The Sounds of Sebring.

Tomorrow you'll be able to tune into Fox Sports to follow the 2015 12 Hours of Sebring.  You'll get live timing and scoring, updates on Twitter and Facebook,  Before most of us were born, before there was an internet, before podcasting, before there was live TV for motor racing,  fans would either read about races or perhaps be lucky enough to score one of these audio documentaries on vinyl from Riverside Records.

Riverside was a jazz label in the 50s but its founder, Bill Grauer was a racing fan who produced these incredible recordings.

Given how attention span has decreased over the years, you might find it hard to listen to the whole thing: the 1956 edition is an hour long, the 1957 an hour and a half.  That would be a shame but,  if it's just too much, at least browse them,  there are some real gems here.  

Moss and Z.A-D

The 1956 edition, for example,  starts with a description of Stirling Moss:

"As a driver, Moss' style can described as erratic but terribly fast.  He sits well back in the car, arms outstretched to the wheel.  He's quite spectacular, honking his horn frequently at cars that do not pull over fast enough for him to pass, waving at spectators and flagmen.   In easier races he is inclined to aim for photographers who get too close on corners, all in fun of course, and while they bare him no malice, they learned to honor his right to the road and take their pictures from behind the fences."

8 minutes of great FIA GT1 action

Maserati vs Aston Martin vs Ford, sounds like a classic matchup from the glory years of sports car racing. This was, I'm sure you recognized, at Interlagos. The drivers: Yann Clairay (Aston Martin) , Michael Bartels (Maserati), Thomas Mutsch (FordGT) and Alex Muller (Maserati 33). For a play by play check out Chequeredflag.co.uk

Turn it WAY up!




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FIA GT1: Manufacturer's World Championship

Seems hard to believe now but there was a time when sports car racing was more advanced and more popular than Formula 1. In the late 60s, early 70s, at the time of prototype racing, it was the epic war between Ferrari, Porsche and Ford that kept people riveted. Inevitably with the growing importance of television, endurance racing did not fit the bill and faded away.

Back to the future, for 2010 the FIA has recognized the GT1 series as a "world" championship and the format has been changed from endurance to sprints, albeit with a mandatory driver and tire change. Ford, Maserati, Nissan, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and GM will each field four cars in GT1. GT2 and GT3 will remain as "local" European championships with BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Ascari, Audi continuing to slug it out there.

Here is the video from the official launch in Paris, I recognize Tiff Needell there, but was that Eric Clapton at the beginning?

At the end of the clip you can see the cars in action, testing at Paul Ricard.

end of post

They turn a Maserati into a boat: Arrested!

The latest adventure of two Italian "Autonauts" ended off the coast of Tuscany yesterday when they were "pulled over" by the coast guard, given tickets for failing to comply with marine regulations and, presumably, painting a Maserati lilac.

Marco Amoretti and Marcolino De Candia told the authorities they were planning to sail around Italy from Forte dei Marmi to Venice.

It is not the first time the two self described "Autonauts" use cars in ways never quite intended: in 1999 the crossed the Atlantic, from the Canaries to Martinique on board a Ford Taurus and VW Passat filled with polyurethane foam.

(via RaiNews24) (Ruotenelvento.it)

And here is the rest of it.

Hello, I'm Michael and I'll be your chauffeur today...

You know how sometimes you see online contests but you don't fill the application because you figure you'll never win anyway?

That's what almost happened to the author of a very nice F1 blog out of Hong Kong called F1 Wolf. He entered a Bacardi online contest and promptly forgot all about it. You can read all about how Bacardi flew him an 29 others to the amazing Ascari race resort in southern Spain for a track date with Michael Schumacher, it's a great story with great pictures, don't miss it: F1Wolf's date with Schumacher

Ascari kindly provided him with a video of his two laps next to the cufflink wearing seven time world champion in a Maserati GT. Even at 8/10ths or less Schumacher, with his ultra smooth style, certainly flatters the big Maserati, I would love to see him tap the disappointed Jeremy Clarkson on the shoulder and say "Hello...may I drive this for you?"

(via F1Wolf.com)





And here is the rest of it.

Politically Incorrect Commercial Film Festival

Unconstrained by an easily offended public, car companies have commissioned all manner of creative work for markets outside the US.   From Nissan's artistic stuntman Joe Zakopane to Maserati's mysterious soft core to Peugeot's humping bugs these are some of funniest and most bizarre clips you will never see on your American TV.

We'll start with Poland's most famous stuntman, you'll find the rest after the jump.

Maserati MC12 Nürburgring lap.

Third in the Supercarmovies.com/Black Falcon/EVO Supertest laps series, after the Enzo Ferrari (great except for shocks which gave up halfway through the lap) and the Koenigsegg CCX (Heavy, soft and I think they crashed it too...).

Now it time for the Maserati MC12, a car somewhere between and Enzo and an FXX. Produced in less numbers than the Ferrari it is a rare sight and fairly absurd as a "road car" but the only car among the ones tested with a racing pedigree. Let's see how if worked on the Nordschleife .

Video HERE

After the jump I added a couple of behind the scenes YouTube clips shot as the tests were happening. Recognize a familiar car pulling into the parking lot behind the mega cars?






Here

Supercars in Hell...

...the green hell that is.

Pardon the pun but this test runs rings around all others we have seen. This is how tests should be done: same time, same place, same driver, same amount of fuel and cars to factory spec. This is an Axis approved test.

Enzo Ferrari, Maserati MC12, Pagani Zonda R, Porsche Carrera GT and a Koeniggseg CCX, Supercar Movies and Black Falcon Performance really hit one out of the park.

The only improvement would be to have all the telemetry data available, perhaps in later episodes we will get that too. Below is the introduction and, after the jump, let's find out how the Enzo did on a timed lap around the Nürburgring.
(thank you Jay for the tip!)





Sorry but Supercarmovies.com objected to our direct use.... go see them on supercarmovies.com
Interesting about the shocks, whe we were at the Nürburgring, Dale Lomas told us the new M3 had similar issues, where dampners would overheat during the lap...

Can't wait for the next four episodes!

I dare you not to drool.

Or use it as a wallpaper...


Maserati Granturismo MC Concept


And here is the rest of it.

"...like a accident in a fireworks factory"

Have you bought the January issue of CAR?

GranTurismo

Looks wise, what's not to like with that new Maserati Granturismo?
No track toy but Aston's getting some segment competition.
..OK fine, I like the girl from the back!
photos from autoblog.it