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Prescott: The Climb and the Cars

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Bugatti Brescia

Bugattis enjoy a rare moment of sun. David Hand's 1925 T39 sits next to the 1924 Brescia T13 of Charles Knill-Jones.

By Jonathan Sharp

The Cotswolds: bucolic golden-hued thatched cottages, rolling farm land, wheat fields swaying in a warm summer breeze, antique shops, old English country inns selling fine English ales. All this and more, for it is also the home of the Bugatti Owners Club of Great Britain and the famous Prescott Hill climb.

Cheltenham is near Gloucester, Prescott Hill 5 miles northwest.

Let’s put this place on the map: Prescott Hill Climb, based five miles northwest of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire consist of 60 partly wooded acres, with a beautiful private drive of about 1127 yards (.64 mile) in length.

Overhead shot of Prescott, wouldn't it be lovely. and it is.

The course rises over 200 feet with a combination of short straights, fast and slow corners and a breathtaking hairpin. Today’s supermachines get up the hill in about 36 seconds. The old ones take a lot longer but are more fun to watch. Each year Prescott hosts a variety of annual events ranging from the “Le Vie en Bleu,” a celebration of French cars, to the Autumn Classic, open to American automobiles.

Track Diagram corresponds well with the overhead photo.

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Sunshine and Great Cars at Paul Ricard

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Ferrari 275GTB-Gregory-Noblet-

His dad Pierre took third place at Le Mans in the 60s with a Ferrari SWB; now Gregory Noblet races this 275GTB. Noblet is a VeloceToday reader, of course!

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

Probably most people reading this have never heard of Patrick Peter, but he is one of those race organizers who always comes up with some good ideas. He tried out one of them last weekend at his huge Dix Mille Tours historic meeting in the sunshine of Paul Ricard in the South of France.
[Read more…] about Sunshine and Great Cars at Paul Ricard

Twiggy’s Miura featured at Australia’s Motorclassica

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Twiggy's Miura

Twiggy's Miura will be on the auction block. Photo by Vince Johnson.

Vince Johnson, our intrepid correspondent from Down Under, recently reminded the Editor of the up and coming third annual Motorclassica event to be held in Melbourne on October 26-28th. Always ready to make sure our growing number of readers Down Under are aware of events, we thought we’d do a preview. Vince told us that the ex-Twiggy Lamborghini Miura S would be up for auction at the same event. There was the lead-in we were looking for!

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Our Features This Week, October 3rd 2012

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*We sadly note the death of Annie Soisbault with an all-too-short appreciation of her life. The article is the first post beneath our regular buttons, below.

*Graham Gauld’s Mike Sparken Story was divided into three for the purposes of instant mass consumption. HOWEVER, both Parts 2 and 3 of The Greatest Car Swap Story Ever are in this issue. Plus, listen to Sparken on tape in a short interview …all right here in VeloceToday.

*We HATE pop-ups! So why is there a new pop up in the articles? Because we need to remind readers to become Premium Subscribers, or we’ll soon have no articles at all. And, the new pop up does not appear on past articles when accessed by our Premium Subscribers, which is just another reason to belly up to the bar and put your money down!

Annie Soisbault, 1934-2012

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Photo by Graham Gauld

French rally and race driver Annie Soisbault passed away on September 18th at the age of 78.

Not well known in the U.S., Soisbault was nevertheless one of the finest women drivers of the 1950-60s, a time in which women were participating in large numbers in both racing and rallying. Soisbault’s peers, sometimes competitors and friends included Gilberte Thirion, Pat Moss, Ann Wisdom, Sheila Van Damm, Denise McCluggage, Evy Rosqvist, Betty Skelton, Louisette Texier, Annie Bousquet and many more truly excellent women drivers.

[Read more…] about Annie Soisbault, 1934-2012

Mike Sparken Part 2: The Alfa 2.9 Berlinetta

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Alfa 2.9 Berlinetta

Mike Sparken would end up with this 1938 Alfa Berlinetta, but he would not have it for long...

