I have two vintage race cars, a 1960 Sunbeam Alpine and a Lotus 61 formula
Ford. The first was never a race car until I bought it, restored it and
raced it. The Lotus, obviously, was never a street car. So what does all
this prove?
If I could wind the clock back to 1960, drive that Alpine off the showroom
floor and onto a race track, would it be any different than it is today?
That I have prepared the Alpine period correct should have some bearing. I
race it today as it would have been raced then. Heck, look at all the
pushrod Porsches out there (not only vintage racing but other forms of
racing as well). Remember that the management at Porsche back then was
absolutely abhored at the thought of ANYONE racing anything other than a 4
cam Carrera! A pushrod 356 series car was intended for going to the grocery
store, and happy motoring on the weekends! It wasn't intended as a racecar.
The Lotus has been raced off and on for 32 years. The Alpine is in its
second season. As far as I'm concerned, both are race cars.
Carl
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