Wandering through the paddock at any vintage event , you see people of all ages smiling and pointing at certain cars they remember from either their younger days, or from reading about them, or watching Youtube videos. From popular cars like old Corvettes and Mustangs, to rarer cars like Ford Anglias and Lotus 7’s there is something for everyone.
This year’s Savannah Speed Classic saw a change in the sanctioning body, with Sportscar Vintage Racing Association taking over after many years of Historic Sportscar Racing running the show.
A wide variety of cars were on hand, including older NASCAR road course cars smaller English sedan racers like the Ford Anglia, Cortina, and a Falcon, in a beautiful Gulf livery, to Mazda Miatas an XKE Jaguar, and even a Ferrari 488.
The racing is not like what you would see at a typical European vintage event. The track is only used once a year, and the safety standards are not up to modern specs. Just two layers of Armco, limited to no runoff areas, and no catch fencing. But the sights and sounds are glorious, from American V-8’s, various 4 and 6-cylinder engines, including of course the ubiquitous Porsche flat 6.
There are often some excellent displays at these events, and this year there were of group of Corvettes, courtesy of Chevrolet. No C*, but a 1958 fuelie, a 1967 big block, and two C7’s
The racing season in the Northern Hemisphere is just about over, but keep your eyes and ears open for a Vintage event near you in the coming months. Always fun, you’ll find lots of kindred souls there with which to talk about your favorite cars from the past.