I don’t quite yet have a fully rebuilt and dyno-tested engine, but the good news is that the Peugeot internals have passed crack testing and there are, so far, no horrible surprises. I’m still itching to see — and hear — it up and running. I have never been in a dyno room with a V10 Formula 1 engine on full song. People who have tell me it’s one part awesome and one and a half parts terrifying.
In the meantime, we have started to put the final touches to the chassis build of my ex-Rubens Barrichello Jordan 195. The first job was fitting the fuel tank. The physical fitting is not a simple job, because the aperture through which it must pass to fit inside the monocoque is very small. All the foam inside must be removed then painstakingly refitted into the tank, along with the pump hardware. This means the guys at Tour-de-Force Power Engineering are essentially working blind most of the time.
The uprights have been stripped, crack-tested and rebuilt. Visually they appeared to look fine and non-destructive testing proved this to be the case. It’s only when they are apart that one can appreciate just how much design and manufacturing skill has gone into these components. The uprights on the car are fabricated from titanium with a machined centre. They are beautifully made.
I have been incredibly lucky to find another pair of front uprights to use as spares, but interestingly these are fabricated from steel. I can only guess that these were possibly off a test car. Before rebuilding the uprights, we re-greased the bearings, which themselves were in such good condition that they did not need replacing.
The radiators have also now been serviced. They were sent to an F1 radiator specialist at Silverstone to be ultrasonically cleaned and pressure tested. Apart from a minor repair needed to one small part of one radiator, everything else was perfect and they have now been mounted back on the car with fresh fittings and fasteners.
The Brembo brake callipers were in great condition and have been stripped, cleaned and rebuilt with new seals and fittings. Suitable carbon-carbon discs and pads were sourced. Carbon-carbon is an incredible material, but the braking system used in 1995 was relatively simple, certainly compared with the brake-by-wire and energy recovery systems of modern F1 cars.
The modern electronics have been mounted in the original box locations on the car, including the ECU above the fuel cell. New brackets were produced for the mounts in the tub and all components fit into the original recesses with the period closing panels. We can now move on and begin to build the wiring loom. We are also testing the original dash and cockpit electronics to ensure these are fit for purpose.
New front and rear dampers are being manufactured and should be on the car very soon. Engine permitting, we aim to give the car its shakedown test in the early spring at Snetterton, and I am hopeful that it may get one of its first public outings at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, followed by some demo runs at Brands Hatch in August and Jarama later in the summer.
Next month: final pre-testpreparations – and will Warren’s ears be ringing?
Thanks to: Tour-de-ForcePower Engineering, Bedford; Engine Developments, Rugby
THIS MONTH ALFASUD SPRINT VELOCE MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE • JORDAN 195 REBUILD LATEST • MGB STRIPDOWN HIGHLIGHTS BAD NEWS
It was, I suppose, a slightly surreal feeling. The Alfa has been edging ever closer to completion over the past few months and I’ve followed progress every step of the way, but so many people have invested so much time in the project that I found it quite hard to believe the finished article was actually mine. I guess it will eventually sink in.
I’m thrilled to bits with the way it looks. Raceworks did a stunning job with my Giulietta – and the ’Sud looks every bit as good. I’m really not sure there’s anything they could have done to improve it and I can’t wait to try it for the first time. If all goes to plan it will have turned a wheel by the time you read this, most probably at Donington Park, and we’re hoping to get in a couple of sessions before heading off for the car’s debut race at Barcelona in early April. I’m still hoping Dickie Meaden will be able to share it with me at some meetings, though he is also committed to driving Gérard Lopez’s Ford Capri. When Dickie isn’t available, I guess I’ll probably race solo. The programme for the year is now pretty settled: Peter Auto’s Heritage Touring Cup, plus the Donington Historic Festival in May and July’s Silverstone Classic.
The Alfa made its first public appearance on the stand of DC Electronics, which built the wiring loom, at London’s Classic Car Show in February
It was a busy event and there were presentations to several well-known former Alfa drivers, including Carlo Facetti, while Gianluigi Picchi was also present. He was prominent in the European Touring Car Championship during the early 1970s: in 1971 he won his class in a 1300 GTA Junior and finished second overall to Capri driver Dieter Glemser.
I’ve always known that Alfa really treasured its racing past – and this confirmed it. I travelled to Milan with long-time Alfa Romeo aficionado Jon Dooley, who used to contest the British Saloon Car Championship in ’Suds and GTV6s. Jon has been a great help in terms of researching the Alfasud Sprint’s Gp2 racing history – and stayed on in Milan after I had left, to meet the Albertinazzi family at EPA Power. Giovanni Albertinazzi built, prepared and raced Gp2 Sprints in both 1.3- and 1.5-litre form back in the day, so we are gradually building up a portfolio of valuable information.
