At the end of a 1973 season during which it had been pipped to the World Sportscar Championship by the French state-backed Matra concern, Ferrari elected to focus its racing activities solely on…
Read MoreHaving commissioned the first two instalments of its burgeoning Art Car theme in time for the 1975 and ‘76 Le Mans 24 Hour races, BMW went on to order a third machine that would appear at the…
Read MoreDespite having been conceived strictly as a road car, in late 1972 Maserati’s French distributor, Jean Thepenier, commissioned a Group 4 racing version of the mid-engined Bora with which to contest…
Read MoreAfter the success of BMW’s first Art Car, an E9 CSL painted by Alexander Calder which garnered a huge amount of publicity at the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Munich firm commissioned a second…
Read MoreFor the 1976 season, new rules came into effect for GT and Sports Prototype racing cars. At the top of the tree, Group 6 was for out-and-out Prototypes and had no minimum production requirement.
Read MoreBMW conceived the M1 supercar project to complement its existing Formula 2 engine supply deal and Group 5 Division 2 E21 320i programme. With a turbocharged iteration of M1’s 3.5-litre straight…
Read MoreThe inaugural International Race of Champions (IROC) was the brainchild of American industrialist and team owner, Roger Penske. The contest would pitch twelve of the world’s top Formula 1…
Read MoreSince the late 1950s, Porsche had primarily focused its factory motor sport programmes on Sports and Prototype racing cars. During this period there had been the odd works foray with enhanced…
Read MoreHaving been appointed Porsche chairman in August 1972, Dr Ernst Fuhrmann immediately decided the 917 programme had become excessively expensive and too detached from the firm’s road car…
Read MoreAfter three consecutive years of BMW Art Car appearances at the Le Mans 24 Hours (1975, ‘76 and ‘77), a two year gap followed prior to the arrival of a fourth instalment of the theme. Despite the…
Read MoreBy the late 1970s, Porsche had become the pre-eminent force in Sports and GT racing. The Stuttgart firm had returned to front-line competition in 1976, since which time the 936, 935 and 934 had…
Read MoreAs a result of mid-season rule changes, poor reliability and a stronger-than-expected challenge from BMW, the 1976 World Championship for Makes had been a more closely fought campaign than…
Read MoreBy 1974, Ferrari dealers in the USA were struggling. The market for gas guzzlers was in the midst of being ravaged by the OPEC oil crisis while garage inventories typically comprised ageing Dinos and…
Read MoreFor 1976, new sports car racing regulations were introduced. Group 6 was for out-and-out Prototypes with no minimum production requirement. Groups 4 and 5 were open to production…
Read MoreThe idea for BMW’s now legendary line of Art Cars originally came from outside the company; it was young French auctioneer, Herve Poulain, that suggested the concept as a means of combining his…
Read MoreFor much of 1972, Alfa Romeo’s motor racing division, Autodelta, was hard at work developing a new Flat 12 engine for use in the long-running Tipo 33 line of three-litre Group 6 Prototypes.
Read MoreBy November 28th 1972 BMW’s 3.0 CSL had reached the 1000-car production requirement for Group 2 and was approved for competition use. Group 2 was a class for Improved Touring Cars…
Read MoreIn early February 1974, Porsche announced they had discontinued their Group 7 racing programme with the 917. Cost had a part to play, but the new company Chairman, Ernst Fuhrmann, also held a…
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