LAST DAY OF MAY

If you are into racing motorcycles in one form or another you may be interested in the auction that is going to happen today at 5:00 PM Moutain Time in the United States. It is a liquidation sale of Arcane Worldwide Racing LLC which belong to 'saltflat' racer Hank Booth. This will include hundreds of parts and several motorcycles. It is a 'no reserve' auction and you don't even have to be there. If you can't attend you can place a bid on:

www.Proxibid.com

The auction itself will take place at:

Big Sky Harley Davidson/Buell
4258 10th Ave South
Great Falls, MT.
More details about this exciting event are available by
calling 406-727-0930 or visting

www.burowsauction.com

DAILY DRIVER

Between 1952 and 1953 Mercedes built almost 13,000 of this model 170DS. This one was being used as a daily driver in Macedonia. I tried to see the owner, but would always miss him. People on the street would just tell me that it wasn't for sale. I explained that I just wanted to talk to the owner and they would look at me like I was stupid...not for sale. Not a speed demon, 0 to 60 in 58 seconds.

THE WINNER AND THE WOMEN

DARIO FRANCHITTI

And the winner is...Dario Franchitti. In a shortened race Dario Franchitti was hailed as the winner. He hangs his hat in Scotland and is married to actress Ashley Judd. Shows that he can win off the track too. The last Scotsman to win at Indy was Jimmy Clark in 1965. There is only one winner at Indy, no second, no third. You have either won or lost.

MILKA'S CRASH

Milka Duno ended up in 31st place after having an accident on the 65th lap in turn one shown in this video. Throughout the 65 laps she basicly stayed toward the back of the pack. Being her first outing at the '500' it must have still been an exciting day for her.

Sarah Fisher spent the day struggling at the back of the pack. Her final result was two laps down in 22nd place.

Danica Patrick showed me just how good she really is. Running in second and third for a long period she ended up in eighth in the rain shortened race. After a three hour delay and a restart it was finally stopped on lap 165 of the planned 200.

SO FAR THEY ARE MAKING IT A REGULAR JOB

The fifth race of the season took place today in Monaco. It is a beautiful area and I have been lucky enough to have been there a couple of times. I have mentioned before how much I love these races that run through the cities. At the moment this is the only one left. I have heard a rumor that there might be another one in the pipeline for next year. Rumor, rumor, rumor.

Alonzo and Hamilton came in first and second and Massa placed third. This is the fifth race in a row that rookie Hamilton has place second or third. Can a first place win be far away?

TODAY'S HISTORY MAKING INDY 500

Today's running of the Indy 500 will have three women competing for the prize. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Sarah Fisher, who raced there in 2000-2004, left to do some other racing and I am sure that she feels stronger about herself and may do very well. She will be starting in 21st place.

The year after Sarah Fisher made her move to NASCAR type racing Danica Patrick came out of the woodwork. She was the darling of the news people and a good driver to boot. This will be her third '500' and she will be starting in 8th place.

Milka Duno is this years darling. Hailing from South America, smart and damn good looking is in for her first race. She will be starting near the back in 29th place.

Janet Guthrie and Lyn St.James paved the way for these three and maybe there are more waiting in the wings. There may have been others that have given it a try, but were unable to qualify. There have been at least five women that have tried for Formula One. I have heard a rumor for quite some time that there is a young female racer that will end up in Formula One. Go get 'em, Girl.

JANET GUTHRIE: first female to compete in the 70's, 3 races with best finish in 9th


LYN ST.JAMES: 6 races in the early 90's with a best in 11th

DANICA PATRICK: two Indys under her belt with best finish in 4th place


SARAH FISHER: competed in four races with the best finish being 21st


MILKA DUNO: this will be her maiden voyage....a star in the making

19TH INTERNATIIONAL HISTORIC CAR RALLY

BRISTOL 409....SEEN ANY LATELY?

SAAB

DETROIT IRON

SPECTATOR CAR....VERY NICE.....SAME OWNER FOR 37 YEARS

SPECTATOR CAR....ALSO NICE

1931 MODEL A FORD

AUSTIN

HILMAN

HOOD ORNAMENT

SPARE TIRE

UNIFORMS?

