vintage | New England Auto Museum

16 Jul

Ralph Lauren’s Collection: The Five Cars Gracing the Grounds of Lime Rock Park, August 29 – September 1

As if you needed another reason to attend Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival 32 over Labor Day weekend, Murray Smith, chairman of the event, has confirmed which cars from Ralph Lauren’s private collection will be displayed over the four-day Labor Day weekend that comprises historic and vintage racing competition surrounding a concours d’elegance. Mr. Lauren’s private collection is spectacular – and it is a very rare event when cars of his are made available to the public at large.

At Lime Rock Park will be…

1953 Morgan Flat Rad
Ralph Lauren’ first car was a Morgan. This perfect example of a Morgan Flat Rad (radiator) is one of just 750 built and was purchased by Lauren in 1986.

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1964 Ferrari 250 LM
The Ferrari 250 LM was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in October, 1963 to great fanfare. In the LM, Pinninfarina presented a great case-study in how form following function can be beautiful. Unable to obtain the necessary homologation for GT racing, the 250 LM raced in the prototype category; a 250LM won Le Mans in 1965. Between 1965 and 1968, chassis 6321 – 31 of 32 built – was campaigned extensively and successfully in 19 Australian racing events, winning 13. Among those victories was the Surfers Paradise 12 hours in 1966, co-driven by Andy Buchanan and a young driver just beginning a brilliant career… Jackie Stewart.

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1929 Birkin Blower Bentley
The concept of the 4½ Liter, supercharged Bentleys (The Blower Cars) originated with Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, privileged son of a wealthy family whose resources allowed him to pursue his ambition of becoming a race car driver. Birkin developed a friendship with W.O. Bentley and given Birkin’s connections, Bentley realized that Birkin could help the struggling car maker (which was going bankrupt) to win important races. Birkin knew he would need a lot of power to compete with the supercharged Mercedes, Alfa and Bugatti racing cars of the time and came up with the idea of supercharging the then-fastest 4½ Liter Bentleys. Bentley, though skeptical, conceded and built 50 supercharged cars to qualify for the 1929 Le Mans 24 Hour race. Birkin built two “works cars,” but neither finished. (A “Speed Six” Bentley placed first, followed by 4½ Liter, non-supercharged Bentleys placing second, third and fourth.) With his money running low, Birkin convinced friend, noted socialite and horsewoman Dorothy Paget to help finance his team. Entering Le Mans again in 1930 with two Bentleys (#8 and #9) including chassis HR3976, which carries the Paget crest between the radiator cap and the Bentley badge, the Birkin cars did very well – while they lasted (the fastest race-lap, 6 minutes 48 seconds, was set by the 9 car). Birkin’s cars again failed to finish; HR3976, driven by Dr. Dudley Benjafield and Giulio Ramponi, completed 144 laps before it broke a piston. This car’s best finish was a second at the 1930 French Grand Prix (Pau) at the hands of Birkin. By the end of 1930 Paget’s patience with the Birkin team ran out; she cut off funding and the team closed up shop. HR 3976 was then sold to a Frenchman, racing at Le Mans in 1932 and 1933, again failing to finish either. This car was restored in 1990 by Traction Seabert of England with care given to not over-restore it but rather to maintain it in its “as raced” condition. It is one of only two “short chassis” (9’ 9 ½“) Bentleys built.

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1956 Jaguar XKSS
When it comes to performance, the Jaguar XKSS was in a league of its own, likely the world’s quickest and fastest production car in 1957. The XKSS was a road-going version of Jaguar’s incredibly successful D-Type race car; factory run D-Types won Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957 while privateer D-Types won many other races, too. Jaguar was convinced by Briggs Cunningham that it could win in American SCCA production car racing, where the rules required 50 street-legal cars be built. So Jaguar changed the model number of 25 XKDs to XKSS, with 25 more to be built to meet the minimum 50. Turn signals, a larger windshield, bumpers and the like were installed. Unchanged from the competition D-Type was the engine (the 250-bhp dry-sump 3.4-liter straight-6), the rack-and-pinion steering and disc brakes. As the conversion work began on the first 25 XKDs, a fire at the Brown’s Lane factory in February 1957 destroyed nine of the cars – and all of the tooling. The 16 surviving XKSS were converted and delivered. Later, two original D-Types were returned to Jaguar and converted to XKSS specifications. One of those, XKD533, is the Ralph Lauren car, changed to an XKSS at the factory in 1958 for Pierre Chemin of France.

