Classic Racing Car Interiors & Cockpits | Kraaibeek Collector Edition
Interiors and cockpits of legendary race cars through the photography of Peter Kraaibeek. This growing collection captures the driver’s view of historic and classic racing cars, from early Grand Prix machines and pre-war racers to iconic competition cars from later eras.
These photographs look beyond the familiar exterior of a race car to reveal the world inside the cockpit: steering wheels, dashboards, gauges, instruments, controls, seats and mechanical details that connect the driver directly with the machine. Each photograph offers a close look at the design, engineering and character of a particular racing car and its era.
The Edition brings together automotive photographs of remarkable race car interiors and cockpits, including Grand Prix cars, historic racing machines and other significant competition automobiles. Whether you are a classic car enthusiast, motorsport fan, racing historian, collector or admirer of automotive design, this collection offers a different perspective on racing history — from the driver’s seat.
Explore the individual photographs below to discover the cars, their cockpits and the stories behind these remarkable machines.
Featured automobiles include historic Grand Prix and racing cars from manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, Auto Union, Bugatti, Maserati and Maybach, with additional classic racing cars to be added to the collection.
Photography © Peter Kraaibeek. All photographs in this collection are protected by copyright.
The Beginning of Grand Prix Racing
1914 Bugatti Type 13 Grand Prix Race Car Cockpit
The 1914 Bugatti Type 13 is one of the historic racing cars from the pioneering era of Grand Prix motorsport. This original photograph by Peter Kraaibeek captures the distinctive dashboard and interior details of the early Bugatti racing machine.
The polished metal instrument panel, traditional mechanical gauges, wooden steering wheel and exposed controls illustrate the functional approach to racing car design more than a century ago. The contrasting red bodywork and silver dashboard create a striking composition, highlighting the craftsmanship and engineering of this pre-war automobile.
The Bugatti Type 13 played an important role in establishing the French manufacturer’s motorsport reputation. Its lightweight construction and innovative engineering helped shape the future of Grand Prix racing.
Early automotive racing history
1914 Opel Grand Prix Race Car Cockpit and Dashboard
The cockpit of a 1914 Opel Grand Prix racing car offers a fascinating glimpse into the pioneering days of automobile racing. This original photograph reveals the characteristic instrument panel, large steering wheel, mechanical controls and exposed pedals of an early twentieth-century Grand Prix machine.
Unlike modern racing cars, these pre-war automobiles featured a remarkably direct and functional driving environment. The driver relied on mechanical instruments and straightforward controls, reflecting the engineering principles of an era when motorsport was still developing.
A Glimpse into the Cockpit of an Early German Racing Machine
1920 Maybach Spezialrennwagen – Dashboard
The 1920 Maybach Spezialrennwagen provides a fascinating glimpse into the engineering philosophy of early German racing automobiles.
This photograph focuses on its remarkable dashboard and driver’s environment, with a large wooden steering wheel surrounded by an array of period instruments and mechanical controls.
The combination of warm wood, brass-colored details, aged metal and ivory bodywork gives the photograph a distinctly historical character. It is an intimate view of a racing machine from an era when the driver was surrounded by mechanical instruments and directly connected to the machinery.
Inside A Record-Breaking Legend
1923 Fiat Mefistofele Race Car Dashboard & Cockpit
The cockpit of the 1923 Fiat Mefistofele offers a fascinating glimpse into the engineering of early record-breaking automobiles. This original photograph captures the distinctive dashboard of the legendary Fiat, featuring its polished metal instrument panel, vintage gauges, wooden steering wheel and mechanical controls. The striking red bodywork provides a vivid contrast to the metallic surfaces and traditional racing equipment.
Originally based on the Fiat SB4 racing chassis, the Mefistofele was transformed by British racing enthusiast Ernest Eldridge into an extraordinary land speed record car. On July 12, 1924, it achieved a speed of 234.98 km/h (146 mph) over the flying kilometre at Arpajon, France.
Inside a Pioneer of Grand Prix Racing
1925 Alfa Romeo P2 Gran Premio – Interior
The 1925 Alfa Romeo P2 represents the pioneering spirit of Grand Prix racing. This photograph takes the viewer directly into its cockpit, where a large wooden steering wheel dominates the driver’s position alongside period gauges and exposed mechanical controls.
The combination of Alfa Romeo’s racing-red bodywork, warm wood, aged metal and functional instrumentation provides a fascinating glimpse into the uncompromising environment of early Grand Prix competition.