Next month: first impressions from behind the wheel
Thanks to: Raceworks, Characters Signs, DC Electronics
We’ve applied for the Alfa’s historic technical passport (HTP) – ours is the first Gp2 ’Sud Sprint Veloce to have been prepared in modern times – FIA inspector Jim Lowry is on the case and, as planned, I’ve booked a couple of one-to-one coaching sessions with John Norrington. My only previous front-wheel-drive experience has been on the public road, so I’m aware that I have a bit of learning to do…
HISTORIC RACER
MGB Roadster
A few tweaks are in train for the new season – such as new brakes and a rebuilt gearbox. Oh, and the heavy bit up front. Nick Trott takes up the story…
Oversteer was something of a trademark last season, but should soon be tamed
Ithink we’re going to be late for the season openers. We were hoping to get on the grid for the Equipe GTS trackday at Goodwood on March 5, then the season opener at Silverstone on the 7th, but we’ve found a few other issues with the MGB that need sorting. One of them is quite a big, heavy issue…
Firstly the good news. The gearbox, traditionally a weak point on MGBs, is rebuilt. It’s easy to destroy the innards with imprecise heel-and-toeing and/or rushing the shifts, and small issues seem to turn into big problems quite quickly. As an MGB driver, you have to remember that in the rush and fury of racing slow is best when shifting cogs – its counter-intuitive but absolutely crucial. We plan to keep the ’box in tip-top condition throughout the season, and into 2019 hopefully, and avoid a mid-season rebuild like last year.
The suspension and brakes are also fitted – two areas that we believe were weak points last year. We’re hoping for better performance and stability all round, with fewer ‘bad habits’. For instance the B was always one of the more, um, sideways cars on the grid but despite the its crowd-pleasing antics we’d really rather it wasn’t quite so drifty.
Roll oversteer was the key problem throughout 2017, and we’re hoping to have this cured with new parabolic leaf springs and general set up changes. Less entertaining for the spectator (and drivers) but faster, we hope.
Finally, the big heavy issue. With the cylinder head removed an inspection of the bores revealed a rather tired block. A new one isn’t criminally expensive, which is the case for pretty much everything on the MGB to be honest, so owner Ed has ordered a new block.
So yes, we’ll be late for the first races of 2018 – but it’ll be worth the wait. BRX 855B will be fitter and faster than ever. Probably about time its drivers were too…
Next month: Removing the dents, tidying up the shell in preparation for the bodywork rebuild.
Once painting and assembly were complete, and the final graphics had been applied, the Sprint made its public debut at the London Classic Car Show, in mid-February at ExCeL, and immediately received some very positive feedback via social media. I wasn’t able to attend the show myself, but had a very worthwhile excuse – a clashing fixture in Italy.
I’d been invited to the annual Scuderia del Portello ceremony at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, which forms part of the site where the marque’s old Arese factory once stood, in Milan. We were up for an award for our team’s performance with the Giulietta Ti at the 2017 Goodwood Revival, when Dickie Meaden and Steve Soper finished second on aggregate in the St Mary’s Trophy. It was great to get such recognition for our efforts with historic Alfas – a real honour, especially in such distinguished company.
Muscular British classic that scored competition successes galore
Big Healey – sounds like a character in a gangster film, no? Someone brawny, tough, determined. And there’s a lot in that. Donald Healey’s co-production with the far larger Austin company, under its BMC umbrella, resulted in a sports car with just those qualities, as proved in major rallies and plenty of racing. A car boasting period credentials in those events has become much coveted, but with heading for 60,000 Austin-Healeys built in several variants, they offer plenty of choice for the enthusiast buyer. The car Vintage & Prestige has in stock, in the desirable BN6 spec, did its bit for Britain’s ‘export or die’ campaign – built at MG’s Abingdon works in 1958 with left-hand drive, it went straight to San Francisco and put treasured dollars into the home economy.
After 32 years the car returned to a home in Jersey and has recently had a complete restoration to concours standard, with just about everything checked, reconditioned or if necessary replaced (including valves and valve seats to utilise unleaded fuel). Casual onlookers may easily miss the differences and assume it’s a Healey 3000, but this earlier model is a 100/6 – pretty similar but lacking 400 of the ccs in its big brother’s title. Whereas the first Austin-Healeys made the most of a four-cylinder Austin A90 engine, the 100/6 upgraded to a big six from the Westminster saloon and, although it was hardly sophisticated, the new 2.6-litre pushrod engine was sturdy and simple to fix. Unshackled from the weighty Westminster it brought enough horsepower to make the Healey lively on the road. In truth the extra weight of the six cancelled out its power until, in 1958, a new 12-port head and manifold raised the figure from 102 to 117bhp. That’s the spec of this BN6 model, the final iteration before the bigger-engined 3000 arrived.
Healey redesigned his car to swallow the longer six-cylinder engine, increasing the length by six inches and making an already attractive design even better proportioned, especially with the sweeping two-tone paint option in classic ice blue over white. At first you could have a couple of cramped perches in the rear, but that wasn’t popular and disappeared with the arrival of the BN6.