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1959 Porsche RSK
Porsche’s first outright victory in a manufacturer’s championship came in the 1959 Targa Florio, as the new RSK led three other Porsches across the finish line for a clean sweep. This car, 718-009, was used for practice in that event and was sent into battle for the remainder of the season. The most significant race for 718-009 was the Tourist Trophy on the Goodwood Circuit in England on September 5, 1959. Porsche lay third in the points with 15 against Ferrari’s 18 and Aston Martin’s 16. Victory for any of the three would bring the crown. The drivers of 718-009 were Count Joakim “Jo” Bonnier and Wolfgang von Trips. Holding off the 3-litre Aston Martin driven by Stirling Moss proved an impossible challenge, but 718-009 headed Tony Brooks’ Ferrari – boasting an engine twice the size of the Porsche – into the last of the race’s six hours. Von Tripps broke the class-B sports car lap record four times, running 92.9 mph on the penultimate lap, and finished in second place, two seconds ahead of Brooks in the Ferrari; Aston Martin took the championship.

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Details

1953 Morgan Flat Rad
Serial number:P2472
Engine:Triumph
Quantity Built: 750
Ownership History
1954: Unknown
1986: Ralph Lauren, USA
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1964 Ferrari 250 LM
Serial number: 6321
Body Builder:Scaglietti
Quantity built:32
Ownership History
1964: David McKay (Scuderia Veloce), Australia
1984: Ralph Lauren, U.S.A.
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1929 Birkin Blower Bentley
Model:4.5 Litre Birkin Team Car
Serial Number HR3976
Body Builder:Vanden Plas
Quantity Built:4 (One of only two short-wheelbase cars)
Ownership History
1929: Dorothy Wyndham Paget, England
1931: Unconfirmed; Jean Trevoux and E. Mary, France
1934: R.C. Murton-Neale, England
1935: Peter J. Robertson-Rodger, England
1946: William Shortt, England
1967: E. Neil Comer, England
1972: Anthony Bamford, England
1988: Ralph Lauren, U.S.A.
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1956 Jaguar XKSS
Year:1956 as an XKD (then changed to XKSS in 1958 )
Serial number:XKD533
Quantity built:16 + 2
Ownership History
1956: Delacroix, France; Monnoyeur, France
1957: Pierre Chemin, France
1970: Dr. Phillippe Renault, France
1988: David Cottingham, England
1989: Kerry Manolas, Australia
1989: Ralph Lauren, U.S.A.
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1959 Porsche RSK
Serial number:718-009
Quantity built:34
Ownership History
1988: Purchased from Richard Roth
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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. Historic Festival 32 is Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1, while the Sunday in the Park Concours d’ Elegance Presented by Bentley is August 31. Historic Festival 32 features Honored Guests Sir Stirling Moss & Lady Susie, and a very rare public showing of five cars from Ralph Lauren’s personal collection. Schedule: Friday Practice & Qualifying; Saturday 18 races; Sunday in the Park Concours Presented by Bentley; Monday 18 races. Visit limerockhistorics.com

18 Jun

Climb to the Clouds is returning to the Mt. Washington Auto Road June 26th – 29th, 2014!

Organized and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, the 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be a 3-day motorsports festival including 80+ car competition field filled with some of the best drivers from around North America and the world as well as a contingent of rare vintage race cars.

Also known as the “Climb to the Clouds”, the Mt. Washington Hillclimb is one of America’s oldest motorsports events, first run in July, 1904, seven years before the first 500-mile race at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway and twelve years prior to the inaugural Pikes Peak Hillclimb in Colorado. The Climb to the Clouds was run sporadically from 1904-1961, then not again until 1990 when it was run consistently until 2001. Following a ten-year hiatus, the Mt. Washington Hillclimb returned in 2011 as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the Mt. Washington Auto Road which first opened on August 8, 1861.

1st-official-speed-record-L.J.-Phelps-8-25-1903

L.J. Phelps sets the first official speed record at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in August of 1903, a year prior to the first Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb. Phelps record time was 1 hr 48 min and he drive his own car, a “Phelps”.

Originally referred to as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road due to the horse-drawn wagons that traversed the road to the summit of Mt. Washington in the late 1800’s, auto manufacturers believed that the Carriage Road would serve as the perfect proving ground for them to demonstrate the ability of their new “horseless carriages.” Promoted as “the greatest contest of motor vehicles ever held”, the inaugural Climb to the Clouds in 1904 included manufacturers such as Rambler, Mercedes, Oldsmobile, Stanley Steamer, Pierce and a high priced Daimler.

