Watkins Glen, N.Y. — When Peter Giddings first started racing in his native England, he
couldn’t afford the latest and greatest cars of the 1950s, so he
purchased some older models. Friday, those old clunkers were some of the
rarest original machines at the Glenora Wine Cellars U.S. Vintage Grand
Prix at Watkins Glen International and the downtown Grand Prix
Festival.
Giddings brought his 1931 Alfa Romeo Tipo B “P3” and a 1953 Maserati back to The Glen for this weekend’s historic races. The two classic Italian cars were some of the most gawked at.
“I’ve been racing since (1959) and back in the late 50s and early 60s in England, if you wanted to race and didn’t have a lot of money, you bought an old car,” said Giddings, who now resides in Danville, Calif. “Since then the old cars have become valuable and historic and so forth. I got started with these cars because they’re all I could afford.”
Now they’re priceless.
Joining Giddings’ team this weekend is Long Islander Peter Greenfield who purchased a 1935 Alfa Romeo at a Pebble Beach auction in 2004. He’ll be negotiating The Glen’s 3.4-mile course in a car with loads of horsepower and drenched in history.
“It’s a trip. This is a serious car, almost 400 horsepower, a grand prix car back in the 1930s,” Greenfield said. “Back then, Enzo Ferrari ran the Alfa race team, that’s why it has the Ferarri symbol on it. This was the first independent suspension, transaxle car built in response to Adolf Hitler financing Mercedes and the auto union (Audi). This was the first Italian streamlined car.”
For Giddings, he was fortunate enough to buy a car driven by one of the early greats, and his driving hero, Tazio Nuvolari – a champion on motorcycles, front-engine and rear-engine cars. The Italian is widely regarded as the best racer to ever take a breath of air.
“It’s more than a thrill, it’s a privilege. These cars were driven by the great drivers – Tazio Nuvolari, (Juan) Fangio, (Stirling) Moss – and to recreate an experience in a very minor, amateur way is very special,” Giddings said. “Tremendous admiration. Back then the roads were in poor condition, the races took hours, not minutes, and they were titans – we’ve never seen drivers like them since.”
The cars are a far cry from today’s race cars with wide tires, modern shock absorbers and aerodynamic advantages built into the design.
The Alfa Romeos rolls on what look like treaded bicycle tires powered
by inline eight cylinder engines at the front. The most technological
electronics in the machines are the tachometer and water temperature
gauges.
“They’re a total handful. I call them very busy cars,” Giddings said. “If you don’t anticipate in the seat of your pants what the car is going to do fractionally before it does it, you’re going to be through the closest edge. They were the best in their day, but by today’s standards lacking in all departments – braking, cornering, handling, you name it. That’s the fun of it.”
“It’s a huge different from driving a modern car. It goes a lot faster than it’s capable of stopping,” Greenfield added. “Even though it looks like it has big brakes, they’re not very effective except for a couple of laps. You’re always correcting this car.”
Giddings has been coming to Watkins Glen almost every year since the 1970s, and after his first trip he admits he was smitten.
“When I emigrated to America the first track I raced on was Watkins Glen, and that’s going back 35 years ago,” he said. “It was pissing down rain, but I’ll never forget it – I fell in love with The Glen then. If I don’t have at least one race at The Glen every year, I’m the sadder for it.”
At least for the older vintage cars with narrow tires, The Glen’s weathered racing surface has proven problematic.
The cement swaths and worn out asphalt have developed bumps over time, which takes on a toll on cars with the most basic suspensions. Those aren’t easy to deal with in cars that are already difficult to drive.
“It badly needs repaving. These older cars, it’s just like a washboard,” Giddings said. “I heard through the grapevine they will repave the track. I’m looking forward to not having my teeth loosened in my gums every time I get on the track.”
“They’re a total handful. I call them very busy cars,” Giddings said. “If you don’t anticipate in the seat of your pants what the car is going to do fractionally before it does it, you’re going to be through the closest edge. They were the best in their day, but by today’s standards lacking in all departments – braking, cornering, handling, you name it. That’s the fun of it.”
“It’s a huge different from driving a modern car. It goes a lot faster than it’s capable of stopping,” Greenfield added. “Even though it looks like it has big brakes, they’re not very effective except for a couple of laps. You’re always correcting this car.”
Giddings has been coming to Watkins Glen almost every year since the 1970s, and after his first trip he admits he was smitten.
“When I emigrated to America the first track I raced on was Watkins Glen, and that’s going back 35 years ago,” he said. “It was pissing down rain, but I’ll never forget it – I fell in love with The Glen then. If I don’t have at least one race at The Glen every year, I’m the sadder for it.”
At least for the older vintage cars with narrow tires, The Glen’s weathered racing surface has proven problematic.
The cement swaths and worn out asphalt have developed bumps over time, which takes on a toll on cars with the most basic suspensions. Those aren’t easy to deal with in cars that are already difficult to drive.
“It badly needs repaving. These older cars, it’s just like a washboard,” Giddings said. “I heard through the grapevine they will repave the track. I’m looking forward to not having my teeth loosened in my gums every time I get on the track.”
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