The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Story and photos by Sean Smith
I enjoyed the Top 10 Sports car list. It was very brave of Brandes Elitch to make his opinion known. This started me thinking of my Top 10 list. It was interesting; we only agreed on one specific car and agreed on several marques, but different models and from different decades. (
One of the Editor’s favorite images; Frank Shaffer took this photo of Tony Pompeo’s Fiat 1100S at Watkins Glen in 1949.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk and friends
Fiat 1100S
While Pierre Dusio was making a huge impact with his 1100 Fiat-powered Cisitalias, back at Fiat they weren’t idle and eager to return to some normalcy. As early as 1947 the Fiat 1100 S sports coupe made its appearance and was an immediate success, both in term of sales and results.
One of three Alfa Scarabeo constructed. It was the forerunner of the T33 series.
By Roberto Motta
Photo: Centro Documentazione Storica Alfa Romeo and Roberto Motta
The world is changing and we are experiencing a tough time. I live in Milano, and respect for the rules is essential; like many others, I live pretty much in self quarantine. Like most people, I have some moments of a little anguish so, to think of something more pleasant, I decided to reorder my archive.
Robert Braunschweig, nearest the camera, and cigarette-smoking Gordon Wilkins about to set off on their road test of 0090E 212 Export. ( Wilkins)
By Graham Gauld
A few years ago, one of England’s most authoritative motoring journalists died after a long and eventful career. He was one of the last surviving journalists that had been taken to Germany in 1938 and shown the original prototype Volkswagen.
Opinion by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Recently a newsstand “car guy” publication published an article titled “Ten Best Sportscars.” Fully a third of their choices were certainly not sports cars in any sense: a four door BMW sedan, a Japanese mainstream family car (Acura), and a McLaren FI, which by its name confirms that it is first and foremost a race car. This article was so off the mark that I have been getting emails asking me to come up with my own Top Ten list, which follows. [Read more…] about Top Ten Postwar Sportscars
Cisitalia is the acronym of “Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia”, the official name of the conglomerate of Piero Dusio’s business ventures. The logo, a stylistic Alpine goat (Capra ibex), was also an idea of Dusio, because these animals are reputed for their courage, speed and agility. The colors he chose – blue and gold – are those of the city of Turin. At right, the first batch of the Cisitalia D46 racing cars.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk
The name Cisitalia is inseparably linked to that of Piero Dusio. This Turinese sportsman, racing driver and entrepreneur was president of Juventus, Turin´s successful football (soccer) club and founder of the Scuderia Torino. His business enterprises were registered as Consorzio Industriale Sportivo Italia. Indeed: CISItalia! The business conglomerate included textile mills, a trading house, a bank, many hotels, sportswear manufacturing and bicycles. [Read more…] about Fiat 1100 Part 2
Legendary restorer and racer Tony Merrick passed away on December 15th. To donate, click on this image. To read our recent review of Tony Merrick’s book see link below.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
There was one bright spot in last year’s Concours season, as it was decided to hold the annual Hampton Court Show shortly before Covid restrictions became more drastic. And what a show it was. Jonathan Sharp covered the Italian entries last September, but we didn’t publish his photos of the many other great cars that made it to the event. Sharp hereby corrects that situation, with more great photos and detailed descriptions (information primarily from the event program) to explain the history behind each car. And a good thing, too, as we are not as familiar with Bentleys as Bugattis.
From Martin Squires’s Banked Track Heroes project.
By Brandes Elitch
Art by Martin Squires
Assumptions are generally pretty tenuous as a rule, but it is perhaps a safe assumption that if you’re reading VeloceToday, you are interested in (and probably knowledgeable about) French and Italian cars. The total number of French and Italian vehicles that were sold in the U.S. for the last fifty years as percentage of total vehicle sales is miniscule, so this is a pretty arcane subject, but not as arcane as motorcycle collecting versus car collecting.
Jack Deren advising Oscar Koveleski in the McLaren. Oscar didn’t set the Can Am world on fire, but “They knew I was there!”
By John R. Wright
Oscar Kovelevski died on the evening of Monday December 28th, 2020 at age 87. I will miss him.
From 1966 until 1974, it was a ritual for us Canadian gearheads to travel to our home race track, Mosport for the annual CanAm race. After the race had ended, instead of fighting the traffic out of the track area, we would instead wander the paddock and pits to see the drivers up close: Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, Denis Hulme, Canadian John Cordts – and Oscar Kovelevski. Many of them would leave by helicopter and avoid the fans but not Oscar.
First called the Nuova Balilla, the new Fiat quickly became the 1100, or Millecento as the Italians called it. Inset: A 30-year-old engineer named Dante Giacosa was responsible.
Eighty years ago, in November 1937, Fiat introduced its first 1100 cc four-cylinder engine with overhead valves. This small, mass-produced engine not only powered a great number of Fiat’s bread and butter automobiles, but also became the heart of many exciting Italian and French specialist sports and racing cars. This article covers the years 1937 – 1940.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk
From the VeloceToday Archives, 2017
In 1935 Italy was in the middle of a controversial colonial war in Abyssinia. In Turin that same year, Antonio Fessia, the manager of Fiat’s engineering department, asked the thirty-year-old engineer, Dante Giacosa, to develop a successor to the popular Balilla model. Giacosa had earned the respect of the Fiat management for his brilliantly designed 500 model, nicknamed Topolino (little mouse). Fessia explained that the new car should fill the gap between the small 500 and the recently introduced flagship of the Fiat range, the modern six-cylinder 1500 model.
Romolo Tavoni has passed away at the age of 94. During his years with Ferrari, there were times when Tavoni appeared to be something of a father confessor to the drivers. Here he calms down Phil Hill who obviously has been having a problem. (Photo Graham Gauld)
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
On December 21, we heard the news that Enzo Ferrari’s former private secretary and team manager, Romolo Tavoni died at the age of 94 at his home in Casinalbo near Modena.
For me it was a deeply personal loss as I have known Romolo for over 63 years since my first visit to Maranello to visit Ferrari. He came striding out from under the archway in his formal grey suit and tie, and made me and my old Scottish friend Sandy Forrest very welcome.
