Marque1

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: A DELIGHTFUL '72 DATSUN

Every year there are cars at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction that make me wish I was there but because I stayed home I missed the opportunity. This is one, a 1972 Datsun 510 Wagon that sold for $8525. At that price it was a real bargain although if I'd been bidding the numbers might have gone higher. And yes, you are correct. If I'd paid more attention to the 2012 B-J catalog that I was recommending on this very site I'd have known about the Datsun and could have bid by phone. I might have even persuaded Marque1's Nigel Matthews, who was there, to check it out for me.

Ah well, hindsight, etc., and the world is full of "what ifs" and "I wish I had," along with too many "wait 'til next years." Put me in that latter category as I don't expect to be any wealthier then and nice cars at the bottom end of the price scale will still attract me.

The good folks at WindingRoad.com found the Datsun Wagon while they were perusing cars that humble folk like we auto journalists can actually afford. The writer said he tries to stay away from modified or unoriginal cars "but this one was too hard to pass up." Judging from the photo and the specs it appears that any modifications must have been minimal, for it still has a 1.6-liter engine in US specification plus its original rear-wheel drive. The wheels are not stock but I don't have any problem with that, nor with the green paint job. Or was the 510 available in that colour when new?

Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts, along with vintage race fans, will be well aware that the 510 was a fast, chuckable, and fun car that could easily be modified for competition. Paul Newman, the actor and race driver, drove a Datsun 510 when he began his racing career in 1972. Of course a wagon was not likely to be seen on a track, but as a street car the one featured in this blog would be a delightful combination of practicality with good times. Well, there's always next... no, no, I won't say it.

GREETING CARDS FOR RACE FANS, ADMIRED FROM AFAR

Anyone who thinks Canada isn't a big country (pay attention, Yankee friends) should get out their maps and check how far it is from Vancouver Island on the west coast, where I currently reside, and artist Paul Chenard's home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Yes, Russia's number one but we're number two and, as Avis used to say in their award-winning ads, "we try harder." Paul and I have been in touch by e-mail over the past couple of years and I'm blessed to have some of his racing illustrations hanging on my walls.

Anyone who works as an artist and knows how difficult it can be to make money from their talents, might now consider following in Paul Chenard's footsteps, for he has decided to offer a series of his works as greeting cards, thus making them affordable to all of us and enriching his pockets, at least a little. He is currently offering cards in five different themes:

Sports/GT Cars of the Early 60's
Ferrari 156 F1 "Sharknose"
1934 Grand Prix Season
Grand Prix Engines of the 1950's
Hawthorn's Race Cars

There are four different illustrations per set with three of each, descriptions on the back, twelve in all; envelopes included. Each set sells for $30 CDN plus shipping and applicable taxes. My personal favorites are the "Sports/GT Cars of the Early 60's" (because I was there) and the "Grand Prix Engines of the 1950's," an unusual phantom treatment that reveals racing engines as works of art.

Much as I admire his work, I can't be certain that Paul Chenard and I will ever meet face-to-face. It would probably take 4-1/2 days to make the trip from the west coast by train, which doesn't quite equal Russia's famous Trans-Siberian Express, although the trip is just as dramatic visually and a lot more comfortable for the traveler. Unfortunately it is also very expensive, the train being aimed at railfans and well-heeled tourists. Of course we could fly but what fun is that?

There's still time to order your cards for Christmas if you act now. Just send an e-mail to Paul Chenard at paul.chenard@hotmail.com.

AT LAST, F1 WEST AND F1 EAST IN USA!

Not since the great road races at Watkins Glen has Formula One had a permanent home in the United States. By 2013 it will have two, one in the east and one in the west. The announcement today of the New Jersey F1 race is great news for fans in New York and New Jersey, and even for enthusiasts living hundreds of miles away.

I'll admit that when I first heard of the possibility months ago I was skeptical. With a mildly prejudiced view of New Jersey, nurtured when I lived across the Hudson in New York, it seemed an unlikely place for a race. Manhattan would have been a better choice, I thought, though the chances of blocking off the streets for a motor race were between nil and none. But after learning of the circuit layout and its location I've done a complete turnabout. This New Jersey F1 event could be a huge success.

