More Oldies Pix: VSCDA Blackhawk Farms 2014

The Vintage Sports Car Drivers' Association meet at Blackhawk Farms has become a "must see" for me, because of the cars.  It's not important who wins or loses, but I always take my camera.  The standard of car preparation is high.  The color schemes are nostalgic.  The owner/drivers are glad to chat about their cars and how the weekend is going for them.

I may go again to Road America for a pro race.  It's a glorious course.   And, from a spectator's viewpoint, a long, fast, glorious, course needs fast cars, professionally prepared and driven.  But the VSCDA race at lil' ol' Blackhawk (2.0 miles, 7 turns) is 300% of the fun at 5% of the cost.

Above and below: all the way from Iowa!  Well... the Quad Cities is about the same distance from Blackhawk as Chicago.
It occurs to me, as a former owner of an Old Mini and the current owner of a Civic Si, that there is a direct line of
spiritual descent.  Small, stiffly-sprung, agile, front-drivers with a big smile factor.   But I wouldn't want to take
an Old Mini on a road trip...

"Race Group C" had a good representation of what used to be B Production Mustangs.  The exhaust note of these cars
didn't rumble.  It snapped, crackled, and popped, like The Rice Crispies Of The Apocalypse.  There was some serious
high compression and valve-timing overlap going on.  

This Lotus Super 7 was one of the fast Race Group C cars.  Big Webers on a twin-cam.  The driver had no trouble
staying ahead of a Jaguar E-Type V-12, and was chasing down the Mustangs.  He managed this while lifting his
inside front wheel in Turn 1.  One of the fastest, best-driven, Super 7's I've seen...

Above and below: continuing with Lotus, human shown for purposes of scale.  "Izzat a Lotus 22 Formula Junior?"
"No, it's a Lotus 51 Formula Ford."  Almost indistinguishable, to my eye, from the 22 or, for that matter, the last
Lotus Grand Prix car with a space frame, the 24.  Beautifully turned out in spot-on Lotus factory colors and
number roundels.  Shades of Jimmy Clark.  Except for a roll bar that actually works.

Above and below: if it's Pilote's blog, you know you're gonna see a well-turned-out Datsun 510.  Yummy!

And a well-turned-out Alfa Romeo GTA/GTV.  Like the 510 above, there were several at this  Blackhawk meet.  But
this one was the best-looking, with the exception of John Saccameno's Fly Yellow car, pix of which I've posted
before.  Reason for the rear-facing Go-Pro?  No idea.

Here's a historical footnote: the largest Volvo racing paddock I've ever seen, or expect to see.  Maybe it's the Swedish
racing paddock if you include the SAAB Sonnet at the far right.  Is he on probationary membership status?  ;-)