pete

Alfas and Ferraris at the Enzo Ferrari Museum

November 11, 2014 By pete

The Alfa Bimotore is on display in a quiet, beautiful, chapel-like setting.

Last week Jonathan Sharp wrote a report on the Maserati 100th anniversary celebration at the Enzo Ferari Museum. But he didn’t forget about the Ferraris, engines, and Alfas also on display, many in the new engine room–plus a replica of Enzo Ferrari’s office. We saved that part of the story for this week.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp Clic on pics to enlarge

Nestling, as if being protected, in the curve of the new display hall is the original workshop of Enzo Ferrari’s father Alfredo. A long and narrow building lit by many large arched shaped windows. The building was built during the latter half of the 19th century and would not have benefited from electric lighting hence the many windows. At the far end of the hall, roughly where the “Enzo” is now displayed, was, along with the machine tools that Alfredo used to shape metal, a stable which housed the horses used to draw the sulkies (2 wheeled trotting rig) and carts of the time. [Read more…] about Alfas and Ferraris at the Enzo Ferrari Museum

CarsYeah: Interviews With People You Know

November 11, 2014 By pete

By Pete Vack

Carsyeah gave the editor a chance to chat about Mary, whose photos enabled him to get his articles published. Photo by Jesse Alexander

Mark Greene has got a good thing going. After spending the last 20+ years at Griot’s Garage where he helped the founder build up the business from the start, four months ago he started a new website, www.CarsYeah.com. [Read more…]

Touring, BMW, Victress: Designs Across Continents

November 11, 2014 By pete

How the BWM and Italian coachbuilder Touring influenced the Victress and Glasspar.

This week we take you to Geoffrey Hacker’s site, Forgotten Fiberglass.com, to review an article we know many of or readers would find interesting. [Ed.]

By Geoffrey Hacker

Designs That Influenced The Styling Of The Victress S1 And Glasspar G2: The 1939/1940 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster

What is the styling heritage of each of the vintage fiberglass cars we are familiar with?

I think this is an important question when trying to understand the place our cars occupy in history – not just in the manner in which they were built but also in the ways each of these cars were styled. [Read more…] about Touring, BMW, Victress: Designs Across Continents

VeloceToday for November 4, 2014

November 4, 2014 By pete

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Instruction Book.
DIAS Public No. 780 10/61 (15.000). Incredible, excellent condition, 14 pages with FOUR fold out wiring diagrams for the Berlina, TI, Spider and Spider Veloce. No water marks, rips or tears; you will NOT find one in better condition! This book covers the rare Berlina, the Berlina TI and the Spider and Spider Veloce for the U.S. market. $400 or best offer. Click here to see details.
Contact:vack@cox.net

Four issues of Auto Aficionado, the automobile collector’s magazine edited by Larry Crane, including the initial three issues. Only sold together $80 plus $20 postage from France via paypal. Volume 1 No 1 March/April 2005, Volume 1 No 2 May-June 2005, Volume 1 No 3 Sept/Oct 2005, Volume 2 No 1 Jan/Feb 2006. Contact:Grahamgauld@Gmail.com

SOLD!! Alfa 1600 Sprint and Spider Instruction Book. Public no. 838-12/1963 (1500) R. Original, excellent to mint condition; spine is not broken, appears as new. Slight fraying on edge of Electrical diagram where it protrudes from the edge of the book. 80 pages, printed for US market cars. SS instruction book sold for $400; looking for best offer over $300. Click photo to see larger image. 1600 Giulia TI instruction book also available, good condition.
Contact:vack@cox.net

Three volume classic, “The Grand Prix Car” by Laurence Pomeroy and LJK Setright. 1200+pp The history, theory, design , details and performance of all the important GP cars from the turn of the century through 1966. Hundreds of extraordinary technical drawings, charts, spec tables and racing results. Condition: excellent used, no marks beyond owner name Price $850 plus shipping(weight 12.5 lbs) Contact stevegurr@charter.net

*$25 Ads for anyone who has something to sell, to giveaway, or to holler about. Ad will be placed above the fold and run for one month. Contact vack@cox.net .

Maserati at Enzo Ferrari

November 4, 2014 By pete

The Enzo Ferrari Museum celebrates Maserati's 100th years.

By Jonathan Sharp

Last winter, VeloceToday correspondent Jonathan Sharp left the British Isles to vacation in Italy and brought back absolutely stunning photo journey through the old Lingotto factory and the new Museo dell’ Automobile in Turin. He has just returned from yet another Italian Interlude, and a visit to the Enzo Ferrari Museum, our first of several features is presented this week. More to follow and CLICK on PHOTOS to ENLARGE! [Read more…] about Maserati at Enzo Ferrari

Ludvigsen Tests the Birdcage

November 4, 2014 By pete

Photo by Irv Dolin

What was it like to drive a Birdcage in 1961? Below, Karl Ludvigsen graphically describes the feel, the noise, and the technique of driving the Magnificent Front Engined Birdcage. This article, originally published in the April 1961 issue of “Car and Driver”, has been republished here with his express permission. Originally published in VeloceToday on November 4 2009.

