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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

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From the Archives: A Look at the Citroen SM

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The SM; Advance, French, Italian and totally unique.

Story and Photos by Stephen Glenn

The reputation of the Citroen SM precedes most of our actual knowledge of the car itself. Frighteningly complex hydraulics, rusty uni-bodies, electrical gremlins and unobtanium parts all immediately come to mind when considering the car. While these descriptors can apply to many cars, they are particularly associated with Citroens here in the States.

It is only upon careful consideration of the SM, its historical place and technological sophistication that one begins to truly appreciate its qualities. [Read more…] about From the Archives: A Look at the Citroen SM

F1: The Inter-Seasonal Sounds of Fury

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By Philippe Defechereux

The 2009 season has been over for more than a month, and yet a staccato of shock announcements keeps crossing the wires and two or three major developments are still pending:

The inter-season started early, hailed by a thundering and Wagnerian blast of organ pipes. It came from Stuttgart to announce the refounding of the famed Mercedes-Benz GP team of yore. M-B AG boldly absorbed the victorious and Mercedes-powered Brawn GP team and renamed it as its own. The cars will again be called “Silver Arrows” while Ross Brawn will stay at the helm and report to Norbert Haug. A strong relationship with McLaren will be maintained, especially as concerns engine supply. Enzo Ferrari shivered in his grave. [Read more…] about F1: The Inter-Seasonal Sounds of Fury

This Week, of Interest

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In 1905, wealthy British landowner Hugh Locke King and his wife drove to Italy, reaching Brescia in time for the Coppa Florio road race. Locke King noticed the lack of British entrants, and realized that “…a British car would stand no chance against those from France and Italy.”

Upon returning to Surrey, Lock King began the construction of a modern banked racing facility on his property and called it Brooklands. The rest is history and in this case, a very interesting and concise history as written by VeloceToday correspondent, Nicholas Lancaster. His new book is now available for only $12.95 plus shipping at www.shirebooks.co.uk.
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2010 Calendar
A new 2010 calendar is a joint project between Jamie Doyle, SportcarDigest.com and Dennis Gray. It can be purchased and sample images seen by going to www.sportscardigest.com

Size: 13 x 10.5 inches

Details: 13 months (January 2010 through January 2011)

Price: $39.99, which includes shipping within the United States and Canada.

Below, Classic Adelaide, Famous Cars and Their Badges, Via Flaminia Tour.

Classic Adelaide Rally 2009

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Story and Photos by Vince Johnson

November 18-22 2009

South Australia’s Classic Adelaide Rally celebrated its 13th anniversary with the tried and true formula of four days of loops into the hills and surrounding country on closed public roads. Home base was once again the Hilton Hotel in the center of the city. [Read more…] about Classic Adelaide Rally 2009

Just for Fun–Famous Cars, circa 1954

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You probably know someone who keeps old newspapers; yellowed, full of mold, faded to brown at the edges and decaying with both alacrity and odor…

The headlines are usually “Pearl Harbor Bombed”, or “Kennedy Assassinated”, or “Long Live the Queen”. The ones lying about the office of VeloceToday are old and yellowed enough, but the headlines are “Famous Cars and Their Badges”. We all have our quirks.

All three pages seen at left are from “The Topper”, an English tabloid-sized comic book which was published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and ran from 1953 to 1990. The “Famous Cars and Their Badges” page may be familiar to our British readers. These date from December 1953 and January 1954, and were shipped (literally) from England to the U.S. some fifty-six years ago.


In those days, schools encouraged their students be a “pen pal”, and write to students overseas, thus learning about others in strange and distant lands. My late sister was one such avid letter writer, and when she was about ten years old began a pen pal relationship with a student about her age living in England by the name of Mary Ellerby. Back in the USofA, from Mary we learned about Queen Elizabeth, Cadbury’s chocolates, and a bit of the history of Great Britain. The Queen was pretty, the Cadburys sweet, but please send me something about the cars, said I through my older sister. And so she did, sending these clippings which now lie dormant and decomposing.

Take a look at the Ferrari, no doubt an artist’s conception of a Vignale bodied 212 and based on S/N 0090 E, which had been tested by “Autocar” magazine in June of 1951. Even though already two years old, the Ferrari made other designs seem hopelessly outdated, as if they were hastily drawn up to be outfitted on some pre-war chassis. This was also very obvious to even a seven-year old, probably sowing the seeds of a passion for Italian cars that has yet to subside, which is probably why these crumbling English comics are still hanging about the office. Now that we’ve had them this long, no use in throwing them away now, is there? So we thought we’d share them with our readers. Did the pen pals separated by the big waters ever meet each other? Nope.

