Classic Motorsport Photos

[G_Parrilla]

Niki and Koalas.

 

[SVPSkins]

The 1971 Spa 1000KM

Starting Grid with Siffert/Bell Gulf 917K on Pole

There off, #22 Elford/Larrousse having a long wheel spin

#20 Siffert/Bell 917K Taking the lead followed by #22 Elford/Larrousse

​

 

[Liquid]

Helle Nice - The Forgotten One

15th December 1900 - 1st October 1984​

Born Mariette Helene Delangle, Helle Nice was a pioneer. Not only "a female racing driver" but a female racing driver during one of the most brutal and most demanding eras; that legendary decade, the 1930s. Helle had always loved speed and automobiles and realised her ambition when she entered five Grands Prix on the French national scene in 1931 in a Bugatti Type 35C and would also drive Alfa Romeos in her career in the European Championship.

Not only a crowd drawer because of her good looks (she had been a dancer and model earlier in her life), she was multi-disciplined, competing in top level rallies and hillclimbs. She was probably one of the first racing drivers to turn to advertisements and endorsements; her popularity and instant fame in the bright blue car saw her supplement her income with companies queuing up to have her endorse their products and wares.

Her racing career nearly ended in 1936 after a horrific crash in the Sao Paolo Grand Prix left 6 spectators dead, saw her in a coma for three days and out of action for nearly two years. She attempted to return to top level Grand Prix racing in 1939 in a Bugatti but the onset of World War Two ended those hopes.

Although she did not win any top level Grands Prix outright, she was a genuine competitor who raced on merit and was respected for just that.

Sadly, her story takes a bad turn. Why is she forgotten? Well, at the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally, the first post-war Monte Carlo Rally, she was scheduled to take part when Louis Chiron, the famed Monegasque racing driver himself, strode across the room at an event party and began making flagrant accusations that Nice had collaborated with the Nazis during World War Two. His clout was so strong that she was immediately dropped by her sponsors and never raced again despite the rumours being completely and comprehensively untrue. The lasting irony being that Louis Chiron had driven for the Nazi funded Mercedes-Benz team in the 1930s at a time when Nice's close confidant Rene Dreyfus was disqualified from doing so because of his Jewish heritage.

Her final years make for a heartbreaking tale:

One of the 20th Century's most colorful and illustrious pioneering women who had successfully competed in more than seventy events at the highest echelon of automobile racing, spent her final years in a sordid rat-infested apartment in the back alleys of the city of Nice, living under a fictitious name to hide her shame. Estranged from her family for years, she died penniless, friendless, and completely forgotten by the rich and glamorous crowd involved in Grand Prix motor racing.

With her famed Bugatti, 1931

With her Alfa Romeo, 1935

Just powdering her nose

With the Bugatti with which she won the 1929 Grand Prix Feminin

 

[SVPSkins]

Helle Nice - The Forgotten One

15th December 1900 - 1st October 1984​

Born Mariette Helene Delangle, Helle Nice was a pioneer. Not only "a female racing driver" but a female racing driver during one of the most brutal and most demanding eras; that legendary decade, the 1930s. Helle had always loved speed and automobiles and realised her ambition when she entered five Grands Prix on the French national scene in 1931 in a Bugatti Type 35C and would also drive Alfa Romeos in her career in the European Championship.

Not only a crowd drawer because of her good looks (she had been a dancer and model earlier in her life), she was multi-disciplined, competing in top level rallies and hillclimbs. She was probably one of the first racing drivers to turn to advertisements and endorsements; her popularity and instant fame in the bright blue car saw her supplement her income with companies queuing up to have her endorse their products and wares.

Her racing career nearly ended in 1936 after a horrific crash in the Sao Paolo Grand Prix left 6 spectators dead, saw her in a coma for three days and out of action for nearly two years. She attempted to return to top level Grand Prix racing in 1939 in a Bugatti but the onset of World War Two ended those hopes.

Although she did not win any top level Grands Prix outright, she was a genuine competitor who raced on merit and was respected for just that.

Sadly, her story takes a bad turn. Why is she forgotten? Well, at the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally, the first post-war Monte Carlo Rally, she was scheduled to take part when Louis Chiron, the famed Monegasque racing driver himself, strode across the room at an event party and began making flagrant accusations that Nice had collaborated with the Nazis during World War Two. His clout was so strong that she was immediately dropped by her sponsors and never raced again despite the rumours being completely and comprehensively untrue. The lasting irony being that Louis Chiron had driven for the Nazi funded Mercedes-Benz team in the 1930s at a time when Nice's close confidant Rene Dreyfus was disqualified from doing so because of his Jewish heritage.

Her final years make for a heartbreaking tale:

With her famed Bugatti, 1931

With her Alfa Romeo, 1935

Just powdering her nose

With the Bugatti with which she won the 1929 Grand Prix Feminin

Was a sad end to who was a talented Women. Would of loved to of meet her.

