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Vintage Motorsport Newsletter 9/13/2013  
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Historic Trans-Am Crash at W. Glen
Hospitalizes Local Photographer
 | | The Penske Camaro in a sorry state after its accident in 'The Boot' at Watkins Glen (photo: courtesy Jalopnik.com) |
Watkins Glen, NY -- A local reporter-photographer was evacuated by helicopter and hospitalized last Sunday for injuries suffered when a vintage Trans-Am race car lost control and hit a tire wall at Watkins Glen International during historic car races held at the 3.37-mile road circuit. The car's impact into the tire wall knocked the guardrail behind it some four feet back, striking the man and throwing him 15 feet into a creekbed, where he lay unconscious. Nearby corner workers rushed to his aid immediately.
Ron Levanduski, 58, was released from the hospital yesterday (Thurs.) following surgery the day before to repair compound fractures in his upper left arm, two broken ribs and a "slight concussion," he told VM, shortly before leaving Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA. Surgery was delayed due to concerns about infection from dirt in his wounds.
Levanduski was photographing the 4th lap of the New York Governor's Cup race featuring the Historic Trans-Am group in the "Toe of the Boot" (Turn 7) section of the track when the No.16 1968 Penske Camaro of Bill Bryan lost control while attempting a pass of another car from the inside lane of the uphill right-hander. Levanduski told VM it looked to him like Bryan was making a late-braking pass attempt and he "saw a puff of smoke, like he was locking his brakes," but the car kept coming at what Levanduski, a former Formula Vee and Formula Atlantic racer, estimated at 120mph.
After the impact, Associated Press photographer Tom Ryder, who was shooting from a nearby spot, said Bryan was able to exit the crumpled car before going to the ground, read more: http://www.vintagemotorsport.com/show_news.asp?id=2727
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'67 L88 Corvette Nabs World-Record
$3.4 Million At Mecum's $38 Mil Dallas Sale
 | This 1967 L88 set a world-record price of $3.4 million for a Corvette at Mecum's Dallas sale
(photo: John Hollandsworth Jr., courtesy Mecum Auctions) |
Dallas, TX -- On the heels of the collector car marketplace catching its collective breath from the tremendous $311 million auctions haul at Monterey less than a month ago, comes word that a rare 1967 Corvette L88 convertible that won that year's NHRA A/Sports Nationals at Indianapolis has sold for $3.424 million (including 7% buyer's premium) at Mecum Auctions' Dallas sale, a new world auction record for a Corvette.
Only 20 L88 Corvettes were produced in 1967, the first of three model years with a total of 216 built through 1969. The vintage car guides have a hard time keeping up, as the latest Hagerty Price Guide by Dave Kinney pegged this model at $1.27 million. However, with its out-of-the-box drag racing success (with only minor mods such as exhaust headers and rear slicks), all-original body panels, factory side exhaust, mostly original interior and careful restoration down to a special-order DuPont paint to match the original factory Marlboro Maroon color, the winning bidder obviously thought the car had all the chops. Documented with the tank sticker, vintage photos and time slips showing a best 11.12sec/127.45mph quarter mile, it has all the right L88 options, including 427cid/430hp engine (although it's estimated more like 560hp), M22 4-speed, 4.11 rear end, J56 heavy-duty brakes, J50 power brakes and F41 special suspension.
While this L88 holds the new record for a Corvette at auction, any of the five iconic 1963 racing Grand Sports, said to be worth $6-$8 million apiece, are the most valuable of 'Vettes; but as they are all in private hands, unless one comes up for auction we won't really know.
While Mecum didn't identify the buyer, the seller, Buddy Herin, had three more cars from his collection make the top 10 at Mecum's 4-day sale at the Dallas Convention Center, including a '69 Camaro ZL1 for $530,000 and his '57 Corvette Airbox at $290,000 (both hammer prices). In fact, Mecum's top-10 was a Bow-tie fest of Chevys other than the No. 6 car, a 2005 Ford GT at $255,000 (limited production and performance pushing up GT values to nearly double their sticker price) and a 2008 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 roadster finishing 8th at $230,000 hammer price.
Mecum had a whopping 1,432 cars cross the block in Dallas, with 986 sold, a 69% sales rate for a total of $37.9 million. Mecum still has a trio of collector car auctions scheduled in the 4th quarter with an estimated 2,500 vehicles up for sale. Chicago's next Oct. 10-12, followed by Anaheim, CA Nov. 21-23 and the finale Dec. 5-7 in Kansas Citiy. For more information, go to: www.mecum.com
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Ferrari Named Featured Marque
For 2014 Le Sommet des L�gendes
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A pair of the early '70s series-dominating Ferrari 312 PBs in action
(photo: Jeffrey Dhal, courtesy HMSA)
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Montrose, CA -- Ferrari will be the featured marque at next July's Le Sommet des L�gendes vintage race weekend at Circuit Mont-Tremblant to mark the road course's 50th anniversary at what's considered the premier historic racing event in Canada. The annual event is produced and sanctioned by U.S.-based Historic Motor Sports Assn. (HMSA).
