Central Valley Classic Cars

I don’t want to sound prophetic; to be one of those people who says they know the future and give an exhaustive list of evidence to why they are right. It seems that most of the time, these predictions turn out false. I mean technically, Chrysler still exists despite all who foretold its demise at the beginning of the year.

That’s not what I’m claiming. Doomed is merely the conclusion I’ve come to after reading the history of the Ford GT40 in A.J. Baime’s book, Go Like Hell.

The problem as I see it is progress. The same progress that allows you to read this collection of words on your television like screen thingie. Hold on, let me take you through my thought process.

The world of racing in the mid sixties is not like the racing of today. ‘Go Like Hell’ is a gripping story of brave and talented men risking their lives every time they set out in a race car. And when I say ‘risk their lives’ it is no mere exaggeration for dramatic purposes. It felt like someone died in every chapter of the book. Whether a rookie driver or a world famous star racer, people’s lives ended commonly on the track. And thankfully, for the lives its saved, progress has put all but a stop to death in world class racing. It still happens yes, racing is still dangerous but to put it into context, in the early 60’s there were actual debates about weather or not to put seat belts in race cars. Things have changed.

I’m not claiming then that the progress I’m referring to is bad. It is after all progress. But still, some of the romance is missing. Yes I know that sounds horrible but its true. Men in general like the idea of laughing in the face of death. Of heroes. Of men who succeed against truly dangerous opposition. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the glory. Or something like that. I don’t believe that the safety, the saved lives is a bad thing. Of course it is good, but the loss of adventure is an unfortunate side effect. That said, lets switch gears a bit and I’ll continue with something that sounds less offensive.

As progress in technology has increased two things have happened: Race cars have gotten further and further from cars people can actually buy and drive, and the cost of racing has sky-rocketed.

The first thing has bothered me for a long time. NASCAR used to use a term that meant something. I’m referring to of course the words ‘Stock Car’. That meant that the cars were stock. Or at least were only modified with parts that any old enthusiast could go down to his local dealer and buy. That built a fan base with a marque and allowed fans to identify with the cars they cheered for. I can just picture a marketing person in the 60’s saying, “Why don’t we make it easier on all the manufacturers and make them all race the same car, just with different painted bodies on them. Fans will still cheer for their brands. It doesn’t matter that the cars have nothing to do with the models they are named after.” Had someone actually said that back then, I’d like to think they’d have been drawn an quartered.

But I will concede that NASCAR is very popular today. With its fake cars. That’s fine. Good for it. Can we have then a new racing league for actual stock as in stock from the dealer, cars? Yes they can be fitted with roll cages and harnesses but outside of that. . . .

Trans-Am racing started out on the right track back then too. But it too lost its way. And disappeared.

And to get back to the book, look at Le Mans racing. I still enjoy the GT1 and GT2 classes for having varying degrees of relation to cars I could (if I had money) go and buy. But the ‘prototype’ cars raced in the 60’s would be considered GT1 cars today. There are people who used their GT40’s on the streets. That would never happen with a Peugot whatever its called.

About the only thing I can think of that hasn’t changed is Formula 1 (and other open wheel leagues) but that’s only because they were never ‘normal’ cars to begin with.

And this leads into the second problem. The cost. This to me is the greatest problem. Because it destroys something that though universal is very strongly tied to the American Dream.

When it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to race successfully in a major series, we lose the opportunity for the underdog success stories. For the chicken farmer that has a good idea and a strong commitment and takes on the worlds best. For an aluminum salesman to revolutionize two of the top racing leagues in the world and brings the established racing royalty to its knees. Its that dream of no matter what your status in life, if you have a good idea and work hard you can accomplish anything. Its the tie to the common man and the drama that ensues, the hope, the struggles and finally the win that makes racing great.

Or maybe that’s just how I see it. Luckily there’s books like ‘Go Like Hell’ out there to thrill me with stories of the Golden Age of racing. I highly recommend picking it up.