The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
From the Archives, Feb 25, 2014
By Chris Martin
I have never owned an Alfa Romeo, but twice I have personally done very well from their mistakes. The first was in the mid-seventies when the Alfasud was their brave new hope. I was the guy who fixed the Suds!
Poster Boy: A shot taken of Whit Smith and his father in 1996 and used for this poster the following year.
Story by Sean Smith
After 18 years gone missing, Whit Smith finds his father’s Alfa racecar
It’s all Whit Smith’s mother’s fault. She and Whit’s dad met in Galion, Ohio. Pat was a local, Mason a New York city guy stuck in Ohio for work and a bit bored. The future Mrs. Smith spun tales of a race track just down the road at Mid-Ohio; they went to check it out.
By Alain Raymond
Photos courtesy Alain Raymond
Vintage car racing: for some, it’s all about winning. For most, it’s the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the joy of driving old – very old – machinery on a race track. Here’s the story of one such delightful adventure.
We are all packed and ready to travel the 12-hour road taking us from Quebec to the “Steel City.” [Read more…] about Abarth and the Pittsburgh Grand Prix
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
Lead image: Guy Standen/Andrew Coles 1962 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint
The Formula Ones were back in South Australia for the Adelaide Motorsport Festival which took place from November 28 to December 2, but they weren’t the only machines making a noise. Adding to the decibels was a rare Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo 2.
Story by Dino Brunori
Historic photos are Copyright protected from the Andrea Curami Collection
This is the first of a series about Etceterinis on the Mille Miglia
In the years between 1930 and 1960 every Italian car enthusiast had only one dream: racing in the Mille Miglia. And in the years after the war, when the sporting regulations allowed it, one might enter the 1000 mile race with a self-built car derived from or built with Fiat components. They could be rewarded with large sums of money if they won the category with Fiat parts. [Read more…] about Mille Miglia Etceterinis: The Stanga Brothers
The girls dressed in perfect Eighties style admire a selection of Fiat car models including the Mephistopheles in the 1924 version and the 130 HP racer, winner of the GP de l’ACF 1907, both models by Bruno Reggiani; and (front row, left) the 1899 3 ½ HP, model by Silvio Morselli.
Text by Aldo Zana
Photos by Fiat Centro Storico and Acerbi family
Once upon a time no one even remotely thought about preserving a sample of the cars produced by a factory. Fiat complied with this dominant attitude until the late Thirties, when some managers were stricken by illumination: if we have not saved the originals, why not build scale models? [Read more…] about Scale Models at the Fiat Centro Storico
Story by Wallace Wyss
Photos by Richard Bartholomew
This is one of those eras where The Big Change is coming and I am dragging my heels, like when digital cameras came in, I stuck with film at least another 10 years. Now the Detroit auto industry is bailing out on sedans, so the big show of the year was mostly SUVs and crossovers and pickup trucks. I was hoping to find a car I could fall in love with. To no avail.
All the while I was thinking: Is this worth the $25 parking fee? [Read more…] about Los Angeles Auto Show
Story and photos by Sean Smith
Well before Nick Soprano climbed behind the wheels of some of the world’s greatest sports cars, he was drawing his version of the perfect high performance machine. Every young car lover does this, but Nick never grew out of it.
By Ernst Luthi
Photos by Alan and Venus Lane
The French Car Festival took place on October 28, 2018 at Markham Reserve, in Ashburton, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The event was jointly organised by the Citroën Car Club of Victoria and the Citroën Classic Owner Club of Australia in association with the Peugeot Car Club of Victoria and the Renault Car Club of Victoria.
The Citroën, Peugeot and Renault Clubs provided most of the 150+ cars present on the day, ranging from the latest models sold in Australia to the more classic models of the 40s and 50s.
Captions and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Jonathan Sharp once again headed into the heart of the Costswolds for the magical affair at Blenheim Palace called Salon Prive. His report is encapsulated into the captions below, and at the end of the article are the complete results. The event was held from August 31 to September 2 2019. [Read more…] about Best of Salon Prive at Blenheim Palace
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos courtesy The World of Speed Museum, Wilsonville, Oregon
Recently I was able to visit the World of Speed Museum, and then spend an hour speaking with curator Ron Huegli. If you are visiting the Portland area, you will want to put this on your itinerary. Here is a brief overview. [Read more…] about World of Speed Museum
Last week we ran an And How! article that featured several green Alfas, the real car, a bubble gum card and this tinplate Alfa, of which we wrote:
“…tucked away on another shelf is a tin plate Alfa Sprint. A child’s toy, really rough and almost hideous. But one just doesn’t throw things like that away. By the looks of the grille is is a 101 series model, maybe a 1600, with a front drive friction motor. It does not even have a manufacturers name anywhere on it, but it’s totally original. The color always put me a bit off but the toy was worth saving.” [Read more…] about And How! More Alfa Tinplate Toys