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

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THE CAR THAT WOULDN'T DIE - Omnibus 5 : Peter Baker

The Car that wouldn’t Die Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Give the man a cigar. In truth, both men spent more time checking their watches than playing good chess. And after a prolonged series of bad moves they gave up. "Fifteen minutes to go before the deadline." "Let’s go through everything again Bertram. If, at one mi...

FIA EHRC CONTENDERS PENTTI VEIKKANEN AND TIMO JAAKKOLA - Jeff Carter

Getting to know Pentti Veikkanen and Timo Jaakkola Words and image by Jeff Carter Finnish duo Pentti Veikkanen and Timo Jaakkola have been a regular feature on the FIA EHRC for many years in their distinctive Category 3 Porsche 911 SC, which they have named ‘The Red Devil’ In 2019 Pentti and Timo finished 2nd in class on no less than five occasions, in Vltava, Asturias, Ypres,...

THE CAR THAT WOULDN'T DIE - Omnibus 4 : Peter Baker

The Car that wouldn’t Die Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Call it intuition, training on the ground, or just Bertie’s sixth sense, that of self-preservation. Whatever, it sent alarm bells ringing. Just as it had in Cairo, downtown New York, Berlin and several cities in India. Bertram’s nose twitched. He was being f...

THE CAR THAT WOULDN'T DIE - Omnibus 3 : Peter Baker

The Car that wouldn’t Die Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Ropey saved Dotty’s life. He threw a blanket over the flames and manhandled her from the cockpit. Meanwhile, the others pushed the Bentley into open space and watched it burn. A sad end indeed to their race. Out on track a classic ending to Le Mans 24 H...

FIA EHRC CONTENDERS ERNIE AND KAREN GRAHAM : Jeff Carter

Getting to know Ernie and Karen Graham Words and images by Jeff Carter Husband-and-wife team Ernie and Karen Graham have been a regular feature on the FIA European Historic Rally Championship since 2017. In 2019 they had their best season with several Category 1 victories in their Ford Escort Twincam, enabling them to finish second overall at the end of the season, just two points behind c...

RAMBLING AROUND WITH THE VSCC AND BOC - Editorial Ramblings : Peter Baker

Up and down hills Words and images by Peter Baker Saturday 24 April and I’m pointing the trusty MG ZTT towards the Welsh Borders and day one of the VSCC Herefordshire Trial. It’s going to be hot and sunny which, of course, is all wrong for trialling. We need mud, mud, glorious mud, not dust, dust and more dust. That said, quite a few competitors still managed to cock-up the all...

THE CAR THAT WOULDN'T DIE - Omnibus 2 : Peter Baker

The Car that wouldn’t Die Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page The sixth Grand Prix of Endurance took place at Circuit de la Sarthe over the weekend 16-17 June 1928. With the circuit now fully surfaced, and weather set fair, record-breaking was taken for granted. Without doubt, the Bentley four-car team were favourites, but could ...

THE CAR THAT WOULDN'T DIE - Omnibus 1 : Peter Baker

The Car that wouldn’t Die New Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page It was September 1924. No, I tell a lie. It was the second week of October. At the International Motor Car Show, Olympia, where a very young Bertie Bannister of Difflock Mansions, Mayfair, egged on by his latest girlfriend Lena Thataway, handed over a substantial amou...

FIA HISTORIC MOTOR SPORT COMMISSION : Jeff Carter

Q&A with the President John Naylor Words and image by Jeff Carter In December 2020 John Naylor was appointed President of the FIA Historic Motor Sport Commission, taking over from Paolo Cantarella, who had held the post since 2014. John Naylor brings with him a wealth of experience as a competitor, engineer and official, both in his native Ireland and on the international stage. We ca...

THE SCOTTS GO MOTORING - Omnibus 13: Peter Baker

The Scotts go Motoring Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Way before Noakes was comfortably tucked up, George had decided on his course of action. He picked up the microphone. “This is your captain speaking. I know things look pretty grim at the moment, but actually folks, trust me, there’s not much to worry about. This...

