Don’t miss these gloriously nostalgic Ferrari photos from the golden age of sports car racing

From Amateur Photographer ·

Don’t miss these gloriously nostalgic Ferrari photos from the golden age of sports car racing
Photo by Nada Mohamed on Pexels

The name Ferrari is the most famous in the world of motorsport, known for the instantly recognisable red livery of its cars, its iconic ‘prancing horse’ logo and a racing heritage that dates back almost a century, to 1929.

During a large chunk of the existence of Ferrari’s racing teams – in sports car racing (such as le Mans), F1 and F2 – the presence of German-born photographer Rainer W. Schlegenmilch (aka ‘RWS’) has been trackside to document all aspects of races.

4pm, the French flag gives the signal for the start: the drivers cross the track to jump into their cars. First polesitter Pedro Rodriguez, No, 10, Ferari 330 TRI/LM (not pictured), second Lorenzo Bandini, No. 21, Ferrari 250 P, third Mike Parkes, No. 22, also in a Ferrari 250 P. In fourth position the Aston Martin DP215 of Phil Hill/Lucien Bianchi, followed by the Maserati Tipo 151/3 of André Simon/’Lucky’ Casner. Image: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch/Getty Images
4pm, the French flag gives the signal for the start: the drivers cross the track to jump into their cars. First polesitter Pedro Rodriguez, No, 10, Ferari 330 TRI/LM (not pictured), second Lorenzo Bandini, No. 21, Ferrari 250 P, third Mike Parkes, No. 22, also in a Ferrari 250 P. In fourth position the Aston Martin DP215 of Phil Hill/Lucien Bianchi, followed by the Maserati Tipo 151/3 of André Simon/’Lucky’ Casner. Image: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch/Getty Images

His lens has been trained on the action of the sports car racing and, notably, what’s viewed as the golden age of Ferrari sports car racing, between 1962 and 1973.

In fact, 1962 was the year that RWS saw his first race and shot a series of portraits at the so-called ‘1,000 kilometres’ race, held at the huge Nürburgring motorsports complex, for his final examination at the Bavarian State School of Photography in Munich.

Start of the race: polesitter No. 16, Ferrari 312 PB, Arturo Merzario leads No. 15, Ferrari 312 PB, Brian Redman. Behind, No. 10, François Cevert, No. 11, Henri Pescarolo and No. 12, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, all three in Matra-Simca MS670Bs. In sixth place is No. 17, Ferrari 312 PB, with Tim Schenken at the wheel. Image: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch/Getty Images
Start of the race: polesitter No. 16, Ferrari 312 PB, Arturo Merzario leads No. 15, Ferrari 312 PB, Brian Redman. Behind, No. 10, François Cevert, No. 11, Henri Pescarolo and No. 12, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, all three in Matra-Simca MS670Bs. In sixth place is No. 17, Ferrari 312 PB, with Tim Schenken at the wheel. Image: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch/Getty Images

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