The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
By Pete Vack
From the VeloceToday archives, February 2009
When you read the letters CD in terms of aerodynamics, it is usually assumed that they stand for “Coefficient of aerodynamics”, Cd, or Cx as some would have it. Others would have it differently, for the letters CD also stand for Charles Deutsch, whose lifelong ambition to create efficient race cars has been largely overlooked and yet is so important. [Read more…] about CD and the Last Racing Panhard
By Sean Smith and Pete Vack
Color photos by Sean Smith
Sean Smith has already written about one of Alfa’s latest offerings, the almighty Quadrifolio (Read road test). This month, Smith reviews the rest of Alfa’s current offerings, beginning with the 4C below. In the next two week’s he’ll try out the new Giulia and the Stelvio.
Alfa’s Sport Coupes – older than you think
It is, like many things Alfa, about tradition. As we all know, sport coupes are a tradition with the company. But how far back can that particular convention be traced? To the famous Le Mans coupes from the late 1930s? No, go back further. [Read more…] about Alfa Romeo 4 C On the Road
By Pete Vack and Jim Sitz
Photos by Strother MacMinn, copyright Bob Ames
As we have seen in the past, link, Strother MacMinn was photographing the automotive scene in Southern California and took many images never before seen or published. Bob Ames now owns the MacMinn archives, and through Dale LaFollette has allowed us to present these rare photos from Carrell Speedway near Los Angeles.
As we reviewed the photos, we realized that the first few sets of negatives told us very little. We knew that some were taken at the dirt track called Carrell Speedway, and others taken at an airport event, probably Palm Springs. And for the most part, the negs were of Jags and MGs, hard to identify or place.
We knew Jim Sitz could piece this together. “I was friends back then with Phil, McAfee, and Roger Barlow, who operated the dealership where Phil was the mechanic. We were all pretty young; Phil was 23, Barlow 38, John Bond (of Road & Track) also 38, Jack McAfee was 28, MacMinn 32 and real man- about-town, driving his Rolls Phantom II down to black neighborhoods for their jazz clubs.” [Read more…] about Phil Hill: Racing the Jag at Carrell
If you subscribe now, before it’s too late, we will send you a copy of Barn Find Alfa, a 32 page booklet, free including shipping anywhere in the world. As they say on TV, supplies are limited. We sold most of the print run out at $20 each, but we’ll give out the remaining copies to those who want to become a Premium Susbcriber. When you subscribe, all those pesky black boxes that say “this content is for subscribers only” magically disappear and you’ll have full access to the thousands of archived articles. Plus there are three ways to joing up…PayPal, Credit Card, or by check.
Click here to join up and get your free copy!.
Ok it’s free, but what is it about?
We think you will enjoy Barn Find Alfa, (not only because it will be shipped to you free of charge when you subscribe), but because it speaks of what we all have in common: a search for a rare classic, sharing the find with knowledgeable and helpful friends, the risks and decision one makes when embarking upon vintage car racing, the manner in which a classic should be prepared for road use, to what degree should it be restored, and, a story of long term relationships and enthusiasm, bound by a shared experience of one remarkable Alfa Romeo. [Read more…] about 1959 Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce Found
By Wallace Wyss
Photos by Richard Bartholomew
For those who haven’t been to “Old Town” Pasadena, it is your ideal shop-’til-you-drop then stop at Starbucks kind of area, with lots of half century or older buildings, palm trees, oozing ambiance form every pore.
