The magnificent Alpine M63
src: unknown.
Tag Archives: le mans
Embrace the weird: Nissan Deltawing.
and YES this is going to be running in the 2012 Le Mans as an experimental prototype, unclassified in any class per se. I have to say that aside from how hideous it is—I will be very excited to see this freakshow rummaging through the field at Le Mans! Let’s just hope it doesn’t cause any accidents….and take over Ferrari’s role of poor driving.
Can it even bloody steer!? see the videos at the bottom to find out..
from Nissan:
“A highly-advanced and hugely-efficient Nissan engine will power the remarkable DeltaWing car as it races in anger for the first time at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours (16-17 June).
While Nissan DeltaWing will not be classified in the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Company is looking to showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan’s road car product range.
A race-prepared 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, featuring direct petrol injection and a turbocharger, will power Nissan DeltaWing, which is half the weight and has half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racer.“
videos:
src: prwire via l’endurance
foto of the day. Bentley Boys.
One of these fine days, i’m going to get around to reading more about the hardcore rock and roll stories of the original Bentley Boys.
“In 1923, three dedicated automobile enthusiasts decided to create a competition based not only on speed, but also on endurance. This was the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours, destined to become one of the world’s most prestigious races. For Walter Owen Bentley and other manufacturers, the idea seemed pretty crazy, but that did not prevent him from rising to the challenge by sending one of his cars to take part in the first edition. 1924 witnessed a glorious triumph: the British firm won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a Bentley 3 Litres – a feat that it accomplished four more times, in 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930, the two latter victories being earned in a Speed 6. This was the era of the legendary Bentley Boys: Benjafield, Birkin, Davis, Rubin, Kidston and above all Barnato, the most famous of them all, a multi-millionaire South African diamond merchant. Gifted sportsmen, authentic connoisseurs of life’s many pleasures and mostly fabulously wealthy, the Bentley Boys raced first and foremost for honour, fired by a taste for challenges.”
src: breitling
quattro returns to racing! Audi R18 e-Tron quattro.
I’m so excited about this; the next Le Mans is going to be absolutely wicked! Audi today introduced the latest variation of last year’s Le Mans winning R18, the R18 e-Tron quattro, marking the first AWD race car entry by Audi in a looooooong time. This is a complicated drivetrain, with electric motors driving the front wheels, and the diesel motor driving the rear wheels—-with variation between them, so the front wheels serve as stabilizers depending on when the electric motor is on and what direction the car is turning in. Surely this has added weight as well, but it will be fascinating to watch the TDI R18s running simultaneously with the e-tron R18 quattros! As with most street and prior race-spec’d Audis….the grip gained by quattro will likely make up for any weight difference.
src: Audi
National Geographic: Ranks Le Mans #1 sporting event in the world!
National Geographic recently ranked the greatest sporting events in the world. What do you think they ranked #1? LE MANS!!
“Skill, speed, and stamina are the three s’s that mark the world’s best automobile race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race, organized by Automobile Club de L’Ouest, bridges past and present on the automotive circuit.
The competition is set on a non-permanent track at Circuit de la Sarthe near the city of Le Mans on the Sarthe River. Roughly 46 cars start the race, in a series of classes that include prototype high-performance vehicles, dedicated race cars, and street cars. The diversity of autos gives the race a mix of old-fashioned and modern competitors. The winner is the car, driven by a team of three drivers, that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours.
The first Le Mans contest took place in May 1923; today it is held every June. The race begins at 4 p.m., and for 24 hours the sound of roaring engines fills 8 miles (13 kilometers) of French countryside.”
mad respect, NG….mad respect.
src: National Geographic via Le Mans
Triumph GT6 (1966-1973).
Another week—-another car to discover and appreciate! I’ve always had a huge soft spot for Triumphs, ever since growing up next to a neighbour who kept a very nice racing green TR6. The Michelotti-designed Triumph GT6 had a design which was inspired by Le Mans class winning Triumph Spitfires of 1965. The production Spitfire had been a successful road car, and this was its’ coupe variant. In the glory days of British Leyland, of course (ahem)—-the GT6 was produced in three different generations, culminating finally in the MK3.