By Karl Ludvigsen

When you click home the ignition key on the sketchy dash of a Birdcage, a strong red light burns deep within the broad, thumb-sized starter button. To me that light became a symbol of the vast power lurking with this apparently ramshackle piece of machinery, like glowing coals in the crater of a slumbering volcano.

If you’re not already familiar with the Maserati Tipo 61, better known as the Birdcage, be informed by a glance a the accompanying cutaway or at the Tech Report in SCI, April 1960. Its designer, Ing. Alfieri, broke with all the Italian traditions of chassis design and trimmed to a remarkable minimum, a step made possible bit the increasing significance of short, smooth course American races and the decreasing stature of great sports car classics like the Mille Miglia and Tourist Trophy. Only the Targa Florio remains to separate the Birdcages and Lotus Nineteens from real road going automobiles. [Read more…] about Ludvigsen Tests the Birdcage

VeloceToday for October 28, 2014

October 28, 2014 By pete

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*$25 Ads for anyone who has something to sell, to giveaway, or to holler about. Ad will be placed above the fold and run for one month. Contact vack@cox.net .

A Visit to the Maserati Factory, 1963

October 28, 2014 By pete

And what have we here? The Maserati factory circa 1963 was full of surprises.

This week we feature the first of four visits to the Maserati factory. Next week, Graham Gauld recalls the works in the years 1957, 1958 and 1960, while this week, VeloceToday reader David Hewitt ads his impressions of his time in Europe in 1963, and a visit to Maserati.

While trying to identify the cars in Hewitt’s photos, we stumbled across two rare and interesting cars once owned by John Simone, head of Maserati-France. But before we get that, David’s photos of the Nurburgring are equally fascinating and all in color!

Photos courtesy David Hewitt unless otherwise noted.

Text by Pete Vack and David Hewitt

David Hewitt’s father was an Air Force pilot stationed in Europe from 1960 to 1964. Hewitt was only 15 when his family lived in France for the first year and Germany for the remaining years. Hewitt recalls those years: [Read more…] about A Visit to the Maserati Factory, 1963

Automedon Meeting and Exhibition, Paris

October 28, 2014 By pete

D.B coupè SERA by Jacques Durand, 1960

Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

AUTOMEDON MEETING AND EXHIBITION (PARIS OCTOBER 18th-19th) In addition to the traditional Paris Salon, during the weekend of October 18th, the Automedon old car event was held in the Bourget exhibition center near Paris, with many owner clubs and many spare parts dealers present

But what was really impressive to me, is the huge and incredible number of old car owners coming to Bourget to visit the event and show their cars in the parking areas. You can find very rare and old cars, but mainly more production cars like Citroen, Renault and Peugeot of the 50s and 60s.

In the hall there was a very important and interesting show of D.B cars: D.B is a French make, the result from the meeting of Charles Deutsch and Rene Bonnet producing excellent small sport cars till the early 60s, based mainly on Panhard engines. [Read more…] about Automedon Meeting and Exhibition, Paris

L’Automobile & La Mode, Paris, 2014

October 28, 2014 By pete

Alfa Romeo Carabo 1968 by Gandini & Bertone

Alfa Romeo Carabo by Gandini & Bertone

Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

MONDIAL DE L’ AUTOMOBILE, October 4-19 2014

In one of the many halls of the show, a different exhibition took place called “L’Automobile & la mode” (“Cars and fashion”), showing many cars of different periods together with pictures of dresses. The cars were really a surprise for their variety and importance, few of them designed by or for fashion masters.
To see the new cars at this year’s show, click here: https://velocetoday.com/mondial-de-lautomobile-paris-2014/ [Read more…] about L’Automobile & La Mode, Paris, 2014

Mondial de L’Automobile, Paris 2014

October 28, 2014 By pete

The racing version of the Alfa 4C

Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

MONDIAL DE L’ AUTOMOBILE, October 4-19 2014 The car exhibition in Paris was a great success with an incredible number of visitors and, of course, all the car manufacturers present with many new models.

For VeloceToday, have limited my photo report to the most important Italian makes plus a few of other cars with bodies designed by Italian coach builders. In addition to all the new cars, there was another hall featuring cars and fashions over the ages, click here to see those photos. https://velocetoday.com/paris-2014/ [Read more…] about Mondial de L’Automobile, Paris 2014

VeloceToday for October 21, 2014

October 21, 2014 By pete

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Alfa 1600 Sprint and Spider Instruction Book. Public no. 838-12/1963 (1500) R. Original, excellent to mint condition; spine is not broken, appears as new. Slight fraying on edge of Electrical diagram where it protrudes from the edge of the book. 80 pages, printed for US market cars. SS instruction book sold for $400; looking for best offer over $300. Click photo to see larger image. 1600 Giulia TI instruction book also available, good condition.
Contact:vack@cox.net

Join the Rat Pack! Stunningly restored Ghia L 6.4 coupe for sale. Ninth of only 26 made; full, authentic, accurate restoration. Beautiful black exterior with black and white interior, as featured in the original factory sales brochure! Please see www.GhiaL64.com for details or contact John Huggins at GhiaL6.4@gmail.com

*$25 Ads for anyone who has something to sell, to giveaway, or to holler about. Ad will be placed above the fold and run for one month. Contact vack@cox.net .