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1930s auto racing on the Isle of Man, EnglandSports car racing was conceived with the birth of the automobile with single-seater cars circling an oval wooden track. Sophisticated races were staged on city streets, such as at Targa Florio. These races were the exclusive domain of Europe until World War II. The postwar era saw a resurgence of racing, especially in war-torn Germany and Italy, where safety was sacrificed for speed and durability. -
Country roads were a part of the sports car racing mystique.Sports racing allows automakers to test engineering and body designs on the track that translate to sales of production cars, with manufacturers establishing their reputations and successes on racing performance. -
Endurance and strategy are always valued over speed.Endurance, strategy and technology are the keys to successful racing, such as at the 24-hour Le Mans in France, with production cars benefiting from successful technology. - Racing includes hybrids or prototype two-seaters that have no connection to production vehicles, with battles among exotic automakers emphasizing the use of turbocharged engines and ground-effect aerodynamics.
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Technical advances in this BMW will end up in production models.Technology used in today's production cars are a result of sports car racing engineering with the introduction of antilock brakes, fuel injection, aerodynamics, efficient use of fuel and even seatbelt safety. -
Le Mans's 24-hour endurance raceThe body style of a sports racing car is generally a two-seater, closed-wheel car that is either a convertible or closed and possesses the characteristics of a standard production car. -
Steve McQueen's ode to sports auto racing, the film "Le Mans"Actor Steve McQueen, driving a Gulf-Porsche 917K, chronicled the experiences of a sports race car driver in the 1971 film "Le Mans."
