Lynch

Lynch: The Dénouement of the Third Bugatti Type 64

August 8, 2012 By Lynch

By Michael T. Lynch

Two weeks ago, Veloce Today brought you the story of David Smith’s Alfa S 11 Corto Spyder Speciale. It will debut on the lawn at The Quail – A Motorsports Gathering, held at the Quail Lodge in Carmel on Friday the 17th of August during the Monterey Peninsula Holy Week. Joining it there will be the imposing Bugatti Type 64 coupé from the Mullin Automotive Museum. The Bugatti has a recently completed body and this is the first time it will be seen. This is how it all came about.

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Michael T. Lynch on the Alfa S11 Project

July 25, 2012 By Lynch

This picture of the engine as found sent David Smith on the journey that resulted in the Alfa S 11 project.

By Michael T. Lynch
Color photos courtesy David Smith

This article was originally published in 2012.

When the world’s automotive elite gather at Monterey, they bring an amazing array of machinery with them. VeloceToday is previewing two cars that will be present, one Italian and the other French. Both will be the subject of much controversy. Some will see then as logical completions of concepts that were interrupted by World War II, done to the highest standards. Others will opine that they are sacrilegious creations putting false Gods before us. One thing is for sure. Much fine wine will be downed discussing their merits and shortcomings. Both have revered nameplates. One is an Alfa Romeo and the other, a Bugatti.

This week we will begin with the Italian vehicle, with the Bugatti following in the next issue. The nomenclature for the Alfa, chosen by the owner David Smith, is a 1938 Alfa Romeo S 11 Corto Spyder Speciale.

It all began when David was offered an unusual Alfa engine by an Italian broker. It was pictured strapped to a pallet, rough with no accessories. David realized it was one of the three S 11 V-8s made in 1938. Despite the fact that he was told the engine was frozen and there was water on the oil dipstick, the purchase was completed. [Read more…] about Michael T. Lynch on the Alfa S11 Project

Sergio Scaglietti: 1920-2011

November 23, 2011 By Lynch

Sergio Scaglietti (l) is seen here with Piero Ferrari. Piero issued the following statement; 'He was one of my father’s best friends. He was next to me with Marco Piccinini also the day my father died and stayed with me the whole night until the funeral. I loved him and he was a very important part of my life. The world is emptier without Sergio.'

By Michael T. Lynch

The world has lost one of the great artisans of immediate post-World War II coachbuilding. Sergio Scaglietti died last Saturday night at his home. A son of Modena born in 1920, he joined his brother at Carrozzeria Emiliana when he was just 13, a year short of what Italian labor laws of the time allowed. This was due to the death of his father and the need for family income.

Lynch on the First Ferrari GTO

September 21, 2011 By Lynch

When Pebble Beach announces a special display, the enthusiast community immediately comes to life. No one who saw the six Bugatti Royales at Pebble Beach in 1985 will ever forget the spectacle. A class for Bugatti Type 57s with coachbuilt bodies in 2003 was extremely impressive, with a large entry and car histories on placards mounted on standards. (This article originally was published in September 2011.)

Ferraris also have had their days at Pebble. An exceptional turnout was guaranteed every ten years when Ferrari was the featured marque at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and Pebble Beach added more classes for the products of Maranello. Hopefully, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will continue this tradition. Other years have yielded some gems as well. In 2009, there were Pebble Beach classes for ten Ferrari 166 Barchettas and all four remaining 250 TR/59s. Last year, there were eight iterations of the 250 Short Wheelbase on the field.

A contemporary image of 3223 GT at the 1966 Daytona 24 Hour. This is the livery as it appeared at Pebble Beach this year.

This year provided one of the best, if not the best, Ferrari entry ever, and the highlight was a 50th Anniversary class for 250 GTOs. It had 21 cars aligned along the shoreline. Heading the line on the right was Bruce McCaw’s 250 Sperimentale, one of two SWBs used in developing the GTO. There were also two four-liter GTO variants with hopped up Super America engines. [Read more…] about Lynch on the First Ferrari GTO

Lynch on the Collier Collection and Revs Institute

August 10, 2011 By Lynch

Dr. Clifford Nass is seen at the wheel of an automobile simulator in the Communications at the Humans and Interactive Media Lab at Stanford. He is the Director of the Revs Program at Stanford.

