M1 Momentum issue 1 Fall / Winter 2022

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF M1 CONCOURSE

The first Cobra Daytona Coupe, the brainchild of American Speed Festival honoree Peter Brock

SNAKE BIT

ISSUE 1

Our next model reveal has a dozen doors, a hundred windows, and is also an instant classic.

Open for business in early 2023, Porsche Classic Factory Restoration has a new facility coming in Atlanta.

To learn more or schedule your appointment, email us at: classic.service@porsche.us or scan the QR code.

Porsche Classic Factory Restoration

©2022 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times. Contact us at 833-768-3705 or PorscheUSA.com/Classic.

1964-65 Daytona Edition

M1 - WOODWARD CHRONOGRAPH

24HR LEGENDS COLLECTION

PONTCHARTRAIN Custom built Swiss automatic Valjoux 7750 with M1 rotor

Available exclusively at www.detroitwatchcompany.com

HELLO, AND WELCOME TO THE VERY first issue of M1 Momentum, the all-new magazine for members, sponsors, partners, customers and visitors to our wonderful facilities at M1 Concourse.

We will be publishing M1 Momentum twice a year, and it will be packed with previews of forthcoming shows, reports on past events, track tests of both new and classic collector cars, iconic car histories, information on the local area and features on some of the private garages at M1.

M1 Concourse is growing fast, with the stunning new Events Center now up and running, a New Service Center set to break ground very soon, and plans for an Experience Center and kart track underway. The breadth of events is increasing rapidly, too: in recent weeks we’ve seen the first M1 Cycling Classic here, the MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge event, which attracted a record 40,000 spectators, and our signature Woodward Dream Show and Dream Show Parade as the outstanding finales to the legendary Woodward Dream Cruise weekend.

As I write this, our second American Speed Festival is edging ever closer, honoring none other than Peter Brock, who was

Welcome

M1 MOMENTUM

so instrumental to the success of Shelby American. Read our interview with him in this issue, along with a profile of the car he’s most famous for, the Daytona Coupe.

If you are a big fan of track driving, don’t miss our lead instructor Johnny O’Connell’s guide to the 1.5-mile Champion Motor Speedway. If anyone knows the best lines to take it’s Johnny, who has four Le Mans 24 Hours class wins and six Sebring 12 Hour class wins to his name. He’s quick!

And while we’re talking about M1 Concourse personnel, I should introduce myself to any of you who don’t know me yet: since March 2021 I’ve been the CEO at M1 Concourse. I have been involved in high-end automotive since the late 1980s, working with Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, The Robb Report, Blackhawk Automotive Museum, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and many more over the years. I’m absolutely passionate about continuing the growth of our amazing facilities at M1 Concourse.

The next issue of M1 Momentum, in early 2023, will preview more of the forthcoming events and happenings here. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy Issue 1.

Tim McGrane, CEO, M1 Concourse 5

MOMENTUM ISSUE 01 FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 2 2

CONTENTS UPFRONT

10

36

M1 Concourse events diary

R e p o r t s: R o a d k i l l N i g h t s and Dodge Days

12 Preview: American Speed Festival

18 M 1’s a r t i s t : N i c o R o u s s e l e t

20 N e w s: S e r v i c e C e n t e r

22 N e w s: C h e c ke r e d F l a g

40 M e l i s s a a n d B i l l Ko z y r a’s g a r a g e

52 Johnny O’Connell inter view

60

62 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

C o r n e r- b y - c o r n e r t r a c k g u i d e

74

24

M a s t e r o f m o t o r s p o r t s:

Repor t: M1 Cycling Classic

80

26 R e p o r t : Wo o d w a r d D r e a m S h o w

34 Repor t: Sick Skids 6

F E AT U R E S

Peter Brock

Jim Hall and the Chaparrals

84 Lotus Emira new-car track test

128 New watches

130 F e r r a r i F4 3 0 b u y i n g g u i d e

136 V i n t a g e r a c i n g - t e a m j a c ke t s

140 92 Ford GT classic-car track test

102 M 1 C o n c o u r s e Ev e n t C e n t e r

108 H i s t o r y o f T h e Tr i a n g l e

112

USEFUL

120 M1 Concourse products

Tr a c k t i p s

142 How to look after tires on the racetrack

122

144

New products

Choosing a workshop lif t

126

146

Book reviews

Final shot

Champion spark plug archives

7

W H O T O C O N TA C T

M1 Concourse

The epicenter of all things automotive www.m1concourse.com

M1 Concourse Events Center 1 Motorsports Dr. Pontiac, MI 48341

M1 Concourse Administration

1 Concourse Dr. Pontiac, MI 48341

248-326-9999 info@m1concourse.com Office hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

A M E R I C A N S P E E D F ES T I VA L Car Selection Committee asfcarselection@m1concourse.com Event inquiries and concierge Cathleen Chojnacki cathleen@m1concourse.com 248.326.9999 ext. 108

Ambassador inquiries Meagan Spurr volunteers@m1concourse.com 248.326.9999 ext. 106

W O O D WA R D D R E A M S H O W Car Selection Committee wdscarselection@m1concourse.com Event inquiries Cathleen Chojnacki cathleen@m1concourse.com 248.326.9999 ext. 108

Ambassador inquiries Cathleen Chojnacki volunteers@m1concourse.com 248.326.9999 ext. 108

G A R A G E S A L ES

MERCHANDISE

HIGH-PERFORMANCE DRIVING

https://m1concourse.com/garage-resales-2/

https://m1concourse.com/shop-home/

https://m1concourse.com/driving-schools/

M 1 M O M E N T U M I S T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F M 1 C O N C O U R S E , P R O D U C E D B Y H O T H O U S E M E D I A

Business inquires Geoff Love geoff@hothousemedia.co.uk

Editorial David Lillywhite david@hothousemedia.co.uk

Advertising Sue Farrow sue@flyingspace.co.uk Rob Schulp rob@flyingspace.co.uk Lifestyle advertising Sophie Kochan sophie.kochan2010@gmail.com Managing editor Sarah Bradley

Art director Peter Allen

Accounts Jonathan Ellis accounts@hothousemedia.co.uk

Design Debbie Nolan, Jo Jennings, Sam Scott

Printing Buxton Press

© Hothouse Media Ltd. M1 Momentum and associated logos are registered trademarks of M1 Concourse. All rights reserved. All material in this magazine, whether in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of M1 Concourse and Hothouse Media Ltd. Hothouse Media Ltd uses a layered privacy notice giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information. For full details, please visit www.magnetomagazine.com/privacy.

M1 Momentum is published quarterly by Hothouse Publishing Ltd on behalf of M1 Concourse. Great care has been taken throughout the magazine to be accurate, but the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions that might occur. The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances, and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition.

8

WHERE LUXURY LIVES

FINE CUSTOM HOMES

BUILD-ON-YOUR-SITE

RENOVATIONS

2483 CROWNHEDGE CT., OAKLAND TWP., MI 48306

WWW.MOCERI.COM

REAL ESTATE SERVICES

•

248-373-6200

OCTOB E R 202 2

01

The Checkered Flag Ball The Checkered Flag Ball is a fundraising event presented by Checkered Flag Challenge, the philanthropic arm of M1 Concourse. It will benefit M1 Mobility—an initiative in partnership with Pontiac Community Foundation to provide transportation solutions that connect residents with essential community services and programs looking to help drive Pontiac forward.

08

M1 Concourse Cars & Coffee: JDM / Asian Marques The finest in Far Eastern automotive culture served up with great coffee and conversation.

08

Off The Grid Speaker Series: Jay Ward, creative director of Pixar’s CARS franchise Jay Ward’s Pixar career has taken him from a character manager in 1998 to the art co-ordinator and additional voice in Cars and Cars 3. His love of automobiles led to a classic vehicle show on the Pixar campus, Pixar Motorama. Here’s a chance to find out more about his life, work and inspirations.

22

Uncork For a Cure A chance to wine and dine surrounded by exquisite classic cars, with all proceeds from the evening going to invasive lobular breast-cancer research, survivorship, patient outreach and education.

10

MOMENTUM NEWS

Dates for the diary 2022 / 23 From on-track action to galas, concours, charity fundraisers and Cars & Coffee, a fun-packed year lies ahead at M1 Concourse

LEFT Riders tackle the Champion Motor Speedway at Cycling Classic. ABOVE It’s all about the American iron.

MA RC H 2 0 2 3

04

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee

A PRI L 2 0 2 3

01

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee

MAY 2 0 2 3

06

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee M1 MOMENTUM

EVENTS DIARY

J U NE 2023

TBC

M1 Concourse Car Club Members’ Day

03

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee

03 / 04

M1 Concourse at Detroit Grand Prix A new era of the Detroit GP will begin in 2023 when the IndyCar series returns to its original home on the streets of Downtown Detroit.

The racing will be as hot as ever, but the weekend will celebrate all things automotive.

25

Cars Under the Stars Fireworks Spectacular

J U LY 2023

01

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee

14

40th Anniversary Celebration of Pontiac Fiero This groundbreaking mid-engined coupe is celebrated with a day packed with events, stunning examples and plenty of surprises.

15 / 16

M1 Cycling Classic Pedal power to the fore as cyclists take to the M1 Concourse Champion Motor Speedway.

AU G U S T 2 0 2 3

05

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee

12

Roadkill Nights MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by

S E PT E MB E R 2 0 2 3

TBC

Detroit Concours d’Elegance Enjoy a weekend-long tribute to the people who designed, built and drove American automotive culture, and to the vehicles at its heart. Presented by Hagerty, it’s a two-day event that in 2022 incorporated RADwood, Concours d’Lemons, curated car-club displays, talks from movers and shakers in the industry and a concours d’elegance. In 2022, locations included Comerica Park and the Taubman Center College for Creative Studies, as well as the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Dodge, first held in 2015, is a one-day car-culture festival that in addition to legal street racing offers a full slate of fan activities, including Dodge thrill and drift rides and simulators, a muscle-car show and much more.

18

M1 Woodward Dream Show The Woodward Dream Show presented by Comerica Bank is a significant hot rod, custom, cruiser and muscle-car show with a focus on featured classes, marques and a celebration of car enthusiasm in the heart of the Motor City.

19

M1 Woodward Dream Parade and Dream Cruise See motoring history in movement both at M1 and on the roads that helped forge the legends.

BELOW Celebrate US automotive culture at Detroit Concours d’Elegance. ABOVE Fun for all the family.

02

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee

28-OCT 01

American Speed Festival

30

Checkered Flag Ball

OCTOBER 2023

07

M1 F1rst Saturday Cars & Coffee 11

EVENT PREVIEW

American Speed Festival PRESENTED BY COMERICA BANK

It’s the premiere event in the M1 Concourse calendar—here’s the lowdown on four days of motor sport magnificence

P H O T O G R A P H Y B R I A N S E VA L D

12

PREVIOUS PAGE Peter Brock is this year’s Master of Motorsports, helping to mark 60 years of Shelby American with the Shelby Daytona Coupes he helped to create.

14

THE AMERICAN SPEED FESTIVAL presented by Comerica Bank is a celebration of all things fast and four-wheeled, from modern supercars to vintage Indy machinery and historic stock cars, and everything in between— if gasoline courses through your veins, there’s only one place to be from September 29 to October 2, 2022—M1 Concourse.

It all kicks off on Thursday September 29, with an all-day grand-touring excursion visiting iconic Motor City landmarks, and taking in sights across Detroit that chart the history of the American automobile. The tour includes a lunch stop at Stahls Automotive Foundation, and a chance to take in its exquisite collection of pre-war and post-war automotive jewels.

In the evening, the Motor Grille event combines camaraderie, conversation, cuisine and cars for a night to remember.

On Friday, the track action kicks off bright and early with the Speed Ring, which this year celebrates 60 years of Shelby American. Peter Brock, our 2022 Master of Motorsports recipient, will be here with us soaking up the sights and sounds of the Shelby cars he designed. There are ten classes over the day, with two dedicated to Shelby, but you can also see more Brock goodness in the form of BRE race cars, vintage Indy cars, a special line-up representing 75 years of Ferrari, endurance sports cars, TransAm, exotics and supercars and race karts.

Eight classes will take to the track on Saturday, with more Shelby action, as well as historic TransAm, Indy, endurance and other race cars joining in the fun. There’s also a chance to see exotics and supercars being put through their paces.

Peter Brock will be taking part in a panel discussion, and a parade among his creations, in the morning, plus a question-and-answer session in the afternoon. There’s also a chance to scoop this automotive legend’s signature.

Peter will be honored at Saturday night’s Checkered Flag Ball. Presented by Checkered Flag Challenge, the philanthropic arm of M1 Concourse, it will benefit M1 Mobility and the Pontiac Community Foundation. M1 Mobility is an initiative to provide multi-tier transportation M1 MOMENTUM

solutions to ensure Pontiac residents have access to community programs and services.

Sunday starts at 10am with the Speed and Style Expo, with 21 classes on display between 10am and 4pm. The Shelbys, Ferraris and racing cars from the previous two days will be back, but there will be special displays for the Pontiac Firebird, muscle cars, pony cars, hot rods and customs, modern performance, pre-war classics, motorcycles, post-war classics, pedal cars, garage owners and GMC motorhomes. Away from the track, the M1 Event Center plays host to the Automotive Art Expo, which showcases some of the best automotive artists around.

The Speed Festival is not just about the cars—we have a custom-built remote-control car track where you can pitch your skills in miniature motor sport against other enthusiasts, while the M1 Stage will be hosting talks, live music and much more over the weekend.

More information can be found on www.m1 concourse.com/asf-home.

‘Peter Brock will be here with us, soaking up the sights and the sounds of the Shelby cars he designed’

LEFT Peter Brock gets an early viewing of artist Nico’s magnificent painting of the Daytona Coupe at M1 Concourse.

ABOVE Peter with some of the star cars planned for the American Speed Festival.

M1 MOMENTUM

15

ABOVE AND LEFT In 2021 the American Speed Festival honored Jim Hall and his Chaparrals, which took to the track.

BELOW Drivers run to their cars at the start of the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, celebrating its centenary in 2023.

PHOTOGRAPHY LE MANS

American Speed Festival September 2023

If you’ve missed out on the 2022 event or just can’t wait for next year, then here’s what we’ve got planned for the 2023 American Speed Festival presented by Comerica Bank.

Of course, it’s going to be even bigger and better than this year’s! The 2023 event will celebrate 100 years of the 24 Le Mans Hours, and 70 years of the Chevrolet Corvette.

It will take place from September 28 to October 1, with all the usual track action plus special demonstrations of some of the most important Le Mans cars and Corvettes ever made. Watch this space for more information!

16

M1 MOMENTUM

F E AT U R E N A M E

avripasconstruction.com

Avripas Construction Specializes In High Quality Residential and Light Commercial Services Private Garage Buildouts • Luxury Home Building • Renovations

Serious About Quality.

Serious About Customer Service.

XXX

M1 MOMENTUM

(248) 651-7327 | 1625 Star Batt Drive, Rochester Hills, MI 48309

MOMENTUM NEWS

M1’s artist in residence Nico Rousselet references his background in automotive design to create stunningly evocative work

PA I N T I N G S N I C O R O U S S E L E T

18

THE HEIGHTENED EXPRESSIONS IN Nicolas ‘Nico’ Rousselet’s compelling multimedia paintings reflect the artist’s fascination with the relationship between objects and the emotions they evoke.

Born in France to an automotive engineer and a visual artist, and trained in Paris as an automotive designer in his own right, Nico soon adopted automobiles as his favorite painting subject. Ranging from classic machinery to modern-day supercars, objects engineered for transportation and recreational purposes are transformed into impassioned beings in the artist’s work.

Nico uses the paint as an organic part of the image that often breaks away from the clean lines of the cars. This seems to give the images M1 MOMENTUM

a painterly quality that separates them from the sharpness of a photographic likeness but at the same time makes them look like convincing representations of the subject matter. The impressionistic use of lines and colors results in a graphic feel and transcribes the movement in order to create a ‘moving’ fixed picture.

Nico’s work has been displayed in the Petersen Automotive Museum, and is currently exhibited in numerous art galleries such as Robert Kidd Gallery in Birmingham, Mouche Gallery in LA, Le Garage in Tokyo, David Rosen Galleries in Miami, Rally Point East in NY and the San Diego Automotive Museum.

He has worked on commissions for various private collectors, too. www.gallerymomentum.com

ABOVE AND RIGHT Daytona and Chaparral artworks reflect the standing of these cars’ designers at American Speed Festival.

M1 MOMENTUM

19

M1 SERVICE CENTER

MOMENTUM NEWS

HERE’S THE VERY NEXT STAGE IN THE amazing transformation of the M1 Concourse site—the planned Service Center, due to open ready for the 2023 season. This new 3000sq ft Service Center will sit on the northeast side of the circuit, halfway between the Woodward Avenue entrance and the railroad tracks.

The idea of the new facility is that it will serve M1 Concourse garage owners and track users, rather than the general public. There will be pumps to provide specialist fuel for both high-performance cars and classics, and facilities for servicing and tuning these cars.

This Center will be operated by Michiganbased Prefix. The company is best known for its extensive tuning products, although it also operates a highly respected design, engineering and prototyping division as well. And the official fuel supplier is likely to be none other than Sunoco—one of the most historic names in the automotive business.

This will be a full Service Center, capable of carrying out suspension and chassis tuning, performance-related diagnostics and other work that will help owners keep their cars

M1 Service Center Fuel and tuning facilities will be followed by a new Experience Center and a top-level kart track

W O R D S D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E ARTIST’S IMPRESSION STUDIO DETROIT

running well at the track. In addition, Prefix will be able to support further, more involved tasks, such as full engine rebuilds, from its comprehensive off-site facilities.

The building has been designed by Studio Detroit, once again keeping the work local to the area. It’s expected that ground will be broken for the Center in October 2022, aiming for completion by summer 2023.

Not far behind this will be the next part of the development at M1 Concourse, for the Experience Center. This will be a 10,000sq ft, two-story building, which will house a small cafeteria and simulators for driving, golfing and shooting, in addition to a number of multi-purpose rooms.

Alongside this will be the new kart track, to be built to CIK (Commission Internationale de Karting) standards. As with the Champion Motor Speedway at M1 Concourse, the kart track will be flanked by garages, which are likely to include balconies to enable owners to watch the on-track action.

There will be more details of these next developments in issue 2 of M1 Momentum.

1 Concourse Drive, Pontiac, Michigan 48341

PREMIERE MOTORSPORTS DESTINATION & ENTERTAINMENT VENUE M1 Concourse is excited to announce the opening of our 28,500 SF state-of-the-art event center located immediately adjacent to the Champion Motor Speedway, where your guests can enjoy on-track rides around our 1.5-mile track that you cannot experience anywhere else. M1 Concourse is one of the most unique entertainment facilities in the Midwest. Our new event center is ideal for hosting signature events, including vehicle launches, charitable event galas, fashion and lifestyle showcases, technology expositions, social gatherings, business meetings and track experiences.

