"Too dumb for opera ...

... Too smart for NASCAR."  That's what a fairly popular shirt reads in road racing circles, like last weekend at Road America.  I don't own one yet.  I've got too many racing shirts as it is.  Still, I almost bought another one, with a '74 BMW 3.0 CSL printed on the front.  It's a great screen, but in white, I look like a beached whale.  So I passed.  Maybe next time.


Meanwhile, we had historic racecars on hand for the Brian Redman/Kohler International Challenge.  I generally get tired of seeing all the old Corvettes, Camaros, and even Mustangs (and I really like old Mustang racecars) after seeing this many of them.  Every weekend at a historic race, I pick out a few notable favorites to remember.  This event had more than the usual allotment.


First, there was an original Fiat Cinquecento (500) parked across from the Tech Center.  Kind of a benign beige color, with a slightly brighter interior trimmed in red.  These cars are really Spartan inside, but they ooze so much cool, VW Beetles and even Mini Coopers are jealous of this unbelievably small and slow Italian oddity.  'Luigi' in "Cars" is a Cinquecento.  On Saturday, it was parked directly next to a very good-looking Stingray for a perfect "Odd Couple" photo.


While I never saw it move, or on track, there was a very sharp black '63 Ford Falcon Sprint in racing trim sitting near SJB Racing and the track medical center.  Here's that car:

About on an equal plane was a burgundy-with-black-vinyl-top '68 Mercury Cougar that came through Tech while I worked.  Not certain if it was a real Bud Moore car, but if not, it was a very good clone.  Another beautifully-prepared car was a '67 Nissan Bluebird.  This was the well-known Datsun 510 in the US, but this was the RHD Japanese home market version, complete down to full-width taillight trim that never showed up on these shores.


Two more highlights included a 1958 Johnny Thompson Kurtis Offy DA Special Indy racer.  This was a 'laid down' Offenhauser variant that puts the engine nearly on its right side, with the crankcase, transmission, and driveshaft down the left side of the car, beside (not under) the driver:

Then, there was the Fabulous Hudson Hornet 6.  This is a replica of the car Marshall Teague drove to fame in the early 1950s.  It's shown here at Monterrey:

We were told this was the car used for the engine sounds used for 'Doc Hudson' in "Cars".  It is an authentic 308 c.i. Twin H powered car, so it would not surprise me.  The owner gave us a couple of sweet hatpins that I'll be wearin' for awhile.

From Wednesday on, it got progressively hotter and more humid; to the point where I blew off Sunday.  Saturday night, Brian Redman was kind enough to stop by the worker party and personally thank us for making his namesake race a success.  We are always happy to make it one of the best vintage racing events in the country.