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Culture

The Klemantaski Collection The Klemantaski Collection is one of the world’s largest and most varied libraries of historic motorsports and motor racing photography. The Collection supplies its images to photograph and car collectors and enthusiasts, racing car restorers, authors and publishers worldwide. The Collection also offers a selection of limited edition publications which include many of its most famous images.

The leading photographers at the Klemantaski Collection are: Louis Klemantaski, Peter Coltrin, Robert Daley, Yves Debraine, Edward Eves, Ami Guichard, Gunther Molter, Alan R. Smith, Nigel Snowdon, and Colin Waldeck.

Jesse Alexander We also recommend Jesse Alexander’s elegantly designed website. Jesse was shooting the more intimate details of the racing world at a time when most photographers simply shot the start, finish and a few action shots they could sell to newspapers. Jesse was a subtle and unobtrusive presence that could reach into the lives of the drivers. That he did this in what most consider the Golden Age of Grand Prix and sports car racing makes the images all the more glorious.

The Internet Craftsmanship Museum The Internet Craftsmanship Museum is a truly amazing site where people who define the word “craftsmanship” build extremely detailed working miniature models of everything from a steam tractor to an air-cooled V12 aero engine. A personal favorite is the Chrysler Hemi-like supercharged V8 race engine that runs on either gasoline or methanol, has a pressurized dry-sump lubrication system and was built by a self-taught machinist.

Formula SAE The future begins somewhere, and it’s usually in the fertile minds of young engineers. Car companies actively recruit from the contestants at the annual Formula SAE competition.

Michael Paul Smith Michael Paul Smith started out as an advertising art director before becoming an architectural model maker in Massachusetts. In his free time, he began making streetscapes based on his home town, in which he photographs 1:24-scale diecast car and truck models. The results are amazingly realistic. Only the dullness of the headlights gives the photos away.

Wire Wheel Editor Sawyer found this site when looking for a replacement rear hub carrier for his Lotus about five years ago. One call to Hayes Harris had the part on its way. Now he returns to see what weird and wonderful cars are for sale. Where else are you going to find a supercharged Qvale Mangusta, 2004 MG ZT-T station wagon, sports racers, a Marcos 1300 and more in one place?

History

Austin Rover A web site dedicated to the story of the companies and products of Austin, Morris, Jaguar, MG, Triumph, Rover, Leyland, British Motor Cars, British Leyland, etc. Look past the typos, and you get an amazing history of how Britain’s car industry fell apart. You also get a look at the many prototypes that never made it to production, including some that will have you wondering if the old saying about mad dogs and Englishmen isn’t true. You will need to navigate to reach the good section of the site. We suggest avoiding the posts of British owners of 1980s Rovers. But you can learn plenty about winners like the Leyland Sherpa panel van, or the best Rover, the P5, launched in 1958.

Veloce Today Founded by Pete Vack, Veloce Today is “The Online Magazine for French and Italian Classic Car Enthusiasts.” The enthusiasm is genuine and greatly appreciated. A wonderful site to explore “etceterinis” of the Fifties and Sixties.

Blackhawk Museum If you’re in the Bay Area, take time to visit the Blackhawk.

Motorsports

Sports Cars Pros (Archive) Sports Car Pros is a fun play on words: they’re pros, but they also generate prose. Founded by Kerry Morse and his photographer pal John Brooks, AKA Brooksie, sportscarpros was a wonderfully insightful and irreverent look at professional sports car racing. Brooksie delivered the exceptional artwork, and Morse, Michael Cotton, Brooks and others delivered the words. The content is now archived, with Brooksie shooting for speedhunters.com. Explore the site and enjoy it. Brooksie has talent, so look for his photos at speedhunters.com.

Racin’ Today Founded by a group of seasoned, skilled and apparently overpaid motorsports journalists who all found themselves in need of a new outlet, Racin’ Today is an excellent site with insightful commentary. Jonathan Ingram is one of our favorite motorsports writers—he was motorsports editor at Editor Ewing’s sports car magazine years ago—and Jon regularly posts on Racin’ Today. Monday Morning Crew Chief is Ingram’s column.

Pit Pass You have Chris Sylt analyzing the finances of F1, Mike Lawrence editorializing about what is wrong with the sport (and those who run it), interesting tidbits you won’t get elsewhere (including the USF1 videos we featured), and wonderful headlines like this: “Australian Minister blasts ‘Dickhead’ Hamilton.” I couldn’t agree more.

RileyTech Bill Riley carries on the work of his father, building excellent race cars.

Talent

Tim Andrew From Editor Ewing: “Tim was one of my two or three favorite photographers when I was in the magazine trade. Always inventive, always creative. Garnered the nickname Prince of Darkness for his night shots. Tim Andrew, Tim Wren, and Roberto Carrer, who shot most of my stories in Italy, were the three best. Tim’s portrait work, both corporate and editorial, is also excellent.”

Technology

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety An excellent site to check before buying any vehicle. IIHS follows crash test comparable to Euro NCAP, with offset frontal accident testing. Their test regime has been expanded, and includes rear collision (a great test for active headrests) and side impact and rollover. The NHTSA frontal tests do a great job validating seat belts and airbags (that’s why North American seat belts tend to be a bit more robust), but the IIHS tests are a better reflection of reality, as frontal accidents are most often offset headers. A car is named a Top Safety Pick if it rates a Good on all tests, and has standard brake-related equipment like stability control. When advising friends, family and people on the street about cars to buy, we always recommend a trip to the IIHS site. Few people care if the AMG Mercedes is faster than the BMW M5, but anyone who is not mentally disturbed will want to know about the crash capabilities of a new vehicle.

Porsche Technology Glossary Most manufacturers have a suite of animations and CAD-derived videos that explain the advanced technologies of the day. Few will allow the public access to them. Too many ambulance-chasing lawyers out there. Porsche developed this beautiful microsite. Most people in the car industry can’t explain how ABS or stability control work, and it’s a rare consumer that has a clue. Here you can watch animations and videos that will explain the function of these amazing technologies. A car cannot defy the laws of physics, but contemporary technologies can help keep physics in check.

Safercar Ah, the feds. All their rules and regulations have ruined car design, made cars into rolling tanks, and probably delayed the market adoption of some safety technologies. Government meddling is rarely a good idea. However, here we are, and cars are dramatically safer and cleaner than they were 35 or 40 years ago. Safercar posts the latest recalls. It also has a section covering vehicle safety technology that is  informative.

Tire Rack Among the most useful sites for those who love cars and driving. The folks at Tire Rack are always extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Exploring the possible tires for your favorite car is a good way to kill an hour.

Chevron Oil Much as some loons wish to demonize oil companies, we take a different perspective. They have supplied the world with a stable energy supply for more than a century, and they research and develop alternative liquid fuels for the future. Chevron’s site is as good a gateway as any.

Futek Ever wonder what the proper torque is for a particular bolt? You’ll find it here. A real help to car restorers and do it yourselfers.

Monroe Shock Absorbers If you want to know how shock absorbers work, and how they have evolved over the past 100+ years, look no further. The Monroe site includes cutaways and is written in a readily comprehensible style.

How Stuff Works A segment about automotive production.