Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i Motor Sport Magazine

RED BULL FIRST TRIED A DIFFUSER with shark teeth serrations along a gurney flap during Monaco practice. In that version, the serrations were at the outboard ends of the top of the diffuser only. This was raced in Baku and France. A more fully developed version with the teeth along the full width of the top of the diffuser appeared on Verstappen’s car from the Styrian Grand Prix and on Pérez’s from the Austrian GP a week later. The whole aero philosophy of the Red Bull is that of maximising the static rake angle of the car (i.e. tail up/nose down). With a greater angle of attack, the underfloor generates more negative pressure, sucking the car harder into the track. At higher speeds (the downforce squares with speed) the tail…

IF THE AUDI E-TRON GT RAISES ONE question more than any other, it is simply this: why not buy a Porsche Taycan instead? Under the skin these electric four-door coupés are as close as makes very little difference indeed, but the Porsche provides a far wider model range – with versions both more powerful and more affordable than anything Audi has to offer – as well as two body styles with the recent introduction of the Taycan GranTurismo. And, well, it’s a Porsche and comes ready made with an as-yet unchallenged reputation to be the best electric car yet offered for sale. If there is an answer, it lies in the detail. In engineering terms, there are only two kinds of e-tron GT, the base car which retails for £79,000,…

BACK IN 2005 IWC FLEW A FEW watch hacks up to Arjeplog in Sweden, that snowy wasteland where car makers go to develop tyres and anti-lock braking systems, and to see how vehicles fare in conditions so cold that engines have to be warmed overnight with electric blankets. The point of the trip was to announce a partnership between IWC and AMG. As well as inaugurating the collaboration, the junket also marked the full acquisition of AMG by Daimler AG as well as the 50th anniversary of IWC’s Ingenieur wristwatch which, in its original 1955 form, was marketed for its anti-magnetic properties derived from the movement being housed behind a dial and inner case of soft iron. For the next few years, the AMG/Ingenieur line was invariably mentioned whenever talk…

Designers get a set of rules, they put their brains together, employ all the technology they have at their disposal, and try to come up with the most competitive machine possible. That’s the traditional mechanism behind the conception and development of the racing car. The Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) division has turned that process on its head. The LMH rules that came into force for the 2021 World Endurance Championship don’t so much set constraints and geometric restrictions on the design of the car, rather they lay down the outcome of the design process. No longer are the boffins back at base looking for that last loophole to gain the unfair advantage. At the heart of the regulations are so-called performance windows, most significantly for the aerodynamics and drivetrain, into…

Bespectacled, portly and soberly overdressed – raincoat (often even come shine) and a penchant for Borsalino hats, business suit, cardigan/pullover/tanktop, collar and tie – he was instantly recognisable at Scuderia Ferrari. Yet Carlo Chiti has largely become a forgotten figure despite his many achievements during a short but fecund spell at Maranello and later, and for very much longer, at Alfa Romeo via Autodelta. We’ll gloss over his disastrous ATS interlude for now. He joined Ferrari from Alfa as replacement chief engineer for friend and fellow Tuscan Andrea Fraschetti – killed testing an F2 Dino at Modena in 1957 – and thus was at the helm when Mike Hawthorn became Britain’s first Formula 1 world champion. Before Phil Hill could become America’s first three years later, Chiti, having overseen the…

BUYING, SELLING, AUCTIONS, MEMORABILIA SOME BELIVEVE FORMULA 1 ENJOYED its golden era during the ‘70s and ‘80s. If that’s when you grew up, there’s a good chance you spent more than a few summer Sunday afternoons glued to the grand prix coverage on the family television set – and if your parents were sufficiently well-heeled to own one which received images in glorious colour, the red and white livery of the Marlboro-sponsored McLarens will undoubtedly be etched on your memory. In those days, every F1 meeting seemed to hold a thrill around each corner, and the 1982 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch was no exception. In a scenario that currently seems alien in our post-Covid world, the event attracted a record crowd of 100,000 on a perfect sun-soaked July…

