Dodge Viper SRT GTS R

Dodge Viper SRT GTS R, Le Mans 24 hours 2015

The first track going Dodge Viper GTS R fist appeared in 1996 and the 8 litre V10 car finished 10th at Le Mans in the 24 hours that year.  In 1998 the Viper won the GT2 class at Le Mans, a feat it would repeat in the following two years.  in 2000 a Viper won overall in the Daytona 24 hours.  The picture above shows the Viper still racing at Le Mans in 2015.

Peugeot 106 XSI

Peugeot 106XSI, 2016 Rallye National de la Côte Fleurie

More pictures of the Cote Fleurie Rallye soon on the sister blog, suivez ce lien.

Peugeot, France.  The Peugeot 106 XSI was introduced in 1991 as a supermini hatchback.  Itwas fairly lightweight and reliable and hence its popularity in rallies.  There were a number of engines over the years including a 1.4 litre and a 1.6 litre.  O-100kph was in under 10 seconds and top speed around 190kph depending on the model.

1955 Lotus 6

1955 Lotus 6 - Course de Cote d'Etretat-Benouville 2015

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For more photos of the 2015 Etretat-Benouville Hillclimb, follow the link above.

Lotus Engineering Company, Hornsey, London, England.  The Lotus 6 or MkVI was the first Lotus produced in any numbers by Colin Chapman and his company.  It was sold from 1952 to 1957 before being replaced by the Lotus Seven.  Over a 100 were built and were powered by various engine normally of 1.2 to 1.5 litres.  It was available as a kit car.  In competition they had a lot of success in fifties club racing, often beating more expensive and more powerful cars.  Colin Chapman himself raced one and won a number of races in 1953.  David Piper of Ferrari privateer fame also raced one and scored a number of wins with it in 1955. Peter Gammon was one of the most successful early Lotus 6 drivers winning 14 races in 1954.  With a lightly tuned Ford 10 engine the John Bolster Autosport test report recorded an 88mph top speed and 0-60mph time of under 13 seconds.  An important car that laid the foundations for the fifties Lotus racing cars and its longer lived successor - the Seven.

Renault 8 Gordini 1300

Bernard Boilaive, Renault 8 Gordini, Course de Cote de Mont Dore, 2014

Pour plus de photos de la Course de Cotes de Mont Dore 2014, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2014 Mont Dore Hillclimb, follow the link above.



Renault, Flins, France.  The Renault R8 was a small rear engine rear wheel drive car produced in the sixties and early seventies.  The more powerful Gordini version was produced from 1964 and the Gordini 1300 from 1966.  It was much used as a rally car and scored a hat trick of wins in the Tour de Corse between 1964 and 1966.  in the late sixties there was a one make series of Renault 8 Gordini races in which drivers like Jean-Pierre Jarier competed.  It had a top speed of about 175kph and a 0-100kph time of 11.5 seconds.  A very popular classic car in France nowadays and deservedly so with its nationalistic blue and white stripe colour scheme and reputation as an affordable sporting saloon car.

1961 Maserati T63 Birdcage

Maserati T63, GP de l'Age d'Or 2002, Autodrome Linas-Montlhéry.

Pour plus de photo du Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or 2002, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2002 GP de l'Age d'Or at the Autodrome Linas-Montlhéry, follow the link above.

Maserati,  Bologna, Italy.  This T63 is a 2 litre mid-engined Maserati Bircage built in 1961.  They are sometimes nicknamed "Supercage" due to the increased amount of tubing compared to the original front engined Birdcagers.  At that time the Maserati concern was owned by the Orsi family and the mid-engined Bircages were the last in a long line of Maserati racing cars.  A V12 version of the T63 finished fourth at Le Mans in 1961 driven by Dick Thompson and Augst Pabst.  A T63 driven by Maurice Trintignant and Nino Vaccarella also came fourth in the 1961 Targa Florio.  Just seven T63s were built originally of which just one was a long wheelbase car. I believe this one was built up on a spare LWB chassis.

1937/38 Talbot T26 SS

Richard Pilkington, Talbot T26, GP de l'Age d'Or, Autodrome Linas-Montlhéry, 2002

Pour plus de photos de l'Autodrome Linas-Montlhéry 2002, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the GP de l'Age d'Or at Montlhéry in 2002, follow the link above.

