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pete

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

April 15, 2009 By pete


This is a face that might be hard to like, but easy to love. Lamborghini’s Gallardo Superleggera is, as CEO Winkelmann will enthusiastically, and repeatedly explain, “We do not make exotic cars, it is a super sports car.”

LAMBO LITE

A Lamborghini with attitude–no news there! No. I mean BAD attitude–like at the edge of rage. The Superleggera shares the Gallardo’s odd V-10 warble in its everyday traffic mode, but as it is allowed past 5000 revs, it gets angry (very angry!) inside and out. As the valve timing reaches near-contact overlap and the exhaust pressure finds the now well-established route around the baffles, it makes you want to pay attention. It also tempts you to pay something painfully close to a quarter of a million U.S. dollars for the pleasure of that entertainment. Worth it? Got it?
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

Tagged With: lamborghini gallardo, lamborghini lite, lamborghini superleggera, Larry Crane

The Racing Fiats: Tiremarks on America PII

April 15, 2009 By pete

fiat
Part II brings us to mid-century, when Fiat was offering very sporting small displacement cars such as this rare 1100 S driven here by Tony Pompeo at Waktins Glen. Photo by Frank Shaffer.

By Karl Ludvigsen

Read Part I

The Saga of David Bruce-Brown

David Bruce-Brown, an 18-year-old prep-school lad whose mother was listed in New York’s social register, came on the scene in time for the American Grand Prize races. Driving Fiats for most of his brief but meteoric career, Bruce-Brown broke Willie Vanderbilt’s mile record at Daytona Beach in 1908. [Read more…] about The Racing Fiats: Tiremarks on America PII

Tagged With: david bruce brown, fiat cars, fiat in america, fiat racing, karl ludvigsen, savannah races

French Classics, 2009 Techno Classica Essen

April 15, 2009 By pete


1958 Radovitch. Based on the Peugeot 403 4-door saloon, it was built by a French coachbuilder from Reims (France). Only one known to exist.

Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Bugatti celebrates 100 years, Talbots and oddities abound


1912 Bugatti Type 15. Built between 1909 and 1914, this is the first automobile launched under Ettore Bugatti’s name. It was an immediate success and the archetype for many later high performance sports cars.

[Read more…] about French Classics, 2009 Techno Classica Essen

Tagged With: bugatti 100 years old, bugatti history, french cars at techno essen, techno classica essen 2009

Lambos, Ferraris Duke it out Down Under

April 15, 2009 By pete


Quarterback Shirts Lamborghini Gallardo Mark Eddy mixes it up with the domineering Porsches.

Australian GT Series, Round 1, Adelaide, 19 – 22 March 2009

Storya and Photos by Vince Johnson

South Australia’s Adelaide street circuit hosted the first three races in Round 1 of the 2009 Australian GT Series during the Clipsal 500 weekend in March.
[Read more…] about Lambos, Ferraris Duke it out Down Under

Tagged With: Adelaide GT races, ferrari challenge, lamborghini

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

April 8, 2009 By pete

Enzo Ferrari.

An audience with the pope of motorsport

The technical briefing was winding down. A dozen American journalists were asking questions, the depth of which suggest the knowledge/experience of the source. We had been in a half-lit room watching and listening and interrogating the bright young engineering talent of Ferrari’s future for over an hour. The room was softly lit by sunlight making its way through the translucent drapes across the wall in front of us. Dr. Emelio Anchisi, then the Director of Ferrari North America, was looking anxious and mentioned the time to the presenters. Suddenly the door to our right opened and was held open by Piero Lardi Ferrari and in walked his dad. [Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

Tagged With: brenda vernor, enzo ferrari, interview with ferrari, Larry Crane, piero lardi ferrari

The Racing Fiats: Tiremarks on America

April 8, 2009 By pete

fiat
Louis Wagner with the Fiat at the Savannah races in 1911. Almost as tall as an average man, the huge Fiats won two of the three American Grand Prize events at Savannah.

