05 07 Vintage Racecar
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The International Source for the History, Collection and Competition of Vintage and Historic Racecars MAY 2007 WINDS OF CHANCE We test drive one of America’s first Formula One entries—the 1963 Scirocco The Mod Squad LEGENDS SPEAK HEROES H-Mod “Etceterini” racing in the U.S. Henri Pescarolo on F1 and bad timing The fascinating life of David Purley VOLUME 10, ISSUE 5 USA $6.95, CDN $8.50 www.vintageracecar.com V I N T A G E VOLUME 10, ISSUE 5 COLUMNS 24 MAY 2007 Stacks ‘n’ Pipes www.vintageracecar.com 24 Fast Lines: Pete Lyons answers the plaintive call of the pipes as The International Source for the History, Collection, and Competition of Vintage and Historic Racecars he looks back at the artistic beauty of tubular steel. 30 Heroes: David Purley Robert Newman examines a true British racing hero who is perhaps better remembered for a single act of heroism than his short but successful racing career. 32 Legends Speak: F1—The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Le Mans champion Henri Pescarolo recalls how his promising open-wheel career fell victim to bad tim- ing and bad luck. Pete Lyons www.petelyons.com 36 Art History: 1957 Maserati 250F Artist Alberto Ponno renders a striking image of 32 “The Maestro,” Juan Manuel Fangio, at the height of his powers. 48 Hot Laps: Lime Rock’s “Big Bend” Skip Barber instructor Bob Ziegel shows us the fast way around Lime Rock’s tricky “Big Bend.” 60 Fabulous Fifties: Laguna Seca’s Fiftieth Art Evans looks back at the genesis of Monterey’s Laguna Seca racecourse and its first event, held 50 years ago this year. 78 Greatest Racecars: Mercedes-Benz W125 Formula One champion John Surtees registers his vote for the greatest racecar of all time. Mike Jiggle Archive 50 90 Last Lap: Abarth John de Boer Collection Mike Lawrence examines the birth, death—and 64 apparent re-birth—of Italy’s biggest “little car” FEATURES 38 company. 26 Interview: Karl Kainhoffer DEPARTMENTS John Wright speaks with the well-known mechanic about his days with Porsche, Roger Penske and his close relationship with driver Mark Donohue. 6 First Turn: Sebring Baptism 8 Fast Exposure 38 Profile: Winds of Chance 10 News Brief Ed McDonough test drives the underappreciated 20 Mail Box 1963 Scirocco Grand Prix car, which was the cornerstone of one of the first “American” teams in 22 Time Capsule: May in Racing History modern Formula One. 58 Market Guide: Formula Junior Neil Phillipson 64 Photo Gallery: Retromobile, Springbok, Feature: The Mod Squad 50 Monte Carlo Rally, Phoenix,Targa 66 Carl Goodwin takes the first of an in-depth two-part ON THE COVER THIS MONTH: Product Review 1963 1.5-liter Scirocco F1 look at the jewel-like “Etceterini” cars that made up 74 Photo: Pete Austin the grids in American H-Mod racing. Hard Drive: Web Sites of Interest Pete Austin 76 82 Market Place 4 VINTAGE RACECAR VINTAGE RACECAR 5 FIRST TURN V I N T A G E ™ Sebring Baptism Sebring landmarks—the back straight, the hairpin and that famous, ultra-wide first PUBLISHER ⁄ EDITOR by Casey Annis, Editor Casey M. Annis turn. At one point, I even ventured over to [email protected] ike any good the “Mad Max”-like world that is the EUROPEAN EDITOR Ed McDonough race-nut, over the infield by Turns 9 and 10. I wandered [email protected] years I’ve tried to through this netherworld made up of L SOUTH PACIFIC EDITOR chip away at my list of makeshift cities of campers and temporary Patrick Quinn the “great automotive structures constructed by crazed fans, some [email protected] wonders of the world” of which had been camping at the track for GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Rush that I want to attend at over two weeks prior to the race! With [email protected] least once, before I register for that big home-built bars, observation decks and GRAPHIC DESIGNER enduro in the sky. For some reason, I have drunken fans, who may not entirely be Jason Gehrman never managed to get my act together to aware that there is a motor race going on, [email protected] go to the 12 Hours of Sebring…that is this area makes Watkins Glen’s “The Bog” EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Lynne Gehrman until this year. seem like a Girl Scout campout. [email protected] After many, many years of By the end of that first day, I returned COPY EDITOR daydreaming, and three incredibly to the top of the pits to watch the SVRA Penny Sippel cramped and long flights, I finally stood historic enduro, which has become such an CONTRIBUTING WRITERS atop the historic Sebring pits, overlooking integral part of the 12-hour weekend in Sir Stirling Moss, Harold Pace, Pete Lyons, Michael Oliver, Robert Newman, Rich