Continuing to clear some of the motor racing stuff I have collected over the years today’s post features a couple of MotorSport covers that are currently on line on my “lightpress” e-bay account.
First up from April 1966 the staff at MotorSport believed that the idea of an apparently arbitrary 3 liter / 183 cui limit on the size of forth coming GT regulations was not either in the interest of the sport, or the British motor industry who’s GT cars from Jaguar and Aston Martin with motors over the new limit would be rendered obsolete despite not being particularly quicker than their competition with smaller motors. The photo shows the start of the 1963 Goodwood Tourist Trophy race featuring four Ferrari 250 GTO’s, 2 Aston Martins and 2 E-type Jaguars which was won by Graham Hill in the #11 250 GTO.
By June 1966 the Ferrari V12 3 litre 183 cui Formula One car was looking a good bet to win the championship with 1964 champion John Surtees at the wheel. John is seen guiding his Ferrari 312 fitted with a downsized sports car V12 motor through the streets of Siracusa on his way to an easy non championship victory. Note how Sicilian spectators are clearly seen ligning the inside of the crash barriers which were presumably installed to protect them. By the end of June John Surtees quit the Ferrari team after a disagreement with Ferrari management which deprived him and Ferrari of Championships which up until then had been theirs for the taking.
Finally after a humiliating defeat to Ford at Le Mans in 1966 in February 1967 Ferrari stole a little Ford thunder by claiming victory in the Daytona 24 hour race. Seen on the cover of the March 1967 edition of MotorSport is Lorenzo Bandini at the wheel of the #23 Ferrari P3/4 he shared on his way to victory with Chris Amon. The #26 North American Racing Team Ferrari P4 driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Jean Guichet finished second.
Thanks for joining me on this “Sixties Ferrari Covers” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !