Our never-ending search for excellent retro car art has most recently turned up Australian photographer Stuart Row and his unique Photoshop-manipulated vehicle portraits.

The creation of one of his works begins with a still-life photo of the car itself, whether it’s a historic racer, hot rod, or even a modern supercar. Then, by seeking out and photographing ambient details from a brick wall to a spot of rust, Stuart compiles a portfolio of layers to be digitally combined, creating the perfect background for the subject.

“The background usually reflects elements of the race car livery overlaid with texture layers to create an interesting setting for the car,” he explains.

Stuart started out with airbrushes and oils paints, but found the capabilities of Photoshop to best suit the VK Group C Commodores and ’34 Ford Indy Specials he loves.  He now travels historic racing gatherings in search of new subjects as well as old potentials he recognizes from childhood.

“I really enjoy creating images of cars that I only ever saw in books and magazines as a kid. It’s great to see these cars are still in action and admired just as much now as they were 30 years ago.”

Stuart’s photos keep them admired.

By Jackson Evans

Retro Motorsport Art: Stuart Row is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Ernie Nagamatsu’s moving tribute to a wonderful friend; Carroll Shelby.

By Ernie Nagamatsu

If I could I would, gather my family one last time for a team meeting for they allowed me to dream my dreams and achieve more than I could have imagined as a young boy from Texas. I would thank them for a long race and special thanks to Michael for the extra laps.

If I could I would, I would run my hands along the beautiful green Aston Martin DBR/1 for it seemed to open the doors and set the stage for my future in motorsports with the wonderful win at Le Mans. I would have the pedal to the floor down the Mulsanne straight when it was straight… and always keep an eye on “Maison Blanc.”

If I could I would, start the engines again of the Maserati 250 F, Birdcage Maserati, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Cadillac and Buick, as it was like music to my ears and I loved them all and part of lessons learned along the way.

If I could I would, get into the Cobra CSX 2000 one last time at Dean Moon’s shop,  for it was the fountainhead of so much more to come as it was a dream come true for me.

If I would I could, call a Shelby American Team meeting one last time to thank each and every one of the loyal crew from Phil on… as they believed in our vision and beliefs that we can deliver the goods in motorsports at all levels… and as a team we did. We did not go to races going for second place…

If I could I would, join in that card game once again as I never refused a Poker game coming from Texas… and little did Enzo know that I had an “Ace up my sleeve” as he thought I was just a “Chicken Farmer” from Texas.

If I could I would, I would turn on my 8 track one last time to hear…”Hey Little Cobra” and remind them all that…”You’re gonna shut’em down…”

If I could I would, call an early morning pre race drivers meeting, to thank all of the great dedicated drivers that gave their all racing for Shelby American… and once again a moment of silence for the great Ken Miles who I miss to this day.

If I could I would, go to Detroit one last time and call on Ford, Chrysler, GM, and Dodge for a “Company Meeting” to put one last proposal on the table as I loved automobile projects dearly.

If I could I would, go to all the chapters of Shelby related organizations to thank them for the support and passion for Shelby cars… and now they will be the “Keepers of the Flame” and I would serve them up a bowl of chili and give them a hug… and tell them all to be proud and tell them ‘Shel’ told you so.

If I could I would, ‘review the numbers,’ as I loved numbers… 289, 427, GT 350, GT-40 and each number was special.

If I could I would, get into one of my Daytona Coupes one last time and tour the tracks I loved dearly… Le Mans, Spa, Nurburgring, Reims, Sebring, Goodwood, and I would swoop off of the last banking turn at Riverside Raceway International Raceway to the front straight.

If I could I would, climb into my 289 Shelby ‘Comp’ Cobra one last time on the track and at every corner I would salute all of the faithful “Corner Workers” as they were always there from me in my races and they kept me safe in every race I raced.

If I could I would, hug every child that we had the opportunity to help in our Carroll Shelby Children’s Heart Foundation as it was closer to my heart than anyone could imagine… and they are the legacy of generous and caring hearts. I could never autograph enough and donate enough for “my kids.” For it was a generous donor that gave me some more laps in life that I will not forget.

If I could I would, race to the checkered flag one last time, and little did I realize that the big checkered flag unfurled high in the sky would touch the face of God…and he was flagging me home as well.

Ernie Nagamatsu CSX 2203

Carroll… Godspeed …and may the kind winds touch your face on your journey home and may the spirit of God cradle and protect you along the way… you will be in our hearts forever.

Images: TheCahierArchive©

Buy prints of these photographs from just $49

Tribute to Carroll Shelby is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

We just received news that due to serious cashflow issues, Lola Cars International Limited and Lola Composites Limited are seeking an administrator. We are unsure at this stage if it will impact  the Lola Heritage Business.

Below is he official release from Lola

“Statement from Lola Group Holdings Limited

Lola Cars International Ltd was formed in 1958. In recent years, significant investment has been made in technology and capability in the motorsports business as well as diversifying and creating Lola Composites Limited, serving the defence, aerospace, communications, renewable energy, automotive and motorsports markets.

The latest economic downturn and the decision of HMRC not to pay ongoing R&D tax credits has caused a serious cashflow problem for the businesses. It is with enormous regret that a decision has been taken to issue Notices of intention to appoint an Administrator to Lola Cars International Limited and Lola Composites Limited. This step allows the board to continue its discussions with possible investors and prospective purchasers with a view to securing the best outcome for the staff, creditors and customers of both businesses.

The Lola board have declined to make further comment until Monday 21st May”

More to follow.

Breaking News: Lola Cars and Lola Composites to appoint an Administrator is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

“Unique, instantly recognisable, achingly beautiful and immensely historic.”

This one of a kind 1953 Timossi-Ferrari ‘Arno XI’ Racing Hydroplane went for a healthy €868.000/US$1,124,060 in RM Auctions’ Monaco sale, held over the weekend in Monaco.

Timossi di Azzano’s stunning racing hydroplane hull was powered by a twin-supercharged 4493.73 cc Ferrari Tipo 375 F1 V-12 engine that put out over 600 brake horsepower – enough to push it to a world speed record in its class of 241.708 kilometers an hour in 1953.

Enjoy the video below, which sees the waves left in a considerably less bruised state as it blasts around at a more gentlemanly, but no less enjoyable pace.

Hit this link to check out our original story and photo gallery, and read more about Arno XI over at RM Auctions here.

Via RM Auctions

Image via RM Auctions

Video: 1953 Timossi-Ferrari ‘Arno XI’ Racing Hydroplane is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

RM Auctions’ Monaco sale ran over the 11th and 12th of May, auctioning stunning and storied classic cars, bikes and boats and generating an impressive €33.5 million.

Stealing the spotlight during the record-breaking sale was the 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Scaglietti Spider, which was up for sale for the first time in thirty years. One of just two built, it sold for a mighty €5,040,000 and was one of ten cars that broke the million Euro mark.

Four cars flew past the two million Euro mark, with the ’66 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder and ’52 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder ‘Tuboscocca’ going for €2.520.000 each, followed by the ’36 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet A at a healthy €2.324.000.

There was plenty of racing history rounding out the top ten, and the entire sale, with the likes of a ’69 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 Sports Racer, 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter Spyder Corsa, ’68 Alfa Romeo T33/2 ‘Daytona’, and the wipper snapper – a 2007 Peugeot 908 V-12 HDi FAP Le Mans Racing Car, all going for over a million Euros.

The 11th of May was all bikes, all day, with a motorcycle sale that celebrated the mighty Ducatis of motorsport’s history through the Carlo Saltarelli Collection. The headliner, a 1972 Ducati 750 Imola 200 Corsa Replica went for €70,200.

“The addition of motorcycles to our Monaco sale represents RM’s versatility in the marketplace. Any motorcycle sale that achieves in excess of one million euros and which also sees significant records tumble, can only be judged as a fantastic success.”

RM DOMINATES MONACO HISTORIC WEEKEND WITH INCREDIBLE €33.5 MILLION IN SALES 

RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, continued its record-breaking sales run in Europe this past weekend, generating a spectacular €33,521,710 in sales* ($43,410,615 million USD**) with 87 percent of all lots sold at its biennial Monaco sale at the Grimaldi Forum.

Held during the same weekend as the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, the two-day auction presented a magnificent collection of more than 90 blue-chip automobiles, 100 Ducati motorcycles and three boats. As many as ten motor cars achieved individual prices exceeding €1 million, with four lots surpassing €2 million. In addition, the sale boasted several new all-time records for a number of specific cars and motorcycles sold at a public sale.

The spectacular results rank the sale as one of the most successful collector car auctions ever staged in Europe as well as RM Europe’s highest grossing sale to date, eclipsing the strong results achieved by the Company at both its debut sale in Monaco in 2010 as well as the highly successful 2007 Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event.

Illustrating RM’s extensive international client base, bidders hailed from 33 countries around the world, including as far away as China, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.

“Monaco 2012 has been a fantastic success. With in excess of 33.5 million sold, this sale rates as one of Europe’s highest grossing collector car sales of all time and most certainly the highest grossing collector car auction in Europe this year. Once again, RM has proved itself to be the preeminent force in the collector car auction scene,” says Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe.

