Autosport picks Ralt RT3 as greatest junior single-seater in 70th Anniversary issue

The first issue of Autosport magazine appeared on 25 August 1950 and as part of our celebrations we took on the challenge of selecting the greatest competition cars from each of the major international categories.

The Ron Tauranac-designed RT3, which helped launch the careers of dozens of stars - including Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger and Martin Brundle - won the junior single-seater debate and is one of the Great Car articles in the standalone 70th special.

Autosport magazine Deputy Editor Marcus Simmons has spoken to some of the key figures involved in the car's career, including West Surrey Racing boss Dick Bennetts, ace driver coach Rob Wilson and Berger, to tell the story of the game-changing ground-effect racer.

PLUS: How pragmatic principles made Tauranac a design legend

As well as similar articles on the other winners of the Great Car contests, the special also includes interviews with some of the biggest names in motorsport.

Multiple F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen, nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb and American motorsport giant Roger Penske all open up about their careers and what makes them tick. We also got British Touring Car giants Colin Turkington and Andy Rouse together to compare notes on their tin-top successes.

When it comes to the UK national racing scene, there is an article by Marcus Pye on the important roles that Cooper and Van Diemen played in the junior single-seater industry, a look back at some of the sport's most interesting and colourful characters, and a history of the 750 Formula, a championship as old as Autosport.

There's much more in the 196-page special, including an assessment of what the future of motorsport could look like, with the help of leading industry experts.

The 70th celebration includes some stunning photography from the Motorsport Images archive, as well as Giorgio Piola illustrations of the Mercedes W11, which secured the record-breaking seventh consecutive F1 constructors' crown for the pacesetting squad.