With its drum brakes and ladder chassis the 100/6 offered no technical innovation; Healey very sensibly chose simple, affordable parts from the generally uninspiring Austin range, relying on weight loss and million-dollar looks for sales appeal. Sports cars famously generate low volumes and similar profit margins, but are essential to chrome-plating your market image, which is why BMC’s Leonard Lord pounced on the single example the Healey company built and showed at the 1952 British Motor Show. He needed a ‘halo car’ and here was one ready-made, using parts from his range. Overnight he made a deal with Healey, the car’s name became double-barrelled and Healey’s firm went from turning out hand-built vehicles to being a maker recognised across Europe and America. In 3000 MkI and II form the Big Healey would survive until 1968, but the car’s extrovert character and its huge competition success ensures that in all its versions it remains a favourite from Britain’s golden era of sports cars.
This particular car benefits from the later 12-port head, which boosted power to 117bhpLaunch of the BN6 Healey marked the end for vestigial rear seatsClassic two-tone paint job enhanced lines of an already attractive shapeOpen sesame
Who would have thought, even five years ago, that a Kia would have earned its place on these pages? The Korean duo of Kia and Hyundai have made some incredible in-roads into the more mainstream, affordable parts of the market and have done so on merit with credible products backed by first-rate warranties, but this new Kia Stinger is a sports saloon costing more than £40,000, a price point that pitches it not against VW and Vauxhall, but BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Can it possibly compete?
On paper, absolutely. You may or may not like the look of the Stinger but you can’t argue with hardware: though four-cylinder petrol and diesel models are available, this flagship comes with a turbocharged V6 developing 365bhp and driving the rear wheels alone through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
And, at the risk of sounding faintly patronising, it’s a very good first attempt at such a car. The engine is responsive, the gearbox smooth enough and clearly a lot of attention has been lavished on suspension tuning because the Stinger not only rides well, it controls its body movements very capably, too. I spent a week in it and, the odd electronic chime aside, it annoyed me hardly at all and most of the time provided swift, pleasant and capable transport. Indeed it gets closer to the standards set by its new found German opposition than I had expected. So hats off to Kia for that.
There are just two problems. The first is that there are no consolation prizes in any part of the market, let alone one peopled with product as capable as that into which Kia is now venturing. True, the Stinger is a little cheaper than the best Europe can offer, but so it should be because getting close to the establishment is not really good enough: if a car like the Stinger is to tempt people out of their BMW 440i Gran Coupés and suchlike, it really needs to offer something they lack – and it doesn’t. Its interior is not so classy, its chassis not quite so multi-faceted. And while it is undoubtedly powerful, so too does it need to be as the Stinger is exceptionally heavy: more than 1900kg at the kerb while the BMW weighs in at less than 1700kg. This means not only blunted performance, but fairly catastrophic fuel consumption too, worse on paper than a Porsche 911 Turbo S with another 200bhp…
There’s also something else, which shouldn’t be a factor but clearly will be. We are a nation of unconscionable badge snobs. I wish Kia all the best in the world with the Stinger, because I like it when car companies try to do something different and difficult, but it’s hard to see many people passing by all those posh German prestige brands and explaining to their friends and family why there’s a Kia on the drive. Like I said, it shouldn’t be an issue, but I guarantee it will be.
It’s a shame because in isolation the Stinger is a good car. But as we’ve seen so many times before from companies that have tried to steal some business from the old European blue bloods, good just isn’t good enough.
FACTFILE
Kia Stinger GTS
Price £40,495 Engine 3.3 litres, 6 cylinders, turbocharged Power 365bhp@6000rpm Torque 376lb ft@1300rpm Weight 1909kg Power to weight 191bhp per tonne Transmission eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive 0-62mph 4.9sec Top speed 169mph Economy 28.8mpg CO2 225g/km
This might seem a contentious thing to say but in my experience it is true: big 12-cylinder saloons are hardly ever as good as their more modestly powered brethren.
I have, for instance, never driven a Mercedes-Benz S600 or S65 with its 6-litre V12 that I preferred to a similar car powered by merely eight cylinders.
I’ve not yet driven the 12-cylinder version of the all new Audi A8, but I never drove one of its predecessors and concluded that it was the best of the range, despite being the by far the most expensive.
Indeed, the closest I’ve come to seeing the sense in such a car is with this new BMW M760Li, which is as charming a 12-pot limousine as you’ll find this side of a Rolls-Royce Ghost whose 6.6-litre engine, incidentally, it shares.
What’s different about it?
For a start, it has a wonderful motor, better by far than the ancient V12 used by Mercedes and both smoother and more sonorous than the Bentley/Audi W12. It’s silent when you want it to be and has a deep, rich and complex note when extended. It also throws the 7-series down the road at a quite preposterous rate, for right now this the fastest accelerating BMW you can buy.
Actually it’s even better than that because it’s not just far more capable on a difficult road than you’d imagine (thank standard four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering for that), it’s even reasonably entertaining, at least by the standards of such cars.
There are a few downsides, particularly ride quality that is good rather than superb and an interior that looks too closely related to far cheaper BMWs, but as the first 7-series to wear an M-badge, even if it is not a proper M-car itself, BMW has judged it nicely.
It is first and foremost a large and very luxurious saloon, but with a frisson of dynamism I’ve not experienced in other cars of this ilk.
Whether it is worth £135,340 is another question. On the one hand it seems barely believable that it should cost more than twice as much as the entry level 7-series, even in long-wheelbase configuration and, were you to take the plunge, I’d try to think very hard about likely depreciation beforehand and not at all thereafter.