I’d never actually paid attention enough to distinguish the GT6 in the past from its Spitfire roadster counterpart—-but now that I take a good look at it; it really does have some classic design to it. Somewhere in there, i see a poor man’s Aston or E-type….and a rich man’s MGB GT. Nonetheless, i’ve added it to my short list of lustworthy british motors to roll after.
MK3
MK1
psychedelic 1970 US promo:
a much more intellectual UK promo:
Last but not least….this glorious photo of the original racing Spitfires (which inspired the design of the GT6) at the 1965 Le Mans next to an Alpine M63! Just superb.
srcs: littletriumphs, carblueprints, motorretro, necronomviia, vtr
Lotus to enter LMP2 class at 2012 Le Mans
The GT class Lotus Evora with the Cosworth engine was one of THE best sounding cars I saw at the Petit Le Mans this past autumn……and i’m really pleased to see Lotus expanding their entry into the LMP2 level. Very exciting stuff indeed!
“The Kolles-run Kodewa squad will campaign two Lola B12/80s under the Lotus title, with Lotus-badged V8s from John Judd’s Engine Developments, which is also building the sports car maker’s IndyCar engine.
Lotus motorsport director Claudio Berro said the partnership was an ideal way for the group to take a step up the endurance racing ladder after returning to the GT class with the Evora last year.
“This is a very exciting step for us,” said Berro. “We made no secret of our intention to tackle LMP2 this year but it had to be done in the right way and we’re very happy with the setup with our partners. More than anything else, we’re looking forward to our return to Le Mans in this capacity after our success with the Evora last year.”
Porsche: 24 hours at the Limit
Since I AM too lazy to actually get my Petit Le Mans photos together (i will try to do some on this fine Sunday)—–Porsche has posted some great photos on their Facebook page entitled “24 Hours At The Limit” in a few different galleries. These photos are comprised of choice photoraphs from the 24 Hours @ Nurburgring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
(click to enlarge)
foto of the day. 300SL
Mercedes-Benz 300SL winning at Le Mans in 1952…
1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Sport
The first year of production for the SL was for racing, and the 300SL burst onto the scene with beautiful classic curvy coupe form (0.25 cd!?). What did they do in 1952? they won Le Mans.
I am going to refer you to the superb article in E-Mercedes for a lot of great background on the 300SL from 1952—-as i think the article is fantastic. Mercedes-Benz have great digital information about their history these days—if you haven’t already, make sure you download their free iPad application for their museum as well.
some photos from the E-Mercedes site:
the Maserati Bora that never raced Le Mans.
The Maserati Bora is a classy 70s supercar in my mind—and i’ve always thought of it as the ‘kind, gentle, relaxed’ 70s italian supercar—-with its soft lines, non-aggressive stance, and its non-angry look. Compared to other 70s italian supercars, the Bora (as well as its sister car Merak) have generally come across as the gentleman in a fine wool blazer compared to its riotous peers in gold chains and silk shirts.
What I never knew is that in 1973, Maserati was set to enter the Bora into Le Mans as part of the gran touring class. Its competition would have surely been the likes of the Ferrari Daytona which had won in 1972. As i’ve understood the story from QV500.com, Maserati needed to sell 500 Boras to get it homologated for these 1973 races—-which they obviously didn’t do. Additionally the car didn’t meet the ‘other’ standards for other classes—-meaning that the Bora Competizione (or Bora GR4 or Bora Group 4) never made it onto the the starting grid, and this car was lost into the archives of 70s mystery cars. I wasn’t even aware of this car, until I stumbled across a photo of a strange looking Bora, which upon investigation resulted in a search which yielded minimal photos, information, or data. The QV500.com site had the best bit of info on the car I could find, and you can head over there to read their concise writeup about the car in question:
http://212.227.190.137/maseratiborap2.php
here are some photos was able to scavenge online, with many of them credited to a gentleman named Andreas Birner
more photos by Birner can be found here:
http://www.maserati.org.au/gallery/MASERATI/RACE_Cars/Bora_GrpIV_gallery.html
other photos:
more info and pics:
http://www.leblogauto.com/2010/06/breve-rencontre-maserati-bora-competizione.html
need a place to stream Le Mans?