Reinforcing RM’s reputation as the global leader in the presentation of important and historic Ferraris at auction, examples from the Modenese Prancing Horse dominated the top seller’s list. In total, the sale lifted the gavel on 22 different examples spanning over 60 years of production. Headlining the group was the exceptionally rare, one of two 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Scaglietti Spiders, chassis 0680 MDTR, which was offered for sale the first time in 30 years. The rarest of all TRs produced, 0680 MDTR attracted spirited bidding in the room and on the phones, selling for a remarkable €5,040,000, a record for the model. Another wonderful Ferrari competition car entering the history books was the 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder ‘Tuboscocca’, chassis 0192 ET, one of only 12 Vignale Spyders produced, which realized an incredible €2,520,000 to establish a new world record for a 225 S sold at auction. The historically significant 1966 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder, chassis 006, also drew fierce bidding to achieve the same sales price of €2,520,000. Other Ferrari highlights included the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder, chassis 14415, one of only 18 European-specification, LHD examples for €1,008,000; the Ferrari F1-2000 Racing Car, chassis 204, raced by Michael Schumacher on his way to the 2000 Driver’s Championship for €806,400; and, the highly anticipated 1953 Timossi-Ferrari ‘Arno XI’ Racing Hydroplane for €868.000, a record for a Hydroplane sold at auction.

In addition to the Ferraris, Alfa Romeos performed extremely well at RM’s Monaco sale with two highly coveted Tipo 33 sports racing cars selling for record prices. The hotly contested 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 Sports Racer, chassis 105 800 23, built and raced by Autodelta, well surpassed its pre-sale estimate selling for an all-time record sum of €1,232,000. The ex-Nino Vaccarella, Teodoro Zeccoli 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 ‘Daytona’, chassis 75033.029, also sparked enthusiastic bidding, achieving an impressive €1,008,000.

In a sale led by a terrific series of competition cars, another highlight joining the top seller’s list was the 2007 Peugeot 908 V-12 HDi FAP Le Mans Racing Car with its incredible diesel engine which took the car to several victories in the 2007 season. Offered directly from the Peugeot family, it achieved a record price of €1,680,000, the highest price ever paid for a Peugeot at auction.

The auction also saw RM join forces with luxury Swiss watch manufacturer Blancpain and classicdriver.com for the presentation of the 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 GT3 Racing Car which was campaigned successfully last season by Mark Hayek, the President and CEO of Blancpain. Following a visit from H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco to inspect the car the morning of the sale, it later sold in front of a packed house for a strong €155,000, almost double its pre-sale estimate, with 100 percent of proceeds benefitting the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy.

RM Monaco lots exceeding €1 million:

Lot 321 – 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder- €1,008,000
Lot 333 – 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 ‘Daytona’- €1,008,000
Lot 345 – 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Scaglietti Spider – €5,040,000 (world record for a 625 TRC at auction)
Lot 353 – 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet A- €2,324,000
Lot 357 – 1996 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder- €2,520,000
Lot 362 – 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder ‘Tuboscocca’- €2,520,000 (world record for a 225 S at auction)
Lot 367 – 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter Spyder Corsa- €1,010,000
Lot 373 – 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 Sports Racer- €1,232,000 (world record for an Alfa Tipo 33 at auction)
Lot 382 – 2007 Peugeot 908 V-12 HDi FAP Le Mans Racing Car- €1,680,000 (world record for a Peugeot at auction)
Lot 385 – 2006 Ferrari FXX Evoluzione- €1,338,400

As a prelude to the automobile offering, RM hosted its first full-day motorcycle sale on 11 May which celebrated the Ducati brand and featured the world-famous Carlo Saltarelli Collection. The 96 lots represented a cross section of Ducati’s history, headlined by the 1972 Ducati 750 Imola 200 Corsa Replica for €70,200.

For Ducati enthusiasts, the sale also featured a unique opportunity to purchase two factory Desmosedici GP machines, which set new, all-time world records for Ducati motorcycles sold at auction. The race-winning GP10 machine raced by world champion Casey Stoner in the 2010 season, achieved an incredible sale price of €251,550 while the 2011 season GP11 bike raced by the legendary Valentino Rossi, made an equally impressive €235,200. This was the first time the Factory Ducati Corse racing department had offered such bikes directly to auction, and the sale represented a unique opportunity to collectors.

“We are very happy for the two new owners of these precious, high-tech racing motorcycles. It was great experience working with the RM team and to see that the bikes generated so much attention and interested bidding from collectors around the world,” commented Diego Sgorbati, Ducati Motor Holding spa following the sale.

Girardo added, “The addition of motorcycles to our Monaco sale represents RM’s versatility in the marketplace. Any motorcycle sale that achieves in excess of one million euros and which also sees significant records tumble, can only be judged as a fantastic success. In addition, the sale enabled us to successfully reach a new audience of buyers, with thirty-four percent of bidders at the sale representing first-time clients.”

