Going to Watkins Glen for the Glenora Wine Cellars US Vintage Grand Prix. Its a big vintage race event/old car show at Watkins Glen, N.Y. Watkins Glen was the home of the first sports car racing in the USA where they originally raced through the town before building the race track. Its an annual event for a few of us. I’ll be driving down in my Triumph and my brother will be following in his vintage Lotus. I suspect border security across the Canada/USA border might be heightened for the weekend since its the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but we don’t fit the terrrorist profile so everything should be fine.
Anybody else into these old vintage car events or going to the Glen this weekend?
It’s my favorite event at Laguna Seca. You get be so close to the cars/action as the paddock is open to all. You can smell/feel/hear the cars and talk to the drivers/owners. You can basically be right next to the car as they are getting on the grid and as they pull off the track after the race. There’s nothing like it (other than to be the actual driver). The past two years, they had a $20M Ferrari in the paddock racing. My favorite racing is the 1955-1962 GT Cars, lots of Alfas, MG, Porsches that my mom use to race.
Going to Watkins Glen for the Glenora Wine Cellars US Vintage Grand Prix. Its a big vintage race event/old car show at Watkins Glen, N.Y. Watkins Glen was the home of the first sports car racing in the USA where they originally raced through the town before building the race track. Its an annual event for a few of us. I’ll be driving down in my Triumph and my brother will be following in his vintage Lotus. I suspect border security across the Canada/USA border might be heightened for the weekend since its the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but we don’t fit the terrrorist profile so everything should be fine.
Anybody else into these old vintage car events or going to the Glen this weekend?
It was a great weekend. Its an annual event for us from now on. We stayed down for four days. I actually got to drive around the track in my Triumph as part of the vintage car parade, but would love to race there in a vintage series. I used to race many years ago but unfortunately I think I’d need to win the lottery to be able to afford it these days.
Case in point, this unfortunate guy stuffed his AC Cobra at turn one. I don’t know if its an original 1965 Cobra or a replicar, but either way, its very expensive to fix, especially if its an original Cobra as they’re almost priceless nowadays. The driver was actually taken out in a helicopter, so I hope he’s OK.
I think it probably is a replicar since the original Cobra body was made from aluminium and most of the replicars are fibre glass. The damage looks more like fibre glass than aluminium in the photo, at least to my untrained eye.
There was a guy racing a 1930’s Alf Romeo grand prix car that was said to have been raced by Nuvolari, the famous Italian racer of the 1930’s. A car like that would probably easily be worth over a million dollars. I asked the guy what he did for spare parts and he told me he had to fabricate them.
For any engine buffs, here’s the Alfa engine that demonstrates 1930’s technology at its best - strait 8, double overhead cams and supercharged. I’m not sure of the exact displacement, but I think its around 8 litres or so.
With the hood broken instead of bent, definitely a replica (thankfully). I plan on building one with my dad in the coming years.
MORE PICS!
I used to get down to the Amelia Island Concours. Got to meet Phil Hill (super nice guy), and saw Fangio’s Mercedes race car, along with millions upon millions of dollars in classics.
It was a great weekend. Its an annual event for us from now on. We stayed down for four days. I actually got to drive around the track in my Triumph as part of the vintage car parade, but would love to race there in a vintage series. I used to race many years ago but unfortunately I think I’d need to win the lottery to be able to afford it these days.
Case in point, this unfortunate guy stuffed his AC Cobra at turn one. I don’t know if its an original 1965 Cobra or a replicar, but either way, its very expensive to fix, especially if its an original Cobra as they’re almost priceless nowadays. The driver was actually taken out in a helicopter, so I hope he’s OK.
Man, that stinks! It’s a long way from T1 to the wall there, too. We should stay in touch … I’d give you a pit tour at the Grand-Am race next year, for sure!
just as a total aside - IF I had money for a toy - I desperately want one of these - http://www.morgan3wheeler.co.uk/home.html - go to latest news and check out the 5th gear test drive video. I would love to take that around a good track. Or a good country road.
Probably not happening in what remains of my feeble lifespan.
Exactly. He seemed to drive right into the wall at full speed with no braking or easing back on the throttle. We even speculated at the possibility of a heart attack, but who knows. We had a fun “guys only” weekend. Our wives wouldn’t have come any ways. You know the biggest difference between a girlfriend and a wife? Back when they were girlfriends they used to come to the race track with us.
Here’s a photo of our cars btw. I own the 1980 Triumph TR8, my brother the 1972 Lotus Europa twin cam and my buddy from N.J. has the 1993 Porsche 911 RSA. The Lotus and the TR8 have been hotted up, so it would be no run away for the RSA