FIA EHRC CONTENDER JEAN-FRANCOIS MOURGUES : Jeff Carter

Getting to know Jean-Francois Mourgues Words and image by Jeff Carter The 2001 French Rally Champion and former World Rally Championship competitor Jean-Francois Mourgues will take part in the 2021 FIA European Historic Rally Championship at the wheel of a BMW M3 with co-driver Denis Giraudet, who has five WRC rally wins between 1993 and 2001, one with Juha Kankkunen and four with Didier A...

THE SCOTTS GO MOTORING - Omnibus 12: Peter Baker

The Scotts go Motoring Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page It was raining again, thanks to another warm front working its way east along the coastline, and their primitive windscreen wipers had long since ceased to function. Robert, trying be helpful, suggested a potato might help, but Florence was in no mood for flippancy. “W...

FIA EHRC CONTENDER ANDREA 'ZIPPO' ZIVIAN : Jeff Carter

Getting to know Andrea ‘Zippo’ Zivian Words and image from Jeff Carter The 2021 FIA European Historic Rally Championship is due to get underway in April, with competitors looking forward to getting back onto the stages across Europe following the cancellation of last year’s series due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a series of short interviews with the leading competitors,...

THE SCOTTS GO MOTORING - Omnibus 11: Peter Baker

The Scotts go Motoring Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page It was a beautiful afternoon for the Scotts to go motoring. The tiny villages of La Chaise-Dieu, Arianc and Ambert, just dots on the map, came and went, as did Courpiere and Thiers, where Florence hesitated at the main crossroads. “Straight on.” Robert went back...

MONACO MUSINGS 2018 : Roman Klemm

Roman looks back at the 2018 GP de Monaco Historique 2018 Words and images by Roman Klemm Let’s hope, this was not the last time…. 'This could be the last time', rocked the Rolling Stones back in 1965 – let’s hope this is not the case with the 2018 Monaco Historique. Everyone who said goodbye to Monaco back then, started looking forward to its next edition. Howe...

THE SCOTTS GO MOTORING - Omnibus 10: Peter Baker

The Scotts go Motoring Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Eventually Bill wrestled back the controls from Winston, who then retired into the cabin and flopped himself down in a makeshift chair. After five minutes of cloud-gazing the great man declared himself bored. “Tell you what Bertie. Let’s play ‘I-Spy’?...

ALL ELECTRIC BY 2030 - PURELY PERSONAL : David Alderson

Oats and grain, to ligroin, to electric Words by David Alderson I see that motor manufacturers are not going to be allowed to offer new internal combustion-engined vehicles for sale to the public after 2030. Well, that’s a great shame because I’m certain there’s a lot more development potential in these engines, particularly compression ignition engines (diesel) which, the...

MONACO MUSINGS 2016 : Roman Klemm

Roman looks back at the 2016 GP de Monaco Historique Words and images by Roman Klemm Monte Carlo full of stars.... The fashionable Monte Carlo has always been a kind of ‘High Society’ gathering, but in 2016 the Historique attracted a particularly large number of motorsport stars. The trend of former giants of steering wheels finding their way back into cockpits of real r...

THE SCOTTS GO MOTORING - Omnibus 9 : Peter Baker

The Scotts go Motoring Serial copyright Peter Baker Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Due to heat haze and low-level turbulence, Captain Bill Pitt, chief test pilot with Stanley Page Aviation, made a cautious approach into Delhi military airfield, allowing plenty of time for the experimental, four-engined, SPA-X4 long-range, heavy bomber, to settle. It had be...

BAKER STREET : Peter Baker

Briggs Cunningham Museum, eventually Words and image by Peter Baker I remember flying into New York for the first time, as if it was yesterday. And in case you’re thinking, the man’s grown wings, I was on board a Jumbo Jet. Anyway, along with that sinking feeling that goes with losing height, the spiky top of the Empire State Building suddenly poked up through the swirling clou...



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