Historic Festival 41 kicks off with 125-car parade and new route

Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival is set to make history of its own this Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 4), with a record-breaking number of rare automobiles and vintage race cars participating in the five-day event.

More than 400 race day and parade entries are slated for this year’s festival, celebrating Chrysler Performance and 100 years of MG. This monumental turnout marks a historical high for the festival, solidifying its reputation as one of the premier historic racing weekends in the nation.

This year, the festival will honor three featured race groups; MG, Formula Junior and Sports 2000. More than 50 cars are entered to celebrate MG’s centennial. The outstanding participation split the field into two separate run groups. The weekend will also feature the largest gathering of Formula Juniors and Sports 2000s on the east coast.

The full grids extend beyond the race track with the Historic Festival Parade presented by NBT Bank also seeing unprecedented participation. Historic Festival Chair Skip Barber hand-selected 125 of the rarest and most interesting entries for the parade, promising an exciting collection of cars touring through Northwest Connecticut.

“Fans aren’t the only ones excited to come to Lime Rock Park, drivers are too,” said Lime Rock Park President and CEO Dicky Riegel. “This year we had to turn entries away for Thursday’s Historic Festival Parade because we met the 125-car limit early. Lime Rock Park has also seen unprecedented crowds this season, and this remarkable turnout for Historic Festival 41 is a testament to the enduring passion and enthusiasm that the vintage car community also has for our track.”

The five-day festival kicks off on Thursday with the Historic Festival Parade presented by NBT Bank. The parade will take a different route this year due to the construction on Salmon Kill Bridge new. The new route will still include a 17-mile tour through local towns on some of the most scenic and entertaining roads in the northwest Connecticut. (Follow the new route here) The parade will start with a send-off lap around Lime Rock Park at 5:00 p.m. and concludes at the town of Falls Village with a street fair featuring a free concert from Wanda Houston.

Friday, Saturday and Monday feature non-stop, on-track competition across a diverse set of historic racing classes, ranging from pre-war open-wheel cars to the sports and formula cars of the postwar era.

Also on Saturday, during lunch, a symphony of engines will fill the air as select vintage cars, including the legendary Maserati Tipo 151, take an at-speed 1 7/8 lap around the classic Lime Rock Park circuit for a special Sounds of Lime Rock presentation.

“Some interesting entries we received this year are the 1966 Porsche 906 and the 1909 Lorraine Dietrich,” said HF41 Chairman Lowell Paddock. “The 906 is only one of 62 made in that period and is the most iconic and landmark designs produced by Porsche. The Lorraine Dietrich is a functional tribute to the engineering of its day and the staggering performance designers in this period were capable of. It’s the pinnacle of pre-WWI performance and we are looking forward to seeing it on track!”

Sunday also promises to be a big day for vintage car enthusiasts as more than 1,000 cars are expected for Sunday in The Park: The Lime Rock Concours and Gathering of the Marques.

A celebration that spans the decades, Historic Festival 41 will host a unique selection of 11 Chrysler concept cars that have never previously assembled. Confirmed examples will include the 1960 Plymouth XNR that is equipped with the “Slant-6” engine, just one of 12 built to “NASCAR” specifications capable of 250HP, the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car, one of just nine left in the world and the 1995 Chrysler Atlantic that was designed by Bob Hubbach and inspired by the Bugatti Atlantique. Other confirmed concept cars attending are the 1941 Chrysler Newport, 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance, 1954 Chrysler DeSoto Adventurer II,1957 Chrysler Diablo, 2005 Chrysler Firepower and the 2023 Chrysler 300 Special Edition.

Honored Collector Lawrence Auriana will add another layer of elegance to Historic Festival 41, as he brings 17 of the world’s most elusive and coveted race cars from his private collection to Lime Rock Park. The rare collection will be on display all race weekend in Paddock A and featured down the Sam Posey Straight as part of the Sunday Concours.

For the first time in event history, Historic Festival 41 will also be live streamed from a one-camera feed mounted on the Sam Posey Straight, with on-track audio &commentary by legendary announcer Greg Rickes. Fans can get ‘A Glimpse of Historic Festival’ daily (Friday-Monday) starting at 9:00 a.m. here: https://limerock.com/live/

Single day or full weekend packages are still available. Children 12 and younger, veterans and active military receive free admission. Gates open daily at 7 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday, and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for fans.

For ticket and event information visit: https://limerock.com/events/historic-festival-41/

Important Links:

Entry List- https://limerock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/HF41_EntryPublic_082423.pdf

Schedule-  https://limerock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/HF41_OnePageSchedule_notrim.pdf

Live Stream- https://limerock.com/live/

Parade Route- https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1q-roer6OTWBDbu-3Cg7rxId4J6CD2Zg&ll=41.925740974465945%2C-73.33053756158662&z=13

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