Author: Thor Thorson

Thor Thorson is president of Vintage Racing Motors, a Seattle-area collector-car dealer and vintage-racing support operation. He has been actively involved with racing for over 40 years, dealing with racers from Ferraris to Sprites, but is mostly seen driving Elva sports racers. He has been writing the race-car profiles for SCM since 2003.

1976/77 Jaguar XJ12 Broadspeed Coupe

Going, turning, sticking, and stopping were evident and well in hand, but keeping the Jaguar in one piece proved to be more difficult than anticipated   R alph Broad’s racing team had excelled in touring car competition since the early 1960s, running Ford Anglias, Mini Coopers, and Triumph Dolomites. Leyland […]

1964 Porsche 904 GTS Coupe

If you want to do any serious competition, you’ll need a 2-liter, 4-cam four, and that’s a $100,000 project {vsig}2008-12_2265{/vsig} Having axed its expensive Formula One program at the end of 1962, Porsche turned once more to sports car racing as a means of improving and marketing its road cars. […]

1960 Jaguar E2A Le Mans Sports Racer

It was left in a corner to be junked, but Guy Griffiths, the father of vintage racing everywhere, talked the factory into selling it to him   {vsig}2008-11_2254{/vsig} By 1960, Jaguar had won the world’s most prestigious race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, five times-twice with its original competition-tailored […]

1965 McLaren-Elva M1A “Cro-Sal Special”

The Elva-built McLarens, called M1A to distinguish them from the original McLaren prototype, were campaigned by some of the most famous and successful drivers and teams with a variety of powerplants. Their characteristics reflect the McLaren team’s emphasis on simple, straightforward design and rugged construction, traits which had been inculcated […]

1951 Ferrari 340 America Coupe

“Prime Motoring Fool” Bob Sutherland took a savage pleasure in driving anything, but said his 340 Mexico was just too awful {vsig}2008-9_2223{/vsig} Intended primarily as a competition car for wealthy privateers, the 340 was directed specifically at a new and increasingly profitable market-the United States. Aptly named “America,” the 340 […]

1971 Ferrari 512 M

These difficult cars have finally gotten the development they didn’t get when racing in anger and have become superb vintage racers {vsig}2008-8_2214{/vsig} In 1968, the rules for sports car racing were changed, limiting Group 6 prototypes to a maximum 3-liter engine capacity. For the 1970 season, Ferrari decided to do […]

1972 Ford Escort RS1600 Rally

A Kenyan safari guide tells of this car landing so nose down that everyone thought it was going to go end over end This 1972 Ford Escort RS1600 Mk I comes to auction directly from the finish line of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic rally, where it was […]

Lazenby Lotus 17 Special

Jim Clark’s future mechanic had to design and build a suitable frame and scavenge everything else he needed. That appears to be what he did Having created his first special while training as a mechanic with the RAF, it was perhaps inevitable that David Lazenby would embark upon a similar […]

1968 Alpine Renault A110 Coupe

To be welcome, even invited, to drive flat out over an alpine pass in a raging blizzard at night-that’s priceless This ex-Works car, fitted with a Mignotet-built and -tuned engine, started its racing career in the 1968 Tour de Corse driven by Jean-Francois Piot. The rally was won by Jean-Claude […]

1952 Glöckler-Porsche Roadster

I will argue that the Glöckler-Porsches were early flickers, puffs of smoke in the weeds, and the tinder didn’t really catch fire until the 550 came along {vsig}2008-4_2163{/vsig} Walter Glöckler occupies an honored place among Porsche owners. Not only was he one of the first to race a Porsche, he […]