1970 Ferrari 512M

1970 Ferrari 512M, Dix Mille Tours du Castellet, Paul Ricard 1970.

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Ferrari, Maranello, Italy.   With the initial 512S proving to have rather disappointing reliabilty and results against the Porsche 917, a modified version was produced in late 1970.  This was the Ferrari 512M, the M standing for Modificata.  The 512M featured a less rounded shape with improved aerodynamics and all had a closed coupé body style.  The 512Ms were converted from the 512Ss.  These modification first appeared at the 1970 Zeltweg 1000kms on a works car driven by Jacky Ickx and Ignazio Giunti, but it did not finish.  In the next race at Kyalami in the 9 hour race, the same car and drivers won but it was not part of the World Championship.  For 1971 the Ferrari works team concentrated on the 3 litre prototype 312PB and dd not enter the 512M except in an Interserie race at Imola that it won..  However, the privateers who owned many of the 512Ms continued the fight.  Importantly one of these privateers was none other than Roger Penske.   He rebuilt the car from bottom up and produced the best 512M that anyone had.  However, even that car did not prove a winner and it only achieved a third at Daytona and sixth place at Sebring.    The yellow car, pictured, is in the colours of Escuderia Montjuich.  That car's greatest achievement was coming an amazing second in the Tour de France.  Other privateers did achieve 3rd and 4th places at the Le Mans 24 hours and a few wins in minor non-championship races.  Thus, a lovely car but not a 917 beater.

For more about the Ferrari 512S, click here.

1970 Ferrari 512S

1970 Ferrari 512S, Dix Mille Tours, Paul Ricard 2017.

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Ferrari, Maranello, Italy.  Ferrari built twenty five 512S sports cars to compete with the Porsche 917 in the 5 litre Group 5 class of the 1970 World Championship of Makes.  Ferrari had had to wait for Fiat funds and was behind Porsche in development at the start of the 1970 season. The car was powered by a 5 litre Ferrari V12 engine but was heavier than Porsche's 917.  On its debut at the 1970 Daytona 24 hrs, the lead car driven by Andretti, Merzario and Ickx finished third.  Then at the next race at Sebring the car scored a famous win when Andretti took over the Giunti / Vaccarella car and beat the Steve McQueen Porsche 908.  Unfortunately that was as good as it got.  A second place at Monza and Spa and third places at Monza, Targa Florio, Nurburgring and Watkins Glen rounded the season off.  By the end of the season many had been converted to 512M spec but it wasn't much more successful.  In 1971 a NART 512S took runner-up spot in the Daytona 24 hours.   The Ferrari 512 will go down in history as the car that made the Porsche 917 look so great.   917 drivers such as Rodriguez, Oliver and Bell also drover the 512S on occasion.   John Surtees, making a return to Ferrari for the first time since 1966 also drove them with success and Amon who had left Ferrari for the March GP team also drove them.

For more about the Ferrari 512M, click here.

Clan Crusader

Chris Littler, Clan Crusader, Saint Goueno Masters Hillclimb, 2017.

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Clan Motor Company, Washington, County Durham, England.  The Clan Motor Company was formed by some ex-Lotus employees, Paul Haussauer and John Luff, in the early seventies.  The aim was to produce a GRP monocoque sports car for the road using the Sunbeam/Hillman Imp engine, transmission and gearbox. The Imp engine was of course based on a Coventry Climax unit.  John Frayling came up with the design and the Clan Crusader was born.  It was made in the North East due to regional funding.  The car was produced from 1971 until 1973 before the company went bust. This was a shame as it was a nice lightweight sports car with a top speed of nearly 100mph and a 0-60mph time of under 13 seconds.  It was also economical and racing driver Gerry Marshall drove from Glasgow to London averaging 68mpg.   Over 300 Crusaders were sold including just under 20 competition versions.  The competition versions were successfully rallied including wins by Alan Conley on the 1972 Tour of Mull and 1973 Derwent Star Rally.  On the circuits they were also raced with success in GT and Modsports events by Johnny Blades, Kenny Allen and Terry Carthy.    In 1982 a new version of the clan was produced under different ownership in Northern Ireland but this project also went bust in 1987.

