers. Read More
  • Formula Ford 50th Anniversary Saturday Night Dinner & A Panel will be a celebration of this important class and the people that made it successful. Read More
  • Italian motorcar masterpieces such a Ferrari, Lamborghini and many more will be the stars Sunday’s Concours d’ Elegance. Read More
  • A special celebration of the Morgan, celebrating the marque’s 110 year history. Read More
  • Luigi Chinetti Junior, a name synonymous with Ferrari, takes the position of Historic Festival’s Honored Guest. Read More
  • Honored collectors B.Z. and Michael Schwartz, showcasing their 11 masterfully restored collection of Post-War Italian GT and Dual-Purpose and Sport Racers. Read More
  • The Italian-made motorcycles of Gregory Rathe, the Festival’s honored motorcycle collector. Read More
  • The new Touring Group welcoming sports cars of up to the late 1970s to be part of several pace-car-led run sessions. Read More
  • The Riverside Cafe, a VIP hospitality tent, is now open to the public via advance ticket purchase during Sunday in the Park. Read More
  • The preliminary Entry List with the Racing Groups is now available for viewing. Read More
  • The preliminary Weekend Schedule of Events is now available for viewing. Read More

Explore the Historic Festival

Go inside the Historic Festival and what makes it an internationally acclaimed historic car event. Check out these snapshots highlighting previous Festivals.

Plan Your Weekend:

Find yourself immersed in the grassy park setting along the hillsides and under the trees while enjoying road racing at its best. There are no bleachers, no grandstands, no assigned seating. Spread out your blanket or pop open the lawn chair, sit for a while or walk along the infield’s fence line to take in the on-track action from various viewing points. Tour the open paddocks for no extra charge and get up close to the cars and meet the competitors. Lime Rock Park is simply Beauty, Tradition and Speed. Here’s how you can experience Lime Rock during the annual Historic Festival:

Schedule, Pricing & Tickets
Free Admission For Military & Youths
Hospitalities & Upgrades
Car Corrals & Parade Laps
Weekend Camping
Sunday in the Park
Saturday Night Dinner
Vintage Car Parade & Street Fair
Area Accommodations
Participate in Historic Festival

For more information, questions or to purchase tickets and passes by phone, call (860) 435-5000 Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Become a Participant

From competing in one of the races or in the concours to riding in the parade or bidding in the auction, there are numerous ways to be a part of Historic Festival 37.
FIND ENTRY FORMS HERE

lrp37_2

Event Information Courtesy Lime Rock Park

14 Aug

Lime Rock Park Historic Festival’s Honored Guest Brings $40M Bugatti

Peter Mullin to be the Honored Guest & Collector at Historic Festival 36, Bringing With Him the Fabled “World’s Most Expensive Car”

1936 Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic famous as “World’s Most Expensive Car”

1936 Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic famous as “World’s Most Expensive Car”

LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance and the Gathering of the Marques, to be held on Sept. 2, 2018, as part of Lime Rock Park’s 36th annual Historic Festival, will be one of the largest showing of motorcars in the Northeast. According to organizers, more than 1,000 motorcars and motorcycles are expected to be showcased along the 1.5-mile Lime Rock Park track, including more than 50 Bugattis—a record setting amount.

Held over Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 30 – Sept. 3, 2018, the festival is the only North American classic car race and concours held in the same location. Historic Festival Chairman Murray Smith explained, “No other event in the U.S. combines a first-class Concours d’Elegance with quality vintage competition on the same property, all on the same weekend. This year, the registrations have been impressive and we fully expect to have over 1,000 vehicles on display.”

Sunday in the Park is segmented into two parts: the Concours d’ Elegance, a showcase of nearly 300 outstanding and rare entries that will be judged with class winners honored during an award ceremony, and the Gathering of the Marques with 800-plus vintage and historic cars of all types.

Peter W. Mullin, the American businessman and philanthropist, will be the honored guest and collector for the Historic Festival 36. Mullin is the founder of the M Financial Group and chairman of its subsidiary, M Financial Holdings. Additionally, he serves as the chairman of Mullin Barens Sanford Financial. He is the founder and patron of the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California.