On the other hand it is probably the best car of its kind out there at present.
Even so I’d still struggle to recommend it over a lesser diesel 7-series because, for almost everyone almost all the time, something like a 740d will not just be cheaper but, in certain critical ways, better too, not least in terms of its ability to travel at least twice as far on a tank of fuel.
All I would say to those people who buy such cars, because it is important to them to have the flagship model, is that while they might be spending a lot of money on what is probably not the best BMW 7-series, I can see a case for it beyond mere vanity.
And that is something I have often struggled to do with any of its erstwhile rivals.
FACTFILE
BMW M760Li
Price £138,265 Engine 6.6 litres, 12 cylinders, turbocharged Power 600bhp@5500rpm Torque 590lb ft@1550rpm Weight 2255kg Power to weight 266bhp per tonne Transmission eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive 0-62mph 3.7sec Top speed 155mph Economy 22.1mpg CO2 291g/km
ANDREW FRANKEL GETS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THIS MONTH’S BEST NEW CARS
ROAD TESTS
THIS MONTH ALFA ROMEO STELVIO • BMW 760iL • KIA STINGER
The Stelvio Pass is rivalled only the Karussel at the Nürburgring and Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew as candidates for the most over-rated stretches of tarmac on earth. But while the slow and fiddly race track corners merely interrupt what are otherwise fast and flowing laps of their respective circuits, the Stelvio Pass is somewhere to which people journey especially in the hope of finding one of the world’s great roads. It is nothing of the sort: it is instead an endless series of switchback hairpins, covered in snow during the winter, cyclists in the summer and guaranteed to induce nausea in your passengers at any other time you might be lucky enough to get a clear run at it. Let’s hope, therefore, that the Alfa Romeo that takes its name doesn’t also promise something sublime only to deliver something else altogether more noisome.
It has its work cut out. Making your first SUV seems to be a rite of passage among car manufacturers these days but it doesn’t make the job any easier, particularly when yours is a sporting brand carrying a certain level of expectation regarding how any car wearing your badge should drive and perform.
But Alfa Romeo appears to have done better than most at providing itself with the best possible chance: the Stelvio is based on the still new and well received platform that underpins the Giulia saloon and it has done well to keep the weight gain to not much more than 200kg. It sounds a lot, but when you consider how much higher the Stelvio sits and how much heavier still is much of the competition, the engineers involved deserve to be congratulated.
Stelvios come with 2-litre petrol engines with either 197bhp or 276bhp and a 2.2-litre diesel offering either 177bhp or 206bhp and the choice of rear- or four-wheel drive for all. And just like the Giulia, there is a 503bhp Quadrifoglio version sitting at the top of the range. The car I drove was a high-power diesel, with four-wheel drive and the bottom of three trim levels.
And as ever, Alfa’s stylists have worked wonders, somehow doing the impossible and making a high-sided, snub-nosed SUV still look like an Alfa Romeo, and a pretty attractive one at that. People buy cars like this to stand out from the crowd, but when the crowd buys them too – as they increasingly are – it is a powerful weapon for yours to be the best looking of the lot, and I’d say this is.
But even in the traditionally underachieving SUV categories, a pretty face will only get you so far these days. There are now some really impressive cars in this category, such as the Porsche Macan, new BMW X3, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC and the Stelvio will have to perform like few Alfas in history to provide a credible presence in the market place alongside rivals like that.
It performs well, up to a point. The diesel motor lacks neither power nor torque and in the relatively light Stelvio has no problem bowling it along the road at a decent rate. Allied to the ubiquitous and highly capable ZF eight-speed automatic transmission it seems always to have enough in reserve to get you briskly up to speed or past anything that may be holding you up. But it’s quite a noisy engine too. I was interested to see that it shares not only its 2143cc capacity but also an identical bore and stroke to the equally rattly fourcylinder diesel motor Mercedes-Benz is rapidly phasing out of smaller-engined diesels. Coincidence? Nobody’s saying.
Either way, as a tool for the job it’s good enough and during a couple of days running in mixed conditions, it also managed a genuine 40mpg, which I thought pretty commendable for this kind of car.
I TAKE GREATER ISSUE WITH THE WAY Alfa Romeo has configured the chassis. Here, I admit, its engineers had a problem. How do you make something that’s quite heavy and has a notably high centre of gravity still somehow handle as you’d hope an Alfa Romeo might? Or do you simply accept that that’s a fool’s errand, soften it off and focus on providing superlative ride comfort instead? Alfa’s decision to split the difference, falling if anything on the side of dynamism and response, is entirely understandable, but that does not mean I agree with it.
Yes, it means the Stelvio handles quite capably for such a car, managing its mass under quite severe provocation and delaying the onset of understeer for as long as you could reasonably expect, but only at the price of tying the car down on its springs. The less desirable consequences of this include a generally stiff-legged gait and the occasional unseemly stumble over transverse ridges or into pot-holes. Even so, it should be said that the ride is not terrible nor even particularly poor, just notably compromised: you might well take the view that a little relative discomfort is worth putting up with for the point-to-point poise it undoubtedly brings.
