ROAR Cars - info and pics

[Audi1]

A couple people have PM'd me to ask what kind of cars raced at Le Mans and the other big tracks in the period of 1949-63; the period that we're targeting for the ROAR fun run. The short answer is a lot of varied sports cars and prototypes.

I'm starting this thread to provide info on these car and some pics. Feel free to post whatever additional info and pics you have on them.

As a start, here's a listing, by year, of the cars that ran Le Mans from '49-'63. Cars that ran on the other big tracks during the same period are also fine for this fun run: Sebring, Spa, Nurburgring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, etc. So, Le Mans is not the only focus of the ROAR fun run. But, as you'll see, there's a lot to choose from just looking at this particular race.

We bracketed 1949-63; which probably seems like sort of a strange bracket, for two reasons. First, there were no races at Le Mans and at many other tracks during WW II, so 1949 was the first re-initiation of this race post war. Second, once you get into 1964 you're in the Ford-Ferrari war years and we wanted to have a fun run without a lot of GT-40's in it. [This topic; the Ford-Ferrari war, could be the topic of an interesting fun run all by itself; your favorite Ford vs. your favorite Ferrari; no limitations. But, that's a thought for another time. We're talking ROAR right now!]

The links below, by year, are from the Wikipedia. To see a list of the cars that finished, and those that did not, look at the top of the earlier years and toward the bottom of the later years in each link.

1949

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1950

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1951

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1952

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1953

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1954

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1955

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Le_Mans_disaster

Not much here; this was the year of the tragic Mercedes-Benz crash that led M-B to withdrew from factory-sponsored racing for decades. Fangio, driving an M-B was leading the race when M-B decided to withdraw out of respect for those who had died in the accident. A tough year for motorsports.

1956

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1957

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1958

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1959

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1960

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1961

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1962

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

1963

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

That's a lot of cars! And a lot of really interesting marques and custom one-offs. Add to this listing the cars that ran at the other big tracks, plus the Targa Florio, the Mille Miglia and the La Carrera Panamericana and you have quite a few cars to choose from for the ROAR fun run.

I'll try to add some pics later.

Allan

[btaylor]

Great Job! Thank you!
Bob

[Retro Racer 44]

Two things- The same kind of file for 1955 listing all the cars can be found here -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

Also I am assuming that only the "Roadsters", open roof cars, from these lists are eligible for ROAR, correct?

Keith

[btaylor]

We will be including closed cars as well! ( edited post)
Thanks for the listing!
Bob

[Retro Racer 44]

[Audi1]

[studioRS]

Another exceptional link is racing sports cars database. Here is the search result of Le Mans races from 1949 to 1963.

http://www.racingsportscars.com/races/s ... 49&to=1963

This website also has photographs of most cars and documentation for the most avid scale detailed race car enthusiast. The 1958 Porsche 718 RSK I am replicating is listed in the database (for a west coast SoCal race) and other similar 718 RSKs are as well winning their class in Le Mans.

Cheers, Thompson

[cagee13]

[Audi1]

Thanks Thompson and cagee13; some great pics and info in those two links.

Allan

[Nor Cal Mike]

I'm not trying to be rule maker or breaker here so this is a suggestion only. I would emphasize that capturing the spirit of the era rather than any particular livery at any specific race, be it Le Mans or any other venue. Heck your build could be inspired by an SCCA event in the 50's or early 60's at the old Monterey track or one of the many abandoned airport tracks of the day. Imagine yourself being Sterling Moss, Dr. Dick Thompson, Carroll Shelby or Roger Penske behind the wheel and you will have the spirit.

[Audi1]

Yup, fantasy liveries, accurate reproductions or even inaccurate reproductions ( :lol: ) are all fine for this fun run. And, if you have a favorite car from that era that didn't run in the big races of the day but ran in the races that you enjoyed in that time period, then that's fine, too.

Allan

[Audi1]

Here are some pics from Le Mans in the '49-63 time period.

1949 winner - Ferrari 166



1950 winner - Talbot-Lago T 26 GS [This would make an absolutely awesome car for this run! Essentially, an F1 car with bicycle fenders!!]



1951 winner - Jaguar C-type [Can you believe the car that looks like it's running in 4th place??? Bentley?]



1952 winner - Mercedes-Benz 300 SL



1953 winner - Jaguar C-type



1954 winner - Ferrari 375



1955 winner - Jaguar D-type



1956 winner - Jaguar D-type



1957 winner - Jaguar D-type



1958 winner - Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa



1959 winner - Aston Martin DBR1



1960 winner - Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa



1961 winner - Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa



1962 winner - Ferrari 330



1963 winner - Ferrari 250P



Thank you, Thompson!

Allan

[Audi1]

Same thing for Sebring. 1950 was the first race; New Year's eve 1950; 6 hour in total

1950 winner - Crosley L2 Hotshot



No 1951 Sebring race; the next race after the December 31, 1950 race was held 14 months later an was the first 12 hour Sebring race.

1952 winner - Frazer Nash LM



1953 winner - Cunningham C4-R



1954 winner - Osca MT-4



19655 winner - Jaguar D-Type



1956 winner - Ferrari 860 Monza



1957 winner - Maserati 450S



1958 winner - Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa



1959 winner - Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa



1960 winner - Porsche 718 RS



1961 winner - Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa 1/61



1962 winner - Ferrari Testa Rossa 1/61



1963 winner - Ferrari 250 P



More to come...........

Allan

[Audi1]

This period also had the first Corvettes to race on the big track. Here's Briggs Cunningham's 3 car Le Mans team in 1960:





It also had the first of Carrol Shelby's Cobras:



and the coupe tested at Riverside in October, 1963, so OK too:



Still more coming............

Allan

[Audi1]

Besides the exotic and one-off racers, there were also a lot of production modified cars that ran in the '49-63 time period. Here are just a few of them.

MGs





Triumphs:







Healeys:





Alfas:





Cadillacs:





And many, many others.

Feel free to post your favorite cars from this great racing era!

Allan