In the 1904 Hillclimb F.E. Stanley from Newton, Massachusetts, co-creator of the famous Stanley Steamer, drove his 6-horsepower, 800-pound steam-powered Locomobile to the summit of Mt. Washington only to be beaten by Harry Harkness from New York driving a 40-horsepower Mercedes that weighed 2,200 pounds. Harkness posted a winning time of 24 minutes, 37 and 3/5 seconds.

Since that first year of competition, many well-known drivers have competed and won the Climb to the Clouds including “Cannonball” Baker in 1928 & 1932 and the legendary Carroll Shelby in 1956. Driving a Franklin in 1928, Baker raced to a time of 14:49.6 seconds. Carroll Shelby, driving a specially prepared Ferrari roadster in 1956, posted a record-setting run of 10:21.8 on his way to victory.

Carroll Shelby racing a Ferrari in 1956

In 1961 Bill Rutan from Connecticut drove his Porsche Carerra-powered Volkswagen to another new record time of 9:13.0 that would stand for the next 29 years – until the return of the race in 1990 when Champion rally driver Tim O’Neil from nearby Franconia, NH drove his 300+ horsepower all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Rally Golf to the summit in an amazing time of just 7 minutes and 45 seconds.

Bill Rutan setting new record of 9 minutes, 13 seconds in the 1961 Climb to the Clouds

Following the return of the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in 1990, the event was run annually as part of the Mt. Washington Auto Road’s summer event schedule until 2001. During that time, several new course records were shared between 7-time Sports Car Club of America National Rally Champion Paul Choiniere from Shelburne, VT and multi-time Canadian Rally Champion Frank Sprongl from Mississauga, Ontario. Sprongl went on to set a record time of 6:41.99 in 1998 driving his 500 horsepower Audi Quattro S2 that would stand for 13 years.

Six time Canadian Rally Champion Frank Sprongl ascending Mt. Washington in 1998 in his 500bhp Audi Quattro S2, setting a record at 6min 41.99 seconds.

In 2011, ten years after the last Mt. Washington Hillclimb was run, Subaru Rally Team USA driver and 4-time Rally America Overall Champion David Higgins from the Isle of Man came to Mt. Washington for the first time. Driving a Vermont SportsCar-prepared 2011 Subaru WRX STI all-wheel-drive rally car, Higgins set a new overall course record of 6:11.54 – smashing Sprongl’s previous record time by more than 30 seconds!

David Higgins drives a Subaru WRX to new Mt. Washington record.

Those racing in the 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be competing on the very same 7.6 mile road as the original 1904 event 110 years earlier. Of course these days the surface has changed with nearly 87% of the road now asphalt and 13% still gravel. The 7.6 mile Auto Road is one of the ultimate challenges for driver and automobile alike. The serpentine road is lined with trees on the lower half and dramatic drop-offs above halfway as it winds its’ way to the 6, 288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak – Mt. Washington.

The 2014 entry list includes three of the past five recent Mt. Washington Hillclimb record holders (O’Neil, Sprongl and Higgins); the top twenty teams from the Rally America National Championship; a variety of high-horsepower, purpose-built hillclimb cars and a hand-picked vintage class filled with racecars steeped in motorsports history.

David Higgins recently stated “The hill is one of those special driving events and it’s mix of different surfaces, bumps and deceptive bends makes it so tough. The added history of the climb also adds some extra pressure. Then you throw the weather into the mix and you know you are going to have to be at your best to succeed.”

Other notable drivers attending the Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb in June include X Games legend, extreme sports icon and 4-time Rally America National Champion Travis Pastrana from Davidsonville, MD, who set an unofficial Mt. Washington Hillclimb record of 6:20.47 driving a 2010 Subaru WRX STI rally car in September 2010 while recording a television special for Red Bull.

When asked about returning for this year’s Climb to the Clouds, Pastrana said “This year is very special for me because I had the record and now my teammate David Higgins has it. We with both get the chance to race with similar equipment and with similar conditions. It will be a fight to see who can claim the fastest time and a challenge for everyone competing to try and take the record, because anyone expecting to win will probably have to post a time that is faster than anyone has ever been.”

In addition to Higgins and Pastrana, former Belgian National Rally Champion David Sterycx, now from Los Angeles, CA, who competes in the Rally America National Championship will be testing his skills on Mt. Washington as will the 2009 Rally America 2-wheel-drive National Champion Dillon Van Way from Carencro, Louisiana; current and former New England Hillclimb Association Champions Kevin Gale from Sutton, NH and Sherman Baumann from Moodus, CT.