1993 PORSCHE 968 CLUB SPORT SOLD BY BONHAMS £21,744 It might have been out of production for more than 25 years, but many people still regard Porsche’s stripped-out 968 Club Sport as one of the best road-going track cars you’re likely to find. Produced from 1993-95 with a mere 1923 sold, it eschewed luxuries such as electric windows and rear seats, was supplied with minimal soundproofing and tipped the scales at 100kg less than the standard car. This example in desirable Speed Yellow had covered a minimal 47,250 miles from new and was offered at ‘no reserve’ – but it was never going to be a bargain. 1974 FERRARI DINO 246 GTS SOLD BY SILVERSTONE AUCTIONS, £388,125 Staged as part of National Ferrari Owners’ Day at Sywell Aerodrome, 30 Ferraris…

WHILE RIVAL COMPANIES such as Lotus, McLaren and Jaguar often get the plaudits for innovation in motor sport, there can be no overlooking the role Cooper Cars Co played in revolutionising racing during the 1950s. When Stirling Moss took the flag in the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix, he not only secured the first GP win for Charles and John Cooper’s privateer outfit, but also the first for a car with the engine at the wrong end. Many laughed when Cooper placed the engine behind the driver during 1957, but a year later the concept was proven by Moss and team-mate Maurice Trintignant, who shared victories across the first two races of the season. A year on and the Cooper stood on top of the world as Jack Brabham secured the…

After a 1987 trip to Ferrari’s base at Maranello, Tim Latham and his friend Ray began to get invitations to join the team at Silverstone F1 tyre testing sessions, with free access to drivers and team members. The invitations continued for six or seven years. “We always knew they would stop eventually,” says Tim, “but what memories we have!” SEND US YOUR IMAGES If you have any images that might be suitable for You Were There, send them to: Motor Sport, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE, or email: editorial@motorsportmagazine.co.uk. Hi-res digital images preferred. Original images sent at owner’s own risk. We can’t return.…

In our track test of the final Lister Costin ever built, on page 100, a 1954 photo, left, finds company founder Brian Lister in conversation with Archie Scott Brown, who is behind the wheel of the first Lister Bristol. The car’s registration, MVE 303, is part of Lister folklore. It was chosen by Brian on a visit to the Cambridge vehicle licensing office, and refers to the.303 cartridge used by Lee-Enfield rifles, which Brian would have been familiar with from his post-war RAF national service. It was hoped, of course, the car would be as fast as a bullet.…

SIXTY YEARS AGO THIS SUMMER – AT Kristianstad in Sweden – Honda won its very first World Championship. The rider was Mike Hailwood, who wasn’t even an official Honda rider at the time. His millionaire dad Stan ‘The Wallet’ Hailwood had rented a Honda four- cylinder RC144 for the 11-round 250cc grand prix series. Hailwood’s remarkable natural talent did the rest. Company founder Soichiro Honda rarely made visits to Europe because he was too busy working in Japan, but he was at Kristianstad that day to see history made, after flying from Tokyo to Stockholm via Hong Kong, Mumbai, Karachi, Cairo and Rome. Honda-san’s desire for world domination had his riders and engineers take control of grand prix racing with stunning speed in the early 1960s. This followed his 1954…

French GP Styrian GP Austrian GP THIS TRIPLE HEADER CREATED AN historic first: Max Verstappen became the first man in F1 championship history to win grands prix on three consecutive weekends. In doing so, he left Red Bull’s home track 32 points clear of Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull and Mercedes were quite evenly matched at Paul Ricard, but if Mercedes was expecting a repetition of Barcelona – the last ‘conventional’ track after the oddities of Monaco and Baku – where it had comfortably beaten Red Bull through better tyre usage, it was to be sorely disappointed. The two Austrian races which followed painted an exciting picture for Red Bull, Verstappen and Honda, one of complete domination. Red Bull continues to pile development on its car, Mercedes has essentially switched…

