This issue is rather central to an essential schism in vintage racing,
wherein we debate whether we're playing with street cars trying to be race
cars, or race cars that used to be street cars. I solved this dilema quite
expensively, BTW, by selling both of my race cars that used to be street
cars and buying a race car that is and always was a race car.
My 1961 MG Midget, the race/street car that I built a few years ago and sold
this winter, had a totally stripped interior which was then replaced with
either painted bare metal or aluminium to form a firewall for both the
engine and trunk compartments. But aside from the vinyl dash covering, and
the seat upholstery over the aluminium stock car seat, all combustible stock
interior was removed, largely in the interest of fire safety.
I always believed that vintage racing was about racecars of the period, not
street cars of the period. Amateur racers in the mid-sixties raced street
cars (full trim, street suspension, etc.) and they raced race-prepared
versions of the same cars. Here in Canada, they raced cars that not only
had aluminium interiors, but also had complete alloy replacement bodies, not
to mention other more drastic modifications. If someone had an MGA, for
example, that had been modified and raced in 1960 with an all aluminium
body, and that specific car was brought forward today, we'd let it run. But
we wouldn't let a new car be built to emulate it. Replacing cardboard and
vinyl interior panels with aluminium, removing plastic headliners, and so
on, removes material from the car that burns readily, fiercely and
toxically, and leaves the car looking better than if it just had empty door
spaces where the windows used to be. And I'm of the opinion that no stock
seat of the sixties or earlier is acceptably strong or rigid enough to be
used in racing of any kind today, not to mention the combustible padding
(sometimes including horehair!). A member of my family happens to be an
industy expert in auto safety, and I've sought her opinion on matters like
seat safety. Technology has brought many things forward in the past 30
years, and some of them are good and should be embraced.
Personally, I believed that I should prepare a street car for vintage racing
as an amateur would have, in the car's period. So I stripped the interior,
replaced it with well crafted panels to ensure a solid firewall, dash, etc,
installed a solid and safe seat, and roll-cage, and went racing. Others
like to keep a more stock appearance, and many clubs have rules to enforce
that, but it's not my vision of what vintage racing is about. Eventually, I
wanted to prepare the car to a more modified state than my club was
comfortable with, and I ran with HSR for two years. Now, I have a Merlyn
sports racer, and a new member to our club has the Midget, and is having a
blast with it. There's room for a lot of different opinions in our sport,
and the key is having safe fun, when all else is said and done!
debatably yours, Brian Evans
At 11:15 AM 6/29/98 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 98-06-27 10:24:22 EDT, you write:
>
><< I'm new to the hobby and I'm trying to prepare an MGB for
> vintage racing and I would like to cover as much of the interior with
> aluminum as is practical. >>
>
>Schonny:
>
>Since your new to the hobby, you may have given yourself an out here for lots
>of grief. Depending on which vintage group you run with, covering your
>interior with aluminum is completely opposite to the basic concept of vintage
>racing. CSRG, for example, requires that interiors retain as much of their
>original appearance as possible (i.e. door panels, instrument panels, etc.) so
>as NOT to have the appearance of having been "gutted". While installing an
>aluminum firewall between the trunk or boot and the interior is desirable for
>safety, "covering as much of the interior as possilbe" is not in the spirit of
>vintage car preparation.
>
>Before you spend a lot of time, effort and money doing this, you may want to
>confer with those in the groups you plan to run with and gain an understanding
>of what the philosophy of those vintage groups are, before you commit
>yourself. Frankly, its people coming to the sport with your way of thinking
>that cause cars like MGBs (and others) not to be eligible in some groups of
>vintage racing. Low-budget, tricked-out, high volume production cars are not
>what many forms of vintage racing is all about. If you're not going to show
>up with a faithfully restored car, prepared to the appropriate regs, then
>perhaps vintage isn't where you should be....SCCA regionals, or some other
>venue may be more in line with what you want to be doing.
>
>I'd suggest you look into this more before leaping.....I'm sure this will stir
>up some discussion among the list...
>
>Regards,
>Myles H. Kitchen
>1965 Lotus (w/original door panels, trim panels, headliner, instrument panel,
>and seats) Cortina Mk1 #128
>
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