RM’s next European auction, the Aalholm Automobile Collection featuring 175 vehicles offered ‘without reserve’, will be held 12 August in Southern Denmark, followed by RM’s highly anticipated UK sale at Battersea Evolution in central London, 31 October.

For further information on these upcoming events and to view full results from the Monaco sale, visit www.rmauctions.com or call +44 20 7851 7070.

Via RM Auctions

Images via RM Auctions

Auction Results: RM Auctions’ Monaco Sale is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

As the drivers build up for this year’s Indianapolis 500 Pole Day, let’s check out a guy that set the fastest qualifying speed ever at Indy – only to start 20^th. And that’s not the only record he holds..

By Andy Hallbery

Dutchman Arie Luyendyk is the holder of a handful of Indy records, official and unofficial, and all involve speed. While records are made to be beaten, the two-time Indy 500 champion owns records that are likely never to be bettered, with subsequent rule changes slowing the cars down.

Luyendyk’s 1996 qualifying run has many reasons to have a place in history. Having had pole position snatched from him in the closing moments on Pole Day by Scott Brayton, that evening he had his second-place qualifying time disallowed for his car being underweight. This meant he had to run again the following day to qualify, where – with the first seven rows of cars locked in – at best he could qualify 20 places behind the pole man. “This will be the first time I’ve qualified two days running,” he semi-joked.

The next day he would up his Lola-Menard like a pendulum. Every lap was a “NNNNeeeewwww LLLLaaaaapppp RRRReeecccooorrd!!!” The result was an average speed over the four laps of 236.986mph, three mph faster than the pole speed set the previous day. His final tour was 237.498mph, which also still stands as the Single Fastest Qualifying Lap.

Afterwards he admitted that he could have “probably gone faster, but there was no need.

“It wasn’t a pretty run, my lines were different each lap,” he said. “The car was comfortable, and probably had more in it, but not today.”

He spoke from experience as his time in practice on Friday, May 10 was indeed faster, and leads us to another of his records: Fastest Unofficial (Practice) Lap. This is a staggering 239.260mph (“I saw 243mph on the back straight”, he added.)

The other record Luyendyk holds – and has done for 22 years – is the Fastest Winning Average Speed at 185.981mph, and that 1990 Lola-Chevrolet which is proudly displayed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

So that’s two-time Indy 500 winner (1990, 1997), three-time Indy 500 pole winner – not counting his record-breaking run in 1996 – (1993, 1997, 1999) and multiple record holder Arie Luyendyk.

It’s fair to say he has the 2.5-mile Brickyard and its four corners tamed.

Special thanks to Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Images via Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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Indy 500: Fast, Faster, Fastest: Arie Luyendyk is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

This moving episode of Australian Story, in which Sir Stirling Moss, Alan Jones and Murray Walker help Australia’s first Formula One World Champion, Sir Jack Brabham, tell his amazing story, was broadcast on Australia’s ABC last night.

It’s a must-watch story about one of Australia’s, and the world’s, motorsport legends, so we’re pleased to see that the ABC has archived it and offered it for viewing online on their website. You can check it out by hitting this link.

Image via the ABC

*note – It may only be viewable in Australia, let us know in the comments

Video: Australian Story: Jack Brabham is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

This lovely Ferrari 312 B3 was Niki Lauda’s ride for his debut with Ferrari in the 1974 Formula One World Championship.

After roughing (and sponsoring) his way through two tough seasons in Formula One, one driving both F2 and F1 for March and one with BRM, Lauda made his way into the resurgent Ferrari team thanks to his quick driving and some kind words from his BRM teammate, Clay Regazzoni.

The 312 B3 was his machine and he gained an instant affinity with it – securing second place in his debut grand prix with Ferrari and the first race for the year – the Argentine Grand Prix – and going on to dominate qualifying throughout the year. Pole position was his for nine of the fifteen races and he launched into a seemingly unassailable qualifying streak, setting six scintillating and consecutive pole positions from the Dutch Grand Prix until the Italian Grand Prix.

He went on to take two wins that year in the 312 B3, including his first ever Formula One Grand Prix win, the ’74 Spanish Grand Prix and his second in the Dutch Grand Prix, but inexperience and mechanical gremlins seemed to combine make his season an all-or-nothing blast in which he either finished in the top two, or not at all.

This machine is fully documented and certified by Ferrari, and is completely fresh on a complete Ferrari Factory, Cliente Competition Department Restoration. It’s up for sale over at Tillack and you can check out the full details on their website here.

Via Tillack

Images via Tillack

For Sale: Ex-Lauda 1974 Ferrari 312 B3 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Check out these lovey digital portraits of Formula 1 Champions Fangio, Senna and Schumacher by Polish designer Piotr Buczkowski.

You can see more of Piotr’s work here

Art: F1 Heroes by Piotr Buczkowski is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Video: Fire breaks out in the Williams garage is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.