1 Concourse Drive, Pontiac,

Michigan 48341

UNIQUE. FUNCTIONAL. EXHILARATING. BOOK YOUR NEXT SPECIAL EVENT 248.326.9104 EVENTS@M1CONCOURSE.COM

CHECKERED FLAG

MOMENTUM NEWS AS THE M1 CONCOURSE SITE GROWS in size, so must its influence and position in the community—which is why Checkered Flag Challenge was formed. This is the philanthropic arm of M1 Concourse, which helps to raise money for local charities, through fundraising activities such as its annual gala dinner pictured on this page.

Its new initiative is M1 Mobility, which is working in partnership with Pontiac Community Foundation to provide transport to the people of the City of Pontiac. More than 19 percent of Pontiac’s households have no access to a vehicle; a staggering number when compared with 5.2 percent for Oakland County and 7.7 percent for the State of Michigan.

Because of this, many Pontiac residents face challenges accessing local services, from traveling to their doctor’s appointments to accessing healthy foods and resources— and, for the city’s youth, participating in recreational activities.

M1 Mobility aims to help resolve these issues by providing multi-tier transportation solutions to the Pontiac community. This already includes a fleet of minibuses, and it will continue to expand.

The Checkered Flag Ball is one of the main fundraising events for the organisation, taking place on the weekend of the American Speed Festival. Around 300 guests come together for a celebration of the world of elite motor sports, with chef-driven cuisine, exceptional wines and spirits, plus an exclusive After Party overlooking the performance track.

There are other all-new initiatives being

Checkered Flag

introduced at M1 Concourse as well, not least of which is the M1 Concourse Car Club.

Membership of this costs $225 per year, for which members receive early options and discounts on event tickets, along with a special member’s lapel pin, cap, patch, car decal and membership card.

Owners of M1 Concourse garages are also eligible to join the M1 Motorsports Club, which gives six hours a week of track time, plus access to special events.

Details of both clubs and the Checkered Flag Challenge are available at www.m1concourse.com.

The philanthropic arm of M1 Concourse has been busy—and there are new members’ clubs as well

ABOVE AND LEFT Checkered Flag Challenge’s exclusive events, such as its Checkered Flag Ball on the weekend of the

22

American Speed Festival, help raise money to benefit the local community.

Two members’ clubs are available, too.

An electric track experience.

I started racing go-karts.

I love karts. Karting is the most breathtaking sport in the world.

More than F1, indeed, I used to like it most.”

— Ayrton Senna

You can’t change what happened, but you can change what will happen” – Sebastian Vettel

AU TOM OT IV E

Contact: Gordon Heidacker, CEO PMD Automotive/ The Woodward Speed Shop 40 West Pike Street Pontiac, MI 48342

Don’t let its stealthy silence undermine the reality of an electrifying experience to come… The future of racing driver development is the electrified WSS/EV/KTO Sports Racer/Trainer for beginning to accomplished drivers.

Imagine the electrifying thrill of EV instant power with a fully adjustable and 4-wheel independent sports suspension and disc brakes at all 4 corners. You, your son, or your daughter can soon be piloting down your special track behind the wheel of an EV sports racer made for the developing aspirational driver.

For the first time, PMD Automotive (under contract with M1 Concourse) and in collaboration with the Woodward Speed Shop, has produced the Series One WSS/EV/KTO Sports Racer, an all-electric-powered track car. This car is purpose built to train all drivers, new and old, on a completely new platform that provides a more “Race Car” like balance and technology. It’s not like a Kart, it’s a Race Car built for learning and honing the skill and experience of racing.

At the direction of M1 Concourse’s owner, the team of PMD engineers who developed the EV racer for sale and distribution through the Woodward Speed Shop are a seasoned group of automotive design engineers with over 100 years of car engineering and design experience.

Our WSS/EV/KTO sports racer features: • Fully adjustable independent suspension • Four-wheel disc brakes • 13" race wheels and race tires • 48-volt 240-amp continuous battery power • “Hot Swap” swappable battery design — for a more consistent on-track capability • Dry weight 750 lbs.

• 60/40 weight bias with driver

Taking orders in early 2023! Delivery Summer/Fall of 2023.

Contact us at: info@PMDgarage.com or phone 248.732.7554

THIS PAGE The 1.5-mile track saw multi-lap criterium format race, fondo ride and eliminator race. All skill levels catered for...

EVENT REPORT

M1 Cycling Classic

Bikes on the track?

The Cycling Classic saw junior, amateur and elite races over two great days in mid-July

PHOTOGRAPHY M1 CONCOURSE

24

M1 MOMENTUM

EXOTIC AND ICONIC CLASSICS PERFECTLY CAPTURED

ONE-OFFS

BESPOKE

MODELS AT LARGE SCALES CLASSIC

HISTORIC

LIMITED EDITIONS 1:18

1:8

1:5

MODERN

Telephone M1Concourse on 248-326-9999 and ask for Julie Keats at Retail Store to discuss ordering a model of your car or other special commission

Scan QR code to explore Amalgam Collection Bespoke Models AmalgamCollection.com

1:4

EVENT REPORT

Woodward Dream Show More than 1000 classic and performance cars came to M1 Concourse to kick off the legendary Woodward Dream Cruise weekend in style W O R D S D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E P H O T O G R A P H Y B R I A N S E VA L D

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU JUST CAN’T wait for the weekend of Detroit’s legendary Woodward Dream Cruise? Why, go to the Woodward Dream Show, of course, which takes place on the Friday before the Cruise—in this case August 19—at M1 Concourse.

This year saw the second running of the Woodward Dream Show, attracting more than 1000 classic and performance cars, for track demonstrations, special displays, live music, on-stage talks, food trucks and plenty more.

There was even the chance to play Scalextric on a scale replica of the M1 Concourse Champion Motor Speedway.

The Woodward Dream Show celebrated a

number of special anniversaries for 2022, including the 90th birthday of the 1932 Ford, the 55th year of the Pontiac Firebird, 100 years since Lincoln was taken over by Ford, and 70 years since the first showing of the Corvette as a show car, in 1952.

As a result, there were more than 100 Corvettes in attendance, a long line of Firebirds, plenty of Lincolns and a very special display of Deuce Fords—standard and custom—in and outside the Event Center, including several famous examples. What was most striking was the sheer variety of vehicles on show, from a Duesenberg Model J to a gullwinged Autozam kei car, along with plenty of European exotica including a Ford RS200 and an Audi Quattro.

What a great way to start the Woodward weekend. Next year’s Woodward Dream Show at M1 Concourse will take place on August 18.

‘There was the chance to play Scalextric on a scale replica of the Champion Motor Speedway’

28

LEFT AND BELOW From full-size muscle on track, to motor sport in miniature, the Woodward Dream Show offered something for all petrol-heads.

M1 MOMENTUM

29

ABOVE AND RIGHT American iron and European rally legends attracted huge interest, as did the auto experts featured in the on-stage Insiders’ Garage.

30

M1 MOMENTUM

‘Most striking was the sheer variety of vehicles on show, from a Duesenberg to a gullwinged Autozam’

THIS PAGE Hot rod display celebrated 90 years of the Deuce Ford, while Mobsteel launched its Motor City Vice custom to mark 100 years of the Lincoln brand.

M1 MOMENTUM

31

‘Track demonstrations, special displays, live music, on-stage talks, food trucks and plenty more’

THIS PAGE What a great way to start the Woodward weekend. See you at next year’s Woodward Dream Show at M1 Concourse, on August 18, 2022.

32

M1 MOMENTUM

Best practices . . . Best in Class

Uniprop is a family office seeking investments in real estate and private equity.

Please contact Roger Zlotoff at 248 885 2603 280 Daines Street, Suite 300 Birmingham, MI 48009

EVENT REPORT

Sick Skids comes to M1 Concourse This Australian-style burn-out contest took place on the skidpan on August 12, with points awarded for every burst tire. It was smokin’!

P H O T O G R A P H Y B R I A N S E VA L D

34

BELOW The latest and greatest Roadkill Nights provided maximum revs and ultimate entertainment for fans of all things automotive.

EVENT REPORT TO THE SOUNDS OF BURNING RUBBER and bellowing engines, legends were formed and memories made—the seventh MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge was an event to remember.

More than 40,000 car fans poured into M1 Concourse on August 13 for a one-day celebration of street-legal drag racing on Detroit’s historic Woodward Avenue. One million-plus online viewers also tuned in to see 115 racers hit a specially created 1/8-mile dragstrip in the Big Tire and Small Tire classes, with $30,000 of prizes on offer. Each class winner took home $10,000, with the quickest Dodges in both classes pocketing an extra $5000 each.

The Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Match 36

Roadkill Nights

The seventh annual drag-racing celebration brought a recordbreaking crowd and unforgettable action W O R D S N AT H A N C H A D W I C K P H O T O G R A P H Y B R I A N S E VA L D

M1 MOMENTUM

saw eight automotive personalities line up to take on 2021’s champion, Alex Taylor. Tavarish, Westen Champlin, throtl, Christina Roki, Demonology, Corruptt Builds, Collete Davis, David Patterson and Taylor were challenged with a Direct Connection crate engine and sixspeed manual, and a $10,000 budget. Alex won again, defeating Champlin in the final reckoning.

Elsewhere, there was a First Responder Showdown between southeast Michigan fire and rescue teams, along with a classic and modern muscle car show with 260 entrants and Challenger SRT Demon virtual drag-race simulators. For those who wanted to try the real thing, Dodge laid on thrill and drift rides in Challenger SRT Hellcats and Ram TRX trucks.

LEFT AND BELOW Fun times with great friends at M1 Concourse, set against an exhilarating backdrop of tire smoke, petrol fumes, demon driving and technical trickery.

BELOW Over 40,000 fans took part in the one-day celebration of street-legal drag racing on Woodward Avenue live, joined by more than one million viewers who watched online.

M1 MOMENTUM

37

EVENT REPORT

Dodge Days The past, present and future of Mopar’s most hardcore brand, with three days of product launches, celebrations and live music

P H O T O G R A P H Y B R I A N S E VA L D

38

M1 MOMENTUM

ABOVE Dodge announced the launch of the Droptop Challenger, produced in association with Drop Top Customs, the oldest convertible coachbuilder in the US. It can be ordered direct through Dodge dealers. RIGHT The SRT Hellcat is back for the 2023 model year, ready to reclaim its title as the most powerful SUV on Earth.

FAR LEFT Dodge revealed new additions to its Direct Connection performance parts line, from a licensed carbonfiber vintage Charger body, to a body-in-white Challenger kit. LEFT Dodge luminaries dropped by to pass on tips.

M1 MOMENTUM

39

GARAGE

DREAM GARAGE

MELISSA AND BILL

108 E

The Kozyras’ unit 108 shows the extent to which the private garages at M1 Concourse can be designed and kitted out

W O R D S D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E P H O T O G R A P H Y J A S O N LO U D E R M I L K

M1 MOMENTUM

41

DREAM GARAGE

A

AT A COCKTAIL PARTY IN 2014, MELISSA and Bill Kozyra first heard about the plans for M1 Concourse, years before anything had been built. All they were shown was a concept on a sheet of paper, but that was enough to intrigue them both—and it wasn’t long before they were enquiring about the prices of the private garage units there...

“The first unit we bought was number 11, which was built as part of phase one,” explains Bill. “That one is 1270 square feet, and holds six or so cars. And while that garage was being built, we got pretty excited about what M1 was offering—and it was clear that these units were selling faster than you can imagine. So, 42

at that point in time—about a year later—we made a commitment to buy a second garage, which is roughly about 3000 square feet, capable of holding around 16 cars.”

There are 250 garages on the M1 Concourse site, so to own two is quite a privilege, especially as they are becoming ever more sought after. Melissa and Bill designed their first unit around a Ferrari color theme, and equipped it with a lift for their track cars to be worked on. However, when the second unit— Garage 108, shown here—was ready, they decided to take it much further, to house some of their road-car collection.

This time Melissa hired a graphic designer from out of state, who specializes in designing covers for novels and comics. Melissa’s vision was to have each car parked in front of a house in a ‘village’, with a ‘street’ down the center and the vehicles arranged in a herringbone pattern.

This means that once any cars are clear of the central street, each of them can easily be driven in or out, thanks to the unit having roller doors at either end—one facing the pitlane, the other facing the track.

It’s a deliberately quirky design, which gets quirkier still in the areas under the mezzanine that faces into the garage... On one side there’s a graphic of a public park scene, and on the other an aircraft hanger is depicted, complete with Boeing 747 apparently hemmed in by supporting beams. It’s quite a sight, and M1 MOMENTUM

absorbing all the details takes a while. There’s more too, as Bill explains...

“What we didn’t realize until after it was all done is that the designer put photographs of Melissa and I all over the graphics, like little Easter eggs. So we are actually dressed as pilots and we are in the airplane, which was also part of his joke back to us. We did not realise that until the graphic was literally up on the wall.”

He continues: “Then there’s another scene that looks like a park, and the park has got flowers. In the center of each flower, you’ll see my face, or Melissa’s face. Again, these are some of the Easter eggs we didn’t see until after the garage was done. It was all part of the fun of doing the project.”

Upstairs, the wall of the mezzanine has a rustic-industrial look, but inside it’s a world away from that, kitted out with the best kitchen units, a dining area, a luxurious seating zone, two bars, a bathroom and a bedroom.

The kitchen counter is glass topped, and underneath are car components, from brake rotors to conrods, bearings and fuel rails.

All of these represent Bill’s life-long career in the automotive parts-supply industry. It is all beautifully executed.

The dining table—which separates into four to allow for more diners when necessary— features a wooden ‘river’ top, for which the wood was separated and channels carved into

LEFT AND BELOW The Kozyras’ self-designed hubcap wall is one of many unusual, automotive-themed features in their

garage’s decor.

Race memorabilia is juxtaposed with sleek yet homely furnishings to make a welcoming space for socializing.

44

M1 MOMENTUM

M1 MOMENTUM

45

RIGHT AND BELOW The couple enjoy inviting their friends over to discuss all things motor sport, reflecting their active participation

in track competition.

The extensive mezzanine houses dining and lounge areas, along with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

DREAM GARAGE

it. These channels were then filled with liquid acrylic that turns blue as it hardens, in order to represent flowing water.

There are also two bar areas on the mezzanine, one of which has a splashback created from classic-car hubcaps and center caps. Melissa and Bill created that themselves, visiting a used-hubcaps store in northern Michigan that is claimed to contain the largest collection of hubcaps anywhere in the world —around 10,000 of them.

The couple bought a selection—“they’re relatively inexpensive” says Bill—and spent an evening with a bottle of wine and a few tubes of silicone, sticking the hubcaps to the wall for what was “a fun project”.

Need the bathroom? Well you’ll have to find it first… The theme, tongue firmly in cheek, is a vintage gas station, with a life-size graphic on the wall of the washroom, a gas-pump handle to open the door, another as a faucet, and an alloy wheel repurposed as a sink.

The bedroom, too, is hard to find, although visitors usually assume it’s hidden behind the graphic of the red London phone box. In fact, it’s not; the phone box opens into a storage cupboard, and the location of the bedroom remains a secret.

The mezzanine covers around 60 percent of the total footprint of the garage, and can fit more than 100 people when Melissa and Bill throw a party. The supporting beams were designed with this weight in mind.

Both garage doors roll up to the full height of the unit, which means that the mezzanine can open out onto the view of the M1 Concourse track and Event Center for the best possible vista, via a glass balcony.

“That’s really why we bought the unit,” says Bill, “because it was well located in terms of

its ability to have the mezzanine with that view—a large portion of the track and the complex. When they have, for example, the Woodward Dream Show or the American Speed Festival, those cars are all on display in the skid-pad area. That means you can take in everything from the garage, which is something that we enjoy very much.”

If it sounds like car heaven... well, it is!

But the garages and the cars didn’t come easily to the Kozyras, as Bill explains.

“I was born into an automotive family, in the sense that my father had his own business in the automotive industry. I started working for him when I was nine years old, sweeping the floors in his work room.

“He actually produced models of car parts out of wood—back in the 1950s and ’60s, the automotive-manufacturing process was such that they carved out the parts of cars full scale, and then they would make the tooling from that wooden so-called ‘die model’.

“The wood model was used to make the steel die that would be used to either stamp the parts or to mold the parts if they were plastic, for example. So that was his trade, and I watched him do that from a kid onwards.

“By the time I was 16 years old, he had taught

‘Almost all the cars that I owned were black in color... I opened up my perspective—the garage almost looks like it’s a rainbow of colors now’

M1 MOMENTUM

me how to make these models, and my love for cars had grown to a point where I told him that when I got older, I wanted to collect them. And he told me: ‘Son, save every nickel, because cars are expensive. And if you plan on collecting cars, you’re gonna need a lot of money.’

“I had a wonderful professional career—I studied mechanical engineering, and I started working as an engineer in the automotive industry. That’s a pretty good career path for a person. Then, when I got into my late 30s, I transitioned to general management. I started to save money, and then I was able to buy my first sports car at the age of 42.

So it took me quite a long time to save up enough money to buy that first sports car, which was a 2000 model-year Corvette convertible that I still own today.”

Seeing the images of the cars in Garage 108 on these pages, you might be surprised to find that Bill’s cars initially followed Henry Ford’s taste in color... black!

“Almost all the cars that I owned were black in color, and it wasn’t until after I was collecting for about ten years that someone said to me: ‘Why are all your cars black?’ And it dawned on me that, you know, maybe I should start diversifying my palette a little bit in terms of colors. So I kind of opened up my perspective, and started to really be intrigued with different-colored cars. You will see the garage almost looks like it’s a rainbow of colors now.”

Unlike Bill, Melissa didn’t grow up obsessed by cars, but now she’s as enthusiastic about them as he is, if not more so. She’s about to start racing in the Ferrari Challenge, and is very much an equal partner in the garages.

“At the time I met Melissa, she really had no interest in cars,” says Bill. “But she started to

47

ABOVE AND RIGHT Ferrari and Porsche are two of the Kozyras’ marques of choice. The garage’s cooking area features a

48

vibrant splashback, while the kitchen countertop cleverly represents Bill’s successful career in the car partssupply business.

ARCHITECTURE FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE MIND.

DREAM GARAGE

LEFT AND ABOVE Yet more evocative detailing includes a vintage gas-station theme disguising the outside of the bathroom, the door

hang around with me, and we started dating, and all of a sudden she started to take an interest in cars. So now, unlike a lot of guys, I have a wife who loves cars as much as I do!”

The result of this is that Melissa and Bill have built up a large collection of automobiles, some of them hers, some his, some shared. Both have been taught at the Porsche Sport Driving School, both drive on the track at M1 Concourse, and Bill is contemplating taking part in the Porsche Sprint Challenge while Melissa concentrates on the Ferrari Challenge series.

“You know, we really enjoy going over to M1, getting on the circuit, doing track time and then, afterwards, getting together with friends to have a meal. We raise a glass of wine together and socialize with one another,” says 50

‘We really enjoy going over to M1, getting on the circuit, doing track time, and then getting together with friends to have a meal’

M1 MOMENTUM

operated by a gas-pump handle.

In there you’ll find another gas pump, this time feeding a wheel repurposed as a quirky sink.

Bill. “So, if you are a car enthusiast, M1 Concourse is a very special place.

“It’s a place where you can go and forget about the challenges of your daily work life, or the challenges we have as individuals in life. You can go to an automotive playground, where you can play with your cars, you can play on the track, you can play with others who have a common interest.

