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BMW’s Italian Designers Part 6
By Jackie Jouret
Photos courtesy The BMW Archive
When it emerged from the destruction of World War II, BMW got back into business, first with motorcycles (in 1948), and then with high-end automobiles (in 1951). That was a logical strategy given BMW’s particular circumstances, but it began to fail by the mid-1950s. Even as the German economy was improving, BMW’s full-size sedans remained too expensive for most buyers. Worse, the motorcycle market was tanking, as riders abandoned two-wheelers in favor of motorcycle-engined microcars, which kept their occupants dry and warm regardless of the weather. [Read more…] about BMW’s Italian Designers Part 6
Copenhagen’s Classic Collection
Story and photos by Bob Cullinan
You take the train from Copenhagen Central Station to the small suburban town of Lyngby, Denmark. From there, it’s a short walk to an automobile collection that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
And How! Allen R. Kuhn may be on PBS
Allen being interrogated by the PBS crew and showing one of his prize photos of Paramount Ranch circa 1957. We’ll let you know more about when and where this feature will be run.
What is going on here? Well let us (Vack and Kuhn) tell you.
A Glorious Day at Goodwood, 2019
36 photos by Jonathan Sharp
Stop: Forget rivet counts and restoration details.
Stop: Enlarge each photo by clicking on it to double the size. Slow it down.
Stop: Enjoy the ambiance for there is nothing else quite like it in the world.
Stop: Look at the faces, feel the tension, imagine the noise, thrill with the excitement.
For this is Goodwood at its most glorious, and how great it would be there to see and hear and feel what Jonathan Sharp did on that wonderful September day in 2019.
Graham Gauld: Grand Prix Itala
George Daniels at the wheel of his monstrous 12 liter Itala Grand Prix car at Douglas in the Isle of Man.(Photo Grand Prix Library/Gauld)
Story by Graham Gauld
As many regular readers know, I have a particular passion for Italian racing cars, even the very old ones, and when I recently was given a copy of a superb history of the Itala marque I immediately delved into it.
The fact that the book, published by AISA (Associazione Italiana Per La Storia Dell’Automobile) was in Italian called for a lot of hard work but I had a specific car in mind: the 1908 grand prix car.
Mario Tozzi-Condivi
Mario Tozzi-Condivi
By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“
When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the third in a series.
For over 50 years, the line of communication between Maserati and Britain crackled through the razor-sharp mind of ex-pat wheeler-dealer Mario Tozzi-Condivi. [Read more…] about Mario Tozzi-Condivi
Austrian Alps Mille Miglia Warm-Up
Story and photos by Bob Cullinan
September 26-28 2024 Italy’s Mille Miglia…“the most beautiful race in the world”…is expanding, growing the base of the motoring classic into new parts of the world to attract more interest and entries, and visiting some spectacular sites along the way.
The Forgotten 70th Anniversary of the 2CV
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the Archives, 2019
A press release from the organizers of this year’s Retromobile recently jogged my memory. Last year, we had Citroën shots from last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed which were not used in VeloceToday. It was the 70th anniversary of the Citroën 2CV, and to celebrate, one of the classes at the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours was dedicated to that Gallic charmer.
BMW’s Italian Designers Part 5
By Jackie Jouret
Photos courtesy The BMW Archive
When BMW introduced its first postwar automobile, the 501 sedan, at the 1951 Frankfurt auto show, the company was announcing its resurrection as an automaker following the near-total destruction of its factories during World War II. BMW had also lost its automobile plant in Eisenach to the postwar division of Germany: Eisenach fell within the Soviet sector, and the BMW plant was appropriated as a spoil of war.
T59 Bugatti, IHMA Car of the Year
It’s like an ancient insect trapped in amber. Or an unopened cask of century-old single malt Scotch. That’s the kind of time-bending accomplishment achieved by this 90-year-old car, a car that has never been restored, winning the coveted 2024 Car of the Year honor at the International Historic Motoring Awards presented by Lockton Insurance, which took place at the Peninsula London on Friday November 22. Photos of the T59 taken at Villa d’Este.
Story, photos and video by Bob Cullinan
Seavey Captures Rich Guys
This 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6b Landaulet looking for a parking space in Cerrillos, NM, during the 2013 Santa Fe Concorso. A fascinating car, built for Andrew Mellon, US Secretary of the Treasury under no fewer than 3 US Presidents. The car, body by Kellner of Paris, was powered by a 6.6 liter, OHC straight six that was basically one half (plus 2 cylinders) of the Hisso V-8 engine that had powered Spad aircraft in WWI. Its four-wheel power brake system was used, under license, by Rolls Royce for many years. The car was retrieved in more or less derelict condition from the estate of Mellon’s chauffer who had been given the car when he retired. Restoration ensued.
Photos by Charley Seavey
Charley Seavey has done a number of Galleries for us in the past, and his photo archives are not yet depleted by any account. Here, we see that cars in this gallery are mostly pre WWII and were built for the rich and very rich. What Seavey eyes is the touches of quality, size, and luxury that are conspicuously absent from more mundane vehicles and in themselves great examples of conspicuous consumption.
Seavey’s previous work for VeloceToday can be accessed via the links following this gallery.