Also returning to Mt. Washington this year will be three very popular racers from New Hampshire who have competed in every Mt. Washington Hillclimb race since the event returned in 1990 – 14 events in all. These drivers include David Patten from Dunbarton, NH; Drew Young from Loudon, NH and Don Taylor from Claremont, NH. All three drivers are regular competitors in the New England Hillclimb Championship which hosts hillclimb events on access roads at the Mt. Ascutney State Park, Burke Mountain State Park, Okemo Mountain Resort and Mt. Philo State Park – all of which are located in the state of Vermont. Taylor will be pulling double-duty at this year’s hillclimb as he’ll also serve as the event’s Chief Technical Inspector.

The ever-popular Vintage Class meanwhile features a lineup of ten prestigious racing cars from the 1940’s through the late 1970’s. Although all vehicles featured in this class have played a significant role in motorsports history through the years, the 1958 Porsche Carrera-powered Volkswagen “Bathtub” probably boasts the most Mt. Washington history of all cars entered. Driven in 1961 by the legendary Bill Rutan from Connecticut, Rutan and the “Bathtub”, as it had come to be known, returned to Mt. Washington 29 years later in 1990 and raced to the top of Mt. Washington once again – beating his 1961 record-setting time by almost a minute!

Although Rutan won’t be sitting behind the wheel of the “Bathtub” when it return to Mt. Washington this coming June, the completely restored Carrera-powered Volkswagen will be driven by another well-known Connecticut racer, Wayne Carini from Portland, CT. The popular host of the Velocity Channel’s “Chasing Classic Cars” television show, Carini will not only be racing the vintage Volkswagen, he’ll also serve as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb.

Porsche Carrera-powered Volkswagen “Bathtub”

The three-day motorsports event will consist of two half-days of practice on Friday morning until noon and again on Saturday morning until noon, June 27th and 28th. Although spectators will not be allowed to view practice runs by the drivers and teams on Friday morning, they will be able to enjoy viewing practice from the base area of the Mt. Washington Auto Road on Saturday morning for free or be shuttled to half-way for viewing from there for a fee.

22 May

Greenwich Concours d’Elegance Showcases the Fastest Cars on Earth and in the Air

New York, New York (PRWEB) May 20, 2014 – The world’s fastest street-legal car, the 270-mph Hennessey Venom GT will slow down long enough to spend two days at the Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance, May 31st and June 1st at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut. It will be joined by the latest version of America’s only flying car, the Terrafugia Transition®.

These two extremes of automotive technology will join 250 of the most beautiful classic automobiles in the world on a verdant peninsula in Greenwich Harbor. The two-day Greenwich Concours, now in its 19th year, uniquely features American classics on Saturday and imported classic models on Sunday. Show-goers can also board Sunseeker Yachts and America’s Cup 12-meter yachts on both days.

2014 is of course the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang and the 100th anniversary of Maserati, and the Greenwich Concours will celebrate with special displays for both. The Mustang display includes the Shelby GT350R that American racing legend Mark Donohue raced early in his career.

Speaking of racing legends, another unforgettable highlight of the 2014 Greenwich Concours will be the one-of-a-kind 1966 Fitch Phoenix, a sports car designed by one of America’s greatest drivers, and World War II fighter pilot, John Fitch (1917-2012). The Greenwich Concours might be a last chance for many to see the dramatic Phoenix, as it will be auctioned off by Bonhams.

In another Greenwich Concours tradition, spectators will be able to check out the latest models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Cadillac, Maserati, Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, Bentley and Volkswagen, the event’s many prestigious sponsors. A special section of classic Cadillacs will celebrate the brand’s history from 1900’s to the glorious postwar tailfin era.

AmeriCares, the international relief organization, is the charitable beneficiary of the Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance.

Two Events In One
Unique among classic automobile events, the Greenwich Concours has, since its inception in 1996, presented two separate concours events over a weekend: The Greenwich Concours Americana features American cars from the 1900s to the present, and Sunday’s Greenwich Concours International is exclusively for imported sports, competition and touring cars.

Each event features some 125 cars and awards trophies for Best-of-Show, Peoples’ Choice and various classes. And, so it is possible to see classic American Auburns, Cadillacs, Cords, Duesenbergs, Packards and Pierce-Arrows along with Corvettes and 1960’s muscle cars on Saturday, and then Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce models and many others on Sunday. Classic American and imported motorcycles are on display both days.

Featured as the poster car for the 2014 Greenwich Concours, the Fitch Phoenix will be offered for sale in the Bonhams auction on Sunday, June 1st that is part of the Concours event. Among other ultra-rare cars to be displayed are a 1914 Detroit Electric Brougham once owned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s mother-in-law; a one-of-a-kind 1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith; one of the few Russian-made Volgas in the country, and a Glasspar G-2, which preceded the Chevrolet Corvette as one of America’s earliest fiberglass sports cars.