Peter was born in South Pasadena, California near Los Angeles, California, and after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, he founded Mullin Consulting in Downtown Los Angeles in 1969. He served as its chief executive officer until 2003 and as its chairman until 2006.

Mullin co-founded the M Financial Group with Mark Solomon, Carl Mammel, and Eli Morgan in 1978. He serves as the chairman of its subsidiary, M Financial Holdings. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it offers life insurance and other financial services to “the ultra-affluent and corporate markets.”

An avid car collector, Mullin established the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, in 2010. Additionally, he serves as the president of the American Bugatti Club. He is also a member of the Bugatti Trust.

1936 Bugatti Type 43 Roadster

1936 Bugatti Type 43 Roadster

As well as being Honored Guest and Collector, Mullin will be racing one of his Bugatti’s during the Bugatti Grand Prix portion of the Festival and will be bringing with him four show cars, including Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic – which was described as “the world’s most expensive car” in 2010 when it was purchased by Mullin. The $30 to $40 million dollar car was purchased by Mullin in 2010 and is on display at the Petersen Museum in California.

Additional multimillion-dollar Bugattis featured at Sunday in the Park will include the 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Gangloff Drop Head Coupe from the Ralph Lauren collection as well as the Type 59 Grand Prix Bugatti of Greg Manocherian. “These Bugatti’s will be making rare and much-anticipated appearances,” Smith said.

More information about Peter Mullin will be found in The Daily Rev, the program guide available during the Historic Fest. Learn more about Lime Rock Park’s at Historic Festival 36.

1931 Bugatti Type 49

1931 Bugatti Type 49

To read more about Peter Mullins’ Bugatti’s to be featured at Historic Festival 36, upload this document overview of each vehicle.

Courtesy Lime Rock Park Historic Festival 36

28 Apr

Four Hands on the Wheel: An Exclusive Screening presented by NEAM

Proceeds to benefit New England Auto Museumscreening

The story of the legendary winning partnership
between Mark Donohue & Roger Penske

Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 7:30pm
Doors open at 6:45pm

Buy Tickets

VIP Ticket Bundle

On the 50th Anniversary of Mark Donohue’s unprecedented 1968 eight-win Trans-Am Championship season, New England Auto Museum is hosting an evening motorsports enthusiasts won’t want to miss!

This captivating 47-minute 1969 film chronicles the very special relationship between Roger Penske and Mark Donohue, arguably one of the most successful pairings in motorsports history. The film features rare footage of both Penske and Donohue behind the wheel in a wide variety of legendary machines including the Zerex Special, Corvette Grand Sport and Chaparral as well as Penske Racing entries in Can-Am, Trans-Am, USRRC and more. Plus, intimate interviews with both men give insights into this remarkable team.

The evening will also include:

Historic Penske racecars on display:
•  1966 Daytona and Sebring-winning L88 Sunoco Corvette
•  1968 Sunoco Camaro driven by Mark Donohue and Sam Posey

A panel discussion with the people who were there:
•  John “Woody” Woodard: Penske Racing Chief Mechanic
•  Chuck Cantwell: Team Manager of Penske Trans-Am Racing
•  Judy Stropus: Legendary team timer/scorer (before computers)
•  Kevin Mackay: Restorer and owner of the #9 1966 Penske L88 Corvette
•  Irwin Kroiz: Owner of #16 1968 Sunoco Camaro
•  Sam Posey – Famed race-car driver & TV personality; driver of the No. 16 1968 Penske Camaro

Silent & live auction of racing memorabilia and never-before-seen photos

Tickets: $47
VIP Meet & Greet Ticket Bundle: $97
Includes:
6pm pre-show reception
Meet & Greet with the panel
Merch item

Sponsored by:
 

Proceeds will benefit:

15 Jan

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance celebrates Ferrari ‘Daytona’ March 11, 2018

“The last road car that might legitimately be considered a true Ferrari is the 365GTB/4 Daytona.” – Brock Yates, Enzo Ferrari (Doubleday, 1991)

It’s been a half-century since Pininfarina created the timeless shape of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4. On March 11, 2018 that happy anniversary will be celebrated at the 23rd annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance with a special class of the rare and significant Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” automobiles.

