One of the neatest parts of the film is that it is narrated by Tom Carnagie who was the longtime voice of the Indy 500 at the Speedway. The guy’s voice is awesome and because he actually knows the cars, the people, and the underlying culture of the sport, he does an awesome job lending his voice to this film.

The footage is awesome and it is pretty amazing to see the massive crowds at Ontario and Pocono as this style of racing does not really draw like that anywhere but the Indy 500 these days. This was a pretty glamorous era in the world of open wheel racing. We love the look of the cars and we love the fact that the fields of these races were all filled with guys who were racing SOMETHING every weekend. When it was not this car it was a sprint car or a stock car, or a rental car, something. The life they lived was far different than the racing heroes of today. We’d argue that they were more hardcore and that’s probably because the stuff they did was so damned dangerous.

Enjoy all of this film, it is amazing.

Press play to see this awesome film highlighting the 1975 Triple Crown of racing

The post Vintage Racing Video: In The Face Of Challenge Is A 1975 Open Wheel Racing Masterpiece appeared first on BangShift.com.

Machining is one of the most important things that mankind has developed over the years. From the making of cannon to the creation of machines like piston engines, turbines, and basically all the other stuff that we look at, touch, and interact with each day, the idea of taking a large piece of metal and making it exactly the size and shape necessary to fit the application makes the modern world possible.

All you have to do is press play below and watch the chips fly. It is relaxing, cool, and impressive. It’s the gearhead’s Yule Log channel at Christmas time…in August!

Press play below to see this ultimately satisfying video showing large scale machining –

The post Mondo Machining: This Video Shows Milling and Turning Processes And We Could Watch It All Day appeared first on BangShift.com.

For starters I had forgotten that GM owned Lotus for a a stretch and when they off-loaded it people were sure the brand would die. The hilarious thing is the apparent relief when the brand was sold to Bugatti of all places. Yeah, that’s a stable financial powerhouse right there!

The fact that the car kept with an ever more modernized version of the “flying wedge” design is cool and the fact that the turbocharged four banger made enough steam to get this thing to run 13.50s back in the day was both weird and amazing. I think that was the most confusing thing for me as a little guy. It just didn’t seem right that the car only had a four banger. This was long before weight balance, handling, and the effects of dumping a heavy engine into a car designed for handling meant anything to me.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to find and old Lotus on eBay.

Press play below to see this cool review of the 1994 Lotus Esprit, fresh off GM ownership –

The post Retro-Review: This Look At The 1994 Lotus Esprit Is Awesome – The Outsider Sport Car That Flew With Four appeared first on BangShift.com.

In this video, which we believe was made sometime in the middle 1970s, we ride along with Marshall inside his Vauxhall Firenza which is powered by an absolutely symphonic sounding 302ci small block Chevy engine and backed with what we think is a four speed transmission. It could be a five speed, but for the era we’re guessing four. We get “in the car” after about 45-seconds of film has elapsed and immediately you see how good this guy was. He narrates the laps and it is a fun watch, especially with the speakers cranked to 11. You’ll see him catch the car more than once and drift some corners as he says, “Who’s having fun now?!” His narration when passing a slow Porsche is fantastic.

You don’t need to know a damned thing about the man they called, “There’s only one Gerry” to be entertained by a top shelf race car driver hammering the daylights out of his mount. THIS is awesome video, no matter where you’re from!

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE GERRY MARHSALL GET HIS RACE ON INSIDE A VAUXHALL FIRENZA IN THE 1970S!

The post Awesome 1970s In-Car Video With Gerry Marshall As He Muscles A Screaming 302 Chevy Around A British Road Course appeared first on BangShift.com.

The car was changed in some interesting ways. Obviously the addition of the ground effects, chin spoiler, and fog lights was the visual cue that something was different. The 15″ BBS wheels and uprated tires gave the wagon another touch of mild customization as well. The engine was the stock 3.8L V6 that made 140hp and while mechanically nothing was changed in the engine and transmission, the suspension was given larger sway bars and firmer shocks. The testers liked those upgrades and the car handles the slalom well.

It’s the interior that got the weirdest/coolest upgrade and it came in the form of the front seats. Check out the behemoth eight way power Recaro jobs that they wedged into this car. They are huge and they look like an old armchair with the side sawed off. Covered in blue velour it’s just awesome to look at because they’re so weird.

This thing was not an SHO but it wasn’t as expensive as an SHO was either. This thing was not a European sport wagon but it was not as expensive as one of those was, either. This was a good package car that we wish we’d gotten the chance to see in person when they were new!