Lynch explains goals of the Collier Collection and the new Revs Institute at Stanford

By Michael T. Lynch

As an enthusiast, I’ve often wondered over the years where the automobile went wrong with Academia. Although the automobile has had a huge impact on many intellectual disciplines, little scholarly work has been written about it that wasn’t negative. Certainly cars have had deleterious effects on society – pollution, urban sprawl and fatal accidents among them — there have been positive aspects as well. When I left the Midwest to go to school in the Northeast, it occurred to me that in centers of intellectual inquiry like New York, Boston, New Haven and Philadelphia, these cities all had working mass transportation systems. Many people didn’t even own cars, simply renting them for occasional weekend excursions. Intellectuals operating in these public transportation hothouses could only see the evil in the automobile, not considering what a miniscule portion of our population is served by even minimally-effective public transportation. Certainly the automobile is positive in that a huge percentage of American workers could not get to their jobs without one and would have no ability to start a new job, if they lost one.
[Read more…] about Lynch on the Collier Collection and Revs Institute

Rolex Reunion Features Jag XK-Es and GTOs on Track

August 10, 2011 By Lynch

Ferrari GTO fans, and who isn’t, will see the cars in action during the GTO race at Mazda Raceway. The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is known for its special displays, and one of them this year will also feature Ferrari 250 GTOs. Photo by Dennis Gray.

Lynch previews key activities during this year’s Holy Week

By Michael T. Lynch

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion continues to refine its format in its second year. Maintaining the tradition of an honored marque, Jaguar will be the honoree. The focus will be on the 50th Anniversary of the E-Type but there will be an incredible range of other Jaguar models both on the race course and on the property.

Lynch at Lockbourne, 1953

May 25, 2011 By Lynch

With the help of Doug Chadwick’s photo collection, Michael T. Lynch recalls the event and put captions to the photos below.

Not many single seaters were seen in early SCCA racing. This is Woodie Garber’s Alfa 308 at Lockbourne. Even then, it was well traveled, having participated in European Grands Prix, U.S. ARCA racing, the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. It did not finish.

Lockbourne AFB, 1953. Here’s one of the great Italians of the 50s in U.S. racing. This is Fritz Koster’s Maserati A6GCS. It won its class in the main event that day and was later owned by historian/auto executive Karl Ludvigsen. It now is back in the Koster family and is still racing.

[Read more…]

An Affair (by which) to Remember

May 25, 2011 By Lynch

Michael T. Lynch recalls the past while on the One Lap of Marin.

By Michael T. Lynch

Every now and then I do something with cars that takes me back to the joys I encountered when I first became involved with foreign cars. By the time I was in my very early teens, I had a pretty good exposure to American racing, including midgets, sprints and what were then called big cars – Indianapolis machinery. Like most youths of my era, I had a romance with hot rods. Before my high school years, I had some experiences that changed my perspective. I saw a Jaguar XK-120 on the street in Cleveland and was blown away.
[Read more…] about An Affair (by which) to Remember

Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance Continues to Impress

March 16, 2011 By Lynch

Peter Read’s 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato coupe won the Motor Trend Classic Editor’s Choice Award. When asked how he made his choice, Editor Matt Stone said, 'It’s one of the original, real 1961 cars built, it has serious racing pedigree, it’s an Aston Martin, it wears Zagato aluminum tinwork so tightly stretched over its chassis that it fairly pings when you touch it. And oh by the way, it’s supermodel gorgeous, in case you didn’t notice.' Credit John Wylie.

Michael T. Lynch

The fourth edition of the Desert Classic took place at the La Quinta Resort & Club on 27 February. The event is nestled against the Santa Rosa Mountains in the greater Palm Springs area, about 125 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The entry continues to be among the most diverse of the great American concours.
[Read more…] about Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance Continues to Impress

Desert Classic Celebrates Indianapolis 500 Centenary

February 16, 2011 By Lynch

Not all race cars at the Desert Classic will be Indy cars. This is Bill Pope’s Maserati 8CM that won a 2nd place ribbon at Pebble Beach last summer.

Michael T. Lynch

The fourth edition of the Palm Springs Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance will be held over the weekend of February 26-27 at the famed La Quinta Resort and Club in the desert spa area of Southern California.

A modern concours is more than just a car show, and the weekend of February 19-20 will see the inaugural Desert Classic Vintage Race, sanctioned by the Vintage Auto Racing Association, at the new 16-turn Chuckwalla Valley Raceway just down the road from La Quinta. This will kick off a Desert Classic Speedweek celebration.
[Read more…] about Desert Classic Celebrates Indianapolis 500 Centenary

“Best Monterey Ever”… Lynch Wraps Up Holy Week

September 1, 2010 By Lynch

This image shows the setting of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as well as any I've seen. Simon Moore brings his Alfa 8C2900A over the ramp in front of the crowd as part of the 100 Years of Alfa festivities. The show itself is in the background with Stillwater Cove lapping at its edges. The white sand beach in the far distance is Carmel and the Santa Lucia Range runs East along the valley of the Carmel River. Credit: Kimball Studios/Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

By Michael T. Lynch

More informative comments on the best Monterey ever

Lynch Assesses Holy Week

August 25, 2010 By Lynch

Michael T. and Vicki Lynch enjoy the hospitality of Evi and Dan Gurney at the Gurney's champagne reception Saturday at the track. Credit: Robert C. Peters

By Michael T. Lynch

Insider’s insights into this year’s Monterey Week of Cars.
[Read more…] about Lynch Assesses Holy Week