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jim clark

Clark, Goggomobil, Glas and the Dart

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The Goggomobil Dart photographed in 2007 at Classic Adelaide in Australia. It was running on the event but is a promotional car for the Australian insurance company Shannons.

The Goggomobil Dart photographed in 2007 at Classic Adelaide in Australia. It was running on the event but is a promotional car for the Australian insurance company Shannons.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

We all know about racing drivers who started out running the oddest cars in motor sport events, but I think the guy who really takes the biscuit is the legendary Jim Clark, two-time World Grand Prix Champion and the first British winner of the Indianapolis 500.

It was 1956, and the world had never heard of Jim Clark. He was still the farmer’s son running his Sunbeam Talbot Mark III in the odd rally and gymkhana. That year Europe faced the Suez Crisis when Egypt threatened to close the Suez Canal. This would have put Britain in dire straits when it came to delivering oil from the Middle East, so the British went to war. It was short and a political disaster in many ways but it brought in severe fuel rationing in Britain. As a result, many people turned to Germany where they were producing a new breed of Microcars. The BMW Isetta was the most popular with the Heinkel coming next. But who remembers the Goggomobil?

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Jerry Melton: Artist, Photographer, Friend

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Ken Miles flying in the Shelby GT 350.

Ken Miles flying in the Shelby GT 350.

Tribute by Cliff Reuter, Editor, www.etceterini.com

[Cliff Reuter’s website is always a treat and always growing, thanks to a lot of friends. One such was enthusiast and artist Jerry Melton. Jerry recently passed away after a battle with cancer and this article and photos are a tribute to him and his passion. Cliff was kind enough to allow us to share the following fantastic images of drivers, team owners, cars and a few of Melton’s cartoons (cartoons originally published in Sports Car Graphic magazine). Ed.]
[Read more…] about Jerry Melton: Artist, Photographer, Friend

Graham Gauld, Edinburgh and Nostalgia

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British Grand Prix support race 1964. Jackie Stewart at the wheel of the Ecurie Ecosse Tojeiro-Ford gets some last minute advice from Jim Clark with eventual race winner Hugh Dibley at left.

Recalling the early days: British Grand Prix support race 1964, Jackie Stewart at the wheel of the Ecurie Ecosse Tojeiro-Ford gets some last minute advice from Jim Clark with eventual race winner Hugh Dibley at left. At Holyrood House, 2015, Jackie Stewart was the guest of honor.

Story and Photos by Graham Gauld

A visit back to my hometown of Edinburgh always brings back a series of memories from the days when David Murray first started the successful Ecurie Ecosse team, to the early racing days of Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Dario Franchitti. [Read more…] about Graham Gauld, Edinburgh and Nostalgia

Royal Show at the Edinburgh Concours

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Jim Clark remembered.

Jim Clark remembered.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
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This year’s Concours of Elegance continued its tradition of taking place at a British Royal Residence. Following the three previous events held at Windsor Castle, Marlborough House on the Mall in London and Hampton Court it was time for the event to travel north of the border. The location for this year’s event was the Palace of Holyrood House, the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh. [Read more…] about Royal Show at the Edinburgh Concours

Gauld at the VSCC Opener

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John Coombs photographed in 1959 poring over his new Cooper Monaco with the 2.5 liter Maserati engine. It appeared at the VSCC Opener this year but a bit spiffier.

Story and Photos by Graham Gauld

It has been a few years since I have been at the VSCC (Vintage Sports Car Club) spring meeting at Silverstone.

The event opens the historic racing season in Britain partly because they made it into a one-day event. Now they have gone back to making it a two-day event, and what is more, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Club. So I felt I had to go. [Read more…] about Gauld at the VSCC Opener

The Goodwood Revival Post 1

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Graham Gauld’s Goodwood

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Andy Middlehurst at the wheel of the Lotus 43 BRM, now beautifully restored.

By Graham Gauld

As you can see in this Special Edition of VeloceToday, there are plenty of photos and details about the racing at the event. But for me, Goodwood is another chance to meet up with old friends, make new ones, and keep an eye open for things that might have escaped notice or otherwise have been so obscure as to be missed by the many journalists around.

Clark and the E.R.A.

As this year was celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jim Clark’s first World Championship win in 1963, Lord March dedicated the meeting to him. There was a remarkable collection of cars that Jim Clark had raced, and then sent off in a parade round the circuit.

Among the more obscure was the 1936 E.R.A. voiturette R5B originally raced by the Siamese Prince Bira, but also raced for many years by Tony Rolt and journalist John Bolster. Eventually, in 1959, the Honorable Patrick Lindsay, who has been credited as the creator of what we now call historic car racing when he was a director of the well-established auction house of Christies, bought the E.R.A.

Ludovic Lindsay at the wheel of the 1935 1.5 liter supercharged E.R.A. that his father loaned to Jim Clark at the 1963 French Grand Prix.

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Gauld at Silverstone

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Jim Clark at the wheel of UUL 442 at a small MG Car Club Sprint in 1958 winning the sports car class with the 356 Super. Photo by Graham Gauld.

It doesn’t seem like a year since the last Silverstone Classic event, and with the rain-soaked British Grand Prix just two weeks before, I was prepared for rain. It came on Friday but throughout the rest of the weekend the weather was good. There was an enormous entry this year split into both the old traditional Silverstone Paddock and the new “Wing” Paddock which is the site of the Grand Prix start and finish line.

I had various reasons to be there, but mainly to do research for a book. Thus, I had less time to go on the wander than in the past, but still I am always amazed at the surprise meetings and coincidences that just happen.

Jim Clark’s Porsche
Take for example the ex-Jim Clark Porsche 356 Super; well, it was his after he bought the car from Ian Scott Watson who was his entrant.

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Graham Gauld Remembers Jim Clark

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Jim Clark deep in thought: Note the chewed finger nails.

By Graham Gauld

Had he lived, Jim Clark would have been 76 years of age on March 4th. This thought came into my head because someone sent me an email about Jim and the early days, before he came into Formula 1. Suddenly I realized that I had never written an article about Jim Clark in the past twenty years – partly because I had said it all in the three different editions of my biography of him and felt there was nothing more to say. Then I thought again. In twenty years a new generation has sprung up and at the same time my Clark books are now nearly 20 years out of print – so you can only find one on EBay or the like.

Jim Clark had great skill even in his earliest events like here at Leith Fort in Edinburgh with his Sunbeam Talbot sedan.

I thought a few notes and stories about his early days may not go amiss, if only to give a new generation an idea of what motivates and makes a racing driver.

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Interview with Graham Gauld

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Romolo Tavoni, right, and Graham Gauld, taken in 2006 when Tavoni was 80 years of age. Note the label on the Scotch bottle in the foreground. It’s an Ecurie Ecosse label with their cars on it! Photo courtesy of Graham Gauld.

By Pete Vack

Graham Gauld has always been involved with motor sport and has authored more than six books, including biographies entitled “Jim Clark at the Wheel”; “Jim Clark, Portrait of a Great Driver”; “Reg Parnell” and “Why Finish Last.” He was the founding editor of “China Car”, China’s first motoring magazine, and of the “Historic Motor Racing” magazine. “Prancing Horse” readers are familiar with his informative and interesting vignettes from the past in his column, “Gauld Mine.” And now he is ours…for as long as he’ll have us. Below is an exclusive interview with Graham.

You’ve had incredible experiences over your 50-year career in journalism. What’s the most important motorsport event, person or race you’ve covered or been involved in?

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