So it makes a perfect place to have a Ferrari show, produced by the Southwest region of the Ferrari Club of America. Over 100 cars were accepted, and they ran the gamut from this very early 166 Mille Miglia Berlinetta (below) to the very latest offerings from Maranello. [Read more…] about Ferraris of Pasadena
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
In 2016, Jonathan Sharp made an intensive visit to the Schlumpf Museum, and returned with thousands of photos. This week we’ve selected just a few of our favorites taken from the several articles showing the treasures of the Schlumpf. And why? Because next week we are going to feature the work of Hugues Vanhoolandt, who recently had and exclusive visit to the 200 cars in the Schlumpf Reserve, not seen by most visitors to the Schlumpf. Sharp’s images below are taken from the regular display cars, but will serve to whet your interest in what’s coming up next week from the lense of Vanhoolandt. [Read more…] about The National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse
Story by Vince Johnson
Photos by Vince Johnson and John Lemm
There were quite a few firsts recorded at the opening round of the 2018 Shannons Nationals Series in South Australia recently, with lap records set in every category. The town of Tailem Bend lies alongside the River Murray, the continent’s longest waterway, a hundred kilometers south-east of the state capital, Adelaide. Last century Mitsubishi Motors Australia had established their road car proving ground nearby and it was earmarked in the early 2000’s for upgrades, including a high-speed oval. But sales woes had put paid to that. Fast-forward to 2016 and years of planning by the state’s largest private company, Peregrine Corporation, saw construction start on The Bend Motorsport Park. [Read more…] about Shannons Nationals Series, South Australia
By Pete Vack and Dino Brunori
Perhaps the mystery of the missing Alfa Romeo 412 began back in 1975 with the publication of the photo book, Alfa Romeo Milano. British journalist Michael Frostick captioned a picture of Felice Bonetto’s special-bodied Alfa Romeo thusly:
Something of a mystery. The Alfa Romeo files say “16 cylinder 4500 Mille Miglia 1954 (Bonetto).” One can only assume a car was made up with a bored-out version of the Type 162, 3 liter, 16-cylinder car, or more likely, someone has made a mistake somewhere! [Read more…] about The Mystery of the Alfa Nardi Silver Ray
Story by Brandes Elitch
I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Academy of Art showroom in San Francisco. I had just come over the Golden Gate Bridge in morning rush hour traffic, which requires quick reflexes and nerves of steel. I went up Lombard and turned on Van Ness, still a little dazed from the drive, which is kind of like open wheel racing. During the twenties and thirties, this is where all the great automobile showrooms were located, and some of them still exist today in their mostly original form. At the intersection of Van Ness and Washington, I idly looked to my right and saw a mirage: a thirties showroom with period cars in the showroom window, except that they were not like any cars there before – Bugatti, Delahaye, Delage, Alfa Romeo, Minerva, Daimler, Duesenberg, Packard – it looked like the lawn at Pebble Beach. I was transfixed, and then rudely summoned from my reverie by a horn in back of me. What is this place, I wondered. [Read more…] about Learn the Art of Restoration at Academy of Art
Photo Gallery by Jonathan Sharp
Six years ago, on July 5, 2012 we noted that newcomer Jonathan Sharp caught our attention when he sent along a few B&W images of the Bugattis at Prescott. He told us he lived in the Brighton area of the U.K., not too far from Goodwood. “My first love has always been Ferrari, a passion started when I was given a Dinky Ferrari 250LM model”, he wrote. “I am happiest pointing my trusty camera at cars (preferably Italian) or my other love, piston powered fighter planes; a Spitfire or Mustang will stop me in my tracks and I can hear them when they are miles away and out of sight.” We said that are sure we’ll be seeing more of Mr. Sharp in the near future.
[Read more…] about Jonathan Sharp Photo Gallery
Marakand Baokar
The following is a chapter from the book “101 Automotive Jewels of India”, and it also includes a brief biography of Sanjoy Ghosh, who restored this remarkable Lancia Dilambda. Ed.
By Gautam Sen
Color images by Makarand Baokar
If the Lambda marked the very cutting edge of automotive technology in the 1920s, Lancia’s flagship model for 1929, the Dilambda seemed to be a step back in time. But there was a reason for that. The Dilambda project began in 1926 when Vincenzo Lancia decided to develop, for his wealthier clientele, a more modern follow-up of the famous Lancia Trikappa, to be powered by a large eight cylinder engine of 3.0-3.5 litres. And like the Lambda, it would also be a monocoque.
It so happened that a rich American customer, a certain Mr Flocker, when visiting the Lancia factory in Turin, succeeded in convincing Vincenzo Lancia that the brand could profit considerably by exporting to the US a model better adapted to the American market. [Read more…] about 1931 Lancia Dilambda Pinin Farina
Story by Graham Gauld
Throughout the history of European motor sport the aristocrats and the titled were the true pioneers, mainly because they were the only people who had the money to indulge in this new and gentlemanly sport. Many embraced racing with great enthusiasm.
A number of them were Scots and since that is a topic dear to my heart, I would like to tell you the stories of three of them who were as different as chalk and cheese, from three distinctly different eras of motorsport.