 

[Liquid]

There were other female drivers in and around the 1930s such as Eliška Junková, Mildred Bruce, Odette Siko, Kay Petre, Gwenda Stewart and Muriel Thompson but I felt that Nice's story has a tinge more tragedy to it due to how she was dropped and totally forgotten about and could do with being brought to light.

 

[Pupik]

I figured this belongs here, although it's only vaguely a "classic" based on age.

This Datsun 280ZX was modified and raced by Electromotive in the IMSA GTO series, winning the class title in 1983, courtesy of drivers Tony Adamowicz and Don Devendorf. Electromotive and Nissan would eventually take on the GTP division in 1985, and then dominated it from 1988 to 1991. But that's not the most remarkable thing about this photo...It's sponsored by Activision and its game "Enduro". This preceded video game sponsorship from Gran Turismo by a margin of about 15 years!

Unless there's a Pole Position-sponsored racing car from 1982, or with Night Driver from the 1970s, which I'm not aware of, I think this makes for a tiny first in the world of motor sport, one not entirely lost on GT's role in motor racing today.

 

[Liquid]

What a strange coincidence that it raced in the GTP class.

 

[Pupik]

What a strange coincidence that it raced in the GTP class.

Actually, it was the GTO class (Over 3-liter engines), which ran concurrently in events with GTU cars (Under 3-liters).

GTP was for Prototypes - very similar to Group C1 regulations.

 

[Liquid]

I stand corrected.

Spoiler

Said the man in the orthopaedic shoes.

 

[Panoz]

America in the 1910s and 1920s witness the golden age of Board Track racing.

Very popular with spectators and very dangerous to competitors. Cars and motorcycles raced on the boards across the country where both speeds and fans at some tracks exceeded the numbers seen at Indianapolis.

 

[Dotini]

Some of these tracks were so cleverly banked that the driver never need turn the steering wheel.

As time, termites and beetles had their way with the wooden boards, cracks and holes would appear, as would the heads of spectators from beneath the tracks. This had an unnerving effect upon the drivers, who would see peoples' heads appear and hopefully disappear as they raced towards them.

Lending new meaning to the phrase, "What's that on the road, a head?"

 

[TheCracker]

Seems like a time consuming and expensive way to pave a race circuit. Some of those tracks look huge!

 

[Dotini]

Seems like a time consuming and expensive way to pave a race circuit. Some of those tracks look huge!

Back in '20's times were good and huge money was available. Just look at those Millers and Deusenbergs. And we were still in the business of cutting down forests to make way for roads, farms, and factories. Then came the Great Depression, and it all dissolved.

 

[TheCracker]

Back in '20's times were good and huge money was available. Just look at those Millers and Deusenbergs. And we were still in the business of cutting down forests to make way for roads, farms, and factories. Then came the Great Depression, and it all dissolved.

Even still, wood seems a frivolous and largely unsuitable surface for a motorised race track - i know it's still used in velodromes.

 

[Dotini]

Wooden speedways were the invention of Fred E Moscovics, a rich, brilliant engineer and sportsman. Originally built for bicycles and motorcycles, a nationwide circuit of wooden speedways were constructed and operated between 1910 and 1931. They could be built very rapidly. They were very profitable, and attracted huge numbers of spectators and factory teams from Mercedes, Peugeot and others. Up to two miles in length with two 45 degree banked corners, they were fast and safe (when in good condition), and speeded the development of automotive design in every sense. Alas, there was no way to preserve the wood, and they wore out rapidly. Towards the end, crews of carpenters operated under the tracks replacing/repairing boards as necessary while the racing went on above them.

 

[Whodoyouthink]

Wooden speedways were the invention of Fred E Moscovics, a rich, brilliant engineer and sportsman. Originally built for bicycles and motorcycles, a nationwide circuit of wooden speedways were constructed and operated between 1910 and 1931. They could be built very rapidly. They were very profitable, and attracted huge numbers of spectators and factory teams from Mercedes, Peugeot and others. Up to two miles in length with two 45 degree banked corners, they were fast and safe (when in good condition), and speeded the development of automotive design in every sense. Alas, there was no way to preserve the wood, and they wore out rapidly. Towards the end, crews of carpenters operated under the tracks replacing/repairing boards as necessary while the racing went on above them.

Are you kidding me?!

On the topic of wooden speedways, my old hometown of Salem, New Hampshire used to have one as well during the roaring 20s! It was called Rockingham Park racetrack.

I'll fact check this, but the track only held about 8-9 auto races during its short time, before being converted to a horse racing track permanently (now they don't even do that apparently). It did hold some national level races though, so it wasn't meant to just please the locals. They held both car and bike races.