Rather than viewing a historic racing car as a polished museum object, this photograph reveals the machine from the driver’s perspective.
1927 Bugatti Type 35 Racing Car Interior – Classic Grand Prix Dashboard and Cockpit
Inside an Icon of Grand Prix Racing
Few racing cars are as instantly recognizable as the Bugatti Type 35. Introduced in 1924, the Type 35 became a defining machine of the golden age of Grand Prix and road racing. Its lightweight construction, distinctive engineering and exceptional competition record established its place in motorsport history.
This photograph takes a different look at the legendary Bugatti. Rather than focusing on its famous horseshoe radiator and elegant exterior, it places the viewer inside the driver’s cockpit.
The large wooden steering wheel, period gauges, blue bodywork and exposed mechanical controls reveal the environment in which the driver experienced the car. There is remarkably little separating the driver from the machinery — a striking contrast to the sophisticated cockpits of modern racing cars.
1927 Fiat 509 S Mille Miglia
Historic Italian Racing Car Dashboard
The cockpit of a 1927 Fiat 509 S Mille Miglia race car, with its period Fiat instruments, mechanical controls and distinctive wooden steering wheel. This close-up reveals the fascinating driver’s environment of an early Italian competition automobile and the mechanical simplicity of racing in the 1920s.
Inside a Pioneer of Mille Miglia Racing
1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS Zagato Cockpit
Few vintage sports racers command as much respect in motorsport history as the supercharged 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport. Bodied by lightweight coachbuilder Zagato, this formidable machine dominated the legendary Mille Miglia road race, proving that agile handling, supercharged throttle response, and reduced weight were the ultimate formulas for endurance victory.
Tactile Mechanical Heritage & Original Detail:
This intimate fine art capture invites you directly into the driver’s seat of late-1920s endurance racing. Set within a curved black instrument cowl, the minimalist dashboard features original black-faced Jaeger chronograph gauges monitoring critical engine RPMs, road speed, and vital oil pressures.
Below the cowl, the exposed aluminum floorboards, bare pedal linkages, and tall, floor-mounted gate shifter highlight an uncompromising commitment to mechanical utility. With its original large four-spoke steering wheel, split wind deflectors, and authentic Mille Miglia event badging, this photograph captures the unadulterated soul of early Italian motorsport.
1936 Maserati V8RI
Inside a Rare Italian Racing Machine
The 1936 Maserati V8RI is an exceptionally rare racing automobile, with only four examples built. This photograph reveals its distinctive driver’s cockpit, including the black steering wheel, period instrumentation, metal dashboard and vivid turquoise-blue bodywork.
It offers a very different perspective on this historic machine – focusing not on its exterior appearance, but on the environment surrounding the driver.
A 1938 Streamliner Cockpit
1938 Wanderer Stromlinie Spezial Cockpit
Built during the golden era of aerodynamic racing development, the 1938 Wanderer Stromlinie Spezial represents a breathtaking fusion of engineering innovation and streamlined aesthetic mastery. Wanderer, celebrated for its high-performance sports cars and technical prowess, created these special machines to conquer grueling long-distance road races and endurance trials across Europe.
Engine-Turned Brilliance & Cockpit Craftsmanship:
This fine art capture invites you straight into the driver’s compartment of this rare pre-war streamline racer. The expansive dashboard is meticulously finished in engine-turned (jeweled) aluminum, designed to catch and scatter harsh sunlight during high-speed daytime runs.
Adorning the metallic dash are authentic black-faced analog instruments, toggle switches, and period-correct gauges monitoring vital engine temperatures and oil pressures. Centered around a large, thin-rimmed black steering wheel with a distinctive central horn/adjustment knob and a floor-mounted gear lever, the minimalist aluminum footwells and bare framing reveal the uncompromising weight-saving ethos of a true vintage competition car.
1939 Auto Union Type D – Grand Prix Cockpit
Inside a Silver Arrow Grand Prix Racing Car
The Auto Union Type D was one of the extraordinary racing machines of the final years of the pre-war Grand Prix era. Developed for the 3-liter regulations introduced in 1938, it combined a supercharged V12 engine with the radical rear-engine architecture that distinguished Auto Union’s Grand Prix cars.
This photograph takes you inside the cockpit of the 1939 Type D, away from the spectacular streamlined bodywork and into the driver’s working environment.
The large steering wheel, vintage instruments, mechanical controls and exposed components reveal just how different a Grand Prix cockpit looked before the development of today’s highly sophisticated racing machines.
