Automobile Racing "History" and Other Signs of the Apocalypse

In the March/April 2011 edition of Vintage Motorsport, several issues seemed to collide. On page 122, the "Pick of the Litter" for the October 14-17 2010 get-together of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association at Road Atlanta was the McLaren M8F owned by Scott Hughes. The Hughes McLaren is presented in the same papaya colors as the 1971 M8F that Peter Revson used to win that year's Can-Am title. Indeed, Hughes has repeatedly stated that this is the very chassis that Revson used that season. The author of the article, Walt Pietrowicz, simply repeated the oft-repeated claim by Hughes as to the provenance of the car.

There is, naturally, just one small problem with Hughes' claim that his McLaren is the one used by Revson during the 1971 season -- that car is owned by Evert Louwman and just happens to reside in the Dutch National Motor Museum in The Hague. The provenance of the Louwman is airtight, something that Revson's sister, Jennifer, can attest to, being very much familiar with both her brother's career and the cars that he drove. In fact, the chassis that Revson used has not been in the USA since 1985.

The "So What?" factor here is several-fold.

First, Scott Hughes has been approached by a number of people, to include Jennifer Revson, regarding the provenance of the car he owns. To date, it appears that Hughes has not taken kindly to any questions regarding the provenance of his car, to include having words with Jennifer Revson. That the preponderance of the evidence is against Hughes there is no doubt, yet this seems not to have deterred him from continuing to pass off the car as the "original" 1971 team car used by Revson.

Second, while this is an extreme example, there are many other such cases of -- to be kind -- "misrepresentation" in many and varying degrees to be found among those who participate in what could be more accurately termed "vanity" racing. No one has an issue with a replica or "tribute" car as long as it is presented as such. However, this may not always be the case, there being more than a few cars present and past who provenance was more than a bit questionable.

Third, although the editor of VM, Randy Riggs, was almost immediately hit with emails and even phone calls by knowledgeable readers regarding the Hughes McLaren, to include Tom Schultz -- the track historian at Road America and, full disclosure, a friend of mine -- and Jennifer Revson, it was not until the deluge became impossible to ignore that he agreed to no long use the author of the piece, Pietrowicz, and would print a correction in the next issue.

While, in my view, simply another tempest in a teapot in a realm of motor sports that I have very mixed feelings about, vintage or vanity racing, there is the consideration that magazines carrying vanity racing reports -- and quite often serve as a means of promoting various cars for subsequent sale, are less vessels for the outpouring of history than means of to a large extent catering to a very special clientele and more-often-than-not in bed with those in the marketplace associated with vanity racing machinery. Not only that, but there are more than a few instances of the articles in the front of magazines not always being good examples of historical research.

One may read much more regarding this contretemps at The Nostalgia Forum found at the Autosport site.*

All of this leads to the issue of automobile racing history being held captive to journalists.

While journalists are said to write the "first draft of history," it seems that journalists -- sports journalists sticking out in particular in this regard -- have little use for historians. Quite the contrary, many in the field of automotive journalism consider themselves to be historians. This thinking is reflected in the association of most automotive "halls of fame" with some organization of journalists who make the selections and write the biographies or citations for the inductees. There are occasions where these supposed journalist-historians get it very, very wrong when it comes to the history of automobile racing. Given that journalists and not historians not only write the first draft, but the subsequent drafts of history there is an inevitable miasma of misinformation that results.

At any rate, just another sign of the Apocalypse.

* Given the genuine antipathy that the clowns running the Autosport.com have for me, it truly pains me to even mention them much less direct anyone their way. Unfortunately, I created a monster in the form of The Nostalgia Forum (TNF) and even in its zombie form it lurches along with the occasion bit of goodness being found among the usual dribble and mindless fluff.

To continue with the theme, consider that journalists are, by definition, concerned with the Present, the here and now, which can and should be rather broadly defined temporally. When a journalist turns to the past, far more often than not it is because he or she wishes to show its relevance, its importance, its role to the present. The past is used by journalists to draw attention to examples, parallels, and lessons from previous events or to highlight that an issue of contemporary concern has deep roots into the past. There is, then, a tendency to use the Past as an adjunct to the Present. This leads, naturally, to anchronistic thinking regarding history given that it is considered solely in terms of the present.

Or as trivia.

While there have certainly been cases where journalists have done excellent jobs writing history as it should be written and even those making the transition to being a historian, these cases tend to be few and far between in any field of journalistic endeavor. This is relevant to the discussion of automotive and sports journalists because their numbers simply overwhelm by many magnitudes their historian counterparts. Needless to say, the bully pulpit belongs to the journalists.

I would suggest that a periodical that covers vanity racing or tracks the market value of what could be termed "exotic" cars, which would include racing machinery, while simultaneously publishing what are considered articles relating to automotive history is not an "automotive history" magazine. After all, it does raise the eyebrows a tad when there is an eight page article on the Thunderbolt Greaseslapper Type R Mark III at the front of the magazine and then a half page advertisement offering the same car for sale at the rear of the magazine. Or, it is offered for sale an issue or so later with the provenance of the car now firmly established by the earlier article. True, this is capitalism in action and what makes the world go round, but it also seems to imply a blurring of the lines for those naive enough to think that the purpose of these magazines is to inform and enlighten. As someone once pointed out, the only enlightenment that sales are light bulbs.

It is probably quite unfair to be critical of magazines such as Vintage Motorsport, Vintage Racecar Journal, Motor Sport, and any others of that ilk for their lack devote to Clio and her musings. After all, they are in the business of staying in business, they are not charities for automotive historians, and they are entwined in the vanity racing business to some degree, others more deeply than others. The magazines also depend upon the good graces of those who are dealers of exotic cars and their customers, as well as that background network of people who track the provenance of such cars for purposes both noble and, perhaps, not quite so noble.