HMSA says production-based Ferrari race cars from the 1960s and '70s such as the 250 GTO, 365 GTB/4 and BB/LM will be participating at the July 11-13, 2014 event, along with the cars that competed in the FIA Manufacturers Championship of Makes around the world such as the Testa Rossa, 250P series, 512s and 312s. An all-Ferrari race is also being planned, HMSA stated.
Along with the Ferrari features, the event will include cars from all of HMSA's classes, ranging from early Grand Prix cars, '50s sports racers through some of the more recent historic cars such as Audi and Porsche which have competed and won at Le Mans and other iconic endurance races around the globe. In addition to purpose-built race cars, also participating will be production-based race cars from the 1950s, '60s and '70s.
Formerly known as St. Jovite in the 1960s and '70s when the track hosted such series as Can-Am and Trans-Am, the 15-turn, 2.65 mile track is one of the most picturesque and challenging road racing circuits in North America with dramatic elevation changes, every type of corner and long straights. Located just 80 miles north of Montreal in the destination resort of Mont-Tremblant, an alpine-style village with world-class hotels, 100 restaurants, boutiques and entertainment, it offers much more than trackside excitement, including lakes, fishing, water skiing, championship golf courses and a favorite diversion of many a driver and race crew, "The Luge," a lengthy downhill cart/sled track at the ski resort.
For more information on the track or event, visit: www.lecircuit.com, or www.hmsausa.com. or call 818-249-3515.
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Maserati 250S Racer Tops
RM's $34 Million London Sale
 | | Top sale at RM's London sale was this 1957 Maserati 250S by Fantuzzi (photo: Tim Scott �2013; courtesy RM Auctions) |
London -- As was proven at last month's Monterey sales, vintage racing cars with provenance and performance continue to light up auction ballrooms, and RM Auctions' London sale last weekend was no exception, as a bevy of historic racing cars found new owners at multi-million-dollar prices. RM's first two-day London sale garnered $34 million with a sales rate of 90.3% across 134 lots. The auction's top seller was a Fantuzzi-bodied 1957 Maserati 250S, one of only four built and raced in period by Carroll Shelby and Jim Hall, which took $3.34 million to find a new owner.
However, the much-anticipated sale of seven historic race cars from the Lord Irvine Laidlaw collection indicated that buyers in the limited universe of weapons-grade historic race cars remain savvy and not necessarily subject to the frothiness of market-excessive estimates and reserves. While the Maserati, a '65 Porsche 904/6 Carrera GTS, '70 Chevron B16 and '71 Chevron B19 (all with significant period race histories) sold, the collection's Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type, Tipo 61 Camoradi "Birdcage" Maserati and Ecurie Francorchamps Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione failed to make their aggressive reserves. The 1955 D-Type, a reserve Le Mans racer for the Scottish team but with plenty of in-period provenance bid to $6.28 million, not enough despite being $1 million above current valuations. The Ferrari 275 which finished 10th at Le Mans in 1966 bid to $3.3 million, and the Birdcage, driven by Masten Gregory and Lucky Casner's Camoradi USA team, stopped at $2.5 million.
Dave Kinney, publisher of Hagerty's Price Guide, was quoted by Bloomberg.com at the sale, "After the excitement of record auctions in the summer, the estimates got ahead of themselves. There's a limited market for race cars. This is a good sign that people aren't prepared to pay crazy prices for everything. I was surprised the Jaguar D-Type didn't sell, though."
While race cars continue to top the sales charts, road-going Ferraris continue strong, and RM set a world auction record for a 1967 275 GTB/4 at $2.58 million, good enough for 2nd place, and the Laidlaw Porsche 904/6 was the final podium finisher at $1.93 million. In addition, the first day of the sale featured the "Ultimate Mercedes-Benz Collection," 74 cars from a single owner, with the entire collection bringing in a hefty $15.279 million. Five of the Benz's made the sale's top 10, including a 1938 540 K Cabriolet B ($1.29 million); 1932 Mannheim 370 S Sport Roadster ($1.21 million); 1961 300 SL Gullwing ($1.16 million) and 300 SL roadster ($1.13 million) and a 1957 300 SLS racing version at $931,952.
