The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
It’s a Lancia and our Photo Feature. For details see below.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
We continue with the cars presented at the Chantilly Arts and Concours event held on September 24-25 2022. Please note the sidebar on the Tjaarda Lancia which appears at the bottom of this article.
Ferrari’s Alfa Beater
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Like many of us, I watched the various races streamed from Goodwood this year (favorite was the St. Mary’s Trophy). Obviously, nothing can beat the video coverage of Goodwood. At the same time I processed hundred of Jonathan’s still photos from Goodwood and prepared them for VeloceToday. Jonathan’s photos add a great deal to Goodwood coverage, aiding and abetting the video coverage, providing a depth and ambiance lacking in the brevity of video. We also hope that our readers are enlarging their screens to as much as 200 percent to better appreciate the many still photos; look large and linger long. –Ed.
I said to myself before the event “try not to take quite so many photos.” It is not the taking, it is the sorting that takes so much time. Anyway, Thursday afternoon at the cricket match, with reasonable control of my trigger finger, I took only about 88 shots, which is just about manageable. Friday morning early at the circuit I reminded myself to just shoot what you can use, stick to the French and Italian stuff! But it is just so photogenic that by 8.30am any chance of sticking to the script had gone out of the window. By close of play Sunday night a total of 3260 photos were taken!
Uncle Gerry Vack got the ball rolling by photographing 2079 in Paris, 1954.
Story by Pete Vack
We’ll call them Fantuzzis, for more than anyone else Medardo Fantuzzi inspired the coachwork of the A6GCS. Perhaps Ermanno Cozza, who was actually an employee at Maserati at the time, gives us the most accurate summation of who was responsible for the design. In his autobiography, Maserati at Heart, (Nada 2018) Cozza describes the phases of construction which involved drivers, mechanics, and designers. He wrote, “The most striking example was without doubt was the launch of the A6GCS/53, which debuted in that year’s Mille Miglia, winning its class with Emilio Giletti. The engine was a version of the A6GCM unit revised by Gioachino Columbo, while the bodywork built by Fantuzzi, was also fruit of an idea by Colombo.” (p43). (Not all of the A6GCS cars were constructed by Fantuzzi’s shop: Thirty three of the bodies were constructed at nearby Fiandri and Malagoli.)
The new Maserati was beautiful, purposeful, as curvy as Gina Lollabrigida and influenced several of our family members. We came up with five Fantuzzi A6GCS Maseratis connected to the Editor’s family. Rest assured that no one actually owned any examples of the real thing. But here’s our story anyway.
The Tazio Ottis/Manuel Elicabe 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza races into the sunset, Freddie March Memorial Trophy race.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
It’s Revival time; get out the tweed jacket and wear a tie and look like someone from the 1960s or earlier. But this year the tie was black and came with a matching arm band. The flags (Union Jacks) all around the circuit were all perfectly set at half-mast and the staff and Marshalls wore black armbands. The show went on but with all due respect being shown for the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and the Duke of Richmond giving a brief eulogy on the grid each day accompanied by a short film followed by a minute’s silence during which you really could have heard a pin drop.
James Wood, 1952 Ferrari 375 Grant Piston Ring Special, Ferrari 75th anniversary parade
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The multiple joys of Goodwood; in addition to the practice sessions and the 16 races held over three days, the spectators could also enjoy a parade of in excess of 100 Austin Sevens each morning in celebration of the humble baby Austin’s centenary. A parade in commemoration of the late great Graham Hill, it being sixty years since he won his first Formula One World Championship, and a parade in celebration of 75 years of Ferrari.
Dubonnet’s Xenia
Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Court Concours of Elegance
Add-on by Vince Johnson
This year’s Concours of Elegance was held at Hampton Court Palace located on the side of the river Thames just under 12 miles South West of the center of London. Originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, the Arch Bishop of York, with construction commencing in 1514. King Henry the VIII received the Palace from the Cardinal in 1520. The Royal Palace of Hampton Court is a fantastic and historical place to visit even when the formal gardens are not playing home to over 60 of the world’s greatest and most beautiful cars. [Read more…] about Hampton Court Concours Classic Cameo #1
The FCA Heritage document for Keith Roberts 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport by Touring chassis 915819 states that it was first sold to Elena Petrovsky of Pedaso Marche Italy on the 16th June 1950.
Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Concours de Elegance
Add on by Pete Vack
Entered by Eric Heerema, Ferrari 500 Mondial Scaglietti Series 11 chassis 0424 MD was the seventh example of the eleven constructed, being delivered to its first owner, Yves Dupont, in May 1955. Originally destined to carry the chassis number 0564 MD it is believed that Mr Dupont did not want to pay the French new car import tax so had the chassis restamped 0424 MD whilst still at the factory.
Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Court Concours of Elegance
Add-on by Graham Gauld
The previous 0424 MD had been sold to French racing driver Francois Picard but had been returned to the factory and believed to have been dismantled. Dupont raced the Mondial in a few events during 1955 before sending the car back to the factory for some work to be carried out. Mr Dupont never returned to the factory to collect it and he failed to pay the invoice so the car remained at the factory until being sold in 1975.
I am just going to have to get used to describing this 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Volante Mk2 as belonging to King Charles the Third. Gifted by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second in 1970 to the then HRH Prince Charles on his 21st Birthday, having previously graced the Aston Martin stand at the 1969 London Motor Show.
Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Court Concours of Elegance
Add-on by Pete Vack
Entered by Jonathan Segal, Maserati A6G Zagato chassis 2186 was completed on the 31st October 1956 and is the last of the 21 Zagato Berlinettas built. Order by Charlies Rezzaghi of Mille Miglia Motors Inc of San Francisco, upon delivery the Maserati was featured in the May 1957 issue of Motor Trend.
Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Court Concours of Elegance
Add-on by Pete Vack
By 1959 the car was owned by Frank Faine who entered the Maserati in a sports car race at Pomona after which the car was sold to Frank Jay Hoke from Tucson who competed in it at various race meetings across the USA.
We have learned from his old friend Dale Powers that Eric Davison passed away on August 25th, 2022. Eric wrote many things for VeloceToday, but none so poignant as his first hand reports of the early years of Watkins Glen. I cannot think of a better tribute to him than to re-publish the first in a seven part series of his memoirs his father and Watkins Glen from the VeloceToday Archives, October 2011. —Editor, Pete Vack
By Eric Davison
The street years at Watkins Glen were magic to me. In our house the trip to “the Glen” was a yearly pilgrimage. The excitement, the fun and the life experiences that I enjoyed with my father are never to be forgotten.
