Suixtil au Silverstone Classic
The Suixtil team just got back from the Silverstone Classic, and
what a show that was. As much as the Festival of Speed feels like a
good-natured fun-fair of all things motorized, the Silverstone
Classic takes us all back to the racing roots of these mean
machines gathered in splendid plateaus and there is simply nothing
as fun as to see and hear these beautiful machines tear down the
tarmac in elaborated lap dances, driven to merciless excesses by
their drivers, pushed to the very limit in their quest for victory.
What could be more Classic than this? On the side of this genial
madness, there is also a Concours d'Elegance, an auction, classic
car club reunions, concession stands and so much more. Very at life
speed indeed! All that before even mentioning the apparition of
Carlos Santana himself, though not on the track but on his more
familiar stage, for an open air concert under a beautiful Kent
evening.
The races are mad for sure. Who
would think of bringing these incredible machines, that have all
paid their dues (and then some) before, back to the track and pit
them at each others' to just see if they still have the right
stuff? Who, in their right mind, would rush down places with names
such as "Maggots" and "Hangars straight" or, for those of you who
still remember the religious streak we grew after the FoS,
"Chapel", "Priory" and "Abbey"? All in all, a challenge to sanity,
21 times over the course of a long week-end: some true edge of your
seat, if you could find any, show with some -luckily not often
given the skills and fair play of the participants- contact, some
grass spinning and speeds that defy understanding and -sometime-
gravity.
The plateaus? Everything was there, from
pre-war antiques that were not shy about their age but still going
strong, though bringing less of a glimmer in our eye (considering
they pre-dated our own period of glory) to the stuff legends were
made of, Maserati models that Fangio himself took to the limit (one
more time), Aston Martins that have probably known Sir Stirling
Moss, Peter Collins and Pat Griffith, Lotuses' that Colin Chapman
and Jim Clarke would both have loved, and Lolas, ah Lolas…car
should not be named after women, it brings about some comparisons
that, knowing our unfettered love for all things mechanical, are
not even remotely fair. And there was just so much more that
enumerating it all here would turn this into a who's who of the
motorized world. And all these Grande Dames that have
revolutionized their times -and taken many lives doing so- were
racing one another to see who still had more guts.
The Clubs then: it is amazing to see what comes
out of garages and gather on occasion like these: the parking areas
become overtaken by metal of a quality one only dreams of and
owners cluster around their machines, comparing metal, revving up
engines and exchanging stories. The air charges up with octane and
the spirits get lifted as much as the drivers' ones through the
adrenaline of their races. It is a spectacle to behold.
And your
Suixtilteam in all this: well -as
we are becoming accustomed too we travelled to the site in style,
rested well for endless days filled-up with exchanges of stories
from then and answering questions about now. Long days spent
restlessly listening to the retransmission of the races (what about
this friend going from pole to third, about that one holding up his
position through sheer grit) and the roaring of the engines not 100
yards from our booth. If it was not for the great company we kept,
the lack of distance and yet the impossibility to cross it (because
of our obligations) would be maddening. But again, in an uneven
weather, the 3 days flew by at the speed of a Silver Arrow, filled
with new friends and promises and looking ever brighter. To all who
came to see us, thank you! To those who placed their colors on
metal we can only dream of racing ourselves (this was an Aston -and
what Astons these were!!! - show for us and we welcome further
pictures especially from the racing), thereby contributing to
bringing back the Suixtil legend to life, we are more indebted to
you than we can express and God do these colors look right on your
dream cars! To those we unfortunately did not get to see, welcome
to "http://www.suixtil.com" the site and if you need anything
to get ready for the Revival, or just a break from the grind, the
list of our retail partners is listed herein and they will lift
your spirits as surely as the crane takes the engine block. To all,
we look forward to our next encounters and bid you all a great time
until then - at life speed!
