In 2009, things started auspiciously for the No. 58 Riley-Porsche Daytona Prototytpe when David Donohue put it on the Daytona 24 Hour pole. Of course, being on pole for a 24-hour race amounts to tying your shoes correctly before running a marathon.
In Vintage Motorsport’s July/Aug 21.4 issue, the “History Smiles” cover car and Salon feature tells the grand story of David’s win, 40 years to the day after his beloved father, Mark, won the very same race.
And in mentioning great races at Daytona, we also have Wayne Taylor telling his story in My Favorite Race, that being the 1996 Rolex 24 at Daytona, his win there in a Riley & Scott Olds.
Of course, not all race cars are successful, but one that came close was the Shelby King Cobra, one that was almost “Obsolete at Birth,” but this restored ex-Bob Bondurant had a more interesting life after the season and series was over.
In “Candid Cameras,” writer Charles B. Camp tells how the car and the camera found each other around the turn of the 20th Century with amazing photos from two of the nation’s most prolific motorsports photographers.
In “Speed by Design,” Part 1, we meet Lee Dykstra, the father of some of the most revered racing cars of the past half-century. From the General Motors Institute to Ford Performance, quite a start to an amazing career.
And while the Le Mans 24 Hours will take place this year much later than usual, we look back on the few years from 1980 to ’83 that the Le Mans’ racetrack welcomed four 1/8th-mile drag races held in front of the pit lane’s straight in front of as many as 68,000 spectators. Yes, drag racing at Le Mans!
In Vroom Room VM’s editor-in-chief details Part 2 of building a great garage and shop, and we also visit North Hollywood Speedometer, that focuses on the niche restoration market of automotive gauges.
Race coverage includes HSR’s ever-popular The Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the Amelia Island Concours, Vintage Racer’s Groups Jefferson 500 at Summit Point and SVRA at Road America.
Our popular columns by BS Levy, Le Mans 24-Hour winner Jochen Mass, Pete Lyons, Jeff Allison, Fritz Frommeyer and D. Randy Riggs are here too, along with all the recent virtual and live auction action from John L. Stein.
The July/Aug 2021 Vintage Motorsport issue is in the mail to subscribers and if you are a subscriber, thank you! It’s also on newsstands at Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide. If you’re not a subscriber, you can go to VintageMotorsport.com/Subscribe or call 877-425-4103. Single copies can be purchased at our online store here.
