Home  
Site Partners: SpotterGuides Veloce Books  
Related Sites: Classic Cars Monthly Your Link Here  

Go Back   TenTenths Motorsport Forum > Historic Racing & Motorsport History > Motorsport History

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 26 Oct 2011, 20:05 (Ref:2977361)   #1
BritishV8
Rookie
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location:
Colorado
Posts: 40
BritishV8 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Tell me about Walt Hansgen

This forum is an AWESOME depository of knowledge on so many arcane racing topics... I guess I've taken Walt Hansgen's fame and popularity for granted, but when researching my latest article here on 10-Tenths, I entered the search term "Hansgen" and was surprised to find few results. What do you guys remember about him? Interesting stories? Cool photos?

My article is all together now. I focused on the early years and on Hansgen's first racecar, the Jaguar special with which he started his career. If you're curious, I'd encourage you to check it out here: Walt Hansgen's XK120 Special

Last edited by BritishV8; 26 Oct 2011 at 20:13. Reason: (hit enter key too soon, by mistake)
BritishV8 is offline  
Quote
Old 26 Oct 2011, 23:30 (Ref:2977436)   #2
MGDavid
Veteran
 
MGDavid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
England
Berkshire
Posts: 3,821
MGDavid is going for a new lap record!MGDavid is going for a new lap record!MGDavid is going for a new lap record!MGDavid is going for a new lap record!MGDavid is going for a new lap record!MGDavid is going for a new lap record!
Walt Hansgen

I only know about his MG connection, as one of the drivers of the MG Liquid Suspension Special, an Indy car that ran in the 60s. I have a little bit of its tube frame mounted on a plinth, that came from the guy in Canada who rebuilt it (whose name escapes me at the moment).
MGDavid is offline  
__________________
a salary slave no more...
Quote
Old 28 Oct 2011, 08:15 (Ref:2978052)   #3
chunterer
Race Official
Veteran
 
chunterer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location:
Now about halfway down my road!
Posts: 15,949
chunterer is going for a new world record!chunterer is going for a new world record!chunterer is going for a new world record!chunterer is going for a new world record!chunterer is going for a new world record!chunterer is going for a new world record!chunterer is going for a new world record!
A great driver/engineer of the time and was he Mark Donohue's mentor before he got involved with Penske or something like that?
chunterer is offline  
__________________
"Double Kidney Guv'nah?"
"No thanks George they're still wavin a white flag!"
Quote
Old 30 Oct 2011, 01:37 (Ref:2978758)   #4
thebear
Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
 
thebear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
United States
85mi S. of Daytona, 125mi NE of Sebring
Posts: 1,837
thebear should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridthebear should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
History, again . . .

There are ~44k citations on this Google link:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...l313l0.1.1l2l0

My personal memory is from open practice for the 1964 Bridgehampton (NY) FIA international 500 km races. I was driving my mildly prepared Bug(frog)eye Sprite flat out down the hill at ~95mph when Walt Hansgen literally `blew my doors off' going by at ~185mph in a Lister Jaguar.

I won the under 1 liter class by default. There also were three Abarth coupés in the class and they all suffered mechanical breakdowns of one sort or another. You can find me on ppg 546 & 547 of Janos Wimpffen's "Time and Two Seats: Five Decades of Long Distance Motor Racing". My racing `team' was Ecurie Escargot.

thebear is offline  
__________________
No trees were harmed by this message. However, several million electrons were terribly inconvenienced
Quote
Old 30 Oct 2011, 17:32 (Ref:2979063)   #5
bugeye
Rookie
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 38
bugeye should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Michael Argetsinger wrote an excellent biography of Walt Hansgen a few years ago. I think it is still available on publisher David Bull's website, or you can probably find it on the larger bookseller's sites.
bugeye is offline  
Quote
Old 30 Oct 2011, 17:35 (Ref:2979065)   #6
thebear
Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
 
thebear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
United States
85mi S. of Daytona, 125mi NE of Sebring
Posts: 1,837
thebear should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridthebear should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
A reply

Quote:
Originally Posted by bugeye View Post
Michael Argetsinger wrote an excellent biography of Walt Hansgen a few years ago. I think it is still available on publisher David Bull's website, or you can probably find it on the larger bookseller's sites.
It is also included in the above Google link.
thebear is offline  
__________________
No trees were harmed by this message. However, several million electrons were terribly inconvenienced
Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 22:00.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Original Website Copyright © 1998-2003 Craig Antil. All Rights Reserved.
Ten-Tenths Motorsport Forums Copyright © 2004-2021 Royalridge Computing. All Rights Reserved.
Ten-Tenths Motorsport Forums Copyright © 2021-2022 Grant MacDonald. All Rights Reserved.