By Graham Gauld
Photos by Graham Gauld unless otherwise noted

Last week we learned how Mike Sparken came into motor racing, his exploits with his very special Aston Martin DB3 and his Ferrari Monza, and how he had retired from racing after the British Grand Prix of 1955, where he drove a Gordini into seventh place. But what he did after he retired from racing would make him famous throughout the world…

Throughout his racing career, and later into his time with the Grand Prix Drivers Club, he met up with another well-known private entrant of the time who was born and spent his early life in Brazil and then moved to Paris; Hernano da Silva Ramos.

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Mike Sparken Part 3: The Alfetta 158/159

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Alfa-158/9

The Alfa 158/9 at the Paul Ricard circuit.

By Graham Gauld
Photos by Gauld unless otherwise noted.

As we have learned in Part I, Lord Doune was a bit in the dark as to the importance of the 1938 Alfa 2.9 Berlinetta, and returned it to Danny Margulies who in turn called upon Mike Sparken.

Mike Sparken was more aware of the importance of the Sommer/Biondetti Alfa. He spared no expense to have it taken apart and rebuilt by Paul Grist. The engine was sent to Tony Merrick and he did a wonderful job on it. But Grist had really done his part superbly. When I had seen the car in Doune collection, the grille was wrong; it looked like chicken wire rather than the elegant egg-box grille of the original. Thanks to Grist, the car turned out to be stunning. It was road -taxed in England but Mike Sparken had a plan in mind.

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Our Features This Week, September 26, 2012

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Last week in the Epilogue to the French Grand Prix at Tours, we included a link to a YouTube video called ‘Supercharged, The Grand Prix Car, 1924-1939.’ It is a shortened version of the original 79 minute VCR that was produced in 1985. (which now can only be found used). The video covers all Grand Prix racing from 1924-1939, from Donnington to Tripoli. It’s one of the best of the genre we’ve ever seen, with scenes in color by George Monkhouse, restored cars being driven by John Watson, and much more great documentary film, well edited and well written. The footage of the Silver Arrows is particularly interesting in light of this year’s Goodwood Revival (covered this week, below).

If you haven’t seen it, click on the image at left to watch it. You’ll return to VeloceToday with a new appreciation of those very important interwar years. _________________

Mike Sparken: Private Entrant Part I

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Mike Sparken, winning at Oulton Park in the rain with his trusty 750 Monza.

In the 1950s, if you had talent and the necessary finances, you could become a successful racing driver as a private entrant. This is the story of one of them, a French-born racing driver by the name of Mike Sparken. We were working on this article when on September 21, Sparken died at his home in the South of France at the age of eighty two. Our sincere condolences to his family; we wish he could have lived to read the following story.

By Graham Gauld

Mike Sparken, or Michael Poberejsky, to cite his proper name, was born in Paris in 1930 to a wealthy Russian family that had left Russia for Paris at the time of the 1917 Revolution.

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Goodwood Gallery: Jonathan Sharp

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Jean Alesi

Jean Alesi, happy to drive one of the GTOs.

Twenty images from the camera of Jonathan Sharp.

moss-and-surtees

Moss has a few words with Surtees.

Merzario enjoying the crowds and the Rolls-Royce.

Ken Brack set to drive the Mickey Thompson special.

Gurney and Lord March.

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Grand Prix of Singapore

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Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso

By Pete Vack
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media

Time Enough
If there is one thing we will remember about Singapore 2012, it will not be the great drive by Massa, not the winning excellence of Vettel, not the intelligent drive by Alonso for third, nor the sudden race-changing retirements of both Hamilton and Maldonado, nor that the race was foreshortened by the clock. [Read more…] about Grand Prix of Singapore

Our Features This Week, September 19th, 2012

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Ever envied Indiana Jones? Ciick on the Ethiopian Adventure and visit the Ark of the Covenant; attend Goodwood with Jonathan Sharp, Palos Verdes with Wally Wyss and wrap up the Tours epic with a surprise. As usual, click on the icons to go directly to each article. Note that the Rally Wales report below does not have an icon. Loeb didn’t win but who did?

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