Part I

From the Vanderbilt Cup to Indianapolis, from the Grand Prize at Savannah to Sebring, cars by Fiat of Turin, Italy, have competed with distinction in the greatest American racing events since 1904. With the news of Fiat’s deal with Chrysler, Karl Ludvigsen’s three part article about Fiat in America may be more relevant than ever.

by Karl Ludvigsen

Louis Chevrolet, Louis Wagner and Walt Hansgen are among the best-known racing drivers the world has seen. What do they have in common with Don Parkinson, Pietro Bordino and Paul Richards? Just this: all of them were race winners in America driving Fiat-or Fiat-based racing cars. For over a century Americans and racing Fiats have been linked together in the world of auto competition.
[Read more…] about The Racing Fiats: Tiremarks on America

Tagged With: chevrolet, de palma, Fiat, fiat in america, fiat savannah races, fiat vanderbilt cup, nazzaro

New Abarth Assetto Corse Takes to the Track

April 8, 2009 By pete

fiat
Photo FIAT Auto press

FIAT Abarth 500 Assetto Corse is a real baby racer

Story and photos by Roberto Motta

fiat

Coming soon to a Chrysler dealer near you? That would be great, for the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse would make an neat showroom package. Abarth has come back to the track with its new baby 130 mph supersportscar that is named after the famous line of Abarth “Assetto Corsa” (race trim or race ready) models built in the 1960s. [Read more…] about New Abarth Assetto Corse Takes to the Track

Tagged With: fiat 500, fiat 500 tropheo, fiat abarth, fiat assetto corse 500

Academy of Art and their Automobile Museum

April 8, 2009 By pete


Hispano Suiza with a stunning dual cowl phaeton, bodied by D’Iteren Freres is one of the prize cars of the San Francisco Academy of Art.

Story by Brandes Elitch, Photos by Petya Elitch..

Riddle me this. One of the greatest car collections in the world is private, not open to the public, and yet you can see it whenever you want, any time of day. There are over eighty fully restored cars, primarily big prewar Classics: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Packard, Cadillac, Pierce Arrow, Rolls, Delage, Hispano, Lincoln, and more. Moreover, thousands of people see these cars every day. Can you answer this riddle?
[Read more…] about Academy of Art and their Automobile Museum

Tagged With: Delage, hispano suiza, richard stephens, san francisco academy of art

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

April 3, 2009 By pete

casa-crane
Bob Lutz (aviator shades) and his Riley MPH.

A gathering of two hundred forty fascinating people,
who all arrived in interesting cars…

David E. Davis Jr. invited me to join him on the staff of Automobile magazine in Ann Arbor. It was an opportunity to work with my publishing hero. Tracy and I had owned our house in Costa Mesa for about a year when the phone call came. We flew to Michigan the next weekend, accepted his offer and put our California home up for sale the following week.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

Tagged With: ann arbor, bob lutz, car parties, car shows, Larry Crane

Ferrari Days 2009 Monza

April 3, 2009 By pete

ferrari days
1958 250GT Berlinetta owned by Matthias Ficht faces the rain.

Story and Photos by Roberto Motta

Shell Ferrari Historic Challenge

Monza, 29th March 2009 – The first Ferrari Racing Days of the 2009 season circuit hosted a very intense program for the season’s first round of the European and Italian Ferrari Challenge, Trofeo Pirelli, and the Shell Ferrari Historic Challenge Europe.
[Read more…] about Ferrari Days 2009 Monza

Crane To Be Guest MC at La Dolce Vita

March 28, 2009 By pete

fiat

Where’s “A Car Life?” We let Larry slide this week as he’s up to his elbows in deadlines. Besides, we have this Press Release about his future appearance, live, at La Dolce Vita. Larry will return here next week. [Ed.]

AUBURN, WASHINGTON. (April 24, 2009) – La Dolce Vita Automobili at Black Horse announced today that automotive aficionado Larry Crane will join the event as guest Master of Ceremonies. Co Founder Kerry McMullen notes, “Larry Crane has incredible car knowledge related to technical specifications and provenance and he’s a great storyteller. He’s highly respected as both an automotive historian and journalist and we’re thrilled to have him emcee our Monterey Car Week event at Black Horse.”

[Read more…] about Crane To Be Guest MC at La Dolce Vita

Tagged With: la dolce vita, Larry Crane

A Car (Wife) by Larry Crane

March 25, 2009 By pete

lancia
Tracy Crane (nee Stuart) and her 1600cc Alfa Sprint coming down through Laguna Seca’s famous Corkscrew, running away from a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.

Tracy Stuart quit college to take an advertised position as librarian’s assistant at Road & Track magazine. Legend has it that the first words she spoke to her new boss, Otis Meyer, on her first day in the library were: “Who’s single?”

Otis later remembered thinking, “Crane’s in trouble.”

[Read more…] about A Car (Wife) by Larry Crane

Tagged With: A car life, a car wife, Larry Crane, tracy crane, tracy stuart, women in vintage racing

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