E-type beats Porsche by 12 seconds in Highland 1000

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This E-type Jaguar won the Highland 1000 rally, but by only 12 seconds ahead of a novice crew in a Porsche 911 | Bespoke Rallies photos

A 1969 Jaguar E-type edged a 1963 Porsche 911 by only 12 seconds to win the inaugural Highland 1000, a Bespoke Rallies event. Making the results even more dramatic was the fact that the Porsche was being handled by the novice team of Maarten Smet and Nadia Imfurayacu of Belgium.

The winning car was driven by Nick-Seaton-Burridge with Dennis Greenslade as navigator.

“The opportunity to compete on all but deserted roads while sampling the finest scenery Scotland has to offer attracted a truly international entry, with participants from as far afield as Hong Kong and Canada as well as five different European countries,” Bespoke Rallies said in its news release. 

An eclectic array of cars in the event ranged from a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I to a 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC. 

A “regularity trial,” the four-day rally started and finished in Falkirk.

“Organizing rallies in the far-flung corners of the world, it is easy to forget how stunning the scenery closer to home can be,” John Brigden, Bespoke Rallies director, was quoted in a news release. “During four days of unrivaled views of Scotland’s finest lochs and glens we were treated to wonderful sightings of spring lambs, hares, red squirrels, ptarmigan and, of course, Highland cattle. But, despite the distractions, the competition was intense.”

Bespoke Rallies next event is the Pyrenees 1000 scheduled for September 13-16.

‘Drive Toward a Cure’ sets ‘lunchtime lapping’ session

The National Corvette Museum’s NCM High Performance Driver Education program will stage a second on-track event on behalf of the Drive Toward a Cure rallies effort to overcome Parkinson’s Disease, but this one won’t be held at the NCM Motorsports Park in Kentucky but at Virginia International Raceway on June 25.

The “lunchtime lapping” event will be open to all drivers and vehicles for a donation of $50. As many as 50 cars can be accommodated in a 45-minute session.

For details, visit the Drive Toward a Cure website.

Crown Prince Gustav in the passenger seat in 1906

London-to-Brighton draws its first Vabis entry

Historic Swedish vehicle and crew ready for the rally

For the first time in the event’s long history, the annual London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run will feature a Vabis. 

That’s Vabis as in Vagnfabriks-Aktiebolaget i Sodertelge, a Swedish company founded in 1891 to produce rail carriages, but that soon added marine engines, trucks and cars to its product line before merging with Maskinfabriks-aktiebolaget Scania to form the now well-known Scania AB company.

The Vabis entered in the rally is the fourth one produced and the earliest working vehicle known to still exist by Gustaf Eriksson, known as the “Father of the Swedish Automobile Industry.”

Eriksson’s first vehicle remains on static display at the Science Museum in Stockholm and Nos. 2 and 3 have been lost for more than a century. Thus the rally-entered four-seat Labourdette with tonneau-style bodywork is considered the oldest Swedish-designed and manufactured combustion-powered car still in running condition.

“Powered by a twin-cylinder, 2.7-liter engine producing around 10 horsepower, the model was first displayed at a Paris motor show in 1903” the rally-sponsoring Royal Automobile Club said in its news release. “A year later – and back in Sweden – it competed in a race against several imported rivals thus making it Sweden’s oldest racing car in existence.

“In 1906, the car also gained royal provenance when photographed with Crown Prince Gustav sitting in the passenger seat in the year running up to his coronation. Thereafter, the historic Vabis remained in use until 1913 when it was placed first in storage and then on display in a small regional museum until 1989, when ownership was transferred to the Community of Surahammar, which still preserves the vehicle today.”

“We are really looking forward to coming to London… and hopefully to Brighton, too,” said Bo Söderberg, one of around 20 enthusiasts from Aros Motorveteraner in Västerås who have worked to get the car ready for the rally.

“As you can imagine, there has been lots of interest in the car and taking part in the famous Veteran Car Run is a reward for all the hard work we have invested into the project over the past three to four years,” Soderberg added. 

FIVA World Rally set for Mid Wales route

The Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens sill run its 2018 World Rally on a 450-mile “non-competitive” route August 28-September in Mid Wales, the organizers have announced.

“We’ve chosen a central hotel venue, so there’s no need to pack up and carry your luggage in the car each day,” said event organizer Paul Loveridge. “The emphasis is on friendliness and fun, with plenty of time to complete each day’s route, and we hope to welcome many enthusiasts who’ve never done a tour before as well as more experienced participants.”

The route stays within 50 miles of that hotel, which FIVA said should make the event more attractive to those with older cars. Already more than 20 classic vehicles have registered for the tour.

For more information, see the FIVA World Rally website.

AACA sets upcoming tour calendar

June 30 is the deadline for registering for the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Reliability Tour scheduled for August 20-24 at Geneva, New York, where the tour will be part of the Blue Water Ramble. 

The AACA Founders Tour is scheduled for October 21-26 and will be based in Metropolis, Illinois — yes, the home of Superman! The Central Divisional Tour is planned for September 12-15 at Amarillo, Texas and the 73rd rivival of the AAA Glidden Tour is set of September 16-21 at Twin Falls, Idaho, as part of the Magic in Magic Valley gathering.

Barrett-Jackson Northeast hosts goldRush Rally cars

Barrett-Jackson auctions, Shell and Pennzoil will host the 10th annual goldRush Rally on June 23 at the Mohegan Sun casino and resort in Connecticut. The rally begins June 22 in Boston and ends July 1 at Las Vegas. 

While the participants visit the auction, the cars will be displayed in the parking lot of  the Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar.

Old 27 Tour set for August 20-26

Calling it “14 cruise-in’s in one week,” the annual Old 27 Tour up the spine of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula is set for August 20-26. The event begins just north of the Michigan/Indiana border, which it crosses for a visit to the historic train depot in Waterloo, Indiana before turning northward en route to Alpena on the shores of Lake Huron.

 

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