Classic Mercedes racecars and drivers at Lime Rock Historic Festival 33

Competition cars from Mercedes-Benz are the stars of Historic Festival 33, the gathering of historic racing, concours and car show over Labor Day weekend at Lime Rock Park, the 1.5-mile automotive and motorsports jewel in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner. Among this year's entry is the #722 300 SLR (at far left, ABOVE) that was driven to victory by Sir Stirling Moss (LEFT, a longtime friend of Lime Rock's annual historic classic) event in the 1955 Mille Miglia, along with three classic Silver Arrows grand prix cars.

Many still regard Moss's drive in the #722 as the greatest motorsport achievement of all time, and the car will be shown to the public at Sunday in the Park. Sir Stirling and wife Susie will be honored guests at the event alongside former F1 racer Jochen Mass, to mix with the fans enjoying an encyclopedic collection of Mercedes-Benz grand prix, sports and production-based racing cars.

Click on the thumbnails below for a look at some of the star cars of the weekend:

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A vintage racecar parade and street Fair kicks the weekend before the first track day on Friday. The parade of 100 cars gets green-flagged from Sam Posey Straight Thursday at 4:00 p.m. and ends, 17 miles later, at the green in the center of Falls Village, Conn., a couple miles from Lime Rock Park. The parade cars will displayed for all to enjoy while a street fair of food, music and games for the whole family carries on. The parade route goes through the centers of Lakeville and Salisbury and with many businesses arrange public viewing at their storefronts, so visitors are invited to come find a seat on the street and enjoy the parade!

The event also offers a chance to take stock of Lime Rock's comprehensive makeover. Track President Skip Barber committed more than $3 million to a wide variety of projects to rebuild, refine and renew Lime Rock’s infrastructure – the goal of the “Road to 60 Project” is to dramatically enhance the spectator experience from 2015 through 2917, when the track will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

“We have to recognize and applaud the tremendous effort made by Skip Barber and his team in developing and enhancing the facility,” said Historic Festival 33 organizer Murray Smith. “Lime Rock Park was always a unique combination of unspoilt natural beauty and sinuous, super-fast racetrack, but now there are yet many more opportunities to view large sections of the demanding course.

“The hillside above the Esses has been sculpted and expanded tastefully; the pedestrian trail around the entire inside perimeter is now open; the paddocks have been entirely paved, enlarged and had their drainage massively re-engineered. Plantings, trees, flowerbeds, and spectator amenities have received major attention. Now, more than ever, Lime Rock's valley being described as a park simply cannot be debated. How much nicer to watch motorsports in a park rather than a parking lot, don't you think?”

Barber (RIGHT) said the upgrades are intended to make sure Lime Rock offers state-of-the-art amenities as well as drivers' challenges, noting that they followed a complete repave of the 1.5-mile road course.

“In 2008, the track itself had to get done – it was exceedingly bumpy, it needed more guardrail, better run-off areas – and that’s what we did for the competitors. Road to 60 is for the fans,” Barber said. “We’re doing what we need to do – what we want to do – to ensure the track’s professional racing future. Major sports car races have defined Lime Rock since the day it opened, and I’m making sure that continues well into the future.

“It’s important to note that everything we’re doing, all the changes, all the improvements... all will make Lime Rock more useful, easier to navigate, more sensible – but all with an eye to making Lime Rock even more beautiful than it already is. I have no doubt that, just in the case of our paddocks, Lime Rock’s will be the most attractive in the U.S.”

Next page: Honor collections and event schedule

Honored Collector for Sunday in the Park 2015: The Jim Taylor Collection, Gloversville, N.Y.

Jim's unique perspective focuses heavily on collecting "survivors" – cars that show their history and wear it proudly, and aren't always washed much less restored – as well as eclectic, special cars with significant character

For this year's event, Lime Rock President Skip Barber and Murray Smith, organizer of the historic event have selected a variety of illustrating Taylor's collection. These include:

• "The Evangel," a 1935 Ford V8 "gospel truck"

• 1937 Horch 853A Cabriolet

• 1953 Allard J2X Le Mans

• 1964 AC Cobra (289 - CSX 2171)

• 1958 AC Ace Bristol

• 1962 Chevrolet Corvair wagon (with special factory 4-speed manual transmission)

• 1932 Ford hot rod

Honored Motorcycle Collector for Sunday in the Park 2015: Team Obsolete: The Rob Iannucci Collection, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rob Iannucci is one of the great stewards of the vintage motorcycle racing community in North America and internationally; through his racing organization, Team Obsolete, he has participated in and won most of the important vintage motorcycle racing events in the world. Mr. Iannucci's collection primarily focuses on bikes from Matchless and AJS, with a sprinkling of racing Harleys and other two-wheeled masterpieces, too. Not just any bikes, these are some of the most famous racing bikes in the world

Rob plans on bringing some of his personal favorites that include:

• 1954 AJS 7R3 "Triple Knocker," ex-Rod Coleman, 1954 Isle of Man TT winner

• 1959 Matchless G-50 #1709, ex-Al Gunter

• 1969 Arter G-50 "Wagon Wheels"

• 1967 MV Agusta 500/3; this is one of the legendary "triples" used by Giacomo Agostini to win 13 of his 15 FIM World Championships... The Ultimate!

• 1972 Harley Davidson 750 XRTT – Cal Rayborn's last and best XR 750TT... The Holy Grail of all the XR 750TT Harleys

More special features:

• The entire production run of the Momo Mirage will be shown to the public, with the original body buck on display (also to be displayed in a tent on the Midway with a special feature film)

• A special class for cars in the Arnolt Bristol reunion and rally

• Autograph sessions throughout the day with Sir Stirling Moss and Jochen Mass

Event Information (schedule + groups)

Historic Festival 33 runs from Thursday, Sept. 3 through Monday, September 7

Thursday 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Vintage & Historic Race Car Parade and Falls Village "Welcome" Street Party (Free to the public)
Friday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Practice & Qualifying
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Races, Parade Laps & Demo Laps
Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Sunday in the Park Concours & Gathering of the Marques car show
Monday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Races, Parade Laps & Demos