Round by round back to the past
07/01/2023
What classic sports car owner hasn't wondered what it felt like to take part in an SCCA race in California in the 1950s in a Porsche 356 or a Triumph TR3? Of course, we won't be able to find out any time soon without a time machine. But luckily there are talented model makers - and the Internet. A time machine of a somewhat different kind was auctioned off on the bringatrailer.com auction platform at the beginning of June.
On an area measuring twelve by six feet (3.66 m x 1.83 m), an American has recreated the Californian coastal landscape between Malibu and Santa Monica on a scale of 1:32 and modeled a three-lane carrera track as a circuit. In historically accurate surroundings, Porsche, Jaguar and Austin-Healey can race through a hairpin bend, a tunnel and past a diner on the Mulholland Highway, just like in the old days. Skillfully photographed, the little speedsters almost look like big ones.
The system was worth 12,500 US dollars to one bidder. That's a lot of money for a rather expansive toy for occasional amusement. In view of the time and effort that the artist invested in this gem, it still seems like a bargain. And it's probably the closest we'll get to time travel - at least if the surroundings play along - for the time being.
