For two decades, the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance has showcased 100 two and four-wheeled examples of design and engineering excellence. Our ‘dynamic duo’ Maureen and Mike Matune, bring you highlights of the 2016 event.
Twenty years ago Michael Tillson had the idea of holding a Concours on the grounds of the historic Radnor Hunt. Limited to just 100 distinctive and varied cars, the Concours would combine an idyllic setting with landmark cars and motorcycles. Today sees the event, not just...
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Author: MartynL
STEALING THE 500: SHELBY’S 1968 TURBINE-POWERED INDY CAR!
Stephen Cox blogs about Carroll Shelby’s assault on Indy - Part 2 of 2.
Ken Wallis was running out of time. Both of Carroll Shelby's turbine-powered cars were now at Indianapolis but they were nowhere near race-ready condition. His drivers, McLaren and Hulme, had only a six-day window before they returned to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix.
In a desperate bid to make the cars competitive, Wallis used a liberal interpretation of USAC rules to design a new annulus (the engine opening ...
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ROLEX REUNION: SHOWDOWN IN SALINAS!
Tireless Mike Matune wraps up his Monterey Car Week coverage with action from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Every August brings the Granddaddy of U.S. historic racing events to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR). A celebration of the best in racing history captivates with four track days and a dazzling array of cars. The Penske/White Ferrari 512M, above, is certainly eye-catching. Finished to a very high standard, typical of Penske Racing, the...
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‘16 VW GOLF R: SCALDING HOT HATCH!
‘This is my favorite hot hatch, coming alive when we played and feeling fun when we commuted. But it is pricey,’ blogs Dan Scanlan.
I realized that my blue 4-door Golf R is a muscle car and a family car when I parked it between a replica Cobra and a ’57 Ford Fairlane. The 292-inch, 206 horsepower Fairlane could sprint to 60 mph in 11.2 seconds. A real 427 Cobra would take 4.5 seconds to get to 60 mph. The turbocharged 292 horsepower VW could go to 60-mph in under-5 seconds.The Golf R is a ...
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MONTEREY MADNESS: LAGUNA SECA PRE-REUNION!
Mike Matune presents highlights from the race before THE race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Monterey Car Week has grown exponentially and now includes over 40 individual events, but one not often mentioned is the Pre-Reunion. Held the week before the legendary Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, it may have smaller fields and fewer exhibits, but the cheaper tickets and smaller crowds make it really enjoyable for racing aficionados. Some 300 cars show up to compete in 11 groups over two day...
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STEALING THE 500: SHELBY’S 1968 TURBINE-POWERED INDY CAR!
Stephen Cox blogs about Carroll Shelby’s assault on Indy - Part 1 of 2.
He wasn't the first to try, nor was he the last. Armed with a huge budget, a massive turbine engine and two of the finest drivers on the planet, in the spring of 1968 Carroll Shelby was ready to steal the Indianapolis 500.
The plan was straightforward. Ken Wallis, a 38-year-old British aircraft engineer, had designed the famed Granatelli-Lotus Turbine with which Parnelli Jones had nearly won the race in 1967. Wallis had ...
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MONTEREY MADNESS: JET CENTER REVIVAL!
Mike Matune never misses a party – even when he’s covering Monterey Car Week.
Twenty-five years ago Molly & Gordon McCall invited a few like-minded friends to a gathering of car people to kick off Monterey’s Car Week. Begun as a shop party with a collection of cars, it grew from one hanger to another and then another. Along the way aircraft were incorporated along with the finest in cuisine and spirits. Today Motorworks Revival is still going strong with no signs of slowing. Far more th...
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MONTEREY MADNESS: SALES DOWN; EXHILARATION UP!
Here are Jim Palam’s top ten picks, just a fraction of the magnificent exotica that populated the Monterey Peninsula during Car Week.
1953 Ferrari 250MM Vignale Spider ‘Pebble Car’ on Ocean Avenue in Carmel.
If you were among the many thousands of automobile enthusiasts zipping around the auctions, races, shows and events in the Monterey Peninsula this August, you may have been struck by this of many befuddlements: $49 hotel rooms renting for $549! Plus Lengthy hikes from your car to e...
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’64 TEMPEST: THE GRAY GHOST RIDES AGAIN!
Car Guy Chronicles’ Mike Matune is trackside for the return of the Gray Ghost at The Monterey Pre-Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Fans at the annual Pre-Reunion, held a week prior to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, were given a real treat with the return to active competition of the Gray Ghost. In 1971 a team of moonlighting Pontiac engineers, including Herb Adams, raced Sandy Adams ‘64 Pontiac Tempest in SCCA’s Trans-Am series.
Joining the effort at the Pre-Reunion were Her...
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‘16 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SRT: HEMI HAULER!
This Jeep Grand Cherokee is the biggest beast in the SRT family, and the most luxurious and all-weather capable, blogs Dan Scanlan.
Birthed by the Street and Racing Technology team responsible for the V-10 Dodge Viper as well as the Charger and Challenger SRT392s and Hellcats, this hunkered-down Grand Cherokee commands respect both on and off road.
“Regular” Grand Cherokees make do with a 3.6-liter V-6, a 3-liter EcoDiesel or a 5.7-liter V-8. But our 5,600-mile-old Grand Cherokee SRT h...
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