Bombshell: Porsche had not clue the 911 would be any good as a race car
Brumos Porsche of Florida is no ordinary dealership as anyone remotely interested in sports car racing well knows so, while this is a promo for them, I'm guessing you will enjoy hearing racing legend Vic Elford tell the story of how Porsche was completely clueless as to the then new 911's potential as a race car in the early 60's.
As Elford tells it in a panel discussion which included Brumos VP Hurley Haywood, he had to beg for an early 911 to go rallying with. The rest is, as they say, history.
Elford's book is required reading for anyone who is serious about motor sport.
ReplyDeletedo you mean this one? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1893618528/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1893618528&linkCode=as2&tag=axisofover-20
ReplyDeleteThat's the one. His book and Derek Bell's are both filled with amazing stories of their time as racers. If I'm not mistaken if you buy the book from his website you can get it signed, too.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Mark Donohue's "The Unfailr Advantage"
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, in fact I think that is the best book on racing I've ever read. Denis Jenkinson's The Racing Driver is a classic too, as is Jackie Stewart's auto-bio (although that one is a bit self-congratulatory). A definitive motorsport library post would be great although a bit of a tall order. Nigel Roebuck once answered a reader question on his top 5 or 10 motor racing books. If I can find it I'll post it here.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article. I have been trying to find activities for my kids to get involved in but it is hard. They both love racing cars but they are way to young to be driving them yet. I found a club that does slot car racing. They get to race there own remote control cars with other kids and they love it. It is also safer then actually racing cars. They have been doing it for a few months now and they almost are ready to compete. For Christmas this year I want to get them something for their slot cars. I was told to invest in digital slot car sets. This would help them compete more by being able to switch lanes and over taking their competitors. I hope they like it and will win many races!
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