The locale is just fine with me, for the view on TV should be spectacular. New Jersey governor Chris Christie confirmed that the race would be run on a street circuit around the Port Imperial area in Weehawken and West New York, with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. She went on to say that "it will be a 3.2 mile road race, run on existing roads through Port Imperial and at the top of the Palisades in Weehawken and West New York... people from the whole world will come to New Jersey to see this unique and exciting course."

No doubt they will, but I can also see fans coming from Toronto, Buffalo, and Boston, who might otherwise go to the Montreal F1 race. And I can imagine tens of thousands pouring in from New York City, possibly even arriving by ferry or other forms of public transit. I'll even go so far as to suggest that if you like the Monaco and Valencia GPs because of their spectacular seaside setting you'll find this one attractive for the same reason.

The mayors of Weehawken and West New York, both of whom are enthusiastic about the event, are eager to point out that the intention is not to use public funding as it would be deeply unpopular in the present financial climate. Weehawken mayor Richard Turner and Felix Roque, his counterpart in West New York, believe the race could kick-start a stagnant local economy. "In these uncertain economic times when every direct and indirect revenue source is vital, our own Formula One race could be a very positive boost to our citizens," they said in a joint statement.

I noted that the course has been laid out by none other than the same Hermann Tilke engineering group that drew up the plans for Austin's F1 race, as well as the new Indian GP circuit, and new or recently-built tracks in the Mid-East, such as Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. A positive step, for Tilke is an experienced race driver who knows what makes racing exciting for both competitors and spectators.

June, 2013, seems a long way off, by which time we'll learn much more about the New Jersey race. And by then the first Austin, Texas F1 race will have been run and won. I'm looking forward to both races and, God willing, I may be able to attend at least one of these events. Having covered, as a race reporter, the Watkins Glen and Mosport GPs back in the 1960s, it might be appropriate, don't you think?

[Photo Credit: The Telegraph]

LEGENDARY NASSAU SPEED WEEK RETURNS TO THE BAHAMAS

Nothing could be nicer, in the midst of a frigid winter, than to fly south to Nassau, enjoy a welcoming planters punch, then watch several days of great road racing. That's the way it was, from 1954 to 1966. And hopefully that's the way it will be as the Nassau Speed Week (renamed Bahamas Speed Week) is being revived in 2011: November 30 to December 04.

For the racing fraternity, the original Speed Week combined a vacation with a chance to have fun. There were no championships involved, no fight for points, just a chance to duel it out on an airport circuit. Cars and drivers came from Europe, from the US, and from Canada. The parties, it was said, were as good as the races. If you couldn't beat the guy into the first corner, well, heck, you could always toss him into the pool. And nobody cared.

Decades have passed since those halcyon years but the combined efforts of racing enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic plus the willing Nassau tourist folks are turning back the clock, then giving it a special twist. These will not be vintage track races. The now-international airport can't be closed and there are no Bahamas race tracks. Instead, a temporary street circuit has been set up for timed sprints by vintage sports racers. Each contestant will be allowed three laps, in an effort to set best time. Running next to the sea, the track nicely combines a fast straight with several turns, assuring that a combination of skill and power is needed to win.

You, as a spectator, might miss the fender-to-fender racing that comes with vintage events but that shouldn't deter you from attending. There's something special about watching vintage cars being driven at speed, including the sounds of once-great engines. For the drivers it's an opportunity to test the cars and themselves without taking unnecessary risks. Nobody really cares who wins, except the winner. The same applies to hillclimbs and amazingly (to me at least) Bahamas Speed Week includes a hillclimb! I'd worked on Grand Bahama Island as a young guy, attended the 1963 Nassau Speed Week, and visited Nassau since, but never saw anything taller than an anthill. But apparently the Fort Charlotte road is vertical enough and long enough for challenging timed runs.

In some respects the Bahamas Speed Week is aimed more at owner/drivers than we humble spectators. They'll be feted and entertained, and led on a tour to an island paradise owned by Sir Sean Connery. Considering all the great cars that James Bond drove it would seem appropriate that he might be in attendance, but the organisers have made no promises.

For an amusing aside to our trip to the original Nassau Speed Week, click onto this Constellation airliner blog.

