Let's go Vintage:

By Richard Barnett

Sadly it all came to a close towards the end of October. Historic motor racing drew down the shutters, shut up shop and bolted the door firmly on circuit racing until 2002. So, other than the some trialling and of course rallies, that's it for another year.

But what a year it has been! From pre-WW1 cars circuit racing to flathead Fords taking to the dragstrip and the wonderful sight of 1920s hillclimb specials, interspersed with some '50s, '60s and '70s machinery, almost every weekend from beginning of Spring to Autumn end could be spent watching old cars thrilling crowds of varying sizes across the race tracks of England and Wales.

I've always liked historic motor sport. From the very earliest cars up to those of the late '80s, they offer a spectacle that's full of noise, spirit, character and gusto that no form of modern motor sport can ever achieve. That may sound harsh, but at least with older cars you can see the driver sawing away at the wheel, endeavoring to control a machine that hasn't benefited from computer-aided design. Coupled with the fact that old cars inherently have more character, whether in appearance, sound or performance,  it's no wonder people flock to see yesteryear's finest and maybe not-quite-so-finest in action.

 Some of the most popular races are for the classic saloons of the '50s, '60s and '70s. This year saw the inauguration of the Top Hat series of races for classic saloons, and crowds were treated to dices between, among others, a 1955 Chevrolet, several Ford Anglias, Falcons and Mustangs, Jaguar Mark Twos and a wide variety of tin-top miscellany, including Morris Minors and a BMW 2000. Classic Formula Ford single seaters from the late '60s and early '70s are also proving popular - the one off race at the August Silverstone Historic Festival offered some of the closest racing seen all season in the UK - much to the surprise of the lover of modern racing cars. Other crowd pleasers of late have been the increasing return of the Formula 5000s - beautifully brutal V-8 single seaters that, in their heyday, often blew their Formula One contemporaries into the weeds.

 The same applies to the Can-Am cars, another way to get a US V-8 into a racing car. And what a sight and sound - enough to make today's Formula One machines look like pedal cars. Meanwhile, away from the circuits and into the hillclimbs, there is plenty of opportunity to see pre-war cars driven in anger. Of course, they aren't on the 'climb at the same time as other cars in their class, but they are, nevertheless, competing against the others. And there's something unbelievably relaxing about a hillclimb meeting. At Prescott, home of the Bugatti Owners' club, for instance, cars are parked among the trees adjacent  to the track. It's the same at the Loton Park hillclimb, which can be found on the England/Wales border.

On Sundays, cars cannot be started while a service is held at the nearby church! Plenty of Edwardian specials, many using WW1 aircraft engines, make an appearance. And unlike so many cars from this era you might find in the US, they aren't over-restored. And then of course there's the growing rise in the popularity of historic drag racing. Flathead Meltdown, which pits host of '20s and '30s Fords against each other, thrilled the crowds at the Avon Park dragstrip in September. The meeting also attracted plenty of American cars. So as the circuits have closed, it's time to get out and investigate trials and classic rallies, which will be taxing old cars and their occupants over the winter months.

About the author: Richard Barnett is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also been lucky enough to work with cars throughout his professional career. He claims to have started his motoring interest when he was two and a half years old.

During his working life Richard has sold motoring books, run a motoring library, done motor industry consultancy, been a motoring journalist (writing stories for the now defunct AutoClassic, Classic and Sportscar and Autosport) and currently works in motor industry pr.

A member of Britain's prestige Royal Automobile Club, Richard is also a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the Vintage Sports Car Club,
the Historic Sports Car Club and the Classic Rally Association.

He has an extensive motoring library and attends as many historic motor racing events as his calendar allows.

Richard owns a Lancia Flaminia and his favourite car is a Facel Vega HK500.