Return of the Flying Car
The Terrafugia Flying Car prototype made its debut at the 2009 Concours. This year, the near-production Terrafugia Transition®, the only light-aircraft designed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, will display its conversion abilities on the Concours show field.
Wayne Carini, the well-known collector and the host of the Velocity Channel’s “Chasing Classic Cars” TV show, will serve as Grand Marshal for the Greenwich Concours. Noted Packard collector and actor Edward Hermann will be chief judge. Radio host Bob Long will broadcast live from the Concours for two hours each day.

Featured sponsors include Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen and Sunseeker Yachts. All the sponsoring auto companies will have new vehicles on display.

Classic Racing Yachts
The Greenwich Concours uniquely offers an amazing opportunity for sailing enthusiasts. Berthed across from the Concours grounds in Greenwich Harbor, the ex-America’s Cup 12-meter yachts America II and Lionheart will be on view for Concours spectators to look over the magnificent vessels.
Like the competition cars on display at the Concours, the majestic racing yachts represent the pinnacle of their period’s technology for generating speed, in this case on water.

Bonhams Auction Open to Spectators
The Bonhams Auction of rare and important collector cars and automobilia on Sunday, June 1st allows Concours spectators to view the consigned vehicles on Saturday, included with Concours admission.

There are usually another 90-100 classic automobiles to see in the auction tent, many of them rarely seen models from private collections. (Admittance to the auction tent on Sunday requires purchase of a catalogue by bidders and spectators.)

AmeriCares
Ranked as one of the most efficient charitable organizations in the country, AmeriCares has since 1982 delivered more than $11 billion in aid to help people in 164 countries. The organization responds to humanitarian emergencies including earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes, and was on the scene with aid during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Greenwich Concours Basics
The Greenwich Concours Americana and the Concours International are open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The admission is $30 per day, or $45 for a two-day pass, and children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Parking is free, and food service is available on site. The dates for 2014 are May 31 and June 1, rain or shine.

The ease of getting to the Concours also contributes to its popularity, for it’s immediately off Exit 3 of I-95, and within a block of the Metro North train station with express service from New York and Boston. And, within walking distance, is Greenwich Avenue – the Rodeo Drive of the East – with all of its many restaurants, antique shops, luxury stores, and numerous boutiques. Hotels, ranging from the modest to ultra-luxe, are also close by, with the Delamar, the host hotel, right at the Concours site. The Concours web site, greenwichconcours.com includes a map, driving directions, and contact information.

No wonder the North American edition of 1000 Places To See Before You Die lists the Greenwich Concours as one of those places!

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/GreenwichConcours/ClassicCars/prweb11869416.htm

16 May

Mille Miglia. The start the second leg.

Yesterday the crowds gave a warm welcome to the Mille Miglia, travelling through the Veneto and at their arrival in Padua. This morning the departure from Thermae Abano Montegrotto, bound for Rome, where the teams are expected at Castel Sant’Angelo for 10.30pm.

Brescia, May 16th, 2014 – The Mille Miglia set off again this morning, direction Rome. The passage through the Veneto was marked by a warm reception from the crowd. Last night’s ranking ended with Cane and Reichle in first place (driving a Bugatti T 37), followed by Vesco and Guerini driving a Fiat Siata 514 MM and Moceri & Cavalleri in an Aston Martin Le Mans.

Photos from 2013 Mille Miglia

“I want to congratulate the Mille Miglia and its organizers” – said Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of the ICA – “and I also wish to thank all of the ACI organisations involved along the course, both for helping with the organization and with the welcome given to the teams throughout the legs in the different areas. ”

At the moment the convoy of the Mille Miglia has passed through Ferrara and the ranking has changed. In first place we find Moceri and Cavalleri, followed by Cane and Reichle and, surprisingly, by Takemoto and Takemoto in the Bugatti 35A.

After stopping for lunch in San Marino, the cars will set off again, this time for Rome, where they will arrive in the beautiful setting represented by the gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo, at around 10.30pm.

Mille Miglia on social networks

All information and updates on the Mille Miglia can be found on the website www.1000miglia.it and, after registering on the press site, also on www.press.1000miglia.it , on which press releases, photos and video footage of the race will be made available. You can also follow the Mille Miglia on social networks: Facebook (official page of the Mille Miglia), Twitter (@millemiglialive) and YouTube (Mille Miglia Channel).