“We do a quite a bit of entertaining at the garage; we recently had a Mexican-themed party, with 165 people attending. We had a real mariachi band, we had a tequila bar, and the party went on till 3.30 in the morning.

“So you can see that any time we get a chance to come to M1, we take advantage of it.

It’s a real nice platform!”

JOHNNY O’CONNELL INTERVIEW

WORDS D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E PHOTOGRAPHY M O T O R S P O R T I M A G ES / G E T T Y I M A G ES

HERE’S JOHNNY! AT A YOUNG AGE, MY FATHER TOOK ME to a go-kart track; I was five or six. I wasn’t big enough to drive on my own, but they let me sit on his lap. That was before lawyers!

I just knew that this was what I wanted to do, and so I started saving my money as a kid. I think I was eight or nine when I bought my first go-kart. My father said: “Well, if you ever find a place to race, we’ll go race,” which back in the day was really tough. You didn’t have the internet, and it’s not like they advertised that stuff in the Yellow Pages.

I finally found a place when I was 13 or 14. That’s when we started racing, and I actually wound up choosing my college because there was good go-karting nearby.

Education was the back-up plan. My family wasn’t wealthy, but I’d gone through the Jim Russell three-day course, and they had this deal where anybody who had been through the school but hadn’t raced could enter a competition to win a free year of racing.

Long story short, I got that year racing, and then won the championship and went to work for the school. That was at Riverside, California, and they had a deal where you worked for them for free, and then you got to race with 52

M1 Concourse’s lead instructor holds a record number of Sebring wins, and is GM’s most successful American racing driver. And he’s available to teach you!

M1 MOMENTUM

them. And so I did my year of labor and won the championship again, and during that year I met Jerry Conrad, who bankrolled me to race in Super-Vee. That was 1986. We should have won a bunch of races, but we had a lot of stupid mechanicals, and then he fatigued of writing checks. He said to sell the equipment, and whatever I could get for it, to use on racing.

And so I did that, and with about a third of the budget needed to run Formula Atlantic I started racing for a guy named Alister McNeill in 1987, and we just dominated. We won the championship, Rookie of the Year, all that kind of stuff—and that’s what put me on the map.

All of a sudden, people started talking about me. I went into ’88 with no money, but I got a couple of rides here and there in older Atlantic cars, and was still able to win. That strengthened my stock even more.

It was in ’87 that I met Bobby Rahal. Bobby and I graduated from university, and Bobby took a liking to me. Chip Ganassi was starting the Indy Lights team, and so he hired me to race his Indy Lights car in 1989. And at that time, there was only two guys who got paid: myself and Tommy Byrne, who’s one of the biggest characters in racing. We had such an awful

JOHNNY O’CONNELL INTERVIEW

team, but we did manage to get on the podium with the final race.

I originally had a five-year deal with Chip.

Unfortunately, at the end of that year, a couple of guys from Europe went to him with half a million dollars apiece. And the team manager was like: “Why are we paying Johnny, when these guys will pay us?” So I found myself unemployed again.

Luckily, I had gotten on the radar for Nissan.

They were looking for somebody to replace John Morton. And so they held a test, and I left it hugely confident. I was the fastest at the test; I was actually even faster than the number-one driver, and I thought, finally, I’ve got a proper ride. I hated leaving the openwheel stuff, but you’ve got to make a living— and being on the Nissan factory team would have been pretty sweet. But I didn’t get it; they weren’t looking for two number ones. They were looking for a definite number two.

At this time I was living in a garage, no lie. I called Bobby Rahal up and I told him what happened. And Bobby’s reaction was: “You should go tell them to f*** themselves.” Now Bobby was living in a mansion on a fancy golf course. He could say “go f*** yourself”, but to me, I was like, “man, you can’t do that”. And so I called Nissan every two or three weeks just to see how they were doing. Did they need anybody to run in some pads, or a ring-andpinion, or whatever. I just kept bugging them.

After six months, they invited me to a test, and then they started bringing me to more tests. And what kept me afloat at this time was that I was working as a circuit instructor—first for Jim Russell, then for Skip Barber, although that was brief; I didn’t really like their methods.

And then I was at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving; they had moved from Sonoma to Phoenix.

As a ginger, I didn’t really want to move to Phoenix. The great thing about Bondurant was you got to do a lot of driving. And so I was down in Phoenix, and in my second week NPTI, the Nissan prototype team, was testing at the same 54

‘You don’t think about records when you start out, but being the American who won at Le Mans the most is a cool thing’

M1 MOMENTUM

circuit. And so I just went over to kiss their ass, and one of the mechanics or engineers said: “Hey, [Geoff] Brabham has got to leave early tomorrow. Do you want to finish his work?” I was like: “Are you kidding me?” And he said: “No, we’ve been wanting to put you in the car.”

And so it was pretty cool. Watching Geoff, I could see, okay, he’s getting this gear here, this gear here. This is his braking point. And so the next day I got in the car, and within ten laps I was within a second of what Geoff was doing.

From that point on, I was hired, so they started using me for NPTI and Group C testing.

Nissan at that time was going to go IndyCar racing, and I was earmarked to be Geoff’s team-mate for the IndyCar program. Then the president of Nissan North America had a heart attack and retired. The new guy that they brought in didn’t like racing. He liked golf.

So I’m like: “Oh, here we go again.” But luckily, they moved me to the GTO team. My first race for them was 1990 at Daytona, and they were using me for the long races. But then I was full time from ’93 to ’95 with the GTO program, and that really started getting me a foothold in the sports car world.

Sadly, Nissan pulled the plug on that. Then, with the Nissan sports car team, we did a couple of IRL races, but in order to be good on the oval you have to have a really good set-up—and we rarely did.

At the same time, I got hired to drive some prototypes in sports car racing. And then, I think it was in 1997, I met Don Panoz, and he was up with this super-loud Batmobile wildlooking thing [the Panoz Esperante GTR-1].

I said: “Hey, Don, this is stupid. I’m American.

I’ve got red hair. I could practically be your son.

And I’m not driving for you.” And he was silly enough to give me his number.

So I called Don every two or three weeks. At this time, Tony Dowe was running the team.

Now, he’s one of my favorite guys in racing, but at that time he didn’t really know me. But Don twisted his arm, and said: “I want Johnny in one of the cars at Le Mans.” This was ’98, and

LEFT AND BELOW 2001 Daytona winners Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon with Corvette C5-R; Nissan 300ZX at Le Mans in 1994.

ABOVE AND RIGHT Johnny’s Cadillac ATS-V.R leads at Circuit of The Americas, 2017; testing the Nissan DeltaWing at Road Atlanta in 2012.

M1 MOMENTUM

55

JOHNNY O’CONNELL INTERVIEW

we had a decent result there. Then they teamed me up with Jan Magnussen for ’99, and then in 2000 the money guy brought in Hiroki Katoh—a great kid, although he’d fall off the track a little too much.

We had a pretty good first part of the season, but I could see the writing on the wall, so I made a phone call to Doug Fehan, the program manager for Corvette. I was like: “Doug, it’s Johnny O’Connell. You might remember me from when I used to beat you up in the Nissan. If your NASCAR’s not full for next year, I’d love to talk to you.” And literally eight hours later I got an offer, which was initially just for the long races: Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans.

First race was the Daytona 24 Hours. We would up winning overall, and that was really the beginning. I was teamed with Ron Fellows from 2001 through to ’06, and won a bunch of championships. And then they got rid of Ron, and they brought Jan Magnussen in, and we had a pretty dominating year.

In around September or October 2010, GM started talking about bringing the Cadillacs back [in the GT World Challenge series]. At this stage I was the senior, having been there the longest, and also being the oldest guy at Corvette. And so they moved me over to the Cadillac program. Initially I was not happy about it. Walking away from Le Mans was difficult—I mean, it’s my favorite race by far.

But the idea was great. Standing starts were pretty cool. In that first year, we finished second in the championship, and then we won the championship the next four consecutive years, 2012 through ’15. Then in 2016 we should have won the championship, but we had one race where we had an electrical issue, and so that kept us out of the championship.

But then the Stéphane Ratel Organisation bought the series and started changing it, and it was pretty apparent that we were going to be lucky if we got to the top five. There was so much politics and messing with performance.

And so, at the end of 2017, Cadillac took a look

‘What makes M1 Concourse so special is the number of friends that I’ve made there, who have an amazing passion for cars’

at things and decided to go in a different direction—and I did the same.

Throughout all this, I’d still been coaching.

From 2012 through to the end of 2014, I was vice president at the Bondurant School—and we’d coach all the instructors, not just on how they could be better, but methods for teaching and all that kind of stuff. But I still didn’t want to move out to Phoenix.

I took a year off in 2018, just doing a little bit of coaching, but then I really started to enjoy it more and more. And then, three years ago, somebody from M1 Concourse got a hold of me and said: “Hey, we’re looking for somebody to come in and work with our members. Are you interested?”

And I was like: “Yeah!” It’s all the members who make that place special. There are other private country club-type places, but there’s not a whole lot of social interaction that takes place that I’ve ever witnessed among the members in those venues.

The first time I showed up at M1 Concourse, it was a Friday night—on Fridays, we coach during the day—and at the end of the sessions, they were like: “Hey, I’m having some friends over to my garage; why don’t you stop on by?”

At the end of the day, in the evenings, these guys open up their garages and they’ll have barbecues; a lot of times they’ll do catering and everybody interacts so well.

What makes it so special is the number of good friends that I’ve made at M1 Concourse, who just have an amazing passion for cars. It’s so enjoyable for me to go there now, and remember how they were driving when I first met them, and to see how much more they’re enjoying it now. Because when you know what you’re doing, it’s a lot more fun.

There are some beasts out there, too, some really wicked-fast cars. There are guys with Ferraris, and Corvettes that have ridiculous horsepower, but the car that to me is probably the most enjoyable drive is the Cayman GT4.

That car is spectacular. It’s one of the few that you can drive every single day and it’s still 57

going to be saying: “Is that all you’ve got?”

Another car that’s great out there is the Cadillac V Series. People have no idea how good they are. There are one or two people out there [at M1 Concourse] who have Cadillacs, and those cars rip. They are just so well mannered, and the new Blackwing Cadillacs are insane. They are off the chart!

It’s funny, because it’s not a big track at M1 Concourse; you don’t have 130mph corners or anything like that. But you’ve got to be good there. You’ve got to be so precise. You’ve got to be spot on with everything that you do.

For me, when I’m out there [on track], and I’m coaching and leading people around, I’ll be timing myself, trying to see how tight I can group my laps. Can I put five or six laps together within a tenth, stuff like that. One of the added perks for me is not only the enjoyment of the teaching, but that I still get to work on my craft. So it’s been a very enjoyable experience for me so far at M1 Concourse.

When I look back, there’s definitely more that I wish I had been able to do; a couple of championships that I look back at that got away. But I had eight wins at Sebring, which is cool—especially because I know it pisses off 58

ABOVE, FROM LEFT Corvette C6.R, 2007 Le Mans; first place in Cadillac ATS-VR GT3 at Mosport in 2015; Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S at Le Mans in 2000.

M1 MOMENTUM

[nine times Le Mans winner] Tom Kristensen— who’s a buddy by the way. And I’ve got nine podiums and four wins at Le Mans. You don’t think about records when you start out, but being the American who won at that place the most is a cool thing.

But Sebring... there was something about that race and that race track that just appealed to my style; the fast corners, but then the technique for the tighter stuff, knowing when to push and when to be patient.

So without a doubt in North America Sebring would be my favorite. I don’t know why, but there are circuits where I just got lucky, and Sebring is one of them. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) as well—I cleaned up there, it was crazy.

And the Detroit Grand Prix, that one was nice. I think I had the most wins there as well. That was my Tom Brady moment. You know, where you have all the top brass there at a race, that’s when you want to shine—and we always did well at that race.

For a guy who didn’t come from a family that was having a private jet and fancy cars— we had a station wagon—I think it turned out pretty good...

Become a part of the growing community of automotive and motorsport enthusiasts in the Motor City The M1 Concourse Car Club is a new way into the world of M1 Concourse and is available for anyone to join immediately.

You will receive a host of exciting benefits including a members track day, priority invitations to selected M1 Concourse events, membership card, lapel pin and car decals as well as significant savings on tickets and merchandise, and much more!

CONCOURSE

CAR CLUB

Join now and be a part of the M1 Concourse Car Club community annual membership just $225.00 www.M1Concourse.com/CarClub

AROUND THE TRACK

Around the track

8 7 3

4

10

9

2

5 11 1 6

AROUND THE TRACK

Racer and chief instructor Johnny O’Connell’s guide to a fast lap of M1 Concourse’s Champion Motor Speedway

1&2 TURNS

After leaving the pits, turn one is a second or thirdgear corner, whatever is appropriate. You get into an earlier apex than you think, which allows you to carry a little bit more momentum than if you shoot for a late apex. And then you release to turn two, letting your left-side tires brush up against the curb on that apex there, then up the gearbox generally into fourth gear along the straightaway.

3

TURN

Turn three is my favorite corner on the Champion Motor Speedway because it’s very similar to a streetrace corner—a 90degree, third-gear corner.

Generally the braking is right past the access road on the right. It’s

critical to get your eyes in there early because it’s going to cost you a lot of time if you miss your apex.

Run through there in third gear—even in Porsches and similar, it’s a very soft trail brake there to get your car pointed in. And if you’re going quick, you really can’t even think about any throttle until you’re well past the apex.

The car will always finish right on the edge, right up next to the curb.

4

TURN

Turn four is a bit quicker but it doesn’t need a brake, just a lift [off the throttle] to get your car pointed in.

The apex is in the middle, which allows you to carry a lot of momentum out of the corner and down the straightaway that’s going to lead you into five/six. In most cars you are getting up into fourth or fifth gear there.

7

TURN

5&6 TURNS

The key to five/six is you almost have to approach it not as a double-apex corner; you kind of diamond corner it, really taking advantage of the straight-line braking that you can do there. It’s the slowest corner on the racetrack—you’ve got to change down to second for it. Occasionally, it’ll be third gear, but only if you have a ton of power and torque. To me it’s the most difficult, but when you get it right it’s the most fun corner. You’ve got to enter five/six thinking about the apex of six, and once you get to the apex of six then rare is the car that you can just punch out [of the corner]—you’ve got to roll into that. It’s about a 30mph corner that leads you onto the really fast, long straightaway, where most cars are probably getting up into fifth gear.

M1 MOMENTUM

Turn seven is pretty important because the faster corners are where a lot of time can be made up.

I never really enter on the left edge of the road; I like to give myself a little bit of margin as I enter in there, so I crab in a little bit. All the time that I’m entering that corner I’m thinking about my apex. So you’d probably change down, for most cars, to third gear, get to that apex then let the car unwind out of the corner.

8

TURN

Turn eight is dicey because it’s uphill, and then just past the apex it flattens out. That elevation can really unbalance a car, so it’s important as you go through the apex of eight and begin to think about slowing down for turn nine that you don’t do a quick release with your throttle— you got to be very smooth with how you release the throttle.

9

TURN

Nine is a second or thirdgear corner, depending on the car. Again, it’s a lot like a street race; you get your braking done, you carry your speed and then you go. It’s one of the corners I really like. It’s got a decent curve that you could cheat on just a little bit—but you’ve got to be precise to do that.

Finish nine and you’re up into third gear for most cars.

10 TURN

Turn 10 is the beginning of a long fast-sweeper. It’s tricky because just after you turn in the road starts falling away from you; everybody gets in there with some understeer, so you have to get ahead of the skid. You don’t run it into understeer, you run to where you think the understeer is going to start and then get off the throttle. The apex is wide as you turn in, and then it’s a matter of rolling in the throttle, going into third or fourth gear for 11 very fast.

When you’re quick you finish 11, your hands come straight and then it’s hard on the brakes for turn one…

61

SNAKE As with most of the Daytona, the pedals remain in ‘as-found’ condition. The stories they could tell...

BIT

The convoluted history of the first Cobra Daytona Coupe—the brainchild of American Speed Festival honoree Peter Brock WORDS HARRY H U RST PHOTOGR APHY MICHAEL FU RMAN

FEW CARS HAVE HAD AS CHECKERED A history as the Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX2287.

In 2014, it was the first vehicle to be recognized by the Historic Vehicle Association’s (HVA) National Historic Vehicle Register program.

That same year it also won the International Historic Motoring Awards Car of the Year.

But despite its important role in motor sport history, for much of its life the car was abused and abandoned.

As everyone who saw the movie Ford v Ferrari knows, Carroll Shelby had a personal vendetta against Enzo Ferrari, and wanted nothing more than to beat him on the international endurance-racing circuit. What many may not realize is that CSX2287 was the car that fired the initial shots in that battle. It scored the first

S H E L B Y D AY T O N A C O U P E

victories for Shelby in the International Championship for GT Manufacturers, and helped the team come within a few points of winning this crown in 1964.

Despite its accomplishments in the first year, the car sat idle for most of the 1965 season when the Cobras did achieve this goal. And, after that, subsequent owners did not respect the Daytona’s true provenance, subjecting it to a number of ignominious acts.

This lack of respect began even at the creation of CSX2287, the first of the six Daytona Coupes. To beat Ferrari, Shelby had to solve a problem: the brick-like body on the Cobra roadster would not give the cars enough top speed on the longer and faster tracks in Europe.

As you will read further on in M1 Momentum, 64

designer Peter Brock came to Shelby with the idea of transforming the roadster body into an aerodynamically streamlined coupe. Yet his concept was dismissed by almost everyone within Shelby, initially because the body change was not believed to be within the rules.

Then it was further denigrated because the experienced Shelby crew did not feel Brock’s radical shape would work.

But Brock—a genius who had been hired at GM Styling at the age of 19, and had a major role in the design of the first Corvette Sting Ray—had done his homework. He had studied the rules, and he was familiar with the theories of 1930s German aerodynamicists. He knew that the shape he proposed would deliver the added top-end speed needed to beat the M1 MOMENTUM

ABOVE CSX2287 fired the first salvo in the war against Shelby’s arch enemy Ferrari when it hit the racetracks in 1964.

OPPOSITE The late Dr Simeone loved to drive his Daytona, and the car was so easy to pilot he did so well into his 80s.

S H E L B Y D AY T O N A C O U P E

Ferraris without changing anything else on the car, as the rulebook allowed.

Shelby agreed to Brock’s proposal, but few in the shop were supportive. Brock was able to get a new employee, New Zealander John Ohlsen, to be the crew chief. But it was driver Ken Miles—probably enjoying the role of contrarian—who gave the Cobra Daytona Coupe the initial backing it needed to proceed.

In the span of just a few weeks, the new body was formed by hand from sheets of aluminum and the car came together. In its first test at Riverside raceway, the coupe validated Brock’s design; it was 20mph faster than the roadster but, even more importantly, the new body gave 20 percent better fuel mileage. This was a very important consideration when competing for 12 and 24 hours.

The car was sent to the first race of the 1964 endurance season, the Daytona 2000 Kilometers, from whence the Cobra Coupes got their name. CSX2287 qualified on pole, and was leading when disaster struck. The two drivers, Bob Holbert and Dave MacDonald, had not been told that they needed to turn on the oil pump for the differential cooler, and the diff overheated. As the mechanics were working to replace the rear end, Shelby ordered the other crew members to fill the gas tank even though it had just been brimmed a few laps before.