It drew in HUGE crowds (especially for little ol' Salem), with people traveling from as far as New York just to spectate. Crowds upwards of 40,000-50,000 were common!

It is a very unknown part of the history of Rockingham Park. Most people know they raced horses there for decades, including the famed Seabiscut, but only the most dedicated of history nuts seem to know of any sort of any sort of autoracing going on at Rockingham Park. Even most car guys I know don't have any knowledge.

 

[Liquid]

Some of these tracks were so cleverly banked that the driver never need turn the steering wheel.

The same was also true of the banking at Brooklands.

You can just see the groove in the middle of the track as the cars turn onto the banking.

 

[turnupdaheat]

Great thread! Here's some of my own shots I took at the 1986 British GP at Brands Hatch:

Nelson Piquet qualified in pole position and led the early laps.

Senna qualified 3rd but retired from the race with gearbox trouble.

Early in the race Piquet leads eventual winner Mansell who is followed by Senna

The Williams sisters negotiate Hawthorn Bend.

Prost at Paddock Hill Bend

 

[Liquid]

Wow, being at Pilgrim's Drop in that era must have been pretty damn special.

 

[turnupdaheat]

Wow, being at Pilgrim's Drop in that era must have been pretty damn special.

Yeah it sure was and you can see how much of a drop it is. That was taken from the bridge crossing the track and it was pretty spectacular, and noisy, with the cars producing anywhere between 1200 and 1400 hp in qualifying trim!

 

[TVR27]

Henry Ford & race car

 

[Liquid]

Donington Park, Pre-War Layout

Principally similar to its better known, later layout, the changes centre mainly on Melbourne and Redgate. Minor differences are also true of the run out of the Old Haipin and Coppice corner.

Interesting how what we now call Melbourne is pretty much where the original Redgate corner was.

The original Melbourne hairpin was further on than it is on the current circuit, with the descent/ascent steeper on the original configuration.

The climb out of Melbourne towards Redgate led itself to a crest, giving rise to the famous photographs from the 1937 Donington Grand Prix where the gargantuan Silver Arrows thundered through the air with their 5.6L supercharged straight-eights propelling them like dieselpunk zeppelins.

 

[TheCracker]

👍

Much of the old circuit still exists in one form or the other. The old Melbourne hairpin/loop is still there but is now used as a skid-pan/driving school and a Sunday market/car boot sale. The old Dunlop straight is mostly still there, but is now just part of the perimeter road that runs between the Grand Prix Collection entrance and the Paddock entrance via the exhibition hall. You can just about make out the old pits and Redgate corner section, but its mostly been lost under factories, which are no longer there and rough ground used as overflow parking and storage.

Apparently when Tom Wheatcroft bought the land to develop back into an active race circuit from the M.O.D. - who had used the site as military storage during the war - he had wanted to include the original Melbourne Loop, but as it's now sited in a different county, planning permission was just too complicated, hence the shortened one we have now. My dad and uncle raced at one of the very first events at the re-opened circuit in the late 70's. I have a photo of me somewhere, sat on a very groovy 70's-looking skateboard going down the old loop, which is quite steep and ideal for getting grazed hands and knees like you only can when you're 4 or 5.

 

[Liquid]

Le Mans 24 Hours In The 1920s

During which time this would have been the track configuration.

Start/Finish

Arnage

Mulsanne Hairpin

 

[G_Parrilla]

Fangio showing how to make a classic argentine "asado". Monza, 1954.

 

[GTPorsche]

Daytona International Speedway during early construction in 1958.

 

[Liquid]

1926 British Grand Prix

110 laps, 287 miles / 462 kilometres

Winners: Robert Senechal FRA & Louis Wagner FRA
Vehicle: Delage 156B
Time: 4:00:56
Speed: 71.47mph / 115.02kph

The first ever British Grand Prix. Held at, where else, Brooklands. The home banking was not used during this race; at the Fork the cars would instead proceed along the main straight through a series of temporary chicanes before rejoining the banked portion of the track.

Essentially, they followed the anti-clockwise teardrop shape:

 

[Liquid]

 

[Legro]

Carrying on with that theme. In 1990 Rally Finland, the throttle linkage of Juha Kankkunen's Lancia Delta got cut and he had to go under the bonnet to control the throttle while the co-driver Juha Piiroinen was driving.

 

[Panoz]

A quartet of Shelby Daytona Coupes sits quietly while the Shelby American mechanics have their focus on the Ford GT40 in the background, circa 1965.

Hans-Joachim Stuck in the BMW 3.0 CSL catching air on the Nordschleife during the 1974 Nurburgring 1000km.

The turbine-powered Lotus 56B in the Italian GP at Monza in 1971. A race of attrition helped Emerson Fittipaldi to finished 8th in the final appearance for the turbine Lotus.