90 90 20 Strong
A look at Amelia Island's 20th anniversary
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38 The LM leads RM
Review of RM's Scottsdale auction
Graceful Power
A look at the 1965 Chevy Impala
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Bonhams' auction in Scottsdale
Humility
Celebrating the career of Tony Brooks
118 Off the Page: Jo Bonnier
Recounting the life of Jo Bonnier
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98 RM and Sotheby's Raises a Standard RM & Sotheby find a prosperous beginning
104 Bonhams Breaks Records
Bonhams' inaugural auction sets records
112 Understated Success
Gooding & Company achieve more than numbers suggest
Feeling the Love: The 1971 Daytona 500 The Petty legend blooms
Setting the Stage: The 1965 Daytona 2000km
Remembering the GT40's first historic victory
The Rings of Power Found: 2000 Sebring 12 Hours Celebrating Audi's rise to power
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Gooding & Company's Scottsdale auction
49 GTB Buoys Bonhams 10 Tony Brooks: Greatness in
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46 Good Things in Scottsdale
Audi's GrrR8
Audi's champion race car
I n 201 4, General Motors introduced its tenth generation of the Impala. Once again considered a full-size car, it harkens to a day when the fleetfooted name drew more inspiration from its design than in ability to slalom some winding county road. However, within the world of the muscle car the Impala was the perfect specimen. And, in 1 965, Chevrolet offered just what the muscle car purists wanted. Dependent upon the person, the definition of the muscle car can vary. However, there is within the category a strong affinity for big full-size cars bearing massive horsepower under the hood of a stylish body. Chevrolet had this covered in spades. It would begin with a complete redesign of the Impala look. The new design would be much more streamlined and wholly-less squared-off. It was simple, flowing and quite popular with the customers. There would be further updates made to the individual members of the car itself. A new frame would be designed and
employed, a wider track would help give the car a more sporty look and feel, and the engine options would turn this grand vehicle into a large monster. In 1 965, Chevrolet would offer a number of engine options within its full-size model lineup. There would be the inline sixcylinder engine that served as the base, but then there would be the small and big block V8s. The 409 would be lost early on
in the year, which would meet with little resistance. Instead, the 409 would be replaced with the 396. Horsepower was a little light for the car, but there was another option that basically placed a de-tuned race engine under the hood giving the car some 425bhp. The Super Sport, or SS, model would come with either a hardtop coupe or convertible. Combined with a three-range Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission or Synchro-Mesh 3 and 4 speed manuals, the Impala had the 5
ability to put the power to the road and this would lead to the 1 966 model ending the year second in sales in the convertible market. While not the fire-breather that its smaller cousin the Chevelle was, the flowing, simple 1 965 Chevy Impala was
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not merely power and grace. In the minds of more than a few it was, and is, the very definition of a muscle car.
I t's hard to conceive that a driver, considered by such legends as Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham, to be one of the best in Formula One history could be so easily forgotten and overlooked. Considered by Moss, “the greatest unknown racing driver there has ever been”, Tony Brooks would be driven to succeed, but more often than not, it would be his humility that would carry him to victory. It would be a hectic, yet controlled scene. Moss was out of the race, but Brooks had made a deal before the race with his fellow compatriot.