Talbot, Suresnes, France.   This is chassis number 90202, reg no MXW9 that has been owned and raced by Richard Pilkington for a very long time.  I believe it started life as T150C chassis 82935 and then was converted into a T26 with the addition of a 4.5 litre motor.  In its initial configuration it was raced by the likes of Albert Divo, Raymond Somner and René Carrière for the works team in events such as the Le Mans 24 hours, the Tourist Trophy and the Mille Miglia.  Best result was a second place for Divo in the GP de Marne in 1937.  In its second incarnation it came 4th in the 1938 Tourist Trophy driven by Carrière.  Post war it was driven by Louis Chiron in the 1946 GP de Bruxelles.  It then came to the UK and was driven by Peter Waring and Dick Fitzwilliam.  Fitzwilliam won a Goodwood handicap with it in 1954.  A rare car that Richard Pilkington still races enthusiastically in Historic events.

1937 Singer B37 1.5 litre Sports

Singer B37, Goodwood Revival 2010

For my latest motoring pictures click here.

Singer, Coventry, England.  Singer were a major competitor to MG and Riley. The Singer B37 is a rare car as only a dozen were made, four of which were raced, four were sold and four used as spares. For financial reasons production was stopped after the first twelve - a great pity. Only a few survive. They have 1.5 litre straight 4 engines.  I believe the one in the photo is one of the works racing cars and it is now raced regularly in historic events.

Triumph TR3

Maintenance on an early Triumph TR3, Magny Cours Classic Days 2014

Pour plus de photos du Classic Days à Magny Cours 2014, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2014 Classic Days at Magny Cours follow the link above.

Triumph Motor Company part of the Standard-Triumph Group, Coventry, England.  The TR3 was a two seater sports car produced between 1955 and 1962.  The early model pictured here was produced until 1957.  It had a 2 litre straight 4 engine.  Its top speed was 105mph and it go from 0-60mph in under 11 seconds.  They competed in the Coupe des Alpes and other motor sport events during the fifties.

1938 Peugeot Spécial Sport 402 Roadster Darl'mat

1938 Peugeot Spécial Sport 402 Roadster Darl'mat - RetroMobile 2016.

Pour plus de photos du Salon RetroMobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2016 Retromobile, follow the link above.

Peugeot, Sochaux, France.  This very desirable Peugeot is built on the 402 Legere chassis and has a 2 litre 4 cylinder engine and was the vision of Emile Darl'mat.  His vision was to have a comfortable, fast car that didn't cost a fortune.  The bodywork was by Georges Paulin and Marcel Pourtout.  The car in the photograph is right hand drive and participated in a number of speed events between 1939 and 1948 including at Goodwood and the Brighton Speed Trials.   Other cars participated at Le Mans in 1937 and 1938 and won their class.

2015 Renault e.dams Z.E.15 Formule E

2015 Renault Formula E car, RetroMobile 2016.   Not very retro!

Have you got your tickets for the Formula E race in April 2016 around Les Invalides in Paris which is round seven of the championship?  I've got mine!   Follow the link below to get one and find out more about the race on April 23rd.

http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/calendar/2016-paris.aspx

The Renault e.dams team will be there with Nicolas Prost and Sébastien Buemi.  After round 4 the Renault e.dams team is leading the team championship and Sébastien Buemi is leading the driver's championship.

The chassis is a Spark-Renault SRT 01E.   The motor is an all electric Renault Sport ZE15 designed by Renault at Viry-Châtillon.  The car is capable of 225kph.

For pictures of old cars at this year's RetroMobile, follow this link.

1981 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus

ex Toivonen/Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, 2015 Montée Historique du Guichet

Pour plus de photos de la Montée Historique du Guichet, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2015 Montée Historique du Guichet, follow the link above.

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, UK (at the time part of the Peugeot Group).  A hot hatchback from the late seventies and early eighties that marked the end of the two wheel drive rally car era.  This car won the 1980 RAC Rally and then the 1981 World Rally Championship.  The car pictured is in its San Remo Rally livery where Toivonen and Gallagher finished second and clinched the championship.  It had a 2.2 litre 16v Lotus engine which developed 240hp in rally form.  Apart from Toivonen, other drivers include Tony Pond, Russell Brookes and Guy Fréquelin,

1963 Ford Galaxie

1963 Ford Galaxie, Tour Auto 2014

Pour plus de photo du tour Auto 2014, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2014 Tour Auto, follow the link above.

Ford, Dearborn, USA.  A large 7 litre V8 American saloon car produced from 1959 to 1974.  It raced in NASCAR and Touring Car races during the sixties.  Henry Greder drove one in the 1963 Tour de France Auto and Sir Gawaine Baillie drove one in the 1964 edition.  Many famous GP drivers drove Galaxies including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney, Frank Gardner and Paul Hawkins as well regular Touring Car drivers such as Jack Sears, Gawaine Baillie and Brian Muir and GT drivers such as Bob Olthoff.  Dan Gurney scored the first two of his many Riverside NASCAR victories at Riverside in a Ford Galaxy in 1963 and 1964.  Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett were other drivers who scored NASCAR victories in the Galaxie.   Jack Sears won four British Saloon Car victories in the Ford Galaxie including the 1963 British GP support race.

