Spring '03

Of Daytona Prototypes & Racing Cars.

Our kind editor called to ask; “If you want to supply two or three paragraphs to “Victory lane”, we’d love to print it.” Now look Dan, I know you sometimes have trouble filling enough column inches each month, but isn’t this going too far?

Whatever, as I’m both a racer and a dealer in race cars, I’ll do my best to tell you what I see about our precious scene at the moment.

I went to the Daytona 24-Hours, as usual and both the crowds and entry were way down. A combination of the economy, war jitters and new rules being introduced, I suppose. Whilst I never liked WSC cars, seeing them as a retrograde step from the GTP cars, the new “Daytona Coupe” class are, in my opinion, even worse. I took a good look at them in the garages and found myself shaking my head in wonderment. These cars could have been built in 1962. No turbochargers and a tube-frame chassis. I suppose, on the bright side, it should encourage more entrants as the cars should be cheaper to run.

I was, though, heartened to see Kevin Buckler’s “Racer’s Group” 911 GT3R win outright though, as readers may already know of my partiality to the racing Porsche 911 and 930. Co-incidentally, it was thirty years since a Porsche 911 last won the race, that being the Brumos-entered, Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood-driven car in 1973.

To me, the really sad part of Daytona this year was that few of the top runners got below 1min 50secs, whilst the HSR ”Vintage” race on the Friday had seen lap times in the order of the high 30’s! I know circuit organizers are always saying that most racecars are “Too fast!” for safety, but surely that’s what racing is all about, isn’t it? Now we’re hearing that Grand Am entrants were complaining that racing had become “Too expensive.” But wasn’t it ever thus? You can have a good race with two cars, but there would be acres of uncovered banking!

Compare Daytona this year to the Sebring 12-Hour race. Crowds a-plenty, (as usual), a pretty full entry list with manufacturers such as Audi, Bentley, Chevrolet all entering teams and some great racing, all down the field. The recently-renamed IMSA sanctioning body seems to have the answers as far as sports/GT racing in the U.S. goes at present.

I spoke with my good pal Alex Rowntree last week about the state of the old race/sportscar car market. the other day. You may remember Alex from my book, “A Long and Deadly Season.” He is the principal consignor for one of the World’s biggest auction houses based here in the U.S.

As I write these words, the threat of war with Iraq looms large and most people involved in business already seem to be saying: “When the war is over”, nevertheless, Alex was able to give me his take on the the auction market for vintage racecars at present. There are, in his opinion, three categories:

1: The truly great cars, such as Porsche 917’s, Jaguar D Types, Ferrari Testa Rossas, to name a few. Alex emphasised that the cars on offer had to be of the “no stories” variety, with a clear, well-defined lineage, great competition history, (You know, won Le Mans, Daytona), and in excellent condition today. That is, either completely original, as it left the scene of triumph, or totally, correctly restored. These cars are at a premium. (Weren’t they always?) and are, today, fetching prices that in most cases, exceed the pre-auction estimate. Obviously,there are few of these cars around! Scarcity always helps value. We’re in the million-plus dollar category here.

2: Proper, correct, original cars with not quite such a good race history, but correctly restored. Also, GOOD road-going Sportscars, such as Jaguar “E” types, Fifties and sixties Corvettes, 356/early 911 Porsches. These sell well at surprisingly good prices, but MUST be perfect, either totally original or completely, correctly restored to the very highest standard.

3: Basically everything else! O.K. and “tatty” sports/GT cars, not particularly well looked after, no great history. Will not fetch good money, just market or less.