The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
For Friday practice, the track conditions were atrocious, as seen with John Spiers’ Maserati 250F, which would finish third in the Richmond & Gordon Trophies race.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
We continue with the race by race on track coverage of the Goodwood Revival.
54 year old Alec Issigonis brought out his old cloth helmet and demonstrated the Lightweight in a historic display at the 1960 British Grand Prix at Silverstone ( Photo Gauld)
Story and photos by Graham Gauld and Jonathan Sharp
‘Wunderkind’ Adrian Newey and his first production hypercar, the Aston Martin-RB001, are making headlines. But Newey is following in the footsteps of another great designer, Gordon Murray, who set the modern pattern, so to speak, with the original McLaren road car.
But long before them was another wunderkind. Before he became famous as the designer of the ubiquitous BMC Minis, their equally ground breaking designer Alec Issigonis built his own advanced race car, the Lightweight Special.
Ian Jones about to unveil the Vanguard.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
I thought that some of you might be interested in a small event that I was privileged to attend earlier this year.
I received an email that came from Emma at Gunhill studios: “You are invited to the Vintage Innovations launch of the freshly restored Vanguard RA4.”
The what?! Do they mean a Standard Vanguard saloon?
Straight onto the internet, oh not a saloon then!
The Jaques Family’s 1927 Bentley 3 Litre Boat Tail Speed Model. This is chassis TN1564 and features coachwork from Martin Walter.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Stately Home number two on my three part ‘Grand Homes’ tour is Hampton Court Palace, a location I feel to rival that of Ville d‘Este and Pebble Beach. (See Stately Home number 1)
This event is a bit unusual in that the best in show winner at the concours is chosen by the owners themselves. Each owner is granted one vote to choose the car (other than their own of course) which they believe to be the finest motor car entered into the Concours. I also understand that each owner is also asked to select a vehicle from each decade that they consider to be the finest motor car entered in the event from that decade.
Chase McQueen by Jonathan Sharp
Photos and story by Jonathan Sharp
Before the Salon Privé show opened to the public I was invited to see the launch of the new Renauld/Steve McQueen Le Mans® sunglasses, an event that included Steve McQueen’s grandson Chase. The photos and captions following the press release below are mine from the launch.
Ferraris of the 50s and 60s class, 1953 166 MM Spider by Vignale.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
I joke that late August, early September is the time when I visit some of the great stately homes of England. Well, three actually. The first stately home of the trio, is actually a Palace.
From the 120 Years of Rolls- Royce (Post war) 1965 Phantom V by Mulliner Park Ward, ex John Lennon.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Here are Jon’s favorites from his Non-Italian class this year at the Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace. And so goes the PR:
The 19th edition of Salon Privé, the UK’s leading luxury automotive and global Concours event, has been hailed a gargantuan success. On Saturday evening, the curtain fell on the most spectacular five days of new model debuts, stunning classic car rarities, a jaw-dropping Salon Privé Concours victor and the finest in world-class luxury lifestyle and entertainment.
Can’t argue with that!
Jay Leno’s Monteverdi
Story and photos by Joe Duray
What Makes the San Marino Car Show Special?
Hopefully as a car enthusiast, you have many local car gatherings to attend. Southern California is particularly blessed with a plethora of such events. These can range from being held in a carnival to an informal setting (or anywhere in between) that contain a mixture of various time periods, design styles and manufacturers. Some events range from simply one-make to ‘bring-what-you-got gatherings.
The annual San Marino Car Show is special, as it is a bit of a mixture of the best of all above. It is well organized and impeccably managed. [Read more…] about San Marino Car Show, August 25, 2024
By Pete Vack and Jim Sitz
In their new book Nash-Healey, A Grand Alliance, authors John Nikas and Hervé Chevalier bring to light Donald Healey’s 5,000-mile ten-day cross-country journey through America in 1948, driving a new Healey Westland in every conceivable weather situation all the way to Los Angeles.
Hollywood welcomed Donald and Geoffrey Healey, who in turn never missed a photo op. Here is the well-traveled Westland with starlet Barbara Lawrence. Photo from Nash-Healey, A Grand Alliance
Healey and son Geoffrey were amazed at the enthusiasm and knew that he could succeed in selling his cars in the U.S. According to Nikas, “In his retirement in during the 1980s, he would ponder what might have happened had he built sports car in the United States rather than England.” He returned to the UK with many contacts and ideas, but left the appropriately named Westland in California. Jim Sitz picked up the trail from there.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
As it says below, F1 comes to London but only as an exhibition, not as a race. Anyway I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the press launch a few days before the exhibition opened so was able to take in the show without the crowds which will no doubt come in droves. During the press event both Damon Hill and Tim Harvey were present to explain more about the ethos of the exhibition and why it came to London as part three of what will probably be a world tour.
1956 Fiat 1100 TV Vignale from the collection of Marco Gastaldi
Story and photos by Brandes Elitch
Concorso Italiano was held on August 17th, 2024, the day before Pebble Beach. It is now a decades-old tradition and a mainstay of the Monterey Car Week. But this is how it began.
In 1984 my friend Joe Duray saw an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle for a 1962 Maserati 3500 GT coupe, located in a lockup in Vallejo. Joe was the only person to respond to the ad, and he got the car, which he has since fully restored. Around that time a gentleman named Francis Mandarano set up a business in Seattle called Maserati Information Exchange. [Read more…] about Concorso Italiano, 2024