It’s far harder to make the case for the interior which, relative to most rivals is, I am afraid, just plain poor. When not just the Germans but also companies like Volvo are creating cabins for £40,000 cars that would not have looked in the least out of place in something costing twice as much even a few years ago, the Stelvio cockpit appears as if from another age. Yes, it’s quite cleanly presented with an admirable economy of buttons, but the materials used are too variable in both number and quality, what little technology it places at your disposal is very previous generation, but most of all there is little of that sense of design cohesion in here that is essential for creating an ambience of true class in a car such as this. There’s quite limited rear headroom too, and only a tiny rear screen to look out of.
Despite such reservations, I think that Alfa Romeo should be praised for creating what remains a competitive, if flawed, new offering to this super-competitive market.
Its first job was to create an SUV that was sufficiently distinct both in ability and appearance not simply to stand out, but to do so as an Alfa Romeo. And I think it has broadly succeeded in this regard.
But that’s a very different thing to saying I think it should be up there on your list with the best the Germans, the Brits and Swedes already have in this category. In its ride comfort, disappointing interior and noisy engine lie flaws that only the most love-blind of Alfisti will find easy to ignore. Its best rivals may be less attractive, they may even be a little less entertaining, but they are far more complete propositions.
So the question is, what matters more in this new class that’s so crucial to Alfa Romeo’s future well-being? And for me I think more people will want one of the quiet, comfortable and genuinely luxurious cars that already populate the class than an outsider with no track record in the field and a reasonable number of significant drawbacks. The Stelvio, then, may be the world’s first Alfa Romeo SUV, but it remains an Alfa Romeo, with all the good and bad that has so often entailed. The hope must be that for enough customers its charms outweigh its shortcomings for Alfa Romeo to gain a toe-hold in this class. For whether we like it or not it is in building cars like this, far more than the more smaller coupés and saloons upon which it built its reputation, that the future of this most enigmatic company now depends.
FACTFILE
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 Turbo Diesel Q4 AWD Milano
Price £43,990 Engine 2.1 litres, 4 cylinders, turbocharged Power 207bhp@3750rpm Torque 346lb ft@1750rpm Weight 1659kg Power to weight 125bhp per tonne Transmission eight-speed auto, four-wheel drive 0-60mph 6.6sec Top speed 130mph Economy 58.9mpg CO2 127g/km
The exterior may please, but the cockpit lets the Stelvio down against its rivals
From head to toe, I use Adidas Climacool. Last year I needed to replace all my kit, so took the plunge and bought the best I could afford. It was worth it. The under and outerwear do a remarkable job of keeping you cool. I tested the MG at Silverstone in 30-plus degree heat (more than 40 in the cockpit) and had no problems.
I’ve always worn Arai helmets – they fit me well. Also, I managed to escape head injury while wearing an Arai when I fell from a motorcycle some years back (though I broke almost everything else). That tends to inspire loyalty and I currently use a GP6 PED.
I also have a Hans III device, which is pretty affordable. I’ve heard good things about the Simpson Hybrid head-and-neck restraint system too, and would like to try one.
One other thing is an electrolyte drink. I use SIS, a soluble powder. Rehydrating is hugely important, especially if your race weekend ends with loading up a trailer and driving home on a Sunday evening. If you’re not hydrated, you’re not concentrating – on track or road…
HAMISH McALLISTER FILMMAKER
Races: Formula Ford
I use a Bell RS7 helmet and, for others who also race single-seaters, a tinted visor might come in handy for those odd occasions when it is sunny in England. I got a new one for this year from Demon Tweeks.
If you like to film onboard, most people default to GoPro. They are no longer alone in the market any more, but they are good. Interestingly, the previous Hero 5 Black (not the 6) has been the more reliable of the ‘action’ cams we use at Motor Sport – so if you can find one for a reasonable price on auction sites or ex-stock, snap it up.
DICKIE MEADEN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Races: Lola T70, Ford GT40, Lotus Cortina, historic F2 and more
I use a Stilo ST5 FN helmet, but also love Arai. Don’t assume all helmets offer equal comfort. If you’re investing in a new one try on as many different brands and models as you can. There’s nothing worse than a splitting crash helmet-induced headache…
Spend some money on proper hearing protection. I speak from experience – loudly – as I’ve left it rather too late. Moulded silicone plugs are so much more effective than disposable foam. It doesn’t take long to have them moulded and they are widely available.
The new breed of lightweight overalls is exceptionally good, too. I’ve got a Sparco suit (it appears to have shrunk over the winter…) and they’re so much better at keeping you cool and keeping away the sweat than suits from five or more years ago. Just take a look at the suit weights listed in product descriptions to compare like for like.
A proper race kit bag is also essential. I’ve got a big Sparco trolley bag that swallows a helmet/HANS, few pairs of overalls, boots, gloves, underwear etc, with a bit of space for civvies as well.
ANDREW FRANKEL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Races: You name it!