Fuel spilled out and caught fire, burning John Ohlsen and causing minor damage to the wiring. The issue could have been repaired, but for reasons only he knew, Shelby insisted the car be withdrawn.

“Even with the fire, the guys still wanted to change the diff and get back in the race,” recounts Brock. “We had such a speed advantage we thought we could still win the race overall. Even if we didn’t catch the Ferraris, at least we’d still score some points for the championship. But Shelby was adamant: ‘We’re finished, goddammit.’ The real tragedy was that

OPPOSITE AND ABOVE Preservation as opposed to restoration ensures original details and idiosyncrasies are retained.

‘CSX2287 qualified on pole at the Daytona 2000 Kilometers, and was leading when disaster struck’ M1 MOMENTUM

we got zero points. At the end of the season, we lost the championship the first year in 1964 because we didn’t get any points at Daytona.”

The car did better a month later at Sebring, winning the GT class. And in 1965, the Cobra dominated GTs and won the Manufacturer’s Championship, the first for an American brand. But CSX2287, the most raced Daytona in 1964, was worn out and played only a small part in ’65. It was tucked away in a corner of the shop before being refurbished and entered at Le Mans, where it did not finish.

The car had one last run at glory that November, when Craig Breedlove and two other drivers set numerous speed records at Bonneville, including averaging over 150mph for 24 hours. This made CSX2287 both the first and last Daytona Coupe to race.

After the 1965 season, Shelby’s attention turned to the Ford GT40s and winning Le Mans outright. All six Daytona Coupes were retired, and were sold off one by one for around $4000 each. CSX2287 eventually ended up as 67

a street car for the infamous record producer Phil Spector, who painted fantastical claims about the car in gold on the door, including ‘Winner 23 Grands Prix’ (it set 23 Land Speed Records) and ‘Land Speed Record 227mph’ (the top speed at Bonneville was 187mph.)

Spector then sold the car to his bodyguard, who gave it to his daughter, who locked it away in a storage container for 20 years, refusing to talk to anyone about selling it—even Shelby himself, who came to her door. Finally, in the early ’00s, Philadelphia neurosurgeon Frederick Simeone was able to acquire the car from her estate after she tragically committed suicide. The entire transaction was then thrown into a legal quagmire, but Simeone prevailed and the car ended up in the doctor’s

garage on 8th Street in downtown Philadelphia.

At this point, the trajectory of the history of CSX2287 could have taken several paths. The first and most accepted one—championed by most Shelby enthusiasts including Peter Brock—was to restore the car to its ‘original’ condition, the way it was when it first raced in 1964. This would have required a complete disassembly, removal of all existing paint and finishes, repair, rebuilding, and replacement of major components in the drivetrain and brake systems, followed by reassembly and repainting to concours standards.

While this was the accepted route 20 years ago (in fact, the other five Daytonas have all received extensive restoration), Fred Simeone had other ideas. From the time he first started

ABOVE Aerodynamically streamlined coupe body was the brainchild of legendary automotive designer Peter Brock.

collecting racing sports cars with significant histories in the 1970s, he had always valued preservation over restoration. Simeone began this process on CSX2287 at the 8th St garage, first using his surgical skills to carefully remove the gold lettering Spector had added on the door with a scalpel, millimeter by millimeter.

He consulted with several other automotive authorities who shared his view on preservation, including Miles Collier (founder of the Revs Institute in Naples, Florida), historian Doug Nye and champion race car driver Phil Hill, who in addition to his winning the Formula 1 World Championship and racing CSX2287 in 1964 at Goodwood, also was known as a Pebble Beach Best of Show-winning restorer. As Simeone recounted: “We agreed

S H E L B Y D AY T O N A C O U P E

that the car should be mechanically restored without changing any of its finishes, that all parts should be put back into commission unless this would be dangerous, and that we should make the car run as effectively as it did in its heyday as long as it would not be consumed through the process.”

He realized the job would be far bigger than what he could do himself. Simeone turned to a reclusive craftsman named Bob Ash, who had become legendary within a very small circle of serious collectors for his work restoring and preserving GT40s and several of the original Grand Sport Corvettes. Ash worked alone and went to extraordinary lengths to preserve original components and finishes in his projects.

“There was no doubt in my mind… that the person to do this job was Bob Ash,” wrote Simeone in his book The Spirit of Competition, which details each car in his collection. “We had a wonderful working relationship, during which Bob and I detailed what we expected from the restoration… One of my criteria has always been ‘as found’ condition—as long as we found the car in a condition reasonably similar to the last time it performed for its intended purpose, in this case, racing. Spector put carpeting in it, which was easily removed, and he extended the exhaust pipes out the rear, but Bob easily removed the extensions when he did his magnificent rotisserie preservation of the entire car.”

The lengths Ash went to preserve the car can only be fully appreciated when one reviews the extensive dossier he made, documenting every minute detail of the recommissioning.

Each component that was removed was photographed before and after, and notes were made as captions as to what was done and the process used. Any part Ash did not reuse was labeled and saved, but there were few of these.

The first thing he did was to wash everything down with a degreaser. Then he used a mild 70

ABOVE AND OPPOSITE 289ci V8 engine propelled this iconic car to 23 Land Speed Records and 187mph at Bonneville.

‘We agreed that the car should be mechanically restored without changing any of its finishes’ M1 MOMENTUM

acidic solution to remove the rust build-up, followed by a neutralizing wash. This process ensured that any original paint on the frame and drivetrain was retained. In the process of cleaning the chassis, Ash removed and saved a large quantity of dirt and salt left over from the Bonneville record runs. As components were rebuilt and restored, Ash put the parts through an aging process to make them look as they had done before removal.

All hydraulic and fuel lines were removed and pressure tested. After so many decades in storage, almost all the flexible lines had deteriorated so badly as to be unsafe. Ash carefully removed the metal fittings on the ends of each line, sourced exact duplicates for the hoses—including having the same stampings on the sides—and then reattached the original fittings. All hoses were then pressure tested to ensure safety.

Ash and Simeone had hoped that the engine could be returned to good operating condition with just coaxing, but broken piston rings made a rebuild necessary. Even in this case,

S H E L B Y D AY T O N A C O U P E

Ash found NOS (new old stock) gaskets with the same date codes as the ones he replaced, to ensure authenticity. Even the plastic tie-wraps holding hoses and wiring were replaced with the same Thomas & Betts Ty-Rap ties that were originally used. Ash found an unopened pack of them from the 1960s, yellowed with age.

Dr Simeone passed away earlier this year, but the museum and CSX2287 are in the capable hands of director Kevin Kelly. Kevin has cared for the Daytona since it was returned from Ash in 2008, and gives Bob credit for how easy it is to maintain. The car is used frequently at the Demo Days, held twice a month, where cars from the collection are run on the threeacre lot in back of the museum.

“Bob did a great job. The car always runs 72

great, starts every time,” says Kelly. “It was one of Dr Simeone’s favorites. He loved to drive it, and he did so well into his 80s. It was easy for him to get in and out of; it’s very easy to drive.

It is an important part of the museum—it’s a real crowd-pleaser. People come to just see it” So, today when you see CSX2287 at the Simeone, be thankful that the car is now in a good place, where its history is appreciated and it is well cared for. And also that it’s in a location where visitors from all over the planet can come to see, hear and smell one of the world’s most iconic race cars perform as it did nearly 60 years ago, when it fired the first salvo in the war against Ferrari.

With grateful acknowledgment to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.

M1 MOMENTUM

ABOVE CSX2287 is now somewhere visitors can come to see, hear and smell one of the world’s most iconic race cars perform.

Vintage and Exotic Motorcar Financing since 1997

XXX

M1 MOMENTUM

PETER BROCK INTERVIEW

PETER BROCK RENAISSANCE MAN PETER BROCK IS ARGUABLY BEST known for the Cobra Daytona Coupe, but he has also excelled at driving, marketing, photography and writing about race cars. Ahead of Peter’s honor at this year’s American Speed Festival at M1 Concourse, Harry Hurst sat down with him to ask about Peter’s fascinating life and the development of the Daytona.

You didn’t get a lot of support for the Daytona Coupe project while it was being built. How did you come up with the idea to put a different body on the Cobra roadster?

I got the idea from something Ferrari had done. Enzo had bullied the FIA to change the rules so he could build the GTO body on the 250 chassis. This gave him a sure winner in GT, but it also opened up the opportunity for everybody else to do the same thing.

When we started thinking about going to Europe, we knew the Cobra roadsters weren’t fast enough on the top end to beat the GTO. I told Shelby: “Well you can just take off that body and put on a new one with better aerodynamics.” Everyone said: “What do you mean?” I had to explain all the rules to

The father of the Cobra Daytona Coupe is honoree at this year’s American Speed Festival.

Here’s his story...

WORDS HARRY H U RST P H O T O G R A P H Y E VA N K L E I N

M1 MOMENTUM

them—they did not know. No one would believe me; they thought I was crazy. You had to know the rules and where the loopholes were. We had a homologated roadster and lots of power. We just needed a better body.

Something a lot of people don’t know is that the only guy who really championed the Daytona Coupe within Shelby was Ken Miles, so we built the car around him. Then, at the last minute, Shelby said: “Well, I’m not going to let you drive it at Daytona. I’m going to give it to somebody else.” Ken was so angry he almost quit. But it was a good job, so he just sucked it up. We went to Daytona with two guys who had never run the car before—they had never even sat in it—Bob Holbert and Dave MacDonald. They didn’t know anything about the Daytona Coupe at all. Ken had done all the testing and knew everything about the car, but Shelby pulled him out. That was just Shelby.

Really? Why do you think he felt that way?

He just felt Ken was getting too much publicity.

There was just one sun in the Shelby solar system. If anybody was getting too much coverage and that wasn’t Shelby, they got cut 75

off. It extended to me. He instructed the author of a book on the Shelby days to not include anything about me. There wasn’t even anything about the Daytona Coupe.

What did you do to warrant that?

After Ford quit endurance racing at the end of 1967, Shelby managed to get the Toyota contract away from me and he prepped some 2000GTs for the ’68 season. I switched over to running Datsuns, and we started beating him with these shit-box cars. He lost so much face from that, he never forgot it. He could be very, very gracious and then could be very vindictive.

Carroll was a very complex character.

You were close to Ken. What was he like?

Ken was such a fabulous guy. I had a wonderful relationship with him. He would tell you straight out exactly what he thought. If you didn’t agree, he’d just say: “Piss off!” People thought he was arrogant and not a team player, and that prevented them from benefiting from all the talent he offered.

A lot of this stemmed back to the early days with Phil Remington with the Lance Reventlow Scarabs. The team manager Warren Olson brought Ken in as a kind of consultant, and Ken didn’t agree with some of the things Phil wanted to do. Now Phil was probably the best

ABOVE Triumph TR-250K was featured on the cover of Car and Driver, but it never made production.

RIGHT The master designer also excelled at driving, marketing, photography and writing about race cars.

76

race-car builder in the world at the time. But Miles always had his own opinion about stuff, so they frequently disagreed with each other.

After the first Daytona Coupe was built here in the US, the other five were built in Italy.

How did that happen?

We didn’t have the time and capacity to do it here, so Shelby called his friend Alejandro de Tomaso. Alejandro recommended Carrozzeria Gransport in Modena, guys he had worked with before. They did great work, and each car complete—painted and with an interior—cost only $3500. It was unbelievable!

It was a major deal for this shop to be helping a competitor to Ferrari; it made Gransport an outcast in town for a while. This was literally in Ferrari’s backyard. [Ferrari engineer and team manager] Forghieri came down and looked at what was going on, and told Enzo that the Coupe was going to be a big problem for them.

But when the Coupes were so successful, it brought Gransport’s prestige up as the builder of these successful Le Mans-winning cars.

It’s somewhat ironic that the shop’s name was also the name of the Corvette that was built to challenge the Cobra.

You did many other car designs, but the one I remember the most was the Triumph TR-250K—it was on the cover of Car and Driver in the day. How did you come to design a Triumph when you were racing against the team with Datsuns?

I loved that car! Kas Kastner was racing the Triumphs against us. We were friends, and my concern was that the Datsuns were so good we were going to make Triumph leave racing. And that wouldn’t have been good for any of us; we needed somebody to race against, or Datsun would have left as well. Plus, the 240Z had just come out. I took one over to Kas and said: “This is what Triumph’s competition is going to be.”

So we sat down to design a production car for Triumph that would sell as well as the Datsun. We used the TR4 chassis with the independent suspension, and designed a new car around it. We made some changes such as moving the engine back about four inches, but it was basically a standard TR4. Kas went over to get the factory interested, but he never made any progress. The US office gave us some money to develop it, but we never got anything from England. Perhaps they were too far along on the TR6 design, or they were in the middle M1 MOMENTUM

PETER BROCK INTERVIEW

M1 MOMENTUM

77

PETER BROCK INTERVIEW

of going broke or whatever. They just couldn’t make a decision on the program, and it died.

The 250K was originally a coupe. We wanted to go to Le Mans with it, and used some of the technology of the Daytona on it. We finally decided to do it as a roadster to just get it done, and I was really happy with it. But the coupe was a killer-looking design.

Many people don’t realize you also created the Cobra ‘brand’—logo, ads, posters, T-shirts—in a time when that concept wasn’t known. Tell us about that.

My background had been as a designer, and I studied graphics and lettering at LA’s Art Center College of Design. When I went to Shelby it was just a bunch of mechanics, with no one to do any of that stuff. Shelby had no interest in that; he just wanted to make sure we had cars and were winning races. So I made it my job to create a professional image for him. It wasn’t easy because he didn’t want to spend any money on it. But I did the best I could with what I had.

I had an advantage on the first ads because we used George Bartell’s beautiful illustrations.

We didn’t have enough cars to photograph, so I did the layout and copy, and George did the images. Came out with a whole series of ads 78

ABOVE Peter’s cars, including Daytona Coupe and 240Z, are stored below his office, alongside his clay-modeling area.

‘Carrozzeria Gransport did great work; each Daytona complete cost only $3500. It was unbelievable’ M1 MOMENTUM

that were very well accepted. Wasn’t that hard for me because of my background in design.

You have been described as a ‘renaissance man’: a hugely influential automotive stylist, winning team owner, engine developer, professor, author, photojournalist, hangglider designer and pilot. What would you also have liked to do that you haven’t already?

Be a race driver! My goal when I started out in this thing was to go racing. I went to work with Carroll primarily to get a drive in the car. I was Shelby’s first employee running his school of high-performance driving. I spent so much time out at Riverside that I knew it well. When Ken came on board I got to sit in the passenger seat as he went around, talking to me out of the side of his mouth and explaining all these nuances. I put all he taught me into the course.

I also did all the original testing in the car. I was faster than Billy Krause, who was our first driver. But at that time I only had about seven races in my log book, and Krause had years of running midgets and sprint cars. Soon, all the top drivers such as Gurney, Holbert, MacDonald and Bondurant were calling, asking for a ride.

So Carroll had his choice of all the best drivers in the world at that time, including Phil Hill.

Complete & Partial Restorations Fabrication Body & Paint Mechanical Interior Motor City Solutions Hot Rods & Restorations exists to meet the desires of the most discerning restoration owners and enthusiasts out there. We work as partners with our customers and strive to make each project an open, enjoyable and interactive experience. Our capabilities apply to everything from minor repairs to full frame-off restorations and are housed within a 28,000 square-foot shop.

24331 Brest Rd., Taylor MI 48180 734-947-7002 - contact@motorcitysolutions.com motorcityrestorations.com

Racer and constructor Jim Hall, honoree at the first American Speed Festival in 2021, explains how he became one of motor sport’s greatestever innovators

JIM HALL AND THE CHAPARRALS XXX

M1 MOMENTUM

WORDS D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E PHOTOGRAPHY A M E R I C A N S P E E D F ES T I VA L

J I M H A L L A N D T H E C H A PA R R A L S

JIM HALL REVOLUTIONIZED MOTOR sport in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, creating machinery for Sports Cars, Can-Am and Indy that not only changed the face of racing at the time, but which have influenced competition-car design ever since.

Now 86, Hall still owns his Chaparral race cars, which are displayed at the Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas. Although Covid concerns prevented him from visiting the Fall 2021 inaugural American Speed Festival in person, he loaned four of the cars to the event.

We talked with Jim at his home, where he explained how he came to use both his childhood fascination with automobiles and his mechanical engineering degree to become one of the most innovative, aerodynamicsavvy race-car designers of all time.

“I don’t remember a whole lot about my childhood,” he says. “I know I got into trouble like everybody else, but I always wanted to know how everything worked—and that was a real challenge to me to find out, well, how does this work or why does that do that? I think that my curiosity about the physical world around me is probably what made me a little different.

“In racing, I had the advantage of sitting in the seat, and feeling the changes, and then

going back and writing the equations form. I just happened to come along in a good time with the right education.”

There are often comparisons made between Jim Hall and Colin Chapman, but we wondered what Hall himself thought of his British rival.

“Well, I tell you I admired him a lot,” he says. “I had two cars that really inspired me early in my career. One of them was the Mercedes 300SL. I looked at it, and I realized they went to a lot of trouble to get a stiff chassis, and keep it torsionally rigid and do the things you would do that I thought were important for handling, and so I really admired that car.”

He continues: “And then, I think, Colin’s Lotus 11 was the first car I looked at and thought, ‘man, that car is shaped right’. You know it’s shaped like it needs to be; it’s got high doors, you can put a stiff frame under it. It’s just really good looking, and I thought the engineering in that car was quite forward thinking for that period.

“I admired Chapman’s work a lot. I think he tended to build stuff a little bit light. But, you know that’s what you’re trying to do; you’ve got to make a compromise there somewhere, ensuring it’s going to make it through the race.”

The first Chaparral cars were built by Dick

M1 MOMENTUM

Troutman and Tom Barnes. Jim Hall and Hap Sharp bought two of them to race, and when they began building their own cars they asked Troutman and Barnes if they could use the Chaparral name. Hall and Sharp’s cars were subsequently all named Chaparral 2s, developing through 2A to 2J for the sports and Can-Am cars, and 2K for the 1979-82 IndyCar (despite winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1980, they left racing in 1982). There was innovation from the start, with extensive use of glassfiber plus a three-speed automatic transmission hooked up to the Chevrolet V8 engine.

New versions followed fast, with the 2C featuring a high rear wing that could be adjusted via a foot pedal in the cockpit (possible because there was no clutch, thanks to the auto transmission). It showed great promise, but it was outlawed before long.

Was Jim surprised when it was banned?

“Oh, it took us a little by surprise; I felt like those cars were really quite nice to work on and drive because there were so many good adjustments you could easily make. You could tune the car for almost any race track, and make it feel good for the driver.

“I always thought that was an important feature. It should be not too hard physically,

XXX

and it should also give you the confidence of where the car is going to be on the race track.

So I was disappointed in that, and I didn’t see why we should not be able to do that.”

For the 1970 Can-Am season, Hall introduced the 2J, which used a two-stroke engine to run a pair of large fans at the rear of the car to suck it to the track, helped by plastic skirts around the lower bodywork. Once again, it was banned.