THE KIT CAR, EVERYMAN'S DO-IT-YOURSELF

Many an automobile enthusiast has dreamed of building his own car. Do it yourself and you have a choice of engines, transmissions, suspensions, brakes and steering. Inside the vehicle you choose the seats, the instruments, the steering wheel, the upholstery. Depending on your skills you may even be able to customise the styling. Personalising a car allows you to put your own stamp on it, determining how you want the car to look and perform. Buy parts second-hand, do the work yourself, and you could end up with a handsome "new" vehicle that costs less than a production car.

For the less-skilled a kit car may be the answer, for it usually comes as a "package," with finished body and key components ready to be bolted together. As a rule the buyer can choose from two or three engines and transmissions, offering a choice of performance at different price levels. The 2-seat open sports car is unquestionably the most popular, for the layout is simple, purely functional, and demands little of the comfort and convenience required in a coupe or sedan.

Sounds good? Alas, the era of the kit car is all but over, probably because today's unit construction coupled with complex safety technology makes it difficult to find suitable parts at a reasonable cost.

In the 1950s and 60s, however, things were different. There was no end to the availability of frames and chassis from which to start and the range of affordable engines gave the home builder a chance to be truly innovative. Kit car manufacturers existed by the dozens, especially in the UK but also in North America. Some offered kits in a variety of configurations and a few expanded to become makers of production automobiles, Lotus being the ultimate example.

Among the most successful was the Devin, created by American Bill Devin, whose cars were fitted with an amazing variety of engines, testimony to the quality of the original design and engineering. Devin's car were well-suited to racing, in which they had considerable success. The 1956 SCCA H-Modified National Champion was a Devin powered by a 2-cylinder Panhard engine modified with Manx Norton motorcycle cylinder heads. Wikipedia says "this may have been the first-ever automotive use of belt-driven (double, in this case) overhead camshafts."

Devins were also built with powertrains from VW and Porsches, Corvairs, Triumph TR3s, MGs, and (the SS) 283ci Chevrolet V-8s. The Devin SS, a serious attempt to get into custom building with a high performance sports car, was said to be capable of 160 mph and could accelerate to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. It was also strikingly beautiful. Bill Devin had the chassis built in Ireland, with the balance completed in the US, but the cost of delivery, which included maritime strikes and delayed shipping, made the price prohibitive. Had all gone well the Devin SS might have been a serious competitor to the Corvette and it certainly was on the race track.

The intention was to build 100 examples to meet production requirements by the SCCA but in the end only 30 were built. Thankfully a number of Devins still exist and can be seen successfully competing in vintage races. I was reminded of the Devin by an e-mail from my Tokyo friend Harley Ferguson, who in turn had received an e-mail and photo from his high school best buddy, Don Wilcox, who now lives "on the little finger of Grand Traverse Bay in MI." Harley says his friend recently retired as Director of Bands at WVU and "is also a first-class car nut." His present project is a Devin, an earlier model than the SS, similar to one he raced years ago. That's his Devin in the photo above, on display at a show in Northport, Michigan.

Incidentally, though the variety and production numbers are far less than they were in their heyday, kit cars are still being made and sold in various parts of the world. One of my favorites is the Intermeccanica Porsche 356 replica, while Caterham successfully continues its version of Colin Chapman's Lotus Seven, which began life as a kit car.

WORLD RECORD PRICES SET AT MONTEREY AUCTIONS

Ah, those rich boys are at it again, trading their valuable toys for millions of dollars and perhaps using those millions to purchase something that intrigues them even more. Nigel Matthews reports from Monterey that two of the weekend's top sellers, a Ferrari race car and a Mercedes-Benz roadster, sold for record-breaking prices. Fantastic automobiles, of course, and aside from being created in different eras, utterly different in purpose.

The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa prototype, offered at Gooding & Co's Pebble Beach event, set an automobile auction record at $14.9 million. (What was that about a world economic crisis? Come to think of it, how many children would $14.9 million feed in Somalia?). Assembled in 1957, this famous Testa Rossa competed in the Le Mans 24-hour race as well as in endurance races in Argentina and Venezuela. Its curvaceous red body and 12-cylinder engine made the Testa Rossa the most popular Ferrari racing model during the 1950s and 1960s. "This model won almost all races entered between 1957 and 1963," said Marcel Massini, a Swiss-based Ferrari historian, in a telephone interview. “It’s an iconic car and an iconic design.”