Strategy becomes a whole lot simpler when you have a faster car than your opponent. Red Bull demonstrated as much in the two Austria races, but in the preceding Paul Ricard race things were rather more nuanced. The Red Bull advantage was not as clear-cut and once Lewis Hamilton had taken the lead at Turn 1 after Max Verstappen ran wide, it looked like he had the race under control. The Red Bull was not sufficiently faster that Verstappen could overtake on track and as Hamilton steadily built up a lead of over 3sec during the first stint, it was difficult to see any strategic way for Red Bull to break Hamilton’s command. But Mercedes underestimated just how big the undercut effect could be and mistakenly believed Hamilton’s 3.1sec advantage…

THIS IS AN UNDEMANDING CAR for an undemanding kind of driver. When I drove its coupé sister I was really rather taken with it, pointing out at the time that the M4 would have to be quite something else to be worth the additional outlay. Now, having driven both, I’d still stay with the 440i. But this convertible has an entirely different feel to it. That folding fabric roof adds an enormous 150kg of weight to an already scarcely light car which means that once I’m on board this is almost a two-tonne machine. It’s softer, slower and of course less structurally sound too. Which means that if you drive it like a sports car, it doesn’t take long before it starts to get flustered. It’s just not that kind…

THERE’S A PHOTO IN THIS HUGE and typically weighty offering from Porter Press that takes me back 35 years. It’s the dim interior of a barn with a row of scruffy Jaguars all in need of attention. The barn is on Philip Porter’s farm HQ, “And that,” Philip told me reverently, “is the world’s oldest E-type Jaguar.” I looked at the remains of the once beautiful coupé, seeing rust flaking off the nose where the letters 9600 HP were dimly visible through the grime. “Eventually I’ll restore that,” said Philip, and I wondered how long it would take. It did take a long time, fitted round Porter’s many other enterprises including Jaguar clubs and his busy publishing house, but lately 9600 HP has been recapturing its life as Jaguar’s original…

Toyota bids for four in a row It seems like only a few short years ago that the Toyota curse would prevent it from ever winning the Le Mans 24 Hours. Think back to the last-gasp failure in 2016 or the bizarre sequence of events that led to Kamui Kobayashi rooting his clutch 12 months later. Now, it is bidding for a fourth straight victory in the French enduro. Only the Bentley works, the Ferrari factory team and Joest Racing with Audi have managed four or more wins on the bounce. Toyota Gazoo Racing has every chance of emulating them at this year’s rescheduled Le Mans on August 20/21. It has been King of the Castle in the World Endurance hampionship and at Le Mans since it was left as…

AT THE START OF THIS YEAR Stefano Domenicali joined the Formula 1 organisation as its new CEO, and is only its third ever top man after Bernie Ecclestone and Chase Carey. The Italian brings with him an impressive CV and depth of experience gained in racing and the wider motor industry, and along the way he’s soaked up knowledge and sharpened his leadership skills. What hasn’t changed is the upbeat personality that helped to ensure that he was a universally popular choice as successor to the efficient but dour Carey. Domenicali is a glass-half-full guy; his default setting a welcoming smile. The 56-year-old possesses a ready charm that came in very useful when as Ferrari team manager he had to resolve the latest controversy with the stewards. At heart he…

It’s a glorious day at Dijon-Prenois, the French Grand Prix’s former home that sweeps through the Burgundy countryside. Formula 1 has not raced here since 1984, but the venue remains very active and retains a signiicant but perhaps overlooked distinction: 25 years ago, this is where Bugatti made its inal appearance in contemporary motor sport with the car you see here, an EB 110 SC (Sport Competizione) entered by the Monaco Racing Team for the Two Hours of Dijon. “It was launched on the 110th anniversary of Ettore’s birth” In the hands of experienced race/rally driver Bertrand Balas and MRT owner Gildo Pallanca Pastor, it finished third in the opening heat but retired from the second following a collision. Since that day, Bugattis have competed only in historic and vintage…