A THING IS A THING

IN OUR BELOVED CYPRUS

A total of 72 historic cars in pristine condition are ready to hit the road for the 19th International Historic Car Rally and the 2nd Historic Cyprus Rally, organised by the Cyprus Automobile Association and the Friends of Historic and Old Cars of Cyprus starting today and running through Sunday
.
The three-day regularity rally, which is included in the calendar of the International Federation of Ancient Vehicles, will cover 500 kilometres with 18 regularity test sections divided into three legs, designed to enable the foreign participants from Italy, Lebanon, America and Britain to enjoy the beauty of the island`s landscape.

The rally will start in Nicosia on Friday 14:00 local time and will head for the coastal town of Larnaca before returning to Nicosia for the first leg. The second leg, starts on Saturday 09:00, and will take the historic cars from Nicosia through mountainous roads to Paphos where they will spend the night. The third and final leg will start on Sunday 09:00 from Paphos and will finish in Nicosia via Limassol.

1963 CORVETTE TOUR WITH KEITH MARTIN

CLASSIC CAR TRAINING

John Williams Classic Cars out of England has been offering two separate courses to help you with the purchase of a classic car and one to help you set up your own business.

They are divided into three separate classes of one day each with a limited number of people being able to join. The first one is called “HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL CLASSIC CAR DEALER” and will be held on Friday, June 8th. It will be followed up by one called “HOW TO BUY A CLASSIC CAR” which will be held on Saturday, June 9th. Class sizes are strictly limited.

“HOW TO BUY A CLASSIC CAR” tells you how to ask the right questions, how to spot a car worth pursuing, how to spot one not worth a plug nickel and how to negotiate. It cost 150 GBP and, hey, lunch is included.

“HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL CLASSIC CAR DEALER” will show you the process from market research to closing sales, financing and insurance. You will learn how to do a business plan, find the right cars, market yourself and your business, where to raise capital, how to make that deal and a couple of secrets or so. Lunch is also included and the price for this jam-packed day is 265 GBP.

“A DAY AT THE AUCTION” is just that. A day at the auction will help give you the knowledge and confidence of auction buying and selling. Learn to help yourself from being taken for a ride. Sorry, this class is limited to three people. Price for this knowledge is 150 GBP.

The first two classes are held at Tilshead Garage, Tilshead, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. The auction site I believe will vary.

Check it out at:

www.classiccarcourses.co.uk

johncharles5@hotmail.com

Outside Uk; 0044 1380 813552
Mobile: 00447967 203007

Better hurry! That is only a couple of weeks away.

JAGUAR XK120 FIXED HEAD COUPE

If what the seller says is correct this is the newest XK120 on the market. They say that it is the last car off the Jaguar production line. It has had a total chassis off restoration and there are buyers pounding on the door.

The vehicle was powered by a 160 horsepower, 3.4 liter, inline-six cylinder engine. Peak horsepower was achieved at 5000 RPM. The 120-mph was the promised speed, the top speed of the vehicle was around 126-132 mph depending on the trim of the vehicle. This one has the 'C' type cylinder head. This one only has 55,000 miles on it and in its day it cost 3350 USD.

Available from J.D Classics:

http://www.jdclassics.co.uk

MILLE MIGLIA

1950 MILLE MIGLIA

In the mid-50's I became interested in the Grand Prix and other forms of racing that were being run on public roads up and down mountains and through villages and towns. Unfortunately these were the declining years for that type of racing. At that time I was living in the United States and couldn't wait for Road & Track to come out monthly. I was in love with that magazine when it was owned by John Bond out of Newport, California. Those road races went by the wayside due to some very large accidents killing many spectators. I some cases fans brought it on themselves by being in areas that they shouldn't have been. Hiding in the tall grass along side the road or reaching and trying to touch the cars. How stupid. In 1955, Sterling Moss won at the Mille Miglia. One thousand miles of dirt and dust. By that time he was already my favorite driver.