am_day2It was revenge, not Ferrari that gave the 365 GTB/4 its popular nickname. The name of America’s first superspeedway clung to the big Italian GT after Ferrari prototypes avenged themselves on American soil following their stinging defeat at Le Mans in 1966. Three victorious Ferrari P4 and P3 prototypes executed a perfectly choreographed photo finish winning the 1967 Rolex 24 at Daytona. It mocked Ford’s botched photo finish at Le Mans the previous June. There was little subtlety in it and everyone got the point. And the name Daytona stuck to the 365 GTB/4 almost at once.

am_day3So the mighty 365 GTB/4 became known as “Daytona” even though Ferrari never made it official. Some historians claim that the project was labeled “Daytona” internally during its gestation following the 1967 Daytona 24 Hour sweep. Then the internal nickname “Daytona” leaked. Ferrari himself was said to have squelched the use of the name when it became public.
Today the Daytona has a special place in Ferrari’s lustrous history. Automotive tastes and the traditional designs that had served Ferrari so well for two decades were under assault in the late sixties. So Ferrari made one last thunderous declaration regarding the creation of the thoroughbred grand touring car. They labeling it in traditional Ferrari fashion: 365 ccs per cylinder, Grand Tourismo Berlinetta, four overhead camshafts; 365 GTB/4.

am_day4Nearly 1,400 Daytona’s were built in coupe and convertible configurations. It outgunned its pricier and rarer 3-liter predecessors with a muscular 4-cam 4.4 liter V-12 fed by six enormous 40 mm Weber carburetors. This exotic recipe makes 380 hp and propels the big two-seater to nearly 180 mph; a sobering number for a 3,600 pound GT.
Despite its weight the Daytona made a fine race car. Ferrari created 15 special Competition 365 GTB/4s from 1971 through 1973. They scored class victories at Daytona, Watkins Glen and Le Mans and won the 1972 Tour de France outright. Second overall (with class victories) at the 1973 and 1979 Rolex 24 at Daytona, appropriately, are the Daytona’s North American racing high water marks.

am_day5“The Daytona has traditional Ferrari provenance, presence and poise.” said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “The Daytona is the last of the true ‘Enzo’ Ferraris created before the Fiat influence arrived in Maranello in 1969. The howl of that big V-12 should be part of Il Canto degli Italiani, the Italian national anthem. The big Daytona is a car, a name and a legacy worth celebrating in grand style.”
Courtesy: Mike Eppinger, OldCarsWeekly.com
Photos courtesy of Bill Warner, Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
About the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

am_day1Now in its third decade, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, “Amelia” draws over 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island, The Ritz-Carlton at Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. The 23rd Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for March 9-11, 2018. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or call 904-636-0027

25 Oct

Lime Rock’s Historic Festival Nominated among “World’s Best”

lr_best1LAKEVILLE, Conn. – Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival 34 (September 2-5, 2016) has been nominated in the category of “Motorsport Event of the Year” by the U.K.-based International Historic Motoring Awards (IHMA), presented in association with Octane magazine and EFG Private Bank.

The search to find the “best of the best” in the international historic motoring world reached its final stages last week, as the panel of expert judges assesses the nominees that have been shortlisted in each 2016 category. The IHMA categories celebrate the diversity and depth of the historic motoring industry and the individuals that work within it.

Judges such as Derek Bell, car designer Peter Stevens and Pink Floyd drummer and historic car collector and racer Nick Mason did not have an easy task, with a splendid range of international candidates to choose from across the various categories, including Denmark’s Rømø Motor Festival, Italy’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Germany’s Eifel Rallye Festival and no less than three American automotive museums. The winners of each category will be announced November 17 when the “great and the good of the historic motoring world” gather at London’s Guildhall.

Lime Rock Historic Festival Chairman Murray Smith said, “I have to say, I see this Motorsport Event nomination as reward for all the hard work and creativity everyone at Lime Rock brings to bear for each year’s Festival. I like to think the IMHA recognizes the uniqueness of our having historic racing and a premier concours at the same venue at the same time. We are absolutely humbled and honored to be considered among other such prestigious events.”

