A PICTURE IS WORTH 1000 WORDS, PART IV.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to present a few of them in this column and in future columns in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

(Getty Images)
Donington, England, October 22, 1938. Tazio Nuvolari (No. 4 Auto Union Type D 3.0-liter V-12) on his way to the win in the Donington Grand Prix. At 46 years old, the "Flying Mantuan" dominated the second half of the race in his mid-engined Auto Union and won going away. Hermann Lang (No. 7 Mercedes-Benz W 154 3.0-liter V-12) was second and Richard Seamen (No. 8 Mercedes-Benz W 154 3.0-liter V-12) finished third. Sixty thousand spectators attended the non-championship Grand Prix. Nuvolari won 150 races in his career, including 24 Grands Prix; two Mille Miglias; two Targa Florios, the 24 Hours of Le Mans; two RAC Tourist Trophies; five Coppa Cianos and a European Championship in Grand Prix racing. Ferdinand Porsche called Nuvolari "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future." Nuvolari returned to competition after WW II but he was 54 and in ill health. His final appearance in a racing car was in April of 1950, when he drove a Cisitalia-Abarth Tipo 204A to a class win at a hill climb in Palermo, Sicily, finishing fifth overall. He died in 1953 from a stroke.
Roger Penske in his Zerex Special sports racer, 1963. This famous racing car started out as a Cooper T53 Formula 1 car that was built for the 1961 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York, and powered by a 2.75-liter Coventry Climax 4-cylinder engine. The car was entered by Briggs Cunningham for Walt Hansgen to drive, but Hansgen crashed out of the race on Lap 14. The wrecked machine was sold to Penske, who promptly rebuilt it and added full bodywork to the chassis, naming it the "Zerex Special" in honor of his sponsor. Penske, who was a tremendous driver back in the day, immediately terrorized the United States Road Racing Championship races with his blistering fast sports racer, which marked the beginning of Penske's philosophy of developing an "unfair advantage." After many wins in the car, Penske sold it to Bruce McLaren, who promptly widened the chassis and stuffed an Oldsmobile V8 in it, dubbing it the "Cooper-Oldsmobile" and winning many races with it. This machine inspired McLaren to develop a sports racer of his own, which became the McLaren M1B that he raced in the 1966 Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) series.
Bridgehampton, New York, September 1966. Jim Hall in his highly innovative Chaparral 2E Chevrolet during practice for the Can-Am. Hall ended up not starting the race, but his teammate, Phil Hill, finished 4th overall in the No. 65 Chaparral 2E Chevrolet. Dan Gurney (No. 30 All American Racers Lola T70 Mk.2 BARDAHL Special Gurney/Weslake 305 Ford) won that day, followed by Chris Amon (No. 5 McLaren Racing Ltd. McLaren Elva Mark II Chevrolet) and Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Racing Ltd. McLaren Elva Mark II B Chevrolet).
The Nurburgring, August, 1967. From the "Racing Was Different Back Then" File: Bruce McLaren pitches in to help Dan Gurney change spark plugs on Gurney's No. 9 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake V12 during practice for the German Grand Prix. McLaren was entered to drive the No. 10 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake V12 team car in the race. Gurney qualified fifth and McLaren started sixth on the grid, but both cars did not finish the race. Denny Hulme (No. 2 Brabham-Repco V8) won that day, followed by Jack Brabham (No. 1 Brabham-Repco V8) and Chris Amon (No. 8 Scuderia Ferrari).
Watkins Glen, New York, July, 1971. Jo Siffert's crew tends to the No. 20 STP/Porsche Audi/Marlboro Porsche 917/10 during Can-Am practice. One year before the Penske-Donohue Porsche Turbo onslaught began in the series, Siffert finished third in the race behind Peter Revson (No. 7 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8F Chevrolet) and Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8F Chevrolet). Siffert finished two laps down to the McLarens.

(LAT Images)
Riverside International Raceway, November 1, 1970. Chris Amon (No. 77 March Engineering Ltd. STP Oil Treatment March 707 Chevrolet) finished fourth in the Can-Am behind Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet), Jackie Oliver (No. 22 Norris Industries Titanium Ti 22 Mk II Chevrolet) and Pedro Rodriguez (No. 1 British Racing Motors Castrol BRM P154 Chevrolet).