Lime Rock Park is such a lovely place this time of year. Aside from their weird “no racing on Sundays” law, it might just be the perfect place to hold a vintage event. It is one of the oldest race courses in the country, and with such beautiful backdrops, it almost transports you back to the ‘good old days’ when you go there. When you fill the place with literally thousands of beautiful vintage cars, that nostalgia simply intensifies. The track’s PR folks sent us an album of photos from their recent Historic Festival 33, and we’ve picked out a few of the best ones here for you to see. These are the kinds of press releases we like to see. It’s worth checking out, getting you revved up for the return to your shortened work week. Enjoy!


The PR guy sent over that album with the following verbiage: “It started with 100 race cars driving the byways of our gorgeous corner of Connecticut, arriving in Falls Village for a street fair. We then welcomed Sir Stirling Moss and Lady Susie and Jochen Mass and Bettina. Then we practiced and qualified and raced for two days. Then a huge concours and car show – 1,200 collector cars in all – filled our Sunday. And Monday we raced again, magnificent historic machines from the 1920s to the 1980s. Over five glorious days it was a celebration of cars and icons and iconic designs. You could call it, unashamedly, motoring magnificence magnified by Mercedes, Moss and Mass.” Why say more than that? A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well he just sent us a few hundred thousand words.

The Group 44 cars had liveries that were so simplistically turned out, but looked every bit the part. Creamy white, BRG stripe; what more could you need?

I love this photo, because just look at the little Morgan behind the Bugatti. It’s so small and low to the ground. That must have been absolutely revolutionary to drive when it was new. The Brits really knew how to make sports cars. What on earth happened?

Sir Stirling is one of my favorite characters it the motoring world. He’s just so charismatic and enthusiastic, even all these years later. Such a cool guy.

Vintage grand prix motor cars mixing it up with an old Indy Roadster. Where else can you see stuff like this? Vintage racing is the best.

This Triumph TR is pretty wary of something trying to overtake on the left.

Wave to the people, sir.

Oh yeah, this would be fun.

That Bobsey Porsche (the orange car on the right) was recently at the Monterey Motorsport Reunion, as were a few other cars. It’s always nice to see these cars getting the exercise they need.

If that Triumph before was surprised, this MG is ANGRY! It’s nice when a vintage racer has a sense of humor.

 
Oh, just Jochen Mass driving a pre-war Grand Prix car. No big deal.
The 1957 Le Mans winning Ecurie Ecosse Jag D? Oh my! (Jag D’s were 1-2-3-4-6 at Le Mans in 1957, by the way.)

Here’s another pretty cat. E-types always look best without a windshield. That’s a fact. You can have that fact for free.

Scuderia Ferrari Alfas hit the race track. Enzo smiles.

Beautiful track. Simple. Elegant. Beautiful cars. Simple. Elegant.

Brute force can sometimes get the job done on the race track.

From concerned to checking out an Alfa’s ass in just a few minutes…

This looks like something out of a movie. The slinky little protagonist is being pursued by the brash and burly bad guys. Let’s all hope our hero gets away.

Perfectly framed.

Oh yes, this is good. This is what vintage racing is all about. I’ll bet the dude in the Lotus is ecstatic to be hanging on to the rear bumper of a car costing several hundred times what his does. It’s like its the 60s again.

MG versus Austin Healey. Is that like the Ford versus Chevy of the vintage Brit scene?
Photos courtesy Greg Clark/Lime Rock Park