East Meets West – Notes from the Archives
July 13th, 2017 by James Chartres
Words by: Gary Horstkorta I’m sure many of you will remember the advertising slogan “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” which the company used in 1963 for the first time in the U.S. As a result of that advertising campaign, Honda motorcycle sales took off and they were on their way to establishing […]
read moreZ Cars – Notes From The Archives
June 22nd, 2017 by James Chartres
Words by: Gary Horstkorta – June 2016 Sometimes when a manufacturer gives a specific car model a somewhat sedate or non-aggressive name, it doesn’t reflect what the car is capable of on the road or track. Take for example the Nissan Fairlady a name which sounds better suited for a nice, comfortable four door sedan […]
read moreNotes from the Archives: Maserati Tipo 151
May 25th, 2017 by James Chartres
By Gary Horstkorta On September 10, 1962, barely four months after the conclusion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the cars from that race sat in the paddock at Vaca Valley Raceway waiting for the beginning of a Divisional race. The car was a Maserati Tipo 151 enter by well known Bay Area […]
read moreNotes From The Archives – Lotus 7 Survivor
April 20th, 2017 by James Chartres
In my January 2017 I wrote about that great production sports car from Colin Chapman, the Lotus 7. Then a few days ago I received an email from a former autocrosser, Lawrence (Larry) Trice who lives here in the Bay Area. Larry said he owns and drives a Lotus 7A on the street most every […]
read moreNotes From The Archive – Vaca Valley 100 Miler
April 13th, 2017 by James Chartres
Vaca Valley Raceway was built in 1958 as a multi-purpose facility with a drag strip, oval track with banked turns and a 2.1 mile road course. It was the first such course of its kind in the U.S. according to its General Manager, Harry Burdg. The track offered the SF Region a second, purpose-built road […]
read moreThe Racing Drivers Club: Notes from the Archive
February 23rd, 2017 by James Chartres
Published in the February 2017 Edition of the Wheel. The Road Racing Drivers Club was an essential part of the SFR and made many significant contributions to the Club’s success. The following history of the RDC was written by the organizations President, Frank Schultheis and was on the cover of the RDC Enduro program […]
read moreThe Lotus 7: Notes from the Archive
January 19th, 2017 by James Chartres
Six years after Colin Chapman built his first car designed for road racing, the Mark 3 in 1951, he built a new model, the Lotus 7, which would become one of his most recognized models. The 7 was not a direct follow up to the Mark VI, there was a two year gap between the […]
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