“I wasn’t surprised by the ban on the suction car, but I thought that at least they would give me a year,” says Jim. “I thought, if you spend all this time and effort, and you bring something exciting to the race track... people want to see it run and we want to run it, make it successful.

“We never did really make that car successful, either, but it was so fast it scared everybody. It probably had to be regulated in some way, because otherwise it would have made the tracks unable to handle the cars at that speed.

So, I agree that should have happened there— but I thought, ‘maybe they’ll give me a year to run the thing’. I was disappointed they didn’t.”

That notoriety makes these the best known of the Chaparrals, but there were many more, in varying styles: open and closed cockpit, with both glassfiber and aluminum bodies.

Which is Jim’s favorite, looking back?

“I think probably the 2E. We started with a brand-new sheet of paper, and we decided to put in everything we knew about aerodynamics at that time into that car. It was a major change in how the aerodynamics was handled on race cars. I think it showed everybody that was a major factor in automotive design at this point.

“Not everybody believed that at the time, but I think after they saw the car they realized that aerodynamics was a very important feature. A lot of aerodynamic work was done before, but generally it was done on the stability and drag; nobody really focused on download.

“When I realized the effect of download on the car in late 1963, I realized what a huge benefit it would be to control the download, and monitor it and make it work for you, instead of having it work against you. I think that was my major discovery during my life.”

While Can-Am provided a perfect playground for Jim’s innovation, it’s remarkable that at the same time Chaparral was starting out, Hall was also involved in Formula 1 as a driver for British Racing Partnership. This at a time when the championship was starting to go through fascinating changes—not unlike it is today.

“Yeah, it was much different when I was in 82

ABOVE Jim Hall’s son and grandson proudly demonstrated the famous Chaparrals on track at the 2021 American Speed Festival.

‘I realized the effect of download on the car in late 1963; that was my major discovery during my life’ M1 MOMENTUM

F1. It was probably like the smaller club racing is today,” Jim recalls. “For instance, in BRP we had two drivers, two mechanics and two helpers.

And that’s the way it worked. We did rely on the engine supplier to overhaul the motors and send them back, so the teams didn’t do that, but they maintained the cars, and whatever development we had during the season was quite small.

“One of the most exciting races for me to go to was Monte Carlo. When we went there, we got to practice between 4:00-5:30am, and then they cleared the streets for traffic. Our practice sessions were a little different from the way they do it today.”

In 2021, Jim was honored as the Master of Motorsports at M1 Concourse, and his son and grandson demonstrated the Chaparrals on track at the American Speed Festival. How important is it to Jim that the cars are shown in public like this?

“It’s always a thrill to me,” he says. “I think a lot of my real good feelings come from the youngsters who have read about Chaparral but who obviously didn’t see it at the time.

They’re still excited about it, and I get more fan mail from young folks in Europe than I do from those in the US. “I felt like my education—which I worked hard for—really helped me in life, and I want to share that with the younger folks. I know studying math isn’t any fun. But boy, there’s some stuff you can do with it, and there’s physics that you could really enjoy. I sure did!

So that’s one of my real happy moments in life, when I hear from some young fella who enjoyed finding out about our cars.

“My son and grandson know how to drive the cars—they’ve driven them before—and so it’s an honor for me to have both go up to the American Speed Festival and show the cars.”

THE BUSINESS OF RACING STARTS HERE!

DECEMBER 8-10, 2022 | INDIANAPOLIS

REGISTER TODAY!

Don’t miss the three biggest business days in motorsports, when the worldwide racing industry gathers in Indianapolis, Indiana. Get the latest Show updates and information, buy a booth, or register to attend at:

PRISHOW.COM

NEW FOR 2022. YOU MUST BE AN APPROVED INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL AND BE A PRI MEMBER TO ATTEND THE SHOW. FIND OUT MORE AT PERFORMANCERACING.COM/MEMBERSHIP

LOTUS EMIRA

WORDS ALEX GOY P H O T O G R A P H Y LO T U S

FRESH OUTTA ENGLAND

The new Lotus Emira is on its way to North America, and

84

M1 MOMENTUM

LOTUS EMIRA

it looks ideally suited to the tight turns of the M1 Concourse track

M1 MOMENTUM

85

LOTUS EMIRA

FTER WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN ETERNITY, there’s a new Lotus in town. It’s not like the cars that rolled out of Norwich, UK for the past quarter of a century… it points the brand in a new direction—one of performance AND luxury. It’s called the Emira, and is proof that you don’t need acres of carbonfiber to have fun.

The Emira is a more mature car than what’s come before. It’s still not for people who take themselves far too seriously and wear only beige, but for people who realize that perhaps compromising too much on things like sound deadening and damper stiffness is good for a weekend thrash but pretty dreadful for a commute. Having one car that can do the dayto-day stuff AND put a grin on your face on track without sending you to a chiropractor is, reckons Lotus, probably a good thing.

It is easy to get into, and its seats are electrically adjustable, which feels distinctly un-Lotus. The Emira also doesn’t reek of composites and bonding goo in the cabin; instead, the air holds hints of leather. You’d be forgiven for wondering whether you weren’t getting into a Lotus at all, instead a prototype from another brand that’s playing a prank.

It’s got a touchscreen that does all manner of wonderful things such as program the lights, change drive modes and even connect to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a cupholder, too, so you can drink your morning joe on the move. The Elise didn’t have one of them.

You’d be hard pressed to find any creaky bits of trim, nor do you wonder whether anything is going to fall off in your hand.

There’s even space in the cabin for normalsized people, which means you will not be rubbing shoulders with your passenger.

The inside and all of its toys feel suitably 86

modern, while the outside is a wonderful nod to the firm’s multimillion-dollar Evija hypercar.

Its hood comes with the same boomerang vents to channel air over the top, while its side air intakes mimic the halo car’s venturi tunnels.

The Emira is a looker for sure, and something that’ll stand out in, say, a sea of Porsche 911s.

As is tradition, the newcomer’s motor is in the middle of the car. It’s launching with a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 packing 400bhp and 310lb ft, with a less powerful but marginally torquier AMG-sourced turbo four coming soon.

The former unit can be had with a six-speed stick and an auto, while the latter will get a dualclutch paddle-shift. 0-62mph takes 4.3 seconds, and it’ll top out at 180mph, which is… brisk.

You’ll have noticed there’s no mention of magical adjustable dampers, which is because there aren’t any. The car may have grown up, but Lotus remains wonderfully on brand; you have to choose your springs before you go in.

There are two set-ups: Tour for a more roadbiased drive, and Sport for an apex-hunterfriendly ride. Tour cars come on Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, while Sport models get Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s for extra bite.

Gone are the days when you throw yourself into an aluminum tub with no carpets and get on your way. Now there’s proper power, proper tech and, well, properness to guide you home.

On the highway, or trundling through town, the Emira doesn’t punish you for being in it. In its most inert drive mode, Tour, the car is set to be calm, quiet and easy to live with. The ride is composed no matter your spring choice (although Sport suspension doesn’t play nicely with potholes and the like), and the cabin remains quiet. You can listen to whatever you want without having to crank up the KEF stereo to crazy levels to drown out road noise.

A quick flick of your thumb and you can spring the car to Sport mode, which makes things louder, angrier and a touch quicker. It’s suitable for your favorite stretch of twisty road (if you can find one in Michigan) for sure, giving blasts of speed where you fancy, and letting the car claw closer to its potential. The extra noise helps shed some of the sensibleness.

It pops, bangs and whines as you press on.

You’ll forget about the stereo, and only really care about pushing on.

If your Emira has the Lotus Drivers’ Pack fitted, you’ll be given access to a third drive mode: Track. This keeps the noise from Sport mode, but ups the aggression, and drops the M1 MOMENTUM

OPPOSITE AND BELOW Emira excels on the tight, twisty 2.2-mile Hethel Lotus track, where it was developed.

‘The new Lotus Emira is proof that you don’t need acres of carbonfiber to have fun’

LOTUS EMIRA

traction control for more fun. It’s only really suitable for use on a race circuit, but that’s no bad thing because away from the confines of things such as ‘rules’ and ‘decency’ is where the Emira truly shines.

You will have noted from the performance figures that the Emira isn’t necessarily the fastest, or most powerful car out there. That’s never been the Lotus way though, has it?

Where others will use brawn and overthinking to get around, the Emira prefers to use triedand-tested tech combined with lightweight know-how (the Emira’s base weight is a shade under the 3100lb mark—more than before, but comfortably less than a 911 Carrera).

It’s quick in a straight line, we know that, but when things get technical you can tell Hethel’s engineers spent an inordinate amount of time making sure the Emira can go round corners. Eschewing electric power steering, the hydraulic system on board is amazingly precise for something this side of a McLaren.

Every millimeter of input results in matching output that you feel through your fingertips.

While Lotus appears to be distancing itself from the sparse Elises of old when it comes to trim, the brand wants to keep the intricacy of its drive just as it’s always been.

You would expect, with all that extra kit on board, that the Emira might feel a little sloppy compared with the outgoing Evora. Sure, it does come with a slight weight penalty, but when you’re having fun it’s not one you feel (unless you’re a development driver benchmarking cars for a living, or a person on the internet looking to pick holes in a shiny new thing).

Pitching into a fast corner with a balanced throttle, you will feel the weight transfer predictably as the car settles itself. Pin the gas 88

M1 MOMENTUM

LOTUS EMIRA

‘Away from the confines of things such as ‘rules’ and ‘decency’ is where the Emira truly shines’ M1 MOMENTUM

89

LEFT AND BELOW This is the set-up you’ll want for the M1 Concourse track: harder Sport springs and Michelin tires.

early and the Lotus will give you a hint of understeer to let you know to back off a touch.

Get it right and the rear hunkers down, letting it glide elegantly around the apex, tires chirping ever so slightly to let you know you’re on the right track. The amount of grip the Emira has is staggering—it will happily give you a facelift with g-force if you are committed. It’s a testament to how capable the car is that it’ll flatter the inexperienced, but reward those who know what they’re doing.

The V6 is punchy. Leaving a corner, you’ll find ample torque to fire yourself to the next, pushing you back in your seat lap after lap. The pops and bangs falling out of the tailpipes will swiftly become your new favorite song.

On shorter tracks such as the Champion Motor Speedway you’ll need to make friends with the brake pedal. It comes with plenty of feedback and strong performance, which helps with confidence, and unless you’re pushing race-car levels of hard you won’t need to worry about fade. Twin it with the Emira’s stick shift, and you’re in for a good time. You can leave it in third gear if you want to experience the ebb and flow of the car—light weight and supercharger torque can do the heavy lifting— but shifting your own cogs is more fun. It’s a slick, short change that, thanks to modern cars’ propensity for paddles, is difficult to find these days. Each shift lands with satisfying chunk, making you feel like you’ve achieved something. The clutch is pleasingly light, but not without feel. If you’re into engagement, give the automatic a swerve.

You won’t want for forward visibility—you can see out easily, the prominent wheelarches (dubbed ‘Becker Points’ after the late Lotus test driver Roger Becker, who insisted on them) 90

M1 MOMENTUM

show you just where the front wheels are, aiding placement. The rear is a bit more compromised because there’s an engine bay in the way.

The Emira is the model that Lotus has needed for a long, long time. People are looking for a one-car solution these days—something to take to work, and to play in on the weekends—and until very recently Hethel only kinda nailed that brief. There always used to be a ‘but’ when it came to telling people you drive a Lotus, some sort of justification for making the choice you made.

With the Emira that ‘but’ has pretty much gone. It’s still not as technically equipped as a car from Stuttgart, but the gulf isn’t as great as some would have you believe. It’s a bold new direction for Lotus—and one that, even after the briefest of flirtations, you get the impression Hethel is going to nail.

‘It’s a bold new direction for Lotus— and one that you get the impression Hethel is going to nail’

NIKOLAS MOTORSPORT SERVICING INDEPENDENT BMW PORSCHE MINI SERVICE Excellence Since 1987

• All Scheduled Maintenance • IMS Bearing Replacement • Four Wheel Alignment • Engine & Transmission Repair/Replacement • Brakes & Suspension • General Repairs • Air Conditioning • Fabspeed Dealer • Dinan Dealer • Noelle Performance Tuning

45108 Woodward Ave. • Pontiac, MI 48341

ALL NEWER • BMW • PORSCHE • MINI Models

248•682•7755

nikolasmotorsport.com

S.E. Michigan’s Only Independent Authorized Dinan Dealer

When the Ford GT came out in 2005 as a larger, modern-day homage to the 1964

WORDS JOHAN DILLEN PHOTOGRAPHY DIRK DE JAGER

92

FORD GT

The last V8 hurrah

GT40, it was greeted with great excitement. How has it aged since then?

FORD GT

ABOVE Short, stubby gearlever works the Ricardo six-speed manual transmission.

94

WITH THE LATEST FORD GT LOOKING like a spaceship, it’s easy to think of the car’s 2005 predecessor as something of a miscast; just a modern copy of the Blue Oval’s ultimate icon, the 1964 GT40—only ten per cent bigger.

Yet if you just rewind to ’05, you will remember how utterly excited we all were when we heard that Ford was doing a GT once more. Not a GT40, mind; someone else had taken that name from under the manufacturer’s nose by then, so GT was all it was. The newcomer ticked all the boxes: big lump of V8 iron in the rear, and that classic, super-sleek shape. It was lower than a Porsche or a Ferrari.

When this GT came out, we were all drooling. We would potentially have killed someone if it would have moved us closer to owning one. Maybe today it seems mundane; easy to look down somewhat upon on this ‘copy’, but in 2005 it was the real deal. Ford played it handy when it came to selling the car, too. For the first time, you were not allowed to buy one. No sir, you had to apply—and if the Blue Oval deemed you worthy enough, only then were you allowed to hand over a quite M1 MOMENTUM

hefty sum of money. This from the same firm who sold you the Explorer and Focus.

What it showed most of all was how the image of the GT had grown since the days when the car had conquered Le Mans for the first time, in 1966. With a renewed opportunity opening up, now suddenly everyone wanted one. Ford had not been in a similar position since the Model T. Keeping production fairly limited—between 2005 and 2006, 4033 cars were built—demand far outstripped supply.

No matter which way you look at it now, the 2005 GT is up there in the pantheon of supercar greats. The philosophy could not have been simpler: make the GT40 ten per cent bigger. That is exactly what happened.

But there is no denying that, under J Mays’ leadership, Ford’s design team produced an homage that is both ageless and still pleasing to the eye, almost 20 years later. The same cannot be said of all supercars.

As you walk around it, all the GT40 styling cues are there: the cut-out doors, the vents in the front hood, the back hood opening towards the rear, those big, sexy wheelarches… and, of

RIGHT Low, fast and infinitely cool; four decades separate these two Ford supercars, but the lineage is clear.

course, that big V8 fitted just behind the driver’s back. Inside the cabin, you recognize the characteristic lay-out of the GT40 dashboard... but here there is more room.

Most of the GTs ended up with collectors— one of the criteria for ownership was having an array of vintage Fords already—and they have remained in garages since. One notable thing in the years that have passed is how well the car has kept its value. Even with Ford producing more GTs then initially planned, it seemed like there was always someone waiting for the opportunity to park one in their garage. Well, you would, too, wouldn’t you?

It’s still a stunner today. I drove the car sometime after the launch, and I’m very happy to be back behind the wheel of one. Getting in is simpler than with an original GT40; it’s

‘It’s easy to provoke drift on a tight turn, but the GT lets you catch the slide effortlessly’

climbing out that is actually a bit trickier. It’s easier to bump your head on the top of the large protruding doors in this version. Inside, the GT has aged reasonably well, even if the black plastic is a bit of an eyesore. Keeping the dials analogue appears to have been a good choice. Your focus is placed entirely on the steering wheel and that short, stubby gearlever that graces the transmission tunnel. The speedometer sits to the right, as if it’s the least interesting of all the instruments. The toggle switches are the nicest of all the references to the original GT40.

It all oozes nostalgia—and I haven’t even started up the engine. With a big roar, the mighty 5.4-liter V8 erupts into life. Perhaps in the long run, this will remain the 2005 Ford GT’s biggest asset; that it still retained V8

FORD GT

LEFT AND BELOW Despite its motor sport heritage and competition feel, the GT is easy to drive on the road.

98

M1 MOMENTUM

FORD GT

power, and not a V6 as is the case in the 2015 GT. What’s more, the V8 is supercharged, boosting output to 550bhp at 6500rpm and with 500lb ft of torque available at 3750rpm.

More numbers: the GT hits 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds, crushes the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds and is electronically reined in when it reaches 205mph. Seriously fast stuff in anyone’s book, even by today’s standards.

The seating position is all race. You slide your legs down the tunnel, have the steering wheel and the gearlever close by, bringing a competition atmosphere to the GT. It’s very driver focused. It’s almost a relief not to be distracted by all sorts of screens and displays.

You expect the GT to be a handful, but it isn’t.

It pulls away like a small sedan, and thanks to the power steering it requires no more effort to drive than your granddad’s Camry.

The tall gearing and the long travel on the throttle pedal make the GT controllable. In contrast to the original GT40, which was a race car some crazy people used on the road, the 2005 GT was never designed with motor sport in mind. It was raced, but its primary

function was to be a road-going GT. This is reflected in the weight. At 3485lb, it’s not exactly lightweight—and that is something you will notice in the driving. There is a bit of weight on the move here. Fortunately, this is a well developed car: big brakes, enormous tires and an excellent mid-engine balance make the 2005 GT totally trustworthy, even when you start to push on. With the electronics switched off, it’s easy to provoke drift on a tight turn, but the GT lets you catch the slide effortlessly.

It’s no—ahem—Mustang.

Gunning that big V8 through the gears, it is easy to succumb to the charms of this GT. In fact, I’m always surprised to see the low mileages on these cars. They should have been driven more. That’s where the fun is. Burying the throttle and hearing that V8 come alive is almost as intimidating as it is in a GT40. Yes, it’s a bit more insulated, but the feeling is still pretty authentic. This is still very much an oldschool GT. On the exit of the corner, working the throttle is just as important as working the wheel. In short, you’ll hate the gas bill, but that’s the price you’ll have to pay when you M1 MOMENTUM

ABOVE Analogue instruments and tactile toggle switches are a nod to the classic GT40.

99

FORD GT

RIGHT Mighty, supercharged, 5.4-liter V8 kicks out 550bhp and propels GT from 0-60mph in 3.4sec.

become addicted to the GT. Chances are, this will happen sooner rather than later.

On another note, there is no denying that in the meantime the Ford GT has proven a sound investment. Offered at around $145,000, most were sold at a premium when new. Sometimes that premium could reach $100,000 extra. For some years second-hand prices seemed to suggest that the GT would have to be satisfied with simply retaining its value. And then came appreciation. With the 2015 Ford GT opting for a turbocharged V6, it was clear the 2005 variant was the last one to be equipped with a V8. And with many cars staying in collections, the prices were augmented for the examples that made it to the market. Depending on your source, current estimates vary from $400,000 (Dupont Registry) to $600,000 (Hagerty) for grade-A concours specimens.

