Auto union invades the UK once more

[KC]

At the only place they ever raced in the UK, Audi is bringing their Auto Union GP cars to Donington Park for the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy Meeting on May 19-20.

Wish I could be there!

[TimD]

The only sadness in this news is that it's just going to be demonstration runs. About ten years ago, we actually had one entered for a couple of races.

Last year's Seaman Memorial had John Surtees demonstrating a 1930s Mercedes W163, and glorious it was too.

That's the great thing about the VSCC. The hordes who go to other race meetings always forget that the Vintage boys and girls are hosting an event, and yet the choicest racing machinery comes out to play.

Am I going to be there? You bet I'm going to be there.

It's only a plane ticket away, KC!

[djb]

Last week I saw a Speedvision doc. about the "Silver Arrows", which answered a number of questions that I had about the cars. There was a fair amount of period footage, including stuff from the factory, and race footage. Learned about Hans Stuck, Rosemeyer and others who raced them,and there was a good section on the speed record attempts done with the slipstreamer bodied cars, up near 270mph if I recall correctly-and ending with Rosemeyer's death during one of these runs. I was surprised to learn that Nuvorali (spelling right?) even drove for them, I think though at a year when the Mercedes were dominant.

Some time back, I had asked you fellows if there were any still running, and in the doc. they showed the 6-wheeler (hillclimbing version I believe) being driven by Hans Stuck Jr. at Goodwood up the driveway, as well as him talking about the car etc. I'm sure that some of you were there.

Seeing the period footage, with the massive German fans at the German GP, plus the advanced tech specs of the engineering, could not help but make one think of the social/political situation of the time, it's impact on the great importance of funding and developing the technology and "national pride". In a few scant years, those well engineered superchargers would be allowing ME 109s etc to have more grunt than Hurricanes and Spits at high altitude........

[Craig]

I'm gonna annoy Tim now (I know he'd rather the 'rowdy' element of 10 Tenths stuck to the BTCC and Powertour...) and i'm gonna say how much i'm looking forward to this - I really hope I can be there

Since reading the book 'Hitler's Grand prix In England' i've been hoping to have the opportunity to see and hear the awesome German cars of that era for myself - with the Auto Unions at Donington in May and hopefully the Mercedes machines at Goodwood later in the year, I may get that wish granted sooner than I thought

[TimD]

On the contrary, Craig, the more the merrier. The VSCC aren't as precious as you imagine, and will race some glorious, and very disreputable cars for your pleasure.

And besides, I always enjoy being around when a newcomer catches their first sight of 24 litres of Bentley-Napier in full thunder, or sees the sheer nerve of the Morgan riders as they lean half out of their cars, sidecar-passenger fashion.

Did I mention that a couple of years ago, Mercedes even sent Heidfeld to show off a McLaren? Compared with some of the vintage machines, it seemed a bit... well... wussy.

May 20th. Be there or be cuboid - which is even worse than being square.

[Craig]

It clashes with the BTCC at Oulton Park but, unless the new BTCC really blows everything away, i'll be at Donington i'm sure Remind us closer to the time by posting a note in the trackside forum though will you ?

Whilst we're talking pre-war machinery - any idea what will be running up the hill at Goodwood this year ? I know that it's dedicated to Mercedes and Ferrari this year, so we can expect 2000 F1 Ferrari's and McLarens as a minimum, but we can see these anywhere - is there any word on any pre-war Mercedes GP cars which might be there ?

[djb]

Tim, while not really familiar with the likes of the Bentley-Napier, I have seen (only on the tube, alas) and read of a few of it's comtempories. Didn't alot of them use aircraft engines? The ones I have seen were always chain drive-usually with a thoroughly dangerous looking number within (un)safe reach of the driver if they ever fell off! What astounded me more than the umpteen litre engine sizes were the outputs, what, only 120hp from 18 litres, but wait, wohoy, 500 ft/lbs or more of torque!! Can you say, "steer with your right foot?"
There is a beautiful British Classic car mag that I have parused a few times (cannot recall the name, haven't seen it for awhile) and have read some very interesting road tests of older stuff, Porsche 917, GT-40, a shark-nose replica used for the film Grand Prix I think (as there are no real ones left-it made Phil Hill do a double take apparently) and once they drove a car like this-again, sorry, absolutey no recollection of what it was, but the driver said that it wasn't too bad to drive. If it started to push in a corner, a slight push of the gas would set the rear end around just nicely....
I always loved old aircraft sounds and smells, so these things must be wonderful to see close up.

[TimD]

djb,

The Bentley-Napier is indeed aero-powered. It runs a Napier Sea-Lion engine in an 8-litre Bentley chassis. In this configuration, it has shaken the circuits of Britain for nearly 35 years. And it sounds absolutely awesome.

A couple of years ago, we went to the Brooklands Society Reunion, and there they decided to organise a suitable tribute to Denis Jenkinson, who had died shortly before.

Two minutes' silence was deemed inappropriate for a man whose whole life was devoted to the infernal combustion engine, and so we had a glorious, earsplitting, ozone depleting two minutes' NOISE. Every old racing car and bike in the place was started, and on the signal, every throttle was opened.

I had already decided that the one place I really, really wanted to be during that time was standing peering down the barrels of some of the Napier's exhausts.

Lovely.



I've also been at Silverstone for one of the very rare runnings of "Babs", the Thomas Special, driven to a Land Speed Record attempt by JG Parry Thomas in 1927. Babs has a 27 litre American Liberty aero engine, and indeed utilises chain drive. One of the theories about the fateful last record attempt is that the drive chain came free, whipped up and removed poor Parry Thomas' head.

You were not wrong about the risks of chain drive.

The shark-nosed Ferrari was recreated by Chris Rea for his film "La Passione". Now, I'm a fan of Chris' music, but I will readily admit the film is fairly dreadful. However, as a legacy, we now have this perfect Sharknose in existence. And Phil Hill has driven it and pronounced that it handles just like they always used to.

*sigh* I'm starting to get excited about the new season already, and it's still only January.

[Sparky]

Tim, djb, don't know if either of you have seen this, but I thought you might enjoy it.

Never really understood ol' Enzo Ferrari's fascination with destruction of old Grand Prix models...

Better to leave them for posterity, surely?

[TimD]

Lovely!

As for Enzo and his old motors - that's a whole new thread, methinks.


As for VSCC dates, as soon as they are released, I shall put them here, and advise the fair Lorna who is collating all trackside information for the forthcoming season. As a rule, the VSCC have about 4 or 5 circuit meetings per year, and the first one, the GP Itala Trophy, is usually late March/early April at Silverstone.

I'll be sure and keep people posted.

[djb]

Thanks both Tim and Sparky for the photo and the link.

Tim- if your "f" instead of a "t" wasn't intentional, (I'm sure it was!)-it works anyway. Now that would be a fun audio clip to hear, but would be nothing to the feeling that you would get in your chest standing anywhere near the monster! (the summer many years ago that I did some bike racing, there were vintage classes, and I still remember the thumping in my chest from old Nortons etc-I can only imagine this thing!) I agree, the two minutes of silence would not be appropriate- I'll try to remember to look up info about this fellow.

Sparky, I recall in the article about this car, that the Dino engine in it put out about the same hp as the 1.5, giving it at least a realistic feeling of the speed of the original.