Dodge Viper SRT

Dodge Viper SRT, Petersen Auto Museum Cruise-In January 2016

Pour plus de photos du Breakfast Cruise-In 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the January 2016 Petersen Auto Museum Breakfast Club Cruise-In, follow the link above.

Dodge, Detroit, USA.  The Viper started its life in 1992 and continues. It has a 8 litre V10 engine, a top speed of 180mph plus and a 0-60mph time of 4 seconds or less.  The car in the picture is a recent SRT model.

1912 Barré B3

1912 Barré B3, Chanteloup-les-Vignes, 2014

Pour plus de photos du Chanteloup les Vignes 2014, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2014 Chanteloup les Vignes Hillclimb, follow the link above.

Automobiles Barré, Niort, France.  Barré was an early twentieth century French car manufacturer based in Niort that disappeared in  1930.  They competed in pre-first world war motor sport events winning their class in the Gaillon hillclimb near Rouen and finishing in the early Tour de France Automobiles from 1912 onwards. The car pictured was powered by a Ballot F4F engine.

Austin Healey "Frogeye" Sprite Mk1

Austin Healey "Frogeye" Sprite, RetroMobile 2016.

Pour plus de photos du RetroMobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of RetroMobile 2016, follow the link above.

Austin Healey, designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company and made by BMC at the MG factory in Abingdon , England. The Mk1 had the frogeye headlamp configuration and a 948cc A series engine.  It was a convertible and could go just over 80mph.  It was produced from 1958 to 1961.  Early rallying success came when John Sprinzel and Willy Cave won their class on the 1958 Alpine Rally.

1960 Pinin Farina PFX

1960 Pinin Farina PFX , RetroMobile 2016.

Pour plus de photos du RetroMobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of RetroMobile 2016, follow the link above.

Pinin Farina, Cambiano, Italy.  The PFX also known as the Model X had a four wheel rhomboid layout.  It was exhibited at the 1960 Turin Motor Show and the 1961 Brussels Motor Show.  The power came from a 1.1 litre Fiat engine mounted at the rear which rotated the rear wheel.  The front wheel steered the vehicle whilst the outside two wheels were just stabilisers.

Benetton-Ford B192

Benetton B192, RetroMobile 2016

Pour plus de photos de Retromobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of Retromobile 1016, follow the link above.

Benetton, Enstone, England.  The B192 was the car that gave Michael Schumacher his first Grand prix win - The Belgian GP of 1992.  Between them, Michael Schumacher and Martin Brundle, scored 11 podiums with this car designed by Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne.  Benetton finished third in the 1992 Constructors' Championship.  It was powered by a 3.5 litre Ford V8 engine but it sucess came from it reliable, simple and effective chassis.

Honda S800

Honda  , Retromobile 2016

Pour plus de photos du Retromobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of RetroMobile 2016, follow the link above.

Honda, Susuka, Japan.  The Honda S600 was first produced in 1966 and had a 800cc 4 cylinder high revving engine that could power the car to around 100mph.  It was celebrating its 50th birthday at RetroMobile.

1964 Zagato "Zimp" Prototype

Zagato "Zimp" Prototype - RetroMobile 2016.

Pour plus de photos du Retromobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of Retromobile 2016, follow he link above.

Zagato, Milan, Italy.  This Zagato Prototype is based on the Hillman Imp chassis.  It was produced for the 1964 London Motor Show.  Only 3 were built.   The bodywork was aluminium. It has a standard lightweight Hillman Imp 875cc motor which was developed from the Coventry Climax engine. It is known as the Zimp. Top speed was about 140kph/87mph.  Chrysler vetoed turning the prototype into reality as it would have been expensive compared to cars like the Mini Cooper or Sunbeam Stilletto.  Nevertheless, a great looking car.

Aston Martin DB5

Aston Martin DB5 - Retromobile 2016

Pour plus de photos du Retromobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more pictures of the 2016 Retromobile, follow the link above.

Aston Martin, Newport Pagnell, England.   The DB5 was produced from 1963 to 1965.  Over a 1,000 were produced.  It became famous when James Bond drove one in Goldfinger.  It had a 6 cylinder 4 litre engine.  Top speed was 145mph and it took a little over 7 seconds to reach 60mph. .  In the sixties when they were new they cost a little over £4,000.

1968 Lamborghini Muira P400

1968 Lamboghini Muira P400, Retromobile 2016

Pour plus de photos du Retromobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos from the 2016 Salon Retromobile follow the link above.