Lest it seem that I am being very critical of the entire vanity racing scene, both that of that of the US and in Europe, to an extent I am. I must qualify that criticism by stating that the entire scene is not in the hands of cockroaches and worm-eaten frauds. Most, most likely the vast majority, involved with the scene are as clean as the driven-snow when it comes to most of the shenanigans that tend to marr this activity. They fix up old racing cars and bash them around the track and have a good time. They call it "racing," but it is really more akin to recreational league softball -- fun for the participants, but not of any import outside the immediate family. True, some do actually race in these events, Willie Green and Duncan Dayton being two who spring immediately to mind, but one could suggest that these are actually an expression of a form of "public history," an expression of things from the past in a form and format that suits them to one extent or another, be it an exposition, fair, commemoration or vanity/vintage car event. There continues to be an interest in such things from the past, the reasons for the interest being many and varied, but of such a level as to ensure that there is a show to attend.

At the GP de Historique at Monaco in 2008, it was interesting to see several Alfa Romeo Tipo B machines lined up in the paddock prior to taking the track, each with its own inherent uniqueness, though not necessarily that with which it was created. None could conceiveably race safely in the condition in which it probably ended its actual competition career, so one expects some concessions to modernity in that respect. Sitting with one of those who had restored one of Tipo Bs, we noted the ways each now differed from what a Tipo B would look like versus what one looked like in a form ready to race in the current age. Although his was certainly closer to the original specifications, he fully admitted as to the many thngs that had been done to make it race-worthy, versus those changes that would have been made had it not been intended to be raced. This is one of the reasons I refrain from painting everyone in the trade with the same broad brushstrokes. Besides, there is the factor that he knew who I was and that simplified things greatly.

More Signs of the Apocalypse will be continued....

Thinking about vintage racing makes me think about the story of a traveler in the 1800's encountering a young man carrying a antique style musket. Inquiring about the gun, he was told it was the same gun his "great-grandpappy carried in the American revolution."

While it was certainly an older style, the gun didn't look that old, so he continued inquiring. As it turns out, the original stock had rotted out and been replaced, and the original barrel had been bent and replaced, and so on until little by little, not a single original piece remained.

Regardless, the young man continued to insist that it was the same gun his "great-grandpappy carried in the revolution."

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Originally Posted by Alexamateo

Thinking about vintage racing makes me think about the story of a traveler in the 1800's encountering a young man carrying a antique style musket. Inquiring about the gun, he was told it was the same gun his "great-grandpappy carried in the American revolution.

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That analogy is usually to about an axe, but the fact is once an axes head, the metal part is gone, so is the axe, no matter how one may try to spin it.

Don;
Your and my political leanings are quite different but over at the other forum, you started I believe, first Buford and now McGuire are gone.
Do you know either of these gents, and what is happening?

I love the H.A.M.B. site but that one is so large it takes more time to just scan than I usually have to waste.

I am glad you are here, whether you believe it or not.
Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

Don;
Your and my political leanings are quite different but over at the other forum, you started I believe, first Buford and now McGuire are gone.
Do you know either of these gents, and what is happening?

I love the H.A.M.B. site but that one is so large it takes more time to just scan than I usually have to waste.

I am glad you are here, whether you believe it or not.
Bob

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Bob,

Alas, I have lost touch with Buford. I visited Buford some years ago in Las Vegas and had a great time. His late father was quite a character. I no longer have any way to contact him and when Ray Bell rang me up out of the blue the other night, he told me had also lost touch with Buford. A real shame how he was treated there, in my opinion.

I had no idea that they had also driven Bill McGuire as well, but I guess that I should not be surprised.

Apparently, more than a few of The Old Guard have either left or only post on the rare occasion now.

For reasons that I have never been made aware of, at some point after the problem with Buford blew up regarding Michael Ferner and Allen Brown, the nice folks at TNF and Autosport banished me into the Eternal Darkness, probably on general principle, and have not allowed me back. Of course, I was deployed during all this so I just put it into perspective and got on with things. Not that I am missed, of course, the fine Autosport and TNF kahunas.

Yes, I did put TNF into operation on 13 November 1999 and came to rue the day in many ways. But, that is another story.

Lord, the history thread at H.A.M.B. simply too big and completely unmanageable among several other problems. It got to the point where I got so disgusted with the mess that I left and have not looked back.

I have been on something of a hiatus of late given my "day job" is being even more dysfunctional than usual -- a reorganization that began last June is still underway with major changes to the major changes still being discussed and we getting surprises on a routine basis. Plus, my wife has been through a major medical "event" over the past year, with her fourth major surgery (since last June) recently taking me away from here.

Thanks for the kind words. I certainly appreciate them and they really mean something.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don Capps

I have been on something of a hiatus of late given my "day job" is being even more dysfunctional than usual -- a reorganization that began last June is still underway with major changes to the major changes still being discussed and we getting surprises on a routine basis. Plus, my wife has been through a major medical "event" over the past year, with her fourth major surgery (since last June) recently taking me away from here.

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Don, the very best wishes to you and your wife at such a difficult time.

Godspeed for your wife and yourself Don.
Bob

Ben & Bob,

Thanks for the kind thoughts regarding my wife. The really good news is that she is definitely on the mend and, we hope, finally on the road to recovery. Her doctor's visit yesterday went very well and we seem to have finally turned an important corner in the recovery process and things are looking really good for a change.

Don