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Eugenio Castellotti

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Story and photos by Graham Gauld

From the VeloceToday archives, March, 2014. Lead image: A close-up of Castellotti at Dundrod in 1955, concentrating hard while accelerating away from the hairpin in the Ferrari 850 Monza.

There are times when we can all be rather pretentious. I fell into that trap thirty years ago when I had the idea of writing a subjective book on the psychology of the racing driver. I have always had an interest in the variety of people who come into motor sport and what makes them tick. I had read a lot about psychology in general, then dropped the idea when I realized what a fool I might have made of myself. However, if Central Casting in Hollywood were ever asked for a “racing driver type” back in the 1950s, they would have to have chosen Eugenio Castellotti.

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Henry Manney III

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Story and photos by Graham Gauld

From the VeloceToday archives, November 2013

It’s funny how news reports remind you of old departed friends. A recent news report on the $52 million sale of Ferrari GTO 5111GT brought back a score of happy memories of times spent with American motoring journalist and raconteur Henry Manney III.

Henry Manney III may not be a familiar name to a modern generation, but back in the 1960s he not only sprung to prominence with his witty and amusing articles in Road & Track magazine but he actually created what we would call the modern “loose” form of writing about cars. He dispensed with the turgid prose of the regular motoring writers of the day and replaced it with colorful turns of phrase, even inventing his own words to express his feelings and mood. [Read more…] about Henry Manney III

Minardi Day, Ecurie Ecosse Tour

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Story by Graham Gauld
Photos by Graham Gauld unless otherwise noted

April 28-May 11, 2019

May is always my busiest month, as it is usually when the Grand Prix Drivers Club hold their annual general meeting, the Monaco Grand Prix takes place, and the Ecurie Ecosse Tour, in which I am deeply involved, taking place one on top of the other and this year was a real toughie.

It included flying to Venice, then taking the train from there to Bologna, on to Imola for the GPDA affair. This event was linked in with the Historic Minardi Day at this Imola circuit (April 28) organized by Grand Prix Drivers Club honorary member Giancarlo Minardi. This year was special as it coincided with the 25th anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna. [Read more…] about Minardi Day, Ecurie Ecosse Tour

Donald Osborne Interview

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Story by Sean Smith
Lead photo by Sean Smith
Photos below courtesy Donald Osborne

Just a kid in Manhattan without a car

When you are growing up in Manhattan and Queens, your family doesn’t need a car to get around. This was the plight of Donald Osborne; not till the age of 12 did his family own an automobile.

That didn’t stop Donald’s older brothers from reading Road & Track and AutoWeek. Donald, already a voracious reader, would get a hold of them and consume everything between the covers. [Read more…] about Donald Osborne Interview

Grand Prix Dioramas: Spa Francorchamps

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Story and photos by Clyde Berryman

Part four of the Clyde Berryman diorama series focuses on the Belgian Grand Prix. Links to all previous Grand Prix Dioramas can be found at the end of this article. Above, the 1963 Belgian GP: Jim Clark (Lotus) has just powered past Carel Godin de Beaufort (Porsche) under the driving rain, putting the Dutch driver a lap down.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit has garnered near mythical status as one of the most challenging driver’s circuits over its illustrious history – both in its long 14 km. road course configuration and in its modern, more compact form. Rain is almost always mentioned in connection with Spa, so that too was going to factor into any diorama I would create. [Read more…] about Grand Prix Dioramas: Spa Francorchamps

Brooklands Italian Car Day, 2019

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Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

May 4, 2019 Brooklands

Driving into the designated Alfa Romeo parking zone at the Brooklands circuit brought to my mind the long-term car park at Turin airport, except that the Turin long term car park nowadays is full of Kias and Volkswagens, not Fiats and Alfas.

Passing through the gate at Brooklands into the museum, this year we Alfa drivers had our own entrance, which avoided the queue at the Campbell gate. The Alfa section was 360 degrees of Alfas, so I placed my creaky old GT Blackline next to another GT. [Read more…] about Brooklands Italian Car Day, 2019

The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, 2019

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Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Steve Snyder

The 11th annual edition of the Quail Motorcycle Gathering was held on May 4 on the grounds of the luxury resort Quail Lodge, in Carmel Valley, California, just east of the Carmel-Monterey peninsula. This event, created, curated, managed, and directed by local impresario Gordon McCall, must be the premier motorcycle concours in the country, if not the world. [Read more…] about The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, 2019

Grand Prix Dioramas: Monaco

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Last week, the French Grand Prix in dioramas. This week, Berryman takes us to the ritzy Mediterranean mecca of Monaco. Above, 1955 Monaco GP – The field jostles its way around the Gasworks hairpin right after the race start.

Story and photos by Clyde Berryman

Monaco is perhaps one of the most inspiring locales for the subject of a diorama but both architectural requirements and elevation changes can make it one of the most challenging as well for the builder! To date, I have done four Monaco Grand Prix dioramas as follows per below. [Read more…] about Grand Prix Dioramas: Monaco

Italian Coachwork on Jaguar Chassis

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Story by Graham Gauld
Photos by Graham Gauld and Jonathan Sharp

As regular readers know, I have a great interest in coachbuilding. Though I believe the true high point in coachbuilding elegance was in the 1930s, I keep finding examples of post-war elegance that follow along the same lines. [Read more…] about Italian Coachwork on Jaguar Chassis

Triumph Italia/Italia 2000 GT

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By L. Tyrone Stoner
All photos courtesy Tyrone Stoner

Lead photo: L. Tyrone Stoner’s Italia, number 195, one of three Italias owned by the Author. Photo courtesy of Collectible Automobile magazine. From the archives, March, 2009

What “Wacky” Arnott and Bertone did for Bristol and MG, and what Zagato would do for Aston Martin, Italian entrepreneur Salvatore Ruffino figured he could do for the Triumph TR3; modernize and Italianize.

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The Cars of Rudolfo Patriarca

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Story by Dino Brunori

In the Mille Miglia won by Marzotto and his Ferrari in 1950, there was a great victory by one of the small builders – what we today call the Etceterinis. The first car that arrived on Viale Rebuffone in Brescia was not, as usual, one of the most powerful cars which left between five and seven o’clock in the morning, but a little red berlinetta from the 750 sport class.

It was the first time that such a thing happened. [Read more…] about The Cars of Rudolfo Patriarca

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