The 1939 version with twin superchargers produced 485 hp and reached approximately 330 km/h. Auto Union’s Type D also achieved major Grand Prix victories in 1939, including the French and Yugoslavian Grands Prix.
Looking at this cockpit, it is easy to appreciate how directly the driver was connected to the machinery. There was no modern protective cockpit, no digital instrumentation and no electronic interface—just the driver, the controls and an extraordinary piece of mechanical engineering.
Kraaibeek Collector Edition No. 005
1949 Bentley Special Mk VI 3/8
Classic British Racing Cockpit
The cockpit of the 1949 Bentley Special Mk VI 3/8 combines functional racing instrumentation with the unmistakable character of classic British automotive design. The photograph focuses on the substantial instrument panel, period gauges, mechanical controls and large steering wheel, revealing the driver’s environment in remarkable detail.
With its aged metal surfaces, traditional instruments and handcrafted appearance, this Bentley Special cockpit provides a fascinating contrast to the highly digital dashboards of modern performance cars.
1950 AFM 50-5 Race Car Dashboard & Cockpit
Classic German Racing Cockpit
The cockpit of the 1950 AFM 50-5 showcases the functional character of early post-war racing cars. Its simple aluminum dashboard is dominated by a large cream-colored steering wheel and a collection of individual analog instruments. Built by Alexander von Falkenhausen Motorenbau in Germany, the AFM 50-5 was a lightweight competition car associated with the BMW 328-derived six-cylinder engine. This photograph captures the mechanical simplicity and focused driver environment of a pioneering German race car from the early 1950s.
1950 Patriarca Giannini 750 Sport Race Car Dashboard & Cockpit
Classic Italian Racing Cockpit
The cockpit of the 1950 Patriarca Giannini 750 Sport captures the distinctive character of early post-war Italian racing cars. A large wooden steering wheel dominates the minimalist aluminum dashboard, while individual Jaeger instruments and simple controls reflect the functional environment of a lightweight competition car. Associated with the Italian Etceterini racing tradition, Patriarca 750 Sport and Giannini-powered variants competed in major events of the period, including the Mille Miglia. This photograph celebrates the craftsmanship, mechanical simplicity and visual elegance of classic Italian motorsport.
1951 Veritas Meteor II Race Car Dashboard & Cockpit
A rare glimpse inside a post-war German racing machine
The 1951 Veritas Meteor II Rennwagen represents an important chapter in post-war German motorsport. This detailed cockpit photograph captures the character of the historic race car through its elegant ivory steering wheel, distinctive Veritas horn button, classic gauges and beautifully textured dashboard.
The image highlights the functional simplicity and craftsmanship of an early 1950s racing cockpit. Every instrument, switch and mechanical detail contributes to the authentic atmosphere of historic European motorsport.
Photographed by Peter Kraaibeek, this image is part of a growing collection of classic race car cockpits and dashboards, documenting the interiors and driving environments of remarkable historic racing machines.
1952 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Le Mans Spyder Dashboard
A Glimpse into the Golden Age of French Endurance Racing
The 1952 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Le Mans Spyder represents the elegance and engineering of post-war French motorsport. Its cockpit combines a hand-crafted aluminum dashboard, Jaeger instruments, and a beautifully patinated steering wheel – an authentic glimpse into the uncompromising world of 1950s endurance racing.
1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienrennwagen
A Silver Arrow
The war ended in 1945. Mercedes-Benz returned to Grand Prix racing in 1954. And in the nine years between, the engineering philosophy of the Silver Arrows had not softened — it had sharpened. The W 196 R Stromlinienrennwagen is the proof: a racing car of such architectural purity that its cockpit contains, essentially, one instrument. A black-faced Veglia tachometer reading to 10,000 RPM. A wooden-rimmed wheel. Cold silver aluminum in every direction. Juan Manuel Fangio called it the finest racing car he ever drove. He drove a great many. The Stromlinienrennwagen — streamlined racing car — carried the enclosed aerodynamic bodywork developed for circuits where speed was the only variable that mattered. This is what two consecutive Formula 1 World Championships looked like from the inside.
Jaguar D-Type Race Car Dashboard & Cockpit — 1954–1957
A Destinctive 1950s Racing Dashboard
Step inside the cockpit of a Jaguar D-Type race car and explore the beautifully functional dashboard of one of the most iconic racing cars of the 1950s. This photograph highlights the classic instrument panel, wooden-rim steering wheel, gauges and period racing controls that characterize the D-Type’s driver-focused cockpit.