The latest issue of Vintage Motorsport, Jan/Feb 2022, features a rear three-quarter-view photo of one of the most potent and attractive Grand Prix cars of the 1950s, Juan-Manuel Fangio’s Lancia D50. And that image tripped my memory circuit, reminding me of another bright red Italian race car on the cover of VM enjoyed cover to cover in a Christmas Holiday vacation week 18 years ago.
On the Jan/Feb 2004 VM cover was New Yorker Tony Wang’s pristine Frank Kehr-restored ex-works, ex-Carroll Shelby, ’57 Maserati 300S. Inside more drool-triggering Don Heiny photos accompanying a well-researched William Edgar Salon feature, and I spent considerable time absorbing it.
The 300S was a complex, durable, magnificent sports car, and this issue celebrating it remains one of my favorite must-haves.
The Maserati feature is the central but not the only attraction of Jan/Feb 2004: Elsewhere inside the big (116-page) issue a report on the Mark Donohue Tribute weekend at Watkins Glen celebrating the all-too-short life of one of America’s most versatile and talented drivers, and a big hero of mine—the first racing driver I ever got to speak with in the first pro race I ever attended (the 1970 Bryar Trans-Am).
Elsewhere, there’s also a follow-up Part 2 of another Edgar issue highlight, this a celebration of the popular 1950s Palm Springs (Calif.) Airport course sports car races; plus a continuation of the serialized History of IMSA, covering the early “Camel GT” years, 1976-1980.
In stark contrast to the many airport courses (like Palm Springs) raced on through the ’50s and ‘60s were the numerous purpose-built road courses beginning to dot the global landscape in the late 20th century, noted and discussed in a compelling BS Levy feature story, “Race Track Renaissance” examining the “current bonanza of racetrack construction and older racetrack restoration [to] see what it means for vintage road racing.”
There’s so much more in this dense-pack holiday-special issue, including the 2003 Goodwood Revival plus a quintet of America’s most significant fall vintage races: the Lime Rock Fall Festival, HSR Daytona, SVRA Watkins Glen, CSRG Infineon (nee Sears Point) and Pittsburgh Vintage GP.
For Vintage Motorsport back issue ordering information, click HERE
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