Also of note, the submersible prop Lotus Esprit from the 1977 James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," sold for $967,120. With its electric motor and dive planes, it actually would've proven useful Labor Day weekend at Lime Rock Park when morning storms dumped two inches of rain in less than an hour. RM Auctions rounds out its sales year with its annual Hershey, PA sale Oct. 10-11, and "Art of the Automobile" sale in New York City in association with Sotheby's Nov. 21. For more information, go to: www.rmauctions.com
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HSR Kicks Off 4-Race Fall Season
Sept. 19-22 With Atlanta Historic Races
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USRRC racers like this early McLaren are featured at Road Atlanta next weekend (photo: courtesy HSR)
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Clearwater, FL -- As the vintage racing leader in the Southeast, it's understandable that Historic Sportscar Racing's schedule goes on hiatus during the steamy summer months, their last race being the Mitty at Road Atlanta in late April -- until now, that is. HSR kicks off its second half next weekend, Sept. 19-22 at the track where HSR began, Road Atlanta, the 12-turn, 2.54-mile tester that's hosted ALMS's Petit Le Mans for years.
Top features of the Georgia weekend are the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Road Racing Championship (USRRC) with the USRRC Seniors Tour saluting the 1963-68 series when grids included sports racers and production GT sports cars, including Cobras, Jaguar E-Types, Mustangs, Lotus Cortinas, Corvettes and Porsches. HSR is invite all cars which could've run in the '63-'68 period to participate.
In addition, HSR is featuring the 3rd annual S2000 Challenge, highlighting the swoopy and fast envelope bodies of this popular and growing class of spec racers. Also of interest are three sessions a day for the Historic Moto Grand Prix motorcycles, the two-wheelers adding to the overall vintage show. In addition, there's a whole complement of vintage Jaguars, Porsches, Lola T70s, Genies, BMW 'Batmobile's, open wheelers from Indy and Formula Atlantic, plus later WSC racers and an Audi R8, along with a rare Sabra Special originated in Israel.
HSR's busy fall season (4 of its total 7 races take place September through December) continues Oct. 24-27 with the Savannah Speed Classic taking place on the Grand Prize of America road course on Hutchinson Island, SC. Nestled across the water from Savannah's famed River Street, the event will feature pre-war cars, BMW, car clubs and a downtown welcome party, along with all regular HSR series races, sprints and enduros.
For its annual Daytona Historic Races Nov. 14-17 it's a smorgasbord of Porshe 911 focuses to salute the 911 model's 50th, including a Brumos Cup for early 911s, the Mission Foods Euro/American GT3 Cup, the Bob Snodgrass 2-Hour Enduro, plus Porsche and 911 car corrals and concours. Lest we forget, it also includes the current Trans Am series season finale. Lastly, HSR returns to Sebring Dec. 5-8 for its season finale with featured IMSA and prototypes, enduros and night races, including the 4 Hours of Sebring enduro and annual awards.
For more information, or to buy tickets or register, go to: www.HSRrace.com
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Klementaski Collection's Peter Sachs
To Speak Oct. 5 at Watkins Glen's IMRRC
Watkins Glen, NY -- Motorsport historian, car collector and retired racer Peter Sachs will speak about his decades of racing and his current work with the Klementaski Collection photo archives on October 5 at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen. The free talk, which is open to the public, is part of the Center Conversation speaker series and begins at 1 p.m.
"Peter Sachs' compassion for motorsports history, coupled with years of competitive racing, promises to make his talk a not to be missed event," said Center president J.C. Argetsinger. "His personal commitment to preserving racing history meshes perfectly with the Center's mission and the interests of our supporters."
Sachs worked in the auto business in the Boston area, and then spent 37 years as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co. and has been retired for a number of years. His current focus, the Klementaski Collection, comprises more than 500,000 motor racing and related automotive photographs. The collection is based on two major archives -- all the racing images taken from 1936-74 by Louis Klemantaski and the racing photos of Nigel Snowdon, covering the period 1961-87. The collection supplies photographs for special order and to authors, publishers (such as VM) and advertisers for use in books, magazines, TV and other media.
Sachs, born in 1939, began his car fervor via parking lot gymkhanas while in college at Harvard (and later NYU for his MBA) competing against the likes of Skip Barber, another Harvard student. His first race was in 1960 at Silverstone in England in a Turner 950, and by 1963 he was the SCCA Runoffs F-Modified champion in a Lotus 23. In his Brabham BT5 he won an SCCA divisional title in 1964, and also raced in IMSA Firehawk, Grand-Am Cup and vintage races until hanging up his helmet in 2007.
For more information, visit: www.racingarchives.org or call 607-535-9044.
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Best 5 minutes from Watkins Glen 2013 with SVRA
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