Auction results tend to confirm this. While in 2018, $250,000 to $350,000 would have been largely sufficient to acquire any 2005 or 2006 GT, since 2021 it has been clear that is no longer the case. Hammer prices—so excluding all the taxes and buyers’ premiums—started 100

‘We’d say that the 2005 Ford GT has by now proven its status as a young, promising modern classic’ surpassing $350,000, and as of this year it seems you would be lucky to walk away with a GT for less than $400,000. Again, this is without sales tax and premiums, so in reality you are probably looking at around $500,000.

It’s anyone’s guess whether these prices will evolve much in the coming years. But we’d say that the 2005 Ford GT has by now proven its status as a young, promising modern classic. It may not be in the same league as an original GT40—we are talking millions here—but it definitely holds its own among contemporary Ferraris and Porsches.

M1 MOMENTUM

F E AT U R E N A M E

W O R D S D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E PHOTOGR APHY STEVE KROODSMA

BUILDING MOMENTUM

XXX

M1 MOMENTUM

EVENT CENTER

The strikingly designed Event Center is now the heart of M1 Concourse, hosting everything from car displays to gala dinners. Here’s how it was designed and built

THE M1 CONCOURSE EVENT CENTER makes a statement of intent as powerful as its outward appearance: that this venue is a force to be reckoned with, and here to stay.

The finishing touches were added to the Center just ahead of the Detroit Motor Bella show in September last year—the outdoor, more Covid-safe replacement for the indoor North American International Auto Show. Just a week later the Event Center was pressed into use for the 2021 American Speed Festival, and since then it’s housed everything from gala dinners to displays of Ford Deuce hot rods.

That the 24,000sq ft Event Center looks so striking, so different from the typical event facility is thanks to the vision of the M1 Concourse team, AUCH Construction and the architectural specialists at INFORM Studio.

It was AUCH Construction, a company with more than 100 years of history in the Pontiac area, that got the ball rolling on plans for the Event Center. AUCH has been involved with M1 Concourse from the initial planning stages in 2012, through clearing the 87-acre former General Motors site from 2015, to starting to build the first garages for Phase 1 of the construction process.

For the Event Center project, AUCH was involved in setting the brief for the architectselection process. This was decided on by M1 Concourse, and won by INFORM Studio—an architectural and design practice with offices in Detroit and Chicago. Its designs include the striking Cauley Ferrari showrooms nearby.

AUCH and INFORM had worked together on previous projects, and it’s clear that there’s

a strong relationship between them when we speak with INFORM Studio’s Ken Van Tine and AUCH Construction’s Jeff Hamilton and Jacob Munchiando. They all chip in to explain the vision for the Event Center.

“With the facade of the building, the idea was to reflect motion,” says architect Ken. “The movement explains the shape of the panels and the metals, and their coloration represent the finish of the automobile.”

He is referring to the striking aluminum panels that cover much of the Center, giving it a unique appearance. The facade was created using computational design. A digital model

LEFT Architect’s sketches show how the 1000-plus panels mount onto an exoskeleton to create a 3D shape.

M1 MOMENTUM

103

EVENT CENTER

Timeline Event Center

2012 Tal k s s t ar t wi th AUCH on plan s for M 1 Concour se

2015 Work b e g in s on clear ing the M1 Concour se s i te

2020 Con s t r uc tion b e g in s on the Center an d P la z a

2021 Event Center hos t s i t s f ir s t show, D e t ro i t Motor B el la

2022 S pe c i al di s pla y of ’ 32 Ford s in s i de the Event Center

XXX

was constructed, which was then given to the fabrication company. The fabricators were then able to create the panels’ precise folds and movements in the aluminum sheets from the digital model.

“It’s basically a one-off design; there is no other system like this in place,” says Jeff. “We had to build the structure and the exterior walls, then build an outer skin to make the motion of the panels appear on certain elevations. With the complexity of the panels in three dimensions, we actually had to make panels, install them, then take them down, make any changes needed, reinstall the panels, get them to fit properly, take them down a second time, and then take them to paint.

Once they’d been painted, each panel had to be wrapped and shipped back to the site piecenumbered, and then installed again.”

The process was extremely labor intensive, especially when you consider that there are over 1000 panels, each with an average size of around 2ft x 4ft. The majority of the panels were created in five different shapes, but then every corner and every valley had to be custom made, meaning that almost 30 percent of the panels were individual shapes.

Amid all this, the design also had to cater for Michigan’s extreme temperature fluctuations, from zero to 100oF. For those elevations not

M1 MOMENTUM

covered with the tiles, insulated panels were used to clad the walls. Each one of those panels was created in a custom color to a preplanned layout, and it took five or six iterations until the team at M1 Concourse was completely happy with the result.

You’ll see from the images that the walls are actually slanted. AUCH started by building straight walls, then hung trusses off the construction to create all the valleys and the ins and outs of the building, to give the required three-dimensional effect.

“We essentially created an exoskeleton that’s the support behind the panels,” says Jeff.

“Then the panels attach to the exoskeleton that’s attached to the structure of the building.”

INFORM Studio was also responsible for the look of the interior of the Event Center, which includes a large 6300sq ft ballroom/ function room, as well as a restaurant and a roof-top terrace track-viewing area.

The company’s interiors team chose finishes with an emphasis on durability, given the number of people—and even cars—that the Center will accommodate, as well as designing the lighting and audio-visual set-ups.

Outside, it would be too easy to overlook the thought that has gone into the design of the Plaza, which was always crucial to the success of the Event Center. It’s equipped with electric-

F E AT U R E N A M E

‘The Event Center is basically a one-off design; there is no other system like this in place’

RIGHT The Event Center is located to give a perfect view over the track from the roof terrace, to watch the action.

M1 MOMENTUM

105

EVENT CENTER

and water-supply points, to enable food trucks to set up for events such as M1 Concourse’s Italian-themed meetings.

The blockwork of the Plaza is laid out to resemble the race track, meaning much of the paving had to be specially cut to shape.

However, even before this final stage came together, Covid hit the US, initially pausing the project—and then causing an unexpected change to the schedule.

“The regular North American International Auto Show was canceled due to Covid,” recalls Ken. “Then it got rescheduled as a hybrid auto show for Detroit, to take place in September on the M1 Concours site, which would allow the activity to take place outside.

“We weren’t told that until February 2021, so that cut two months off our schedule. At that point, the Plaza wasn’t even designed, and it then grew in complexity and size. We had to be extremely coordinated and tight between our organizations, and we had to get it just right for such a prestigious event. It was a big opportunity for M1 to showcase the facility.”

The teams had to liaise with the many different organizations involved with the show, while working hard to complete the Event Center and Plaza—and they succeeded, with a successful running of the Detroit Motor Bella.

That was followed just days later by the inaugural American Speed Festival and the Checkered Flag Gala dinner at the Center.

Now, the Event Center is at the heart of all M1 Concourse activities, and the AUCH and INFORM teams are working on the next big M1 Concourse projects...

‘We had to be extremely coordinated and tight between our organizations, and we had to get it just right’ XXX

M1 MOMENTUM

LOCAL HISTORY

THE TRIANGLE THE M1 CONCOURSE PROJECT SITS ON A triangle of land in the southwest quarter of Section 33 of Pontiac Township. It is an historic car site on an historic road in an historic car town. It would be hard to imagine a piece of land with greater automotive heritage than this.

But its story is far more than about cars and factories and foundries. It’s ultimately the story of people: an early surveyor, a toll-gate keeper, a bicycle repairman turned power-wagon manufacturer, an African-American Civil War soldier, a potato farmer and a host of others.

The story of M1 Concourse is their story.

Humble beginnings and a rich history led to Pontiac becoming the historic center of the automotive industry. Here’s part one of the story of the M1 Concourse site

BEGINNING AT THE BEGINNING The first people to know this land, which will be referred to as ‘The Triangle’ in this article, were no doubt Native Americans traveling along the Saginaw Trail, which traversed The Triangle. This important path, which later became Woodward Avenue to the south and Dixie Highway to the north, was centuries old, and connected Detroit and Saginaw Bay.

THE FIRST LANDOWNER The first person to actually purchase The Triangle was Shubael Conant, who bought the land from the federal government in 1820. It was one of many land purchases he made in Oakland County, but he never lived on it.

Conant had been part of Mack, Conant & Sibley, a mercantile business that built Pontiac’s first mills. He left the firm in 1820, and went on to build Detroit’s Michigan Exchange Hotel as well as a block of buildings on Jefferson that bore his name. He was also the founder and first president of the Detroit Anti-Slavery Society.

A SURVEYOR, A HARDWARE MERCHANT AND TWO LAWYERS

THE SAGINAW TRAIL Other evidence of a likely Native American presence on the land was the existence of a major Native American settlement around a half mile north of The Triangle. This sat where the Saginaw Trail crossed the Clinton River,

and was referenced in the records of early Pontiac settlers. Given its proximity to this village, The Triangle is likely to have significant Native history lost over the years and buried under railroad tracks, roads and tons of concrete.

WORDS C A R O L EG B O PHOTOGRAPHY G E T T Y A N D C A R O L EG B O

M1 MOMENTUM

According to an 1857 map of Pontiac Township, four different people owned part of The Triangle by that year. One of them was Captain Hervey Parke, who’d come from New York to Michigan with the intent of becoming a surveyor of public land. He purchased land in The Triangle in 1824 from Conant. He did indeed become a surveyor, and he surveyed several counties of 109

LOCAL HISTORY

LEFT AND BELOW The Triangle on The Saginaw Trail was purchased first by Shubael Conant in 1820.

Pontiac was a major Civil War recruitment center.

Michigan and also parts of Wisconsin and Iowa.

In his later years Captain Parke was one of the founders of the Oakland County Pioneer Society. He died in Pontiac in 1879, aged 89.

The northern part of The Triangle was owned by Horace C Thurber, another Pontiac pioneer. He owned a hardware store on Pike Street for years. In a memorial written about him in the Historical Collections of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, he was described as being “for many years the leading hardware man in the county”.

Two lawyers owned the rest of The Triangle.

One, William Draper, was another Pontiac pioneer who had come there in 1833 after graduating from Harvard. He became a prosperous Pontiac lawyer, and was president of the Oakland County Bar Association for 20 years. He was known as being “a keen and indefatigable sportsman”. He died while trout fishing on Mackinac Island on August 9, 1858.

The other lawyer was Joseph Bowman. He held several governmental positions during his lifetime including Town Clerk, Justice of the Peace and Supervisor of Pontiac Township, as well as Oakland County Sheriff. His land in The Triangle became known as Bowman’s Plat.

THE CIVIL WAR YEARS Due to its railroad connections, Pontiac became an important recruitment center during the Civil War. Men came from as far as Port Huron to enlist. Many locals also enlisted, including 248 residents of Pontiac Township. This group featured several African-Americans such as Charles Butler, who had come to Pontiac from Virginia likely following a life of enslavement.

He enlisted in 1864 in the 1st Michigan Colored Infantry, which later became the 102nd US Colored Troops. At 48 he was one of Oakland County’s oldest enlistees. He returned to Pontiac post-war, and in 1870 was living in The Triangle with his wife Maria and their children.

During the war, Pontiac—which by then had become an incorporated city—concentrated on the production of flour, shoes and woolens.

The Michigan State Gazetteer and Business 110

M1 MOMENTUM

LOCAL HISTORY

Directory of 1863-64 described it as having “an air of life and business that is seldom met with in an inland town”.

The city had four gristmills, four sawmills, a woolen factory, six hotels and a variety of other businesses including five wagon and carriage shops. Its population had barely increased since 1857, however, remaining around 3000. A few houses and stores had begun to appear along Saginaw Street on the eastern side of The Triangle and along Franklin on the west, but most of the land seems to have still been vacant.

whose bakery was nearby. She was found guilty and had to pay a $50 fine in addition to spending ten days in jail.

Of particular interest is the neighborhood that had developed in JR Bowman’s Plat in The Triangle’s southwest corner. Research shows the families living there were all AfricanAmerican, including that of Charles Butler, the Civil War soldier mentioned before. Neighbors included the families of stone mason Jacob Jones, barber William Dunbar and George Cook—listed in census records as “a cook in a saloon”. It is unknown how long these families had lived there and how long they stayed.

THE POST-WAR YEARS: A SHOEMAKER, A TOLL-GATE KEEPER AND AN EARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD The post-war period brought several changes in The Triangle. An 1872 map of Pontiac shows Foot Street now bisecting it. A toll gate was located in the southeast corner of The Triangle.

Historical records identify this as a toll gate on what was then called the Birmingham to Pontiac Plank Road. This was a 13-mile stretch of 1848’s Detroit to Pontiac Plank Road.

This road, operated by private companies, had toll gates along the way, and was maintained by money collected from the tolls. The gate shown on the map operated into the early 1900s. Today the main M1 Concourse sign at the corner of Woodward and South Boulevard stands where the gate once was located.

Several new families had moved into The Triangle, including that of Foot Street’s Nathaniel Cowan. He had an important job; he was the toll-gate keeper. Meanwhile, Joseph Kremer, an immigrant shoemaker from Prussia whose sons ran a bakery, had moved onto Horace Thurber’s property.

Isaac Broughton had taken over the rest of Thurber’s land, but lived in a house on Saginaw Street. He’d come to Pontiac as a butcher in the late 1850s. He eventually owned a grocery store and a meat market located next to each other. His wife Sarah ran a saloon in the back of the grocery. She was arrested in 1879 for selling liquor on Sunday. The complaint was made by the Kremer brothers,

CARRIAGE FACTORIES, VACANT LAND AND A RAILROAD

FROM TOP Pontiac had excellent train connections, while a toll gate ensured road travelers paid their way. The area’s vehicle industry started in the 1860s.

M1 MOMENTUM

By 1900, a factory housing the Pontiac Spring and Wagon Works, which built horse-drawn vehicles, had been erected just outside The Triangle to the northwest. This was one of many vehicle-manufacturing businesses that had developed in Pontiac since the 1860s. A 1903 State of Michigan publication reported that there were 16 establishments involved in building vehicles, ten of which made finished products, not just parts. April 1904’s Carriage Monthly described Pontiac as a vehicle center: “Its vehicle plants have a national reputation.

Here are manufactured axles, carriage and cutter bodies; phaetons known all over the US; springs known in many of the leading carriage plants in the country; bolster springs, buggies, surreys, road spring speeding and driving wagons, which are known to all progressive dealers; wheels that stand high in comparison with wheels made anywhere, and various other products entering into the construction of carriages.”

The stage was set. There was vacant land north of Foot Street in The Triangle and also south of Foot Street. A major road, Saginaw Street (Woodward Avenue) created the east side of The Triangle along with the railroad.

The vehicle-manufacturing industry in Pontiac was booming, and horseless carriages had made their appearance. The Triangle was about to become part of automotive history.

111

LIFE OF A

CHAMPION W O R D S D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E PHOTOGRAPHY ALAMY

Champion spark plugs have been with us since 1907, and their adverts have spanned a century of motoring YOU CAN THANK ALBERT CHAMPION for those oh-so familiar spark plugs, the adverts and even the sponsorship of the Champion Motor Speedway at M1 Concourse.

Without him, Champion wouldn’t exist.

A French racing cyclist, so accomplished that he won the 1899 Paris-Roubaix race, Albert became interested in motor cars in the early 1900s. He set up the Albert Champion Company in June 1905 in Boston’s

1950 RIGHT During the 1950s, some of Champion’s advertising didn’t even feature cars.

Striking though...

112

M1 MOMENTUM

South End to import French electrical parts, and in 1907 the company began manufacturing porcelain spark plugs with the name Champion stamped on the side.

A year later, the ever-restless Champion moved on and set up a rival company, but Champion continued without him. Now it’s part of the Michigan-based Federal-Mogul, and still famous for its spark plugs as well as filters, batteries and lighting equipment.

CHAMPION PERIOD ADVERTISING

M1 MOMENTUM

113

1940s BELOW One of a series of 1940s and ’50s adverts showing dogs instead of cars or even spark plugs.

1919 BELOW Within 12 years, Champion was able to boast of over 240 car makers fitting its plugs as standard.

1936 BELOW The first “completely and permanently gastight spark plug”.

1930s ABOVE You won’t be surprised to find that this is a British Champion advert, featuring a very unhappy passenger.

114

CHAMPION PERIOD ADVERTISING

1946 BELOW The theme of dependability continues, using a truck to persuade car owners to buy Champion plugs.

1941 ABOVE A more sinister wartime advertisement, pointing out the dependability of Champion plugs.

M1 MOMENTUM

115

CHAMPION PERIOD ADVERTISING

1949 BELOW Back to cars, and what a selection of Champion plugequipped models we have in this busy parking lot!

1948 ABOVE Now it’s the turn of fearless construction workers to prove how dependable Champion can be.

116

M1 MOMENTUM

1957 BELOW With the rise in interest in science and engineering, this ‘4 ways newer’ claim must have seemed appealing.

1965 BELOW A simple message, in an enduring Champion style that many of us will remember from our childhoods.

1950 BELOW Combining the baseball and dog themes of previous posters, here a Scottie misbehaves.

1950 ABOVE The ‘clean plugs’ campaign is a reminder that our cars weren’t reliable.

Oh, those long Michigan winters...

117

CHAMPION PERIOD ADVERTISING

1972 RIGHT It’s only Peter Brock! In his post-Shelby days, he was famous enough to show off his BRE Datsuns.

1972 LEFT Diner Fred Magel has “sat in darn near every county seat in America”, and all thanks to Champion.

118

M1 MOMENTUM

M1 Mobility is a new initiative created by Checkered Flag Challenge, the philanthropic component of M1 Concourse, in partnership with Pontiac Community Foundation. Its mission is to provide multi-tier transportation solutions to ensure the people of the City of Pontiac have access to community programs and services.

Donate now to help

DRIVE PONTIAC FORWARD

DESIRABLES

120 M1 Concourse products 122 New products 126 Books 128 Watches

The latest temptations, from automobilia to the greatest reads, exquisite watches and clothing, plus exclusive M1 Concourse gear

W O R D S N AT H A N C H A D W I C K PHOTOGRAPHY M1 CONCOURSE

120

M1 MOMENTUM

American Speed Festival watch

M1 Concourse and Detroit Watch Company have teamed up to produce a six-strong collection of timepieces designed to evoke the classic racing stopwatches of the 1960s, to celebrate the American Speed Festival. Each $525.00 design is limited to just 50 numbered pieces. m1concourse.com

DESIRABLES

M1 CONCOURSE PRODUCTS

Youth hats Firebird full-zip jacket

by Finn Ryan

This microfiber stretch retro jacket embodies the vintage Pontiac Firebird car emblem—perfect for this year’s Firebird display. m1concoursestore. myshopify.com

We’ve brought out a selection of new hats.

There’s something for everyone, from an M1 flame hat with the logo on the front and the racetrack on the back, to a very special celebration of the Pontiac Firebird. m1concoursestore. myshopify.com

Camp shirt by Finn Ryan

Light gray short-sleeve shirt featuring front snap pockets, and made from poly-stretch micro-performance fabric. Lightweight and breathable, it’s perfect for hot days with little shade, and is even smart enough to wear during the evening for a special occasion. m1concoursestore.myshopify.com

Detroit Watch Company number 98

The Detroit Watch Company’s newest addition to the Le Mans/24hr Legends collection pays tribute to the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe designed by Peter Brock.

