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Category Archives: Classic Bits

INNES’S GRANDE EPREUVE WIN   PART 2

YESTERDAY, WE SET the stage for the 1961 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Team Lotus’s first Formula One victory, and Innes Ireland’s sole Grand Epreuve win. Today, R&T’s Jim … Continue reading →

August 22, 2021 · 1 Comment

INNES’S GRANDE EPREUVE WIN   PART 1

THE U.S. GRAND PRIX, October 8, 1961, is multiply significant, as reported by R&T’s Jim Crow: “Statistically, it was the first World Championship win for the uninhibited Scot, the first … Continue reading →

August 21, 2021 · 1 Comment

A LITTLE WONDER WITH OPULENCE ESCHEWED

EARLY SIXTIES AUTOMOBILES were less opulent than those of the Fifties. GM popularized the hardtop convertible (an oxymoron for the pillarless sedan), Ford exhibited a concept car called the Mustang I, … Continue reading →

August 18, 2021 · 2 Comments

FORMULA ONE—A 1961 STATE OF THE ART

THE 1961 LOTUS F1 car lacks the Wagnerian force of the Grand Prix Silver Arrows of the late 1930s. Its Philip Glass-like minimalism contrasts with Formula One’s recent hypercomplexity. Sixty … Continue reading →

August 11, 2021 · 1 Comment

PANHARD JUNIOR SPORTS—LESS THAN AN MG

“NEW SPORTS CAR models of all types and sizes have been introduced on the American market during the past few years. One thing they all had in common—a price higher … Continue reading →

July 15, 2021 · Leave a comment

ASTON MARTIN MARK II

FIFTY-ONE YEARS BEFORE James Bond piloted his DB-5 to fame in Goldfinger (1964), Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford established Aston Martin. The “Aston” came from Aston Hill, where Martin raced … Continue reading →

July 5, 2021 · 4 Comments

ROB WALKER ON CLASSIC CARS

I DON’T OFTEN remember forewords to books I’ve read. Some are dedications. Some are introductions to the author. But I recall one whenever I pick up the Classic Cars in … Continue reading →

June 29, 2021 · 6 Comments

SOME KIDS NEVER GROW UP

THIS KID, BORN in 1906, ran off to join the Barnum & Bailey Circus. After his circus career waned in the early 1930s, he disappeared in 1936. Relatives discovered the … Continue reading →

June 21, 2021 · 2 Comments

TRIUMPH TR2 ROADSTER—1954

WHAT A PROVOCATIVE headline: “Tiny, Rapid 2.” The Triumph TR2 Roadster was the cover car for R&T, April 1954. Here are a few tidbits from that road test.  “The Triumph … Continue reading →

June 9, 2021 · Leave a comment

FRANCO CORTESE’S BRIT RIDE

ITALIAN RACE DRIVER Franco Cortese competed in 156 races between 1927 and his 1958 retirement. These included one Formula One Grand Prix, three Formula Two Grands Prix, and 14 Mille … Continue reading →

May 28, 2021 · Leave a comment