Car Porn

Lewis hearing the V10 Renault on track

https://youtu.be/UpulR1SJGgM

 

Amazing.
Zim

 

Just spotted this 1956 Mercury. Gentlemen just bought it. He’s planning on a few finishing touches on it.

 

The H-16 came about when Formula 1 rules went from a 1.5 liter in 1965 to 3.0 liter in 1966. Of all the major participants, only Ferrari had a 3 liter engine, due to their sports cars. BRM had been using a 1.5 liter opposed 8, which was the engine they used when Graham Hill won the championship in the early 60s. To compete with the new rules, they simply stacked two of those engines (nothing simple about it if I had my guess) and geared them together. Interesting thing is that the only race the H-16 ever won was in Jim Clark’s Lotus, at Watkins Glen, if my memory serves me correctly. Even though Ferrari had what should have been the best engine, the championship in 1966 was won by Jack Brabham in the Brabham-Repco. The Repco engine was based on the 215 cubic inch aluminum V-8 introduced by GM in Buicks and Oldsmobiles. Repco destroked it to 183 cubic inches, designed and built new heads, and had the best overall package for that year.

Interesting thing is, BRM kept using the H-16, but they also built and sold to their customers, like Bruce McLaren, a V-12 which was a much better engine. Then the Cosworth-Ford was introduced and it dominated Formula for years.

 

^ Very nice, coincidentally: Our weather warmed up and I’ve been seeing many a sweet car out of hibernation running the roads. Just yesterday a fully restored B-5 Blue 1970 GTX was headed in the opposite direction as I. Normally such a sight causes panic and I have to do whatever it takes to check it out. I was in a hurry to meet up with an insurance agent.

 

And all the sweet songs from those other engines went away, and all F1 cars sounded the same.

 

I would love to have been able to go to a Formula 1 race in those days. Imagine a lap where you hear Ferrari, Maserati, Matra, BRM and Honda V-12s, BRM H-16s, Repco and Cosworth V-8s, and Climax 4 cylinders pass you. I really think those were the golden years of Formula 1.

 

Taken today.

 

I never saw a Formula 1 race in the 60's, but I got to a few SCCA and Trans-Am races. Wonderful stuff seeing all the mostly street legal sports cars battling out. Also the infield parking lots with Cobras, E-Types and first gen 911s parked among the MGs and Triumphs of the other spectators. Followed vintage racing for years as a result of those days.

 

The 3 liter formula years were incredible in F1, but then that was true in other forms of racing as well. Tire tech was beginning to advance, but not keeping up with horsepower advances. Cars were getting much much faster. Aerodynamics were only just beginning to creep in. There was a real innovative spirit in the paddock.

The other side of the coin was the carnage. I saw two drivers die in those years at the Glen.

 

https://fastestlaps.com/models/pontiac-gto-royal-bobcat-421-sd

http://www.pontiacpreservationassociation.org/inductees/2019/ace-wilson's-royal-pontiac.html

https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/royal-pontiac/



Another one of the Big 3 or 4 was Ace Wilson's Royal Pontiac and his connection to John DeLorean's brother.

Loved his 421 GTO that he made several years ... here is a 1965 in Gold ... Gold is not my favourite color ... but this is a true Tigerrrr ...

I was actually a bigger fan of GM, especially the GTO .... but the MoPar's were faster.

 

Mopars faster??? LOL... Maybe it depended on the driver. My '65 442 walked all over Roadrunners.

 

Ooops ... I should have been more specific ... I was talking about the Hemi's. The 442's had some of the best looking muscle cars.

My buddy had a 1966 442 that looked like this

I had a 1965 GTO ... but I liked the lines of the 1966 442 better ...

 

Oh... (I had a '64 and '66 GTO convertible) I have to say I liked all the GTO years, but the only year I liked the looks of the 442 was in '65. It was a smaller, lighter car than the later editions and looked less like a boat. GTOs and Chevelles were the only GM products that were an acceptable change from earlier years.

 

"Not a real Ferrari" at the time, now that is all forgotten. Wonderful cars.

 

...^^^... I think that is a 1969 246 Dino with the little V-6 (not using google now) .... I was actually going to do a post on a Dino on the last page.

I remember ... not too long ago ... you could get a Dino for about $20,000. .... then about 15-20 years ago the prices started to zoom on the Dino.

Always thought the Dino was a cool mini-semi-Ferrari with some great lines ... and was forgotten by many Ferrari enthusiasts because of it's little and less powerful stature. It was like the "Porsche 914" of Ferrari's.