Autoblog

Watch these old snakes roll down a big hill

Zach Bowman — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Videos, Racing

Alright, these aren't just any old snakes. These are the entrants in this year's Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and each and every car on track is an original Shelby Cobra. Nor is this your run of the mill hill, either. We shot a quick video at the infamous corkscrew at Laguna Seca for your viewing pleasure. While photos of the event do a smart job of capturing the chaos, there's nothing like seeing and hearing all the cars pour through the downhill chicane in quick succession.

With 289 and 427 beasts barking through side pipes, the pack offers up a V8 cacauphony unlike any batch of modern race cars. As you may recall, that gorgeous Daytona Coupe out front wound up going home with some wrinkled sheetmetal later in the day due to an off. Scroll down below to take in the video for yourself, and be sure to click through the gallery for more goodness.

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Watch these old snakes roll down a big hill originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion puts old tin fender to fender

Zach Bowman — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Racing

There are plenty of events that make the Monterey weekend worth visiting, but the vast majority pale in comparison to Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Whereas the Concorso Italiano, Quail Motorsports Gathering and McCall Motorworks Revival are packed with gorgeous machinery lounging on well-kept lawns, the Motorsports Reunion gives some of our favorite vintage race cars a chance to stretch their legs on the world-famous apexes of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Organizers say nearly every decade of motorsports history makes an appearance at some point, and the cars on hand are chosen based on their authenticity and racing past.

As the featured marque, a total of 45 original Shelby Cobra racers hit the track for the most anticipated race. With 289 and 427 models going tire to tire, including the last Daytona Coupe ever built, onlookers got a chance to take in a rare sight. Even with some competitors' cars pushing past 50 years old, the leaders tore down the front straight at 125 mph. A few cars wound up calling it quits before the checkered flag fell due to mechanical failures, and the Daytona Coupe wound up with some wrinkled sheet metal after an off in turn 3.

Check out the gallery above for a look at some of the competitors on hand, and stay tuned for a brief video of the cars falling through the corkscrew.

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion puts old tin fender to fender originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes [UPDATE]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Celebrities, Specialty, Racing

Cobras, Tigers and... Ferrari's? Oh my! If you happened to miss our post on the '60s touring cars that took to the track at the 2011 Goodwood Revival, you may not realize just how amazing vintage racing can be. And it gets even more interesting as the value and historic significance of the cars increases.

For proof, we suggest you check out the two videos after the break to see vintage prototypes like the Ford GT40, various Lolas and a smattering of McLarens take to the track. Then, to top it all off, we have the '60s sports car class, which includes such iconic masterpieces as the Shelby Cobra (in both hardtop and Daytona Coupe guises), Ferrari models that include the famous GTO and the so-called Breadvan (a short-wheelbase 250 GT), plus a slew of machinery from Maserati and Aston Martin.

Did we mention these priceless classics are racing well-to-wheel in the pouring rain? Enough already, click past the break to watch the slip-sliding action for yourself.

UPDATE: Sadly, the embedded videos are not playing, but we still hope you click on over to Axis of Oversteer to take in the historic racing action.

Continue reading Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes [UPDATE]

Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick Spin: Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is obscenely exhilarating

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Specialty, Quick Spins

2010 Superformance Shelby Daytona Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Corvette, particularly the Stingray models, have often been accused of being the vehicular embodiment of a man's unmentionables. While there might be something to that, the Corvette is a withering prude when compared to the Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. If the Stingray is the middle-aged guy who's always thinking about sex, the Daytona Coupe is the guy who's always getting it on. With multiple partners. On the same night. The Stingray is Bob in sales. The Daytona Coupe is Ron Jeremy. All it needs is a mustache.

Gallery: Quick Spin: Superformance Shelby Daytona Coupe

Continue reading Quick Spin: Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is obscenely exhilarating

Quick Spin: Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is obscenely exhilarating originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Book Review: Legendary Race Cars by Basem Wasef [w/VIDEO]

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Maserati 8CM number 3011 from Legendary Race Cars - Click above for high-res image gallery

Confused as to what to do with all the Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.com gift cards your in-laws pelted you with this Holiday season? Be confused no more! Legendary Race Cars is the book every pistonhead needs sitting on their night stand in 2010. We really hope you haven't gone all Kindle on us, because Basem Wasef's coffee table-sized book is loaded bow to stern with gorgeous photographs of some of the most desirable cars ever built, let alone raced. Wasef took all the non-vintage pictures, too, and they're quite stunning.