I think that is why the Monaco Grand Prix is so popular, other than being in a beautiful setting, because it is still run through the streets. The towns were gone until Detroit, in the early 80's, had three years of Formula One run on the downtown streets. What a blast.

Today it is run as a tour of sorts, a rally, with some competition spots. I starts tonight at 8:00 PM. Oops! That was twenty minutes ago.

SELLER BEWARE

You have probably all heard the story by now. Back in January, Barrett-Jackson, the auction people out of Arizona, filed a lawsuit against a seller of a 1970 Ramchargers Hemi 'Cuda'. It had sold for $300,000 and the seller was unhappy because he thought it was worth twice as much. This is far more that I would be willing to spend for a 'Cuda' even if I could afford it. But they are fun to drive.

The seller is a Judge from Michigan and I read articles from across the nation about this, including Michigan, about how he felt he was cheated. He may have a point. His car was only on the block for 2:41 and yet another simular car was on the block for 4:39 and brought $680,000. You never know if the auctioneer is giving someone a deal in which he shares part of the profit.

In both automobile and motorcycle auctions I have seen many things that I thought were questionable. If you go to enough of them you see the same players, all on a first name basis. In newspapers that allow the readers to respond some felt that Barrett-Jackson had a right to sue and shut the Judge up. Some questioned where did a Judge get that kind of money. That, of course, is totally unfair. Maney can be from anywhere. I don't see people questioning farmers that show up at farm auctions with wads of money and looking like they just slept the night on a street corner somewhere. Others, probably those burned in auctions, hope that the Judge takes them to task and prevails. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

Sports Car Market has done a nice job of laying out the legal work from both sides. If you do not know the story you should read the Barrett-Jackson side:

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1076

And the Judge's side:

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1141

SPANISH GRAND PRIX

LEWIS HAMILTON, FELIPE MASSA and FERNANDO ALONSO

After seeing somewhere around 85 Formula One races live and several hundred televised I think we are going to have an interesting year. I am looking forward to it. Always lots to learn, changing drivers, drivers changing teams, new paint jobs, new teams, new rules. The podium finish in this picture is the youngest average age finish ever. Twenty-four years and eight months. Felipe Massa managed to win the race with a seven second lead. He had also won the previous race in Bahrain.

Massa was born in Brazil and started his Formula One career with Sauber in 2002 with Nick Heilfeld. Then he was off the track for a year doing a test driver stint with Ferrari. Sauber brought him back in 2004 with Giancarlo Fisichella and 2005 with Jacques Villeneuve. His switch to Ferrari came in 2006 and paired with Michael Schumacher. 2007 sees him still with Ferrari and teammate Kimi Raikkonen. So far this season he has had one 6th, one 5th and two wins for a total of 27 points.

Lewis Hamilton who now hails from England is in his first Formula One year. He has had great success and is looking forward to having a banner year as a rookie. So far he has collected one 3rd place and three 2nd places. A real feat for a rookie. He is currently in the point lead with 30 points.

Third place falls to Spanish born Fernando Alonso. He started his Formula One career with the Minardi Team with teammate Tarso Margues. I never knew how the Minardi Team held it together without any real money. In 2003 he took a year off to be a test driver with Renault. In 2004 he was back in the Formula One saddle, first partnered with Jarno Trulli and then former world champion Jacques Villeneuve. In 2005 with Renault and teammate Giancarlo Fisichella he became the youngest world champion ever at age 24. In 2006 he did it again including a win in front of his native people at the Spanish Grand Prix. Now 2007 brings him a new team, McLaren-Mercedes, and a new teammate, Lewis Hamilton. So far this season he has a 2nd, a 3rd, a 5th and one win for a total of 28 points.

An interesting year indeed...

