1974 Gulf Mirage GR7-Ford Cosworth DFV

Stuart Hall, 1974 Gulf Mirage GR7, Dix Mille Tours, Paul Ricard 2017

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For more photos from the 2017 Dix Mille Tours, click here.

JW Automotive Engineering, Slough, England. Mirage was the name of the occasionally successful line of sports racing cars that JWAE produced from 1967 to 1982. The GR7 was an update of the M6 that had been quite successful during the 1973 season including a win the Spa 1000kms.   Four out of five M6s were rebuilt as the GR7 - the GR standing for Gulf Racing who provided the sponsorship.  The updates included reducing the weight by using titanium for some parts and improving the aerodynamics by moving the wing further back and lengthening the nose.  The chassis was a strengthened aluminium monocoque, the body was fibreglass reinforced polyester and the engine was a 3 litre V8 Cosworth Ford DFV.  First time out was at the 1974 Le Mans test where they proved slower than the main competition which was Matra-Simca and Alfa Romeo.   First race was the Monza 1000kms where Derek Bell and Mike Hailwood finished fourth.  They improved on this at the Spa 1000kms where they finished second with the same drivers. At Le Mans the car lasted the 24 hours and finished fourth with Bell and Hailwood again.  A series of other third and fourth places meant that Gulf Mirage finished second in the World Championship for Makes to Matra but berating Porsche and Alfa Romeo. In 1975 The GR7 was campaigned by the Gelo Racing Team of Georg Loos.  Best result was second in the Nurburgring 1000kms driven by Howden Ganley and Tim Schenken.

1974 Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12

Derek Bell, Alfa Romeo 33 TT12, Paul Ricard 2017, Dix Mille Tours.

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Alfa Romeo / Autodelta, Milan, Italy.  This car was the fifth evolution of the Alfa Romeo 33 that Autodelta produced for the the World Championship for Sports Cars.   It first appeared in 1973.  The TT stood for Telaio Tubolare or Tubular Chassis that was made of a lightweight alloy.  The 12 stood for the new 12 cylinder 3 litre flat 12 engine that produced 500bhp. The body was fibreglass.  In 1973 the car was unreliable and the best result was a second position for Rolf Stommelen in the 500km of Imola.  In 1974 the team took a 1-2 victory at the Monza 1000kms with Merzario and Andretti in the lead car and achieved second place in the championship.  In 1975 the car was dominant and Alfa Romeo won the World Championship for Makes with the Willy Kauhsen Racing Team.  The drivers that helped them win included Merzario, Laffite, Pescarolo, Bell, Mass, Vaccarella and Brambilla.  They did not take part in the  Le Mans 24 hours as it was not part of the championship as it had special fuel consumption rules.   However, its dominant seven consecutive endurance victories in 1975 makes it perhaps the most successful Alfa Romeo sports cars ever.  Victories for Derek Bell, seen above in the car, included the 1000kms of Spa, 1000kms of Zeltweg, Watkins Glen 6 hours and an interseries race at Kassel-Calden, all in 1975.

1974 Dodge Charger 7.0L Hemi V8

Christophe Schwartz, 1974 7 litre Dodge Charger Hemi V8, Lr Mans Classic 2016.

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For more photos of the seventies cars at the 2016 Le Mans Classic, click on the link above.

Chrysler, USA.  In the seventies there was a class for NASCAR cars at Le Mans in order to try and attract more cars following the fuel crisis.  In 1976 Herschel Mc Griff, a long time American stock car driver,  brought over an Olympia beer sponsored Dodge Charger in the colours pictured above to Le Mans . Unfortunately it only finished a couple of laps before retiring as the European fuel didn't suit the car because it had the wrong octane level.   The original car was lost but Christophe Schwartz has created a replica using a Petty prepared Grand National car that won the the 1977 USAC Stock Car championship winning car as a base. Top speed of the original car was 215mph along the Mulsanne straight.  The 1973 type Dodge Charge was a favourite amongst drivers of the time in NACAR and USAC racing.  In 1977 Paul Feldner drove the car above to its USAC title.  In 2016 Christophe Schwartz finished in the top half of the field in the Le Mans Classic just behind the ex-Robin Hamilton Aston Martin.

1974 Fiat Abarth X1/9 Prototipo

Didier Marcacci, Fiat Abarth X1/9 Prototipo, Montée Historique de Beaune-St Romain, 2016

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For more photos of the Historic re-run of the Beaune-St Romain Hillclimb in 2016, click on the link above.

Fiat Abarth, Turin, Italy. Abarth was a specialist sports car maker founded by Carlo Abarth that was sold to Fiat in 1971.  Amongst other things, Abarth prepared Fiat's rally cars.  The Fiat Abarth X1/9 Prototipo was intended as a replacement rally car to the Fiat Abarth 124.  It was powered by a 1.8 litre engine derived from the 124  and was introduced in 1973.  About 5 genuine cars were produced and there are also a number of replicas.  The rally history was mainly in Italian National events.  It did win the Alpi Orientali and the Coppa Trabucchi rallies in 1974.  Its most famous driver was Clay Regazzoni who drove one in the 1974 Giro d'Italia but retired. Due to Fiat politics and other projects such as the 131 rally car the Fiat Abarth X1/9 project was not pursued after 1974.

1974 Ford Capri RS3100 Cologne

1974 Ford Capri RS3100 Cologne, Dijon-Prenois 2015.

Ford, Cologne, Germany.  The Group 2 RS3100 was prepared for the 1974 European Touring Car Championship. They also entered some sports car endurance events.  It had a very special 3.4 litre V6 motor producing over 420bhp.  It was designed to fight against the BMW 3.5CSL.   Drivers included Niki Lauda, Jochen Mass, Dieter Glemser and Toine Hezemans.  In the hands of Jochen Mass and Rolf Stommelen the Capri RS3100 won at Zandvoort and in the hands of Hans Heyer, Klaus Ludwig and toine Hezemans won at Jarama.

1974 Lancia Stratos HF Group 4

Erik Comas, 1974 Group 4 Lancia Stratos, Tour Auto 2014

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

Lancia, Turin, Italy.  Designed by Bertone, the Stratos had a Ferrari Dino V6 engine.  Over 400 were built to meet the Group 4 regulations.  The Stratos was an enormously successful rally car over a very long period during the seventies and eighties.  It won a hat trick of World Rally titles from 1974 to 1976 and took 17 WRC rally victories overall including the Tour de Corse in 1981.

Yellow 1966 Ford GT40

1966 Ford GT40 et 1974 Porsche 911 RSR à Dijon-Prenois 2015

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Mon astuces pour faire des belles photos.
Un téléobjectif est essentielle pour de nombreuses photos de la course automobile, mais ne pas oublier que les appareils photo compacts ont de puissants téléobjectifs ainsi.

Top photo tip.
A telephoto lens is essential for many motor racing photos but don't forget that compact cameras have powerful telephoto lenses as well.