A couple of years ago a book signing sent me to Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California for a weekend of vintage car races in June that unfortunately coincided with a specific wedding anniversary. “Come out on the track,” I pleaded with my wife. “It will be fun.” Good sport that it is (and possibly influenced by the promise of a Michelin-starred dinner in nearby Healdsburg) my significant other got along despite a friend’s warnings of inedible track fodder and motorsport boredom. It didn’t take long, however, to realize this was no ordinary racial confluence after having to peel them from the raw oyster bar and champagne tasting table. Needless to say, we had an unforgettable time – against all testosterone-driven opportunities.
While the event we attended no longer exists, the first Velocity Invitational will take place November 11-14 at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. The latter is about as close as a spiritual successor to late, great, foodie-oriented weekend. Velocity Invitational founder Jeff O’Neill doesn’t know good food or fast cars. The vintage racer and winemaker has long considered the two spheres to be fully compatible. He launched the aforementioned Sonoma Speed Festival 2019, which aimed to appease both sides of the seemingly paradoxical equation of fine dining and racing. The meeting combined local culinary offerings with a wide range of iconic machines – from Grand Prix racing drivers of the 1930s to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 car that broke the track’s lap record that weekend.
This Tom Price-owned Ferrari 250 GTO – one of only 39 ever built – will take part in the 2021 Velocity Invitational.
Photo by Larry Chen, courtesy of the Velocity Invitational.
Recently, the team behind Velocity Invitational invited Robb Report to preview some notable machines for the very first run of this year. First of all: the holy grail of all racing cars, the Ferrari 250 GTO. With a history of dominance on the racetrack and only 39 examples produced, the curvaceous two-seater has earned mythical status in the world of collector’s cars and explains why it was traded for more than $ 70 million.
GTOs are rarely driven in anger, though that didn’t stop O’Neill from steering the Ferrari like a V-12 powered bat out of Hell while we were in the passenger seat. Owned by O’Neill’s friend Tom Price, this particular GTO showcases the familiar hallmarks of a racing car – growling power, a minimalist construction that borders on flimsy, and a sleek aluminum body that resembles an anime cartoon. Behind the wheel, O’Neill crouches the GTO into a curve, accelerates and drives the front-engined GTO through a curve. harmonic tensions. After several laps in the almost priceless Italian model, it becomes easier to separate the car’s amazing value from its sole purpose of driving fast (and looking incredibly pretty in the process). Perhaps that’s why this racing car is so much more than a rolling lump of metal. But at the end of the day, it’s just that, albeit exponentially more special than most automotive rarities.
The front-engined Ferrari 250 GTO is powered by a 3.0-liter V-12.
Photo by Larry Chen, courtesy of the Velocity Invitational.
For even more practical inspiration, we have been thrown the keys to some of the eclectic racers who will be taking part in the Velocity Invitational. The Austin Mini Cooper S’s pathetic cuteness might steal the show, but its tiny 1,275 cc power plant and 1,300 pounds of bantamweight rage make it a hilariously addicting vehicle to drive at speed. “Don’t try to lift,” advises Don Racine, a guru when it comes to racing the Mini. With its huge steering wheel and surprisingly spacious cabin, the Mini feels strangely old-fashioned while being ahead of its time. With its nimble maneuverability and playful agility, it also competes with the large, expensive models.
The 1,300-pound Austin Mini Cooper S is a bantamweight rage.
Photo by Larry Chen, courtesy of the Velocity Invitational.
The next switch to an Alfa Romeo GTA Junior, O’Neill’s personal car, reveals an almost opposite experience. The balanced front-engine-rear-wheel drive configuration gives it a more manageable personality. With a sonorous 1,750 cc engine that drives a little more mass, it is also less hair-raising than the hectic Mini; This is a car that, with its accessible nature, instills confidence.
The Alfa Romeo GTA Junior has a balanced front-engine-rear-wheel drive configuration.
While the GTA comes across as sensually appealing, the ultimate belly blow comes in the form of the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am car, which was once used by racing legends Parnelli Jones and George Follmer. The Blue Oval sounds like a beast even when idling, despite having “packed a bunch of mufflers” according to the car’s mechanic. Though the first few thousand RPM turn out to be surprisingly tame (despite an unholy thug emanating from the race-ready V-8), the last few thousand RPM are blazing fast, resulting in a performance crescendo of 8,000 RPM . Proof that 1960s Trans-Am drivers like Jones and Follmer were made of meaner stuff, it takes Herculean core and arm strength to force the Mustang into corners; a blow and a ho, and the blunt point of this weapon finally shows itself towards a point, where it rumbled to itself with broad-shouldered recklessness.
This 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am was once used by racing greats Parnelli Jones and George Follmer.
Photo by Larry Chen, courtesy of the Velocity Invitational.
Also included is a McLaren Speedtail, a hybrid hypercar whose central seating position pays homage to the legendary McLaren F1. While the classic racing cars express their intentions through exuberant sheet metal and rough dynamics, the 1,035 hp Speedtail with its ability to reach 250 miles per hour is secretive. Instead of relying on conventional mirrors, two screens on either side of the driver’s seat show retrospectives – which is largely irrelevant today because the Speedtail drives past the classic cars as if they were standing still. Nevertheless, this McLaren has a surprising grace, which is emphasized by its long, wind-destroying body, which tapers to a fine point at the rear.
The 1,035 hp McLaren Speedtail can reach 250 miles per hour.
Photo by Jason Henry, courtesy of the Velocity Invitational.
While attendees at the upcoming Velocity Invitational are unlikely to achieve this level of firsthand driver happiness, the spectacle of 10 categories ranging from 1910-era racing drivers to modern day Formula 1 cars is enough to capture even the to keep the dullest gears absolutely intoxicating.
Find out more about Robb Report’s 2022 Car of the Year events in the Napa Valley here and here in Boca Raton.
The post Here’s an on-track preview of the Velocity Invitational 2021 – Robb Report first appeared on monter-une-startup.
