Happy Birthday Graham Gauld!
Innes Ireland* giving Gauld a lift back to the paddock in the factory Lotus 19 after winning the sports car race at the 1961 British Grand Prix at Aintree.
Last week while Graham Gauld was giving Toly Arutunoff a nice birthday greeting on September 22, we missed Graham’s 92nd birthday, which was on September 24. We can’t let that pass without notice! Below, we offer up a few memories from his new autobiography as well as a few thoughts from our own Graham Gauld archives.
Born in Edinburgh in 1934, Graham still can recall WWII. “My most vivid memory was about a week into the war, standing on the roof of our house in Edinburgh with my father hanging on to the chimney pots watching the Junkers Ju88s trying to bomb the Forth rail bridge** and the Spitfires trying to shoot them down.” Fortunately for us, young Graham’s attention soon turned to cars.
Even that wasn’t easy. “I was brought up in a family where ownership of a motor car was never considered for the simple reason that few of our family could ever afford to own a car far less tax, insure and run one,” recalls Gauld in his forthcoming autobiography. [Read more…] about Happy Birthday Graham Gauld!
Italian cars at the Goodwood Revival, Part 1
1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, entered and driven by Franco Valobra.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The main theme for the 2026 Goodwood Revival was ‘La Dolce Vita,’ celebrating 100 years since the founding of Maserati’s motorsport division with a daily track parade of the company’s racing cars. In addition, the Lavant Cup on the Saturday featured a grid made up solely of 1950s Maserati and Ferrari sports cars. [Read more…] about Italian cars at the Goodwood Revival, Part 1
Italian cars at the Goodwood Revival, Part 2
1951 Ferrari 212 Export entered and driven by Martin Halusa.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Jonathan continues to capture the Italian cars taking place at the Goodwood La Dolce Vita events. [Read more…] about Italian cars at the Goodwood Revival, Part 2
Goodwood Driver’s Portraits, 2026
Helio Castroneves
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Jonathan Sharp as been photographing the drivers at both the Goodwood Festival and the Revival since 2013 (see link below). And aside from their awesome talent behind the wheel, almost all of the drivers share a bright smile, as if they are really, truly, enjoying themselves. And given the evidence over the past 13 years, we tend to think that this behavior is in fact an honest reflection of their feelings.
So enjoy another season of “Drivers” at Goodwood, thanks to Jonathan Sharp.–Ed. [Read more…] about Goodwood Driver’s Portraits, 2026
Alfa Romeos at Lime Rock, 2026
Story and photos by Sean Smith
For the uninitiated, their only frame of reference to an Alfa Romeo is Dustin Hoffman’s character Benjamin Braddock frantically driving his Alfa Duetto Spider 1600 to stop the girl of his dreams from marrying another man. That was the beginning of Alfa history for some. Present company excepted. Still, you may never have witnessed a gathering of Alfas like the ones that came together at the 44th Lime Rock Historics and you may never see them again. Unless Santo Spadaro has something to say about it.
[Read more…] about Alfa Romeos at Lime Rock, 2026
Antwerp Concours d’Elegance 2026
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Founded in 2005, the Antwerp Concours d’Elegance celebrated its 21st edition this September, making it one of the oldest European concours d’elegance, even if it isn’t among the most famous.
While perhaps less exclusive than the major international concours, it is all the more authentic and offers the opportunity each year to discover some rare gems hidden away in private collections usually inaccessible to the public.
The main theme for 2026 was the Bugatti marque, whose Belgian club is celebrating its tenth anniversary. [Read more…] about Antwerp Concours d’Elegance 2026
1955-1961 Alfa Giulietta Berlina Overview
All Black and White images © Alfa Romeo Automobilismo Storico, Centro Documentazione (Arese, Milano)
From the Archives, July, 2011
For Italy, the post war era was full of significant changes that would last more than a decade; these were the years of the Cold War as opposed to the dream of a united Europe; the launching of the first atomic-powered submarine; the Warsaw Pact; the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll; Sputnik from the east and Barbie dolls from the west; the success of the Beatles and the death of Kennedy that signaled the end of an era.
[Read more…] about 1955-1961 Alfa Giulietta Berlina Overview
Happy Birthday Toly, Sincerely Graham Gauld
Toly in his familiar white sunhat with his double bubble Lancia Flaminia Zagato at the Pau circuit in the south of France. (Photo Grand Prix Library/Gauld)
Story by Graham Gauld
Anatoly Arutunoff celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday, September 21, and I wish I had been there in Tulsa where I am sure he had a great party.
Years ago, and long before I met him for the first time, I had heard about this mad Russian who lived in Oklahoma and amongst other things owned his own auto racing circuit ( Hallett Circuit near Tulsa). [Read more…] about Happy Birthday Toly, Sincerely Graham Gauld
Gauld looks at the DKW
The Frazer-Nash DKW sports car prototype driven by Ken Rudd at the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy Race. ( Photo Grand Prix Library/Gauld)
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
One of the first cars to impress me as being something of a “sleeper” was the DKW Sonderklasse. The car and the marque are probably totally unknown today as at least two generations have passed since first I saw one in action. It was pale blue and was driven by a young Scottish farmer called Ian Scott Watson.
Ian was the archetypal enthusiast who sold his MG for a typical British kit-car of the 1950s; a Buckler that he built up with the ubiquitous Ford 1250cc engine. It was not a success but he was fascinated by a rather odd looking car sold by AFN Ltd, a company with Frazer-Nash origins, that was to become the main importers of Porsches.
Salon Prive, 2026
“Shipshape and Bristol Fashion”
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
I suppose it had to happen. After something like 50 days without rain in the area, and frankly, rather unpleasantly hot temperatures, Wednesday September 2nd dawned wet and cool in Brighton. But the weatherman said it would clear later, so off I went to the Prive Concours. Three hours later I pulled into the car park at Blenheim Palace just as it started to rain; the weather had decided to follow me north and stayed with me for most of the day.
De Gallo at the Museo Nazionale Dell’Automobile
Museo Nazionale Dell’Automobile
Story and photos Copyright by Daniel De Gallo
During my vacation in Piemonte this past month, it was worth revisiting the Museo Nazionale Dell’Automobile, located in the south end of beautiful Torino (Turin) Metropolitan city. Torino is home of F.I.A.T. and many other famous Italian car design firms. Torino was nominated sister city with Detroit, MI in 1998; that makes sense… and yes, Ford Gran Torino series were named after that city.
Anyway, the museum sits in a modern dedicated facility built between 1958 and 1960, with a retro futuristic style, still very elegant to this day. It is located minutes from the old F.I.A.T. Lingotto factory and roof-top proving track, now turned shopping mall and mixed-use office-residential space.