The movement is via custom Swiss Valjoux ETA 7750 with manual winding, and it costs $2200 without diamond-like coating, and $2350 with it added. detroitwatchco.com

M1 MOMENTUM

121

DESIRABLES

NEW PRODUCTS

Your Life in Cars

The brainchild of illustrator Oliver Hydes, Your Life In Cars provides an illustrated history of your vehicle-owning past.

There’s the opportunity to feature up to 100 cars (if you’re lucky enough to have owned that many), and you can also provide notes on their ownership history. Prices start at $127 for one model, with a 100-strong collection costing $1413. You can choose from a black, white, oak or gray frame, and there are options to further hone the finished artwork, such as with bicycles, motorhomes, lorries and racing liveries. yourlifeincars.com

122

Maserati Maxi Trident sneakers

With Maserati seemingly putting the right foot forward with the MC20, a new range of footwear has been produced. The exterior is constructed from calfskin, while the same material adorns the interior. The 1in sole is made from Vibram for extra grip. This is one of two designs currently available, and sizes range from 3.5-13. They cost $187 per pair. maseratistore.com

Porsche Lifestyle RS 2.7 T-shirt

To celebrate 50 years of the Carrera RS 2.7, Porsche has produced a range of clothing evoking the graphic design of the age. There are several T-shirts and hoodies to choose from, but our favorite has to be this Grey Mélange T-shirt that’s designed to evoke the suitably 1970s vibrant colors the 2.7 came in. It’s entirely made in cotton, is available in sizes XS to 3XL, and costs $65. shop.porsche.com

Scalextric Back To The Future vs Knight Rider

If you’re a child of the 1980s, Scalextric has rendered two fan favorites into plastic and metal. The Back To The Future DeLorean DMC-12 and KITT Pontiac Firebird do battle on a figure-of-eight track in 1:32 form. The cars light up in suitably cinematic fashion, and Scalextric’s magnetized chassis means there’s an outside chance your interior furnishings won’t be destroyed by flying cars. Don’t hold us to that, however. This set costs $219.99.

DeLoreans styled on other BTTF films are available at $69.99 each. us.scalextric.com

DESIRABLES

Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray Indianapolis 500 Pace Car

Shinola Runwell bicycle

Inspired by the Porteur bicycle style first used by newspaper couriers in Paris, the Runwell blends urban style and practicality with a classic twist. The steel frame comes in four sizes in orange, red and blue. The stoppers are

by Shimano and feature 16mm brake rotors, while Shimano also provides the brake levers, 11-speed shifter, chain, cog, hubs, handlebar and grips.

Shinola makes the frame lugs, laser-cut dropouts, fork crown and saddle.

It’s $2950. shinola.com

This 1:18 scale cast-resin model pays tribute to the 2021 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car, a Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray.

It features the real car’s front splitter, high-mount rear wing and flying-buttress rear roll hoops. It runs on smooth rolling rubber tires that encase detailed wheels, brake rotors and painted calipers. It costs $159.99. collectablediecast.com

Mopar Double Retro speaker

Made from composite wood, this wireless speaker offers ten hours of audio from three hours of charge. It works from up to 25 feet away from a connected device, and features built-in dual woofers. It costs $39.99. wearmopar.com

Ferrari patent leather wallet

Made in Italy, this bi-fold leather wallet in Rosso Lamina Liquida features the Prancing Horse logo embellished with a ruthenium Chassis finish.

The interior is lined in moire fabric with several compartments and sections. It costs $470. store.ferrari.com

Shelby Leather Vintage Stripe duffel bag

This official Shelby duffel bag is crafted from smooth cow leather and features the iconic Shelby name and stripes. The lining is made from cotton, and there’s an interior pocket for personal items. It costs $325. shelbystore.com

M1 MOMENTUM

123

DESIRABLES

Lamborghini suitcase

Available in blue or gray, this compact, hard-shell, four-wheeled suitcase has a nylon zip and height-adjustable telescopic handle, measures 37cm x 52cm x 22cm and can carry 42 liters. It costs $234. lamborghinistore.com

Dunhill Transmission tie

Crafted in Italy from mulberry silk, this tie features a somewhat hallucinogenic repeating Transmission motif inspired by automotive gears. It comes in red over blue, or light blue over dark blue (pictured), and costs $215. dunhill.com

Drawsyourcar artwork

This is the brainchild of Australian illustrator Aaron Hillsdon, whose love of cars and their iconography from a young age led to the drawsyourcar project starting on Reddit in 2014. Now he aims to post an illustration every day on his @drawsyourcar Instagram page. Prices start at $30 for an A3 print, such as the Peugeot 504 pictured, although limited-run items are more. drawsyourcar.bigcartel.com

Orlebar Brown GT range

Connolly No1 luggage tag

Sports Racer kart Built in Pontiac and developed with M1 Concourse, the WSS/EV/ KTO Sports Racer is a fully adjustable 750lb electric track car suitable for adults and children. $POA. info@PMDgarage.com 124

Inspired by Slim Aarons’ images of Palm Beach and the Riviera, Orlebar Brown has been crafting designer swimming apparel for 15 years. Its new collection, the GT, is inspired by “the elegance, style, speed and romance” of grand touring cars. It covers swim shorts, polos and sweatshirts, such as this Egerton cotton funnel-neck zip-thru. Available in XS to XL, it costs $177. orlebarbrown.com

Connolly leather has a long association with car interiors, and this tag pays tribute to that heritage.

Available in red, green or black, it’s made from smooth-grain hide and costs $133. connollyengland.com

M1 MOMENTUM

DESIRABLES

BOOKS

YESTERDAY’S FUTURE: CONCEPT CARS OF THE 1960S Max: The Dutch Master

The 1960s were an era of big, bold concepts that would have made The Jetsons seem a little backward thinking. Richard Heseltine’s book is similarly big and bold, and provides an engaging trip back to an imagined future we sadly didn’t get.

While it is flamboyant models such as the GM Firebird IV and the Bertone Lamborghini Marzal that capture the imagination, Heseltine’s $54, 240-page book also delves into the styling prospects that did make it to showrooms—albeit with a few changes.

Concepts such as the Ford Mustang II and Toyota’s Publica Sports Concept (which later became the S800, but with more conventional doors) show how different things could have been. We also learn how concepts inspired production cars, such as the Pininfarina Rondine, which impressed Fiat so much it got designer Tom Tjaarda to apply his thinking to the smaller 124 Spider.

Heseltine’s prose is insightful and entertaining—yes, there really was a car called a F.A.R.T. Break—and the stories behind some of the more peculiar models is intriguing. Take, for example, the Curtiss-Wright Model 2500, which looks like a Virgil Exner restyling of a slug. Two 180bhp Lycoming engines powered a fan in a plenum chamber that created a cushion of air 15in thick, and the car moved along via air bled from the chambers and out of side grilles with a distinct cheese-grater aesthetic.

Then there’s the ’68 Oldsmobile Mini-Toro—technically not a concept but still fascinating. Built to extract employees’ motors from snow-packed car parks in Michigan, it was a Toronado shortened at each end and adorned with a 3in maple-wood bumper wrapped in rubber. It came with studded tires and a plug for the jumper cables in the front fender. The stuff of bored engineers and designers, it was still in use as late as 1972.

While it’s great to be reacquainted with the concepts from well known Italian design houses, each time you dip in you’re confronted with a less familiar one-off. With wonderfully evocative imagery from the period, along with a pleasingly bold design, Yesterday’s Future is as colorful, entertaining and pleasing as its subject matter. porterpress.co.uk 126

M1 MOMENTUM

André Hoogeboom’s unofficial, 320-page, $30 biography doesn’t quite get to the root of F1 World Champion Verstappen’s psyche— you get a sense of a tough childhood in his own asides in interviews —but it paints a picture of a focused talent that was clear to see from Max’s earliest days of karting. There’s little about last year’s victory, but there’s a bigger issue: the best chapters of Verstappen’s career are yet to be lived, let alone written. Nevertheless, it’s well worth a read. evropublishing.com

Indy Split

With F1’s interest in the US waning in the 1980s, and the CART series attracting international talent such as Nigel Mansell, it seemed possible that top-level American single-seater

racing could battle F1 for supremacy. It didn’t work out that way; the fissures that formed during the first open-wheel split in the ’70s grew into great chasms between CART and the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With deep insider insight, John Oreovicz’s 432-page, $35 book reveals the bitter acrimony, and the desperate attempts by the likes of Mario Andretti and Paul Newman to unify the sport. octanepress.com

Ed Swart: From Zandvoort to Daytona

Ed Swart is a well known figure in Historic racing, campaigning Chevrons across the world since the mid-1970s. He’s also known for his antics as a works Abarth driver before a brief foray in Can-Am. This beautifully presented book contains excellent pictures and stories from both eras.

We also learn about his association with the Bitter Automobile Company, and his experiences running three racing teams.

This $45 book is produced in association with Johnny Tipler. coteriepress.com

DESIRABLES

LOLA: THE T70 & CAN-AM CARS For 54 years, Lola was one of the most successful racing-car manufacturers in the world. The firm produced 202 different models, more than 5000 individual cars and its chassis could be found in single-seater and GT racing.

However, it is the T70 and Can-Am cars that Lola is most known for.

Can-Am in particular was an era where seemingly the only rule was that there were no (well, very few) rules, and the unrestricted engine sizes and increasingly experimental prototypes that competed wowed huge crowds.

Eric Broadley, fresh from a bruising experience helping to establish Ford’s GT40 program, set about building a stable, easyto-drive car for amateurs. The resultant T70 and its derivatives would be a strong force not only Stateside, but also in Europe and the rest of the world.

Gordon Jones’s 576-page, $115 book tracks the development of the T70 over its variants, and the subsequent models Lola produced in order to take the fight to the mighty McLarens and Porsches.

Although the author’s passion for the cars is abundantly clear, this is no hagiography— the painful disaster of Lola’s tie-up with Aston Martin for an assault on the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours is explained in detail. It was an horrendous year for Lola; the FIA rule changes mandated that prototype engines should be capped at 3.0 liters, and 50 cars with engines up to 5.0 liters needed to be built to homologate the cars for Group 4 rules. Lola took the FIA to court to prove its T70 chassis should count as one car. In the end, the FIA allowed Lola to compete for a few more years, saving the company. It’s this level of detail that further illustrates the ingenuity of Broadley and his team as they battled the challenges from regulators and rival manufacturers, often with scant resources.

However, the best reading comes from the detail in the race reports, which cover every event these big-attitude Lolas ran in from 1963 to 1974, around the world. The story of the T70’s successors—the T160, T220, T260 and T310—is also delved into with a fine-tooth comb.

It’s an exhaustive volume, and one that trades on detail rather than narrative firepower. That makes this book all the more compelling for true enthusiasts for this era of motor sport. evropublishing.com

GT40 Uncovered

Claude Nahum and Steve Rendle serve up a new take on the GT40 story, providing detailed period technical diagrams of each constituent part of Ford’s Ferrari fryer, from the Weslake cylinder head to the electrical layout.

Few of the diagrams have been published before, so this is a true treasure trove. Our favorite has to be the image outlining the dimensions needed for a road-going GT40, right down to the driver being able to keep his hat on.

For GT40 lovers, this 176-page book (at $606 for a short time) has to be a must. porterpress.co.uk

Lotus: The Complete Story Any tome with such a definitive title needs to be on the mark, given the slew of books surrounding Hethel’s greatest exports. For hardcore Lotus fans there may not be much that’s new here, but for those coming to the M1 MOMENTUM

marque for the first time —perhaps spurred on by an Emira deposit—it provides a concise and clear overview of the machinations of Lotus.

For $48 it’s a shame the book doesn’t have more high-quality, bespoke photography, but Johnny Tipler’s prose over 272 pages makes for encouraging and enlightening reading, while the interviews with the likes of Jackie Oliver and Emerson Fittipaldi are illuminating. crowood.com

Valentino Rossi: All His Races

Valentino Rossi’s career has taken him to some huge highs and crushing lows, yet he remains a unique, entertaining character whose presence in the MotoGP pitlane will be sorely missed, as he retired last year. Mat Oxley’s guide to his races, from a young age right up to the modern day, provides great insight into arguably motorcycling’s biggest star, and the machinations behind the scenes. The high-quality images from Henk Keulemans make this $60, 336-page book a must-have. evropublishing.com 127

DESIRABLES

WATCHES

MHD Streamliner All Steel

This 200-strong limited edition pays homage to the Art Deco motoring masterpieces of the 1920s and 1930s. Its stainlesssteel case measures 40mm by 12mm, with a 47mm lug-to-lug length. It features brushed chrome finishes, with sapphire crystal glass front and back. The four-piece dial has Super-LumiNova elements, and there’s a Miyota 9132 26-jewel automatic mechanical movement. It costs $700 ordered with a metal bracelet and $650 with a leather rally strap. mhdwatches.com

Bremont Jaguar C-type

Bremont pays tribute to the Jaguar C-type with its latest watch, which features an anodized aluminum bezel to reflect the car’s aluminum body.

Similarly, the nine-hour sub dial is inspired by the C-type’s Smiths gauges, while the chronograph hand is influenced by the needle on the Jaguar’s tachymeter. It’s finished with the classic Jaguar logo, and uses a modified 13¼in BE-50AV caliber movement with a 42-hour power reserve. Three strap sizes are available, and the watch costs $6495. bremont.com

128

Grand Seiko White Birch

Grand Seiko’s latest addition to the Evolution 9 Collection is the White Birch edition (SLGA009), inspired by the forests near the firm’s studio in Shinsu, where the Spring Drive watches are made.

The stainless-steel case contains a 9RA2 caliber with a 120-hour power reserve, and a precision of +0.5 seconds per day.

It costs $9100. grand-seiko.com

Patek Philippe Ref. 5326G-001 Annual Calendar Travel Time

This is the first time the Annual Calendar and Travel Time function mechanisms have been combined. The new movement sees the Annual Calendar controlled by the Travel Time function; the local-time hour wheel drives the calendar. The dial is designed to evoke memories of old camera cases. It comes with beige or black calfskin straps, and costs $76,882. patek.com M1 MOMENTUM

BUYING GUIDE

The F430 heralded the dawn of the modern era for mid-engined V8 Ferraris, and it still looks and drives like a contemporary supercar at a fraction of the cost W O R D S N AT H A N C H A D W I C K P H O T O G R A P H Y F E R R A R I

THE FERRARI F430 WAS A MARKED step-change in design from the curvaceous 360 Modena. Under the skin, the F136 V8 was all new, producing 483bhp from just 4.3 liters. The cambelt that caused so many issues in older V8 Ferraris was finally replaced with a chain, and the far quicker F1 automated transmission lifted performance to new heights.

The 2004 launch cars were Berlinettas, with the Spider arriving the following year. Most customers opted for the much-improved F1 paddle-shift gearbox, although Ferrari offered a traditional gated stick-shifter for the last time in a mid-engined V8. Around ten percent of cars are so equipped, and these now carry a premium over the F1 examples.

The stripped-down 430 Scuderia (pictured) was offered from 2007-on and, along with its lighter chassis, power was upped to 503bhp thanks to revised internals. A run of 499

BUYING GUIDE

Scuderia Spider 16M models was released the following year to celebrate the Formula 1 constructor’s Championship wins.

Although the car is valued as the last Ferrari you could get with a stick-shift gearbox, its F1 transmission is no poor relation. Many people assume it’s an automatic, but it’s an automated manual ’box that works well, except for lowspeed maneuvering.

ENGINE AND GEARBOX The all-new engine design shared many components with Maseratis. Most service items and parts can be sourced outside the usual dealer network. A general service is recommended every 6250 miles or once every year. Make sure that the oil has been regularly changed on cars with very low mileages.

The F430 has camchains that should be checked at every service.

Watch out for cracked manifolds, particularly on cars up to 2007. Although later models featured a modified system, no F430 is immune from the issue. Replacements are readily available, but get a specialist to check your car over as identifying a cracked manifold by sound alone requires a trained ear—although a slight ticking sound might indicate that a 132

Model history 2004 Ferrari F430 Berlinetta introduced.

Six-speed Formula 1-style automated manual gearbox or six-speed manual transmissions available. 4.3-liter 483bhp V8 an all-new design.

2005 Mechanically identical F430 Spider launched. F430 Challenge introduced as track-only race car for one-make Ferrari Challenge series.

2007 Lighter and faster 503bhp 430 Scuderia arrives. Available only in Berlinetta bodystyle and with paddle-shift gearbox. Carbon-ceramic brakes now standard on all models.

2008 Spider 16M run limited to 499 units.

Essentially a convertible Scuderia.

Production of all derivatives of F430 comes to an end one year later.

BUYING GUIDE

weld is cracking. Fail to spot the issue, and you run the risk of the bits being sucked into the engine, with horrific consequences for both the motor and your wallet.

The original exhaust-mounting brackets can crack, and catalytic converters have also been known to break up inside their casings. Some owners fit aftermarket manifold and exhaust systems to avoid potential issues later on.

Engine mounts are known to crack as well, and while parts are generally reasonably priced, it is a labor-intensive fix.

The paddle-shift gearbox was a big improvement over the earlier versions, and most customers chose this set-up. You can expect to get 16,000 miles between clutches, although the transmission-fluid change is equally critical every three years. Air ingress into F1 ’box gubbins can cause selection problems, and a new F1 pump is the usual fix.

While you’re doing this, it’s worth fitting a later, much-improved version. F1 actuators can also fail, which is a $8500 replacement, although some specialists can rebuild them. Manual clutches last 20,000 to 30,000 miles, although

F430 Scuderia Engine 4.3-liter V8 Power 503bhp Top speed 203mph 0-60mph 3.4 seconds Economy 15mpg

figures for both the F1 and three-pedaled cars will drop with extensive track action.

While the E-diff is pretty rugged, damaged solenoids can disable the system. Replacing the solenoids shouldn’t be too difficult for a skilled owner, however.

A recall was issued to rectify an issue with leaky clutch master cylinders, which could cause gear-selection issues. Remove the undertray to see whether any fluid is dripping out of the actuator.

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES

‘Although it’s valued as the last Ferrari you could get with stickshift gearbox, its F1 transmission is no poor relation’

Carbon-ceramic brakes were an option up until late 2007, and became standard from then on. Both set-ups should provide hasslefree service, although long periods of disuse can seize the caliper pistons. Look out for a hard brake pedal and poor stopping performance. Carbon-ceramic brake rotors should last for a very long time, but beware that the brake pads alone do cost more to replace than the combined price for standard steel rotors and pads.

The F430’s suspension features a complex

F430 Berlinetta Engine 4.3-liter V8 Power 483bhp Top speed 196mph 0-60mph 3.7 seconds Economy 15mpg

M1 MOMENTUM

133

BUYING GUIDE

arrangement of bearings, bushes and dampers that are known to wear out regularly. Factory replacement parts can be costly, and many specialists offer upgraded components with an extended service life. According to owners, lowering the suspension or fitting largerdiameter wheels can upset the balance of the car and cause accelerated component wear.

Even in standard spec, balljoints should be viewed as a consumable item, needing regular replacement. With low-profile rubber, largediameter alloy rims and stiff suspension, bent or damaged wheels are common.

BODYWORK AND INTERIOR The F430 has a predominantly aluminum bodyshell, which means rust is not an issue.