An Arai lid is the only thing that matters. I have a GP6 Ped and wouldn’t entrust my noggin to anything else. Otherwise Alpinestar boots, Schroth HANS device and Sparco everything else, because it’s cheap. I never race in Europe without Haribo waiting for me at the end of a stint. The jolly green giant Motor Sport overalls are minor legends in historic racing paddocks. When I wear anything else I can count on people coming up to me and asking where they are, in the hope that they’ve not been binned…
With regulations written with the specific aim of equalising the performance of the competing Austin A30s and A35s, the Academy has become one of the big success stories of the historic racing calendar in recent years. How equal? All cars are the same specification, with 1275cc engines, single SU carbs and identical cams. The rollcages and suspension are also identical. Yes, they look comical – but quality of the racing cannot be questioned. www.hrdc.eu/academy.html
HISTORIC FORMULA JUNIOR
2018 is the Diamond Jubilee year of Formula Junior and the historic racing side – led ably by FJHRA and the HSCC – is going from strength to strength. Not just in the UK either – interest in the 1100cc single-seater series is global. The FJHRA/HSCC Silverline UK championship kicks off at Donington on the weekend of April 7-8. www.formulajunior.com
HGPA 1930 -1951 GRAND PRIX & VOITURETTE
All cars that race in HGPCA meetings must have competed in Grand Epreuve races on or before 31st December 1965, but the cars produced in the 21-year period between 1930 and 1951 are particularly worth seeking out. Minimum engine capacity is 1.5 litres and the cars must wear 16in wheels. Head to the Brands Hatch Superprix on June 29–July 1 to witness some of the most glorious historics in action. www.hgpca.net
EQUIPE PRE-63
A series that pays homage to clubmans racing of the 1950s, Equipe Pre-63 is for FIA period E ‘Appendix K’ cars that use Dunlop Historic ‘L’ section tyres. Like the original Equipe GTS series, the racing will be close, the cars prepared to a high standard, and the paddock atmosphere highly sociable. If you fancy a weekend out, head over the Channel over July 28-29 to watch them compete among the dunes of Zandvoort. www.equipepre63.co.uk
It goes without saying that Spa-Francorchamps is a superb venue at which to watch any type of racing, but historic cars are especially evocative on this most spectacular of tracks. And the Six Hours is a high-quality event, hosting a wide range of sprint races as curtain-raisers to the main six-hour endurance for pre-66 racing cars. Five Masters championships will be present too, including pre-66 touring and GT cars, Endurance Legends and FIA Historic F1 and Sports Cars. Added attractions include rounds of the Jaguar Classic Challenge, among many more. www.spasixhours.com
SIMON ARRON
MAY 11-13 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO HISTORIQUE
Like its illustrious counterpart at Le Mans, this runs every other year – and the forthcoming edition will be the 11th of a sequence that began in 1997. Although the cast alternates subtly from event to event, Grand Prix racing is ever a central theme – and six of the seven classes are for evocative single-seaters. Pre-war GP cars attended only for a demo run in 2016, but will be racing this year. They are joined by pre-61 F1/F2 cars and F1 cars divided into four year groups (1961-65, 1966-72, 1973-76 and 1977-80). The only exception to the single-seater theme is an event for front-engined sports-racing cars from 1952-57. Practice begins on Friday, with qualifying on Saturday and racing on Sunday. www.acm.mc
MAY 16-19 MILLE MIGLIA
Ostensibly a regularity run open to cars that competed in the legendary Italian road race between 1927 and 1957, the modern Mille Miglia is about the most extravagant, anarchic and spectacular road-based historic event in the world. The quality, quantity and sheer value of the competing cars is jaw-dropping, likewise the gusto with which many are driven. And while the1000-mile route is now run over four days, the opportunity to see such machinery flat out through quintessentially Italian landscape remains one of the great spectacles in the historic motor sport world. The official competitive element may have been toned down, but the Mille’s spirit is very much intact. www.1000miglia.it
JULY 6-8 LE MANS CLASSIC
A biennial celebration of the world’s most famous 24-hour race, the Le Mans Classic returns this summer. It’s an amazing opportunity to see the cars – and some drivers – that have made their mark on the event since its first running in 1923. Whatever your favourite era, it will be represented. The competitive element? Four races apiece for six groups of cars, starting in daylight and running through the night. You’ll see everything from Blower Bentleys to D-types via Porsche 917s. There will also be a Group C race, plus demonstrations, club parades and thousands of cars on display in addition to the 600 racing on track.