For 34 years, America uniquely has one vintage automotive event that combines a prestigious concours d’elegance with authentic vintage and historic racing competition, all on the same property, all on one extended weekend. In 2016, Historic Festival 34 (and its concomitant Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance) saw 264 authentic race cars competing over three days in a total of 36 races (including 28 authentic, 1966-1972 SCCA Trans-Am cars, all with documented, in-period race histories), while the Concours had 281 invited entrants plus another 588 collector cars of all stripes in the “Gathering of the Marques” exhibit.

American racing legends John Morton and Peter Brock were the Honored guests (following 2015’s Sir Stirling Moss and Jochen Mass), with Morton racing in six of the weekend’s races.

Lime Rock’s Historic Festival is by far the venue’s biggest, most popular, highest-attended event. It’s a massive affair, with dozens of automotive elements including “swap meets,” a vibrant Fan Midway and special displays to once-in-a-lifetime car collections (e.g., Ralph Lauren’s), demonstration laps (e.g., the 1939 Mercedes-Benz W154 Silver Arrow Grand Prix car) and iconic Honored Guests and Collectors.

Historic Festival 35 is already scheduled for Labor Day weekend next year, September 1 – 4, 2017 and it promises to be another spectacular event that should be on every car enthusiast’s calendar.

For the complete list of categories and nominees, click here

Extremely popular race group at Historic Festival 34 was that of the authentic Trans-Am cars.  Photo Casey Keil

Extremely popular race group at Historic Festival 34 was that of the authentic Trans-Am cars.
Photo Casey Keil

A terrific collection of Formula Fords provided excellent open-wheel action. Photo Casey Keil

A terrific collection of Formula Fords provided excellent open-wheel action.
Photo Casey Keil

Photo Casey Keil

Photo Casey Keil

Courtesy Lime Rock Park

16 Jul

Exciting Changes for Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival 34 September 1 – 5

hist341

LAKEVILLE, Conn. – Since 1983, Lime Rock Park has held its annual celebration of historic motoring significance by combining authentic-car vintage racing with a prestigious Concours d’Elegance. It’s an event unique to North America in that the racing and the concours are all on one property during one major vintage and historic event.

The historic racing on Lime Rock’s classic 1.5-mile, 7-turn circuit on Friday, Saturday and Labor Day Monday sandwiches the Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance, held on the track’s 2,200-foot Sam Posey Straight.

In the past decade the Historic Festival has added a 17-mile race car parade-and-rally over local roads and through three town centers, ending in a community street fair in nearby Falls Village, as well as creating a 1,000-car Gathering of the Marques car show that’s held concomitant with the concours.

New for 2016’s Historic Festival is an automobile auction, “Cars for Enthusiasts.” Conducted by famed New York City house Guernsey’s, the auction will begin immediately following the September 4 Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance awards ceremony.

“As a vintage automobile racer, concours participant, concours judge and enthusiastic sports car fan, I have watched the growth of Lime Rock’s wonderful Historic Festival,” said Arlan Ettinger, Guernsey’s president. “It is our hope that the auction helps to make this terrific event even better.”

Festival Chairman Murray Smith has also confirmed a number of other elements for this year’s Historic Festival 34:

► The Festival welcomes a presenting sponsor, the Prestige Family of Fine Cars, the leading vehicle dealer network in the Tri-State Region with more than 50 years of service to the car-buying public in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The dealer group retails a number of marques including BMW, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Scion, Toyota and Volkswagen, out of Wappinger’s Falls and Middletown, N.Y.; Paramus, Mahwah and Ramsey, N.J.; and Stamford, Conn.

Historic Festival 34’s Honored Guests are the dynamic duo of John Morton and Pete Brock. Among Brock’s numerous accomplishments is, of course, his designing the Daytona Cobra Coupe and founding his wildly successful Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE)… for which Morton was asked to drive and together, they won prodigiously between 1969 and 1972 in BRE Datsun’s in C-Production and 2.5-liter Trans-Am. Morton will race a BRE Datsun 240Z over the weekend, too

New-for-2016 Tin Top race group has already burgeoned to 20+ entries, with more expected

► Another of this year’s nine race groups are the wildly popular cars from the Historic Trans-Am organization; authentic pony cars that raced in Trans-Am in the iconic 1966 – 1972 period

► Along with the expected 250+ entrants in the Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance will be one of the six Duesenbergs (to be announced soon) that have won Pebble Beach’s Best of Show since 1969.