However, corrosion can still occur in areas where the paint has been chipped away by stones or scratches.

Check around the wheelarches, window surrounds and front bumper for a bubbling paint finish. The rear buttresses can also exhibit signs of corrosion.

The F430’s cabin was a big step up from those of its F355 and 360 predecessors, and the build quality is far superior. Most of the materials and surface coverings last well and should not show any signs of excessive wear and tear. Sticky switches usually just need cleaning rather than replacement.

Door handles can sometimes work loose and the mechanism may require re-tightening.

Electronics are more reliable than in earlier Ferraris, too, but a nearly flat battery can cause intermittent issues.

Check the soft-top alignment on Spiders; if the frame is bent or damaged, the roof can become stuck. The fabric top should be in near-perfect condition, and if there’s wear and tear then factor this into your haggling.

Repairs are expensive.

Which to buy

The F430 is a fantastic modern classic offering serious pace and daily usability.

Good reliability and few inherent issues mean there are a few out there with higher-than-expected mileage, but as long as the service history is sound, this could be a cost-effective way to Ferrari ownership. Be wary of cars with multiple owners and patchy maintenance, because repairs are predictably costly. Have a specialist give your potential purchase a once-over.

Ferrari got the F430 right from the beginning, so you don’t need to avoid the early cars. The usual red/cream color combo is the most popular, while the rare manuals can command a $10,000 price premium over the F1-equipped models. The Scuderia and especially the limited-edition Spider 16M have long commanded stratospheric prices, and while they do offer a more intense driving experience, few owners actually use them. If you intend to drive your F430 on the road, stick to the regular Berlinetta or Spider—you’ll hardly feel short-changed as you hit 7000rpm and beyond…

Values 2009 F430 Berlinetta Concours Excellent Good Fair

$198,000 $161,000 $133,000 $95,900

2009 F430 Spider Concours Excellent Good Fair

$219,000 $164,000 $147,000 $117,000

2009 F430 Scuderia Concours Excellent Good Fair

$296,000 $251,000 $229,000 $206,000

Values from Hagerty Price Guide, summer 2022, assuming car is fitted with F1 transmission.

More on www.hagerty.com XX

Celebrating the very best of the historic car hobby in the USA and around the world.

The collector car scene is vibrant, forward thinking and essential. Magneto is not a magazine that reflects only times gone by, but celebrates the historic car movement in the here and now. The best events, the technologies that are driving innovation in restoration, the personalities and the ever-changing market for buyers and sellers.

Keep informed and entertained with a subscription to Magneto - the quarterly magazine for those with a serious passion for collector cars.

VIEW THE L ATEST SUBSCR IPTION OFFERS AT WWW.MAGNETOMAGAZINE.COM/SU BSCRIBE/

AUTOMOBILIA

AUTOMOBILIA Often overlooked, original racing-team jackets can fetch anything from a few dollars to thousands —but price is no guarantee of good taste…

WORDS AND PHOTOGR APHY D AV I D L AW R E N C E

M1 MOMENTUM

AUTOMOBILIA

Vintage racing jackets ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO I WAS LOOKING for an original IROC racing-series jacket, and I was having quite a bit of trouble locating one. During my search I was presented with numerous other jackets for motor sport teams in the fields of IndyCar racing, NASCAR, sports car racing and dry-lakes racing.

I was struck by the rarity and the look of these jackets. Initially I was concentrating on the American-market Swingster-brand style of windbreakers from the 1960s. I felt that, living in California, I would get more use out of those lighter jackets. Then I changed my collecting focus to acquire virtually any raceteam or sponsor jacket I could find. I am up to about 150 jackets now.

I think of this article as ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’, because of the colors, and sometimes designers putting too much in a small space… also with colors. The NASCAR

OPPOSITE ‘Winston Cup’ down jacket was worn by oval-racing heroes in the 1960s and ’70s.

ABOVE From the sublime to the ridiculous...

M1 MOMENTUM

marketing geniuses who are gainfully employed are not exactly known for their fashion sense or good taste. No one told them you probably shouldn’t have bright orange, lime green and pink all on the same jacket. We also have some jackets with everything but the kitchen sink put on them. Andy Granatelli’s, seen here, is a good example. But as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Racing jackets primarily fall into two categories. One is the team jackets actually worn and used by the team owners, drivers and crew to help achieve brand awareness and to promote their sponsor while racing at various tracks. Category two is the sponsor or team jackets that were made to be either sold or given away to race fans at those very same venues. A few in this category were also advertised in car magazines at the time and sold via mail order.

In regard to sizing, it seems the ones you most often find available are either way too small or way too big. It is very hard to find jackets that you can actually wear. If I had limited my passion for collecting race jackets just to items I could wear and zip up, I would have a rather small collection.

The ‘Gould Indy’ team jacket is a great 1960s fashion and marketing statement: a straightforward and simple design, which gets the message across without any distractions. It has a metal circle-pull for the zipper, which is almost never used on a team jacket.

Now, at the opposite end of the taste spectrum, bordering on ugly—or to be a bit kinder, let’s just say a bit garish—is the ‘Andy Granatelli’s Tune Up Masters: Home of the World’s Fastest Passenger Cars!’ jacket. This fuchsia creation combines white and red embroidered type with a blue, yellow and white patch. There’s quite a bit of type on this jacket... Good luck trying to find any shoes or pants to match.

For the white Indy team jacket, they simply poached an ‘Indy 500’ jacket from the track store and had ‘Armstrong Mould Inc.’ boldly embroidered on the back, and team member ‘Carl’s name on the front. After a tough month, Gary Bettenhausen qualified the Armstrong 137

TOP ‘Firestone’ and ‘Wynn’s’ Indy 500 jackets boast a classy, old-school feel.

ABOVE 1960s ‘Gould Indy’ team jacket is a great 1960s fashion and marketing statement.

138

Mould Inc. car in the last spot for the 1980 Indy 500 race. He told his wife: “Be ready to leave; the car will not last.” But with Willie Davis as chief mechanic, he raced the car to a thirdplace finish. That result also helps make the jacket’s value stronger.

The ‘NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Drivers’ puffy, red, down-filled jacket was a staple that was worn by all of our heroes on TV after winning various oval races in the 1960s and ’70s. A true classic—and it will keep you warm as well.

I am not sure if the ‘Rodger Ward Firestone Store’ jacket was ever an actual team jacket or a sponsor jacket, but Rodger Ward did win the Indy 500 twice. He quit racing after 26 victories in a career of 150 races from 1950 to 1966, when he felt it wasn’t fun anymore.

The ‘USAC’ (United States Auto Club) jacket was worn and owned by the great Mr Clarence Cagle, who served as superintendent of the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1948 through 1977. He was named vice-president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation in 1952. Cagle was such a workaholic that he usually spent nights with his wife in the timing building instead of going home.

I have a white ‘Wynn’s’ jacket that was most likely used by a team mechanic, and has the dirt and patina to prove it. This jacket is super rare, and I used to have its black companion as well, but I sold it to the head of a fashion company that does $37 million a year. The white version I also sold, to the head of another fashion brand that does $9.91 billion in yearly sales, but… she never paid for it.

To me, these jackets represent a great kaleidoscopic view of fashion, time and place.

They capture a historic time and style in racing.

I try to wear as many of the jackets as I can during the year. They are fun and collectible, M1 MOMENTUM

and they are a lot rarer than you might think. I travel the world in search of collectible and important automobilia and automotive art, and I will pick up a new jacket if I find something interesting. Thrift stores are the best place to go to find wonderful older team jackets. eBay used to be a good source, but over the past several years I have seen the quality and selection of jackets on there drop precipitously, while the prices have been going way up.

The most valuable racing jacket I ever owned was the Steve McQueen Le Mans movie jacket, which I purchased from Eoin Young, who was Bruce McLaren’s best friend and personal secretary in the early years. Eoin went on to become one of the top Formula 1 journalists and leading authorities on car racing past and present. In 1998 I sold this jacket to the Dick Marconi Museum in Southern California; it’s been hanging in a prominent position there ever since.

Pricing is a bit tough to get a handle on, because I have paid anywhere from $20 to hundreds of dollars. I recently went to a local vintage-car swap meet, and there was a vendor specializing in old hot-rod and racing-team jackets. His prices ranged from $800 to $1200.

Thinking forward on values, I believe rarity will be the ultimate determining factor as to how to value these automotive collectibles.

And for some items, who the original owner of the jacket was can add a lot to its value.

A good example of this is Clarence Cagle’s jacket featured here.

The most enjoyable and best benefit by far is that these jackets are true collectibles which you can wear. By the way, I did eventually find an original IROC series jacket...

Thanks to Automobilia Resource magazine and website for help with this article, www.automobiliaresource.com, and to David Lawrence, https://madisonsauctions.com.

Give your vehicle the ENHANCEMENT and PROTECTION it deserves Ceramic Coating | Paint Protection Film | Window Tinting Our state-of-the-art facilities provide our in-house experts with the tools needed to achieve the perfect result. Our obsession with excellence at every stage will allow us to offer the highest quality result for our clientele. From total protection to concierge-level services.

Contact Us at (248) 930-0534 Info@ftautospa.com Info@ftautospa.com

FinishingTouchAutoSpa.com

Proud to build what drives you forward

Photo courtesy of Photo Kroo

AUCH Construction

Pontiac, MI

Photo courtesy of Photo Kroo

248-334-2000

auchconstruction.com

Track tips Look where you’re going!

Lead instructor Johnny O’Connell explains how to overcome track drivers’ most common mistake

W O R D S D AV I D L I L LY W H I T E PHOTOGRAPHY M1 CONCOURSE

140

THE TRACK-INSTRUCTION SESSIONS AT M1 Concourse are a chance to not just learn the lines of the Champion Motor Speedway, but to improve your general track-driving skills as well—which will make you quicker wherever you’re driving.

When lead instructor Johnny O’Connell is teaching, the class sizes will usually be four to six people, often with a second instructor to help out. Johnny is adamant that instructors need to ride with each person, which doesn’t happen at every driving school.

“If you ride with somebody, you can see what they’re doing in the cockpit, which is critical because technique is everything,” he says.

“You can’t be outside a car talking to a guy on the radio, and know if his left foot is over the clutch or sat on the dead pedal. How’s he holding the wheel? Where’s he looking at?”

These instructors will go out as passengers to observe the driving initially, then after three or four laps they will swap places. They’ll first show what the pupil was doing wrong—and then show them how to correct those mistakes, before swapping back again. And there’s one thing that comes up over and over again…

“The biggest problem most drivers will have is vision; you know, getting your eyes into the corner earlier,” says Johnny. “It’s funny, because you ride with people, and they put a helmet on M1 MOMENTUM

their head, and then they stop turning their head to look into a corner. So I say: ‘Watch a Formula 1 race. Watch it when a guy spins out; their head keeps looking where they want to go, even though the car might be at 45 degrees.’

It’s just teaching techniques like that.

“The other thing is just getting them to be better with their feet; how they utilize the pedals. People are always trying to be the last person to the brake, and over-slowing the car down or unbalancing it.”

Johnny also points out that every driver, even the very best, will miss an apex sometimes—but they have great short-term memories, so the next time they come up to that corner, they know what to do.

“I just tell myself to look at it, because I can remember what I did a couple minutes ago. If I look at it, I’m going to get there. It’s all about looking where you’re going.”

A lot of the drivers at M1 Concourse use Garmin GPS devices or similar, and Johnny says it’s a good idea to record his data and to compare their own with it. “There’s nothing that’s more fun than laying down some laps in a car—so now they have data. Then they can say, ‘I can brake later here. I need to get off the brake sooner here’, and all that kind of stuff. It really works!”

For more on track instruction at M1 Concourse, visit www.m1concourse.com/driving-schools.

SIGNATURE DRIVES RESULTS FULL-SERVICE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE PROVIDING GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS www.signatureassociates.com |

How to...

Manage tires on track Tires are key to maximizing a car’s track potential, so it pays to monitor their performance.

Here are five tips to get the best out of your rubber ROAD VS TRACK TIRES

FEEL THE PRESSURE

Road-tire manufacturers have a litany of regulatory hoops to jump through, which means their products can be compromised on track.

For the most part, this governance is a good thing—after all, a road tire has to work from Florida to Oregon, and everywhere in between, all year round. Such rubber is also constructed with fuel economy and ride comfort in mind, as well as wet-weather competence. As a result, these tires have a peak operating temperature of around 44ºF to 158ºF. Conversely, track-orientated rubber has few of these constraints, because the smooth asphalt of a race circuit allows for a harder construction. Track-biased tires still have to comply with some road regulations, but fuel economy and wet-weather performance will not be at its best. Their optimal operating range is between 176ºF and 212ºF. What all this means is that road tires pushed beyond their peak operating-temperature limit will wear quicker, as well as offer less grip when you need it. As the rubber heats up, the air pressures increase sharply, stiffening the tire and further increasing temperatures.

As a result of this, you will need to bleed air out of the tires after each track session in order to bring the pressure back to the correct level. If using road rubber on a circuit, either limit the length of your driving sessions or use cool-down laps during and at the end of each stint behind the wheel.

Getting the optimal hot-tire pressures depends on factors such as weather conditions, driving style and vehicle weight, but the level of grip and handling will change as the tires warm up.

If the rubber is under-inflated, the sidewalls will flex excessively, thus causing vague handling, ponderous turn-in and even possible tire damage, thanks to shoulder wear due to rolling over in hard cornering. Over-inflation reduces the width of a tire’s contact patch with the track, impacting on grip and the amount of feedback felt through the steering wheel.

The center of the tire could also overheat.

142

ROAD-TIRE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT Experts suggest setting the pressures at between 2psi and 4psi lower than the manufacturer’s suggested figure—you are aiming for a hot-pressure target of 2psi and 4psi above the recommended level.

If the tires are starting to squeal after ten to 15 minutes, come back into the pits and check the figures, and adjust to the target pressure. In the second session, the rubber is likely to have stabilized, so check again and adjust.

TESTING THE TEMPERATURES Pyrometers are the best way to monitor tire temperatures. Infrared pyrometers register a reading from the surface temperature, but pyrometers with a probe take the reading by being inserted into the tread to measure M1 MOMENTUM

the temperature in the tire block. This method is the more accurate one.

You can also check the pressures visually via the wear indicators on the tires’ shoulders.

When the wear footprint enters the triangle after a few laps, you’re at optimal pressure.

TEMPERATURE VARIATION Individual tires will vary in their construction and temperature-operating window, but as a general rule, road rubber has a variation averaging 50ºF across the tire and a maximum pressure of 40psi when hot. As soon as the car has stopped in the pits, take three temperature readings: 25mm in from the outside and inside edges of the tire, and also the center.

It’s quite a science; if the center is hotter than the inside or outside, then the pressure is too high; 1psi equates to around 36ºF. If the inside or outside is hotter than the center, then the pressure is too low, so add 1psi per 36ºF. If the inside is hotter than the outside, there’s too much negative camber. If the outside is hotter than the inside, there’s too little negative camber, and/or too much toe-in.

If the front tires are hotter than those at the rear, and there’s too much understeer, the pressure in the front rubber is too low and the pressure in the rear is too high. However, understeer could be influenced by tires that are too narrow at the front, and too wide at the rear, or else overly stiff suspension and/or anti-roll bars at the front, too soft at the rear.

A FLEET OF HUNDREDS OR A RARE CLASSIC, WE DELIVER

UNPARALLELED FLEXIBILITY. We don’t believe in one-size fits all. We believe in finding the right transporter for the job. When you have the largest fleet of specialized automotive carriers in North America, you’re able to cater to the specific needs of manufacturers, collectors and everyone in-between.

Reliable Carriers, vehicles taken seriously.

OFFICIAL CARRIER OF:

800.521.6393 reliablec arriers.com

THERE’S NO BETTER WAY TO GET A FULLER understanding of your pride and joy’s underside than to get it in the air. With so many variations to choose from, what should you watch out for? We take a look at the options with regard to two-post or four-post lifts.

Two-post lifts are a popular choice among beginner mechanics and for those who have little room available. The arms themselves also take up less space under the car, meaning that you can access more of the vehicle’s underside. In addition, two-post lifts are a good option if you need to move the lift around the space you have, and it’s easier to fix and remove when required.

Despite their diminutive dimensions, two-post lifts are capable of supporting vans, small to medium-sized trucks and SUVs. However, the set-up needs plenty of care and research. While most modern cars will have identifying marks for the lifting points, this may not apply for older cars. You also need to consider where the vehicle’s center of gravity is, so you know where to place the arms. Failure to consider this, or to balance the two arms

144

Choosing equipment Lifts The easiest way to work underneath your car is to get it up into the air—but what kind of lift will best suit your particular needs?

W O R D S N AT H A N C H A D W I C K PHOTOGRAPHY SHUT TERSTOCK

M1 MOMENTUM

properly, may lead to nasty accidents.

Four-post lifts are far more stable. Not only is the car held up by double the number of arms, but most four-post lifts have extra safety features such as a secondary safety system, manual deadbolt locks, stop plates and more besides. They’re much easier to use, too—simply drive the car on until you reach the stop plates.

Four-post lifts are also able to lift vehicles higher into the air; not only does this help if you’re a taller wrench-wielder, but it provides handy storage underneath the top car. The downside to four-post lifts is that they require a lot of space; however, they are capable of carrying much heavier loads than two-post set-ups.

Price may play a part in your choice, although the differences are not quite as big as you might think. You’re looking at $1500 to $2000-plus for a two-post lift, while a four-post lift starts at around $2300. The answer lies in what you’re working on and in; if you’re just tinkering in the garage, a two-post lift may make more sense, but if you’re looking to maximize storage space, a four-post lift might be the answer if you have the room or are working on a larger vehicle.

technology

solution

+400%

Flat spot?

Never again!

490 mm.

500 mm.

740 m

m.

info@altairego.it

www.altairego.it

ALTairEGO tyre cushion truly offers additional +400% bearing surface to the tyre when parked on it compared to the ground. Though avoiding flat spot.

3 lines of products, Comfort, Showster and SToraway, 16 models specific to the car’s kerb weight between 800 Kg and upto 4000 Kg.

Brands here eventually represented are property of their respective owners.

additional tyre-bearing surface from this specially designed cushion

PA R T I N G S H O T Le Mans, 1964: Carroll Shelby (right) waits on the pit counter with Bob Bondurant for the Cobra Daytona Coupe to pit. Bondurant and Dan Gurney finished first in the GT class and fourth overall.

PHOTOGRAPHY K L E M A N TA S K I C O L L EC T I O N / G E T T Y I M A G ES

F E AT U R E N A M E

Looking for secure parking and storage?

Come stay with us. Why? Because...

•24-hour camera surveillance •LED lighted parking area •Fenced & gated property •Assigned keypad gate code •Gates operational 24-hours •Approximately 1,000 storage sites •12’ wide parking spaces •30’ wide aisles •Sanitary sewer station onsite

•Fresh water rinse-out provided •Complementary air for tire inflation •Commercial vehicles have remote gate access (deposit required)

For more information visit warrenrvstorage.com

6900 E FOURTEEN MILE M 1 M O MRD, E N T U M WARREN, MI 48092

XXX

WWW.M1CONCOURSE.COM