DOMAINE DE BAGATELLE

Simon Taylor, who is a monthly columnist for Classic & Sports Car, ran a short but interesting story in the June issue. In southwesteren France there is a piece of property, owned by David and Sandra Brooker-Carey, called Domaine de Bagatelle. They would like to turn their 210 acres into a racing circuit for historical automobiles. Complete with a hotel, restaurant and historical auto museum. It is not an easy undertaking. There is a public road that crosses the property and the circuit would have to run under those roads. And to handle the envormental crowd they will have to do a reforestation project to repair some damage left by Mother Nature in 2000. The circuit itself would be almost 3 miles long which may be split into sections. Historical racing is very interesting to watch, but I cringe everytime I see a bump or a roll.

This project appears to be worthy of your interest. To see how you can help them with their presentation to the local governments read their website which is in French and English:

www.projetbagattelle.com

As a last resort:

simontaylorWstoveboltspecial.com

ALMOST 50 YEARS OLD...

1958 Lister-Jaguar

In the 50’s there were many racing manufacturers that used Jaguar engines. Brian Lister who had achieved much with his tube framed, MG and Bristol powered cars was persuaded to build one using the Jaguar twin-cam XK six cylinder.

In it’s maiden season of 14 races it had 11 wins, two seconds and one retirement under driver Archie Scott-Brown. For 1958 the body was a little longer and could be ordered in either aluminium or magnesium.

Scott-Brown lost his life in an accident and the world’s favorite (at the time) Stirling Moss picked it up and started winning from there. Lister- Jags were very popular in the United States and in the racing field were sponsored by Jaguar dealer and racing master Briggs Cunningham.
This car originally went to the United States, then spent many years in Canada. Followed by being in a collection in France. With full FIA papers it will be auctioned on May 21, 2007 in Coys’ “Ledgende et Passion” in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Place your bid:

auctions@coys.co.uk or call them at +44 20 8614 7885

RUSSELL KRUSE, 85 YEARS OLD

If you were ever able to go to any of the auctions held by Kruse Inter-national you could not miss seeing this man. An auction house handling classic cars, real estate and oilfield equipment. A few years ago they sold part of the business to e-Bay, but they were still involved.

Their Labor Day Weekend auction was like a circus in itself. With Russell always opening the show with the song "Back Home Again In Indiana". The same song that is used at the Speedway. He passed away on May 4th and he will be buried tomorrow with donations being made to:

WWII Victory Museum
PO Box One
Auburn, IN 46706
Attention: Bob Krafft

FERRARI STUFF UP FOR GRABS

2006 Ferrari 248 F1


1997 Ferrari F310B F1

On May 18th through the 20th, 2007, RM Auctions out of Canada will have a Ferrari auction at the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, Italy. Included are some old posters, trophies from Gran Prix past, racing shoes and uniforms (driver specific), road and racing Ferraris. Also, the car that Felipe Massa drove in the 2006 Formula One Grand Prix Series. Which did some history making itself.

A good time to tour the Ferrari Factory and Museum if you haven't already. RM can be reached at +1 (519) 352-4575 or check their website at:

http://www.rmauctions.com/Default.cfm?SaleCode=FF07

1966 Ferrari Dino 206 SP


1953 Ferrari 340 MM Competition Spyder

LOTUS ELAN

The Lotus Elan was first delivered in 1963 and were produced in various styles until 1973. The brain child of Colin Chapman and Ron Hickman. A fiberglass wonder that started off with a 1500cc Lotus Twin Cam engine. Over the years, just like the rest of us, the Elan gained weight and horsepower. From 90 bhp to 125 bhp.

In 1965 they brought out the S3 Coupe, a very pretty and good handling car. Owners in those days complained about everything and today people just love to have them.

Overall, in that 10 year period, they only produced 12,224 cars. The car pictured here is 1965 Lotus Elan S3 Coupe / FHC Type 36 Prototype. It is the same car that they showed in the auto shows leading up to production and it was also the press demonstrator. There are many magazine articles about this very car and it was also in the funeral of Formula One great, Jimmy Clark.

It is available at www.nutleysports.co.uk in England. A little pricey, but an interesting history.

1965 LOTUS ELAN S3 COUPE / TYPE 36 PROTOTYPE