Historic motorsport, classic car features Retro-Speed classic car magazine

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COUNTING CHICKENS - Omnibus 2 : Peter Baker

Counting Chickens Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 2, 20 September 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Press Day, Geneva Motor Show, 12 March 1969. Von Undeesteer arrived early, wanting to give Rico Steinemann, new boss at Porsche Racing, the right impression. After a quick coffee he used the spare time to circulate the stands. The new Ford Cap...

COUNTING CHICKENS - Omnibus 1 : Peter Baker

Counting Chickens Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 1, 13 September 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Charlie Wren, better known by one-and-all as Birdie, loved everything about his new Ford Capri, from its metallic bronze paintwork and fancy wheels to the eight-track stereo, currently blasting Bob Seger out through the open windows. Janice, mo...

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE - THE 2020 CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE : Stephen Mosley

Raw racers at royal palace Words and images by Stephen Mosley It may be expected that a prestige concours held in the grounds of a royal palace would be the preserve of the perfectly polished couture carrosserie. However, this year's event at Hampton Court Palace also had room for the raw racer, whether eroded by competition or pristinely restored. Even before the main event in the gardens...

A WING AND A PRAYER - Omnibus 6 : Peter Baker

A Wing and a Prayer Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 6, 6 September 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page While all this frivolity was taking place, out in the wilderness, Lars Molefe was feeling sick, and worried. “Where the heck is Bheka?” he thought to himself, throwing another piece of wood on the fire. “Man should have been bac...

THE PRINCE OF MONACO'S COLLECTION : Roman Klemm

My replacement for this year's Grand Prix de Monaco Words and pictures by Roman Klemm Twenty-twenty will certainly go down in history as ‘discarded’ for many more important reasons, but from the point of view of a racing fan, it was also exceptional in that, for the first time since 1954, the Grand Prix de Monaco was not held. Nonetheless, one travelled to the fashionable princi...

HSCC OULTON PARK GOLD CUP - Editorial Ramblings : Peter Baker

A gold cup and isolating with a glass of red Words and images by Peter Baker The last weekend and bank holiday of August, as always, spells Oulton Park and the much-applauded three-day Gold Cup meeting organised by our friends at HSCC. Thus, Sunday morning I headed north 100 miles aboard my trusty MG ZTT, leaving early to avoid the traffic, and aiming to arrive before the crowds. And crowd...

1973 SAFARI RALLY : Ken Davies

Fourteenth only for Ford Words by Ken Davies, written from Ford's original press release. Images courtesy Ford Press Department and archive. Ford fielded a team of world class drivers in five rally-proven cars with a well-presented campaign that promised so much but, in the end, delivered so little! First run as the East African Coronation Safari Rally in 1953, the event is always consid...

A WING AND A PRAYER - Omnibus 5 : Peter Baker

A Wing and a Prayer Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 5, 30 August 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page As they climbed, using full power, angry flashing fingers of orange-coloured light flicked the defenceless Comet around the sky. Higher and higher they flew. Colder and colder it got. Until freezing temperatures stopped the engines. In a moment of...

BAKER STREET : Peter Baker

Locked up in Baker Street Dear Reader: When this inconvenient pandemic first struck and we were given orders to lie low, nobody was more enthusiastic about being marooned at home than yours truly. The perfect opportunity, I thought, to catch up. Not just by mowing the lawn, or washing the cars, but by going one step further and do something, that in domestic terms, would be mildly unexpected, ...

STUART PEGG INTERVIEW : Ken Davies

Stuart Pegg – 1976 Lombard RAC Rally Winning Co-driver Images courtesy of Stuart Pegg Archive and Ken Davies The 24th Lombard RAC Rally, 27-30 November 1976, provided a popular winner for thousands of British rally fans when the dashing Roger Clark, guided his Cossack-sponsored Ford Escort MkII RS 1800 over the finishing ramp in Bath, accompanied by Stuart Pegg. But to the maj...

A WING AND A PRAYER - Omnibus 4 : Peter Baker

A Wing and a Prayer Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 4, 23 August 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page As the Taylor Twins approached Almaza airport, adjacent to Cairo in Egypt, with Hilda flying and Ada holding the guide book, both DH88 Comets were cooling off at the lakeside Kisumu checkpoint, a further 2,000 miles down the line in Western Kenya,...

A WING AND A PRAYER - Omnibus 3 : Peter Baker

A Wing and a Prayer Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 3, 16 August 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page For those taking part in the Johannesburg air race, life in a straight line had developed into a series of tedious and repetitive checks. In fact, such was their regularity, for those flying solo any sudden variation, whether wind shift or height c...

A WING AND A PRAYER - Omnibus 2 : Peter Baker

A Wing and a Prayer Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 2, 9 August 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page With just 24 hours remaining before the official race start, Shawstone Park had become the epicentre of world aviation. London Globe’s chief sports reporter Tim Chapman had his own open-air studio built on top of the castle, from where he cou...

A WING AND A PRAYER - Omnibus 1 : Peter Baker

A Wing and a Prayer Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus 1, 2 August 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Late August 1936: Jack Stone looked up at the sky, and shook his head. “Sorry guys, this is a waste of everybody’s time.” “Not your fault mate.” “Three bloody days.” “Like we said Jack, it’s n...

GREEN LIGHT SIXTY-ONE - Omnibus 9 : Peter Baker

Green Light Sixty-One Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 9, 26 July 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Billy Hill waited 15 minutes, staring into a star-filled sky anticipating the mother of all explosions but, unless you counted a distant motorcycle backfire, nothing remotely resembling a ‘final settlement‘ took place. Disapp...

HORSEPOWER AT AINTREE : Stephen Mosley

Aintree’s 65th anniversary celebration Words and images by Stephen Mosley Ask most people about the British Grand Prix and they will have heard of Silverstone, or possibly even Brands Hatch, but few will be aware of the significance of Aintree on the outskirts of Liverpool. Hardly surprising, as this circuit, constructed partly around and partly within the horse racing course famous ...

MASTERS HISTORIC RACE WEEKEND 2020 - Editorial Ramblings : Peter Baker

Through the fence Words and Images by Peter Baker. Click to view our Gallery. After a successful trip to my first full race meeting since lockdown, to Brands Hatch, the second weekend in succession saw me at another MSV-owned circuit, this time Donington Park for the Masters two-day historic meeting on 18-19 July. And with no accreditation yours truly only gained admission by purchasing a &...

GREEN LIGHT SIXTY-ONE - Omnibus 8 : Peter Baker

Green Light Sixty-One Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 8, 19 July 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page The glitzy launch of Shawstone Castle Hotel hit every society magazine and newspaper across the world. It was, in the words of Top Ten, ‘Quite the best party this side of Liz Taylor’s fourth, or maybe fifth, marriage.’ ...

MOTORSPORTFESTIVAL SALZBURG 2020 : Roman Klemm

German and Austrian historic season kicks off at Salzburg Words and images by Roman Klemm The fans and competitors of motorsport had to wait a long time for the first ‘live event’ of 2020. The Salzburgring paddock was filled with those craving for the smell of gasoline as the Motorsportfestival on 10-12 July marked the start of Germany’s and Austria’s 2020 historic ...

GREEN LIGHT SIXTY-ONE - Omnibus 7 : Peter Baker

Green Line Sixty-One Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 7, 12 July 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page While Winston was racing at Silverstone and being soundly beaten into a mid-field finish by the likes of Graham Hill, Roy Salvadori, Mike Parkes, John Surtees and Bruce McLaren, all in similar cars, Mickey was on his way to Geneva and the...



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