Porsche’s 70th anniversary is likely to be the dominant theme. www.lemansclassic.com
JULY 20-22 SILVERSTONE CLASSIC
If the nostalgia-fest and dressing up of the Revival leave you cold, the Silverstone Classic’s more workmanlike vibe and wider range of racing might make it more appealing. The venue can’t match Goodwood for charm or period authenticity, but its huge size means it can accommodate a vast range of displays, club gatherings and other distractions, so it has a distinctive appeal all its own. Much of the racing is of the pre-66 variety, but the classic also hosts rounds of the FIA Masters series for endurance racers, classic F1 cars and much else besides. Low on gimmickry, high on content, it’s the no-fuss, high-intensity choice for enthusiasts. www.silverstoneclassic.com
DREW GIBSON
AUGUST 10-12 AVD OLDTIMER GRAND PRIX
Approaching its 46th edition, the Oldtimer Grand Prix features a huge variety of races for everything from single-seaters and classic touring cars to modern endurance racers. Porsche will be marking another opportunity to celebrate its 70th anniversary – and the 30th birthday of the 964-era 911 makes this a double celebration. The Oldtimer Grand Prix is also a chance to catch the various Masters historic championships on one of the most celebrated tracks in the calendar. The recently introduced Endurance Legends series, for sports cars and GTs raced between 1995 and 2012, is likely to be a real highlight. www.avd-ogp.de
AUGUST 23-26 ROLEX MONTEREY MOTORSPORTS REUNION
If you want to do it properly, Monterey Car Week hosts a huge number of concours, auctions and other events, the Motorsports Reunion providing an antidote to shiny cars parked on golf lawns with a chance to see them in action at Laguna Seca. The racing can appear somewhat genteel compared with harder-fought European historic events, but the quality of the participants and attractions of the venue are clear enough. And there’s no lack of diversity, 2018’s running taking in everything from pre-1940 sports, touring and racing cars to ’70s and ’80s IMSA and Trans-Am heavyweights. It’s also a chance to see Can-Am cars in action on a track where they raced for real in period – and that alone justifies the trip.www.mazdaraceway.comwww.whatsupmonterey.com
AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 2 ZANDVOORT HISTORIC GRAND PRIX
Perhaps less well known than some of the other European mainstream events, the Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix has no lack of exciting racing, this being another outing for various of the Masters series for historic F1 cars and the usual support categories. New for this year is the official FIA Historic Formula 3 Cup for cars dating from 1971 to 1984, Zandvoort being the only date in the calendar where all four FIA historic championships run together. Another highlight will be for Tourenwagen Classics, reuniting iconic DTM cars like the Mercedes 190E Evo and BMW M3 with the drivers who made their name in them back in the day. www.historicgrandprix.nl
SEPTEMBER 7-9 GOODWOOD REVIVAL
Always a highlight of the historic racing calendar, 2018 signals the 20th anniversary of Goodwood’s signature race meeting – and the 21st running. For many the sideshows of period dress, fashion finery, air displays and good-natured nostalgia are a major draw, but behind the theatrics Goodwood regularly delivers on the racing. You’ll find some of the closest, hardest-fought battles you’ll see anywhere, with stellar drivers and the very best cars. The Festival of Speed might have a more diverse range of machinery, but the quality of the competition gives the Revival added appeal (and the same applies to the Members’ Meeting, March 17-18). www.goodwood.com
SEPTEMBER 14-16 CIRCUIT DES REMPARTS D’ANGOULÊME
Running the same weekend as the Spa Six Hours, the Circuit des Remparts d’Angoulême demonstrates that the passion and enthusiasm for historic racing is sufficient to sustain a fixture clash. This charming French street race has a unique atmosphere all its own. Its compact track is less than a mile long, but the old town surroundings couldn’t be more evocative or distinctively French, this being a great event for fans of machinery from the eclectic end of the historic racing spectrum – as well as more familiar Bugattis and ERAs. With rallies around the local region, eccentric entry lists and a charming location, this is truly an event unlike any other. www.circuitdesremparts.com
OCTOBER 26-NOVEMBER 2 PETER AUTO IMOLA CLASSIC
Peter Auto runs a full programme of historic events at circuits across Europe, all featuring high quality grids and superb racing. If you’re going to choose one to visit, the finale at one of Italy’s most beautiful and evocative tracks has to hold particular appeal, the circuit’s location in the heart of supercar country meaning it can easily form part of an extended stay in the area. Racing includes the new 2.0L Cup for pre-66 short-wheelbase Porsche 911s, Classic Endurance Racing for cars competing between 1966 and 1981, ’60s and ’70s Formula 2 Classics, Group C, the Heritage Touring Cup for tin-tops competing in the ETCC between 1966 and 1984, Sixties Endurance and a race for ’50s and ’60s sports cars. www.peterauto.peter.fr
NOVEMBER 10-11 VHRR HISTORIC SANDOWN, VICTORIA
For those addicted to YouTube videos of Peter Brock manhandling V8 Commodores around Bathurst, or Mark Skaife and Jim Richards monstering all before them in Nissan Skylines, the Australian Heritage Touring Car Series is a great chance to see the golden era of Aussie tin-top racing celebrated in suitable style. Open to Group C touring cars from 1973-1984 and Group A cars from 1985-1992, everything you see is an original racer competing in correct period livery. The Victoria Historic Racing Register runs it at Sandown, which – like its British namesake – also hosts horse racing. The fast, unforgiving circuit around its perimeter is all about horsepower on four wheels. www.heritagetouringcars.com.au
NOVEMBER 18-19 SOUND OF ENGINE, SUZUKA
If you want something a little more exotic than the usual historic racing event, the distinctively Japanese Sound of Engine at Suzuka should be on your to-do list. Inspired by a commemorative event in 2012, celebrating Suzuka’s 50th anniversary, Sound of Engine became a regular event in 2015 and has been growing in stature ever since. The 2018 event will include guest races from the Masters USA championship for 3.0-litre Formula 1 cars dating from 1966 to 1985 and much more besides. Expect suitably enthusiastic crowds at this most evocative of Japanese tracks, which first hosted Japan’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1987. www.suzukacircuit.jp/
As a business DK Engineering has been running historic cars for more than 40 years. My earliest memories are going to race meetings and rallies with my father when he was racing and running cars such as Ferrari 375MMs, 250 Testarossas and 512Ms. All I ever wanted to do was go racing.
