Thor Thorson
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1999 Chrysler Viper GTS-R
This 1999 Chrysler Viper GTS-R is one of five Works chassis built by ORECA for primary use in the 1999 FIA GT championship, in which it was fielded as the number-two entry with Jean-Philippe Belloc and a rotation of other drivers that included David Donohue and Dominique Dupuy at the wheel. Chassis C20 debuted in…
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2003 Ferrari 550 GTC
As Ferrari prioritized its Formula 1 and prototype sports car programs at the turn of the millennium, it was left to privateers to evolve the 550 Maranello road car into a bona fide racer. Most notably, the resulting 550 GTs built by Prodrive would secure class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American…
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1978 Renault-Alpine A 442
A remarkably historic car, this A 442 competed in the 1975 endurance-racing season, raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 and was in the pits at Le Mans in 1978. It has been driven by the greatest racers of its time. Of the five Renault-Alpine A 442 and A 443 cars built with…
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1956 Jaguar D-Type
Among the final production D-types to emerge from Coventry before the February 1957 factory fire, chassis XKD551 was dispatched on June 12, 1956, as a short-nose example — measuring approximately 19 cm shorter than the succeeding long-nose variants. The accompanying Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate documents state that the D-type was completed wearing body number…
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1948 Healey Elliott Sports Saloon
The Donald Healey Motor Company completed its first car in 1945, going into full-time production in a disused RAF hangar in Warwick the following year. Given Donald Healey’s background, it was inevitable that his firm’s first products would be cast in the sporting mold. An ex-RFC fighter pilot and many-times Monte Carlo Rally competitor during…
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1959 Cooper-Climax T51
In 1959, the T51 was introduced as a development of the earlier T43 and T45. Built using a spaceframe chassis, the new 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder Coventry Climax engine sat behind the driver, with the transmission mounted at the rear. Suspension remained the same as before, with independent coil springs at the front and a transverse leaf…
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So, You Want to Go Vintage Racing?
Every red-blooded car collector has at some point (or many points) in their life looked at some cool little race car and wondered, “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to buy that and go racing?” Certainly, many people have over the years, but for those who haven’t jumped in, the prospect can seem plenty daunting. As…
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1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS
Completed on February 27, 1964, this Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, chassis 904028, was delivered to German racer Gerhard Koch. Koch, a seasoned driver with a win over Jim Clark at Zandvoort and class wins at the Targa Florio and Nürburgring, excelled with the car, winning the Rheinland-Pfalz Trophy at the Nürburgring and placing 2nd overall…
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1923 Mercedes Type 122 Indianapolis Racer
Following the Great War, Daimler began to consider forced induction using a supercharger. Renowned engineer Paul Daimler’s development path was further justified in 1922 when the Automobile Club de France issued new Grand Prix rules for the following season limiting engine capacity to 2 liters. Daimler designed an extraordinary 4-cylinder engine, featuring twin-overhead cams which…
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1936 Delahaye 135 S
Of all the pre-war French racers, few are as well regarded as the Delahaye 135 S. Just 20 of these lightened and shortened speed machines were ever built, each doing battle at the very pinnacle of Grand Prix and sports-car racing. Of that small cohort, the penultimate example — chassis 47188 — is arguably the…