Cernobbio, 22nd - 24th of May, 2015
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Class H – How fast is fast enough, mid and rear-engined
supercars from the disco era
What was shown in the earlier years of Formula 1 with the
revolution from the front to the rear-engined design started in the
sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s as well.
The first car arguable called supercar by the press was the
Lamborghini Miura SV that should change the way people see a
sportscar. The low Bertone designed V12 defined the sports car
for the years to come. Up to the present day Lamborghini is the
more aggressive opponent of Ferrari based on the vision of
Ferruccio Lamborghini to compete against the prancing horse.
Without the race heritage the former tractor manufacturer had to
impress the enthusiasts with a more radical approach to the
theme and today the Miura is one of the most iconic cars of its
era. The appearance of Lamborghini in the 1970s is also
underlined by the colours usually seen on these cars, many of
them in bright yellow, light green or orange contrasting the
common Italian red. The Miura on display was a final SV version
and shown first at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971 and a very rare
right hand example and the deserving winner of the class.
Following the Miura was the even more radical design of the
Countach. The early LP400 was the purest of the designs before
spoilers were added in the later versions. Named after the position
of its engine (longitudinale postoriore = longitudinal rearward) the
LP400 has become a real collectors car in recent years showing
the interest of the market in the 1970s sports cars. This can also
be seen by the Porsche 911 2.7 RS with the “ducktail”, the
spoiler characteristic for this version of the 911. Just as the
Countach the 2.7 RS just hit the Million Dollar at the recent
auctions.
But certainly BMW did show one of their own creations as well as
the M1 perfectly fits into this category. Although not as exotic as
the Countach the M1 became famous as a race version in the pro
series when famous racers drove against each other in the single
marque race class.
The class was rounded off by the AMX/3 by Bizzarrini.
Class I – two seats against the stopwatch – classic sports
racers
The last of the classic car classes was dedicated to race cars of
different eras and concepts. Oldest and most exciting car in the
class was the Maserati Tipo 60/61 Birdcage nicknamed by is
filigree tube frame. The prototype of the Tipo 60 (2451) was later
converted to Tipo 61 specification and features an aerodynamic
rear as raced by the Camoradi Team in the American racing
colours at Le Mans. Several years ago this car returned to the La
Mans classic and was chasing the Le Mans winning Aston Martin
DBR1 all night around the track. After its last change in
ownership the car will be less seen in vintage racing but at
demonstration runs and at the concours. Its next appearances
will be in Vernasca up the hill and at Bensberg for the German
Concours. Certainly one could debate whether race cars like the
Birdcage have their place at a concours but considering the Best
of Show of last year’s Maserati 450S it follows a strong tradition
in Como. The car was awarded best in class and one of the public
favourites beside the 166 MM.
Completely different from the Birdcage in its appearance was the
second placed McLaren M1-A. Whereas the Maserati tried to
succeed due to its refined chassis the McLaren was entered in
the CanAm series where the cars had huge engine power. The
McLaren was powered by a big bore American V8 and once
featured in an Elvis Presley movie. As the car was presented by
Austrian Restorer Egon ZweimĂĽller the story was easy to tell due
to his haircut similar to Elvis. ZweimĂĽller also took advantage of
the huge power output of the McLaren and proved that one could
paint black stripes even on a red carpet with a feisty start at the
Sunday’s winners’ parade in front of the jury.
Two years after the prototype was shown at the Villa d´Este this
year one of the “production” Ferrari 206 S was shown. The small
two-litre engined Drogo Spider is very much a smaller version of
the famous 330 P3. With just 20 units built the small racer was
ideal suited for hill climbs and twisty road at the Targa Florio.
Unfortunately the car on show (016) refused to start on Saturday
missing the winners’ parade but screamed again on Sunday
applauded by the grand stands.
The class was round off by the Lancia Stratos in Alitalia livery as
used in the Rally championship.
... 001 - 036 Ambience >>>
... 037- 072 Class A >>>
... 073 - 108 Class B >>>
... 109 - 144 Class C & D >>>
... 145 - 180 Class D >>>
... 181 - 216 Class E >>>
... 217 - 252 Class E >>>
... 253 - 288 Class F >>>
... 289 - 324 Class G >>>
... 325 - 360 Class H >>>
... 361 - 396 Class I >>>
... 397 - 432 Class I & Concept Cars >>>
... 433 - 468 Class Concept Cars >>>
Report & images ... Peter & Wolfgang Singhof
www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
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