| Even in its 40th edition, the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival presented by Corvette continues evolving and raising the bar. Nine run groups and over 200 cars present a diverse and dynamic field that will animate Lime Rock Park’s 1.5 miles with bevy of sound and speed to delight any automotive enthusiast. Here are seven things to look for this weekend.
1. CORVETTE CONCEPT & RACE CARS
- This will be a very rare opportunity to see a selection of Corvette concept cars in public that cover the heart of Corvette’s evolution from the 1950’s all the way through the early 1990’s. There are 12 concept cars from the General Motors Heritage Center along with the Corvette SS from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
- Joining the concept cars will be a diverse set of competition Corvettes, including the rarely seen Grand Sport, purpose-built for long-distance endurance racing
2. HISTORIC TRANS AM
- The cars that ran between 1966 and 1972, which were the glory days of Trans Am. Six of the seven manufacturer brands that competed in the over 2.0L class represented.
- They include a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro run by Penske Racing alongside a 1972 Penske AMC Javelin and Sam Posey’s Dodge Challenger. Plus, there are several Fords including Mustang Boss 302s and a Shelby, a Mercury Cougar, several more Chevy Camaros and Z28s as well as a Pontiac GTO.
3. IMSA RS AND TIN TOPS
- In the ‘70s and ‘80s small sedan racing got very popular, in particular the IMSA RS Series here at Lime Rock.
- Featuring Datsun 510s, BMW 2002s, Alfa Romeo GTVs a Ford Lotus Cortina, and even a 1963 Hillman Imp.
- One standout is a 1972 Ford Pinto originally piloted by Racer Walsh that will be driven by his son Brian.
4. PRE AND EARLY POST WORLD WAR II
- This race group is studded by three Bugattis, a Stutz Special Brisson Le Mans, multiple MGs and Morgans and the 1935 Old Gray Mare Special.
- Sunday in the Park includes a gorgeous collection of European pre-war cars that include a Labourdette-bodied 1907 Peugeot, alongside a gorgeous 1911 Mercedes 11-90 and a rare Steyr 220 roadster.
5. HONORING FERRARI’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY
- Our Sunday Concours will include a display of of rare and specialFerraris, among which will be a 1962 250 GTO.
6. ITALIAN COACHBUILDER PININFARINA
- There are many companies in Italy that style and build car bodies, but Pininfarina is really the preeminent firm that has contributed so much to the art of automobile design.
- One extraordinary example will be an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, amongst the most beautiful pre-war cars ever made and a notable early example of the Turin firm’s skills.
7. NO NAME GETS A NAME
- Lime Rock Park is a track from the era when corners were always given names, not just a number. There’s Big Bend, the Uphill, West Bend, the Downhill, the Sam Posey Straight and ironically the “No Name Straight”. Well finally this year, No Name will get a very well-deserved real name that we will unveil in a ceremony on Saturday evening.
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