Revs Collection Featured at Lime Rock Historics Race Weekend
Our Biggest Lift Yet
Travel season is in full swing and we are on our way to Lime Rock Park for Historic Festival 44 where Revs Founder Miles Collier is being recognized as the guest of honor for his contributions to the world of historic automobiles. The event will be a massive effort for us as we are bringing a staggering 12 historically significant automobiles and racing two of them wheel to wheel throughout the weekend.
Miles Collier has been a leading torch bearer in the advocacy of preservation for historically significant automobiles and thoughtful restoration only when needed. Present at Lime Rock Park will be Revs’ recent golden example of thoughtful restoration, our 1919 Ballot 5/8C Indy Racer. The vehicle went through a years long restoration in which care was taken to use period correct methods and materials to recreate the original state of the race car as faithfully as possible. Miles Collier will be present for a signing of his book, “The Archeological Automobile” Saturday at 11:30 AM, which details the restoration of the Ballot, and Collier’s philosophy on restoration and preservation.
At the festival, Revs is celebrating the history of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), the involvement the Collier family had with the series and their promotion of sportscar racing in America by bringing a wide spread of cars that were raced in ARCA including examples that were owned and raced by the Colliers. We are also bringing some cars that are rarely shown to the public, and one that will be displayed for the first time ever by Revs. Here are some of the highlighted cars that will be displayed and hitting the track.
Ardent Alligator
The Ardent Alligator was built by the Colliers for competition in ARCA and was recently re-acquired by the Collier family after a long period of separation. The car saw many evolutions over its life but its final and current form sees a flat-head V8 nestled inside a Brooklands Riley Nine chassis. It has not been a simple path for the Alligator though, a sentiment which rings true for many historic race cars. It survived its first life as an ARCA and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing car, a second life as a street car blasting around the early roads of Florida as a young Miles Collier rode shotgun with his father behind the wheel, it also lived through a tenure in historic racing and has now landed under Revs’ care where it awaits a restoration.
1939 Bu-Merc Racing Sports Car
The Bu-Merc was the brainchild of American sportsman Briggs Cunningham. It is the frankenstein combination of a Buick Century chassis and drivetrain with the body of a Mercedes SSK. Cunningham campaigned the car in both ARCA and eventually SCCA with Miles C. Collier behind the wheel for ARCA and himself driving in the SCCA races. In addition to being a potent race car in it’s own right, the Bu-Merc was a vital stepping stone in Cunningham’s life in motorsports as he would eventually go on to take on European titans at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in cars of his own creation. The Bu-Merc will join other ARCA cars for exhibition laps Friday at 1:00 PM, as well as Saturday and Monday at 12:45 PM.
1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ
Alfa Romeo is the feature marque at Lime Rock Historic 44 and in honor of this, we are bringing the 1964 Sebring 12 hour class winning Giulia TZ to do battle across the three day weekend. The mid 60s marked a return to form and the beginning of a period of excellency for factory Alfa Romeo efforts after a 1951 cancelation of Alfa Corse. Upon first impression, one may mistake this particular Giulia TZ for a rally car, due to the two additional grill mounted lights, however, the extra lighting was to assist the car in its navigation of Sebring International Raceway due to the track being unlit during night time running.
On track schedule:
Friday
12:05 PM: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Practice (Group 6)
12:30 PM: Fiat Abarth TCR 1000 Berlinetta Corsa Practice (Group 7)
1:00 PM: ARCA Exhibition laps
4:25 PM: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Practice (Group 6)
4:50 PM: Fiat Abarth TCR 1000 Berlinetta Corsa Practice (Group 7)
Saturday
11:05 AM: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Race 1 (Group 6)
11:30 AM: Fiat Abarth TCR 1000 Berlinetta Corsa Race 1 (Group 7)
12:45 PM: ARCA Exhibition laps
4:05 PM: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Race 2 (Group 6)
4:30 PM: Fiat Abarth TCR 1000 Berlinetta Corsa Race 2 (Group 7)
Monday
11:05 PM: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Race 3 (Group 6)
11:30 PM: Fiat Abarth TCR 1000 Berlinetta Corsa Race 2 (Group 7)
12:45 PM: ARCA Exhibition laps
1:50 PM: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Race 4 (Group 6)
4:20 PM: Fiat Abarth TCR 1000 Berlinetta Corsa Race 4 (Group 7)
ARCA: The Birth of American Sports Car Racing
Though often overlooked in the world of historic motor racing in favor of more recent series such as the SCCA; ARCA was the series which laid the initial foundations for sports car racing stateside. Early racing in America looked different than it did in Europe; While slick, factory built sportscars among the likes of Buggattis, Alfa Romeos, and MGs dominated the european circuits, Americans had to work with the occasionally imported european racer and supplement fields with their own hot-rodded creations. Additionally, American spectators and promoters favored the small closed loop oval circuits, often simply repurposed horse racing tracks. This stood in sharp contrast to the sprawling cross country races and the increasingly spectacular Grand Prix format. Some of the young men trying to increase the popularity of left and right turns in America were the Collier brothers. Sam, Barron Jr. and Miles C. Collier began constructing their own homebrew race cars by combining various chassis and engines and racing them against similar creations made by friends. The races took place in the late 1920s and early 30s on the Sleepy Hollow Ring, a .75 mile dirt track consisting of 10 turns. In 1931, the races were organized into the Overlook Automotive Race Club (OARC); a governing body formed by the Colliers to establish clear rules and schedules for the races. The Overlook name was in reference to the Overlook Estate, where the Colliers called home in Westchester County, New York.
As the fields for races began to expand, the Colliers restructured OARC into ARCA in 1933, bringing in European racing influences into the fold after competing overseas in the Coupe des Alpes rally. By the end of the year, there were 48 due paying members and 18 race cars and the series spread to other race tracks with a healthy mix of dirt and paved surfaces primarily in the northeast.
ARCA would race for nearly 10 years, until the United States entered World War Two, when the decision was made to put racing on hold until after the war —ARCA would not run a race again. But in 1944 the SCCA, a sort of spiritual successor to ARCA, would be founded and hold its first race in 1948 with some cars that competed in ARCA taking part. The SCCA continues to operate today, offering an outlet for grassroots racing and a ladder to the professional level.
Come stop by our paddock installation to see these historic cars displayed and make sure to find yourself trackside to witness the hundred year old machines take to the circuit. See you at Lime Rock Park!
