Photos by: Dave Brassington, AIS Press, Sarah Bennett-Baggs
If you didn’t brave the winter showers to visit the Birmingham NEC for your winter fix of motorsport – do not fear, as we have rounded up all the classic highlights of the Autosport International event.
One of the focal points of the 2017 event was the stunning Williams Martini Racing 40th Anniversary feature. A celebration of four decades of the much-loved British F1 team, incorporating an engaging experience that sees visitors enter through a 1977 Williams F1 pit garage, go on a tour of 40 years of the famous team and emerge in a 2017 Williams F1 pit garage.
Williams brought an eye-catching collection of its famous heritage cars including the FW07, which gave Williams its first victory, Nigel Mansell’s 1992 Drivers’ Championship-winning FW14B, Damon Hill’s 1996 Drivers’ Championship-winning FW18 and the 2003 Monaco GP-winning FW25.
Just next door was another feature that for me, was the highlight of the show – the world-first Classic Team Lotus assembly of all seven remaining Lotus 49s, complete with former engineers Dick Scammell, Bob Dance and Herbie Blash also in attendance. (If you visit our Facebook page we captured the moment the cars were unveiled it was quite something!)
If you are a fan of historic Formula Ford then you missed a superb display by the HSCC – three-time Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna’s Van Diemen RF81 headlined a display of Formula Fords to celebrate the series’ 50th anniversary at Autosport International. The Historic Sports Car Club’s feature also included Formula Fords raced by Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Coys Auction:
The show action featured a number of interesting sales including a 1996 Porsche 993 Cup, a 1964 Marcos 1800 GT ex-Roger Ealand multi-Championship winning car .
One of the hidden gems of this auction was an original unrestored matching numbers 1965 Iso Rivolta IR 340. This luxurious coupe was conceived by Renzo Rivolta, then chairman of Iso Automotoveicoli S.p.A. of Bresso, and his colleague the former Ferrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini. It was known for its powerful engine, high quality of construction and elegant style, fitted with a 5.4 litre V8 engine. The car runs and drives but is in need of a restoration to bring it back to its former glory.
Other important lots included a 1974 Ferrari 246 GT Dino, a 1948 Bentley Mk VI in the style of 4 ½ Litre Tourer , and a Mille Miglia eligible 1953 Lancia Aurelia B22 Saloon ex-Giovani Bracco. You can find out all the results (once they are uploaded just here)
