The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Story and Photos of 0488 AM by Alan Boe
Three Kings met, with historic results: King Leopold requested it, Enzo Ferrari built it, Pinin Farina styled it.
Royalty and expensive motor cars just seem to go together. You know the types…Park Ward Rolls-Royces, Grosser Mercedes, and stretched limousines of various manufacture. They’re a normal part of any royal retinue. And why not? We’ve come to expect it.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
We present, a bit late perhaps, Jonathan Sharp’s view of this year’s Goodwood Revival. While his cohort Hugues Vanhoolandt did trackside photos, Jonathan concentrated on the people and the paddock area. Always so much to photograph, yet so little time and space. But enjoy, everyone below did!-Ed.
A Conversation with Don Racine: The story of his H-Modified Class Aardvark
By Peter Darnall
Photos courtesy Don Racine Collection
From the Archives, October 2016
Don Racine has been involved with sports car racing for many years. He has developed an affinity for small-bore front engine/front wheel drive machinery and is an acknowledged master of the Mini Cooper’s unique handling characteristics. Don founded Mini Mania in 1974. The firm, which is now located in California’s picturesque Gold Country, has grown to become the largest United States based supplier of parts for the Classic Mini.
Recently I had the opportunity to meet with Don at Mini Mania headquarters. The subject or our discussion was not the ubiquitous Mini, but his amazing Aardvark.
Story by Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy Lamborghini
Lamborghini Polo Storico has completed restoration of one of the most famous Miuras ever built: the SVR. Upon delivery last summer, the car was exhibited at Japan’s Nakayama Circuit. [Read more…] about Lamborghini SVR Restoration
Story by Pete Vack
Images by Richard Bartholomew
My first reaction was a huge, shit-eating grin, chuckles, and guffaws. There was a photo of a Dino 246GT embossed with all sorts of geegaws and looking totally weird. Then, a Ferrari PF 250GT, now featuring a chopped top and outside exhausts. To cap it off, my favorite Ferrari of all time, the 166 barchetta (little boat), was turned into a jacuzzi. “Ferrari at Spa”, said the artist. It was as if the ghosts of Dean Jeffries, von Dutch, and George Barris had gone berserk and inhabited the computer of Rick Bartholomew. [Read more…] about Ferrari Art, Concept Cars and Facebook
Story by Pete Vack
From the Archives, March 28, 2012
Lead image: Peter Giddings drives his first Talbot Lago, #110007, ex-Chiron. Courtesy Peter Giddings.
Hindsight is a good remedy for perceived mediocrity. Looking back on the 20-odd year run of the French Talbot Lago, it is easy to see that the cars of Anthony “Tony” Lago (born in Venice in 1893) were not only were winners on the concours circuit, but significant winners on the Grand Prix tracks in the post war era. After five major Grand Prix wins, nine lesser ones and victory at Le Mans in 1950, Cyril Posthumus would write, “Lago, in his retirement years could look back on a remarkable chapter of accomplishment.”
Story by Wallace Wyss
In 1964, it seemed like the entire world loved the Ford Mustang. Even the Italians welcomed Iacocca’s baby, and when Canadian Frank Reisner, who ran Intermeccanica in Turin, heard that an American ad agency wanted him to rebody a Mustang, he leapt at the chance. Reisner was already a Mustang fan and owner, having ordered a green 289 convertible for his wife Paula to drive in Italy. “It was my first car ever,” she said. The couple used it to drive from their new apartment in Coazze to Turin, where Frank was engaged in constructing a new Scaglione-designed coupe called the Veltro Titiana.
In this article author Barry Farr describes the background to his book “Ferraris in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s” which is a comprehensive written and pictorial history of all the Ferraris that entered the land down under during the 1950s and 1960s. [Ed.]
By Barry Farr
Whilst the likes of Jose Froilan Gonzales and Luigi Chinetti helped establish the Ferrari marque internationally, Ferrari’s presence in Australia was fostered by Englishman Peter Whitehead, Melbournian Bill Lowe and Sydney-sider David McKay. The common factor among these three gentlemen was that each was an esteemed racer in his own field – Whitehead in F1, Lowe in hill climbs and McKay in touring and sports cars. As well, McKay was a respected motoring journalist and thus spread the word about his Ferrari exploits. [Read more…] about Ferraris in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s
Story by Graham Gauld
From time to time I go through photographs that have been taken years ago, printed up and then forgotten in boxes. Obviously, some get ditched as they are unlikely to be relevant to anything I intend to write in the future, but others come as interesting surprises. As VeloceToday seems to attract people who appreciate and admire coachbuilding I set aside one or two which I thought might be worth mentioning. These are two such examples.
Story by Peter Darnall
“Please don’t call this car a replica. It’s a Lagonda!”
‘Lagonda Joe’ Harding was describing his 1939 red Lagonda Le Mans sports racing machine recently. Joe earned the nickname ‘Lagonda Joe’ years ago for his involvement with both the creation and the racing of these unique Lagonda machines in England. He makes an interesting point: The word “replica” conjures up mental images of shoddy fiberglass contraptions or of clandestine attempts to convert an automotive sow’s ear into a silk purse. These Le Mans Specials are, as Joe stressed, Lagondas to the core. They were built on a production chassis and used period-correct Lagonda components—which is exactly what the Lagonda factory did when they made the original Le Mans specials in 1939.
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt unless othewise noted
I feel confident in saying that the Concorso Italiano, held during the Monterey Historics at the Blackhorse Golf Club in Monterey, is the largest, best organized, and most comprehensive display of Italian automobiles anywhere in the United States.
