Ciao Peter!

Just want to send a huge note of thanks to you for the wonderful article on Fiat Spiders in your latest issue. Wonderful! I really appreciate the fact that you pay attention to Fiats and Lancias. With about thirty years of being a "Fiat Freak," I often think we're so forgotten and overlooked.

As the founder of the annual "Fiat Freak Out" event and a co-founder of Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited, I am heartened to read any coverage of Fiats in any form.

As you may know, our club just hosted our 24th annual "Fiat Feak Out" event in metro Detroit. We'll be presenting our quarter-century "Freak Out" gathering on July 11 - 13 of 2008, back where it all began in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Believe me, a major event is in store that will be worthy of major media attention amongst Italian car enthusiasts. It's the largest event of its kind in N. America, and I suspect next year's conclave will break all records, not only in attendance, but also in the scope of what will be exhibited and the VIPs that will be there.

On behalf of club FLU, I send my thanks for your kind attention.
Bobb Rayner

Dear Sir,

A friend of mine, & fellow Lancia owner has asked me to contact you on his behalf, he's is not on the internet and would like to know if anyone via Veloce Today could shed further light about his Appia's early history & it's use in America.

Attached is a photo of Bob and his wife Vivien in the Arsenale in Turin during the LANCIA Centenary Celebrations in Turin 2006, as mentioned in his letter. I couldn't resist sending a photo of my 1966 Fulvia 2c Berlina at speed on the Fiat test track at La Mandria just outside Turin, on the same event.

Best Regards
Brian Hilton
email. bhiltonlancia@aol.com

Dear Michael,

Bravo! Excellent article on the Carmel event!!.

Cindy Meitle

Dear Erik,

Not sure I agree with your comment that (Turkish Grand Prix) Lewis Hamilton isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread.

After all it was an incident outside of his control that put him back to 5th, behind his team-mate, and in fact that puncture would have put many a lesser driver out of the race. The very fact that Hamilton managed to control the car, get it back to the pits and only lose 2 places in the process merely helps to confirm the sliced bread comparison!

Hamilton's big mistake of course was letting Raikkonen through at the start of the race, although it seems Kimi only did that to try to protect Massa up front as he didn't seem to be particularly interested in winning the race.

Did I say race? Quite how a procession of cars going round and round a track constitutes a 'race' is getting beyond me. The only really exciting part of the whole weekend for me is qualifying on the Saturday. It it hadn't been for Hamilton's puncture the Sunday race would have been almost completely without incident or interest, a very sad indictment of what is supposed to be the very pinnacle of world motorsport (except of course in the USA, where you have lots of proper racing!)

From an Englishman
Norman Hawkes