7Seven Customs CM400.

THE MINT 400: THEN, NOW, ALWAYS

On the shelf for nearly 20 years, America’s toughest off-road race is back.

By: Brandon Workman

To get exclusive and authentic gear, check out the Mint 400 Shop.

Go to the movies, look at re-designed sports cars, or watch throwback uniforms in action – it seems we can’t get enough of the past. But often, enthusiasts are quick to point out dusting something off from the past compromises its authenticity, or makes a mockery of it altogether. The Mint 400 stands as an exception. 

Known to many as America’s toughest off-road race, the Mint 400 is also the country’s oldest, with roots tracing back to 1967. Originally planned to promote The Mint Hotel in Las Vegas, the race stretched from its namesake hotel to the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, California—with hundreds of miles of desert and rough terrain between them. That inaugural field featured just two dune buggies, but eventually the race grew to include motorcycles, cars, and trucks.

Quickly, the Mint became much more than a publicity event, growing in reputation to attract high-profile entrants from all corners of the earth, including Indy 500 winners, astronauts, comedians, and television stars. The race demanded winners balance horsepower with handling and endurance with wits, and its challenge matched every bit of its reputation.

Despite that reputation, however, in 1988, The Mint Hotel was sold to a neighboring casino (along with the rights to the race). Two races later, the Mint 400 was dead.

But not out.

Nearly 20 years later, longtime sponsors and enthusiast groups combined to resurrect the famed off-road race. And its reception has been nothing short of remarkable. Just a few years after its 2008 re-birth, the field grew to feature more than 320 teams and the event has now taken a place among Red Bull’s Signature Series. 

This year, former Indy 500 and Mint 400-winner Parnelli Jones, will return to the desert as Grand Marshal. The return of Jones, who is often credited for launching the event into the national spotlight, is a fitting testament to the Mint 400’s off-road legacy—both then and now.

Note: The Mint 400 will take place on March 15, 2014 and will air on NBC on July 6^th, at 2:00pmEDT.

Images ©: The Mint 400.

from http://huckberry.com

Intercontinental Rally 2014

The fourth edition of Intercontinental Rally was running between January 20 and February 2, 2014. This is a global take on the off-road event.

1974 PORSCHE 3.0 CARRERA RSR

The Porsche 3.0 Carrera RSR is a car that dominated international GT racing in 1974 and 1975, it blew the competition out of the water in the Trans Am, IMSA, and the FIA World Championship racing series – cementing its place in Porsche history as one of the most important factory race cars ever built by the Stuttgart-based marque.

Porsche built the Carrera RSR on the frame of the road-spec 911 for homologation purposes, much of the body was replaced with fibreglass to save weight and the cockpit held a single seat on the left hand side. The widened wheel arches held racing slicks with a 10 inch wide tire fitted in front and a hefty 14 inch tire at the rear, the engine utilised a twin-plug ignition system and a capacity of 2,992cc.

The engine block was cast from aluminium to keep weight down and a large dry sump oil tank fed fluid to a front bumper mounted oil cooler, allowing the Carrera RSR to remain competitive during endurance racing events. For 1974 the compression ratio was increased from 9.8:1 to 10.3:1 which resulted in 330hp reaching the rear wheels at 8,000rpm.

The 5-speed gearbox for the 1974 car was sourced directly from the 1973 model, it was mated to a new dry plate Fichtel and Sachs sintered clutch that many in the Porsche engineering team felt would better handle prolonged circuit use. Independent suspension was fitted at all four corners with coil over springs and disc brakes were also bolted into place – giving the RSR track performance that doesn’t seem antiquated even today, 40 years later.

With a kerb weight of 900 kilograms (1,984lbs) the Carrera RSR was lightning fast, with its predictable handling and almost bullet-proof reliability it’s undeniable that it forced other GT racing marques to up their game significantly in order to stay competitive. The descendants of the iconic RSR are still being produced and raced by Porsche, the most recent being the 2014 Le Mans entry.

The RSR you see here was purchased in 1974 by Giorgio Schön and his co-driver Giovanni Borri, for the World Manufacturers’ Championship of the same year. It was painted the night it arrived from factory and it was raced the next day at Monza in practice for the 1000 kms – where it achieved fastest time in the GT Class.

The RSR you see pictured here is currently for sale via Maxted-Page and you can click here to read more about it, or enquire after it if you have some room in the collection.