These Are Our Favourite-Sounding Vintage Race Cars

Here, you’ll find factory Formula 1, Le Mans, and historic racing cars. Plus an engine swap (or two).

These clips should give you enough ear-splitting action to prepare you for the upcoming racing season, or inspire you to get that winter project going before you miss another season of driving. As always, if I missed something, please include a link to your favorite-sounding vintage race car in the comments.

You can find just about anything on YouTube, including a channel calledHistoricRacingHD that simply uploads well-shot and mic’d footage of vintage racing cars. After the 1m30-long intro, there’s 45 minutes of this best-of-2015 compilation video, shot at circuits, hillclimbs, and rallies throughout Europe. If you’re like us, you’ll probably get 5 minutes in before realizing it’s time to clear the next 40 minutes of your work schedule…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3RGEjPsyKk

Sothat’s why these things go for tens of millions of dollars…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h2LOzRrQ4M

As great as anything powered by a Matra V12 may sound from behind the wheel, it’s nothing compared to the wail heard by spectators in the second clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBCS7CLfv8s

Mazda 767B at Spa? You know it’ll be good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggg04nAD9jI

Last time I put one of these sound compilations together, Guitar Slinger was disappointed I’d overlooked this Hayabusa-powered Fiat X1/9 that ran for years in Italian hillclimb competition. Its driver, Vincenzo Manganiello, has since moved to a motorcycle-powered Fiat 127—which also doesn’t seem to like moving in a straight line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO_VVla8DlI

Hillclimb events across Europe are often terrorized by these bombastic Lancia Delta Integrales, many of which have been tuned to far exceed even their Group B specifications. Here, Felix Pailer hustles his orange, box flared hatchback to the backfiring soundtrack akin to unruly teenagers dropping firecrackers down a storm drain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrlhepfy9-I

There are plenty of great Group.B rally compilations on YouTube, but this is one of the more watchable—there’s just 10 minutes of period footage and period sounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SoZiTxdQyw

“The best engine note” debate is something I won’t get into, but I will say that the 3.0-litre V12 that Ferrari bolted into its 1995 412 T2 Formula 1 car makes a very strong case for itself…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r79vvx2J2eA

…as does a race-prepared BMW M1 Procar.
^{Thumbnail image by Rosario Liberti}