Nisley that famed front straight and watched recent years. It was here, during this race, Norman Sippel, Mike Lawrence, Michael Stucker, everything from modern ALMS cars to a that I finally was able to make my fantasy, Peter Collins, Gary Horstkorta, John Murn, John Wright, Keith Booker, Art Evans, field of historic Corvettes, MGAs and and the modern reality of Sebring, Carl Goodwin, Mike Jiggle others roar down the rough Florida coalesce into a single image. Now, you PHOTOGRAPHERS cement. might be thinking it was the presence, on Allen Kuhn, A1 Photos, Jay Texter, Robert Harrington, Walt Pietrowicz, Oddly, at first something didn’t seem the track, of historic cars that did the trick, Bob Krueger, Peter Collins, Thierry Lesparre, Pete Lyons, Bob Dunsmore, Ferret Fotographics, right. There seems to be a strange but funny enough, that wasn’t it. In the Jamie Hankin, Pete Luongo, Vintage Motorphoto, Jim dissonance—or disconnect, I suppose— course of a very short period of time, Williams, Mark Scheuern, Cheryl A. Jones, Steve Oom, Roger Dixon, Fred Sickler, Keith Booker, that occurs when you finally see something something remarkable happened. It started Klemantaski Collection in person, after years of imagining it. After to rain. U.S. ADVERTISING Norman Sippel nearly 10 years of producing this magazine, The weather report that morning had 1569 Canopy Oaks Blvd., Suite B I’m sure I’ve looked at well over 1,000 forecast a 30% chance of rain. When it Palm Harbor, FL 34683 Phone/Fax: (727) 787-5929 different photographs of racing at Sebring, arrived, I was scared to think what a 50% [email protected] and who knows how many hours of movie chance would have been like! I’m not U.K./ EUROPE ADVERTISING footage. But after so many years of seeing talking about a misting, or a sprinkling, or Mike Jiggle Phone: (0) 1604 479628 images of Sebring, it was kind of surreal to even a heavy shower here. I’m talking [email protected] be standing over the front straight, looking about a pissing-down, Noah-get-your- NEWSSTAND CIRCULATION at a view that I had seen in countless galoshes kind of downpour that in the Warner International Periodical Services (909) 989-1169 photographs spanning the past 50 years. course of just a few brief minutes, had the Vintage Racecar Journal & Market Report® Everything was, on the one hand entire front straight completely submerged is published monthly by recognizable, and yet nothing appeared under 3–5 inches of standing water. It Parabolica Publishing, LLC quite like I envisioned it should look. rained so hard, and so fast, that within a 5212 Katella Ave., Suite 206 Los Alamitos, CA 90720 Perhaps it’s the modifications that couple of laps, they had to cancel the (562) 493-0737, (562) 493-0715 Fax. have occurred to the track in recent years. enduro, because it was truly impossible to U.K. Office: Staring up the front straight, from Turn 1, navigate the track. As I saw Corvettes and 9 Green Lane, Wootton Northants NN4 6LH, England you still can see that iconic footbridge that Elvas, driving down the front straight with (0) 1604 766645, (0) 1604 761813 Fax. crosses the front straight. And while the enormous plumes of water spraying out in Australia Office: 116 Warks Hill Road landscape is similar, the old wooden front of the cars, I was suddenly able to Kurrajong Heights, NSW 2758, Australia Sebring pit boxes have now been replaced reconcile this vision, with the famous (61) 2 45 677 380, (61) 0 417 673 065 with a modern structure that incorporates images of the Chaparrals doing the same in SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 yr. (12 issues) $54.95 (US), 2 yrs. (24 issues) $89.95 hospitality suites and viewing decks from 1965, or the Ferraris in 1995. Foreign Rates: Canada & Mexico add $20, for all others add $35. above. It’s not bad, just slightly different As the rain ran down my back and ISSN 1535-556X than my mind’s eye, which seems to only filled up my shoes, I thought, “Now, this is Copyright © 2007 by Vintage Racecar/Parabolica Publishing, LLC. have the ’50s and ’60s as a reference point. Sebring!” All rights reserved. After struggling with this initial Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Every effort is made to ensure that the information enclosed is true and mental adjustment, I was eager to take in accurate. However, we must disclaim any liability for the timeliness, use, interpretation, accuracy and completeness of the information contained all that Sebring has to offer. Over the within. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, but should be prefaced by a query letter to the editor. In order to be returned, course of the next day or so, I walked the all submissions must be accompanied by a SASE.