Meanwhile, over at RM's Monterey affair, a new world record was achieved for a Mercedes-Benz at auction, one of twelve cars sold for individual million-dollar-plus results. The star of the night, a truly beautiful 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster, chassis number 154140, attracted spirited bidding in the room and on the phones, selling for an impressive $9,680,000 to applause from the crowd. The 540K was joined by four other supercharged eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benz automobiles from the 1930s, each fetching multi-million-dollar results.

I find Nigel's photo of the 540K, taken outside the auction stage, rather amusing because of the row of utterly humble automobiles lined up on the opposite side of the road. Perhaps because I'll never have the money to play with the big boys, I'd be absolutely delighted to own one of these old beauties. Your choice of car, and as my birthday's on the 31st of this month if you'd care to buy me one as a gift I'll send you my address. Heck, I'll happily come and pick it up.

[Photos: Nigel Matthews]

ALWAYS FAST, ALWAYS POWERFUL. STUTZ 100TH ANNIVERSARY HONORED AT PEBBLE BEACH

Even as a kid I'd heard of the Stutz Bearcat. From the time it was introduced the Bearcat was the epitome of a real American sports car: a hairy beast built with only one thing in mind: to go fast. As the Stutz company grew it expanded into closed coupes, sedans, 5-passenger speedsters, town cars, and in 1933, the Model DV-32 Bearcat roadster with dual overhead-cams and 32 valves. But regardless of which body style it carried, every Stutz was powerful and impressive. This year Stutz marks its 100th anniversary and, appropriately, is the honoured marque at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The 1920 Stutz Bearcat, above, wasn't much more than two seats with an engine, gas tank, and a bare-essentials look that telegraphed its true intent, whereas that 33 DV-32 Bearcat, a stubby roadster with a short wheelbase and a long engine, guaranteed to exceed 100 mph, had become much more refined. Stutz cars were successful racers, too. The Black Hawk won everything in sight to become 1927 AAA stock car champion. In 1928 it was America's fastest production car, with a two-way average of 106.53 on the sands of Daytona. It did, however, lose a match race at Indy against a Hispano-Suiza.

But Stutz cars were not inexpensive (note the 2-seat and 4-seat Black Hawks in this brochure) and inevitably the depression cut into sales, which even in the best year (1921: 3,860 built) were fairly low volume. In spite of the variety of models, only 1500 cars were produced until Stutz was forced to quit, with the last cars made in 1935, even though a 1936 model had been announced. Nevertheless Stutz remains one of the hallowed names among classic American automobiles and seeing the survivors gathered on the lawns of Pebble Beach should be a treat for those in attendance. The New York Times Wheels section features a slide show of famous Stutz cars. Click here to view it.

[Credits: 1920 Bearcat - Bonhams; 1928 Black Hawk Speedsters Brochure - Collection of Steve Hayes]

SMALL'S NOT JUST BEAUTIFUL, IT'S A LOT MORE FUN

For reasons I can't explain, even to myself, I've always been captivated by small cars that I can throw around by the seat of my pants. Not that I don't appreciate fire-breathing dragsters, nor fail to revel in the comfort of big luxury yachts, but the little guys deliver so much fun that you'd wonder why anyone needs more. And that's why I was attracted to an ad in Hemmings for a 1959 Berkeley B95. You say you've never heard of a Berkeley, friends? Don't apologise, for relatively few were made. Wikipedia informs us that "Berkeley Cars Ltd of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England produced small economical sporting microcars with motorcycle-derived engines from 322 cc to 692 cc and front-wheel-drive between 1956 and 1960."

Strange though it sounds, the Berkeley came from a manufacturer of what the English called "caravans" and we North Americans called vacation trailers. The Berkeley Coachworks factory, owned by Charles Panter, was one of the largest manufacturers of caravans in Europe. But it needed something to fill the gaps in a seasonal market. Having developed considerable skills in fibreglass manufacture, it called on designer Lawrie Bond to create a small sports car. Production began with three prototypes, one of which was raced by Stirling Moss at Goodwood, and for a time sales were good. Unfortunately the caravan market collapsed towards the end of 1960, forcing the company into liquidation and taking its automobile manufacturing activities with it. After producing some 4100 cars, the workforce was laid off.