Here’s a link i know is working if you do not have access to SPEED in the USA.
BTW, you can also stream the broadcast from SPEED when they are not live on TV, like right now—–so from 11:30am to 3:30 PM US Eastern Standard time and 8pm to 11pm US Eastern Standard time. I am not posting a direct link here to protect the Justin.tv feed—–but to go Speedtv.com and follow the Le Mans info there.
http://www.justin.tv/freddy49_lemans#/w/1321767936
Corvette C6R @ Le Mans
I’ve always conceded that Chevrolet have had amazing success in the GT/GTE class at Le Mans—–but the SOUND of the Corvette C6R is a GLORIOUS noise. Here is an onboard lap of Le Mans with a C6R from a warm up lap in 2008. I love hearing that lazy V8 rumbling…..today’s race is no different!
Fuck Ferrari.
(photo from SpeedTV)
…and their moronic, incapable, asshat drivers! #3 McNish knocked out of Le Mans by a moron driving a 458 Italia…….who believed that he should maintain a racing line even when 2 R18 TDIs with flashing LED lights are pounding the road behind him. Thanks a lot, Ferrari! My hatred grows…
BOTTOM LINE: Yes i concede McNish was too aggressive in this situation, but THE SLOWER CAR CANNOT MAINTAIN ITS RACING LINE.
video of the crash:
fotos of the day. R18 qualify #1 and #2 for Le Mans.
the R18 TDI is amazing. LE MANS is almost here!! These are fotos from the qualifying the last 2 days.
photo via Audi Sport
Allan McNish on being an Audi racing driver.
McNish is one of my favourite endurance drivers—-and a great driver. Le Mans is coming on June 11th!
Alpines at Le Mans. (videos)
These are just some amazing videos…..everytime i see the race-prepped Alpine screaming down regular streets as shown in the 1963 video, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! even though we can’t hear them, they just look epic cruising with regular traffic. Some wonderful behind-the-scenes footage in this videos as well, of the construction and of the founder of Alpine, Jean Redele.
video heaven…for me. my broken french skills help me understand some of these…..as they are both in french.
proof my wife loves me…
Well today is my birthday and my wife ordered me exactly what i’ve been wanting! I’ve been trying to find this book for months now….but (A) it is damn expensive when i do find it ($250-$500), and (B) they were all in Europe so the shipping would be like $30 to get it here to New York City. There are 2 versions of the book; one in french and one in german. No english versions, i’m afraid. It is an absolutely beautiful piece of literature…..as i do know how to read very rudimentary french (think disabled french child-level french), I can understand bits and pieces of the text, however it is the photography which really stands out in this book; SO MANY rare and never before seen photos of Alpines.
Through the last 4 or 5 years, I have collected thousands of rare Alpine A110 photos from the web, and collected them into my digital storage—-however I really wanted a beautiful book to keep which displayed vintage photos of my favourite car in the world—and this one does exactly that. 400+ pages and what seems like multiple photos per page; this is the holy grail of Alpine books! And now it is mine! I thank my wife for getting me this…..finally! I am enjoying it very much.
This was published in 1982 by E.P.A Publishing. The author is Dominique Pascal and of course is out of print! In addition to the A110; It also covers the history of the Marque, as well as the A106, A108, A310, and prototypes for racing.
Lancia D20 @ Le Mans
I honestly think the Lancia D20 is one of the most beautiful race cars in history…..and least recognized. Here’s a couple photos I found in my computer from Le Mans.
foto of the day. night pits nine eleven.
photo by Dirk De Jager.
IEDEI 