And there you have it, just for fun, on this day of December 2nd, 2009.

This Week, of Interest

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This week, a little light, a little early due to the Thanksgiving holidays. We review Bruce Taylor’s second Montreal book, present a rare Fiat 500 brochure from 1960, and from our Archives, the birth of a Giulietta.

Be sure to order your favorite books in time for the holidays. Check our the VeloceToday bookstore for new titles; more are added on a weekly basis.

Montreal – The dream car that came true

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Alfa Romeo Montreal – The dream car that came true
by Bruce Taylor
Hardback, 210 x 280mm, 208 pages
575 color pictures and illustrations, ISBN: 9781845842185
Published by Veloce Publishing, UK
USA $79.95

Order here

Bruce Taylor’s second book, “Montreal – The dream car that came true”, is the perfect companion to the superb “Alfa Montreal – The essential companion” (read review). It’s full of useful and interesting information, not to mention 575 color illustrations, almost all focusing on some aspect of the Montreal. For Montreal owners or would-be owners, this becomes like the “essential companion”, essential. With a dearth of literature available on this rare and beautiful Alfa, there is surely a place on the shelf for this book.
[Read more…] about Montreal – The dream car that came true

This Week, of Interest

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Simon Grand is one of those guys with an eye. Either one has it or one doesn’t, and Grand is definitely one who does.

He also has contributed several photo stories to VeloceToday. Recently, he began his own blog, the streets of Turin, “a personal outlook on the fascinating world surrounding intriguing and historic vehicles.” You’ll be pleased with his unique and eye-opening perspectives, so do pay him a visit.

Before presenting our American theme, we offer a short article on the Maranello Rosso Museum in the republic of San Marino. They have a great collection of Abarths and Ferraris, and are celebrating their 20th anniversary next month. Following that, Brandes Elitch goes to Hershey, Toly Arutunoff’s new book is reviewed, and a bit about building American Ferraris in the fifties.

The Delage article last week prompted a nice email from from Australia. Wrote Pamela Congdon, “After reading this article I could not resist the temptation to send you a copy of the ‘real beauties of the day’ otherwise known as the ‘Delightfully Delicious Delage Dolls’!” From left to right: Fritha Borland, Tricia Thomas, Karen Holland, Gilly Swinnerton, Jane Gaunt, Sally McKaige. All traveled about 800 kms from Victoria to Barossa in Delages–save the McKaiges, who did the same trek in their Bentley.

Maranello Rosso, San Marino’s Abarth and Ferrari Museum, Celebrates 20 years

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Abarths abound at Maranello Rosso

Fabrizio Violati founded Maranello Rosso in 1989 as the first Ferrari Museum open to the public.

By Pete Vack

Time flies when having fun–in December Maranello Rosso will celebrate its twentieth year of keeping the legend alive. Maranello Rosso is really two museums, one featuring Abarths and the other signficant Ferraris. There is also a study center and art gallery, and all of this is located in the tiny Republic of San Marino close to the Imola racetrack. Among the main themes of Maranello Rosso are History, Style, Technologic Evolution and The Men behind a century of motorsport achievements and Italian art. [Read more…] about Maranello Rosso, San Marino’s Abarth and Ferrari Museum, Celebrates 20 years

Book Review: “One Off”

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Arutunoff, Bill Pryor and Tom Davis pose in front of the Lancia Zagato at the Targa Florio, 1963.

“One Off”
By Anatoly Arutunoff
254 Pages, color and B&W illustrations, hardbound, 6.25 x 9.25
Beeman Jorgenson, Inc. Indianapolis, IN 2008
ISBN 0-929758-25-0

Order Here from VeloceToday

Review by Pete Vack

Anatoly “Toly” Armaisevich Arutunoff is not your average autobiographer any more than he is an average amateur race driver. There is nothing average about Toly and that’s what makes “One Off”–an often incoherent accumulation of anecdotes–so compelling. The title could not be more fitting for Toly, like many of the weird cars he has owned, is himself a classic one-of-a-kind. So is his book. [Read more…] about Book Review: “One Off”

Let’s Build a Ferrari!

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A sophisticated faux-Ferrari found at Hershey. Photo by Brandes Elitch.

Left without many choices, thousands of sports car enthusiasts in the early 1950s were forced to improvise their own two seat roadster or coupe. Preferably, it would look like the best of Italy, as seen in the pages of Road & Track magazine or on the tracks of Watkins Glen or Pebble Beach. [Read more…] about Let’s Build a Ferrari!

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