The Berkeley featured independent suspension all-round and gave remarkably good performance owing to its light weight. As a road car it was rather basic but as a race car the Berkeley was popular, being more affordable than most of its competition. Later models offered a degree of comfort and four seats and might have had a chance in the American market (the similarly-sized Sprite/Midget was doing well) but reliability with the air-cooled two-stroke motorcycle engines probably doomed any hope for success. Or maybe it was our inability to adapt to English eccentricities.

A four-stroke Royal Enfield motorcycle engine drives the car advertised in Hemmings and that alone should make it worth buying. The present owner adds that it has Hagon coil-over shocks, Carrillo rods, balanced engine, electronic ignition, original AC Smith gauges, fire system, 5-point Simpson harness, fuel cell; plus a bunch of engineered drawings of the frame and suspension work. It is one of just two left-hand-drive models made and one of only three still around. This Berkeley has been completely restored. Whether used for vintage racing or modified for the road, she's a real gem and more fun than a Ferrari at triple the price.

GREAT VINTAGE RACING TO HONOUR JAGUAR IN MONTEREY WEEK

With so much happening during the Monterey classic car celebration it's easy to overlook the fact that an equally impressive three days of vintage car racing takes place at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. This year's events, especially, will be worthy of attending, for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2011, as it is properly called, will feature a fabulous Jaguar Heritage Display, celebrating the cars and drivers that achieved success with the fabled marque.

Among the fast cats will be the 1950 Jaguar XK120 driven to victory by a 23-year old Phil Hill at the inaugural Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950; the 1951 C-Type that made its American debut with Hill at the wheel (only 53 examples of this marvellous racer were constructed); a Group 44 1974 Jaguar E-Type – winner of seven straight races when Bob Tullius took the 1975 SCCA B Production Car Championship; a specially-prepared XJS that won the 1978 Trans Am Championship Category 1 with Tullius and his Group 44 team; and the Silk Cut 1988 Jaguar XJR-9 in which Andy Wallace, Johnny Dumfries and Jan Lammers won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was the sixth Le Mans win for Jaguar, bringing to an end Porsche’s seven year non-stop reign.

Aside from the Jaguars a field of 550 vintage race cars will take visitors back to the golden days of racing. Race groups range from pre-1940 sports and touring cars to the historic Trans-Am and Can-Am cars of the ’60s and early ‘70s. Modern era cars will be seen in Group 6B’s ’81-’89 FIA Manufacturers Championship cars and in the IMSA GTP class. The races take place on August 19-21 and tickets, hospitality packages and reservations for general camping are available by calling 800-327-7322 or available online at MazdaRaceway.com.

SIR STIRLING MOSS, THE PORSCHE RS 61, AND ME

The legendary grand prix driver Sir Stirling Moss and I have a couple of things in common. We're both the same age and we both sat in my VW Beetle while I interviewed him for my motoring radio show, back in 1960. I suspect we also share an enthusiasm for having fun in spite of our geezer status. How else to explain that he'll be driving in the Le Mans Legend historic race on June 11?

Come to think of it, there's another rather loose connection. Moss will be driving his own Porsche RS 61, one of 14 four-cam racers that Porsche developed for the 1961 season. At that time I was assistant sales promotion manager for Volkswagen Canada, which also distributed Porsche cars in that country. We were heavily involved in motor racing, adding support to European and North American drivers who were competing at Mosport, including Olivier Gendebien and Jo Bonnier, both of whom drove RS 61s.

Moss’ Spyder was built in February 1961 and delivered to Herrmann Müller of Austria. Müller won the 1963 European Hillclimb Championship in this car. Between 1961 and 1963, it captured more than a dozen victories. Sir Stirling's first outing with the car, at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca last August, lasted less than a lap. The car’s gearbox seized on the warm-up lap and Moss spun before being hit by a Lotus that ran off the track in the same turn. Moss was uninjured but his car suffered substantial front end damage. The Porsche was shipped to United Kingdom-based Porsche specialist Maxted-Page & Prill for repair, and will be ready for the Le Mans Legend on June 11, which runs a few hours before the start of the modern 24 Hours.

To me, the Porsche RS 60 and RS 61s were among the most beautiful race cars ever made. I even loved the sound of those air-cooled 4-cam fours. Not as exotic as the V-12 Ferraris but equally distinctive. And Stirling Moss, back in those years, rated hero status. For competing at Le Mans this June, he still does. What a guy!