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See below for more information about this exhibit.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Prior to planning our trip to the Lake Como Concours last May, I read that Fiat had transformed the roof top of the old Lingotto site into a garden. We decided to travel from the UK to the concours events via Turin, staying at the Lingotto Hotel for a chance to view the art and garden displays.
Bob Hanna in the 1960s. Hanna Collection
By John R. Wright
Bob Hanna is one of those quiet and unassuming people who do things unobtrusively so that unless you look closely you miss the important achievements they have accomplished. Not only was he an effective race driver, but he was also a builder of the sport in Canada and one of his crowning achievements was the first Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at Mosport in 1967.
Les Leston
By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“
When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the fourth in a series.
Sergeant Les Leston flew 30 Second World War raids over Germany, usually as a mid-turret gunner in Lancaster bombers. For one raid he was too poorly to go; the plane was shot down, its whole crew lost. On another he wrote “With love from Archer Street” on a 4000lb “cookie” bomb before it plummeted thousands of feet towards a Nazi target; Archer Street was the Soho home to the Musicians’ Union, and the London hangout of Les and his fellow jazzmen.
By Alain Raymond
From the Archives, May 2019
Italy, 2012
“The Mario Righini automobile collection is one of the finest private collections in Italy. Would you like to visit?” asks Signora Adriana Zini, Director of Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, in Modena.
How do you say “of course,” in Italian? Admittedly, I had never heard of the Righini Collection, but here I was the next morning, entering the 15th century castle of Panzano at Castelfranco Emilia, near Modena. Waiting in the inner court, a tall distinguished looking gentleman greets us with a smile. “Io sono Mario Righini. Benvenuti in Italia” says the charming host in a soft voice to the travelling journalist and his two friends. Luckily one of those friends is Salvatore Montana, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, ex-Ferrari master race mechanic, who also serves as our interpreter.
Story by Pete Vack and Howard Banaszak
Read Part 1
Our lead appears whimsical but in fact, Banaszak’s Stanguellini (CS04080), called a “Mercollini” by the wags at Kiekhaefer, did set the Class H land speed record at Daytona Beach on February 28, 1956, at 102.1 mph, driven by Herm Behm. The combination of the Mercury 55 outboard and the tiny, lightweight but sturdy Stanguellini was a winner out of the box.
By Jackie Jouret
Photos courtesy The BMW Archive
Following its near-death experience at the end of 1959, BMW announced its renaissance at the Frankfurt auto show of September 1961. The Giovanni Michelotti-designed 1500 drew huge crowds, and the all-new midsize sedan tended to overshadow the other cars on the BMW stand. That’s a shame, because two of those cars were also making their debut: a convertible version of the popular 700 microcar—another Michelotti design—and the 3200 CS coupe wearing stylish bodywork designed by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone.
Gilena’s impressive stand.
We’ll Always Have Paris…Like Art Buchwald, the Goldbergs will always have Paris. Geoff and his wife Lynne Remington traveled from Chicago to Paris with 130 lbs of Lancia books for the book dealers at Retro. “After the show, we did some non-car stuff in Paris – a number of museums, saw a wonderful show on the history of department stores, another one on magnificent hats (truly) that blew us away, backstage at the Opera, and exotic bakeries, after eating falafel in the Marais. It was enough to make one want to do it all over again.” Here are a few reflections.
By Geoffrey Goldberg
Garage Steutel, photos from the website.
A Movable Feast…After a delightful time at Retromobile in Paris, Paul Wilson and Mark Bennett traveled to Belgium with Alfa doyen Frank Rameckers, then to the Netherlands, where Paul had been invited to give a presentation about the design and construction of his three amazing Alfas. Here is Paul’s story….
Presented at the 1962 Paris Motor Show, this DS19 with its fully faired underbody presented the new front of the DS with its faired headlights. The DS Totem symbolized the avant-gardism of the Citroën brand and delighted photographers, thus helping to establish the model’s reputation.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Retro thoughts
Every year, at the same time, the world of classic and collector cars comes out of its lethargy for the event that opens the season. I am talking about the unmissable Rétromobile show in Paris.
A very popular exhibit on the ‘Le Man Classic’ stand, the Ferrari 312P chassis 0872.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Pilgrimage to Paris
This year my pals and I thought we would attend Retromobile much earlier in the week as we are all mostly retired. Whilst the first full day of the show is on Wednesday, we decided it would be nice to also attend the preview Tuesday evening, assuming that it would be nice and quiet.
Mercedes-Benz presented this 300 SL currently being restored by its Heritage department. It was delivered to New York in May 1955 and remained in the USA until 2011 when it joined a German collection. Now for sale again, it has been undergoing a complete restoration since April 2024 while reusing as many original parts as possible. The work is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2025.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Retro thoughts, continued
Another development is the rise in quality of the show, with several dealers, particularly British ones, presenting some of the most expensive cars on the market as well as major manufacturers who communicate about their past to better sell their current range. Moreover, Rétromobile has attracted at the same time auction houses that organize their auctions in prestigious places such as Bonhams at the Grand Palais or RM Sotheby’s at the Louvre Museum.
Martin Otto Lambert Heukeshoven’s simply amazing ISO Grifo/Berliet lorry barn find model.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Pilgrimage to Paris continued
I hate the sound of a mobile phone alarm in the morning. But it allowed time for a quick breakfast and rather too many coffees, then off to the show, ready for the 10am opening. Ah lovely; Wednesday being a working day, the halls were not too crowded and the aisles much easier to navigate.