Brooks was running well, but he was hurting. Pain from an accident suffered at Le Mans still coursed through his body, but instead of allowing his pride to get in the way and carry on in such condition he would come into the pits to turn his car over to Moss for the remainder of the race. At the time, Brooks had been running around 5th place. He could have carried on to a strong finish all by himself. However, he would be called in to hand his car over to Moss, and he would comply. Moss would turn that 5th place into a surprise victory, but
had it not been for Brooks’ humility there may not have been a victory for a British manufacturer and driver that day. History would have lost one of its truly memorable moments. While Moss’ performance was certainly memorable and remarkable, Brooks must deserve much of the credit. Brooks’ humility would come from a sober estimation of himself. Born in 1 932 in Dukinfield, a small town settled in Greater Manchester, England, Charles Anthony Stanford Brooks would grow up in an area of Manchester that had come to prominence during the industrial revolution. Therefore, the young lad would learn lessons of hard work and would
learn not to take things for granted. At just 20, Brooks would take part in his first races. Starting out in club racing with a Healey and a Frazer-Nash, Brooks would be quite successful but would never really take a racing career seriously. He would approach racing as something to enjoy while he had the opportunity. Tony would prove his dedication while also having fun. From 1 952 through 1 954, Brooks would demonstrate great talent consistently finishing on the podium. It was nearly a given Brooks would either win or be on the podium by the end of a race. His calm demeanor would also make him a talent to
have in long distance races as well. As a result, Tony would quickly earn a seat with the Aston Martin sportscar team in 1 955. Despite this, Tony would be rather pragmatic. He still questioned whether he would ever have a career in motor racing. Therefore, he would enroll at Manchester University studying dentistry; hence the nickname the “Racing Dentist”. Brooks’ first race with Aston Martin in 1 955 would not be very successful, but it would be a new beginning for him. In a
matter of months, he wouldn’t just have a racing career; he would be considered one of the British favorites. And it would all happen as a result of an impromptu trip to the Mediterranean. Having caught the attention of more than a few teams, the demure Brooks would be handed one of his biggest opportunities, though it is unsure whether he realized this or not. While cramming for his exams he would get a call to drive for Connaught and represent the British in what was the heart of ancient civilization. In Syracuse, behind the wheel of the Connaught, Brooks would demonstrate the precision of a surgeon and would shock the factory Maseratis, the crowd and all of Italy with a fantastic performance to win the Syracuse Grand Prix. Prior to the race all of the Italians, including those with Officine Alfieri Maserati, expected to dominate the small British contingent. However, the quiet and reserved Brooks would get on with his business and would be the one that would dominate.
Brooks had little luck at the wheel of the BRM
Brooks famously piloted a Connaught like this to victory at Syracuse
The result would be Britain’s first international triumph since before the Second World War. As it would turn out, this would be just the first time in which the humble Brooks would carry the flag for Ole England. Suddenly, Tony would find himself with offers from Formula One teams. Despite earning his breakthrough victory with Connaught, he would not see a bright future with the effort and would, therefore, sign with Owen Racing driving their
troublesome BRM. This would prove to be rewarding and disappointing all at the same time. Coming to the team he would find himself a teammate of Mike Hawthorn. More than once throughout the course of the 1 956 season these two would show the potential of the new BRM 25. Unfortunately, there was one strength the car lacked—reliability. Hawthorn would find this out while leading the British Grand Prix. Brooks 15
Brooks took pole at Monaco in this Vanwall
would painfully realize this during the very same race. While Hawthorn enjoyed a spell in the lead, Tony would have the throttle stick open on his BRM 25 causing him to crash and overturn. He would escape relatively unharmed, but would still suffer a broken jaw. Having to practice his medical skills along with his driving skills all at the same time was all the evidence he needed to determine it was time to move on from driving the BRM. The 18
1 957 season was right around the corner and Tony would make another bug decision that would help to set the stage for British influence in Formula One for decades to come. He would determine to leave Owen Racing and, instead, secured a drive with Vandervell’s team driving the ever-improving Vanwall. While changing teams in Formula One, Brooks would continue driving with David Brown’s Aston Martin program.
Often paired with Reg Parnell, Tony would continue his strong performances in sportscar races ending up on the podium in many cases and taking a win here and there. The following season would see limited action for Tony given his commitments with the Vanwall. Still, when he did take to the circuit, he was very hard to beat. In fact, the only antagonist that seemed to have any consistent success against Tony in sportscars was not another driver but a circuit—Le Mans. Here, the Brit
struggled. A mere race finish was a highlight. The 1 957 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans wouldn’t be another case of failure. Instead, it would be filled with pain. This time Tony wouldn’t just fail to finish the race; he would also suffer a terrible accident that would leave him in serious pain for more than a couple of months. He wouldn’t have a broken bone but he would suffer some terrible abrasions, very deep ones. In fact, he would still be in the hospital right up to the
Brooks drove this Aston Martin DB3S to victory at the Nurburgring