Wolf GB08

 

Wolf GB08 at the Course de Côte de Tonnerre 2020

See more photos from the 2020 Tonnerre Hillclimb via this link.

Wolf Racing Cars, Gardone Val Trompia, Brescia, Italy.  Wolf Racing Cars are an Italian racing car constructor who as Avelon Racing bought the rights to us the Walter Wolf name in 2009.  The original Walter Wolf Racing was a F1 constructor that famously won its first race when Jody Scheckter won the 1977 Argentine GP.  The F1 adventure ended in 1979 when Walter Wolf sold his team to Fittipaldi.  

The first car from the new Walter Wolf Racing was the GB08 a CN group prototype car.  The original GB08 had a Honda engine in common with many CN cars.  The cars are used in trackdays,  hillclimbs, prototype racing series and Endurance races all over the world.  The livery of many of the cars recall the F1 days.  

Volkswagen SP2

Volkswagen SP2 as seen in Paris.

Volkswagen do Brasil, São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil.  The SP2 was a sports car developed and produced locally by Volkswagen in Brazil between 1972 and 1976 for the local market as a replacement for the Karmann Ghia.   A rather attractive coupé it suffered from being underpowered for a sports car, although about 10,000 were sold.  It did however have a modern and attractive interior.  The car was built on a Volkswagen Variant Chassis but with an air-cooled flat 4 cylinder engine enlarged to 1.7 litres but still with only 75 hp.  Thus a top speed of 100mph and 0-60 time of around 16 seconds didn't really live up to its head turning looks.  Not many were exported and they are are now quite sought-after. The SP stood for São Paulo and there was SP1 that was even more underpowered!   It is said that the SP2 inspired the Porsche 924. 

1955 Pichon-Parat Dolomites

 

A 1955 Pichon Parat Dolomites on the 2020 Tour Auto.  

For more photos of the 2020 Tour Auto - click here.

Pichon et Parat Carrossier, Sens, L'Yonne, France.  Pichon-Parat were coachbuilders who started in 1952.  The company was named after the founders, Bernard Pichon and André Parat. The Dolomites was first presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1953.  It was built on the base of a Panhard Dyna X, a small capacity, lightweight, front engine, front wheel drive saloon car.  By adding a lightweight streamlined metal body Pichon-Parat turned it into a desirable sports car for rallying.  With a weight of about 500kg and a 750cc 2 cylinder motor it could reach about 150 kph.  Versions were also offered up to 850cc.

One of the first cars was bought by Laurent Sagnier who entered it into the 1954 Tour de France Automobile and hence its eligibility for the modern Tour Auto.  About three different styles of the Dolomites were built, all for competition.  Nowadays, these cars are rather rare as only about twenty or so were ever made.  Pichon-Parat also made cars based on the Renault 4CV, Citroens, Lancias, Talbots, BMW and even American chassis; all in relatively small volumes.  Pichon-Parat continued into the early seventies as a coachbuilder although André Parat died in the mid-Sixties.

1952 Cunningham C4R

A Cunningham C4R at the Le Mans Classic in 2018.

For more photos from the 2018 Le Mans Classic Plateau 2 - click here.

B.S.Cunningham Company, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.   Briggs Cunningham first entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans Race in 1950 and was determined to win it.   He never actually did but came relatively close on at least one occasion, especially with the C4R which was powered by a 5.4 litre (later 5.5 litre) Chrysler V8 engine.  The first Cunningham C4Rs were built in 1952 with George Briggs Weaver in charge of the body and chassis design.  The car was a typical front engined rear wheel drive roadster with a big engined American V8 under the bonnet.  The roadholding was reputed to be very good but brakes and steering were a weak pont compared to the Jaguars of the era.   Top speed was around 155mph.

In 1952 two of these cars came to Le Mans and came away with fourth place in the hands of Briggs Cunningham himself and Bill Spear.  Later in the year John Fitch took the car to its first win in a 200 mile race at Elkhart Lake,  1953 saw the first ever World Sportscar Championship and a Cunningham C4R won the first ever round of the Championship in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring with John Fitch and Phil Walters at the wheel.   However, at Le Mans the sole C4R could only finish seventh.  Some consolation was gained a few weeks later with a 3rd place in the Reims 12 Hours.  It also appeared in a support race at the British GP.  In 1954 two C4Rs appeared at Le Mans and one of them came third driven by Bill Spear and Sherwood Johnston.   It was a brave effort but it was becoming very difficult to take on Jaguar, Ferrari and Mercedes at Le Mans.  The car did take a few more small victories in US races.   Only two cars (plus a C4RK coupé) were built in period, but 4 authorised continuation cars were built in the 1990s and another replica was built on a C3 chassis.