By now, nearly all of you likely know what the 2015 Race of Gentlemen was. The celebration of vintage speed which culminates with sandy side by side drag passes on a New Jersey Beach has gone from a fun niche event to a must attend monster that draws people and cars from across the country. These are not street rods, rat rods, or theme rods. These are cars built the way they were constructed going on 80-90 years ago now. Flathead four, six, and occasionally eight cylinder engines provide the modest power and the styling on the cars provides the real entertainment and the visual pop for this spectacular video highlighting the event.
From belly tank racers to pieces that look like the earliest days of sprint cars, the rubber is narrow and the sand is pretty hard packed allowing them to get off the line and run down the (roughly?) eighth mile course side by side. On a few occasions in the video you’ll see vintage motorcycles running three abreast down the track. There is no timing system, no time slips, no wins or loses, just a lot of fun hammering on your hot rod that is slightly less advanced than a tractor from the same era.
We think that this is really something and it proves a simply point. The cars bring the people. No one is there to see a bg number on a score board, to see a national record broken, or to see wheelies. They are there to take a trip back in time before things got so complicated and cars racing down a beach represented the pinnacle of human achievement.
Cool video and awesome song!
Totally agree!
A similar event is held at Britain’s answer to Bonneville – Pendine Beach in Wales, where countless records were set up to the post-war years. These are both collections of fine cars driven by good-natured lunatics of all ages and as some might struggle to go through the timers at more than a fast walking pace there is less pressure to compete and more pressure to simply enjoy fine old hot rods.
I just hope beach racing catches on in Britain – as here on the North East coast we are blessed with pristine beaches that are almost deserted save for the occasional tree-hugging birdwatchers who would no doubt get the meeting banned before it even reached the planning stage!
Dream on…
Agreed! Me want go there.