Quote:
Originally Posted by rsk289
Hmm - the Le Mans regulations changed by the minute, depending on what the French contestants were running. Bit similar to the Monte Carlo Rally of the same period, really.
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When I was a kid in the early '60s I wanted to build a replica of the LeMans course for my slot cars and wrote away to the track for a map. They sent me a full entrant package with all the regs. It was about 3/8" thick of standard letter-size paper with an amazing amount of requirements
Quote:
Originally Posted by strictlypersonl
We used straps on our old 100-4 race car - for evil reasons.  We left the straps a little loose so that the hood raised up at speed to allow air out of the engine compartment. (That probably only worked because there was no windshield.) |
My Healey 3000 was an SCCA racer and used the same idea lifting the rear of the hood for cooling. Sunbeam Tigers would do this, too.
I have to confess I'm a bit enamored of the leather strap look and added one to my Ford-powered Healey even though it wasn't a feature on the later cars like mine. And in order to add some extra cooling (and look a little more like a 100M,) I've added some louvers, too. (The mismatched paint has since been remedied)
One of my favorite quotes from Burt Levy's "Last Open Road"
when describing a Cad Allard:
"My God, what a beast that car was! The grille was nothing but a huge chromium sneer and there were scoops and vents and louvers chopped all over the place to let the heat breathe out (or cool air in, I could never figure out which) and you couldn't miss how they had the hood buttoned down with no less than five separate butterfly fasteners and two great wide leather straps, each one hefty enough to harness a prize bull. Whatever monstrous kind of motor was in there, they weren't taking any chances on it breaking out."