Jerome C. Earl from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in the Corvette SR2. Earl would later sell the SR2 to Jim Jeffords.

Words by Bob Birmingham
Photos by Glen Glendenning

A return to two SCCA race weekends made up Road America’s calendar for 1957, the first in June followed by early September. June offered four events, three on Saturday and a 38-lap feature on Sunday. All told the weekend was best described as fun-to-watch club racing.
1957 June Sprints, June 23
1957 SCCA Nationals September 7 (Saturday)
1957 Road America 500, September 8 (Sunday)

Branding the Road America 500. The 1956 September 6 hour endurance race, while interesting, was a bit confusing for spectators prompting Tufte with his team, and Chicago Region leaders, to make changes. The winning car in the 6 hour enduro completed 484 miles, and with that information, this year’s event would be offered as the Road America 500. Tufte was quoted as saying, “500, has a nice ring to it,” referring to the Indianapolis 500. Saturday’s program consisted of 3 races, each providing its share of enjoyable performances.

As usual, Glen Glendenning got around. Here he captured a famous guest of Road America. Janet Pilgrim (born Charlaine Edith Karalus; June 13, 1934 – May 1, 2017) was an American model who became a Playmate of the Month while employed at Playboy’s corporate office in Chicago. She was chosen as Playmate of the Month three times: July 1955, December 1955 and October 1956. We don’t know the identity of the guy with the goofy eyeballs.

Sunday morning brought sunny blue skies with occasional puffs of clouds as the swelling crowd, estimated to be in excess of 35,000, arrived and settled in to watch the 500 mile enduro. Blankets were spread, lawn chairs unfolded and the always welcome picnic baskets and beverage coolers at hand. The competition was tough as a steady run of drivers sought to improve the class positions but at the end of 125 laps it was Phil Hill’s Ferrari 315 first followed by Carroll Shelby’s Maserati 300S and Eddie Crawford’s Porsche 550 Spyder. All three soloed and as a side note the total winning time was 6:08:30, and they completed a few more laps than the 1956 Six Hour race.

A corner worker near the altered carousel with the drumlin now cleared to provide better vision of the upcoming corners.

The past few years had weighed heavily on Clif Tufte’s team but through it all they attracted a rapidly growing number of spectators new to sports car racing and perhaps just as important was the increase in earnings for Elkhart Lake and surrounding area merchants. The future looked rosy but before the first cars took to practice in June 1957, something would have to be done to ensure added safety to the long-over due carousel’s end – Friedman’s Corner. A portion of the drumlin* that dominated what would become the carousel was eliminated prior to paving in 1955 but not enough to provide a clear vision or understanding of what lay ahead for drivers continually at war with the never-ending off-road excursions after the carousel, and to that Tufte had an answer. In May of 1958 the remaining portion of the previously trimmed drumlin east of the track was excavated and removed to where drivers concentrating on the seemingly never-ending carousel could now see what lay ahead.

Glen Glendenning Gallery: June Sprints, 1957

Elisha Walker, Syosset, New York, Aston Martin DB2/4 entered by George Constantine.

Don-Warren, Alfa, Thiensville, Wisconsin

Elva, driven by Chuck Dietrich, Sandusky, Ohio

John-Middleton II, Barrington, Illinois, Ferrari TR (0622)

Loyal Katskee, Omaha, Nebraska, Ferrari 750 (0554)

Ebby Lunken, Cincinnati, Ohio, Ferrari TR (0658)

J. M. R. Lyeth, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Ferrari 375 MM (0364)

Jerome Earl, Corvette SR2. Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Wilfred Gray, Kurtis, Indianapolis, Indiana

Don Skogmo, D Jag, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mel Cavin, Corvette, Lincoln, Illinois

Max Goldman, Porsche, Ann Arbor, Michigan

*an oval or elongated hill believed to have been formed by the streamlined movement of glacial ice sheets across rock debris, or till. The name is derived from the Gaelic word druim (“rounded hill,” or “mound”) and first appeared in 1833.

Just to prove the event was in London, the rear end of the R33 and a London Double Decker Bus, also known as the Boris bus, so named after Boris Johnson, the then Mayor of London.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

I was unable to make the London edition of Salon Prive, but as luck would have it the organizers decided to do a small preview under the title of ‘The Sloane Street Concours’ on April 11th. For those not familiar with London shopping streets, Sloane Street and the surrounding environs is home to some very upmarket shops, as you will see from looking at the background. Great if you like shopping (yuk) and have a Gold card.

Surprisingly the road was not shut to traffic so the hi vis jacket-clad marshalls had a field day telling us to keep on the pavement, like that was going to happen with the mobile phone touting youth out in force. Anyway not a large amount of cars to view, but eventually the sun came out and the expensive lunch I had was rather nice so not a bad day out. So if you want to know who won what, as judged by a panel of Design students from the Royal College of Art I have pasted the list below.

As the day drew to a close, a selection of awards were presented to the standout cars on display, chosen by our young panel of Royal College of Art Automotive Design Students.

Best Coachwork – Aston Martin Valhalla
Best Overall Design – Automotive Artisans R33
Best Supercar – Ferrari SF90 XX
People’s Choice – Gordon Murray Automotive T.50S
Best Hypercar – Koenigsegg Jesko
Best Track Car – McLaren F1 GTR
Best Classic – Ferrari 250 California Spyder

Ferrari displayed by Joe Macari, a London based dealer.

The Maserati MC12 GT1 competed at the highest level from 2005 to 2010. JMB Racing’s chassis 008 stands as the fifth most-raced example among the 11 MC12 GT1s built, recording 28 race starts across three competitive seasons in the FIA GT Championship. Its record includes five podium finishes, highlighted by an overall victory at Magny-Cours in 2005, as well as strong performances at the prestigious Spa 24 Hours, finishing second in 2005 and fourth in 2008.

Chassis 3059 GT was the 31st of the 56 SWB California Spyders produced and was completed in November 1961. It was originally finished in Rosso Cina over a Beige Connolly leather interior and specified with covered headlights, factory removeable hardtop, and no bumper brackets, features that place it among the most desirable specifications of the model. Factory records document a tightly sequenced assembly and a dyno-tested output of 220 horsepower.

On the left the new Encore series 1, a re-imagined carbon fibre bodied Lotus Esprit powered by a 400 bhp re-engineered twin turbo V8. On the right, from the pen of Giugiaro, the 160 bhp Lotus Esprit complete with Morris Marina door handles and tartan fabric interior.

The new Gordon Murray Special Vehicles’ Le Mans GTR,

Proof that Ferrari no longer make elegant cars,

…just insanely fast ones, the SF90 XX

On the left the new road legal Nichols N1A track car, on the right its inspiration a McLaren M1A.

On the left, the 500 bhp electric Restomod Rolls Royce Cornich by Halcyon, or as my friend said ” how to make an already heavy car even heavier. On the right the bonkers Koenigsegg Jesko with up to 1600 bhp.

Thank heavens they put badges on the side as I cannot tell one McLaren from another, This, according to the badge on the side, is a 750S. Just visible to the right is the tail end of a McLaren Speedtail.