Lamborghini, Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy.   The famous bodywork of the Muira was created by Bertone.  It had a 4 litre V12 Lamborghini engine mounted behind the driver.  This was the first Lamborghini to rival if not beat the Ferraris of the time in terms of desirability.  It had an over 170 mph top speed and a 0-60mph time of under 6.5 seconds, making it outstandingly quick for its day.

1965 Mclaren-Oldsmobile M3A

Patsy Burt's McLaren-Oldsmobile M3A, RetroMobile Paris 2016

Pour plus de photos du Retromobile 2016, suivez ce lien.
For more photos of the 2016 RetroMobile, follow the link above.

Patsy Burt asked Bruce McLaren to build a single seater for her based on the successful M1 sports car.  The M3A was the result with its 4.4 litre Traco Oldsmobile engine.  Built in 1965 it appeared in sprints from 1966 onwards.  In the car Patsy Burt won hillclimbs, sprints, records and in 1968 became the first woman to win the Brighton Speed Trials on Madeira Drive.  In 1970 she won the RAC National Sprint Championship in this car.  Two other M3As were built.  One was a European Hillclimb car, whilst the other was used as a camera car in the filming of John Frankenheimer's film "Grand Prix".

1947 Stanguellini 1100 Motto Coupé

1947 Stanguellini 1100 Motto Coupé, Le Salon RetroMobile, Paris  2016

Pour plus de photos du RetroMobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2016 RetroMobile exhibition in Paris, follow the link above.

Stanguellini, Modena, Italy.  Vittorio Stanguellini was a Fiat dealer in Modena who started to produce cars with modified Fiat engines.   This 1947 car had a pre-war Fiat 508 chassis.  It has an lightweight aluminium body produced by CA-MO Torino (Motto).  The car raced in Italy during the late forties.  There is probably only one of these cars in the world.

1956 Renault Etoile Filante

Renault Etoile Filante, Retromobile, 2016.

Pour plus de photos du RetroMobile 2016, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2016 Retromobile exhibition in Paris, follow the link above.

The Renault Etoile Filante had a Turbomeca Turbine Helicopter engine.  In 1956 at the Bonneville salt flats it achieved a speed of over 300kph, a record for this class of vehicle.  It was driven by Jean Herbert.  The Renault Dauphine was launched in the USA after this record gave Renault some good publicity over there.

1911 Fiat S 76

Fiat S76, The Beast of Turin, Retromobile 2016

Pour plus de photos du RetroMobile 2016, suivez ce lien. 

For more photos of the 2016 RetroMobile, follow the link above.

This car was built by Fiat to try and get the Land Speed Record.  It had a 300 HP 4 cylinder 28 litre engine.  The car achieved 116mph.

Ford P68 3L

Ford 3L P68, Retromobile, Paris, 2016 

A link to more photos from Retromobile coming soon.

Ford 3L P68.  Constructor- Alan Mann Racing, Byfleet, England.  Powered by a 3 litre Cosworth Ford DFV engine.  it was a Group 6 prototype.  It made a competitive debut at the 1968 BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch driven by Bruce McLaren and Mike Spence.  Although it was very fast, inherent aerodynamic stability led to accidents and a lack of finishes.  Nevertheless, a beautiful car and one those who saw the 1968 BOAC 500 will never forget.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Rallye du Medoc, 2015.

Pour plus de photos du Rallye du Medoc 2015, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the 2015 Rallye du Medoc, follow the the link above.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, France. The Lancer Evo was a high performance 2 litre turbo sports saloon often used in rallying.  produced from 1992 onwards.

1934 Voisin C27 Roadster

1934 Voisin C27 Roadster, Petersen Auto Museum, Los Angeles.

Pour plus de photos du Petersen Automotive Museum, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the Petersen Automotive Museum, click on the link above.

Automobile-Avions-Voisin, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.  This car has bodywork by Figoni and was originally owned by the Prince of Persia. It has a 6 cylinder 3 litre engine. Although a military aircraft and luxury car maker, perhaps the most famous Voisin was the 1923 Voisin C6 Laboratoire Grand Prix car that competed against Sunbeam, Fiat and Bugatti in the 1923 French GP. A Voisin finished fifth.

1937 Delage D8-120 Coupe Aerosport

Delage D8-120 Coupe Aerosport, Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles

Pour plus de photos du Petersen Auto Museum, suivez ce lien.

For more photos of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, click on the link above.

Delage, France.  The coarchbuilder was Letourneur et Marchand in Neuilly-sur-Seine on a Delage chassis that by this time was built in the Delehaye factory.  This car was restored after being found in a barn in the early nineties.