• The 258mph, 1914bhp RIMAC NEVERA EV left its native Croatia for the first time in early July for a quiet spin around London’s shops and sights. It was here courtesy of HR OWEN – the sole official UK retailer of the £2m car. With its 1.4MW lithiummanganese-nickel batteries, it was, of course, exempt from the capital’s £15 Congestion and £12.50 ULEZ zone charges. • A ‘lost’ 2003 JAGUAR X-TYPE SCV8 (below) created for the failed Supercar V8 championship has been found alive and well and living with Andy Rouse. The former BTCC star’s firm Rouse Hall built the one-off X-type for the proposed BTCC rival series. Since then, the car has been stored. It’s on sale (offered with a Lotus V8) with CNC AWS in the Cotswolds from £30,000.…

MOTORING ART HAS BEEN WITH US AS long as the motor, even if in early days it was often as the butt of cartoon jokes - just look at Punch. But some of it has become highly prized - and of course very collectible. From years past, the lithographs of Montaut and Gamy (as on the Michelin building in London) are some of the bestknown images of Edwardian racing, and you can buy one of these period prints for a few hundred pounds. Between the wars two names tower over the others, as Bonhams automobilia expert Toby Wilson confirms. “Pre-World War II, the two great names are Frederick Gordon Crosby of The Autocar and Bryan de Grineau of The Motor. Both were commercial artists and though allied to magazines also…

PEUGEOT HAS REVEALED ITS NEW arresting 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar design, set to enter the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans in 2022, after an 11-year absence from top-level endurance racing. Unveiled in a virtual press conference by drivers, it features no rear wing thanks to more flexible rules for the Hypercar class, which replaced LMP1 at the top level of endurance racing this year. The 9X8 will compete against cars from Toyota and Glickenhaus, which are already racing in this year’s WEC, and Ferrari which plans to enter possibly in 2023. It will also race against machines from BMW, Audi and Porsche which will be running in the LMDh class from 2023 after the two series reached agreement on equivalence. Peugeot said that it had taken advantage of reduced…

GOOD ▲ BORING PAUL RICARD Those vertigo-inducing stripes might be a bit unnerving, but Paul Ricard delivered. Criticism rained down on Le Castellet, but as soon as racing got underway, passing moves were in abundance and the strategy games ramped up, all leading to a thrilling finale. ▲ GUENTHER’S GIFT When your Haas represents an old Lada on pace terms, and is being driven by someone who seems to think they’re negotiating Nizhny Novgorod, all you can do is laugh, really. And give your driver a spinning top to take the mick out of him. ▲ RUSSELL vs ALONSO There were shades of Dijon ’79 (sacrilege, I know) as the old and new did battle for one single point. Russell’s supreme talent is dragging the FW43B to where it shouldn’t…

I’M NOT DEFENDING THEM, BUT IF YOU were minded to buy a truly profligate Mercedes SUV, it is kind enough to give you a choice, all powered by its monster 4-litre twin-turbo V8 motor. You can have this GLE 63 S (or its stretched seven-seat GLS sister) or, and this is the interesting bit, a G-Class, better known to most as the G-Wagen or even Gelandewagen. And having spent time recently in both the GLE and G, I can confirm that not only is the GLE over £30,000 cheaper, it’s better in almost every way. It is faster, more stable, more spacious for passengers, more frugal (as if such things mattered to customers of cars such as these), it has a much better ride quality, is quieter and has more…

The Classic at Silverstone, July 30 – August 1 RACING FROM MORNING UNTIL evening, a funfair and then live music to take you into the night, there isn’t much that The Classic at Silverstone doesn’t offer to keep fans of all ages engaged throughout. This year, 130 car clubs are set to join the festivities over the three days with on-track action celebrating generations of motor racing. From the 60th Anniversary E-type Challenge to historic Formula 1 and 2 machinery and the Classic Mini Challenge, there’s plenty to keep an eye on for each day of the event. Sports cars haven’t been neglected either, with a collection of racers from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s each filling much of the itinerary while pre-war Bugattis and Bentleys ensure there’s an eclectic…

