Wes;
I wish I could have seen those Auto-Unions; they are rarely displayed. Yes,
the idea of using your head as a roll bar isn't very appealing. Also scary
is the lack of any fire protection.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
-----Original Message-----
From: W S Potter [mailto:wester6935@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:44 AM
To: Albaugh, Neil; 'Glen Barrett'; 'land-speed@autox.team.net'
Subject: Re: Auto Union at Monterey
Neil,
I spent about an hour in the tent and around the Auto Union area at Laguna
Seca in 1999. Those cars were pampered no end. They practically put on
cotton gloves to touch them. The backdrops were wonderful and brought the
historic nature of the cars to life. A memorable experience to have
participated in for me. Horrifying to think of racing at competitive speeds
with no roll cage or helmet. No wonder there are so few of the great
drivers from that era still living today.
Wes
on 9/24/03 10:30 AM, Albaugh, Neil at albaugh_neil@ti.com wrote:
> Glen;
>
> "It was an odd feeling to have everything in the rear of the car as
> the feeling was much different setting that far forward."
>
> You've said pretty much the same thing that was said of the pre- WW II
> rear-engine Auto-Union Grand Prix cars. The driver sat well forward
> and there wasn't much in front of him to act as a visual reference.
>
> As you can see, most of the 1936 type C was behind the driver:
> http://goodwood.racesimcentral.com/ajcl02/ajcl020.shtml
>
> Here is a photo of their more conventional 1938 LSR streamliner:
> http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/AutoUnion.html
>
> Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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