The fascination with old-style American Pick-Up Trucks continues in the wild, whacky world of hot rodding and classic custom car collecting. At each and every rendition of The Classic Car Show held over the past six years, more and more of these soulful American “trucks” make an appearance, and there is a whole industry dedicated to restoring them these days, […]
Born in 1909, Lang’s career started like many other drivers, on motorcycles. While the majority of the other drivers exchanged two wheels for four, Lang exchanged 3 wheels for four, having competed in sidecar competitions. He would later comment that this gave him an advantage, as the cornering characteristics were similar to cars. The economic […]
The ultimate Escort? It sounds like an oxymoron. There are so many, over so many years, from the World Rally Championship-winning Waldegård and Vatanen cars all the way to Ken Block’s more recent Hoonigan creations. But burning rubber for YouTube videos aside, what would be the ultimate competition Escort? I found a definite contender nestled […]
Porsche may have pulled its front-running 919 Hybrid prototypes from Le Mans, but it’ll still be there this year – just not in the top class. In fact there’ll be no fewer than ten of its 911 RSRs competing in the GT classes, and two of them will wear the classic liveries you see here. Like the one-off 918 Spyder brought you […]
In the early days of auto racing, female drivers and female-only motorsport events were far less of a rarity than they are today. The 1901 Paris-Berlin road race featured Camille du Gast, a French sportswoman and philanthropist, and Baroness Hélène van Zuylen, wife of the president of the Automobile Club de France. Du Gast started […]
Eighty years ago on Sunday, a young German by the name of Bernd Rosemeyer stubbed out a cigarette, climbed into his car and headed off down the autobahn. It was cold, the wind was getting up and he wanted to get home to his wife and baby son. But first there was some business to attend […]
“It was the only race that frightened me, actually,” motorsport legend Stirling Moss says of Italy’s historic endurance rally — the Mille Miglia. “It certainly was one of the races throughout the year where I thought, ‘Oh God,’ because I didn’t know where I was going.” Translated as the “Thousand Miles,” the race was held […]
Overview of the achievements of some great women in the sport. Pre 1950 Motor sport events, in which ladies could compete, have existed since the earliest days of the sport and date back to the first known ladies’ motorised tricycle race in 1897. Up until 1910 there were, however, few opportunities for women to compete, […]
INTRO BY LEON BOTHA In the world of motorsport you do not easily find much more than criticism, no matter on what level you participate or think your wisdom fits in. After reading this piece written from Reghard Roets’ heart – from the same room in which he stores his love for motorsport and people, […]
A rare 1939 Alta, crewed by Gareth Burnett and Matthew Vokes, has won the tenth anniversary run of the Flying Scotsman Rally. Driver Gareth Burnett has won the event twice before in 2013 and 2016, both at the wheel of a Talbot 105 Alpine, making the first driver to score a hat-trick. Burnett said: “It […]
Classic Car Friday at the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb will see a fleet of 64 incredibly desirable and valuable machines take to the hill – two of which will participate under the official Jaguar Classic banner. Making its Jaguar Simola Hillclimb debut is a special 1972 E-TYPE, once owned by Princess Marie of Liechtenstein. Her Serene […]
There is no doubt that the year’s premier classic, vintage, veteran and collectable motorcycle event will be the 2018 Knysna Motor Show, taking place on April 29 at the Knysna High School Sports Grounds, between 9 am and 4pm in one of the most idyllic locations on the Garden Route. Organised by the Garden Route […]
The much-anticipated third annual Concours South Africa will be held in Sun City from 10 to 12 August 2018. Hosted by Concours South Africa, it is one of a handful of such exclusive events in the Southern Hemisphere. Dating back to 17th century France, Concours d’Elegance is a term of French origin that means a […]
The 2018 Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) season gets underway on the hallowed ground of Sebring International Raceway next week with a pair of HSR WeatherTech Sprint races in support of the 66th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race weekend, March 14 – 17. A solid entry of […]
Concours South Africa will be hosting a Participants’ Judging Workshop at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on Saturday, 24, from 01:00 pm.The workshop will be hosted by Concours South Africa Chief Judge Wayne Harley, and Senior Judge Marius Malherbe. Both judges have a wealth of experience in the classic car fields. Harley is the Curator […]
Held in prime holiday season in the heart of the glorious Garden Route, the 2018 Knysna Motor Show will be hosted for the seventh successive year on April 29, 2018. With sponsorship once again from Sanlam Private Wealth, the event is set to surpass all records once again and the target for this year is […]
Killarney’s 17th Passion for Speed international classic car races played out to a sizeable crowd on a perfect Saturday afternoon tickled by a gentle southeaster as international and local racers entertained on track. Several classic races for cars and motorcycles called back the past as priceless machinery diced in the sun, but it was Pretoria […]
Cape Town race fans can look forward to classic racing as red hot as the regular searing February temperatures when the second round of the annual Passion for Speed historic racing double header visits the Killarney International Raceway Saturday 3 February, where a full program will see international classic racers taking on South Africa’s finest […]
Together with Mike Hailwood, Barry Sheene, Agostini… there was Mick Grant who won more Isle of man TT’s than Hailwood. We South Africans have lost count of how many times he has graced our shores. It started in 1973 with the SA TT at Roy Hesketh and then Kyalami on Grand Prix day in March […]
Saturday is a huge day for Jozi race fans as the Zwartkops Raceway hosts its annual international time warp with the 17th Passion of Speed in a full program of overseas and local historic racing featuring the finest cars ever raced in Africa, back in action at the Pretoria circuit. Too dangerous to drive Magnificent […]