What cars? Well, that's the really fantastic part. Put it like this: had we been asked to write such a book, our choices wouldn't have been much different. There are 25 legendary racers in all, spanning from motorsports earliest days right on up to the present. In truth, a great mix of racing machines.

The first car discussed is the Ford GT40 and the last is Sterling Moss's Mercedes-Benz 300SLR - the No. 722 car. In between you get Carroll Shelby's Aston Martin DBR1 and Cobra Daytona Coupe, all the Auto Union Grand Prix Cars, Senna's McLaren MP4/4, Fangio's Maserati 250F and of course the brutally awesome Porsche 917. Each car is discussed in informative, enthusiastic and playful detail, yet the text is never slavish or obsessive. If you want to know who cut the Maserati 8CM's splines, look elsewhere.

And that's not even the half of it, as Legendary Race Cars is loaded with more winners like Richard Petty's Plymouth SuperBird, the first round the world winner, the Thomas Flyer, the Indy-dominating Marmon Wasp (first car to ever employ a rear-view mirror!), Audi's Group B killer S1 Quattro, Schumacher's Ferraris, McRae's Subarus and even Ecurie Ecosse's Jaguars.

Some of you might be familiar with Basem Wasef's first book, Legendary Motorcycles. If you are, you'll no doubt remember that Jay Leno wrote the introduction to that one. Not bad for your first book. For his second book, Basem got none other than Sir Stirling Moss to pen the foreword, which, for you whippersnappers who have no clue who Sir Stirling is, would be like getting Snoop Dogg to help you write an essay about gangsta rappers and marijuana.

Here's part of what Moss has to say, "Selecting these 25 legendary cars cannot have been easy. Automobiles, like paintings and other works of art, have different effects on different people... I would hate to have been making the choice - but I am enormously proud and happy to have been invited to write the foreword for this book." All we can do is say wow. For his third book, Mr. Wasef will no doubt be writing it in Colin Chapman's blood. Until then, pick up a copy of Legendary Race Cars (It's $23.10 right now at Amazon). You won't regret it one iota. Make the jump to watch Basem Wasef discuss Legendary Race Cars with none other than Jay Leno, and don't forget to check out the gallery that's filled with some choice stills from the book.

Gallery: Legendary Race Cars

Continue reading Book Review: Legendary Race Cars by Basem Wasef [w/VIDEO]

Book Review: Legendary Race Cars by Basem Wasef [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shelby Heaven: Superformance opens new showroom

Drew Phillips — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Shelby

We are big fans of Superformance, makers of the Cobra, Daytona Coupe, and GT40 replicas that have the blessing (and licensing agreement) of Carroll Shelby. When we heard they were opening up a new showroom in Irvine, CA, we had to go check it out ourselves. Superformance has actually been in the same building for the past few years, so the location is nothing new. However, they recently decided to knock down a few walls so that they could store their beautiful and wickedly fast eye candy in something more presentable to the public. On to the photos - check out the huge gallery of photos below and pick out your dream car.

Gallery: Superformance Showroom

Shelby Heaven: Superformance opens new showroom originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carroll Shelby gives two-wheel tuning a try

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:25:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

We love Carroll Shelby. You love Carroll Shelby. We all love Carroll Shelby. Repeat. We also love the cars that have the Shelby logo on them. Except, maybe a few of the Dodge products in the 80's. An Omni probably should never be called a Shelby. Anybody disagree? (Yes. I owned one. -Ed.)

Now, Shelby is getting in on the motorcycle craze. I happen to be a rider myself, and I can appreciate most every motorcycle on the market for one reason or another. This one, however, we have to dismiss. Would you put a Shelby logo on a lowrider Cadillac Fleetwood, even if it had a really big engine? No. And neither should it be applied to this low-riding, ill handling custom bike. Just because it has a big, powerful V-Twin engine nestled tightly between it's downtubes doesn't mean it has performance credentials. Think back -- what did Shelby build his reputation on? Winning races, right? Would you take this bike to a track day and challenge the GSXR's and Ninja's in the corners? Neither would we, which is why this is not a real Shelby.

[Source: Gizmag]

Carroll Shelby gives two-wheel tuning a try originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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