Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix Photo Dump (After a slight read)

"Trunk Impaired 318" (matteocscaptura)
02/28/2014 at 10:15 • Filed to: Watkins Glen Vintage

For those of you who aren't too familiar with Watkins Glen, its a tiny village in the the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. Besides having a beautiful state park and being on a lake there wasn't anything too special about Watkins, or at least that was the case until Cameron Argetsinger organized the first race in post WWII America along the roads in and around Watkins. Soon enough even Formula One was racing at Watkins Glen, albeit on a purpose built racetrack outside of the village, to many Watkins Glen is still the undisputed home of F1 in the U.S. I myself was born and raised in Watkins, and in my mind a generation too late. My grandfather, uncles and father were all involved in the Grand Prix and as a result, not only got to witness some of the greatest racing ever but also met and conversed with the greats of the sport fairly regularly, Stewart, Andretti, Ickx, Lauda, Hunt and many more. They also witnessed some pretty bad stuff as well, my uncle was one of the first people on the scene of Francois Cevert's fatal crash. Nowadays Watkins is known more for NASCAR than F1 but for those of us who still see it as it was there is an event that happens in the first weekend of September that brings it all back. The Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix. On Friday they close off Franklin St (the main road through town and part of the original street course) and all kinds of vintage race/sports cars are proudly displayed. After the display the cars all fire up and drive around the old course, which had been closed down for them. Luckily I have family who live on the track and get to watch these cars fly by much closer than most people, think rally spectator close. On Saturday and Sunday they move the festival to the permanent track (Watkins Glen International) where they hold full on races, even with old F1 cars. Up until I began attending college in Philadelphia, three years ago I had been at every Vintage Festival faithfully since 1993 when it began. Since you made it this far I suppose I'll give you a few, ok a fuckton, of car porn.

DISCUSSION (26)

Brian Silvestro > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 10:21

Kinja'd!!!

Oh my god.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Brian Silvestro
02/28/2014 at 10:27

to this day im still not 100% sure what it even is

Brian Silvestro > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 10:29

Google search turned up..... nothing.

Kinja'd!!!

Trunk Impaired 318 > Brian Silvestro
02/28/2014 at 10:30

thats probably because its my picture

Brian Silvestro > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 10:32

Yeah, but if you google search an image, it usually comes up with some similar images and a bunch of descriptions/links regarding what's in the image.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Brian Silvestro
02/28/2014 at 10:32

Ah, I see

Racing Archivist > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 12:39

Being a track rat here at Watkins I talked to the owner of this cara few years ago. As I recall he said it was a prototype of a car for LeMans and information on this car is xtremely hard to come by since the car has no vin and when the owner was restoring it documents on this car are hard to find. As I said it was a few years ago. Next time you are in town stop by the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen. Cameron Argetsinger started this place as well. I would be happy to show you around and if it is during the party Friday night I will introduce you to some interesting vips

Racing Archivist > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 12:49

The # 35 Alfa Romeo is the car Frank Griswald drove here in 1948. It is rare for it to come here. Good shots by the way

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 15:59

The 917 k that showed up this past year was pretty sweet - but I only saw him in town, not at the track. And someone else brought an Audi R8 Le Mans. Plus a 962 and tons of other vintage metal. There really are some stunners that show up down there.

Trunk Impaired 318 > 'Wägen, EPA LOL
02/28/2014 at 17:07

I remember the 917 and R8, they were absolutely amazing

Trunk Impaired 318 > Racing Archivist
02/28/2014 at 17:08

Thanks, I feel like the Alfa is here every 3 years or so, that picture was from a few years ago when Alfa was the tour de marque

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 17:09

It's odd you chose those cars to remember because I was just sitting here trying to remember if the 962 was this past year or '12. Hahaha.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Racing Archivist
02/28/2014 at 17:12

that makes a bit more sense then and Ive been to the IMRSC more times than I can count, if you're around there that often you have to know at least one person in my family

Trunk Impaired 318 > 'Wägen, EPA LOL
02/28/2014 at 17:17

Haha Im pretty certain the 917 was last year and the R8 was first here in 2010 I think

Trunk Impaired 318 > Brian Silvestro
02/28/2014 at 17:22

After some digging (and help from racing archivist) I found out that its a Maserati Tipo 151

Brian Silvestro > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 17:28

Nice! It's beautiful, that's for sure.

Racing Archivist > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 17:54

Well I am there Mondays and Fridays so more than likely I do. Who might I know? I am also the moderator of the facebook page for the IMRRC.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Racing Archivist
02/28/2014 at 17:58

Well next door at the public library Linda is my grandmother on my mother's side, and Jim Scaptura is my grandfather on my father's side, plus Bret Seafuse married into my mothers side of the family, if you don't know any of them I'd be fairly surprised

Racing Archivist > 'Wägen, EPA LOL
02/28/2014 at 18:03

This car? incase of Kinja well being kinja the car I am referring too is the Martini livery Porsche 917. I have some history on that particular car.

Racing Archivist > Trunk Impaired 318
02/28/2014 at 18:05

Yup I know Jim Scaptura, and Bret and Jim [well enough to say hi every time I see them up here] I must know you then. I am Josh

Racing Archivist > Racing Archivist
02/28/2014 at 18:06

Another attempt at the picture

Trunk Impaired 318 > Racing Archivist
02/28/2014 at 18:09

Matteo here, Joe is my father

DasWauto > Trunk Impaired 318
03/04/2014 at 14:41

Are these photos your own? Just wondering for Best of Oppo purposes.

Trunk Impaired 318 > DasWauto
03/04/2014 at 14:55

Starting with the Ferrari and going down are all mine, above that were taken by my uncle

DasWauto > Trunk Impaired 318
03/04/2014 at 14:58

Cool, thanks. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't just a collection of pictures grabbed from the web.

Trunk Impaired 318 > DasWauto
03/04/2014 at 15:12

No problem