CSRG Season opener - Sonoma / April '15

[John Z Goriup]

Some more.

[John Z Goriup]

More still.

[John Z Goriup]

Another marque very well represented usually is Alfa-Romeo, probably because many of the members bought them new and then simply didn't have the heart to let them go as used cars and converted them to very rewarding track racers.

Many have been passed on to sons and have stayed in the same family since new.

[John Z Goriup]

Ferraris are always a major draw at any vintage meeting, and with the '67 cut-off, you're guaranteed that only the most desirable, classic, old 'Enzo era' models will come out to play …..and attract the ticket-buying public.

Incidentally, after the track rental is paid, any left-over money goes to local charities - to date the CSRG Charity Racing weekends have resulted in well over half a million $$ going to various local charities. A win-win situation, it's great fun, and you're serving a good cause by attending.

This past weekend was the "David Love Memorial Meeting", in Honor of the co-founder of CSRG, who sadly passed away the day before the season opener last year. His famous #9 Testa Rossa was purchased by another local CSRG member, and is now the new owners preferred track car.

The #15 TR 61 recreation surprised me by its presence since CSRG does not allow replicas, recreations call them what you will, but it is a Ferrari 3.0 liter V-12 powered, respectably reasonable replica of the priceless original LeMans winner and was used to raise money for lunch time rides that anyone can purchase for three fairly hot laps.

[John Z Goriup]

Another significant Ferrari was the '61 #6 250 GT SWB, aka the Comp/61 SEFAC 'hot rod' , built by Ferrari to fight the emerging British Jaguar and Aston-Martin threats, and to fill the gap prior to the introduction of the GTO in '62.

The SEFAC model, as so often happened before involving some of Ferrari's most successful and sought after models, was Luigi Chinetti's idea, with Enzo grudgingly approving a small series to be built and sold to privateers solely, since he was genuinely afraid that the newly introduced XK-E would prove to be a real problem for Ferrari.

Unbelievably, or maybe not unbelievably at all since this was an altogether Italian operation, to this day it's not exactly known how many of this model were actually produced by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, but most Ferrari historians estimate that somewhere between 12 to 20 were actually made. They were lighter than standard Coupes what with 1.1mm thick aluminum used for the body, with a stiffer, lighter frame, a more powerful Testa Rossa motor ( 300 + HP ) which later found it's way into the GTOs and were very successful.

For your reference, Bruce Meyer's silver and blue LeMans class-winning 250 SWB is also a SEFAC model, as is the dark blue with white stripe ex-Rob Walker car driven by Sir Moss to victory in Nassau while listening to the car radio, probably the most famous of the lot. The best and simplest way to identify a SEFAC SWB is the shield over the driver's side exhaust tips to prevent fuel from spilling onto the hot ANSA tips and igniting……….but many have added that little touch to standard cars to confuse the uninitiated.

[John Z Goriup]

Another interesting Ferrari sports racer, but a very unique one, a 312 PB but like the other 7 of this model, this car was sold to Luigi Chinetti's N.A.R.T. who replaced the standard 3-liter flat twelve with a Testa-Rossa V12 unit for American SCCA racing.

[John Z Goriup]

and the second set of the same Ferrari.

[John Z Goriup]

A broad range of British cars are always well represented at CSRG meetings. They were after all the first to make the US 'sports car' concious after the last numbered World War, were cheap, effective, easy to fix and were generally & widely available before better, far more advanced designs became available to more knowledgable, enthusiastic and affluent post-war buyers.

[John Z Goriup]

…..and another set.

[John Z Goriup]

Three of "the other Italian", in this case a beautifully, if not too faithfully restored Tipo 61 Maserati Birdcage, followed by a pair of images of a very well done and accurate Schnitzer built 'Batmobile'.