“I’VE HAD SO MANY GREAT RIVALS BUT I’m going back to my Formula 2 Superstox days from 1971 to ‘74, racing with my dad and my Uncle Stan. It was three Warwicks against the world. It was very tough but we had so much fun and they were so proud when I made it to Formula 1. We’d be welding our Warwick trailers all day, racing three or four nights a week around the country, building the cars from scratch, repairing them, prepping the engines, the whole thing. The racing was very aggressive, angry even. You’d come out with battle scars and there were fights in the paddock. I was just a 17-year-old squirt, a welder from Alresford, but I won the English Championship in 1971 and the World Championship…

JIM GLICKENHAUS USED TO BE best known as a film director, producer and writer. The Exterminator, the 1980 cult vigilante movie, is probably his most famous flick. These days, however, he’s more prominent as the vocal boss of a fledgling sports car company with a big social media profile only matched by its aspirations on the race track. He’s heading to the Le Mans 24 Hours to take on the might of Toyota from this year, Peugeot perhaps as early as next season, and then Ferrari, Porsche and Audi from 2023. And he thinks he can win. The New Yorker, who turned 71 in July, is a self-confessed car and racing nut with a collection of vehicles significant in size and historical importance. That was the starting point of his…

THERE IS A HOARY OLD TALE, almost certainly apocryphal, of a party being held with Brian Lister as its guest of honour. And the organisers naturally arranged for as many Listers as possible to attend. When the time came for speeches, Brian stood up and said something like, “I am so happy to see that of the x number of cars we built, y have honoured me with their attendance today.” The point being that ‘y’ was a considerably larger number than ‘x’. It is a sad sign of the times that pretty much the first question that anyone asks in connection with those wonderful and usually Jaguar- or Chevrolet-powered sports cars of the 1950s is ‘Is it a real one?’ It is an important question, because so many are…

THINK ‘PRE-WAR COMPETITION cars’ and the name of Hudson might not be the first to spring to mind. But this famous American marque, launched in 1909 and named after Detroit department store mogul Joseph L Hudson who funded it, was well aware that track success translated into showroom sales. Although it might be best known for its larger touring cars, Hudson offered a sporty, stripped-down roadster called the Mile-a-Minute as early as 1912. A similar model demonstrated the marque’s performance five years later with a win at the Omaha 150-mile Auto Race at an average speed of 101mph, and Hudson-driving Ira Vail took ninth at the 1919 Indianapolis 500. So by the time Barney Oldfield had lapped Culver City Speedway for 1000 miles nonstop at an average speed of 76mph…

CARROLL SHELBY-SIGNED ASTON MARTIN MODEL Before he became America’s answer to Colin Chapman and had his life immortalised by Matt Damon on the silver screen, Carroll Shelby was himself a fine driver. He went on to make his name as a performance and racing tuner through creating classics like the Shelby Cobra, King Cobra, multiple souped-up Ford Mustangs and even the powerhouse Ford GT40, but prior to that, Shelby was one of America’s best all-rounders. Back in 1959 he made history by helping Aston Martin to its breakthrough Le Mans 24 Hours victory, sharing a DBR1 with Roy Salvadori. That made him only the second American ever to win at La Sarthe, following Phil Hill’s victory just a season earlier. Few racing cars have managed to match the DBR1 for…

WE COULD GET LOST IN THIS debate for hours: is it more a Mercedes or McLaren? Well, it was developed by McLaren, built in Woking, but funded entirely by Mercedes money and powered by a very Mercedes hand-built AMG engine. Does it really matter? You can hardly have badge snobbery when both names have excellent pedigree, and the SLR arguably drew from the best parts of its parents. Approaching the new millennium, Mercedes wanted to do something special to showcase its future, so released its striking Vision SLR concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 1999. Designed to draw on the spirit of the original 300 SLR - so ably handled by Moss, Fangio and co in the 1950s - Mercedes wanted to revive the moniker to lead its sporting…