What is it all about historic motor racing cars? Is it just a travel back journey to the „good old days“, or is it the remembering of the own youth? I think it is much more than this. At least it is much more than this for me.
Only from photographic point of view the old cars are absolutely beautiful. The old motor racing cars have their own identity, the look, the design but even the sound of each car is very unique. The smell, the emotions when the cars are fired up, the vibes, everything about classic motor racing cars is breathtaking. And, yes of course, it is just a bit fallen out of modern times in ecological terms.
I had this discussion with a man of my age at a historic motor racing event
He said that this whole event is just a playground for children. That this is unjustified in the 21st century. Yes, maybe he was wright with his opinion, but I think this whole scene is a very important part of our culture, our legacy and sometimes a great piece of art. So, I think that it is very important to keep the old cars alive, keeping the tradition alive and presenting it to the interested people.
The owner of the old motor racing cars have the passion and the enthusiasm to keep history vibrant and alive. And we all should be thankful for that in these difficult times.
Another aspect of the old cars, which is fascinating for me, is the simpleness of the construction and the design. Every thing is clear in it’s function, almost very well designed and most of the times handcrafted. I am far away from being an engineer or a mechanic but even for me it is obvious how everything works in these cars.
Every functional detail is well designed and beautiful to watch, you can image the passion of the designer and the engineer building this car. I am not quite sure if they were aware of developing icons of motor racing history, no I am sure that they didn’t know it, but in these days it was important and there were enough time to do things like this and being proud of the product. Being proud of uniqueness. No chance for middle-class, no place for average level – everything should be perfect.
And when I watch these details and capture these with my camera, I think about the people who build these pieces of art. It is my way to honor these tough and talented men and women who work for the very best manufacturers in the world. And it is not only the big names like Ferrari or Maserati, no even smaller companies like Veritas or others having the same spirit.
Here is a collection of pictures illustrating what I mean and feel about all this. It is much more than a throwback – it is a close up look to the history of motor racing cars. Enjoy it and feel the mood of this times. Find out more about our photographer Ralph Lüker.
