Classic Motor Racing Photography Exhibit At Amelia, 2014

The “Ultimate Machine” is not always an automobile.

The special Hasselblad photos are moments from National and World Championship motorsport in the United States from the 1960s through 1979, taken by Concours Founder and Chairman Bill Warner with his Hasselblad, during his tenure as staff photographer for Road & Track Magazine from 1970 to the present.

“Hasselblad is simply the ultimate camera,” said Warner. “It’s the Mercedes-Benz, the Porsche and the Ferrari of cameras all in one. Hasselblad is not an orthodox choice for motorsport photography. That’s because most professional photographers are concerned about getting the action of motorsport, not the art. Hasselblad captures both the action and the art.”

Perhaps it was inevitable that Hasselblad’s exquisite image reproduction and legendary quality would find a home in motorsport photography.

“Hasselblad introduced their first camera, the 1600F, the same week that Watkins Glen hosted their first Grand Prix, America’s first post-war road race, in 1948; the same year Porsche built their first sports car,” said Warner. “That’s some coincidence. My most memorable shots have one thing in common: they were all made with a Hasselblad.”

The Hasselblad was the first camera to offer a large 6X6 cm (2 3/8 inches) negative with interchangeable lenses and viewfinders. In the 1960s, the Hasselblad became the camera of choice for NASA and, in 1969, was the first camera on the moon.

Through the generosity of Hasselblad, a Lunar Olive Wood Luxury Camera, one of just 200 produced, will cross the RM Auction block to benefit Spina Bifida of Jacksonville on Saturday, March 8 at 11:00 a.m. This special, limited edition Hasselblad can be viewed at the RM Auction Sale Preview at the Ritz-Carlton Oceanfront Lawn from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7.