Find more information at www.limerockhistorics.com

hist342

 

Courtesy Lime Rock Park Historic Festival 34

10 Jul

Lime Rock Calling for Saloons & ‘Tin Tops’ to join Historic Festival 34 September 1 – 5

LAKEVILLE, Conn. – Historic Festival 34 Chairman Murray Smith announced an all-new – and likely a first for an authentic and significant U.S. historic racing weekend – race group for Lime Rock Park’s 34th Historic Festival, September 1-5, 2016. “I’m sounding the clarion call for owners and drivers of saloons and ‘tin tops’ to join us in early September to create a fabulous grid of pre-1970 racing sedans,” Smith says. “This rare race group will be in the manner of the cars in Goodwood’s ‘St. Mary’s Trophy’; Ford Galaxies, BMWs, Mini Coopers, Lotus Cortinas, Anglias, Alfa Romeo 1600s, Jaguar Mk2s, Hillman Imps and the like.”

tin1

A “St. Mary’s Trophy” race from Goodwood. Image courtesy Goodwood R&R

“I imagine this race group will be extremely popular with the spectators, not to mention the other 250-odd racing entrants.”

Smith, who has chaired Lime Rock’s long-standing vintage extravaganza since HF27 (2009), says the Festival already attracts a handful of saloons that are sprinkled throughout existing race groups but now wants tin-top drivers to have a group of their own.

“We might be a bit relaxed this first year with regard to makes and models, but we hope to attract a wonderfully wide range of suitable cars,” Smith said. (See list below.)

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Click image for Goodwood’s St. Mary’s Trophy race footagee

Entrants are encouraged to contact Murray Smith at murray.smith@ctspeed.com with queries and/or for more information, as well as Historic Festival 34 Executive Administrator Jeanette Veitenheimer, historics@limerock.com. The Entry Form can be found at limerockhistorics.com/entrants/participationform/

Historic Festival 34 “Tin-Top” Race Group, Eligible Cars
Including, but not necessarily limited to:

Alfa Romeo GT, GTA, 1600, 1900, Giulia
Austin A40/A35
BMW 502, 700, Ti, 1800 TiSA
Borgward Isabella
Chevy Corvair/Yenko Corvair
Datsun 510
DKW F2
Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant
Fiat Abarth, 124, 1500S
Ford Cortina, Lotus Cortina, Escort, Zephyr, Zodiac, Galaxy, Thunderbolt, Falcon, Anglia, Prefect
Hillman Imp, Minx
Isuzu Bellett
Jaguar MkI/MkII/MkVII
Lancia Fulvia, Aurelia
Mercedes 220, 300
MG Magnette (ZA/ZB/MkIII/MkIV)
Mini (all)
Morris Minor 1000
Peugeot 203
Renault R8, Gordini, 4CV
Riley 1.5
Rover P4
Saab 96
Standard Ten, Vanguard
Sunbeam Rapier
Volvo 1800, P544, Amazon 122 S
Westminster A105
Wolseley 1500

About the Historic Festival: Since 1983, the East Coast’s premier vintage racing and concours event has been the Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park, held annually over Labor Day weekend. No other venue in the U.S. has three days of on-track racing sandwiching a prestigious concours event, all on the same property, all at the same time. Historic Festival 34 is Thursday, September 1 (17-mile Vintage Race & Sports Car Parade) through Monday, September 5, while the Sunday in the Park Concours d’ Elegance & Gathering of the Marques is September 4. Schedule: Thursday, Vintage Race Car Parade; Friday, Practice & Qualifying; Saturday, 18 races and demonstration laps; Sunday in the Park Concours; Monday, 18 races and demonstration laps. Visit limerockhistorics.com

Volvo Amazon 122S at Lime Rock Park Historic Festival

Volvo Amazon 122S at Lime Rock Park Historic Festival