Citroën SM

Citroên SM, Traversée de Paris, Montmartre, 2016

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Citroën, Paris, France.  Produced from 1970 to 1975 this was Citroën's flagship car of the early seventies.  It was also a high performance four seater with a top speed of around 140 mph and a 0-60mph time of around 8.5 seconds.  Unusual for such a fast car, the SM was front wheel drive. As Citroën owned Maserati at the time, power was from a Maserati V6 of either 2.7 or 3.0 litres and giving 170bhp or 180bhp.  The gearbox was either 5 speed manual or 3 speed automatic.  It was a fast genuine Grand Tourer with a long range from its big tank and 19mpg and good ride from the Citroën self levelling suspension. The car was quite big for a coupé and had quirky looks and a cut-off Kamm tail.  Nevertheless a true classic.   Famous drivers included Mike Hailwood of bike and car racing fame and he used to drive to the European races in it.

1971 Porsche 914-4

Trevor Frank, 1971 Porsche 914-4, Porsche Rennsport Reunion, Laguna Seca 2015.

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VW Karmann, Germany.   The 914-4 had a Volkswagen 4 cylinder engine and in Europe was

marketed as a VW Porsche.  Thus in Europe was never really regarded as a proper Porsche.  There appears less prejudice against it in the USA as it was marketed as a Porsche.   However, it was still a targa top mid-engined sports car and over 100,000 were sold so it wasn't that unpopular.  A collaboration between Volkswagen and Porsche, it can be looked upon as a replacement for the VW Karmann Ghia or an entry level Porsche.  In fact it was both. Their were three different VW engines used over the years, a 1.7, a 1.8 and 2.0 litre.  The fastest of these was capable of 190kph and 0-60mph in under 11 seconds.  The VW 4 cylinders were raced and one driven by Wayne Baker won the 1981 Sears Point IMSA GTU race - this actual car is shown inset right, also at Laguna Seca in 2015.  It is a 1972 car that was heavily modified in 1980 for IMSA racing.  In the Porsche Rennsport Reuion it was driven by Ronald Mistak.

  

1969 Alfa Romeo T33/3

Gianlucca Ratlazzi, Alfa Romeo T33/3, 2015 GP de l'Age d'Or, Dijon-Prenois.

Alfa Romeo, AutoDelta, Milan, Italy. AutoDelta was an Alfa Romeo subsidiary that created some of its great sixties and seventies racers under the guidance of Carlo Chiti.  The 33/3 had a 3 litre V8 engine and made its debut at the 1969 Sebring 12 hours.   The car did not really become successful until 1971 when, after further modification, it won victories in the Brands Hatch 1,000kms, the Targa Florio and the Watkins Glen 6 hours.  Drivers included Andrea de Adamich, Henri Pescarolo, Nino Vaccarella, Toine Hezemans, Rolf Stommelen and Ronnie Peterson.

1971 Ligier JS3-DFV

Mr John of B, Ligier JS3-DFV, Dijon-Prenois, GP de l'Age d'Or 2015.

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Ligier Automobile, Abrest, France.  This F1 Cosworth engined car was designed to be competitive with the best 3 litre sports cars of its day.  At the 1971 Le Mans test weekend it finished second in the 3 hour race driven by Guy Ligier after a drive up the field from the back of rthe grid.  The following week it won the 15 lap Coupe de Printemp at the Autodrome Linas-Montlhery.  in the 24 hours of Le Mans it was not classified after completing just 270 laps and after some other minor races at Magny Cours and Montlhery it was put away to pasture until revived for historic racing by its current owner.  It always looks beautiful in its original yellow and green BP colours.  In 1971 as well as Guy Ligier, Patrick Depailler was one of its drivers.

1971 Matra MS120B V12 F1

1971 Matra MS120B V12 F1 à Classic Days, Magny Cours 2014

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Porsche 917K

K=Kurzheck ou Courte en français or short tail in English.

Chris Mac Allister dans une Porsche 917K au "Corkscrew", Laguna Seca 2015 pour Porsche Rennsport Reunion V.

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Porsche, Stuttgart, Germany.
Top Speed / Vitesse maximale - 362 kph (Le Mans).

Mon astuce pour faire des belles photos.
Parfois, les photos de format portrait de voitures peuvent être plus approprié ou puissant que le format paysage plus commun.

Top photo tip
Sometimes portrait format photos of cars can be more appropriate or powerful than the more common landscape format.

1971 Dinalpin A110

Course de Cote d'Etretat-Bénouville 2015.  Andy Owler dans une Dinalpin A110, une A110 fabriqué en Mexique.

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DINA Diesel Nacional / Alpine Renault.  Dinalpin.  Vallejo City, Mexico.
Top Speed / Vitesse Maximale 210 kph+, 0 - 100 kph 7.5 / 6.9 secs (1,300 / 1,600cc)

Mon astuce pour faire de belles photos
Composition est tout. Recadrez pour obtenir une composition puissante.

Top Photo Tip
Composition is everything. Crop your picture to make it a more powerful composition.