Roadrace cars... vintage, nostalgia, historic

That is really "something"! I like all the detail. I can't get over the "monkey motion" for the mechanical brakes. It's gotta be put together by a Brit.

 

Just stumbled across this older thread, so excuse me as I ressurect a subject from some 3 years ago.. Did the Abarth conform to SCCA regs or Group 2 FIA rules. Nothing a like a small displacment touring car.

 

Group 2

They ran Group 5 too with a special cylinderhead, etc.
( a 8 port hemi pushrod head that replace the one with siamesed intake ports)

I'm not using the TCR head but I do have the later TCR flares and wheelsizes.

 

Wasnt group 5 was like a "shilouette" class or what the Brits call "special saloon" a formula libre class for cars with a roof and door handle.

 

That's for sure! If a vehicle can only go one way, that is, just straight, or only turn left or right; it's interesting, but I lose interest quickly. "To each his own"!
Thanks for starting this little bit of madness.

Keep it coming, folks

 

Did somebody say Abarth?


1964 Fiat Abarth by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1959 Abarth Zagato 750GT by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1969 Abarth Scorpione SS by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1964 Fiat Abarth 1000 TC by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1958 Fiat Abarth 750 by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr

 

That is what it became.

It started with Homologated production cars that had to use the same block as the showroom cars.
But all the internal parts could be changed, and the heads could too.

So they had full steel bottom ends, twin overhead cams, different types of combustion chambers, 4 valves per cylinder, mech fuel injection, turbo's, dry sump, etc.

That evolved into the full spaceframed Zakspeed Capri's, etc.

Which still used a engine based on a production block.
( BDA based which was itself Kent based)

Special Saloons started as a class for production based cars with every kind of engine swap allowed, as long as the engine and the gearbox were in the part of the car where the production car had it ( meaning front or rear )

So that class evolved into having VW Bugs with full Formula 5000 suspension and driveline, Capri's with DFV formula 1 engines, Skoda's on Chevron sportsracer chassis', and a Buick powered DAF.

Wild stuff...

They are now putting races together so the old Super saloons can run again.

 

Cool pics.

If that Scorpione is the car I think it might be, its actually a Otas with a PBS 124 conversion.


( we are getting a bit too modern here, lets move to the Dogfight Forum for the later than mid '60s stuff...)

 

Thanks. I knew the Scorpione was a little too new, I figured I'd throw it in since I was posting Abarths. I'll keep it 65-66 or older from now on.

 

I loved the little Fiat Abarth coupes. I only had the chance to witness them once at Riverside years ago (1969) when my dad and I attended a regional. They were relegated to D/Sedans class, basically sedans under 1000CC. They didnt have any other competition that I recall as there were no Imps or NSU's that I recall here in So-Cal and all the Minis ran C/Sedan because of the 1275 motors.

 

No problem... Its a nice car.

I used to have a '71 Lombardi ( there should be a pic of it in my Albums )

 

According to Al Cosentino's old FAZA Fiat manual / parts guide, his Abarth 1000 Corsas won so many regionals in D sedan that Bob Sharp and the SCCA comp committee rewrote the rule book for that class, effectively banning them. The theory is that the all the Brittish Leyland guys were tired of seeing the Mini's get beat up. Anyone confirm that "story?"

And yes, I'm biased, as I'm an old Fiat 850 coupe and multiple 128 owner. Had an Alfa, too. Love them WOP cars! Gary

 

1959 DeMar MKII at Road America:

29 Jim Melton - 1959 DeMar MKII - Revised by Mike Rogers 303, on Flickr

Check this out for a ride along in this car at Road America (sounds great!!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9JvYMbbBvk&feature=player_embedded

 

Is this little "bugger" early enough? I don't think it to be in the class of the Fiats and Abarth-Fiats shown; but it still made a neat noise. I remember more than a few Abarths running in the 50'sAnd, there are still a lot of Abarth, Fiat 500's and Mini Coopers tearing them up at vintage races. I think they're all great!


This is a 750 Moretti, owned and driven, I believe, by John Biehl of La Jolla CA.
As in prior posts, I took this at the November 1955 Road Races at the Grand Central Air Terminal at Glendale, California.

 

Friend, Bruce Glasscock in a Almquist bodied Crosley with a flathead 60 in it!
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=12487&pictureid=365701

 

^^^^^

 

nice try but not what this is about, 2 drag cars and a bunch of off topic. You may want to read the whole thread before posting again.

 

It's an AMS SP, entered by Scuderia Brescia Corse and driven to 19th place by Ugo Locatelli and Paolo Gargano in the 1970 Targa Florio. It was Cosworth powered: http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/Targa_Florio-1970-05-03.html

ooops, didn't see that Metalshapes already answered

 

I think Al invented conspiracy theory before there was conspiracy theory. Who knows, maybe he was right. I owned a few FIATS and greatly enjoyed reading what he called his "propaganda" Talked to him a few times as well, really knew his stuff.

 

This is the only other shot I have of it. A really wild looking car. From the front it looks like someone left a 57 Chevy out in the sun too long and it melted.


1957 Townsend Typhoon by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr

 

Thank you. I can't see the '57 from this angle but I see about 12 others cars in the sideview.

 

That Almquist special has Crosley suspension and other bits... I think it started out Crosley-powered back in the day?.. Great car, saw it run at Sears Point (or whatever they call it now) a year or so ago.

 

They are now putting races together so the old Super saloons can run again.[/QUOTE]

Yea, I would pick up the odd copy of Autosport back then when I was in LA. I used to follow a few of the special saloon car series that existed in the late 70's early 80;'s. My interest in the saloon car thing was when I read of Bill McGovern driving George Bevan's Grp 2 Imp 70-72.

 

How about some sports-racers / prototypes?


1964 Ferrari 250 LM by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1964 Lotus-Ford 30 by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1965 Lola-Ford T70 Spyder by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1965 Hamill-Chevrolet SR3 by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1965 McLaren-Chevrolet M1A by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1963 Cooper-Ford T61 'Monaco' by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1965 Wolverine-Chevrolet by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr


1964 Ford GT40 Prototype by autoidiodyssey, on Flickr

 

Anyone have a shots of the Chevron B-2's and 3"s I think they were called.