The numbers 9, 1 and 1, arranged in that order, are today iconic among sports car fans. The arrangement is the name of the car that signifies the essence of Porsche, so clearly it’s very important to the automaker. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, if it wasn’t for Peugeot, the 911 today […]
The Italian racer will drive a specially prepared BMW M8 GTE in the 24-hour classic.Alex Zanardi, the Italian racer who lost both legs in a horrific 2001 CART crash, is headed to the 2019 Rolex Daytona 24 Hour race. At its 2017 season review Friday, BMW announced that Zanardi would drive a specially prepared M8 […]
2017 proved another great racing season on track for Lindenberg Racing, which celebrated the end of a competitive year on track in fine style at the season ending Kyalami Historic Tour extravaganza on Saturday as Paige Lindenberg and the team toasted several awards following a most successful prize giving at the Midrand circuit… Paige earned […]
Is traditional motorsport equipped to face the future? Or will it be left on the sidelines by a fan base that’s moved on? By Preston Lerner The crowd is unlike anything I’ve ever seen at a big-time pro race, less a congregation of gearheads and speed junkies than the broader collection of humanity you’d expect […]
Jean Todt will not face a rival as he secures his third and final four-year tenure as FIA president. F1’s governing body is on December 8 expected to ratify the 71-year-old Frenchman’s place at the top of the FIA for the 2018-2021 period. Under FIA rules, no president can serve for more than 12 years, […]
The notorious, fire-spewing 1910 Fiat S76 speed-record car known as the “Beast of Turin” will thunder and quake on The Grand Avenue automotive catwalk at the 2018 London Classic Car Show, to be held February 15-18. The appearance of one of the world’s most-famous early racers will be a highlight at ExCeL London among the […]
Two years ago, Ferdinand Piëch, then chairman of the Volkswagen Group, resigned from his post following a public spat with Martin Wintekorn, who was the automaker’s CEO at the time. The 80-year-old has now cut all ties with the VW Group by offloading his sizable stake in Porsche Automobil Holding (Porsche SE), the holding company […]
NASCAR racing and the term stock car have deep roots in bootlegging, with backstories and characters that sound like something out of a less family-friendly Dukes of Hazzard episode. Bootleggers made their own moonshine before prohibition to dodge taxes. The term moonshine comes from late-night brewing sessions held at well-concealed stills. That way, smoke from […]
Round 4 of the 9 event Sasol GTC Series was contested at the Zwartkops Raceway to the west of Pretoria on Friday, June 16 and provided another opportunity for the Volkswagen squad of Mathew Hodges and Daniel Rowe to show their mettle. And it didn’t take too long for Hodges to find the pace needed […]
After years of delays, the Bloodhound team will finally begin testing in an effort to become the first car to reach 1000 mph.After years of delays and setbacks, the team behind the Bloodhound SSC has announced it will finally begin test runs of the jet-and-rocket-powered car in October of 2017, in an effort to become […]
On the Frankfurt-Darmstadt autobahn, just beyond the Langen-Morfelden crossing and set back amongst the trees stands a monument to the great Rosemeyer. Originally from Lingen, Lower Saxony. His career, like many other drivers of the period, began in motorcycles. He competed in various local races including hill-climbs riding BMWs and NSU’s. He gained a reputation […]
Fernando Alonso has caused a wave of excitement about the Indy 500, but the event has been influencing motor racing and the car industry for over 100 years. ESPN takes a look at the iconic oval race’s best — and most important — innovations. Rear-view mirrors The first time a rear-view mirror was placed on […]
Moonshine and racing … so go the tall tales of the beginnings of NASCAR. Mountain men taking souped-up cars to push moonshine past the authorities. Knox County sheriff’s deputies with a confiscated moonshine still circa 1922-23. Pictured are Ott Wagner, left, L.L. Robbins, Squire Tilman Greene Waggoner and John Wesley Bates. (Photo: News Sentinel Archive) Daniel […]
Florida dealership allegedly performed odometer rollback on LaFerrari A veteran Ferrari salesman is suing a Florida Ferrari dealership for age discrimination, but his suit against the exotic carmaker also contains a more severe allegation of odometer-rollback software, the Daily Mail reports.Longtime Ferrari salesman Robert “Bud” Root has filed a suit against Ferrari of Palm Beach […]
The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling nameplate, globally, in the history of the automobile, having moved well over 40 million cars into the hands of owners. This is, in part, because Corolla is one of the nameplates with the greatest longevity, having existed continuously since its introduction to the world market 50 years ago in […]
More than a year after it was revealed that Volkswagen used illegal “defeat device” software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, the company is still working to rebuild its reputation. Another crisis and ensuing public criticism is the last thing VW needs right now. But opaque statements and the effect of German labor […]
The World Rally Championship is set to tweak the running order rule it introduced this year and which was highly criticised by Sebastien Ogier and his Volkswagen team.The new regulations forced the championship leader, which was Ogier throughout the entire season, to start first on the road on the first two days of each rally. […]
The BMW Car Club of Gauteng hosted yet another successful track day at the popular Red Star Raceway in Delmas on Saturday 20 August 2016. The event was held in conjunction with the brand’s 100th birthday Centenary celebrations. Bridgestone SA were also there with their pink squad to promote the Pink Valve Caps Project – […]
Overdrive Racing has called in its heavyweight drivers in a bid to give Toyota a first ever victory in Baja Spain Aragon, round five of this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah takes a break from his Olympic Games’ shooting preparations to drive the top-seeded Toyota Hilux alongside his regular […]
The 2016 Silk Way Rally has entered its third and final country and the race pace shows no signs of slowing down. Having conquered testing terrain in both Russia and Kazakhstan the Silk Way convoy is currently locked in an intense battle over the sands of the Gobi Desert in China. In the car category […]