Press play below to see this video on the Spoilers Plus Ford Taurus Aero GT wagon –

The post Wonderfully Weird Wagon: The 1989 Spoilers Plus Aero GT Was A Fun Take On A Ford Taurus Wagon appeared first on BangShift.com.

The car you are going to see here is a J2R with the R standing for racing. There were street and race models. This particular car has an amazing history as it was once owned by Curtis LeMay, a revolutionary thinker and tactician when it came to air war and someone who ran the US Air Force through some of the toughest days in our history. Power comes from a 331ci Cadillac and it could be the loudest Cadillac powered racing vehicle every built. This thing makes amazing noise both on and off the throttle and your speakers are definitely your friends here to get the whole experience.

Lastly, this car get driven hard with a finishing time of just over 1-minute which is stout on the hill!

Press play below to see this amazing Allard J2R take on the Goodwood hill in 1999 –

The post Crank Up The Speakers: Watching and Listening To This Allard J2R At Goodwood In 1999 Is So Awesome – Cadillac Power! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Well, after the car’s racing days were over it sat behind a barn for some 20 years before Moses rescued it and had it brought back into its original fighting shape for use at vintage events and the like. In this video we see racer Ronnie Swyers, tapped by Moses to drive the car in a historic event out in Oregon several years ago. While not being driven completely in 100% anger you will see the car get its legs stretched and you’ll quickly recognize that these things were pretty bad ass and a series like this today would rule.

Rough around the edges, relatively budget friendly, and fast as blazes, the cars were awesome and the Bandit was certainly one to watch. Good on Moses for saving it and good for the rest of us that we have this in-car video!

Press play below to see what it was like to race an IMSA Kelly American Challenge Car

The post Driving The Bandit: This Is What Driving A Former Kelly American Challenge Series Car Is Like – Awesome Sound! appeared first on BangShift.com.

I took the little car out for a test drive and was blown away. Not only was it different looking, it RAN. I traded the Mustang in on the Focus and proceeded to drive the hell out of the thing for years. It’s end came when I was rear ended by a 3/4 ton Ford van while at the end of a line of highway traffic. The thing was really mashed up pretty badly but it kept me safe.

These are awesome little cars and I would love to have another one after seeing this video. Even my kids kind of freaked when they saw the 0-60 and quarter mile times the thing lays down here. Not to mention the braking and handling.

Mighty mites, these!

Press play below to see this awesome review of the 2002 Ford SVT Focus –

The post An Underestimated Pocket Rocket: The 2002 SVT Focus Was More Quick And Fun Than Most Suspected appeared first on BangShift.com.

Isn’t it crazy how much an engine’s layout changes its sound? Granted this is a pretty small displacement eight cylinder mill but if it was in a V-layout it would have a completely different auditory program than it does right now with the flat layout that Porsche was and still is famous for.

The first version of the 908 was an enclosed cockpit car with a long tail. Porsche wanted to get the aerodynamic advantage of the closed roof for tracks with higher speeds and longer straights. They actually posed a serious threat to the Ford GT40s in 1968 but were a disappointment on race day. After qualifying faster than the Fords, reliability became a major issue and the GT40s won again. The second version of the car had the open cockpit design that could carry on and what’s shown in this video is version three. The differences in the aero between the two versions are subtle and mechanically they are also very close. Like all things the more the engineers work the better the cars got and they were solid competitors through the 1970s and into the 1980s in the hands of privateers who updated suspensions and powertrains to keep with the advancing technology.

This one looks about as pure to the early 1970s as it could possibly get and we think it is awesome!

Press play to watch this Porsche 908/3 attack the track after warming in the pits –

The post Listen To This Porsche 908/3 And Its Flat 8 Engine Scream Around A Road Course appeared first on BangShift.com.

2,360lbs, a five speed stick, a turbocharged 1.6L four banger that made 102hp, 0-60 times in the 10-second range and quarter miles under 19-seconds meant that this weird little car was really kind of a sleeper for its day. All of those numbers would put in on a pretty even level with the heavier, V8 powered iron Detroit was barfing out.

This is a doubly interesting video because the car is being tested at the famed, and long-dead Bridgehampton race track that was located in Sag Harbor, NY and served as a mecca for American road racers from the 1950s into the 1990s when it was closed forever. Not a lot of video from the 1980s at the course so it is kind of fun to check out the background as the car is being tested. A weird car on a dead track. Two for one, kids!

Press play below to see a car you forgot about on a track that’s closed –

The post Weird Car On A Dead Track: 1985 Plymouth Colt Turbo Tested At Bridgehampton appeared first on BangShift.com.