Interest for historic racing cars, both in racing and preparation terms, seems to be increasing year on year. Is that a fair assessment?
I think, obviously, there’s no denying that the Goodwood events have glamorised and helped the industry grow massively over the last 20 years. Is it increasing? Yes.
What’s interesting at the moment is the direction that people are going in. It comes down to the affordability of cars – the Cobras and 250 GTOs and Daytona Cobras and all those classic, iconic racing cars are fetching higher and higher numbers – but people are looking for new directions, which is why I think the Le Mans Legends Series, that has been launched for 2018, is very interesting. It’s for Le Mans racing cars from the 1990s onwards. There’s a lot of good stuff out there and it could be a very competitive racing series for relatively little money. They’re iconic cars that you remember people racing not that long ago.
Also, the race series out there with historic cars that can be built up from relatively affordable donor cars are also very interesting, for instance the Porsche 911 2L cup, Pre-63 GT or the Austin A35 race series.
What do you think is drawing people to historic racing?
I think the attraction of the historic paddock is the noise – the cars give you that raw expression. They’re rudimentary but effective racing cars. You can see when a historic racing car is being driven hard – it looks more impressive. When there are big wings and aero, there isn’t much action. When two guys are having a really good dice in historic GT cars you see them locking brakes, outbraking each other and getting crossed up at the apex. It’s a much more exciting race to watch for that reason.
Is your main interest in prepping race cars or restoring them for clients, and do those clients tend to be quite demanding?
Our core business is sales and restoration. Often those restorations are with a deadline in mind. A few years ago, in 2012, we had to restore a Ferrari 857 S and have it ready for the Freddie March Trophy at Goodwood. One of the only items that we’d subcontracted in the rebuild went wrong at the test, three days before the event. We had to work 24/7 to get that item rebuilt and back on track. At the end of the day, we nearly won the race with that car only for it to retire two laps before the end with a technical issue that was caused by that original part. But still, the guys did a terrific job and we were so pleased with how it performed and how it went. And we learned a lesson from it.
Does DKE focus only on Ferraris?
Not at all. Originally, in the 1960s, my father’s first racing car was a magnesiumbodied ex-works XK120 and after that he had a low-drag E-type, both of which he raced. He was really, traditionally, a Jaguar man, but when he started his business specialising in historic cars 40 years ago, he saw a gap in the market for Ferraris. Not many other people were doing that.
The design of the Jaguars wasn’t as much of a challenge as the Ferraris, particularly the 1950s sports Ferraris. They had so many variations and iterations.
We also help clients manage their cars. We may not run the car ourselves, but we manage it. So that would mean running something like a GT40 using our experience and resources to run it quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
What series do cars prepared by DKE run in?
Our clients run in a variety of series. But with the way that values, especially of Ferraris, have gone up, it’s becoming rarer to see a Ferrari out on track. So we mainly prepare Ferraris for the historic rallies now and some of the gentleman drivers, not so much the competitive racers you see at the Goodwoods and the Monaco Historic.
What DKE-prepared cars will we see racing this year?
We are running all manner of things in series from the Ferrari Owners’ Club Challenge to this year’s new Le Mans Legends Series. We’ll be running cars in the Pre-63 GT Series, which we sponsor as of this year. It is a fantastic series for GT cars in their earlier pure form, echoing the race that Graham Hill first won in an E-type, ECD 400, which was the very pure, original form of E-type racing. We’re hoping that we’re going to get some Ferraris out in that series, some SWBs and a GTO or two. We’re preparing cars for a variety of clients.
What’s the biggest challenge in catering to historic racing clients’ needs?
The biggest challenge is balancing a client’s desire to be competitive with reliability. That’s quite a challenge because you can push to the edge of an envelope in terms of performance, but you’re possibly encouraging the car to be less reliable. When it’s unreliable, it’s disappointing in the eyes of the owner and driver. That’s the biggest challenge.
Equally, within that desire to be competitive, it’s about making sure that cars are still true to their original form – i e the one they raced in. You’ve got to be very careful not to cross over into the boundary of illegal specification. It’s all too easy to do things that maybe from the viewpoint of reliability may help, but aren’t in keeping with the cars as they should be. You need to keep the cars as they ran in period.
How many people does DKE have working for its clients?
We have just under 20 guys in our workshop with various different talents.
And do you manufacturer most of the parts at DKE, or is that process outsourced?
We do manufacture minor parts in house, such as one-off production parts. For things that are needed – and are popular, such as brake drums for Testarossas – we get them produced. We oversee the manufacture of those products, or else source a required part from somebody that already makes them; it’s all about the network.
