An Overview of Historic/Vintage Racing

Vintage Race Car Collectors

Probably the most well-known classic sports car collector, at least in the U.S., is "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno. At his Web site, JayLenosGarage.com, you can see his collection that includes historic race cars and sports cars, including race driver Chris Craft's Rocket, a NASCAR winning 1953 Hudson Hornet, and "The Tank Car," a custom car with a turbocharged Korean War engine modified by automotive engineering legend Gale Banks. Leno, however, is more of a classic car cruiser than a racer.

Where to See Historic Racing

There are currently more than 150 vintage racing events held around the world. One of the premier events is the Rolex Monterey (California) Historic Automobile Races held at the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in August. Legendary racers participating in this event have included Mario Andretti and Phil Hill, for whom the race's Phil Hill Trophy is named. In 1951, Hill rode his 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Mille Miglia Spyder to first place in one of the first of the historic auto races then held at Pebble Beach.

Participant car classifications in the Monterey Historic Automobile races include:

• Pre-1940 Sports & Touring Cars
• 1925-1950 Racing Cars & Indy Roadsters
• 1955-1960 Sports Racing Cars over 2500c
• 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars
• 1964-1975 FIA Sports Racing Cars
• 1972-1983 Historic IMSA GT Cars

Held outside London, the Goodwood Revival is Europe's premier historic vintage racing event. As an extra touch, spectators and race participants dress in fifties-style apparel as part of the race's tradition. In 2007 Goodwood drew more than 117,000 spectators. Legendary racers who have participated in the event have included 16-time Formula One Grand Prix winner Sir Stirling Moss.

How to Become an Historic Racer

If you're a vintage car collector and want to take that extra level up and become a historic vehicle racer, accrediting racing organizations have specific requirements that both you and your car must meet.

The Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association (VSCDA), one of the largest nonprofit historic racing organizations, sponsors its own driving school aimed at new historic vehicle racers.

Another large organization, HSR (Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd), offers a list of recommended race driver schools across the country, including the famous Bondurant School of High Performance Driving and Track Time Driving Schools. The latter includes a must-complete two-day historic driving school.

The Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) has a list of "rookie requirements" necessary for membership. These requirements include submitting a current medical exam form that gets updated every two years. Specific physical requirements include vision correctable to 20/30, mental acuity and skeletal integrity. VARA also issues driver certificates of qualification for full competition licensing. Historic vehicles must also pass eligibility standards.

VARA hosts major historic racing events at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Phoenix International Raceway and the Auto Club (AAA) Speedway.

Where to Buy Vintage Race Cars

If you're adept at online auctions, eBay Motors sells "not-street-legal" historic race cars. But, as with all online transactions, let the buyer beware.

Symbolic Motors, a luxury vehicle dealer in La Jolla, Calif., sells restored classic and competition cars such as a 1949 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta and a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder. But, understand that these restored vehicles come with a high price tag. Also, note that Symbolic Motors has experts that may be able to restore a historic racing vehicle that you already own.

Sports Car Market is a major online information hub for collectors of vintage vehicles. They maintain an extensive list of classic car auction companies and brokers as well as a fee-based searchable database of more than 40,000 auction records.

Sources:
JayLenosGarage.com
www.montereyhistoric.com/participants/list.html
www.goodwood.co.uk/site/content/revival/Faqs.aspx
www.stirlingmoss.com/news.htm
www.vscda.org/schools.html
www.hsrrace.com/HSR/HSRHome.nsf/weblinks/EJEN-5ZFHDY?OpenDocument
www.vscda.org/about.html
motors.shop.ebay.com/Other-Vehicles-Trailers_Race-Cars-Not-Street-Legal__
www.symbolicmotors.com/inventory-classic.html
www.sportscarmarket.com/resources/links.php